[Microbiological characteristics of patients with severe burns caused by blast and application of meta- genomics next-generation sequencing in the detection of pathogenic microorganisms].

Objective: To analyze the microbiological characteristics of patients with severe burns caused by blast in different periods and explore the application value of metagenomics next-generation sequencing (mNGS) in detecting pathogenic microorganisms. Methods: The retrospective observational study was applied. From June 13 to September 13, 2020, twenty-three patients (21 males and 2 females) with severe burns caused by blast who met the inclusion criteria were admitted to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, with age of (64±5) years and total burn area of (86±14) % total body surface area. Abbreviated burn severity index (ABSI) score, revised Baux score, acute physiology and chronic health status evaluation (APACHE) Ⅱscore, and sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score were counted on admission. Within 7, 8-20 and 21-30 d after admission, the complications, infection source and distribution of pathogenic microorganisms in patients were recorded. The detection of pathogenic microorganisms was analyzed, and the difference in detection efficiency between microbial culture method and mNGS was compared. After admission, the infection of overall source distribution of pathogenic microorganisms in patients was analyzed, and the difference in detection efficiency between microbial culture method and mNGS was compared. Data were statistically analyzed with McNemar and Fisher exact probability test. Results: On admission, ABSI score, revised Baux score, APACHE Ⅱ score and SOFA score were (12.6±2.4), (91±22), (26±4), and (10.3±2.3) respectively. Within 7 d after admission, the main complications of patients were inhalation injury, septic shock, and hypoproteinemia. Patients were mainly infected with pathogenic microorganism on wound, blood stream, and lung. Within 8-20 d after admission, the incidence of septic shock was the highest. The incidence of inhalation injury was significantly lower than that of ≤7 d after admission (P<0.01), the main source of infection were wound, lung, and blood stream, and the incidence of wound and blood stream infection were significantly lower than that of ≤7 d after admission (P<0.01). Within 21-30 d after admission, the incidences of multiple organ failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome were low, the incidence of inhalation injury was significantly lower than that of ≤7 d after admission (P<0.01), and the incidence of septic shock was significantly lower than that of ≤7 d after admission (P<0.01) and 8-20 d after admission (P<0.01). There were only low bloodstream infections, and the incidence of wound infection was significantly lower than that of ≤7 d after admission (P<0.01) and 8-20 d after admission (P<0.05), and the incidences of lung and blood stream infection were significantly lower than those of ≤7 d after admission (P<0.01). Within ≤7 d after admission, gram-positive bacteria were mainly Staphylococcus aureus. Gram-negative bacteria were mainly Klebsiella pneumoniae and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia. The fungi contained only Candida. Within 8-20 d after admission, Staphylococcus aureus was mainly the gram-positive bacteria, and the detection rate of Enterococcus was significantly lower than that of ≤7 d after admission (P<0.01). Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii were the main gram-negative bacteria, and their detection rates were significantly lower than those of ≤7 d after admission (P<0.01).There was a new detection of Fusarium. Within 21-30 d after admission, Staphylococcus aureus was the mainly gram-positive bacteria, and the detection rates of Enterococcus and Bacillus were significantly lower than those of ≤7 d after admission (P<0.01). Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii were still the main gram-negative bacteria, and increased with the extension of time after admission. The detection rate of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was significantly higher than that of ≤7 d after admission (P<0.01) and 8-20 d after admission (P<0.01), and the detection rate of Acinetobacter baumannii was significantly higher than that of ≤7 d after admission (P<0.01). The detection rate of Klebsiella pneumoniae was significantly lower than those of ≤7 d after admission (P<0.01) and 8-20 d after admission (P<0.01). All Candida, Mould, Fusarium were detected. Within ≤7 d and 8-20 d, the consistency between mNGS and bacterial culture was high (κ=0.659, 0.596). Within 21-30 d after admission, the consistency between mNGS and bacterial culture was moderate (κ=0.407). In different time periods, the positive test rate of mNGS was basically constant, while that of microbial culture showed a decline with the extension time after admission. Five hundred and six strains of pathogenic microorganisms were isolated from wound, blood, sputum, and indwelling catheter, and Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Klebsiella pneumoniae were the main pathogenic microorganisms. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii were the most common in the wound samples, Klebsiella pneumoniae was more often seen in blood samples while Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii in sputum samples, and Acinetobacter baumannii in indwelling catheter samples were the most common. The detection rates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in wound and sputum were significantly higher than those of blood (P<0.05 or P<0.01) and indwelling catheter (P<0.01), respectively. The consistency between the overall results of mNGS and microbial culture were moderate (κ=0.556). The consistency between mNGS and microbial culture was high in samples of blood and indwelling catheter (κ=0.631, 0.619), but those were moderate in sputum and wound (κ=0.558, 0.528). Conclusions: The most common infections of patients with severe burn caused by blast injury were wound infection and blood stream infection. With the extension of time after admission, the main pathogenic bacterial strains of patients changed from Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia to Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. mNGS showed a higher positive rate of detecting pathogenic microorganisms than conventional microbial culture.

Case Report: Local skin flap with vacuum-seal drainage to facilitate healing of ACS.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the therapy of a severe abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) to elucidate the use of an abdominal advanced flap with other supportive measures for restoration of large defects of the abdominal wall. A patient presented with a large defect of the abdominal wall caused by ACS, which had resulted from multiple injuries after a fall from height. Healing of the defect was achieved by transplantation of an abdominal advanced flap and other supportive strategies. All of the treatment measures are presented to demonstrate complicated treatment procedures for closure of large defects of the abdominal wall. An abdominal advanced flap combined with other supportive measures was successfully applied in the healing process of ACS. This study examined the treatment of a case of ACS caused by severe abdominal trauma. The results demonstrated that a large defect of the abdominal wall caused by ACS should be closed as early as possible, and an abdominal advanced flap combined with complex supportive measures can be a recommended strategy for closing large defects of the abdominal wall.

Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of p53 in vitro and in vivo modulates binding to its DNA consensus sequence.

The tumor-suppressor p53 undergoes extensive poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation early during apoptosis in human osteosarcoma cells, and degradation of poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) attached to p53 coincides with poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase-1, (PARP-1) cleavage, and expression of p53 target genes. The mechanism by which poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation may regulate p53 function has now been investigated. Purified wild-type PARP-1 catalyzed the poly(ADP-ribosyl) of full-length p53 in vitro. In gel supershift assays, poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation suppressed p53 binding to its DNA consensus sequence; however, when p53 remained unmodified in the presence of inactive mutant PARP-1, it retained sequence-specific DNA binding activity. Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of p53 by PARP-1 during early apoptosis in osteosarcoma cells also inhibited p53 interaction with its DNA consensus sequence; thus, poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation may represent a novel means for regulating transcriptional activation by p53 in vivo.

A simple approach to identify the first rice mutants blocked in carotenoid biosynthesis.

Mutations blocking carotenoid biosynthesis, never before described for rice, are valuable for pathway manipulation and study. Similar to defects in ABA biosynthesis, mutations blocking the carotenoid pathway confer vivipary, but in addition also confer an albino seedling phenotype. Pigments extracted from rice mutants exhibiting the double mutant phenotype were analysed by HPLC (high pressure liquid chromatography); these results led to the identification of the first rice mutant accumulating an intermediate of the carotenoid biosynthetic pathway, phytoene, and a second mutant with almost no detectable carotenoids.