Horner syndrome after carotid sheath surgery in a pig: anatomic study of cervical sympathetic chain

In an experimental model, iatrogenic Horner syndrome developed after a right carotid sheath surgery in an infant pig (Sus scrofa). Horner syndrome is a classic clinical triad consisting of ipsilateral eyelid ptosis, pupil miosis, and facial anhydrosis. This syndrome results from cervical sympathetic chain (CSC) paresis and usually is acquired in humans. To determine whether the development of Horner syndrome in this situation could be attributed to pig anatomy, we compared the anatomy of the CSC in pigs and humans, by using 10 infant (age, 1 to 3 wk) pig cadavers. The CSC and cranial cervical sympathetic ganglion (CCG) were dissected bilaterally under a surgical microscope. These structures were consistently within the carotid sheaths of the pigs. In contrast, the CSC and CCG are outside the carotid sheath in humans. Awareness of the anatomic variation of the CSC and CCG within the carotid sheath in the pig and the possibility of the same variation in humans may help surgeons to identify and preserve important structures while performing cervical surgery in pigs and humans. Furthermore, this knowledge can aid in the diagnosis and prognosis of schwannoma.     

Ontogenetic changes in Mammalian feeding: insights from electromyographic data

All infant mammals make a transition from suckling milk to eating solid foods. Yet, the neuromuscular implications of the transition from a liquid-only diet to solid foods are unknown even though the transport and swallowing of liquids is different from that of solids. We used legacy electromyography (EMG) data to test hypotheses concerning the changes in motor pattern and neuromuscular control that occur during the transition from an all-liquid diet to consumption of solid food in a porcine model. EMG signals were recorded from five oropharyngeal muscles in pigs at three developmental stages (infants, juveniles, and adults) feeding on milk, on food of an intermediate consistency (porridge), and on dry chow (juveniles and adults only). We measured cycle frequency and its variation in "transport cycles" and "swallow cycles". In the swallow cycles, a measure of variation of the EMG signal was also calculated. Variation in cycle frequency for transport and swallow cycles was lowest in adults, as predicted, suggesting that maturation of feeding mechanisms occurs as animals reach adulthood. Infants had lower variation in transport cycle frequency than did juveniles drinking milk, which may be due to the greater efficiency of the infant's tight oral seal against the teat during suckling, compared to a juvenile drinking from a bowl where a tight seal is not possible. Within juveniles, variation in both transport and swallow cycle frequencies was directly related to food consistency, with the highest variation occurring when drinking milk and the lowest when feeding on solid food. There was no difference in the variation of the EMG activity between intact infants and juveniles swallowing milk, although when the latter swallow porridge the EMG signals were less variable than for milk. These results suggest that consistency of food is a highly significant determinant of the variation in motor pattern, particularly in newly weaned animals.     

A randomized controlled trial comparing the effects of counseling and alarm device on HAART adherence and virologic outcomes

Background

Behavioral interventions that promote adherence to antiretroviral medications may decrease HIV treatment failure. Antiretroviral treatment programs in sub-Saharan Africa confront increasing financial constraints to provide comprehensive HIV care, which include adherence interventions. This study compared the impact of counseling and use of an alarm device on adherence and biological outcomes in a resource-limited setting.

Methods and Findings

A randomized controlled, factorial designed trial was conducted in Nairobi, Kenya. Antiretroviral-naïve individuals initiating free highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in the form of fixed-dose combination pills (d4T, 3TC, and nevirapine) were randomized to one of four arms: counseling (three counseling sessions around HAART initiation), alarm (pocket electronic pill reminder carried for 6 months), counseling plus alarm, and neither counseling nor alarm. Participants were followed for 18 months after HAART initiation. Primary study endpoints included plasma HIV-1 RNA and CD4 count every 6 months, mortality, and adherence measured by monthly pill count. Between May 2006 and September 2008, 400 individuals were enrolled, 362 initiated HAART, and 310 completed follow-up. Participants who received counseling were 29% less likely to have monthly adherence <80% (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.49–1.01; p = 0.055) and 59% less likely to experience viral failure (HIV-1 RNA ≥5,000 copies/ml) (HR 0.41; 95% CI 0.21–0.81; p = 0.01) compared to those who received no counseling. There was no significant impact of using an alarm on poor adherence (HR 0.93; 95% CI 0.65–1.32; p = 0.7) or viral failure (HR 0.99; 95% CI 0.53–1.84; p = 1.0) compared to those who did not use an alarm. Neither counseling nor alarm was significantly associated with mortality or rate of immune reconstitution.

Conclusions

Intensive early adherence counseling at HAART initiation resulted in sustained, significant impact on adherence and virologic treatment failure during 18-month follow-up, while use of an alarm device had no effect. As antiretroviral treatment clinics expand to meet an increasing demand for HIV care in sub-Saharan Africa, adherence counseling should be implemented to decrease the development of treatment failure and spread of resistant HIV.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials gov {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT00273780","term_id":"NCT00273780"}}NCT00273780 Please see later in the article for the Editors'' Summary     

Complete genome sequence of Ferroglobus placidus AEDII12DO

Ferroglobus placidus belongs to the order Archaeoglobales within the archaeal phylum Euryarchaeota. Strain AEDII12DO is the type strain of the species and was isolated from a shallow marine hydrothermal system at Vulcano, Italy. It is a hyperthermophilic, anaerobic chemolithoautotroph, but it can also use a variety of aromatic compounds as electron donors. Here we describe the features of this organism together with the complete genome sequence and annotation. The 2,196,266 bp genome with its 2,567 protein-coding and 55 RNA genes was sequenced as part of a DOE Joint Genome Institute Laboratory Sequencing Program (LSP) project.     

