The effects of age on inflammatory and coagulation-fibrinolysis response in patients hospitalized for pneumonia

Objective

To determine whether inflammatory and hemostasis response in patients hospitalized for pneumonia varies by age and whether these differences explain higher mortality in the elderly.

Methods

In an observational cohort of subjects with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) recruited from emergency departments (ED) in 28 hospitals, we divided subjects into 5 age groups (<50, 51–64, 65–74, 75–84, and ≥85). We measured circulating levels of inflammatory (TNF, IL-6, and IL-10), hemostasis (D-dimer, Factor IX, thrombin-antithrombin complex, antithrombin and plasminogen-activator inhibitor-1), and cell-surface markers (TLR-2, TLR-4, and HLA-DR) during the first week of hospitalization and at discharge and compared 90-day mortality. We used logistic regression to compare odds ratios (OR) for 90-day mortality between age groups, adjusting for differences in pre-infection factors alone and then additionally adjusting for immune markers.

Results

Of 2,183 subjects, 495, 444, 403, 583, and 258 subjects were <50, 51–64, 65–74, 75–84, and ≥85 years of age, respectively. Large age-related differences were observed in 90-day mortality (0.82% vs. 3.2% vs. 6.4% vs. 12.8% vs. 13.6%, p<0.01). No age-related differences in inflammatory and cell surface markers occurred during the first week. Older subjects had higher pro-coagulant markers on ED presentation and over first week (p≤0.03), but these differences were modest (1.0–1.7-fold differences). Odds of death for older adults changed minimally in models incorporating differences in hemostasis and inflammatory markers (for subjects ≥85 compared to those <50, OR = 4.36, when adjusted for pre-infection factors and OR = 3.49 when additionally adjusted for hemostasis markers). At discharge, despite clinical recovery as evidenced by normal vital signs in >85% subjects, older subjects had modestly increased hemostasis markers and IL-6 levels (p<0.01).

Conclusions

Modest age-related increases in coagulation response occur during hospitalization for CAP; however these differences do not explain the large differences in mortality. Despite clinical recovery, immune resolution may be delayed in older adults at discharge.     

MeCP2 prevents age‐associated cognitive decline via restoring synaptic plasticity in a senescence‐accelerated mouse model

Age‐related cognitive decline in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer''s disease (AD), is associated with the deficits of synaptic plasticity. Therefore, exploring promising targets to enhance synaptic plasticity in neurodegenerative disorders is crucial. It has been demonstrated that methyl‐CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) plays a vital role in neuronal development and MeCP2 malfunction causes various neurodevelopmental disorders. However, the role of MeCP2 in neurodegenerative diseases has been less reported. In the study, we found that MeCP2 expression in the hippocampus was reduced in the hippocampus of senescence‐accelerated mice P8 (SAMP8) mice. Overexpression of hippocampal MeCP2 could elevate synaptic plasticity and cognitive function in SAMP8 mice, while knockdown of MeCP2 impaired synaptic plasticity and cognitive function in senescence accelerated‐resistant 1 (SAMR1) mice. MeCP2‐mediated regulation of synaptic plasticity may be associated with CREB1 pathway. These results suggest that MeCP2 plays a vital role in age‐related cognitive decline by regulating synaptic plasticity and indicate that MeCP2 may be promising targets for the treatment of age‐related cognitive decline in neurodegenerative diseases.     

一株多重耐药鳗源肺炎克雷伯菌的分离鉴定

从患病花鳗鲡(Anguilla marmorata)的肝脏分离纯化到一株革兰氏阴性杆菌HM2。人工感染试验结果显示, HM2具有较强的致病力, 96h的LD50为9.98107 CFU/mL。经细菌培养特性、生理生化特性和ATB Expression半自动细菌鉴定仪鉴定, 结果符合肺炎克雷伯菌(Klebsiella pneumoniae)的特征。以细菌16S rRNA基因通用引物进行PCR扩增, 获得大小为1393 bp的部分16S rRNA基因序列(Genbank登录号为JX282908), 将所测序列与GenBank中的序列进行BLAST比对并构建系统进化树, 结果表明其与肺炎克雷伯菌的同源性最高(100%), 在系统发育树上与肺炎克雷伯菌聚为一簇, 进一步确定菌株HM2为肺炎克雷伯菌。药物敏感性试验显示, HM2对亚胺培南、链霉素、阿米卡星3种药物敏感, 对氨苄西林、阿莫西林/克拉维酸、头孢噻吩、头孢曲松、头孢噻肟、头孢西丁、复合磺胺、磺胺甲基异恶唑/甲氧苄啶、利福平、萘啶酸、环丙沙星、诺氟沙星、氧氟沙星、呋喃妥因、四环素、多西环素、氯霉素17种药物具有耐药性。研究结果为指导临床合理用药提供了科学依据。       

古尼拟青霉和蝙蝠蛾拟青霉发酵菌丝体挥发性成分的分析与比较

对蝙蝠蛾拟青霉Paecilomyces hepiali和古尼拟青霉P. gunnii菌丝体的挥发性成分进行了研究,采用同时蒸馏萃取法分别提取两种菌丝体中的挥发性成分,经GC-MS联用仪对挥发性成分进行分离鉴定,分别分析出25种和32种挥发性成分。在蝙蝠蛾拟青霉菌丝体挥发性成分中2,6-二叔丁基对甲酚和1,5-二氢-1-甲基-2H-吡咯-2-酮相对含量较高,分别占65.78%和12.77%;在古尼拟青霉菌丝体中挥发性成分2,6-二叔丁基对甲酚和(E,E)-2,4-癸二烯醛相对含量较高,分别占62.11%和12.32%。两种菌丝粉共有8种共有成分,分别占蝙蝠蛾拟青霉挥发性成分的71.58%,古尼拟青霉挥发性成分的69.67%;由此可见蝙蝠蛾拟青霉和古尼拟青霉菌丝体主要挥发性物质的成分是相同的。通过对蝙蝠蛾拟青霉和古尼拟青霉挥发性成分的研究,为我们进一步了解这两种真菌菌丝体的药理作用提供了实验依据。     

