Parallel Detection of Bacterial Pathogens in Cerebrospinal Fluid with 16S rRNA Probe Microarray

To establish the microarray technique with 16S rRNA probe for the rapid detection of pathogenic bacteria in cerebrospinal fluid, a set of Digoxin labelling universal primers were designed, and used to amplify the 16S rRNA gene, and 2 specific probes for each bacterium designed were spotted onto nylon membrane to make a microarray, followed by hybridization to PCR products of bacteria, which set up a microarray technique for parallel detection of bacteria in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Twenty-nine CSF specimens from 16 patients that were proved to be positive by bacterial cultures and by using Vitek AMA-32 automated system were examined in the present investigation. It was found that positive fragment with length of 168?bp were amplified from 45 strains of 20 bacterial species, and amplifications also detected in 29 CSF specimens. The method of universal PCR could detect as few as 1 pg of bacterial DNA, and this microarray could identify all the bacterial species in CSF except Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Proteus mirabilis , satisfying the direct detection of bacteria in CSF specimens including a case of mixed bacterial infection. The positive and negative predictive value as well as the diagnostic index of this microarray were 100%, 94.67%, and 180.88 respectively, and the time of performance spent only for 5?h. It was concluded the method described in the present investigation can be used to detect and identify the pathogenic bacteria in CSF.

Kallikrein-related peptidases 6 and 10 are elevated in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and associated with CSF-TAU and FDG-PET

Background:Alterations in the expression of human kallikrein-related peptidases(KLKs)have been described in patients with Alzheimer’s disease(AD).We elucidated the suitability of KLK6,KLK8 and KLK10 to distinguish AD from NC and explored associations with established AD biomarkers.Methods:KLK levels in cerebrospinal fluid(CSF),as determined by ELISA,were compared between 32 AD patients stratified to A/T/(N)system with evidence for amyloid pathology and of 23 normal controls with normal AD biomarkers.Associations between KLK levels and clinical severity,CSF and positron emission tomography(PET)based AD biomarkers were tested for.Results:Levels of KLK6 and KLK10 were significantly increased in AD.KLK6 differed significantly between AD A+/T+/N+and AD A+/T−/N+or NC with an AUC of 0.922.CSF pTau and tTau levels were significantly associated with KLK6 in AD.Conclusions:KLK6 deserves further investigations as a potential biomarker of Tau pathology in AD.

Should a VP or LP Shunt be Used for the Treatment of Pseudotumorcerebri in Adults?

Introduction: Pseudotumorcerebri(PTC) is a condition characterized by false brain tumor symptoms, caused by high intracranial pressure (ICP). Treatment options include medication, weight loss, surgery, and shunting. Shunting, either ventriculoperitoneal (VP) or lumboperitoneal (LP), emerged as the preferred method of treatment, but there is an ongoing debate as to which technique should be prioritized. The aim of this study is to gather additional evidence to determine the optimal type of shunt for treating PTC. Materials and Methods: Ninety patients with PTC were studied at Damascus University between 2016 and 2021. The study monitored symptoms before and after treatment, with improvement related to the technique used (VP or LP shunts). Of all patients, 83 were women and 7 were men. In addition, complications were analyzed. Results: Both shunts showed similar postoperative rates of symptom improvement, but VP shunts were utilized more frequently overall in this study. Patients who received LP shunt surgery had a higher rate of postoperative complications compared to those who received VP shunt surgery, but the chi-squared analysis did not provide sufficient evidence to confirm a significant relationship between the type of surgery and the occurrence of postoperative complications. Conclusion: Despite ongoing controversy about the optimal treatment for benign intracranial hypertension (BTC), most authors approved the trend of using VP (ventriculoperitoneal) shunts, given a lower rate of complications. However, there is no statistically significant difference between outcomes of VP and LP (lumboperitoneal) shunting techniques, according to our research.

