Enhancing Efficacy and Quality of Life in Patients with Herpes Zoster Infection in Hairy Cell Leukemia.

Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is an infrequent and persistent B-cell inert lymphoid leukemia. In this study, we present the case of a 71-year-old female patient with a previous diagnosis of variant HCL who experienced a severe herpes zoster infection leading to an extensive skin eruption. The patient's initial diagnosis of HCL occurred 7 years ago, and she underwent treatment with cladribine, interferon, COP (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone), benztropine tablets + clarithromycin dispersible, and ibrutinib. Immune disorders resulting from repeated prior chemotherapy and targeted therapy may potentially precipitate herpes zoster infection. Despite an initial two-week period of unresponsiveness to antivirals and nerve nutrition treatments, the introduction of topical Coptis liquid to the treatment regimen yielded significant efficacy. This case report underscores the potential of Chinese medicine as an adjunct to conventional antiviral therapy in the management of herpes zoster infection in immunocompromised patients. This treatment protocol has the potential to enhance efficacy, enhance quality of life, and serve as a more robust foundation for clinical diagnosis and improved treatments.

The relationship between urinary selenium levels and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus: A nested case-control study.

Background: Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for the human body. Serum Se and urinary Se are also biomarkers to assess Se exposure status. However, studies focusing on the association between urinary Se and the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are rare. Objective: To investigate the association between urinary Se and the risk of GDM. Methods: A nested case-control study based on a prospective birth cohort in Wuhan, China, which focuses on the effects of prenatal environmental factors exposure on pregnant women and children's health was conducted. Two hundred and twenty-six cases and 452 controls were included. Maternal urine samples were collected before GDM diagnosis, and the urinary Se levels were determined. We assessed the association of urinary Se with GDM by conditional logistic regression with maternal urinary Se level as a categorical variable, and estimated the association between Se and glucose levels by multiple linear regression. The potential modifier roles of maternal age and fetal sex have also been assessed. Results: Lower urinary level of Se was significantly associated with a higher risk of GDM (OR = 2.35 for the tertile 1, 95% CI:1.36-4.06; adjusted OR = 1.79 for the tertile 2, 95%CI:1.09-2.95; p for trend = 0.01). Fetal sex had an interaction with Se in the association with GDM. The association was more pronounced among pregnant women with female fetuses than with male fetuses. Discussion: Our study suggested a significant negative association between urinary Se and the risk of GDM, and this association may vary depending on the fetal sex.

Comparison of physicochemical characteristics, antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities of polysaccharides from wine grapes.

In this study, an efficient ultrasonic-assisted extraction method was used for the extraction and optimization of four wine grape polysaccharides. A three-level, three-factor Box Behnken Design combined with the response surface approach was used to optimize the extraction conditions. Their physicochemical properties, molecular structure, antioxidant activity, immunomodulatory activity and hepatoprotective effects were examined and compared. These findings suggest that the four wine grape polysaccharides share similar basic structural features and monosaccharide composition. Furthermore, four wine grape polysaccharides exhibited antioxidant and immunomodulatory activities in a concentration-dependent manner. Moldova (MD) polysaccharide displayed better antioxidant activity and immunomodulatory ability. Furthermore, MD polysaccharide has a significant therapeutic effect on CCl4-induced rat liver injury by improving the antioxidant defense system and inhibiting oxidative stress, indicating that MD has a hepatoprotective effect. Taken together, the MD wine grape polysaccharide may have potential applications in prevention of liver disease in the functional food and pharmaceutical industries.

Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of a Novel Vancomycin Derivative LYSC98 in a Murine Thigh Infection Model Against Staphylococcus aureus.

Introduction: LYSC98 is a novel vancomycin derivative used for gram-positive bacterial infections. Here we compared the antibacterial activity of LYSC98 with vancomycin and linezolid in vitro and in vivo. Besides, we also reported the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) index and efficacy-target values of LYSC98. Methods: The MIC values of LYSC98 were identified through broth microdilution method. A mice sepsis model was established to investigate the protective effect of LYSC98 in vivo. Single-dose pharmacokinetics of LYSC98 was studied in thigh-infected mice and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was used to determine LYSC98 concentration in plasma. Dose fractionation studies were performed to evaluate different PK/PD indices. Two methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) clinical strains were used in the dose ranging studies to determine the efficacy-target values. Results: LYSC98 showed a universal antibacterial effect in Staphylococcus aureus with a MIC range of 2-4 µg/mL. In vivo, LYSC98 demonstrated distinctive mortality protection in mice sepsis model with an ED50 value of 0.41-1.86 mg/kg. The pharmacokinetics results displayed maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) 11,466.67-48,866.67 ng/mL, area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 h (AUC0-24) 14,788.42-91,885.93 ng/mL·h, and elimination half-life (T1/2) 1.70-2.64 h, respectively. Cmax/MIC (R 2 0.8941) was proved to be the most suitable PK/PD index for LYSC98 to predict its antibacterial efficacy. The magnitude of LYSC98 Cmax/MIC associated with net stasis, 1, 2, 3 and 4 - log 10 kill were 5.78, 8.17, 11.14, 15.85 and 30.58, respectively. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that LYSC98 is more effective than vancomycin either in killing vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) in vitro or treating S. aureus infections in vivo, making it a novel and promising antibiotic. The PK/PD analysis will also contribute to the LYSC98 Phase I dose design.

