Using plant extracts and their active ingredients to inhibit bacterial biofilms / 生物工程学报

Numerous studies have reported that the resistance of biofilm bacteria to antibiotics can be up to 10-1 000 fold higher than that of planktonic bacteria. Bacterial biofilms are reported to be responsible for more than 80% of human microbial infection, posing great challenges to the healthcare sector. Many studies have reported that plant extracts and their active ingredients can inhibit the formation and development of bacterial biofilms, including reducing biofilm biomass and the number of viable bacteria in biofilms, as well as eradicating mature biofilms. This review summarized the plant extracts and their active ingredients that are inhibitory to bacterial biofilms, and analyzed the underpinning mechanisms. This review may serve as a reference for the development of plant drugs to prevent and treat biofilm infections.

Observation of the effect of autologous retinal pigment epithelium transplantation in the treatment of severe obsolete submacular hemorrhage / 中华眼底病杂志

Objective:To evaluate the functional and anatomical outcomes of autologous single retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) transplantation for severe obsolete submacular hemorrhage (SMH) in late age-related macular degeneration (AMD).Methods:A retrospective clinical study. From January 2012 to December 2015, 11 patients with AMD (11 eyes) with obsolete SMH who were diagnosed and treated by pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) combined with autologous RPE transplantation at the Department of Ophthalmology, Xin Hua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine were included. Among them, there were 9 eyes in 9 males and 2 eyes in 2 females. All the eyes underwent the examinations of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography; 4 eyes underwent macular fixation function (MAIA) at the same time. The BCVA examination was carried out using the international standard visual acuity chart, which was converted into logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) visual acuity during statistics. All eyes were treated with PPV combined with autologous single-layer RPE transplantation or autologous RPE-choroidal full-thickness transplantation, and were divided into S group and C group, with 5 and 6 eyes respectively. The differences of age ( t=-0.363), gender composition ratio ( χ2=0.549), course and thickness of SMH ( t=0.118, 0.231), average times of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drug treatments ( t=0.129), times of PPV ( t=-0.452) between the two groups were not statistically significant ( P>0.05). The follow-up period was 6-40 months after the operation, and the BCVA, MAIA, graft status and complications of the eyes after the operation were observed. The comparison of continuous variables between groups was performed by independent-sample t test; the comparison of categorical variables was performed by χ2 test. Results:At the last follow-up, the average logMAR BCVA of the eyes in group S and C were 1.62±0.34 and 1.03±0.20, respectively; group C was better than group S, however, the difference was not statistically significant ( t=1.532, P=0.160). There were 4 eyes (80%, 4/5) and 6 eyes (100%, 6/6) in S group and C group with BCVA better than preoperative, the difference was no statistical significance ( χ2=0.677, P=0.895). There were 2 (40%, 2/5) and 3 (50%, 3/6) eyes with logMAR BCVA better than 1.0 in S group and C group, and the difference was not statistically significant ( χ2=0.572, P=0.423). After the operation, 6 eyes of grafts were in good condition and 5 eyes were in poor condition; the BCVA of grafts in good condition was significantly higher than that of poor condition, the difference was statistically significant ( t=4.894, P=0.001). Among the 4 eyes that underwent MAIA examination, 2 eyes were unstable and diffusely fixed on the graft; the fixation point was located at the normal retina adjacent to the graft area in 2 eyes. Secondary subretinal hemorrhage occurred in 3 eyes after the operation; the intraocular pressure was high in 1 eye after the operation. During the follow-up period, no intraocular infection, secondary retinal detachment, recurrent choroidal neovascularization or low intraocular pressure occurred in all eyes. Conclusions:Both autologous single-layer RPE transplantation and autologous RPE-choroidal full-thickness transplantation can help stabilize or even improve the visual function of eyes with severe SMH secondary to advanced AMD. The visual acuity after surgery is closely related to the state of the graft.

Para-Bombay phenotype in a pregnant woman / 中华围产医学杂志

We report the successful management of a pregnant woman with para-Bombay phenotype. The woman received routine prenatal check-ups and underwent vaginal delivery in the Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital. Blood grouping at 12 weeks of pregnancy showed that the forward typing of the patient was group O, but reverse typing indicated group AB. Her ABO genotype was determined as ABO*A1.02/B.01. There was c.551-552del AG and c.880-882 del TT in the FUT1 gene, and 357C>T and 716G>A in the FUT2 gene. Thus, her FUT1 genotype was h1/h2 and FUT2 genotype was Se/Se. No significant abnormalities were found in the routine prenatal examination. A male infant was born vaginally at 39 +2 gestational weeks, who was grouped as B-positive without neonatal hemolytic disease. Para-Bombay is a rare blood group. It is necessary to clarify the blood type during prenatal examination and develop a management strategy for those with special blood groups to reduce the incidence of postpartum hemorrhage and ensure safe delivery.

