ABSTRACT
Objective@#To evaluate the efficacy and safety of high-dose fluconazole alone or combined with flucytosine as initial therapy for cryptococcal meningitis (CM) in non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related patients.@*Methods@#Twenty-five non-HIV-infected patients with CM from June 2015 to September 2018 in Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, who were initially treated with high-dose fluconazole with or without flucytosine for at least seven days were retrospectively reviewed.Clinical features and antifungal (600-800 mg/d) regimens were recorded, clinical responses and drug-related adverse events were evaluated. Mann-Whitney test and Fisher′s exact probabilities test were applied to compare variables between groups.@*Results@#Of the 25 patients enrolled in this study, 15 had predisposing factors. Headache (25 cases), fever (21 cases), vomiting (13 cases) and neck stiffness (13 cases) were common manifestations. Abnormalities of cranial computed tomography (CT) scan and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were found in 22 cases.Nineteen patients were treated with high-dose fluconazole plus flucytosine for initial therapy, and six patients were treated with high-dose fluconazole alone. The course of initial regimens with high-dose fluconazole was 42 (29, 120) days. At the end of initial therapy, partial response in 20 patients, stable response in three patients and death in two patients were observed, and the overall effective rate was 80%(20/25). In treatment failure group of initial treatment, the proportion of patients with baseline cerebrospinal fluid opening pressure over 300 mmH2O (1 mmH2O=0.009 8 kPa) and with altered mental status were both significantly higher compared with those in treatment success group. Fluconazole related adverse drug events were observed including elevated transaminases (one case), gastrointestinal symptoms combined with hypokalemia (two cases), and systemic rash (three cases). Except for three patients with rash reduced the dosage of fluconazole, no other patients were given dosage adjustment.@*Conclusion@#High-dose fluconazole alone or combined with flucytosine is effective and safe for the initial therapy of non-HIV-related CM patients.
ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of high-dose fluconazole alone or combined with flucytosine as initial therapy for cryptococcal meningitis(CM)in non-human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)-related patients.Methods Twenty-five non-HIV-infected patients with CM from June 2015 to September 20 18 in Huashan Hospital,Fudan University,who were initially treated with high-dose fluconazole with or without flucytosine for at least seven days were retrospectively reviewed.Clinical features and antifungal(600-800 mg/d)regimens were recorded,clinical responses and drug-related adverse events were evaluated.Mann-Whitney test and Fisher's exact probabilities test were applied to compare variables between groups.Results of the 25 patients enrolled in this study,15 had predisposing factors.Headache(25 cases),fever(21 cases),vomiting(13 cases)and neck stiffness(13 cases)were common manifestations.Abnormalities of cranial computed tomography(CT)scan and/or magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)were found in 22 cases.Nineteen patients were treated with high-dose fluconazole plus flucytosine for initial therapy,and six patients were treated with high-dose fluconazole alone.The course of initial regimens with high-dose fuconazole was 42(29,120)days.At the end of initial therapy,partial response in 20 patients,stable response in three patients and death in two patients were observed,and the overall effective rate was 80％(20/25).In treatment failure group of initial treatment,the proportion of patients with baseline cerebrospinal fuid opening pressure over 300 mmH2 O(1 mmH2O=0.009 8 kPa)and with altered mental status were both significantly higher compared with those in treatment Success group.Fluconazole related adverse drug events were observed including elevated transaminases(one case),gastrointestinal symptoms combined with hypokalemia(two cases),and systemic rash(three cases).Except for three patients with rash reduced the dosage of fluconazole.no other patients were given dosage adjustment.Conclusion High-dose fluconazole alone or combined with flucytosine is effective and safe for the initial therapy of non-HIV-related CM patients.
