Magnetic chitin beads (MCB) coated with Vibrio cholerae reveals transcriptome dynamics in adult mice with a complex gut microbiota.

Vibrio cholerae adapts to the host environment by altering gene expression. Because of the complexity of the gut microbiome, current in vivo V. cholerae transcriptome studies have focused on microbiota-undeveloped conditions, neglecting the interaction between the host's commensal gut microbiota and V. cholerae. In this study, we analyzed the transcriptome of fully colonized adult mice in vivo using V. cholerae coated-magnetic chitin beads (vcMCB). This provides a simple yet powerful method for obtaining high-quality RNA from V. cholerae during colonization in mice. The transcriptome of V. cholerae recovered from adult mice infected with vcMCB shows differential expression of several genes when compared to V. cholerae recovered from the infant mouse and infant rabbit model. Some of these genes were also observed to be differentially expressed in previous studies of V. cholera recovered from human infection when compared to V. cholerae grown in vitro. In particular, we confirmed that V. cholerae resists the inhibitory effects of low pH and formic acid from gut microbiota, such as Anaerostipes caccae and Dorea formicigenerans, by downregulating vc1080. We propose that the vc1080 product may protect V. cholerae from formic acid stress through a novel acid tolerance response mechanism. Transcriptomic data obtained using the vcMCB system provide new perspectives on the interaction between V. cholerae and the gut microbiota, and this approach can also be applied to studies of other pathogenic bacteria.

Rheum palmatum L. and Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge. Alleviates Acute Pancreatitis by Regulating Th17 Cell Differentiation: An Integrated Network Pharmacology Analysis, Molecular Dynamics Simulation and Experimental Validation.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the core targets of Rheum palmatum L. and Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge., (Dahuang-Danshen, DH-DS) and the mechanism underlying its therapeutic efficacy in acute pancreatitis (AP) using a network pharmacology approach and validate the findings in animal experiments. METHODS: Network pharmacology analysis was used to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of DH-DS in AP. The reliability of the results was verified by molecular docking simulation and molecular dynamics simulation. Finally, the results of network pharmacology enrichment analysis were verified by immunohistochemistry, Western blot analysis and real-time quantitative PCR, respectively. RESULTS: Sixty-seven common targets of DH-DS in AP were identified and mitogen-activated protein kinase 3 (MAPK3), Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), protein c-Fos (FOS) were identified as core targets in the protein interaction (PPI) network analysis. Gene ontology analysis showed that cellular response to organic substance was the main functions of DH-DS in AP, and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis showed that the main pathway included Th17 cell differentiation. Molecular docking simulation confirmed that DH-DS binds with strong affinity to MAPK3, STAT3 and FOS. Molecular dynamics simulation revealed that FOS-isotanshinone II and STAT3-dan-shexinkum d had good binding capacity. Animal experiments indicated that compared with the AP model group, DH-DS treatment effectively alleviated AP by inhibiting the expression of interleukin-1ß, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α, and blocking the activation of Th17 cell differentiation (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: DH-DS could inhibit the expression of inflammatory factors and protect pancreatic tissues, which would be functioned by regulating Th17 cell differentiation-related mRNA and protein expressions.

Cross-Platform Transcriptomic Data Integration, Profiling, and Mining in Vibrio cholerae.

A large number of transcriptome studies generate important data and information for the study of pathogenic mechanisms of pathogens, including Vibrio cholerae. V. cholerae transcriptome data include RNA-seq and microarray: microarray data mainly include clinical human and environmental samples, and RNA-seq data mainly focus on laboratory processing conditions, including different stresses and experimental animals in vivo. In this study, we integrated the data sets of both platforms using Rank-in and the Limma R package normalized Between Arrays function, achieving the first cross-platform transcriptome data integration of V. cholerae. By integrating the entire transcriptome data, we obtained the profiles of the most active or silent genes. By transferring the integrated expression profiles into the weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) pipeline, we identified the important functional modules of V. cholerae in vitro stress treatment, gene manipulation, and in vitro culture as DNA transposon, chemotaxis and signaling, signal transduction, and secondary metabolic pathways, respectively. The analysis of functional module hub genes revealed the uniqueness of clinical human samples; however, under specific expression patterning, the Δhns, ΔoxyR1 strains, and tobramycin treatment group showed high expression profile similarity with human samples. By constructing a protein-protein interaction (PPI) interaction network, we discovered several unreported novel protein interactions within transposon functional modules. IMPORTANCE We used two techniques to integrate RNA-seq data for laboratory studies with clinical microarray data for the first time. The interactions between V. cholerae genes were obtained from a global perspective, as well as comparing the similarity between clinical human samples and the current experimental conditions, and uncovering the functional modules that play a major role under different conditions. We believe that this data integration can provide us with some insight and basis for elucidating the pathogenesis and clinical control of V. cholerae.

