Cryptococcosis, mainly caused by Cryptococcus neoformans/gattii species complexes, is a lethal infection in both immunosuppressive and immunocompetent populations. With the upgrade of detection methods and the increase of clinical knowledge, the incidence rate of cryptococcosis is increasing, and it has become one of the most important fungi threatening human health. In recent years, great progress has been made in this field, including the taxonomy and nomenclature of Cryptococcus spp., laboratory diagnostic methods and antifungal susceptibility tests, as well as the characteristics and treatments of cryptococcosis. This article reviews the above contents, in order to improve the clinical and laboratory understanding of the Cryptococcus spp., and realize the timely diagnosis and early treatment of cryptococcosis.
【Abstract】ObjectiveTo investigate the expressions of hTERT mRNA and BRCA1 protein and to analyze the correlation between these two factors in breast cancer. MethodsThe expression of hTERT mRNA was examined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The expression of BRCA1 protein was examined by immunohistochemistry. ResultsThe positive rates of hTERT mRNA and BRCA1 protein were 72.1%（31/43） and 34.9%（15/43） in breast cancer tissue, were 5.0%(2/40) and 77.5%(31/40) in paracancerous breast tissue respectively. Significant difference existed between breast cancer tissue and paracancerous breast tissue (P＜0.05). Significant negative correlation existed between the expression of BRCA1 protein and expression of hTERT mRNA （r=-0.995, P＜0.01）. ConclusionThe expression of hTERT mRNA is upregulated in breast cancer, and expression of BRCA1 protein is downregulated in breast cancer. BRCA1 protein expression may be associated with expression of hTERT mRNA in breast cancer, which may be involved in the carcinogenesis of breast cancer.
More and more medical devices can capture different features of human body and form three dimensional (3D) images. In clinical applications, usually it is required to fuse multiple source images containing different and crucial information into one for the purpose of assisting medical treatment. However, traditional image fusion methods are normally designed for two dimensional (2D) images and will lead to loss of the third dimensional information if directly applied to 3D data. Therefore, a novel 3D magnetic image fusion method was proposed based on the combination of newly invented beyond wavelet transform, called 3D band limited shearlet transformand (BLST), and four groups of traditional fusion rules. The proposed method was then compared with the 2D and 3D wavelet and dual-tree complex wavelet transform fusion methods through 4 groups of human brain T2* and quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) images. The experiments indicated that the performance of the method based on 3D transform was generally superior to the existing methods based on 2D transform. Taking advantage of direction representation, shearlet transform could effectively improve the performance of conventional fusion method based on 3D transform. It is well concluded, therefore, that the proposed method is the best among the methods based on 2D and 3D transforms.
ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical settings, antibiotic susceptibilities, management and outcomes of streptococcal endophthalmitis. MethodsA retrospective observational case series study. Fifty six eyes of 56 patients diagnosed with streptococcal endophthalmitis in Eye & ENT Hospital, Fudan University from 2012 to 2022 were collected. The treatment followed the general principles of relevant guidelines, including pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), vitreous injection of antibiotics (IVI), vitreous injection of glucocorticoids and systemic application of antibiotics. The follow-up time was (11.9±17.0) months. Patients' clinical characteristics, pathogenic distribution and antibiotic susceptibilities, treatment and outcomes in their medical records were retrospectively collected and analyzed. ResultsAll 56 patients had monocular onset, including 39 (69.6%, 39/56) males and 17 (30.4%, 17/56) females, 26 (46.4%, 26/56) with left eyes involved and 30 (53.6%, 30/56) with right eyes involved. Their average age was (25.0±24.4) years. Ocular trauma was the leading cause of streptococcal endophthalmitis (73.2%, 41/56), followed by ophthalmic surgery (23.2%, 13/56) and endogenous infection (3.6%, 2/56). The streptococcal species included Streptococcus viridans (50.0%, 28/56), Streptococcus pneumoniae (18/56, 32.1%) and β-hemolytic