LC-MS/MS methods for simultaneous determination of youkenafil and its metabolite M1 in human seminal plasma and plasma: Application to evaluate the acute effect of youkenafil on semen quality and its pharmacokinetics in human.

Youkenafil is a novel Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor used for treating erectile dysfunction. N-desethyl compound of youkenafil (M1) is its main active metabolite. In this study, two methods were developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of youkenafil and M1 by HPLC-MS/MS in human matrices including seminal plasma and plasma, in which the multiple reaction monitoring and electrospray ionization in positive mode were adopted, and the deuterated youkenafil (youkenafil-d5) was selected as the internal standard.

Ceftriaxone-Resistant Gonorrhea - China, 2022.

Gonorrhea is a widespread sexually transmitted infection; in 2022, China reported 96,313 cases of gonorrhea, making it the fourth most common notifiable infectious disease in the country after viral hepatitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, and syphilis. The rise in prevalence in antimicrobial-resistant strains, particularly the international spread of ceftriaxone-resistant clones, poses a formidable challenge to gonorrhea control. The China Gonococcal Resistance Surveillance Program (China-GRSP), established in 1987 and covering 19 of 34 provincial-level administrative units, continuously monitors gonococcal antimicrobial resistance.

Fundamental and Second-Order Superregular Breathers in Vector Fields.

We developed an exact theory of the superregular breathers (SRBs) of Manakov equations. We have shown that the vector SRBs do exist both in the cases of focusing and defocusing Manakov systems. The theory is based on the eigenvalue analysis and on finding the exact links between the SRBs and modulation instability.

Combined mutations of the penA with ftsX genes contribute to ceftriaxone resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae and peptide nucleic acids targeting these genes reverse ceftriaxone resistance.

Objectives: To investigate the gene mutations associated with ceftriaxone (CRO) resistance among gonococcal isolates, and to determine the effects of the mutated genes on CRO minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) with transformation assays and antisense peptide nucleic acids (asPNAs).

Methods: Ceftriaxone-resistant (CRO) and ceftriaxone-susceptible (CRO) isolates were identified using EUCAST and paired according to similarity in their MICs to other antimicrobials. The two groups of gonococci were sequenced and analysed.

Evaluation of Isolates Susceptibility to Antibiotics in Zhejiang Province Since 2007.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the drug susceptibility of clinical isolates of to spectinomycin, ceftriaxone and azithromycin. Moreover, the temporal trends in the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of five antibiotics from Zhejiang, China, are also in the scope of this study.

Methods: A total of 1710 gonococcal clinical strains were collected between 2007 and 2021 from health-care institutions in Zhejiang.

A Nationwide Survey on Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis in Health Facilities in China.

Background: This study evaluated the clinical laboratory capacity for the diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) in China to provide recommendations to improve the diagnostic capacity and quality of this clinically important sexually transmitted disease.

Methods: An electronic questionnaire-based cross-sectional, survey study was conducted by the National Center for STD Control among different types of healthcare facilities in China from July to December 2021.

Results: The surveyed laboratory facilities were located in 332 cities in 31 provinces in China.

Performance evaluation of eight treponemal antibody tests in China.

In this study, the performance of 8 commercially available treponemal antibody tests was evaluated. Higher specificity was achieved in the automated chemiluminescence immunoassays(CIA assays) than enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) assays, but no significant differences were found in terms of the sensitivity levels. The levels of test sensitivity did not differ by HIV status and TRUST titer but did differ by clinical stage.

Proteomics Reveals the Effect of Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound on Spasticity After Spinal Cord Injury.

Aim: To explore the efficacy and possible mechanisms of Low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) in alleviating spasticity caused by Spinal cord injury (SCI).

Material And Methods: We selected male Sprague?Dawley rats as subjects and performed transverse injuries on the T9 vertebra of their spinal cord (SC) to build SCI. On the 7th day after SCI, LIFU treatment was performed below the SCI segment once a day for 20 min, for 4 consecutive weeks.

Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Alleviates Chronic Neuropathic Pain-Induced Allodynia by Inhibiting Neuroplasticity in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex.

Low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) is a potential noninvasive method to alleviate allodynia by modulating the central nervous system. However, the underlying analgesic mechanisms remain unexplored. Here, we assessed how LIFU at the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) affects behavior response and central plasticity resulting from chronic constrictive injury (CCI).

Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound Alleviates Spasticity and Increases Expression of the Neuronal K-Cl Cotransporter in the L4-L5 Sections of Rats Following Spinal Cord Injury.

Low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) has been shown to provide effective activation of the spinal cord neurocircuits. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of LIFU in order to alleviate spasticity following spinal cord injury (SCI) by activating the spinal neurocircuits and increasing the expression of the neuronal K-Cl cotransporter KCC. Adult male Sprague Dawley (SD) rats (220-300 g) were randomly divided into a sham control group, a LIFU group, and a LIFU group.

A Single Amino Acid Substitution in Elongation Factor G Can Confer Low-Level Gentamicin Resistance in .

The continued emergence of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates which are resistant to first-line antibiotics has reinvigorated interest in alternative therapies such as expanded use of gentamicin (Gen). We hypothesized that expanded use of Gen promotes emergence of gonococci with clinical resistance to this aminoglycoside. To understand how decreased susceptibility of gonococci to Gen might develop, we selected spontaneous low-level Gen-resistant (Gen) mutants (Gen MIC = 32 μg/mL) of the Gen-susceptible strain FA19.

Fever, Tachypnea, and Monocyte Distribution Width Predicts Length of Stay for Patients with COVID-19: A Pioneer Study.

