[Outcome of pediatric-to-adult liver transplantation:a single-center study in China].

Objective: To explore the outcome of the pediatric-to-adult liver transplantation, including postoperative complications and relevant factors which affecting graft survival. Methods: Data of 55 patients undergoing pediatric-to-adult liver transplantation at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University between January 2015 and August 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The donors consisted of 34 males and 21 females, and the age was (11.8±4.7) years (range: 1 to 17 years). Among the cases,17 cases (30.9%) were donation of brain death,32 cases (58.2%) were donation of cardiac death, and 6 cases (10.9%) were donation after brain death plus cardiac death. The recipients consisted of 32 males and 23 females, and the age was (51.6±10.1) years (range: 27 to 70 years). Among the recipients,10 cases (18.2%) were ABO-incompatible liver transplantation.The influencing factors of early graft survival were analyzed by Student t test,Mann-Whitney U test or χ2 test,respectively.Survival curve was drawn by Kaplan-Meier method.Logistic multivariate analysis was used to analyze the independent relevant factors of early postoperative graft loss. Results: Up to October 31,2021,the follow-up time (M(IQR)) was 36.0(43.1)months(range:5.9 to 81.7 months).There were 13 cases with graft loss (two of them underwent re-transplantation due to acute liver failure).The monofactor analysis indicated that cold ischemia time and donor-recipient blood group matching were the relevant factors affecting the early graft survival rate(both P<0.05).Logistic multivariate analysis showed that cold ischemia time and history of recipient gastrointestinal bleeding were independent relevant factors(both P<0.05).Postoperative hepatic artery thrombosis occurred in 3 cases(5.5%), portal vein thrombosis diagnosed in 4 cases(7.3%), portal vein stenosis occurred in 2 cases(3.6%),biliary complications diagnosed in 7 cases(12.7%), and small liver syndrome was found in 8 cases(14.5%). Conclusions: Adult liver transplantation with pediatric donor liver is an effective method to treat end-stage liver disease.Cold ischemia time and history of recipient gastrointestinal bleeding were independent relevant factors for the early graft survival.

The liquid Kangfuxin (KFX) has efficient antifungal activity and can be used in the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis in mice.

Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is an infectious disease caused mainly by Candida albicans. Kangfuxin (KFX) is a traditional Chinese medicine preparation made from Periplaneta americana extracts, which promotes wound healing and enhances body immunity and also acts as an antifungal agent. Here, we evaluated the effect of KFX in the treatment of VVC in vitro and in vivo. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC50 ) of KFX against C. albicans ranged from 7·65 to 20·57%. In addition, KFX was more efficient than fluconazole (FLC) in inhibiting the drug-resistant C. albicans, and the effect was more intense after 8 h. The KFX treatment also exhibited good activity in vivo. It restored the body weight and reduced the vulvovaginal symptoms in mice induced with VVC. It downregulated the expression of the hyphae-related gene, HWP1, thus inhibiting the growth and development of C. albicans hyphae. It also increased the number of neutrophils and promoted the secretion of interleukin-17A (IL-17A); however, the levels of interleukin-8 (IL-8) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) decreased in mice with VVC. We deduce that KFX effectively treats vaginal candidiasis in two ways: by inhibiting the growth and development of mycelia to reduce colonization of C. albicans and by promoting the secretion and release of IL-17A and neutrophils in high numbers to fight C. albicans infection. This study provides a theoretical basis for the use of KFX for the clinical treatment of VVC.

Conversion efficiency of multi-keV L-shell-band X-ray emission.

This study explored the influence of foil thickness, laser pulse width, and laser intensity to optimize the multi-keV X-ray conversion efficiency of a sandwiched (CH/Sn/CH) planar target under laser irradiation at the Shenguang II laser facility. The X-ray photon field values were measured using a set of elliptically bent crystal spectrometers and the conversion efficiencies (ξx) of photon energies were in the range of 3.7-4.3 keV. The experimental results indicate that the X-ray yields of 3.7 to 4.3 keV radiation strongly depend on the laser pulse width, target thickness, and laser intensity. The results also demonstrate that three-layer thin foils can provide an efficient multi-keV X-ray source because they can change the distribution of emitted multi-keV X-rays and target dynamics versus nanosecond laser pulses to produce large, hot, and underdense plasma. However, the underdense plasma produced as a rarefaction wave causes the overdense plasma generated by the laser pulse to expand. Therefore, the laser parameters and foil thickness must be carefully optimized to produce an efficient 3.7 to 4.3 keV X-ray source. Otherwise, the rarefaction waves from both sides of the thin foil may suppress multi-keV X-ray emission. This study represents an important advancement in the development of an efficient multi-keV L-shell-band X-ray source.

