Effect of exposure to antibiotics on the gut microbiome and biochemical indexes of pregnant women.

INTRODUCTION: Exposure to antibiotics (ABX) during pregnancy can have a systematic effect on both fetal and maternal health. Although previous biomonitoring studies have indicated the effects on children of extensive exposure to ABX, studies on pregnant women remain scarce. To explore the effect on pregnant women of environmental exposure to ABX through accidental ingestion and identify potential health risks, the present study investigated 122 pregnant women in East China between 2019 and 2020. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The presence of six categories of ABX (quinolones, sulfonamides, lincosamides, tetracyclines, amide alcohol ABX, and ß-lactams) in plasma samples taken from the pregnant women was investigated using an ABX kit and a time-resolved fluorescence immunoassay. RESULTS: All six ABX were detected in the plasma, with a detection rate of 17.2%. It was discovered that the composition of intestinal flora in pregnant women exposed to ABX was different from that of pregnant women who had not been exposed to ABX. The intestinal flora of pregnant women exposed to ABX also changed at both the phylum and genus levels, and several genera almost disappeared. Furthermore, the metabolic levels of glucose and insulin and the alpha diversity of pregnant women exposed to ABX were higher than those of pregnant women not exposed to ABX. CONCLUSION: Pregnant women are potentially at higher risk of adverse microbial effects. Glucose metabolism and insulin levels were generally higher in pregnant women exposed to ABX than in unexposed women. Also, the composition and color of the gut microbiome changed.

Transitional cell carcinoma arising in the gastric remnant following gastrocystoplasty: a case report and review of the literature.

Urinary bladder augmentation with segments of the stomach (gastrocystoplasty), small bowel, or large intestine (enterocystoplasty) improves capacity and compliance in patients with bladder dysfunction. Although malignant complications of enterocystoplasty have been reported, the risk of malignancy in the setting of gastrocystoplasty is not known. We describe the case of a 73-year-old woman who developed a transitional cell carcinoma associated with transitional cell metaplasia and dysplasia of the gastric epithelium 14 years following gastrocystoplasty. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a malignant complication of this surgical procedure. We conclude that patients who have undergone gastrocystoplasty are at an increased risk for the development of malignancy in the neobladder and require close long-term follow-up, similar to patients who have undergone enterocystoplasty.

[Effects of antisense bcl-2 or survivin on the growth of human neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-MC].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of antisense bcl-2 and survivin (svv) mRNA on the growth of human neuroblastoma (NB) cell line SK-N-MC cells. METHODS: The recombinant vectors PBabe puro-Asbcl-2 and PBabe puro-Assvv. were constructed by directed cloning of the EcoRI-BamHI fragments of bcl-2 cDNA or svv cDNA into the retroviral vector PBabe puro Human NB cell line SK-N-MC cells were transfected with PBabe puro-Asbcl-2, PBabe puro-Assvv, or blank vector PBabe puro as control by lipofectamine trade mark. The transfected cells were selected in the medium containing puromycine. The stably transfected cells were further studied for inhibition of protein expression of endogenous bcl-2 and SVV by immunohistochemical staining and Western blotting. The effect of antisense bcl-2 (Asbcl-2) and antisense svv (Assvv) mRNA on cell growth was determined by MTT method. The SK-N-MC cells transfected with the recombinant vectors were inoculated in nude mice to observe their carcinogenicity. RESULTS: Both the expression of bcl-2 and the expression of SVV significantly decreased in the antisense gene transfected cells in comparison to that in the original cells and cells transfected with blank vector. Seven days after the transfection, the MTT absorption (A(550)) was 0.374 +/- 0.001 5 in the cells transfected with Assvv, 0.289 +/- 0.000 8 in the cells transfected with Asbcl-2, both significantly lower than those in the original cells and cells transfected with blank vector (1.102 +/- 0.002 1 and 1.175 +/- 0.000 9 respectively). The induced tumors in the nude mice were smaller in the PBabe puro-Asbcl-2 transfected group and PBabe puro-Assvv transfected group than in the original and control groups. CONCLUSION: Stably expression of antisense bcl-2 and of antisense svv mRNA can effectively inhibit the expression of endogenous bcl-2 and SVV proteins. Both of them may play a role in the neoplastic formation of NB cells.