Protein kinase FaSnRK2.6 phosphorylates transcription factor FabHLH3 to regulate anthocyanin homeostasis during strawberry fruit ripening.

Strawberry (Fragaria×ananassa) is a model plant for studying non-climacteric fruit ripening regulated by abscisic acid (ABA). However, the signaling of ABA in the regulation of fruit coloration is not fully understood. Here, a transcription factor FabHLH3 key to fruit coloration is identified by yeast two hybrid library screening using FaSnRK2.6 as a bait, an ABA core signaling component negative to ripening. Indeed, this interaction is also confirmed by firefly luciferase complementation assay and pull-down assay. RT-qPCR and Western blotting analysis confirm FabHLH3 is expressed ubiquitously in strawberry and stably during fruit development. Manipulating both FabHLH3 and FaSnRK2.6 expression by overexpression and interference demonstrates that FabHLH3 and FaSnRK2.6 promote and inhibit strawberry fruit coloration, respectively, using the marker gene FaUFGT, key to anthocyanin biosynthesis. FaSnRK2.6 can phosphorylate FabHLH3, which promotes FaUFGT expression by the directly binding to its promoter. The phosphorylation inhibits the binding of FabHLH3 to FaUFGT promoter, consequently suppressing FaUFGT expression. Altogether, FaSnRK2.6, a negative kinase in ripening, interacts with and phosphorylates FabHLH3 to suppress FaUFGT expression. With the increase of ABA content in strawberry fruit ripening, the expression of FaSnRK2.6 decreased, which released FabHLH3 transcription activity and enhanced FaUFGT expression, finally promoting the coloration. Thus, our findings fill a gap how FaSnRK2.6 negatively regulates strawberry fruit coloration and ripening by FabHLH3.

Mitigation of sciatica injury-induced neuropathic pain through active metabolites derived from medicinal plants.

Sciatica characterized by irritation, inflammation, and compression of the lower back nerve, is considered one of the most common back ailments globally. Currently, the therapeutic regimens for sciatica are experiencing a paradigm shift from the conventional pharmacological approach toward exploring potent phytochemicals from medicinal plants. There is a dire need to identify novel phytochemicals with anti-neuropathic potential. This review aimed to identify the potent phytochemicals from diverse medicinal plants capable of alleviating neuropathic pain associated with sciatica. This review describes the pathophysiology of sciatic nerve pain, its cellular mechanisms, and the pharmacological potential of various plants and phytochemicals using animal-based models of sciatic nerve injury-induced pain. Extensive searches across databases such as Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar were conducted. The findings highlights 39 families including Lamiaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Apocyanaceae and Cucurbitaceae, effectively treating sciatic nerve injury-induced pain. Flavonoids made up 53% constituents, phenols and terpenoids made up 15%, alkaloids made up 13%, and glycosides made up 6% to be used in neuorpathic pain. Phytochemicals derived from various medicinal plants can serve as potential therapeutic targets for both acute and chronic sciatic injury-induced neuropathic pain.

Genome-Wide Characterization and Functional Validation of the ACS Gene Family in the Chestnut Reveals Its Regulatory Role in Ovule Development.

Ovule abortion significantly contributes to a reduction in chestnut yield. Therefore, an examination of the mechanisms underlying ovule abortion is crucial for increasing chestnut yield. In our previous study, we conducted a comprehensive multiomic analysis of fertile and abortive ovules and found that ACS genes in chestnuts (CmACS) play a crucial role in ovule development. Therefore, to further study the function of ACS genes, a total of seven CmACS members were identified, their gene structures, conserved structural domains, evolutionary trees, chromosomal localization, and promoter cis-acting elements were analyzed, and their subcellular localization was predicted and verified. The spatiotemporal specificity of the expression of the seven CmACS genes was confirmed via qRT-PCR analysis. Notably, CmACS7 was exclusively expressed in the floral organs, and its expression peaked during fertilization and decreased after fertilization. The ACC levels remained consistently greater in fertile ovules than in abortive ovules. The ACSase activity of CmACS7 was identified using the genetic transformation of chestnut healing tissue. Micro Solanum lycopersicum plants overexpressing CmACS7 had a significantly greater rate of seed failure than did wild-type plants. Our results suggest that ovule fertilization activates CmACS7 and increases ACC levels, whereas an overexpression of CmACS7 leads to an increase in ACC content in the ovule prior to fertilization, which can lead to abortion. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that chestnut ovule abortion is caused by poor fertilization and not by nutritional competition. Optimization of the pollination and fertilization of female flowers is essential for increasing chestnut yield and reducing ovule abortion.

