[From treatment to whole course management: envisioning comprehensive management of Talaromycosis marneffei].

Talaromycosis marneffei has been increasing in recent years. Our understanding of this disease has gradually deepened through extensive basic and clinical research, but there are still many limitations. In this article, by incorporating the latest research advancements, we discuss important issues in managing Talaromycosis marneffei trends, aiming to guide effective prevention and control of the disease, improving public health, and reducing the healthcare burden.

[Mortality level and tendency of road traffic injury in Shandong Province from 2012 to 2020].

Objective: To analyze the mortality level and tendency of road traffic injury in Shandong province from 2012 to 2020. Methods: Based on the data of road traffic deaths from the cause of death registration system in Shandong province from 2012 to 2020, the mortality rates of road traffic injury were calculated by sex, age, area, and injury type. The mortality was standardized based on the age structure of the Chinese population in the sixth Population Census in 2010. The annual percent change (APC) and average annual percent change (AAPC) of the mortalities and the standarized mortalities were calculated by using Joinpoint regression model, and the trends were also examined. Results: In 2020, the crude mortality of road traffic injury in Shandong Province was 15.58/100 000, and the standardized mortality was 12.90/100 000. From 2012 to 2020, the standardized mortality of road traffic injury in Shandong province showed a downward trend with AAPC of -5.4%. The standardized mortality of middle-south mountain areas, male and children aged 0-14 years in Shandong showed a significantly decreasing trend with AAPC of -6.8%, -6.1% and -6.0%, respectively. The standardized mortality of people aged 65 years and over did not decrease significantly, but the number of deaths increased significantly by 50.96% in 2020 (5 780 cases), compared with those in 2012 (3 829 cases). The standardized mortality of pedestrian and motorcyclists decreased significantly with AAPC of -7.5% and -6.7%, respectively. There was no significant change in the standardized mortality among people who rode motor vehicles or bicycles. Conclusion: From 2012 to 2020, the standardized mortality of road traffic injury in Shandong Province showed an obvious downward trend, but the standardized mortality of people aged 65 years and over did not decrease significantly. In the future, it is still necessary to take government-led, multi-sectoral collaboration, with a focus on comprehensive preventive measures, to further reduce road traffic injury mortality.

[Arthroscopic-assisted fracture reduction combined with robot-navigated nail placement to treat talar neck fractures].

This study aims to explore the clinical efficacy of arthroscopic-assisted reduction combined with robot-navigated nail placement in the treatment of talar neck fractures. The clinical data of 13 patients with talar neck fracture in Xuzhou Benevolent Hospital from January 2018 to January 2021 were analyzed in the retrospective study. Among them, there were 9 males and 4 females, aged (36±12) years; there were 8 cases suffered on the right and 5 cases on the left. All patients were reset under arthroscopy and cannulated screws were placed in combination with three-dimensional navigation and positioning of orthopedic robot. The wounds and complications were observed in the postoperative follow-up. The activities of bilateral ankle dorsiflexion and plantar flexion were measured in the last follow-up. The visual analogue scale score (VAS) of pain in the affected feet before operation were compared with that at the last follow-up. The ankle and hind foot work energy scale of American Foot and Ankle Association (AOFAS) was used to assess the ankle function. The results showed that the wounds of 13 patients healed in one stage. The operation time was (95±45) min and the blood lose was (45±10) ml. All the patients were followed-up for (15.0±3.5) months. Two cases developed subtalar arthritis without talus necrosis and fracture nonunion. At the last follow-up, there was no significant difference in the dorsal extension and plantar flexion of the ankle between the affected side and the healthy side (25.8°±1.9° vs 26.2°±2.3°, 44.2°±2.7° vs 44.7°±2.8°, both P>0.05). The VAS score of pain in the affected foot at the last follow-up was 0.53±0.18, it was significantly lower than that before operation (0.87±0.29) (P<0.001). The mean AOFAS ankle and hind foot energy scale of the ankle function was 93.5 at the last follow-up. It's showed that treatment of talus neck fracture with arthroscopy assisted and robot guided nail placement is satisfactory and is worthy of clinical promotion.

Myocardial CT perfusion imaging and atherosclerotic plaque characteristics on coronary CT angiography for the identification of myocardial ischaemia.

