An Isolator System for minimally invasive surgery: the new design

Background - The risk of obtaining a postsurgical infection depends highly on the air quality surrounding the exposed tissue, surgical instruments, and materials. Many isolators for open surgery have been invented to create a contained sterile volume around the exposed tissue. With the use of an isolator, a surgical procedure can be performed outside sterile environments. The goal of this study was to design an Isolator System (IS) for standard laparoscopic instruments while instrument movements are not restricted. Methods - The developed IS consists of a sleeve to protect the instrument shaft and tip and a special balloon to protect the incision and trocar tube. A coupling mechanism connected at the sleeve allows instrument changes without contamination of the isolated parts. Smoke tests were performed to show that outside air does not enter the new IS during a simulated laparoscopic procedure. Eight test runs and one baseline run inside a contained volume filled with thick smoke were performed to investigate whether smoke particles entered the Isolator System. Filters were used to identify smoke entering the Isolator System. Results - Seven filters showed no trace of smoke particles. In one test run, a part of the IS loosened and a small brown spot was visible. The filter from the baseline run was completely covered with a thick layer of particles, proving the effectiveness of the test. During all test runs, the isolated instrument was successfully locked on and unlocked from the isolated trocar. Instrument movements gave no complications. After removal of the isolated instrument, it took three novices an average of 3.1 (standard deviation (SD), 0.7) seconds to replace it correctly on the isolated trocar. Conclusions - The designed IS for laparoscopy can increase sterility in environments where sterility cannot be guaranteed. The current design is developed for laparoscopy, but it can easily be adapted for other fields in minimally invasive surgery.Biomechanical EngineeringMechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineerin

Retrospective survey for sialidase activity in Mycoplasma pneumoniae isolates from cases of community-acquired pneumonia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sialidase is a well-known virulence factor of other respiratory pathogens, but was only recently documented to occur in some species of <it>Mycoplasma</it>. The sialidase activity expressed can vary quantitatively among strains within a species of mycoplasma, from undetectable to amounts that correlate positively with strain virulence. Very few isolates of <it>Mycoplasma pneumoniae </it>had ever been examined for sialidase activity, so it was unknown whether sialidase may contribute to diseases involving this species.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>No sialidase activity was detected by spectrofluorometric assay of 15 laboratory strains and 91 clinical isolates of <it>M. pneumoniae </it>banked over many years from patients having radiologically-confirmed, uncomplicated community-acquired pneumonia.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The annotated genome of strain M129 (GenBank <ext-link ext-link-id="NC_000912" ext-link-type="gen">NC_000912</ext-link>, <ext-link ext-link-id="ATCC29342" ext-link-type="gen">ATCC 29342</ext-link>), also isolated from a patient with pneumonia, accurately represents the absence of sialidase genes from strains of <it>M. pneumoniae </it>typically associated with uncomplicated community-acquired pneumonia. A possible involvement of sialidase in neurologic or other extra-respiratory manifestations of <it>M. pneumoniae </it>mycoplasmosis remains to be investigated.</p

Kocuria kristinae infection associated with acute cholecystitis

BACKGROUND: Kocuria, previously classified into the genus of Micrococcus, is commonly found on human skin. Two species, K. rosea and K. kristinae, are etiologically associated with catheter-related bacteremia. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe the first case of K. kristinae infection associated with acute cholecystitis. The microorganism was isolated from the bile of a 56-year old Chinese man who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. He developed post-operative fever that resolved readily after levofloxacin treatment. CONCLUSION: Our report of K. kristinae infection associated with acute cholecystitis expands the clinical spectrum of infections caused by this group of bacteria. With increasing number of recent reports describing the association between Kocuria spp. and infectious diseases, the significance of their isolation from clinical specimens cannot be underestimated. A complete picture of infections related to Kocuria spp. will have to await the documentation of more clinical cases

Effect of within-species plant genotype mixing on habitat preference of a polyphagous insect predator

The effects of within-species plant genotype mixing on the habitat preference of a polyphagous ladybird were studied. Plant species diversity is often claimed to positively affect habitat preferences of insect predators, but the effects of within-species genotype diversity have not been extensively studied. In a field experiment with different barley (Hordeum vulgare) genotypes in mixed and pure stands, adult seven-spot ladybird Coccinella septempunctata, a polyphagous predator, preferred a specific combination of genotypes over the single genotypes alone before aphids had arrived in the crop, and again when aphids were emigrating. In laboratory experiments on adult ladybird orientation to odour from barley, ladybirds were attracted/arrested by the mixed odour of the same barley genotype mixture that was preferred in the field. Exposure of one barley genotype to volatiles from the other also caused the odour of the exposed plants to become more attractive to ladybirds. The results support the hypothesis that plant volatiles may attract or arrest foraging adult ladybirds, contributing to the selection of favourable habitats, and they show that within-species plant genotype mixing can shape interactions within multitrophic communities

Conserved Odorant-Binding Proteins from Aphids and Eavesdropping Predators

Background: The sesquiterpene (E)-ß-farnesene is the main component of the alarm pheromone system of various aphid species studied to date, including the English grain aphid, Sitobion avenae. Aphid natural enemies, such as the marmalade hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus and the multicolored Asian lady beetle Harmonia axyridis, eavesdrop on aphid chemical communication and utilize (E)-ß-farnesene as a kairomone to localize their immediate or offspring preys. These aphidpredator systems are important models to study how the olfactory systems of distant insect taxa process the same chemical signal. We postulated that odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), which are highly expressed in insect olfactory tissues and involved in the first step of odorant reception, have conserved regions involved in binding (E)-ß-farnesene. Methodology: We cloned OBP genes from the English grain aphid and two major predators of this aphid species. We then expressed these proteins and compare their binding affinities to the alarm pheromone/kairomone. By using a fluorescence reporter, we tested binding of (E)-ß-farnesene and other electrophysiologically and behaviorally active compounds, including a green leaf volatile attractant. Conclusion: We found that OBPs from disparate taxa of aphids and their predators are highly conserved proteins, with apparently no orthologue genes in other insect species. Properly folded, recombinant proteins from the English grain aphid, SaveOBP3, and the marmalade hoverfly, EbalOBP3, specifically bind (E)-ß-farnesene with apparent high affinity. For the firs

