ABSTRACT: Rhododendron fortune belongs to a scented Rhododendron species native to China, which produces fragrant flowers of great ornamental and environmental values for landscaping or indoor beautification. However, the scents in Rhododendron fortuneihave not yet been investigated, let alone the mechanism of the formation of these fragrance in the flowers. In this study, we measured the scents in terms of its volatile components and contents (VOC) in Rhododendron fortuneiat four different flowering stages and in different tissues of the plant by headspace solid-phase micro-extraction combined (HS-SPME) with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Then the characteristic aromatic values, which reflects the degree of scent perception by human, of each VOC in the plant was calculated according to its respective aromatic thresholds. Results showed that three main VOCs measured from highest to lowest are methyl benzoates, terpenes and fatty acid derivatives. Their content increased after the flower bud opening and reached the highest at half to full blossom. In a flower most VOC contents were measured in petals and only trace amount in other tissues such as stamen, pistil. A small amount of VOCs was determined in leaves as well.All aromatic values were almost corresponded to the contents of three main VOCs, indicating that the flower fragrance arises truly from these VOC components. S-adenosyl-L-methionine: benzoic acid carboxyl methyl transferase (BAMT) catalyzes the final step to form methyl benzoates. To understand the mechanism of the formation of this main type fragrance and its regulation, we firstly isolate a gene of RfBAMT from petal of Rhododendron fortuneiby using homologous cloning and RACE technology. The full length of its cDNA was 1383 bp，with an open reading frame of 1104 bp, encoding a total of 368 amino acids. The phylogenetic tree analysis showed that RfBAMT was the closest to the BSMT of Camellia japonica, belonging to methyltransferases family. Then we measured the expression level of RfBAMT again at four flower developmental stages and in different flower tissues and leaves. The results showed that the expression level of this gene was highly positively correlated with the emitted content of methyl benzoates in the flowering, implying that RfBAMT plays a pivotal role in the formation and regulation of methyl benzoates in Rhododendron fortune.Thisresearchshowed that the RfBAMT was cloned and identified in our study and its expression level was highly positively correlated with the emitted content of methyl benzoates in the flowers and leaves, which indicated this gene may play an important role on regulation of methyl benzoate synthesis in Rhododendron fortunei.

RESUMO: Rhododendron fortunei pertence a uma espécie de rododendro perfumada nativa da China, que produz flores perfumadas de grande valor ornamental e ambiental para paisagismo ou embelezamento de interiores. No entanto, os aromas em Rhododendron fortunei ainda não foram investigados, muito menos o mecanismo de formação dessas fragrâncias nas flores. Neste estudo, medimos os aromas em termos de seus componentes e conteúdos voláteis (VOC) em Rhododendron fortunei em quatro diferentes estágios de floração e em diferentes tecidos da planta por microextração em fase sólida headspace combinada com cromatografia gasosa-espectrometria de massa. Em seguida, foram calculados os valores aromáticos característicos, que refletem o grau de percepção olfativa pelo ser humano, de cada VOC na planta de acordo com seus respectivos limiares aromáticos. Os resultados mostraram que três COVs principais medidos do mais alto ao mais baixo são benzoatos de metila, terpenos e derivados de ácidos graxos. Seu conteúdo aumentou após a abertura do botão floral e atingiu o máximo na metade da floração total. Em uma flor, a maioria dos teores de COV foram medidos em pétalas e apenas traços em outros tecidos, como estame, pistilo. Uma pequena quantidade de COVs foi determinada nas folhas também. Todos os valores aromáticos foram quase correspondentes aos teores de três COVs principais, indicando que a fragrância da flor surge verdadeiramente desses componentes de COV. Para entender o mecanismo de formação deste tipo principal de fragrância e sua regulação, primeiramente isolamos um gene de RfBAMT da pétala de Rhododendron fortunei usando clonagem homóloga e tecnologia RACE. O comprimento total de seu cDNA era de 1383 bp, com um quadro de leitura aberto de 1104 bp, codificando um total de 368 aminoácidos. A análise da árvore filogenética mostrou que RfBAMT foi o mais próximo do BSMT de Camellia japonica, pertencente à família das metiltransferases. Em seguida, medimos o nível de expressão de RfBAMT novamente em quatro estágios de desenvolvimento da flor e em diferentes tecidos e folhas de flores. Os resultados mostraram que o nível de expressão deste gene foi altamente correlacionado positivamente com o conteúdo emitido de benzoatos de metila na floração, implicando que RfBAMT desempenha um papel fundamental na formação e regulação de benzoatos de metila em Rhododendron fortune foi clonado e identificado em nosso estudo e seu nível de expressão foi altamente correlacionado positivamente com o conteúdo emitido de benzoatos de metila nas flores e folhas, o que indicou que este gene pode desempenhar um papel importante na regulação da síntese de benzoato de metila em Rhododendron fortunei.

