[A study of the effectiveness of nucleos(t)ide analogues in the treatment of HBeAg- positive chronic hepatitis B with normal alanine aminotransferase and high level of HBV DNA].

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of nucleos(t)ide analogues in the treatment of HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B with normal alanine aminotransferase and high level of HBV DNA. Methods: Treatment-naïve chronic hepatitis B patients who were followed up at the Center of Infectious Diseases, West China Hospital of Sichuan University from January 2019 to January 2020 were selected as subjects. Demographic characteristics, the results of laboratory examination before treatment and one year after treatment were retrospectively collected. Patients were divided into tenofovir dipivoxil (TDF) and propofol fumurate tenofovir (TAF) treatment group according to different types of medication. The changes of serum HBV DNA level, HBeAg serological conversion and HBsAg quantitative level were analyzed and compared between the two groups. Results: A total of 38 cases were enrolled. Among them, there were 16 and 22 cases in the TDF and TAF group, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in demographic characteristics, baseline HBV DNA levels and HBsAg quantitative levels between the two groups. Virological response was achieved in 60.5% (23/38) of patients after one year of antiviral therapy. Serum HBV DNA levels below the lower limit of detection [68.2% (15/22) vs. 50.0% (8/16), P=0.258] and higher HBeAg seroconversion rate [18.2%] (4/22) vs. 6.3% (1/16), P=0.374] was obtained in TAF than TDF group; however, there was no statistically significant differences between the two. Serum HBsAg quantitative level was significantly reduced with TDF and TAF treatment. In addition, alanine aminotransferase elevation was reduced in TAF than TDF treated group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that patient age was an independent predictor of a virological response to antiviral therapy. Conclusion: HBeAg-positive CHB patients with normal alanine aminotransferase, and high HBV DNA level can obtain better curative effect after TDF and TAF treatment.

[The 487th case: prominent eyes, headache, blurred vision].

One 51 years old man was admitted to the rheumatology department with a history of prominent eyes, headache and blurred vision for half year. The main manifestations included retrobulbar inflammatory pseudotumor and retroperitoneal fibrosis. He was initially diagnosed as granulomatosis with polyangiitis. Prednisone and cyclophosphamide were administrated and effective. New mass of dura mater and osteosclerosis presented during follow up. Finally Erdheim Chester disease(ECD) was diagnosed by biopsy and pathological examination. Vemurafenib, a v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogenes homolog B1 (BRAF) inhibitor, 480 mg was given twice a day. The patient's condition is stable and still in follow-up. Although ECD is a rare histiocytosis, clinicians should pay attention to its manifestations and differential diagnoses.

Risk factors and outcome of levofloxacin-resistant Elizabethkingia meningoseptica bacteraemia in adult patients in Taiwan.

Elizabethkingia meningoseptica is an emerging nosocomial pathogen associated with high mortality and inherently resistant to many antimicrobial agents. Levofloxacin has been considered as a therapeutic agent based on in vitro susceptibility. We aim to investigate the risk factors and outcomes for levofloxacin-resistant E. meningoseptica bacteraemia. Adult patients with E. meningoseptica bacteraemia were identified retrospectively in a medical centre in Taiwan from January 2011 to July 2015. These strains were identified by the Vitek2 automated system or matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. We compared clinical features and outcomes of patients with levofloxacin-resistant (MIC >2 µg/mL) and levofloxacin-susceptible (MIC ≤2 µg/mL) E. meningoseptica bacteraemia. A total of 93 patients were identified, including 51 (54.8%) with levofloxacin-resistant E. meningoseptica bacteraemia. The APACHE II score (OR, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.02-1.14; p = 0.008) was the only independent risk factor for levofloxacin-resistant E. meningoseptica bacteraemia. The 14-day mortality for patients with levofloxacin-resistant E. meningoseptica bacteraemia (attributable mortality: 30.7%) was significantly higher than that for patients with the levofloxacin-susceptible strain (56.9% versus 26.2%, p = 0.003). In the multivariate analysis of risk factors for mortality, appropriate definite antibiotic use was the only factor associated with 14-day survival (OR, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.02-0.55, p = 0.007). The levofloxacin-resistant strain was borderline significantly associated with mortality (OR, 3.09; 95% CI, 0.88-10.91, p = 0.079). The early identification of levofloxacin resistance in E. meningoseptica isolates is important to tackle this multi-drug resistance pathogen.

