Mitochondrial impairment and synaptic dysfunction are associated with neurological defects in iPSCs-derived cortical neurons of MERRF patients.

Background: Myoclonic epilepsy with ragged-red fibers (MERRF) syndrome is a rare inherited mitochondrial disease mainly caused by the m.8344A > G mutation in mitochondrial tRNA gene, and usually manifested as complex neurological disorders and muscle weakness. Currently, the pathogenic mechanism of this disease has not yet been resolved, and there is no effective therapy for MERRF syndrome.

Prevalence and molecular subtyping of Blastocystis in patients with Clostridium difficile infection, Singapore.

Background: Blastocystis is a common anaerobic colonic protist in humans with controversial pathogenicity. Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is the commonest cause of infectious diarrhea in healthcare settings.

Multidrug-resistant organisms in a routine ward environment: differential propensity for environmental dissemination and implications for infection control.

Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) pose significant infection-control challenges in settings with high prevalence and limited isolation facilities. This observational study in an 800-bed hospital determined the prevalence, bacterial density and genetic relatedness of MDROs isolated from ward surfaces, medical devices and the hands of healthcare professionals. The targeted MDROs were meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae resistant to extended-spectrum cephalosporins, and carbapenem-resistant (CR) Acinetobacter baumannii.