Objective To explore the effects of Aspergillus fumigatus（A. fumigatus） spores on airway inflammation and responsiveness in asthmatic rats.Methods Seventy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into Ⅰ and Ⅱ groups（n=35 in each group），then Group Ⅰ and Group Ⅱ were subdivided into a normal control group（n=5），an asthma group（n=10），a spores-treated control group（n=10），and a spores-treated asthma group（n=10）.The rats were sensitized to ovalbumin（OVA） and challenged with aerosol OVA to establish the asthma model.The effects of A. fumigatus spores on asthmatic rats before and after OVA aerosol challenging were investigated in Group Ⅰ and Group Ⅱ，respectively.The parameters associated with bronchial epithelial damage were observed by total protein concentration in BALF measured by BCA method.Total and differential cell counts in BALF were also counted.The airway resistance and airway responsiveness were calculated by transpulmonary pressure and gas flow rate.Results In Group Ⅰ，the total protein in BALF in the asthma group treated with A. fumigatus spores before OVA challenging（Group CA） was increased remarkably compared to the asthma group（Group A1）[（1.125±0.254）μg/mL vs（0.825±0.173）μg/mL，Plt;0.01].The nonspecific airway resistances induced by different concentration of acetylcholine in Group CA ［（0.997±0.196）cm H2O•mL-1•s-1，（1.123±0.142）cm H2O•mL-1•s-1，（1.130±0.197）cm H2O•mL-1•s-1］were increased significantly compared to Group A1 [（0.655±0.089）cm H2O•mL-1•s-1，（0.687±0.048）cm H2O•mL-1•s-1，（0.821±0.043）cm H2O•mL-1•s-1]（all Plt;0.05）.In Group Ⅱ，however，the above parameters in the asthma group treated with A. fumigatus spores after OVA challenging（Group AC） were not dramatically increased compared with the asthma group（Group A2）（all Pgt;0.05）.The differences in the total and differential cell counts in BALF in Group CA were not remarkable compared to other subgroups in Group Ⅰ（all Pgt;0.05）.But the BALF neutrophil count in Group AC was increased obviously compared to Group A2 ［（2.488±0.420）×106 vs （0.936±0.459）×106，Plt;0.05］.Conclusion These data indicate that exposure to A. fumigatus spores before challenging causes aggravated epithelial damage and increased airway resistance in an asthma rat model.
Objective To investigate diagnosis and treatment strategies of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis （TB） complicated by Aspergillus infection. Methods Clinical data of 38 patients with pulmonary TB complicated by Aspergillus infection who underwent surgical treatment from January 2008 to December 2010 in Chengdu Infectious Disease Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. There were 23 male patients and 15 female patients with their average age of 37.8 （23-59） years. Preoperatively，all the patients received regular anti-TB treatment for more than 2 weeks，and patients with definite Aspergillus infection received anti-Aspergillus therapy for more than 3 days with consultation of infectious disease physicians. After above treatment，26 patients underwent lobectomy，1 patient underwent right pneumonectomy，and 11 patients underwent left pneumonectomy. All the patients were followed up at the outpatient department after discharge. They were evaluated every 2 weeks in the first 3 months，every 1 month after 3 months，and every 6 months after 1 year. During follow-up，they received acid-fast bacillus smear and sputum culture to check Aspergillus，as well as CT chest scan. Results All the patients successfully received surgical resection of the pulmonary lesion without perioperative death or severe complication. Postoperative pathology examination confirmed pulmonary TB with Aspergillosis infection in all the 38 patients，whose basic diseases included TB cavity in 17 patients，TB-destroyed lung in 12 patients，and post-TB bronchiectasis in 9 patients. All the patients were followed up after discharge for 1.5-4.5 years. During follow-up，they received regular anti-TB therapy for adequate duration in addition to antifungal medications such as voriconazole. None of the 38 patients had recurrence of Aspergillus infection or pulmonary TB. One patient had hemoptysis which was controlled after proper treatment during follow-up. Conclusion Missed diagnosis rate of pulmonary TB complicated by Aspergillus infection is high. Surgical resection of the pulmonary lesion and postoperative medication treatment are the most effective treatment strategies for patients with pulmonary TB complicated by Aspergillus infection.
Objective To investigate the clinical manifestation and histopathologic changes of the fungal necrotizing retinochoroiditis. Methods Collecting 7 cases of fungal retinochoroiditis with severe immunodepression and loss of visual acuity.Seven removed eyeballs were stained with HE,PAS and silver methenamine,and observed by light microscopy,and in addition,2 of them examined by electron microscopy.Also fungal cultures of blood and affected tissues were performed. Results The chief clinical macnifestation included ciliary injection of conjunctiva,opaque aqueous fluid and vitreous and diffuse hemorrhage and greyt white opacity with retinal detachment in severe cases.Pathologic changes included hemorrhage in the retina,chorioretinal tissue necrosis,hyphae in the blood vessels,affected tissue and vitreous.Fungal culture of blood was positive in three cases.Culture of affected tissues was positive in all cases. Conclusions Eedogenous fungal infection of choroid and retina may be due to the severe immunodepression of the sufferers and usually causes chorioretinal tissue destruction and blind. (Chin J Ocul Fundus Dis, 1999, 15: 235-237)
Objective To assess the quality of current domestic literature about enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for invasive aspergillosis diagnosis by detecting Aspergillus galactomannan (GM) antigen, and to analyze the sources of bias and variability, as well as the diagnostic ability of different thresholds. Methods Both computer-based online search and manual retrieval were employed to identify relevant articles. The statistical information and quality of science were assessed and classified. The data were analyzed using Meta Disc 1.4 software. The best cutoff value for defining a positive test result was selected by summarizing the following statistical indicators as sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratio (LR) and summary receiver operating characteristic curve (SROC curve), and by calculating the area under the curve (AUC) as well. Results A total of 20 studies among 2658 literatures were included in accordance with the inclusion criteria, and were divided into different groups based on different cutoff values. Though heterogeneity tests showed no threshold effect, and there were other reasons of heterogeneity. So the data were analyzed by random effects model. The results showed that, compared with other groups, the one with cutoff value set at 0.7 (AUC=0.9456, Q= 0.884 6) showed the best accuracy in diagnosing. Conclusion ELISA detection of Aspergillus GM antigen with cutoff value set at 0.7 has important significance in the early diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis, and it can be conducive to reduce mortality in patients at high risk for Aspergillus infection.