Rapid and specific detection of Enterococcus faecium with an isothermal amplification and lateral flow strip combined method.

Enterococcus faecium is responsible for a highly contagious, drug-resistant nosocomial infection that often causes serious illness. In this study, a rapid and sensitive RPA-LFS (recombinase polymerase amplification-lateral flow strip) method for the detection of E. faecium was established based on specific primers and probes designed using the ddl gene. To verify the specificity and sensitivity of the method, 26 specific strains and 100-106 CFU/µL E. faecium were selected for detection. The results show that the proposed method can specifically detect E. faecium, and the minimum detection limit is 100 CFU/µL. To compare the clinical application of the method with qPCR, 181 clinical samples were collected for testing. RPA-LFS and qPCR had the same practical applicability, and 61 parts of E. faecium were detected in 183 clinical samples. The methods developed in this study not only have the advantages of rapid sensitivity and specificity but also meet the needs of remote areas with scarce medical resources.

Randomized control study of the use of faropenem for treating patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

OBJECTIVES: Faropenem has antituberculosis activity in vitro but its utility in treating patients with tuberculosis (TB) is unclear. METHODS: We conducted an open-label, randomized trial in China, involving newly diagnosed, drug-susceptible pulmonary TB. The control group was treated with the standard 6-month regimen. The experimental group replaced ethambutol with faropenem for 2 months. The primary outcome was the treatment success rate after 6 months of treatment. Noninferiority was confirmed if the lower limit of a 95% one-sided confidence interval (CI) of the difference was greater than -10%. RESULTS: A total of 227 patients eligible for the study were enrolled in the trial group and the control group in a ratio of 1:1. Baseline characteristics of participants were similar in both groups. In the modified intention-to-treat population, 88.18% of patients in the faropenem group achieved treatment success, and 85.98% of those in the control group were successfully treated, with a difference of 2.2% (95% CI, -6.73-11.13). In the per-protocol population, treatment success was 96.04% in the faropenem group and 95.83% in the control group, with a difference of 2.1% (95% CI, -5.31-5.72). The faropenem group showed noninferiority to the control group in the 6-month treatment success rates. The faropenem group had significantly fewer adverse events (P <0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our study proved that oral faropenem regimen can be used for the treatment of TB, with fewer adverse events. (Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1800015959).

A Method of Planning Disaster Emergency Rescue Paths in Road-Free Environment.

The occurrence of natural disasters has caused great loss of lives and properties that affected many people. To improve the efficiency of the emergency rescue efforts, the problem of road planning for emergency workers, vehicles, and other mobile objects should be overcome. Due to the characteristics of the emergency planning for rescue paths, timely, effective, and rapid efforts should be taken into effect based on geographical data in the road-free environment. This paper analyzes trafficability, researches both access ability and traffic efficiency, and uses traffic efficiency concerning the road-free environment as an influential weight and timeliness to improve the A∗ algorithm, which realizes the rapid planning of the mobile objects' emergency rescue paths in the road-free environment, providing decision-making services for the rescue path planning of disaster emergencies in the environment of no road network. Finally, the experiments were carried out using available data for Shuozhou City, Shanxi Province. The results show that the research can provide a reference for the rescue path planning of disaster emergencies and has contributed to theoretical and applicable aspects of the research.

[Variation Characteristics and Source Analysis of Carbonaceous Aerosols in Winter in Jiashan].

Organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and PM2.5 concentration data obtained from Shanxi Super Station in Jiashan County of Jiaxing City, in the winter of 2018 and 2019, were analyzed to determine the variation and potential source areas of carbonaceous aerosols. The results show that OC concentrations in the winter of 2018 and 2019 were 6.90 µg·m-3 and 5.63 µg·m-3, respectively, while EC concentrations were 2.47 µg·m-3 and 1.57 µg·m-3, respectively. The concentrations of OC and EC in the winter of 2019 were lower than those in the winter of 2018, by approximately 18.4% and 36.4%, respectively. In 2018 and 2019, the concentrations of secondary organic carbon (SOC), calculated using the minimum R-squared (MRS) method, were 1.49 µg·m-3 and 1.97 µg·m-3, respectively, and the concentrations of primary organic carbon (POC) were 5.41 µg·m-3 and 3.66 µg·m-3, respectively. The proportion of POC in OC showed a downward trend, from 96.0% in December 2018 to 64.9% in February 2020, indicating a decrease of 31.1 percentage points. SOC showed an upward trend, increasing by 31.1 percentage points from 4.0% in December 2018 to 35.1% in February 2020. It is worth noting that with the increase in PM2.5 concentration, the concentration of OC and EC increased by 474.7% and 408.2%, respectively, although the proportion of OC in PM2.5 decreased from 18.8% to 12.3%. and the percentage of OC decreased from 5.8% to 3.3%. The contribution of POC to PM2.5 did not fluctuate, and only decreased significantly above 150 µg·m-3, while the contribution of SOC to PM2.5 first decreased and then increased. In Jiaxing, the potential sources of OC and EC were mainly southern Jiangsu, southeastern Anhui, local Jiaxing, and northern Zhejiang. In the winter of the contribution concentrations of OC and EC in the main potential source regions were approximately 2 µg·m-3 and 6 µg·m-3 lower, respectively, than in winter 2018. The range of high values in the potential source regions also decreased in 2019. Before the COVID-19 epidemic, it was affected by both motor vehicle exhaust emissions and coal burning. During the Spring Festival and home isolation, due to traffic control and other reasons, motor vehicle emissions were reduced, which leaving coal burning as the main contributor.

Effects of dietary Astragalus Propinquus Schischkin polysaccharides on growth performance, immunological parameters, antioxidants responses and inflammation-related gene expression in Channa argus.

The present study investigated the effects of dietary Astragalus Propinquus schischkin polysaccharides on growth, immune responses, antioxidants responses and inflammation-related genes expression in Channa argus. Channa argus were randomly divided into 5 groups and fed 5 levels diets of A. propinquus schischkin polysaccharides (0, 250, 500, 1000 and 2000 mg/kg) for 56 days. The results showed, dietary A. propinquus schischkin polysaccharides addition can increase the final body weight, weight gain and specific growth rate, decrease the feed conversion ratio of Channa argus. And dietary A. propinquus schischkin polysaccharides supplementation can increase the levels of serum superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, lysozyme, complement 3, complement 4, immunoglobulin M and alkaline phosphatase, decrease the levels of serum malondialdehyde, cortisol, aspartate aminotransferase and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase. Furthermore, dietary A. propinquus schischkin polysaccharides can decrease the gene expression levels of interleukin-1ß, interleukin-, tumor necrosis factor-α and nuclear factor-κB, increase the gene expression levels of glucocorticoid receptor in liver, spleen, kidney, intestine. To sum up, dietary A. propinquus schischkin polysaccharides can accelerate growth, enhance immune responses and antioxidants responses, regulate inflammation-related genes expression in Channa argus and the optimum amount is 1000 mg/kg.

Effect of sub-chronic exposure to selenium and Allium mongolicum Regel flavonoids on Channa argus: Bioaccumulation, oxidative stress, immune responses and immune-related signaling molecules.

Selenium (Se) is a micronutrient that becomes toxic when present at higher concentrations in fish tissues. Allium mongolicum Regel flavonoids (AMRF) have been documented to possess antioxidant, immunoenhancement and anti-inflammation properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects and potential mechanisms of dietary supplementation of AMRF and Se exposure on oxidative stress, immune responses and immune-related genes expression in Channa argus. A total of 480 C. argus were randomly divided into eight groups housed in twenty-four 200 L glass aquarium (3 tanks per group, 20 fish per tank). The fish were exposed for 56 days to waterborne Se at 0, 50, 100 and 200 µg/L and/or dietary AMRF at 40 mg/kg. The result indicated that AMRF exerted significant protective effects by preventing alterations in the levels of bioaccumulation, malondialdehyde, lysozyme, complement C3 and immunoglobulin M. AMRF also assists in the elevation of catalase and glutathione peroxidase in the liver and spleen while regulating the expression of immune-related genes including NF-κB p65, IκB-α, TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-8, HSP70, HSP90, and glucocorticoid receptor after 56 days of Se exposure. Our results suggest that administration of AMRF (40 mg/kg) has the potential to combat Se toxicity in C. argus.

