Eikenella corrodens isolated from pleural effusion: A case report.

BACKGROUND: The bacterium Eikenella, classified as a gram-negative member of the phylum Proteobacteria, is distinguished by its rarity, corrosive nature, facultative anaerobic properties, and conditional pathogenicity. It represents the sole species within its genus-Eikenella corrodens (E. corrodens)-and can be found colonizing both human and animal oral and nasopharyngeal regions. Additionally, it occasionally inhabits the gastrointestinal or urogenital tracts. However, its slow growth rate can be attributed to its high nutritional requirements. However, there is an uneven distribution of construction and diagnostic capacity in China which poses undeniable challenges for the clinical examination and analysis of this case, especially in the basic hospitals. CASE SUMMARY: Here we presented a case of empyema associated with E. corrodens infection in a 67-year-old male patient without any previous history of infectious diseases in our primary hospital in Dongguan district of China. The patient was admitted due to recurrent worsening cough, sputum production, and dyspnea for 3 d, which had persisted for over 20 years. Moreover, the patient experienced a one-hour episode of unconsciousness. Upon admission, immediate comprehensive examinations were conducted on the patient which subsequently led to his admission to the intensive care unit. Meanwhile, the patient presented with drowsiness and profuse sweating along with bilateral conjunctival edema observed during initiation of non-invasive ventilation, suggesting empyema. A significant amount of coffee-colored malodorous pleural fluid was drained during the procedure above and sent to the laboratory department for inspection. Finally, laboratory culture results confirmed the presence of E. corrodens infection in the pleural fluid sample. The patient received antimicrobial therapy until died on day 22 in the hospital. CONCLUSION: In this report, we presented a case of empyema associated with E. corrodens infection. Multiple courses of morphological examination, viable culture analysis, and biochemical identification revealed its difficulties in detecting distinctive characteristics, as well as a detection model worth promoting. It's just that there were still certain deficiencies in terms of morphological assessment, biochemical identification, and drug susceptibility testing.

[Mechanism of oxymatrine in preventing hepatic fibrosis formation in patients with chronic hepatitis B].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanism of oxymatrine in preventing hepatic fibrosis formation in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). METHODS: A total of 80 CHB patients receiving routine therapies for liver protection and support were divided into two groups. Oxymatrine at the daily dose of 150 mg was injected intravenously in the therapeutic group (n=40), and gluthion (1.2 g daily) was injected in the control group (n=40) for 8 weeks. The liver functions, indexes of hepatic fibrosis and the levels of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were measured in these patients before and after the therapy. RESULTS: Liver functions was obviously improved after therapy in both groups, showing no significant difference between them (P>0.05). The indexes of hepatic fibrosis such as HA, LN, PCIII and C-IV were significantly lower in the therapeutic group than in the control group (P<0.01). The serum levels of TGF-beta1 and TNF-alpha decreased while IL-10 increased significantly after the treatment in the therapeutic group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The effect of oxymatrine against hepatic fibrosis is mediated by lowering the levels of TGF-beta1 and TNF-alpha and increasing the level of IL-10 in CHB patients.

[Effects of Danqi Huogan Capsule in protecting the liver, promoting circulation and removing clots in patients with chronic hepatitis B].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of Danqi Huogan Capsule in protecting the liver, promoting the circulation and removing blood clots in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB). METHODS: A total of 104 CHB patients were randomized into two groups. Routine therapies for liver protection were given in the control group (n=50), and Danqi Huogan Capsule was administered in the therapeutic group (n=54) in addition to the routine therapies. The changes in the clinical symptoms, physical signs, liver functions, and hemorrheology were observed after the 3-month therapies. RESULTS: Danqi Huogan Capsule treatment obvious improved the clinical symptoms, physical signs and liver functions of the patients (P<0.01), and significantly decreased the hematocrit, low-shear blood viscosity, plasma viscosity and index of red blood cell aggregation (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Danqi Huogan Capsule is effective in protecting the liver, improving hemorrheology, promoting the blood circulation and removing clots in patients with chronic hepatitis B.