Distribution of pathogenic bacteria and antimicrobial sensitivity of eye infections in Suzhou

AIM:To investigate the types of bacteria in patients with eye infections in Suzhou and their drug resistance to commonly used antibacterial drugs.METHODS:The clinical data of 155 patients were retrospectively collected in this study,and the pathogenic bacteria species and drug resistance of each pathogenic bacteria were analyzed.RESULTS:Among the 155 patients(age from 12 to 87 years old,with an average age of 57,99 males and 56 females)with eye infections(160 eyes:74 in the left eye,76 in the right eye and 5 in both eyes,all of which were exogenous),71(45.81%)strains were gram-positive bacteria,23(14.84%)strains were gram-negative bacteria and 61(39.35%)strains were fungi.Gram-positive bacteria were highly resistant to penicillin and erythromycin(78.87%and 46.48%respectively),but least resistant to vancomycin at 0.Gram-negative bacteria were highly resistant to cefoxitin and compound sulfamethoxazole(100%and 95.65%respectively),but least resistant to meropenem at 0.Comparison of the resistance of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria to some drugs revealed statistically significant differences(P<0.05)in the resistance of both to cefoxitin,cotrimoxazole,levofloxacin,cefuroxime,ceftriaxone and ceftazidime,and both had higher rates of resistance to gram-negative bacteria than to gram-positive bacteria.The distribution of bacterial infection strains showed that Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most common strain in the conjunctiva,cornea,aqueous humor or vitreous body and other eye parts.Besides,Fusarium and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were also among the most common strains of conjunctival and corneal infections.CONCLUSION:Gram-positive bacteria are the dominant bacteria in eye infections,followed by gram-negative bacteria and fungi.Considering the resistance of gramnegative bacteria to multiple drugs,monitoring of bacteria should be strengthened in eye bacterial infections for effective prevention and control to reduce complications caused by eye infections.

Analysis of Culture and Drug Sensitivity Tests of Mycoplasmas for 387 Patients with Nongonococcal Urethritis (Cervicitis) in Chongqing

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of myco-plasma infections and the sensitivity to antibiotics among patients with nongonococcal urethritis or cer-vicitis (NGU) in Chongqing. Methods: 387 NGU cases with mycoplasma-positive results upon culture were analysed retrospectively. RESULTS: The majority of patients with mycoplasma infections were in the 20-40 year old age group. No significant difference was found between males and females. Ureaplasma urealyticum is the main pathogen of these NGU cases and no clear relationship between its concentration and pathogenic ability was noted. Drug sensitivity was tested against nine antibiotics; the sensitivity rates to josamycim, minocycline and doxycycline were 94.06%, 88.89% and 86.82% respectively, while the resistance rates to lincomycin, ofloxacin, azithromycin and roxthromycin were 74.94%, 42.12%, 41.60% and 40.31% in turn. Conclusions: Josamycin, minocycline and doxycycline could be used as the first choice to treat NGU with mycoplasma infections in Chongqing. It is important to select antibiotics for NGU treatment with mycoplasma infections based on the results of drug sensitivity tests.

Drug sensitivity and drug resistance profiles of human intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma cell lines

