Acinetobacter baumannii invades epithelial cells and outer membrane protein A mediates interactions with epithelial cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Acinetobacter baumannii </it>is a nosocomial pathogen of increasing importance, but the pathogenic mechanism of this microorganism has not been fully explored. This study investigated the potential of <it>A. baumannii </it>to invade epithelial cells and determined the role of <it>A. baumannii </it>outer membrane protein A (AbOmpA) in interactions with epithelial cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p><it>A. baumannii </it>invaded epithelial cells by a zipper-like mechanism, which is associated with microfilament- and microtubule-dependent uptake mechanisms. Internalized bacteria were located in the membrane-bound vacuoles. Pretreatment of recombinant AbOmpA significantly inhibited the adherence to and invasion of <it>A. baumannii </it>in epithelial cells. Cell invasion of isogenic AbOmpA^-mutant significantly decreased as compared with wild-type bacteria. In a murine pneumonia model, wild-type bacteria exhibited a severe lung pathology and induced a high bacterial burden in blood, whereas AbOmpA^-mutant was rarely detected in blood.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p><it>A. baumannii </it>adheres to and invades epithelial cells. AbOmpA plays a major role in the interactions with epithelial cells. These findings contribute to the understanding of <it>A. baumannii </it>pathogenesis in the early stage of bacterial infection.</p

Emergent localized states at the interface of a twofold PT\mathcal{PT}-symmetric lattice

We consider the role of non-triviality resulting from a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian that conserves twofold PT-symmetry assembled by interconnections between a PT-symmetric lattice and its time reversal partner. Twofold PT-symmetry in the lattice produces additional surface exceptional points that play the role of new critical points, along with the bulk exceptional point. We show that there are two distinct regimes possessing symmetry-protected localized states, of which localization lengths are robust against external gain and loss. The states are demonstrated by numerical calculation of a quasi-1D ladder lattice and a 2D bilayered square lattice.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figure

Treatment of Spontaneous Cervical Spinal Subdural Hematoma with Methylprednisolone Pulse Therapy

We report herein a case of hyperacute onset of spontaneous cervical spinal subdural hematoma treated with methylprednisolone pulse therapy that showed good results. A 57-year-old man was admitted for posterior neck pain and paraparesis which occurred an hour ago. MRI revealed a ventral subdural hematoma distributed from the level of C1 down to T3, compressing the spinal cord. Conservative management with methylprednisolone pulse therapy was administered considering the patient's poor general condition. Although emergent surgical decompression is necessary in most cases of spinal subdural hematoma, conservative management with steroid therapy could be effective

Effects of Suspension Training on Core Stability and Functional Movement Screen Scores in Healthy Adult Men

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study is to determine whether suspension training can be an effective intervention in improving functional movement in healthy adult men. METHODS The recruited subjects of Twenty healthy adult men without musculoskeletal diseases were divided into group that performed TRX exercise (n=10) and a group that performed traditional OKC exercise using a resistance machine (n=10). The variables were the deep squat, hurdle step, inline lunge, shoulder mobility, leg raise, push-up, and rotational stability after an 8-week exercise program. The total score of the 7 movements was calculated to compare and analyze the before-and-after changes in FMS score. All the data obtained in this study were analyzed with SPSS package (ver 21.0). To examine the effects of the suspension training program used in this study, Repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to compare the effects before and after the participation in the program. RESULTS The research results are as follows; The results of the FMS evaluation scores showed no significant differences between the TRX group and the OKC group in the deep squat, hurdle step, inline lunge, shoulder mobility, leg raise, and push-up evaluations, and no interaction effect was found. However, the rotational stability evaluation score showed higher scores in the TRX group after training, showing a significant interaction effect (p<.001). The change in total evaluation score also significantly increased in the TRX group (p<.05), but there was no significant difference in the OKC group. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, rotational stability and total evaluation scores increased after training in the TRX group. In particular, TRX training using suspension may be more effective than traditional forms of training using resistance exercise equipment for people who have instability in the multi-plane stability of the pelvis, core, and shoulder girdle, which are involved in rotational stability

Factors Associated With Early Recovery of Stress Urinary Incontinence Following Holmium Laser Enucleation of the Prostate in Patients With Benign Prostatic Enlargement

Purpose To investigate factors associated with early recovery of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) following holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) in patients with benign prostatic enlargement (BPE). Methods The medical records of 393 patients who underwent HoLEP for BPE were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with SUI following HoLEP were selected and divided into 2 groups: those who experienced early recovery of SUI and those who experienced persistent SUI. Recovery of SUI within 1 month after HoLEP was defined as early, and SUI that remained present after 1 month was defined as persistent. Preoperative clinical and urodynamic factors, as well as perioperative factors, were compared between groups. Results SUI following HoLEP was detected in 86 patients. Thirty-three patients exhibited recovery of SUI within 1 month, and SUI remained present in 53 patients after 1 month. Multivariate analysis showed that the transition zone prostate volume (odds ratio [OR], 5.354; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.911–14.999; P=0.001) and the enucleation ratio (OR, 8.253; 95% CI, 1.786–38.126; P=0.007) were significantly associated with early recovery of SUI. Conclusions Early recovery of SUI within 1 month following HoLEP was associated with transition zone prostate volume and the enucleation ratio