Molecular serotyping of diarrheagenic with a MeltArray assay reveals distinct correlation between serotype and pathotype.

Diarrheagenic serotypes are associated with various clinical syndromes, yet the precise correlation between serotype and pathotype remains unclear. A major barrier to such studies is the reliance on antisera-based serotyping, which is culture-dependent, low-throughput, and cost-ineffective. We have established a highly multiplex PCR-based serotyping assay, termed the MeltArray serotyping () assay, capable of identifying 163 O-antigen-encoding genes and 53 H-antigen-encoding genes of .

Multiplex Asymmetric PCR by Combining the Amplification Refractory Mutation System with the Homo-Tag-Assisted Nondimer System.

Asymmetric PCR is widely used to produce single-stranded amplicons (ss-amplicons) for various downstream applications. However, conventional asymmetric PCR schemes are susceptible to events that affect primer availability, which can be exacerbated by multiplex amplification. In this study, a new multiplex asymmetric PCR approach that combines the amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS) with the homo-Tag-assisted nondimer system (HANDS) is described.

Epidemiological Insights into the Omicron Outbreak via MeltArray-Assisted Real-Time Tracking of SARS-CoV-2 Variants.

The prolonged course of the COVID-19 pandemic necessitates sustained surveillance of emerging variants. This study aimed to develop a multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (rt-PCR) suitable for the real-time tracking of Omicron subvariants in clinical and wastewater samples. Plasmids containing variant-specific mutations were used to develop a MeltArray assay.

Single-tube protocol for culture-independent spoligotyping of based on MeltArray.

Spacer oligonucleotide typing (spoligotyping), the first-line genotyping assay for (MTB), plays a fundamental role in the investigation of its epidemiology and evolution. In this study, we established a single-tube spoligotyping assay using MeltArray, a highly multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) approach that runs on a real-time PCR thermocycler. The MeltArray protocol included an internal positive control, , to indicate the abundance of MTB via the quantification cycle and 43 spacers to identify the spoligotype via melting curve analysis.

Direct identification of pathogens via microbial cellular DNA in whole blood by MeltArray.

Rapid identification of pathogens is critical for early and appropriate treatment of bloodstream infections. The various culture-independent assays that have been developed often have long turnaround times, low sensitivity and narrow pathogen coverage. Here, we propose a new multiplex PCR assay, MeltArray, which uses intact microbial cells as the source of genomic DNA (gDNA).

Accurate Detection of Multiple Tumor Mutations in Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Tissues by Coupling Sequence Artifacts Elimination and Mutation Enrichment With MeltArray.

Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues are the primary source of DNA for companion diagnostics (CDx) of cancers. Degradation of FFPE tissue DNA and inherent tumor heterogeneity constitute serious challenges in current CDx assays. To address these limitations, we introduced sequence artifact elimination and mutation enrichment to MeltArray, a highly multiplexed PCR approach, to establish an integrated protocol that provides accuracy, ease of use, and rapidness.

Identification of pneumococcal serotypes with individual recognition of vaccine types by a highly multiplexed real-time PCR-based MeltArray approach.

Background: Pneumococcus serotyping is important for monitoring serotype epidemiology, vaccine-induced serotypes replacement and emerging pathogenic serotypes. However, the lack of high-resolution serotyping tools has hindered its widespread implementation.

Methods: We devised a single-step, multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based MeltArray approach termed PneumoSero that can identify 92 serotypes with individual recognition of 54 serotypes, including all 24 currently available vaccine types.

CovidShiny: An Integrated Web Tool for SARS-CoV-2 Mutation Profiling and Molecular Diagnosis Assay Evaluation In Silico.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is still ongoing, with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continuing to evolve and accumulate mutations. While various bioinformatics tools have been developed for SARS-CoV-2, a well-curated mutation-tracking database integrated with in silico evaluation for molecular diagnostic assays is currently unavailable. To address this, we introduce CovidShiny, a web tool that integrates mutation profiling, in silico evaluation, and data download capabilities for genomic sequence-based SARS-CoV-2 assays and data download.

An Approach for EEG Denoising Based on Wasserstein Generative Adversarial Network.

Electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings often contain artifacts that would lower signal quality. Many efforts have been made to eliminate or at least minimize the artifacts, and most of them rely on visual inspection and manual operations, which is time/labor-consuming, subjective, and incompatible to filter massive EEG data in real-time. In this paper, we proposed a deep learning framework named Artifact Removal Wasserstein Generative Adversarial Network (AR-WGAN), where the well-trained model can decompose input EEG, detect and delete artifacts, and then reconstruct denoised signals within a short time.

Using microneedle array electrodes for non-invasive electrophysiological signal acquisition and sensory feedback evoking.

Bidirectional transmission of information is needed to realize a closed-loop human-machine interaction (HMI), where electrophysiological signals are recorded for man-machine control and electrical stimulations are used for machine-man feedback. As a neural interface (NI) connecting man and machine, electrodes play an important role in HMI and their characteristics are critical for information transmission. In this work, we fabricated a kind of microneedle array electrodes (MAEs) by using a magnetization-induced self-assembly method, where microneedles with a length of 500-600 μm and a tip diameter of ∼20 μm were constructed on flexible substrates.

ST-YOLOA: a Swin-transformer-based YOLO model with an attention mechanism for SAR ship detection under complex background.

A synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image is crucial for ship detection in computer vision. Due to the background clutter, pose variations, and scale changes, it is a challenge to construct a SAR ship detection model with low false-alarm rates and high accuracy. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel SAR ship detection model called ST-YOLOA.

