The microbiological diagnostic performance of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in patients with sepsis.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we aimed to perform a comprehensive analysis on the metagenomic next-generation sequencing for the etiological diagnosis of septic patients, and further to establish optimal read values for detecting common pathogens. METHODS: In this single-center retrospective study, septic patients who underwent pathogen detection by both microbial culture and metagenomic next-generation sequencing in the intensive care unit of the Second People's Hospital of Shenzhen from June 24, 2015, to October 20, 2019, were included. RESULTS: A total of 193 patients with 305 detected specimens were included in the final analysis. The results of metagenomic next-generation sequencing showed significantly higher positive rates in samples from disparate loci, including blood, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, and cerebrospinal fluid, as well as in the determination of various pathogens. The optimal diagnostic reads were 2893, 1825.5, and 892.5 for Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The metagenomic next-generation sequencing is capable of identifying multiple pathogens in specimens from septic patients, and shows significantly higher positive rates than culture-based diagnostics. The optimal diagnostic reads for frequently detected microbes might be useful for the clinical application of metagenomic next-generation sequencing in terms of timely and accurately determining etiological pathogens for suspected and confirmed cases of sepsis due to well-performed data interpretation.

Reducing possible combinations of Wyckoff positions for zeolite structure prediction.

Zeolites are an important class of tetrahedrally coordinated inorganic materials that have been widely used in many chemical industries as catalysts, adsorbents, and ion-exchangers. To date, over 200 types of zeolite framework have been discovered. Predicting not-yet-discovered zeolite frameworks is of great importance not only for zeolite structure determination but also for the identification of promising synthetic candidates with desirable functions. However, owing to the complexity and diversity of zeolite framework topologies, zeolite structure prediction has been a challenging task for several decades. Many efforts have been devoted towards this end, among which the computer-aided assembly of zeolite framework constituent atoms (T atoms) in predefined Wyckoff positions (WPs) is a promising approach because of its high efficiency in configuration space searching. However, this approach suffers from high computational overheads caused by the large number of possible WP combinations. On the basis of the analysis of known zeolite structures, we find that the site symmetries of many WPs are incompatible with the tetrahedral coordination of T atoms. Moreover, to avoid the formation of chemically unfeasible distorted tetrahedral coordination, T atoms cannot be too "crowded" in some WPs. We define, for the first time, the T atom distribution (TAD) densities for special site symmetries as the numbers of T atoms per special point, per unit length of rotation axes, or per unit area of mirror planes, respectively. By restricting the number of T atoms in every WP so as not to exceed the highest allowed TAD density, WP combinations for zeolite structure prediction can be reduced by 1-4 orders of magnitude. Taking advantage of this discovery, the efficiency of zeolite structure prediction based on the enumeration of WP combinations can be significantly improved.

Efficacy and safety of moxibustion for benign prostatic hyperplasia: A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a non-malignant enlargement of the prostate gland that is common in older men. The clinical manifestations of BPH are frequent urination, urgency, incomplete dribbling of urine, and urinary retention. Moxibustion, as a convenient, safe and effective method, has been widely applied in the clinical treatment of BPH. The study aim to assess the efficacy and safety of moxibustion for BPH. METHODS: The following electronic databases will be searched regardless of language and publication status: Pubmed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, China Biomedical Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, VIP Database, and Wanfang Database, to select studies that meet the requirements. The study will consist of a prospective randomised controlled clinical trials (RCTs) of moxibustion in the treatment of BPH, language of publication does not have barrier of blinding or restrictions, adverse events will be assessed and reported for safety assessment. Two reviewers will independently conduct and screen all included studies and the meta-analysis will be performed with RevMan V5.3. RESULTS: The study will provide a high-quality convincing assessment of efficacy and safety of moxibustion for BPH. CONCLUSION: The conclusion of this study will provide the latest evidence for judging whether moxibustion is effective and safe in the treatment of BPH. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY2021120021.