免疫磁珠分离技术纯化和检测泰泽氏病原体的研究

目的建立泰泽氏病原体(Ty)纯化方法,获得纯的菌体供抗原研究,为ELISA诊断抗原的制备提供依据;并尝试建立Ty隐性感染血清学抗原检查方法。方法选择特异性抗体包被磁珠,从感染大鼠肝脏中富集和纯化Ty;用SDS-PAGE和Western blot技术考察纯化Ty的蛋白和抗原图谱;同时用免疫磁珠分离技术(IMS)直接检查隐性感染大鼠肠道上皮细胞内的Ty。结果用辛酸-硫酸铵纯化的Ty单克隆抗体M5以0·5μg/107beads以上浓度包被抗IgG抗体预结合的磁珠4h,可最大效率地富集Ty;分离反应进行1h,敏感性达到103菌体/mL;吖啶黄染色镜检法可以直接、快速地观察到结合于磁珠上的细菌;抗原分析表明,IMS较好地去除了肝组织和真核细胞成分,纯化的Ty RJ株具有3个免疫优势的抗原成分,相对分子质量(Mr)分别为160×103、116×103、55×103;此外,IMS法可直接从隐性感染大鼠盲肠上皮细胞中检测到少量寄生的Ty。结论用IMS技术可有效地富集和纯化Ty,并可以作为Ty隐性感染血清学抗原检查的候选方法。     

Role of retinol in protecting epithelial cell damage induced by Clostridium difficile toxin A

Vitamin A (retinol), a fat-soluble vitamin, is an essential nutrient for the normal functioning of the visual system, epithelial cell integrity and growth, immunity, and reproduction. Our group has investigated the effect of high doses of oral vitamin A on early childhood diarrhea in our prospective community-based studies from Northeast Brazil and found a beneficial role in reducing the mean duration but not incidence of diarrheal episodes. In this study, we explored the role of retinol supplementation in intestinal cell lines following Clostridium difficile toxin A (TxA) challenge. C. difficile is the most common anaerobic pathogen borne with antibiotic-borne diarrhea and pseudomembranous colitis. Since retinol is critical for the integrity of tight junctions and to modulate the cell cycle, we have focused on changes in transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) in Caco-2, a more differentiated intestinal cell line, and on models of cell proliferation, migration and viability in IEC-6 cells, an undifferentiated crypt cell line, following TxA injury. In this model, retinol therapy reduced apoptosis, improved cell migration and proliferation, and prevented the reduction in TEER, following C. difficile TxA challenge in a glutamine-free medium. These results suggest the role of retinol in protecting intestinal epithelial barrier function from C. difficile TxA enterotoxic damage.     

Update on medication abortion

This article provides an overview of medication abortion in the United States 6 years after the approval of mifepristone (RU486; Mifeprex; Danco Laboratories, LLC, New York, NY) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The adoption of mifepristone is considered in the context of epidemiologic data on abortion, abortion access, and the safety of abortion. The risks of medication and aspiration abortion are discussed in the context of abortion-related mortality, recent experience with obstetric and gynecologic infection with Clostridium sordellii, and the limits of scientific knowledge on the incidence of this infection in women. Innovative protocols studied since FDA approval of mifepristone are presented, and implications for clinical practice are discussed.     

