ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the value of autism screening checklists in the early identification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).@*METHODS@#A total of 2 571 children who attended the Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University and completed autism screening and diagnostic test were enrolled as subjects, among whom 2 074 were diagnosed with ASD, 261 were diagnosed with global developmental delay (GDD), 206 were diagnosed with developmental language disorder (DLD), and 30 had normal development. The sensitivity, specificity, and optimal threshold value of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) and the Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) for the early identification of ASD were evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.@*RESULTS@#The M-CHAT had a high sensitivity of 88.3% but a low specificity of 36.0% for the identification of ASD. Its sensitivity decreased with age, and was maintained above 80% for children aged 16 to < 48 months. The ABC had a high specificity of 87.3% but a low sensitivity of 27.2%, with an optimal cut-off value of 47.5 based on the ROC curve analysis. The multivariate linear regression model based on a combination of the M-CHAT and ABC for screening of ASD showed a specificity of 85.8% and a sensitivity of 56.6%.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The M-CHAT has a high sensitivity and a low specificity in the identification of ASD, with a better effect in children aged 16 to < 48 months. The ABC has a high specificity and a low sensitivity. The multiple linear regression model method based on the combined M-CHAT and ABC to screen ASD appears to be effective.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Humans , Infant , Autism Spectrum Disorder/diagnosis , Autistic Disorder , Checklist , Mass Screening , ROC CurveABSTRACT
Endophytes were isolated and purified from the roots of medicinal plant Fengdan also known as Paeonia suffruticosa from Tongling region, Anhui province, China. Morphology and molecular biology methods were applied to indentify the endophyte strains. And methods of growth rate and filtering paper were also used for studying antibacterial/antifungal effects of the strains. As a result, 129 endophyte strains were isolated. Fifty-eight endophytic fungi strains were identified as 6 species in 4 genera and the dominant genus was Fusarium. Seventy-one endophytic bacteria strains were identified as 9 species in 3 genera and the dominant genus was Bacillus. Inhibitory diameter with endophytic fermenting liquid of Pseudomonas chlororaphis, F. nematophilum and B. megaterium from P. suffruticosa against Staphyloccocus aureus, Escherichia coli and B. subtilis reached 25.0,20.2,24.0 mm respectively. The inhibition rate of endophytic fermenting liquid from F. nematophilum against Penicillium sp. and Colletotrichum dematium reached 90.6% and 83.3%, respectively. The inhibition effect of P. chlororaphis against F. oxysporum f. sp. niveum and Mucor sp. was good and the antifungal rate reached 80.0% and 84.9%, respectively. P. suffruticosa in Tongling region contains abundant endophytes. P. chlororaphis and F. nematophilum are valuable species as starting strain about microbicide.
ABSTRACT
Objective: To extract Saposhnikovia divaricata polysaccharides (SPS) and to analyze the characteristics of their physicochemistry and structures. Methods: Two main polysaccharides, SPS0 and SPS1, were obtained by DEAE-52 and Sephadex G-200 column chromatography; UV spectrophotometer, heat stability test, IR spectrometry, Congo-red test, environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM), and atomic force microscope (AFM) were used to determine the physicochemical, morphological, and structural properties of polysaccharides. Results: The uronic acid contents of SPS0 and SPS1 were 12.07% and 0.95%, respectively. IR spectrometry showed SPS0 had a specific absorption peak of -COOH. Congo-red test indicated that only SPS0 had a triple helix conformation. ESEM and AFM showed that SPS0 was neat and orderly, with a hyper branched structure, but irregular figure and fewer branches were observed in SPS1. Conclusion: SPS0 is an acidic and hyper branched polysaccharide, while SPS1 is a homogeneous polysaccharide including β-D-pyranose sugar residues with better heat stability.