Transcriptomic and Metabolic Profiling Reveal the Mechanism of Ovule Development in Castanea mollissima.

Ovule abortion, which is the main cause of empty burs in the Chinese chestnut, affects the formation of embryos and further reduces yield; therefore, it is important to study the mechanism of ovule abortion. In this study, we analyzed the transcriptomic and metabolomic data of ovules at critical developmental stages to explore the key regulatory networks affecting ovule development. The metabolites were enriched mainly in pathways involved in phytohormone signaling, energy metabolism, and amino acid synthesis in the endoplasmic reticulum. Analysis of the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) revealed that the HSP genes were significantly down-regulated during fertilization, indicating that this process is extremely sensitive to temperature. The hormone and sucrose contents of ovules before and after fertilization and of fertile and abortive ovules at different developmental stages showed significant differences, and it is hypothesized that that abnormal temperature may disrupt hormone synthesis, affecting the synthesis and catabolism of sucrose and ultimately resulting in the abortive development of Chinese chestnut ovules. At the pollination and fertilization stage of chestnuts, spraying with ethylene, ACC, and AIB significantly increased the number of developing fruit in each prickly pod compared to CK (water) treatment. These results indicated that both ethylene and ACC increased the rate of ovule development. This study provides an important theoretical molecular basis for the subsequent regulation of ovule development and nut yield in the Chinese chestnut.

Involvement of spinal NADPH oxidase 4 and endoplasmic reticulum stress in morphine-tolerant rats.

Morphine tolerance (MT) is currently a challenging issue related to intractable pain treatment. Studies have shown that reactive oxygen species (ROSs) derived from NADPH oxidase (NOX) and produced in response to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress participate in MT development. However, which NOX subtype initiates ER stress during MT development is unclear. NOX4 is mainly expressed on intracellular membranes, such as the ER and mitochondrial membranes, and its sole function is to produce ROS. Whether NOX4 is activated during MT development and the mechanisms underlying the association between NOX4 and ER stress during this process still need to be confirmed. In our study, we used the classic morphine-tolerant rat model and evaluated the analgesic effect of intrathecally injected morphine through a hot water tail-flick assay. Our research demonstrated for the first time that chronic morphine administration upregulates NOX4 expression in the spinal cord by activating three ER stress sensors, protein kinase RNA-like ER kinase (PERK), inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1) and activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6), subsequently leading to the activation of microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 b (LC3B) and P62 (a well-known autophagy marker) in GABAergic neurons. Our results may suggest that regulating NOX4 and the key mechanism underlying ER stress or autophagy may be a promising strategy to treat and prevent MT development.

Resistive switching mechanism of MoS2based atomristor.

The non-volatile resistive switching process of a MoS2based atomristor with a vertical structure is investigated by first-principles calculations. It is found that the monolayer MoS2with a S vacancy defect (VS) could maintain an insulation characteristic and a high resistance state (HRS) is remained. As an electrode metal atom is adsorbed on the MoS2monolayer, the semi-conductive filament is formed with the assistance ofVS. Under this condition, the atomristor presents a low resistance state (LRS). The ON state current of this semi-filament is increased close to two orders of magnitude larger than that without the filament. The energy barrier for an Au-atom to penetrate the monolayer MoS2viaVSis as high as 6.991 eV. When it comes to a double S vacancy (VS2), the energy barrier is still amounted to 3.554 eV, which manifests the bridge-like full conductive filament cannot form in monolayer MoS2based atomristor. The investigation here promotes the atomic level understanding of the resistive switching properties about the monolayer MoS2based memristor. The physics behind should also work in atomristors based on other monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides, like WSe2and MoTe2. The investigation will be a reference for atomristor-device design or optimization.

Cysteine protease domain of potato virus Y: The potential target for urea derivatives.