Physicochemical characteristics and biological activities of grape polysaccharides collected from different cultivars.

In this study, four wine grape polysaccharides were extracted and optimized by using an efficient ultrasound-assisted extraction. A three-level, three-factor Box Behnken Design (BBD) combining with response surface methodology (RSM) was employed to optimize the extraction conditions including ultrasonic power, ultrasonic time and liquid-to-solid ratio. Furthermore, their physicochemical structures, antioxidant and liver protective activity were investigated and compared. Results revealed that the functional groups and monosaccharide compositions of these grape polysaccharides collected from different varieties were similar. Nevertheless, their molecular weights, molar ratios of monosaccharide compositions and surface morphological features were different. And the antioxidant activities of these polysaccharides were screened by free radical scavenging test. 'Beichun' (BC) and 'Benni fuji' (BF) polysaccharides possessed better antioxidant function. Further, the in vivo evaluation indicated that the polysaccharides of BC and BF have a protective effect against myocardial I/R injury in mice by inhibiting myocardial necroptosis mediated by mitochondrial ROS generation. Therefore, BC and BF grapes have potential applications in the medical and food industries.

Aggravated renal fibrosis is positively associated with the activation of HMGB1-TLR2/4 signaling in STZ-induced diabetic mice.

Diabetic kidney dysfunction is closely associated with renal fibrosis. Although the suppression of fibrosis is crucial to attenuate kidney damage, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, renal injury in diabetic mice was induced by the intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (100 or 150 mg/kg) for 2 consecutive days. In the model mice, remarkable renal injury was observed, manifested by albuminuria, swelling of kidneys, and histopathological characteristics. The renal fibrosis was obviously displayed with high-intensity staining of fibrin, type IV collagen (Col IV), and fibronectin. The levels of Col IV and transforming growth factor-ß1 were significantly increased in diabetic mice kidneys. The aggravated fibrotic process was associated with the overexpression of HMGB1, TLR2/4, and p-NF-κB. Furthermore, a high expression of F4/80 and CD14 indicated that macrophage infiltration was involved in perpetuating inflammation and subsequent fibrosis in the kidneys of diabetic mice. The results demonstrate that the severity of renal fibrosis is positively associated with the activation of HMGB1/TLR2/4 signaling in diabetes.

Bibliometric analysis of hotspots and frontiers in cancer-related fatigue among ovarian cancer survivors.

OBJECTIVES: To explore and analyze research hotspots and frontiers in CRF in ovarian cancer patients to provide an evidence-based basis for scholars and policymakers. BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is one of the most common and lethal gynecological malignancies. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is an annoying and pervasive side-effect that seriously affects the activities of daily living and decreases the quality of life (QoL) of cancer survivors. METHODS: The literature was retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) from inception to 2021-12-31. CiteSpace was used to discuss research countries, institutions, authors, and keywords. RESULTS: This study ultimately included 755 valid publications, and the number of publications showed a gradual upward trend. The countries, institutions, authors, and journals that have published the most articles and cited the most frequently were the United States, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Michael Friedlander and Amit M Oza, Gynecologic Oncology, and Journal of Clinical Oncology. The top three high-frequency keywords were Ovarian cancer, chemotherapy, and clinical trial. The top three keywords with the strongest citation bursts were cyclophosphamide, double-blind, and open-label. CONCLUSIONS: Conducting multi-center, large-sample, randomized controlled clinical trials to determine whether chemotherapeutic agents have severe adverse effects and to discuss the relationship between CRF and QoL and overall survival in cancer survivors are hotspots in this field. The new trends may be applying double-blind, randomized controlled trials to clarify the causes of CRF and open-label, randomized trials to determine the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of chemotherapeutic agents.