Streptococcus (17.9%, 10/56). The susceptibility rates of Streptococcus to penicillin, cefatriaxone, vancomycin and levofloxacin were 66.0%, 57.1%, 94.1% and 92.4%, respectively. Patients received PPV+IVI and IVI as initial treatment were 49 eyes (87.5%, 49/56) and 7 eyes (12.5%, 7/56), respectively. Vitreous injection of glucocorticoids were performed in 17 eyes (30.4%, 17/56); and systemic antibiotics were applied in 52 cases (92.9%, 52/56). At the final follow-up, 47 eyes were recorded with visual acuity. Twenty (35.7%, 20/56) had best corrected visual acuity (BCVA)≥0.05 and 27 (48.2%, 27/56) had BCVA ＜0.05, of which 1 (1.8%, 1/56) had an eyeball enucleation. The etiology of endophthalmitis, streptococcal species, initial treatment with PPV, vitreous injection of glucocorticoids, and systemic antibiotics did not significantly affect patients' visual outcomes (P＞0.05). Timely visit to the hospital after the onset of symptoms (≤3 days) was significantly associated with achieving a final BCVA above 0.05 (P=0.025). ConclusionsOcular trauma was the primary cause of streptococcal endophthalmitis. Streptococcus viridans is the most common pathogenic bacterium. Streptococci had high susceptibility to vancomycin, but patients' visual outcomes were poor.
Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) can provide tissue susceptibility information and has been adapted for clinical research and diagnosis. QSM of monkey brain in vivo at 9.4 T has not been demonstrated so far. In this study 9.4 T in vivo monkey brain QSM was performed with 200 μm isotropic high-resolution. It was found that the inherent singularity problem for QSM diverged significantly at ultra-high image resolution during regularization process and resulted in severe image artifacts. The K-space division (TKD) was applied to eliminate the artifacts, with an optimal threshold level between 0.2 and 0.3. High resolution QSM of monkey brain in vivo can thus provide a novel tool for brain research.
Objective
To probe the distribution and drug resistance of pathogens causing surgical site infection in patients after gynecologic operation, and provide reference for prevention and treatment.
Methods
Seventy patients with incision infection after gynecologic operation in West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan University from January 2010 to May 2015 were selected. Species of the pathogens from the submitted specimens and the results of the drug susceptibility testing were analyzed.
Results
Seventy-two strains of pathogens were isolated, including 36 strains (50.0%) of Gram-negative (G–) bacteria and 36 strains (50.0%) of Gram-positive (G+) bacteria. The main G– bacteria were Escherichia coli (36.1%) and Enterobacter cloacae (5.6%); the main G+ bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus (18.1%), Staphylococcus epidermidis (12.5%), and Enterococcus faecalis (8.3%). Escherichia coli showed low sensitivities to ampicillin, ceftriaxone, and gentamicin, with resistance rates of 76.9%, 61.5%, and 61.5%, respectively. Staphylococcus aureus showed low sensitivities to penicillin G, clindamycin, and erythromycin, with resistance rates of 92.3%, 69.2%, and 61.5%, respectively. Staphylococcus epidermidis showed low sensitivities to erythromycin, penicillin G, and ciprofloxacin, with resistance rates of 88.9%, 77.8%, and 77.8%, respectively. No carbapenem-resistant G– bacteria or vancomycin-resistant G+ bacteria were detected.
Conclusion
Postoperative surgical site infection is the most common nosocomial infection. The main bacteria related to postoperative incision infection in the gynecology department of the hospital are Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, and Enterococcus faecalis, which become resistant to common antibiotics currently. Therefore more attention should be paid to bacterial isolation and drug susceptibility test results for rational use of antimicrobial drugs and effectiveness of the treatment to nosocomial infection.
Objective To investigate the relationship between p53 codon 72 polymorphism and susceptibility to keloid. Methods The p53 genotypes were detected by polymerase chain reactionreverse dot blot(PCRRDB) and DNA direct sequencing among 15 healthy controls and 15 patients with keloid. Results The frequency of the Proallele(P=0.035) and Pro/Pro genotype(P=0.030) in patients was significantly higher than that in the controlls. There was no significant difference in the frequency of Pro/Arg and Arg/Arg genotypes between patients and controls. Conclusion The p53 gene codon 72 polymorphism may play a role in susceptibility to keloid.
