Egg phospholipids exert an inhibitory effect on intestinal cholesterol absorption in mice

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Consumption of cholesterol-rich foods, such as eggs, has a minimal effect on circulating cholesterol levels in healthy humans. To gain insight, we investigated whether phospholipids rich in eggs (EPL) interfere with intestinal cholesterol absorption in vivo. MATERIALS/METHODS: To investigate the acute effect of EPL on intestinal cholesterol absorption, male C57BL/6J mice were orally administered with 6, 11, or 19 mg of EPL for three days. We also tested the effect of chronic EPL consumption on cholesterol metabolism in the small intestine and the liver in mice with diet-induced hypercholesterolemia. Male C57BL/6J mice were fed a high fat/high cholesterol (HF/HC; 35% fat, 0.25% cholesterol, w/w) diet for 4 weeks to induce hypercholesterolemia, and subsequently the mice were either fed 0, 0.4 or 0.8% (w/w) of EPL for 6 weeks. RESULTS: Intestinal cholesterol absorption was significantly decreased by the highest dose of acute EPL administration compared to control. Chronic EPL supplementation did not significantly alter intestinal cholesterol absorption nor plasma levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. In the small intestine and the liver, EPL supplementation minimally altered the expression of genes which regulate cellular cholesterol levels. CONCLUSION: Although chronic EPL consumption was not able to counteract hypercholesterolemia in HF/HC-fed mice, acute EPL administration decreased intestinal cholesterol absorption. This study provides in vivo evidence that acute administration of PLs in eggs prevent cholesterol absorption in the intestine, suggesting a mechanism for a minimal effect of egg consumption on circulating cholesterol levels.

Effect of human amnion-derived multipotent progenitor cells on hematopoietic recovery after total body irradiation in C57BL/6 mice

Background: the hematopoietic system is sensitive to the adverse effects of ionizing radiation. Cellular therapies utilizing mesenchymal stem cells or vascular endothelial cells have been explored as potential countermeasures for radiation hematopoietic injuries. We investigated cells cultured from amnion [Amnion-derived Multipotent Progenitor cells, AMPs] for effects on hematopoietic recovery following total body irradiation in mice

Materials and Methods: C57BL/6J mice were sham-irradiated or exposed to 60Co irradiation [7.75 - 7.90 Gy, 0.6 Gy/min]. Either AMPs [5 × 106 cells/animal] or vehicle were administered 24 h post irradiation via intraperitoneal injection

Results: we observed a 13% and 20% improvement in 30-day survival of mice treated with AMPs compared with treatment with vehicle following irradiation at 7.75 and 7.90 Gy, respectively. AMP treatment was characterized by a trend toward accelerated recovery of white blood cells, neutrophils, reticulocytes, and monocytes, measured through day 40 post irradiation a9er 7.75 Gy. AMP treatment enhanced hematopoietic cell repopulation of spleen and femoral bone marrow as measured by total nucleated cell and hematopoietic progenitor cell counts in comparison to vehicle-treated animals. FACS analysis showed that AMPs treatment significantly mitigated the reduction in CD11b+/Gr-1int and CD11b+/Gr-1high bone marrow cell populations at the nadir, and improved recovery of these cell types

Conclusion: together, our data indicate that AMPs reduced hematopoietic toxicity induced by ionizing radiation when infused within 24 h a9er radiation injury