Ropivacaine-induced seizures evoked pain sensitization in rats: Participation of 5-HT/5-HT3R.

Due to the increasing use of local anesthetic techniques in various healthcare settings, local anesthetic toxicity still occurs. Seizures are the most common symptom of local anesthetic toxicity. The relationship between local anesthetic-induced seizures and the sensation of pain has not been established till now. Here, we assessed the development of pain hypersensitivity after ropivacaine-induced seizures (RIS) and the influence of RIS on incision-induced postsurgical pain and formalin-induced acute inflammatory pain. In addition, the involvement of spinal 5-HT/5-HT3R in RIS-induced pain sensitization was investigated. According to a sequential exploratory experimental strategy, we first calculated the 50% seizure dosage of ropivacaine to be 42.66 mg/kg (95% confidence interval: 40.19-45.28 mg/kg). We showed that RIS induced significant bilateral mechanical pain hypersensitivity that lasted around 5 days, accompanied by an increase in spinal 5-HT. Moreover, RIS considerably protracted postsurgical pain and enhanced formalin-induced spontaneous flinching in the second phase. Depletion of spinal 5-HT with intrathecal injection of 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT) reduced RIS-induced pain hypersensitivity and prevented the prolonging of postsurgical pain following RIS. Likewise, blocking spinal 5-HT3R by intrathecal administration of ondansetron reversed RIS-induced pain hypersensitivity and attenuated the pronociception of RIS in the formalin test. Our findings revealed that acute RIS led to pain hypersensitivity and had pronociceptive effects on incision-induced postsurgical pain and formalin-induced acute inflammatory pain. Moreover, our data implied that RIS-induced pain sensitization depends on spinal 5-HT/5-HT3R signaling. Thus, targeting the descending serotonergic facilitation system should be an important element of the precise treatment for local anesthetic toxicity.

New Enantiomers of a Nor-Bisabolane Derivative and Two New Phthalides Produced by the Marine-Derived Fungus Penicillium chrysogenum LD-201810.

Marine-derived fungi are a treasure house for the discovery of structurally novel secondary metabolites with potential pharmaceutical value. In this study, a pair of new nor-bisabolane derivative enantiomers (±)-1 and two new phthalides (4 and 5), as well as four known metabolites, were isolated from the culture filtrate of the marine algal-derived endophytic fungus Penicillium chrysogenum LD-201810. Their structures were established by detailed interpretation of spectroscopic data (1D/2D NMR and ESI-MS). The optical resolution of compound (±)-1 by chiral HPLC successfully afforded individual enantiomers (+)-1 and (-)-1, and their absolute configurations were determined by TDDFT-ECD calculations. Compound (±)-1 represents the first example of bisabolane analogs with a methylsulfinyl substituent group, which is rare in natural products. All of the isolated compounds 1-7 were evaluated for their cytotoxic activity against A549, BT-549, HeLa, HepG2, MCF-7, and THP-1 cell lines, as well as for antifungal activity against four plant pathogenetic fungi (Alternaria solani, Botrytis cinerea, Fusarium oxysporum, and Valsa mali). Compound 2, a bisabolane-type sesquiterpenoid, was shown to possess excellent activity for control of B. cinerea with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 13.6 µg/mL, whereas the remaining investigated compounds showed either weak or no cytotoxic/antifungal activity in this study.

Trichoderma: A Treasure House of Structurally Diverse Secondary Metabolites With Medicinal Importance.

