Characterisation of the bacteriostatic and bactericidal mode of action of antibacterial proteins and compounds using Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy

Antibiotic resistance is an expanding global health concern requiring new and innovative approaches to prevent and treat bacterial infections. Bacteriophages and their products are one possible solution to combat these drug-resistant pathogens. The genomes of various bacteriophages have been mined for novel activities and are a rich source of proteins that have evolved to disrupt bacteria. A diverse family of such proteins, known as Kil proteins, are encoded by several Escherichia coli bacteriophages and appear to target the cell division apparatus, notably FtsZ which is essential for bacterial cell division. In this thesis I demonstrate that a group of structurally dissimilar Kil proteins when expressed in E. coli induce cell filamentation and promote cell killing. All these proteins are small in size and could be developed as peptide inhibitors that target FtsZ and other components of cell division. This thesis also examines the effect of metal chelating agents on bacterial growth and viability. Chelators are well known inhibitors of bacterial growth, but their antibacterial mechanism of action is poorly characterised. Here, a number of compounds were probed for their impact on bacterial cell morphology and potential for disrupting membrane integrity, redox chemistry and membrane potential. The results reveal that there is no single mechanism of action shared by these metal chelators but does reveal specific effects that provide fresh insights into different mechanisms of bacterial growth inhibition in addition to metal deprivation. All the proteins and compounds studied show potential as novel antibacterial agents that could be employed to treat bacterial infections

Winthrop Think College-Postsecondary Options for Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Winthrop Think College is a postsecondary option for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Our goal is to prepare students for competitive employment and active participation in local communities. Session will highlight experiences from first year of our program. The audience will hear from the Winthrop Think College Students and Peer Mentors

Accuracy and Efficiency of Recording Pediatric Early Warning Scores Using an Electronic Physiological Surveillance System Compared With Traditional Paper-Based Documentation

Pediatric Early Warning Scores are advocated to assist health professionals to identify early signs of serious illness or deterioration in hospitalized children. Scores are derived from the weighting applied to recorded vital signs and clinical observations reflecting deviation from a predetermined "norm." Higher aggregate scores trigger an escalation in care aimed at preventing critical deterioration. Process errors made while recording these data, including plotting or calculation errors, have the potential to impede the reliability of the score. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a controlled study of documentation using five clinical vignettes. We measured the accuracy of vital sign recording, score calculation, and time taken to complete documentation using a handheld electronic physiological surveillance system, VitalPAC Pediatric, compared with traditional paper-based charts. We explored the user acceptability of both methods using a Web-based survey. Twenty-three staff participated in the controlled study. The electronic physiological surveillance system improved the accuracy of vital sign recording, 98.5% versus 85.6%, P < .02, Pediatric Early Warning Score calculation, 94.6% versus 55.7%, P < .02, and saved time, 68 versus 98 seconds, compared with paper-based documentation, P < .002. Twenty-nine staff completed the Web-based survey. They perceived that the electronic physiological surveillance system offered safety benefits by reducing human error while providing instant visibility of recorded data to the entire clinical team

Face Mask Use and Control of Respiratory Virus Transmission in Households

Mask use is associated with low adherence, but adherent mask users are significantly protected against seasonal disease

Fluoroquinolone and Other Antimicrobial Resistance in Invasive Pneumococci, Hong Kong, 1995–2001

Fluoroquinolone resistance among invasive pneumococci in Hong Kong was high and a result of clonal expansion and spread

A discursive review of the textual use of ‘trapped’ in environmental migration studies: The conceptual birth and troubled teenage years of trapped populations

First mooted in 2011, the concept of Trapped Populations referring to people unable to move from environmentally high-risk areas broadened the study of human responses to environmental change. While a seemingly straightforward concept, the underlying discourses around the reasons for being ‘trapped’, and the language describing the concept have profound influences on the way in which policy and practice approaches the needs of populations at risk from environmental stresses and shocks. In this article, we apply a Critical Discourse Analysis to the academic literature on the subject to reveal some of the assumptions implicit within discussing ‘trapped’ populations. The analysis reveals a dominant school of thought that assisted migration, relocation, and resettlement in the face of climate change are potentially effective adaptation strategies along a gradient of migrant agency and governance

Towards drought impact-based forecasting in a multi-hazard context

The lives and livelihoods of people around the world are increasingly threatened by climate-related risks as climate change increases the frequency and severity of high-impact weather. In turn, the risk of multiple hazards occurring simultaneously grows and compound impacts become more likely. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) proposed the use of multi-hazard impact-based forecasting (IbF) to better anticipate and reduce the impacts of concurrent hazards, but as yet, there are few operational examples in the humanitarian sector. Drought is particularly susceptible to multi-hazard influences. However, challenges encountered in the development of drought IbF systems – including poor understanding of compound impacts and specific hazard-focused mandates – raise important questions for the feasibility of multi-hazard IbF as envisioned by the WMO. With these challenges in mind, we propose an interim approach in which real-time assessment of dynamic vulnerability provides a context for drought-based IbF. The incorporation of dynamic vulnerability indicators account for the local effects of non-drought hazards, whilst the use of a drought-based system facilitates effective intervention. The proposed approach will improve our understanding of compound events, enhance adoption of IbF in the humanitarian sector, and better mitigate the impacts of concurrent hazards