Isolation and Evaluation of Streptomyces melanogenes YBS22 with Potential Application for Biocontrol of Rice Blast Disease.

Plant diseases caused by pathogenic fungi pose a significant threat to agricultural production. This study reports on a strain YBS22 with broad-spectrum antifungal activity that was isolated and identified, and its active metabolites were purified and systematically studied. Based on a whole genome sequence analysis, the new strain YBS22 was identified as Streptomyces melanogenes. Furthermore, eight gene clusters were predicted in YBS22 that are responsible for the synthesis of bioactive secondary metabolites. These clusters have homologous sequences in the MIBiG database with a similarity of 100%. The antifungal effects of YBS22 and its crude extract were evaluated in vivo and vitro. Our findings revealed that treatment with the strain YBS22 and its crude extract significantly reduced the size of necrotic lesions caused by Magnaporthe oryzae on rice leaves. Further analysis led to the isolation and purification of an active compound from the crude extract of the strain YBS22, identified as N-formylantimycin acid methyl ester, an analog of antimycin, characterized by NMR and MS analyses. Consistently, the active compound can significantly inhibit the germination and development of M. oryzae spores in a manner that is both dose- and time-dependent. As a result, we propose that the strain YBS22 could serve as a novel source for the development of biological agents aimed at controlling rice blast disease.

Translation and validation of a Chinese version of the pancreatitis quality of life instrument (PANQOLI) in patients with chronic pancreatitis.

PURPOSE: Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is a chronic fibroinflammatory pancreatic disease that severely impacts patients' quality of life (QoL). The Pancreatitis Quality of Life Instrument (PANQOLI) is an 18-item measure specifically designed to assess QoL amongst patients with CP. This study aimed to develop a Chinese version of PANQOLI and assess its reliability and validity in the Chinese CP cohort. METHODS: Translation was performed according to forward-backwards translation steps and transcultural adaptation. Five hundred Mandarin Chinese-speaking patients with CP were enrolled, 250 for the exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and 250 for the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Item analysis, reliability analysis (internal consistency, split-half reliability, test-retest reliability), and validity analysis (content validity, construct validity, and convergent validity) were performed. RESULTS: Item analysis of the Chinese version of PANQOLI revealed that the absolute t values of all items were > 3. Reliability analysis showed that Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.868, split-half coefficient was 0.934, and intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.859, demonstrating excellent reliability. For content validity, item level content validity index (I-CVI) ranged from 0.8 to 1.0, and average of I-CVI scores across all items (S-CVI/Ave) was 0.91. In construct validity analysis, EFA produced four dimensions after rotation, and results of CFA showed χ2/df = 2.346, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.929, Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.915, and root-mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.074. The analysis of convergent validity indicated that the Chinese version of PANQOLI was moderately correlated with the physical (r = 0.436, P < 0.001) and mental component summary (r = 0.518, P < 0.001) of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey. CONCLUSION: The Chinese version of PANQOLI appears to be culturally appropriate, reliable, and valid for assessing the QoL amongst Chinese patients with CP.

A Novel Ourmia-Like Mycovirus Confers Hypovirulence-Associated Traits on Fusarium oxysporum.

Fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. momordicae (FoM) is an important fungal disease that affects the production of bitter gourd. Hypovirulence-associated mycoviruses have great potential and application prospects for controlling the fungal disease. In this study, a novel ourmia-like virus, named Fusarium oxysporum ourmia-like virus 1 (FoOuLV1), was isolated from FoM strain HuN8. The viral genomic RNA is 2,712 nucleotides (nt) in length and contains an open reading frame (ORF) encoding a putative RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) using either standard or mitochondrial codes. In strain HuN8, there was also a FoOuLV1-associated RNA segment with 1,173 nt in length with no sequence homology. Phylogenetic analysis showed that FoOuLV1 is a member of the genus Magoulivirus of the family Botourmiaviridae. FoOuLV1 was found to be associated with hypovirulence in FoM. Moreover, FoOuLV1 and its hypovirulence trait can be transmitted horizontally to other FoM strains and also to other formae speciale strains of F. oxysporum. In addition, FoOuLV1 showed significant biological control effect against the bitter gourd Fusarium wilt. To our knowledge, this study reveals the first description of a hypovirulence-associated ourmia-like mycovirus, which has the potential to the biological control of Fusarium wilt.