Aphid Wing Induction and Ecological Costs of Alarm Pheromone Emission under Field Conditions

The pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris, (Homoptera: Aphididae) releases the volatile sesquiterpene (E)-β-farnesene (EBF) when attacked by a predator, triggering escape responses in the aphid colony. Recently, it was shown that this alarm pheromone also mediates the production of the winged dispersal morph under laboratory conditions. The present work tested the wing-inducing effect of EBF under field conditions. Aphid colonies were exposed to two treatments (control and EBF) and tested in two different environmental conditions (field and laboratory). As in previous experiments aphids produced higher proportion of winged morphs among their offspring when exposed to EBF in the laboratory but even under field conditions the proportion of winged offspring was higher after EBF application (6.84±0.98%) compared to the hexane control (1.54±0.25%). In the field, the proportion of adult aphids found on the plant at the end of the experiment was lower in the EBF treatment (58.1±5.5%) than in the control (66.9±4.6%), in contrast to the climate chamber test where the numbers of adult aphids found on the plant at the end of the experiment were, in both treatments, similar to the numbers put on the plant initially. Our results show that the role of EBF in aphid wing induction is also apparent under field conditions and they may indicate a potential cost of EBF emission. They also emphasize the importance of investigating the ecological role of induced defences under field conditions

Aphid and Plant Volatiles Induce Oviposition in an Aphidophagous Hoverfly

Episyrphus balteatus DeGeer (Diptera, Syrphidae) is an abundant and efficient aphid-specific predator. We tested the electroantennographic (EAG) response of this syrphid fly to the common aphid alarm pheromone, (E)-β-farnesene (EβF), and to several plant volatiles, including terpenoids (mono- and sesquiterpenes) and green leaf volatiles (C6 and C9 alcohols and aldehydes). Monoterpenes evoked significant EAG responses, whereas sesquiterpenes were inactive, except for the aphid alarm pheromone (EβF). The most pronounced antennal responses were elicited by six and nine carbon green leaf alcohols and aldehydes [i.e., (Z)-3-hexenol, (E)-2-hexenol, (E)-2-hexenal, and hexanal]. To investigate the behavioral activity of some of these EAG-active compounds, E. balteatus females were exposed to R-(+)-limonene (monoterpene), (Z)-3-hexenol (green leaf alcohol), and EβF (sesquiterpene, common aphid alarm pheromone). A single E. balteatus gravid female was exposed for 10 min to an aphid-free Vicia faba plant that was co-located with a semiochemical dispenser. Without additional semiochemical, hoverfly females were not attracted to this plant, and no oviposition was observed. The monoterpene R-(+)-limonene did not affect the females’ foraging behavior, whereas (Z)-3-hexenol and EβF increased the time of flight and acceptance of the host plant. Moreover, these two chemicals induced oviposition on aphid-free plants, suggesting that selection of the oviposition site by predatory hoverflies relies on the perception of a volatile blend composed of prey pheromone and typical plant green leaf volatiles

Rare predicted loss-of-function variants of type I IFN immunity genes are associated with life-threatening COVID-19

Background: We previously reported that impaired type I IFN activity, due to inborn errors of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I interferon (IFN) immunity or to autoantibodies against type I IFN, account for 15–20% of cases of life-threatening COVID-19 in unvaccinated patients. Therefore, the determinants of life-threatening COVID-19 remain to be identified in ~ 80% of cases. Methods: We report here a genome-wide rare variant burden association analysis in 3269 unvaccinated patients with life-threatening COVID-19, and 1373 unvaccinated SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals without pneumonia. Among the 928 patients tested for autoantibodies against type I IFN, a quarter (234) were positive and were excluded. Results: No gene reached genome-wide significance. Under a recessive model, the most significant gene with at-risk variants was TLR7, with an OR of 27.68 (95%CI 1.5–528.7, P = 1.1 × 10−4) for biochemically loss-of-function (bLOF) variants. We replicated the enrichment in rare predicted LOF (pLOF) variants at 13 influenza susceptibility loci involved in TLR3-dependent type I IFN immunity (OR = 3.70[95%CI 1.3–8.2], P = 2.1 × 10−4). This enrichment was further strengthened by (1) adding the recently reported TYK2 and TLR7 COVID-19 loci, particularly under a recessive model (OR = 19.65[95%CI 2.1–2635.4], P = 3.4 × 10−3), and (2) considering as pLOF branchpoint variants with potentially strong impacts on splicing among the 15 loci (OR = 4.40[9%CI 2.3–8.4], P = 7.7 × 10−8). Finally, the patients with pLOF/bLOF variants at these 15 loci were significantly younger (mean age [SD] = 43.3 [20.3] years) than the other patients (56.0 [17.3] years; P = 1.68 × 10−5). Conclusions: Rare variants of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I IFN immunity genes can underlie life-threatening COVID-19, particularly with recessive inheritance, in patients under 60&nbsp;years old