21 research outputs found
Chemokine Receptor 5 Ī32 Allele in Patients with Severe Pandemic (H1N1) 2009
Because chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) may have a role in pulmonary immune response, we explored whether patients with severe pandemic (H1N1) 2009 were more likely to carry the CCR5Ī32 allele than were members of the general population. We found a large proportion of heterozygosity for the CCR5Ī32 allele among white patients with severe disease
Collective Bargaining and High-Involvement Management in Comparative Perspective: Evidence from U.S. And German Call Centers
A Comparison of Two Approaches to Assessment of Speech Recognition Ability in Single Cases
Effect of Two Approaches to Auditory Training on Speech Recognition by Hearing-Impaired Adults
Alternative pre-approved and novel therapies for the treatment of anthrax
Abstract Background Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, is a spore forming and toxin producing rod-shaped bacterium that is classified as a category A bioterror agent. This pathogenic microbe can be transmitted to both animals and humans. Clinical presentation depends on the route of entry (direct contact, ingestion, injection or aerosolization) with symptoms ranging from isolated skin infections to more severe manifestations such as cardiac or pulmonary shock, meningitis, and death. To date, anthrax is treatable if antibiotics are administered promptly and continued for 60Ā days. However, if treatment is delayed or administered improperly, the patientās chances of survival are decreased drastically. In addition, antibiotics are ineffective against the harmful anthrax toxins and spores. Therefore, alternative therapeutics are essential. In this review article, we explore and discuss advances that have been made in anthrax therapy with a primary focus on alternative pre-approved and novel antibiotics as well as anti-toxin therapies. Methods A literature search was conducted using the University of Manitoba search engine. Using this search engine allowed access to a greater variety of journals/articles that would have otherwise been restricted for general use. In order to be considered for discussion for this review, all articles must have been published later than 2009. Results The alternative pre-approved antibiotics demonstrated high efficacy against B. anthracis both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, the safety profile and clinical pharmacology of these drugs were already known. Compounds that targeted underexploited bacterial processes (DNA replication, RNA synthesis, and cell division) were also very effective in combatting B. anthracis. In addition, these novel compounds prevented bacterial resistance. Targeting B. anthracis virulence, more specifically the anthrax toxins, increased the length of which treatment could be administered. Conclusions Several novel and pre-existing antibiotics, as well as toxin inhibitors, have shown increasing promise. A combination treatment that targets both bacterial growth and toxin production would be ideal and probably necessary for effectively combatting this armed bacterium
Speech Recognition in Nonnative versus Native English-Speaking College Students in a Virtual Classroom
Menopause status moderates sex differences in tau burden:a Framingham PET Study
OBJECTIVE: Women have a higher lifetime risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) than men. Among cognitively normal (CN) older adults, women exhibit elevated tau positron emission tomography (PET) signal compared with men. We explored whether menopause exacerbates sex differences in tau deposition in middleāaged adults. METHODS: 328 CN participants from the Framingham Study (mean ageĀ =Ā 57āyears (Ā±10āyears), 161 women, of whom, 104 were postāmenopausal) underwent tau and Ī²āamyloid (AĪ²)āPET neuroimaging. We examined global AĪ²āPET, and tauāPET signal in 5 regions identified a priori as demonstrating significant sex differences in older adults (in temporal, inferior parietal, middle frontal, and lateral occipital regions). We examined sex and menopause statusārelated differences in each regionāofāinterest, using linear regressions, as well as interactions with AĪ² and APOEĪµ4 genotype. RESULTS: Women exhibited higher tauāPET signal (pā<ā0.002), and global AĪ²āPET (pĀ =Ā 0.010), than men in inferior parietal, rostral middle frontal, and lateral occipital regions. Compared with ageāmatched men, postāmenopausal women showed significantly higher tauāPET signal in parietoāoccipital regions (pā<ā0.0001). By contrast, no differences in tauāPET signal existed between preāmenopausal women and men. AĪ²āPET was not associated with menopausal status or age. Neither AĪ²āPET nor APOEĪµ4 status moderated sex or menopause associations with tauāPET. INTERPRETATION: Clear divergence in tauopathy between the sexes are apparent approximately 20āyears earlier than previously reported. Menopause status moderated sex differences in AĪ² and tauāPET burden, with tau first appearing postāmenopause. Sex and menopause differences consistently appeared in middle frontal and parietoāoccipital regions but were not moderated by AĪ² burden or APOEĪµ4, suggesting that menopauseārelated tau vulnerability may be independent of ADārelated pathways. ANN NEUROL 2022;92:11ā2
Association of Midlife Depressive Symptoms with Regional Amyloid-Ī² and Tau in the Framingham Heart Study.
BackgroundDepressive symptoms predict increased risk for dementia decades before the emergence of cognitive symptoms. Studies in older adults provide preliminary evidence for an association between depressive symptoms and amyloid-Ī² (AĪ²) and tau accumulation. It is unknown if similar alterations are observed in midlife when preventive strategies may be most effective.ObjectiveThe study aim was to evaluate the association between depressive symptoms and cerebral AĪ² and tau in a predominately middle-aged cohort with examination of the apolipoprotein (APOE) É4 allele as a moderator.MethodsParticipants included 201 adults (mean age 53Ā±8 years) who underwent 11C-Pittsburgh Compound B amyloid and 18F-Flortaucipir tau positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Depressive symptoms were evaluated with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) at the time of PET imaging, as well as eight years prior. Associations between depressive symptoms at both timepoints, as well as depression (CES-Dā„16), with regional AĪ² and tau PET retention were evaluated with linear regression adjusting for age and sex. Interactions with the APOE É4 allele were explored.ResultsDepressive symptoms and depression were not associated with PET outcomes in the overall sample. However, among APOE É4 allele carriers, there was a significant cross-sectional association between depressive symptoms and increased tau PET uptake in the entorhinal cortex (Ī²=ā0.446, SEā=ā0.155, pā=ā0.006) and amygdala (Ī²=ā0.350, SEā=ā0.133, pā=ā0.012).ConclusionAlthough longitudinal studies are necessary, the results suggest that APOE É4 carriers with depressive symptoms may present with higher susceptibility to early tau accumulation in regions integral to affective regulation and memory consolidation