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Objective:The aim of this in vitro experimental series was to explore the mode of action of a hydrocellular polyurethane foam dressing (HPFD) and how its advanced features support beneficial interactions with the wound bed to address common barriers to wound healing, thus supporting improved clinical outcomes.Method:Multiple in vitro microbiological tests were performed, assessing prevention of bacterial ingress, surface removal of bacteria, bacterial sequestration and retention into the dressing in a clinically relevant environment. Odour molecule concentrations were measured using gas chromatography and further assays explored matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 retention in the dressing using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.Results:The HPFD demonstrated marked reductions in bioburden levels across multiple tests. These included prevention of bacterial ingress for seven days, removal of surface bacteria and absorption into the dressing. Further tests identified that most bacteria were sequestered into the hyperabsorbent layer (90.5% for Pseudomonas aeruginosaand 89.6% for meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). Moreover, the majority of bacteria (99.99% for both test organisms) were retained within the dressing, even upon compression. Additional tests demonstrated a marked reduction of odour molecules following incubation with HPFD and total retention of protease MMP-9 within the dressing.Conclusions:Proactive management of the wound environment with an appropriate advanced wound dressing, such as the HPFD examined in these in vitro investigations, can not only help to minimise the barriers to healing, as observed across this test series by direct interaction with the wound bed, but may, as a result, provide an ideal environment for wound progression with minimal disturbance.

Eighty percent of global cardiovascular disease (CVD) is projected to occur in low- and middle -income countries (LMICs), yet local epidemiological data are scarce. We provide the first population-based, adjudicated CVD prevalence estimates in Port-au-Prince, Haiti to describe the spectrum of heart disease and investigate associated risk factors.

In this era of globalization, as the health problems of poor countries and rich countries become increasingly intertwined, medical research is being conducted at the international level. (1) For example, [...]

•High-risk, carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosaclones were detected in clinical isolates from Haiti.•Multidrug-resistant phenotypes were observed both in new and established sequence types.•Colistin resistance was detected in two clinical isolates tested in this study.

Schistosome infection is recognized as a potentially modifiable risk factor for HIV in women by the World Health Organization. Alterations in cervicovaginal bacteria have been associated with HIV acquisition and have not been studied in schistosome infection. We collected cervical swabs from Tanzanian women with and without S. mansoniand S. haematobiumto determine effects on cervicovaginal microbiota. Infected women were treated, and follow-up swabs were collected after 3 months. 16S rRNA sequencing was performed on DNA extracted from swabs. We compared 39 women with S. mansoniwith 52 uninfected controls, and 16 with S. haematobiumwith 27 controls. S. mansoni-infected women had increased abundance of Peptostreptococcus(p?=?0.026) and presence of Prevotella timonesis(p?=?0.048) compared to controls. High-intensity S. haematobiuminfection was associated with more diverse cervicovaginal bacterial communities than uninfected controls (p?=?0.0159). High-intensity S. mansoniinfection showed a similar trend (p?=?0.154). At follow-up, we observed increased alpha diversity in S. mansoni(2.53 vs. 1.72, p?=?0.022) and S. haematobium(2.05 vs. 1.12, p?=?0.066) infection groups compared to controls. Modifications in cervicovaginal microbiota, particularly increased diversity and abundance of taxa associated with bacterial vaginosis and HIV (Peptostreptococcus, Prevotella), were associated with schistosome infection.

Despite their therapeutic benefits, antibiotics exert collateral damage on the microbiome and promote antimicrobial resistance. However, the mechanisms governing microbiome recovery from antibiotics are poorly understood. Treatment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the world’s most common infection, represents the longest antimicrobial exposure in humans. Here, we investigate gut microbiome dynamics over 20 months of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) and 6 months of drug-sensitive TB treatment in humans. We find that gut microbiome dynamics and TB clearance are shared predictive cofactors of the resolution of TB-driven inflammation. The initial severe taxonomic and functional microbiome disruption, pathobiont domination, and enhancement of antibiotic resistance that initially accompanied long-term antibiotics were countered by later recovery of commensals. This resilience was driven by the competing evolution of antimicrobial resistance mutations in pathobionts and commensals, with commensal strains with resistance mutations reestablishing dominance. Fecal-microbiota transplantation of the antibiotic-resistant commensal microbiome in mice recapitulated resistance to further antibiotic disruption. These findings demonstrate that antimicrobial resistance mutations in commensals can have paradoxically beneficial effects by promoting microbiome resilience to antimicrobials and identify microbiome dynamics as a predictor of disease resolution in antibiotic therapy of a chronic infection.

