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This study, the presence of 4 common beta-lactamase encoding genes including OXA-23, OXA-51, VIM and IMP was determined simultaneously by multiplex PCR, either directly with sputum samples or with purified DNA, giving results within 3-4 hours instead of 2 days compared to the culture method. Within 58 samples positive with Acinetobacter baumannii collected from the hospital, OXA-51 fragment was dominant (81%), whereas, VIM fragment was only identified in one sample (DNA and sputum samples) (1.7%). The antibiograms indicated for 19 samples were used to find correlation between genotype and resistance phenotype.

Background: Enhanced vaccines (e.g., containing adjuvants) have shown increased immunogenicity and effectiveness in older adults, who often respond sub-optimally to conventional influenza vaccines. In this study, we evaluated the cost-effectiveness of an inactivated, seasonal, MF59-adjuvanted quadrivalent influenza vaccine (aQIV) for use in adults ≥ 65 years in Ireland. Methods: A published dynamic influenza model incorporating social contact, population immunity, and epidemiological data was used to assess the cost-effectiveness of aQIV in adults ≥ 65 years of age compared with a non-adjuvanted QIV. Sensitivity analysis was performed for influenza incidence, relative vaccine effectiveness, excess mortality, and the impact on bed occupancy from co-circulating influenza and COVID-19. Results: The use of aQIV resulted in discounted incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) of EUR 2420/quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and EUR 12,970/QALY from societal and payer perspectives, respectively, both of which are below the cost-effectiveness threshold of EUR 45,000/QALY. Sensitivity analysis showed that aQIV was effective in most scenarios, except when relative vaccine effectiveness compared to QIV was below 3%, and resulted in a modest reduction in excess bed occupancy. Conclusion: The use of aQIV for adults ≥ 65 years old in Ireland was shown to be highly cost-effective from both payer and societal perspectives.

Worldwide, the annual incidence of acute encephalitis in nonoutbreak settings during 1983-2000 ranged from 0.07 to 12.6 cases/100,000 population (1). According to the World Health Organization, meningitis caused 379,000 deaths [...]

Cowden syndrome (CS) is an autosomal dominant hamartoma and tumor predisposition syndrome caused by heterozygous pathogenic germline variants in PTEN in most affected individuals. Major features include macrocrania, multiple facial tricholemmomas, acral and oral keratoses and papillomas, as well as mammary, non-medullary thyroid, renal, and endometrial carcinomas. Lhermitte-Duclos disease (LDD), or dysplastic gangliocytoma of the cerebellum, is the typical brain tumor associated with CS; the lifetime risk for LDD in CS patients has been estimated to be as high as 30%. In contrast, medulloblastoma is much rarer in CS, with only 4 reported cases in the literature. We report a 5th such patient. All 5 patients were diagnosed between 1 and 2 years of age and not all showed the pathognomonic clinical stigmata of CS at the time of their medulloblastoma diagnosis. Where detailed information was available, the medulloblastoma was of the SHH-subtype, in keeping with the observation that in sporadic medulloblastomas, PTEN-alterations are usually encountered in the SHH-subtype. Medulloblastomas can be associated with several tumor-predisposition syndromes and of the 4 medulloblastoma subtypes, SHH-medulloblastomas in children have the highest prevalence of predisposing germline variants (approx. 40%). CS should be added to the list of SHH-medulloblastoma-associated syndromes. Germline analysis of PTEN should be performed in infants with SHH-medulloblastomas, regardless of their clinical phenotype, especially if they do not carry pathogenic germline variants in PTCH1 or SUFU, the most commonly altered predisposing genes in this age-group. In addition, these cases show that CS has a biphasic brain tumor distribution, both in regards to the age of onset and the tumor type: a small number of CS patients develop a medulloblastoma in infancy while many more develop LDD in adulthood.

In 2021–2022, influenza vaccine coverage in the US dropped below pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels. Cocirculation of COVID-19 and influenza could place a substantial burden on hospital utilization in future seasons, particularly given the reduced exposure to influenza during the pandemic. We used a dynamic susceptible-exposed-infected-recovered model to simulate influenza transmission with varying influenza vaccine coverage against a background of COVID-19 circulation, in order to estimate acute and ICU hospital bed occupancy for both diseases. We evaluated two vaccine scenarios: egg-based quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIVe) for all age groups or cell-based QIV (QIVc) for 0.5–64 year-olds with adjuvanted QIV (aQIV) for ≥65 year-olds. ICU bed availability was more limiting than general hospital bed availability, with a vaccine coverage of ≥70% required to avoid negatively impacting ICU bed availability in a high-incidence influenza season. The timing of disease peaks was a key factor together with vaccine coverage, with a difference of ≥50 days needed between peak influenza and COVID-19 bed usage together with 65% influenza vaccine coverage to avoid negative impacts. QIVc + aQIV resulted in lower bed occupancy which, while not substantial, may be critical in very high hospital resource usage situations. In a situation with co-circulating influenza and COVID-19, proactive vaccination planning could help to avert overwhelming healthcare systems in upcoming influenza seasons.

