Antibiotic susceptibility of Escherichia coli isolated from neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care units across China from 2015 to 2020

BackgroundEscherichia coli is one of the most common pathogens causing neonatal infections. Recently, the incidence and drug resistance of E. coli have increased, posing a major threat to neonatal health. The aim of this study was to describe and analyze the antibiotic resistance and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) characteristics of E. coli derived from infants admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across China.MethodsIn this study, 370 strains of E. coli from neonates were collected. E. coli isolated from these specimens were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing (by broth microdilution method) and MLST.ResultsThe overall resistance rate was 82.68%, with the highest rate of methicillin/sulfamethoxazole (55.68%) followed by cefotaxime (46.22%). Multiple resistance rate was 36.74%, 132 strains (35.68%) had extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) phenotype and 5 strains (1.35%) had insensitivity to the tested carbapenem antibiotics. The resistance of E. coli isolated from different pathogenicity and different sites of infections varied, strains derived from sputum were significantly more resistant to β-lactams and tetracyclines. Currently, the prevalence spectrum in NICUs was dominated by ST1193, ST95, ST73, ST69 and ST131 across China. And the multidrug resistance of ST410 was the most severe. ST410 had the highest resistance rate to cefotaxime (86.67%), and its most common multidrug resistance pattern was β-lactams + aminoglycosides + quinolones + tetracyclines + sulfonamides.ConclusionsSubstantial proportions of neonatal E. coli isolates were severely resistant to commonly administered antibiotics. MLST results can suggest the prevalent characteristics of antibiotic resistance in E. coli with different ST types

Uber die Welch-Fraenkelschen Bazillen und ihre Verwandten im Darmkanal

Der Welch-Fraenkelsche Bazillus, der sich als ein Bodenbakterium weit im Boden verbreitet, ist obligater Anaerobier, und bekannt als Erreger des Gasoedems, welches eine chirurgisch und insbesonders kriegschirurgisch wichtige Wundinfektionskrankheit ist. Die Tatsache, dass dieses Stabchen nicht nur aus dem Boden, sondern auch aus menschlichem Darm gezuchtet wird, hat viele Autoren schon bisweilen beschaftigt. Dieser Bazillus ist Gram-positiv, gross und kraftig, abgerundet, unbeweglich und sporuliert nicht im gewohnlichen Nahrboden. Die Milch wurde sturmisch mit Gasbildung vergoren. Schon nach 20 Stunden schwamm das Kasein deutlich geschieden in truber, immer klarer werdender Molke. Die Kaseingerinnsel wurden ferner nicht wieder durch Peptonisierung gelost, noch kam es nach dem leicht sauerlich bleibenden Geruch zu Eiweissfaulniss. Die oben beschriebene Eigenschaft, die sog. Sturmische Gerinnung , ist charakteristisches Merkmal zur Diagnose-stellung des Welch-Fraenkelschen Bazillus. Der Verfasser hat aus 172 Faeces der Menschen 244 Stamme der Welch-Fraenkelschen Bazillen und 39 ahnliche Stamme, die von erstem Bazillus deutlich voneinander in Eigenstumlichkeit abweicht gezuchtet; d. h. dem Letzteren fehlt die sturmische Gerinnung. Diesen Bazillus nennt der Verfasser einen Verwandten der Welch-Fraenkelschen Bazillen , und vergleicht dieses Stabchen morphologisch und biologisch mit den Welch-Fraenkelschen Bazillen, welche er aus menschlichen Faeces und klassischem Gasoedem isoliert hat. Morphologie: Die Verwandten sind ebenso mit abgerundetem Ende 0.8-1.0μ breit, 4.0-1.0μ, nicht haufig 15μ in der Lange, zuweilen leicht gekrummt, und werden zarter als Welch-Fraenkelche Bazillen beobachtet. Sporen und Kapseln: Nicht nur in gewohnlichen Nahrboden, sondern auch in den alkalischen-, natriumphosphathaltigen Nahrsubstraten und im Hirnbrei nahm der Verfasser keine Sporen oder Kapseln wahr. Aber nur bei aus Gasoedem gezuchtetem Stamm beobachtete er beide im spezifischen antiserumhaltigen Nahrboden. Kolonientypen: Auf d

Aegilops sharonensis genome-assisted identification of stem rust resistance gene Sr62

The wild relatives and progenitors of wheat have been widely used as sources of disease resistance (R) genes. Molecular identification and characterization of these R genes facilitates their manipulation and tracking in breeding programmes. Here, we develop a reference-quality genome assembly of the wild diploid wheat relative Aegilops sharonensis and use positional mapping, mutagenesis, RNA-Seq and transgenesis to identify the stem rust resistance gene Sr62, which has also been transferred to common wheat. This gene encodes a tandem kinase, homologues of which exist across multiple taxa in the plant kingdom. Stable Sr62 transgenic wheat lines show high levels of resistance against diverse isolates of the stem rust pathogen, highlighting the utility of Sr62 for deployment as part of a polygenic stack to maximize the durability of stem rust resistance

Analysis of Influencing Factors of Water Footprint Based on the STIRPAT Model: Evidence from the Beijing Agricultural Sector

Beijing suffers from a severe water shortage. To find the key factors that impact the agricultural water footprint (WF) within Beijing to relieve the pressure on water resources, this study quantifies the agricultural WF within Beijing from 1980 to 2012 and examines the factors of population, urbanization level, GDP per capita, Engel coefficient, and total rural power using an extended stochastic impact by regression on population, affluence and technology (STIRPAT) model. Ridge regression is employed to fit the extended STIRPAT model. The empirical results reveal that the Engel coefficient, which is defined as the total amount of food expenses accounted for the proportion of total personal consumption expenditures, has the largest positive impact on the increase in the agricultural WF, followed by urbanization. In contrast, total rural power, population, and GDP per capita can decrease the agricultural WF. Finally, policy recommendations from technological development, agriculture plantation structure adjustment, and virtual water imports are provided to cope with water shortages