Background: In developing countries, Isospora belli and Cyclospora cayetanensis frequently cause chronic diarrhea in HIV-infected patients. Objective: To compare 1 week of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole treatment and 1 week of ciprofloxacin treatment in HIV-infected patients with chronic diarrhea caused by I. belli and C. cayetanensis. Design: Randomized, controlled trial. Setting: HIV clinic in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Patients: 42 HIV-infected patients with chronic diarrhea due to I. belli(n = 22) or C cayetanensis (n = 20). Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned to receive oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (160 mg or 800 mg) or ciprofloxacin (500 mg) twice daily for 7 days. Patients who responded clinically and microbiologically received prophylaxis for 10 weeks (1 tablet orally, three times per week). Measurements: Treatment success was measured by cessation of diarrhea and negative stool examination at day 7. Prophylaxis success was measured by recurrent disease rate. Results: Diarrhea ceased in all 19 patients treated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Eighteen of 19 patients had negative results on stool examination at day 7 (95%). Among the 23 patients who received ciprofloxacin, diarrhea ceased in 20 (87% [CI, 66% to 97%]) and 16 had negative results on stool examination at day 7 (70%). By survival analysis, diarrhea from isosporiasis and cyclosporiasis ceased more rapidly with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole than with ciprofloxacin. All patients receiving secondary prophylaxis with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole remained disease-free, and 15 of 16 patients receiving secondary prophylaxis with ciprofloxacin remained disease-free. Conclusions: A 1-week course of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole is effective in HIV-infected patients with cyclosporiasis or isosporiasis. Although ciprofloxacin is not as effective, it is acceptable for patients who cannot tolerate trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.

After nine years as the girls' swim coach at East Hartford (Conn.) High School and six years teaching and coaching middle-school sports in Windsor (Conn.), Mary Anne Bojko was excited [...]

Gaps remain in our understanding of the contribution of bypass-related practices associated with red blood cell (RBC) transfusions after cardiac surgery. Variability exists in the reporting of bypass-related practices in the peer-reviewed literature. In an effort to create uniformity in reporting, a draft statement outlining proposed minimal criteria for reporting cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB)-related contributions (i.e., RBC data collection/documentation, clinical considerations for transfusions, equipment details, and clinical endpoints) was presented in conjunction with the American Society of ExtraCorporeal Technology’s (AmSECT’s) 2014 Quality and Outcomes Meeting (Baltimore, MD). Based on presentations and feedback from the conference, coauthors (n= 14) developed and subsequently voted on each proposed data element. Data elements receiving a total of ≤4 votes were dropped from further consideration, 5–9 votes were considered as “Recommended,” and elements receiving ≥10 votes were considered as “Mandatory.” A total of 52 elements were classified as mandatory, 16 recommended, and 14 dropped. There are 8 mandatory data elements for RBC data collection/documentation, 24 for clinical considerations for transfusions, 13 for equipment details, and 7 for clinical endpoints. We present 52 mandatory data elements reflecting CPB-related contributions to RBC transfusions. Consistency of such reporting would offer our community an increased opportunity to shed light on the relationship between intra-operative practices and RBC transfusions.

Male circumcision is being widely deployed as an HIV prevention strategy in countries with high HIV incidence, but its uptake in sub-Saharan Africa has been below targets. We did a study to establish whether educating religious leaders about male circumcision would increase uptake in their village.