Abstract Background Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a mostly autosomal recessive, genetic disease of abnormal motile cilia function, resulting in bronchiectasis, infertility, organ laterality defects, and chronic otolaryngology disease. Though motile, ependymal cilia influencing cerebrospinal fluid flow in the central nervous system share many aspects of structure and function with motile cilia in the respiratory tract, hydrocephalus is rarely associated with PCD. Recently, pathogenic variants in FOXJ1 (Chr 17q25.1) were identified causing PCD associated with hydrocephalus, reduced respiratory cilia number, axonemal microtubule disorganization, and occurring in a de novo, autosomal dominant inheritance pattern. Method Two patients with chronic oto‐sino‐pulmonary disease and hydrocephalus underwent candidate testing of FOXJ1. Coding region and splice junctions were sequenced and analyzed under the auspices of Genetic Disorders of Mucociliary Clearance Consortium. Results Upon sequencing of the entire coding region and splice‐junctions, heterozygous, pathogenic variants in FOXJ1 were discovered in exon 3 of two patients: an 11‐month‐old female with situs inversus totalis (NM_001454.4: c.945delC (p.Phe315Leufs*18)) and a 51 year‐old male, post‐double lung transplantation (NM_001454.4: c.929_932delACTG (p.Asp310Glyfs*22)). FOXJ1 variants were not detected in the available parents and the siblings of these probands. Conclusion FOXJ1 pathogenic variants cause PCD in a de novo, autosomal dominant inheritance pattern, and are associated with hydrocephalus. Physicians treating patients with hydrocephalus and chronic oto‐sino‐pulmonary disease should be aware of this PCD association and test for FOXJ1 variants.

In Canada, approximately 12,000 people annually are hospitalized with influenza. While vaccination is the most effective method for reducing the burden of seasonal influenza, the propagation of vaccine virus strains in eggs can result in egg adaption, resulting in reduced antigenic similarity to circulating strains and thus lower vaccine effectiveness (VE). Cell-based propagation methods avoid these alterations and therefore may be more effective than egg-propagation vaccines. We evaluated three different scenarios: (1) egg-based quadrivalent influenza vaccine (QIVe) for individuals

Some studies found that the proportions of cocoa butter (CB), cocoa butter equivalent (CBE) and milk fatty acid (AMF) tend to influence the blooming delay when mixing them. The goal of our research is to determine the effects of the proportion of CB, CBE and AMF on the structural organization of the final mixtures. X-ray, DSC, MIR and Raman spectroscopy were used to analyze the structural features and the vibrational modes of four mixtures: CB + 0.5AMF, CB + AMF, CB + 0.5AMF + CBE and CB + AMF + CBE. At room temperature, the triglycerides are ingredients of CB, and CBE and AMF do not fully exhibit the known crystalline forms V or VI, unlike a recent CB sample. Part of these triglycerides is in the form IV instead. The presence of the latter seems to be a key parameter that favors the deceleration of the transformation to the form VI, which is responsible for the development of fat bloom.

Canna edulis Ker rhizome has been used in Traditional Vietnamese Medicine to prevent and treat heart diseases without thorough scientific evidence. The data presented in this article characterize the antiplatelet aggregation, anticoagulant and antioxidant activity of C. edulis rhizome extracts and the bio-guided isolation of bioactive compounds from the active fraction. The data on tested bioactivities of isolated compounds were also provided. The inhibitory effect on adenosine diphosphate- and collagen-induced human platelet aggregation was evaluated through three parameters: percentage inhibition of platelet aggregation, aggregation velocity and area under the platelet aggregation curve. Prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastine time and thrombine time were measured to examine the anticoagulant activity. The free radical scavenging ability was assessed with DPPH and ABTS assays. The structures of compounds were elucidated by NMR and MS spectroscopic methods. The data showed that the ethyl acetate fraction showed the most potent antiplatelet aggregation, anticoagulant and antioxidant activity. Seven known compounds: 5-hydroxy-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one (1), epimedokoreanone A (2), nepetoidin B (3), ferulic acid (4), caffeic acid (5), hydroxytyrosol (6), and 1H-indole-3-carboxaldehyde (7) were isolated from this active fraction. Moreover, this article provided experimental data on antiplatelet effect of epimedokoreanone A (2) and nepetoidine B (3), anticoagulant and antioxidant activity of epimedokoreanone A (2) and also antiplatelet and antioxidant activity of 5-hydroxy-6-methyl-2H-pyran-2-one (1).

This paper presents the thermoluminescence properties of K2GdF5:Tb material irradiated in a reference neutron-gamma field and its possibility to be used in neutron dosimetry. Double fluoride of K2GdF5 doped with 10 at% Tb3+ ions was synthesized under solid-state reaction conditions and irradiated in the reference neutron-gamma field of 241Am-Be source. The thermoluminescence glow curves were measured by the Rexon UL-320 TLD reader connected with the WinRex-320 processing program for obtaining the integrated thermoluminescence signals (counts). The results show that the temperature peaks of the irradiated K2GdF5:Tb material concerning the gamma and neutron fields at the distance of 100 cm from the source are at 230 °C and 300 °C, respectively. The sensitivity ratios of fast-to-thermal neutron and gamma-to-thermal neutron are 6.3 % and 18.2 %, respectively. The batch homogeneity and reproducibility are less than 30 % and 7.5 %, respectively. The linearity is less than 10 % in the dose range of less than 24 mSv. The detection threshold is less than 0.1 mSv, and the fading is 10.7 % after 90 days of irradiation. These thermoluminescence properties of K2GdF5:Tb material considerably satisfy the requirements to be used in neutron dosimetry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]