Jingyao Liang

Trends in antimicrobial resistance in Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolated from Guangzhou, China, 2000 to 2005 and 2008 to 2013.

A total of 1224 Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates from Guangzhou in 2 periods (2000-2005 and 2008-2013) were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The percentage of penicillin- and ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates increased from 71.1% (473/665) to 90.9% (508/559) and 88.9% (591/665) to 98.0% (548/559), respectively. All isolates remain susceptible to spectinomycin and ceftriaxone, with increasing minimum inhibitory concentrations.

Lack of association between cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 + 49A/G polymorphism and psoriasis and vitiligo: A meta-analysis of case–control studies

BACKGROUND Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) is a critical negative regulator of T-cell activation and proliferation. Several studies have assessed the association between CTLA-4+49A/G polymorphism and psoriasis and vitiligo, but the results are inconsistent. AIMS This study was conducted to examine the association between CTLA-4+49A/G polymorphism and psoriasis and vitiligo susceptibility. METHODS The PubMed, Embase, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases were searched according to predefined criteria for all relevant studies published prior to July 3, 2014. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and heterogeneity and publication bias tests were performed to estimate the strength of the association. RESULTS Fourteen studies comprising six on psoriasis (700 cases, 781 controls) and eight on vitiligo (1514 cases, 2049 controls) were included. Overall, no significant association was detected between CTLA-4+49A/G polymorphism and psoriasis. There was still no significant relationship when the studies were limited to ethnicity (Asian and Caucasian), HWE or heterogeneity, except the limitation to heterogeneity in the dominant (OR=0.69, 95% CI=0.51-0.93, I(2)=0.0%) and additive (OR=0.69, 95% CI=0.48-0.98, I(2)=0.0%) models, and the limitation to both heterogeneity and HWE in the dominant model (OR=0.68, 95% CI=0.48-0.98, I(2)=0.0%). Both overall and subgroup analyses based on ethnicity, genotype frequencies, and heterogeneity also failed to demonstrate an association between CTLA-4+49A/G polymorphism and vitiligo. CONCLUSION CTLA-4+49A/G polymorphism may not contribute to psoriasis and vitiligo susceptibility, but further well-designed studies with large sample size are warranted to confirm this conclusion.

Exome sequencing identifies a TCF4 mutation in a Chinese pedigree with symmetrical acral keratoderma

Symmetrical acral keratoderma (SAK) is a rare skin disorder and its pathogenesis and inheritability are unknown.

Circular RNA expression profile analysis of severe acne by RNA-seq and bioinformatics.

Acne is a common chronic skin disease with a multifactorial aetiology and pathogenesis. Recently, circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been identified as a key factor in regulating gene expression through circRNA–miRNA–mRNA networks in many biological processes and human diseases. However, the circRNAs expression in patients with acne is still unknown.

Interleukin 4 –590C/T (rs2243250) Polymorphism Is Associated With Increased Risk of Atopic Dermatitis: Meta-Analysis of Case-Control Studies

Background Interleukin 4 (IL-4) −590C/T polymorphism has been reported to influence atopic dermatitis (AD) susceptibility, but the results are controversial. Objective This meta-analysis was performed to study the association between IL-4 −590C/T polymorphism and AD susceptibility. Methods The PubMed, Embase, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were performed to estimate the strength of the association. Results Ten studies comprising 923 cases and 1215 controls were included. The overall population revealed significant associations between IL-4 −590C/T polymorphism and AD susceptibility under the allele (OR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.03–1.38; I2 = 0.0%), recessive (OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.002–1.61; I2 = 0.0%), and dominant (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.003–1.76; I2 = 0.0%) models; similar results were found under the allele (OR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.01–1.39; I2 = 0.0%) and recessive (OR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.001–1.62; I2 = 0.0%) models after excluding not-in–Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium studies. However, subgroup analyses by ethnicity showed no significant association in Asians or whites. Subgroup analyses by age indicated a significant association in children under the allele (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.06–1.60; I2 = 0.0%) and dominant (OR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.02–1.97; I2 = 0.0%) models, children in articles with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium under the allele model (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.05–1.69; I2 = 0.0%), and Asian children under the allele model (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.02–1.95; I2 = 0.0%) but not in white children. Conclusions The IL-4 −590C/T polymorphism may contribute to AD susceptibility in the overall population and children, especially for Asian children, but large well-designed studies are warranted to confirm this conclusion.

