Psychrobacter species are gram-negative bacteria in the Moraxellaceae family. These bacteria are considered rare opportunistic human pathogens, and the infection sites include blood, cerebral spinal fluid, wounds, urine, the ears, and the eyes. Few cases of human infection by these species have been described previously. We report a case of a 10-year-old boy with postneurosurgical bacteremia due to Psychrobacter sanguinis infection. This infection was difficult to identify using routine biochemical phenotypical tests. Sequencing of 16S rRNA was performed to identify this pathogen. The patient was successfully treated with antibiotics. In conclusion, P. sanguinis infections are rare but should be considered when cultures remain negative for common pathogens.
The diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a clinical issue that requires attention, and more practical and effective biomarkers need to be selected to assist in diagnosis. This study aimed to examine the diagnostic value of serum albumin (ALB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), cytokeratin 19 fragments (CYFRA21-1), and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) for NSCLC.
The clinical data of 1048 NSCLC patients and 1125 healthy subjects were extracted from electronic medical records. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to assess the diagnostic significance of ALB, LDH, CYFRA21-1, and NSE for NSCLC. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) data, which included mRNA profiles for ALB and LDH expression, were acquired from TCGA Program. Finally, interactive survival scatter plots and survival analyses for NSCLC patients were evaluated using the Human Protein Atlas and Kaplan–Meier Plotter.
Significant differences were noted in the levels of ALB and LDH between NSCLC patients and healthy controls. The areas under the ROC curves (AUCs) for ALB and LDH were 0.754 (95% CI: 0.734–0.774) and 0.681 (95% CI: 0.658–0.704), respectively. Moreover, the combination of ALB and LDH raised the AUC to 0.804 (95% CI: 0.785–0.823), and the incorporation of CYFRA21-1 and NSE further increased the AUC to 0.903 (95% CI: 0.890–0.916). Notably, ALB and LDH might be related to the overall survival of NSCLC patients.
This study revealed that ALB and LDH in NSCLC patient serum could improve the diagnostic accuracy of conventional biomarkers for NSCLC.
Microvascular invasion (MVI) was a critical high-risk factor for postoperative recurrence and adverse prognosis in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and there were no reliable non-invasive pre-operative diagnostic markers. The exosomal N-glycan profile was closely related to the invasion and immune escape of HCC. Therefore, this article investigated the expression of N-glycan profiles in serum exosomes of patients with HCC and its clinical significance for MVI.
Serum samples from 210 patients with HCC were collected and randomly divided into modeling and validation cohorts. The abundances of N-glycans in serum exosomes with different MVI grades were determined. A diagnostic model for MVI in HCC based on N-glycosylation was constructed and the diagnostic value was analyzed.
In the modeling cohort, comparing groups M0 with M2, the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC) of the diagnostic model namely SUM (AUCSUM) was 0.861, the sensitivity of SUM was 92.68%, and the specificity of SUM was 79.41%, all of which were higher than the seven individual indexes (containing Peak 1, Peak 6, Peak 9, Peak 10, Peak 12, AFP, and PIVKA-II). In the comparison between the M1 and M2 groups, the AUCSUM was 0.749, the sensitivity of SUM was 79.07%, and the specificity of SUM was 76.60%, all of which were higher than the seven individual indexes. When comparing the M0 and M1 groups, the AUCSUM was 0.712, the sensitivity of SUM was 88.57%, and the specificity of SUM was 65.00%. The AUCSUM and sensitivity of SUM were higher than the seven individual indexes and the specificity of SUM was slightly lower than that of AFP (68.18%) but higher than other individual indexes. The results of the validation cohort were similar to those of the modeling cohort.
The SUM model of serum exosomes can serve as an auxiliary diagnostic index for MVI staging in patients with HCC.
