Recording and analyzing microbial growth is a routine task in the life sciences. Microplate readers that record dozens to hundreds of growth curves simultaneously are increasingly used for this task ...raising the demand for their rapid and reliable analysis.
Here, we present Dashing Growth Curves, an interactive web application ( http://dashing-growth-curves.ethz.ch/ ) that enables researchers to quickly visualize and analyze growth curves without the requirement for coding knowledge and independent of operating system. Growth curves can be fitted with parametric and non-parametric models or manually. The application extracts maximum growth rates as well as other features such as lag time, length of exponential growth phase and maximum population size among others. Furthermore, Dashing Growth Curves automatically groups replicate samples and generates downloadable summary plots for of all growth parameters.
Dashing Growth Curves is an open-source web application that reduces the time required to analyze microbial growth curves from hours to minutes.
BMI curves for preterm infants Olsen, Irene E; Lawson, M Louise; Ferguson, A Nicole ...
Pediatrics (Evanston)
135, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Preterm infants experience disproportionate growth failure postnatally and may be large weight for length despite being small weight for age by hospital discharge. The objective of this study was to ...create and validate intrauterine weight-for-length growth curves using the contemporary, large, racially diverse US birth parameters sample used to create the Olsen weight-, length-, and head-circumference-for-age curves.
Data from 391 681 US infants (Pediatrix Medical Group) born at 22 to 42 weeks' gestational age (born in 1998-2006) included birth weight, length, and head circumference, estimated gestational age, and gender. Separate subsamples were used to create and validate curves. Established methods were used to determine the weight-for-length ratio that was most highly correlated with weight and uncorrelated with length. Final smoothed percentile curves (3rd to 97th) were created by the Lambda Mu Sigma (LMS) method. The validation sample was used to confirm results.
The final sample included 254 454 singleton infants (57.2% male) who survived to discharge. BMI was the best overall weight-for-length ratio for both genders and a majority of gestational ages. Gender-specific BMI-for-age curves were created (n = 127 446) and successfully validated (n = 126 988). Mean z scores for the validation sample were ∼0 (∼1 SD).
BMI was different across gender and gestational age. We provide a set of validated reference curves (gender-specific) to track changes in BMI for prematurely born infants cared for in the NICU for use with weight-, length-, and head-circumference-for-age intrauterine growth curves.
The objective of this study was to create and validate new intrauterine weight, length, and head circumference growth curves using a contemporary, large, racially diverse US sample and compare with ...the Lubchenco curves.
Data on 391 681 infants (Pediatrix Medical Group) aged 22 to 42 weeks at birth from 248 hospitals within 33 US states (1998-2006) for birth weight, length, head circumference, estimated gestational age, gender, and race were used. Separate subsamples were used to create and validate curves. Smoothed percentile curves (3rd to 97th) were created by the Lambda Mu Sigma (LMS) method. The validation sample was used to confirm representativeness of the curves. The new curves were compared with the Lubchenco curves.
Final sample included 257 855 singleton infants (57.2% male) who survived to discharge. Gender-specific weight-, length-, and head circumference-for-age curves were created (n = 130 111) and successfully validated (n = 127 744). Small-for-gestational age and large-for-gestational age classifications using the Lubchenco curves differed significantly from the new curves for each gestational age (all P < .0001). The Lubchenco curves underestimated the percentage of infants who were small-for-gestational-age except for younger girls (< or =36 weeks), for whom it was more likely to be overestimated; underestimated percentage of infants (< or =36 weeks) who were large-for-gestational-age; and overestimated percentage of infants (>36 weeks) who were large-for-gestational-age.
The Lubchenco curves may not represent the current US population. The new intrauterine growth curves created and validated in this study, based on a contemporary, large, racially diverse US sample, provide clinicians with an updated tool for growth assessment in US NICUs. Research into the ability of the new definitions of small-for-gestational-age and large-for-gestational-age to identify high-risk infants in terms of short-term and long-term health outcomes is needed.
Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I (MPS I) is caused by deficiency of α‐L‐iduronidase. Short stature and growth deceleration are common in individuals with the attenuated MPS I phenotype. Study objectives ...were to assess growth in individuals with attenuated MPS I enrolled in The MPS I Registry while untreated and after initiation of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with laronidase (recombinant human iduronidase). Individuals in the MPS I Registry with at least one observation for height and assigned attenuated MPS I phenotype as of September 2020 were included. The cohort included 142 males and 153 females 2–18 years of age. Age and sex adjusted standardized height‐for‐age z‐scores during the natural history and ERT‐treatment periods were assessed using linear mixed model repeated measures analyses. Growth curves were estimated during both periods and compared to standard growth charts from the Center for Disease Control (CDC). There was a significantly slower decline in height z‐scores with age during the ERT‐treated period compared to the natural history period. Estimated average height z‐scores in the ERT‐treatment versus the natural history period at age 10 were −2.4 versus −3.3 in females and −1.4 versus −2.9 in males (females first treated 3 year; males <4.1 year). While median height remained below CDC standards during both the natural history and ERT‐treated periods for individuals with attenuated MPS I, laronidase ERT was associated with slower declines in height z‐scores.