ABSTRACT
Objective To analyze the expressions of cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) in the peripheral blood of patients with active tuberculosis (ATB ) or latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) ,and to evaluate its diagnostic value in differentiation of ATB and LTBI .Methods Forty-eight patients including 18 ATB cases and 30 LTBI cases were continuously enrolled from Wuxi No . 5 People′s Hospital and Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University from January 2011 to March 2013 .Flow cytometry was applied to detect the CTLA-4 expression in CD4+CD25+ FoxP3+ T cells in the peripheral blood of the 48 subjects .CTLA-4 levels were compared using non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test .Results The median percentage of CTLA-4+ Treg in CD4+ CD25+ Foxp3+ Treg cells of ATB patients was 18 .95％ (quantile range :13 .86％ ,27 .73％ ) ,and that in LTBI patients was 6 .67％(quantile range :5 .74％ ,9 .59％ ) ,which was statistically significant (U=18 .0 , P< 0 .01) .Receiver operating curve (ROC) based on the CTLA-4 expression indicated that the area under the curve was 0 .96 , with the optimum cut-off value of 13 .25％ .Thus ,the sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of ATB were 86 .7％ and 94 .4％ ,respectively .Conclusion CTLA-4 has highly sensitivity and specificity for the differential diagnosis of ATB and LTBI whose interferon-gamma releasing assays are all positive ,which may also provide meaningful clue for the study of pathogenesis of ATB .
ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of T cells spot test of tuberculosis infection (T-SPOT .TB) on blood and cerebrospinal fluid for tuberculous meningitis (TBM ).Methods One hundred and fifteen adult patients with suspected tuberculous meningitis were retrospectively enrolled from March 2013 to March 2017 in Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University .Among them ,30 were diagnosed with TBM (7 definite ,19 highly probable and 4 possible) ,37 with other infectious meningitis and 29 with non-infectious meningitis .The diagnostic sensitivity ,specificity ,positive predictive values (PPV) and negative predictive values (NPV) of T-SPOT .TB on peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMC) and cerebrospinal fluid mononuclear cells (CSF-MC ) were analyzed using Fisher exact test , and the diagnostic performance was evaluated by using receiver operating characteristic (ROC ) curve and area under the curve (AUC).Results When including the 30 TBM cases and 66 non-TBM cases into analysis , the sensitivities and specificities , PPV and NPV of PBMC and CSF-MC for diagnosing TBM were as follows :93 .1% and 66 .7%,77% and 87 .7%,65 .9% and 71 .4%,95 .9% and 85 .1%,respectively . When including the 30 TBM and 37 other infectious meningitis into analysis , the sensitivities and specificities ,PPV and NPV of the PBMC and CSF-MC for diagnosing TBM were as follows :93 .1% and 66.7%,68 .6% and 86 .5%,71.1% and 80 .0%,92 .3% and 76 .2%,respectively .By ROC curve analysis ,the AUC of blood and CSF were 0 .882 (95% CI :0 .795－0 .969) and 0 .814 (95% CI :0 .704－0 .925) ,respectively .Using a cut-off value of 32 spot forming cells (SFC) per million CSF-MC for T-SPOT .TB on CSF-MC showed a sensitivity of 66 .7%,a specificity of 91 .9%,PPV of 87 .0% and NPV of 77 .3% .The positive likelihood ratio and negative likelihood ratio were 8 .22 and 0 .363 respectively . Conclusions T-SPOT .TB on CSF-MC has a role in diagnosing TBM .And 32 SFC per million CSF-MC might be the optimal cut-off value to differentiate TBM and non-TBM .
ABSTRACT
Objective To analyze the expression of interleukin (IL)-31 in tuberculous pleural effusion,and to evaluate its diagnostic value of tuberculous effusion.Methods Seventy-one patients with pleural effusion were enrolled,including 40 cases of tuberculous pleural effusion and 31 cases of malignant pleural effusion.Luminex method was applied to detect the IL-31 expression in pleural effusion.IL-31 levels were compared using non-parametric Mann-WhitneyU test,and the receiver operator characteristic (ROC)curve was used to elvaluate the diagnostic value of IL-31 .Results IL-31 expression in tuberculous pleural effusion was significantly higher than that in malignant pleural effusion with statistical significance (529.4 ng/L vs 13.8 ng/L,U =62,P <0.01 ).Based on the level of IL-31 expression,area under the ROC curve was 0.95 with the optimum cut-off value of 67.5 ng/L.Thus,the sensitivity and specificity of IL-31 ≥67.5 ng/L for diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy were 82.5 % (95 %CI :73.3% - 94.2%)and 100.0% (95 %CI :91 .4%-100.0%),respectively.Conclusion IL-31 is highly sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion, which favors the differentiation of tuberculosis from malignance.
ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the association between genetic polymorphisms of Dectin-2 and pulmonary cryptococcosis.Methods A total of 134 non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)patients with pulmonary cryptococcosis and 464 healthy controls were included in this case control study.The peripheral leucocyte DNA was extracted and genotyping was performed by multiplex SNaPshot technology.The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)of rs11045418 located at 5′-flanking locus of Dectin-2 gene was genotyped.Patients without predisposing conditions were compared independently.The differences of gene polymorphism distributions compared between pulmonary patients and healthy control, and between patients without predisposing conditions and healthy control.All data were analyzed withχ2 tests.Results Among the total 134 patients,82 patients had no predisposing factors.Thirty two patients met the proven diagnosis criteria and 102 patients were probable pulmonary cryptococcosis.According to the site of infection, 72 patients had local infection in lungs and 62 patients had disseminated cryptococcosis.Three samples failed in genotyping,one of which was a patient without predisposing factor.Compared with the control group,there was a trend of increasing proportion of heterozygote rs11045418 CT in the 131 pulmonary cryptococcosis patients (59% vs 50%,P =0.069,OR=1.44,95%CI :0.97-2.13),and the heterozygote was significantly increased in 81 patients without predisposing conditions(64% vs 50%,P =0.017,OR= 1 .82,95 %CI :1 .11 -2.95 ).No significant difference of genotype distribution was found between the local and disseminated infection patients.Conclusion Our study shows that rs11045418 CT heterozygote in Dectin-2 is associated with the susceptibility of pulmonary cyrptococcosis among non-HIV-infected Chinese patients,which indicated that the change of Dectin-2 receptor may play a role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary cyrptococcosis.
ABSTRACT
Nucleoside and nucleotide analogs (NAs) have been successfully used for treatment of chronic hepatitis B. Hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication is now recognized as the key driver of liver injury and disease progression, so the primary aim of treatment for chronic HBV infection is to maximize sustained suppression of HBV replication to undetectable levels. The long-term treatment has also been shown to achieve substantial histological improvement and regression of liver fibrosis or cirrhosis, and reduction of hepatocellular carcinoma. This paper has reviewed the necessity, clinical benefits, and the management of long-term treatment for chronic hepatitis B.
Subject(s)
Humans , Antiviral Agents , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular , Hepatitis B virus , Hepatitis B, Chronic , Liver Cirrhosis , Nucleosides , Virus ReplicationABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the risk factors associated with cranial nerve impairment in patients with tuberculous meningitis.Methods A total of 121 patients with tuberculous meningitis who were admitted to Huashan Hospital from 2000 to 2011 were reviewed retrospectively.Demographic data (gender,age),course of disease,initial results of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) tests,occurrence of cranial nerve impairment and prognosis of these patients were collected.All the patients were followed up for at least 3 months,and for those with cranial nerve impairment,the minimum follow-up period was 1 year in order to judge the recovery of cranial nerve impairment.Multivariate analysis was performed to study the associated risk factors.Results Out of 121 patients,22 (18.2 ％)developed cranial nerve impairment.Nerves involved were abducens nerve,oculomotor nerve,optic nerve and auditory nerve,and impairment of single nerve occurred in 9 (40.9 ％),8 (36.4 ％),7(31.8％) and 1(4.5％) patient,respectively.Three cases had more than one group of cranial nerves involved,accounting for 13.6％ of the 22 patients with cranial nerve impairment.The incidence of conscious disturbance was significantly higher in patients with cranial nerve impairment than those without impairment (77 ％ vs 45 ％,P=0.020).Delay in diagnosis (OR =1.017,95 ％ CI:1.001-1.033,P=0.040) and occurrence of conscious disturbance (OR =3.242,95 ％ CI:1.142-9.205,P=0.027) were independent predictive factors of cranial nerve injury.During one-year follow-up,90.9％ of patients were fully recovered from cranial nerve impairment,with a median duration of 1 month (range 0.5-6.0 months).Conclusions Cranial nerve impairment is a common complication in patients with tuberculous meningitis.Delay in diagnosis and occurrence of conscious disturbance were independent predictive factors.Most cranial nerve impairment were reversible,and timely diagnosis and treatment are important ways to reduce complications.
