Aims: The aim of this study was to characterise clinical and microbiological features of isolates obtained from both invasive and non-invasive Streptococcus pyogenes infections in Hong Kong, between October 2005 and April 2008.
Method: Clinical data of invasive isolates were collected retrospectively. Altogether 281 isolates were emm sequence typed and tested for antimicrobial susceptibility using disk diffusion method. Detection of the presence of the streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin genes was also carried out.
Results: emm1, emm4 and emm12 were the most prevalent in both the invasive and non-invasive groups with an increase in incidence of emm22 compared with a previous study. emm22 was associated with invasive cellulitis and wound infection. The overall rate of erythromycin resistance was 25.6% and was significantly higher in emm22 strains (85.7%). The phage-encoded superantigen gene speA was exclusively associated with emm1 in both invasive and non-invasive isolates.
Conclusion: This study revealed a changing epidemiology of S. pyogenes infection in Hong Kong, with a unique pattern compared with other Asian countries. Invasiveness is not related to the presence of speA, speC or ssa genes and the antimicrobial resistance rate was high for macrolides. The findings have an implication on the use and efficacy of the polyvalent S. pyogenes vaccine under development.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/00313020903257723 | DOI Listing |
Alzheimers Dement
January 2025
Department of Neuroscience, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
Introduction: Antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) have shown promise in reducing amyloid precursor protein (APP) levels in neurons, but their effects in astrocytes, key contributors to neurodegenerative diseases, remain unclear. This study evaluates the efficacy of APP ASOs in astrocytes derived from an individual with Down syndrome (DS), a population at high risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Methods: Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) from a healthy individual and an individual with DS were differentiated into astrocytes.
Chem Sci
January 2025
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Anhui University of Technology Ma'anshan 243032 Anhui China
Organic compounds present promising options for sustainable zinc battery electrodes. Nevertheless, the electrochemical properties of current organic electrodes still lag behind those of their inorganic counterparts. In this study, nitro groups were incorporated into pyrene-4, 5, 9, 10-tetraone (PTO), resulting in an elevated discharge voltage due to their strong electron-withdrawing capabilities.
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January 2025
Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Background: Bimanual motor training is an effective neurological rehabilitation strategy. However, its use has rarely been investigated in patients with paralysis caused by spinal cord injury (SCI). Therefore, we conducted a case study to investigate the effects of robot-assisted task-oriented bimanual training (RBMT) on upper limb function, activities of daily living, and movement-related sensorimotor activity in a patient with SCI.
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January 2025
Department of Dermatology, Skin Research Institute of Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic and inflammatory skin disorder characterized by impaired barrier function and imbalanced immunity. Recent advances have revealed that dysbiosis of skin microbiota plays important roles in the pathogenesis and development of AD. Meanwhile, endogenous and external factors contribute to the dysbiosis of skin microbiota in AD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComput Struct Biotechnol J
December 2024
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518107, China.
According to global cancer statistics for the year 2022, based on updated estimates from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, there were approximately 20 million new cases of cancer in 2022 alongside 9.7 million related deaths. Lung, breast, colorectal, gastric, and liver cancers are the most common types of cancer.
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