S. lugdunensis endocarditis led to substantial morbidity and mortality. Detailed microbiological identification, echocardiography evaluation, and valve replacement may improve the clinical outcome of individuals with S. lugdunensis endocarditis.

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A clustering analysis method using the number of commonly exposed groups identified as a clustering criterion for a group of peptide structures generated from an in vacuo molecular dynamics simulation is presented. The number of commonly exposed groups is identified as the number of atoms of the same type which appear on vertices of groups of three dimensional convex hulls computed for groups of structures sampled and collected as blocks. Blocks of structures of high structural similarity are classified as clusters if their corresponding number of commonly exposed groups identified are larger than a preset criterion. Linkages between blocks are provided with the generation of blocks consisting of overlapping structures. However, the linkage can be eliminated by employing a minimal distance criterion for each block generated. The feasibility of this proposed clustering method is tested through a comparison of results obtained from a conventional and a hierarchical clustering method. Since change in fine structural features can be detected as the change in the number of commonly exposed groups identified, we find that the method is superior to the conventional clustering one in partitioning compact and well-separated clusters.

Rotavirus infection has been the leading cause of gastroenteritis among children in Taiwan. Studies have shown that 40% of hospitalization for acute gastroenteritis can be prevented through the use of vaccines, including a live, attenuated monovalent rotavirus vaccine and a pentavalent, human-bovine reassortant rotavirus vaccine. In 2009, the World Health Organization suggested that rotavirus vaccine should be included in all national immunization programs. This review summarizes issues and recommendations discussed during an expert meeting in Taiwan. The recommendations included: (1) rotavirus vaccine should be offered to all healthy infants (including those without contraindications, such as immunodeficiency) at an appropriate age; (2) either monovalent or pentavalent vaccine can be administered concurrently with routine injected vaccines; (3) the administration of rotavirus vaccine must be administered at least 2 weeks prior to oral polio vaccination; (4) the first vaccine dose for infants should be administered between age 6 weeks and age 14 weeks 6 days and the course should be completed by age 8 months 0 day; (5) pentavalent vaccines can be administered at 2 months, 4 months, and 6 months while monovalent vaccines can be taken at 2 months and 4 months; (6) a combined use of monovalent and pentavalent vaccine is justified only when the previous dose is unavailable or unknown; and (7) rotavirus vaccines may be given to premature infants, human immunodeficiency virus infected infants and infants who have received or are going to receive blood products.