Complete genome sequence of the halophilic and highly halotolerant Chromohalobacter salexigens type strain (1H11(T))

Chromohalobacter salexigens is one of nine currently known species of the genus Chromohalobacter in the family Halomonadaceae. It is the most halotolerant of the so-called 'moderately halophilic bacteria' currently known and, due to its strong euryhaline phenotype, it is an established model organism for prokaryotic osmoadaptation. C. salexigens strain 1H11(T) and Halomonas elongata are the first and the second members of the family Halomonadaceae with a completely sequenced genome. The 3,696,649 bp long chromosome with a total of 3,319 protein-coding and 93 RNA genes was sequenced as part of the DOE Joint Genome Institute Program DOEM 2004.     

Complete genome sequence of Bacteroides helcogenes type strain (P 36-108)

Bacteroides helcogenes Benno et al. 1983 is of interest because of its isolated phylogenetic location and, although it has been found in pig feces and is known to be pathogenic for pigs, occurrence of this bacterium is rare and it does not cause significant damage in intensive animal husbandry. The genome of B. helcogenes P 36-108(T) is already the fifth completed and published type strain genome from the genus Bacteroides in the family Bacteroidaceae. The 3,998,906 bp long genome with its 3,353 protein-coding and 83 RNA genes consists of one circular chromosome and is a part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.     

Complete genome sequence of Hydrogenobacter thermophilus type strain (TK-6)

Hydrogenobacter thermophilus Kawasumi et al. 1984 is the type species of the genus Hydrogenobacter. H. thermophilus was the first obligate autotrophic organism reported among aerobic hydrogen-oxidizing bacteria. Strain TK-6(T) is of interest because of the unusually efficient hydrogen-oxidizing ability of this strain, which results in a faster generation time compared to other autotrophs. It is also able to grow anaerobically using nitrate as an electron acceptor when molecular hydrogen is used as the energy source, and able to aerobically fix CO(2)via the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycle. This is the fifth completed genome sequence in the family Aquificaceae, and the second genome sequence determined from a strain derived from the original isolate. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence and annotation. The 1,742,932 bp long genome with its 1,899 protein-coding and 49 RNA genes is a part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.     

Complete genome sequence of Mahella australiensis type strain (50-1 BON)

Mahella australiensis Bonilla Salinas et al. 2004 is the type species of the genus Mahella, which belongs to the family Thermoanaerobacteraceae. The species is of interest because it differs from other known anaerobic spore-forming bacteria in its G+C content, and in certain phenotypic traits, such as carbon source utilization and relationship to temperature. Moreover, it has been discussed that this species might be an indigenous member of petroleum and oil reservoirs. This is the first completed genome sequence of a member of the genus Mahella and the ninth completed type strain genome sequence from the family Thermoanaerobacteraceae. The 3,135,972 bp long genome with its 2,974 protein-coding and 59 RNA genes is a part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.     

Non-contiguous finished genome sequence of the opportunistic oral pathogen Prevotella multisaccharivorax type strain (PPPA20)

Prevotella multisaccharivorax Sakamoto et al. 2005 is a species of the large genus Prevotella, which belongs to the family Prevotellaceae. The species is of medical interest because its members are able to cause diseases in the human oral cavity such as periodontitis, root caries and others. Although 77 Prevotella genomes have already been sequenced or are targeted for sequencing, this is only the second completed genome sequence of a type strain of a species within the genus Prevotella to be published. The 3,388,644 bp long genome is assembled in three non-contiguous contigs, harbors 2,876 protein-coding and 75 RNA genes and is a part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.     

Complete genome sequence of Rhodospirillum rubrum type strain (S1)

Rhodospirillum rubrum (Esmarch 1887) Molisch 1907 is the type species of the genus Rhodospirillum, which is the type genus of the family Rhodospirillaceae in the class Alphaproteobacteria. The species is of special interest because it is an anoxygenic phototroph that produces extracellular elemental sulfur (instead of oxygen) while harvesting light. It contains one of the most simple photosynthetic systems currently known, lacking light harvesting complex 2. Strain S1(T) can grow on carbon monoxide as sole energy source. With currently over 1,750 PubMed entries, R. rubrum is one of the most intensively studied microbial species, in particular for physiological and genetic studies. Next to R. centenum strain SW, the genome sequence of strain S1(T) is only the second genome of a member of the genus Rhodospirillum to be published, but the first type strain genome from the genus. The 4,352,825 bp long chromosome and 53,732 bp plasmid with a total of 3,850 protein-coding and 83 RNA genes were sequenced as part of the DOE Joint Genome Institute Program DOEM 2002.