Highly Sensitive Detection of PIK3CA Mutations by Looping-Out Probes-Based Melting Curve Analysis.

PIK3CA mutations have important therapeutic and prognostic implications in various cancer types. However, highly sensitive detection of PIK3CA hotspot mutations in heterogeneous tumor samples remains a challenge in clinical settings. To establish a rapid PCR assay for highly sensitive detection of multiple PIK3CA hotspot mutations.

Quantification of Isoniazid-Heteroresistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Using Droplet Digital PCR.

The quantitative detection of drug-resistance mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is critical for determining the drug resistance status of a sample. We developed a drop-off droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) assay targeting all major isoniazid (INH)-resistant mutations. The ddPCR assay consisted of three reactions: reaction A detects mutations at S315; reaction B detects promoter mutations; and reaction C detects promoter mutations.

Ability of the MeltPro MTB/PZA Assay to Detect Susceptibility to Pyrazinamide in Rifampin-Resistant Tuberculosis Patients.

Prediction of susceptibility to pyrazinamide (PZA) directly from sputum has been challenging. The MeltPro MTB/PZA assay, based on melting curve analysis, can simultaneously detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the resistance to PZA from sputum. We aimed to evaluate the MeltPro MTB/PZA assay to predict PZA resistance among rifampin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB) patients.

The relationship between psychological contract and occupational wellbeing of mother-infant care helpers in Zhejiang Province.

Background: Mother-infant care (MIC) helpers have become an indispensable part in hospital services. In order to stabilize the MIC workforce, it is essential for administrators to have a solid understanding of what may influence occupational wellbeing. This article aims to explore how demographic characteristics and psychological contract affect occupational wellbeing among MIC helpers in Zhejiang Province, China.

The prevalence and genetic disorders spectrum of thalassemia among breast cancer patients in Jiangxi province, China.

Thalassemia is a common inherited hematological disease with genetic disorders characterized by imbalanced synthesis of the globin chains. Due to the improvement of treatment methods, patients with thalassemia can survive for a long time. Therefore, it is not uncommon for patients with thalassemia suffering from malignant tumors.

Qualitative and Quantitative Detection of Multiple Sexually Transmitted Infection Pathogens Reveals Distinct Associations with Cervicitis and Vaginitis.

Many diverse pathogens have been discovered from reproductive-tract infections, but the relationship between the presence and abundance of particular pathogen species and disease manifestations is poorly defined. The present work examined the association of multiple common pathogens causing sexually transmitted infections (STIs) with cervicitis and vaginitis. The presence and abundance of 15 STI pathogens and the genotypes of human papillomavirus were determined in a cohort of 944 women that included 159 cervicitis patients, 207 vaginitis patients, and 578 healthy controls.

Accessible and Adaptable Multiplexed Real-Time PCR Approaches to Identify SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern.

Rapid identification and continuous surveillance of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants are critical for guiding the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is a preferred tool for this aim, but many laboratories suffer from a lack of resources to support population-level sequencing. Here, we describe two PCR strategies targeting spike protein mutations to identify the Alpha, Delta, and Omicron variants.

Highly multiplex PCR assays by coupling the 5'-flap endonuclease activity of DNA polymerase and molecular beacon reporters.

Real-time PCR is the most utilized nucleic acid testing tool in clinical settings. However, the number of targets detectable per reaction are restricted by current modes. Here, we describe a single-step, multiplex approach capable of detecting dozens of targets per reaction in a real-time PCR thermal cycler.

Using Social Media to Disseminate Effective Pain Treatments for Newborns During Needle-Related Painful Procedures in China.

Social media has become a powerful approach to disseminating evidence to knowledge users. The BSweet2Babies video was developed in multiple languages showing the effectiveness of sweet solutions, skin-to-skin care, and breastfeeding during newborn painful procedures. This study aimed to disseminate the BSweet2Babies video in Chinese through social media platform of WeChat in China; evaluate the reach, acceptability, and recommendation of the video; and assess viewers' previous knowledge and experience of using the 3 strategies and intention to use these strategies in the future.

Segmental duplication as potential biomarkers for non-invasive prenatal testing of aneuploidies.

Background: Segmental duplication (SD) regions are distinct targets for aneuploidy detection owing to the virtual elimination of amplification bias. The difficulty of searching SD sequences for assay design has hampered their applications.

Methods: We developed a computational program, ChAPDes, which integrates SD searching, refinement, and design of specific PCR primer/probe sets in a pipeline to remove most of the manual work.

Validating the Implementation Leadership Scale in Chinese nursing context: A cross-sectional study.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the validity, reliability and acceptability of the Implementation Leadership Scale in the Chinese nursing context.

Design: This study utilized a cross-sectional design.

Methods: This study was conducted in one general tertiary hospital with 234 nurses (85.

A Novel Molecular Method for Simultaneous Identification of 57 K-Serogroups Using Probe Melting Curve Analysis.

The serotyping of , which is crucial to the surveillance and detection of outbreaks of vibriosis infection, has been widely used in many countries. In this study, we developed a molecular assay, named multiplex ligation reaction based on probe melting curve analysis (MLMA), for simultaneous identification of 57 K-serogroups. Based on the previous genomes of 418 strains including 39 K-serogroups and the 18 K-serogroups sequences from public databases, we obtained 57 K-serogroups specific gene sequences for designing primers and probes.