Infection grave à Moraxella glucidolytica chez un Chat (aperçu du rôle pathogène des moraxella en Polynésie française)

A l’occasion d’un cas très démonstratif de péritonite subaiguë à Moraxella glucidolytica chez un Chat, ont été étudiées les infections humaines relativement nombreuses dues au même germe en Polynésie Française. En raison du parallélisme de ces infections chez l’homme et chez l’animal, on peut évoquer l’hypothèse d’interférences entre la maladie animale et la maladie humaine et le rôle possible des animaux dans la diffusion du germe

Prevalence and risk factors for vaginal Candida colonization in women with type 1 and type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus increases the rate of vaginal colonization and infection with Candida species METHODS: We surveyed women with diabetes receiving care at either an urban or suburban diabetes clinic to examine the relationship between vaginal Candida colonization, diabetes type and duration, and HbA(1c) level. 101 participants completed the self-administered questionnaire and self-collected a vaginal swab for Candida culture. Candida colonization was similar by age and race. RESULTS: Type 1 diabetics were three times as likely as type 2 diabetics to be colonized with any Candida species (OR = 3.4; 95% CI: 1.03, 11.41; p = 0.04); even after adjusting for abnormal HbA(1c), which had an independent effect (OR = 1.4; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.76; p = 0.02). Recent antibiotic use (OR = 4.5; 95% CI: 1.18, 16.79; p = 0.03), lifetime history of chlamydia (OR = 5.8; 95% CI: 1.09, 30.54; p = 0.04), and performing oral sex during the past 2 weeks (OR = 4.9; 95% CI:0.84, 28.27; p = 0.08) were also associated with Candida carriage after adjusting for diabetic type and abnormal HbA(1c). C. albicans was isolated from the majority of colonized type 1 participants (56%), while C. glabrata was the most common isolate among colonized type 2 participants (54%). CONCLUSIONS: Improving glucose control and possibly modifying sexual behavior may reduce risk of Candida colonization, and potentially symptomatic infection, among women with diabetes

A Decrease in Glucose Variability Does Not Reduce Cardiovascular Event Rates in Type 2 Diabetic Patients After Acute Myocardial Infarction: A reanalysis of the HEART2D study

To assess the effect of intraday glucose variability (GV) on cardiovascular outcomes in a reanalysis of Hyperglycemia and Its Effect After Acute Myocardial Infarction on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (HEART2D) study data. Type 2 diabetic patients after acute myocardial infarction were randomized to an insulin treatment strategy targeting postprandial (PRANDIAL; n = 557) or fasting/interprandial (BASAL; n = 558) hyperglycemia. GV was calculated as mean amplitude of glycemic excursions (MAGE), mean absolute glucose (MAG) change, and SD. The PRANDIAL strategy resulted in an 18% lower MAG than BASAL (mean [SEM] difference 0.09 [0.04] mmol/L/h, P = 0.02). In addition, MAGE and SD were lower in the PRANDIAL group, however, not significantly. HbA(1c) levels and cardiovascular event rates were comparable between groups. A PRANDIAL strategy demonstrated lower intraday GV vs. a BASAL strategy with similar overall glycemic control but did not result in a reduction in cardiovascular outcomes. This does not support the hypothesis that targeting GV would be beneficial in reducing subsequent secondary cardiovascular event

Effects of Prandial Versus Fasting Glycemia on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes: The HEART2D trial

OBJECTIVE—Hyperglycemia and Its Effect After Acute Myocardial Infarction on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (HEART2D) is a multinational, randomized, controlled trial designed to compare the effects of prandial versus fasting glycemic control on risk for cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes after acute myocardial infarction (AMI)

Glargine and degludec: solution behaviour of higher dose synthetic insulins

Single, double and triple doses of the synthetic insulins glargine and degludec currently used in patient therapy are characterised using macromolecular hydrodynamic techniques (dynamic light scattering and analytical ultracentrifugation) in an attempt to provide the basis for improved personalised insulin profiling in patients with diabetes. Using dynamic light scattering and sedimentation velocity in the analytical ultracentrifuge glargine was shown to be primarily dimeric under solvent conditions used in current formulations whereas degludec behaved as a dihexamer with evidence of further association of the hexamers (“multi-hexamerisation”). Further analysis by sedimentation equilibrium showed that degludec exhibited reversible interaction between mono- and-di-hexamer forms. Unlike glargine, degludec showed strong thermodynamic non-ideality, but this was suppressed by the addition of salt. With such large injectable doses of synthetic insulins remaining in the physiological system for extended periods of time, in some case 24–40 hours, double and triple dose insulins may impact adversely on personalised insulin profiling in patients with diabetes

Effects of Prandial Versus Fasting Glycemia on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes: The HEART2D trial