Analysis of interactions of immune checkpoint inhibitors with antibiotics in cancer therapy / 医学前沿

The discovery of immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4, has played an important role in the development of cancer immunotherapy. However, immune-related adverse events often occur because of the enhanced immune response enabled by these agents. Antibiotics are widely applied in clinical treatment, and they are inevitably used in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Clinical practice has revealed that antibiotics can weaken the therapeutic response to immune checkpoint inhibitors. Studies have shown that the gut microbiota is essential for the interaction between immune checkpoint inhibitors and antibiotics, although the exact mechanisms remain unclear. This review focuses on the interactions between immune checkpoint inhibitors and antibiotics, with an in-depth discussion about the mechanisms and therapeutic potential of modulating gut microbiota, as well as other new combination strategies.

Genotype and phenotype of CRB1 mutated Leber congenital amaurosis and early-onset retinal atrophy / 中华眼底病杂志

Objective:To investigate the relationship between genotype and phenotype in children with CRB1 mutated Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) and early onset retinal dystrophy (EOSRD). Methods:A retrospective clinical study. From January 2013 to December 2019, 10 children with CRB1 mutated LCA/EOSRD were enrolled in the study. The patients were identified as CRB1 mutation by the second generation targeted capture sequencing, Sanger sequencing and the family segregation analysis. All children underwent electroretinogram (ERG) and fundus examination. At the same time, 6 cases were examined by optical coherence tomography (OCT); 1 case was examined by fluorescein fundus angiography (FFA), 7 cases were examined by wide-angle laser scanning ophthalmoscope (UWF SLO). Results:There were 6 cases of LCA and 4 cases of EOSRD in 10 patients with CRB1 gene mutations. The average age of first visit was 3.61 years old. The light and dark wave of ERG was flat in 6 cases, and decreased in 4 cases. A total of 19 pathogenic mutations were detected. There were 1 homozygous mutation and 9 compound heterozygous mutations. There were 4, 2 and 1 cases of "copper-coin" like, "salt and pepper" like and "osteocyte" like pigment changes in retina, 1 case of "crystalline pigment" change and 2 cases of macular pigment scar. In 7 cases of UWF SLO examination, different degrees of para-arteriolar pigment epithelium retention (PPRPE) were found in the middle and peripheral fundus. In 6 cases examined by OCT, the outer layer of retina atrophied and the band of ellipsoid disappeared. Symmetrical cystoid macular edema, splitting cystoid macular degeneration and adhesion of epi-macular membrane to optic disc and macular area were found in 1 case, respectively, the retinal structure was rough and thickened, and the fovea became thinner in 3 cases. In FFA examination, 1 case showed uveitis-like changes with late optic disc fluorescein staining, macular fluorescence accumulation, strong fluorescence diffusing along the blood vessels in each quadrant, peripheral PPRPE of "frost-branch" like strong fluorescence. Conclusion:The relationship between genotype and phenotype of CRB1 mutation is complex, and PPRPE is a common characteristic change.

The mechanisms of urothelial cells differentiation / 中华泌尿外科杂志

The urothelium is a transitional epithelium which lines on the renal pelvis, ureter, bladder and proximal urethra adjacent to the bladder. It’s a permeability barrier. In the process of urothelial development or injury repair, the mature urothelial cells expressing uroplakin appears after the hierarchical transcription of a series of transcription factors in basal stem cells. Understanding normal urothelial differentiation process of the urothelial cells could be beneficial to uncover the development of urothelial carcinoma so that to provide targeted therapy options and the study of the urinary tract repair process after injury. In addition, the study of stem cell differentiation microenvironment also provides important theoretical support for tissue engineering and tissue reconstruction. In this review, we discuss the latest findings on urothelial cell differentiation and its clinical significance.

