The efficacy and safety of minocycline as adjuvant therapy in refractory mycoplasma pneumonia in Chinese children: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: To explore the efficacy and safety of minocycline as adjuvant therapy for refractory mycoplasma pneumonia in Chinese children. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang database and VIP database were systematically searched. Studies where minocycline was used as adjuvant therapy for refractory mycoplasma pneumonia in Chinese children were included. The effect of numeration data and the measurement data were represented by odds ratios (OR) and weighted mean differences (MD), respectively. Review Manager version 5.3 was used to compare the treatment efficacy, time for the cough to subside, defervescence time, hospitalisation time, adverse events and other indicators. RESULTS: Ten studies involving 857 patients were included in the final analysis. Compared with the conventional treatment of refractory mycoplasma pneumonia in children, the addition of minocycline as adjuvant therapy was found to improve the treatment efficacy (OR: 5.45; 95% CI: 3.46, 8.57, p < 0.001); shorten the duration of cough (MD: -3.61; 95%CI: -4.25, -2.97, p < 0.001), fever time (MD: -4.77; 95% CI: -6.30, -3.23, p < 0.001) and hospitalisation time (MD: -5.53 (95% CI: -7.19, -3.88, p < 0.001); and decrease the concentration of C-reactive protein (MD: -13.95; 95%CI: -18.61, -9.29; p < 0.001) and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (MD: -10.88; 95% CI: -14.05, -7.72, p < 0.001). The use of minocycline did not lead to significant adverse events (OR = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.39, 1.01, p = 0.05). CONCLUSION: The use of minocycline as adjuvant treatment of refractory mycoplasma pneumonia in Chinese children has good efficacy and safety and may be promoted in clinical practice.

CXCR4s in Teleosts: Two Paralogous Chemokine Receptors and Their Roles in Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cell Homeostasis.

Hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) generate the entire repertoire of immune cells in vertebrates and play a crucial role during infection. Although two copies of CXC motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) genes are generally identified in teleosts, the function of teleost CXCR4 genes in HSPCs is less known. In this study, we identified two CXCR4 genes from a teleost, ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis), named PaCXCR4a and PaCXCR4b. PaCXCR4b was constitutively expressed in ayu HSPCs, whereas PaCXCR4a was induced by LPS treatment. The stromal-derived factor-1-binding activity of CXCR4b was significantly higher than that of CXCR4a, whereas the LPS-binding activity of CXCR4a was significantly higher than that of CXCR4b in the teleosts ayu, large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea), and tiger puffer (Takifugu rubripes). CXCR4a+ HSPCs were mobilized into blood by LPS, whereas CXCR4b+ HSPCs were mobilized by leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin-2. PaSDF-1 and PaCXCR4b, but not PaCXCR4a, inhibited HSPC proliferation by regulating reactive oxygen species levels. Compared with PaCXCR4b+ HSPCs, PaCXCR4a+ HSPCs preferentially differentiated into myeloid cells in ayu by maintaining high stem cell leukemia expression. These data suggest that the two copies of CXCR4s achieve a division of labor in the regulation of teleost HSPC homeostasis, supporting the concept that subfunctionalization after gene duplication in teleosts may stabilize the immune system.

Beta-adrenergic receptor stimulation influences the function of monocytes/macrophages in ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis).

Adrenergic receptors (ARs) are members of the G-protein-coupled receptor superfamily that can be categorized into αARs and ßARs. The specific function of ARs in teleost monocytes/macrophages (MO/MФ) remains unknown. We determined the cDNA sequence of ARs from ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis; PaαAR and PaßAR). Sequence comparisons showed that PaαAR was most closely related to the αAR of the Japanese flounder and Nile tilapia, while PaßAR was most closely related to the ßAR of Atlantic salmon. The AR transcripts were mainly expressed in the spleen, and their expression was altered in various tissues upon infection with Vibrio anguillarum. PaαAR and PaßAR proteins were upregulated in MO/MФ after infection, and PaßAR knockdown resulted in a pro-inflammatory status in ayu MO/MФ upon V. anguillarum infection and lowered the phagocytic activity of MO/MФ. Our results indicate that PaßAR plays the role of an anti-inflammatory mediator in the immune response of ayu against bacterial infection.

Tip Crack Imaging on Transparent Materials by Digital Holographic Microscopy.

With this study, we propose a method to image the tip crack on transparent materials by using digital holographic microscopy. More specifically, an optical system based on Mach-Zehnder interference along with an inverted microscopy (Olympus CKX53) was used to image the tip crack of Dammar Varnish transparent material under thermal excitation. A series of holograms were captured and reconstructed for the observation of the changes of the tip crack. The reconstructed holograms were also compared temporally to compute the temporal changes, showing the crack propagation phenomena. Results show that the Dammar Varnish is sensitive to the ambient temperature. Our research demonstrates that digital holographic microscopy is a promising technique for the detection of the fine tip crack and propagation in transparent materials.

