Summary
Objectives
Candidemia is among the most frequent nosocomial bloodstream infections. Landmark case‐control studies on amphotericin B and fluconazole estimated attributable mortality rates of ...38% and 49%, respectively. After introduction of echinocandins, these may have decreased.
Methods
In a case‐control design, 100 consecutive, hospitalised patients with candidemia were enrolled at the University Hospital of Cologne, Germany between 2014 and 2017. Controls were patients without candidemia matched for age, sex, year and duration of hospitalisation, main admission diagnosis and Patient Clinical Complexity Level (PCCL). Main data captured were risk factors for candidemia, attributable mortality rates and diagnostic and therapeutic adherence according to the EQUAL Candida score.
Results
Overall mortality rates for cases and controls were 43% and 17% (P < .001), respectively; day 30 mortality rates were 38% and 11% (P = .03), accounting for an attributable mortality of 26% and 27%. Guideline adherence was higher in surviving vs non‐surviving patients: while survivors reached a median of 17 (IQR: 16‐19) points, non‐surviving cases reached a median 16 (IQR: 14‐18) points out of 22 maximum achievable points (P = .028). Risk factors for candidemia were more frequent in cases compared to control patients, especially chronic pulmonary disease (25% vs 16%; P = n.s.), chronic liver disease (21% vs 6%; P = .002), stay on intensive care unit (70% vs 64%; P = n.s.), respiratory failure (56% vs 50%; P = n.s.) and central venous catheter (97% vs 35%; P < .001).
Conclusions
Attributable mortality of nosocomial candidemia is still substantial but has decreased compared to previous studies with similar design.
We report on the preparation, characterization, and foaming behavior of cellular polymers based on 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (VP) and methyl methacrylate (MMA). Samples with different feed ratios ...proportions of VP and MMA were prepared following the bulk radical copolymerization procedure, using commercially available monomers and testing two different initiators (photochemical and thermal), obtaining solid samples of around 1.5 mm thick. To evaluate the polymerization process, the chemical structure of VP/MMA copolymers was determined by proton nuclear magnetic resonance measurements. In a second step, single-batch supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) foaming tests were carried out at different temperatures to evaluate the influence of the VP to MMA feed ratios and the foaming temperature in the density, the presence of solid outer skin, the CO2 sorption–desorption process, and the cellular morphology of the foamed polymers.
Top predators have a strong influence on the structure and dynamics of marine ecosystems. These organisms have been largely used as indicators of the effectiveness of marine protected areas (MPAs). ...In Brazil, the impact of fisheries on reef species, such as groupers and sea basses, and the importance of local marine reserves in the maintenance of these fish communities are still poorly understood. Here we assessed the assemblage of groupers and sea basses (Epinephelidae and Serranidae) inside and outside the Arvoredo Marine Reserve (AR), a MPA in Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil. Density and biomass of 13 fish species (7 Epinephelidae and 6 Serranidae) were recorded. The most abundant groupers were Epinephelus marginatus and Mycteroperca acutirostris, while Serranus flaviventris and S. balwini were the most abundant sea basses. Grouper biomass was significantly higher inside the reserve, indicating the effectiveness of this MPA for target and threatened species, such as E. marginatus. In contrast, biomass of sea basses was higher outside the MPA, as a possible result of prey release effect. Despite the higher biomass of groupers inside AR, spearfishing records from the 1960s indicate that there is still a long way to a full recovery of the biomass of top predators, especially groupers and sharks. Thus, a more effective enforcement and longer-term protection are necessary to restore fish stocks and ecosystem health in these reefs.
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•Crosslinked microcellular polymeric films were foamed using ScCO2.•Cellular structure was controlled through the molecular mass of the cross-linker.•The mechanical properties of ...films were determined by low-velocity tensile tests.•Young’s modulus of the films and the crosslinker molecular mass were correlated.
A series of cross-linked copolymer films based on 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone and methyl methacrylate were produced using different poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylates as cross-linking agents. The average molecular mass of the cross-linking agent was varied, then allowing the foaming process using supercritical CO2 (ScCO2), obtaining microcellular films with different cellular structures as a function of the molecular mass of the cross-linking agent. The chemical structure, swelling behavior, CO2 uptake and cellular morphology of the materials were studied. Finally, the influence of the different cross-linking agents in the mechanical properties was also evaluated by measuring the tensile properties of the microcellular films.
A water-insoluble organic chemosensor has been chemically modified by introducing a polymerizable methacrylamide moiety via copolymerization with a hydrophilic comonomer (vinylpyrrolidone), producing ...a water-soluble acrylic copolymer that is able to sense environmentally poisonous cations in pure aqueous media. The chemosensor is a derivative of Rhodamine B, which behaves as a fluorescent and chromogenic sensor toward various heavy cations, particularly Hg(II). Titration curves of Hg(II) were constructed using rapid, cheap, and widely available techniques, such as fluorescence and UV/Vis spectroscopies. Furthermore, a colorimetric response from the copolymer chemosensor permitted the detection of Hg(II) by eye due to the development of a pink color when this cation interacted with the copolymer in aqueous media.