Genome-Wide Analysis of the Soybean TIFY Family and Identification of GmTIFY10e and GmTIFY10g Response to Salt Stress.

TIFY proteins play crucial roles in plant abiotic and biotic stress responses. Our transcriptome data revealed several TIFY family genes with significantly upregulated expression under drought, salt, and ABA treatments. However, the functions of the GmTIFY family genes are still unknown in abiotic stresses. We identified 38 GmTIFY genes and found that TIFY10 homologous genes have the most duplication events, higher selection pressure, and more obvious response to abiotic stresses compared with other homologous genes. Expression pattern analysis showed that GmTIFY10e and GmTIFY10g genes were significantly induced by salt stress. Under salt stress, GmTIFY10e and GmTIFY10g transgenic Arabidopsis plants showed higher root lengths and fresh weights and had significantly better growth than the wild type (WT). In addition, overexpression of GmTIFY10e and GmTIFY10g genes in soybean improved salt tolerance by increasing the PRO, POD, and CAT contents and decreasing the MDA content; on the contrary, RNA interference plants showed sensitivity to salt stress. Overexpression of GmTIFY10e and GmTIFY10g in Arabidopsis and soybean could improve the salt tolerance of plants, while the RNAi of GmTIFY10e and GmTIFY10g significantly increased sensitivity to salt stress in soybean. Further analysis demonstrated that GmTIFY10e and GmTIFY10g genes changed the expression levels of genes related to the ABA signal pathway, including GmSnRK2, GmPP2C, GmMYC2, GmCAT1, and GmPOD. This study provides a basis for comprehensive analysis of the role of soybean TIFY genes in stress response in the future.

The dynamic change of urinary selenium concentration during pregnancy and influencing factors: A longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Selenium concentration of one spot urine sample cannot reflect selenium status during whole pregnancy. Studies on variations of urinary selenium concentration at different stages of pregnancy are limited. AIM: To assess variations of urinary selenium concentrations during three trimesters of pregnancy and to explore the influencing factors. METHODS: This study included 2613 pregnant women from a birth cohort study (Wuhan, China) enrolled between October 2014 and October 2016. Selenium concentrations of urine samples collected at three trimesters were measured. We used a generalized linear mixed effects model to observe the changes in urinary selenium concentration during pregnancy and its influencing factors. RESULTS: The median value (range) of gestational weeks at urine sample collection was 11 (9-14), 24 (15-27), and 34 (28-41) respectively. Urine selenium concentration varied across trimesters (geometric mean: 16.34, 17.65 and 18.83 µg/g creatinine, respectively), with an upward trend (ß = -0.145, 95%CI: -0.164, -0.126) (ß = -0.066, 95%CI: -0.083, -0.048). The concentrations of urinary selenium increased with the increasing of educational level [ß (95%CI): ≤ 9 years = -0.105 (-0.163, -0.047); 10-12 years = -0.086(-0.126, -0.047); > 12 years = reference]. Pregnant women who rarely or only took multivitamins in the first trimester [ß (95% CI): rarely = -0.076 (-0.144, -0.007); only in the first three months of pregnancy = -0.104 (-0.170, -0.038); always = reference], or were not exposed to passive smoking during pregnancy（ߠ= -0.093, 95% CI: - 0.173, - 0.014), or exercised three to four days per week for the first three months before delivery（ߠ= -0.074, 95% CI: - 0.140, - 0.008) had lower urinary selenium concentrations. Pregnant women who took calcium supplements after the third month of pregnancy had higher urinary selenium levels（ߠ= 0.114, 95% CI: 0.059, 0.169). CONCLUSIONS: Urine selenium concentrations of pregnant women showed an upward trend across trimesters. Educational level, calcium or multivitamin supplementation, passive smoking, and physical exercise might impact urine selenium levels.

Genome-Wide Analysis of the Soybean Calmodulin-Binding Protein 60 Family and Identification of GmCBP60A-1 Responses to Drought and Salt Stresses.

Calmodulin-binding protein 60 (CBP60) members constitute a plant-specific protein family that plays an important role in plant growth and development. In the soybean genome, nineteen CBP60 members were identified and analyzed for their corresponding sequences and structures to explore their functions. Among GmCBP60A-1, which primarily locates in the cytomembrane, was significantly induced by drought and salt stresses. The overexpression of GmCBP60A-1 enhanced drought and salt tolerance in Arabidopsis, which showed better state in the germination of seeds and the root growth of seedlings. In the soybean hairy roots experiment, the overexpression of GmCBP60A-1 increased proline content, lowered water loss rate and malondialdehyde (MDA) content, all of which likely enhanced the drought and salt tolerance of soybean seedlings. Under stress conditions, drought and salt response-related genes showed significant differences in expression in hairy root soybean plants of GmCBP60A-1-overexpressing and hairy root soybean plants of RNAi. The present study identified GmCBP60A-1 as an important gene in response to salt and drought stresses based on the functional analysis of this gene and its potential underlying mechanisms in soybean stress-tolerance.

