Causative agent distribution and antibiotic therapy assessment among adult patients with community acquired pneumonia in Chinese urban population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Knowledge of predominant microbial patterns in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) constitutes the basis for initial decisions about empirical antimicrobial treatment, so a prospective study was performed during 2003–2004 among CAP of adult Chinese urban populations.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Qualified patients were enrolled and screened for bacterial, atypical, and viral pathogens by sputum and/or blood culturing, and by antibody seroconversion test. Antibiotic treatment and patient outcome were also assessed.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Non-viral pathogens were found in 324/610 (53.1%) patients among whom <it>M. pneumoniae </it>was the most prevalent (126/610, 20.7%). Atypical pathogens were identified in 62/195 (31.8%) patients carrying bacterial pathogens. Respiratory viruses were identified in 35 (19%) of 184 randomly selected patients with adenovirus being the most common (16/184, 8.7%). The nonsusceptibility of <it>S. pneumoniae </it>to penicillin and azithromycin was 22.2% (Resistance (R): 3.2%, Intermediate (I): 19.0%) and 79.4% (R: 79.4%, I: 0%), respectively. Of patients (312) from whom causative pathogens were identified and antibiotic treatments were recorded, clinical cure rate with β-lactam antibiotics alone and with combination of a β-lactam plus a macrolide or with fluoroquinolones was 63.7% (79/124) and 67%(126/188), respectively. For patients having mixed <it>M. pneumoniae </it>and/or <it>C. pneumoniae </it>infections, a better cure rate was observed with regimens that are active against atypical pathogens (e.g. a β-lactam plus a macrolide, or a fluoroquinolone) than with β-lactam alone (75.8% vs. 42.9%, <it>p </it>= 0.045).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In Chinese adult CAP patients, <it>M. pneumoniae </it>was the most prevalent with mixed infections containing atypical pathogens being frequently observed. With <it>S. pneumoniae</it>, the prevalence of macrolide resistance was high and penicillin resistance low compared with data reported in other regions.</p

MECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF THE DRILL BIT IN THE DUAL CASING SIDETRACKING

In the dual casing sidetracking,the oil casing wall,cement ring,technical casing wall and rock formations’ hardness are different,furthermore,in the process of dual casing sidetracking the bit in contact with the oil casing wall,cement ring,technical casing wall and rock formations are different,bit bending moment certainly exist. Considered the situation of that the sidetracking bit in actual contact with the oil casing wall,cement ring,technical casing wall and rock formations,established the bending moment mathematical model of the dual casing sidetracking drill bit,and combined with examples using MATLAB software solved the relationship between the drill bit bending moment and the drill bit horizontal moving distance under that Three different working conditions was given. Further reference the theory of metal cutting mechanics,researched cutting force and cutting torque of the drill bit in sidetracking the process,checked the sidetracking bit strength,provided technical advice to prevent the drill bit holded in and stuck fracture accident occurred in the dual casing sidetracking process. The analysis and calculation could provide the reference to designing the sidetracking bit and determinating construction parameters in the dual casing sidetracking process

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Chinese Postgraduate Students’ Mental Health

To understand the mental health status of Chinese postgraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic, we used three online questionnaires: self-rating anxiety (SAS) scale, self-rating depression (SDS) scale, and social avoidance and distress (SAD) scale. A total of 3137 postgraduate students from different regions of China participated in our study. We explored the relationship between participant characteristics and mental health using an analysis of variance (ANOVA). We found that the proportions of respondents with severe, mild, and moderate depression were 1.4%, 10.48%, and 21.99%, respectively, and the corresponding proportions of respondents with anxiety were 1.56%, 4.65%, and 14.69%, respectively. A one-way ANOVA revealed that the mental health statuses of the participants were different between the subgroups based on majors, classes, degree types, and the method of communication with advisors and students. A two-way ANOVA revealed significant effects on interaction and the method of communication with advisors and peers. These findings suggest that the mental health of postgraduate students should be monitored during the pandemic, especially when they are unable to communicate directly with their advisors or peers, and targeted psychological counselling must be focused on anxiety and depression

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Magnetic nanochains-based dynamic ELISA for rapid and ultrasensitive detection of acute myocardial infarction biomarkers

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The serum levels of a group of cardiac biomarkers have been regarded as important indicators in the routine diagnosis of AMI. The development of rapid, sensitive, and accurate detection methods of AMI biomarkers is urgently needed for the early diagnosis of AMI. Here, a dynamic and pseudo-homogeneous enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was reported based on the combined use of bioconjugated magnetic nanochains (MNCs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) probes. The capture antibodies-conjugated MNCs served as dynamic nano-mixers to facilitate liquid mixing and as homogeneously dispersed capturing agents to capture and separate specific targets. The AuNPs probes were prepared by co-immobilization of detection antibodies and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) for signals amplification. The design of bioconjugated MNCs and AuNPs probes significantly increased the assay kinetics and improves the assay sensitivity. This novel ELISA strategy realized accurate detection of a panel of AMI biomarkers within 35 min, leading to considerably improved sensitivities compared to that of conventional ELISA method.Ministry of Education (MOE)Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART)This work is supported by the Singapore-MIT Alliance of Research and Technology Center (ING000383-ENG), the Ministry of Education-Singapore (MOE2018-T2-2-128) and National First-class Discipline Program of Food Science and Technology (JUFSTI201801). Di Li is grateful for financial support from University Scholarship Fund for Overseas Exchange of Jiangnan University and the China Scholarship Council (No. 202006790116)