AIM: To study the effect of a number of chemotherapeutic drugs on five human intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) cell lines. The expressions of genes that have been proposed to influence the resistance of chemotherapeutic drugs including thymidylate synthase (TS), dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), glutathione-S-transferase PI (GSTP1), multidrug resistance protein (MDR1) and multidrug resistance-associated proteins (MRPs) were also determined. METHODS: Five human CCA cell lines (KKU-100, KKU-M055, KKU-M156, KKU-M214 and KKU-OCA17) were treated with various chemotherapeutic drugs and growth inhibition was determined by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium (MTS) assay. Semi-quantitative levels of gene expression were determined by a reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results of IC_(50) values and the ratios of gene expression were analyzed by linear regression to predict their relationship. RESULTS: Among five CCA cell lines, KKU-M055 was the most sensitive cell line towards all chemotherapeutic drugs investigated, particularly taxane derivatives with IC_(50) values of 0.02-3 nmol/L, whereas KKU-100 was apparently the least sensitive cell line. When compared to other chemotherapeutic agents, doxorubicin and pirarubicin showed the lowest IC_(50) values (＜5 μmol/L) in all five CCA cell lines. Results from RT-PCR showed that TS, MRP1, MRP3 and GSTP1 were highly expressed in these five CCA cell lines while DPD and MRP2 were only moderately expressed. It should be noted that MDR1 expression was detected only in KKU-OCA17 cell lines. A strong correlation was only found between the level of MRP3 expression and the IC_(50) values of etoposide, doxorubicin and pirarubicin (r=0.86-0.98, P＜0.05). CONCLUSION: Sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents is not associated with the histological type of CCA. Choosing of the appropriate chemotherapeutic regimen for the treatment of CCA requires knowledge of drug sensitivity. MRP3 was correlated with resistance of CCA cell lines to etoposide, doxorubicin and pirarubicin, whereas other chemotherapeutic drugs showed no association. The role of this multidrug resistance-associated protein, MRP3, in chemotherapeutic resistance in CCA patients needs to be further investigated.

Down-regulation of Hsp90 could change cell cycle distribution and increase drug sensitivity of tumor cells

AIM:To construct Hsp90 antisense RNA eukaryotic expression vector, transfect it into SGC7901 and SGC7901/VCR of MDR-type human gastric cancer cell lines, HCC7402 of human hepatic cancer and Ec109 of human esophageal cancer cell lines, and to study the cell cycle distribution of the gene transected cells and their response to chemotherapeutic drugs.METHODS:A 1.03kb cDNA sequence of Hsp90beta was obtained from the primary plasmid phHSP90 by EcoR I and BamH I nuclease digestion and was cloned to the EcoR I and BamH I site of the pcDNA by T4DNA ligase and an antisense orientation of Hsp90beta expression vector was constructed. The constructs were transfected with lipofectamine and positive clones were selected with G418. The expression of RNA was determined with dot blotting and RNase protection assay, and the expression of Hsp90 protein determined with western blot. Cell cycle distribution of the transfectants was analyzed with flow cytometry, and the drug sensitivity of the transfectants to Adriamycin (ADR), vincrinstine (VCR), mitomycin (MMC) and cyclophosphamide (CTX) with MTT and intracellular drug concentration of the transfectants was determined with flow cytometry.RESULTS:In EcoR I and BamH I restriction analysis, the size and the direction of the cloned sequence of Hsp90beta remained what had been designed and the gene constructs were named pcDNA-Hsp90.AH-SGC7901, AH-SGC7901/VCR, AH-HCC7402 and AH-Ec109 cell clones all expressed Hsp90 anti-sense RNA. The expression of Hsp90 was down-regulated in AH-SGC7901, AH-SGC7901/VCR, AH-HCC7402 and AH-Ec109 cell clones. Cell cycle distribution was changed differently. In AH-SGC7901/VCR and AH-Ec109 cells, G(1) phase cells were increased; S phase and G(2) phase cells were decreased as compared with their parental cell lines. In AH-SGC7901 cell, G(1)phase cells were decreased, G(2) phase cells increased and S phase cells were not changed, and in AH-HCC7402 cells G(1), S and G(2) phase cells remained unchanged as compared with their parental cell lines. The sensitivity of AH-SGC7901, AH-SGC7901/VCR, AH-HCC7402 and AH-Ec109 to chemotherapeutic drugs, the sensitivity of AH-SGC7901/VCR to ADR, VCR, MMC and CTX the sensitivity of AH-HCC7402 to ADR and VCR, and the sensitivity of Ec109 to ADR, VCR and CTX all increased as compared with their parental cell lines. The mean fluorescence intensity of ADR in AH-SGC7901, AH-SGC7901/VCR, AH-HCC7402 and AH-Ec109 was also significantly elevated (P 【 0.05).CONCLUSION: Down-regulation of Hsp90 could change cell cycle distribution and increase the drug sensitivity of tumor cells.