"Practice of ""Green Pharmacy"" concept in the pharmacy experimental teaching" / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Experiment of pharmacy will inevitably cause a waste of resources and environmental pollution. Therefore, it is necessary to explore some green teaching method in the experiment of pharma-ceutics. Based on the long-term teaching experience, this paper took the preparation of yiyuan powder, the cold fever granules and tables, and subing dropping as examples to compare the differences between the traditional teaching method and the green teaching method in the aspects of improving the basic operating skills, saving materials and reagents and using the micro experiments. The results showed that compared with the conventional teaching, green teaching method in pharmaceutics experiment process can significantly reduce the reagent and the amount of raw materials, so as to enables students to cultivate green, energy saving, environmental awareness while mastering the pharmaceutical theory and technology.

Observations on the Efficacy of Heat-sensitive Point Moxibustion in Treating Functional Dyspepsia / 上海针灸杂志

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of heat-sensitive point moxibustion in treating functional dyspepsia. Methods Fifty-six patients with functional dyspepsia were randomly allocated to treatment and control groups, 28 cases each. The treatment group received heat-sensitive point moxibustion and the control group took domperidone tablets. The symptoms were scored and plasma motilin was measured in the two groups before and after treatment. The clinical therapeutic effects were compared between the two groups.Results The total efficacy rate was 89.3% in the treatment group and 82.1% in the control group; there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). There were statistically significant pre-/post-treatment differences in the symptom score and plasma motilin in the two groups (P<0.05). There were statistically significant post-treatment differences in the symptom score and plasma motilin between the treatment and control groups (P<0.05).Conclusion Heat-sensitive point moxibustion is an effective way to treat functional dyspepsia.

The pharmaceutical teaching method based on the four steps / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective To explore the differences of teaching effectiveness between the traditional experimental teaching method and the new one which is based on four steps of principle,design,correction and experiment.Method Stratified sampling method was used,and 120 students were divided into control group and experimental group.Taking the case of the preparation of powder,the two methods mentioned above were used respectively.The advantage of the new teaching method was that teachers only explained the experimental principle rather than the detailed process,and students designed the process and quality control standard by reviewing literatures.Through interactive evaluation between teachers and students,teaching effectiveness of the two methods was evaluated,and Excel and SPSS were applied for statistical analysis.Result There were no significant differences between the two groups in the aspects of experiment preparation,basic skills of experiment and understanding of knowledge (P＞0.05),but in the aspects of experiment initiative,degree of cooperation and the enthusiasm of asking questions there existed significant differences (the values of P were 0.000、0.012、0.000,respectively,P＜0.05).More than 95％ of students thought the new teaching method not only could more effectively improve the ability to analyze and solve problem but also develop the capacity for self-learning and innovation.In addition,it could improve the ability to collect information and psychological quality,and cultivate scientific and rigorous attitude.Conclusion Compared to the traditional experimental teaching method,the new one based on four steps of principle,design,correction and experiment emphasized the subjective initiative,and teachers played a directive role.This method provided the space for students to think,explore,discover,and create.In addition,it could strengthen student's practical ability and the ability to design preparation process independently.

Image features of spectral-domain optical coherence tomography of high myopia with retinoschisis / 中华眼底病杂志

Objective To observe the image features of high myopia with retinoschisis by spectraldomain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Methods The clinical data of eight patients (eight eyes)of high myopia with retinoschisis were retrospective analyzed. All patients were diagnosed by SD-OCT (Topcon 3D OCT-1000), had no macular holes and underwent vitrectomy including internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling and gas tamponade. All patients also underwent visual acuity, refraction,pre-mirror fundus examination and A/B-mode ultrasound examination. Visual acuity and SD-OCT were followed up at one, three and six months after surgery. Before surgery, pre-mirror fundus examination revealed shallow foveal detachment in 3/8 eyes, posterior scleral staphyloma in 7/8 eyes. SD-OCT showed concave arc stripes in 7/8 eyes, and outer retinoschisis in 8/8 eyes, middle or inner retinoschisis in 5/8 eyes and foveal detachment in 5/8 eyes. Results Six months after surgery, posterior retinoschisis disappeared in six eyes, foveal detachment still presented in one eye and parafoveal hole occurred in one eye. The corrected visual acuity improved from the 0. 15 to 0. 8 in one eye which had a restored continuous inner segment/outer segmen (IS/OS) line by SD-OCT. The corxected visual acuity improved from 0. 01 to 0. 1 in one eye, from 0. 05 to 0. 15 in one eye, not changed in five eyes. There was no continuous IS/OS line in those patients by SD-OCT. Conclusions SD-OCT shows a variety of morphological features of myopic retinoschisis which could be cured anatomically and functionally by vitrectomy combined ILM peeling. The continuity of IS/OS layer from SD-OCT could help to interpret the vision recovery after the operation.