Clinical analysis of cases of neonatal Streptococcus agalactiae sepsis.

With the advent of antibiotic resistance, pathogenic bacteria have become a major threat in cases of neonatal sepsis; however, guidelines for treatment have not yet been standardized. In this study, 15 cases of neonatal Streptococcus agalactiae sepsis from our hospital were retrospectively analyzed. Of these, nine cases showed early-onset and six cases showed late-onset sepsis. Pathogens were characterized by genotyping and antibiotic sensitivity tests on blood cultures. Results demonstrated that in cases with early-onset sepsis, clinical manifestations affected mainly the respiratory tract, while late-onset sepsis was accompanied by intracranial infection. Therefore, we suggest including a cerebrospinal fluid examination when diagnosing neonatal sepsis. Bacterial genotyping indicated the bacteria were mainly type Ib, Ia, and III S. agalactiae. We recommend treatment with penicillin or ampicillin, since bacteria were resistant to clindamycin and tetracycline. In conclusion, our results provide valuable information for the clinical treatment of S. agalactiae sepsis in neonatal infants.

[Analysis of caries experience and the dental treatments under general anesthesia in 103 cases of children with autism spectrum disorders].

Objective: To compare the caries experience and the kinds of dental treatment between children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and children without systemic disease who were all treated under general anesthesia. Methods: Totally 103 children with ASD who received dental treatments under general anesthesia in 13 professional dental hospitals around China from April to November 2016 were included in the present study. A group of 97 children without systemic disease, according to the age, gender and application propensity score matching method, were chosen as controls, who received dental treatments under general anesthesia between January 2015 to November 2018 in the same hospitals as the children with ASD. Decay missing filling tooth (DMFT/dmft, DMFT for permanent teeth and dmft for primary teeth) indices of two groups of children and the contents of the dental treatments under general anesthesia were analyzed. Results: No significant difference of DMFT/dmft index ï¼»M (Q 25, Q 75)ï¼½ was found between children with ASD group ï¼»0 (0, 3)/11(8, 14)ï¼½ and control group ï¼»0 (0, 3)/9(7, 13)ï¼½ (P>0.05). The average number of dental treatments under general anesthesia and the average number of endodontic treatment in children with ASD were 13 (11, 15) and 3 (2, 6) teeth respectively, while those in the control group were 12 (9, 14) and 2 (1, 4) teeth respectively, the differences were statistically significant (P<0.01, P<0.05). Conclusions: No significant difference was found between children with ASD and the normal controls who receive dental treatments under general anesthesia in DMFT/dmft index, but the treatment needs of children with ASD is relatively higher, and their tooth decay is relatively severer.

Development of muscarinic m3 and m4 receptor antibodies with pharmacological activities.

AIM: To investigate the feasibility of developing subtype-selective anti-receptor antibodies with pharmacological activities for the study of subtypes of receptors. METHODS: New Zealand white rabbits were immunized with synthesized subtype-selective peptide segments of m3 and m4 receptors to develop antibodies. The effects of the antibodies on ligand-binding to muscarinic receptors were studied by competitive radioligand assay. The effects of the prepared antibodies on the contraction or relaxation activity of ACh in isolated rat ilea and aortic rings were studied. RESULTS: Antibodies against synthesized m3 and m4 receptor subtype-selective peptides were successfully prepared. Both antibodies inhibited [3H]QNB binding to muscarinic receptors with different maximal inhibitions which may be the proportions of m3 or m4 subtypes among the total muscarinic receptors in the tissues. The maximal inhibitory rates in rat cerebral cortex, myocardium, and salivary glands were 12.1% +/- 2.1%, 15.7% +/- 1.1%, and 63.6% +/- 2.8% for m3 antibodies, whereas 28% +/- 6%, 19.3% +/- 2.6%, and 1.6% +/- 1.4% for m4 antibodies respectively. The m3 antibodies inhibited the contraction activity of ACh in isolated rat ilea and the relaxation activity of ACh in isolated rat aortic rings. CONCLUSION: It is feasible to develop subtype-selective anti-receptor antibodies as new tools in the study of the functions of m3 and m4 subtypes of muscarinic receptors.

Preparation of monoclonal antibody against human m3 receptor.

AIM: To raise monoclonal antibody against human m3 receptor. METHODS: The m3 receptor selective peptide segments deduced from its gene were chemically synthesized, coupled to keyhole limpet hemocyanin carrier protein, and injected to Balb/c mice to raise monoclonal antibody. Antibody was purified by a combination of two-step precipitation methods and ion-exchange chromatography. The specificity of monoclonal antibody was tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunohistochemistry, and radioligand binding assay of receptors. RESULTS: The monoclonal antibody specifically bound to the protein of rat salivary gland and m3 peptide, but not m4 peptide. In radioligand binding assay of receptors, monoclonal antibody inhibited the binding of 3H-QNB to muscarinic receptor in rat salivary gland, but not in rat heart, and could not inhibit the binding of 3H-PZ to rat brain cerebral cortex membrane protein. Immunohistochemical study showed that the human salivary cell surface was strongly stained, whereas the human heart cell surface was not. CONCLUSION: Highly purified (96.3%) monoclonal antibody against the m3 receptor peptide recognized the m3 receptor.