Fungi play an irreplaceable role in drug discovery in the course of human history, as they possess unique abilities to synthesize diverse specialized metabolites with significant medicinal potential. Trichoderma are well-studied filamentous fungi generally observed in nature, which are widely marketed as biocontrol agents. The secondary metabolites produced by Trichoderma have gained extensive attention since they possess attractive chemical structures with remarkable biological activities. A large number of metabolites have been isolated from Trichoderma species in recent years. A previous review by Reino et al. summarized 186 compounds isolated from Trichoderma as well as their biological activities up to 2008. To update the relevant list of reviews of secondary metabolites produced from Trichoderma sp., we provide a comprehensive overview in regard to the newly described metabolites of Trichoderma from the beginning of 2009 to the end of 2020, with emphasis on their chemistry and various bioactivities. A total of 203 compounds with considerable bioactivities are included in this review, which is worth expecting for the discovery of new drug leads and agrochemicals in the foreseeable future. Moreover, new strategies for discovering secondary metabolites of Trichoderma in recent years are also discussed herein.

Intervertebral foramen injection of plerixafor attenuates neuropathic pain after chronic compression of the dorsal root ganglion: Possible involvement of the down-regulation of Nav1.8 and Nav1.9.

Neuropathic pain is a common chronic pain condition with major impact on quality of life. However, its physiopathologic mechanism remains unknown and pain management is still a challenge. Accumulating evidence indicated that C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) played a critical role in the process of pain. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate whether intervertebral foramen injection of CXCR4 antagonist, plerixafor, was able to relieve neuropathic pain and explore the possible underlying mechanism. Chronic compression of the dorsal root ganglion (CCD) was established as a typical model of neuropathic pain. The results indicated that CCD induced multiple pain-related behaviors and the expression of CXCR4, Nav1.8 and Nav1.9 was significantly increased in compressed dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Knocking down CXCR4 expression could significantly reduce neuropathic pain and intervertebral foramen plerixafor injection (IVFP) dramatically decreased the up-regulation of Nav1.8 and Nav1.9 and attenuated neuropathic pain. The analgesic duration of IVFP was maintained at least for 24 h which was much longer than intervertebral foramen injection of Nav1.8 blocker and local anesthetics. Therefore, our study provided evidence that IVFP could reduce the expression of Nav1.8 and Nav1.9 in DRG neurons which might contribute to, at least in part, the analgesic effect of plerixafor on CCD-induced neuropathic pain. It is concluded that IVFP was an effective and applicable treatment approach for neuropathic pain.

The analgesic effects of ulinastatin either as a single agent or in combination with sufentanil: A novel therapeutic potential for postoperative pain.

Ulinastatin is a broad-spectrum protease inhibitor widely used for the treatment of various inflammation-related diseases owing to its recognized excellent anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective properties. However, whether ulinastatin can relieve postoperative pain remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the analgesic effects of ulinastatin administered either as a single agent or in combination with sufentanil in a validated preclinical rat model of postoperative pain induced by plantar incision. We found that incisional surgery on the hind paw of these rats induced sustained ipsilateral mechanical pain hypersensitivity that lasted for at least 10 days. A single intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of ulinastatin prevented the development and reversed the maintenance of incision-induced mechanical pain hypersensitivity in a dose-dependent manner. However, ulinastatin had no effect on the baseline nociceptive threshold. Moreover, repeated i.p. injections of ulinastatin persistently attenuated incision-induced mechanical pain hypersensitivity and promoted recovery from the surgery. The rats did not develop any analgesic tolerance over the course of repeated injections of ulinastatin. A single i.p. injection of ulinastatin was also sufficient to inhibit the initiation and maintenance of incision-induced hyperalgesic priming when the rats were subsequently challenged with an ipsilateral intraplantar prostaglandin E2 injection. Furthermore, the combined administration of ulinastatin and sufentanil significantly enhanced the analgesic effect of sufentanil on postoperative pain, which involved mechanisms other than a direct influence on opioid receptors. These findings demonstrated that ulinastatin had a significant analgesic effect on postoperative pain and might be a novel pharmacotherapeutic agent for managing postoperative pain either alone or as an adjuvant.

Ulinastatin Exhibits Antinociception in Rat Models of Acute Somatic and Visceral Pain Through Inhibiting the Local and Central Inflammation.

