Contact lens(CL)is currently one of the most common methods of vision correction, with more than 140 million users worldwide and the demand is rising yearly as constantly development of materials and features. Wearing CL can lead to a variety of complications such as dry eye, corneal abrasions, giant papillary conjunctivitis, and infectious keratitis is one of the most severe complications. According to research, bacteria account for 80%～95% of the pathogens that cause CL-associated infective keratitis, it may have been related to the bacterial composition, virulence mechanism, biofilm formation and the combined effect of the lens itself and the process of use, which is prone to introducing pathogens, reducing antimicrobial capacity of the cornea and tears and causing ocular surface hypoxia and ocular surface inflammation. Overnight and prolonged lens wear, irregular lens purchase, use and care procedures can also be risk factors for bacterial infections. This article reviews the studies on the pathogenesis, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of CL-related bacterial keratitis.

Objective: To identify the antibiotic resistance, virulence genes, and sequence types of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) strains isolated from blood. Methods: From November 2014 to December 2021, a total of 94 nonrepetitive P. aeruginosa isolates were obtained from blood samples of patients at the First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University in Shandong Province, China. The bacteria were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry. Antibiotic resistance of the P. aeruginosa isolates was detected using Vitek 2 Compact system. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was conducted for the 18 virulence genes, and multi locus sequence typing (MLST) was performed to identify the sequence types of the P. aeruginosa strains. The resistance rates and distributions of virulence genes between carbapenem resistant pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) and carbapenem susceptible pseudomonas aeruginosa (CSPA) isolates were compared using the Chi-square test. Results: Among 94 P. aeruginosa isolates, 19 (20.2%) isolates were found to be multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria, of which 17 were CRPA isolates and 2 were CSPA isolates. All strains contained more than 10 virulence genes. Except for exoU gene, the detection rate of other genes was above 83%. MLST analysis revealed a total of 66 different STs, including 59 existing STs and 7 novel STs. Among them, ST244 (n=11, 11.7%) and ST270 (n=7, 7.4%) were the dominant STs. Although these two types of isolates harbored the same virulence genes, the resistance rates to carbapenem were different. 54.5% (6/11) ST244 isolates were CRPA but all 7 ST270 isolates were CSPA. Conclusion: Although the resistance rates of P. aeruginosa strains isolated from blood were at a low level, some MDR and CRPA isolates were detected. As the high virulence gene detection rates and genetic diversity were found for P. aeruginosa strains isolated from blood, close attention should be paid to avoid transmission and outbreaks.
Humans ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa/genetics* ; Multilocus Sequence Typing ; Molecular Epidemiology ; Pseudomonas Infections/microbiology* ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Hospitals ; Carbapenems/pharmacology* ; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial/genetics* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology* ; beta-Lactamases

Objective: To identify the antibiotic resistance, virulence genes, and sequence types of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) strains isolated from blood. Methods: From November 2014 to December 2021, a total of 94 nonrepetitive P. aeruginosa isolates were obtained from blood samples of patients at the First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University in Shandong Province, China. The bacteria were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time of flight mass spectrometry. Antibiotic resistance of the P. aeruginosa isolates was detected using Vitek 2 Compact system. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was conducted for the 18 virulence genes, and multi locus sequence typing (MLST) was performed to identify the sequence types of the P. aeruginosa strains. The resistance rates and distributions of virulence genes between carbapenem resistant pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) and carbapenem susceptible pseudomonas aeruginosa (CSPA) isolates were compared using the Chi-square test. Results: Among 94 P. aeruginosa isolates, 19 (20.2%) isolates were found to be multidrug resistant (MDR) bacteria, of which 17 were CRPA isolates and 2 were CSPA isolates. All strains contained more than 10 virulence genes. Except for exoU gene, the detection rate of other genes was above 83%. MLST analysis revealed a total of 66 different STs, including 59 existing STs and 7 novel STs. Among them, ST244 (n=11, 11.7%) and ST270 (n=7, 7.4%) were the dominant STs. Although these two types of isolates harbored the same virulence genes, the resistance rates to carbapenem were different. 54.5% (6/11) ST244 isolates were CRPA but all 7 ST270 isolates were CSPA. Conclusion: Although the resistance rates of P. aeruginosa strains isolated from blood were at a low level, some MDR and CRPA isolates were detected. As the high virulence gene detection rates and genetic diversity were found for P. aeruginosa strains isolated from blood, close attention should be paid to avoid transmission and outbreaks.
Humans ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa/genetics* ; Multilocus Sequence Typing ; Molecular Epidemiology ; Pseudomonas Infections/microbiology* ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Hospitals ; Carbapenems/pharmacology* ; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial/genetics* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology* ; beta-Lactamases