[Follow-up study of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease complicated with pulmonary hypertension].

Objective: To investigate the relationship between clinical characteristics of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and COPD exacerbation over a three-year observation period. Methods: A total of 366 cases of stable COPD patients were enrolled from the Department of Respiratory Medicine of the First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Science and Technology. The patients underwent pulmonary function tests(PFT), COPD assessment test (CAT), Saint George's respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ), transthoracic echocardiogrophy(TTE), chest CT and biochemical detection. The likelihood of PH was evaluated based on the peak tricuspid regurgitation velocity (TRV) measured by echocardiography at rest and other indicators, which were represented by low, medium, and high probability, respectively. Highly probability was defined as PH. The mean values of the groups were compared using a two-tailed unpaired t test for normally distributed variables. Qualitative data were assessed using a χ2 test. Pearson correlation analysis was performed, and risk factors were analyzed using logistic regression analysis and stepwise regression analysis. P<0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. Results: The prevalence of patients with high likelihood of PH was 18.3% (n=67) in a series of 366 patients with COPD. The median estimated systolic pulmonary artery pressure in patients with PH was (51.7±6.7) mmHg(1mmHg=0.133 kPa). There were differences between patients with high likelihood of PH and those with low to moderate likelihood of PH for the following factors: age (76.0 vs. 64.0), body mass index (BMI) [(21.4±6.0) kg/m2 vs. (22.6±7.2)kg/m2], brain natriureticpeptide (BNP) [(50.8±9.1) pg/ml vs. (36.4±8.1) pg/ml], toral number of acute exacerbation in three-year [(6.1±0.1) times vs. (2.8±0.4) times], CAT (17.0 vs. 10.0), SGRQ (48.9 vs. 32.1), carbon monoxide diffusion percentage of predicted value (DLCO%) [(51.9±21.9)% vs. (67.0±22.1)%]; all the differences being statistically significant(mean P<0.05).There was a negative correlation between DLCO% and SPAP (r=-0.28, P<0.01).In patients with high likelihood of PH, the percentage of low attenuation area (LAA%) and interstitial abnormalities in chest CT were higher than those in patients with low to moderate likelihood of PH (56.1% vs. 34.3% and 30.8% vs. 15.6%, mean P<0.05).LAA% ≥ 30% and pulmonary interstitial abnormalities were independent risk factors for pH [beta value were 1.479, 1.065, OR value was (3.640-5.720), 95%CI (1.462-8.571), mean P<0.01]. The ratio of main pulmonary diameter to aortic artery diameter was significantly correlated with estimated systolic pulmonary artery pressure(r=-0.35, P<0.01).Age ≥75 years, FEV1%predicted value<50% and the presence of PH increased the likelihood of exacerbations of COPD over three years[beta value (0.459-1.211), OR value (3.643-5.722), 95%CI (1.463-8.904), mean P<0.01]. Conclusions: COPD patients with high likelihood of PH assessed by echocardiography were older, had a lower BMI, and presented with a worse health status compared to those with low to moderate likelihood of PH. The presence of PH assessed by echocardiography was related to future COPD exacerbations in COPD patients, and emphysema was closely related to PH assessed by echocardiography.

[Effects of different fluid resuscitation on renal function and glycocalyx in septic shock rats].