The cysteine protease structural domain (CPD) encoded by the potato virus Y (PVY) accessory component protein helper component-proteinase (HC-Pro) is an auxiliary component of aphid virus transmission and plays an important role in virus infection and replication. Urea derivatives have potential antiviral activities. In this study, the PVY HC-Pro C-terminal truncated recombinant protein (residues 307-465) was expressed and purified. The interactions of PVY CPD with urea derivatives HD1-36 were investigated. Microscale thermophoresis experiments showed that HD6, -19, -21 and - 25 had the strongest binding forces to proteins, with Kd values of 2.16, 1.40, 1.97 and 1.12 µM, respectively. An experiment verified the microscale thermophoresis results, and the results were as expected, with Kd values of 6.10, 4.78, 5.32, and 4.52 µM for HD6, -19, -21, and - 25, respectively. Molecular docking studies indicated that the interaction sites between PVY CPD and HD6, -19, -21, and - 25, independently, were aspartic acid 121, asparagine 48, and tyrosine 38, which played important roles in their binding. In vivo experiments verified that HD25 inhibited PVY more than the control agents ningnanmycin and urea. These data have important implications for the design and synthesis of novel urea derivatives.

Universal Stress Proteins: From Gene to Function.

Universal stress proteins (USPs) exist across a wide range of species and are vital for survival under stressful conditions. Due to the increasingly harsh global environmental conditions, it is increasingly important to study the role of USPs in achieving stress tolerance. This review discusses the role of USPs in organisms from three aspects: (1) organisms generally have multiple USP genes that play specific roles at different developmental periods of the organism, and, due to their ubiquity, USPs can be used as an important indicator to study species evolution; (2) a comparison of the structures of USPs reveals that they generally bind ATP or its analogs at similar sequence positions, which may underlie the regulatory role of USPs; and (3) the functions of USPs in species are diverse, and are generally directly related to the stress tolerance. In microorganisms, USPs are associated with cell membrane formation, whereas in plants they may act as protein chaperones or RNA chaperones to help plants withstand stress at the molecular level and may also interact with other proteins to regulate normal plant activities. This review will provide directions for future research, focusing on USPs to provide clues for the development of stress-tolerant crop varieties and for the generation of novel green pesticide formulations in agriculture, and to better understand the evolution of drug resistance in pathogenic microorganisms in medicine.

Acorus tatarinowii Schott: A Review of Its Botany, Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, and Pharmacology.

Acorus tatarinowii Schott (A. tatarinowii) is a natural medicinal plant. It plays an indispensable role in the treatment of diseases by the empirical medicine system and has achieved remarkable curative effects. A. tatarinowii is often used to treat various diseases, such as depression, epilepsy, fever, dizziness, heartache, stomachache, etc. More than 160 compounds of different structural types have been identified in A. tatarinowii, including phenylpropanoids, terpenoids, lignans, flavonoids, alkaloids, amides, and organic acids. These bioactive ingredients make A. tatarinowii remarkable for its pharmacological effects, including antidepressant, antiepileptic, anticonvulsant, antianxiety, neuroprotective, antifatigue, and antifungal effects, improving Alzheimer's disease, and so on. It is noteworthy that A. tatarinowii has been widely used in the treatment of brain diseases and nervous system diseases and has achieved satisfactory therapeutic effects. This review focused on the research publications of A. tatarinowii and aimed to summarize the advances in the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology, which will provide a reference for further studies and applications of A. tatarinowii.

EMMPRIN Promotes the Expression of MMP-9 and Exacerbates Neurological Dysfunction in a Mouse Model of Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

Extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) has been shown to be a vital inflammatory mediator in several neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. However, the role of EMMPRIN in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) remains unexplored. In this study, we aimed to exploit a highly selective monoclonal anti-EMMPRIN antibody to functionally inhibit EMMPRIN activity and thus that of MMPs as the downstream effector. To induce ICH pathology, adult C57BL/6 male mice were injected with collagenase type VII or saline as control into the right basal ganglia and were euthanized at different time points. The anti-EMMPRIN monoclonal antibody was intravenously injected once daily for 3 days to block the expression of EMMPRIN initiating at 4 h post-ICH. Western blot and immunofluorescence analysis results revealed that EMMPRIN expression was significantly increased surrounding the hematoma at 3 and 7 d time points after ICH when compared to the saline treated control group. EMMPRIN expression was co-localized with GFAP (astrocytes) and Iba1 (microglia) at 3 d time point post-ICH, but not in the control group mice. The co-localization of EMMPRIN with CD31 in endothelial cells occurred in both groups and was higher in the ICH brain. However, EMMPRIN expression was not detected in neurons from either group. The inhibition of EMMPRIN reduced the expression of MMP-9, the number of infiltrated neutrophils, the degree of brain injury and promoted neurological recovery after ICH. In conclusion, EMMPRIN could mediate the upregulation of MMP-9 and exacerbate neurological dysfunction in a mouse model of experimental ICH. Furthermore, blocking EMMPRIN reduced brain injury and subsequently promoted neurological recovery in ICH mice brains. These outcomes highlight that inhibition of EMMPRIN can be a potential therapeutic intervention strategy to regulate MMP-9's pathological roles during ICH.

Discovery of novel mRNA demethylase FTO inhibitors against esophageal cancer.

A series of 1,2,3-triazole analogues as novel fat mass and obesity-associated protein (FTO) inhibitors were synthesised in this study. Among all 1,2,3-triazoles, compound C6 exhibited the most robust inhibition of FTO with an IC50 value of 780 nM. It displayed the potent antiproliferative activity against KYSE-150, KYSE-270, TE-1, KYSE-510, and EC109 cell lines with IC50 value of 2.17, 1.35, 0.95, 4.15, and 0.83 µM, respectively. In addition, C6 arrested the cell cycle at G2 phase against TE-1 and EC109 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Analysis of cellular mechanisms demonstrated that C6 concentration-dependently regulated epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) pathway and PI3K/AKT pathway against TE-1 and EC109 cells. Molecular docking studies that C6 formed important hydrogen-bond interaction with Lys107, Asn110, Tyr108, and Leu109 of FTO. These findings suggested that C6 as a novel FTO inhibitor and orally antitumor agent deserves further investigation to treat esophageal cancer.

Concordance of the 21-gene assay between core needle biopsy and resection specimens in early breast cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Adjuvant therapy decisions may be partly based on the results of a multigene quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based assay: the 21-gene recurrence score (RS) test of resection specimens. When necessary, core needle biopsy (CNB) may be considered as a surrogate. Here, we evaluated the concordance in gene expression according to results from RT-PCR-based RS testing between paired CNBs and resection specimens. METHODS: CNBs and resection specimens from 50 breast cancer (BC) patients were tested to calculate RSs. First, we examined the concordance of the ER, PR and HER-2 status of tissue samples indicated by immunohistochemical (IHC) and RT-PCR analyses. Then, we compared the IHC findings of ER, PR, HER-2 and Ki-67 staining across paired samples. Ultimately, the RS and single-gene results for ER, PR, HER-2 and Ki-67 were explored between paired samples. RESULTS: The concordance between IHC and RT-PCR was 100%, 80.0% and 100% for ER, PR and HER-2, respectively, in both resection specimens and CNBs. The concordance for IHC ER, PR, HER-2 and Ki-67 status was 100%, 94.0%, 52.0% and 82.0%, respectively, between paired samples. RS results from paired samples showed a strong correlation. The overall concordance in RS group classification between samples was 74%, 72% and 78% based on traditional cutoffs, TAILORx cutoffs and ASCO guidelines, respectively. ER, PR, HER-2 and Ki-67 were modestly- to- strongly correlated between paired samples according to the RT-PCR results. CONCLUSION: A modest- to- strong correlation of ER, PR, HER-2 and Ki-67 gene expression and RS between CNBs and resection specimens was observed in the present study. The 21-gene RS test could be reliably performed on CNBs. ER, PR and HER-2 status showed remarkable concordance between the IHC and RT-PCR analyses. The concordance between paired samples was high for the IHC ER, PR and Ki-67 results and low for HER-2.

NADPH-Oxidase 2 Promotes Autophagy in Spinal Neurons During the Development of Morphine Tolerance.