The clinical analysis of three methods in the treatment of intracranial bacterial infection

Objective To analyze the effect of three therapeutic methods to find an optimal approach to the treatment of intracranial bacterial infection by retrospectively reviewing 33 intracranial bacterial infection patients who were admitted from 1995 to 2008 in our hospital.Methods The treatments by intermittent lumbar puncture,continuous lumbar subarachnoid space drainage,and embedment of Ommaya cyst for continuous drainage from the ventricles were performed in 15 cases,12 cases,and 6 cases respectively along with intravenous application of full dose of antibiotics.Results Nineteen cases were cured and the best prognosis was from the group of Ommaya cyst embedment and continuous drainage from the ventricles.Conclusion Management goals are prompt recognition of the central nervous system(CNS)infection,rapid identification of causative organisms and initiation of treatment with the optimal management methods for complications.Embedment of Ommaya cyst for continuous drainage from the ventricle is a safe and effective treatment for intracranial bacterial infection.

Relation of nitric oxide and neonate hypoxic- ischemic encephalopathy

Objective To study the changes of the nitric oxide(NO) in process of neonate hypoxic－ ischemic encephalopathy(HIE) and the relations between the concentrations of NO and HIE. Methods Tested the concentrations of NO in CSF of newborn infants suffered HIE the third day and in plasma of newborn infants suffered HIE just attacked instant(within 2 hours), the first day ,the third day and restoring stage and compared with them of normal contrast term. We tried to analyse the reasons and significance of NO change .Results The NO concentration is the highest in plasma of newborn infants suffered HIE the first day. There is significant difference(P<0.01) after comparing the NO concentrations in plasmas of newborn infants suffered HIE just attacked instant, the first day, the third day with of normal contrast team respectively. But there is not significant difference(P >0.05) between NO in plasmas of restoring stage and of normal contrast team. There is positive correlation between the NO concentration in plasma and in CSF of newborn infants suffered HIE the third day. The more serious the disease is, the higher the NO concentration is, the worse the prognosis is. Conclusion NO play along with the course of HIE and play an important role in neonate HIE. Testing the concentration of NO in plasma and in CSF can also help to judge the degree of disease.

Research progress on circulating tumor cell detection in brain gliomas

Glioma,the most common primary intracranial tumor,has high morbidity and mortality.The detection of circulating tumor cells(CTCs)is an important part of the liquid biopsy of gliomas.CTCs,carrying the genetic and biological information of tumor tissue,provide a new perspective and dimension for the study of tumor metastasis,progression,chemotherapy sensitivity and drug resistance.Cerebrospinal fluid(CSF)circulates through the ventricle and spinal cord cistern,which can better maintain the original information of tumor cells compared with the complicated environments of tissues and plasma.Study on the dynamic changes of CTCs in the CSF of the central nervous system(CNS)is relatively rare.However,the analysis of CTCs in CSF can be used to guide the treatment of gliomas and reveal the patho-physiological and genetic mechanisms of tumor cell metastasis to the CSF.This paper reviews the progress in the research on CTC detection in gliomas.

Clinical applications of metagenomics next-generation sequencing in infectious diseases

Infectious diseases are a great threat to human health.Rapid and accurate detection of pathogens is important in the diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases.Metagenomics next-generation sequencing(mNGS)is an unbiased and comprehensive approach for detecting all RNA and DNA in a sample.With the development of sequencing and bioinformatics technologies,mNGS is moving from research to clinical application,which opens a new avenue for pathogen detection.Numerous studies have revealed good potential for the clinical application of mNGS in infectious diseases,especially in difficult-to-detect,rare,and novel pathogens.However,there are several hurdles in the clinical application of mNGS,such as:(1)lack of universal workflow validation and quality assurance;(2)insensitivity to high-host background and low-biomass samples;and(3)lack of standardized instructions for mass data analysis and report interpretation.Therefore,a complete understanding of this new technology will help promote the clinical application of mNGS to infectious diseases.This review briefly introduces the history of next-generation sequencing,mainstream sequencing platforms,and mNGS workflow,and discusses the clinical applications of mNGS to infectious diseases and its advantages and disadvantages.