Historical perspectiveAsthma is a disease whose ability to cause episodic symptomatology has been appreciated since antiquity.Although the fine points of the definition can be debated, it is reasonable to think of asthma as a pulmonary disorder characterized by the generalized reversible obstruction of airflow and to define reversibility as a greater than 12% increase in the patient's forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV 1 ) that occurs either spontaneously or with therapy.Airway hyperresponsiveness, an exaggerated bronchospastic response to nonspecific agents such as methacholine and histamine or specific antigens, is the physiologic cornerstone of this disorder.A diagnosis of asthma is established based on a history of recurrent wheeze, cough, or shortness of breath, reversible airway obstruction demonstrated by pulmonary-function testing, and, in cases where questions exist, a methacholine challenge demonstrating airway hyperresponsiveness.It has long been assumed that patients with asthma experience intermittent attacks and have relatively normal lung function during intervening periods.More recent studies have demonstrated that asthma can cause progressive lung impairment and, in some patients, eventuate in partially reversible or irreversible airway obstruction.Any discussion of asthma must take into account the recent increase in its prevalence.Since approximately 1980, the frequency of this disorder has almost doubled.As a result of this "epidemic," asthma now affects approximately 8-10% of the population in the US, is the leading cause of hospitalization among children less than 15 years of age, and costs society billions of dollars annually.This increase in prevalence is not simply due to diagnostic transference or increased diagnostic awareness, since asthma mortality rates have also increased during this interval.

Pathogenesis

10.1172/jci200317748

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Citations (53)

Supplementary Figure Legend from Role of Chitinase 3–like-1 and Semaphorin 7a in Pulmonary Melanoma Metastasis

Bing Ma Erica L. Herzog Chun Geun Lee Xueyan Peng Chang-Min Lee

<p>Supplementary Figure Legend</p>

Legend

10.1158/0008-5472.22401962

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Nonoptimal Vaginal Microbiota After Azithromycin Treatment for Chlamydia trachomatis Infection

The Journal of Infectious Diseases (2019)

Jeanne Tamarelle Bing Ma Pawel Gajer M Humphrys Mishka Terplan

We characterized the composition and structure of the vaginal microbiota in a cohort of 149 women with genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection at baseline who were followed quarterly for 9 months after antibiotic treatment. At time of diagnosis, the vaginal microbiota was dominated by Lactobacillus iners or a diverse array of bacterial vaginosis-associated bacteria including Gardnerella vaginalis. Interestingly, L. iners-dominated communities were most common after azithromycin treatment (1 g monodose), consistent with the observed relative resistance of L. iners to azithromycin. Lactobacillus iners-dominated communities have been associated with increased risk of C. trachomatis infection, suggesting that the impact of antibiotic treatment on the vaginal microbiota could favor reinfections. These results provide support for the dual need to account for the potential perturbing effect(s) of antibiotic treatment on the vaginal microbiota, and to develop strategies to protect and restore optimal vaginal microbiota.

Gardnerella vaginalis

Chlamydia trachomatis infection

10.1093/infdis/jiz499

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Characterization of the Vaginal Microbiome in Women of Reproductive Age From 5 Regions in Brazil

Sexually Transmitted Diseases (2020)

Camila Marconi Mariam El‐Zein Jacques Ravel Bing Ma Moisés Diôgo de Lima

Background Composition of the vaginal microbiome is strongly related to a woman's reproductive health and risk of sexually transmitted infections. Ethnoracial, behavioral, and environmental factors can influence microbiome. The Brazilian population is unique in terms of miscegenation of ethnic groups and behavioral characteristics across different regions. We aimed to characterize the vaginal microbiome of women from 5 geographical regions of Brazil. Methods We sequenced V3–V4 regions of 16S rRNA gene in vaginal samples of 609 reproductive-aged women. We performed logistic regression analyses to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between sociodemographic and behavioral factors with Lactobacillus -depleted microbiome (community state type [CST] IV). Results Vaginal samples were grouped into 5 CST: CST I ( L. crispatus predominant, 30.5%), CST II ( L. gasseri predominant, 4.4%), CST III ( Lactobacillus iners predominant, 36.5%), CST IV ( Lactobacillus -depleted, 27.4%), and CST V ( L. jensenii predominant, 1.2%). Several factors were independently associated with CST IV, such as smoking (OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.02–3.18), number of partners (OR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.20–3.70), and vaginal douching (OR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.34–3.74). A protective effect was observed for milk/dairy intake (OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.27–0.82) and sitz bathing (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.19–0.98). Conclusions Nearly two thirds of Brazilian women may be at an increased risk for adverse outcomes associated with a vaginal microbiota characterized by the depletion of Lactobacillus or dominance by L. iners, whose protective role has been widely questioned. Several factors related to sexual behavior and intimate hygiene were associated with CST IV.