[An analysis of clinical characteristics of twelve cases of mesenteric panniculitis].

Objective: Mesenteric panniculitis is an idiopathic, uncommon disease involving the adipose tissue of mesentery. The etiology, diagnosis and treatment are still unnoticed. We thus reported a case series to improve the understanding of this rare disorder. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 12 patients with mesenteric panniculitis including manifestation, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. Results: We found a male predominance (M∶F 3∶1) with the median age of 58 years old at diagnosis. The most common symptom was abdominal pain (9/12), followed by abdominal distension (3/12) and weight loss (3/12). Physical examination was unremarkable in the majority of patients (8/12). C reactive protein (9/12) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (10/12) were normal in majority of patients. CT findings were of much diagnostic value. All patients had small intestinal mesentery involvement and multi-nodular appearance with increased fat density. Pseudo-capsule sign (8/12) and fat halo sign (6/12) were common. Pathological diagnosis was obtained in 4 cases showing fat tissue inflammation with local necrosis and fibrosis. Six cases all received prednisone, 2 with combined cyclophosphamide, 1 with azathioprine, 1 with tripterygium wilfordii. Short-term clinical response was achieved in all cases, but two patients relapsed. Conclusions: Mesenteric panniculitis occurs predominantly in middle-aged and elderly. Abdominal pain is the leading symptom. Inflammatory markers are often normal while computed tomography is the most important diagnostic tool. Surgery combined with cortical steroid and immunosuppressant agents is effective.

Trends in the susceptibility of commonly encountered clinically significant anaerobes and susceptibilities of blood isolates of anaerobes to 16 antimicrobial agents, including fidaxomicin and rifaximin, 2008-2012, northern Taiwan.

We investigated the antimicrobial resistance trends and profiles of clinical anaerobic isolates in northern Taiwan. Trends in the susceptibility of five commonly encountered clinical anaerobic isolates to seven agents from 2008 to 2012 were measured using the Cochran-Armitage trend test. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 16 antimicrobial agents, including fidaxomicin and rifaximin, against anaerobic blood isolates from two medical centers were determined using the agar dilution method. During the study period, susceptibility data on 11,105 isolates were evaluated. Metronidazole and chloramphenicol retained excellent activities. Around 20-30 % of isolates of Bacteroides and Prevotella species were resistant to ampicillin-sulbactam, cefmetazole, flomoxef, and clindamycin. Of the 507 tested blood isolates, the rates of resistance to commonly used agents were much higher, namely, 16.2 % for amoxicillin-clavulanate, 15.6 % for ampicillin-sulbactam, 24.7 % for cefmetazole, and 36.1 % for clindamycin. Notably, 13.5 % of B. fragilis isolates were resistant to ertapenem. Also, 15.2 % of B. uniformis, 17.2 % of other Bacteroides species, 14.3 % of Prevotella species, and 14 % of Clostridium other than C. perfringens isolates were resistant to moxifloxacin. Cefoperazone-sulbactam was active against most isolates, except for Clostridium species other than perfringens (resistance rate, 18.6 %). Fidaxomicin exerted poor activities against most anaerobes tested (MIC90 of >128 µg/ml for B. fragilis and all isolates), except for C. perfringens (MIC90 of 0.03 µg/ml) and Peptostreptococcus micros (MIC90 of 2 µg/ml). However, rifaximin showed a wide range of susceptibilities against the tested anaerobes (MIC90 of 0.5 µg/ml for B. fragilis). The emergence of resistance to ertapenem and moxifloxacin among bacteremic anaerobes highlights the need for continuous monitoring.

Ion temperature and rotation velocity measurements of carbon and boron ions using VUV spectroscopy on EAST.

A space-resolved vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy is employed to measure impurity emission profiles (500-3200 Å) on EAST. This study successfully captures C IV (1548.20 and 1550.77 Å) lines emitted from carbon ions and derives ion temperatures using Doppler broadening and a collision model based on their intensity ratios. Both the emission intensity and ion temperature profiles are determined. However, the calculated results reveal a lower temperature of around 10-20 eV with the collision model, suggesting a potential need for further correction in subsequent calculations. Furthermore, this study explores relative rotation velocities from the Doppler shift, indicating an increase in toroidal rotation velocity with applied neutral beam injection. The measured results exhibit concordance with the charge exchange recombination spectrometer data. Furthermore, during boron powder dropping discharges on EAST, B II (1623.60, 1623.79, 1623.95, 1624.02, 1624.17, and 1624.38 Å) emission lines exhibiting a similar time behavior trend with boron powder injection are identified. Ion temperatures are measured using B II (1362.46 Å) through the Doppler broadening method. These techniques hold significant promise for future impurity analysis at the edge of EAST, providing valuable insights into the behavior of carbon and boron ions.

