59 research outputs found
Discovery and Genomic Characterization of a Novel Ovine Partetravirus and a New Genotype of Bovine Partetravirus
Partetravirus is a recently described group of animal parvoviruses which include the human partetravirus, bovine partetravirus and porcine partetravirus (previously known as human parvovirus 4, bovine hokovirus and porcine hokovirus respectively). In this report, we describe the discovery and genomic characterization of partetraviruses in bovine and ovine samples from China. These partetraviruses were detected by PCR in 1.8% of bovine liver samples, 66.7% of ovine liver samples and 71.4% of ovine spleen samples. One of the bovine partetraviruses detected in the present samples is phylogenetically distinct from previously reported bovine partetraviruses and likely represents a novel genotype. The ovine partetravirus is a novel partetravirus and phylogenetically most related to the bovine partetraviruses. The genome organization is conserved amongst these viruses, including the presence of a putative transmembrane protein encoded by an overlapping reading frame in ORF2. Results from the present study provide further support to the classification of partetraviruses as a separate genus in Parvovirinae
Dominância fiscal : uma investigação empĂrica sobre o caso brasileiro no perĂodo de 2003 a 2014
A estabilização econômica dos anos de 1990 e a adoção do tripé econômico, a partir de
1999, marcam o fim de um capĂtulo delicado da histĂłria brasileira; a partir de entĂŁo, era
necessária a existĂŞncia de certa sintonia de polĂticas monetária e fiscal para a
manutenção do controle dos diversos indicadores econômicos. Contudo, com essa
reciprocidade na polĂtica econĂ´mica, sĂŁo incitadas discussões sobre a orientação do
governo na hora de definir suas prioridades nesse campo: as variáveis fiscais são
priorizadas e, por conseguinte, determinadas, forçando as monetárias a se ajustarem –
ou o contrário? A resposta para esse questionamento leva à discussão sobre a
dominância fiscal. Assim, esse trabalho visa verificar empiricamente, usando das
modelagens econométricas VAR e estudo de eventos, se há dominância fiscal ou
monetária na economia brasileira e se a eficácia da polĂtica monetária mudou na
transição do governo Lula para o governo Dilma. O resultado foi inconclusivo para o
governo Lula e indicou dominância fiscal no governo Dilma. Ainda verificou-se não
haver modificação na eficácia da polĂtica monetária.Economic stabilization, in the 1990s, and utilization of an economic tripod, after 1999,
represents the end of a delicate chapter in Brazilian history. Ever since, it was necessary
the existence of a certain agreement between monetary and fiscal politic, in order to
maintain under control a variety of economic indicators. However, this reciprocity (in
economic politic) starts discussions about the real government orientations when it
comes to define its priority on this subject: are the fiscal variables priorized, and then,
determined, forcing monetary variables to adjust themselves, or the opposite? The
answer to these questions emerge from the fiscal dominance discussion. This paper
intends to empiric verify, using econometric modeling VAR and event study, if there is
fiscal dominance or monetary in Brazilian economy and whether the effectiveness of
monetary politic has changed in the transition from Lula's government to the Dilma
government. The result was inconclusive for the Lula government and indicated fiscal
dominance in the Dilma government. There was still no change in the efficiency of the
monetary politic.CAPE
Complete Genome Sequence of Staphylococcus lugdunensis Strain HKU09-01â–ż
Staphylococcus lugdunensis is a member of the coagulase-negative staphylococci and commonly found as part of the human skin flora. It is a significant cause of catheter-related bacteremia and also causes serious infections like native valve endocarditis in previously healthy individuals. We report the complete genome sequence of this medically important bacterium
Comparative Analysis of 22 Coronavirus HKU1 Genomes Reveals a Novel Genotype and Evidence of Natural Recombination in Coronavirus HKU1
