Enhancement of biotransformation of ginsenosides in white ginseng roots by aerobic co-cultivation of Bacillus subtilis and Trichoderma reesei.

In the present work, the biotransformation of ginsenosides in white ginseng roots was innovatively investigated using the aerobic fermentation by the co-cultivation of Bacillus subtilis and Trichoderma reesei. It is found that in the co-cultivation mode, the optimal nitrogen source was corn steep liquor, and the loading of ginseng powder and inoculation proportion of B. subtilis and T. reesei were 15 g/L and 1:4, respectively. The total ginsenoside yield and production of minor ginsenosides in the co-cultivation mode obviously enhanced in comparison to the monoculture mode. Meanwhile, the maximal total ginsenoside yield of 21.79% and high hydrolase activities were achieved using the staged inoculation at the inoculation proportion of 1:4 in the co-cultivation mode, the production of minor ginsenosides such as Rg3 and Rh1, Rh2 was significantly strengthened, and the pharmacological activities of the fermented solution obviously improved. The enhancement of ginsenoside transformation can be mainly attributed to hydrolysis of the produced hydrolases and metabolism of two probiotics. This result clearly reveals that using the staged inoculation in co-cultivation fermentation mode was favor of the ginsenoside biotransformation in ginseng due to non-synchronous cell growth and different metabolic pathways of both probiotics. This work can provide a novel method for enhancing ginsenoside transformation of ginseng.Key points• Co-cultivation fermentation significantly promoted ginsenoside biotransformation.• The staged inoculation in co-culture mode was an optimal operation method.• The pharmacological activity of the co-cultured solution was significantly enhanced.

Clinical significance of the serum IgM and IgG to SARS-CoV-2 in coronavirus disease-2019.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical value of serum IgM and IgG to SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19. METHODS: 105 COVID-19 patients were enrolled as the disease group. 197 non-COVID-19 patients served as the control group. Magnetic chemiluminescent immunoassay (MCLIA) was used to detect the IgM and IgG. RESULTS: The peak of positive rates of SARS-CoV-2 IgM was about 1 week earlier than that of IgG. It reached to peak within 15-21 days and then began a slowly decline. The positive rates of IgG were increased with the disease course and reached the peak between 22 and 39 days. The differences in sensitivity of the three detection modes (IgM, IgG, and IgM + IgG) were statistically significant. The largest group of test cases (illness onset 15-21 days) showed that the positive rate of IgG was higher than IgM. Also, the sensitivity of IgM combined with IgG was higher than IgM or IgG. IgM and IgG were monitored dynamically for 16 patients with COVID-19, the results showed that serological transformation of IgM was carried out simultaneously with IgG in seven patients, which was earlier than IgG in four patients and later than IgG in five patients. CONCLUSION: The detection of SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG is very important to determine the course of COVID-19. Nucleic acid detection combined with serum antibody of SARS-CoV-2 may be the best laboratory indicator for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the phrase and predication for prognosis of COVID-19.

Application of Tivantinib for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Meta-Analysis Study.

Objectives: The efficacy of tivantinib may have some potential in treating MET-high hepatocellular carcinoma, and we aim to compare tivantinib with placebo for the treatment of MET-high hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods: Several databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EBSCO, and EMbase have been systematically searched through March 2022, and we included studies regarding the treatment of MET-high hepatocellular carcinoma by using tivantinib versus placebo. Results: We finally include three RCTs. In comparison with placebo for MET-high hepatocellular carcinoma, tivantinib reveals no significant influence on overall survival (P=0.21), progression-free survival (P=0.13), time to progression (P=0.38), or grade ≥3 anemia (P=0.50) but increases the incidence of grade ≥3 neutropenia (P=0.04). Conclusions: Tivantinib may provide no additional benefits for MET-high hepatocellular carcinoma.

[Value of Serum Light Chain in Diagnosis and Evaluation of Efficacy for Multiple Myeloma].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical application value of serum light chain (sLC) in the diagnosis and therapeutic efficacy evaluation for multiple myeloma. METHODS: 46 patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma were selected as MM group and 50 healthy persons as control group. Rate scattering immunoturbidimetry was used to detect serum light chain and immunoglobulin (Ig) in two groups, serum protein electrophoresis was used to detect M protein by agarose gel. Then, the sensitivity and specificity of the two methods in MM diagnosis were analyzed and compared, and the significance of sLC detection in MM diagnosis were discussed. In addition, 15 MM patients after received conventional therapy were tracked, sLC levels in five different therapentic times were recorded, and the effect of sLC in efficacy evaluation of MM was analyzed. RESULTS: There were 11 cases of IgA type, 15 cases of IgG type, 8 cases of light chain κ type, 8 cases of light chain λ type, 2 cases of IgD type, and 2 cases of non-secretion type. The sLC-κ, sLC-λ and their ratio (including light chain type and double clone type), IgA and IgG (except IgD type), as well as albumin, beta-globulin and gamma-globulin levels showed statistically significant differences (P＜0.05) compared with the control group. The sensitivity of serum protein electrophoresis, Ig quantification, sLC and its ratio in the diagnosis of multiple myeloma were 57%, 76% and 65%, and their specificity were 83%, 61% and 90%, respectively. After the second or third chemotherapy, the sLC-κ/λ ratio gradually approached the normal range as the disease reliefes, and the sLC-κ/λ ratio continued to be on or off the line at outliers or further away from the reference value as the disease progresses in MM patients with κ type or λ type. CONCLUSION: sLC detection shows positive significance in early diagnosis of multiple myeloma, SLC monitoring can be used for the efficacy evaluation for treatment of MM patients.

[Prokaryotic expression and purification of a tandem repeat of ovarian cancer antigen CA125 and preparation of its antiserum].

AIM: To establish a prokaryotic expression system of the tandem repeat of CA125 (CA125R), express and purify the recombinant CA125R protein, prepare its antiserum. METHODS: The full gene sequence of one tandem repeat of CA125 was synthesized and cloned into pET-32a(+) to construct a prokaryotic expression vector of the CA125R protein (pET-CA125R). The pET-CA125R was transformed into E.coli BL21 (DE3) and the soluble expression conditions were optimized; the pure recombinant CA125R protein was prepared by affinity Ni-NTA chromatography and identified by Western blotting. A rabbit was immunized with the pure recombinant CA125R protein to prepare its antiserum. RESULTS: The prokaryotic expression vector of CA125R was successfully constructed. The optimal soluble induction expression conditions were 0.5 mmol/L isopropyl ß-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG) at 15DegreesCelsius for 6 h. Western blotting confirmed the pure CA125R recombinant protein of high purity. The prepared antiserum specifically recognized recombinant CA125R protein and natural CA125 glycoprotein. CONCLUSION: We successfully established the efficient prokaryotic expression system of the CA125R, and prepared the recombinant CA125R protein of high purity and its antiserum.