Mucopolysaccharidosis Type I (MPS I), caused by deficiency of α‐L‐iduronidase results in progressive, multisystemic disease with a broad phenotypic spectrum including patients with severe (Hurler ...syndrome) to attenuated (Hurler–Scheie and Scheie syndromes) disease. Disordered growth is common with either phenotype. The study objectives were to construct sex‐ and age‐specific estimated length/height and head circumference growth curves for untreated individuals with severe and attenuated disease and compare them with clinical reference standards. Untreated individuals in the MPS I Registry with at least one observation for length/height and/or head circumference and assigned phenotype as of May 2017 were included. Median growth for 463 untreated individuals with severe disease deviated from reference growth curves by ~6 months of age and fell below the third percentile by 4 years of age. Median head circumference was above reference curves from 3 to 4 months through 3 years of age. Among 207 individuals with untreated attenuated disease, median height fell below the third percentile by 9 years of age with divergence from reference curves by 2 years of age. MPS I‐specific growth curves will be useful in evaluation of long‐term outcomes of therapeutics interventions and will provide a foundation for understanding the pathogenesis of skeletal disease in MPS I.
The coupled ESR and U-series (ESR/U-series) method has been increasingly utilized for dating fossil teeth from Early to Middle Pleistocene hominid sites. One significant advantage of this method is ...its ability to directly analyze fossil animal or human teeth. However, compared with other radiometric methods such as 14C charcoal dating, U-series carbonate dating, and OSL sediment dating, this dating method is rarely employed for Late Pleistocene or younger sites. In this study, we present an ESR/U-series dating investigation conducted at the Naminan site, a Paleolithic-Neolithic transition (P–N transition) site situated on the Sino-Myanmar border. The ESR/U-series analysis of eleven dental samples yields an age range of 18.1–13.2 ka for the fossils. These obtained ages are generally consistent with the 14C chronology of the site. When dealing with young fossil samples, it was observed that due to relatively low uranium concentration in dental tissues, internal dose rate plays a less significant role compared to external beta and gamma dose rates in the total dose rate of the fossil samples. Consequently, evaluating the dose rate of surrounding sediment becomes a primary source of uncertainty. Additionally, in this study we attempted to employ the standardized growth curve (SGC) and representative dose response curve method for determining Equivalent Dose (DE), which was then compared with values obtained using additive dose method (ADM). Although the precision of DE estimated by two methods are comparatively lower than that of ADM, it demonstrates the potential to efficiently determine a more rational Dmax for irradiation, identify samples with stratigraphic disturbances, and analyze small or valuable fossil specimens.
•Coupled ESR/U-series method was first applied to a P–N transition site in China.•SGC were tested to determine the DE of Late Pleistocene fossil samples.•The fossil ages calculation was independent with different U-models.
Salmonella spp. are a commonly identified cause of outbreaks of food-borne diseases. Despite much research, there remains the need to find new antimicrobial and anti-biofilm agents against ...Salmonella. For this, it is necessary to distinguish between these two aspects. Agents that influence biofilm formation should not affect bacterial growth, to thus avoid further promotion of the development of resistance. In this study, we present the use of growth curves of Salmonella Infantis to simultaneously determine antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activities, for the screening for anti-Salmonella activities of 42 aqueous fungal extracts. The extract from Pseudohydnum gelatinosum showed good antimicrobial activity, and that from Pleurotus ostreatus showed good anti-biofilm activity. In extracts from Infundibulicybe geotropa and Infundibulicybe gibba, both activities were determined after fractionation. The antimicrobial activity was associated with protein-rich fractions and mediated by l-amino acid oxidase activity. The fractionation did not allow determination of the anti-biofilm active fraction, so further studies are needed to define these compounds. Growth curve analysis of S. Infantis is shown here to provide a fast and simple approach to distinguish between antimicrobial and anti-biofilm activities in a high-throughput setting, such that it can be easily implemented in screening and further bioassay-based purification of novel alternatives to antibiotics.
•New approach to the use of growth curves•Determination of anti-microbial/-biofilm activity of fungal extracts against Salmonella Infantis•Pseudohydnum gelatinosum showed good antimicrobial activity.•Pleurotus ostreatus showed good anti-biofilm activity.
Abstract
Background
With its epicenter in Wuhan, China, the COVID-19 outbreak was declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization (WHO). Consequently, ...many countries have implemented flight restrictions to China. China itself has imposed a lockdown of the population of Wuhan as well as the entire Hubei province. However, whether these two enormous measures have led to significant changes in the spread of COVID-19 cases remains unclear.
Methods
We analyzed the available data on the development of confirmed domestic and international COVID-19 cases before and after lockdown measures. We evaluated the correlation of domestic air traffic to the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and determined the growth curves of COVID-19 cases within China before and after lockdown as well as after changes in COVID-19 diagnostic criteria.
Results
Our findings indicate a significant increase in doubling time from 2 days (95% CI: 1.9–2.6) to 4 days (95% CI: 3.5–4.3), after imposing lockdown. A further increase is detected after changing diagnostic and testing methodology to 19.3 (95% CI: 15.1–26.3), respectively. Moreover, the correlation between domestic air traffic and COVID-19 spread became weaker following lockdown (before lockdown: r = 0.98, P < 0.05 vs after lockdown: r = 0.91, P = NS).
Conclusions
A significantly decreased growth rate and increased doubling time of cases was observed, which is most likely due to Chinese lockdown measures. A more stringent confinement of people in high risk areas seems to have a potential to slow down the spread of COVID-19.
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