Baseline predictors of short-term visual outcomes after intravitreal conbercept injection for neovascular age-related macular degeneration / Preditores iniciais de desfechos visuais de curto prazo com injeção intravítrea de combercepte para degeneração macular neovascular relacionada à idade

ABSTRACT Purpose: Neovascular age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in the elderly. We aimed to identify baseline predictors of visual prognosis after intravitreal conbercept injection for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of 58 patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration who were treated with intravitreal injections of conbercept 0.5 mg in routine clinical practice. Basic information such as age, sex, intraocular pressure, and disease course was collected. Best-corrected visual acuity, mean retinal sensitivity, and optical coherence tomography findings were recorded at baseline and 6 months after treatment. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify independent predictors of best-corrected visual acuity at 6 months after treatment. Results: After the 6-month treatment, the mean best-corrected visual acuity improved from 1.10 ± 0.42 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) to 0.41 ± 0.18 logMAR, the mean retinal sensitivity increased from 5.13 ± 0.86 dB to 7.32 ± 1.21 dB, the mean central retinal thickness decreased from 440.38 ± 61.05 μm to 260.01 ± 24.86 μm, and the total number of hyperreflective dots and the number of hyperreflective dots in each retina layer were significantly reduced as compared with those before treatment (all p<0.05). Twenty-two patients showed improved vision, and 36 had unimproved vision. Multivariate analyses revealed that the number of subretinal hyperreflective dots, the state of external limiting membrane, baseline best-corrected visual acuity, and age were independent predictors of best-corrected visual acuity (all p<0.05). Conclusion: Poor recovery of patients after intravitreal conbercept injection may be related to the number of subretinal hyperreflective dots, the state of external limiting membrane, baseline best-corrected visual acuity, and age, which may be used as predictors of short-term visual outcomes and should be fully evaluated before operation.

RESUMO Objetivo: A degeneração macular neovascular relacionada à idade é a principal causa de perda de visão em idosos. O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar os preditores iniciais que afetam o prognóstico visual após a injeção intravítrea de combercepte para degeneração macular neovascular relacionada à idade. Métodos: Esta é uma revisão retrospectiva de 58 pacientes com degeneração macular neovascular relacionada à idade que foram tratados com injeções intravítreas de 0,5 mg de combercepte na prática clínica de rotina. Foram coletadas informações básicas, tais como idade, sexo, pressão intraocular e evolução da doença. A melhor acuidade visual corrigida, as sensibilidades retinianas médias e varreduras de tomografia de coerência óptica foram registradas no início do estudo e 6 meses após o tratamento. Foi efetuada uma análise de regressão logística para determinar os preditores independentes da melhor acuidade visual corrigida 6 meses após o tratamento. Resultados: Após 6 meses de tratamento, a média da acuidade visual melhor corrigida melhorou de 1,10 ± 0,42 para 0,41 ± 0,18 logMAR; as sensibilidades retinianas médias aumentaram de 5,13 ± 0,86 para 7,32 ± 1,21 dB; a espessura retiniana central média diminuiu de 440,38 ± 61,05 para 260,01 ± 24,86 μm; e os pontos hiper-reflexivos, tanto em números totais quanto em cada camada de retina, foram significativamente reduzidos em comparação com os valores de antes do tratamento (todos com p<0,05). Houve 22 pacientes com visão melhorada e 36 pacientes com visão não melhorada. As análises multivariadas mostraram que o número de pontos hiper-reflexivos sub-retinianos, o estado da membrana limitante externa, a melhor acuidade visual corrigida inicial e a idade foram preditores independentes para a melhor acuidade visual corrigida (todos com p<0,05). Conclusão: A má recuperação de pacientes após a injeção de combercepte intravítreo pode estar relacionada ao número de pontos hiper-reflexivos sub-retinianos, ao estado da membrana limitante externa, à acuidade visual corrigida inicial e à idade, parâmetros que podem ser usados como preditores de resultados visuais de curto prazo e devem ser totalmente avaliados antes da cirurgia.