Repeated morphine administration results in analgesic tolerance. However, the underlying mechanism of morphine analgesic tolerance remains unclear. NADPH-oxidase 2 (NOX2) is the first discovered NADPH oxidase, which mainly functions to produce reactive oxygen species. Its specific role in morphine tolerance has not been fully investigated. In this work, we found that chronic morphine administration significantly increased the expression of NOX2 in spinal cord. Pretreatment of NOX2 inhibitor blocked the upregulation of NOX2 and autophagy markers, including LC3B and P62, and consequently the development of morphine tolerance. NOX2 and LC3B were both colocalized with NeuN in spinal dorsal horn in morphine-tolerant rats. Our results suggest that the increased autophagy activity in spinal neurons promoted by NOX2 activation contributes to the development of morphine tolerance. NOX2 may be considered as a new therapeutic target for morphine tolerance.

Microglia and macrophage phenotypes in intracerebral haemorrhage injury: therapeutic opportunities.

The prognosis of intracerebral haemorrhage continues to be devastating despite much research into this condition. A prominent feature of intracerebral haemorrhage is neuroinflammation, particularly the excessive representation of pro-inflammatory CNS-intrinsic microglia and monocyte-derived macrophages that infiltrate from the circulation. The pro-inflammatory microglia/macrophages produce injury-enhancing factors, including inflammatory cytokines, matrix metalloproteinases and reactive oxygen species. Conversely, the regulatory microglia/macrophages with potential reparative and anti-inflammatory roles are outcompeted in the early stages after intracerebral haemorrhage, and their beneficial roles appear to be overwhelmed by pro-inflammatory microglia/macrophages. In this review, we describe the activation of microglia/macrophages following intracerebral haemorrhage in animal models and clinical subjects, and consider their multiple mechanisms of cellular injury after haemorrhage. We review strategies and medications aimed at suppressing the pro-inflammatory activities of microglia/macrophages, and those directed at elevating the regulatory properties of these myeloid cells after intracerebral haemorrhage. We consider the translational potential of these medications from preclinical models to clinical use after intracerebral haemorrhage injury, and suggest that several approaches still lack the experimental support necessary for use in humans. Nonetheless, the preclinical data support the use of deactivator or inhibitor of pro-inflammatory microglia/macrophages, whilst enhancing the regulatory phenotype, as part of the therapeutic approach to improve the prognosis of intracerebral haemorrhage.

Laser-triggered combination therapy by iron sulfide-doxorubicin@functionalized nanozymes for breast cancer therapy.

BACKGROUND: The use of magnetic nanozymes (NZs) with the ability to synchronize gas therapy through photodynamic and chemotherapy in the treatment of breast cancer has received much attention. RESULTS: Hence, in this study, we designed a bovine lactoferrin-coated iron sulfide NZs containing doxorubicin (abbreviated as: FeS-Dox@bLf NZs) by wet-chemical synthesis method. Then, the physicochemical characteristics of synthesized NZs were explored by several methods. Also, the level of Fe2+, H2S and Dox releases from FeS-Dox@Lf NZs. Also, the cytotoxic effects of FeS-Dox@Lf NZs were investigated by cellular assays. After intravenous injections of NZs and laser irradiation, significant effects of FeS-Dox@Lf NZs on mice weight and tumor status were observed. Afterwards, not only the distribution of Dox in the body was examined by fluorescent, but also the time of Fe clearance and the amount of Dox and Fe retention in vital tissues were determined. The findings confirm that FeS-Dox@Lf NZs, in addition to targeted drug distribution in tumor tissue, resulted in superior therapeutic performance compared to free Dox due to reduced Dox side effects in vital tissues, and increased level of free radicals in 4T1 cells. CONCLUSION: Overall, FeS-Dox@Lf NZs with the ability to synchronize chemotherapy and gas therapy raised hopes for more effective treatment of breast cancer.

Impact of Beijing healthcare reform on the curative care expenditure of outpatients with noncommunicable diseases based on SHA2011 and interrupted time series analysis.

