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Purpose Mycobacterium abscessus disease is one of the most difficult mycobacterial infections to cure, as the bacterium is highly resistant to conventional antibiotics. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tigecycline treatment of M. abscessus disease. Procedure We performed retrospective chart reviews of patients with M. abscessus disease receiving tigecycline-containing regimens at National Jewish Health from January 2009 to December 2017. Main findings Among the 35 patients, pulmonary disease was the most common presentation of M. abscessus disease (n = 29, 82.9%). Of those receiving tigecycline treatment, 17.4% (4/23) showed microbiological improvement (≥2 consecutive negative sputum cultures), while 86.2% (25/29) and 59.3% (16/27) showed symptomatic and radiological improvements, respectively. The rate of dose reduction or discontinuation of tigecycline owing to adverse drug reactions was 57.1% (20/35) at a median of 56.5 days (IQR 10.8–122.3). The most common adverse drug reactions were gastrointestinal side effects, including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Conclusions Tigecycline-containing regimens for M. abscessus disease have a high rate of symptomatic and radiological improvement. However, considering the poor microbiological response and the common adverse effects, selection of patients for tigecycline treatment and monitoring for adverse drug reactions should be performed carefully.

Quantitative 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) spectroscopy is a powerful and versatile technique to enable the absolute quantification of specific components in a mixture with excellent reproducibility and robustness. In the present study, qNMR analysis was applied to conduritol F, a chemical marker with the potential to distinguish between C. wilfordii and C. auriculatum . We found that the signals of H-5 and H-6 of conduritol F were well-separated from others with purities sufficient to be used to distinguish between C. wilfordii and C. auriculatum . This simple methodology can be applied to identify one or two species in products or powdered herbs widely distributed in the markets.

Summary Objective We aimed to determine whether combinations of multiplex cytokine responses could differentiate Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( Mtb ) infection states. Methods Mtb -specific antigen-induced and unstimulated cytokines were measured by Luminex assay in supernatants of QuantiFERON ® Gold In-Tube assay (QFT) in 48 active pulmonary TB patients (TB), 15 latent TB infection subjects (LTBI), and 13 healthy controls (HCs). Results Among the 29 cytokines, eight Mtb antigen-specific biomarkers (GM-CSF, IFN-γ, IL-1RA, IL-2, IL-3, IL-13, IP-10, and MIP-1β) in the Mtb -infected group were significantly different from those of the HCs. Five Mtb -specific biomarkers (EGF, GM-CSF, IL-5, IL-10, and VEGF), two unstimulated biomarkers (TNF-α [Nil] and VEGF [Nil] ), and one Mtb -specific biomarker ratio (IL-2/IFN-γ) showed significant differences between active TB and LTBI. Three unstimulated biomarkers (IL-8 [Nil] , IL-13 [Nil] , and VEGF [Nil] ) and 5 Mtb -specific biomarkers (IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-3, IP-10, and VEGF) were significantly different between active TB and non-active TB groups. Combinations of three cytokine biomarkers resulted in the accurate prediction of 92.1–93.7% of Mtb -infected cases and 92.3–100% of HCs, respectively. Moreover, combinations of five biomarkers accurately predicted 90.9–100% of active TB cases and 80–100% of LTBI subjects, respectively. In discriminating between active TB and non-active TB regardless of QFT results, combinations of six biomarkers predicted 79.2–95.8% of active TB cases and 67.9–89.3% of non-active TB subjects. Conclusions Taken together, our data suggest that combinations of whole blood Mtb antigen-dependent cytokines could serve as biomarkers to determine TB disease states. Especially, VEGF is highlighted as a key biomarker for reflecting active TB, irrespective of stimulation.

Lepisorus thunbergianus (Kaulf.) (LET) is an evergreen fern found on rocks and tree trunks that is distributed in East and Southeast Asia. Our previous study showed that the methanol extract from LET had significant anti-oxidant activity, but the active components of LET are still unclear. In the present study, isovitexin, orientin, isoorientin and chlorogenic acid were isolated from LET under the guidance of antioxidant activity. In addition, the structure of isovitexin, orientin, isoorientin and chlorogenic acid was characterized using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). Orientin and isoorientin presented similar activities toward the DPPH, with half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of 15-17 mu mol, and inhibition of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by 50% at 100 mu mol. Chlorogenic acid significantly inhibited intracellular ROS and nitric oxide (NO) production and had a strong effect toward DPPH. Furthermore, chlorogenic acid demonstrated decreased iNOS, COX-2, IFN-beta and TNF-alpha gene expression. These findings demonstrate the potential anti-inflammatory effects of chlorogenic acid. Isoorientin, at a concentration of 100 mu mol, showed 50% inhibition of human liver cancer cells (Huh7 and HepG2). These results suggest that compounds isolated from LET have potential to prevent liver cancer cell lines. (C) 2014 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University.

Summary Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells contribute to protection against certain microorganism infections. The aims of this study were to examine the levels of MAIT cells in pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) lung disease patients, to evaluate the clinical relevance of MAIT cell levels, and to investigate the functions of MAIT cells. Patients with pulmonary TB (n = 35), NTM (n = 29), and healthy controls (n = 75) were enrolled in the study. MAIT cell levels and functions were measured by flow cytometry. Circluating MAIT cell levels were found to be reduced in TB and NTM patients. MAIT cell deficiency reflects a variety of clinical conditions. In particular, MAIT cell numbers were significantly correlated with sputum AFB positivity, extent of disease, hemoglobin levels, lymphocyte counts, CRP and ESR levels. MAIT cells in TB patients failed to produce interferon-γ irrespective of the mode of stimulation, whereas NTM patients displayed a defect in MR1-dependent signaling pathway. Notably, an elevated expression of programmed death-1 was also associated with MAIT cell deficiency in TB. This study shows that MAIT cells are numerically and functionally deficient in TB and NTM patients and these deficiencies could contribute to immune system dysreguation in mycobacterial infection.

