Synthesis and antifungal activity of novel amide derivatives from quinic acid against the sweet potato pathogen Ceratocystis fimbriata.

Background: Ceratocystis fimbriata is a fungal pathogen that infects sweet potato roots, producing enormous economic losses. Cyclic polyhydroxy compound quinic acid is a common metabolite synthesized in plant tissues, including sweet potato tubers, showing weak antifungal properties. Although several O-acylated quinic acid derivatives have been synthesized and found in nature and their antifungal properties have been explored, derivatives based on modification of the carboxylic acid have never been evaluated.

Air-ventilated normothermic mechanical perfusion improves susceptibility to donation after circulatory death and cold preservation-induced cholestatic liver injury through PPAR-γ/UGT1A1 axis.

End-ischemic normothermic mechanical perfusion (NMP) could provide a curative treatment to reduce cholestatic liver injury from donation after circulatory death (DCD) in donors. However, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Our previous study demonstrated that air-ventilated NMP could improve functional recovery of DCD in a preclinical NMP rat model.

Charged multivesicular body protein 2B ameliorates biliary injury in the liver from donation after cardiac death rats via autophagy with air-oxygenated normothermic machine perfusion.

Normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) could provide a curative treatment to reduce biliary injury in donation after cardiac death (DCD) donor livers; however, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In a rat model, our study compared air-oxygenated NMP to hyperoxygenated NMP and found that air-oxygenated NMP improved DCD functional recovery. Here, we found that the charged multivesicular body protein 2B (CHMP2B) expression was substantially elevated in the intrahepatic biliary duct endothelium of the cold-preserved rat DCD liver after air-oxygenated NMP or in biliary endothelial cells under hypoxia/physoxia.

Cytochrome P450 2E1 predicts liver functional recovery from donation after circulatory death using air-ventilated normothermic machine perfusion.

The optimal oxygen concentration is unclear for normothermic machine perfusion (NMP) of livers from donation after circulatory death (DCD). Our purposes were to investigate the effect of air-ventilated NMP on the DCD liver, analyze the underlying mechanism and select the targets to predict liver functional recovery with NMP. NMP was performed using the NMP system with either air ventilation or oxygen ventilation for 2 h in the rat liver following warm ischemia and cold-storage preservation.

Mode of action and efficacy of quinolinic acid for the control of Ceratocystis fimbriata on sweet potato.

Background: Ceratocystis fimbriata is a hazardous fungal pathogen able to cause black rot disease on sweet potato. The management of C. fimbriata strongly relies on the use of toxic fungicides, and there is a lack of efficient alternative strategies.

Effects of chitinase-3-like protein 1 on brain death-induced hepatocyte apoptosis via PAR2-JNK-caspase-3.

Hepatocyte apoptosis is a crucial factor affecting liver quality in brain-dead donors. The identification of key molecular proteins involved in brain-death (BD)-induced hepatocyte apoptosis may help determine an effective method for improving the quality of livers from brain-dead donors. In this study, we used in vivo and in vitro models to investigate the role of chitinase-3-like protein 1 (CHI3L1) in promoting liver cell apoptosis after BD.

Hepatic connective tissue growth factor expression and regulation differ between non-steatotic and non-alcoholic steatotic livers from brain-dead donor.

Accurate evaluation of liver steatosis is required from brain-dead donors (BDDs) with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Our purposes were to investigate expression and regulation of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) expression in livers from human and rat after brain death, and further evaluate its potential application. NAFLD and brain death models were established in rats.

Microbiologic assessment of flexible gastrointestinal endoscope reprocessing using a pump-assisted sampling technique: an investigation involving all endoscopy units in Tianjin, China.

Background: Microbiologic surveillance of flexible gastrointestinal endoscopes is recommended in several guidelines as the primary means of identifying reprocessing failures. This study aimed to evaluate the contamination level and prevalence of bacteria of post-reprocessing endoscopes and to access whether using a pump-assisted sampling method (PASM) improves the sensitivity of culture.

Methods: All 59 endoscopy units in Tianjin, China, were investigated.

[Seroepidemiology investigation of neutralizing antibody against enterovirus 71 among healthy people in Tianjin].

Objective: To investigate the latent infection caused by enterovirus 71 (EV71) among healthy people in Tianjin and to provide evidence on prevention and control hand-food and mouth diseases (HFMD).

Methods: 1611 sera specimens were collected from healthy people in Tianjin while EV71 antibody was detected by neutralization test, and then the results were analyzed statistically.

Results: For determining positivity, the cut-point was set at 1:4.