Microfluidics:Emerging prospects for anti-cancer drug screening

Cancer constitutes a heterogenic cellular system with a high level of spatio-temporal complexity.Recent discoveries by systems biologists have provided emerging evidence that cellular responses to anti-cancer modalities are stochastic in nature.To uncover the intricacies of cell-to-cell variability and its relevance to cancer therapy,new analytical screening technologies are needed.The last decade has brought forth spectacular innovations in the field of cytometry and single cell cytomics,opening new avenues for systems oncology and high-throughput real-time drug screening routines.The up-and-coming microfluidic Lab-on-a-Chip(LOC)technology and micrototal analysis systems(μTAS)are arguably the most promising platforms to address the inherent complexity of cellular systems with massive experimental parallelization and 4D analysis on a single cell level.The vast miniaturization of LOC systems and multiplexing enables innovative strategies to reduce drug screening expenditures while increasing throughput and content of information from a given sample.Small cell numbers and operational reagent volumes are sufficient for microfluidic analyzers and,as such,they enable next generation high-throughput and high-content screening of anticancer drugs on patient-derived specimens.Herein we highlight the selected advancements in this emerging field of bioengineering,and provide a snapshot of developments with relevance to anti-cancer drug screening routines.

HPLC Method Research of Picoplatin-a New Platinum Anti-cancer Drug and Its Impurities

Purpose: To establish a HPLC testing method of the content of bulk picoplatin and its impurities. Method: the separation was perform on a C18 column(4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 m) with potassium dihydrogen phosphate-aceton-itrile as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. The detecting wavelength was set at 210 nm, and the column temperature was set at 30℃. Result: in the method validation, the linear relationship modulus of picoplatin is 0.9999, the systemic precision is 0.44%, the method precision is 0.74%, the average recovery rate is 99.62%, the LOD and LOQ of picoplatin is 0.2 ng and 1.0 ng. The average resolution of picoplatin and its impurities is more than 2. Conclusion: The established method is good specificity, high sensitivity, and good repeatability which could provide scientific evidence for the quality control of picoplatin and its impurities.

Six-year analysis of key monitoring for bacterial strain distribution and antibiotic sensitivity in a hospital

BACKGROUND With the widespread use of antimicrobial drugs,bacterial resistance has become a significant problem,posing a serious threat to public health.The prevalence of clinical infection strains in hospitals and their drug sensitivities are key to the appropriate use of antibiotics in clinical practice.AIM To identify prevalent bacteria and their antibiotic resistance profiles in a hospital setting,thereby guiding effective antibiotic usage by clinicians.METHODS Specimens from across the institution were collected by the microbiology laboratory.The VITEK 2 compact fully automatic analyzer was used for bacterial identification and antibiotic sensitivity testing,and the WHONET5.6 software was utilized for statistical analysis.RESULTS A total of 12062 bacterial strains of key monitoring significance were detected.Staphylococcus aureus demonstrated widespread resistance to penicillin,but none of the strains were resistant to vancomycin or linezolid.Moreover,219 strains of methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci and 110 strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were detected.Enterococcus faecalis showed moderate resistance to the third-generation quinolones ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin,but its resistance to nitrofurantoin and tetracycline was low.Enterococcus faecium displayed significantly lower resistance to third-and fourthgeneration quinolones than Enterococcus faecalis.The resistance of two key monitoring strains,Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae,to piperacillin/tazobactam was 5%-8%.However,none of the Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains were resistant to meropenem.The resistance of Acinetobacter baumannii to piperacillin/sulbactam was nearly 90%.Nonetheless,the resistance to tigecycline was low,and Pseudomonas aeruginosa demonstrated minimal resistance in the antibiotic sensitivity test,maintaining a resistance of<10%to the cephalosporin antibiotics cefotetan and cefoperazone over the last 6 years.The resistance to amikacin remained at 0.2%over the past 3 years.CONCLUSION Our hospital’s overall antibiotic resistance rate was relatively stable from 2017 to 2022.The detection rates of key monitoring strains are reported quarterly and their resistance dynamics are monitored and communicated to the entire hospital,which can guide clinical antibiotic selection.