Type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are an important class of innate immune cells that play a key role in regulating immune responses, maintaining tissue homeostasis, and participating in immune responses induced by inflammatory diseases. In lung inflammation, ILC2s drive the inflammatory response by secreting type 2 cytokines, and have a significant role in tissue repair and the maintenance of barrier function by secreting IL-9 and antimicrobial peptides. ILC2s activation and function are affected by various regulatory factors, including epithelial-derived alarmins such as IL-25, IL-33, and thymic stromal lymphopoietin, neurotransmitters, metabolites and hormones. These regulatory factors affect the development and activation of ILC2s through signaling pathways under different pathological conditions. An in-depth study of regulatory factors is expected to provide new targets and strategies for the treatment of lung inflammation.
To investigate the clinical features and epidemiology of diarrhea patients and analyze the current distribution of enteropathogens causing diarrhea in a comprehensive hospital in Beijing, China, in 2023.
From April to October 2023, we enrolled patients with diarrheal diseases who visited the gastrointestinal clinic in our hospital. The patients' demographic, epidemiological, and clinical features were obtained via a questionnaire. Stool samples were examined for 20 enteropathogens by multiplex polymerase chain reaction testing.
We enrolled 260 patients; men and adults accounted for 55.77% and 95.77% of the patients, respectively. The median age was 37 years. Eighty-four enteropathogens, 72 bacteria and 12 viruses, were identified in 74 patients. Enteroaggregative Escherichia coli was the predominant agent. Patients with and without pathogens detected in stool samples showed no significant differences in age, sex, gastrointestinal symptoms, and stool characteristics. Possible food-related events were recorded in 57.31% of the patients. Leukocyte counts in patients with bacterial infections were higher than those of patients with viral infections and those with no detected pathogens (p < 0.05). Seasonality of bacterial distribution was observed (p < 0.05).
Bacteria were predominant pathogens among the diarrhea patients. The incidence of diarrhea was related to hot weather and foodborne illness. Bacterial diarrhea may cause systemic infection. The clinical symptoms of infectious diarrhea were usually non-specific and unrelated to the type of infection. Timely and comprehensive multi-pathogen surveillance might be helpful to detect suspected pathogens and promote epidemic prevention and control.
Dermatomyositis-associated interstitial lung disease (DM-ILD) represents a severe and insidious complication of dermatomyositis (DM). The study aimed to investigate the association between DM-ILD and arterial blood gas indices, serum ion levels, and the timing of interstitial lung disease onset, with the goal of identifying potential predictors for DM-ILD.
The investigation involved the collection of basic data from 89 patients with DM hospitalized at the Chinese PLA General Hospital between January 2019 and April 2022, and 43 normal control patients hospitalized for physical examinations during the same period. Analyses were conducted to explore the relationship between DM-ILD, arterial blood gas indices, disease duration, and serum ions. A regression model to predict DM-ILD was developed using these indices, and a receiver operating characteristic curve was generated.
Significant differences were observed in pH and PaO2 between the control group and the disease group (p < 0.05). The DM group exhibited higher levels of pH, actual bicarbonate, and base excess (BE) compared with the control group. In contrast, pH and BE levels were lower in the DM-ILD group than in the DM group, with these differences being statistically significant (p < 0.05). Interstitial lung disease was correlated with the duration of the disease and pH levels (p < 0.05). The cutoff values for age, disease duration, pH, and Cl− were 55.5 years, 5.5 years, 7.432, and 101.5 mmol/L, respectively. The model demonstrated a prediction sensitivity and specificity for DM-ILD of 0.809 and 0.722, respectively, with an area under the curve of 0.809.
Arterial blood gas analysis and serum Cl− levels may assist in predicting DM-ILD. A combined monitoring approach involving arterial blood gas pH, disease duration, age, and serum Cl− levels could enhance the accuracy of DM-ILD predictions and hold significant clinical evaluation potential.
A combination of molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and herbal network pharmacology was used to investigate the shared key targets and potential mechanisms underlying the preventive effects of Ginkgo biloba active compounds against acute mountain sickness (AMS) and ischemic stroke (IS).
The Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform was used to screen the main active compounds of Ginkgo biloba and their corresponding targets. We obtained AMS-related genes by mining several databases and cross-correlated them with key active compounds of Ginkgo biloba to identify relevant action targets for treating AMS. The STRING database was used to construct a protein–protein interaction network of the effect of Ginkgo biloba active compounds on AMS targets. The expression of genes in the network was analyzed in an IS dataset to identify common key targets of Ginkgo biloba active compounds for both AMS and IS prevention.
The intersection between the targets of Ginkgo biloba active compounds and AMS-related genes identified 43 overlapping genes. Analysis of the protein–protein interaction network showed that VEGFA, TP53, SERPINE1, and PTGS2 were among the key hub genes. Analysis of the IS dataset identified significant differences in the expression levels of CAT, TP53, CXCL8, NFKBIA, and PTGS2. These genes were used to construct a visual nomogram prediction model for IS prognosis with promising clinical implications. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations indicated that sesamin stably targeted and bound to PTGS2.
Active ingredients of Ginkgo biloba, including luteolin, quercetin, and sesamin, have the potential to modulate the development of AMS and IS through targeted interactions with key proteins, including TP53, CXCL8, NFKBIA, PTGS2, and CAT.
This study investigated the clinical efficacy of bedaquiline-containing regimens in the treatment of drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis and the diagnostic value of computed tomography (CT).
We retrospectively analyzed the clinical diagnosis, treatment, and CT imaging data of patients with drug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis treated in Wenzhou Central Hospital from 1 January to 31 December 2022. According to whether the treatment regimen contained bedaquiline, the patients were divided into an observation group (bedaquiline tablets + background regimen) and a control group (background regimen). The clinical efficacy and pulmonary CT changes before and after treatment were analyzed in both groups.
After 24 weeks of treatment, there was no statistically significant difference in the white blood cell count or concentrations of hemoglobin, alanine aminotransferase, serum albumin, or creatinine between the two groups (t = 0.71, 0.93, 0.05, 0.18, and 0.08, respectively; p > 0.05). After 4, 8, and 12 weeks of treatment, there was no statistically significant difference in the sputum culture-negative conversion rate between the two groups (χ2 = 2.67, 0.48, and 1.82, respectively; p > 0.05). At 24 weeks of treatment, the sputum culture-negative conversion rate in the observation group reached 100%, which was significantly higher than that in the control group (χ2 = 3.97, p < 0.05). The effective absorption rates on chest imaging in the two groups of patients at 12 weeks were 83.33% and 57.89%, respectively. At 24 weeks of treatment, the effective absorption rates were 88.00% and 65.85% in the two groups, with a statistically significant difference (χ2 = 3.98; p < 0.05). There were significant differences in cavity absorption at 24 weeks (χ2 = 4.33, p < 0.05) and 48 weeks after treatment (χ2 = 10.63, p < 0.05).
The addition of bedaquiline to the background regimen improved the sputum culture-negative conversion rate and chest imaging effective rate. Patients achieved good results at the end of the 24-week treatment period.
Dysregulated expression of centrosomal protein 55 (CEP55) has been detected in multiple types of cancers. However, the clinical value of CEP55 expression in cancer is controversial. The current meta-analysis quantitatively investigated the association between CEP55 expression and prognostic outcomes in cancers.
A literature search was performed using the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang databases, Web of Science, Embase, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Cochrane Library for primary studies. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and odds ratios (ORs) were used to investigate the association between CEP55 expression and its prognostic and clinicopathological value in cancers.
A total of 12,543 patients from 31 studies were included in this meta-analysis. High CEP55 expression was significantly associated with poor differentiation, deeper tumor invasion and increased lymph node metastasis in cancer patients. The pooled results indicated that elevated CEP55 expression can predict a poor overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in cancers. These results should be interpreted with caution because of publication bias. However, the pooled HR for OS of lung cancers was 1.50 (95% CI = 1.36–1.67, p < 0.01) with no heterogeneity and publication bias.
CEP55 overexpression correlated with poor cancer differentiation, deeper tumor invasion, and increased lymph node metastasis, suggesting that CEP55 may serve as a predictive and prognostic biomarker for cancers, especially for lung cancers.
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