The intention to undertake physical activity in pregnant women using the theory of planned behaviour.

AIM: To identify the intention of Chinese pregnant women to undertake physical activity (PA) using the theory of planned behaviour. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey. METHODS: From April - October 2017, a cross-sectional questionnaire was completed by 746 pregnant women from the Health Birth Cohort in Wuhan, China. The theory of planned behaviour variables as well as sociodemographic characteristics was recorded, and the Pregnancy PA Questionnaire was together used to assess their PA during pregnancy. RESULTS: Only 11.3% of the women met the international guideline. The intention to undertake PA was found it to be positive in 63.9% of pregnant women. Structural equation modelling analysis revealed that behavioural attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control (PBC) influenced PA by directly influencing the behaviour intention. Both behavioural attitude and subjective norms influenced PA by indirectly affecting the behaviour. Overall, the model described 60% variance of the behavioural intention to undertake PA during pregnancy. CONCLUSION: PBC was confirmed to be a prominent factor in determining behavioural intention to undertake PA during pregnancy. Pregnant women should be helped and appropriately guided by health providers to overcome barriers to PA. EFFECT: This study investigates the effect of perceived behavioural control (PBC) on the intention to undertake physical activity (PA). The findings suggest that nurses' and midwives' attention should be focused on how to promote the improvement of perceived behavioural control ability of pregnant women to improve pregnant women's PA intention. The attitude of pregnant women on taking up PA and their ability to control behaviours can be improved with support from family or healthcare providers.

Functional Analysis of the Soybean GmCDPK3 Gene Responding to Drought and Salt Stresses.

Plants have a series of response mechanisms to adapt when they are subjected to external stress. Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) in plants function against a variety of abiotic stresses. We screened 17 CDPKs from drought- and salt-induced soybean transcriptome sequences. The phylogenetic tree divided CDPKs of rice, Arabidopsis and soybean into five groups (I-V). Cis-acting element analysis showed that the 17 CDPKs contained some elements associated with drought and salt stresses. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis indicated that the 17 CDPKs were responsive after different degrees of induction under drought and salt stresses. GmCDPK3 was selected as a further research target due to its high relative expression. The subcellular localization experiment showed that GmCDPK3 was located on the membrane of Arabidopsis mesophyll protoplasts. Overexpression of GmCDPK3 improved drought and salt resistance in Arabidopsis. In the soybean hairy roots experiment, the leaves of GmCDPK3 hairy roots with RNA interference (GmCDPK3-RNAi) soybean lines were more wilted than those of GmCDPK3 overexpression (GmCDPK3-OE) soybean lines after drought and salt stresses. The trypan blue staining experiment further confirmed that cell membrane damage of GmCDPK3-RNAi soybean leaves was more severe than in GmCDPK3-OE soybean lines. In addition, proline (Pro) and chlorophyll contents were increased and malondialdehyde (MDA) content was decreased in GmCDPK3-OE soybean lines. On the contrary, GmCDPK3-RNAi soybean lines had decreased Pro and chlorophyll content and increased MDA. The results indicate that GmCDPK3 is essential in resisting drought and salt stresses.

Characterization of a bioflocculant from a newly isolated Vagococcus sp. W31.

Screening of microorganisms producing flocculating substances was carried out. A strain secreting a large amount of bioflocculant was isolated from wastewater samples collected from the Little Moon River in Beijing. Based on the morphological properties and 16S rDNA sequence analysis, the isolate (designated W31) was classified as Vagococcus sp. A bioflocculant (named MBFW31) produced by W31 was extracted from the culture broth by ethanol precipitation and purified by gel chromatography. MBFW31 was heat-stable and had strong flocculating activity in a wide range of pH with relatively low dosage requirement. MBFW31 was identified as a polysaccharide with molecular weight over 2 x 10(6). It contained neutral sugar and uronic acid as its major and minor components, respectively. Infrared spectra showed the presence of hydroxyl, carboxyl and methoxyl group in its molecules. The present results suggested that MBFW31 had potential application in wastewater treatment.