Anaerobic bacteremia in a cancer center

Seventy-five episodes of clinically relevant anaerobic bacterial bacteremia observed in cancer patients were reviewed. Gastrointestinal (22.7%), hematological (22.7%) and female genital tract (18.6%) cancers were the most common underlying malignant diseases. Among 84 strains of strict anaerobic bacteria recovered in the 75 patients, gram-negative rods were isolated in 49 patients (58.3%), gram-positive rods in 29 patients (34.5%) and gram-positive cocci in 6 patients (8%). Bacteroides spp. and Clostridium spp. were the most frequent pathogens (85.7%). Twenty-one episodes of bacteremia were polymicrobial, aerobic gram-positive cocci being the most frequently associated pathogens. When identified, the primary sites were the gastrointestinal tract (40%), the female genital tract (17.3%), skin and soft tissue (14.6%), the oropharynx (12%) and the lower respiratory tract (6.7%). The source remained unknown in 7 cases (9.3%). The overall survival (evaluated 10 days after the occurrence of bacteremia) was 82.5%. There was no difference in mortality between patients with monomicrobial and polymicrobial bacteremia. Pulmonary complications were more frequent in patients with fatal outcome in comparison to patients who survived. The mortality rate of the patients adequately treated was 10.3% compared to 41% for the patients not treated or treated inadequately (P=0.016, X₂).     

艰难梭茵毒素基因3''''末端重复区域基因片段的PCR克隆

目的探寻一种简单、快速、灵敏的检测艰难梭菌的方法.方法以艰难梭菌毒素A和毒素B基因3'末端高度保守重复区分别设计一对引物,进行PCR反应,同时在同一体系相同反应条件下使用相同引物分别以大肠杆菌和乳杆菌DNA为模板进行扩增,比较二者结果.结果从艰难梭菌成功克隆了毒素A基因3'端重复区域960 bp的基因片段及毒素B基因3'端重复区域1851 bp的基因片段,不同来源的菌株出现了相同的2条电泳带,并通过测序鉴定;而对照的大肠杆菌和乳杆菌株无特异电泳带出现.结论从艰难梭菌毒素A、毒素B基因3'末端重复区域克隆的基因片段具有保守性,可以作为基因探针在临床上进行艰难梭菌检测,该方法简便、灵敏,可直接用粪便标本进行检测.此外,这些基因编码的多肽具有较高的疏水性并存在着膜受体结合区域,可以此为基础进行基因工程蛋白质疫苗的研究.     

Activation of a Ca2+-dependent K+ current by the oncogenic receptor protein tyrosine kinase v-Fms in mouse fibroblasts

We investigated the effects of the receptor-coupled protein tyrosine kinase (RTK) v-Fms on the membrane current properties of NIH3T3 mouse fibroblasts. We found that v-Fms, the oncogenic variant of the macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor c-Fms, activates a K⁺ current that is absent in control cells. The activation of the K⁺ current was Ca²⁺-dependent, voltage-independent, and was completely blocked by the K⁺ channel blockers charybdotoxin, margatoxin and iberiotoxin with IC₅₀ values of 3nM, 18 nM and 76nM, respectively. To identify signalling components that mediate the activation of this K⁺ current, NIH3T3 cells that express different mutants of the wildtype v-Fms receptor were examined. Mutation of the binding site for the Ras-GTPase-activating protein led to a complete abolishment of the K⁺ current. A reduction of 76% and 63%, respectively, was observed upon mutation of either of the two binding sites for the growth factor receptor binding protein 2. Mutation of the ATP binding lobe, which disrupts the protein tyrosine kinase activity of v-Fms, led to a 55% reduction of the K⁺ current. Treatment of wild-type v-Fms cells with Clostridium sordellii lethal toxin or a farnesyl protein transferase inhibitor, both known to inhibit the biological function of Ras, reduced the K⁺ current amplitude to 17% and 6% of the control value, respectively. This is the first report showing that an oncogenic RTK can modulate K⁺ channel activity. Our results indicate that this effect is dependent on the binding of certain Ras-regulating proteins to the v-Fms receptor and is not abolished by disruption of its intrinsic protein tyrosine kinase activity. Furthermore, our data suggest that Ras plays a key role for K⁺ channel activation by the oncogenic RTK v-Fms. Received: 19 November 1997 / Accepted: 21 January 1998     