Carbohydrate-associated epitope-based anti-cancer drugs and vaccines

RP215 is one of the three thousand monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) which were generated against the OC-3-VGH ovarian cancer cell line. RP215 was shown to react with a carbohydrate-associated epitope located specifically on glycoproteins, known as CA215, from cancer cells. Further molecular analysis by matrix adsorption laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) revealed that CA215 consists mainly of immunoglobulin super-family (IgSF) proteins, including immunoglobulins, T-cell receptors, and cell adhesion molecules, as well as several other unrelated proteins. Peptide mappings and glycoanalysis were performed with CA215 and revealed high-mannose and complex bisecting structures with terminal sialic acid in N-glycans. As many as ten O-glycans, which are structurally similar to those of mucins, were also identified. In addition, two additional O-linked glycans were exclusively detected in cancerous immunoglobulins but not in normal B cell-derived immunoglobulins. Immunizations of mice with purified CA215 resulted in the predominant generation of RP215-related Mabs, indicating the immunodominance of this carbohydrate-associated epitope. Anti-idiotype (anti-id) Mabs of RP215, which were generated in the rat, were shown to contain the internal images of the carbohydrate-associated epitope. Following immunizations of these anti-id Mabs in mice, the resulting anti-anti-id (Ab3) responses in mice were found to be immunologically similar to that of RP215. Judging from these observations, anti-id Mabs, which carry the internal image of the RP215-specific epitope, may be suitable candidates for anticancer vaccine development in humans.

Effect of Survivin-siRNA on Drug Sensitivity of Osteosarcoma Cell Line MG-63

Objective： Survivin is one of the apoptosis inhibitor genes and is rarely expressed in adult tissues. However, survivin expression has been detected in various human cancers and correlations have been recognized between the level of expression of this gene in tumors and prognosis. In this study, we investigated the effect of Survivin-siRNA on the drug sensitivity of osteosarcoma cell line MG-63. Methods： Two siRNAs （Survivin-siRNA1, Survivin-siRNA2） specifically targeting Survivin gene were chemically synthesized and transfected into MG-63 ceils. The Survivin mRNA level was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR）. The survivin protein expression and cell apoptosis rate were analyzed by flow cytometry （FCM）. The 50% inhibition concentration （IC50） of cisplatin （DDP） and adriamycin （ADM） on MG-63 cells was determined by MTT method. Results： Two short siRNA targeting survivin down-regulated the transcription of survivin gene dramatically and elevated apoptosis rate. They increased the drug sensitivity of MG-63 cells to ADM by five-fold and to DDP by nine-fold. Conclusion： Validated Survivin specific siRNA can effectively inhibit Survivin expression in survivin-overexpressing osteosarcoma MG-63 cell line and enhance the drug sensitivity of MG-63 cell line to ADM and DDP. Short survivin-siRNA mediated gene silencing may be a useful therapeutic strategy for osteosarcoma. These results suggest that survivin might be helpful for diagnosis of osteosarcoma and survivin siRNA combined with adriamycin or cisplatin may be a feasible strategy to enhance the effects of chemotherapy in patients with osteosarcoma.

Control the Silver Content in the Preparation Process of Platinum Group Anti-cancer Drugs

In order to control the silver content in the preparation process of platinum group anti-cancer drugs, we put two kinds of color reagent to color in the production process of the platinum anti-cancer drugs by UV spectra measurement to control drugs production of platinum anticancer, thus we could control the silver content in the drugs so that it meets the pharmacopoeia standards of US and

Drug Sensitivity Test and Regression Verification of Escherichia coli from Rex Rabbit

[ Objectives] The paper aimed to select drugs reasonably for treatment of rex rabbit colibacillosis, and to isolate the pathogenicity of Escherichia coll. [ Methods ] Pathogen isolation, drug sensitivity test and pathogen regression test were performed with rex rabbits killed by E. coli in clinic. [ Results] The isolate was E. coli 0-23, susceptible to amikacin and cefotaxime sodium; when the challenge dose was 1.0 mL/rabbit （about one billion E. coli）, the test animal would discharge mucous feces. [ Conclusions] The results provided model support for clinical medicine selection against rex rabbit colibacillosis.