Abstract Objective: To investigate the optimal timing of initial intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment in Kawasaki disease (KD) patients. Methods: KD patients were classified as the early group (day 1-4), conventional group (day 5-7), conventional group (day 8-10), and late group (after day 10). Differences among the groups were analyzed by ANOVA and Chi-square analysis. Predictors of IVIG resistance and the optimal cut-off value were determined by multiple logistic regression analyses and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: There were no significant differences in IVIG resistance among the 4 groups (p = 0.335). The sensitivity analysis also confirmed no difference in the IVIG resistance between those who started the initial IVIG ≤ day 7 of illness and those who received IVIG >day 7 of illness (p = 0.761). In addition, patients who received IVIG administration more than 7 days from the onset had a higher proportion of coronary artery abnormalities (p = 0.034) and longer length of hospitalization (p = 0.033) than those who started IVIG administration less than 7 days. The optimal cut-off value of initial IVIG administration time for predicting IVIG resistance was >7 days, with a sensitivity of 75.25% and specificity of 82.41%. Conclusions: IVIG therapy within 7 days of illness is found to be more effective for reducing the risk of coronary artery abnormalities than those who received IVIG >day 7 of illness. IVIG treatment within the 7 days of illness seems to be the optimal therapeutic window of IVIG. However, further prospective studies with long-term follow-up are required.

Abstract Ganoderic acid A (GAA) is one of the most abundant triterpenoids in Ganoderma lucidum and has protective effect on several vascular diseases. However, the effect of GAA on pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) has not been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the GAA on the hypoxia-induced phenotypic modulation of PASMCs and the involved transduction pathway. Primary rat pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) were isolated and cultured under hypoxia condition to induce phenotypic modulation. Our results showed that hypoxia significantly increased the proliferation and migration of PASMCs, as well as inhibited the apoptosis of PASMCs, which were blocked by GAA treatment. In addition, hypoxia-induced dedifferentiation of PASMCs was prevented by GAA with increased the expression levels of myocardin and calponin, and decreased the expression of osteopontin (OPN). Furthermore, GAA suppressed the hypoxia-induced expression of p-PI3K and p-Akt in PASMCs. Treatment with IGF-1 reversed the effects of GAA on proliferation, migration, apoptosis and dedifferentiation in hypoxia-treated PASMCs. Taken together, these findings demonstrated that GAA suppresses the phenotypic modulation of PASMCs through the inactivation of PI3K/Akt pathway. Thus, GAA may be a potent therapeutic agent for PAH in future clinical practice.