Introduction:Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality in low-income countries (LICs). Neighborhood social vulnerability has been associated with increased CVD risk in high-income countries, but the relationship is unknown in LICs. Our objective was to determine the association between neighborhood social vulnerability and prevalent CVD in urban Haiti.Hypothesis:We hypothesize that adults living in neighborhoods with increased social vulnerability will have a greater prevalence of hypertension (HTN) and CVD.Methods:We used cross-sectional enrollment data from the Haiti CVD Cohort study, a population-based cohort of adults ≥18 years living in Port-au-Prince distributed across 97 census blocks. To quantify vulnerability, we created a Haiti-specific Neighborhood Social Vulnerability Index (NSVI) based on the US CDC Social Vulnerability Index. The NSVI included three socioeconomic variables (income, sex, education), two household variables (single parent household, household with child <18 years), and six neighborhood stress and well-being variables (neighborhood cohesion, neighborhood violence, perceived stress, food insecurity, depression, social support). Each variable was determined using validated questionnaires. NSVI was calculated for each census block, which were stratified into quartiles. HTN was defined as SBP ≥140 mmHg, DBP ≥90, or on antihypertensive medications; CVD included heart failure, stroke, myocardial infarction, and angina, defined using adjudicated criteria. HTN and CVD prevalence were calculated for each NSVI quartile. Associations between NSVI quartile and HTN or CVD were quantified using individual-level multivariate logistic regression to adjust for confounders.Results:Among 2932 participants, median age was 40 years (IQR 28-55) and 58% were female. Age-standardized prevalence of HTN and CVD was 32.3% and 13.8%, respectively. The age-standardized prevalence of HTN and CVD was 35.7% and 17.3% across 4thNSVI quartile blocks, compared to 29.1% and 14.1% across 1stquartile NSVI blocks (p < 0.001). After adjusting for age, BMI, smoking, and alcohol use, participants living in 4thNSVI quartile blocks had a greater risk of HTN (Adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) 1.42; 95% CI 1.07-1.88; p-value 0.01) and CVD (aOR 1.36; CI: 0.99-1.88; p-value 0.06) compared to participants in the 1stNSVI quartile blocks. NSVI was significantly associated with HTN in males but not females; conversely, NSVI was significantly associated with CVD in females and not males.Conclusions:Individuals living in neighborhoods with the greatest social vulnerability had a higher prevalence of HTN and CVD. Even in a setting of severe poverty such as urban Haiti, gradients in social vulnerabilities are associated with CVD disparities. Screening for social vulnerabilities should be incorporated into CVD prevention and treatment interventions in LICs.

Introduction:Over 80% of the global cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden is in low-income countries, including Haiti. Emerging data from these settings indicate CVD risk factors occur earlier in the life-course, but our knowledge of the age of onset and associated factors is limited. This study provides the first population-based estimates of CVD risk factors among young people ages 18-30 years in Haiti.Hypothesis:We hypothesized that elevated blood pressure (pre-hypertension (SBP/DBP >120-140/80-89) or hypertension (SBP/DBP >140/90 or on treatment) is the most common CVD risk factor among young people ages 18-30 years with an estimated prevalence >15%.Methods:This is a cross-sectional analysis within the Haiti CVD Cohort Study, a population-based longitudinal study of adults ≥18 years in Port au Prince. Participants were enrolled between March 2019-April 2021 using multistage random sampling. At enrollment, sociodemographic and health behaviors were assessed coupled with a physical exam and laboratory measures. CVD risk factors included: elevated BP, dyslipidemia (LDL-C ≥100mg/dL), kidney disease (urine albumin creatinine ratio (ACR) or estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)), obesity (BMI > 30kg/m2), and smoking, alcohol use, and physical activity using the WHO STEPS survey.Results:Among 957 participants ages 18-30 years, median age was 24 years (IQR 21-27) and 52% were female. Prevalence of elevated BP was 23% (20% pre-hypertension, 3% hypertension), 34% dyslipidemia, 5% ACR ≥30mg/g, 0.21% eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73, and 7% obese. Other CVD risk factors include: 4% were current smokers, 6% reported any lifetime tobacco use, 19% reported one or more alcoholic drinks per day, and 47% reported low physical activity.Compared to participants ages 18-24 years, those ages 25-30 years had higher odds of pre-hypertension/hypertension (aOR=1.56, 95% CI: 1.13-2.15), but lower odds of dyslipidemia (aOR=0.55, 95% CI: 0.41-0.74). Females had lower odds of pre-hypertension/hypertension (aOR= 0.24, 95% CI: 0.17-0.35) and dyslipidemia (aOR=0.47, 95% CI: 0.35-0.64). Being obese was associated with a higher odds of pre-hypertension/hypertension (aOR=2.21, 95% CI: 1.14-4.16) but lower odds of dyslipidemia (aOR= 0.35, 95%CI: 0.20-0.61) compared to normal weight.Conclusion:These data provide previously unknown population-based estimates of CVD risk factors among young people in a low-income country. Rates of elevated BP and dyslipidemia are alarmingly high and occur prematurely in the life-course in this cohort and are associated with risk of future CVD events and mortality. Despite low prevalence of smoking and drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco was still associated with an increased odds of dyslipidemia. Additional drivers of early-onset CVD risk factors must be identified to guide targeted interventions for primordial and primary prevention as well as treatment.