Lactobacillus crispatus

10.1097/olq.0000000000001204

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Dynamic compression locking system versus multiple cannulated compression screw for the treatment of femoral neck fractures: a comparative study

Research Square (Research Square) (2020)

Yaping Xiao Ming-Jian Bei Tao Ji Yong-Jun Peng Bing Ma

Abstract Background: Femoral neck fractures are one of the problems in orthopedic treatment. The prognosis is uncertain. Currently, there is no one internal fixation for the treatment of femoral neck fractures that shows superiority over other internal fixations. Therefore, the internal fixation system needs to be further explored. The aim of this study was to compare clinical outcomes of femoral neck dynamic compression locking system （DCLS）and multiple cannulated compression screws（MCCS） in the treatment of femoral neck fractures.Methods: A prospective analysis of 54 cases of femoral neck fractures treated with either a DCLS (n=28) or MCCS (n=26) was conducted between December 2015 and November 2017 in authors’ hospitals. The perioperative and postoperative parameters of the two groups were recorded and evaluated.Results: Fifty-four patients were followed up for 24-47 months. The etiology was caused by a fall. There was no significant difference in follow-up time, operation time, incision length, surgical blood loss, the incidence of perioperative and postoperative healing complications, and mobility in the two groups ( P > 0.05). The Harris score, fracture healing time, femoral neck shortening, partial weight-bearing time and complete weight-bearing time were significantly better in the DCLS group than in the MCCS group ( P < 0.05). The fracture healing rate in the DCLS group was higher than that in the MCCS group.Conclusion: The DCLS and MCCS might be equally effective in terms of operation time, incision length, surgical blood loss, the incidence of perioperative and postoperative healing complications, and mobility in the treatment of femoral neck fractures. However, the DCLS is superior to the MCCS in Harris score, fracture healing time, femoral neck shortening, weight-bearing time and fracture healing rate. So, DCLS deserves further study.

10.21203/rs.2.20870/v1

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TABLE S6

Figshare (2022)

Bing Ma

Information for pangenome analyses of Bifidobacterium species used in this study.

Table (database)

10.6084/m9.figshare.19709917.v3

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Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of Clostridium perfringens Isolates in Hospitalized Diarrheal Patients from Central China

Infection and Drug Resistance (2021)

Baoya Wang Wenjuan Dong Liyan Ma Yong-hui Dong Shanmei Wang

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence, genetic diversity and clinical characteristics of Clostridium perfringens isolates from hospitalized clinical diarrheal patients.A prospective study was conducted on 1108 patients with diarrhea during hospitalization. Stool samples were cultured for C. perfringens, and the toxin genes were detected by PCR. The available clinical data of 112 patients were analyzed to study the clinical features of various isolates. Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) was performed to assess phylogenetic relationship between different isolates.A total of 153 (13.8%) isolates were obtained from patients' stools. C. perfringens type F (49.0%) was the major toxin type in the isolates, followed by type A (n = 59, 38.6%) and type C (n = 14, 9.2%). Patients older than 50 years and those with underlying diseases of cancer, hepatobiliary system, and ulcerative colitis (UC) were more predisposed to C. perfringens type F and type A infection than to type C. The patients infected with type C experienced more severe clinical symptoms compared to those with type A infection. There was a significant association between type FC and foodborne gastrointestinal (GI) diseases (p = 0.018), between type FP and antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) (p < 0.001), and between type A and sporadic diarrhea (SD) (p < 0.001). Phylogenetic analysis indicated that type F isolates carrying a chromosomal cpe gene mainly belonged to ST77 (6/15 isolates). Type F isolates with cpe gene on a plasmid exhibited high genetic diversity.High prevalence and considerable genetic diversity of C. perfringens type F were found in clinical diarrheal patients. Elderly people and patients with cancer, hepatobiliary diseases or UC, or suspected of having food poisoning (FP) may be targeted for routine testing of C. perfringens toxin genes and may benefit from early detection of C. perfringens type C isolates that cause more severe clinical symptoms.

Clostridium perfringens

Multilocus sequence typing

10.2147/idr.s338593

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3D Printing of Strontium Silicate Microcylinder‐Containing Multicellular Biomaterial Inks for Vascularized Skin Regeneration

Advanced Healthcare Materials (2021)

Jingge Ma Qin Chen Jinfu Wu Hongjian Zhang Hui Zhuang

The reconstruction of dermal blood vessels is essential for skin regeneration process. However, the lack of vascular structure, insufficient angiogenesis induction, and ineffective graft-host anastomosis of the existing skin substitutes are major bottle-necks for permanent skin replacement in tissue engineering. In this study, the uniform strontium silicate (SS) microcylinders are successfully synthesized and integrated into the biomaterial ink to serve as stable cell-induced factors for angiogenesis, and then a functional skin substitute based on a vascularization-induced biomimetic multicellular system is prepared via a "cell-writing" bioprinting technology. With an unprecedented combination of vascularized skin-mimicking structure and vascularization-induced function, the SS-containing multicellular system exhibits outstanding angiogenic activity both in vitro and in vivo. As a result, the bioprinted skin substitutes significantly accelerate the healing of both acute and chronic wounds by promoting the graft-host integration and vascularized skin regeneration in three animal models. Therefore, the study provides a referable strategy to fabricate biomimetic multicellular constructs with angiogenesis-induced function for regeneration of vascularized complex and hierarchical tissues.

Biomaterial

Multicellular organism

10.1002/adhm.202100523

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