Severe infection by Vibrio anguillarum following a bite by a marine fish: a case report.

Vibrio anguillarum is a cause of vibriosis in marine fisheries worldwide, but only one previous study reported human pathogenicity of this species. Here, we report a 70-year-old man from Dalian, a coastal city in northeast China, who experienced a severe infection with V. anguillarum due to a bite on his left hand when handling hairtail, a marine fish. This patient had low immunity because of the long-term use of glucocorticoids due to nephrotic syndrome. Despite treatments consisting of a strong antibiotic, continuous veno-venous hemofiltration, debridement, and fasciotomy, his condition deteriorated and he died of septic shock and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. His death might be partly due to the delayed amputation of the left forearm, because he seemed to get better for the first several days. This case report emphasizes the possibility of human infection by V. anguillarum, which is likely to be more lethal in immunocompromised individuals.

Pore-forming alpha-hemolysin efficiently improves the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of protein antigens.

Highly immunogenic exotoxins are used as carrier proteins because they efficiently improve the immunogenicity of polysaccharides. However, their efficiency with protein antigens remains unclear. In the current study, the candidate antigen PA0833 from Pseudomonas aeruginosa was fused to the α-hemolysin mutant HlaH35A from Staphylococcus aureus to form a HlaH35A-PA0833 fusion protein (HPF). Immunization with HPF resulted in increased PA0833-specific antibody titers, higher protective efficacy, and decreased bacterial burden and pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion compared with PA0833 immunization alone. Using fluorescently labeled antigens to track antigen uptake and delivery, we found that HlaH35A fusion significantly improved antigen uptake in injected muscles and antigen delivery to draining lymph nodes. Both in vivo and in vitro studies demonstrated that the increased antigen uptake after immunization with HPF was mainly due to monocyte- and macrophage-dependent macropinocytosis, which was probably the result of HPF binding to ADAM10, the Hla host receptor. Furthermore, a transcriptome analysis showed that several immune signaling pathways were activated by HPF, shedding light on the mechanism whereby HlaH35A fusion improves immunogenicity. Finally, the improvement in immunogenicity by HlaH35A fusion was also confirmed with two other antigens, GlnH from Klebsiella pneumoniae and the model antigen OVA, indicating that HlaH35A could serve as a universal carrier protein to improve the immunogenicity of protein antigens.

A new type of electron microscope rapid collection device for atmospheric particles and its application cases.

A device for collecting atmospheric particulates matter for on-line electron microscopy was designed and manufactured by using 3D modeling and printing technology. The device was used to collect atmospheric particulates matter in Xining city of Qinghai province for seven consecutive days and used to collect atmospheric particulates matter in Jinan city of Shandong province for 30 consecutive days. And the samples were analyzed by electron microscopy. Through it can obtain ultra structure and size distribution information of atmospheric particulates matter. The experimental results reflected the distribution of atmospheric particulate matter in real time. The on-line acquisition device for electron microscopy is practical, fast, and convenient, which greatly shortens the sampling period and can be carried to any place outdoors for real-time sampling. The morphological structure and particle size distribution of atmospheric particles in sampling area was observed by electron microscope. The device has reference value to the study of PM2.5 and PM10 in atmosphere and air pollution. This acquisition device is convenient for the detection of sample by electron microscopy. It can further expand and simplify the sampling technology of large-scale instruments and equipment. This new method of real-time monitoring of air pollution is worth popularizing and applying.

Co-delivery of cisplatin and oleanolic acid by silica nanoparticles-enhanced apoptosis and reverse multidrug resistance in lung cancer.

Multidrug resistance (MDR) of chemotherapy is one of the significant concerns in cancer therapy. Here in our study, cisplatin (DDP) and oleanolic acid (OA) were co-loaded in mesoporous silica nanoparticles (Nsi) to construct DDP/OA-Nsi and solve the DDP-resistance in lung cancer therapy. The cytotoxicity and apoptosis assays demonstrated that in DDP-resistant A549/DDP cells, the cytotoxicity of DDP/OA-Nsi was significantly higher than that of free DDP or DDP single delivery system (DDP-Nsi). The intracellular drug accumulation study revealed that the intracellular DDP concentration in the DDP/OA-Nsi group was also higher than that in free DDP and DDP-Nsi groups. In the A549/DDP xenograft tumor model, DDP/OA-Nsi showed the best anticancer effect. In summary, DDP/OA-Nsi was a promising drug delivery system to solve MDR in lung cancer therapy.

Mechanisms of fibronectin-binding protein A (FnBPA110-263) vaccine efficacy in Staphylococcus aureus sepsis versus skin infection.

Increasing rates of life-threatening infections and decreasing susceptibility to antibiotics urge an effective vaccine targeting Staphylococcus aureus. Here we investigate the role of cellular immunity in FnBPA110-263 mediated protection in Staphylococcus aureus infection. This study revealed FnBPA110-263 broadly protected mice from seven FnBPA isotypes strains in the sepsis model. FnBPA110-263 immunized B-cell deficient mice were protected against lethal challenge, while T-cell deficient mice were not. Reconstituting mice with FnBPA110-263 specific CD4+ T-cells conferred antigen specific protection. In vitro assays indicated that isolated FnBPA110-263 specific splenocytes from immunized mice produced abundant IL-17A. IL-17A deficient mice were not protected from a lethal challenge by FnBPA110-263 vaccination. Moreover, neutralizing IL-17A, but not IFN-γ,reverses FnBPA110-263-induced protective efficacy in sepsis and skin infection model. These findings suggest that IL-17A producing Th17 cells play an essential role in FnBPA110-263 vaccine-mediated defense against S. aureus sepsis and skin infection in mice.