China/epidemiology* ; Morbidity

OBJECTIVE: To explore the expression patterns, prognostic implications, and biological role of leukotriene B4 receptor (LTB4R) in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). METHODS: We collected the data of mRNA expression levels and clinical information of patients with AML from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database for mRNA expression analyses, survival analyses, Cox regression analyses and correlation analyses using R studio to assess the expression patterns and prognostic value of LTB4R. The correlation of LTB4R expression levels with clinical characteristics of the patients were analyzed using UALCAN. The co-expressed genes LTB4R were screened from Linkedomics and subjected to functional enrichment analysis. A protein-protein interaction network was constructed using STRING. GSEA analyses of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were performed based on datasets from TCGA-LAML stratified by LTB4R expression level. We also collected peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from AML patients and healthy donors for examination of the mRNA expression levels of LTB4R and immune checkpoint genes using qRT-PCR. We also examined serum LTB4R protein levels in the patients using ELISA. RESULTS: The mRNA expression level of LTB4R was significantly increased in AML patients (4.898±1.220 vs 2.252±0.215, P < 0.001), and an elevated LTB4R expression level was correlated with a poor overall survival (OS) of the patients (P=0.004, HR=1.74). LTB4R was identified as an independent prognostic factor for OS (P=0.019, HR=1.66) and was associated with FAB subtypes, cytogenetic risk, karyotype abnormalities and NPM1 mutations. The co- expressed genes of LTB4R were enriched in the functional pathways closely associated with AML leukemogenesis, including neutrophil inflammation, lymphocyte activation, signal transduction, and metabolism. The DEGs were enriched in differentiation, activation of immune cells, and cytokine signaling. Examination of the clinical serum samples also demonstrated significantly increased expressions of LTB4R mRNA (P=0.044) and protein (P=0.008) in AML patients, and LTB4R mRNA expression was positively correlated with the expression of the immune checkpoint HAVCR2 (r= 0.466, P=0.040). CONCLUSION LTB4R can serve as a novel biomarker and independent prognostic indicator of AML and its expression patterns provide insights into the crosstalk of leukemogenesis signaling pathways involving tumor immunity and metabolism.
Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/metabolism* ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear/metabolism* ; Prognosis ; RNA, Messenger/metabolism* ; Receptors, Leukotriene B4/genetics*

Metabolic syndrome is a clustering of metabolic disorder with unclear molecular mechanism. Increasing studies have found that the pathogenesis and progression of metabolic syndrome are closely related to inflammation. Here, we report celastrol, a traditional Chinese medicine, can improve high fat diet-induced metabolic syndrome through suppressing resistin-induced inflammation. Mechanistically, celastrol binds to adenylyl cyclase associated protein 1 (CAP1) and inhibits the interaction between CAP1 and resistin, which restrains the cyclic adenylate monophosphate (cAMP)-protein kinase A (PKA)-nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify novel plasma biomarkers for distinguishing nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients from healthy individuals who have positive Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) viral capsid antigen (VCA-IgA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred seventy-four plasma cytokines were analyzed by a Cytokine Array in eight healthy individuals with positive EBV VCA-IgA and eight patients with NPC. Real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and immunohistochemistry were employed to detect the expression levels of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and CC chemokine ligand 3 (CCL3) in NPC cell lines and tumor tissues. Plasma MIF and CCL3 were measured by ELISA in 138 NPC patients, 127 EBV VCA-IgA negative (VN) and 100 EBV VCA-IgA positive healthy donors (VP). Plasma EBV VCA-IgA was determined by immunoenzymatic techniques. RESULTS: Thirty-four of the 174 cytokines varied significantly between the VP and NPC group. Plasma MIF and CCL3 were significantly elevated in NPC patients compared with VN and VP. Combination of MIF and CCL3 could be used for the differential diagnosis of NPC from VN cohort (area under the curve [AUC], 0.913; sensitivity, 90.00%; specificity, 80.30%), and combination of MIF, CCL3, and VCA-IgA could be used for the differential diagnosis of NPC from VP cohort (AUC, 0.920; sensitivity, 90.00%; specificity, 84.00%), from (VN+VP) cohort (AUC, 0.961; sensitivity, 90.00%; specificity, 92.00%). Overexpressions of MIF and CCL3 were observed in NPC plasma, NPC cell lines and NPC tissues. CONCLUSION: Plasma MIF, CCL3, and VCA-IgA combination significantly improves the diagnostic specificity of NPC in high-risk individuals.
Biomarkers* ; Blotting, Western ; Capsid* ; Cell Line ; Chemokine CCL3 ; Cohort Studies ; Cytokines ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Herpesvirus 4, Human* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A* ; Immunohistochemistry ; Macrophages* ; Plasma* ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tissue Donors

