Application value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in hematological patients with high-risk febrile neutropenia.

Background: Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is a novel non-invasive and comprehensive technique for etiological diagnosis of infectious diseases. However, its practical significance has been seldom reported in the context of hematological patients with high-risk febrile neutropenia, a unique patient group characterized by neutropenia and compromised immune responses. Methods: This retrospective study evaluated the results of plasma cfDNA sequencing in 164 hematological patients with high-risk febrile neutropenia. We assessed the diagnostic efficacy and clinical impact of mNGS, comparing it with conventional microbiological tests. Results: mNGS identified 68 different pathogens in 111 patients, whereas conventional methods detected only 17 pathogen types in 36 patients. mNGS exhibited a significantly higher positive detection rate than conventional methods (67.7% vs. 22.0%, P < 0.001). This improvement was consistent across bacterial (30.5% vs. 9.1%), fungal (19.5% vs. 4.3%), and viral (37.2% vs. 9.1%) infections (P < 0.001 for all comparisons). The anti-infective treatment strategies were adjusted for 51.2% (84/164) of the patients based on the mNGS results. Conclusions: mNGS of plasma cfDNA offers substantial promise for the early detection of pathogens and the timely optimization of anti-infective therapies in hematological patients with high-risk febrile neutropenia.

Characterization of the complete plastid genome of Chinese medicinal plant Isodon serra (Lamiaceae).

The herb Isodon serra (Maximowicz) Kudô, which is widely distributed in China and its neighbor regions, is a well-known traditional Chinese medicinal plant. In this study, we characterized the complete plastid genome sequence of I. serra using Illumina sequencing data. The plastome is 152,676 bp in length and contains a typical quadripartite structure. The inverted repeat (IR), large-single copy (LSC) and small-single copy (SSC) regions each has 25,716 bp, 83,564 bp, and 17,680 bp. The genome contains 80 protein coding genes (PCGs), 30 transfer RNAs (tRNA), and four ribosomal RNAs (rRNA). The phylogenetic result indicates I. serra together with genera Ocimum and Lavandula formed tribe Ocimeae clade.

The complete plastome of a folk medicinal herb Isodon lophanthoides var. graciliflorus.

Isodon lophanthoides var. graciliflorus is a folk medicinal herb that is distributed in tropical and subtropical Asia. In this study, the complete plastome of I. lophanthoides var. graciliflorus was assembled and annotated. The plastome is 152,195 bp in length, consisting of a large single-copy (LSC) region of 83,095 bp, a small single-copy (SSC) region of 17,699 bp, and two inverted repeat (IR) regions of 25,701 bp, each. It has 113 genes, including 80 protein-coding genes, 29 tRNA genes, and 4 rRNA genes. The overall GC content of the plastome is 37.6%. Phylogenetic analysis showed that I. lophanthoides var. graciliflorus was sister to Isodon serra.

The complete chloroplast genome sequence of the medicinal plant Andrographis paniculata.

The complete chloroplast genome of Andrographis paniculata, an important medicinal plant with great economic value, has been studied in this article. The genome size is 150,249 bp in length, with 38.3% GC content. A pair of inverted repeats (IRs, 25,300 bp) are separated by a large single copy region (LSC, 82,459 bp) and a small single-copy region (SSC, 17,190 bp). The chloroplast genome contains 114 unique genes, 80 protein-coding genes, 30 tRNA genes and 4 rRNA genes. In these genes, 15 genes contained 1 intron and 3 genes comprised of 2 introns.

[Characteristic fingerprint analysis and determination of main components on Andrographis paniculata extract by UPLC].

OBJECTIVE: To establish an analytical method for characteristic fingerprint and determination of main components of Andrographis paniculata Extract by UPLC. METHODS: The chromatographic conditions were Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH-C18 (2. 1 mm x 0 mm,1.7 µm)by gradient elute using acetonitrile-water as mobile phase(0 -2 min,20% ~ 25% A;2 ~ 5 min,25% ~ 35% A;5 ~ 7 min,35% A;7 ~10 min,35%~ 55% A) at a flow rate of 0. 5 min/mL,detecting wavelength at 220 nm. Results:Contents of the andrographolide, neoandrographolide, 14-deoxyandrographolide and 14-deoxy-l11,12-didehydroandrographolide had good resolution with the correlation coefficients exceed 0. 9999 and the average percent recovery lied in 97. 2% to 103.9%, RSD was less than 3.0% (n = 6). The chromatograms of Andrographis paniculata Extract shared seven common peaks in which four of them were recognized by reference standard with the similarities over 0. 9. CONCLUSION: It is a fast,accurate and validated method,and can be useful in quality evaluations of Andrographis paniculata Extract.

Protective effects of gypenosides against fatty liver disease induced by high fat and cholesterol diet and alcohol in rats.

In the present study, the protective effects of gypenosides from Gynostemma pentaphyllum on fatty liver disease (FLD) were examined in rats treated with high fat and cholesterol diet and alcohol. Male SD rats were divided into seven groups: control, model, lovastatin, silymarin, gypenosides high-, medium- and low-treatment groups. The latter 6 groups were fed high-fat and cholesterol diet and administered alcohol intragastricly once a day. Body weight was measured every week for 10 weeks, and the hepatic index was measured after 10 weeks. Compared with model group, levels of serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), free fatty acid (FFA), and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level, malondialdehyde (MDA), serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity, and hepatocyte apoptosis were significantly decreased in gypenosides groups; while serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in both serum and hepatic tissue and mRNA and protein level of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPAR-α) were significantly increased. Moreover, hepatic steatosis and mitochondrial damage were improved. These results suggested that gypenosides could prevent liver fatty degeneration in fatty liver disease through modulating lipid metabolism, ameliorating liver dysfunction and reducing oxidative stress.

Polyoxygenated methyl cyclohexanoids from a terrestrial ampelomyces fungus.

Seven structurally related new polyoxygenated methyl cyclohexanoids, ampelomins A-G (1-7), were isolated from the mycelial solid culture of a soil-derived Ampelomyces fungus. Their structures were determined by spectroscopic and chemical means. Ampelomins A (1), C (3), E (5), and G (7) exhibited weak activity against alpha-glucosidase with IC(50) values of 1.74-5.93 mM, and ampelomin A (1) showed moderate antibacterial activity with MIC(90) values ranging from 202.4 to 1015.9 microM. A plausible polyketide biogenetic pathway is postulated for these compounds.

Heteroatom-containing antibacterial phenolic metabolites from a terrestrial Ampelomyces fungus.

Two new sulfur-containing phenolic compounds, 7-hydroxy-5-hydroxymethyl-2H-benzo[1,4]thiazin-3-one (1) and 2,5-dihydroxy-3-methanesulfinylbenzyl alcohol (2), along with two known compounds, 3-chloro-2,5-dihydroxybenzyl alcohol (3) and 2-hydroxy-6-methylbenzoic acid (4), were isolated from the mycelial solid culture of a soil-derived Ampelomyces fungus by antibacterial assay-guided fractionation. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic analysis. Compounds 1-3 showed structure and microbial dependent antibacterial activities.