人参内生菌的研究进展

内生菌由细菌、真菌、古菌和原生生物组成，它们生活在植物的活体组织中，具有丰富的次级代谢产物多样性。人参内生菌在人参的生长发育、次级代谢产物的生成和环境适应等方面均有重要的促进作用，对人参的产量和品质有较大影响。随着人们在微生物领域研究的深入，高通量测序技术已经成为研究植物内生菌的重要方法。文章主要从人参内生菌分离与鉴定研究方法、人参内生菌的多样性、人参内生菌及其次级代谢产物的活性、人参内生菌对宿主的影响等4个方面对人参内生菌近年来的研究进展进行讨论，并对其发展方向提出展望，以期为药用植物内生菌研究和品质改良提供新思路、新方法。     

Association of vitamin D levels and risk of latent tuberculosis in the hemodialysis population

BackgroundVitamin D is essential in the host defense against tuberculosis (TB). Suboptimal vitamin D status is common in the hemodialysis population. Hemodialysis patients have an increased risk compared to the general population latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). However, the association between vitamin D deficiency and LTBI in this population remains unclear.Materials and methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study between March and May 2017. Interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) through QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube was used to assess LTBI. Plasma 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OHD) levels were measured by Elecsys Vitamin D Total assay. Suboptimal vitamin D levels included vitamin D insufficiency 20–29 ng/mg and vitamin D deficiency <20 ng/mL. Predictors for LTBI were analyzed.ResultsA total of 287 participants were enrolled. The suboptimal vitamin D level was 31.4% (90/287), which including the vitamin D deficiency was 13.9% (40/287). A total of 49.1% (141/287) people received nutritional vitamin D supplementation. The prevalence of IGRA positivity in this study was 25.1% (72/287). There was no significant difference in vitamin D concentrations or the proportion of vitamin D supplementation among the IGRA-positive and IGRA-negative groups (p = 0.789 and 0.496, respectively). In multivariate analysis, age >65 years old (odds ratio (OR), 1.89; 95% CI, 1.08–3.31; p = 0.026) and TB history (OR, 3.51; 95% CI, 1.38–8.91; p = 0.008) were independent predictors of IGRA positivity.ConclusionThis is the first study to report that vitamin D deficiency was not associated with IGRA positivity in a hemodialysis population. Aging and TB history were both independent predictors for LTBI.     

Phase I Dose-Escalation Study of SCB01A,a Microtubule Inhibitor with Vascular Disrupting Activity,in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors

Lessons Learned

• SCB01A is a novel microtubule inhibitor with vascular disrupting activity.
• This first‐in‐human study demonstrated SCB01A safety, pharmacokinetics, and preliminary antitumor activity.
• SCB01A is safe and well tolerated in patients with advanced solid malignancies with manageable neurotoxicity.

BackgroundSCB01A, a novel microtubule inhibitor, has vascular disrupting activity.MethodsIn this phase I dose‐escalation and extension study, patients with advanced solid tumors were administered intravenous SCB01A infusions for 3 hours once every 21 days. Rapid titration and a 3 + 3 design escalated the dose from 2 mg/m² to the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) based on dose‐limiting toxicity (DLT). SCB01A‐induced cellular neurotoxicity was evaluated in dorsal root ganglion cells. The primary endpoint was MTD. Safety, pharmacokinetics (PK), and tumor response were secondary endpoints.ResultsTreatment‐related adverse events included anemia, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, fever, and peripheral sensorimotor neuropathy. DLTs included grade 4 elevated creatine phosphokinase (CPK) in the 4 mg/m² cohort; grade 3 gastric hemorrhage in the 6.5 mg/m² cohort; grade 2 thromboembolic event in the 24 mg/m² cohort; and grade 3 peripheral sensorimotor neuropathy, grade 3 elevated aspartate aminotransferase, and grade 3 hypertension in the 32 mg/m² cohort. The MTD was 24 mg/m², and average half‐life was ~2.5 hours. The area under the curve‐dose response relationship was linear. Nineteen subjects were stable after two cycles. The longest treatment lasted 24 cycles. SCB01A‐induced neurotoxicity was reversible in vitro.ConclusionThe MTD of SCB01A was 24 mg/m² every 21 days; it is safe and tolerable in patients with solid tumors.     

2010—2016年重庆市中毒病例流行病学特征及影响因素分析

对2010年1月—2016年7月重庆市中毒救治指定医疗机构收治的2 497例中毒患者进行回顾性分析。结果显示，中毒患者中男性1 230例（49.3%）、女性1 267例（50.7%）；分布最多的3个年龄段依次是41~50岁（18.5%）、≤10岁（16.4%）和21~30岁（13.0%）；死亡16例，病死率0.6%。中毒类型构成排前三位的是细菌（33.8%）、化学品（32.2%）、植物（14.8%）。中毒预后多因素Logistic回归分析结果显示重度中毒患者结局死亡的可能性是轻度患者的1 102倍。提示重庆市应重点关注农村地区41~50岁人群的细菌、化学品、药物中毒，同时应该加强儿童中毒防控工作。     

Interleukin 1 alpha (IL1A) polymorphisms and risk of endometriosis in Iranian population: a case-control study