IL-22 Down-regulates Cx43 Expression and Decreases Gap Junctional Intercellular Communication by Activating the JNK Pathway in Psoriasis

The roles of IL-22 in the pathomechanisms of psoriasis have been well demonstrated. Gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) is widely known for its involvement in multiple biological and pathological processes such as growth-related events, cell differentiation, and inflammation. Here, we show that IL-22 significantly decreased GJIC and down-regulated Cx43 expression in HaCaT cells. Cx43 overexpression markedly inhibited the proliferation of and increased GJIC in HaCaT cells, but the silencing of Cx43 exerted the opposite effects. Additionally, Cx43 overexpression effectively rescued the IL-22-induced decrease in GJIC in HaCaT cells. The IL-22-induced down-regulation of Cx43 expression and decrease in GJIC can be significantly blocked by the JNK inhibitor SP600125 and by the overexpression of IL-22RA2 (which specifically binds to IL-22 and inhibits its activity), but not by the NF-κB inhibitor BAY11-7082, in HaCaT cells. Furthermore, the IL-22-induced down-regulation of Cx43 expression mediated by the JNK signaling pathway was confirmed in a mouse model of IL-22-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis. Similarly, Cx43 expression was significantly lower in the lesional skin than in the nonlesional skin of patients with psoriasis. These results suggest that IL-22 decreases GJIC by activating the JNK signaling pathway, which down-regulates Cx43 expression; this process is a possible pathomechanism of keratinocyte hyperproliferation in psoriasis.

Efficacy and safety of acitretin monotherapy in children with pustular psoriasis: results from 15 cases and a literature review.

Abstract Background: There is a few evidence-based information regarding the efficacy and safety of acitretin treatment in children with pustular psoriasis (PP). Objective: This study aimed to provide an additional evidence for this field. Methods: A retrospective study was undertaken for 15 children with PP who received acitretin in doses of 0.6–1.0 mg/kg/day for 4–6 weeks, the transition dose of 0.2–0.4 mg/kg/day for 4–6 weeks and maintenance dose of 0.2–0.3 mg/kg/day. Additionally, a literature review on this topic is conducted. Results: Of 15 children with generalized PP (GPP, n = 10), palmoplantar psoriasis (PPP, n = 3), and acrodermatitis continua of Hallopeau (ACH, n = 2), 93.3% (14/15) showed good response, only one case with ACH exhibited moderate response. During the 10–32 months of follow-up, acitrerin monotherapy for children cases with PP overall showed good efficacy and safety. In the literature review, a total of 107 childhood PP cases treated with acitretin in 21 studies were included in the analysis. The clinical effectiveness was obtained in 88.8% (95/107) patients treated with acitretin as monotherapy or combination therapy, and most of cases (92.6%, 100/107) treated by acitretin did not report side effects during the treatment and follow-up of acitretin. Limitation: This study is just included a small sample sizes and no standardized studies were used in the literature. Conclusion: Acitretin therapy for children with PP (monotherapy or combination therapy), all showed a satisfactory therapeutic effect and safety, independent of the short or long-tern therapeutic procedures.

First four failures of cefathiamidine to treat urogenital gonorrhoea in Guangzhou, China, 2014–15

Neisseria gonorrhoeae has a remarkable ability to develop resistance to all available therapeutic antimicrobials. This report describes the first four cases of verified failure to treat gonorrhoea using 1000mg cefathiamidine intramuscularly in Guangzhou, China; for each case, the patient was clinically cured after treatment with 500mg ceftriaxone intramuscularly. Enhanced monitoring of clinical treatment failures, finding new effective treatments and updating treatment guidelines are all of utmost importance to curb the spread of drug-resistant gonorrhoea.

MMP-9 gene polymorphisms (rs3918242, rs3918254 and rs4810482) and the risk of psoriasis vulgaris: No evidence for associations in a Chinese Han population

Several previous studies including one of them co-authored by our group have revealed that serum and psoriatic plaque expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) was significantly upregulated in psoriasis. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and haplotypes of MMP-9 (rs3918242, rs3918254 and rs4810482) with psoriasis vulgaris in a Chinese Han population. The serum levels of MMP-9 in 245 psoriasis vulgaris cases and 256 healthy controls were assessed using ELSA kits, and the three SNPs were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-ligation detection reaction (PCR-LDR) method. Four haplotypes based on the three SNPs were also analyzed. Our study showed that the serum MMP-9 levels in patients with psoriasis vulgaris were significantly higher than that in controls (P<0.05). However, the three SNPs were not significantly associated with psoriasis vulgaris susceptibility (all P>0.05). Similar results were found in further subgroup analysis based on gender, age of onset, family history, and serum MMP-9 levels, except that a protective effect of psoriasis vulgaris was detected among female subjects with the CT genotype of rs3918254 (OR=0.47, 95% CI=0.23-0.96, P=0.038), but this association did not survive after Bonferroni correction (P(adj)=0.076). The haplotype analysis also failed to show any association with psoriasis vulgaris. We found no evidence for the association between the MMP-9 polymorphisms and psoriasis vulgaris susceptibility in a Chinese Han population.