[Effect of Long-term Fertilizer Application on the Stability of Organic Carbon in Particle Size Fractions of a Paddy Soil in Zhejiang Province, China].

Effects of chemical fertilizers and organic manure on the soil organic carbon (SOC) content in particle size fractions of paddy soil were investigated in a 17-year long-term fertilization field experiment in Zhejiang Province, China. The inherent chemical composition of silt- and clay-associated SOC was evaluated with solid-state 13C-NMR spectroscopy. Compared to CK (no fertilizer treatment), NPKRS (NPK fertilizers plus rice straw) , NPKOM (NPK fertilizers plus organic manure) , NPK (NPK fertilizers) and OM (organic manure alone) treatments significantly (P <0. 05) increased the SOC content of sand- (2-0.02 mm), silt- (0.02-0.002 mm) and clay-sized (< 0.002 mm) fractions. However, no significant difference was observed in the accumulation of silt- and clay-associated SOC between CK and rice straw (RS) treatments. Besides, in comparison with plots applied with NPK fertilizers alone, combined application of organic amendments and NPK fertilizers facilitated the storage of newly sequestered SOC in silt- and clay-sized fractions, which could be more conducive to the stability of SOC. Based on 13C-NMR spectra, both silt and clay fractions were composed of Alkyl-C, O-alkyl-C, Aromatic-C and carbonyl-C. Changes in the relative proportion of different C species were observed between silt and clay fractions: the clay fraction had relatively more Alkyl-C, carbonyl-C and less O-alkyl-C, Aromatic-C than those in the silt fraction. This might be ascribed to the fact that the organic matter complexed with clay was dominated by microbial products, whereas the silt appeared to be rich in aromatic residues derived from plants. The spectra also showed that the relative proportion of different C species was modified by fertilization practices. In comparison with organic amendments alone, the relative proportion of Alkyl-C was decreased by 9.1%-11.9% and 13.7%-19.9% under combined application of organic amendments and chemical fertilizers, for silt and clay, respectively, and that of O-alkyl-C was increased by 2.9%-6.3% and 13.4%-22.1%, respectively. These results indicated that NPKOM and NPKRS treatments reduced the decomposition rate of SOC. The aromaticity, hydrophobicity and, hence, chemical recalcitrance of silt- and clay-associated SOC in the NPK fertilizer treatments were lower than those of the organically amended plots and unfertilized treatments, indicating decreased recalcitrance of SOC against decomposition. We concluded that long-term application of organic manure combined with chemical fertilizers, either through increased accumulation of both recalcitrant compounds and carbohydrates or reduced decomposition of organic matter, was a sustainable strategy for facilitating carbon accumulation of the paddy soil investigated in this study.

[Study on the HPLC fingerprint of toad skin from different regions].

OBJECTIVE: To study the HPLC fingerprint of toad skin and provide a reliable method for quality control and identification. METHODS: It used HPLC for detection and computer aided similarity evaluation system for processing and analysing HPLC fingerprint. RESULTS: The common pattern of HPLC fingerprint of toad skin was astablished, 29 peaks were identified as the characteristic fingerprints, in which 9 peaks corresponded to 9 bufogenins. (2) Each samples' similarity of relative retention time was all above 0.99, but the similarity of relative peak areas was low. CONCLUSION: (1) The method is accurate and with good reproducibility. The fingerprints can be used for the identification and quality control of toad skin. (2) The toad skin from different regions are stable in composition, but the contents of the components are different.

1,3-Dimethyl-1H-indazol-6-amine.

The mol-ecular skeleton of the title compound, C(9)H(11)N(3), is almost planar, with a maximum deviation of 0.0325 (19) Šfor the amino N atom. In the crystal, N-H⋯N hydrogen bonds establish the packing.

Burn-induced apoptosis of cardiomyocytes is survivin dependent and regulated by PI3K/Akt, p38 MAPK and ERK pathways.

Survivin belongs to the family of genes known as inhibitors of apoptosis, and although it has been implicated in the prevention of cancer, its potential role in burn-induced cardiac injury is unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of survivin blockade on burn-induced cardiac apoptosis. Using a standardized Sprague-Dawley rat model of third-degree burn injury over 40% of total body surface area, apoptosis was measured in vivo followed by in vitro assessment of burn serum-stimulated cardiomyocytes. Based on the Western blot analyses, real-time PCR, ELISA, and TUNEL, apoptosis and caspase activation both in vivo and in vitro were significantly increased after severe burn injury, while survivin expression was increased (up to 2.90-fold) during the early stage of burn injury and was almost completely abolished 8 h after the burn. Survivin-deficient cardiomyocytes, as well as hearts from rats treated with the survivin inhibitor YM155, exhibited increased caspase-3 protein and mRNA expression and apoptosis ratio at different times after the burn. Furthermore, inhibition of ERK, phosphoinositol 3-kinase contributed the burn serum-induced increase in apoptosis and caspase-3 protein expression, and decreased survivin expression, whereas burn serum-induced increase in apoptosis was attenuated by P38 mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibition. These data identify survivin as a critical anti-apoptotic regulator of cardiomyocytes after burn injury. ERK, P38 MAPK and PI3K were found to be upstream regulators of survivin.