INTRODUCTION: Ulinastatin, a broad-spectrum serine protease inhibitor, has been widely used to treat various diseases clinically. However, so far, the antinociceptive effect of ulinastatin remains less studied experimentally and the underlying mechanisms of ulinastatin for pain relief remain unclear. This study aimed to find evidence of the analgesic effect of ulinastatin on acute somatic and visceral pain. METHODS: The analgesic effect of ulinastatin on acute somatic and visceral pain was evaluated by using formalin and acetic acid-induced writhing test. The analgesic mechanism of ulinastatin was verified by detecting the peripheral inflammatory cell infiltration and spinal glial activation with hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) and immunohistochemistry staining. RESULTS: We found that both of intraperitoneal (i.p.) pre-administration and post-administration of ulinastatin could reduce the total number of flinching and the licking duration following intraplantar formalin injection in a dose-related manner. However, the inhibitory effect of ulinastatin existed only in the second phase (Phase 2) of formalin-induced spontaneous pain response, with no effect in the first phase (Phase 1). The formalin-induced edema and ulcer were also improved by i.p. administration of ulinastatin. Moreover, i.p. administration of ulinastatin was also able to delay the occurrence of acetic acid-induced writhing and reduced the total number of writhes dose-dependently. We further demonstrated that ulinastatin significantly decreased the local inflammatory cell infiltration in injured paw and peritoneum tissue under formalin and acetic acid test separately. The microglial and astrocytic activation in the spinal dorsal horn induced by intraplantar formalin and i.p. acetic acid injection were also dramatically inhibited by i.p. administration of ulinastatin. CONCLUSION: Our results for the first time provided a new line of evidence showing that ulinastatin could attenuate acute somatic and visceral pain by inhibiting the peripheral and spinal inflammatory reaction.

Hemodynamics is associated with vessel wall remodeling in patients with middle cerebral artery stenosis.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the relationship between hemodynamics and vessel wall remodeling patterns in middle cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis based on high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). METHODS: Forty consecutive patients with recent ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack attributed to unilateral atherosclerotic MCA stenosis (50-99%) were prospectively recruited. All patients underwent a cross-sectional scan of the stenotic MCA vessel wall. The parameters of the vessel wall, the number of patients with acute infarction, translesional wall shear stress ratio (WSSR), wall shear stress in stenosis (WSSs), and translesional pressure ratio were obtained. The patients were divided into positive remodeling (PR) and negative remodeling (NR) groups. The differences in vessel wall parameters and hemodynamics were compared. Correlations between the parameters of the vessel wall and hemodynamics were calculated. RESULTS: Of the 40 patients, 16 had PR, 19 had NR, and the other 5 displayed non-remodeling. The PR group had a smaller lumen area (p = 0.004), larger plaque area (p < 0.001), normal wall index (p = 0.004), and higher WSSR (p = 0.004) and WSSs (p = 0.023) at the most narrowed site. The PR group had more enhanced plaques (12 vs 6, p = 0.03). The number of patients with acute stroke in the PR group was more than that in the NR group (11 vs 4, p = 0.01). The remodeling index (r = 0.376, p = 0.026) and plaque area (r = 0.407, p = 0.015) showed a positive correlation with WSSR, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Hemodynamics plays a role in atherosclerotic plaques and vessel wall remodeling. Individuals with greater hemodynamic values might be more prone to stroke. KEY POINTS: • Stenotic plaques in middle cerebral artery with positive remodeling have smaller lumen area and larger resp. higher plaque area, normal wall index, translesional wall shear stress ratio, and wall shear stress than negative remodeling. • The remodeling index and plaque area are positively correlated with translesional wall shear stress ratio. • Hemodynamic may help to understand the role of positive remodeling in the development of acute stroke.

Microalgal Cultivation and Nutrient Removal from Digested Piggery Wastewater in a Thin-film Flat Plate Photobioreactor.

This work investigated the cultivation of Chlorella vulgaris in a thin-film flat plate photobioreactor under outdoor conditions and using digested piggery wastewater as the culture medium. The algal cells were able to adapt quickly to the wastewater and outdoor conditions. A specific growth rate of 0.12 day-1 was obtained in the exponential growth phase, which was slightly higher than that during indoor cultivation using artificial culture medium. Results showed that Chlorella vulgaris effectively removed TN, TP, and COD by 72.48%, 86.93%, and 85.94%. Due to the difference in culture conditions and phosphorus availability, the biomass from outdoor cultivation contained higher lipid content and more unsaturated fatty acids compared to indoor cultures, while the amino acid composition was unaffected. Results of metallic element assay indicated that the biomass cultured with wastewater conformed to the standards required for animal feed additive production. The overall cost of the biomass production in the thin-film flat plate photobioreactor (32.94 US$/kg) was estimated to be 4.67 times lower than that of indoor cultivation (154.04 US$/kg). Together, these results provide a basis for large-scale outdoor production of microalgae and wastewater bioremediation.