Magnetic topology changes induced by lower hybrid waves and their profound effect on edge-localized modes in the EAST tokamak.

Strong mitigation of edge-localized modes has been observed on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak, when lower hybrid waves (LHWs) are applied to H-mode plasmas with ion cyclotron resonant heating. This has been demonstrated to be due to the formation of helical current filaments flowing along field lines in the scrape-off layer induced by LHW. This leads to the splitting of the outer divertor strike points during LHWs similar to previous observations with resonant magnetic perturbations. The change in the magnetic topology has been qualitatively modeled by considering helical current filaments in a field-line-tracing code.

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as treatment for acute respiratory failure and subsequent pneumothorax caused by Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in a kidney transplant recipient.

Acute respiratory failure (ARF) accompanied by pneumothorax caused by Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is often fatal. We present our experience using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as treatment for ARF and subsequent pneumothorax caused by PJP in a kidney transplant recipient.

A compact electron beam ion trap in support of high-temperature plasma diagnostics based on conduction-cooled superconducting coils.

Spectroscopic diagnostics of future fusion reactor plasmas require information on impurity line emissions, especially for relevant high-Z metal elements (e.g., tungsten). These materials will be widely used as plasma facing components for their high heat tolerance and low sputtering yield. Based on an electron beam ion trap, a compact impurity spectra platform is developed to mimic the high-temperature environment of a fusion reactor. The proposed platform can deliver a focused e-beam at energies over 30 keV using a confining magnetic field of ∼1.0 T generated by two superconducting coils (NbTi). Cooled by a closed-loop cryocooler, the coils can avoid the usage of a complicated cryogenic system involving the handling of liquid helium. For spectroscopic studies of highly charged ions, a spherically curved crystal spectrometer is proposed to measure a wavelength range around 2-4 Å covering the typical wavelength range expected to be emitted by metal ions in a fusion plasma. This paper reports the design and development progress of the platform.

Development and preliminary test of a space-resolved vacuum-ultraviolet spectroscopy in EAST.

The impurity radiation from the divertor region of the EAST tokamak is dominantly in the wavelength range of vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) due to the elevated edge electron temperature. A space-resolved VUV spectroscopy is developed to measure impurity radiation in the divertor region. An eagle-type VUV spectrometer with a focal length of 1 m is adopted in this system, equipped with a spherical grating and a charged-coupled device (CCD) detector. The performance of the VUV spectrometer is preliminarily tested on a synchrotron radiation facility. The wavelength calibration is conducted near 65 nm. It is found that the wavelength range observed by the CCD detector is about 11.07 nm around the central wavelength of about 65 nm. With a linear dispersion of 0.0053 nm/pixel, it is possible to measure the ion temperature lower than 20 eV at the edge region by analyzing the Doppler broadening of a carbon line. These test results show that the performance of the VUV spectrometer is capable of measuring divertor radiation and analyzing the ion temperature of edge impurity ions.

Development of wavelength calibration techniques for high-resolution x-ray imaging crystal spectrometers on the EAST tokamak.

Newly developed large-area pixelated two-dimensional detector and two-crystal assemblies were deployed for the first time on tokamaks to enable time-resolved Bragg-diffracted x-ray imaging with good framing rate and water-cooling capabilities for in-vacuum long-pulse operations. High-quality helium-like (He-like) and hydrogen-like (H-like) argon spectra have been observed simultaneously for the first time on a single detector for a wide range of plasma parameters to infer both ion temperature and rotation profiles and support studies on spontaneous rotation, impurity transport, and RF physics. Since tokamak plasmas rotate in both the poloidal (θ) and toroidal (ϕ) directions, a reliable wavelength calibration is needed to account for the correct Doppler shift as well as to compute the spectrometer's instrumental function. Lyα lines emitted from Cd x-ray tubes are proposed to be used as "markers" to provide an in situ calibration of the EAST's X-ray imaging crystal spectrometer systems measuring He- and H-like argon spectra. The first lab test indicated that the X-ray tube can excite strong Lyα lines at 15 kV voltage and 1 mA current when the crystal is shined for 10 min. Other indirect calibration methods using locked-mode discharge scenarios were also studied as complementary methods.

