Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry: a powerful tool for identification of Corynebacterium species.

Background: Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a powerful tool that has initiated a revolution in the clinical microbiology laboratory for identification of nosocomial pathogens. The efficacy of MALDI-TOF MS produced by bioMerieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France (VITEK MS) for detecting Corynebacterium remains unknown.

Methods: Corynebacterium isolates were isolated from clinical specimen in a tertial teaching hospital from 2012 to 2013.

Sources of sporadic Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonizations/infections in surgical ICUs: Association with contaminated sink trap.

Background: Many studies have reported the hospital outbreaks of Pseudomonas aeruginosa due to cross-contamination between patients and water fittings, but the importance of water fittings as sources of sporadic P. aeruginosa colonizations/infections remains ambiguous.

Aim: To investigate the sources of sporadic P.

Synchronizing terahertz wave generation with attosecond bursts.

We perform a joint measurement of terahertz waves and high-harmonics generated from argon atoms driven by a fundamental laser pulse and its second harmonic. By correlating their dependence on the phase delay between the two pulses, we determine the generation of THz waves in tens of attoseconds precision. Compared with simulations and models, we find that the laser-assisted soft collision of the electron wave packet with the atomic core plays a key role.

Coherently controlled terahertz source for a time domain spectroscopy system via injection current in bulk ZnSe.

We have observed terahertz generation via injection current induced by harmonically related two-color beams in an unbiased ZnSe bulk at room temperature using a femtosecond Ti:sapphire oscillator. The terahertz intensity is just several times smaller than that obtained via optical rectification and further enhancements are believed possible. Experimental results demonstrate that the terahertz radiation is mainly attributed to the transition from the split-off band.

Antimicrobial susceptibility and genetic characteristics of Haemophilus influenzae isolated from community-acquired respiratory tract infection patients in Shanghai City, China.

Haemophilus influenzae is an important causative pathogen of community-acquired respiratory infection in China. In this study we investigated 37 H. influenzae strains isolated from patients with community-acquired respiratory tract infections (CARTI) in Shanghai city between Dec 2008 and Apr 2009.

A prospective study of intrafamilial transmission and antimicrobial susceptibility of Moraxella catarrhalis.

Moraxella catarrhalis has been recognized as a particularly threatening respiratory tract pathogen in humans. A prospective study was performed to investigate which strains of M. catarrhalis can be transmitted within families; the study also addressed features of antimicrobial susceptibility.

[Genetic diversity of Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 in hospital water distribution systems in Shanghai].

Objective: To classify Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 (LP1) isolated from the water distribution systems in hospitals of Shanghai by using genotying methods, and therefore to explore the genetic relationship between different genotypes.

Methods: LP1 was isolated from 8 hospitals in Shanghai, and strains of LP1 were subtyped using pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Genotyping results of PFGE were classified as dendrogram, and cluster analysis was used to compare the genetic characteristics of different strains.