To investigate the effects of different fluid resuscitation on renal function and glycocalyx in septic shock rats. The septic shock SD rats (induced by lipopolysaccharide) were randomly divided into control group, normal saline resuscitation group, Lactate Ringer's solution resuscitation group and succinyl gelatin resuscitation group (n=6 each). The mean arterial pressure, heart rate, serum creatinine (Scr), urea nitrogen (BUN), renal blood flow, renal tissue pathology, serum interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor α and glycocalyx were measured at baseline, the development of septic shock, 0 hour and 8 hours after resuscitation. When shock was established, the renal blood flow significantly decreased (P<0.05) and recovered to normal at 0 hour and 8 hours after resuscitation. Compared with normal saline group and succinyl gelatin group, the levels of Scr, BUN and glycocalyx components (heparan sulfate, syndecan-1) were significant lower in Lactate Ringer's solution group (P<0.05). The pathology of kidney tissue suggested that the microscopic ischemic damage with Lactate Ringer's solution were minor than the other two groups. Compared with normal saline and succinyl gelatin, Lactate Ringer's solution can reduce the damage of renal function and glycocalyx in septic shock rats.

Effects of comprehensive rehabilitation on complications and long-term prognoses of patients in vegetative and minimal consciousness states.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the clinical characteristics, prognoses, and prognostic factors of vegetative state (VS) and minimal consciousness state (MCS) patients hospitalized for comprehensive rehabilitation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The data of VS and MCS patients admitted in the past six years were retrospectively analyzed. Age of onset, etiology, course of disease, complications, and retention of tracheal intubation, gastric tube, and urethral catheter were recorded. All patients were followed for one year after onset, and their Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) scores were assessed. Long-term prognostic factors were analyzed using logistic regression. RESULTS: The proportion of patients with traumatic brain injuries in the MCS group was higher than in the VS group (p<0.05), while hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy accounted for a higher proportion in the VS group; the differences were statistically significant between the two groups. The occurrence of infection was the highest in both groups, followed by spasticity and epilepsy. The occurrence of other complications was slightly different between the two groups but did not reach statistical significance (p>0.05). Age, etiology, and consciousness at admission had a significant impact on the long-term prognoses of VS or MCS patients (p<0.05), and the age of onset was the most important factor (the highest OR). CONCLUSIONS: Infection, spasticity, and epilepsy are common complications in both VS and MCS patients. Recovery of consciousness after one year was shown to be affected by age, etiology, and consciousness at admission.

[Application of the Virtual Reality-Pattern Visual Evoked Potential in Forensic Visual Acuity Evaluation].

ABSTRACT: Objective To explore a kind of visual evoked potential test equipment and method that is more suitable for the application of forensic clinical visual acuity evaluation. Methods Thirty-four volunteers （68 eyes） were selected, including 15 males and 19 females, aged between 20 and 40 years. Test lenses were placed before the tested eyes of volunteers to induce refractive myopia with insert method, and the diopter lenses were adjusted so that the visual acuity level of one eye of volunteers was above 0.8, and the visual acuity of the other eye was at moderate damage level （<0.3 and ≥0.1）. The tests were carried out under the binocular simultaneous asynchronous stimulation mode （hereinafter referred to as "binocular mode"） and monocular separate stimulation mode （hereinafter referred to as "monocular mode"） of virtual reality-pattern visual evoked potential （VR-PVEP）, and the amplitude of PVEP of volunteers under the two modes was compared at four spatial frequencies of 8×8, 16×16, 24×24 and 32×32. Results The differences in the amplitude of P100 wave between monocular and binocular modes at 8×8 spatial frequency had no statistical significance and the differences in amplitude of P100 wave between monocular and binocular modes at 16×16, 24×24, and 32×32 spatial frequencies had statistical significance （P<0.05）. The amplitude of the same eye in monocular mode was higher than that in binocular mode. Through correlation analysis, it was found that the amplitude of P100 wave in monocular mode was moderately correlated with amplitude of P100 wave in binocular mode. Conclusion In forensic identification practice, VR-PVEP is helpful for overcoming the disturbance of poor fixation, and to increase the reliability of PVEP evaluation results. It can greatly shorten the detection time of PVEP and improve work efficiency.