Resumo Fundamento: A doença cardiovascular é a principal causa de morte em todo o mundo. A apoptose mediada por hipóxia em cardiomiócitos é uma das principais causas de distúrbios cardiovasculares. O tratamento com a proteína do fator de crescimento endotelial vascular (VEGF, do inglês vascular endothelial growth factor) foi testado, mas as dificuldades operacionais limitaram seu uso. Entretanto, com os avanços da terapia gênica, aumentou o interesse na terapia gênica baseada no VEGF em doenças cardiovasculares. No entanto, o mecanismo preciso pelo qual a reposição de VEGF resgata os danos pós-hipóxia em cardiomiócitos não é conhecido. Objetivos: Investigar o efeito da expressão de VEGF121 pós-hipóxia utilizando cardiomiócitos de ratos neonatos. Métodos: Cardiomiócitos isolados de ratos neonatos foram utilizados para estabelecer um modelo in vitro de lesão cardíaca induzida por hipóxia. O efeito da superexpressão de VEGF, isolado ou em conjunto com inibidores de moléculas pequenas que têm como alvo os canais de cálcio, receptores sensíveis ao cálcio (CaSR, do inglês calcium-sensitive receptors) e calpaína, no crescimento e proliferação celular em lesão de cardiomiócitos induzidos por hipóxia, foram determinados com ensaio de MTT, coloração TUNEL, coloração com Anexina V/PI, lactato desidrogenase e atividade da caspase. Para análise estatística, um valor de p<0,05 foi considerado significativo. Resultados: Verificou-se que o efeito do VEGF121 foi mediado por CaSR e calpaína, mas não foi dependente dos canais de cálcio. Conclusões: Nossos resultados, mesmo em um ambiente in vitro, estabelecem as bases para uma validação futura e testes pré-clínicos da terapia gênica baseada em VEGF em doenças cardiovasculares.

Abstract Background: Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death worldwide. Hypoxia-mediated apoptosis in cardiomyocytes is a major cause of cardiovascular disorders. Treatment with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein has been tested but operational difficulties have limited its use. However, with the advancements of gene therapy, interest has risen in VEGF-based gene therapy in cardiovascular disorders. However, the precise mechanism by which VEGF replenishment rescues post-hypoxia damage in cardiomyocytes is not known. Objectives: To investigate the effect of post-hypoxia VEGF121 expression using neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Methods: Cardiomyocytes isolated from neonatal rats were used to establish an in vitro model of hypoxia-induced cardiac injury. The effect of VEGF overexpression, alone or in combination with small-molecule inhibitors targeting calcium channel, calcium sensitive receptors (CaSR), and calpain on cell growth and proliferation on hypoxia-induced cardiomyocyte injury were determined using an MTT assay, TUNEL staining, Annexin V/PI staining, lactate dehydrogenase and caspase activity. For statistical analysis, a value of P<0.05 was considered to be significant. Results: The effect of VEGF121 was found to be mediated by CaSR and calpain but was not dependent on calcium channels. Conclusions: Our findings, even though using an in vitro setting, lay the foundation for future validation and pre-clinical testing of VEGF-based gene therapy in cardiovascular diseases.

ABSTRACT Purpose: Radical nephrectomy (RN) is the standard surgical type for pathological stage T3a (pT3a) renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Recently, some studies have suggested equivalence between partial nephrectomy (PN) and RN for oncologic control and have shown the benefits of PN for better renal function. We conducted this meta-analysis to assess oncologic outcomes, perioperative outcomes and renal function between two groups among patients with pT3a RCC. Materials and methods: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, Ovid MEDLINE, The Cochrane Library, Embase and Google Scholar were searched for eligible articles. The endpoints of the final analysis included overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), recurrence-free survival (RFS), surgical complications, operative time, estimated blood loss (EBL), serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Results: Twelve studies of moderate to high quality, including 14.152 patients, were examined. PN showed superiority for renal functional preservation, providing higher eGFR (WMD=12.48mL/min; 95%CI: 10.28 to 14.67; P <0.00001) and lower serum creatinine (WMD=-0.31mg/dL; 95%CI: −0.40 to −0.21; P <0.00001). There were no significant differences between PN and RN regarding operative time, EBL, surgical complications, OS, RFS and CSS. Despite inherent selection bias, most pooled estimates were consistent in sensitivity analysis and subgroup analysis. More positive margins were found in the PN group (RR=2.42; 95%CI: 1.25-4.68; P=0.009). Conclusions: PN may be more suitable for treating pT3a RCC than RN because it provides a similar survival time (OS or RFS) and superior renal function. Nevertheless, this result is still disputed, and more high-quality studies are required.