Comparative studies of serum-free media and detection techniques for <i>in vitro</i>drug sensitivity assessment of <i>Plasmodium falciparum</i>

Malaria continues to be a devastating disease. In a previous study, we formulated a chemically defined culture medium that is able to sustain the complete intraerythrocytic growth of Plasmodium falciparum. We tested the feasibility of using the medium (CDRPMI) as well as human serum-free media enriched with commercially available human-serum substitutes (GFSRPMI and ALBRPMI) to assess the drug sensitivity of P. falciparum, using chloroquine diphosphate (CQ) and dihydroartemisinin (DHART) as conventional antimalarial drugs. Growth inhibition was measured by four different methods: flow cytometry with SYBR Green I (FCM), microscopy (Giemsa method), enzymatic estimation of parasite lactate dehydrogenase (pLDH), and histidine-rich protein 2 (HRPII) determination. In drug sensitivity tests on asynchronous parasites cultured for 96 h in the presence of drugs, the dose-response curves were similar and differences in the 50% growth inhibition concentrations for the drugs, which were estimated by the four methods, were not statistically significant for the three culture media. The effect of the drugs on the growth of synchronous parasites at the ring stage was also assessed in micro-volume tests by three different methods of FCM: tracking fluorescent erythrocytes, schizont test, and merozoite test. Dose-response curves for the drugs were similar, and differences in the 50% growth inhibition concentrations were not statistically significant for CDRPMI and GFSRPMI. Thus CDRPMI as well as GFSRPMI and ALBRPMI can be similarly useful media for drug sensitivity testing of P. falciparum. The FCM, pLDH and HRPII estimations were fast and reliable detection methods, with FCM allowing schizont and merozoite tests to be performed with shorter periods of culture.

Isolation and Identification of Pseudomonas solanacearum and Its Drug Sensitivity Test

Ten pathogenic strains were isolated fi-om gingers infected by blast, and were identified by substrate utilization test and biochemical test. The identifica- tion results showed that these ten strains accorded with the basic characteristics of Pseudomonas solanacearum. Drug sensitivity test of ten strains was carried out, and prevention agents were screened to provide an experimental basis for the control of ginger blast.

Rational Drug Delineation: A Global Sensitivity Approach Based on Therapeutic Tolerability to Deviations in Execution

Noncompliance to therapeutic regimen is a real public health problem with tremendous socioeconomic consequences. Instead of direct intervention to patients, which can add extra burden to the already overloaded health system, alternative strategies oriented to drugs’ own properties turns to be more appealing. The aim of this study was establish a rational way to delineate drugs in terms of their “forgiveness”, based on drugs PK/PD properties. A global sensitivity analysis has been performed to identify the most sensitive parameters to dose omissions. A Comparative Drug Forgiveness Index (CDFI), to rank the drugs in terms of their tolerability to non compliance, has been proposed. The index was applied to a number of calcium channel blockers, namely benidipine, nivaldipine, manidipine and felodipine. Using the calculation, benedipine and manidipine showed the best performance among those considered. This result is in accordance with what has been previously reported. The classification method developed here proved to be a powerful quantitative way to delineate drugs in terms of their forgiveness and provides a complementary decision rule for clinical and experimental studies.

Drug-Drug Interactions in Patients with Breast Cancer

The research paper investigates the intricate landscape of drug-drug interactions (DDIs) within the context of breast cancer treatment, with a particular focus on the elderly population and the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The study underscores the heightened susceptibility of elderly patients to DDIs due to the prevalence of polypharmacy and the widespread utilization of CAM among breast cancer patients. The potential ramifications of DDIs, encompassing adverse drug events and diminished treatment efficacy, are elucidated. The paper accentuates the imperative for healthcare providers to comprehensively understand both conventional and CAM therapies, enabling them to provide patients with informed guidance regarding safe and efficacious treatment options, culminating in enhanced patient outcomes.

