Change or control? Developing dialogues between research and public protection

This paper aims to scope out some of the implications of desistance research for the community management of high risk offenders. Acknowledging the limited empirical research exploring this interface, this paper outlines the evolving evidence base and what this tells us about the process of desistance and what supports it. The evidence as to whether 'high risk offenders' desist and what we know about this process is discussed prior to outlining the landscape of current and principal practice approaches which can be located in the community/public protection model. Potential dialogues between desistance research and public protection practices are discussed to explore ensuing implications and opportunities for practice

Characterisation of pathogen-specific regions and novel effector candidates in Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cepae

A reference-quality assembly of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cepae (Foc), the causative agent of onion basal rot has been generated along with genomes of additional pathogenic and non-pathogenic isolates of onion. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed a single origin of the Foc pathogenic lineage. Genome alignments with other F. oxysporum ff. spp. and non pathogens revealed high levels of syntenic conservation of core chromosomes but little synteny between lineage specific (LS) chromosomes. Four LS contigs in Foc totaling 3.9 Mb were designated as pathogen-specific (PS). A two-fold increase in segmental duplication events was observed between LS regions of the genome compared to within core regions or from LS regions to the core. RNA-seq expression studies identified candidate effectors expressed in planta, consisting of both known effector homologs and novel candidates. FTF1 and a subset of other transcription factors implicated in regulation of effector expression were found to be expressed in planta

The Nuclear Protein Sge1 of Fusarium oxysporum Is Required for Parasitic Growth

Dimorphism or morphogenic conversion is exploited by several pathogenic fungi and is required for tissue invasion and/or survival in the host. We have identified a homolog of a master regulator of this morphological switch in the plant pathogenic fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici. This non-dimorphic fungus causes vascular wilt disease in tomato by penetrating the plant roots and colonizing the vascular tissue. Gene knock-out and complementation studies established that the gene for this putative regulator, SGE1 (SIX Gene Expression 1), is essential for pathogenicity. In addition, microscopic analysis using fluorescent proteins revealed that Sge1 is localized in the nucleus, is not required for root colonization and penetration, but is required for parasitic growth. Furthermore, Sge1 is required for expression of genes encoding effectors that are secreted during infection. We propose that Sge1 is required in F. oxysporum and other non-dimorphic (plant) pathogenic fungi for parasitic growth

Antibiotic-loaded synthetic calcium sulfate beads for prevention of bacterial colonization and biofilm formation in periprosthetic infections

Periprosthetic infection (PI) causes significant morbidity and mortality in fixation and joint arthroplasty and has been extensively linked to the formation of bacterial biofilms. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) cement or beads are commonly used for antibiotic release to the site of infection but display variable elution kinetics and also represent a potential nidus for infection, therefore requiring surgical removal. Absorbable cements have shown improved elution of a wider range of antibiotics and, crucially, complete biodegradation but limited data exist as to their antimicrobial and antibiofilm efficacy. Synthetic calcium sulfate beads loaded with tobramycin, vancomycin and a vancomycin &amp; tobramycin dual treatment (1:0.24 w/w ratio) were assessed for their ability to eradicate planktonic methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and S. epidermidis, relative to PMMA beads. The ability of the beads to prevent biofilm formation over multiple days and eradicate preformed biofilms was studied using a combination of viable cell counts, confocal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy of the bead surface. Biofilm bacteria displayed a greater tolerance to the antibiotics than their planktonic counterparts. Antibiotic-loaded beads were able to kill planktonic cultures of 106 CFU/mL, prevent bacterial colonisation and significantly reduce biofilm formation over multiple days. However, established biofilms were harder to eradicate. This data further demonstrates the difficulty in clearing established biofilms and therefore early preventative measures are key to reducing the risk of PI. Synthetic calcium sulfate loaded with antibiotics has the potential to reduce or eliminate biofilm formation on adjacent periprosthetic tissue and prosthesis material, and thus reduce rates of periprosthetic infection. <br/

Drug policies in local perspective An evaluation of a multi-agency initiative in the inner city

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:3487.37505(no 4) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo