In vitro synergistic effect of minocycline combined with antifungals against Cryptococcus neoformans

BackgroundCryptococcus neoformans infections occur in immunocompromised patients, especially those with HIV infection, chemoradiotherapy after cancer, and organ transplantation. Infection can cause pneumonia and meningoencephalitis in severe cases with a high mortality rate if not treated. Although fluconazole and amphotericin B are the first-line treatments for cryptococcosis, the rate of fluconazole resistance has increased significantly due to long-term use. Minocycline is a derivative of tetracycline that exerts its antibacterial effect through inhibition of bacterial protein synthesis. It is also able to pass the blood-brain barrier to act on the central nervous system. The present study investigates the effects of minocycline in combination with antifungals in treating C. neoformans.ObjectiveTo determine in vitro interactions of minocycline combined with itraconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole, fluconazole and amphotericin B against C. neoformans.MethodsThe minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of the antifungals were determined by the CLSI Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute M27-A3 microdilution method. The in vitro synergistic effects of minocycline combined with itraconazole, voriconazole, posaconazole, fluconazole, and amphotericin B on C. neoformans were detected by the broth microdilution checkerboard technique and disk diffusion testing.Results and ConclusionThe working concentration ranges were 0.125–4 µg/mL for itraconazole, 0.03–0.125 µg/ml for voriconazole, 0.03–1 µg/ml for posaconazole, 0.25–16 µg/ml for fluconazole, and 0.125–2 µg/ml for amphotericin B. The synergistic rates of minocycline combinations against C. neoformans were 55% with itraconazole, 10% with voriconazole, 85% with posaconazole, 20% with fluconazole, and 70% with amphotericin B. The effective MIC value of minocycline in the synergistic combination decreased to 2–32 µg/ml, while the MIC of itraconazole decreased to 0.03–0.125 µg/ml, voriconazole 0.03–0.125 µg/ml, posaconazole 0.03–0.125 µg/ml, 0.125–4 µg/ml fluconazole, and 0.06–0.50 µg/ml amphotericin B. The disk diffusion assay showed that the plates containing minocycline and antifungal drugs produced inhibition zones with diameters larger than the single drug plates. Minocycline showed no antagonistic effect in the combinations. In conclusion, the combination of minocycline and azoles or amphotericin B has synergistic effects against C. neoformans in vitro.     

党参水溶性多糖的分离、纯化及组成分析

 目的从党参中分离出水溶性粗多糖,进一步纯化,得到均一的多糖CPPS₃,并研究其组成和性质。方法粗多糖经Se- vage法脱蛋白、反复冻融、超滤、高速离心、柱色谱等方法分离纯化得级分CPPS₃。经高效液相色谱法比旋光度测定、醋酸纤维薄膜电泳等方法,检验其均一性。结果CPPS₃为均一组分,气相色谱分析多糖组成表明,CPPS₃由Gal,Ara,Rha组成,摩尔比依次为1.13:1.12:1,同时含有少量Gle。结论CPPS₃为中性杂多糖。     

Pertactin-negative variants of Bordetella pertussis in New York State: A retrospective analysis, 2004–2013

The first report of pertactin-negative variants of Bordetella pertussis in the United States has raised questions about the role of acellular pertussis vaccines in the recent increase of pertussis cases. Our laboratory utilized a sequence-based method to identify mutations in the pertactin gene responsible for these variants and assessed vaccination status from the associated cases.     

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??OBJECTIVE To analyze the structure and growth pattern of the biomass, root number, and age class of Asarum sieboldii f.seoulense. METHODS A large sample, random sampling investigation and determination method were used. RESULTS The biomass and root number of Asarum sieboldii f.seoulense were correlated with the growth speed; the correlation coefficient was high. There existed allometric relationship between the age class and the number of roots of Asarum sieboldii f.seoulense; the age class and biomass had allometric relationship. CONCLUSION The increase of the biomass of Asarum sieboldii f.seoulense depends on the root number; with the increase of the age class, the biomass and root number of Asarum sieboldii f.seoulense increase, but the relative growth speeds are not equal.     

Parental phubbing accelerates depression in late childhood and adolescence:A two-path model

IntroductionPhubbing is a social exclusion behavior related to mobile phone use. It undermines interpersonal relationships and mental health. This study aimed to test the connections between parental phubbing and depression in late childhood and adolescence, as well as the mediating roles of parental warmth, parental rejection, and relatedness need satisfaction.MethodsWe conducted two studies. Study 1 was a cross-sectional study of 530 Chinese students (268 boys and 262 girls, M_age = 13.15 ± 0.64 years) who completed self-report questionnaires. We conducted structural modeling to test the relationship between parental phubbing and depression. Study 2 used a short longitudinal design to validate the results of Study 1 and test the mediating roles of parental warmth, parental rejection, and relatedness need satisfaction. In Study 2, we recruited 293 Chinese students (151 boys, 141 girls, and one participant with no reported gender information, M _age = 12.87 ± 0.74 years) to complete the questionnaires and applied structural equation modeling to analyze the data.ResultsTwo sequential mediation effects were found. The first was parental phubbing → parental warmth → relatedness need satisfaction → depression (protection-reduced effect). The second was parental phubbing → parental rejection → relatedness need satisfaction → depression (risk-increased effect). Gender differences were non-significant.ConclusionsThe study revealed that parental phubbing was associated with students’ depression in late childhood and adolescence through two paths. The present study highlights the need to establish family norms regulating mobile phone use to reduce phubbing.     

The Antidepressant-like Effects of Estrogen-mediated Ghrelin

Ghrelin, one of the brain-gut peptides, stimulates food-intake. Recently, ghrelin has also shown to play an important role in depression treatment. However, the mechanism of ghrelin’s antidepressant-like actions is unknown. On the other hand, sex differences in depression, and the fluctuation of estrogens secretion have been proved to play a key role in depression. It has been reported that women have higher level of ghrelin expression, and ghrelin can stimulate estrogen secretion while estrogen acts as a positive feedback mechanism to up-regulate ghrelin level. Ghrelin may be a potential regulator of reproductive function, and estrogen may have additional effect in ghrelin’s antidepressantlike actions. In this review, we summarize antidepressant-like effects of ghrelin and estrogen in basic and clinical studies, and provide new insight on ghrelin’s effect in depression.     

Synthesis and Photovoltaic Properties of D–A Copolymers Based on 11,12‐Difluorodibenzo[a,c]phenazine Acceptor Unit

Four conjugated D‐π‐A copolymers, P1 – P4 , based on 11,12‐difluorodibenzo[a,c]phenazine as an acceptor unit, benzodithiophene (BDT) with an alkoxy side chain ( P1 and P2 ) or thiophene‐conjugated side chain ( P3 and P4 ) as a donor unit, and thiophene π‐bridges, are designed and synthesized to investigate the effect of the side‐chain nature and position on the photovoltaic performance of the conjugated polymer donor materials in polymer solar cells (PSCs). It is found that the copolymers of P3 and P4 with thiophene conjugated side chains on the BDT unit demonstrate broader absorption and better photovoltaic performance than that of P1 and P2 with alkoxy side chains on the BDT unit. The photovoltaic performance of P1 and P3 with an alkyl side chain on the thiophene π‐bridge close to the acceptor unit is improved over that of P2 and P4 with an alkyl side chain on the thiophene π‐bridge close to the donor unit, due to the lower steric hindrance of P1 and P3 . The results indicate that side‐chain engineering is very important for improving the photovoltaic performance of conjugated polymer donor materials.