Microbiological isolates and associated complications of dacryocystitis and canaliculitis in a prominent tertiary ophthalmic teaching hospital in northern China.

BACKGROUND: To report the microbiological isolates, aetiology, complications, antibiotic susceptibilities, and clinical remission of dacryocystitis and canaliculitis in a prominent tertiary ophthalmic teaching and referral hospital located in northern China and to offer appropriate recommendations for preventing and formulating drug treatment strategies. METHODS: This prospective study recruited a total of 477 participants who had been diagnosed with either dacryocystitis or canaliculitis. The cohort comprised 307 patients with chronic dacryocystitis, 111 patients with acute dacryocystitis, and 59 patients with canaliculitis. Purulent discharge from the lacrimal duct was collected using a sterile swab and immediately subjected to microbial culture. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted following established protocols. All participants were scheduled for follow-up visits within 14 days after receiving antibiotic therapy. RESULTS: The present findings indicated that women exhibited a higher susceptibility to the condition, as evidenced by the occurrence of 367 cases in comparison to 110 cases among men. Among the 477 patients, definitive causes were established in 59 individuals, accounting for 12.4% of the patients. Additionally, ocular complications were reported by 132 patients, representing 27.7% of the total. Monocular involvement was observed in the majority of cases, with 402 out of 477 patients (84.3%) affected, while binocular involvement was present in 75 patients (15.7%). In total, 506 microbiological strains were recovered from 552 eyes, with Staphylococcus epidermidis (16.4%) being the most prevalent microorganism. Other predominant isolates included Corynebacterium macginleyi (9.1%), Staphylococcus aureus (5.1%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (4.9%), Haemophilus (4.4%), Propionibacterium acnes (3.5%), and Eikenella corrodens (3.1%). Among the 12 isolated fungi, Candida parapsilosis accounted for 66.7%. The susceptibility to antimicrobial agents tested in gram-negative bacilli (79.5%) was observed to be higher than that of anaerobic bacteria (76.7%) and gram-positive cocci (55.4%). With pharmacological therapy, the remission rate of acute dacryocystitis (72.7%) was found to be higher than that of canaliculitis (53.3%) and chronic dacryocystitis (42.3%). CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the microbial spectrum of dacryocystitis and canaliculitis, particularly C.macginleyi, E.corrodens and C.parapsilosis, which are also more frequently isolated. Vancomycin and imipenem may be more effective treatment options. Most cases have an unknown aetiology, and essential preventive measures involve postoperative cleansing of the lacrimal passage following eye and nasal surgeries, as well as the proactive management of rhinitis.

Effects of the promoting bacterium on growth of plant under cadmium stress.

Cadmium (Cd) pollution is a huge threat to ecosystem health. In the manuscript, pot experiments were conducted to investigate the changes in plant biomass and antioxidant indicators under different cadmium pollution levels (0, 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg) of inoculation of plant growth-promoting bacteria ZG7 on sugar beet. The results showed that the accumulation of excess Cd in sugar beet exhibited different symptoms, including reduced biomass (p < 0.05). Compared with the group treated with uninoculated strain ZG7, inoculation of strain ZG7 significantly reduced the toxicity of sugar beet to Cd and enhanced its antioxidant capacity, with no significant differences in root biomass and increases in leaf biomass of 15.71, 5.84, and 74.12 under different Cd concentration treatments (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg), respectively. The root enrichment of Cd was reduced by 49.13, 47.26, and 21.50%, respectively (p < 0.05). The leaf fraction was reduced by 59.35, 29.86, and 30.99%, respectively (p < 0.05). In addition, the enzymatic activities of sucrase, urease, catalase, and neutral phosphatase were significantly enhanced in the soil (p < 0.05). This study helps us to further investigate the mechanism of cadmium toxicity reduction by inoculated microorganisms and provides a theoretical reference for growing plants in cadmium-contaminated agricultural fields.

The combination of microorganisms and phytoremediation is becoming a popular research topic. The selection of suitable plant growth promoting bacteria can not only promote the growth and development of plants and enhance their cadmium resistance, but also improve the soil quality. And the results of this study will be important for growing edible plants and improving soils in cadmium-contaminated areas.

Inoculation of Exogenous Complex Bacteria to Enhance Resistance in Alfalfa and Combined Remediation of Heavy Metal-Contaminated Soil.