Epidemiological characteristics and molecular typing of typhoid and paratyphoid in China, 2009-2013 / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To understand the epidemiological and molecular characteristics of typhoid and paratyphoid in China from 2009 to 2013, and provide evidence for the prevention and control of typhoid and paratyphoid, the development and improvement of surveillance strategies. Methods: Epidemiological analysis was conducted on the incidence data of typhoid and paratyphoid, and related public health emergencies in China during 2009-2013. Pathogen isolation and culture, serologic test were conducted for the typhoid and paratyphoid cases from 13 national surveillance sites. The isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed for the molecular typing of these isolates. Results: The average incidence of typhoid and paratyphoid in China during this period was 1.03/100 000. The reported case number and incidence decreased with year. The provinces reporting high case numbers were Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Hunan, Zhejiang, Guangdong and Xinjiang. The incidence of age group 0-4 years was highest. The proportion of farmers and children outside child care settings showed an increasing tendency over time. The annual incidence peak was during July-August. Twenty five outbreaks occurred during 2009-2013. The results of pathogen isolation and culture showed that the positive rate was 3.00% (940/31 322), among the positive isolates, the proportion of Salmonella paratyphi A accounted for higher proportion (68.19%, 641/940) compared with Salmonella typhi (31.60%, 297/940). The drug resistances of Salmonella typhi and Salmonella paratyphi varied, but their resistances to nalidixic acid were highest (50.22% and 85.33%) respectively. A certain amount of Salmonella typhi isolates showed the resistance to the 3rd generation cephalosporins. PFGE analysis showed divergent patterns of Salmonella typhi compared with limited patterns of Salmonella paratyphi A. Conclusion: The epidemic level of typhoid and paratyphoid in China was relatively low, but the outbreak occurred occasionally. It is necessary to enhance the laboratory-based surveillance, particularly the capability of etiological diagnosis, outbreak investigation, response and antibiotic resistance monitoring, and conduct risk factor investigation in provinces with high incidences in recent years.

Trends in 30-day case fatality rate in patients hospitalized due to acute myocardial infarction in Beijing, 2007-2012 / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To understand the distribution and trends in 30-day coronary heart disease (CHD) case fatality rate in patients hospitalized due to acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Beijing during 2007-2012. Methods: The clinical data of patients hospitalized due to AMI in Beijing from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2012 were collected from "The Cardiovascular Disease Surveillance System in Beijing" . A total of 77 943 local patients aged ≥25 years were hospitalized due to AMI in Beijing during the this period. After excluding duplicate records and validation for the completeness and accuracy of the records, the clinical characteristics of the patients and 30-day CHD case fatality rate in the patients were analyzed. Trends in 30-day CHD case fatality rate in the patients were analyzed with Poisson regression models. Results: The age-standardized average 30-day CHD case fatality rate was 9.7% in the 77 943 patients. During this period, a decreasing trend was observed in 30-day CHD case fatality rate after adjusting for age and gender (P<0.001). The age-standardized 30-day CHD case fatality rate decreased by 16.0%, from 10.8% in 2007 to 9.0% in 2012. The decreases of 30-day CHD case fatality rates were noted in both men and women, whereas 30-day CHD case fatality rate was higher in women (14.1%) than in men (7.6%) after adjusting for age. During this period, the proportion of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) decreased, while the proportion of non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) increased with year. A significant decline (20.1%) in 30-day case fatality rate of STEMI was found, but no decline was found for 30-day mortality rate of NSTEMI. Conclusion: A decreasing trend in 30-day CHD case fatality rate was observed in the patients aged ≥25 years and hospitalized due to AMI in Beijing during 2007-2012, indicating the improvement in short-term prognosis of patients hospitalized due to AMI. Our findings highlight the urgent need to improve the treatment for woman and NSTEMI patients.

