Emergence and establishment of Staphylococcus haemolyticus ST29 in two Western France neonatal intensive care units.

Purpose: Since 2021, several reports of Staphylococcus haemolyticus outbreaks in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) have been reported in France. The aim of this study was to understand how it became established in the NICUs of two facilities, which share the care of newborns.

Methods: All positive S.

Novel NMR-Based Approach to Reveal the 'Metabolic Fingerprint' of Cytotoxic Gold Drugs in Cancer Cells.

A combination of pathway enrichment and metabolite clustering analysis is used to interpret untargeted H NMR metabolomics data, enabling a biochemically informative comparison of the effects induced by a panel of known cytotoxic gold(I) and gold(III) compounds in A2780 ovarian cancer cells. The identification of the most dysregulated pathways for the major classes of compounds highlights specific chemical features that lead to common biological effects. The proposed approach may have broader applicability to the screening of metal-based drug candidate libraries, which is always complicated by their multitarget nature, and support the comprehensive interpretation of their metabolic actions.

From Nutritional Patterns to Behavior: High-Fat Diet Influences on Inhibitory Control, Brain Gene Expression, and Metabolomics in Rats.

Impulsive and compulsive behaviors are associated with inhibitory control deficits. Diet plays a pivotal role in normal development, impacting both physiology and behavior. However, the specific effects of a high-fat diet (HFD) on inhibitory control have not received adequate attention.

Molecular characterization of Staphylococcus aureus from nasal samples of healthy pet cats.

The objective of this study was to characterize Staphylococcus aureus isolates recovered from the nasal samples of healthy pet cats in Algiers province. A total of 138 nasal swabs were collected. Antimicrobial susceptibility was conducted using the disk-diffusion method and the VITEK-2 susceptibility system.

Metabolomic profiling of COVID-19 using serum and urine samples in intensive care and medical ward cohorts.

The COVID-19 pandemic remains a significant global health threat, with uncertainties persisting regarding the factors determining whether individuals experience mild symptoms, severe conditions, or succumb to the disease. This study presents an NMR metabolomics-based approach, analysing 80 serum and urine samples from COVID-19 patients (34 intensive care patients and 46 hospitalized patients) and 32 from healthy controls. Our research identifies discriminant metabolites and clinical variables relevant to COVID-19 diagnosis and severity.

Staphylococcus aureus: No ticket for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games!

Athletes are vulnerable to Staphylococcus aureus infections due to skin-to-skin contact and skin abrasions during training and competitions involving sharied sport equipment or toiletries, which promote the spread of the bacteria between athletes and within sport teams. This results not only in higher prevalence of S.aureus carriage among athletes compared to the general population, but also in outbreaks of infections, particularly skin infections, within sports teams.

Proteomic assay for rapid characterisation of Staphylococcus aureus antimicrobial resistance mechanisms directly from blood cultures.

Purpose: Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common pathogens causing bloodstream infection. A rapid characterisation of resistance to methicillin and, occasionally, to aminoglycosides for particular indications, is therefore crucial to quickly adapt the treatment and improve the clinical outcomes of septic patients. Among analytical technologies, targeted liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has emerged as a promising tool to detect resistance mechanisms in clinical samples.

Molecular characterization and antimicrobial resistance of nasal Staphylococcus aureus in the community of Kabul.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and molecular characteristics of community methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nasal carriage among students at Kabul University.

Methods: Nasal swabs were collected from anterior nares of 150 healthy non-medical students at Kabul University. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed on all S.

Serum nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics analysis of human metastatic colorectal cancer: Biomarkers and pathway analysis.

We describe the use of nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics to analyze blood serum samples from healthy individuals (n = 26) and those with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC; n = 57). The assessment, employing both linear and nonlinear multivariate data analysis techniques, revealed specific metabolite changes associated with metastatic CRC, including increased levels of lactate, glutamate, and pyruvate, and decreased levels of certain amino acids and total fatty acids. Biomarker ratios such as glutamate-to-glutamine and pyruvate-to-alanine were also found to be related to CRC.

Disinfection of incubators in neonatal intensive care units: impact of steam pulverization on bacterial colonization.

Background: In neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), neonates requiring medical care after birth, including very vulnerable preterm infants, are housed in incubators. Previous studies have reported that the standard chemical disinfection measures used to disinfect these incubators are insufficient to eradicate contaminating bacteria, leading to a worrying infectious risk for preterm neonates. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a disinfection method based on steam pulverization to eradicate the persistent bacterial contamination in such incubators.

Sensitivity of the PBP2a SA Culture Colony Test on shortly incubated subcultures of methicillin-resistant staphylococci from positive blood cultures.

The sensitivity of an immunochromatographic assay for detecting methicillin resistance (PBP2a SA Culture Colony Test, Alere-Abbott) on shortly incubated subcultures of staphylococci in blood cultures was evaluated. The assay is highly sensitive for the detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus after 4 hour-subculture but requires 6 hour-incubation for methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci.

Linezolid resistance: detection of the cfr(B) gene in French clinical MRSA strains.

Objectives: To describe two linezolid-resistant MRSA strains carrying the cfr(B) gene detected in the French National Reference Centre for staphylococci.

Methods: Two linezolid-resistant MRSA strains isolated from cystic fibrosis patients in two different French hospitals in 2017 and 2019 were examined to explore the mechanisms of linezolid resistance. Antimicrobial susceptibility was tested using broth microdilution and gradient strips.