酪酸梭菌活菌散对支气管哮喘患儿辅助性T细胞17、调节性T细胞及其相关细胞因子和肠道菌群的影响

目的 探讨酪酸梭菌活菌散对支气管哮喘患儿辅助性T细胞17(Th17细胞)、调节性T细胞(Tr细胞)及其相关细胞因子和肠道菌群的影响。方法 选择2018年3月至2020年6月新乡医学院第三附属医院收治的97例支气管哮喘患儿为研究对象,根据治疗方法将患儿分为观察组(n=49)和对照组(n=48)。对照组患儿给予吸入用布地奈德混悬液、吸入用异丙托溴铵溶液和孟鲁司特钠颗粒治疗;在对照组治疗基础上,观察者组患儿给予酪酸梭菌活菌散治疗,2组患儿均治疗2个月。应用流式细胞仪检测2组患儿治疗前后Th17细胞和Tr细胞水平,并计算Th17细胞与Tr细胞的比值(Th17/Tr);采用酶联免疫吸附试验检测2组患儿治疗前后血清中白细胞介素-17(IL-17)、白细胞介素-10(IL-10)水平。使用儿童肺功能仪检测2组患儿治疗前后第1秒用力呼气容积(FEV₁)、FEV₁/用力肺活量(FVC)、呼气流量峰值(PEF)日变异率;分别于治疗前后收集并培养2组患儿新鲜粪便,观察肠道菌群分布情况。治疗期间观察2组患儿不良反应发生情况,治疗后评估患儿临床疗效;所有患儿治疗后随访...     

Intravenous teicoplanin does not prevent Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea

A 59-year-old man with the diagnosis of endocarditis of the mitral valve due to Streptococcus mitis was treated with penicillin G, gentamicin, and later with clindamycin as inpatient for 3 weeks. Thereafter outpatient therapy with parenteral teicoplanin 3 × per week was initiated. After 17 days of teicoplanin treatment he developed severe diarrhea, and stool samples were positive for Clostridium difficile toxin. In addition to the ongoing parenteral therapy with teicoplanin, oral teicoplanin was administered. On the third day of this regimen the diarrhea and other disabling symptoms subsided, and test results for C. difficile toxin became negative. Oral teicoplanin was continued for 10 days and cleared C. difficile effectively after treatment as assessed by consecutive stool cultures (until 60 days thereafter). The parenteral administration of teicoplanin could not prevent the onset of C. difficile associated diarrhea in this patient, who previously had been treated with clindamycin. Thus, the administration of parenteral teicoplanin does not seem to be a treatment option for C. difficile associated diarrhea in patients in which oral therapy is not possible.     

Isolation and characterisation of toxin A-negative, toxin B-positive Clostridium difficile in Dublin, Ireland

Clostridium difficile is a major cause of infectious diarrhoea in hospitalised patients. Most pathogenic C. difficile strains produce two toxins, A and B; however, clinically relevant toxin A-negative, toxin B-positive (A- B+) strains of C. difficile that cause diarrhoea and colitis in humans have been isolated worldwide. The aims of this study were to isolate and characterise A- B+ strains from two university hospitals in Dublin, Ireland. Samples positive for C. difficile were identified daily by review of ELISA results and were cultured on selective media. Following culture, toxin-specific immunoassays, IMR-90 cytotoxicity assays and PCR were used to analyse consecutive C. difficile isolates from 93 patients. Using a toxin A-specific ELISA, 52 samples produced detectable toxin. All isolates were positive using a toxin A/B ELISA. Similarly, all isolates were positive with the cytoxicity assay, although variant cytopathic effects were observed in 41 cases. PCR amplification of the toxin A and toxin B genes revealed that 41 of the previous A- B+ strains had a c. 1.7-kb deletion in the 3'-end of the tcdA gene. Restriction enzyme analysis of these amplicons revealed the loss of polymorphic restriction sites. These 41 A- B+ isolates were designated toxinotype VIII by comparison with C. difficile strain 1470. PCR ribotyping revealed that all A- B+ isolates belonged to PCR-ribotype 017. A- B+ C. difficile isolates accounted for 44% of the isolates examined in this study, and appeared to be isolated more frequently in Dublin, Ireland, than reported rates for other countries.