The trichlorosilane (TCS) purification process has significant energy requirements to achieve a TCS purity of 10 N. In this study, a dividing wall column was used to improve the performance of the TCS process. A response surface methodology was applied to the design of the dividing wall column. The conventional dividing wall column and top dividing wall column have significant benefits, e.g. decreasing the operating cost and minimizing the total annual cost. Incorporating a heat pump in the top diving wall columns was also proposed to enhance the energy efficiency further. Furthermore, a column grand composite curve was used to evaluate the thermodynamic feasibility of implementing the heat pump system into DWC. The operating cost could be reduced by 83% by novel combinations of internal and external heat integration: top dividing wall columns using a top vapor recompression heat pump. A compact integrating TCS purification process was finally proposed.

Castleman's disease (CD) is a rare lymphoproliferative disorder of uncertain cause. The most common site of involvement is the mediastinum. Endotracheal CD is extremely rare. We report a case of unicentric, hyaline-vascular type CD presenting as an obstructive tracheal mass. The tumor was successfully managed by rigid bronchoscopy with argon plasma coagulation. There was no recurrence at the 2-month follow-up visit.

We isolated four compounds, fustin, gallic acid, 3′,4′,7-trihydroxyflavone, and fisetin from Rhus verniciflua. These compounds showed electron donation ability (87–94%) that was stronger than butylated hydroxyanisole (52%). Gallic acid (OD700 = 1.98) showed the highest reducing power, and the other isolated compounds (OD700 = 0.66–1.31) showed stronger activity than α-tocopherol (OD700 = 0.21). The ethyl-acetate fraction had the highest phenolic content (723 mg GAE/g), followed by the 80% ethanolic extract (597 mg GAE/g). For Gram-negative bacteria, fisetin had the most potent anti-bacterial activity (MIC = 8 μg/ml) against Escherichia coli. 3′,4′,7-Trihydroxyflavone (106%), the 80% ethanolic extract (101%), and ethyl-acetate (98%) had the most powerful α-glucosidase inhibitory effect at 50 μg/ml. R. verniciflua extracts have potential as functional food additives.

Optical properties of CeNi 1 - x Co x Ge 2 ( 0 ⩽ x ⩽ 1 ) have been studied via infrared spectroscopy. For x > 0.3 , a hump in the optical conductivity σ 1 is observed at about 0.2 eV, resulting from strong hybridization between conduction electrons and Ce 4-f electronic states. For x ⩽ 0.3 , in contrast, no such hump is observed. The low frequency plasmon indicating the existence of heavy particles is also observed below coherence temperature T ∗ for x > 0.3 .

Reflectivity spectra of CeIn 3 are measured at 7, 30, 50, 100, 150, 200 and 300 K in wild energy regions from 6 meV to 30 eV. Optical conductivity spectra are obtained from a Kramers–Kronig’ relation. A hump in the optical conductivity σ 1 is observed at about 500 cm −1 below 100 K, resulting from strong hybridization between conduction electrons and Ce 4f electronic states. The low frequency plasmon indicating the existence of heavy particles is also observed below coherence temperature T ∗ ∼ 100 K.

Using infrared spectroscopy optical properties of CeNi 1 - x Co x Ge 2 ( 0 ⩽ x ⩽ 1 ) have been studied. Tuning the Co-doping concentration reveals clear demarcation in the optical properties due to the collapse of heavy electron Fermi surface at the quantum critical point x = 0.3 .

One novel coumarin from Angelica dahurica roots was elucidated to be 5,8-di(2,3-dihydroxy-3-methylbutoxy)-psoralen. It occurs together with six other known coumarins and ferulic acid. The antimicrobial activity of the coumarins and ferulic acid were compared.

Background : Acute exacerbation (AE) of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is increasingly recognized as a commonly occurring clinical event. The mortality of AE of IPF is high, ranging from 20% to 100%. In contrast, there have been anecdotal case reports on AE of nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP). Methods : Between January 1997 and December 2006, seventy-six consecutive patients were diagnosed as idiopathic NSIP by surgical lung biopsy. Among them, 11 patients satisfied the clinical criteria of AE of IPF by Kondoh et al (Acute exacerbation in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Analysis of clinical and pathologic findings in three cases. Chest 1993;103:1808-12.) Results : The median age of 11 patients (9 female) was 66 years (range, 55 to 72 years). The median symptom duration of AE prior to hospital visit was 11 days (range, 4 to 28 days). Surgery for lung cancer, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and relapse of NSIP were thought to be the triggering factors of AE in three patients, respectively. Initial PaO2/FiO2 was 140mmHg (range, 64 to 213mmHg). Mechanical ventilation was applied to 6 patients. Bilateral diffuse ground-glass opacity (GGO) was the most common finding on chest HRCT. Surgical lung biopsy was performed in 9 patients at the time of AE. Diffuse alveolar damage (DAD) (n=5) or focal bronchoiolitis obliterance organizing pneumonia (BOOP) (n=4) was superimposed on NSIP background. With corticosteroids and/or cytotoxic agents, 30-days mortality was 36.4%. Treatment response was better in those with focal BOOP pattern (4/4, 100%) than those with DAD pattern (1/5, 25%) (p = 0.048). Conclusions : Pathologic finding of focal BOOP pattern rather than DAD pattern may be a good prognostic factor in AE of NSIP. Clinical outcome of acute exacerbation of NSIP is likely to be determined by the histopathologic finding