From septicemia to sepsis 3.0 – from Ignaz Semmelweis to Louis Pasteur

Sepsis remains a contemporary threat, and its frequency remains high amongst an aging population. Its definition has been regularly revisited, but the impact of the translational research studying it remains very modest compared to the results seen after the introduction of hygiene and the use of antibiotics. In the past, the main forms of sepsis were hospital gangrene (also known as nosocomial fever or putrid fever) that affected the wounded, and puerperal fever that affected women shortly after delivery. In 1858, Armand Trousseau stated that these two pathologies were identical. Lucrezia Borgia, who died in 1519, is undoubtedly the most famous woman to die from puerperal fever. The notion of sepsis as a real epidemic was deplored. For decades doctors remained deaf to the recommendations of their clairvoyant colleagues who advocated for the use of hygienic measures. It was as early as 1795 that Alexander Gordon (UK) and later in 1843, Oliver Holmes (USA), called for the use of hygienic practices. In 1847, Ignaz Semmelweis, a Hungarian physician, provided an irrefutable demonstration of the importance of hygiene in the prevention of contamination by the hands of the practitioners. But Ignaz Semmelweis' life was a tragedy, his fight against the medical nomenklatura was a tragedy, and his death was a tragedy! Nowadays, Ignaz Semmelweis is receiving the honor that he deserves, but never received during his life. Carl Mayrhofer, Victor Feltz, and Léon Coze were the first to associate the presence of bacteria with sepsis. These observations were confirmed by Louis Pasteur who, thanks to his prestige, had a great influence on how to undertake measures to prevent infections. He inspired Joseph Lister who reduced mortality associated with surgery, particularly amputation, by utilizing antiseptic methods.     

儿童乙型流感病毒感染特点及防治的研究进展

乙型流感病毒是引起流行性感冒(简称流感)发生和流行的主要病原体之一,近年来流感高发的季节感染率呈上升趋势,儿童是乙型流感病毒感染的易感、高危群体。乙型流感病毒虽然抗原变异性较弱,但仍可引起暴发流行,严重威胁患儿的健康,因此对于儿童乙型流感病毒感染的防治至关重要。本文综合近年来国内外相关文献,从流行病学特征、临床表现、实验室检查、乙型流感病毒感染的药物治疗、免疫疗法等角度出发对乙型流感病毒感染特点及治疗进展予以综述,对乙型流感病毒进行长期有效的监测,了解儿童乙型流感病毒的感染特点,为儿童乙型流感的预防及临床诊断与防治提供理论参考。     

两种高危型HPV假病毒的构建及其在血清中和抗体测定中的应用

目的 构建人乳头瘤病毒(human papillomavirus, HPV)16型(HPV16)和18型(HPV18)假病毒,探索优化假病毒制备的条件,并利用制备的假病毒评价HPV疫苗血清抗体的中和活性。方法 将优化后的HPV16和HPV18 L1、L2和EGFP基因片段分别插入pcDNA3.1+载体中,通过多质粒共转染293FT细胞制备假病毒。对转染试剂、多质粒共转染比例、转染时间和细胞裂解时间进行摸索优化,通过测定假病毒的滴度,确定假病毒制备的最佳条件。收获的假病毒用30%的碘克沙醇作为介质进行超速离心纯化,纯化后的假病毒用于电镜观察。利用假病毒中和试验对制备的原核表达复性蛋白HPV16 L1免疫血清以及HPV16和HPV18病毒样颗粒(virus-like particles, VLP)免疫血清进行中和活性评价。结果 成功构建了假病毒,并确定了假病毒制备的最佳条件:pL1∶pL2∶pEGFP等3种质粒共转染比例为1∶0.1∶0.5,总量为4μg;转染时间为72 h,细胞裂解时间为24 h时获得的假病毒滴度最高。透射电镜观察结果显示,HPV16和HPV18假病毒颗粒基本呈规则圆形,形态上与天然病毒颗粒相似。中和试验结果显示,当用原核表达复性蛋白HPV16 L1免疫血清中和HPV16假病毒时,并不能抑制假病毒的感染活性;但HPV16和18 VLP免疫血清能明显的抑制HPV16和HPV18假病毒的感染活性。结论 成功构建并制备了2种高危型HPV假病毒,并可用于中和试验评价HPV疫苗血清抗体的中和活性。     

Intravital microscopy: Imaging host–parasite interactions in the brain

Intravital fluorescence microscopy (IVM) is a powerful technique for imaging multiple organs, including the brain of living mice and rats. It enables the direct visualisation of cells in situ providing a real‐life view of biological processes that in vitro systems cannot. In addition, to the technological advances in microscopy over the last decade, there have been supporting innovations in data storage and analytical packages that enable the visualisation and analysis of large data sets. Here, we review the advantages and limitations of techniques predominantly used for brain IVM, including thinned skull windows, open skull cortical windows, and a miniaturised optical system based on microendoscopic probes that can be inserted into deep tissues. Further, we explore the relevance of these techniques for the field of parasitology. Several protozoan infections are associated with neurological symptoms including Plasmodium spp., Toxoplasma spp., and Trypanosoma spp. IVM has led to crucial findings on these parasite species, which are discussed in detail in this review.     

孕妇生殖道B族链球菌感染与胎膜早破的关系及其对母婴预后和新生儿听力筛查的影响

目的:探讨孕妇生殖道B族链球菌(GBS)感染与胎膜早破(PROM)的关系及其对母婴预后和新生儿听力筛查的影响。方法:选取2017年1月到2019年1月期间在我院接受治疗的PROM患者100例作为PROM组,另选取同期住院的正常妊娠孕妇100例作为对照组,PROM组患者根据是否合并GBS感染分为GBS阳性组和GBS阴性组。比较PROM组和对照组的GBS阳性率,比较GBS阳性组和GBS阴性组早产、胎儿窘迫、新生儿窒息、新生儿肺炎、产褥感染的发生率及新生儿听力筛查的通过率。结果:PROM组的GBS阳性率高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。GBS阳性组早产、胎儿窘迫、新生儿窒息、新生儿肺炎、产褥感染的发生率均明显高于GBS阴性组,差异均有统计学意义(P0.05),GBS阳性组在初筛和复筛时听力筛查通过率均低于GBS阴性组,差异均有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:孕妇生殖道GBS感染与PROM密切相关,并可增加不良妊娠结局发生的风险,在一定程度上影响了新生儿的听力功能,对母婴预后造成不良影响。     

Oxymatrine Inhibits Bocavirus MVC Replication,Reduces Viral Gene Expression and Decreases Apoptosis Induced by Viral Infection

Oxymatrine(OMT), as the main active component of Sophoraflavescens, exhibits a variety of pharmacological properties,including anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and anti-viral activities, and currently is extensively employed to treat viral hepatitis; however, its effects on parvovirus infection have yet to be reported. In the present study, we investigated the effects of OMT on cell viability, virus DNA replication, viral gene expression, cell cycle, and apoptosis in Walter Reed canine cells/3873 D infected with minute virus of canines(MVC). OMT, at concentrations below 4 mmol/L(no cellular toxicity), was found to inhibit MVC DNA replication and reduce viral gene expression at both mRNA and protein levels, which was associated with the inhibition of cell cycle S-phase arrest in early-stage of MVC infection.Furthermore, OMT significantly increased cell viability, decreased MVC-infected cell apoptosis, and reduced the expression of activated caspase 3. Our results suggest that OMT has potential application in combating parvovirus infection.