Effects of dietary Allium mongolicum Regel polysaccharide on growth, lipopolysaccharide-induced antioxidant responses and immune responses in Channa argus.

The present study evaluated the effects of dietary Allium mongolicum Regel polysaccharide (AMRP) on growth, lipopolysaccharide-induced antioxidant responses and immune responses in Channa argus. A basal diet was supplemented with AMRP at 0, 1, 1.5 or 2 g/kg feed for 56 days. After the 56 days feeding period, weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were significantly increased or decreased (P < 0.05) by dietary AMRP, with the highest WG, SGR and the minimum FCR occurring in 1.5 g/kg AMRP group. Furthermore, AMRP supplementation conferred significant protective effects against LPS challenge by preventing alterations in the levels of complements 3 (C3) and complements 4 (C4), lysozyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) while regulating the expression of immune-related genes including heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), SOD, GST, IL-1 and TNF-α. Finally, AMRP supplementation significantly increased serum total protein, albumin and globulin concentrations and reduced mortality after LPS challenge. Taken together, our results suggest that the administration of AMRP could attenuate LPS-induced negative effects in C. argus, with 1.5 g/kg considered a suitable dose.

Bioaccumulation, oxidative stress, immune responses and immune-related genes expression in northern snakehead fish, Channa argus, exposure to waterborne selenium.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the toxic effects on bioaccumulation, oxidative stress, immune responses and immune-related genes expression of Channa argus exposed for 28 days with waterborne selenium (0, 50, 100, 200, and 400 µg/L). After 28 days, the order of Se accumulation in tissues was kidney > liver > spleen > intestine > gill > muscle. Antioxidant parameters in liver and spleen of C. argus evidenced an oxidative stress condition in waterborne selenium. In addition, immunological parameters and immune-related gene expression were all enhanced with an increase in Se expose levels. Our results suggest that waterborne Se exposure can induce considerable Se accumulation, oxidative stress and immunotoxic effects on C. argus.

Role of ribose in the initial excited state structural dynamics of thymidine in water solution: a resonance Raman and density functional theory investigation.

Resonance Raman spectra were obtained for thymidine and thymine with excitation wavelengths in resonance with the approximately 260 nm band absorption spectrum. The spectra indicate that the Franck-Condon (FC) region photodissociation dynamics of thymidine have multidimensional character with motion predominantly along the nominal C5=C6 stretch + C6-H bend nu17 (delta = 0.75, lambda = 468 cm(-1)), the nominal thymine ring stretch + C6-H bend + N1-C1, stretch nu29 (delta = 0.73, lambda = 363 cm(-1)), the nominal thymine ring stretch + C5-CH3/ N1-C1, stretch nu37 (delta = 0.69, lambda = 292 cm(-1)), and accompanied by the moderate and minor changes in the nu40, nu20 and nu23, nu55, nu60, nu61, nu63 modes. A preliminary resonance Raman intensity analysis was done, and these results for thymidine and thymine were compared to each other. The roles of ribose in the FC structure dynamics of thymidine were explored and the results were used to correlate to its lifetime constants tau1 and tau2 for two nonradiative decay channels. Spi/Sn conical intersection versus a distorted structure of Spi,min in the FC region was briefly discussed.

Resonance Raman study of short-time photodissociation dynamics of the charge-transfer band absorption of nitrobenzene in cyclohexane solution.

Resonance Raman spectra were obtained for nitrobenzene in cyclohexane solution with excitation wavelengths in resonance with the charge-transfer (CT) band absorption spectrum. These spectra indicate that the Franck-Condon region photodissociation dynamics have multidimensional character with motion mainly along the nominal NO2 symmetric stretch mode (nu 11), the nominal benzene ring stretch mode (nu 7), accompanied by a moderate degree of motion along the nominal ONO symmetry bend/benzene ring stretch mode (nu 23), the nominal C-N stretch/benzene ring breathing mode (nu 16), the nominal CCC bending mode (nu 20) and the nominal CCH in-plane bending mode (nu 14). A preliminary resonance Raman intensity analysis was done and the results for nitrobenzene were compared to previously reported results for several nitroalkanes.