Bacteriophage-based decontamination to control environmental colonization by in neonatal intensive care units: An proof-of-concept.

Introduction: In neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), the standard chemical-based disinfection procedures do not allow a complete eradication of pathogens from environmental surfaces. In particular, the clone NRCS-A, a significant pathogen in neonates, was shown to colonize neonatal incubators. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a bacteriophage cocktail on NRCS-A eradication.

Environmental Persistence of Staphylococcus capitis NRCS-A in Neonatal Intensive Care Units: Role of Biofilm Formation, Desiccation, and Disinfectant Tolerance.

The clone Staphylococcus capitis NRCS-A is responsible for late-onset sepsis in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) worldwide. Over time, this clone has evolved into three subgroups that are increasingly adapted to the NICU environment. This study aimed to decipher the mechanisms involved in NRCS-A persistence in NICUs.

Phage Therapy against : Selection and Optimization of Production Protocols of Novel Broad-Spectrum Phages.

Phage therapy a promising antimicrobial strategy to address antimicrobial resistance for infections caused by the major human pathogen . Development of therapeutic phages for human use should follow pharmaceutical standards, including selection of strictly lytic bacteriophages with high therapeutic potential and optimization of their production process. Here, we describe three novel phages active against 82% of a large collection of strains (n = 150) representative of various methicillin-susceptible and -resistant clones circulating worldwide.

The Isolation of Specialty Compounds from Biomass by Two-Step Solid-Phase and Liquid-Liquid Extraction.

The two main methods for partitioning crude methanolic extract from biomass were compared. The objective was to obtain three enriched fractions containing amphidinols (APDs), carotenoids, and fatty acids. Since the most valuable bioproducts are APDs, their recovery was the principal goal.

A fusidic acid-resistant (PVL+) clone is associated with the increase in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in New Caledonia.

Objectives: Since 2014, Staphylococcus aureus methicillin resistance has been rapidly increasing in New Caledonia and is associated with potential serious clinical repercussions. In the present study, we investigated the epidemiology of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in New Caledonia and the possible emergence of a particular clonal strain.

Persistence of a multidrug-resistant worldwide-disseminated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis clone harbouring the cfr linezolid resistance gene in a French hospital with evidence of interspecies transfer to several Staphylococcus aureus lineages.

Background: Resistance to linezolid has become a worldwide concern since it is one of the last-resort antibiotics to treat multidrug-resistant staphylococcal and enterococcal infections.

Objectives: We investigated staphylococcal infections caused by 16 cfr-positive linezolid-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus isolates in a French university hospital from 2015 to 2018.

Methods: Antimicrobial susceptibility of isolates was tested by broth microdilution and gradient strips.

NMR-based Metabolomics and Fatty Acid Profiles to Unravel Biomarkers in Preclinical Animal Models of Compulsive Behavior.

Compulsivity is a key manifestation of inhibitory control deficit and a cardinal symptom of psychopathological conditions such as obsessive-compulsive and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders, in which metabolic alterations have raised attention as putative biomarkers for early identification. The present study assessed the metabolic profile in a preclinical model of a compulsive phenotype of rats. We used the schedule-induced polydipsia (SIP) method to classify male Wistar rats into high drinkers (HDs) or low drinkers (LDs) according to their compulsive drinking rate developed by exposure to a fixed-time 60 s (FT-60) schedule of reinforcement with water available during 20 sessions.

Sub-Inhibitory Concentrations of Oxacillin, but Not Clindamycin, Linezolid, or Tigecycline, Decrease Staphylococcal Phenol-Soluble Modulin Expression in Community-Acquired Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Staphylococcus aureus (SA) is a major human pathogen producing virulence factors, such as Panton-Valentine-leucocidin (PVL), alpha-hemolysin (Hla), and phenol-soluble-modulins alpha (PSMα), including delta-hemolysin (Hld). Unlike oxacillin, clindamycin and linezolid subinhibitory concentrations (sub-MIC) display an anti-toxin effect on PVL and Hla expression. Few studies have investigated PSMα and Hld expression modulation by antibiotics.

Heterogeneous vancomycin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus does not predict development of vancomycin resistance upon vancomycin pressure.

Background: It is unclear whether Staphylococcus aureus with heterogeneous intermediate vancomycin resistance (hVISA) can develop vancomycin resistance faster than vancomycin-susceptible S. aureus (VSSA) strains.

Methods: We compared the kinetics of vancomycin MIC increase for 15 days of sustained in vitro vancomycin exposure for clinical hVISA (n = 12) and VSSA (n = 24) isolates, as well as for reference strains Mu3 (hVISA) and ATCC 29213 (VSSA).

Evaluation of ORAC, IR and NMR metabolomics for predicting ripening stage and variety in melon (Cucumis melo L.).

A combination of FTIR- and NMR-based metabolomics approaches coupled to multivariate data analysis techniques was used for the first time to characterize and explore the metabolic changes along the ripening of two Spanish melon landraces (Jimbee N and Jimbee XL). Furthermore, the fatty acids profile and the antioxidant capacity were investigated by GC-FID and ORAC method, respectively. Despite FTIR was able to identify changes in the sugars content between fruits of different maturity stages, it failed to discriminate between both varieties, being exceeded by NMR in both situations.