Laboratory Identification of Torulopsis glabrata: Typical Appearance on Routine Bacteriological Media

The colonial morphology of the yeast Torulopsis glabrata on sheep blood-agar is characteristic and was useful in the identification of 24% of clinical isolates.     

A pilot study of rivastigmine in the treatment of delirium after stroke: A safe alternative

Background

Delirium is a common disorder in the early phase of stroke. Given the presumed cholinergic deficiency in delirium, we tested treatment with the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor rivastigmine.

Methods

This pilot study was performed within an epidemiological study. In 527 consecutive stroke patients presence of delirium was assessed during the first week with the confusion assessment method. Severity was scored with the delirium rating scale (DRS). Sixty-two patients developed a delirium in the acute phase of stroke. Only patients with a severe and persistent delirium (defined as a DRS of 12 or more for more than 24 hours) were enrolled in the present study. In total 26 fulfilled these criteria of whom 17 were treated with orally administered rivastigmine with a total dose between 3 and 12 mg a day. Eight patients could not be treated because of dysphagia and one because of early discharge.

Results

No major side effects were recorded. In 16 patients there was a considerable decrease in severity of delirium. The mean DRS declined from 14.8 on day one to 8.5 after therapy and 5.6 after tapering. The mean duration of delirium was 6.7 days (range; 2–17).

Conclusion

Rivastigmine is safe in stroke patients with delirium even after rapid titration. In the majority of patients the delirium improved after treatment. A randomized controlled trial is needed to establish the usefulness of rivastigmine in delirium after stroke.

Trial registration

Nederlands Trial Register NTR1395

     

The role of surfactant protein D in the colonisation of the respiratory tract and onset of bacteraemia during pneumococcal pneumonia

We have shown previously that surfactant protein D (SP-D) binds and agglutinates Streptococcus pneumoniae in vitro. In this study, the role of SP-D in innate immunity against S. pneumoniae was investigated in vivo, by comparing the outcome of intranasal infection in surfactant protein D deficient (SP-D-/-) to wildtype mice (SP-D+/+). Deficiency of SP-D was associated with enhanced colonisation and infection of the upper and lower respiratory tract and earlier onset and longer persistence of bacteraemia. Recruitment of neutrophils to inflammatory sites in the lung was similar in both strains mice in the first 24 hrs post-infection, but different by 48 hrs. T cell influx was greatly enhanced in SP-D-/- mice as compared to SP-D+/+ mice. Our data provides evidence that SP-D has a significant role to play in the clearance of pneumococci during the early stages of infection in both pulmonary sites and blood.     

Nucleotide sequence of the epidermolytic toxin A gene of Staphylococcus aureus.

The nucleotide sequence of the eta gene, which codes for the epidermolytic toxin serotype A of Staphylococcus aureus TC16, is reported. The coding sequence of 840 nucleotides specifies a protein which, when secreted, has a predicted molecular weight of 26,950. The sequence of eta and the deduced amino acid sequence of the toxin have been compared with those of epidermolytic toxin serotype B. The coding sequences have 52% identical residues, and the polypeptides have 40% identical residues. Amino acid residues have been conserved in the areas of the proteins which correspond to major hydrophobic domains, whereas the regions likely to specify antigenic determinants occur in hydrophilic sequences that have diverged. The level of expression of epidermolytic toxin A in S. aureus 8325-4 was shown to be dependent on the integrity of a regulatory gene called agr.     

A common reference population from four European Holstein populations increases reliability of genomic predictions

Background

Size of the reference population and reliability of phenotypes are crucial factors influencing the reliability of genomic predictions. It is therefore useful to combine closely related populations. Increased accuracies of genomic predictions depend on the number of individuals added to the reference population, the reliability of their phenotypes, and the relatedness of the populations that are combined.

Methods

This paper assesses the increase in reliability achieved when combining four Holstein reference populations of 4000 bulls each, from European breeding organizations, i.e. UNCEIA (France), VikingGenetics (Denmark, Sweden, Finland), DHV-VIT (Germany) and CRV (The Netherlands, Flanders). Each partner validated its own bulls using their national reference data and the combined data, respectively.

Results

Combining the data significantly increased the reliability of genomic predictions for bulls in all four populations. Reliabilities increased by 10%, compared to reliabilities obtained with national reference populations alone, when they were averaged over countries and the traits evaluated. For different traits and countries, the increase in reliability ranged from 2% to 19%.