ABSTRACT
Objective To understand the predictors and prognostic significance of cranial nerve impairment in non-acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients with cryptococcal meningitis.Methods A total of 145 non-AIDS patients with cryptococcal meningitis admitted to Huashan Hospital,Fudan University from Jan 2000 to Dec 2010 were reviewed retrospectively.Clinical characteristics,initial antifungal therapies and outcome of these patients were analyzed.Continuous variables were analyzed using t test and categorical variables were compared by x2 test or Fisher's exact test.Multivariate analysis was performed by binary Logistic regressions.Results Out of 145 patients,52 (35.9％) patients had cranial nerve impairment at enrollment.Optic (25/52,48.1％) and oculomotor (22/52,42.3％) nerves were the most commonly involved,followed by auditory (12/52,23.1％),abducens (6/52,11.5％),olfactory (4/52,7.7％) and facial (3/52,5.8％) nerves.The best predictive factor of cranial nerve injury was duration of diagnosis (OR =1.056,95％ CI:1.002-1.111).The risk of cranial injury would increase by 5.6％ with one-week delay of diagnosis.Intracranial hypertension and low cerebrospinal fluid cell count were also the independent predictive factors (both P＜0.05).In the follow-up period,73.3％ patients who had cranial nerve injuries were fully recovered,with a median time of 3 (0.5-24.0) months.The independent predictors of recovery were numbers of nerve involved (OR =0.230,95 ％ CI:0.066-0.800,P=0.021) and amphotericin B (AmB) plus 5-fluorocytosine,triazole antifungal agent therapy (OR=10.317,95％CI:2.086-51.025,P=0.004).Conclusions Cranial nerve impairment occurs in one-third of non-AIDS patients with cryptococcal meningitis.Delay in diagnosis,intracranial hypertension and low cerebrospinal fluid cell count are independent predictive factors.Less cranial nerve involvement and AmB plus triazole therapy predict recovery.
ABSTRACT
Objective To describe the distributions of FCGR polymorphisms in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-uninfected patients with cryptococcosis,and to investigate the association of FCGR polymorphisms with the susceptibility to cryptococcosis.Methods The distributions of the four functional polymorphisms,including FCGR2A 131H/R,FCGR3A 158F/V,FCGR3B NA1/NA2,and FCGR2B 232I/T were compared between 198 cryptococcosis patients and 190 healthy controls.The polymorphisms distribution patterns were also compared between patients with central nervous system (CNS) infection and those without CNS infection.Genotyping of eight single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in FCGR were performed by multiplex SNaPshot technology using DNA extracted from blood samples.The comparison between patients and controls was performed by chi square test or Fisher exact test.Results Compared to healthy controls,the frequency of FCGR2B 232I/I increased (65％ vs 53％,x2 =4.27,P=0.039,OR=1.652,95％CI:1.02-2.67) and that of FCGR2B 232I/T decreased (27％ vs 40％,x2 =5.77,P=0.016.OR=0.542,95％CI:0.33-0.90) in patients with cryptococcal meningitis.Among immunocompetent patients,the frequency of FCGR2B 232I/I was also over-presented (69％ vs 53％,x2=4.53,P =0.033,OR=1.958,95％CI:1.05-3.66) and the FCGR2B 232I/T genotype was also less frequently observed (24％ vs 40％,x2=5.14,P=0.023,OR=0.467,95％CI:0.24-0.91) compared to healthy controls.There were 117 cases with CNS infection and 81 non-CNS infection cases.The genotype of FCGR2A 131R/Rwas over-presented (19％ vs 6％,x2 =6.48,P=0.011,OR=3.52,95％CI:1.27-9.73) and the FCGR2B 232I/T genotype was under-presented (27 ％ vs 46 ％,x2 =7.56,P =0.006,OR=0.431,95％CI:0.24-0.79) in patients with CNS infection compared with those without CNS infection.Furthermore,the frequency of FCGR2B 232I/I genotypes increased (69％ vs47％,x2 =5.47,P=0.019,OR=2.479,95％CI:1.15-5.34) and the frequency of FCGR2B 232I/T decreased (24％ vs 51％,x2 =8.66,P=0.003,OR=0.307,95％CI:0.14-0.68) in immunocompetent patients with CNS infection compared with those without CNS infection.Conclusions FCGR2A 131H/R and FCGR2B 232I/T are associated with the susceptibility to cryptococcal CNS infection,which suggests that FcγRⅡA and FcγRⅡB may contribute to the pathogenesis of cryptococcosis.
ABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo evaluate the application of a whole blood interferon-γ (IFN-γ) release assay QuantiFERON-TB Gold In Tube (QFT-GIT) in the diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion.Methods IFN-γ released by specific T cells stimulated by early secreted antigenic target 6 × 103protein (ESAT-6),culture filtrate protein 10 (CFP -10) and TB7.7 were measured by QFT-GIT test in 44 tuberculous pleural effusion patients and 16 non-tuberculous pleurisy controls.The IFN-γ release level between groups was compared by Mann-Whitmey test.ResultsThe positive rates of QFT-GIT in patients with tuberculous pleural effusion and non tuberculous pleurisy were 95.5％ and 12.5％,respectively.The sensitivity,specificity,positive predictive value and negative predictive value of QFT-GIT were 95.6％,87.5％,95.6％ and 87.5％,respectively.The antigen-specific IFN-γ release level in the patients with tuberculous pleural effusion was significantly higher than that in non-tuberculous pleurisy controls (P＜0.01).Conclusions The whole blood INF-γ release assay QFT-GIT is a sensitive and specific assay for detecting pleural tuberculosis infection.It could be a useful diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion in China.
ABSTRACT
Objective To determine the influence of P-glycoprotein (P-gp) inhibitor on the blood brain barrier (BBB) transport of amphotericin B (AmB)..Methods An in-vitro BBB model was established with brain capillary endothelia cells (BCEC). AmB was chosen as the test drug and verapamil was chosen as the inhibitor of P-gp.Cellular uptake of AmB at different time points and with series of verapamil concentrations were performed respectively after the determination of appropriate incubation time and drug dosage by the cytotoxicity assay. The AmB concentrations of series of samples were detected using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. One-way ANOVA analysis and Bonferroni test were used for data analysis.Results The cellular transport of AmB was accumulated as the time prolonged.The inhibitor group had a significant higher cellular uptake levelsof AmBat the time point of 90 min (t=6.753,P=0.001),120 min (t=3.574,P=0.016) and 150 min (t=4.759,P=0.005) as compared with the control group.The AmB cellular uptake level increased significantly when BCEC were incubated with verapamil of 2 μmol/L (P=0.000),5 μmol/L (P=0.014),10 μmol/L (P=0.000),50 μmol/L (P=0.014),75 μmol/L (P=0.000) and 100 tμmol/L (P=0.000),respectively,compared with the control group.Conclusion The P-gp inhibitor verapamil can enhance the cellular uptake of AmB which indicates that P-gp is involved in the BBP transport of AmB.
