Endocarditis with ruptured cerebral aneurysm caused by Cardiobacterium valvarum sp. nov

A fastidious gram-negative bacterium was isolated from the blood of a 37-year-old man who had insidious endocarditis with a sudden rupture of a cerebral aneurysm. Characterization of the organism through phylogenetic and phenotypic analyses revealed a novel species of Cardiobacterium, for which the name Cardiobacterium valvarum sp. nov. is proposed. C. valvarum will supplement the current sole species Cardiobacterium hominis, a known cause of endocarditis. Surgeries and antibiotic treatment cured the patient's infection and associated complications. During cardiac surgery, a congenital bicuspid aortic valve was found to be the predisposing factor for his endocarditis.     

多种金属离子与单宁酸反应媒染微血管的对比研究

目的　镜下观察单宁酸与金属盐溶液中Ca2 + 、Au+ 、Ag+ 、Pb2 + 、Cu2 + 、Al3 + 、U6+ 、K+ 联用显示大脑微血管的效果。方法　用单宁酸媒染固定液灌流大鼠 ,取脑切片 ,入氯化钙、氯化金、硝酸银、硝酸铅、硫酸铜、硫酸铝钾、醋酸双氧铀、高锰酸钾和重铬酸钾等溶液中呈色。结果　单宁酸与Ca2 + 、Cu2 + 、Ag+ 、Al3 + 结合显示血管清晰 ,与Au+ 、U6+ 、Pb2 + 、K+ 联用媒染血管效果欠佳。结论　含Ca2 + 、Cu2 + 、Ag+ 、Al3 + 的金属盐类可替代氯化铁媒染微血管 ,氯化金、醋酸双氧铀、硝酸铅、重铬酸钾和高锰酸钾不宜与单宁酸联用来显示血管     

Brachydactyly type A3 is caused by a novel 13 bp HOXD13 frameshift deletion in a Chinese family

Brachydactyly type A (BDA) is defined as short middle phalanges of the affected digits and is subdivided into four types (BDA1‐4). To date, the molecular cause is unknown. However, there is some evidence that pathogenic variants of HOXD13 could be associated with BDA3 and BDA4. Here, we report a Chinese autosomal dominant BDA3 pedigree with a novel HOXD13 mutation. The affected individuals presented with an obviously shorter fifth middle phalanx. The radial side of the middle phalanx was shorter than the ulnar side, and the terminal phalanx of the fifth finger inclined radially and formed classical clinodactyly. Interestingly, the index finger was normal. The initial diagnosis was BDA3. However, the distal third and fourth middle phalanges were also slightly affected, resulting in mild radial clinodactyly. Both feet showed shortening of the middle phalanges, which were fused to the distal phalanges of the second to the fifth toes, as reported in BDA4. Therefore, this pedigree had combined BDA3 and atypical BDA4. By direct sequencing, a 13 bp deletion within exon 1 of HOXD13 (NM_000523.4: c.708_720del13; NP_000514.2: p.Gly237fs) was identified. The 13 bp deletion resulted in a frameshift and premature termination of HOXD13. This study provides further evidences that variants in HOXD13 cause BDA3‐BDA4 phenotypes.     

Correlation of preS antigens and clinical status during chronic hepatitis B virus infection

The serum kinetics of preS1 and preS2 antigens has been evaluated in 38 serial samples from eight patients with chronic active (CAH) or chronic persistent (CPH) hepatitis, followed for 2–7 years (mean 4.4 years) in whom liver biopsy was performed at intervals, and in 46 samples from ten asymptomatic HBsAg carriers followed for 4–5 years (mean 4.6 years). Four patterns of preS behaviour have been observed: (1) persistently positive preS1 and preS2; (2) disappearance of preS2; (3) disappearance of both preS1 and preS2; and (4) persistently negative preS1 and preS2. Pattern 4 has been observed exclusively among healthy carriers, while seven out of eight chronic patients exhibited either pattern 1 or 2. Among the chronic patients, preS2 disappearance was accompanied or followed by alanine aminotransferase (ALT) normalization. The correlation of preS antigens with conventional viral replication markers showed that 100% of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-DNA-positive and 86.6% of HBeAg-positive sera were preS1/preS2 positive, while 61% of HBV-DNA-negative and 64% of HBeAg-negative sera were preS1/preS2 negative. Our data suggest that continuous monitoring of preS antigens in follow-up sera will allow for an improved prognostic evaluation of chronic HBV infection.     

