Broad-spectrum β-lactamases among Enterobacteriaceae of animal origin: molecular aspects, mobility and impact on public health

Broad-spectrum β-lactamase genes (coding for extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and AmpC β-lactamases) have been frequently demonstrated in the microbiota of food-producing animals. This may pose a human health hazard since these genes may be present in zoonotic bacteria, which would cause a direct problem. They can also be present in commensals, which may act as a reservoir of resistance genes for pathogens causing disease both in humans and animals. Broad-spectrum β-lactamase genes are frequently located on mobile genetic elements, such as plasmids, transposons and integrons, which often also carry additional resistance genes. This could limit treatment options for infections caused by broad-spectrum β-lactam-resistant microorganisms. This review addresses the growing burden of broad-spectrum β-lactam resistance among Enterobacteriaceae isolated from food, companion and wild animals worldwide. To explore the human health hazard, the diversity of broad-spectrum β-lactamases among Enterobacteriaceae derived from animals is compared with respect to their presence in human bacteria. Furthermore, the possibilities of the exchange of genes encoding broad-spectrum β-lactamases – including the exchange of the transposons and plasmids that serve as vehicles for these genes – between different ecosystems (human and animal) are discussed

A Different Perspective On Volatility? An Empirical Analysis of the Effects of Volatility-Management in a Norwegian Conte.at

To raise awareness of volatility-management - that is, improving portfolio performance by adjusting exposure according to volatility information, this thesis aims to provide empirical evidence on the effects of volatility-management in a Norwegian context. We find that volatility-managed multifactor portfolios that are rebalanced monthly outperform its nonmanaged counterparts. Specifically, our strategy generates an annualized alpha of up to 5.56% and an appraisal ratio of 0.72 before transaction costs. In economic terms, this implies that an investor who manages volatility increases the Sharpe ratio by 0.72 annually compared to an investor who ignores volatility timing. We also find that the benefits are not limited to short-term investors, but remain modest at a rebalancing frequency of up to 12 months. These results may originate from some investors reacting slowly to changes in market volatility, which leads to an unfavorable risk-return trade-off. Our results suggest that participants investing in the Norwegian market may capitalize on prior volatility information, which challenges the weak form of the efficient market hypothesis. This provides an incentive to pay attention to volatility fluctuations.nhhma

Germination of Aspergillus fumigatus inside avian respiratory macrophages is associated with cytotoxicity

Although aspergillosis is one of the most common diseases in captive birds, the pathogenesis of avian aspergillosis is poorly known. We studied the role of avian respiratory macrophages as a first line of defense against avian aspergillosis. The phagocytic and killing capacities of avian respiratory macrophages were evaluated using pigeon respiratory macrophages that were inoculated with Aspergillus fumigatus conidia. On average, 25% of macrophage-associated conidia were phagocytosed after one hour. Sixteen percents of these cell-associated conidia were killed after 4 h and conidial germination was inhibited in more than 95% of the conidia. A. fumigatus conidia were shown to be cytotoxic to the macrophages. Intracellularly germinating conidia were located free in the cytoplasm of necrotic cells, as shown using transmission electron microscopy. These results suggest that avian respiratory macrophages may prevent early establishment of infection, unless the number of A. fumigatus conidia exceeds the macrophage killing capacity, leading to intracellular germination and colonization of the respiratory tract

In vivo and In vitro Interactions between Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus spp.

The significance of polymicrobial infections is increasingly being recognized especially in a biofilm context wherein multiple bacterial species—including both potential pathogens and members of the commensal flora—communicate, cooperate, and compete with each other. Two important bacterial pathogens that have developed a complex network of evasion, counter-inhibition, and subjugation in their battle for space and nutrients are Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Their strain- and environment-specific interactions, for instance in the cystic fibrosis lung or in wound infections, show severe competition that is generally linked to worse patient outcomes. For instance, the extracellular factors secreted by P. aeruginosa have been shown to subjugate S. aureus to persist as small colony variants (SCVs). On the other hand, data also exist where S. aureus inhibits biofilm formation by P. aeruginosa but also protects the pathogen by inhibiting its phagocytosis. Interestingly, such interspecies interactions differ between the planktonic and biofilm phenotype, with the extracellular matrix components of the latter likely being a key, and largely underexplored, influence. This review attempts to understand the complex relationship between P. aeruginosa and Staphylococcus spp., focusing on S. aureus, that not only is interesting from the bacterial evolution point of view, but also has important consequences for our understanding of the disease pathogenesis for better patient management

TANTANGAN PARENTING DALAM MEWUJUDKAN MODERASI ISLAM ANAK

The birth of X, Y, Z and Alpha generations cannot be denied, given the rapid development of technology. The formation of the character of Alpha Generation or Gen-A which was born in 2010 is a concern and a challenge for parents in shaping the personality of a civilized and humanitarian child. This article is motivated by a critical review of the conditions of intolerance among religious people. Where the soul of intolerance that arises in a person is due to the absence of a sense of humanity and civilized human elements in themselves. One of the main causes is the influence of misuse of technology which has led to the birth of the Alpha Generation that is enslaved by technology. A person's social life deteriorates so that he does not respect differences. The use of technology well can avoid the anti-tolerant nature and be able to form prospective generations who are civilized and humane in accordance with Islamic values. The provision of technological education for children of old age can not be separated from the role of parents as the first madrasa for children. The habit of children will be difficult to change when from the beginning parents do not do education in the family through parenting education. Parenting education is one of the efforts made by parents in educating, nurturing and teaching children