OBJECTIVE—Hyperglycemia and Its Effect After Acute Myocardial Infarction on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (HEART2D) is a multinational, randomized, controlled trial designed to compare the effects of prandial versus fasting glycemic control on risk for cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes after acute myocardial infarction (AMI)

The extinct marine megafauna of the Phanerozoic

The modern marine megafauna is known to play important ecological roles and includes many charismatic species that have drawn the attention of both the scientific community and the public. However, the extinct marine megafauna has never been assessed as a whole, nor has it been defined in deep time. Here, we review the literature to define and list the species that constitute the extinct marine megafauna, and to explore biological and ecological patterns throughout the Phanerozoic. We propose a size cut-off of 1 m of length to define the extinct marine megafauna. Based on this definition, we list 706 taxa belonging to eight main groups. We found that the extinct marine megafauna was conspicuous over the Phanerozoic and ubiquitous across all geological eras and periods, with the Mesozoic, especially the Cretaceous, having the greatest number of taxa. Marine reptiles include the largest size recorded (21 m; Shonisaurus sikanniensis) and contain the highest number of extinct marine megafaunal taxa. This contrasts with today’s assemblage, where marine animals achieve sizes of >30 m. The extinct marine megafaunal taxa were found to be well-represented in the Paleobiology Database, but not better sampled than their smaller counterparts. Among the extinct marine megafauna, there appears to be an overall increase in body size through time. Most extinct megafaunal taxa were inferred to be macropredators preferentially living in coastal environments. Across the Phanerozoic, megafaunal species had similar extinction risks as smaller species, in stark contrast to modern oceans where the large species are most affected by human perturbations. Our work represents a first step towards a better understanding of the marine megafauna that lived in the geological past. However, more work is required to expand our list of taxa and their traits so that we can obtain a more complete picture of their ecology and evolution

The use of a Psoroptes ovis serodiagnostic test for the analysis of a natural outbreak of sheep scab

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sheep scab is a highly contagious disease of sheep caused by the ectoparasitic mite <it>Psoroptes ovis</it>. The disease is endemic in the UK and has significant economic impact through its effects on performance and welfare. Diagnosis of sheep scab is achieved through observation of clinical signs e.g. itching, pruritis and wool loss and ultimately through the detection of mites in skin scrapings. Early stages of infestation are often difficult to diagnose and sub-clinical animals can be a major factor in disease spread. The development of a diagnostic assay would enable farmers and veterinarians to detect disease at an early stage, reducing the risk of developing clinical disease and limiting spread.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Serum samples were obtained from an outbreak of sheep scab within an experimental flock (n = 480 (3 samples each from 160 sheep)) allowing the assessment, by ELISA of sheep scab specific antibody prior to infestation, mid-outbreak (combined with clinical assessment) and post-treatment.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Analysis of pre-infestation samples demonstrated low levels of potential false positives (3.8%). Of the 27 animals with clinical or behavioural signs of disease 25 tested positive at the mid-outbreak sampling period, however, the remaining 2 sheep tested positive at the subsequent sampling period. Clinical assessment revealed the absence of clinical or behavioural signs of disease in 132 sheep, whilst analysis of mid-outbreak samples showed that 105 of these clinically negative animals were serologically positive, representing potential sub-clinical infestations.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study demonstrates that this ELISA test can effectively diagnose sheep scab in a natural outbreak of disease, and more importantly, highlights its ability to detect sub-clinically infested animals. This ELISA, employing a single recombinant antigen, represents a major step forward in the diagnosis of sheep scab and may prove to be critical in any future control program.</p

Biallelic loss-of-function variants in PLD1 cause congenital right-sided cardiac valve defects and neonatal cardiomyopathy

Congenital heart disease is the most common type of birth defect, accounting for one-third of all congenital anomalies. Using whole-exome sequencing of 2718 patients with congenital heart disease and a search in GeneMatcher, we identified 30 patients from 21 unrelated families of different ancestries with biallelic phospholipase D1 (PLD1) variants who presented predominantly with congenital cardiac valve defects. We also associated recessive PLD1 variants with isolated neonatal cardiomyopathy. Furthermore, we established that p.I668F is a founder variant among Ashkenazi Jews (allele frequency of ~2%) and describe the phenotypic spectrum of PLD1-associated congenital heart defects. PLD1 missense variants were overrepresented in regions of the protein critical for catalytic activity, and, correspondingly, we observed a strong reduction in enzymatic activity for most of the mutant proteins in an enzymatic assay. Finally, we demonstrate that PLD1 inhibition decreased endothelial-mesenchymal transition, an established pivotal early step in valvulogenesis. In conclusion, our study provides a more detailed understanding of disease mechanisms and phenotypic expression associated with PLD1 loss of function