Short-term ex vivo tissue culture models help study human lung infectionsA review.

Most studies on human lung infection have been performed using animal models, formalin or other fixed tissues, and in vitro cultures of established cell lines. However, the experimental data and results obtained from these studies may not completely represent the complicated molecular events that take place in intact human lung tissue in vivo. The newly developed ex vivo short-term tissue culture model can mimic the in vivo microenvironment of humans and allow investigations of different cell types that closely interact with each other in intact human lung tissues. Therefore, this kind of model may be a promising tool for future studies of different human lung infections, owing to its special advantages in providing more realistic events that occur in vivo. In this review, we have summarized the preliminary applications of this novel short-term ex vivo tissue culture model, with a particular emphasis on its applications in some common human lung infections.

A case report of systemic lupus erythematosus combined with Castleman's disease and literature review.

Although lymph node enlargement is common in active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), lymph node examination is frequently ignored in the diagnosis of SLE. Clinical presentation and abnormal laboratory findings are often sufficient for SLE diagnosis, not to mention that the specific histological finding of lymph node necrosis in SLE is rarely seen, and the follicular hyperplasia is usually considered as nonspecific. However, since the late 1990s, a few cases of SLE lymphadenopathy have been reported exhibiting a Castleman's disease (CD) morphology, which was discovered in lymph node biopsies. Here we report a similar case of SLE combined with CD in a 23-year-old girl who displayed systemic symptoms, including systemic lymphadenopathy and abnormal laboratory findings indicating the active phase of SLE. A biopsy of neck lymphnodes showed histopathological features of CD. The patient responded very well to the prednisolone treatment. Based on the related literature review, we would like to stress the possibility of CD in patients with SLE lymphadenopathy.

Bacteremia due to Rhodococcus equi: a case report and review of the literature.

Rhodococcus equi, previously known as Corynebacterium equi, is one of the most important causes of zoonotic infections in grazing animals. Increased cases of human infection with R. equi have been reported, especially in immunocompromised patients, within recent years. We present a case of R. equi bacteremia in a 51-year-old man with diabetes and liver cirrhosis, on long-term corticosteroid therapy after skin-grafting surgery. The patient recovered soon after he was treated with vancomycin. This review focuses on the microbiological characteristics of this organism, and the diagnosis and treatment of this infection.