Prognostic factors for treatment success in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in China.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the clinical outcomes and associated prognostic factors among patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in China. METHODS: This retrospective study involved 243 patients with MDR-TB. All patients received standard regimens containing para-amino salicylic acid (PAS) and/or cycloserine (CS). The demographic, social and clinical characteristics of patients were recorded and the patients were followed up for 24 months. RESULTS: Treatment success was closely associated with young age, non-farming occupations, shorter history or smoking, normal urine results, initial MDR-TB treatment regimen, increased haemoglobin, direct bilirubin, uric acid and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, and lower white blood cell, neutrophil and blood platelet counts (all P < 0.05). On multivariable analysis, increased haemoglobin (hazard ratio [HR] 1.019, 95%CI 1.007-1.032, P = 0.002) and TSH levels (HR 1.002, 95%CI 1.006-1.039, P = 0.008), normal urine results (HR 1.541, 95%CI 1.008-2.358, P = 0.046) and initial MDR-TB treatment regimen (HR 2.238, 95%CI 1.090-4.597, P = 0.028) were prognostic factors for treatment success in MDR-TB. CONCLUSIONS: Higher haemoglobin and TSH levels, normal urine results and initial MDR-TB treatment regimen might predict successful treatment of MDR-TB.

Effect of PM2.5 mediated oxidative stress on the innate immune cellular response of Der p1 treated human bronchial epithelial cells.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of stimulation of Human Bronchial Epithelial Cells (HBEC) by Der p1 and PM2.5 on the expression of innate immune cell factors to find new therapeutic targets for treatment of bronchial asthma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Der p1 antigen exposure model in the HEBC line, 16HBE-14o, was established in vitro. PM2.5 at a concentration of 50 µM/cm2, was added to these cells for 0.5 h, 1 h, 2 h and 3 h. Cells were treated with the following reagents for the indicated times: 300 ng/mL Der p1 for 21 h, 50 µM/cm2 PM2.5 for 3 h, 10 mM Nac for 3 h and PM2.5 contamination for 3 h. The experiment was divided into five groups: control (group A), Der p1 exposure group (group B), PM2.5 treated group (group C), PM2.5+Der p1 exposure group (group D), Nac+PM2.5+Der p1 exposure group (group E). ELISA method was adopted to test the expression levels of malondialdehyde, IL-25, IL-33 and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), and Real-time RT-PCT was used to measure IL-25, IL-33 and TSLP mRNA. RESULTS: The protein and mRNA levels of malondialdehyde, IL-25, IL-33 and TSLP in group D were significantly higher than those in the other groups, while the protein and mRNA levels of malondialdehyde, IL-25, IL-33 and TSLP in group E were significantly lower than those in group D (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PM2.5 can enhance the Der p1 antigen-induced HBEC innate immune response through the expression of IL-25, IL-33 and TSLP, which may exacerbate the occurrence rate of bronchial asthma.

Black hood assisted colonoscopy for detection of colorectal polyps: a prospective randomized controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: Colonoscopy is considered as a standard method for detecting various kinds of colorectal polyps. However, conventional colonoscopy (CC) still has chances to miss some lesions. Some scholars have already reported that transparent hood assisted colonoscopy (THAC) can improve the detection rate of colorectal polyps. However, the efficacy of detection of colorectal polyps with black hood assisted colonoscopy (BHAC) is still unclear. In this study, BHAC was compared with CC for evaluating the efficacy of detection of colorectal polyps. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between Sep 2014 and Apr 2015, 542 patients underwent CC and meanwhile 534 patients underwent BHAC were enrolled into this prospective randomized controlled study. Comparison of baseline characteristics, cecal intubation time, withdrawal time, total number of detected polyps, detection rate of polyps, location, size, morphology and pathological diagnosis of polyps between these two groups was performed. RESULTS: Cecal intubation time was significantly shorter in BHAC group than in CC group (6.31 ± 3.51 min vs. 7.05 ± 4.15 min, p = 0.002). The total number of detected polyps and detection rate of polyps were significantly higher in BHAC group than in CC group (349/65.36% vs. 264/48.71%, p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with CC, BHAC could significantly improve the detection rate of colorectal polyps, and cecal intubation time was significantly reduced by BHAC.

Efficacy of a quadruple therapy regimen for Helicobacter pylori eradication after partial gastrectomy.