Background: Disease-modifying therapy is the standard treatment for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) in remission. The primary objective of the current analysis was to assess the efficacy and safety of two teriflunomide doses (7 mg and 14 mg) in the subgroup of Chinese patients with relapsing MS included in the TOWER study. Methods: TOWER was a multicenter, multinational, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group (three groups), placebo-controlled study. This subgroup analysis includes 148 Chinese patients randomized to receive either teriflunomide 7 mg (n = 51), teriflunomide 14 mg (n = 43), or placebo (n = 54). Results: Of the 148 patients in the intent-to-treat population, adjusted annualized relapse rates were 0.63 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.44, 0.92) in the placebo group, 0.48 (95% CI: 0.33, 0.70) in the teriflunomide 7 mg group, and 0.18 (95% CI: 0.09, 0.36) in the teriflunomide 14 mg group; this corresponded to a significant relative risk reduction in the teriflunomide 14 mg group versus placebo (-71.2%, P = 0.0012). Teriflunomide 14 mg also tended to reduce 12-week confirmed disability worsening by 68.1% compared with placebo (hazard ratio: 0.319, P = 0.1194). There were no differences across all treatment groups in the proportion of patients with treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs; 72.2% in the placebo group, 74.5% in the teriflunomide 7 mg group, and 69.8% in the teriflunomide 14 mg group); corresponding proportions for serious adverse events were 11.1%, 3.9%, and 11.6%, respectively. The most frequently reported TEAEs with teriflunomide versus placebo were neutropenia, increased alanine aminotransferase, and hair thinning. Conclusions: Teriflunomide was as effective and safe in the Chinese subpopulation as it was in the overall population of patients in the TOWER trial. Teriflunomide has the potential to meet unmet medical needs for MS patients in China. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00751881; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00751881?term=NCT00751881&rank=1.
China ; Crotonates ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Double-Blind Method ; Drug Administration Schedule ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Multicenter Studies as Topic ; Multiple Sclerosis ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Toluidines ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use

Objective To analyze the genetic etiology of lateral ventriculomegaly fetal on the genome-wide level with chromosomal microarray analysis (CMA),and investigate the relationship between copy number variations (CNVs) and lateral ventriculomegaly and the application value of CMA in prenatal diagnosis of fetuses with lateral ventriculomegaly.Methods Seventy fetuses with lateral ventriculomegaly but normal or uncertain karyotype were selected and invasive prenatal diagnosis was performed in Xi Jing Hospital of the Fourth Military Medical University from Jan.2015 to Nov.2016.Microarray testing was performed using Affymetrix CytoScanTM 750k arrays and the results were analyzed according to biological information science database.The fetal development was regularly inspected,and follow up was conducted to find out the pregnancy outcome and fetal postnatal conditions.Results In 70 cases of lateral ventriculomegaly fetuses,there were 9 fetuses with pathogenic copy number variations (CNVs),3 fetuses with likely pathogenic CNVs and 1 fetus with likely pathogenic 1 oss of heterozygosity (LOH).During the 70 fetuses with lateral ventriculomegaly,2 pathogenic CNVs were detected in 6 fetuses with severe and non isolated lateral ventriculomegaly (33.3％).Pathogenic CNVs was not detected but 1 likely pathogenic CNV was detected in 3 fetuses with severe and isolated lateral ventriculomegaly (33.3％).Six pathogenic CNVs were detected in 31 mild and non isolated lateral ventriculomegaly (19.4％),and 2 likely pathogenic CNVs were also detected in these group (6.5％).One pathogenic CNV and 1 likely pathogenic CNV were detected in 30 fetuses with mild and isolated fetal lateral ventriculomegaly.Conclusions CMA can identify chromosome abnormality microdeletion/microduplication which was unrecognizable by conventional karyotyping analysis.The application of CMA may increase the detection rate of pathogenic CNVs in fetuses with lateral ventriculomegaly,and benefit evaluation of fetal prognosis in prenatal genetic counselling.

Sulfur fumigation, which is traditional method for preservation, pest control, insecticide and sterilization, has long been widely used in processing and storage and played a positive role of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). As some businesses sided pursuit of profit, abused and repeated use of sulfur fumigation, have resulted in a large number of harmful residues, such as sulf dioxide (SO2) and harmful heavy metals, which brings a significant impact and danger on human health. This article summarizes the sulfur species and the sulfur fumigation methods and analyzes the harmful substances in TCM after sulfur fumigation, to provide a reference of the choice of species for the sulfur, the optimization of sulfur fumigation process and the standardized processing of TCM after sulfur fumigation.
Animals ; Drug Contamination ; Fumigation ; methods ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Safety ; Sulfur ; chemistry ; Technology, Pharmaceutical ; methods