Progress in pathogenesis of adverse pregnancy outcomes induced by group B Streptococcus / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Group B Streptococcus ( GBS) is a leading infectious cause of adverse pregnancy out-comes such as preterm birth. GBS colonizes the vagina during pregnancy and can ascend into the uterus and then infect the fetus. It encodes a series of virulence factors such as adhesion and invasion factors, hemolytic pigments and hyaluronidase, which are important to vaginal colonization and immune evasion. Immune re-sponses to GBS cause the release of a multiple of inflammatory mediators, leading to the premature rupture of membranes, preterm birth and fetal injury. This paper reviews the pathogenesis of GBS vaginal colonization and ascending infection causing adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Exploration of the theory of "Fei and Dachang being interior-exteriorly related" from observing changes of inflammatory cytokines and oxygen free radicals in the lung tissue of ulcerative colitis rats / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the theory of "Fei and Dachang being interior-exteriorly related" and the pathogenesis of lung injury by observing changes of inflammatory cytokines and oxygen free radicals in ulcerative colitis (UC) rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 50 healthy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups, the normal control group and the model group, 25 rats in each group. The UC model was established by allergizing colon mucosa combined with TNBS-alcohol (50%) enema. Another 25 rats were recruited as the normal control group. At week 2 and 4 after modeling, the pathomorphological changes of the lung were observed. Furthermore, the contents of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and IL-1beta were determined by ELISA. The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were evaluated with colorimetry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the normal control group, the pathomorphology of the lung tissue in the model group appeared abnormal at week 2 and 4. Compared with the normal control group, levels of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and MDA in the lung tissue significantly increased in the model group (P < 0. 01) and the activities of SOD significantly decreased (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, SOD, and MDA might be common material bases for the large intestine involved in lung disease of UC patients, thus providing a modern scientific basis for the theory of Fei and Dachang being interior-exteriorly related.</p>