Conclusions

Genomic selection programs benefit greatly from combining data from several closely related populations into a single large reference population.     

Mitochondrial control-region sequences in two shorebird species, the turnstone and the dunlin, and their utility in population genetic studies

We determined the mitochondrial control-region sequences of five turnstones (Arenaria interpres) and three dunlins (Calidris alpina). Comparisons revealed that the central part (part II) is conserved relative to much more variable parts at the beginning (part I) and the end (part III). This pattern of sequence conservation is also found in the control regions of other vertebrates. The average sequence divergence between turnstone and dunlin was 21.8% for part I, 7.5% for part II, and 29.5% for part III. Within-species sequence divergence over the entire control region was much lower, at 0.9% for turnstones and 2.0% for dunlins. In both shorebird species, part III contains a repetitive sequence composed only of A and C nucleotides, which has not been found in the control regions of other birds. A survey of the part I sequences of 25 turnstones and 25 dunlins sampled around the world revealed that these species have very different population genetic structures. Dunlins are not only much more differentiated in their sequences but also have a strongly subdivided population genetic structure. Pleistocene vicariant events combined with strong natal philopatry and high mutation rates of the sequences are likely responsible for this population genetic subdivision. Conversely, part I sequences of turnstones are weakly differentiated and are geographically unstructured. We argue that this is not the result of global gene flow but that, instead turnstones have recently expanded from a refugial population that was bottlenecked.      

'Navius' kissing stents for coronary bifurcation stenosis,recreating a new metallic carina: an IVUS-assessed case report

We report a case of implantation of a new design of stent which allows creation of a double-hemispheric lumen for the treatment of a bifurcational stenosis. The unfavourable outcome following the implantation of this stent is described.     

Effect of drift sampler exposure time and net mesh size on invertebrate drift density in the Njoro River,Kenya

Although invertebrate drift is an important ecological process in lotic ecosystems, very little is known about it in Kenyan rivers. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the effect of driftnet mesh size and exposure duration on drift density in 2017. Drift samples were dominated by Chironomidae, Baetidae, Simuliidae, Caenidae and Culicidae. The 100 µm mesh driftnet had the highest mean invertebrate density, followed by the 250 µm and 500 µm nets. Invertebrate drift densities decreased with increased exposure time. This study demonstrates that sampler mesh size and exposure time should be taken into account when characterising invertebrate drift in streams. Future studies should consider sampling different biotopes and during different seasons.     

Stent implantation in acute myocardial infarction using a heparin-coated stent: a pilot study as a preamble to a randomized trial comparing balloon angioplasty and stenting

Preliminary experience with primary stenting in myocardial infarction has suggested a greater benefit in clinical outcome than has been obtained with direct balloon angioplasty. However, subacute thrombosis (SAT) remains a limitation for this new mode of therapy. In the BENESTENT II Pilot and main trials, the incidence of SAT with the heparin-coated Palmaz-Schatz stent was only 0.15%. Therefore, as a preamble to a large randomized trial, the feasibility and safety of the use of the Heparin-Coated Palmaz-Schatz trade mark Stent in Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) was tested in 101 patients enrolled between April and September 1996 in 18 clinical centres. In 101 stent-eligible AMI patients, as dictated by protocol, a heparin-coated stent was implanted. The primary objectives were to determine the in-hospital incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE: death, MI, target lesion revascularization) and bleeding complications, while the secondary objectives were the procedural success rate and the MACE, the restenosis and reocclusion rates at 6.5 months. Stent implantation (n 3 129 stents) was successful in 97 patients of the 101 who were included in this trial. During their hospital stay, two patients died and no patient experienced re-infarction, ischaemia prompting re-PTCA or CABG. Four patients suffered a bleeding complication, three major and one minor, of whom three required surgical repair. At 210 days follow-up, 81% of the patients were event free. At 6.5 months restenosis was documented in 18% of the 88 patients who underwent follow-up angiography, including three total occlusions. The results, both with respect to QCA and the occurrence of MACE, compare favourably with studies using elective stenting in both stable and unstable angina patients. As a result of this pilot study, a large randomized trial comparing direct balloon angioplasty with direct stenting in 900 patients with AMI was initiated in December 1996.