A multiplex PCR method to detect 14 Escherichia coli serogroups associated with urinary tract infections

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common bacterial infections and are predominantly caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). E. coli strains belonging to 14 serogroups, including O1, O2, O4, O6, O7, O8, O15, O16, O18, O21, O22, O25, O75 and O83, are the most frequently detected UPEC strains in a diverse range of clinical urine specimens. In the current study, the O-antigen gene clusters of E. coli serogroups O1, O2, O18 and O75 were characterized. A multiplex PCR method based on O-antigen-specific genes was developed for the simultaneous detection of all 14 E. coli serogroups. The multiplex PCR method was shown to be highly specific and reproducible when tested against 186 E. coli and Shigella O-serogroup reference strains, 47 E. coli clinical isolates and 10 strains of other bacterial species. The sensitivity of the multiplex PCR method was analyzed and shown to detect O-antigen-specific genes in samples containing 25 ng of genomic DNA or in mock urine specimens containing 40 colony-forming units (CFUs) per ml. Five urine specimens from hospital were examined using this multiplex PCR method, and the result for one sample was verified by the conventional serotyping methods. The multiplex PCR method developed herein can be used for the detection of relevant E. coli strains from clinical and/or environmental samples, and it is particularly useful for epidemiologic analysis of urine specimens from patients with UTIs.     

Enhancement of the innate immune response of bladder epithelial cells by Astragalus polysaccharides through upregulation of TLR4 expression

The innate host defenses at mucosal surfaces are critical in the early stages of urinary tract bacterial infection. Recent studies have shown that uroepithelial cells aid innate immune cells in fighting off infection, although the exact mechanism by which the uroepithilium participates in immunity remains unclear. TLR4 has been implicated to possess antimicrobial activities specific for bladder epithelial cells (BECs). TLR4 promotes secretion of IL-6 and IL-8, mediates inhibition of bladder epithelial cell (BEC) bacterial invasion, and mediates expulsion of uropathogenic Escherichia coli from BECs. In this study, cultured 5637 cells and Balb/C mice were treated with Astragalus polysaccharides (APS) against invading E. coli. To determine the contribution of TLR4 upregulation to immune response, TLR4 expression and bacterial colony numbers were monitored. After 24 h incubation, only 5637 cells treated with 500 μg/ml APS expressed higher levels of TLR4 compared with the untreated group. However, after 48 h, all 5637 cells treated by APS showed higher levels of TLR4 expression than the control cells. The TLR4 expression in the bladder and macrophages mice that received APS was higher than that in the controls. Bacterial colonization in 5637 cells and the bladders of mice treated with APS was significantly reduced compared with the controls. These results demonstrate that at certain concentrations, APS can induce increased TLR4 expression in vivo and in vitro. Further, TLR4 expression upregulation can enhance innate immunity during mucosal bacterial infection. The findings establish the use of APS to modulate the innate immune response of the urinary tract through TLR4 expression regulation as an alternative option for UTI treatment.     

The proline/arginine-rich domain is a major determinant of dynamin self-activation

Dynamins induce membrane vesiculation during endocytosis and Golgi budding in a process that requires assembly-dependent GTPase activation. Brain-specific dynamin 1 has a weaker propensity to self-assemble and self-activate than ubiquitously expressed dynamin 2. Here we show that dynamin 3, which has important functions in neuronal synapses, shares the self-assembly and GTPase activation characteristics of dynamin 2. Analysis of dynamin hybrids and of dynamin 1-dynamin 2 and dynamin 1-dynamin 3 heteropolymers reveals that concentration-dependent GTPase activation is suppressed by the C-terminal proline/arginine-rich domain of dynamin 1. Dynamin proline/arginine-rich domains also mediate interactions with SH3 domain-containing proteins and thus regulate both self-association and heteroassociation of dynamins.     

Effects of ecological environment and host genotype on the phyllosphere bacterial communities of cigar tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.)