The 2007 Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the Soci ety of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists Clinical Practice Guide line for Perioperative Blood Transfusion and Blood Conservation in Cardiac Surgery was recently promulgated and has received much attention. Using a survey of cardiac anesthesiologists and perfusionists’ clinical practice, we assessed the current practices of perfusion, anesthesia, and surgery, as recommended by the Guidelines and also determined the role the Guidelines had in changing these practices. Nontrainee members of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, the American Academy of Cardiovascular Perfusion, the Canadian Society of Clinical Perfusion, and the American Society of ExtraCorporeal Technology were surveyed using a standardized survey instrument that examined clinical practices and responses to the Guidelines. One thousand four hundred and two surveys from 1,061 institutions principally in the United States (677 institutions) and Canada (34 institutions) were returned, with a 32% response rate. There was wide distribution of the Guidelines with 78% of anesthesiologists and 67% of perfusionists reporting having read all, part, or a summary of the Guidelines. However, only 20% of respondents reported that an institutional discussion had taken place as a result of the Guidelines, and only 14% of respondents reported that an institutional monitoring group had been formed. There was wide variability in current preoperative testing, perfusion, surgical, and pharmacological practices reported by respondents. Twenty-six percent of respondents reported one or more practice changes in response to the Guidelines. The changes made were reported to be highly (9%) or somewhat effective (31%) in reducing overall transfusion rates. Only four of 38 Guideline recommendations were reported by more than 5% of respondents to have been changed in response to the Guidelines. Wide variation in clinical practices of cardiac surgery was reported. Little change in clinical practices was attributed to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons/Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists Guidelines.

Soft robots possess many attributes that are difficult, if not impossible, to achieve with conventional robots composed of rigid materials. Yet, despite recent advances, soft robots must still be tethered to hard robotic control systems and power sources. New strategies for creating completely soft robots, including soft analogues of these crucial components, are needed to realize their full potential. Here we report the untethered operation of a robot composed solely of soft materials. The robot is controlled with microfluidic logic that autonomously regulates fluid flow and, hence, catalytic decomposition of an on-board monopropellant fuel supply. Gas generated from the fuel decomposition inflates fluidic networks downstream of the reaction sites, resulting in actuation. The body and microfluidic logic of the robot are fabricated using moulding and soft lithography, respectively, and the pneumatic actuator networks, on-board fuel reservoirs and catalytic reaction chambers needed for movement are patterned within the body via a multi-material, embedded 3D printing technique. The fluidic and elastomeric architectures required for function span several orders of magnitude from the microscale to the macroscale. Our integrated design and rapid fabrication approach enables the programmable assembly of multiple materials within this architecture, laying the foundation for completely soft, autonomous robots.