Abstract Background: Demethylzeylasteral (T-96) is a pharmacologically active triterpenoid monomer extracted from Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F (TWHF) that has been reported to exhibit anti-neoplastic effects against several types of cancer cells. However, the potential anti-tumour effects of T-96 against human Prostate cancer (CaP) cells and the possible underlying mechanisms have not been well studied. Results: In the current study, T-96 exerted significant cytotoxicity to CaP cells in vitro and induced cell cycle arrest at S-phase in a dose-dependent manner. Mechanistically, T-96 promoted the initiation of autophagy but inhibited autophagic flux by inducing ROS-mediated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress which subsequently activated the extrinsic apoptosis pathway in CaP cells. These findings implied that T-96-induced ER stress activated the caspase-dependent apoptosis pathway to inhibit proliferation of CaP cells. Moreover, we observed that T-96 enhances the sensitivity of CaP cells to the chemotherapeutic drug, cisplatin. Conclusions: Taken together, our data demonstrated that T-96 is a novel modulator of ER stress and autophagy, and has potential therapeutic applications against CaP in the clinic.

The baseline drift artifact (BDA), namely, the baseline bias between the Hadamard transform (HT) spectrum and the signal averaging (SA) spectrum was unfortunately found in the HT pulsed separation techniques, which makes the HT analytical chemistry face the challenge of non-stability and unreliability. In order to find out the origin and eliminate the BDA phenomenon, the multiplexing mechanism of Hadamard transform ion mobility spectrometry (HT-IMS) has been analyzed in this research. Through simulation and experimental comparisons, the non-ideal overlap defect in Hadamard multiplexing process was suggested as the cause for the BDA phenomenon. Eventually, with a correction method, the BDA phenomenon could be well addressed, which guarantees the reliability and stability of HT techniques without increasing the hardware complexity.

With the widespread use of high-efficiency antiretroviral therapy (HAART), the life expectancy of HIV-infected patients has been significantly extended. However, the metabolic complications among HIV-infected patients treated with HAART have become the most common problem in the world. It is very important to explore the incidence of dyslipidaemia and studies on the role of potential risk factors in HIV-infected Chinese patients treated with HAART are sparse. Therefore, we designed current study, to investigate the effects of therapeutic intervention and continuous information support on the lifestyle of HIV/AIDS patients with dyslipidaemia. Three hundred and six HIV/AIDS patients admitted to the AIDS clinic in Beijing from January 2016 to January 2017 were recruited and assigned into two groups: the treatment group (n=64) and the control group (n=64). The median age of the participants was 38.8±11.0 years (range 20-75 years). The prevalence of dyslipidemia in control and treatment group was (59/64) 92.2% and (53/64) 82.8%, respectively. In this study, low HDL-cholesterol (HDLC) led to abnormalities 47/64 (73.3%) in the control group and 35/64 (54.7%) in HAART-treatment group. Additionally, HAART group showed higher triglyceride, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (246.1±171.8, 1.73±1.61 mmol/L, 4.46±1.1 mmol/L, 2.54±0.74 mmol/L). In multivariate analysis, gender, marital status, high BMI, dietary habits and physical activity were potential risk factors for dyslipidemia in HIV-infected Chinese patients. In this study, we reported high prevalence dyslipidemiain two HIV infected groups. We suggest that the appropriate diagnosis should be performed for analyzing the metabolic complications in HIV-infected Chinese patients. Further studies are very important to understand the role of potential risk factors in metabolic complications.