Review on the preparation methods and strengthening mechanisms of medium-entropy alloys with CoCrNi as the main focus

Medium-Entropy Alloy (MEA) is a new metal material with high strength, high hardness, high corrosion resistance and excellent high temperature properties. With its excellent performance makes it promising for a wide range of applications in the fields of aerospace, automotive, energy and biomedicine. In addition, the continuous breakthroughs in preparation process have promoted the development of MEA with unique appeal. So far, outstanding results have been achieved in the preparation technology of MEA, and the scientific field of improving the performance of MEA by adjusting the process technology has received much attention. No work has been reported specifically on MEA preparation methods and enhancement mechanisms, and a review is needed to summarize the current state of research in this area. In this paper, we review the research progress of MEA in both preparation process and strengthening mechanism, and introduce in detail the arc melting, induction melting and mechanical alloying and deposition methods with CoCrNi as the main focus, and analyze the advantages and disadvantages. Finally, the prospects and challenges for the development of optimally designed MEA are presented

Identification of important modules and biomarkers in diabetic cardiomyopathy based on WGCNA and LASSO analysis

BackgroundDiabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) lacks specific and sensitive biomarkers, and its diagnosis remains a challenge. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop useful biomarkers to help diagnose and evaluate the prognosis of DCM. This study aims to find specific diagnostic markers for diabetic cardiomyopathy.MethodsTwo datasets (GSE106180 and GSE161827) from the GEO database were integrated to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between control and type 2 diabetic cardiomyopathy. We assessed the infiltration of immune cells and used weighted coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) to construct the gene coexpression network. Then we performed a clustering analysis. Finally, a diagnostic model was built by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO).ResultsA total of 3066 DEGs in the GSE106180 and GSE161827 datasets. There were differences in immune cell infiltration. According to gene significance (GS) > 0.2 and module membership (MM) > 0.8, 41 yellow Module genes and 1474 turquoise Module genes were selected. Hub genes were mainly related to the “proteasomal protein catabolic process”, “mitochondrial matrix” and “protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum” pathways. LASSO was used to construct a diagnostic model composed of OXCT1, CACNA2D2, BCL7B, EGLN3, GABARAP, and ACADSB and verified it in the GSE163060 and GSE175988 datasets with AUCs of 0.9333 (95% CI: 0.7801-1) and 0.96 (95% CI: 0.8861-1), respectively. H9C2 cells were verified, and the results were similar to the bioinformatics analysis.ConclusionWe constructed a diagnostic model of DCM, and OXCT1, CACNA2D2, BCL7B, EGLN3, GABARAP, and ACADSB were potential biomarkers, which may provide new insights for improving the ability of early diagnosis and treatment of diabetic cardiomyopathy

A high-trans fat, high-carbohydrate, high-cholesterol, high-cholate diet-induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis mouse model and its hepatic immune response

Abstract Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic progressive disease that can progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Animal models are important tools for basic NASH research. Immune activation plays a key role in liver inflammation in patients with NASH. We established a high-trans fat, high-carbohydrate, and high-cholesterol, high-cholate diet-induced (HFHCCC) mouse model. C57BL/6 mice were fed a normal or HFHCCC diet for 24 weeks, and the immune response characteristics of this model were evaluated. The proportion of immune cells in mouse liver tissues was detected by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry, Multiplex bead immunoassay and Luminex technology was used to detecte the expression of cytokines in mouse liver tissues. The results showed that mice treated with HFHCCC diet exhibited remarkably increased hepatic triglycerides (TG) content, and the increase in plasma transaminases resulted in hepatocyte injury. Biochemical results showed that HFHCCC induced elevated hepatic lipids, blood glucose, insulin; marked hepatocyte steatosis, ballooning, inflammation, and fibrosis. The proportion of innate immunity-related cells, including Kupffer cells (KCs), neutrophils, dendritic cells (DCs), natural killer T cells (NKT), and adaptive immunity-related CD3+ T cells increased; interleukin-1α (IL-1α), IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-9, and chemokines, including CCL2, CCL3, and macrophage colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) increased. The constructed model closely approximated the characteristics of human NASH and evaluation of its immune response signature, showed that the innate immune response was more pronounced than adaptive immunity. Its use as an experimental tool for understanding innate immune responses in NASH is recommended

Investigating the Protective Effect of Gross Saponins of Tribulus terrestris Fruit against Ischemic Stroke in Rat Using Metabolomics and Network Pharmacology

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability worldwide. Gross saponins of Tribulus terrestris fruit (GSTTF) has been used for neuroprotective therapy on convalescents of ischemic stroke. But the related therapeutic mechanisms have not yet been well investigated. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of GSTTF on ischemic stroke using metabolomics coupled with network pharmacology analysis. The rat urine sample was collected and profiled by an LC-MS-based metabolomics approach. The pathway analysis was performed based on the highlighted biomarkers, then the network pharmacology approach was applied to screen the potential therapeutic targets of GSTTF. Metabolomics analysis showed that a series of metabolic perturbations occurred in the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) group compared with the sham group. Gross saponins of Tribulus terrestris fruit can change the MCAO-induced urine metabolic deviations in a reverse manner via regulating multiple metabolic pathways. Two proteins, inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) and glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK3B), were highlighted by the network pharmacology analysis, which may be the potential therapeutic targets for the GSTTF against ischemic stroke. This study provides an overview of the mechanism of MCAO-induced ischemic stroke and investigates the efficacy of GSTTF in the treatment of ischemic stroke. Further study is needed to reveal its underlying mechanisms more clearly