AIM: To investigate the value of myocardial computed tomography (CT) perfusion imaging (CTP) and atherosclerotic plaque characteristics (APCs) identified on coronary CT angiography (CCTA) for the detection of myocardial ischaemia by using single-photon-emission CT (SPECT) as a reference. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-six patients (63.9% males) undergoing combined stress dynamic CTP and CCTA were enrolled and analysed. Myocardial blood flow (MBF) from CTP was quantified and compared between normal and abnormal segments. The ability of CTP and APCs to detect ischaemia was compared to that of SPECT. RESULTS: Nineteen patients with 78 segments had perfusion abnormalities on CTP. A significant difference was seen in MBF values between normal (118.51±27.86 ml/100 ml/min) and hypoperfused (79.60±21.35 ml/100 ml/min) segments (t=15.832, p<0.05). The sensitivity and specificity for identifying ischaemia were 90.91% and 94.97%, respectively, on a per-segment basis, resulting in a r value of 0.737 (p<0.05). On a per-vessel basis, the sensitivity and specificity for detecting ischaemia were 86.67% and 84.62%, respectively, for CTP; 93.33% and 58.97%, respectively, for CCTA; and 86.67% and 87.18%, respectively, for CTP combined with CTA, with an area under the receiver-operator characteristic curve (AUC) being 0.87 (p<0.05) and 0.887 (p<0.05) for CTP and its combination with CTA, respectively. On CCTA, 55 vessels with APCs were detected, with an AUC of 0.737 (p<0.05) for APCs combined with CCTA stenosis and 0.802 (p<0.05) for APCs combined with CTP. CONCLUSIONS: Dynamic stress CTP shows good correlation with SPECT for the detection of ischaemia. Additionally, combining APCs with CCTA stenosis has the ability to discriminate ischaemic stenosis.

Quality assessment of Chinese liquor with different ages and prediction analysis based on gas chromatography and electronic nose.

The economic value of Chinese liquor is closely related with its age. Results from gas chromatograph (GC) analysis indicated that 8 dominant compounds were decreased with the increase of liquor age (0 to 5 years) while ethyl lactate was found to be the most stable dominant compound as no significant change was observed in it during the aging process. Liquor groups with different ages were well-discriminated by principal component analysis (PCA) based on electronic nose signals. High-accurate identification of liquor ages was realized using linear discriminant analysis (LDA) with the accuracy of 98.3% of the total 120 samples from six age groups. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) exhibited satisfying ability for liquor age prediction (R2: 0.9732 in calibration set and 0.9101 in validation set). The feasibility of volatile compounds prediction using PLSR combined with electronic nose was also verified by this research. However, the accuracies of PLSR models can be further promoted in future researches, perhaps by using more suitable sensors or modeling approaches.

Characterization of Chinese liquor aroma components during aging process and liquor age discrimination using gas chromatography combined with multivariable statistics.

Chinese liquor aroma components were characterized during the aging process using gas chromatography (GC). Principal component and cluster analysis (PCA, CA) were used to discriminate the Chinese liquor age which has a great economic value. Of a total of 21 major aroma components identified and quantified, 13 components which included several acids, alcohols, esters, aldehydes and furans decreased significantly in the first year of aging, maintained the same levels (p > 0.05) for next three years and decreased again (p < 0.05) in the fifth year. On the contrary, a significant increase was observed in propionic acid, furfural and phenylethanol. Ethyl lactate was found to be the most stable aroma component during aging process. Results of PCA and CA demonstrated that young liquor (fresh) and aged liquors were well separated from each other, which is in consistent with the evolution of aroma components along with the aging process. These findings provide a quantitative basis for discriminating the Chinese liquor age and a scientific basis for further research on elucidating the liquor aging process, and a possible tool to guard against counterfeit and defective products.

Methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism analysis of Verticillium wilt-stressed cotton (Gossypium).

In this study, a methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism analysis system was used to analyze DNA methylation level in three cotton accessions. Two disease-sensitive near-isogenic lines, PD94042 and IL41, and one disease-resistant Gossypium mustelinum accession were exposed to Verticillium wilt, to investigate molecular disease resistance mechanisms in cotton. We observed multiple different DNA methylation types across the three accessions following Verticillium wilt exposure. These included hypomethylation, hypermethylation, and other patterns. In general, the global DNA methylation level was significantly increased in the disease-resistant accession G. mustelinum following disease exposure. In contrast, there was no significant difference in the disease-sensitive accession PD94042, and a significant decrease was observed in IL41. Our results suggest that disease-resistant cotton might employ a mechanism to increase methylation level in response to disease stress. The differing methylation patterns, together with the increase in global DNA methylation level, might play important roles in tolerance to Verticillium wilt in cotton. Through cloning and analysis of differently methylated DNA sequences, we were also able to identify several genes that may contribute to disease resistance in cotton. Our results revealed the effect of DNA methylation on cotton disease resistance, and also identified genes that played important roles, which may shed light on the future cotton disease-resistant molecular breeding.