Correlation between physical fitness and frequency of breakfast consumption of middle school students / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To investigate the breakfast consumption of middle school students and to analyze its relationship with physical fitness, so as to provide reference for improving physical fitness of middle school students.@*Methods@#A total of 2 732 middle school students from Shangrao City were selected in September 2021 by random cluster stratified sampling. The breakfast consumption behaviors of middle school students were investigated by questionnaire, and the general information, family information and other lifestyle behaviors were collected. The physical fitness test includes grip strength, standing long jump, 1 minute sit up, sit forward bend, 50 m run and 20 m shuttle run test (20 m SRT) to evaluate the strength, flexibility, speed and endurance of middle school students. χ 2 tests were used to compare the correlation between different demographic characteristics, breakfast behavior and physical fitness,and Logistic regression analysis was used to infer the correlation strength between breakfast behavior and physical fitness.@*Results@#The detection rate of physical fitness failure among middle school students was 21.5%. There were statistically significant differences between breakfast frequency and grip strength and 20 m SRT( χ 2=8.27, 13.90, P < 0.05 ). Logistic regression analysis results showed that 20 m SRT was positively correlated with breakfast frequency (sometimes eat breakfast, OR =1.51, skip or occasionally eat breakfast OR =2.08, P <0.05).@*Conclusion@#The low frequency of breakfast consumption of middle school students is associated with low performance on 20 m SRT. Schools and families should pay attention to the breakfast consumption of middle school students to ensure adequate daily nutrition intake.

Left visual field superiority of children with autism spectrum disorder / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To explore the impairments of the left visual field (LVF) superiority among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), for further understanding of the attentional mechanism of social disturbance in ASD.@*Methods@#The mixed design for repeated measured data was used. The case group was consisted of 105 ASD children enrolled from the rehabilitation agencies in Tianjin from Sept. 2016 to Dec. 2019; and 105 typically developed children were enrolled from Tianjin as the control group by matching the chronological age and gender distribution. The preferential looking paradigm was used to explore the LVF superiority by eye tracking system. Fixation count (FC), total fixation duration (TFD) and the proportion of left hemiface were analyzed by the Mixed design ANOVA, in which the main effect of "group", visual field (left vs. right) and gender of the faces was evaluated in addition to the interactions.@*Results@#All the participants in both the ASD group and TD group completed the experiments. For the whole face in LVF or RVF, the main effect of group showed the statistical significance on both FC and TFD [FC： F (1，206) =26.27, P <0.01; TFD： F (1，206) =51.23, P <0.01]. The interaction of group×visual field on FC also was statistically significant [ F (1，206) =4.619， P =0.03], and the case group showed the difference between LVF and RVF (0.33±0.02，0.54±0.03， P < 0.01 ) by further simple effect analysis, none of the rest was statistically significant. Both the left hemiface of FC & TFD showed the main effect of group [FC： F (1，206) =13.77， P ＜0.01；TFD： F (1，206) =12.89， P ＜0.01] and interaction of group×visual field [FC： F (1，206) = 36.99， P ＜0.01；TFD： F (1，206) =38.62， P ＜0.01), similarly, there was higher left hemiface proportion of both FC & TFD in RVF than that in LVF (FC：0.36±0.03，0.56±0.03， P <0.01; TFD：0.36±0.03，0.57±0.03， P <0.01).@*Conclusion@#LVF superiority is not presented among children with ASD in this study, while the fixation in RVF remained relatively unaffected. The finding indicates the involvement of the fusiform face area of right hemisphere in the pathogenesis of ASD in addition to the weak central coherence account.

Prevalence and associated factors of autism among children in central and eastern Inner Mongolia / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To understand the prevalence and influencing factors of children with ASD in central and eastern Inner Mongolia, and to provide theoretical basis for disease prevention and prevalence of ASD.@*Methods@#Sixteen primary schools and kindergartens were selected from 5 cities in central and eastern Inner Mongolia through random cluster sampling. A total of 15 817 children aged 3-14 years were selected. Children who were positive using Clancy Autism Behavior Scale were further diagnosed according to the teacher s nomination form and the Autism Behavior Checklist, as well as the diagnostic criteria of the fifth edition of the American Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by 2 professionals.@*Results@#The prevalence of ASD was 0.27% (42/15 817), with prevalence in urban areas (0.16%, 15/9 231) higher than that of rural areas (0.41%, 27/6 586) ( χ 2=8.89, P <0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that maternal education and language development were negatively associated with ASD in urban children [ OR =0.29(95% CI =0.12-0.69) and 0.18(95% CI =0.05-0.60), P <0.05]. ASD in rural children were positively associated with enuresis and introverted family members [ OR =7.09(95% CI =1.60-32.27) and 8.63(95% CI =3.10- 24.01 ), P <0.05].@*Conclusion@#High prevalence of ASD is found in urban area of central and eastern Inner Mongolia. Unhealthy habits, neonatal diseases, low parental education, delayed language development and poor exercise performance are primary factors associated with ASD in both urban and rural areas.