We sequenced and compared the complete genomes of 22 strains of coronavirus HKU1 (CoV HKU1) obtained from nasopharyngeal aspirates of patients with respiratory tract infections over a 2-year period. Phylogenetic analysis of 24 putative proteins and polypeptides showed that the 22 CoV HKU1 strains fell into three clusters (genotype A, 13 strains; genotype B, 3 strains and genotype C, 6 strains). However, different phylogenetic relationships among the three clusters were observed in different regions of their genomes. From nsp4 to nsp6, the genotype A strains were clustered with the genotype B strains. For nsp7 and nsp8 and from nsp10 to nsp16, the genotype A strains were clustered with the genotype C strains. From hemagglutinin esterase (HE) to nucleocapsid (N), the genotype B strains were clustered closely with the genotype C strains. Bootscan analysis showed possible recombination between genotypes B and C from nucleotide positions 11500 to 13000, corresponding to the nsp6-nsp7 junction, giving rise to genotype A, and between genotypes A and B from nucleotide positions 21500 to 22500, corresponding to the nsp16-HE junction, giving rise to genotype C. Multiple alignments further narrowed the sites of crossover to a 143-bp region between nucleotide positions 11750 and 11892 and a 29-bp region between nucleotide positions 21502 and 21530. Genome analysis also revealed various numbers of tandem copies of a perfect 30-base acidic tandem repeat (ATR) which encodes NDDEDVVTGD and various numbers and sequences of imperfect repeats in the N terminus of nsp3 inside the acidic domain upstream of papain-like protease 1 among the 22 genomes. All 10 CoV HKU1 strains with incomplete imperfect repeats (1.4 and 4.4) belonged to genotype A. The present study represents the first evidence for natural recombination in coronavirus associated with human infection. Analysis of a single gene is not sufficient for the genotyping of CoV HKU1 strains but requires amplification and sequencing of at least two gene loci, one from nsp10 to nsp16 (e.g., pol or helicase) and another from HE to N (e.g., spike or N). Further studies will delineate whether the ATR is useful for the molecular typing of CoV HKU1
Complete Genome Sequence of the Veterinary Pathogen Staphylococcus pseudintermedius Strain HKU10-03, Isolated in a Case of Canine Pyodermaâ–ż
Staphylococcus pseudintermedius is a member of the coagulase-positive staphylococci and is the commonest cause of canine pyoderma. We report the first genome sequence of S. pseudintermedius, which shows the presence of numerous virulence factors akin to those of the related human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus
Robotic arm-assisted unicondylar knee arthroplasty resulted in superior radiological accuracy: a propensity score-matched analysis
Abstract Introduction Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) is an effective surgical treatment for medial compartment arthritis of the knee, yet surgical outcomes are directly related to surgical execution. Robotic arm-assisted surgery aims to address these difficulties by allowing for detailed preoperative planning, real-time intraoperative assessment and haptic-controlled bone removal. This study aimed to compare the clinical and radiological outcomes between conventional manual mobile bearing and robot arm-assisted fixed bearing medial UKA in our local population. Materials and methods This is a retrospective case–control study of 148 UKAs performed at an academic institution with a minimum of 1-year follow-up. 74 robotic arm-assisted UKAs were matched to 74 conventional UKAs via propensity score matching. Radiological outcomes included postoperative mechanical axis and individual component alignment. Clinical parameters included a range of motion, Knee Society knee score and functional assessment taken before, 6 and 12 months after the operation. Results Robot arm-assisted UKA produced a more neutral component coronal alignment in both femoral component (robotic -0.2 ± 2.8, manual 2.6 ± 2.3; P = 0.043) and tibial component (robotic -0.3 ± 4.0, manual 1.7 ± 5.3; P < 0.001). While the postoperative mechanical axis was comparable, robot arm-assisted UKA demonstrated a smaller posterior tibial slope (robotic 5.7 ± 2.7, manual 8.2 ± 3.3; P = 0.02). Clinical outcomes did not show any statistically significant differences. Conclusion Compared with conventional UKA, robotic arm-assisted UKA demonstrated improved component alignment and comparable clinical outcomes. Improved radiological accuracy with robotic-arm assistance demonstrated promising early results
Cloning and Characterization of a Chromosomal Class C β-Lactamase and Its Regulatory Gene in Laribacter hongkongensis
Laribacter hongkongensis, a newly discovered bacterium recently shown to be associated with community-acquired gastroenteritis, is generally resistant to most β-lactams except the carbapenems. We describe the cloning and characterization of a novel chromosomal class C β-lactamase and its regulatory gene in L. hongkongensis. Two genes, ampC and ampR, were cloned by inserting restriction fragments of genomic DNA from L. hongkongensis strain HLHK5 into pBK-CMV to give the recombinant plasmid pBK-LHK-5. The ampR and ampC genes and their promoters were divergently oriented, with the ampR gene immediately upstream of the ampC gene and an intercistronic Lys-R motif, typical of inducible ampC-ampR regulatory systems. The deduced amino acid sequence of the cloned AmpC β-lactamase (pI 8.1) contained consensus motifs characteristic of class C β-lactamases but had identities no greater than 46% to known class C β-lactamases. The kinetic properties of this AmpC were also compatible with those of a class C β-lactamase. PCR of 20 clinical isolates of L. hongkongensis, including HLHK5, showed the presence of both ampC and ampR genes in all isolates. Southern hybridization suggested that the ampC gene of HLHK5 was chromosomally encoded. Subcloning experiments showed that the expression of the ampC gene of HLHK5 was regulated by its ampR gene, which acts as a repressor. The β-lactamase characterized from strain HLHK5 was named LHK-5 (gene, bla(LHK-5)) and represents the first example of AmpC β-lactamase in the β subdivision of proteobacteria
Differential Sensitivities of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Coronavirus Spike Polypeptide Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and SARS Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Protein ELISA for Serodiagnosis of SARS Coronavirus Pneumonia
The use of recombinant severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus (SARS-CoV) nucleocapsid protein (N) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)-based antibody and antigen tests for diagnosis of SARS-CoV infections have been widely reported. However, no recombinant SARS-CoV spike protein (S)-based ELISA is currently available. In this article, we describe the problems and solutions of setting up the recombinant SARS-CoV S-based ELISA for antibody detection. The SARS-CoV S-based immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG ELISAs were evaluated and compared with the corresponding N-based ELISA for serodiagnosis of SARS-CoV pneumonia, using sera from 148 healthy blood donors who donated blood 3 years ago as controls and 95 SARS-CoV pneumonia patients in Hong Kong. Results obtained by the recombinant S (rS)-based IgG ELISA using the regenerated S prepared by dialysis with decreasing concentrations of urea or direct addition of different coating buffers, followed by addition of different regeneration buffer, identified 4 M urea and 1 M sarcosine for plate coating and no regeneration buffer as the most optimal conditions for antibody detection. The specificities of the S-based ELISA for IgG and IgM detection were 98.6% and 93.9%, with corresponding sensitivities of 58.9% and 74.7%, respectively. The sensitivity of the rN IgG ELISA (94.7%) is significantly higher than that of the rS IgG ELISA (P < 0.001), whereas the sensitivity of the rS IgM ELISA is significantly higher than that of the rN IgM ELISA (55.2%) (P < 0.01). An ELISA for detection of IgM against S and N could be more sensitive than one that detects IgM against N alone for serodiagnosis of SARS-CoV pneumonia
Clinical Features and Complete Genome Characterization of a Distinct Human Rhinovirus (HRV) Genetic Cluster, Probably Representing a Previously Undetected HRV Species, HRV-C, Associated with Acute Respiratory Illness in Childrenâ–ż
Although human rhinoviruses (HRVs) are common causes of respiratory illness, their molecular epidemiology has been poorly investigated. Despite the recent findings of new HRV genotypes, their clinical disease spectrum and phylogenetic positions were not fully understood. In this study, 203 prospectively collected nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs), negative for common respiratory viruses (83 were human bocavirus [HBoV] positive and 120 HBoV negative), from hospitalized children during a 1-year period were subjected to reverse transcription-PCR for HRV. HRV was detected in 14 NPAs positive and 12 NPAs negative for HBoV. Upon VP4 gene analysis, 5 of these 26 HRV strains were found to belong to HRV-A while 21 belonged to a genetic clade probably representing a previously undetected HRV species, HRV-C, that is phylogenetically distinct from the two known HRV species, HRV-A and HRV-B. The VP4 sequences of these HRV-C strains were closely related to the newly identified HRV strains from the United States and Australia. Febrile wheeze or asthma was the most common presentation (76%) of HRV-C infection, which peaked in fall and winter. Complete genome sequencing of three HRV-C strains revealed that HRV-C represents an additional HRV species, with features distinct from HRV-A and HRV-B. Analysis of VP1 of HRV-C revealed major deletions in regions important for neutralization in other HRVs, which may be signs of a distinct species, while within-clade amino acid variation in potentially antigenic regions may indicate the existence of different serotypes among HRV-C strains. A newly identified HRV species, HRV-C, is circulating worldwide and is an important cause of febrile wheeze and asthmatic exacerbations in children requiring hospitalization
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