Effect of high pressure treatment on the aging characteristics of Chinese liquor as evaluated by electronic nose and chemical analysis.

Several high pressure (HP) treatments (100-400 MPa; 15 and 30 min) were applied to Chinese "Junchang" liquor, and aging characteristics of the liquor were evaluated. Results from the principal component analysis and the discriminant factor analysis of E-Nose demonstrated that HP treatment at 300 and 400 MPa resulted in significant (p < 0.05) changes in aroma components of the liquor. An increase in total ester content and a decrease in total acid content were observed for all treated samples (p < 0.05), which was verified by gas chromatography analysis. In addition, a slight decrease in alcohol content was found for HP treatment at 400 MPa for 30 min. These changes and trends were in accordance with the natural aging process of Chinese liquor. However, HP treatment caused a slight increase in solid content, which might be somewhat undesirable. Sensory evaluation results confirmed that favorable changes in color and flavor of Chinese liquor were induced by HP treatment; however, overall gaps still existed between the quality of treated and six-year aged samples. HP treatment demonstrated a potential to accelerate the natural aging process for Chinese liquor, but long term studies may be needed further to realize the full potential.

Cardioprotective effects of fucoidan against hypoxia-induced apoptosis in H9c2 cardiomyoblast cells.

CONTEXT: Cardiomyocyte apoptosis plays a critical role in the progress of heart diseases. Fucoidan, a complex-sulfated polysaccharide, has been reported to possess potential cardioprotective efficacy in vivo. OBJECTIVE: The present study determines whether fucoidan could provide cardioprotection on hypoxia-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: H9c2 cardiomyoblast cells were incubated with various concentrations (15, 30, and 60 µg/ml) of fucoidan in a humidified incubator at 37 °C with 95% O2 and 5% CO2. After 6 h, hypoxia was processed and the cardioprotective effects of fucoidan were evaluated by applying MTT, ELISA, Hoechst 33258 nucleus staining, and western blot. RESULTS: Following a 6 h exposure of H9c2 to hypoxic condition, significant reduction was found in cell survival (0.57-fold) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity (0.56-fold), which were associated with the increase of malondialdehyde (MDA) level (2.58-fold), creatine phosphokinase (CK, 3.57-fold), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities (2.39-fold). Moreover, hypoxia-induced apoptosis was confirmed by Hoechst 33258 nuclear staining, and these changes were accompanied by the increase of Bcl-2 (1.27-fold) and Bax expression (2.6-fold). However, preincubation of the cells with fucoidan prior to hypoxia exposure elevated the cell viability (30 µg/ml, 1.18-fold; 60 µg/ml, 1.32-fold) and SOD activity (30 µg/ml, 1.12-fold; 60 µg/ml, 1.25-fold), but decreased the MDA level (30 µg/ml, 0.70-fold; 60 µg/ml, 0.80-fold), CK (30 µg/ml, 0.69-fold; 60 µg/ml, 0.76-fold), and LDH (30 µg/ml, 0.67-fold; 60 µg/ml, 0.86-fold) leakages. Hoechst 33258 nuclear staining observations demonstrated the same protective effect of fucoidan on hypoxia-induced myocardial injury. Also, cardioprotective effects of fucoidan were reflected by increasing Bcl-2 (60 µg/ml, 1.84-fold), as well as decreasing Bax (60 µg/ml, 0.6-fold). CONCLUSION: Fucoidan had protective effect against hypoxia-induced cardiomyocytes apoptosis, and the mechanism might involve protections of the cell from oxidative injury.