Effects of acarbose and siglitine on blood glucose fluctuation and islet ß-cell function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The effects of acarbose and sitagliptin on blood glucose fluctuation and islet ß-cell function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were studied. One hundred and three patients with poorly controlled T2DM with insulin aspart 30 were selected and randomly divided into three groups: group A [continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) treatment group], group B (CSII combined with acarbose treatment), group C (CSII combined with sitagliptin treatment). The treatment lasted for two weeks and the clinical indicators in the three groups were measured. The insulin dosage was adjusted according to the blood glucose statuses of the three groups of patients. In the final three days, 72 h of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) were carried out, and the OGTT test was performed again. The results showed that the MODD (absolute means of daily difference), intra-day blood glucose fluctuation indices [(24 h MBG (mean blood glucose), LAGE (largest amplitude of glycemic excursions) and MAGE (average blood glucose fluctuation)] and postprandial blood glucose fluctuation indices [PGS (postprandial glucose spike), △t, PPGE (postprandial glucose excursion) and T (time) total] in group C and group B were significantly lower than those in group A. Compared with group B, the difference in blood glucose fluctuation indices in group C was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The HOMA-islet (homeostasis model assessment of islet) (CP-DM) index and FC-P (Fasting c-peptide) levels in group C and group B were significantly higher than those in group A (P less than 0.01). The HOMA-IR (CP) index of groups B and C was significantly lower than that of group A (P less than 0.01), and there was no statistically significant difference between groups B and C (P less than 0.05). Sitagliptin combined with intensive insulin pump therapy can reduce blood glucose fluctuation throughout the day, reduce insulin dosage, improve islet B cell function and reduce hypoglycemia better than intensive insulin pump therapy alone.

Elliptically bent crystal x-ray spectrometer for time-resolved laser plasma experiments.

Measuring time-resolved spectra is crucial in inertial confinement fusion and radiation source development experiments. An elliptically bent crystal spectrometer is designed to measure X-rays in the range of 2.5-11.0 keV, which was achieved using four different lattice spacings of 0.8512, 0.6687, 0.4246, and 0.2749 nm with spectral resolution E/δE of ∼500. The X-rays emitted from a source at one focus of the ellipse undergo Bragg reflection off a crystal and pass through the second focus of the ellipse to a streak camera slit with 18-mm length and 80-µm width to generate a time-resolved spectrum. An alignment method for the time-resolved spectrometer was developed with the straight line connecting the centers of the two small holes on the fabricated substrate being the axis of the ellipse, thus allowing the spacing between the source and the elliptical crystal to be tuned to couple with the streak camera. The time-resolved spectrometer's performance was experimentally tested at the Shenguang II laser facility. The results indicate that its performance is close to that predicted theoretically.

[Effect of transforming growth factor-ß1 on HBV replication and antigen synthesis in HepG2.2.15 cells with steatosis].

Objective: To investigate the effect of transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) on HBV replication and protein expression in HepG2.2.15 cells with steatosis, as well as the association of TGF-ß1 with suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (SOCS-3) mRNA and sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) mRNA during the steatosis of HepG2.2.15 cells. Methods: The cells were divided into HepG2/HepG2.2.15 cell control groups (C1/C2 groups) and HepG2/HepG2.2.15 cell steatosis groups (F1/F2 groups). 5 ng/ml TGF-ß1 was added to the two cell systems for intervention to establish TGF-ß1 intervention groups (T1/T2 groups) and steatosis+TGF-ß1 intervention groups (TF1/TF2 groups). A time-resolved fluorescence analyzer was used to measure HBsAg and HBeAg, and quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure HBV DNA, SOCS-3 mRNA, and SREBP-1 mRNA. A one-way analysis of variance and a factorial analysis were used for the statistical analysis of data. Results: TGF-ß1 significantly reduced the level of HBeAg in C2 group (P = 0.034) and the levels of HBsAg (P < 0.001) and HBeAg (P = 0.004) in F2 group. There was an interaction between steatosis and TGF-ß1 in inhibiting HBsAg. In addition, TGF-ß1 significantly reduced the mRNA expression of SOCS-3 in C1, F1, C2, and F2 groups (P < 0.05) and significantly increased the mRNA expression of SREBP-1c in C1, F1, C2, and F2 groups (P < 0.05), suggesting that there was an interaction between steatosis and TGF-ß1 in downregulating the mRNA expression of SOCS-3 and upregulating the mRNA expression of SREBP-1c. Conclusion: TGF-ß1 does not affect HBV duplication in HepG2.2.15 cells and can inhibit the expression of HBsAg and HBeAg. TGF-ß1 can downregulate the mRNA expression of SOCS-3 and upregulate the mRNA expression of SREBP-1c.

