E. coli outbreak in a neonate intensive care unit in a general hospital in Mexico City

Nosocomial infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality among neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). The aim of this paper was to describe an outbreak of Escherichia coli among infants admitted to the NICU of the General Hospital “Dr. Manuel Gea Gonzalez” in May of 2008. The isolated E. coli strains were identified using standard biochemical methods. The susceptibilities of these strains were analysed by determining their minimal inhibitory concentrations. Following this, their molecular relationships to each other were assessed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis and corroborated by serology. Twelve E. coli strains were isolated from blood, urine, or indwelling catheter samples from five cases of preterm infants within a 3-day period. Patients were admitted to the NICU of the general hospital and, during the outbreak, developed sepsis caused by E. coli. For four of the patients, the average age was 23 days, while one patient was a 3-month-old infant. Prior to sepsis, the infants had received assisted ventilation and hyperalimentation through a central venous catheter. Two profiles were observed by PFGE; profile A was identified as the outbreak’s cause and an outcome of cross-infection, while profile B showed genetic differences but serologically it was identified as part of the same serotype. We conclude that E. coli colonised the patients through horizontal transmission. A focal source of the microorganism in this outbreak was not identified, but cross-transmission through handling was the most probable route.     

Evaluation of selective inhibitors of 11β-HSD1 for the treatment of hypertension

In an effort to understand the origin of blood-pressure lowering effects observed in recent clinical trials with 11β-HSD1 inhibitors, we examined a set of 11β-HSD1 inhibitors in a series of relevant in vitro and in vivo assays. Select 11β-HSD1 inhibitors reduced blood pressure in our preclinical models but most or all of the blood pressure lowering may be mediated by a 11β-HSD1 independent pathway.     

Polymer gene delivery vectors encapsulated in thermally sensitive bioreducible shell

Stable, nanosized polyelectrolyte complexes between rationally designed thermally sensitive block copolymers and plasmid DNA (polyplexes) were formed and their in vitro transfection efficiency was tested. The polyplexes were further stabilized through encapsulation into a biodegradable polymer shell. Although reduced as compared to that of the corresponding polyplexes, the encapsulated systems still show acceptable transfection efficiency. That opens the possibility to tune the balance between the safe transport and efficient delivery of DNA into the cells.     

Discovery and optimization of orally active cyclohexane-based prolylcarboxypeptidase (PrCP) inhibitors

The synthesis, SAR, binding affinities and pharmacokinetic profiles are described for a series of cyclohexane-based prolylcarboxypeptidase (PrCP) inhibitors discovered by high throughput screening. Compounds show high levels of ex vivo target engagement in mouse plasma 20 h post oral dose.     

Epstein Barr Virus and Helicobacter pylori Co-Infection Are Positively Associated with Severe Gastritis in Pediatric Patients

Background

H. pylori infection is acquired during childhood and causes a chronic inflammatory response in the gastric mucosa, which is considered the main risk factor to acquire gastric cancer (GC) later in life. More recently, infection by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) have also been associated with GC. The role of EBV in early inflammatory responses and its relationship with H. pylori infection remains poorly studied. Here, we assessed whether EBV infection in children correlated with the stage of gastritis and whether co-infection with H. pylori affected the severity of inflammation.

Methodology/Principal Findings

333 pediatric patients with chronic abdominal pain were studied. From them, gastric biopsies were taken and inflammation graded according to the Sydney system; peripheral blood was drawn and antibodies against EBV (IgG and IgM anti-VCA) and H. pylori (IgG anti-whole bacteria and anti-CagA) were measured in sera. We found that children infected only by EBV presented mild mononuclear (MN) and none polymorphonuclear (PMN) cell infiltration, while those infected by H. pylori presented moderate MN and mild PMN. In contrast, patients co-infected with both pathogens were significantly associated with severe gastritis. Importantly, co-infection of H. pylori CagA+/EBV+ had a stronger association with severe MN (PR 3.0) and PMN (PR 7.2) cells than cases with single H. pylori CagA+ infection.

Conclusions/Significance

Co-infection with EBV and H. pylori in pediatric patients is associated with severe gastritis. Even single infections with H. pylori CagA+ strains are associated with mild to moderate infiltration arguing for a cooperative effect of H. pylori and EBV in the gastric mucosa and revealing a critical role for EBV previously un-appreciated. This study points out the need to study both pathogens to understand the mechanism behind severe damage of the gastric mucosa, which could identified children with increased risk to present more serious lesions later in life.     

A histopathological study on the Caucasian dwarf goby from an anthropogenically loaded site in Hungary using multiple tissues analyses

The present study aimed to investigate for the first time the health status of the Caucasian dwarf goby Knipowitschia caucasica (Berg, 1916, Fishes of freshwaters of Russian Empire, p. 563, Moscow, Russia: Dep. Zemledeliya) (Teleostei: Gobiidae) from an anthropogenically loaded site in Hungary using histopathological analyses on multiple tissues. For that purpose, fish were collected from the public beach at Tiszafüred near the River Tisza. Gills, liver and kidney were subjected to histopathological analyses, and the results showed different alterations in each organ, which also differed in their extent and severity. In addition, we also found lesions in the reproductive organs of both, male and female fish which, overall, we hypothesized could be due to untreated municipal wastewaters, most likely contaminated with endocrine-disrupting chemicals. The multi-organ histopathological analyses of Caucasian dwarf gobies revealed different lesions, prevalence and severity in each target organ, as follows: liver>gills>kidney>gonad (testes and ovaries). These histopathological lesions can be assessed as good indicators of contamination by endocrine-disrupting chemicals of freshwater ecosystems.