(1) Background: Our study investigated whether monocyte distribution width (MDW) could be used in emergency department (ED) settings as a predictor of prolonged length of stay (LOS) for patients with COVID-19. (2) Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted; patients presenting to the ED of an academic hospital with confirmed COVID-19 were enrolled. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to obtain the odds ratios (ORs) for predictors of an LOS of >14 days.

Treatment Combining Focused Ultrasound with Gastrodin Alleviates Memory Deficit and Neuropathology in an Alzheimer's Disease-Like Experimental Mouse Model.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia but lacks effective treatment at present. Gastrodin (GAS) is a phenolic glycoside extracted from the traditional Chinese herb-Gastrodia elata-and has been reported as a potential therapeutic agent for AD. However, its efficiency is reduced for AD patients due to its limited BBB permeability.

Effects of Noninvasive Low-Intensity Focus Ultrasound Neuromodulation on Spinal Cord Neurocircuits In Vivo.

Although neurocircuits can be activated by focused ultrasound stimulation, it is unclear whether this is also true for spinal cord neurocircuits. In this study, we used low-intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) to stimulate lumbar 4-lumbar 5 (L4-L5) segments of the spinal cord of normal Sprague Dawley rats with a clapper. The activation of the spinal cord neurocircuits enhanced soleus muscle contraction as measured by electromyography (EMG).

Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Ertapenem in Isolates Collected Within the China Gonococcal Resistance Surveillance Programme (China-GRSP) 2018.

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of ertapenem on collected from eight Chinese provinces in 2018.

Methods: The MICs of ertapenem on 503 isolates (415 isolates selected randomly and 88 isolates selected with preference) were measured using the agar dilution method. For comparison, the MICs of ceftriaxone and azithromycin were detected.

The Accuracy of Molecular Detection Targeting the Mutation C2611T for Detecting Moderate-Level Azithromycin Resistance in : A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: is now recognized as a commonly reported sexually transmitted pathogen, and the increasing drug resistance of has become a serious public health problem. The accuracy of molecular detection for detecting moderate-level azithromycin resistance is not well-established. We summarized the data from studies of the 23S rRNA mutation at position 2611 with azithromycin resistance to determine the relationship between the mutation and resistance.

Gastrodin modified polyurethane conduit promotes nerve repair via optimizing Schwann cells function.

Peripheral nerve regeneration and functional recovery remain a major clinical challenge. Nerve guidance conduit (NGC) that can regulate biological behavior of Schwann cells (SCs) and facilitate axonal regeneration through microenvironmental remodeling is beneficial for nerve regeneration and functional recovery. Gastrodin, a main constituent of a Chinese traditional herbal medicine, has been known to display several biological and pharmacological properties, especially antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and nerve regeneration.

Extreme spectral asymmetry of Akhmediev breathers and Fermi-Pasta-Ulam recurrence in a Manakov system.

The dynamics of Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU) recurrence in a Manakov system is studied analytically. Exact Akhmediev breather (AB) solutions for this system are found that cannot be reduced to the ABs of a single-component nonlinear Schrödinger equation. Expansion-contraction cycle of the corresponding spectra with an infinite number of sidebands is calculated analytically using a residue theorem.

Exact Analytic Spectra of Asymmetric Modulation Instability in Systems with Self-Steepening Effect.

Nonlinear waves become asymmetric when asymmetric physical effects are present within the system. One example is the self-steepening effect. When exactly balanced with dispersion, it leads to a fully integrable system governed by the Chen-Lee-Liu equation.

Monocyte Distribution Width, Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio, and Platelet-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Improves Early Prediction for Sepsis at the Emergency.

(1) Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening condition, and most patients with sepsis first present to the emergency department (ED) where early identification of sepsis is challenging due to the unavailability of an effective diagnostic model. (2) Methods: In this retrospective study, patients aged ≥20 years who presented to the ED of an academic hospital with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) were included. The SIRS, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), and quick SOFA (qSOFA) scores were obtained for all patients.

Pharmacokinetics and Bioequivalence of a Generic Fixed-Dose Combination Tablet of Metformin Hydrochloride/Vildagliptin Versus a Branded Product in Healthy Chinese Subjects Under Fed and Fasting Conditions.

The purpose of this study was to compare the bioequivalence and safety of test and reference preparations of fixed-dose combination tablets of metformin hydrochloride/vildagliptin 850 mg/50 mg in healthy volunteers under fasting and fed conditions for marketing authorization in China. A single-dose, randomized, open-label, 2-way crossover study was conducted. Blood samples were collected up to 36 hours after dosing in each period with a 7-day washout.

Evaluation of Drugs with Therapeutic Potential for Susceptibility of Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Isolates from 8 Provinces in China from 2018.

Purpose: The study aimed to evaluate meropenem, fosfomycin, berberine hydrochloride, and doxycycline minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of collected from eight provinces in China in 2018.

Methods: The MICs of 540 isolates (451 isolates selected randomly and 89 isolates selected with preference) were determined to meropenem, fosfomycin, berberine hydrochloride, and doxycycline using the agar dilution method, and the MICs of ceftriaxone and azithromycin were detected for comparison.

Results: Among 451 randomly selected isolates, the MIC was 0.

Propulsion Mechanism of Flexible Microbead Swimmers in the Low Reynolds Number Regime.

A propulsion mechanism for a flexible microswimmer constructed from superparamagnetic microbeads with different diameters and subjected to an oscillating field was studied experimentally and theoretically herein. Various types of artificial swimmers with different bending patterns were fabricated to determine the flexibility and an effective waveform for a planar beating flagellum. Waveform evolutions for various swimmer configurations were studied to determine the flexible mechanism of the swimmers.