Abstract

Endometriosis is one of the most common gynecological diseases and a major cause of pain and infertility. It is influenced by genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. Recently, genome-wide association studies have revealed a strong association between IL1A single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and increased risk of endometriosis in Japanese women. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association of three IL1A SNPs, rs17561, rs1304037, and rs2856836 with the risk of endometriosis in Iranian population. Totally, 105 women with diagnosis of endometriosis and 102 healthy women as control group were included. Three SNPs of the IL1A, rs17561?G/T, rs1304037 A/G, and rs2856836 T/C, were genotyped by PCR and RFLP. The rs2856836?TC genotype was significantly higher (p?=?.002; OR?=?3.1, 95% CI: 1.5–6.5) in the patients (28.1%) than the control group (12.7%). The rs2856836?CC genotype was significantly higher (p?=?.047; OR?=?2.3, 95% CI: 1.0–5.3) in the patients (17.5%) than the control group (10.8%). The rs2856836 C allele was significantly higher (p?=?.001; OR?=?2.2, 95% CI: 1.4–3.6) in the patients (31.6%) than the control group (17.2%). The IL1A rs2856836 T/C SNP was associated with susceptibility to endometriosis and the rs2856836 C allele may increase the risk of endometriosis in Iranian women.     

Assessment of oral ciprofloxacin impaired gut barrier integrity on gut bacteria in mice

Gut bacteria and gut barrier plays important roles in body homeostasis. Ciprofloxacin (CPFX) is widely used to treat bacterial infections. However, whether high dosage of CPFX has side effects on gut barrier integrity is still unclear. Our results indicated that the High CPFX treatment (1 mg/ml) caused weight loss, nervousness, anorexia, and increased apoptosis cells in gut, but less influence was observed in the Low CPFX group (0.2 mg/ml). Meanwhile, the High CPFX treatment impaired tight junction molecules Ocln/ZO-1 level and down-regulated antibacterial genes expression (reg3γ, pla2g2α and defb1). Further, the High CPFX treatment increased pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β in intestinal tract, decreased IL-17A of duodenum but increased IL-17A of colon at day 37. In addition, the gut bacterial diversity and richness behaved significantly loss regarding CPFX treatment, especially in the High CPFX group during the experiment. Indole exhibited sharply decline in both Low and High CPFX groups at day 7, and the High CPFX mice needed longer time on restoring indole level. Meanwhile, CPFX treatment strongly decreased the concentrations of butyric acid and valeric acid at day 1. Correlation analysis indicated that the linked patterns between the key bacteria (families Bacteroidales_S247, Ruminococcaceae and Desulfovibrionaceae) and metabolites (indole and butyric acid) were disturbed via the CPFX treatment. In conclusion, the High CPFX treatment impaired the gut barrier with the evidence of reduced expression of tight junction proteins, increased apoptosis cells and inflammatory cells, decreased the bacterial diversity and composition, which suggesting a proper antibiotic-dosage use should be carefully considered in disease treatment.     

Connexin 36 Mediates Orofacial Pain Hypersensitivity Through GluK2 and TRPA1

Trigeminal neuralgia is a debilitating condition, and the pain easily spreads to other parts of the face. Here, we established a mouse model of partial transection of the infraorbital nerve (pT-ION) and found that the Connexin 36 (Cx36) inhibitor mefloquine caused greater alleviation of pT-ION-induced cold allodynia compared to the reduction of mechanical allodynia. Mefloquine reversed the pT-ION-induced upregulation of Cx36, glutamate receptor ionotropic kainate 2 (GluK2), transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1), and phosphorylated extracellular signal regulated kinase (p-ERK) in the trigeminal ganglion. Cold allodynia but not mechanical allodynia induced by pT-ION or by virus-mediated overexpression of Cx36 in the trigeminal ganglion was reversed by the GluK2 antagonist NS102, and knocking down Cx36 expression in Nav1.8-expressing nociceptors by injecting virus into the orofacial skin area of Nav1.8-Cre mice attenuated cold allodynia but not mechanical allodynia. In conclusion, we show that Cx36 contributes greatly to the development of orofacial pain hypersensitivity through GluK2, TRPA1, and p-ERK signaling.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s12264-020-00594-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Dos terapias conocidas podrían ser efectivas como adyuvantes en el paciente crítico infectado por COVID-19

Pneumonia caused by coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, has been spread around the world already becoming a pandemic. Unfortunately, there is not yet a specific vaccine or effective antiviral drug for treating COVID-19. Many of these patients deteriorate rapidly and require intubation and are mechanically ventilated, which is causing the collapse of the health system in many countries due to lack of ventilators and intensive care beds.In this document we review two simple adjuvant therapies to administer, without side effects, and low cost that could be useful for the treatment of acute severe coronavirus infection associated with acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2). Vitamin C, a potent antioxidant, has emerged as a relevant therapy due to its potential benefits when administered intravenous. The potential effect of vitamin C in reducing inflammation in the lungs could play a key role in lung injury caused by coronavirus infection. Another potential effective therapy is ozone: it has been extensively studied and used for many years and its effectiveness has been demonstrated so far in multiples studies. Nevertheless, our goal is not to make an exhaustive review of these therapies but spread the beneficial effects themselves.Obviously clinical trials are necessaries, but due to the potential benefit of these two therapies we highly recommended to add to the therapeutic arsenal.