1,467 research outputs found

    Some transition metal complexes of 8-amino- quinoline

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    Transition metal complexes of 8-aminoquinolin

    Detection of Escherichia coli O157 by Peptide Nucleic Acid Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (PNA-FISH) and Comparison to a Standard Culture Method

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    Despite the emergence of non-O157 shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections, E. coli O157 serotype is still the most commonly identified STEC in world. It causes high morbidity and mortality, and has been responsible for a number of outbreaks in many parts of the world. Various methods have been developed to detect this particular serotype, but standard bacteriological methods remain as the gold standard.In here, we propose a new peptide nucleic acid fluorescence in situ hybridization (PNA-FISH) method for the rapid detection of E. coli O157.Testing on 54 representative strains showed that the PNA probe is highly sensitive and specific to E. coli O157. Then, the method was optimized for the detection in food samples. Ground beef and unpasteurized milk samples were artificially contaminated with E. coli O157 concentrations ranging from 1×10-2 to 1×102 CFU per 25g or ml of food. Samples were then pre-enriched and analyzed by both the traditional bacteriological method (ISO 16654:2001) and PNA-FISH. The PNA-FISH method performed well in both types of food matrixes with a detection limit of 1 CFU/25 g or ml of food samples. Tests on 60 food samples have shown a specificity value of 100% (95% CI 82.83 - 100), a sensitivity of 97.22% (95% CI, 83.79 - 99.85) and an accuracy of 98,33% (CI 95%, 83.41 - 99.91). Results indicate that PNA-FISH performed as well as the traditional culture methods and can reduce the diagnosis time to 1 day.This work was supported by the Portuguese Institute Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT), project PIC/IC/82815/2007. C.A. acknowledges FCT for individual postdoctoral fellowship SFRH/BPD/74480/2010. We also acknowledge Biomode S.A. for providing some supplies for this project

    Safety and Effectiveness of Direct Oral Anticoagulants Versus Warfarin in People with Atrial Fibrillation and Dementia

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    Objective: To determine risks of embolic events, bleeding, and mortality with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) vs warfarin in people with atrial fibrillation (AF) and dementia. / Design: New-user retrospective cohort study using The Health Improvement Network database. / Setting and Participants: A population-based sample comprising people with AF and dementia prescribed DOACs or warfarin from August 2011 to September 2017. / Methods: Risk of ischemic stroke (IS), ischemic stroke/transient ischemic attack/systemic embolism (IS/TIA/SE), all-cause mortality, intracranial bleeding (ICB), gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB), and other bleeding were compared for DOACs vs warfarin using propensity score–adjusted Poisson regression. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and absolute risk differences (ARDs) were calculated. / Results: Overall, 2399 people with AF and dementia initiated DOACs (42%) or warfarin (58%). Before propensity score adjustment, patients who initiated DOACs were older and had more comorbidities. After adjustment, DOAC initiators demonstrated similar risks of IS, TIA, or SE; IS alone; and other bleeding but reduced ICB risk (IRR 0.27, 95% CI 0.08, 0.86; ARD −5.2, 95% CI –6.5, −1.0, per 1000 person-years) compared with warfarin. Increased risk of GIB (IRR 2.11, 95% CI 1.30, 3.42; ARD 14.8, 95% CI 4.0, 32.4, per 1000 person-years) and all-cause mortality (IRR 2.06, 95% CI 1.60, 2.65; ARD 53.0, 95% CI 30.2, 82.8, per 1000 person-years) were observed in DOAC initiators compared with warfarin. / Conclusions and Implications: Among people with AF and dementia, initiating treatment with DOACs compared with warfarin was associated with similar risks of IS, TIA, or SE and IS alone. DOAC-treated patients demonstrated reduced ICB risk but increased GIB and all-cause mortality risks. We cannot exclude the possible impact of residual confounding from channeling of DOACs toward older and sicker people, particularly for the outcome of all-cause mortality. Further safety data are urgently needed to confirm findings

    Divergent and convergent evolution after a common-source outbreak of hepatitis C virus.

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    The genomic sequences of viruses that are highly mutable and cause chronic infection tend to diverge over time. We report that these changes represent both immune-driven selection and, in the absence of immune pressure, reversion toward an ancestral consensus. Sequence changes in hepatitis C virus (HCV) structural and nonstructural genes were studied in a cohort of women accidentally infected with HCV in a rare common-source outbreak. We compared sequences present in serum obtained 18–22 yr after infection to sequences present in the shared inoculum and found that HCV evolved along a distinct path in each woman. Amino acid substitutions in known epitopes were directed away from consensus in persons having the HLA allele associated with that epitope (immune selection), and toward consensus in those lacking the allele (reversion). These data suggest that vaccines for genetically diverse viruses may be more effective if they represent consensus sequence, rather than a human isolate

    Gastrointestinal bleeding risk with rivaroxaban vs aspirin in atrial fibrillation: a multinational study