Clinical Significance of M1/M2 Macrophages and Related Cytokines in Patients with Spinal Tuberculosis

Background. Macrophages are important immune cells involved in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) infection. To further investigate the degree of disease development in patients with spinal tuberculosis (TB), we conducted research on macrophage polarization. Methods. Thirty-six patients with spinal TB and twenty-five healthy controls were enrolled in this study. The specific morphology of tuberculous granuloma in spinal tissue was observed by hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining. The presence and distribution of bacilli were observed by Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) staining. Macrophage-specific molecule CD68 was detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC). M1 macrophages play a proinflammatory role, including the specific molecule nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and the related cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interferon-γ (IFN-γ). M2 macrophages exert anti-inflammatory effects, including the specific molecule CD163 and related cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10). The above markers were all detected by quantitative real-time PCR (RT-PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and IHC. Results. Typical tuberculous granuloma was observed in the HE staining of patients with spinal TB. ZN staining showed positive expression of Ag85B around the caseous necrosis tissue and Langerhans multinucleated giant cells. At the same time, IHC results indicated that CD68, iNOS, CD163, IL-10, TNF-α, and IFN-γ were expressed around the tuberculous granuloma, and their levels were obviously higher in close tissue than in the distant tissue. RT-PCR and ELISA results indicated that IL-10, TNF-α, and IFN-γ levels of TB patients were also higher than those of the healthy controls. Conclusion. The report here highlights that two types of macrophage polarization (M1 and M2) are present in the tissues and peripheral blood of patients with spinal TB. Macrophages also play proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory roles. Macrophage polarization is involved in spinal TB infection

Nanoliposome Use to Improve the Stability of Phenylethyl Resorcinol and Serve as a Skin Penetration Enhancer for Skin Whitening

Phenylethyl resorcinol (PR) is a potent tyrosinase inhibitor and a cosmeceutical skin lightening agent. However, the application of PR is limited by photoinstability and poor solubility. In this study, we formulated and optimized phenylethyl resorcinol loaded nanoliposomes (PR-NLPs) to improve the stability and effective delivery of PR. PR-NLPs were prepared by the ethanol injection method and optimized by a single factor experimental and Box&ndash;Behnken design. In addition, Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate (DHHB) as the UBA absorber was added to PR-NLPs, which significantly improved the photostability of PR. The mean size, polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta potential of the optimized PR-NLPs were 130.1 &plusmn; 3.54 nm, 0.225 &plusmn; 0.02, and &minus;43.9 &plusmn; 3.44 mV, respectively. The drug encapsulation efficiency (EE) and loading efficiency (LC) of PR-NLPs were 96.81 &plusmn; 3.46% and 8.82 &plusmn; 0.6%, respectively. These PR-NLPs showed good physicochemical stability for 3 months at 4 &deg;C and 25 &deg;C in the dark. They showed typical sustained and prolonged drug-release behavior in vitro. The in vitro cytotoxicity assay and cellular uptake demonstrated that the PR-NLPs had excellent biocompatibility and cell transport ability. It significantly inhibited tyrosinase activity and reduced melanin production in B16F10 cells at concentrations of 20 or 30 &mu;g/mL. Moreover, the PR-NLPs enhanced the PR into the skin. These results indicate that PR-NLPs can be used as a nanocarrier to improve the transdermal delivery of PR

Inhibition of <i>miR-143-3p</i> Restores Blood–Testis Barrier Function and Ameliorates Sertoli Cell Senescence

Due to the increasing trend of delayed childbirth, the age-related decline in male reproductive function has become a widely recognized issue. Sertoli cells (SCs) play a vital role in creating the necessary microenvironment for spermatogenesis in the testis. However, the mechanism underlying Sertoli cell aging is still unclear. In this study, senescent Sertoli cells showed a substantial upregulation of miR-143-3p expression. miR-143-3p was found to limit Sertoli cell proliferation, promote cellular senescence, and cause blood–testis barrier (BTB) dysfunction by targeting ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme E2 E3 (UBE2E3). Additionally, the TGF-β receptor inhibitor SB431542 showed potential in alleviating age-related BTB dysfunction, rescuing testicular atrophy, and reversing the reduction in germ cell numbers by negatively regulating miR-143-3p. These findings clarified the regulatory pathways underlying Sertoli cell senescence and suggested a promising therapeutic approach to restore BTB function, alleviate Sertoli cell senescence, and improve reproductive outcomes for individuals facing fertility challenges

Concepts and Application of DNA Origami and DNA Self-Assembly: A Systematic Review

With the arrival of the post-Moore Era, the development of traditional silicon-based computers has reached the limit, and it is urgent to develop new computing technology to meet the needs of science and life. DNA computing has become an essential branch and research hotspot of new computer technology because of its powerful parallel computing capability and excellent data storage capability. Due to good biocompatibility and programmability properties, DNA molecules have been widely used to construct novel self-assembled structures. In this review, DNA origami is briefly introduced firstly. Then, the applications of DNA self-assembly in material physics, biogenetics, medicine, and other fields are described in detail, which will aid the development of DNA computational model in the future