Smoking prevalence and its influence on disease course and surgery in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND: Smoking demonstrates divergent effects in Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Smoking frequency is greater in CD and deleterious to its disease course. Conversely, UC is primarily a disease of nonsmokers and ex-smokers, with reports of disease amelioration in active smoking. AIM: To determine the prevalence of smoking and its effects on disease progression and surgery in a well-characterised cohort of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) patients. METHODS: Patients with smoking data of the Sydney IBD Cohort were included. Demographic, phenotypic, medical, surgical and hospitalisation data were analysed and reported on the basis of patient smoking status. RESULTS: 1203 IBD patients were identified comprising 626 CD and 557 UC with 6725 and 6672 patient-years of follow-up, respectively. CD patients were more likely to smoke than UC patients (19.2% vs. 10.2%, P < 0.001). A history of smoking in CD was associated with an increased proportional surgery rate (45.8% vs. 37.8%, P = 0.045), requirement for IBD-related hospitalisation (P = 0.009) and incidence of peripheral arthritis (29.8% vs. 22.0%, P = 0.027). Current smokers with UC demonstrated reduced corticosteroid utilisation (24.1% vs. 37.5%, P = 0.045), yet no reduction in the rates of colectomy (3.4% vs. 6.6%, P = 0.34) or hospital admission (P = 0.25) relative to nonsmokers. Ex-smokers with UC required proportionately greater immunosuppressive (36.2% vs. 26.3%, P = 0.041) and corticosteroid (43.7% vs. 34.5%, P = 0.078) therapies compared with current and never smokers. CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the detrimental effects of smoking in CD, yet failed to demonstrate substantial benefit from smoking in UC. These data should encourage all patients with IBD to quit smoking.

Neonatal ketamine exposure causes impairment of long-term synaptic plasticity in the anterior cingulate cortex of rats.

Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic most commonly used in many pediatric procedures, has been reported in many animal studies to cause widespread neuroapoptosis in the neonatal brain after exposure in high doses and/or for a prolonged period. This neurodegenerative change occurs most severely in the forebrain including the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) that is an important brain structure for mediating a variety of cognitive functions. However, it is still unknown whether such apoptotic neurodegeneration early in life would subsequently impair the synaptic plasticity of the ACC later in life. In this study, we performed whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from the ACC brain slices of young adult rats to examine any alterations in long-term synaptic plasticity caused by neonatal ketamine exposure. Ketamine was administered at postnatal day 4-7 (subcutaneous injections, 20mg/kg given six times, once every 2h). At 3-4weeks of age, long-term potentiation (LTP) was induced and recorded by monitoring excitatory postsynaptic currents from ACC slices. We found that the induction of LTP in the ACC was significantly reduced when compared to the control group. The LTP impairment was accompanied by an increase in the α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor-mediated excitatory synaptic transmission and a decrease in GABA inhibitory synaptic transmission in neurons of the ACC. Thus, our present findings show that neonatal ketamine exposure causes a significant LTP impairment in the ACC. We suggest that the imbalanced synaptic transmission is likely to contribute to ketamine-induced LTP impairment in the ACC.

Development of three vitrification-based cryopreservation procedures for shoot tips of China's potato.

China is now the largest potato producing country worldwide. The establishment of efficient conservation techniques for potato germplasm is a prerequisite for breeding of elite cultivars. Potato viral diseases have been a great threat for sustainable potato production in China. Use of virus-free seed tubers is an effective and practical means to control viral diseases. In the present study, three vitrification-based cryopreservation techniques, i.e. droplet-vitrification, encapsulation-vitrification and vitrification were successfully developed for the first time for China's potato. Cultivar 'Zihuabai' was used to optimize key parameters involved in the three vitrification-based procedures. With the optimized parameters, shoot regrowth percentages of 71%, 76% and 43% were obtained for droplet-vitrification, encapsulation-vitrification and vitrification, respectively. The three protocols developed were further tested with eight China's major cultivars, with average shoot regrowth of 61%, 38% and 28% for droplet-vitrification, encapsulation-vitrification and vitrification, respectively. Successful development of the three cryopreservation procedures using a single cultivar will facilitate a number of comparative studies such as cryo-injury, regrowth pattern, genetic stability and efficiency of virus elimination. Testing these three cryogenic procedures for potato major cultivars representing a wide range of genetic background, will help the establishment of potato cryobanking in China and the production of virus-free plants.