高山松及其亲本种油松和云南松DHAR基因的功能分化

高山松(Pinus densata)是油松(P. tabulaeformis)与云南松(P. yunnanensis)自然杂交产生的同倍性杂种, 分布于青藏高原东南缘, 占据了油松和云南松两个亲本种都不能正常生长的高海拔地带。为了揭示高山松、油松和云南松脱氢抗坏血酸还原酶(DHAR)基因的组成和功能分化, 分别从高山松、油松和云南松中克隆到2类DHAR基因(DHAR1与DHAR2)。组织表达模式分析表明, 这6个基因在根、韧皮部、叶和芽中均有表达; 通过系统发育分析发现, 高山松在物种形成过程中保留了油松的DHAR1拷贝以及云南松的DHAR2拷贝; 酶学性质分析则表明, 高山松与油松DHAR1蛋白对底物具有相似的催化活性、催化效率、最适pH和热力学稳定性, 但其催化活性比云南松DHAR1蛋白高约300倍。高山松DHAR2蛋白对底物的催化活性和热力学稳定性均高于油松DHAR2蛋白。高山松DHAR基因在生化功能上显示出优于或类似亲本DHAR, 这种优势功能的选择与杂种独特的生态适应性可能有重要的相关性。     

小麦细胞增殖核抗原基因启动子的克隆及活性分析

细胞增殖核抗原（proliferating cell nuclear antigen,PCNA）基因是DNA聚合酶δ的辅助因子,在真核细胞DNA复制及其损伤修复中发挥着重要的作用.采用高效热不对称交互PCR法（high-efficiency thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR,hiTAIL PCR）从小麦西农1 376基因组中扩增得到小麦PCNA基因启动子片段,并命名为TaPCNA启动子. PlantCARE启动子在线分析软件预测含有光应答调控元件（Box I）、脱落酸应答元件（ABRE）、花粉发育应答元件（GGTT motif,GTGA motif）及细胞周期转换结合位点（E2F-binding site）等.为了分析其启动子活性, 通过替换pBI121载体上的CaMV35S启动子,构建了TaPCNA启动子与β-葡糖醛酸酶（GUS）基因的融合表达载体,通过农杆菌介导法在烟草叶片中进行瞬时表达. GUS组织化学染色结果表明,TaPCNA基因启动子能够驱动GUS基因在烟草叶片中表达,证实了所获得的启动子序列具有启动活性.本研究通过hiTAIL-PCR法克隆得到TaPCNA基因的启动子,为深入研究该基因的功能奠定了基础.     

Contribution of EmrAB efflux pumps to colistin resistance in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acinetobacter baumannii</Emphasis>

Efflux pumps play an important role in antimicrobial resistance for Acinetobacter baumannii. However, the function of the Emr pump system and the relationship between Emr and drug resistance has not been characterized in A. baumannii. In this study, four possible groups of emr-like genes were found by searching a genome database. Among them, A1S_1772 (emrB) and A1S_1773 (emrA) were demonstrated to be co-transcribed as a single operon. Moreover, during osmotic stress, A1S_1772 showed the largest change in gene expression compared to the other emrB-like genes, and deletion of A1S_1772 (AB ΔemrB) significantly slowed cell growth in 20% sucrose. Using a phenotypic microarray analysis, the AB ΔemrB mutant was more susceptible to colistin and nafcillin, paromomycin, spiramycin, and D,L-serine hydroxmate than the wild type. The spot assay, time kill assay and minimal inhibition concentration determination also indicated that the wild type could tolerate colistin better than the AB ΔemrB mutant. Finally, the increased expression levels of all emrB-like genes, including A1S_0775, A1S_0909, A1S_1772, and A1S_1799, in colistin resistance-induced A. baumannii further supported the possible involvement of the emrB genes in A. baumannii colistin resistance. Together, the Emr pump systems in A. baumannii contribute to adaptation to osmotic stress and resistance to colistin.     

The microbial changes during the biological control of cucumber damping-off disease using biocontrol agents and reductive soil disinfestation

Cucumber damping-off disease mainly caused by Rhizoctonia solani leads to serious loss in agricultural production. In this study, the effective and environmentally friendly methods, using two biological agents combined with applying organic matter or reductive soil disinfestation (RSD), were performed to control the disease. Real-time PCR and MiSeq pyrosequencing were used to investigate the microbial community changes during the biocontrol process. The results showed that the applications of organic matter and antagonists (Ant) significantly decreased R. solani population and disease incidence, and increased soil microbial population and activity. However, antagonists application combined with RSD (RSD + Ant) behaved much better in nearly all aspects, and facilitated to maintain the population and activity of antagonists. Compared to the applications of organic matter and antagonists, the combination of RSD and antagonists changed soil microbial community structure to a larger extent. In conclusion, the applications of biocontrol agents and organic matter improved soil microbial community and decreased cucumber damping-off disease incidence, but the combination of RSD and the antagonists was a more promising method for the improvement of soil microbial community and the stable and successful control of the disease.