Medicine
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Chlamydia psittaci (C psittaci) is a gram-negative obligate intracellular parasite, with birds as main hosts. The main route of infection in humans is inhalation of aerosols from contaminated animal excreta through the respiratory tract. The main manifestation of C psittaci infection is pneumonia. Patients suffering from severe infection are prone to sepsis and multiple organ failure. We report a case of simultaneous detection of C psittaci in blood and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid using metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) technology. ⋯ mNGS is an excellent diagnostic tool when specific pathogens are undetected by traditional assays.
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The amount of aqueous humor that is constantly produced by the ciliary processes and the equal amount that flows out through the trabecular meshwork via the drainage angle or through the uveoscleral route is very small (2-3 μg/min each), representing approximately 1% of the content of the anterior chamber; therefore, it is challenging to visualize its flow. ⋯ This novel, vividly descriptive observation highlights the important role of the heartbeat as a drainage pump in aqueous humor flow dynamics and IOP homeostasis, which are treatment targets for glaucoma, the leading cause of blindness.
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Immersive virtual reality (IVR)-based training is gaining ground as an educational tool in healthcare. When combined with well-established educational methods, IVR can potentially increase competency and autonomy in ultrasound (US)-guided peripheral venous cannulation.The aim of this study was to examine the impact of adding IVR training to a course in US-guided peripheral venous cannulation. ⋯ This pilot study showed that adding an IVR-based training simulation to an existing e-learning curriculum significantly increased the learning efficacy of US-guided PVC placement for medical students.
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To explore the possible molecular mechanism of reproductive toxicity of Tripterygium wilfordii from the perspective of network pharmacology and bioinformatics. The compounds of T wilfordii were obtained by querying the relevant Chinese medicine database, the effective compounds were screened and the corresponding targets were obtained, and then compared with the reproductive toxicities related to disease targets obtained from the disease gene database to infer the potential toxic targets of reproductive toxicity of T wilfordii. Then, the key targets of reproductive toxicity of T wilfordii were screened using Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Protein and Cytoscape. ⋯ Enrichment analysis of the top module with 19 genes from module analysis indicated that T wilfordii might cause reproductive toxicity by gene ontology terms and KEGG pathways such as regulation of vasoconstriction, G-protein coupled receptor signaling pathway, inflammatory response, cAMP signaling pathway, and so on. In the network between effective compounds of T wilfordii and key targets, there were 5 compounds with high degree including Tingenone, Wilfordic Acid, Abruslactone A, Nobilin, and Wilforlide B. The complex molecular mechanism of reproductive toxicity of T wilfordii can be preliminarily elucidated with the help of the network pharmacology method, and the analysis results can provide some reference for the further mechanism research of reproductive toxicity of T wilfordii.
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Observational Study
Comparison of the sensitivity of mammography, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging and combinations of these imaging modalities for the detection of small (≤2 cm) breast cancer.
The aim of this study was to compare the sensitivity of mammography (MG), ultrasound (US), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and combinations of these imaging modalities for the detection of small (≤2 cm) breast cancer and to evaluate the benefit of preoperative breast MRI after performing conventional imaging techniques for small breast cancer. This was an observational retrospective review of 475 patients with pathologically confirmed breast cancer. We reviewed the medical records; assessed the preoperative reports of MG, US, and MRI; and categorized them as benign features (BI-RADS 1-3) or malignant features (BI-RADS 4 or 5). ⋯ US is better than MG at detecting small breast cancer, regardless of breast density. The addition of MRI to MG and US could increase sensitivity without increasing the mastectomy rate. This study suggests performing MRI routinely on the basis of MG and US for small (≤2 cm) breast cancer.