A cross-sectional study of overweight and obesity among 7-22 year-old students in Zhejiang Province / 预防医学

Objective @#To understand the prevalence of overweight and obesity, and the influencing factors among students aged 7-22 years in Zhejiang Province. @*Methods @#Stratified random cluster sampling was used to randomly select students aged 7-22 years in 11 prefectures of Zhejiang Province in 2019. Height and weight were measured. The general information, dietary habits and living habits of students were collected using the Student Health Status and Influencing Factors Questionnaire. The multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the influencing factors of overweight and obesity. @*Results @#A total of 33 800 respondents were included, 7 685 (22.74%) were overweight/obese, 4 729 ( 13.99% ) were overweight, and 2 956 ( 8.75% ) were obese. The multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that boys ( OR=2.059, 95%CI：1.949-2.175), not living on campus( OR=1.306, 95%CI: 1.214-1.405), history of alcohol consumption ( OR=1.158, 95%CI：1.083-1.238 ), average daily consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in the past week ( less than once, OR=1.214, 95%CI: 1.103-1.336; once and more, OR=1.431, 95%CI: 1.259-1.626 ), average daily consumption of fries in the past week ( less than once, OR=1.171, 95%CI: 1.065-1.288; once and more, OR=1.266, 95%CI: 1.102-1.454 ), and average daily consumption of sweets in the past week (less than once, OR=0.727, 95%CI: 0.658-0.802; once and more, OR=0.504, 95%CI: 0.444-0.572) were associated with overweight and obesity in students. @*Conclusion @#The prevalence rates of overweight and obesity among students aged 7-22 years in Zhejiang Province are 13.99% and 8.75%, respectively, which are associated with boys, not living on campus, and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, fries, sweets and alcohol.

Dietary intake and nutritional status of children with autism spectrum disorders in Tianjin / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To investigate the dietary nutrient intake and nutritional status of children with autism spectrum disorder(ASD), and provide evidence for developing scientific and effective nutrition intervention measures for children with ASD.@*Methods@#Nutrient intake of 90 children with ASD were investigated by using 3 day 24 hour dietary survey, and the anthropological indexes were measured.@*Results@#Among the 90 ASD children aged 3-9, 31 of them were overweight and obese, accounting for 34.4%, three children were underweight, accounting for 3.3%, and one child was stunted, accounting for 1.1%. Dietary intakes of vitamin A, vitamin B 1, vitamin D, vitamin B 6, folic acid, calcium and iodine in all age groups of ASD children were insufficient, but the dietary intakes of copper, phosphorus and zinc exceeded the recommended intake level. More than 10% of the ASD children consume copper and magnesium more than the tolerable upper intake level. There were significant differences in the dietary intake of energy, fat and vitamin A among normal, overweight, obese and thin ASD children( χ 2=9.24, 10.03, P <0.05).@*Conclusion@#Overweight and obesity, as well as the combination of insufficient and excessive nutrition in children with ASD is common. Personalized dietary nutrition intervention towards ASD children should be developed and implemented.

Analysis of epidemic status and influencing factors of Mongolian children with autism in central and eastern Inner Mongolia / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To understand the epidemic status and influencing factors of Mongolian children with ASD in central and eastern Inner Mongolia, so as to provide data support for formulating prevention and intervention strategies and improving the overall epidemiological investigation of ASD in Inner Mongolia.@*Methods@#Sixteen kindergartens and primary schools were selected from Chifeng City, Ulanqab City, Tongliao City, Hulunbuir City and Xilingol League cities in Inner Mongolia by means of random cluster sampling. Firstly, 7 108 children aged 3-14 were initially screened with the Kirschner Autism Behavior Scale(CABS), and then the children with ASD positive were given the autism behavior test scale (ABC). According to the diagnostic criteria, the professionals, including chief physicians and associate chief physicians from the major of child psychiatry, diagnosed ASD with the total score of ABC scale ≥62. Univariate and Logistic regression multivariate analysis were carried out among Mongolian children to find out the influencing factors related to the occurrence of Mongolian ASD in Inner Mongolia.@*Results@#The prevalence of Mongolian children was 0.37%. Mongolian ASD group and Mongolian normal children series in the household register, habitual twitch, hyperactivity, bite lips, families have extreme introverts, mothers age, father s cultural level, cultural degree of mother, father mother mild character, irritable, neonatal diseases, fetal gestational age distribution had statistical significance( χ 2/Z= 12.58 , 16.68, 14.93, 64.43, -3.76, -2.86, 4.57, 11.12, 12.33, 16.66, P <0.05).@*Conclusion@#Measures such as shaping a healthy growth environment, adjusting parental style, paying attention to the level of early childhood language development, and preventing neonatal diseases might lower the risk of ASD in children.

