Fractional exhaled nitric oxide in checkpoint inhibitor pneumonitis: a case report and literature review.

Checkpoint inhibitor pneumonitis (CIP) is a relatively rare adverse event and a potential cause of death in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Because the symptoms and signs are nonspecific, the diagnosis of CIP is challenging. Additionally, compared with the biomarkers that can monitor the effect of ICIs, there is less research evaluating markers to monitor CIP. We report a case of CIP induced by camrelizumab in a patient with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer, in which the fractional exhaled nitric oxide levels showed obvious increases. Fractional exhaled nitric oxide may have the potential to monitor the condition of airway inflammation in patients using ICIs.

We report a patient with advanced lung cancer who experienced shortness of breath induced by immunotherapy. The levels of nitric oxide from the exhaled breath in this case showed obvious increases. Currently, monitoring systems for treatment-related lung injury remain elusive. This is the first report highlighting the potential value of measuring nitric oxide from the exhaled breath to screen for airway inflammation in patients receiving immunotherapy. The dynamic changes of the levels of nitric oxide from the exhaled breath may be correlated with the development of airway inflammation during immunotherapy.

Addition of plant-growth-promoting Bacillus subtilis PTS-394 on tomato rhizosphere has no durable impact on composition of root microbiome.

BACKGROUND: Representatives of the genus Bacillus are increasingly used in agriculture to promote plant growth and to protect against plant pathogens. Unfortunately, hitherto the impact of Bacillus inoculants on the indigenous plant microbiota has been investigated exclusively for the species Bacillus amyloliquefaciens and was limited to prokaryotes, whilst eukaryotic member of this community, e.g. fungi, were not considered. RESULTS: The root-colonizing Bacillus subtilis PTS-394 supported growth of tomato plants and suppressed soil-borne diseases. Roche 454 pyrosequencing revealed that PTS-394 has only a transient impact on the microbiota community of the tomato rhizosphere. The impact on eukaryota could last up to 14 days, while that on bacterial communities lasted for 3 days only. CONCLUSIONS: Ecological adaptation and microbial community-preserving capacity are important criteria when assessing suitability of bio-inoculants for commercial development. As shown here, B. subtilis PTS-394 is acting as an environmentally compatible plant protective agent without permanent effects on rhizosphere microbial community.

Draft Genome Sequence of Root-Colonizing Bacterium Bacillus sp. Strain PTS-394.

Here, we report the high-quality draft genome sequence of Bacillus sp. strain PTS-394, isolated from the rhizosphere of tomatoes grown on Putuo Mountain (Xiamen, Fujian province, China), which exhibited excellent colonization ability on plant roots. The 4.0-Mb genome uncovered the mechanism for its potential root colonization ability and may provide novel insights into plant-bacterium interactions.