Sympatric euphausiid species from the eastern tropical North Pacific (ETNP) and the California Current (CC) were tested for stable isotopes, elemental composition, and lipid content to evaluate ...geographic patterns and species-level trophic niche partitioning.
Euphausia diomedeae
and
Thysanoessa spinifera
showed higher δ
15
N in their respective regions. Trophic Position (TP) was higher in tropical vs. CC species; a significant difference in TP was found among the species.
T. spinifera
showed markedly higher values in isotopic signal, elemental composition, and total lipid content. Individual carbon was lower for tropical species, mainly because of their smaller sizes and lower lipid content. The higher TP in tropical species probably derives from their more complex food web. In each area, bigger species have a higher TP. Considering the formerly published isotopic baseline for the CC and the ETNP, the differences between the species from the two areas are, probably, also related to the marked differences in latitude (~ 11–12° N) and temperature (~ 12° C) between them, as well as to the expected differences in their trophic conditions.
The virulence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) changed during the pandemic. In order to provide a rationale for treatment priorities of respiratory infections and the ...adaption of in-house infection control strategies, this study evaluated treatment on an intensive care unit (ICU), requirement for mechanical ventilation (MV), requirement for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and death for inpatients infected with the influenza virus or SARS-CoV-2 during the wild-type, Alpha, Delta, Omicron BA.1/2 and Omicron BA.5 waves of the pandemic.
Single-centre retrospective case–control study.
Tertiary hospital in Germany.
One thousand three hundred and sixteen adult inpatients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and 218 adult inpatients infected with influenza virus.
Demographic data, outcome parameters and underlying comorbidities of patients were obtained from the hospital information system. Multi-variate regression analysis was performed for the assessment of significant associations between risk factors and outcome variables.
Compared with inpatients infected with influenza virus, patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 showed significantly higher rates for in-hospital mortality, admission to ICU and requirement for MV in the wild-type, Alpha and Delta waves, and a significantly higher rate for requirement for ECMO in the wild-type wave. In the Omicron BA.1/BA.2 and Omicron BA.5 waves, patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 did not show significantly higher risk of in-hospital mortality, admission to ICU, or requirement for MV or ECMO compared with patients infected with influenza virus. The length of hospital stay of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 decreased from 10.8 to 6.2 days, which was less than that of patients infected with influenza virus (8.3 days).
Treatment capacities should be shared equally between SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus infections. Similar levels of infection control could be applied, at least regarding the severity of infection.
Species of the genus
Euphausia
dominate the euphausiid biomass of the Southern Ocean, the three largest being
Euphausia superba
,
E. triacantha
and
E. crystallorophias
. We measured a number of ...morphological features to identify differences between, and within, these species to obtain ecological insights. Interspecifically, the greatest difference was carapace size, with that of
E. superba
being by far the largest and most variable. This likely reflects its prolific spawning capacity compared with other euphausiid species.
E. triacantha
exhibited an extended sixth abdominal segment that could facilitate greater levels of thrust in the tail flip escape response. The pleopods, which provide propulsion in forward swimming, were more than 50% larger in
E. superba
, indicating a greater capacity for directional movement at high velocities.
E. crystallorophias
had eyes that were almost double the size of those in
E. superba
and
E. triacantha
, which may help retain visual resolution within its under-ice habitat. Intraspecifically, we found the above morphological features differed little between sexes and developmental stages in
E. crystallorophias
and
E. triacantha,
but differed significantly in
E. superba
. Compared to females and juveniles, male
E. superba
had significantly larger eyes and pleopods, whilst the carapace in males became shorter as a proportion of body length during growth. These features indicate a greater capacity for searching and swimming in males, which, we hypothesise, increases their ability to locate and fertilise females. This morphological specialisation in male
E. superba
is indicative of comparatively greater inter-male competition resulting from its tendency to form large, dense swarms.
The Nephrotoxicity of Vancomycin Filippone, EJ; Kraft, WK; Farber, JL
Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics,
September 2017, Letnik:
102, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Vancomycin use is often associated with nephrotoxicity. It remains uncertain, however, to what extent vancomycin is directly responsible, as numerous potential risk factors for acute kidney injury ...frequently coexist. Herein, we critically examine available data in adult patients pertinent to this question. We review the pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of vancomycin metabolism. Efficacy and safety data are discussed. The pathophysiology of vancomycin nephrotoxicity is considered. Risk factors for nephrotoxicity are enumerated, including the potential synergistic nephrotoxicity of vancomycin and piperacillin‐tazobactam. Suggestions for clinical practice and future research are given.
