Peripherals close: a study of three peripheral municipalities and their neighbors

This work presents 3 case studies from the Czech Republic based on a long term qualitative research. The main issue under study is a description of peripheral municipalities and their neighbors in terms of everyday life, history and future of these places.periphery, village, interview, development

Inner peripheries from a distance and a close

In this article, we have tried to present the theme of inner peripheries in the Czech Republic-using studies of three small villages. In our approach, inner peripheries are defined as socially and economically disadvantaged localities. The criteria for the identification of inner peripheries include selected statistical data (17 indicators from the 2001 Population and Housing Census and changes in population between 1970 and 2004). On the basis of these criteria, inner peripheries were identified as being typically located near regional borders and on the margins of large cities. Studies of specific peripheral villages were undertaken in order to attempt to shed light on this issue from up close (i.e. qualitative research) and to illustrate deeper connections not visible in the statistical data. In particular, peripheral villages tend to be characterized by similar demographics (an aging and declining population) and history (urbanization, collectivization, changes in regional and local autonomy, etc.). We may assume that peripheral villages are home to problems associated with the quality and accessibility of work and services and also with a strong level of conservatism (i.e. lack of enterprise) among local politicians. The study has also shown that the (non)existence of schools, active civic associations and individuals can positively or negatively affect social life in villages.inner peripheries, regional development

Validation of Diffusion Kurtosis Imaging as an Early-Stage Biomarker of Parkinson's Disease in Animal Models

Diffusion kurtosis imaging (DKI), which is a mathematical extension of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), assesses non-Gaussian water diffusion in the brain. DKI proved to be effective in supporting the diagnosis of different neurodegenerative disorders. Its sensitively detects microstructural changes in the brain induced by either protein accumulation, glial cell activation or neurodegeneration as observed in mouse models of Parkinson's disease. We applied two experimental models of Parkinson's disease to validate the diagnostic utility of DKI in early and late stage of disease pathology. We present two DKI analysis methods: (1) tract based spatial statistics (TBSS), which is a hypothesis independent data driven approach intended to evaluate white matter changes; and (2) region of interest (ROI) based analysis based on hypothesis of ROIs relevant for Parkinson's disease, which is specifically used for gray matter changes. The main aim of this chapter is to provide detailed information of how to perform the DKI imaging acquisition and analysis in the mouse brain, which can be, to some extent translated to humans

Periferie zblízka: studie tří periferních obcí a jejich sousedů

This work presents 3 case studies from the Czech Republic based on a long term qualitative research. The main issue under study is a description of peripheral municipalities and their neighbors in terms of everyday life, history and future of these places

Periferie zblízka: studie tří periferních obcí a jejich sousedů

This work presents 3 case studies from the Czech Republic based on a long term qualitative research. The main issue under study is a description of peripheral municipalities and their neighbors in terms of everyday life, history and future of these places

Multilocus sequence typing of Cronobacter sakazakii and Cronobacter malonaticus reveals stable clonal structures with clinical significance which do not correlate with biotypes

Background: The Cronobacter genus (Enterobacter sakazakii) has come to prominence due to its association with infant infections, and the ingestion of contaminated reconstituted infant formula. C. sakazakii and C. malonaticus are closely related, and are defined according their biotype. Due to the ubiquitous nature of the organism, and the high severity of infection for the immunocompromised, a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme has been developed for the fast and reliable identification and discrimination of C. sakazakii and C. malonaticus strains. It was applied to 60 strains of C. sakazakii and 16 strains of C. malonaticus, including the index strains used to define the biotypes. The strains were from clinical and non-clinical sources between 1951 and 2008 in USA, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the Far East. Results: This scheme uses 7 loci; atpD, fusA, glnS, gltB, gyrB, infB, and pps. There were 12 sequence types (ST) identified in C. sakazakii, and 3 in C. malonaticus. A third (22/60) of C. sakazakii strains were in ST4, which had almost equal numbers of clinical and infant formula isolates from 1951 to 2008. ST8 may represent a particularly virulent grouping of C. sakazakii as 7/8 strains were clinical in origin which had been isolated between 1977 - 2006, from four countries. C. malonaticus divided into three STs. The previous Cronobacter biotyping scheme did not clearly correspond with STs nor with species. Conclusion: In conclusion, MLST is a more robust means of identifying and discriminating between C. sakazakii and C. malonaticus than biotyping. The MLST database for these organisms is available online at http://pubmlst.org/cronobacter