Upgrade of X-ray crystal spectrometer for high temperature measurement using neon-like xenon lines on EAST.

A two-crystal X-ray spectrometer system has been implemented in the EAST tokamak to simultaneously diagnose high- and low-temperature plasmas using He- and H-like argon spectra. But for future fusion devices like ITER and Chinese Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR), argon ions become fully stripped in the core and the intensity of the H-like lines will be significantly at high temperatures (Te > 5 keV). With increasing auxiliary heating power on EAST, the core plasma temperature could also reach 5 keV and higher. In such conditions, the use of a xenon puff becomes an appropriate choice for both ion-temperature and flow-velocity measurements. A new two-crystal system using a quartz 110 crystal (2d = 4.913 Å) to view He-like argon lines and a quartz 011 crystal (2d = 6.686 Å) to view Ne-like xenon spectra has been deployed on a poloidal X-ray crystal spectrometer. While the He-like argon spectra will be used to measure the plasma temperature in the edge plasma region, the Ne-like xenon spectra will be used for measurement in the hot core. The new crystal arrangement allows a wide temperature measurement ranging from 0.5 to 10 keV or even higher, being the first tests for burning plasmas like ITER and CFETR. The preliminary result of lab-tests, Ne-like xenon lines measurement will be presented.

Measurement of helium-like and hydrogen-like argon spectra using double-crystal X-ray spectrometers on EAST.

A two-crystal assembly was deployed on the tangential X-ray crystal spectrometer to measure both helium-like and hydrogen-like spectra on EAST. High-quality helium-like and hydrogen-like spectra were observed simultaneously for the first time on one detector for a wide range of plasma parameters. Profiles of line-integrated core ion temperatures inferred from two spectra were consistent. Since tungsten was adopted as the upper divertor material, one tungsten line (W XLIV at 4.017 Å) on the short-wavelength side of the Lyman-α line (Lα1) was identified for typical USN discharges, which was diffracted by a He-like crystal (2d = 4.913 Å). Another possible Fe XXV line (1.85 Å) was observed to be located on the long-wavelength side of resonance line (w), which was diffracted from a H-like crystal (2d = 4.5622 Å) on the second order. Be-like argon lines were also observable that fill the detector space between the He-like and H-like spectra.

Risk factors and outcome for colistin-resistant Acinetobacter nosocomialis bacteraemia in patients without previous colistin exposure.

The clinical characteristics of patients with colistin-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii bacteraemia have been documented, but those of patients with bacteraemia caused by other Acinetobacter species remain unknown. Previous exposure to colistin has been shown to be associated with the emergence of colistin resistance, but may be not the only predisposing factor. In the current study, we highlight the risk and outcome of patients without previous exposure to colistin who acquired colistin-resistant Acinetobacter nosocomialis (ColRAN) bacteraemia. This 11-year single-centre retrospective study analysed 58 patients with ColRAN bacteraemia and 213 patients with colistin-susceptible A. nosocomialis (ColSAN) bacteraemia. Antimicrobial susceptibilities were determined with an agar dilution method. The clonal relationship of ColRAN isolates was determined with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. A conjugation mating-out assay was conducted to delineate the potential transfer of colistin resistance genes. Multivariable analysis was performed to evaluate the risk factors for ColRAN bacteraemia. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was independently associated with ColRAN bacteraemia (OR 3.04; 95% CI 1.45-6.37; p 0.003). Patients with ColRAN bacteraemia had higher APACHE II scores, but the two groups showed no significant differences in 14-day mortality (10.3% vs. 10.3%) or 28-day mortality (15.5% vs. 15.0%). ColRAN isolates had greater resistance than ColSAN isolates to all antimicrobial agents except for ciprofloxacin (0% vs. 6.6%). There were 16 different ColRAN pulsotypes, and two major clones were found. Colistin resistance did not transfer to colistin-susceptible A. baumannii or A. nosocomialis. These results show that COPD is an independent risk factor for acquisition of ColRAN bacteraemia. The mortality rates were similar between patients with ColRAN and ColSAN bacteraemia.

