[Analysis of intestinal microbial diversity in Leopoldamys edwardsi based on illumina sequencing technique]

To explore the composition and diversity of the intestinal microflora of Leopoldamys edwardsi in Hainan Island. In November 2019, DNA was extracted from fecal samples of 25 adult Leopoldamys edwardsi (14 males and 11 females) in Hainan Island at the Joint Laboratory of tropical infectious diseases of Hainan Medical College and Hong Kong University. Based on the IonS5TMXL sequencing platform, single-end sequencing (Single-End) was used to construct a small fragment library for single-end sequencing. Based on Reads shear filtration and OTUs clustering. The species annotation and abundance analysis of OTUs were carried out by using mothur method and SSUrRNA database, and further conducted α diversity and β diversity analysis. A total of 1481842 high quality sequences, belonging to 14 Phyla, 85 families and 186 Genera, were obtained from 25 intestinal excrement samples of Leopoldamys edwardsi. At the level of phyla classification, the main core biota of the Leopoldamys edwardsi contained Firmicutes (46.04%),Bacteroidetes (25.34%), Proteobacteria (17.09%), Tenericutes (7.38%) and Actinobacteria (1.67%), these five phyla account for 97.52% of all phyla. The ratio of Helicobacter which occupied the largest proportion at the genus level was 12.44%, followed by Lactobacillus (11.39%), Clostridium (6.19%),Mycoplasma (4.23%) and Flavonifractor (3.52%). High throughput sequencing analysis showed that the intestinal flora of Leopoldamys edwardsi in Hainan Island was complex and diverse, which had the significance of further research.

[Seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infections among patients with autoimmune diseases]

OBJECTIVE

To understand the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infections among patients with autoimmune diseases, so as to provide the scientific evidence for the management of toxoplasmosis in patients with autoimmune diseases.

METHODS

A total of 237 patients with definitive diagnosis of autoimmune disease were selected as the study subjects, including 79 cases with systemic lupus erythematosus, 71 cases with rheumatoid arthritis and 87 cases with inflammatory bowel disease, while 237 healthy volunteers served as controls. The serum anti-T. gondii IgG antibody was detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in patients with autoimmune diseases and healthy controls, and the detection of serum IgG antibody against T. gondii was compared between the autoimmune disease patients and healthy controls.

RESULTS

The seroprevalence of serum IgG antibody against T. gondii was significantly greater in patients with autoimmune diseases than in healthy controls (29.96% vs. 4.22%; χ² = 55.41, P < 0.01), and the seroprevalence of T. gondii infection was all significantly higher in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (31.65%), rheumatoid arthritis (23.94%) and inflammatory bowel disease (33.33%) than in healthy controls (χ² = 45.25, 26.58 and 50.95; all P values < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The seroprevalence of anti-T. gondii IgG antibody is significantly higher in patients with autoimmune diseases than in healthy controls, and T. gondii infection may be a potential risk factor for the development of systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.

Comparison of efficacy of fluticasone propionate versus clarithromycin for postoperative treatment of different phenotypic chronic rhinosinusitis: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) can be divided to CRS without nasal polyps (CRSsNP) and eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic CRS with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). There is little evidence on the efficacy of glucocorticoids and macrolides in different phenotypic patients. The aim of this study was to compare the benefit of glucocorticoids and macrolides following endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) in different phenotypic CRS.

METHODS

This study was a prospective single-blind comparative effectiveness trial. A total of 187 Chinese patients with CRS were stratified to CRSsNP and eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic CRSwNP group and then randomized to receive fluticasone propionate nasal spray at 200 microgram or clarithromycin tablet at 250 mg once daily for 3 months after ESS. Oral prednisone was given as a rescue therapy after the stop of study medication. Patients were assessed before ESS and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after dosing. Symptom severity was scored by patients using visual analog scale method and endoscopic findings were scored by the senior physician blinded to treatment according to European Position Paper on Rhinosinusitis and Nasal polyps 2012.

RESULTS

The total and individual symptom scores, and total and individual endoscopic domain scores were reduced significantly after ESS in both medication groups, whereas no significant difference was observed for two medications at most follow-up visits in each subtype of CRS. No difference in the frequency of subjects with rescue therapy or refractory CRS was found between two medication groups either.

CONCLUSIONS

We could not show significant difference of effect between fluticasone propionate and clarithromycin in the post-operative treatment for CRSsNP and eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic CRSwNP patients.