血清降钙素原在肺结核合并肺部感染诊断中的应用

目的探讨血清降钙素原（PCT）对肺结核（PTB）合并肺部感染早期诊断的临床价值。方法 收集某院2013年8-12月收治的确诊活动性PTB患者的临床资料,依据PTB患者合并细菌、真菌感染分为合并细菌感染组(n=104)和合并真菌感染组(n=37),同期该院确诊的活动性PTB未合并感染者作为对照组（n=95）,比较3组患者血清PCT浓度,并进行接受者操作特性（ROC）曲线分析。结果合并细菌和真菌感染组患者PCT中位浓度分别是0.44 ng/mL和0.30 ng/mL,均明显高于未合并感染组的0.16 ng/mL,差异具有统计学意义（Z值分别为9.49、3.51,均P＜0.001）。合并细菌和真菌感染组PCT的ROC曲线下面积分别为0.89（0.84～0.93）和0.69（0.61～0.77）;临界值分别为0.31 ng/mL、0.27 ng/mL;灵敏度分别为79.81%（70.57%～86.80%）、59.46%（42.19%～74.80%）;特异度分别为83.16%（73.79%～89.78%）、73.68%（63.48%～81.95%）。结论血清PCT对早期诊断肺结核合并肺部细菌感染有一定价值,并且能为临床合理、正确选用抗菌药物提供参考依据。     

Two new 12-membered macrolides from the endophytic fungal strain Cladosprium colocasiae A801 of Callistemon viminalis

Two new polyketide metabolites, the 12-membered macrolides 4-hydroxy-12-methyloxacyclododecane-2,5,6-trione (1) and 12-methyloxacyclododecane-2,5,6-trione (2), were isolated from the endophytic fungal strain Cladosprium colocasiae A801 of the plant Callistemon viminalis, together with five known derivatives. Their structures were fully characterized by means of detailed spectroscopic analysis for new structures, and in comparison with published data for known compounds. The antibacterial, cytotoxic, and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of the new compounds 1 and 2 were evaluated.     

Mapping the diatom redox-sensitive proteome provides insight into response to nitrogen stress in the marine environment

Diatoms are ubiquitous marine photosynthetic eukaryotes responsible for approximately 20% of global photosynthesis. Little is known about the redox-based mechanisms that mediate diatom sensing and acclimation to environmental stress. Here we used a quantitative mass spectrometry-based approach to elucidate the redox-sensitive signaling network (redoxome) mediating the response of diatoms to oxidative stress. We quantified the degree of oxidation of 3,845 cysteines in the Phaeodactylum tricornutum proteome and identified approximately 300 redox-sensitive proteins. Intriguingly, we found redox-sensitive thiols in numerous enzymes composing the nitrogen assimilation pathway and the recently discovered diatom urea cycle. In agreement with this finding, the flux from nitrate into glutamine and glutamate, measured by the incorporation of ¹⁵N, was strongly inhibited under oxidative stress conditions. Furthermore, by targeting the redox-sensitive GFP sensor to various subcellular localizations, we mapped organelle-specific oxidation patterns in response to variations in nitrogen quota and quality. We propose that redox regulation of nitrogen metabolism allows rapid metabolic plasticity to ensure cellular homeostasis, and thus is essential for the ecological success of diatoms in the marine ecosystem.Aerobic organisms produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) as a byproduct of oxygen-based metabolic pathways, such as photosynthesis, photorespiration, and oxidative phosphorylation (1). Perturbations in oxygenic metabolism under various stress conditions can induce oxidative stress from overproduction of ROS (2, 3). Because ROS are highly reactive forms of oxygenic metabolites, critical mechanisms for ROS detoxification have evolved consisting of ROS-scavenging enzymes and small molecules, including glutathione (GSH) (4). As the most abundant low molecular weight thiol antioxidant, GSH has critical roles in maintaining a proper cellular thiol–disulfide balance and in detoxifying H₂O₂ via the ascorbate–GSH cycle (5).Although classically ROS were considered toxic metabolic byproducts that ultimately lead to cell death, it is now recognized that ROS act as central secondary messengers involved in compartmentalized signaling networks (1, 6–8). Modulation of various cell processes by ROS signaling is mediated largely by posttranslational thiol oxidation, whereby their physical structure and biochemical activity are modified upon oxidation (9). Thus, the redox states of these proteins possess crucial information needed for cell acclimation to stress conditions (10, 11). The emergence of advanced redox proteomic approaches, such as the OxICAT method (12), has created new opportunities to identify redox-sensitive proteins (e.g., redoxome) on the system level and to quantify their precise level of oxidation on exposure to environmental stress conditions.Marine photosynthetic microorganisms (phytoplankton) are the basis of marine food webs. Despite the fact that their biomass represents only approximately 0.2% of the photosynthetic biomass on earth, they are responsible for nearly 50% of the annual global carbon-based photosynthesis and greatly influence the global biogeochemical carbon cycle (13). This high ratio of productivity to biomass, reflected in high turnover rates, makes phytoplankton highly responsive to climate change. Phytoplankton can grow rapidly and form massive blooms that stretch over hundreds of kilometers in the oceans and are regulated by such environmental factors as nutrient availability and biotic interactions with grazers and viruses.Diatoms are a highly diverse clade of phytoplankton, responsible for roughly 20% of global primary productivity (14). Consequently, diatoms play a central role in the biogeochemical cycling of important nutrients, including carbon, nitrogen, and silica, which constitute part of their ornate cell wall. As members of the eukaryotic group known as stramenopiles (or heterokonts), diatoms are derived from a secondary endosymbiotic event involving red and green algae engulfed within an ancestral protest (15).The unique multilineage content of diatom genomes reveals a melting pot of biochemical characteristics that resemble bacterial, plant, and animal traits, including the integration of a complete urea cycle, fatty acid oxidation in the mitochondria, and plant C4-like related pathways (16, 17). During bloom succession, phytoplankton cells are subjected to diverse environmental stress conditions that lead to ROS production, such as allelopathic interactions (18), CO₂ availability (19, 20), UV exposure (21), iron limitation (22), and viral infection (23). Recently reported evidence suggests that diatoms possess a surveillance system based on the induction of ROS that have been implicated in response to various environmental stresses (22, 24). Nevertheless, very little is known about cell signaling processes in marine phytoplankton and their potential role in acclimation to rapid fluctuations in the chemophysical gradients in the marine environment (25).Using a mass spectrometry-based approach, we examined the diatom redoxome and quantified its degree of oxidation under oxidative stress conditions. The wealth of recently identified redox-sensitive proteins participating in various cellular functions suggests a fundamental role of redox regulation in diatom biology. We mapped the redox-sensitive enzymes into a metabolic network and evaluated their role in the adjustment of metabolic flux under variable environmental conditions. We further explored the redox sensitivity of the primary nitrogen-assimilating pathway and demonstrated the role of compartmentalized redox regulation in cells under nitrogen stress conditions using a redox-sensitive GFP sensor targeted to specific subcellular localizations.     