BACKGROUND: To analyse the changes in curative care expenditure (CCE) associated with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) before and after the Beijing healthcare reform, thus providing a reference for the healthcare system. METHODS: A total of 60 medical institutions were selected using multistage stratified cluster random sampling in Beijing, China. The records of approximately 100 million outpatients with NCDs in 2016-2018 were extracted. System of Health Accounts 2011 (SHA2011) was used to estimate the CCE. The segmented regression model was established to observe both the instant change and the slope change of intervention in interrupted time series analysis (ITSA). The study was conducted from December 2019 to May 2020 in Beijing, China. RESULTS: From SHA2011, we found that the CCE for outpatients with NCDs in Beijing were 58.59, 61.46 and 71.96 billion RMB in 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively. The CCE continued to rise at all hospital levels, namely, tertiary, secondary, and community-level hospitals. However, the proportion of CCE in tertiary hospitals decreased. From ITSA, we can also conclude that the CCE showed a significant increasing trend change at the three hospital levels after the intervention. The drug proportion showed a significant decreasing trend change in secondary and tertiary hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: Beijing healthcare reform does have an impact on the CCE of NCDs.

Protein kinase C-α upregulates sodium channel Nav1.9 in nociceptive dorsal root ganglion neurons in an inflammatory arthritis pain model of rat.

Previous studies have found that increased expression of Nav1.9 and protein kinase C (PKC) contributes to pain hypersensitivity in a couple of inflammatory pain models. Here we want to observe if PKC can regulate the expression of Nav1.9 in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pain model. A chronic knee joint inflammation model was produced by intra-articular injection of the complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) in rats. Nociceptive behaviors including mechanical, cold, and heat hyperalgesia were examined. The expression of Nav1.9 and PKCα in DRG was detected by a quantitative polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and immunofluorescence. The in vitro and in vivo effects of a PKC activator (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate [PMA]) and a PKC inhibitor (GF-109203X) on the expression of Nav1.9 were examined. Moreover, the effects of PKC modulators on nociceptive behaviors were studied. Increased mechanical, heat, and cold sensitivity was observed 3 to 14 days after CFA injection. Parallel increases in messenger RNA and protein expression of Nav1.9 and PKCα were found. Immunofluorescence experiments found that Nav1.9 was preferentially colocalized with IB4+DRG neurons in RA rats. In cultured DRG neurons, PMA increased Nav1.9 expression while GF-109203X prevented the effect of PMA. PMA increased Nav1.9 expression in naïve rats while GF-109203X decreased Nav1.9 expression in RA rats. In naïve rats, PMA caused mechanical and cold hyperalgesia. On the other hand, GF-109203X attenuated mechanical and cold hyperalgesia in RA-pain model. Nav1.9 might be upregulated by PKCα in DRG, which contributes to pain hypersensitivity in CFA-induced chronic knee joint inflammation model of RA pain.

Emergence of a Novel Coronavirus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2: Biology and Therapeutic Options.

The new decade of the 21st century (2020) started with the emergence of a novel coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2 that caused an epidemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China. It is the third highly pathogenic and transmissible coronavirus after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) emerged in humans. The source of origin, transmission to humans, and mechanisms associated with the pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 are not yet clear, however, its resemblance to SARS-CoV and several other bat coronaviruses was recently confirmed through genome sequencing-related studies. The development of therapeutic strategies is necessary in order to prevent further epidemics and cure infections. In this review, we summarize current information about the emergence, origin, diversity, and epidemiology of three pathogenic coronaviruses with a specific focus on the current outbreak in Wuhan, China. Furthermore, we discuss the clinical features and potential therapeutic options that may be effective against SARS-CoV-2.

Disseminated Nocardia Infection in an Old Male Patient with Nephrotic Syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Nocardia infection is a very rare bacterial infection caused by Gram-positive, aerobic nocardia species. However, in recent years, it has become a serious infection in immunocompromised patients. Earlier diagnosis plays a pivotal in the effective treatment of nocardia infection. METHODS: In this study, we reported a 65-year-old male patient with nephrotic syndrome who had disseminated abscesses in the lungs, right lower limb, and right cheek. RESULTS: Bacterial culture from these lesions confirmed the presence of nocardia. Timely administration of sensitive antibiotics resulted in a quick recovery for this patient. CONCLUSIONS: Nocardia infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis of infectious lesions, especially when a patient has multiple abscesses and an underlying disorder in which the immune function of the patient may be compromised.