Converging evidence from neuroimaging studies suggests that impulsive aggression, the core behavior in the DSM-5 diagnosis intermittent explosive disorder (IED), is regulated by frontolimbic brain structures, particularly orbitofrontal cortex, ventral medial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala, insula, and uncus. Despite this evidence, no brain volumetric studies of IED have been reported as yet. This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that gray matter volume in frontolimbic brain structures of subjects with IED is lower than in healthy subjects and subjects with other psychiatric conditions.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—a chronic, debilitating condition, broadly characterized by emotion dysregulation—is prevalent among US military personnel who have returned from Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a first-line treatment for PTSD, but treatment mechanisms are unknown and patient response varies. SSRIs may exert their effects by remediating emotion regulatory brain activity and individual differences in patient response might be explained, in part, by pre-treatment differences in neural systems supporting the downregulation of negative affect. Thirty-four OEF/OIF veterans, 17 with PTSD and 17 without PTSD underwent 2 functional magnetic resonance imaging scans 12 weeks apart. At each scan, they performed an emotion regulation task; in the interim, veterans with PTSD were treated with the SSRI, paroxetine. SSRI treatment increased activation in both the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) and supplementary motor area (SMA) during emotion regulation, although only change in the SMA over time occurred in veterans with PTSD and not those without PTSD. Less activation of the right ventrolateral PFC/inferior frontal gyrus during pre-treatment emotion regulation was associated with greater reduction in PTSD symptoms with SSRI treatment, irrespective of pre-treatment severity. Patients with the least recruitment of prefrontal emotion regulatory brain regions may benefit most from treatment with SSRIs, which appear to augment activity in these regions.

Not Much By Daniel J. Fitzgerald--Pontiac, IL You called, asking what I was doing. Oh, looking for some words I had lost long ago, an end to a conversation begun [...]

Regarding the article on jailed bloggers in Canada ('Caught in the Web,' January-February 2009), you could have done a bit more work than a one-paragraph whitewash of the arrest. Charles [...]

The article discusses the ways for charitable remainder trust (CRT) which enables the clients to make charitable gifts, and take away income, gift and estate tax charitable deductions. It mentions that the clients which encounter with ire of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) can lose the marital deductions to pay avoidable capital gains taxes. It also mentions a court case Estate of Atkinson v. Commissioner related to charitable deduction in charitable remainder annuity trust (CRAT).

The global burden of kidney disease is increasing, and several etiologies first begin in childhood. Risk factors for pediatric kidney disease are common in Africa, but data regarding its prevalence are lacking. We completed a systematic review of community-based studies describing the prevalence of proteinuria, hematuria, abnormal imaging, or kidney dysfunction among children in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Medline and Embase were searched. Five hundred twenty-three references were reviewed. Thirty-two references from nine countries in SSA were included in the qualitative synthesis. The degree of kidney damage and abnormal imaging varied widely: proteinuria 32.5% (2.2–56.0%), hematuria 31.1% (0.6–67.0%), hydronephrosis 11.3% (0.0–38.0%), hydroureter 7.5% (0.0–26.4%), and major kidney abnormalities 0.1% (0.0–0.8%). Serum creatinine was reported in four studies with insufficient detail to identify the prevalence renal dysfunction. A majority of the studies were performed in Schistosoma haematobium endemic areas. A lower prevalence of kidney disease was observed in the few studies from nonendemic areas. Published data on pediatric kidney disease in SSA are highly variable and dependent on S. haematobium prevalence. More community-based studies are needed to describe the burden of pediatric kidney disease, particularly in regions where S. haematobium infection is nonendemic.

We describe our experience in 10 patients (5 males) undergoing resection of a descending thoracic aortic aneurysm or a thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm in which a modified shed whole blood collection and autotransfusion system was used. This modification allows several options for the processing and autotransfusion of shed blood: use of the cell saving device or the ultrafiltration of collected blood, and the autotransfusion of unprocessed shed whole blood. Either low dose heparin or sodium citrate was used for anticoagulation.