Infections caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)- and ampC beta-lactamase-producing gram-negative bacteria complicate therapy and limit treatment options. Several different panels for ...ESBL detection with automated systems exist. In addition, a chromogenic agar medium is available for ESBL screening. We compared two automated identification and susceptibility testing systems with regard to their effectiveness in detecting ESBL production in ENTEROBACTERIACEAE: the BD Phoenix system (BD Diagnostic Systems, Sparks, MD) and the Vitek 2 system (bioMerieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France). We tested 114 strains using the Etest as the standard, various available panels for both automated systems (for BD Phoenix, the NMIC/ID-50 and NMIC/ID-70 GN Combo panels for combined identification and susceptibility testing of gram-negative bacilli, and for Vitek 2, the ID-GNB panel for identification of gram-negative bacilli and the AST-N020, AST-N041, and AST-N062 panels for susceptibility testing), and a chromogenic agar medium (bioMérieux, Marcy l'Etoile, France). PCR for common ESBL gene families (encoding TEM, SHV, OXA, and CTX-M) and for chromosomal or plasmid-mediated ampC beta-lactamase genes was conducted to complete the study design. For the tested specimens overall, the chromID ESBL agar showed the highest sensitivity (95.8%) but the lowest specificity (10.5%) compared to the sensitivity and specificity of the Etest (chosen as reference by the authors) for the detection of ESBL-producing strains. The BD Phoenix system showed sensitivities of 77.1% and 84.2% and specificities of 61.5% and 75.0%, respectively, for the NMIC/ID-50 andNMIC/ID-70 panels. The sensitivity of the Vitek 2 system ranged from 78.8% (AST-N020) to 80.6% (AST-N062) and up to 84.2% (AST-N041). The specificities of the respective panels were 50.0% (AST-N041 and AST-N062) and 55.6% (AST-N020). In conclusion, the sensitivities and specificities of ESBL detection by the different methods differ depending on the microorganisms under study.
Salmonella can become viable but nonculturable (VBNC) in response to environmental stressors, but the induction of the VBNC state in Salmonella contaminating ready-to-eat dried fruit is poorly ...characterized. Dried apples, strawberries, and raisins were mixed with a five-strain cocktail of Salmonella at 4% volume per weight of dried fruit at 10
CFU/g. The inoculated dried fruit were then dried in desiccators at 25°C until the water activity (
) approximated that of the uninoculated dried fruit. However, Salmonella could not be recovered after drying, not even after enrichment, suggesting a population reduction of approximately 8 log CFU/g. To assess the potential impact of storage temperature on survival, dried apples were spot-inoculated with the Salmonella cocktail, dried under ambient atmosphere at 25°C, and stored at 4 and 25°C. Spot inoculation permitted recovery of Salmonella on dried apple after drying, with the population of Salmonella decreasing progressively on dried apples stored at 25°C until it was undetectable after about 46 days, even following enrichment. The population decline was noticeably slower at 4°C, with Salmonella being detected until 82 days. However, fluorescence microscopy and laser scanning confocal microscopy with the LIVE/DEAD
Light bacterial viability system at time points at which no Salmonella could be recovered on growth media even following enrichment showed that a large proportion (56 to 85%) of the Salmonella cells on the dried fruit were viable. The data suggest that the unique combination of stressors in dried fruit can induce large numbers of VBNC cells of Salmonella.
Salmonella is a leading foodborne pathogen globally causing numerous outbreaks of foodborne illnesses and remains the leading contributor to deaths attributed to foodborne disease in the United States and other industrialized nations. Therefore, efficient detection methods for Salmonella contaminating food are critical for public health and food safety. Culture-based microbiological methods are considered the gold standard for the detection and enumeration of Salmonella in food. Findings from this study suggest that unique stressors on dried fruit can induce the VBNC state in Salmonella, thus rendering it undetectable with culture-based methods even though the bacteria remain viable. Therefore, strong consideration should be given to using, in addition to culture-based methods, microscopic and molecular methods for the accurate detection of all viable and/or culturable cells of Salmonella contaminating dried fruit, as all of these cells have the potential to cause human illness.