First Report of Aspergillus niger Causing Root Rot of Peanut in China.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is one of the most important oil crops and food legumes worldwide. China sows approximately 3.5 million hectares each year and produces 40% of the world's peanuts. Fungal diseases are among the main biotic stresses affecting peanut production. Root rot is a serious disease caused by several fungi. Pythium spp., Fusarium spp., and Rhizopus spp. are some of the root rot fungi that have been reported in China. In 2012 and 2013, root rot symptoms were observed in several fields in Laixi District, Qingdao City, Shandong Province, China. The first symptoms appeared in July. Initial symptoms of the disease were brown spots on the stem base and root. Affected plants were stunted, with leaf chlorosis, reduced growth, or sudden wilting. As disease progressed, the infected tissues showed brown discoloration and rot, and abundant dark brown and black powdery spores were visible on the surfaces of affected parts. Eventually, affected plants collapsed and died. To isolate the causal organism, roots and stems were cut into sections, which were surface-disinfected with 70% ethanol solution (v/v) for 20 s, soaked in 0.1% mercuric chloride solution for 50 s, rinsed with sterilized water three times, dried, placed on Czapek's Dox agar supplemented with chloramphenicol (100 µg/ml), and incubated at 28°C for 7 days. Fungal colonies were white initially and then covered with a dense layer of dark brown or black conidial heads. The conidial head was radiate; vesicles were nearly spherical and covered with irregular metulae and phialides. Conidia were globose or subglobose (3.0 to 5.5 µm in diameter), dark brown to black, with rough cell walls. Total genomic DNA was extracted from mycelia using the EasyPure Genomic DNA Kit (TransGEN, Beijing, China). The rDNA-ITS region was amplified using PCR with the universal fungal primers ITS1 and ITS4 (2). The purified products were separately sequenced in both directions using the same primer pair. The sequences (GenBank Accession No. KJ848716) obtained were 99% similar to the ITS sequence of isolates of Aspergillus niger. This, together with the morphological characters (1) described above, suggested that the microorganism we had isolated was A. niger. Koch's postulates were completed in the laboratory by inoculating peanut. Thirty Huayu20 peanut seeds were placed in a 500-ml sterile pot with 300 g of autoclaved soil. Twenty days after seedling emergence, 15 peanut plants were wounded with a needle and inoculated with 5 ml of conidia suspension (106 ml-1). The same number of peanuts were similarly wounded and inoculated with 5 ml of sterile distilled water to serve as controls in the same pot. All peanuts were kept in a randomized complete block design at 30°C under a 12-h photoperiod. After 7 days, disease symptoms similar to those observed in the field appeared in all inoculated but not in non-inoculated peanuts. The tests were repeated three times in the greenhouse. Koch's postulates were satisfied after re-isolating the A. niger from inoculated peanuts using the method described above. To our knowledge, this is the first report of A. niger causing root rot in peanut in China. References: (1) M. A. Klich. Page 12 in: Identification of Common Aspergillus Species. Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures, Utrecht, The Netherlands, 2002. (2) T. J. White et al. Page 315 in: PCR Protocols: A Guide to Methods and Applications. Academic Press, San Diego, CA, 1990.

Efficacy and safety of 1 % terbinafine film-forming solution in Chinese patients with tinea pedis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, parallel-group study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Superficial fungal skin infections are treated using topical antifungals. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy of a single application of 1 % terbinafine film-forming solution (FFS) versus placebo for the treatment of tinea pedis in the Chinese population. METHODS: Six centers in China randomized 290 patients in a 1:1 ratio to receive either 1 % terbinafine FFS or FFS vehicle (placebo) once on the affected foot/feet. Efficacy assessments included microscopy and mycologic culture, and assessing clinical signs and symptoms at baseline, and at weeks 1 and 6 after the topical treatment. All adverse events were recorded. RESULTS: At week 6, 1 % terbinafine FFS was superior to placebo for effective treatment rate (63 vs. 8 %); clinical cure (30 vs. 6 %); mycological cure (86 vs. 12 %); negative microscopy (90 vs. 24 %); and negative mycological culture (90 vs. 27 %): all p ≤ 0.001 and clinically relevant. At week 6, 1 % terbinafine FFS was clinically superior to placebo for the absence of: erythema (69 vs. 29 %); desquamation (33 vs. 8 %); and pruritus (70 vs. 30 %): all p ≤ 0.001 and clinically relevant. At week 6, differences in the average total signs and symptoms scores were significantly lower for 1 % terbinafine FFS versus placebo (p ≤ 0.001). Both 1 % terbinafine FFS and placebo were safe and well tolerated based on adverse events and investigator and patient assessments. CONCLUSIONS: This double-blind, randomized, multicenter study demonstrated one single topical application of 1 % terbinafine FFS was safe and effective in the treatment of tinea pedis in the Chinese population.

Preparation and characterization of poly(lactic acid) nanoparticles for sustained release of pyridostigmine bromide.