Comparative Study of Microbiological Monitoring Results from Three Types of Sampling Methods after Gastrointestinal Endoscope Reprocessing.

OBJECTIVE: Compare the effects of three sampling methods on the microbiological monitoring results after reprocessing of gastrointestinal endoscopes, providing scientific basis for improving the monitoring quality of gastrointestinal endoscope cleaning and disinfection. METHOD: Gastrointestinal endoscopes after reprocessing were selected randomly at the gastrointestinal endoscopy center of a tertiary hospital in Shanghai from October 2018 to February 2019. The endoscopes selected were all sampled in three different methods under continuous sampling and intermittent sampling respectively. Methods used includes, the biopsy channel group (Group A), the entire channel group (Group B), and the disc brush group (Group C). Then the colony forming units (CFU/piece) were counted in the laboratory. RESULTS: A total of 12 endoscopes were sampled by using continuous sampling approach, in which the detection rate of bacteria in disc brush group (33.3%) and entire channel group (33.3%) was higher than biopsy channel group (8.3%). Among the 12 endoscopes sampled with intermittent approach, the detection rate of bacteria from high to low was the disc brush group (50%), the entire channel group (41.7%), and the biopsy channel group (8.3%). CONCLUSION: Different sampling methods will lead to the difference of microbiological culture results after reprocessing of gastrointestinal endoscope, indicating that the improved sampling method is beneficial to objectively reflect the endoscope cleaning and disinfection effect, and improve the monitoring quality of endoscope disinfection.

Long non-coding RNA DILC suppresses bladder cancer cells progression.

Accumulative researches have demonstrated the critical functions of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the progression of malignant tumors, including bladder cancer (BC). Our previous studies showed that lnc-DILC was an important tumor suppressor gene in both liver cancer and colorectal cancer. However, the role of lnc-DILC in BC remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we for first found that lnc-DILC was downregulated in human bladder cancer tissues. Lnc-DILC overexpression suppressed the proliferation, metastasis and expansion of bladder cancer stem cells (CSCs). Mechanically, lnc-DILC suppressed BC cells progression via STAT3 pathway. Special STAT3 inhibitor S3I-201 diminished the discrepancy of growth, metastasis and self-renewal ability between lnc-DILC-overexpression BC cells and their control cells, which further confirmed that STAT3 was acquired for lnc-DILC-disrupted BC cell growth, metastasis and self-renewal. Taken together, our results suggest that lnc-DILC is a novel bladder tumor suppressor and indicate that lnc-DILC inhibits BC progression via inactivating STAT3 signaling.

Improving health care workers' protection against infection of Ebola hemorrhagic fever through video surveillance.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the importance of supervision through video surveillance in improving the quality of personal protection in preparing health care workers working in Ebola treatment units. METHODS: Wardens supervise, remind, and guide health care workers' behavior through onsite voice and video systems when they are in the suspected patient observation ward and in the patient diagnosed ward of the Ebola treatment center. The observation results were recorded, and timely feedback was given to the health care workers. RESULTS: After 2 months of supervision, 1,797 cases of incorrect personal protection behaviors were identified and corrected. The error rate continuously declined. The declined rate of the first 2 weeks was statistically different from other time periods. Through reminding and supervising, nonstandard personal protective behaviors can be discovered and corrected, which can help health care workers standardize personal protection. The timely feedback from video surveillance can also offer psychologic support and encouragement promptly to ease psychologic pressure. Finally, this can ensure health care workers stay at a zero infection rate during patient treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Personal protective equipment protocol supervised by wardens through a video monitoring process can be used as an effective complement to conventional mutual supervision methods and can help health care workers avoid Ebola infection during treatment.

Role of acetylcholinesterase in lung cancer.

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) plays a key role in catalytic hydrolysis of cholinergic neurotransmitters. Intensive research has proven the involvement of this protein in novel functions, such as cell adhesion, differentiation, and proliferation. In addition, several recent studies have indicated that acetylcholinesterase is potentially a marker and regulator of apoptosis. Importantly, AChE is also a promising tumor suppressor. In this review, we briefly summarize the involvement of AChE in apoptosis and cancer, focusing on the role of AChE in lung cancer, as well as the therapeutic consideration of AChE for cancer therapy.