Heavy metals are considered to be one of the main sources of soil contamination. In this study, three tolerant bacteria were isolated from the heavy metal-contaminated soil in mining area, and immobilized bacteria were constructed using corn straw as the carrier. The combined remediation effect of immobilized bacteria and alfalfa in pot experiments was explored in heavy metal-contaminated soil. Under heavy metal stress, inoculation with immobilized bacteria significantly promoted the growth of alfalfa, in which the dry weights of roots, stems, and leaves increased by 19.8, 6.89, and 14.6%, respectively (P < 0.05). Also, inoculation with immobilized bacteria improved the antioxidant capacity of plants and the activity of soil enzymes and improved soil quality (P < 0.05). Microbial-phytoremediation technology effectively reduced the heavy metal content in the soil, and can restore the soil contaminated by heavy metals. The results will help to further understand the mechanism of microbial inoculation to reduce the toxicity of heavy metals, and provide guidance for the cultivation of forage grasses in heavy metal-contaminated soils.

Effects of heavy metals on bacterial community structures in two lead-zinc tailings situated in northwestern China.

We evaluated the variations of bacterial communities in six heavy metal contaminated soils sampled from Yanzi Bian (YZB) and Shanping Cun (SPC) tailings located in northwestern China. Statistical analysis showed that both the heavy metals and soil chemical properties could affect the structure and diversity of the bacterial communities in the tailing soils. Cd, Cu, Zn, Cr, Pb, pH, SOM (soil organic matters), TP (total phosphorus) and TN (total nitrogen) were the main driving factors of the bacterial community variations. As a consequence, the relative abundances of certain bacterial phyla including Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Nitrospirota and Bacteroidota were significantly increased in the tailing soils. Further, we found that the abundance increasement of these phyla were mainly contributed by certain species, such as s__unclassified_g__Thiobacillus (Proteobacteria), s__unclassified_g__Sulfobacillus (Firmicutes) and Leptospirillum ferriphilum (Nitrospirota). Thus, these species were considered to be strongly heavy metal tolerant. Together, our findings will provide a useful insight for further bioremediations of these contaminated areas.

Risk Factors for Retinal Redetachment After Silicone Oil Removal: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: This systematic review and meta-analysis was made to measure risk factors for retinal redetachment (re-RD) after silicone oil removal (SOR) in a quantitative method. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A comprehensive literature review relating to risk factors for re-RD after SOR was conducted before March 2017. Odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated after data combination. RESULTS: Sixteen studies were included, and risk factors with significant differences found between the re-RD and control groups are as follows: aphakic eye (OR = 1.50), high myopia (OR = 2.47), previous failed retinal surgery (OR = 1.71), and ocular trauma (OR = 3.52). Peripheral 360° laser retinopexy (OR = 0.40) and scleral encircling band (OR = 0.58) were found to be protective factors of re-RD after SOR. CONCLUSION: Aphakic eye, high myopia, previous failed retinal surgery, ocular trauma, lack of 360° laser, and scleral encircling band were possible risk factors relating to the occurrence of re-RD after SOR. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2018;49:416-424.].

Changes of Subfoveal Choroidal Thickness after Cataract Surgery: A Meta-Analysis.

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of cataract surgery on subfoveal choroid thickness (SFCT) using enhanced-depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Relevant publications were searched systematically through various databases from inception to March 2018. The unit of choroidal thickness measurements is micrometers. Studies comparing SFCT before and after cataract surgery were retrieved. All qualified articles were analyzed using RevMan 5.3. RESULTS: A total of 13 studies with 802 eyes from 646 patients were identified for inclusion. There was a significant increase of SFCT at 1 week (MD = 6.62, 95% CI: 1.20-12.05, P=0.02, I2 = 0%), 1 month (MD = 8.30, 95% CI: 3.20-13.39, P=0.001, I2 = 0%), and 3 months (MD = 8.28, 95% CI: 1.84-14.73, P=0.01, I2 = 0%) after cataract surgery. In subgroup analysis, SFCT in Asians and patients without nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in postoperative medication was significantly thicker (P < 0.05). No statistically significant increase of SFCT was found in diabetic mellitus (DM) patients for 1 day (P=0.89), 1 week (P=0.59), 1 month (P=0.52), and 3 months (P=0.42) after cataract surgery. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggested that SFCT increased since 1 week after the cataract surgery and the increase lasted for at least 3 months. Asians and patients without NSAIDs in postoperative medication were more likely to have a thicker SFCT after cataract surgery, whereas DM patients were less likely to increase in SFCT.