Contribution of Spinal PKCγ Expression to Short- and Long-lasting Pain Behaviors in Formalin-induced Inflamed Mice.

BACKGROUND: Over-expression of spinal protein kinase Cγ(PKCγ) contributes to the induction of persistent bilateral hyperalgesia following inflammatory injury, yet the role of spinal PKCγ in short- and long-lasting pain behavior is poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to characterize the contribution of spinal PKCγ to spontaneous pain and long-lasting bilateral hyperalgesia in formalin-induced inflamed mice using pharmacological inhibition. STUDY DESIGN: Laboratory animal study. SETTING: The study was performed in the Department of Human Anatomy and K.K. Leung Brain Research Centre, Preclinical School of Medicine, the Fourth Military Medical University (Xi'an, China) and the Department of Anesthesiology, Fuzhou General Hospital (Fuzhou, China). METHODS: Male mice were unilaterally intraplantarly injected with formalin to induce inflammatory pain. Spontaneous pain behaviors, including flinches and lickings, were recorded by off-line video during the first hour post-injection and counted. Using von Frey tests, long-lasting bilateral mechanical paw withdrawal thresholds were determined before injection and at indicated time points thereafter. Temporal expression of spinal PKCγ was observed by immunohistochemical staining. For pharmacological inhibition, mice were treated daily with intrathecal Tat carrier or selective PKCγ inhibitor KIG31-1, from 1 hour prior to 10 days after formalin injection. Spontaneous pain behaviors and long-lasting bilateral mechanical hyperalgesia were assessed. Spinal PKCγ expression was also observed by using immunohistochemical staining and western blot. RESULTS: The number of PKCγ-immunoreactive (ir) spinal neurons was significantly higher at 10 days, but not 2 hours, after formalin intraplantar injection, and accompanied by long-lasting bilateral hyperalgesia. Furthermore, long-lasting bilateral hyperalgesia could be reversed by pharmacological inhibition of over-expressed spinal PKCγ; however, pretreating with intrathecal KIG31-1 showed no antinociceptive effects on short-term spontaneous pain behaviors. LIMITATIONS: All results were obtained from the mice and no PKCγ inhibitors were available through clinical practice. Therefore, it remains difficult to draw definitive connections between animal research and human application. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that spinal PKCγ plays a predominant role in long-lasting bilateral hyperalgesia, but not in the spontaneous pain behaviors induced by formalin. KEY WORDS: Formalin, spontaneous pain, mechanical hyperalgesia, protein kinase C gamma, KIG31-1, mice.

miRNA-1246 suppresses acute lung injury-induced inflammation and apoptosis via the NF-κB and Wnt/ß-catenin signal pathways.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is the common and complicated inflammatory lung disease. MicroRNAs (miRNA) have emerged as novel gene regulatory molecules which play a crucial role in multiple complicated diseases, including ALI. In this study, we aims to identify potential regulatory functions of miRNA-1246 in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI. In ALI mice, miRNA-1246 expression is effectively up-regulated, compared with the control group. miRNA-1246 overexpression effectively increases inflammation and apoptosis of in vitro ALI model. In contrast, miRNA-1246 knockdown effectively inhibits inflammation and cell apoptosis in vitro ALI model. Furthermore, up-regulation of miRNA-1246 significantly induces nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) protein expression, and suppresses Wnt and ß-catenin protein expression in vitro ALI model. Following the inhibition of NF-κB or Wnt/ß-catenin signal using inhibitors, miRNA-1246 shows no significant effects on ALI-induced inflammation and apoptosis. Taken together, miRNA-1246 mediates ALI-induced lung inflammation and apoptosis via the NF-κB activation and Wnt/ß-catenin suppression.

Remote ischemic postconditioning protects the brain from focal ischemia/reperfusion injury by inhibiting autophagy through the mTOR/p70S6K pathway.

