Molecular characterisation of Staphylococcus aureus in school-age children in Guangzhou: associations among agr types, virulence genes, sequence types, and antibiotic resistant phenotypes.

BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus, one of the most prevalent opportunistic pathogens, mainly colonizes the nasal cavity and is a risk factor for severe infections. Virulence factors and accessory gene regulator (agr) are key to the severity and diversity of staphylococcal infection. In this study, we aimed to characterise S. aureus agr-types and virulence genes and correlated them with genetic background and antibiotic-resistant phenotypes. RESULTS: Agr types were identified in 704 isolates (98.5%), with only 11 isolates were negative for agr type. Most of our isolates were classified as agr type I, followed by types III, II and IV. The enterotoxin c gene (sec) was detected in 48.6% of isolates, showing the highest prevalence among the five enterotoxin genes detected. The positivity rates for the lukS/F-PV and tsst genes were 4% and 2.2%, respectively, while neither sed nor SasX were detected. ST45, ST59, ST338, ST188, ST6, ST7, ST22, ST25, ST398, and ST944 belonged to agr I group, while ST5 and ST15 belonged to agr II group. ST30 and ST1 were classified into agr III group, and ST121 was assigned into agr IV group. The tsst gene was found exclusively within agr I and III types belonging to ST7 and ST30 isolates, while the lukS/F-PV was predominantly carried by agr I type isolates primarily within CC59 and CC22 clones. Among the methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates, 89.7% belonged to agr I group, and 97.8% of rifampicin-resistant or intermediate isolates were assigned to agr I group. MRSA isolates harboured more tested virulence genes compared to methicillin-susceptible S. aureus isolates. CONCLUSIONS: We characterized the distributions of agr types and eight major virulence genes of 715 S. aureus isolates, and our findings revealed clear associations between agr types and STs, as well as virulence genes, and drug resistant phenotypes.

Integrin α2 gene polymorphism is a risk factor of coronary artery lesions in Chinese children with Kawasaki disease.

BACKGROUND: Kawasaki disease (KD) is a systemic vasculitis, and the formation of coronary artery lesions(CAL) is its most common sequela. Both genetic and environmental factors are considered to be important factors of in KD. Integrin α2 (ITGA2) is a transmembrane receptor that is associated with susceptibility to several diseases, but its relevance to KD with CAL is unclear. METHODS: We genotyped ITGA2 rs1126643 in 785 KD patients with the CAL and no-CAL(NCAL) (300 patients with CAL, and 485 age- and sex-matched patients with NCAL). OR (95% CI) and adjusted OR (95% CI) were used to evaluate the intensity of the association. RESULTS: We found a significantly increased risk of KD with CAL associated with ITGA2 rs1126643 genotypes (CT vs CC: adjusted OR = 1.57, 95% CI = 1.16-2.12, P = 0.0032; CT/TT vs CC: adjusted OR = 1.49, 95% CI = 1.12-2.00, P = 0.0068; T vs C: adjusted OR = 1.66, 95% CI = 1.16-2.51, P = 0.0165). Moreover, we found that carriers of the CT/TT genotype had a significant risk of KD with coronary artery lesion susceptibility for children ≤60 months of age, and the CT/TT genotype was significantly associated with an increased risk of SCAL formation and MCAL formation when compared with the CC genotype. CONCLUSION: ITGA2 rs1126643 was associated with increased susceptibility and severity of CAL in KD.

Strain-Guided Oxidative Nanoperforation on Graphene.

Increased applications of nanoporous graphene in nanoelectronics and membrane separations require ordered and precise perforation of graphene, whose scalablility and time/cost effectiveness represent a significant challenge in existing nanoperforation methods, such as catalytical etching and lithography. A strain-guided perforation of graphene through oxidative etching is reported, where nanopores nucleate selectively at the bulges induced by the prepatterned nanoprotrusions underneath. Using reactive molecular dynamics and theoretical models, the perforation mechanisms are uncovered through the relationship between bulge-induced strain and enhanced etching reactivity. Parallel experiments of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of graphene on SiO2 NPs/SiO2 substrates verify the feasibility of such strain-guided perforation and evolution of pore size by exposure of varied durations to oxygen plasma. This scalable method can be feasibly applied to a broad variety of 2D materials (e.g., graphene and h-boron nitride) and nanoprotrusions (e.g., SiO2 and C60 nanoparticles), allowing rational fabrication of 2D material-based devices.

Rapid Programmable Nanodroplet Motion on a Strain-Gradient Surface.

When a nanodroplet is placed on a lattice surface, an inhomogeneous surface strain field perturbs the balance of van der Waals force between the nanodroplet and surface, thus providing a net driving force for nanodroplet motion. Using molecular dynamics and theoretical analysis, we study the effect of strain gradient on modulating the movement of a nanodroplet. Both modeling and simulation show that the driving force is opposite to the direction of strain gradient, with a magnitude that is proportional to the strain gradient as well as nanodroplet size. Two representative surfaces, graphene and copper (111) plane, are exemplified to demonstrate the controllable motion of the nanodroplet. When the substrate undergoes various types of reversible deformations, multiple motion modes of nanodroplets can be feasibly achieved, including acceleration, deceleration, and turning, becoming a facile strategy to manipulate nanodroplets along a designed two-dimensional pathway.