Zhang Weishen: A Pioneer in the Development and Industrial Production of Penicillin in New China

The research and development of penicillin started with difficulty before 1949 and achieved certain results. In 1951, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Zhang Weishen, as the only Chinese scientist who had been trained and worked in a penicillin research and development center in the United States for many years, overcame many difficulties and returned to China. In 1953, with the efforts of Zhang Weishen and his colleagues, China realized the industrialized production of penicillin, alleviating the urgent needs of the masses. Antibiotics has also become the first discipline to achieve major scientific and technological achievements after the founding of the New China. In the mid-1950s, the technical breakthrough in the localization of lactose substitutes marked the localization of the raw materials of the penicillin-producing culture medium, which paved the way for the industrialized production of penicillin with Chinese characteristics. Antibiotics have become one of the most widely used and affordable drugs for hundreds of millions of patients in China, and China has since ended the humiliating history of the “Sick Man of East Asia".     

Development of an automated production process of [64Cu][Cu (ATSM)] for positron emission tomography imaging and theranostic applications

Cyclotron-produced copper-64 radioisotope tracers offer the possibility to perform both diagnostic investigation by positron emission tomography (PET) and radiotherapy by a theranostic approach with bifunctional chelators. The versatile chemical properties of copper add to the importance of this isotope in medicinal investigation. [⁶⁴Cu][Cu (ATSM)] has shown to be a viable candidate for imaging of tumor hypoxia; a critical tumor microenvironment characteristic that typically signifies tumor progression and resistance to chemo-radiotherapy. Various production and radiosynthesis methods of [⁶⁴Cu][Cu (ATSM)] exist in labs, but usually involved non-standardized equipment with varying production qualities and may not be easily implemented in wider hospital settings. [⁶⁴Cu][Cu (ATSM)] was synthesized on a modified GE TRACERlab FXN automated synthesis module. End-of-synthesis (EOS) molar activity of [⁶⁴Cu][Cu (ATSM)] was 2.2–5.5 Ci/μmol (HPLC), 2.2–2.6 Ci/μmol (ATSM-titration), and 3.0–4.4 Ci/μmol (ICP-MS). Radiochemical purity was determined to be >99% based on radio-HPLC. The final product maintained radiochemical purity after 20 h. We demonstrated a simple and feasible process development and quality control protocols for automated cyclotron production and synthesis of [⁶⁴Cu][Cu (ATSM)] based on commercially distributed standardized synthesis modules suitable for PET imaging and theranostic studies.     

Glucose starvation induces resistance to metformin through the elevation of mitochondrial multidrug resistance protein 1

Metformin, a drug for type 2 diabetes mellitus, has shown therapeutic effects for various cancers. However, it had no beneficial effects on the survival rate of human malignant mesothelioma (HMM) patients. The present study was performed to elucidate the underlying mechanism of metformin resistance in HMM cells. Glucose‐starved HMM cells had enhanced resistance to metformin, demonstrated by decreased apoptosis and autophagy and increased cell survival. These cells showed abnormalities in mitochondria, such as decreased ATP synthesis, morphological elongation, altered mitochondrial permeability transition pore and hyperpolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). Intriguingly, Mdr1 was significantly upregulated in mitochondria but not in cell membrane. The upregulated mitochondrial Mdr1 was reversed by treatment with carbonyl cyanide m‐chlorophenyl hydrazone, an MMP depolarization inducer. Furthermore, apoptosis and autophagy were increased in multidrug resistance protein 1 knockout HMM cells cultured under glucose starvation with metformin treatment. The data suggest that mitochondrial Mdr1 plays a critical role in the chemoresistance to metformin in HMM cells, which could be a potential target for improving its therapeutic efficacy.     

中西医结合治疗对单纯疱疹病毒性角膜炎患者视力恢复及血清微量元素的影响

目的:探讨中西医结合治疗对单纯疱疹病毒性角膜炎(HSK)患者视力恢复及血清微量元素的影响。方法:选取2015年1月至2016年10月内蒙古包钢医院收治的HSK患者86例作为研究对象,按照随机数字表法随机分为对照组和观察组,每组43例。对照组采用更昔洛韦滴眼液及硫酸软骨素滴眼液治疗,观察组在对照组基础上结合清肝明目汤进行治疗,2组均连续治疗4周。比较2组患者临床疗效;比较治疗前后2组患者视力恢复状况、血清微量元素及泪液免疫因子水平。结果:治疗后,观察组治疗有效率显著高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05);治疗后观察组患者视觉模拟评分及视力均显著高于治疗前与对照组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05);治疗后观察组铁离子、钙离子及铜离子水平低于治疗前与对照组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05);血清锌离子水平明显高于治疗前与对照组(P0.05),差异有统计学意义(P0.05);治疗后观察组患者泪液IgA、IgG及C3水平明显高于治疗前与对照组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:中西医结合治疗HSK有效促进患者视力的恢复,调节血清微量元素的同时增强患者泪液免疫因子水平,疗效显著优于单用西药治疗。     

Lymphoplasmacytic plaque in children: Case report and literature review

We report a case of benign lymphoplasmacytic plaque (LPP) in a child. These asymptomatic erythematous papulonodular lesions are an emerging clinicopathological entity. Herein, we describe a previously unreported site for LPP lesions, namely, the volar wrist and the distal ipsilateral palm.