A novel pyridostigmine bromide poly (lactic acid) nanoparticles (PBPNPs) was prepared to obtain sustained release characteristics of PB. A central composite design approach was employed for process optimization. The in vitro release studies were carried out by dialysis method and conducted using four different dissolution media. Similar factor method was investigated for dissolution profile comparison. Multiple linear regression analysis for process optimization revealed that the optimal PBPNPs were obtained where the values of the amount of PB (X1, mg), PLA concentration (X2, % w:v), and PVA concentration (X3, % w:v) were 49.20 mg, 3.31% and 3.41%, respectively. The average particle size and zeta potential of PBPNPs with the optimized formulation were 722.9 +/- 4.3 nm, and -25.12 +/- 1.2 mV, respectively. PBPNPs provided an initial burst of drug release followed by a very slow release over an extended period of time (72 h). Compared with free PB, PBPNPs had a significantly lower release rate of PB in vitro. The in vitro release profile of the PBPNPs could be described by Weibull models, regardless of type of dissolution medium. Statistical significance of similarity between every two dissolution profiles of PBPNPs in different dissolution media was found, and the difference between the curves of PBPNPs and pure PB was statistically significant.

Saturation of two chromosome regions conferring resistance to SCMV with SSR and AFLP markers by targeted BSA.

Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and bulked segregant analyses (BSA) identified the major genes Scmv1 on chromosome 6 and Scmv2 on chromosome 3, conferring resistance against sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) in maize. Both chromosome regions were further enriched for SSR and AFLP markers by targeted bulked segregant analysis (tBSA) in order to identify and map only markers closely linked to either Scmv1 or Scmv2. For identification of markers closely linked to the target genes, symptomless individuals of advanced backcross generations BC5 to BC9 were employed. All AFLP markers, identified by tBSA using 400 EcoRI/ MseI primer combinations, mapped within both targeted marker intervals. Fourteen SSR and six AFLP markers mapped to the Scmv1 region. Eleven SSR and 18 AFLP markers were located in the Scmv2 region. Whereas the linear order of SSR markers and the window size for the Scmv2 region fitted well with publicly available genetic maps, map distances and window size differed substantially for the Scmv1 region on chromosome 6. A possible explanation for the observed discrepancies is the presence of two closely linked resistance genes in the Scmv1 region.

[The types of respiratory neurons in nucleus paragigantocellularis lateralis in rats and their responses to some medicines].

AIM AND METHODS: In 36 anesthetized spontaneously breathing Sprague-Dawley rats, the types of respiratory neurons and the state of neurotransmitters and receptors in nucleus paragigantocellularis lateralis (PGCL) were studied with extracellular recording technique and multibarrel microelectrode techniques. RESULTS: At the caudal part of the PGCL(cPGCL) in 14 rats, a total of 39 respiratory neurons (RNs) were recorded including 24 inspiratory, 12 expiratory and 3 phase-spanning neurons. At the cPGCL in another 22 rats, we discovered that out of 14 RNs tested, 12 were excited by iontophoretic application of sodium glutamate (L-GLu), and all the 22 RNs tested were inhibited by gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). DL-2-amino-5-phosphonovaleric acid (AP5), an antagonist of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor, and bicuculline (BIC), an antagonist of GABA(A) receptor, both showed three kinds of effects on the RNs discharge: excitatory, inhibitory and no-effect. AP5 could block partially the excitatory effect of L-GLu on a large part of RNs tested (6/9). BIC blocked, partially or completely, the inhibitory effect of GABA also on a large part of the RNs tested (9/11). CONCLUSION: It is implied that PGCL is one of the important neural substrates responsible for the regulation of respiration. There might exist endogenous glutamate and GABA acting as neurotransmitters in the cPGCL area and excitatory amino acids (including NMDA and non- NMDA) and GABA(A)-receptors on cPGCL neurons. These neurotransmitters and receptors may mediate the regulatory action of cPGCL on respiration.

High-resolution mapping of loci conferring resistance to sugarcane mosaic virus in maize using RFLP, SSR, and AFLP markers.

Sugarcane mosaic virus (SCMV) is one of the most important virus diseases of maize in Europe. Genetic analysis on backcross five (BC5) progeny derived from the cross FAP1360A (resistant) x F7 (susceptible) confirmed that at least two dominant genes, Scm1 and Scm2, are required for resistance to SCMV in the progeny of this cross. With the aid of RFLP and SSR marker analyses, Scm1 was mapped in the region of 8.7 cM between the nucleolus organizer region (nor) and RFLP marker bnl6.29 on the short arm of chromosome 6, while Scm2 was mapped to an interval of 26.8 cM flanked by the RFLP markers umc92 and umc102 near the centromere region of chromosome 3. Both chromosome regions were further enriched for AFLP markers by successful application of a bulked segregant analysis to this oligogenic trait. A total of 23 linked AFLP markers were identified, clustered in chromosome regions adjacent to either Scm1 or Scm2. Seven AFLP markers linked to Scm1 resided within the nor-bnl6.29 interval, and one of them, E3M8-1, showed no recombination with Scm1. Three AFLP markers linked to Scm2 are located between umc92 and umc102.