Maternal zinc deficiency impairs brain nestin expression in prenatal and postnatal mice.

Effects of maternal dietary zinc deficiency on prenatal and postnatal brain development were investigated in ICR strain mice. From d 1 of pregnancy (E0) until postnatal d 20 (P20), maternal mice were fed experimental diets that contained 1 mg Zn/kg/day (severe zinc deficient, SZD), 5 mg Zn/kg/day (marginal zinc deficient, MZD), 30 mg Zn/kg/day (zinc adequately supplied, ZA) or 100 mg Zn/kg/day (zinc supplemented, ZS and pair-fed, PF). Brains of offspring from these dietary groups were examined at various developmental stages for expression of nestin, an intermediate filament protein found in neural stem cells and young neurons. Immunocytochemistry showed nestin expression in neural tube 10.5 d post citrus (dpc) as well as in the cerebral cortex and neural tube from 10.5 dpc to postnatal d 10 (P10). Nestin immunoreactivities in both brain and neural tube of those zinc-supplemented control groups (ZA, ZS, PF) were stronger than those in zinc-deficient groups (SZD and MZD). Western blot analysis confirmed that nestin levels in pooled brain extracts from each of the zinc-supplemented groups (ZA, ZS, PF) were much higher than those from the zinc-deficient groups (SZD and MZD) from 10.5 dpc to P10. Immunostaining and Western blots showed no detectable nestin in any of the experimental and control group brains after P20. These observations of an association between maternal zinc deficiency and decreased nestin protein levels in brains of offspring suggest that zinc deficiency suppresses development of neural stem cells, an effect which may lead to neuroanatomical and behavioral abnormalities in adults.

The DnaJ family of protein chaperones in Trypanosoma cruzi.

We have molecularly cloned four members of the DnaJ (heat shock protein 40) family of protein chaperones of the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi--tcj1, tcj2, tcj3 and tcj4. While all the proteins contain defining J domains at their N-termini, only tcj2, tcj3 and tcj4 contain glycine/phenylalanine-rich and zinc finger domains common to many other DnaJ homologues. Furthermore, tcj2 and tcj4 contain C-terminal CaaX motifs, substrates for prenyl modifications, suggesting that they are associated with cellular membranes. tcj1 is a divergent member of the family, containing neither glycine/phenylalanine-rich nor zinc finger domains. All the T. cruzi DnaJ genes are single copy, in contrast to other T. cruzi heat shock genes, which are arranged in multicopy direct tandem arrays. Among the tcj mRNAs, only tcj2 is heat inducible, which may result from posttranscriptional regulation involving a sequence found in the 3' untranslated regions of all heat-inducible T. cruzi mRNAs described to date. Further study of this important family of protein chaperones will aid our understanding of the protein folding and assembly processes in protozoans.

Investigation of an outbreak caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a cardiovascular surgery unit by ribotyping, randomly amplifed polymorphic DNA and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

An outbreak caused by rapid spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in an intensive care unit for cardiovascular surgery was investigated by phenotypic and genotypic methods. Fourteen isolates were collected during a 2-month period from clinical and environmental specimens in the unit recently re-opened after reconstruction. The isolates were tested for antibiotic susceptibility patterns and genotyped by automated ribotyping, randomly amplified polymorphic DNA-PCR (RAPD) analysis and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Automated ribotyping applying EcoRI digestion proved to be of no value in separating the isolates. In contrast, PFGE grouped the isolates into four clusters different from the reference strain. These results fully correlated with the antibiograms. Twelve of the isolates were grouped into two clonally related clusters. RAPD analyses grouped the isolates into five clusters. Except for two isolates of one patient, which had different RAPD patterns, PFGE and RAPD analyses presented very similar results. The results verified the usefulness of PFGE in studies of MRSA epidemics. A combination of these two methods reduces the time to identification of an outbreak and increases the accuracy in detection of intraspecies differences.

Analysis of sharp-edged medical-object injuries at a medical center in Taiwan.

A total of 733 incidents by sharp-edged objects occurred among healthcare workers between 1995 and 1998. Injuries occurred most frequently among interns. The workplace location with the highest incidence of injury was the patient ward, and the object that most frequently inflicted injury was a needle. The most frequent work practice was recapping of syringes. One healthcare worker demonstrated seroconversion for hepatitis C.