A method employing ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) for determination of eight components including ferulic acid, senkyunolide A, butylphthalide, ligustilide, butylidenephalide, senkyunolide I, senkyunolide H and levistolide A in Angelica sinensis was established. The separation was carried out using a Waters ACQUITY UHPLC BEH C column with gradient elution with 0.1% formic acid aqueous and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 0.4 mL/min. Good linearity was attained with R of 0.9983-0.9998 in wide concentration ranges. The method had limit of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) in the range of 0.42-6.98 ng/mL and 1.39-23.28 ng/mL, respectively. Intra- and inter-day precisions varied with relative standard deviations (RSDs) from 0.33% to 0.88% and 0.37% to 1.04%, respectively. Moreover, the average recoveries were in a satisfactory range of 92.7%-102.1% with RSDs of less than 3.60%. Finally, the method was successfully applied to analyze 19 batches of A. sinensis samples grown in Min County, Gansu province, China, as well as that collected in other regions. The findings indicated that the established method is reliable and may thus be applied as a powerful tool for qualitative and quantitative analysis of components in A. sinensis, which has its implications in quality control of A. sinensis.
Background:
The epidemic new strain NAP1/BI/027/ST-1 of
Clostridioides difficile
(
C. difficile
) causes more severe coliti and a higher mortality rate than historical strains. However,
C. difficile
NAP1/BI/027/ST-1 (
C. difficile
RT027) infections have been rarely reported in Asia, particularly in China.
Purpose:
The objective of this study was to strengthen the understanding of the molecular characterizations of
C. difficile
RT027 in China.
Patients and methods:
Two
C. difficile
NAP1/BI/027/ST-1 were detected from two patients, and no additional isolates were found. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was used to characterize two
C. difficile
RT027 isolates and control strain CD6 (from Hong Kong), and comparative genomic analysis was performed to compare genomic differences between seven isolates from Mainland China, CD6, and 10 isolates from North America and Europe.
Results:
The comparative genomic analysis revealed that isolates obtained from Mainlan China were outside of the two epidemic lineages, FQR1 and FQR2, and might have decreased virulence and transmissibility for outbreak. Furthermore, unique SNP mutations were detected in isolates obtained from Mainland China, which may affect the biological function of
C. difficile
.
Conclusion:
We speculate that
C. difficile
RT027 isolates in Mainland China may have different features, compared to those in North America and Europe.
Background: Liver disease represents a risk factor for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). However, CDI predisposition and its incidence in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) have not been well-characterized. Objectives: This study aimed at determining the incidence and risk factors of CDI in CHB patients without cirrhosis. Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted on hospitalized patients in a Chinese tertiary hospital between June 2010 and June 2016. Results: A total of 105 CHB patients without cirrhosis were included in the present study. Among these patients, 35 (33%) patients developed hospital-acquired CDI. A total of 35 toxigenic C. difficile strains were assigned to 15 different STs by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). Multivariate analysis indicated that prolonged hospital stay (OR: 1.045; 95% CI: 1.006 to 1.086) and higher Charlson scores on admission (OR: 3.063; 95% CI: 1.602 to 5.857) were independent factors for the development of CDI among CHB patients without cirrhosis. Conclusions: A high incidence of CDI was detected in this cohort of CHB patients. Both the prolonged hospital stay and higher Charlson scores made CHB patients more susceptible to hospital-acquired CDI. Greater emphasis on infection control measures and antimicrobial stewardship in patients with CHB during hospital admission is needed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.