OBJECTIVE: Remote ischemic postconditioning (RIPostC) has been recognized as an applicable strategy for protecting against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. This study was performed to examine the effect of RIPostC on cerebral I/R and to explore its underlying mechanism. METHODS: Healthy male SD rats (N = 36) were assigned randomly into 3 groups of 12 each: sham group, I/R model group and RIPostC group. Animal models were performed by filament insertion for 2 h with middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO) followed by 24 h of reperfusion. RIPostC was induced by 15 min occlusion of femoral arteries followed by 15 min of reperfusion for 3 cycles at the beginning of middle cerebral artery reperfusion. The neurological deficits, infarct size and brain edema were determined. Autophagy was examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The protein levels of microtubule-associated protein light chain 3 (LC3-II), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), serine/threonine kinase p70S6 kinase (p70S6K), and their phosphorylation (p-mTOR and p-p70S6K) in the brain tissue of the rats were determined by western blotting. RESULTS: Our results suggested that RIPostC significantly reduced I/R-induced brain injury, as exhibited by a significantly decreased infarct size, mitigated brain edema and improved neurological deficits. RIPostC also significantly reduced the LC3-II/LC3-I ratio and protein expression of Beclin 1. Much less severe neuronal injury and fewer autophagosomes were observed by TEM in the RIPostC group. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that RIPostC attenuates cerebral I/R injury by inhibiting autophagy through the activation of the mTOR/p70S6K signaling pathway.

Digital subtraction CT angiography for the detection of posterior inferior cerebellar artery aneurysms: comparison with digital subtraction angiography.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of digital subtraction CT angiography (DS-CTA) in detecting posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) aneurysms with digital subtraction angiography (DSA) as reference standard. METHODS: A total of 115 patients, including 56 patients diagnosed with PICA aneurysms by CTA or DSA and 59 non-PICA-aneurysm patients were included in this retrospective study. All patients underwent DS-CTA and DSA. The site of PICA aneurysms and the pattern of haemorrhage were analysed. Sensitivity and specificity of DS-CTA without and with combining haemorrhage pattern in diagnosing PICA aneurysms were evaluated on a per patient and per aneurysm basis with DSA. RESULTS: Of 115 patients, 56 patients (48.7%) had 61 PICA aneurysms (size range, 1.1-13.5 mm; mean size, 4.9 ± 2.8 mm) on DSA. The sensitivity and specificity in depicting PICA aneurysms were 89.3% and 96.6% on a per patient basis and 90.2% and 93.4% on a per aneurysm basis, while the corresponding values were 94.6% and 96.6% on a per patient basis and 95.1% and 93.4% on a per aneurysm basis when combining with haemorrhage site. CONCLUSION: DS-CTA has a high sensitivity and specificity in detecting PICA aneurysms compared with DSA. It may be helpful for clinical diagnosis of PICA aneurysms to combine with haemorrhage sites. KEY POINTS: • CT angiography has a good diagnostic performance in detecting PICA aneurysms. • The haemorrhage location is helpful to detect PICA aneurysms. • Digital subtraction CTA is a preferable diagnostic means for PICA aneurysms.

Cerebral CT angiography with iterative reconstruction at 70kVp and 30mL iodinated contrast agent: Initial experience.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the radiation dose and image quality of cerebral CT angiography (CTA) at 70kVp with 30mL iodinated contrast agent. METHODS: One hundred patients were prospectively classified into two groups: Group A (n=50), 120kVp cerebral CTA with 60mL iodinated contrast agent reconstructed by filtered back projection (FBP) and Group B (n=50), 70kVp with 30mL iodinated contrast agent reconstructed by sinogram-affirmed iterative reconstruction (SAFIRE). CT values, noise, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the internal carotid artery (ICA) and middle cerebral artery (MCA) were measured. Subjective image quality was evaluated. Effective dose (ED) was calculated. RESULTS: The mean CT values of the ICA and MCA of Group B were higher than those of Group A (all P<0.001). The mean noise of Group A was lower than that of Group B (P<0.001). SNRICA, SNRMCA and CNRICA, CNRMCA of Group A were higher than Group B (all P<0.001). There was no difference in vessel sharpness, noise, and overall quality between the two groups (all P>0.05). ED of Group B (0.2±0.0mSv) was lower than Group A (1.3±0.1 mSv) (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Cerebral CTA with iterative reconstruction at 70kVp and 30mL iodinated contrast agent is feasible, allowing for substantial dose reduction compared with conventional cerebral CTA protocol.