This study aimed to investigate whether the routine administration of escitalopram for three months would improve the prognosis of patients with ischemic stroke and decrease the plasma copeptin level. A total of 97 patients with acute cerebral infarction were randomly allocated to receive escitalopram (5-10 mg once per day, orally; n=49) or not to receive escitalopram (control group; n=48) for 12 weeks starting at 2-7 days after the onset of stroke. Both groups received conventional treatments, including physiotherapy and secondary prevention of stroke. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was used to evaluate the disability of patients at the initial evaluation and at the monthly follow-up visits for three months. Impairment in the daily activities was assessed using the Barthel Index (BI), while cognitive impairment was assessed using Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score. The psychiatric assessment included the administration of the Present State Examination modified to identify Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) symptoms of depression. The severity of depression was measured using the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD). During the 3-month follow-up period, 95 patients were included in the analysis (two patients withdrew from the escitalopram group). NIHSS and BI improvement at the 90th day were significantly greater in the escitalopram group (P<0.05), while HAMD and plasma copeptin levels significantly decreased, compared to the control group (P<0.01). In patients with acute ischemic stroke, the earlier administration of escitalopram for three months may improve neurological functional prognosis and decrease copeptin level.

Abstract Background: Tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a vital role in determining the outcomes of radiotherapy. As an important component of TME, vascular endothelial cells are involved in the perivascular resistance niche (PVRN), which is formed by inflammation or cytokine production induced by ionizing radiation (IR). Protein kinase CK2 is a constitutively active serine/threonine kinase which plays a vital role in cell proliferation and inflammation. In this study, we investigated the potential role of CK2 in PVRN after IR exposure. Result: Specific CK2 inhibitors, Quinalizarin and CX-4945, were employed to effectively suppressed the kinase activity of CK2 in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) without affecting their viability. Results showing that conditioned medium from IR-exposed HUVECs increased cell viability of A549 and H460 cells, and the pretreatment of CK2 inhibitors slowed down such increment. The secretion of IL-8 and IL-6 in HUVECs was induced after exposure with IR, but significantly inhibited by the addition of CK2 inhibitors. Furthermore, IR exposure elevated the nuclear phosphorylated factor-κB (NF-κB) p65 expression in HUVECs, which was a master factor regulating cytokine production. But when pretreated with CK2 inhibitors, such elevation was significantly suppressed. Conclusion: This study indicated that protein kinase CK2 is involved in the key process of the IR induced perivascular resistant niche, namely cytokine production, by endothelial cells, which finally led to radioresistance of non-small cell lung cancer cells. Thus, the inhibition of CK2 may be a promising way to improve the outcomes of radiation in nonsmall cell lung cancer cells.

The natural flavonoid glycoside baicalin (BA) produces a variety of pharmaceutical effects, particularly for psychiatric/neurological disorders. This study evaluated the behavioral and neuroprotective effects of BA in mice subjected to chronic unpredictable mild stress, a model of depression. BA (25 and 50 mg/kg) significantly increased sucrose consumption and reduced immobility times in the tail suspension and forced swim tests, demonstrating that BA alleviated depression-like behaviors. Moreover, BA reduced the levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin 1β, interleukin 6, and tumor necrosis factor α, in serum and in the hippocampus. BA also abrogated increases in NMDAR/NR2B and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, and the decrease in phosphorylated ERK and reactive oxygen species production in mice subjected to chronic unpredictable mild stress. These findings suggested that the antidepressive effects of BA are due to the regulation of an NMDAR/NR2B-ERK1/2-related pathway and inhibition of inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress. Thus, BA represents a potential candidate drug for patients suffering from depression.

This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics, prognosis, and factors for survival of patients who underwent early-start peritoneal dialysis (PD) within 24 h after catheter insertion three years after PD. This study was conducted from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017. All adult patients who were diagnosed with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and underwent PD for the first time within 24 h after catheter insertion in our hospital were included. All patients with PD were followed-up until they withdrew from PD, switching to hemodialysis, were transferred to other medical centers, underwent renal transplantation, died or were lost to follow-up, or continued to undergo dialysis until the end of the study period. The follow-up observation lasted three years. The number of eligible patients was 110, and switching to hemodialysis and death were the main reasons for patients to withdraw from PD. The 1-, 2-, and 3-year technical survival rates of patients were 89.1, 79.1, and 79.1% respectively, while the 1-, 2- and 3-year survival rates were 90, 81.8, and 81.8%, respectively. The Charlson comorbidity index, age, hemoglobin, serum albumin, diabetic nephropathy, chronic glomerulonephritis, and hypertensive renal damage were independent risk factors that affected the prognosis of PD patients. Under the condition of ensuring the quality of the PD catheter insertion, early-start PD within 24 h after catheter insertion is a safe treatment approach for ESRD patients.