Recent transmission of pulmonary tuberculosis and its influencing factors in Jing'an district, Shanghai, 2010-2015 / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To understand the recent transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), and to identify the influencing factors of recent transmission among pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) patients in Jing'an district, Shanghai. Methods: The genotypes and drug resistances of MTB isolated from TB patients registered in the TB designated hospitals in Jing'an district during 2010-2015 were analyzed through 12-loci Mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable number tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR)(QUB11b, QUB18, Mtub21, Miru26, QUB26, Mtub04, Miru31, Miru40, VNTR2372, VNTR3820, 3232, 4120), and tested for drug susceptibility as well. With the results of field epidemiological investigation, univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to analyze the distribution of the clusters and influencing factors on recent transmission. Results: This study enrolled 80 TB patients, 23 (28.75%) had a resistance to at least one anti-TB drug, and the prevalence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) was 16.25%. A total of 65 genotypes were identified with 58 (72.50%, 58/80) being unique and 7 clusters with 2-10 isolated in each cluster. The proportion of clustering was 27.50% (22/80). Results from the multivariate analysis revealed that multidrug- resistance (OR=35.799, 95%CI: 4.239-302.346) and having comorbidity with TB (OR=7.695, 95%CI: 1.421-41.658) were independently associated with the clustering, which suggesting a recent transmission. The field investigation to the clustered cases proved that the patients in two clusters had epidemiological links, one was between family members, and the other contained 10 MDR-TB patients with 9 knowing each other which have a definite connection and 1 having the possible connection with them. Conclusion: Recent transmission of tuberculosis happened among TB patients in Jing'an district, with high risks among the MDR-TB patients.

Interaction between vaginal micro-environment alterations and HPV16 infection in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To explore the effect of vaginal micro-environment alterations and HPV16 infection and their interaction in the progression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Methods: The participants of this study came from the cervical lesions study cohort in Shanxi province, including 623 women with normal cervical (NC), 303 patients with pathogenically diagnosed low-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CINⅠ) and 93 patients with pathogenically diagnosed high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CINⅡ/Ⅲ). The data of the demographic characteristics of the study subjects and factors related to cervical intraepithelial neoplasia were collected, and HPV16 infection were detected by using flow-through hybridization technology and H(2)O(2), β-glucuronidase, clotting enzyme, neuraminidase and leucocyte esterase in vaginal secretions were detected by using the combined detection kit of aerobic vaginitis and bacterial vaginosis. pH value and vaginal cleanliness were also detected at the same time. The database was established and analyzed by SPSS statistical software (version 22.0). Results: The HPV16 infection rate (trend χ(2)=55.45, P<0.001) and the abnormal rates of H(2)O(2) (trend χ(2)=26.19, P<0.001), pH (trend χ(2)=5.06, P=0.024), vaginal cleanliness (trend χ(2)=19.55, P<0.001), β-glucuronidase (trend χ(2)=17.52, P<0.001) and neuraminidase (trend χ(2)=14.90, P<0.001) increased gradually along with the severity of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, but the abnormal rates of clotting enzyme and leucocyte esterase showed no same trend. The results of GMDR model analysis showed that there was interaction between HPV16 infection and abnormalities of H(2)O(2), β-glucuronidase, clotting enzyme and neuraminidase in CINⅠ group, and the interaction between HPV16 infection and the abnormalities of vaginal cleanliness, H(2)O(2), β-glucuronidase and neuraminidase in CIN Ⅱ/Ⅲ group. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that the vaginal micro-environment alterations and HPV16 infection could increase the risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, and they might have an important synergistic effect in the progression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

ultrastructural effects of sulfachloropyrazine on Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites

Toxoplasmosis is one of the most common parasitic infections of humans and other mammals. This study was aimed to understand the mechanism of action of veterinary medicine-sulfachloropyrazine [SPZ, 99.97%] against Toxop/asma gondii. T. gondii tachyzoites were soaked in PBS [as a control] or SPZ [250 mg/mL] for 2 h at 37 °C. After being processed, any ultrastructural changes of the tachyzoites that had occurred were observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy [SEM] and Transmission Electron Microscopy [TEM]. The tachyzoites from control groups with a uniform size had a smooth surface and intact cell or nuclear membranes. In addition, an oval-shaped nucleus, conoids and micronemes were also observed. By contrast, many parasites from the SPZ-treated groups were detrimentally affected by the treatment. Some appeared to be of the vacuolization in their cytoplasm, with the substantial reduction in the number of dense granules and the blur of some organelles. The morphology and ultrastructure of tachyzoites can be affected significandy by SPZ, which might kill the parasite by inhibiting its energy metabolism, inducing apoptosis and damaging its structure. The study provides an experimental basis for further study on the mechanism of SPZ against T. gondii

performance study of simultaneous microbial removal of NO and SO[2] in a biotrickling-filter under anaerobic condition

