Risk of Corneal Graft Rejection and Vaccination: A Matched Case-Control Study From a United States Integrated Health Care System.

PURPOSE: Data on vaccine-associated corneal transplant rejections are limited. We examined the association between graft rejection and vaccination. DESIGN: Matched case-control METHODS: We used electronic health records to identify corneal transplant recipients between January 2008 and August 2022 at Kaiser Permanente Southern California. Cases were transplant recipients who experienced a graft rejection (outcome) during the study period. Randomly selected controls who did not experience a corneal graft rejection at their matched cases' index date (rejection date) were matched in a 3:1 ratio to cases. For controls, index date was determined by adding the number of days between transplant and graft rejection of their matched case to the control's transplant date. RESULTS: The study included 601 cases and 1803 matched controls (mean age 66 years [s.d. 17.0], 52% female, 47% non-Hispanic white). Twenty-three% of cases and 22% of controls received ≥1 vaccinations within 12 weeks prior to the index date. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for vaccination in the 12 weeks prior to index date, comparing cases to controls was 1.17 (95% CI: 0.91, 1.50]). The aOR was 1.09 (0.84, 1.43) for 1 vaccination, 1.53 (0.90, 2.61) for 2 vaccinations, and 1.79 (0.55, 5.57) for ≥3 vaccinations. The aOR was 1.60 (0.81, 3.14) for mRNA vaccines, and 1.19 (0.80, 1.78) for adjuvanted/high dose vaccines. CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence to suggest an association between vaccination and graft rejection. Our findings provide support for the completion of recommended vaccinations for corneal transplant recipients, without significantly increasing the risk of graft rejection.

Effect of cyasterone on intestinal flora in a BRAFV600E-mutant mouse model of colorectal cancer.

BRAF V600E-mutated colorectal cancer (CRC) is very aggressive and responds poorly to standard treatment. In this study, BRAFV600E-mutant mice with CRC were treated with intragastric cyasterone, a compound commonly used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine, for 21 days. Microbial DNA was extracted from mouse intestinal contents for 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing and analyzed. Our results indicated that cyasterone enhanced the diversity of the gut microbiota. The abundance of beneficial bacteria, such as Prevotellaceae, Muribaculaceae, and Ruminococcaceae was significantly higher in cyasterone-treated mice than controls. The abundance of Erysipelotrichaceae, a family of bacteria that promotes inflammation in the gut, was significantly positively correlated with tumor weight. Cyasterone is a potential inhibitor of BRAFV600E-mutant CRC via its effects on intestinal flora.

Occurrence of Toxigenic Fungi and Mycotoxins on Root Herbs from Chinese Markets.

Herbs derived from roots, leaves, flowers, or fruits of plants are unavoidably contaminated with fungi and mycotoxins during growth, harvest, and storage, thereby posing a health threat to humans. Especially, root herbs (RHs) are more easily contaminated with fungi and mycotoxins because the roots are in direct contact with the soil. Here, we investigated the occurrence of fungi, aflatoxins (AFs), and ochratoxin A (OTA) in eight RHs that are used as medicines, beverages, dietary supplements, and functional foods in China and other countries. Morphological observation and MultiGeneBlast (ß-tubulin and calmodulin) were used to identify the potentially toxigenic fungi. Of the 48 samples tested, all were contaminated by fungi, and 1,844 isolates belonging to 25 genera were detected. The genera Aspergillus and Penicillium, which contain potentially toxigenic fungal species, represented a frequency of 10 and 25%, respectively. Thirty-three isolates of Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus parasiticus, Aspergillus niger, and Penicillium polonicum were arbitrarily selected for analysis of their toxigenic potential. Five of 13 isolates of A. flavus and 1 isolate of A. parasiticus produced AFs, whereas OTA production was not detected for any of the isolates of A. niger and P. polonicum. The occurrence of AFs and OTA in the 48 samples of eight RHs was tested by ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry; 37.50% of samples from six RHs were contaminated with AFs and 16.67% of samples from four RHs were contaminated with OTA. Seven (14.58%) and four (8.33%) samples of ginseng, polygala, and liquorice exceeded the permissible limits of aflatoxin B1 and AFs, respectively. Because ginseng, polygala, and liquorice are widely used as herbs, dietary supplements, and functional foods, the high frequency of AF contamination of these herbs indicated by our current study warrant attention to raise public awareness.

Intravenous leiomyomatosis with intracardiac extension depicted on computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans: A report of two cases and a review of the literature.

Intravenous leiomyomatosis (IVL) is defined as a benign smooth muscle tumor, growing within systemic veins. IVL with intracaval and intracardiac extension has rarely been reported in radiological and oncological journals. The present study describes 2 cases of IVL extending from the inferior vena cava to the right atrium and ventricle, and discusses the imaging findings and differential diagnosis of this tumor entity. The two patients, who complained of palpitations, shortness of breath or syncope, were surgically treated, with complete resection of the cardiac and intracaval tumors. Pathological examinations were suggestive of IVL. The postoperative course of the two patients was uneventful, and no signs of recurrence were observed on follow-up. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging played a vital role in the diagnostic process and presurgical assessment. The results of the present study indicate that IVL should be considered upon presentation of a soft mass in systemic veins, even when the mass extends to the right cardiac chambers, in female patients, particularly in patients with a history of uterine myoma.

Quantitative sensory testing of dentinal sensitivity in healthy humans.

OBJECTIVE: The study was to provide information on quantitative sensory testing (QST) of normal teeth to establish a sensory profile and investigate the possible gender and regional differences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A modified QST protocol was applied on both left and right upper-jaw incisors and pre-molar sof 14 healthy men and 14 age-matched healthy women (18-25 years). Mechanical stimulus sensitivity (MSS), cold detection threshold (CDT), cold pain threshold (CPT), warm detection threshold (WDT), heat pain threshold (HPT), electrical detection threshold (EDT) and electrical pain threshold (EPT) were determined from the four teeth (labial side of incisor and buccal side of the first premolar). The QST parameters were analysed by ANOVA. RESULTS: The applied mechanical or thermal stimuli did not evoke any pain sensation. A normal tooth did not seem to be able to distinguish between the warm or cold stimuli applied. No significant differences were found between genders (p > 0.099) or teeth (p > 0.053) regarding mechanical and thermal stimuli. The EDT and EPT were significantly higher in the pre-molar compared with incisor (p < 0.002) without gender differences (p > 0.573). CONCLUSION: The established methods and results provided important information on diagnosis and treatment evaluation of dentinal hypersensitivity.

Identification and functional study of osteosarcoma metastasis marker genes.

To date, osteosarcoma metastasis genes, which are key for accurate initial diagnosis of the disease, have not been well identified. In the present study, osteosarcoma samples with and without metastasis were collected from 31 patients. Specific complementary DNA subtraction techniques were used to identify the osteosarcoma metastasis transcripts, which are responsible for the metastasis of osteosarcoma. The specific differentially expressed transcripts were identified by Basic Local Alignment Search Tool analysis and the results were validated by immunoblotting. Specifically, ezrin and ß4 integrin were employed as markers to detect osteosarcoma metastasis in the initial stages. The results of the present study indicated that the two transcripts, ezrin and ß4 integrin, were highly expressed in patients with osteosarcoma metastasis, and concluded that these were osteosarcoma metastasis genes. These results indicate that ß4 integrin and/or ezrin may be used as a novel marker for the detection of osteosarcoma metastasis in the initial stages.