No abstract

No abstract

BackgroundCarbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (CPKP) strains have emerged as a major problem for healthcare systems. The aim of this study was to determine the circulating clones and analyze the clinical and molecular characteristics of CPKP in our hospital.MethodsA total of 74 carbapenemase producers collected from our hospital from 2012 to 2014 were analyzed for the prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBLs), plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance genes (PMQRs), exogenously acquired 16S rRNA methyltransferase (16S-RMTase), and plasmid-mediated AmpC enzyme (pAmpCs) by PCR and DNA sequencing. The sequence types (STs) of the carbapenemase producers were analyzed by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). And Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was performed to investigate the genetic relationship of KPC-2 producing strains. Clinical data were retrieved from the medical records.ResultsKPC-2 (n = 72) was the predominant enzyme followed by NDM-1 (n = 2); The genes blaCTX-M, blaSHV, blaTEM-1, blaDHA-1, rmtB, armA, oqxA, oqxB, and qnrB were present in 29 (39.2 %), 27 (36.5 %), 46 (62.2 %), 2 (2.7 %), 25 (33.8 %), 1 (1.4 %), 60 (81.1 %) and 56 (75.7 %), 6 (8.1 %) isolates, respectively. MLST analysis revealed 10 different STs. The most dominant ST was ST11 (78.4 %, 58/74), followed by ST15 (8.1 %, 6/74). PFGE patterns of the KPC-2 producing K. pneumoniae isolates exhibited clonal dissemination of ST11 and ST15 clones as well as a genetic diversity of the remaining strains.ConclusionThe intra- and inter-hospital cross-transmission of KPC-2-producing K. pneumoniae ST11 co-carrying oqxAB and rmtB in our hospital strongly suggested that rapid identification of colonized or infected patients and screening of carriers is quite necessary to prevent a scenario of endemicity.

BackgroundKlebsiella pneumoniae is a frequent nosocomial pathogen, with the multidrug-resistant (MDR) K. pneumoniae being a major public health concern, frequently causing difficult-to-treat infections worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular characterization of clinical MDR Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates.MethodsA total of 27 non-duplicate MDR K. pneumoniae isolates with a CTX-CIP-AK resistance pattern were investigated for the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance genes including extended spectrum β-lactamase genes (ESBLs), plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes, 16S rRNA methylase (16S-RMTase) genes, and integrons by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and DNA sequencing. Plasmid replicons were typed by PCR-based replicon typing (PBRT). Multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) were carried out to characterize the strain relatedness.ResultsAll the isolates co-harbored 3 or more resistance determinants. OqxAB, CTX-M-type ESBLs and RmtB were the most frequent determinants, distributed among19 (70.4%),18 (66.7%) and 8 (29.6%) strains. Fourteen isolates harbored class 1 integrons, with orfD-aacA4 being the most frequent gene cassette array. Class 3 integrons were less frequently identified and contained the gene cassette array of blaGES-1-blaOXA-10-aac(6′)-Ib. IncFII replicon was most commonly found in this collection. One cluster was observed with ≥80% similarity among profiles obtained by PFGE, and one sequence type (ST) by MLST, namely ST11, was observed in the cluster.ConclusionK. pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)–producing ST11 was the main clone detected. Of particular concern was the high prevalence of multiple resistance determinants, classs I integrons and IncFII plasmid replicon among these MDR strains, which provide advantages for the rapid development of MDR strains.

Our meta-analysis showed that there were important associations between childhood ALL and the birth order, the education of pregnant woman, smoking.

Background and aim Recently, the availability and usefulness of mobile self-help mental health applications have increased, but few applications deal with COVID-19-related psychological problems. This study explored the intervention efficacy of a mobile application on addressing psychological problems related to COVID-19. Methods A longitudinal control trial involving 129 Chinese participants with depression symptoms was conducted through the mobile application “Care for Your Mental Health and Sleep during COVID-19” (CMSC) based on WeChat. Participants were divided into two groups: mobile internet cognitive behavioral therapy (MiCBT) and wait-list. The primary outcome was improvement in depression symptoms. Secondary outcomes included improvement in anxiety and insomnia. The MiCBT group received three self-help CBT intervention sessions in one week via CMSC. Results The MiCBT group showed significant improvement in depression and insomnia (all P < 0.05) compared with the wait-list group. Although both groups showed significant improvement in anxiety at the intervention’s end, compared with the wait-list group, the MiCBT group had no significant advantage. Correlation analysis showed that improvement in depression and anxiety had a significant positive association with education level. Changes in insomnia were significantly negatively correlated with anxiety of COVID-19 at the baseline. CMSC was considered helpful (n=68, 81.9 %) and enjoyable (n=54, 65.9 %) in relieving depression and insomnia during the COVID-19 outbreak. Conclusions CMSC is verified to be effective and convenient for improving COVID-19-related depression and insomnia symptoms. A large study with sufficient evidence is required to determine its continuous effect on reducing mental health problems during the pandemic.

No abstract

Brugada syndrome (BrS) is an inherited arrhythmogenic syndrome leading to sudden cardiac death, partially associated with autosomal dominant mutations in SCN5A, which encodes the cardiac sodium channel alpha-subunit (Nav1.5). To date some SCN5A mutations related with BrS have been identified in voltage sensor of Nav1.5. Here, we describe a dominant missense mutation (R1629Q) localized in the fourth segment of domain IV region (DIV-S4) in a Chinese Han family. The mutation was identified by direct sequencing of SCN5A from the proband’s DNA. Co-expression of Wild-type (WT) or R1629Q Nav1.5 channel and hβ1 subunit were achieved in human embryonic kidney cells by transient transfection. Sodium currents were recorded using whole cell patch-clamp protocols. No significant changes between WT and R1629Q currents were observed in current density or steady-state activation. However, hyperpolarized shift of steady–state inactivation curve was identified in cells expressing R1629Q channel (WT: V1/2 = -81.1 ± 1.3 mV, n = 13; R1629Q: V1/2 = -101.7 ± 1.2 mV, n = 18). Moreover, R1629Q channel showed enhanced intermediate inactivation and prolonged recovery time from inactivation. In summary, this study reveals that R1629Q mutation causes a distinct loss-of-function of the channel due to alter its electrophysiological characteristics, and facilitates our understanding of biophysical mechanisms of BrS.