We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of bismuth-containing quadruple therapy plus postural change after dosing for Helicobacter pylori eradication in gastrectomized patients. We compared 76 gastric stump patients with H. pylori infection (GS group) with 50 non-gastrectomized H. pylori-positive patients who met the treatment indication (controls). The GS group was divided into GS group 1 and GS group 2. All groups were administered bismuth potassium citrate (220 mg), esomeprazole (20 mg), amoxicillin (1.0 g), and furazolidone (100 mg) twice daily for 14 days. GS group 1 maintained a left lateral horizontal position for 30 min after dosing. H. pylori was detected using rapid urease testing and histologic examination of gastric mucosa before and 3 months after therapy. Mucosal histologic manifestations were evaluated using visual analog scales of the updated Sydney System. GS group 1 had a higher prevalence of eradication than the GS group 2 (intention-to-treat [ITT]: P=0.025; per-protocol [PP]: P=0.030), and the control group had a similar prevalence. GS group 2 had a lower prevalence of eradication than controls (ITT: P=0.006; PP: P=0.626). Scores for chronic inflammation and activity declined significantly (P<0.001) 3 months after treatment, whereas those for atrophy and intestinal metaplasia showed no significant change. Prevalence of adverse reactions was similar among groups during therapy (P=0.939). A bismuth-containing quadruple therapy regimen plus postural change after dosing appears to be a relatively safe, effective, economical, and practical method for H. pylori eradication in gastrectomized patients.

Efficacy of a quadruple therapy regimen for Helicobacter pylori eradication after partial gastrectomy

We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of bismuth-containing quadruple therapy plus postural change after dosing for Helicobacter pylori eradication in gastrectomized patients. We compared 76 gastric stump patients with H. pylori infection (GS group) with 50 non-gastrectomized H. pylori-positive patients who met the treatment indication (controls). The GS group was divided into GS group 1 and GS group 2. All groups were administered bismuth potassium citrate (220 mg), esomeprazole (20 mg), amoxicillin (1.0 g), and furazolidone (100 mg) twice daily for 14 days. GS group 1 maintained a left lateral horizontal position for 30 min after dosing. H. pylori was detected using rapid urease testing and histologic examination of gastric mucosa before and 3 months after therapy. Mucosal histologic manifestations were evaluated using visual analog scales of the updated Sydney System. GS group 1 had a higher prevalence of eradication than the GS group 2 (intention-to-treat [ITT]: P=0.025; per-protocol [PP]: P=0.030), and the control group had a similar prevalence. GS group 2 had a lower prevalence of eradication than controls (ITT: P=0.006; PP: P=0.626). Scores for chronic inflammation and activity declined significantly (P<0.001) 3 months after treatment, whereas those for atrophy and intestinal metaplasia showed no significant change. Prevalence of adverse reactions was similar among groups during therapy (P=0.939). A bismuth-containing quadruple therapy regimen plus postural change after dosing appears to be a relatively safe, effective, economical, and practical method for H. pylori eradication in gastrectomized patients.

αv ß3 Integrin may participate in conceptus attachment by regulating morphologic changes in the endometrium during peri-implantation in ovine.

The objective of this study was to determine expression and potential functions of α(v) and ß(3) integrin subunits in ovine endometrium during the peri-implantation period (days 8-17 after fertilization). The morphologic changes in the endometrium were observed histochemically following haematoxylin/eosin (HE) staining, whereas the expressions of α(v) and ß(3) integrin subunits were analysed by RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and Western blot. The filamentous conceptus attached to the luminal epithelium (LE) on day 17 of pregnancy, with no differences in endometrial morphology between days 8-12 of pregnancy. However, endometrial glands in the endometrial stroma (S) underwent extensive hyperplasia from day 14 to day 17, increased reductus of the LE with an obvious proliferation of caruncles, and an increased number and diameter of blood vessels (V) in the endometrium. The relative expression levels of α(v) and ß(3) integrin subunits mRNA gradually increased until day 16, but sharply declined on day 17. Western blot analysis revealed that the expression pattern of α(v) and ß(3) integrin subunit proteins paralleled that of the corresponding mRNA. In addition, immunohistochemical localization of α(v) and ß(3) integrin subunits confirmed their presence in the glandular epithelium (GE), LE and endometrial stroma. Immunostaining on LE and stroma varied with the increasing days of pregnancy, with the strongest immunostaining on days 16 and 17. In conclusion, expression of α(V) and ß(3) integrin subunits was closely related to the early progression of pregnancy and conceptus attachment; therefore, we inferred that α(v) ß(3) integrin may participate in conceptus attachment by the regulation of endometrial morphology during peri-implantation in ovine.

Stability of the spreading in small-world network with predictive controller.

In this Letter, we apply the predictive control strategy to suppress the propagation of diseases or viruses in small-world network. The stability of small-world spreading model with predictive controller is investigated. The sufficient and necessary stability condition is given, which is closely related to the controller parameters and small-world rewiring probability p. Our simulations discover a phenomenon that, with the fixed predictive controller parameters, the spreading dynamics become more and more stable when p decreases from a larger value to a smaller one, and the suitable controller parameters can effectively suppress the spreading behaviors even when p varies within the whole spectrum, and the unsuitable controller parameters can lead to oscillation when p lies within a certain range.