Corrigendum: Microbiological diagnostic performance of metagenomic next-generation sequencing compared with conventional culture for patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1136588.].

Safety and efficacy of iodine-125 seed strand for intraluminal brachytherapy on ureteral carcinoma.

Objective: Our aim is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of iodine-125 seed strand for intraluminal brachytherapy on ureteral carcinoma. Methods: From November 2014 to November 2021, 22 patients with ureteral cancer not suitable for surgical resection were enrolled. Iodine-125 seed strand was inserted under c-arm CT and fluoroscopic guidance. The technical success rate, complications, disease control rate, and survival time were evaluated. Hydronephrosis Girignon grade and ureteral cancer sizes before and after treatment were compared. Results: A total of 46 seed strands were successfully inserted and replaced, with a technical success rate of 100% and median procedure time of 62 min. No procedure-related death, ureteral perforation, infection, or severe bleeding occurred. Minor complications were observed in eight (36.4%) patients, and migration of seed strand was the most common complication. Six months after seed strand brachytherapy, one complete response, three partial responses, and five stable diseases were evaluated, and the disease control rate was 64.3%. The Girignon grade of hydronephrosis was significantly improved 1 to 3 months after seed strand insertion. Disease control rates were 94.4, 62.5, and 64.3% at 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up. Twenty patients were successfully followed up, with a mean follow-up of 18.0 ± 14.5 months. The median overall survival and progress-free survival were 24.7 and 13.0 months, respectively. Conclusion: Iodine-125 seed strand is safe and effective for intraluminal brachytherapy and can be used as an alternative to patients with ureteral carcinoma who are not suitable for surgical resection or systemic combined therapy.

Microbiological diagnostic performance of metagenomic next-generation sequencing compared with conventional culture for patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

Background: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is an extraordinarily heterogeneous illness, both in the range of responsible pathogens and the host response. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is a promising technology for pathogen detection. However, the clinical application of mNGS for pathogen detection remains challenging. Methods: A total of 205 patients with CAP admitted to the intensive care unit were recruited, and broncho alveolar lavage fluids (BALFs) from 83 patients, sputum samples from 33 cases, and blood from 89 cases were collected for pathogen detection by mNGS. At the same time, multiple samples of each patient were tested by culture. The diagnostic performance was compared between mNGS and culture for pathogen detection. Results: The positive rate of pathogen detection by mNGS in BALF and sputum samples was 89.2% and 97.0%, which was significantly higher (P < 0.001) than that (67.4%) of blood samples. The positive rate of mNGS was significantly higher than that of culture (81.0% vs. 56.1%, P = 1.052e-07). A group of pathogens including Mycobacterium abscessus, Chlamydia psittaci, Pneumocystis jirovecii, Orientia tsutsugamushi, and all viruses were only detected by mNGS. Based on mNGS results, Escherichia coli was the most common pathogen (15/61, 24.59%) of non-severe patients with CAP, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis was the most common pathogen (21/144, 14.58%) leading to severe pneumonia. Pneumocystis jirovecii was the most common pathogen (26.09%) in severe CAP patients with an immunocompromised status, which was all detected by mNGS only. Conclusion: mNGS has higher overall sensitivity for pathogen detection than culture, BALF, and sputum mNGS are more sensitive than blood mNGS. mNGS is a necessary supplement of conventional microbiological tests for the pathogen detection of pulmonary infection.

Combined transjugular/percutaneous intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (cTIPS) for cavernous transformation of the portal vein after conventional transjugular approach TIPS failure.

This study aim was to compare the safety and efficacy of combined transjugular/percutaneous intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (cTIPS) and transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) in cirrhotic patients with cavernous transformation of the portal vein (CTPV) after conventional transjugular approach TIPS failure. Cirrhotic patients who were diagnosed as CTPV and treated by cTIPS or TIPS between July 2012 and April 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients' characteristics and clinical data were recorded. The clinical outcomes, long-term survival rates and patency rates between the 2 groups were compared. A total of 68 patients with CTPV were enrolled, of whom 23 were treated with TIPS and 45 with cTIPS. The initial technical success was 30.9% in TIPS group and 91.1% in cTIPS group. The hospitalization days increased significantly in the cTIPS group compared with TIPS group (P = .0131). However, the complication rate, patency rates and survival rates were similar between the 2 groups. In conclusion, cTIPS appeared to be safe and effective in cirrhotic patients with CTPV after conventional transjugular approach TIPS failure.

Tiron Inhibits UVB-Induced AP-1 Binding Sites Transcriptional Activation on MMP-1 and MMP-3 Promoters by MAPK Signaling Pathway in Human Dermal Fibroblasts.

Recent research found that Tiron was an effective antioxidant that could act as the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger or alleviate the acute toxic metal overload in vivo. In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effect of Tiron on matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 and MMP-3 expression in human dermal fibroblast cells. Western blot and ELISA analysis revealed that Tiron inhibited ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced protein expression of MMP-1 and MMP-3. Real-time quantitative PCR confirmed that Tiron could inhibit UVB-induced mRNA expression of MMP-1 and MMP-3. Furthermore, Tiron significantly blocked UVB-induced activation of the MAPK signaling pathway and activator protein (AP)-1 in the downstream of this transduction pathway in fibroblasts. Through the AP-1 binding site mutation, it was found that Tiron could inhibit AP-1-induced upregulation of MMP-1 and MMP-3 expression through blocking AP-1 binding to the AP-1 binding sites in the MMP-1 and MMP-3 promoter region. In conclusion, Tiron may be a novel antioxidant for preventing and treating skin photoaging UV-induced.