Relationship between sleep quality with depression and anxiety symptoms in college students at Tibet Plateau areas / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To explore the relationship between sleep quality with depression and anxiety symptoms among college students in Tibet plateau areas, and to provide scientific basis for sleep quality promotion, as well as depression and anxiety allevation in high-altitude areas.@*Methods@#The stratified cluster sampling method was used to investigate 1 288 second and third year college students in Tibet University from October to November 2019. The Chinese Version of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI), Self rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Self rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) were used in this survey, and the survey results were tested by t-test, variance analysis and Logistics regression analysis.@*Results@#The mean sleep quality index was(5.32±2.94), and 20.5% (n=264) of participants reported poor sleep quality. The detection rates of depression and anxiety symptoms were 46.0% (n=592) and 24.4%(n=314), respectively. And 20.4% (n=263) had the worst sleep quality with the coexistence of depression and anxiety symptoms. College students who are female, Tibetan, smoking, drinking and poor sleep quality have a higher risk of depression(OR=1.55,1.80,1.51，1.67，5.60), while Tibetan, drinking and poor sleep quality college students have a higher risk of anxiety(OR=1.52,1.91，10.22)(P<0.05).@*Conclusion@#There is a close relationship between the sleep quality of college students in Tibet Plateau areas with depression and anxiety symptoms. Mental health education department in colleges should attach great importance to the sleep quality of students, especially for individuals with sleep disorders, so as to reduce the incidence of depression and anxiety symptoms among college students.

Influencing factors of depressive symptoms in Zhejiang adolescents / 预防医学

Objective@#To investigate the prevalence and influencing factors of adolescent depression symptoms in Zhejiang, so as to provide reference for improving their mental health. @*Methods@#The middle school and university students in 11 cities of Zhejiang Province were selected by stratified cluster random sampling method. The depression symptoms of the adolescents were assessed by Center for Epidemiological Survey-Depression Scale ( CES-D ) and the influencing factors were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression model.@*Results@# A total of 25 855 students were investigated, and 25 614 ( 99.07% ) valid questionnaires were collected. The detection rate of depressive symptoms was 26.86%(6 879 cases). The detection rate of depressive symptoms in girls was 29.75%, which was higher than 24.12% in boys ( P<0.05). The detection rate of depressive symptoms in high school students was 31.74%, the highest compared with other grades. The multivariate regression analysis showed that female students ( OR=1.690, 95%CI: 1.592-1.794 ), resident students ( OR=1.071, 95%CI: 1.010-1.137 ) , internet addiction ( OR=2.948, 95%CI: 2.527-3.439 ) , attempt smoking ( OR=1.516, 95%CI: 1.359-1.690 ), drinking ( OR=1.624, 95%CI: 1.525-1.729 ), bullied in the past 30 days ( OR=3.143, 95%CI: 2.938-3.363 and having serious injuries within a year ( OR=1.369, 95%CI: 1.263-1.543 ) were associated with adolescents who had depressive symptoms.@*Conclusions@#The detection rate of depressive symptoms is relative 26.86% among adolescents of Zhejiang Province. The students who are female, live on campus, have internet addiction, have been bullied or seriously injured, smoke and drink are more likely to have depressive symptoms.