Purpose. The study aims to identify the postoperative advantages of tonsillectomy in conjunction with pharyngoplasty and tonsillectomy alone in children with obstructive sleep apneas. Methods. In a prospective observational study, patients who met the study criteria were randomly divided into two groups: tonsillectomy and pharyngoplasty group, and tonsillectomy alone group. In both groups, adenoidectomy was also performed in patients with adenoid hypertrophy. Differences in their healing processes in the pharyngeal wound and their hemorrhage proportions were compared. Furthermore, postoperative velopharyngeal function was also assessed. Results. Pharyngoplasty together with tonsillectomy was performed in 328 children with obstructive sleep apnea from tonsillar hypertrophy, and tonsillectomy was performed in 275 children. These cohorts did not reveal any significant demographic differences between groups. Furthermore, blood loss was found to be significantly decreased in the tonsillectomy and pharyngoplasty group (P <0.01), and the healing process was markedly shorter. Postoperative velopharyngeal function was not affected. Conclusions. Tonsillectomy in conjunction with pharyngoplasty reduced the duration of the healing process and blood loss, compared with tonsillectomy alone; however, postoperative complications did not increase. We consider pharyngoplasty in conjunction with tonsillectomy has great potential in the treatment of children with obstructive sleep apnea.

Objetivo. Identificar las ventajas posoperatorias de la amigdalectomía en conjunto con la faringoplastia en comparación con la amigdalectomía sola en niños con apnea obstructiva del sueño. Métodos. En un estudio prospectivo observacional, los pacientes que cumplían con los criterios del estudio fueron asignados aleatoriamente a dos grupos: el grupo de amigdalectomía y faringoplastia, y el grupo de solo amigdalectomía. En ambos grupos, también se practicó adenoidectomía a los pacientes con vegetaciones. Se compararon los procesos de cicatrización en la herida faríngea y las proporciones hemorrágicas. Además, se evaluó la función velofaríngea posoperatoria. Resultados. La faringoplastia junto con la amigdalectomía se practicó en 328 niños con apnea obstructiva del sueño debido a hipertrofia amigdalina, y la amigdalectomía sola, en 275 niños. Estas cohortes no mostraban diferencias demográficas significativas. Por otro lado, se encontró que la pérdida de sangre fue significativamente menor en el grupo que recibió amigdalectomía y faringoplastia (p < 0,01), y el proceso de cicatrización fue notablemente más breve. La función velofaríngea posoperatoria no resultó afectada. Conclusiones. En comparación con la amigdalectomía, la amigdalectomía junto con la faringoplastia redujeron la duración del proceso de cicatrización y la pérdida de sangre; no obstante, las complicaciones posoperatorias no aumentaron. En nuestra opinión, la combinación de faringoplastia y amigdalectomía reúne un gran potencial en el tratamiento de los niños con apnea obstructiva del sueño.