Walnut oil promotes healing of wounds and skin defects in rats via regulating the NF-kB pathway.

The effects of walnut oil on wound healing and skin injury repair was observed in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, and mechanism of action was investigated. Normal SD rats were divided into an experimental group and a control group. Each group was observed at4 time points (day [D]3, D7, D14, and D21). In both groups, a skin wound was created on the back of the rats, with the spine as the central axis. In the experimental group, the wound was covered with walnut oil, and then bandaged and fixed with sterile gauze. In the control group, the wound was bandaged with vaseline gauze. At each corresponding time point, the wound area and wound healing time of each rat were examined. Epithelial cells of the wound tissues were observed using haematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemical analysis,and the numbers of inflammatory cells and capillaries were counted. A western blot method was used to detect the expression of nuclear factor (NF)-κB and epidermal growth factor (EGF) in the wound tissues of both groups. Meanwhile, enzyme-linked immunosorbent analysis (ELISA) was used to detect the expression of transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß1 and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 in rat sera. A total of 48 SD rats completed the experiment. Healing time of residual wounds in the experimental group was 10.0±3.5 days, which was significantly shorter than that in the control group (18.0±6.0 days) (p<0.05). The wound healing rates in the experimental group were 54.14 % (D3) and 91.2 3% (D7), whereas those in the control group were 22.12% (D3) and 54.84% (D7 (p<0.05).Histological examinations revealed no epithelial cells on D3, D7, D14, and D21 in both the experimental and control groups. However, the number of inflammatory cells decreased significantly and the number of capillaries increased significantly in the experimental group compared to control (p<0.05). NF-κB expression was significantly lower, EGF expression significantly higher in the in the experimental group. Conversely, ELISA showed a significant increase in the expression of TGF-ß1 and MMP-1 in rat sera in the experimental group. So we conclude that walnut oil has significant effects in promoting the healing of skin defect wounds in SD rats.

Curcumin improves expression of SCF/c-kit through attenuating oxidative stress and NF-κB activation in gastric tissues of diabetic gastroparesis rats.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus is associated with many kinds of complications. Recent studies have shown that oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions have critical roles in the pathogenesis of diabetic gastroparesis. Curcumin is known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In the present study, we investigated the effect of curcumin on diabetic gastric motility in a Sprague Dawley rat model of type 1 diabetes mellitus. METHODS: Male SD rats were divided into a control group, a control group receiving curcumin, a diabetic group, and a diabetic group receiving curcumin. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. Curcumin (150 mg/kg) was given intragastrically for 6 weeks, and blood glucose levels and body weights were measured. Stomachs were excised for analysis of gastric emptying rates, and levels of oxidative stress. NF-κB, I-κB, and stem cell factor (SCF)/c-kit protein levels were assessed by western blot analysis, while the apoptosis of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICCs) was assessed by TUNEL staining. RESULTS: Curcumin-treated diabetic rats showed significantly improved gastric emptying rates [(59.4 ± 7.5)%] compared with diabetic rats [(44.3 ± 5.7)%], as well as decreased levels of MDA [21.4 ± 1.8 (nmol/mg) vs 27.9 ± 2.1 (nmol/mg)], and increased SOD activity [126.2 ± 8.8 (units/mg) vs 107.9 ± 7.5 (units/mg)]. On the other hand, the gastric emptying level in the control group was not significantly different from that in the control group receiving curcumin treatment. In addition, curcumin-treated diabetic rats showed significantly increased levels of SCF/c-kit protein in stomach tissues, inhibited I-κB degradation and NF-κB activation, and reduced ICC apoptosis index [(26.2 ± 4.1)% vs (47.5 ± 6.2)%], compared with the diabetic group. CONCLUSION: Curcumin treatment improved gastric emptying by blocking the production of oxidative stress, abolishing NF-κB signal transduction and enhancing expression of SCF/c-kit in rats with diabetic gastroparesis.

[Self-assembly of two kinds of nanoparticles and their surface enhanced Raman spectroscopic study].

Two kinds of nanoparticles (gold nanoparticles and Au core Pt shell nanoparticles) on silicon surfaces which were silanization were electrostatically self-assembled. The density of nanoparticles was controlled by changing the time of the substrate immersed in colloids. The substrate was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the results indicated that Au and Au@Pt particles were dispersed on the substrate with mono/submonolayers. The authors used pyridine (Py) as a probing molecule, and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) effect was investigated on pure Au and Au-Au@Pt mixed nanoparticle surfaces under the excitation line of 632.8 nm. The results revealed that there is a significant shift of the two characteristic peaks of Py, but the enhancement factors of Au dropped off precipitously with the introduction of the Au@Pt nanoparticles. The authors attributed this effect to the introduction of metal d-states from the metal, which would serve effectively to quench the surface plasmon excitation necessary for large (electromagnetic) enhancements in Raman spectroscopy.