Microorganisms of plant phyllosphere play an important role in plant health and productivity and are influenced by abiotic and biotic factors. In this study, we investigated the phyllosphere bacterial communities of three cigar tobacco varieties cultivated in Guangcun (GC) and Wuzhishan (WZS), Hainan, China. Metagenomic DNA was extracted from tobacco leaf samples and sequenced by 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing. Our results showed that bacterial communities of cigar tobacco phyllosphere in GC exhibited remarkably higher alpha diversity than that in WZS. There was slight effect of tobacco genotype variations on the alpha diversity in both cultivation sites, and beta diversity and structure of bacterial community were not influenced significantly by the cultivation sites and tobacco varieties. Statistical analyses of species diversity unraveled that the dominant species in bacterial communities of cigar tobacco phyllosphere among all these samples were phylogenetically affiliated to Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria. At the genus level, the most abundant microorganism was Limnobacter, followed by Brevundimonas, unidentified_Cyanobacteria, and Pseudomonas. Additionally, environmental conditions except for humidity were negatively correlated with the relative abundance of bacterial genera. Further analyses revealed that influence of site‐specific factors on tobacco bacterial community was relatively higher than genotype‐specific factors. In short, this study may contribute to the knowledge base of practical applications of bacterial inoculants for tobacco leaf production.     

Conformational rearrangements to the intracellular open states of the LeuT and ApcT transporters are modulated by common mechanisms

Recent crystallographic studies revealed that five transporter families without much sequence similarities among them have similar structure folds to LeuT, a bacterial neurotransmitter:sodium symporter homolog. The LeuT fold is characterized by an internal twofold structural pseudosymmetry. The transport cycle of some members of each of these families is dependent on a sodium gradient across the membrane, whereas in some others the role of sodium is mimicked by proton. We report on the identification of common structure-dynamics elements of the transporters with LeuT fold, which are recognizable in the conformational transitions related to function. The findings from comparative computational modeling and simulation studies of LeuT, and ApcT from the amino acid-polyamine-organocation transporter family define the intramolecular mechanisms by which Na⁺ binding couples to the transport process, and single out the lead/active role of TM1a in the transition to inward-open conformation. These mechanistic insights are derived in the context of collaborative investigations of LeuT dynamics with both single-molecule fluorescence and simulations that have produced excellent agreement of the dynamic details, and are found to be generalizable across the transporter families and to transcend sequence and motif similarities.     

4490例创伤伤员致伤原因分析

目的:探讨创伤伤员的致伤原因,为院前急救和预检分诊提供依据,为提出预防创伤发生的策略和措施奠定基础。方法:对4490例创伤伤员的资料进行统计分析,分析不同性别、年龄和地区创伤伤员的致伤原因的异同。结果:4490例创伤伤员中中,男女比例为2.81:1。年龄特点:12～60岁组发生创伤达75.16%。6岁以下以烧伤为主要原因,占41.08%;大于60岁以上以跌落/摔伤为主要原因,占63.79%;骨折多发生于12～60岁。致伤原因:跌落/摔伤(占28.69%)、道路交通伤(占28.53%)、锐器/切割伤(占13.23%)。结论:创伤伤员的致伤原因在不同性别、年龄和地区间有着明显特点,可根据具体情况采取相应的防范措施,以减少其发生,同时为创伤伤员的院前急救和预检分诊提供依据。     

循环肿瘤细胞在乳腺癌预后评价中的应用和意义

循环肿瘤细胞(CTCs)是导致肿瘤转移的主要原因,它在外周血中的含量与乳腺癌的转移、治疗和预后有密切的关系.本文对于CTCs的概念、检测方法、以及作为肿瘤转移预测指标的优势进行了综述.并对其在临床上的运用前景进行了展望.     

组织学与胚胎学教学模式的改革

医学教育任重而道远,培养优秀的医学生,要从基础抓起.组织学与胚胎学是医学教育中的基础学科,是学习其它医学理论知识的基石.但是,相对于其它学科,组织学与胚胎学的学习枯燥,难懂,难记忆.因此,如何创新组织胚胎学的教学模式,激活课堂气氛,提高学生学习的热情和兴趣,引导学生找到发现问题、解决问题的方法是组织学与胚胎学教学中急需解决的重要问题.     

社区居民对基因检测服务需求意愿及其影响因素调查分析

目的:了解社区居民对基因检测服务的知晓、需求状况及需求意愿的影响因素。方法:采用典型抽样方法,对杭州市下城区1647户居民进行问卷调查。结果:调查人群对基因检测知晓率为21.8%,需求率为12.7%,有需求意愿的占到61.9%。有无家庭成员患病(OR=1.619,95%CI=1.279-2.049)、对基因检测服务知晓情况(OR=2.368,95%CI=1.782-3.146)、有无家族遗传史(OR=2.784,95%CI=1.685-4.600)年龄(x2=27.210,P<0.001)、对婚前基因检测的认可度(x2=23.185,P<0.001)等五个因素对社区居民基因检测服务需求意愿有显著影响。结论:社区居民对基因检测服务需求意愿较强,但是知晓率、需求率均偏低。有待加强相关方面的宣传、教育、培训等工作。