A method that allows easy characterization of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes

A method was developed to compare the lymphocytic infiltrates in regressing vs. progressing experimental mouse tumors using a model for human papillomavirus-16 (HPV-16) oncoprotein-linked cancer. Tumor cells mixed with matrigel, composed of natural matrix substances that provide a basement membrane structure for adherent cells, were inoculated into mice vaccinated with an efficacious vaccine to the E7 oncoprotein or a vaccine to a control antigen. The tumor cells remained within the solidified gel and recruited a cellular infiltrate that could readily be analyzed upon removal of the gelatinous mass containing progressing or regressing tumors. The results show that tumors recruit activated CD8(+) T cells regardless of their antigen specificity. In regressing tumors expressing an appropriate target antigen for the vaccine-induced CD8(+) T cells, a strong increase of the tumor antigen-specific T cell population was observed over time. Progressing tumors that lacked the target antigen for the activated CD8(+) T cell population did not show this selective enrichment.     

Association of Opioid Use Disorder With 2016 Presidential Voting Patterns: Cross-sectional Study in New York State at Census Tract Level

BackgroundOpioid overdose-related deaths have increased dramatically in recent years. Combating the opioid epidemic requires better understanding of the epidemiology of opioid poisoning (OP) and opioid use disorder (OUD).ObjectiveWe aimed to discover geospatial patterns in nonmedical opioid use and its correlations with demographic features related to despair and economic hardship, most notably the US presidential voting patterns in 2016 at census tract level in New York State.MethodsThis cross-sectional analysis used data from New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System claims data and the presidential voting results of 2016 in New York State from the Harvard Election Data Archive. We included 63,958 patients who had at least one OUD diagnosis between 2010 and 2016 and 36,004 patients with at least one OP diagnosis between 2012 and 2016. Geospatial mappings were created to compare areas of New York in OUD rates and presidential voting patterns. A multiple regression model examines the extent that certain factors explain OUD rate variation.ResultsSeveral areas shared similar patterns of OUD rates and Republican vote: census tracts in western New York, central New York, and Suffolk County. The correlation between OUD rates and the Republican vote was .38 (P<.001). The regression model with census tract level of demographic and socioeconomic factors explains 30% of the variance in OUD rates, with disability and Republican vote as the most significant predictors.ConclusionsAt the census tract level, OUD rates were positively correlated with Republican support in the 2016 presidential election, disability, unemployment, and unmarried status. Socioeconomic and demographic despair-related features explain a large portion of the association between the Republican vote and OUD. Together, these findings underscore the importance of socioeconomic interventions in combating the opioid epidemic.     

通络胶囊治疗偏头痛的临床与实验研究

认为正气不足、病理体质为偏头痛的发病基础 ,以气血失调为主 ,寒热虚实错杂是本病的基本病机。据此确立扶正固本、祛风活络、化瘀止痛的治疗原则 ,拟通络胶囊治疗偏头痛 30例 ,与太极通天液治疗 30例对照 ,结果表明 ,治疗组愈显率 83.33% ,总有效率 93.33% ,与对照组相比有显著性差别 (P<0 .0 1) ,在改善兼症方面亦优于对照组 (P<0 .0 5或 P<0 .0 1) ,并能改善患者颅内血管功能状态。动物实验表明 ,通络胶囊能提高实验动物痛阈 ,同时提高大鼠下丘脑 5 - HT及 β-内啡呔水平 ,并能改善大鼠软脑膜微循环。