痔体黏膜发现白色念珠菌寄生

为探讨痔的病因,将26例患者痔体送病理组织检查,PAS染色发现9例有紫红色菌体寄生,据其形态判断是白色念珠菌,试管沙氏培养基培养见奶白色酵母样菌落,转种于科玛嘉培养基培养见菌落呈翠绿色,诊断为白色念珠菌。由此推断痔上皮增生、角化,黏膜大量炎细胞浸润,间质水肿、出血,黏膜下静脉强烈炎性变,是因白色念珠菌感染引起的。     

Effects of Fungi and Eosinophils on Mucin Gene Expression in Rhinovirus-Infected Nasal Epithelial Cells

Purpose

Fungi, rhinoviruses (RVs), and eosinophils are associated with upper respiratory diseases. We evaluated the effects of fungal stimulation and eosinophil co-culture on the expression of mucin genes in RV-infected nasal polyp epithelial cells.

Methods

Nasal polyp epithelial cells were obtained from chronic rhinosinusitis patients. Cultured epithelial cells were stimulated with Alternaria and Aspergillus with or without RV-16 infection. The epithelial cells were co-cultured with eosinophils for 16 h. MUC4, MUC5AC, MUC5B, and MUC8 mRNA expressions in the epithelial cells were quantified using real-time RT-PCR. To determine the underlying mechanism, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), activator protein-1 (AP-1), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitors were used to inhibit mucin gene expression.

Results

Fungi and RV-16 induced mucin gene expression in nasal polyp epithelial cells. However, there was no synergistic increase in mucin gene expression, with the exception of MUC4 mRNA expression stimulated by 25 µg/mL Aspergillus. When RV-16-infected epithelial cells were stimulated with fungi and then co-cultured with eosinophils, MUC4, MUC5B, and MUC8 mRNA expressions increased. Mucin gene expression was inhibited by NF-κB inhibitors.

Conclusions

RV-16, airborne fungi, and eosinophils may exacerbate the inflammatory process in nasal mucosal diseases by enhancing mucin gene expression.     

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目的探索人类免疫缺陷病毒（HIV）感染或艾滋病（AIDS）患者口腔真菌定植状况及菌种分布,为HIV感染或AIDS患者真菌感染防治提供理论依据。方法选择2013年6—12月在新疆医科大学第一附属医院感染科就诊的HIV感染或AIDS患者30例,由口腔科采用咽拭子法收集口腔分泌物,通过真菌培养实验分析口腔真菌定植状况。结果 30例HIV感染或AIDS患者中,阳性带菌者19例,阳性率为63.3%。阳性带菌者年龄2~52岁;其中男13例（68.4%）、女6例（31.6%）;维吾尔族15例（78.9%）,汉族4例（21.1%）。阳性带菌者中携带白色念珠菌15例（78.9%）。结论白色念珠菌为HIV感染或AIDS患者口腔真菌定植的主要菌种。阳性带菌者年龄分布广泛。     