Isolation, Identification and Drug Sensitivity Test of a Pathogenic Escherichia coli Strain from Minks with Diarrhea

[Objectives] The study aimed to identify the pathogen that causes diarrhea in minks. [Methods] Liver tissues were aseptically collected from dead minks with diarrhea. By bacterial isolation and culture,morphological observation,biochemical test and pathogenicity test,the isolated strain was identified as pathogenic E. coli. [Results]The pathogen causing diarrhea in minks was confirmed as a pathogenic E. coli strain. Drug sensitivity test indicated that the isolated pathogenic E. coli strain was highly sensitive to ceftazidime,cefotaxime,enrofloxacin,florfenicol and cephradine,moderately sensitive to ampicillin,ciprofloxacin,amikacin,doxycycline,lincomycin and gentamycin,and resistant to amoxycillin,neomycin,spectinomycin,polymyxin and penicillin. [Conclusions] This study provided reference for the prevention and control of abortion in female minks in Qinhuangdao region.

ASSAY OF SENSITIVITY OF CANCER CELL TO ANTICANCER DRUG IN GLASS CAPILLARIES

A newly established human tumor clonogenecity assay - the glass capillary tube culture technique (CAP assay) to described. With this method, we observed the in vitro anticancer efficiency of several antineoplastics on human solid tumors and acute non-lymphatic leukemia (ANLL) specimen. Comparing with the conventional two-layer agar culture assay (2-LAC assay). The CAP-assay had a higher culture success rate, higher plating efficiency (PE) and shorter experimental period. The preliminary data suggesting and that the CAP assay has the potential to replace the conventional 2- LAC assay for in vitro drug- sensitivity testing and may be applied clinically.

Regulation of “Checkpoint Molecule” Sheds New Light on Anti-Cancer Drug Development

The rivalry between T cells and tumor cells somewhat mimics the scene of 'Tom and Jerry,' an animated series in which Tom (a house cat) rarely succeeds in catching Jerry (a mouse), mainly because of Jerry’s cleverness and cunning abilities. In a way, tumor cells are like Jerry, in terms of their crafty and sneaky features.

miR-506: a regulator of chemo-sensitivity through suppression of the RAD51-homologous recombination axis

Ovarian carcinoma is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. Resistance to platinum is considered the major problem afecting prognosis. Our recent study established that micro RNA-506(mi R-506) expression was closely associated with progression-free survival and overall survival in two independent patient cohorts totaling 598 epithelial ovarian cancer cases. Further functional study demonstrated that mi R-506 could augment the response to cisplatin and olaparib through targeting RAD51 and suppressing homologous recombination in a panel of ovarian cancer cell lines. Systemic delivery of mi R-506 in an orthotopic ovarian cancer mouse model signiicantly augmented the cisplatin response, thus recapitulating the clinical observation. Therefore, mi R-506 plays a functionally important role in homologous recombination and has important therapeutic value for sensitizing cancer cells to chemotherapy, especially in chemo-resistant patients with attenuated expression of mi R-506.

5-Fluorouracil-loaded Self-assembled pH-sensitive Nanoparticles as Novel Drug Carrier for Treatment of Malignant Tumors

In order to improve the cancer-targeting and selective activity of antineoplastic agent [5-fluorouracil （5-FU）], a novel pH-responsive drug delivery system [pullulan acetate/sulfonamide （PA/SDM） conjugate] was synthesized by a diafiltration method. Sulfonamide was grafted to the hydrophobicaUy modified pullulan acetate to enhance the pH sensitivity for better cancer-targeting delivery. 5-FU was loaded into the self-assembled nanoparticles by the same method. The drug-loaded self-assembled nanoparticles were successfully obtained and characterized in terms of particle size, morphology and drug loading and release profile at various pHs. The results showed that the mean diameter of the self-assembled particles was approximately 100nm, with uniform size and good spherical morphology. The nanoparticles showed good stability at pH 7.4, which is equal to that of the normal body fluid, but shrank and aggregated below pH 6.8, which is close to the pH with tumors. The loading efficiency and concentration of released 5-FU was monitored at 269 nm on the UVNis spectrophotometer. The release profile was heavily pH-dependent around phvsiological pH, and the release rate was significantly enhanced under pH of 6.8.