Clinical effects of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion combined with zero-profile anchored spacer application on cervical spondylosis / 中国基层医药

Objective:To investigate the clinical effects of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion combined with zero-profile anchored spacer (ROI-C) application on cervical spondylosis.Methods:Eighty-nine patients, consisting of 58 males and 31 females, who received anterior cervical discectomy and fusion combined with zero-profile anchored spacer (ROI-C) application in First People's Hospital of Guiyang from May 2015 to May 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 138 segments were fused. Operative time, intraoperative blood loss, postoperative complications and their incidence were recorded. The Japanese Orthopaedic Association score, Visual Analogue Scale score, and Neck Disability Index score were used to evaluate clinical effects of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion combined with ROI-C application. Imaging examination was performed to determine cervical curvature, intervertebral space height of fused segments, interbody fusion rate and changes in adjacent segments. The stability and long-term effects of postoperative cervical spine were evaluated.Results:All 89 patients were followed up for (25.6 ± 6.8) months (range 12-36 months). In 53 patients who underwent single-segment fusion, operative time was (85.54 ± 12.53) minutes and the amount of blood loss was (58.45 ± 10.24) mL. In 25 patients who underwent two-segment fusion, operative time was (115.57 ± 16.42) minutes and the amount of blood loss was (92.62 ± 12.44) mL. In 9 patients who underwent three-segment fusion, operative time was (148.63 ± 19.42) minutes and the amount of blood loss was (118.54 ± 11.25) mL. In 2 patients who underwent four-segment fusion, operative time and the amount of blood loss were 188 minutes and 175 mL, respectively in one patient and they were 214 minutes and 225 mL in another patient, respectively. With time went during 1 week to 12 months after surgery, Japanese Orthopaedic Association score was greatly increased, Neck Disability Index score was remarkably decreased, and Visual Analogue Scale score was also significantly decreased ( F = 11.25, 26.35, 20.26, all P < 0.05). Swallowing discomfort occurred in only 2 (2.2%) patients. No patients had incision hematoma, infection, hoarseness or choking cough. At 1 week to 12 months after surgery, cervical curvature and the height of intervertebral space of fused segments were superior to those before surgery (both P < 0.05). At 12 months after surgery, X-ray examination revealed bony fusion with no loosening and displacement of fusion cage and no obvious degeneration of adjacent segments. Conclusion:Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion combined with ROI-C application for the treatment of cervical spondylosis exhibits great therapeutic effects because it can greatly alleviate patient symptoms and improve cervical function.

lncRNA CCAT1 promotes cell proliferation, migration, and invasion by down-regulation of miR-143 in FTC-133 thyroid carcinoma cell line

Thyroid cancer is a common malignant tumor. Long non-coding RNA colon cancer-associated transcript 1 (lncRNA CCAT1) is highly expressed in many cancers; however, the molecular mechanism of CCAT1 in thyroid cancer remains unclear. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the effect of CCAT1 on human thyroid cancer cell line FTC-133. FTC-133 cells were transfected with CCAT1 expressing vector, CCAT1 shRNA, miR-143 mimic, and miR-143 inhibitor, respectively. After different treatments, cell viability, proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis were measured. Moreover, the regulatory relationship of CCAT1 and miR-143, as well as miR-143 and VEGF were tested using dual-luciferase reporter assay. The relative expressions of CCAT1, miR-143, and VEGF were tested by qRT-PCR. The expressions of apoptosis-related factors and corresponding proteins in PI3K/AKT and MAPK pathways were analyzed using western blot analysis. The results suggested that CCAT1 was up-regulated in the FTC-133 cells. CCAT1 suppression decreased FTC-133 cell viability, proliferation, migration, invasion, and miR-143 expression, while it increased apoptosis and VEGF expression. CCAT1 might act as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR-143. Moreover, CCAT1 activated PI3K/AKT and MAPK signaling pathways through inhibition of miR-143. This study demonstrated that CCAT1 exhibited pro-proliferative and pro-metastasis functions on FTC-133 cells and activated PI3K/AKT and MAPK signaling pathways via down-regulation of miR-143. These findings will provide a possible target for clinical treatment of thyroid cancer.

Effects of CO2 pretreatment on the volatile compounds of dried Chinese jujube (Zizyphus jujuba Miller)

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate whether anaerobic metabolites could induce volatile compounds and improve aroma of dried jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Miller). Jujube fruits were incubated in a polyvinyl chloride bag containing 5% CO2 and 95% N2 for up to 168 h at 25 °C and 3 samples were randomly removed every 6 h and oven dried to a moisture content of ≅ 20%. The volatile compounds of control and 5% CO2-pretreated Chinese jujube fruits were extracted by simultaneous distillation extraction and identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS). The acetaldehyde and ethanol contents were determined by gas chromatography (GC). The results indicated that a large accumulation of acetaldehyde and ethanol caused changes in aroma composition of dried jujube products and 5% CO2 pretreatment led to an increase in the levels of some compounds, particularly esters, acetaldehydes, and ethanol, whereas the amount of acids were decreased significantly. Principal component analysis showed that integrative scores of 5% CO2 pretreatment at 120 h were the highest, and aroma quality was better than that of the control. Relatively low concentrations of anaerobic respiration metabolites are good for jujube fruit aroma composition.