Effects of heat exposure on muscle oxidation and protein functionalities of pectoralis majors in broilers.

This study was conducted to determine the effects of heat stress on pH, lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, and functionalities of breast meat in broilers. The experimental birds were exposed to 2 temperatures: 24 degrees C (control) and 41 degrees C (heat-stressed) for 0, 1, 2, 3, and 5 h. As compared with control, the pH determinations after slaughter for 30 min and 24 h of chilling, respectively, of the pectoralis major in the heat-stressed groups were significantly lower (P < 0.05). Oxidative stability of i.m. lipid in 3- and 5-h groups (P < 0.01) and protein in 2-, 3-, and 5-h groups (P < 0.01) increased. Protein solubility of pectorilas major decreased after heat exposure. Drip loss and cooking loss were increased in groups from 1 to 5 h of exposure. A reduced strength was noted for myofibrillar protein gels of heat-stressed breasts in exposed groups (P < 0.01); also water-holding capacity of the gels was reduced in treatments of 2, 3, and 5 h (P < 0.01). The results demonstrated that preslaughter exposures to heat reduced the oxidative stability of broiler muscle protein, which might be responsible for decreased protein functionalities such as gelation.

CAPS markers specific to Eb, Ee, and R genomes in the tribe Triticeae.

Wild Triticeae grasses serve as important gene pools for forage and cereal crops. Understanding their genome compositions is pivotal for efficient use of this vast gene pool in germplasm-enhancement programs. Several cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) markers were developed to distinguish the Eb, Ee, and R genomes. With the aid of disomic addition lines of wheat, it was confirmed that all 7 chromosomes of Eb, Ee, and R genomes carry these genome-specific CAPS markers. Thus, the identified CAPS markers are useful in detecting and monitoring the chromosomes of these 3 genomes. This study also provides evidence suggesting that some Purdue and Chinese germplasm lines developed for barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) resistance are different from those developed in Australia. Furthermore, Thinopyrum intermedium and Thinopyrum ponticum were shown to have different genome constitutions. Sequence analyses of the 1272 bp sequences, containing Ty3/gypsy retrotransposons, from the Eb, Ee, and R genomes also shed light on the evolution of these 3 genomes.

Extraintestinal focal infections in adults with nontyphoid Salmonella bacteraemia: predisposing factors and clinical outcome.

BACKGROUND: Nontyphoid Salmonella (NTS) isolates lead to not only self-limited, acute gastrointestinal infections, but also bacteraemia with or without extraintestinal focal infections (EFIs). The risk factors associated with EFIs in adults with NTS bacteraemia were not clearly elucidated. METHODS: In a medical center in southern Taiwan, patients aged > or = 18 years with NTS bacteraemia between January 1999 and June 2005 were included for analysis. RESULTS: Of 129 patients, 51 (39.5%) were complicated with EFIs. The most common EFI was mycotic aneurysm, followed by pleuropulmonary infections and spinal osteomyelitis. Compared to patients with primary bacteraemia, those with EFIs had higher leucocyte counts (P = 0.004) and higher serum levels of C-reactive protein (P < 0.0001). The development of EFIs was associated with a higher mortality, more severe septic manifestations, longer hospital stays and duration of antimicrobial therapy. Univariate analysis revealed that diabetes mellitus (P = 0.02), hypertension (P = 0.02) and chronic lung disease (P = 0.006) were significantly associated with EFIs. However, patients with malignancy (P = 0.01) and immunosuppressive therapy (P = 0.03) were less likely to develop EFIs. On the basis of multivariate analysis, an independent factor for the occurrence of EFIs was age [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.05; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.07; P < 0.0001], whilst malignancy was negatively associated with EFIs (aOR 0.16; 95% CI 0.14-0.78; P = 0.01). CONCLUSION: Amongst patients with NTS bacteraemia, EFIs often occurred in the aged, and were associated with a higher mortality and morbidity. Recognition of specific host factors is essential for identification of EFIs which often demand early surgical interventions and prolonged antimicrobial therapy.

Variations in abundance of 2 repetitive sequences in Leymus and Psathyrostachys species.