Behaviors of simultaneous removal of NO and SO [2] using the coculture of anaerobic denitrifying bacteria and sulfate reducing bacteria were investigated in a bench-scale biotrickling-filter. Approximate 20 days were required to use the landfill leachate as the microbial seed to develop the biofilm on the surface of packing material. When the combined NO/SO[2] removal biotrickling-filter was operated at an empty bed residence time [EBRT] of 76 s and the NO and SO [2] feed concentrations of 2 and 2 g/m[3] respectively, the SO[2] removal efficiency was always above 95%, while NO removal exhibited an evident periodicity of 5-6 days for the initial 60 days after the attachment phase and then a steady-state NO-removal efficiency of around 90% was obtained after 130 days of continuous operation. Contrast experimental results indicated that the coculture in the combined NO/SO[2] removal biotrickling-filter showed a higher resistance to shock NO-loadings and a better tolerance of starvation than the single denitrifying bacteria in the NO removal a biotrickling-filter

Effectiveness of vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) therapy in the healing of chronic diabetic foot ulcers

<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>This is the fi rst prospective study done locally to determine the effectiveness of vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) therapy in the healing of chronic diabetic foot ulcers.</p><p><b>MATERIALS AND METHODS</b>An electronic vacuum pump was used to apply controlled negative pressure evenly across the wound surface. Changes in wound dimension, presence of wound granulation and infection status of diabetic foot ulcers in 11 consecutive patients with diabetes were followed over the course of VAC therapy.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Healing was achieved in all wounds. Nine wounds were closed by split-skin grafting and 2 by secondary closure. The average length of treatment with VAC therapy was 23.3 days. Ten wounds showed reduction in wound size. All wounds were satisfactorily granulated and cleared of bacterial infection at the end of VAC therapy.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>VAC therapy was useful in the treatment of diabetic foot infection and ulcers, which after debridement, may present with exposed tendon, fascia and/or bone. These included ray amputation wounds, wounds post-debridement for necrotising fasciitis, wounds post-drainage for abscess, a heel ulcer and a sole ulcer. It was able to prepare ulcers well for closure via split-skin grafting or secondary closure in good time. This reduced cost of VAC therapy, as therapy was not prolonged to attain greater reduction in wound area. VAC therapy also provides a sterile, more controlled resting environment to large, exudating wound surfaces. Large diabetic foot ulcers were thus made more manageable.</p>

Tuberculous Tensynovitis / 대한피부과학회지

No abstract available.

Electromyographic Findings in Carpal Tunnel Syndrome / 대한정형외과학회잡지

Seven cases of carpal tunnel syndrome were referred to the Electromyographic Laboratory of Severance Hospital between March, 1975 and March, 1976. Of these, 3 were males and 4 were females. Patients were between 14 and 57 years of age. Duration of symptoms was between 1 month and 10 years. One patient had bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome caused by rheumatoid arthritis. Another one had carpal tunnel syndrome complicated by the fracture of the lunate bone. In the remaining 5 patients, we could not find the cause of nerve compression. All patients had numbness, tingling sensation and pain in the index and middle fingers. Pain was worse at night. On electrodiagnostic studies, delayed distal latency of the median nerves was found in 5 patients including a bilateral case and absent in 2. Sensory nerve action potential was decreased in one patient and absent in 7 nerves of 6 patients. Denervation potentials on EMG were found in 7 nerves of 6 patients. One patient was negative on EMG examination. In all patients, it was possible to confirm the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome by electrodiagnostic studies.