ABSTRACT
ObjectiveTo investigate the incidence of bacterial meningitis in patients who underwent intracranial neurosurgery and to explore the pathogen distribution and related risk factors.MethodsThe patients were selected by cluster systematic sampling method from the patient population who underwent intracranial neurosurgery for at least one time in Huashan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University in 2008.Chi-square test and Logistic regression model were used to analyze the data.ResultsA total of 1165 patients were included in this study.Seventy-nine of them were diagnosed with bacterial meningitis,while eight of them bad positive results for bacterial culture,including 3 cases of Acinetobacter baumannii,and 1 case each of Acinetobacter lwoffii,Klebsiella pneumoniae,Staphylococcus epidermidis,Enterococcus and Streptococcus intermedius. The common neurosurgical diseases with high incidence of postoperative bacterial meningitis were neurilemmoma 15.85％(13/82),glioma 12.21％ (21/172) and hydrocephalus 10.34％ (3/29).Logistic regression analysis identified male,implant,enteral nutrition,external ventricular drainage and wound negative pressure drainage as independent risk factors for postoperative bacterial meningitis.ConclusionsPostoperative central nervous system infection is the most common and severe complication after the intracranial neurosurgery.The results highlight the importance of improving pathogen detection rate and enhancing the prevention in high risk patient populations.
ABSTRACT
Objective To analyse the clinical feature of infective endocarditis (IE) in recent years.Methods Clinical profiles including age of onset,predisposing factor,clinical manifestation,blood culture and ultrasonic cardio gram (UCG) of 97 cases from Huashan Hospital in the recent 10 years were collected and analyzed retrospectively. Descriptive data were represented as mean ±standard deviation form.Positive rate was represented as percentage form.Fisher's exact test were used to determine two groups' comparison.Results The mean age of the population was (49±17)years.Seventy-three patients (75.3％) had background heart disease,the top 3 of which was rheumatic heart disease in 27 patients (27.8％),congenital heart disease in 23 patients (23.7％) and idiopathic mitral valve prolapse in 18 patients (18.6 ％).The most common clinical manifestation were fever (99.0％),murmurs (95.9％) and anemia (84.5％).Sixty-six patients (68.0％) had positive result of blood cultures. Streptococcus viridans,which was found in 28 patients with native valve endocarditis (42.4 ％),was still the most common pathogen.Staphylococcus,which was found in 18patients (27.3％),had an elevated ratio.Staphylococcus aureus was found in 10 patients (15.2％)and 3 of which were MRSA.Coagulase-negative staphylococcus was found in 8 patients (12.1 ％ ) and 2 of which were MRCNS. Drug-resistant bacteria was increased and pathogens were varied.Vegetations were found in 79 patients (81.4％) by UCG.ConclusionsClinical manifestation,predisposing factor and pathogen have changed in IE patients. Attaching importance to physical examination,multiple-time blood culture and UCG helps the diagnose of IE.
ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the prevalence of drug-resistant mutations in reverse transcriptase and protease coding regions of HIV-1 in treatment-na(i)ve patients. MethodsPlasma specimens were collected from 88 patients from Zhejiang, Shanghai, Henan and Anhui. The entire protease gene and the first 1-251 amino acids of the reverse transcriptase gene were amplified by RT-PCR from viral RNA and sequenced. The sequences were analyzed with HIV drug resistance algorithm, and phyligenetic analyses were performed by PHYLIP software. SPSS 13.0 was used for statistical analysis, and Fisher' s exact test was performed to compare the proportions of each subtype between the groups. Results79 gene sequences were obtained, subtyping analyses indicated that 68.4％ (54/79) were subtype B, followed by CRF01 _AE 24.8％ (22/79), CRF07_BC2.5％ (2/79),andCRF08_BC1.3％ (1/79). 7 (7/79,8.9％)presented with primary mutations associated with resistance to antiretroviral drugs, mutations conferring primary resistance to nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors ( NNRTIs ) were detected in 3 ( 3. 8％ ) and 4 ( 5. 1％ ) cases, respectively. Protease inhibitors (Pls)associated primary resistance mutations were not found.Conclusion Antiretroviral drug resistant mutations have been found in treatment-na(i)ve patients with HIV-1 infections, while the prevalence level is low, which indicates that drug resistance test is not necessary for most HIV-1infected treatment-na(i)ve patients.