TANTANGAN PARENTING DALAM MEWUJUDKAN MODERASI ISLAM ANAK

The birth of X, Y, Z and Alpha generations cannot be denied, given the rapid development of technology. The formation of the character of Alpha Generation or Gen-A which was born in 2010 is a concern and a challenge for parents in shaping the personality of a civilized and humanitarian child. This article is motivated by a critical review of the conditions of intolerance among religious people. Where the soul of intolerance that arises in a person is due to the absence of a sense of humanity and civilized human elements in themselves. One of the main causes is the influence of misuse of technology which has led to the birth of the Alpha Generation that is enslaved by technology. A person's social life deteriorates so that he does not respect differences. The use of technology well can avoid the anti-tolerant nature and be able to form prospective generations who are civilized and humane in accordance with Islamic values. The provision of technological education for children of old age can not be separated from the role of parents as the first madrasa for children. The habit of children will be difficult to change when from the beginning parents do not do education in the family through parenting education. Parenting education is one of the efforts made by parents in educating, nurturing and teaching children

Characterization of extended-spectrum β-lactamases produced by Escherichia coli isolated from hospitalized and nonhospitalized patients : emergence of CTX-M-15-producing strains causing urinary tract infections

Extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli isolates were obtained from hospitalised and non-hospitalised patients in Belgium between August 2006 and November 2007. The antimicrobial susceptibility of these isolates was determined and their ESBL genes were characterized. Clonal relationships between the CTX-M-producing E. coli isolates causing urinary tract infections were also studied. A total of 90 hospital- and 45 community-acquired cephalosporin-resistant E. coli isolates were obtained. Tetracycline, enrofloxacine, gentamicin and trimethoprim-sulfamethaxozole resistance rates were significantly different between the community-onset and hospital-acquired isolates. A high diversity of different ESBLs was observed among the hospital-acquired E. coli isolates whereas CTX-M-15 was dominating among the community-acquired E. coli isolates (n=28). Thirtheen different PFGE profiles were observed in the community-acquired CTX-M-15-producing E. coli indicating that multiple clones have acquired the blaCTX-M-15 gene. All community-acquired CTX-M-15-producing E. coli isolates of phylogroups B2 and D were assigned to the sequence type ST131. The hospital-acquired CTX-M-15-producing E. coli isolates of phylogroups B2, B1, A and D corresponded to ST131, ST617, ST48 and ST405, respectively. In conclusion, CTX-M-type ESBLs have emerged as the predominant class of ESBLs produced by E. coli isolates in the hospital and community in Belgium. Of particular concern is the predominant presence of the CTX-M-15 enzyme in ST131 community-acquired E. coli

In vitro modeling of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection of the amphibian skin

The largest current disease-induced loss of vertebrate biodiversity is due to chytridiomycosis and despite the increasing understanding of the pathogenesis, knowledge unravelling the early host-pathogen interactions remains limited. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) zoospores attach to and invade the amphibian epidermis, with subsequent invasive growth in the host skin. Availability of an in vitro assay would facilitate in depth study of this interaction while reducing the number of experimental animals needed. We describe a fluorescent cell-based in vitro infection model that reproduces host-Bd interactions. Using primary keratinocytes from Litoria caerulea and the epithelial cell line A6 from Xenopus laevis, we reproduced different stages of host cell infection and intracellular growth of Bd, resulting in host cell death, a key event in chytridiomycosis. The presented in vitro models may facilitate future mechanistic studies of host susceptibility and pathogen virulence

Association of Cognitive Performance with Time at Altitude, Sleep Quality, and Acute Mountain Sickness Symptoms

Objective It is well documented that cognitive performance may be altered with ascent to altitude, but the association of various cognitive performance tests with symptoms of acute mountain sickness (AMS) is not well understood. Our objective was to assess and compare cognitive performance during a high-altitude expedition using several tests and to report the association of each test with AMS, headache, and quality of sleep. Methods During an expedition to Mount Everest, 3 cognitive tests (Stroop, Trail Making, and the real-time cognitive assessment tool, an in-house developed motor accuracy test) were used along with a questionnaire to assess health and AMS. Eight team members were assessed pre-expedition, postexpedition, and at several time points during the expedition. Results There were no significant differences (P >.05) found among scores taken at 3 time points at base camp and the postexpedition scores for all 3 tests. Changes in the Stroop test scores were significantly associated with the odds of AMS (P <.05). The logistic regression results show that the percent change from baseline for Stroop score (β = −5.637; P = .032) and Stroop attempts (β = −5.269; P = .049) are significantly associated with the odds of meeting the criteria for AMS. Conclusions No significant changes were found in overall cognitive performance at altitude, but a significant relationship was found between symptoms of AMS and performance in certain cognitive tests. This research shows the need for more investigation of objective physiologic assessments to associate with self-perceived metrics of AMS to gauge effect on cognitive performance