Comparison of Continuous Noninvasive Blood Pressure Monitoring by TL-300 With Standard Invasive Blood Pressure Measurement in Patients Undergoing Elective Neurosurgery.

BACKGROUND: Intraoperative blood pressure (BP) is one of the basic vital signs monitoring. Compared with standard invasive BP measurement, TL-300 allows for a continuous and beat-to-beat noninvasive intraoperative BP monitoring. The current retrospective study compared the accuracy and precision of this noninvasive technique for continuous BP monitoring with that of standard invasive BP measurement in patients undergoing elective neurosurgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: BP records of 23 patients undergoing elective neurosurgery, measured by both noninvasive TL-300 and invasive radial arterial catheter method, were retrospectively analyzed. Variability in BP data was analyzed by using linear regressions and Bland-Altman analysis. RESULTS: Four thousand three hundred eighty-one pairs of BP measurements from a total of 23 patients were included. The coefficient of determination of systolic, diastolic, and mean BP were 0.908, 0.803, and 0.922, respectively. And their bias was found to be 1.3±5.87 mm Hg (95% limits of agreement: -10.2 to +12.8 mm Hg), 2.8±6.40 mm Hg (95% limits of agreement: -9.8 to +15.3 mm Hg), and 1.8±4.20 mm Hg (95% limits of agreement: -6.4 to +10.1 mm Hg), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: TL-300 system is a promising noninvasive alternative to the invasive arterial catheter method for intraoperative BP monitoring, with a high accuracy and precision. With the limitation of the current retrospective study, further prospective method comparison studies are needed.

Radiation Optimized Dual-source Dual-energy Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiography: Intra-individual and Inter-individual Comparison.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to intra-individually and inter-individually compare image quality, radiation dose, and diagnostic accuracy of dual-source dual-energy computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) protocols in patients with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE). METHODS: Thirty-three patients with suspected PE underwent initial and follow-up dual-energy CTPA at 80/Sn140 kVp (group A) or 100/Sn140 kVp (group B), which were assigned based on tube voltages. Subjective and objective CTPA image quality and lung perfusion map image quality were evaluated. Diagnostic accuracies of CTPA and perfusion maps were assessed by two radiologists independently. Effective dose (ED) was calculated and compared. RESULTS: Mean computed tomography (CT) values of pulmonary arteries were higher in group A than group B (P = .006). There was no difference in signal-to-noise ratio and contrast-to-noise ratio between the two groups (both P > .05). Interobserver agreement for evaluating subjective image quality of CTPA and color-coded perfusion images was either good (κ = 0.784) or excellent (κ = 0.887). Perfusion defect scores and diagnostic accuracy of CTPA showed no difference between both groups (both P > .05). Effective dose of group A was reduced by 45.8% compared to group B (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Second-generation dual-source dual-energy CTPA with 80/Sn140 kVp allows for sufficient image quality and diagnostic accuracy for detecting PE while substantially reducing radiation dose.

Euzebyella marina sp. nov., isolated from seawater.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, yellow-pigmented, non-flagellated, non-gliding, oxidase- and catalase-positive bacterium, designated CY01T, was isolated from seawater of the Yellow Sea. CY01T grew at 15-37 °C (optimum, 30 °C), pH 5-8 (optimum, 6.5-7.5) and with 0.5-12 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0.5-3.5 %). It could not produce flexirubin-type pigment or reduce nitrate to nitrite. CY01T showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to the type strain of Euzebyella saccharophila (97.0 %) and clustered tightly with the species of the genus Euzebyella in the phylogenetic trees based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences. The major cellular fatty acids of CY01T were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 1G and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH and the major respiratory quinone was menaquinone MK-6. Polar lipids included phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), four unidentified lipids and one unidentified aminolipid. The genomic DNA G+C content was 38.2 mol%. Based on the results of the polyphasic characterization of CY01T, it represents a novel species of the genus Euzebyella, for which the name Euzebyella marina sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is CY01T (=CCTCC AB 2014348T=KCTC 42440T).