ABSTRACT
Objective To describe the distribution of mannose binding lectin (MBL) genetic polymorphisms in non-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients with cryptococcosis in China and to verify the association of MBL polymorphisms with susceptibility to cryptococcosis.Methods The case-controlled genetic association study was conducted and 167 non-AIDS patients with cryptococcosis and 208 healthy controls were recruited. Genome DNA was extracted from the peripheral blood and MBL gene was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Six singlenucleotide polymorphisms ( SNP) of MBL gene were sequenced. The association of MBL polymorphisms with susceptibility to cryptococcosis were analyzed. The comparison between patients and controls was performed by chi square test or Fisher's exact test. The differences of MBL plasma concentrations between groups with different MBL genotypes were compared by single factor variance analysis. Results There were no differences between patients and controls in terms of MBL genotype frequencies, haplotypes and genotypes (all P>0. 05). Compared with healthy control, the deficient MBL-producing genotypes were strongly associated with cryptococcal meningitis (16. 5% vs 8. 7%,χ2=4.25, P=0.0392, OR = 2.09), particularly in patients without underlying immunocompromised conditions (21. 4% vs 8. 7%, χ2 =7. 15, P = 0. 0075, OR = 2. 88). Individuals with MBL deficiency genotypes showed significantly higher rates of central nervous system (CNS) cryptococcal infection rather than non-CNS cryptococcosis (16. 5% vs 3. 1%, Fisher's exact test, P = 0. 010, OR = 6. 13).The difference was even more significant in the immunocompetent patients (21. 4% vs 4. 0%, P =0.009, OR= 6. 55). Conclusion MBL deficiency is associated with cryptococcal meningitis and may play a role in CNS Cryptococcus infection.
ABSTRACT
Objective To analyze the clinical features of patients with uncommon fungal infections in central nervous system (CNS).Methods Thirty-five patients with uncommon CNS fungal infections who were admitted to Huashan Hospital from 1997 to 2010 were retrospectively reviewed.The pathogens,symptoms and signs.treatments of patients were evaluated.The data were analyzed by rank sum test and Fisher'S exact test.Results Twenty-nine of the 35 patients met the definition criteria of prover CNS fungal infections,while the other 6 had probable diagnosis.Predisposing factors were found in 86% of all patients.The most common pathogens were Aspergillus and Candida species.The symptoms and signs commonly occurred including fever(22 cases),headache(19 cases), cranial neuropathy(12 cases),and meningeal irritation sign(12 cases).High white blood cell count,high protein level,and low glucose level were the main findings of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis.Patients with cerebral aspergillosis were more frequently accompanied with immunocompromised conditions, and they often got CNS aspergillosis from hematogenous dissemination or direct extension of paranasal sinus infection.Cerebral granuloma and abscess were the common clinical characteristics of CNS aspergillosis.Cerebral candidiasis often arose from neurosurgical surgery or traumatic brain injury,and these patients were usually presented with meningitis.All patients were treated with antifungal drugs and (or) surgical intervention and 77%(27/35) of the patients achieved complete or partial responses. Antifungal agents combined with surgical resection might improve outcome of patients with CNS aspergillosis; while removal or replacement of drainage tubes in combination with antifungal treatment showed satisfactory efficacy in patients with cerebral candidiasis who usually had shunt manipulation. Conclusions The incidence of CNS fungal infection, such as cerebral aspergillosis and candidiasis, is increasing. Early diagnose and therapeutic intervention are crucial for improving outcome.
ABSTRACT
Objective To study the cell death in macrophages (THP-1) stimulated with different agonists (H37Rv-PPD or BCG-PPD) and to investigate the relationship between Toll like receptor (TLR)-2 and THP-1 apoptosis. Methods H37Rv-PPD and BCG-PPD were used to stimulate THP-1 cells for 3 h, 8 h, 15 h and 24 h, respectively with or without TLR-2 blockade. Cells were analyzed by flow cytometry to detect the TLR-2 expression. Annexin V staining and Hochest staining were performed to evaluate apoptosis. Results The apoptosis cells were increased when stimulated with BCG-PPD and the percentage was 30.2% at 24 h, which were confirmed by Hochest staining.However, the expression of TLR-2 did not increase simultaneously with percentage of 8.8% at 24 h.Nevertheless, most cells presented with necrosis form when stimulated with H37Rv-PPD and the expression of TLR-2 remained at high level with the percentage of 17.2% at 24 h, while the percent of apoptosis rate was only 7.7%. Under treatment of TLR-2 antibodies, the percentage of apoptosis decreased to 10.5% at 24 h of BCG-PPD stimulation and TLR-2 expressions were down-regulated to less than 3% at all time points; but after H37Rv-PPD stimulation, the percentage of apoptosis and TLR-2 expression did not changed obviously. Conclusions The attenuated BCG-PPD induces THP-1 apoptosis predominately, which is partially correlated with TLR-2 expression. While virulent H37Rv-PPD induces THP-1 necrosis predominately.