Amygdala and insula hyper-reactivity to threat is implicated in social anxiety disorder (SAD) yet inconsistencies in activation have been reported. One source of variance are individual differences in 5-HTTLPR genotype where the short (S), relative to long (L) allele, corresponds with greater amygdala activation. However, the impact of genotype on insula to threat in SAD is not known. During functional MRI, 34 SAD patients and 28 healthy controls completed a perceptual assessment task comprising angry, fear, and happy faces. Results showed no diagnostic group differences in limbicparalimbic regions but within SAD, greater insula, but not amygdala, activation to fearful faces was observed in patients with SS genotype compared with LaLa genotype. Findings indicate genotype influenced insula activation to threat in SAD.

A heightened sensitivity to unpredictable aversiveness is a key component of several anxiety disorders. Neuroimaging studies of unpredictable aversiveness have shown that the anterior region of the insula cortex (AIC) plays a central role in the anticipation of unpredictable aversiveness. The present study extended these findings by examining the role of the AIC in temporal unpredictability (i.e. not knowing when the stimulus will occur), a particularly critical aspect of unpredictability as it increases contextual anxiety and vigilance, given that the danger could happen ‘at any time’. Nineteen healthy participants underwent functional MRI while anticipating either temporally unpredictable or predictable aversive (or neutral) images. Participants showed greater right AIC activation while anticipating unpredictable relative to predictable aversive images. In addition, activation in this region was correlated positively with self-reported individual differences in a key facet of intolerance of uncertainty (inhibitory behavior). Taken together, the present study suggests that the AIC plays an important role in the anticipation of temporally unpredictable aversiveness and may mediate key deficits in anxiety disorders.

Most essential activities in eukaryotic cells are catalyzed by large multiprotein assemblies containing up to ten or more interlocking subunits. The vast majority of these protein complexes are not easily accessible for high resolution studies aimed at unlocking their mechanisms, due to their low cellular abundance and high heterogeneity. Recombinant overproduction can resolve this bottleneck and baculovirus expression vector systems (BEVS) have emerged as particularly powerful tools for the provision of eukaryotic multiprotein complexes in high quality and quantity. Recently, synthetic biology approaches have begun to make their mark in improving existing BEVS reagents by de novo design of streamlined transfer plasmids and by engineering the baculovirus genome. Here we present OmniBac, comprising new custom designed reagents that further facilitate the integration of heterologous genes into the baculovirus genome for multiprotein expression. Based on comparative genome analysis and data mining, we herein present a blueprint to custom design and engineer the entire baculovirus genome for optimized production properties using a bottom-up synthetic biology approach.

Hypertension is believed to be an increasingly common driver of the epidemic of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in sub-Saharan Africa, but prospective data are scarce. The objective of this prospective study was to determine the contribution of hypertension to deaths, admissions, and hospital days at a Tanzanian zonal hospital.

ABSTRACTGenotyping of Mycobacterium tuberculosisstrains became indispensable for understanding tuberculosis transmission dynamics and designing measures to combat the disease. Unfortunately, typing involves sophisticated laboratory analysis, is expensive, and requires a high level of technical expertise, which limited its use in the resource-poor countries where the majority of tuberculosis cases occur. Spoligotyping is a PCR-based M. tuberculosiscomplex genotyping method with advantages of technical simplicity, numerical output, and high reproducibility. It is based on the presence or absence of 43 distinct “spacers” separating insertion elements in the direct repeat region of the M. tuberculosisgenome. The spoligotyping assay involves reverse hybridization of PCR products to the capture spacers attached to nitrocellulose membranes or to microspheres. Here we report modification of the classic 43-spacer method using the new generation of Luminex multiplexing technology with magnetic microspheres. The method was successfully established and validated on strains with known spoligotypes in our laboratory in Haiti. The distribution of spoligotypes determined in a collection of 758 recent M. tuberculosisisolates was in accordance with previous data for Haitian isolates in the SITWITWEB international database, which were obtained with the traditional membrane-based method. In the present form, spoligotyping may be suitable as a high-throughput, first-line tool for genotyping of Mycobacterium tuberculosisin countries with limited resources.

