Delayed sternal Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection after left ventricular assist device implantation: A case report.

The incidence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection in patients with mechanical circulatory support devices is extremely rare. We present a case involving a 38-year-old male who experienced a delayed sternal Mtb infection following left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation. More than 5 months post-surgery, the patient was readmitted to the hospital presenting a subxiphoid abscess. The incision site displayed an unsatisfactory healing process after the incision and drainage of the abscess. Despite engaging in a rigorous treatment protocol, which included anti-infective therapy, vacuum-assisted closure, and surgical debridement, the patient's wound remained unhealed. Ultimately, after pus gene sequencing confirmed the diagnosis, the patient was administered a regimen combining anti-tuberculosis and anti-infective therapy, which culminated in the successful healing of the wound. This singular case study not only reveals the clinical progression of an unexpected Mtb infection post-implantation but also emphasizes the challenges encountered in diagnosis and management.

Extraction, purification, structural characteristics and biological properties of the polysaccharides from Armillaria mellea (Vahl) P. Kumm.: A review.

Armillaria mellea (Vahl) P. Kumm. is a well-known homoeopathic plant with medicinal and culinary uses. Modern phytochemical researchers have successfully extracted and purified over 40 types of A. mellea polysaccharides (AMPs) from the fruiting bodies, hyphae and fermentation broth of A. mellea, and some of them have been analyzed and identified by their chemical structures. The impressive biological activity of these polysaccharides has been recognized by scientists worldwide. Many studies show that AMPs have remarkable antioxidant, anti-diabetic, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory, hypolipidemic, thrombectomy, anti-aging, pulmonary protective, hepatic protective, anti-Alzheimer's properties, etc. However, the current understanding of the relationships between their chemical structure and biological activity, toxicological effects and pharmacokinetics remains limited. This article provides a systematic review of the research conducted over the past decades on the extraction and purification methods, structural characteristics, biological activity and mechanism of action of AMPs. The aim is to provide a research base that will benefit the future application of AMPs as therapeutic drugs and functional foods, and also provide insights for the further development of AMPs.

A Mouse-Adapted Model of HCoV-OC43 and Its Usage to the Evaluation of Antiviral Drugs.

The human coronavirus OC43 (HCoV-OC43) is one of the most common causes of common cold but can lead to fatal pneumonia in children and elderly. However, the available animal models of HCoV-OC43 did not show respiratory symptoms that are insufficient to assist in screening antiviral agents for respiratory diseases. In this study, we adapted the HCoV-OC43 VR-1558 strain by serial passage in suckling C57BL/6 mice and the resulting mouse-adapted virus at passage 9 (P9) contained 8 coding mutations in polyprotein 1ab, spike (S) protein, and nucleocapsid (N) protein. Pups infected with the P9 virus significantly lost body weight and died within 5 dpi. In cerebral and pulmonary tissues, the P9 virus replication induced the production of G-CSF, IFN-γ, IL-6, CXCL1, MCP-1, MIP-1α, RANTES, IP-10, MIP-1ß, and TNF-α, as well as pathological alterations including reduction of neuronal cells and typical symptoms of viral pneumonia. We found that the treatment of arbidol hydrochloride (ARB) or Qingwenjiere Mixture (QJM) efficiently improved the symptoms and decreased n gene expression, inflammatory response, and pathological changes. Furthermore, treating with QJM or ARB raised the P9-infected mice's survival rate within a 15 day observation period. These findings suggested that the new mouse-adapted HCoV-OC43 model is applicable and reproducible for antiviral studies of HCoV-OC43.

Hybrid Application of Nanoparticles and Polymer in Enhanced Oil Recovery Processes.

Nowadays, the addition of nanoparticles to polymer solutions would be of interest; however, the feasible property of nanoparticles and their impact on oil recovery has not been investigated in more detail. This study investigates the rheology and capillary forces (interfacial tension and contact angle) of nanoparticles in the polymer performances during oil recovery processes. Thereby, a sequential injection of water, polymer, and nanoparticles; Nanosilica (SiO2) and nano-aluminium oxide (Al2O3) was performed to measure the oil recovery factor. Retention decrease, capillary forces reduction, and polymer viscoelastic behavior increase have caused improved oil recovery due to the feasible mobility ratio of polymer-nanoparticle in fluid loss. The oil recovery factor for polymer flooding, polymer-Al2O3, and polymer-SiO2 is 58%, 63%, and 67%, respectively. Thereby, polymer-SiO2 flooding would provide better oil recovery than other scenarios that reduce the capillary force due to the structural disjoining pressure. According to the relative permeability curves, residual oil saturation (Sor) and water relative permeability (Krw) are 29% and 0.3%, respectively, for polymer solution; however, for the polymer-nanoparticle solution, Sor and Krw are 12% and 0.005%, respectively. Polymer treatment caused a dramatic decrease, rather than the water treatment effect on the contact angle. The minimum contact angle for water and polymer treatment are about 21 and 29, respectively. The contact angle decrease for polymer treatment in the presence of nanoparticles related to the surface hydrophilicity increase. Therefore, after 2000 mg L-1 of SiO2 concentration, there are no significant changes in contact angle.