Vnitřní periferie s odstupem i zblízka

In this article, we have tried to present the theme of inner peripheries in the Czech Republic-using studies of three small villages. In our approach, inner peripheries are defined as socially and economically disadvantaged localities. The criteria for the identification of inner peripheries include selected statistical data (17 indicators from the 2001 Population and Housing Census and changes in population between 1970 and 2004). On the basis of these criteria, inner peripheries were identified as being typically located near regional borders and on the margins of large cities. Studies of specific peripheral villages were undertaken in order to attempt to shed light on this issue from up close (i.e. qualitative research) and to illustrate deeper connections not visible in the statistical data. In particular, peripheral villages tend to be characterized by similar demographics (an aging and declining population) and history (urbanization, collectivization, changes in regional and local autonomy, etc.). We may assume that peripheral villages are home to problems associated with the quality and accessibility of work and services and also with a strong level of conservatism (i.e. lack of enterprise) among local politicians. The study has also shown that the (non)existence of schools, active civic associations and individuals can positively or negatively affect social life in villages

Neonatal enteral feeding tubes as loci for colonisation by members of the Enterobacteriaceae

Background The objective of this study was to determine whether neonatal nasogastric enteral feeding tubes are colonised by the opportunistic pathogen Cronobacter spp. (Enterobacter sakazakii) and other Enterobacteriaceae, and whether their presence was influenced by the feeding regime. Methods One hundred and twenty-nine tubes were collected from two neonatal intensive care units (NICU). A questionnaire on feeding regime was completed with each sample. Enterobacteriaceae present in the tubes were identified using conventional and molecular methods, and their antibiograms determined. Results The neonates were fed breast milk (16%), fortified breast milk (28%), ready to feed formula (20%), reconstituted powdered infant formula (PIF, 6%), or a mixture of these (21%). Eight percent of tubes were received from neonates who were 'nil by mouth'. Organisms were isolated from 76% of enteral feeding tubes as a biofilm (up to 107 cfu/tube from neonates fed fortified breast milk and reconstituted PIF) and in the residual lumen liquid (up to 107 Enterobacteriaceae cfu/ml, average volume 250 µl). The most common isolates were Enterobacter cancerogenus (41%), Serratia marcescens (36%), E. hormaechei (33%), Escherichia coli (29%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (25%), Raoultella terrigena (10%), and S. liquefaciens (12%). Other organisms isolated included C. sakazakii (2%),Yersinia enterocolitica (1%),Citrobacter freundii (1%), E. vulneris (1%), Pseudomonas fluorescens (1%), and P. luteola (1%). The enteral feeding tubes were in place between 48 h (13%). All the S. marcescens isolates from the enteral feeding tubes were resistant to amoxicillin and co-amoxiclav. Of additional importance was that a quarter of E. hormaechei isolates were resistant to the 3rd generation cephalosporins ceftazidime and cefotaxime. During the period of the study, K. pneumoniae and S. marcescens caused infections in the two NICUs. Conclusion This study shows that neonatal enteral feeding tubes, irrespective of feeding regime, act as loci for the bacterial attachment and multiplication of numerous opportunistic pathogens within the Enterobacteriaceae family. Subsequently, these organisms will enter the stomach as a bolus with each feed. Therefore, enteral feeding tubes are an important risk factor to consider with respect to neonatal infections

The Cronobacter genus: ubiquity and diversity

Members of the Cronobacter genus (formerly Enterobacter sakazakii) have become associated with neonatal infections and in particular contaminated reconstituted infant formula. However this is only one perspective of the organism since the majority of infections are in the adult population, and the organism has been isolated from the enteral feeding tubes of neonates on non-formula diets. In recent years methods of detection from food and environmental sources have improved, though accurate identification has been problematic. The need for robust identification is essential in order to implement recent Codex Alimentarius Commission (2008) and related microbiological criteria for powdered infant formula (PIF; intended target age 0-6 months). Genomic analysis of emergent pathogens is of considerable advantage in both improving detection methods, and understanding the evolution of virulence. One ecosystem for Cronobacter is on plant material which may enable the organism to resist desiccation, adhere to surfaces, and resist some antimicrobial agents. These traits may also confer survival mechanisms of relevance in food manufacturing and also virulence mechanisms