ABSTRACTNitazoxanide (NTZ) has bactericidal activity against the H37Rvlaboratory strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosiswith a MIC of 16 μg/ml. However, its efficacy against clinical isolates of M. tuberculosishas not been determined. We found that NTZ's MIC against 50 clinical isolates ranged from 12 to 28 μg/ml with a median of 16 μg/ml and was unaffected by resistance to first- or second-line antituberculosis drugs or a diversity of spoligotypes.

Observational data and non-human primate challenge studies suggest that cell-mediated immune responses might provide control of HIV replication. The Step Study directly assessed the efficacy of a cell-mediated immunity vaccine to protect against HIV-1 infection or change in early plasma HIV-1 levels.

ABSTRACTThe Latin American-Mediterranean (LAM) family of Mycobacterium tuberculosisis believed to be the cause of ~15% of tuberculosis cases worldwide. Previously, we defined a prevalent sublineage of the LAM family in Brazil by a single characteristic genomic deletion designated RDRio. Using the Brazilian strains, we pinpoint an Ag85C103single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) (screened by restriction fragment length polymorphism [RFLP] analysis) that correctly identified all LAM family strains. Importantly, all RDRiostrains concomitantly possessed the RD174 deletion. These genetic signatures, along with a newly developed multiplex PCR for rapid differentiation between “wild-type” and RDRiostrains, were then used to analyze an international collection of M. tuberculosisstrains. RDRioM. tuberculosiswas identified from four continents involving 11 countries. Phylogenetic analysis of the IS6110-RFLP patterns from representative RDRioand LAM strains from Brazil, along with all representative clusters from a South African database, confirmed their genetic relatedness and transcontinental transmission. The Ag85C103SNP RFLP, as compared to results obtained using a PCR method targeting a LAM-restricted IS6110element, correctly identified 99.8% of LAM spoligotype strains. Together, these tests were more accurate than spoligotyping at categorizing strains with indefinable spoligotypes and segregated true LAM strains from those with convergent spoligotypes. The fact that RDRiostrains were identified worldwide highlights the importance of this LAM family sublineage and suggests that this strain is a global threat that should be specifically targeted by public health resources. Our provision of simple and robust molecular methods will assist the evaluation of the LAM family and the RDRiosublineage.

Background: Alcohol consumption is involved in over half of all trauma‐related injuries. These patients are known to exhibit a higher incidence of mortality and morbidity following injury compared with patients not exposed to ethanol. As studies from our laboratory demonstrated that ethanol exposure impairs re‐epithelialization and angiogenesis after dermal wounding and because the earlier inflammatory phase of wound healing is likely to influence later responses, we chose to examine neutrophil infiltration and chemokine and proinflammatory cytokine levels in the skin following administration of a dermal excisional wound.

Neogenin, a close relative of the axon guidance receptor DCC, has been shown to be a receptor for members of the Netrin and Repulsive Guidance Molecule families. Recent studies have begun to uncover a role for Neogenin in organogenesis. Here we examine the localization of Neogenin protein in the developing mouse embryo (embryonic day 14.5) when organogenesis is progressing rapidly. We observe that Neogenin protein is restricted to distinct tissue layers within a given organ. In some embryonic epithelia such as the gut and pancreas, Neogenin protein is predominantly polarized to the basal surfaces of the epithelial cells. In contrast, Neogenin is restricted to mesenchymal cells within the lung and kidney. Neogenin is also seen in differentiating skeletal muscle and condensing cartilage throughout the embryo, and in the trigeminal and dorsal root ganglia of the peripheral nervous system. This study supports the emerging role for Neogenin as a key receptor in the establishment of the morphological architecture in many developing organ systems. Developmental Dynamics 235:1720–1725, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

The article provides information about the sport Dodgeball. The sport is often describe as a game of violence, exclusion, and degradation. The author personally experienced on how the game is being played, by joining with his friends. To provide a clearer view on how the game is being played, the author details the basic rules and fundamentals of the game. Moreover, he also cites some motion pictures by which the game gained prominence.