Separation and determination of acetyl-glutamine enantiomers by HPLC–MS and its application in pharmacokinetic study / 药物分析学报

A high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS) method was established for the separation and determination of acetyl-glutamine enantiomers (acetyl-L-glutamine and acetyl-D-glutamine) simultaneously. Baseline separation was achieved on Chiralpak AD-H column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm). n-Hexane (containing 0.1% acetic acid) and ethanol (75:25, v/v) were used as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.6 mL/min. The detection was operated in the negative ion mode with an ESI source. [M-H]? m/z 187.0540 for enantiomers and [M-H]? m/z 179.0240 for aspirin (IS) were selected as detecting ions. The linear range of the calibration curve for each enantiomer was 0.05–40 μg/mL. The precision of this method at concentrations of 0.5–20 μg/mL was within 7.23%, and the accuracy was 99.81%–107.81%. The precision at LOQ (0.05 μg/mL) was between 16.28% and 17.56%, which was poor than that at QC levels. The average extraction recovery was higher than 85% for both enantiomers at QC levels. The pharmacokinetics of enantiomers was found to be stereoselective. There was not chiral inversion in vivo or in vitro between enantiomers.

Separation and determination of acetyl-glutamine enantiomers by HPLC–MS and its application in pharmacokinetic study / 药物分析学报

A high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (HPLC–MS) method was established for the separation and determination of acetyl-glutamine enantiomers (acetyl-L-glutamine and acetyl-D-glutamine) simultaneously. Baseline separation was achieved on Chiralpak AD-H column (250 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm). n-Hexane (containing 0.1% acetic acid) and ethanol (75:25, v/v) were used as mobile phase at a flow rate of 0.6 mL/min. The detection was operated in the negative ion mode with an ESI source. [M-H]? m/z 187.0540 for enantiomers and [M-H]? m/z 179.0240 for aspirin (IS) were selected as detecting ions. The linear range of the calibration curve for each enantiomer was 0.05–40 μg/mL. The precision of this method at concentrations of 0.5–20 μg/mL was within 7.23%, and the accuracy was 99.81%–107.81%. The precision at LOQ (0.05 μg/mL) was between 16.28% and 17.56%, which was poor than that at QC levels. The average extraction recovery was higher than 85% for both enantiomers at QC levels. The pharmacokinetics of enantiomers was found to be stereoselective. There was not chiral inversion in vivo or in vitro between enantiomers.

Lack of IL-6 increases blood–brain barrier permeability in fungal meningitis.

The pathogenesis of increased blood–brain barrier permeability during Cryptococcus meningitis is still largely unknown. Interleukin (IL-6) is a multifunctional cytokine, and numerous studies have shown that IL‐6 influences the integrity of the blood–brain barrier. In this study we investigated the role of IL-6 in Cryptococcus meningitis. First, wild-type or IL-6−/− mice were injected with Cryptococcus neoformans (C. neoformans) and the survival time in both groups was recorded. Second, the number of fungi was measured in the brains of IL-6−/− wild-type mice. Finally, the blood–brain barrier permeability index was detected in infected IL-6−/− mice treated with recombinant human IL-6. The blood–brain barrier permeability index was measured in infected wild-type mice treated with anti-IL-6 antibodies as well. The survival of IL-6−/− mice injected with C. neoformans was significantly lower than that of identically challenged wild-type mice. The infected IL-6−/− mice had significantly larger brain fungal burdens than wild-type mice. Furthermore, increased blood–brain barrier index was found in infected IL-6−/− mice when compared with that in infected control mice. Similar results were obtained when mice challenged with C. neoformans were treated systemically with neutralizing anti-IL-6 antibodies, resulting in an elevation of vascular permeability. Our data revealed that IL-6 reduced the blood–brain barrier permeability during Cryptococcus meningitis, and it might provide an explanation for the significantly lower survival of infected IL-6−/− mice.