Atmospheric deposition of methanol over the Atlantic Ocean

In the troposphere, methanol (CH₃OH) is present ubiquitously and second in abundance among organic gases after methane. In the surface ocean, methanol represents a supply of energy and carbon for marine microbes. Here we report direct measurements of air–sea methanol transfer along a ∼10,000-km north–south transect of the Atlantic. The flux of methanol was consistently from the atmosphere to the ocean. Constrained by the aerodynamic limit and measured rate of air–sea sensible heat exchange, methanol transfer resembles a one-way depositional process, which suggests dissolved methanol concentrations near the water surface that are lower than what were measured at ∼5 m depth, for reasons currently unknown. We estimate the global oceanic uptake of methanol and examine the lifetimes of this compound in the lower atmosphere and upper ocean with respect to gas exchange. We also constrain the molecular diffusional resistance above the ocean surface—an important term for improving air–sea gas exchange models.     

What lies underneath: Conserving the oceans’ genetic resources

The marine realm represents 70% of the surface of the biosphere and contains a rich variety of organisms, including more than 34 of the 36 living phyla, some of which are only found in the oceans. The number of marine species used by humans is growing at unprecedented rates, including the rapid domestication of marine species for aquaculture and the discovery of natural products and genes of medical and biotechnological interest in marine biota. The rapid growth in the human appropriation of marine genetic resources (MGRs), with over 18,000 natural products and 4,900 patents associated with genes of marine organisms, with the latter growing at 12% per year, demonstrates that the use of MGRs is no longer a vision but a growing source of biotechnological and business opportunities. The diversification of the use of marine living resources by humans calls for an urgent revision of the goals and policies of marine protected areas, to include the protection of MGRs and address emerging issues like biopiracy or benefit sharing. Specific challenges are the protection of these valuable resources in international waters, where no universally accepted legal framework exists to protect and regulate the exploitation of MGRs, and the unresolved issues on patenting components of marine life. Implementing steps toward the protection of MGRs is essential to ensure their sustainable use and to support the flow of future findings of medical and biotechnological interest.     

Multifocal but non‐disseminated phaeohyphomycosis in a healthy man via a unique mechanism: Ejection from motor vehicle accident into a vegetable field in Afghanistan resulting in multiple contaminated skin wounds

A 20‐year‐old male presented with multiple subcutaneous nodules on the head, neck, chest and oral cavity. FNA and biopsy showed pigmented fungal hyphae diagnostic of multifocal phaeohyphomycosis, found to be Exophiala spinifera by molecular diagnostics. The presentation initially raised concern for disseminated disease and occult immunosuppression. However, the patient appeared to be immunocompetent and otherwise healthy. Upon further inquiry, the patient was in a motor vehicle accident 4 years before presentation; he was ejected into a vegetable field resulting in multiple open wounds. Multifocal phaeohyphomycosis usually indicates disseminated systemic disease from immunosuppression and carries a grave prognosis.     

化脓性角膜炎病原学分析

目的分析化脓性角膜炎病原学的变迁特征。方法回顾性分析1989年至2006年间在北京同仁医院眼科拟诊为真菌性、细菌性及棘阿米巴性角膜炎患者11302例微生物实验室检查资料。结果培养鉴定出病原微生物2896份,其中真菌1602份、细菌1161份、棘阿米巴原虫133份,总阳性率为25.62%.真菌培养阳性率为33.83%,夏秋季为高发季节,常见的致病真菌为镰刀菌属(62.23%)和曲霉菌素(14.61%);对2000年至2006年间培养的895株真菌进行体外药敏实验,结果显示那他霉素、特比萘酚、伊曲康唑和氟康唑的药物敏感性分别为88.83%、55·75%、28·60%和11·84%;镰刀菌属对那他霉素最敏感,曲霉菌素对特比萘酚敏感性高。常见细菌培养阳性率为18.78%(1126/5995),以G 球菌和G-杆菌为主,占检出细菌的85·52%;主要致病菌属为铜绿假单胞菌,其所占比例近年来有所下降,而金黄色葡萄球菌、凝固酶阴性葡萄球菌和微球菌属所占比例有明显增高;对2000年至2006年间培养的430株细菌行体外药敏实验,结果显示左氧氟沙星、氧氟沙星、妥布霉素和环丙沙星药物敏感性分别为82.09%、75.81%、66.98%和62.33%;假单胞菌属对4种抗菌药物敏感性无显著性差异。棘阿米巴检查(培养 刮片)阳性率为23.25%(133/572),其检出例数逐年升高。放线菌、非结核分枝杆菌和厌氧菌为少见病原体,非结核分枝杆菌多分离自屈光手术后的角膜感染。结论真菌和细菌为化脓性角膜炎的主要病原体,棘阿米巴角膜炎病例数逐年升高,放线菌及非结核分枝杆菌引起的角膜感染应引起重视。