ABSTRACT
Objective To understand the clinical epidemiology of nosocomial candidemia in Huashan Hospital during a 10-year period. Methods One hundred and nine cases of nosocomial candidemia in Huashan Hospital affiliated Fudan University during the period of 1998- 2007 were retrospectively reviewed. The underlying conditions, risk factors, clinical manifestations, treatment and outcome were described. The prognostic factors were analyzed by chi square test or Fisher exact probability test. Multivariate analysis was done by multiple Logistic regression. Results The average annual incidence of nosocomial candidemia during the study period was 0.28/10 000 patients per day.The most common pathogen was C. albicans (59/109,54.1%), followed by C. tropicalis (20/109,18.3%), then C. parapsilosis (11/109, 10. 1%), C. glabrata (11/109, 10.1%), and other Candida spp. (8/109, 7.3% ). Underlying diseases frequently identified included diabetes (50,45.9%), solid malignancy (32, 29.4%), head trauma (13, 11. 9%) and stroke (12, 11.0%).There were 37 cases who died or deteriorated. The overall mortality was 34.0% and the attributable mortality was 22. 0% (24/109). In multivariate prognostic analysis, retention of central venous catheters (OR: 5.42, 95% CI: 1.68-17.41, P＝0.005), corticosteroid medication (OR: 3.69,95% CI: 1.10-12.34, P=0. 034), and severe sepsis on the day of candidemia (OR: 2.94, 95% CI:1.72-15. 21, P = 0. 003) were factors independently correlated to increased mortality. Furthermore,adequate antifungal therapy was the only independent predictor of decreased overall mortality (OR: 0. 27,95% CI: 0. 09-0. 78,P=0.015). Conclusions The incidence of nosocomial candidemia in our hospital has been increasing during the past decade. Timely diagnosis and treatment plays a key role in the management of nosocomial candidemia,
ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the polymorphism profile of cytochrome P_(450)2C19 (CYP2C19) in Chinese patients with invasive fungal infections. Methods Two major single nucleotide polymorphism loci of the CYP2C19 gene (CYP2C19 * 2 and CYP2C19 * 3) were genotyped with PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) in 134 patients with invasive fungal infections and 134 healthy volunteers. Allele frequencies and the proportions of metabolizer phenotypes were compared. Results In patients with invasive fungal infections, CYP2C19 * 1, CYP2C19 * 2 and CYP2C19 * 3 alleles showed frequencies of 58.2%, 36.6% and 5.2%. In healthy volunteers, the frequencies of CYP2C19 * 1, CYP2C19 * 2 and CYP2C19 * 3 were 63.4% , 34. 3% and 2. 2%. There was no significant difference in allele frequencies between the two groups. Of the patients with invasive fungal infections, 33. 6% were homozygous extensive metabolizers, 50.0% heterozygous extensive metabolizers and 16.4% poor metabolizers. Of the healthy volunteers, 40.3% were homozygous extensive metabolizers, 48.5% heterozygous extensive metabolizers and 11. 2% poor metabolizers. The proportions of metabolizer phenotypes were similar between the two groups. Conclusions Significant CYP2C19 polymorphism was detected in both groups. Approximately two thirds of the Chinese patients were either heterozygous extensive metabolizers or poor metabolizers. The genetic polymorphism may have important effect on drug metabolism in these patients