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▶ A chromogenic and fluorogenic copolymer chemosensor has been prepared. ▶ The sensory material permits the detection and quantification of mercury cations. ▶ The sensory motif, a Rhodamine dye, was hydrophobic and insoluble in water. ▶ However, the prepared copolymer was highly hydrophilic and water soluble. ▶ This methodology allows the exploitation of water insoluble organic dyes in water.
Post-settlement events can significantly alter the density distribution of settlers and subsequently the adult population structure. The temporal and inter-annual variability of settlement and the ...effects of mortality on recruitment were investigated across 2 years in the vicinities of Cabo de Palos–Islas Hormigas Marine Reserve by visual census and light trap sampling. Settlement was seasonal with greater species richness and abundance in summer. Although temporal synchronization was observed between larval supply and settlement, densities of settlers could not be predicted from post-larval abundances. Timing of settlement was consistent between years but with high inter-annual variation in abundance. High mortality (~80 %) and general decoupling between post-larval and settlement stages suggest that early mortality is driving such patterns. Nevertheless, indications of habitat-mediated mortality were found for benthic species such as
Symphodus
and
Diplodus,
highlighting the importance of habitat in shaping population demography.
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This work describes two sensing systems for the detection and quantification of Hg(II): (a) a highly tractable solid polymer membrane, and (b) a gelling system based on a low ...molecular weight gelator. The preparation of both sensory systems relies on a polymerisable acrylic monomer derived from a fluorene core containing a functional hydroxyimino group, which at the same time is an organogelator with Hg(II)-triggered gelating properties in organic solution. The polymerisation of this monomer with commercial comonomers gave a cross-linked membrane or film, which permitted the detection of Hg(II) using UV/Vis and fluorescence techniques due to the colour and fluorescence changes in response to the interaction of the film with Hg(II). At the same time, organic solutions of the monomer – or gelator – gave a gel upon interacting with Hg(II). Engineering of the gel formation conditions permitted the tuning of the visual detection threshold of the concentration of Hg(II), which ranged from 6×10−3 to 1×10−2M in our study, while the membrane permitted the detection by UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy of Hg(II) in organic and organic/aqueous media in the millimolar–micromolar range. Furthermore, the colour and fluorescence changes of the two systems were clearly visible, allowing for the naked-eye detection and broad quantification of milli to micromolar concentrations of Hg(II).
The present study aimed at exploring the habitat use by fish life stages and ontogenetic shifts in a South-western Mediterranean rocky reef. The relation with rocky reef habitat structure ...(complexity, heterogeneity, total cover and depth) was visually surveyed on a monthly basis, in four locations and during one year, for the abundance of young-of-the-year (YOY) and juvenile reef fish. Fish assemblage responded significantly to spatial and temporal variations of structural microhabitat, this response being species-specific. Abundance of fish life stages was directly related to temperature variation, with higher abundances occurring on warmer months. Also, habitat differences occurred between YOY and juveniles of a series of species from shallow steeper rocky habitats to deeper complex rocky bottoms with high total cover. Spatial differences in YOY and juvenile abundance across locations could be attributed to fine-scale habitat preference, from purely rocky, more complex sites, with greater slopes and depths, to sites harbouring more heterogeneous habitats. By characterising the microhabitat association of fish life stages (both YOY and juveniles), and identifying for what species this influence may interfere with spatial and temporal patterns, the present study can be used as a basis for pluriannual monitoring of fish recruitment success in the area in order to better understand their population dynamics.
•Higher abundance and richness of fish life stages occurred at warmer months.•Fish life stages were spatially distributed to fine-scale habitat preference.•Habitat conditioned ontogenetic shifts of a series of fish species.•Ontogenetic shifts occurred from rocky complex deeper sites to heterogeneous habitats.•Identifying microhabitat at different life stages is crucial to monitoring recruitment.
SREBP2 is a master regulator of the mevalonate pathway (MVP), a biosynthetic process that drives the synthesis of dolichol, heme A, ubiquinone and cholesterol and also provides substrates for protein ...prenylation. Here, we identify SREBP2 as a novel substrate for USP28, a deubiquitinating enzyme that is frequently upregulated in squamous cancers. Our results show that silencing of USP28 reduces expression of MVP enzymes and lowers metabolic flux into this pathway. We also show that USP28 binds to mature SREBP2, leading to its deubiquitination and stabilisation. USP28 depletion rendered cancer cells highly sensitive to MVP inhibition by statins, which was rescued by the addition of geranyl-geranyl pyrophosphate. Analysis of human tissue microarrays revealed elevated expression of USP28, SREBP2 and MVP enzymes in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) compared to lung adenocarcinoma (LADC). Moreover, CRISPR/Cas-mediated deletion of SREBP2 selectively attenuated tumour growth in a KRas/p53/LKB1 mutant mouse model of lung cancer. Finally, we demonstrate that statins synergise with a dual USP28/25 inhibitor to reduce viability of SCC cells. Our findings suggest that combinatorial targeting of MVP and USP28 could be a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of squamous cell carcinomas.
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