Membrane encapsulation is frequently used by the cell to sequester biomolecules and compartmentalize their function. Cells also concentrate molecules into phase-separated protein or protein/nucleic ...acid “membraneless organelles” that regulate a host of biochemical processes. Here, we use solution NMR spectroscopy to study phase-separated droplets formed from the intrinsically disordered N-terminal 236 residues of the germgranule protein Ddx4. We show that the protein within the concentrated phase of phase-separated Ddx4, Ddx4cond, diffuses as a particle of 600-nm hydrodynamic radius dissolved in water. However, NMR spectra reveal sharp resonances with chemical shifts showing Ddx4cond to be intrinsically disordered. Spin relaxation measurements indicate that the backbone amides of Ddx4cond have significant mobility, explaining why high-resolution spectra are observed, but motion is reduced compared with an equivalently concentrated nonphase-separating control. Observation of a network of interchain interactions, as established by NOE spectroscopy, shows the importance of Phe and Arg interactions in driving the phase separation of Ddx4, while the salt dependence of both low- and high-concentration regions of phase diagrams establishes an important role for electrostatic interactions. The diffusion of a series of small probes and the compact but disordered 4E binding protein 2 (4E-BP2) protein in Ddx4cond are explained by an excluded volume effect, similar to that found for globular protein solvents. No changes in structural propensities of 4E-BP2 dissolved in Ddx4cond are observed, while changes to DNA and RNA molecules have been reported, highlighting the diverse roles that proteinaceous solvents play in dictating the properties of dissolved solutes.
Foodborne disease outbreaks associated with fresh fruits and vegetables have been increasing in occurrence worldwide. Canada has one of the highest per capita consumption rates of fresh fruits and ...vegetables in the world. In this article, we review the foodborne disease outbreaks linked to produce consumption in Canada from 2001 through 2009. The 27 produce-related outbreaks included an estimated 1,549 cases of illness. Bacterial infection outbreaks represented 66% of the total. Among these, Salmonella was the most frequent agent (50% of outbreaks) followed by Escherichia coli (33%) and Shigella (17%). Cyclospora cayetanensis was the only parasite detected and was associated with seven outbreaks. Among the foodborne viruses, only hepatitis A was implicated in two outbreaks. The food vehicles most commonly implicated in outbreaks were leafy greens and herbs (26% of outbreaks), followed by seed sprouts (11%). Contamination sources and issues related to the future control of fresh produce-related foodborne disease outbreaks also are discussed.
Zooplankton was sampled in the Southern Gulf of Mexico, during autumn 2010, summer 2011 and winter 2013. Hydrographic data, dynamic topography and geostrophic velocities showed the presence of ...alternating cyclonic and anticyclonic gyres in the area, and a quasi-permanent gyre in the Bay of Campeche, with higher surface temperatures and lower salinities during autumn and summer, than in winter. Stronger rainfall was present during summer, which coincided with a strong salps “bloom” that considerably increased biovolumes. A significant difference in biovolumes was found for the three seasons, with highest zooplankton biovolumes during summer, and lowest during autumn. A shoaling of higher fluorescence and higher nutrients (Nitrate + Nitrite) was found in the BOC, in coincidence with higher biovolumes during the three seasons sampled. Multivariate analysis showed that the variables controlling the productivity were mainly fluorescence and nutrients for summer 2011 and winter 2013. Higher biovolumes were present in autumn, summer and winter at the same stations, being higher during summer. Data obtained show that the Bay of Campeche is a high productivity area, all year round, particularly inside the quasi-permanent gyre where high biovolumes were present in autumn, summer and winter, but with considerable seasonal variations in primary and secondary productivity, probably dependent in great measure from river discharge and rainfall.
•Campeche Bay has high productivity during the entire year, around the quasi-permanent gyre.•A shoaling of high fluorescence and high nutrients produces higher biovolumes of zooplankton.•The seasonal variability is always higher in the studied area of Campeche Bay.
The collection of articles in this volume reviewing eastern tropical Pacific oceanography is briefly summarized, and updated references are given. The region is an unusual biological environment as a ...consequence of physical characteristics and patterns of forcing - including a strong and shallow thermocline, the ITCZ and coastal wind jets, equatorial upwelling, the Costa Rica Dome, eastern boundary and equatorial current systems, low iron input, inadequate ventilation of subthermocline waters, and dominance of ENSO-scale temporal variability. Remaining unanswered questions are presented.
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