Objective To analyze the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene polymorphism and haplotype frequency and distribution in Han patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) in Sichuan province, and explore the correlation of HLA gene polymorphism and haplotype with the susceptibility to ESRD in Sichuan Han patients. Methods Polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific oligonucleotide probe hybridization typing technique was used to detect the HLA-A, -B, -DRB1, and -DQB1 genotypes of Han patients with ESRD and healthy participants. The allele and haplotype frequencies in the ESRD group and the control group were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and Arlequin 3.5.2.2 softwares. Results A total of 756 ESRD patients and 1118 healthy participants were enrolled. In the four loci of HLA-A, -B, -DRB1, and -DQB1, the frequency of HLA-B*39 allele in the ESRD group was higher than that in the control group [3.37% vs. 2.19%; χ2=4.850, P=0.028, odds ratio (OR)=1.558, 95% confidence interval (CI) (1.047, 2.319)], the frequency of HLA-DQB1*06 allele in the ESRD group was lower than that in the control group [17.39% vs. 21.20%; χ2=8.264, P=0.004, OR=0.783, 95%CI (0.662, 0.925)], and the frequency of HLA-DQB1*04 allele in the ESRD group was higher than that in the control group [7.41% vs. 5.46%; χ2=5.867, P=0.015, OR=1.386, 95%CI (1.063, 1.807)]. The frequencies of 10 haplotypes, including HLA-A*11-B*39, HLA-DRB1*15-DQB1*06, and HLA-DRB1*04-DQB1*04, were significantly different between the ESRD group and the control group (P<0.05), among which 9 haplotypes were possibly susceptible to ESRD and 1 haplotype was possibly protective. Conclusions HLA gene polymorphism is closely related to the susceptibility to ESRD. HLA-B*39 and HLA-DQB1*04 may be susceptible genes for ESRD in Sichuan Han patients, while HLA-DQB1*06 may be a protective gene. In addition, 10 HLA haplotypes are possibly associated with the susceptibility to ESRD in Sichuan Han patients.
Inappropriate and irrational prescription of antimicrobial agents has led to increasing bacterial resistance, which has become a major concern around the world. Clinical microbiology service provides a basis and guarantee for the rational application of antimicrobial agents and an important technical support for antimicrobial stewardship, and plays an important role in promoting the rational use of antimicrobial agents. This paper summarizes and evaluates the specific role and technical requirements of clinical microbiology service in the diagnosis of infectious diseases, rational application of antimicrobial agents, hospital infection control and training of medical staff, so as to provide a technical guidance for clinical microbiology service in the antimicrobial stewardship.
Quantitative magnetic susceptibility imaging (QSM) is an imaging method based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) phase signal processing and inversion to obtain tissue magnetic susceptibility distribution, which can generate images reflecting the magnetic characteristics of tissues. QSM reconstruction process is complex, in which dipole inversion stage is the most challenging and decisive link, and traditional methods are easily affected by pathological conditions at this stage, resulting in artifacts and deviations. With the development of deep learning and machine vision technology, using U-network (U-Net) model to improve dipole inversion process can effectively avoid the shortcomings of traditional algorithms. In this paper, the application of the improved model based on U-Net architecture in dipole inversion from 2020 to now is summarized. Firstly, the theoretical concept of QSM is introduced. Secondly, the existing improved models based on U-Net architecture are divided into three categories: improved U-Net based on structural optimization, improved U-Net based on physical constraints and improved U-Net based on improving generalization ability, and their main characteristics and design starting points are sorted out. Finally, the development trend of the future model is prospected and summarized. To sum up, it is expected that the difficulties and challenges of dipole inversion will be solved, the accuracy of QSM images will be improved, and support for disease-aided diagnosis will be provided by summarizing and comparing different improved U-Net models in this paper.