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    Purpose: Comparative gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) risk between rivaroxaban and low‐dose aspirin is unknown in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). This study investigated GIB risk with rivaroxaban vs aspirin among two separate AF cohorts in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom, using a common protocol approach. Methods: This was a population‐based cohort study using separate data from the Clinical Data Analysis and Reporting System (CDARS) of the Hong Kong Hospital Authority (2010‐2018) and The Health Improvement Network (THIN) database in the United Kingdom (2011‐2017). Patients with AF newly prescribed aspirin or rivaroxaban were included. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to compare GIB risks for rivaroxaban vs aspirin, accounting for confounders using propensity score fine stratification approach. Results: In CDARS, 29 213 patients were included; n = 1052 (rivaroxaban), n = 28 161 (aspirin). Crude GIB event rates per 100 patient‐years in CDARS were 3.0 (aspirin) and 2.6 (rivaroxaban). No difference in GIB risk was observed between rivaroxaban and aspirin overall (HR = 1.04, 95%CI = 0.76‐1.42), and in dose‐stratified analyses (HR = 1.21, 95%CI = 0.84‐1.74 [20 mg/day]; HR = 0.80, 95%CI = 0.44‐1.45 [≤15 mg/day]). In THIN, 11 549 patients were included, n = 3496 (rivaroxaban) and n = 8053 (aspirin). Crude GIB event rates were 1.3 (aspirin) and 2.4 (rivaroxaban) per 100 patient‐years. No difference in GIB risk was observed between rivaroxaban and aspirin overall (HR = 1.40, 95%CI = 1.00‐1.98) and low‐dose rivaroxaban (≤15 mg/day) (HR = 1.00, 95%CI = 0.56‐1.30), but increased GIB risk was observed for rivaroxaban 20 mg/day vs aspirin (HR = 1.57, 95%CI = 1.08‐2.29). Conclusion: In patients with AF, GIB risk was comparable between aspirin and rivaroxaban ≤15 mg/day. GIB risk for rivaroxaban 20 mg/day vs aspirin remains uncertain and warrants further investigation

    Genome sequence of an Enterobacter helveticus strain, 1159/04 (= LMG 23733), isolated from fruit powder

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    We report the draft genome sequence of Enterobacter helveticus strain LMG 23733, isolated from fruit powder. The draft genome assembly for E. helveticus strain LMG 23733 has a size of 4,635,476 bp and a G+C content of 55.9%

    Annual Bands in Vertebrae Validated by Bomb Radiocarbon Assays Provide Estimates of Age and Growth of Whale Sharks

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    Publisher's version (útgefin grein)Conservation and management strategies for endangered and threatened species require accurate estimates of demographic parameters such as age and growth. The whale shark, Rhincodon typus, is the largest fish in the world and is highly valued in the eco-tourism sector. Despite conservation concerns and advances in our understanding of their life history, basic demographic parameters for growth, longevity and mortality are of questionable accuracy; previous growth studies could not agree whether the vertebral growth bands were formed annually or biannually. Here, we provide the first validation of the annual formation of growth bands within the vertebrae of the whale shark using bomb radiocarbon assays. Ages of up to 50 years were estimated from sectioned vertebrae of sharks collected in Taiwan and Pakistan. There was no cessation of the formation of growth bands in the vertebrae of older sharks and our study provides the oldest observed longevity for this species. Initial estimates of growth (k = 0.01–0.12) and natural mortality rates (M = 0.09–0.14) are consistent with those expected of long-lived sharks, which highlights their sensitivity to fishing pressure and conservation concerns.This work was supported by the Fisheries and Oceans Canada, US National Science Foundation Grant OCE-9985884, and the University of Iceland. Travel funding was provided by the Australian Institute of Marine Science.Peer Reviewe

    Neurological manifestations of COVID-19 in adults and children

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    Different neurological manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in adults and children and their impact have not been well characterized. We aimed to determine the prevalence of neurological manifestations and in-hospital complications among hospitalized COVID-19 patients and ascertain differences between adults and children. We conducted a prospective multicentre observational study using the International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) cohort across 1507 sites worldwide from 30 January 2020 to 25 May 2021. Analyses of neurological manifestations and neurological complications considered unadjusted prevalence estimates for predefined patient subgroups, and adjusted estimates as a function of patient age and time of hospitalization using generalized linear models. Overall, 161 239 patients (158 267 adults; 2972 children) hospitalized with COVID-19 and assessed for neurological manifestations and complications were included. In adults and children, the most frequent neurological manifestations at admission were fatigue (adults: 37.4%; children: 20.4%), altered consciousness (20.9%; 6.8%), myalgia (16.9%; 7.6%), dysgeusia (7.4%; 1.9%), anosmia (6.0%; 2.2%) and seizure (1.1%; 5.2%). In adults, the most frequent in-hospital neurological complications were stroke (1.5%), seizure (1%) and CNS infection (0.2%). Each occurred more frequently in intensive care unit (ICU) than in non-ICU patients. In children, seizure was the only neurological complication to occur more frequently in ICU versus non-ICU (7.1% versus 2.3%, P < 0.001). Stroke prevalence increased with increasing age, while CNS infection and seizure steadily decreased with age. There was a dramatic decrease in stroke over time during the pandemic. Hypertension, chronic neurological disease and the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation were associated with increased risk of stroke. Altered consciousness was associated with CNS infection, seizure and stroke. All in-hospital neurological complications were associated with increased odds of death. The likelihood of death rose with increasing age, especially after 25 years of age. In conclusion, adults and children have different neurological manifestations and in-hospital complications associated with COVID-19. Stroke risk increased with increasing age, while CNS infection and seizure risk decreased with age

    Burdigalian deposits of the Santa Cruz formation in the Sierra Baguales, austral (magallanes) basin: Age, depositional environment and vertebrate fossils

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    A succession of marine and continental strata on the southern flank of Cerro Cono in the Sierra Baguales, northeast of Torres del Paine, can be correlated with stratigraphic units exposed along the southern border of the Lago Argentino region in Santa Cr
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