Ultrasound guidance for radial artery catheterization: an updated meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Since a previous meta-analysis reported that ultrasound guidance was associated with a higher first-attempt success rate in catheterization of the radial artery, a number of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have reported inconsistent results. The aim of the present study is to conduct an updated meta-analysis to clarify the role of ultrasound guidance for radial artery catheterization. METHODS: A systematic literature search of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials was conducted using specific search terms. Eligible studies were RCTs that compared ultrasound guidance with traditional palpation for radial artery catheterization. The Mantel-Haenszel method using the random effects model was adopted in this meta-analysis. RESULTS: Seven RCTs with 482 patients were included. Compared with traditional palpation, ultrasound guidance significantly increased the first-attempt success rate of radial artery catheterization (RR 1.51, 95% CI 1.07-2.14, P = 0.02). Subgroup analyses suggested that the superiority of ultrasound guidance for radial artery catheterization was significant when the technique was operated by experienced users, performed in small children and infants, and on elective procedures in the operating room. In addition, ultrasound guidance significantly reduced mean-attempts to success (WMD -1.13, 95% CI -1.58 to -0.69, P<0.00001), mean-time to success (WMD -74.77s, 95% CI -137.89s to -11.64s, P = 0.02), and the occurrence of hematoma (RR 0.17, 95% CI 0.07-0.41, P = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The present meta-analysis suggests a clear benefit from ultrasound guidance for radial artery catheterization compared with the traditional palpation. Preliminary training and familiarization with the ultrasound-guided technique is needed before applying it for radial artery catheterization, especially for inexperienced operators.

Pediatric burns due to hot water from water dispenser: a neglected issue that should be highly concerned.

BACKGROUND: More and more Chinese drink hot water from water dispensers while many children were scalded due to this change. The present study aimed to propose a feasible strategy for prevention. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted for all water dispensers related pediatric burns admitted to Changhai Hospital from January 2005 to December 2009. RESULTS: The number of new cases and incidences of pediatric burns due to hot water from water dispensers was significantly increasing year after year. In the total 238 involved cases, 175 cases happened on males and 78.9% were at the age of 1 - 4 years. The burn areas were mainly located in upper extremities. All water dispensers in the surveyed families had no isolate protection devices and 85.2% of their locations were easy for children to reach. Nearly half of the children were in the same room with their guardians when injured. Total 196 burned children were playing the taps of water dispensers before injured, unfortunately, 80.6% of them have not been stopped until burned. CONCLUSION: As the kind of burns is quite serious and with bad outcome, some recommendations should be followed, such as buying water dispensers with protection devices, keeping children from touching them and so on.

Unplanned decannulation of tracheotomy tube in massive burn patients: a retrospective case series study.

BACKGROUND: Unplanned extubation is associated with adverse outcomes in intensive care unit. The massive burn patient differs from other critically ill patients in many ways. However, little is known about the unplanned decannulation (UD) in Burn Intensive Care Unit. This paper describes the special features of the circumstances and outcome of UD of tracheotomy tube in massive burn patients. METHODS: A case series study was performed between January 1999 and December 2008 and UD of tracheotomy tube was analyzed retrospectively. A total of 21 patients with 29 UD events were identified. Demographic data, diagnosis, intervention, UD events and outcome of UD patients were collected. Differences in proportions were compared using the chi-square (χ(2)) or Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: Patients with UD were often burned with head and neck (67%) and combined with inhalation injury (62%). The majority of them (76%) were transferred patients, occurred early (55%) and were accidental UD (79%). UD events tended to happen in day shift (90%) and to be associated with the medical procedure that was performing by caregivers at besides (79%). Loose of the stabilizing rope, medical procedure and tracheotomy malposition were the main causes of UD. Early UD and reintubation failure were associated with patients' death. CONCLUSIONS: UD happened to massive burn patients can lead to patient death. Careful management of respiratory tract was essential for massive burn patients.