Recent studies suggest exaggerated responses in the limbic system of patients with generalized social anxiety disorder in response to threatanxiety-related social situations and aversive conditioning, processes mediated by the glutamatergic system. This single-voxel, high-field 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy study examined concentrations of glutamate, and other metabolites, in the anterior cingulate cortex and occipital cortex (control region) of 10 medication-naive patients with generalized social anxiety and 10 matched healthy comparison subjects. Glutamate (relative to creatine) levels were significantly higher in patients than controls in the anterior cingulate, but not occipital, cortex. Anterior cingulate glutamatecreatine levels were also correlated with intensity of social anxiety symptoms. These findings provide new evidence of glutamate's involvement in the neural mechanism underlying social phobia.

The ability to detect dynamic changes in brain activity during affective processing within individual subjects in real-time can advance our understanding of the neural mechanisms of emotion, psychiatric illness, and therapeutic intervention. We investigated whether activity in limbic and paralimbic regions elicited by blocks of aversive (AV) and neutral (NEU) pictures can be detected by real-time fMRI. Real-time analysis of signal change during each block revealed that activations in insula and medial frontal cortex were more frequent during AV than NEU epochs. Single subject and group analysis off-line with conventional statistical parametric mapping methods matched the results obtained in real-time. Detecting cortico-limbic brain activation during perception and experience of emotionally salient visual stimuli with real-time fMRI technology is feasible.

The preservative effect of vanillin, the major constituent of vanilla beans, was studied in an apple juice and peach-flavored soft drink. Vanillin activity was tested against Saccharomyces cerevisiaeand Candida parapsilosisat 8 and 25°C over an 8-week storage period. Initial results in laboratory media indicated minimum inhibitory concentration values of 17 and 9mM vanillin for the two yeast strains. Concentrations of 20 and 10mM vanillin, respectively, were required to achieve complete inhibition of both yeast strains inoculated at a level of ~104CFU/ml in the apple juice and peach-flavored soft drink over the 8-week storage at 25°C. These effective levels were reduced to 5 and 1 mM, when the storage temperature was reduced to 8°C. A biocidal effect against both yeasts was observed within 96 h to 8 weeks, with vanillin concentrations of 5 to 40mM depending on the beverage and the storage temperatures used. The increased activity of vanillin in the peach-flavored soft drink (pH 3.1) in comparison to the apple juice (pH 3.5) is probably a result of the lower intrinsic pH of the former; however, variation in vitamin and mineral levels or the presence of other phenolic compounds between the two drinks might also have contributed to the observed differences. Furthermore, the increased activity at the lower temperature could be linked to the combination of the increased membrane fluidity and the membrane-perturbing action of vanillin. We conclude that vanillin has the potential to preserve fruit juices and soft drinks that are low in both lipid and protein content against S. cerevisiaeand C. parapsilosis.

A series of mutations have been recovered in the bithorax complex of D. melanogaster that transform the first segment of the abdomen into a copy of the second or third abdominal segment. These dominant Ultraabdominal alleles are all associated with P element insertions which are transcribed in the first abdominal segment. The transcripts proceed past the end of the P element for up to 50 kb, extending through the regulatory regions for the second and third abdominal segments. Blocking transcription from the P element promoter reverts the mutant phenotype. Previously identified Ultraabdominal alleles, not associated with P elements, also show abnormal transcription of the same region.

A series of mutations have been recovered in the bithorax complex of D. melanogaster that transform the first segment of the abdomen into a copy of the second or third abdominal segment. These dominantUltraabdominal alleles are all associated with P element insertions which are transcribed in the first abdominal segment. The transcripts proceed past the end of the P element for up to 50 kb, extending through the regulatory regions for the second and third abdominal segments. Blocking transcription from the P element promoter reverts the mutant phenotype. Previously identified Ultraabdominal alleles, not associated with P elements, also show abnormal transcription of the same region.