Resumen Introducción: Neumonía adquirida por en la comunidad (NAC) es una enfermedad responsable por un gran número de muertes y un impacto económico importante. Debido a que el diagnostico incrementó la sensibilidad, se cambió la etiología de la NAC. Adicionalmente, Mycoplasma pneumoniae es uno de los patógenos que causan la NAC. Los macrólidos y antibióticos relacionados son la primera línea de tratamiento para M. pneumoniae. La resistencia a macrólidos se aumentó en los últimos 15 años y ahora se encuentra distribuido en todo el mundo. Nosotros realizamos el primer estudio de resitencia a M. pneumoniae a los macrólidos en Yantai. Esto podría ser útil para determinar una terapia apropiada para NAC en esta población. Objetivo: Investigar la tasa y el mecanismo para la resitencia a los macrólidos en Yantai. Métodos: Se colectaron muestras faringeas usando un hisopo. Las muestras se analizaron mediante la reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (PCR) y por cultivo para M. pneumoniae. Se uso una PCR anidad para amplificar fragmentos del gen 23S rRNA especifico con las mutaciones para M. pneumoniae. Se analizaron amplicomes por CE-SSCP para determinar la resitencia a los macrólidos. Estos resultados se confirmaron por secuenciación. Se aislaron 27 cepas de M. pneumoniae y se probaron nueve antibióticos in vitro. Resultados: De 128 muestras, 27 fueron positivas para M. pneumoniae. Se determinó una resistencia a macrólidos por Mycoplasma del 100%. Los mecanismos de esta resitencia fue una mutacion punctual A2063G en la secuencia que se une directamente a los macrólidos en el dominio 23S rRNA V in vitro. El tiempo piotolítico medio para el grupo de fluoroquinolonas fue 4.7 ±2.9 d, que fue significativamente más corto que para el grupo de azitromicina: 8.2 ±4.1 d. Conclusiones: Los macrólidos no son la primera linea de tratamiento para las infecciones del tracto respiratorio contra M. pneumoniae respiratory tract infections en Yantai.

Abstract Introduction: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a global disease responsible for a large number of deaths, with significant economic impact. As diagnostic tools have increased in sensitivity, understanding of the etiology of CAP has begun to change. Mycoplasma pneumoniae is one of the major pathogens causing CAP. Macrolides and related antibiotics are first-line treatments for M. pneumoniae. Macrolide resistance has been spreading for 15 years and now occurs in worldwide. We undertook the first study on macrolide resistance of M. pneumoniae in Yantai. This may be helpful to determine the appropriate therapy for CAP in this population. Objective: To investigate the rate and mechanism of macrolide resistance in Yantai. Methods: Pharyngeal swab samples were collected from adult CAP patients. Samples were assayed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and cultivated to test for M. pneumoniae. Nested PCR was used to specifically amplify M. pneumoniae 23S rRNA gene fragments containing mutations, and amplicons were analyzed by CE-SSCP for macrolide resistance mutations. Results were confirmed by sequencing. Twenty-seven strains of M. pneumoniae were isolated and the activities of nine antibiotics against M. pneumoniae were tested in vitro. Results: Out of 128 samples tested, 27 were positive for M. pneumoniae. Mycoplasma 100% macrolides resistance to Mycoplasma pneumoniae. The mechanism of macrolides resistance was A2063G point mutation in the sequence directly binding to macrolides in the 23S rRNA V domain in vitro. The mean pyretolytic time for the fluoroquinolone group was 4.7 ±2.9 d, which was significantly shorter than 8.2 ±4.1 d for the azithromycin group. Conclusions: Macrolides are not the first-line treatment for M. pneumoniae respiratory tract infections in Yantai.

ABSTRACT: The folding patterns and deployment dynamic characteristics of conical inflatable capsule structures were investigated. A six-fold-line method of packing a conical shell surface was designed. The fold-line layouts and relation formulas of the fold angles were determined. The folded state of the inflatable capsule structure was parametrically modeled; then, the deployment dynamic analysis model was established using ANSYS/LS-DYNA software. The dynamic characteristics of the inflatable capsule structure in orbit were numerically simulated. Thus, the deployment configurations and the time history curves of the dynamic characteristics were obtained. The results verified the feasibility of the fold pattern and the deployment dynamic analysis model. The influences of the residual gases from the packing process on the subsequent deployment process were investigated. The results indicated that a small amount of residual gas can lead to structures that cannot deploy smoothly, and two methods were presented to avoid this challenge. These works provide technical support for the structural designs of this type of inflatable capsule structure.