The Ns genome of the genus Psathyrostachys is a component of the polyploid genome in the genus Leymus. Using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), the occurrence and abundance of 2 tandem repetitive sequences from Leymus racemosus (Lam.) Tzvelev, pLrTaiI-1 (TaiI family) and pLrPstI-1 (1 class of 350-bp family), were assayed in 4 species of the genera Psathyrostachys and Leymus. The pLrPstI-1 sequence was absent in all 4 Psathyrostachys species. While P. fragilis and P. huashanica did not have the pLrTaiI-1 sequence, 15 accessions of P. juncea and 2 accessions of P. lanuginosa had pLrTaiI-1 sites ranging in number from 7 to 16 and from 2 to 21, respectively. The numbers of pLrTaiI-1 and pLrPstI-1 sites were 1-24 and 0-30, respectively, in L. ramosus; 2-31 and 5-36 in L. racemosus; 0-4 and 0 in L. mollis; 2-9 and 24-27 in L. secalinus. The FISH assay on pLrTaiI-1 was successfully converted to a sequence-tagged-site polymerase chain reaction (STS-PCR) test using a primer pair designed from the sequence of this repetitive DNA. Seventy-three accessions representing 27 Leymus species were assayed for the abundance of pLrTaiI-1 by STS-PCR. With a few exceptions of uniformity in some accessions, nearly all Leymus species observed were heterogeneous for the abundance of pLrTaiI-1 sequence and no Leymus species was totally devoid of this repetitive sequence. These findings may have significance for the understanding of phylogeny, nature of polyploidy, adaptive ranges, and breeding potential of Leymus species.

Relationships among 3 Kochia species based on PCR-generated molecular sequences and molecular cytogenetics.

Forage kochia (Kochia prostrata ssp. virescens 'Immigrant' is native to the arid and semiarid regions of central Eurasia. It was introduced into the United States in 1966 as PI 314929 and released as a perennial forage shrub in 1984. Kochia americana is a perennial native to the United States, whereas Kochia scorparia is an introduced annual species that became a weed. To assess both the breeding potential and the possibility of genetic contamination, relationships among the 3 Kochia species were analyzed using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers, sequence tagged site (STS) marker sequences of the chloroplast NADH dehydrogenase gene (ndhF), genomic in situ hybridization (GISH), and multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization (MC-FISH). Seventy decamer random primers yielded 458 polymorphic bands from 9 plants of K. americana, 20 plants of K. prostrata, and 7 plants of K. scoparia. Fifty-four and 55 species-specific RAPD markers were identified for K. americana and K. prostrata, whereas 80 RAPD markers were specific to K. scoparia. Based on the presence or absence of informative RAPD markers, the 3 species always grouped into 3 distinct clusters in a NTSYSpc2.01b-generated dendrogram. The same relationships were found among the 3 Kochia species based on ndhF DNA sequence divergence. Using a set of 7 STS markers that can identify each Kochia species, we did not find a single interspecific hybrid from artificial hybridizations among the 3 Kochia species. In GISH studies, chromosomes of 1 species fluoresced in green only when they were probed by genomic DNA of the same species. Cross-hybridization by genomic DNA of another species was not observed. In FISH studies using pTa71 (for 18S-5.8S-26S rDNAs) and pScT7 (for 5S rDNA) as probes, there were 1, 1 and 3 pTa71 sites and 2, 1, and 1 pScT7 sites in each haplome of K. prostrata, K. americana, and K. scoparia, respectively. It is concluded that these 3 Kochia species are so genomically distinct that gene introgression among them would be extremely rare.

Characteristics and behaviour of the chromosomes of Leymus mollis and L. racemosus (Triticeae, Poaceae) during mitosis and meiosis.

Leymus mollis and L. racemosus (Triticeae; Poaceae) are important as genetic resources for wheat improvement, as they carry genes for salt tolerance and disease resistance. Even though these species share common Ns and Xm genomes, the genomic relationship between these two species is not yet clearly understood. In this study, we examined the genomes of the two species by FISH and GISH, using combinations of tandem-repetitive sequences and genomic DNAs. Comparative GISH showed that genomes in the genus Leymus were diverse. Nevertheless, chromosomes of these two species were able to undergo complete meiotic pairing in hybrids, suggesting that differences in the subtelomeric heterochromatin and sequences distinguishable by GISH do not affect meiotic pairing.