Electrosurgical bipolar vessel sealing for a standing flank ovariectomy in beef heifers

Traditional ovariectomy techniques for heifers (e.g. colpotomy) have adverse effects ranging from hemorrhage to mortality. Electrosurgical bipolar vessel sealing devices offer a superior ligation of ovarian pedicle and associated structures. In ruminants, standing flank laparotomy has been used for abdominal visibility. We performed ovariectomy in 2 companion beef heifers via a unilateral flank approach, combined with electrosurgical ligation. Surgeries were performed in standing animals, under local anesthesia, with no observed short- or long-term adverse effects. This technique is worth considering for cases where the security of electrosurgical ligation combined with the accessibility of a flank laparotomy are desired. Additional research is needed to determine the viability of the technique for cattle of various ages and breeds

Impact of Enhanced Staphylococcus DNA Extraction on Microbial Community Measures in Cystic Fibrosis Sputum

Staphylococcus aureus is a common constituent of the bacterial community inhabiting the airways of persons with cystic fibrosis (CF). Culture-independent studies have shown that this species is often present in relatively high abundance and would therefore be expected to exert a pronounced effect on measures of CF airway bacterial community structure. We investigated the impact of DNA extraction method on pyrosequencing-based measures of Staphylococcus abundance and bacterial community structure in 17 sputum samples from five CF patients. Staphylococcus was detected in fewer samples when DNA was extracted using a standard bacterial lysis method compared to when DNA was extracted using a lysis buffer amended with lysostaphin and lysozyme. The standard lysis method resulted in significantly lower measures of Staphylococcus relative abundance and higher levels of community diversity, richness, and evenness compared to the lysostaphin-lysozyme modified method. Measures of community dynamics in serial sputum samples from the same individual were nevertheless highly concordant between the two DNA extraction methods. These results illustrate the impact of DNA preparation method on measures of Staphylococcus abundance and bacterial community structures in studies of the airways microbiota in CF

Globetrotting strangles: the unbridled national and international transmission of Streptococcus equi between horses.

The equine disease strangles, which is characterized by the formation of abscesses in the lymph nodes of the head and neck, is one of the most frequently diagnosed infectious diseases of horses around the world. The causal agent, Streptococcus equi subspecies equi, establishes a persistent infection in approximately 10 % of animals that recover from the acute disease. Such 'carrier' animals appear healthy and are rarely identified during routine veterinary examinations pre-purchase or transit, but can transmit S. equi to naïve animals initiating new episodes of disease. Here, we report the analysis and visualization of phylogenomic and epidemiological data for 670 isolates of S. equi recovered from 19 different countries using a new core-genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) web bioresource. Genetic relationships among all 670 S. equi isolates were determined at high resolution, revealing national and international transmission events that drive this endemic disease in horse populations throughout the world. Our data argue for the recognition of the international importance of strangles by the Office International des Épizooties to highlight the health, welfare and economic cost of this disease. The Pathogenwatch cgMLST web bioresource described herein is available for tailored genomic analysis of populations of S. equi and its close relative S. equi subspecies zooepidemicus that are recovered from horses and other animals, including humans, throughout the world. This article contains data hosted by Microreact

MEDICAL DIAGNOSTIC BREATH ANALYSIS BY CAVITY RING DOWN SPECTROSCOPY

D.~Y.~Graham, P.~D.~Klein, D.~J.~Evans,~Jr, D.~G.~Evans, L.~C.~Alpert, A.~R.~Opekun, T.~W.~Boutton, \textit{LancetAuthor Institution: Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, P.O. Box 55, 00014 University of Helsinki, FinlandCertain medical conditions give rise to the presence of chemicals in the bloodstream. These chemicals --- known as biomarkers --- may also be present in low concentrations in human breath. Cavity ring down spectroscopy possesses the requisite selectivity and sensitivity to detect such biomarkers in the congested spectrum of a breath sample. The ulcer-causing bacterium, \textit{Helicobacter pylori}, is a prolific producer of the enzyme urease, which catalyses the breakdown of urea ((NH$_2$)$_2$CO) in the stomach as follows: \vspace{0.5cm} \hspace{3cm}(NH$_2$)$_2$CO + H$_2$O $\stackrel{\rm(urease)}{\longrightarrow}$ CO$_2$ + 2NH$_3$ \vspace{0.5cm} Currently, breath tests seeking altered carbon-isotope ratios in exhaled CO$_2$ after the ingestion of $^{13}$C- or $^{14}$C-labeled urea are used to diagnose \textit{H. pylori} infection. \underline{\textbf{1}}(8543), 1174-7 March 1987.} We present recent results from an ongoing collaboration with Tampere Area University Hospital. The study involves 100 patients (both infected and uninfected) and concerns the possible correlation between the bacterial infection and breath ammonia

Promiscuous plasmid replication in thermophiles: Use of a novel hyperthermophilic replicon for genetic manipulation of Clostridium thermocellum at its optimum growth temperature

Clostridium thermocellum is a leading candidate for the consolidated bioprocessing of lignocellulosic biomass for the production of fuels and chemicals. A limitation to the engineering of this strain is the availability of stable replicating plasmid vectors for homologous and heterologous expression of genes that provide improved and/or novel pathways for fuel production. Current vectors relay on replicons from mesophilic bacteria and are not stable at the optimum growth temperature of C. thermocellum. To develop more thermostable genetic tools for C. thermocellum, we constructed vectors based on the hyperthermophilic Caldicellulosiruptor bescii replicon pBAS2. Autonomously replicating shuttle vectors based on pBAS2 reproducibly transformed C. thermocellum at 60 °C and were maintained in multiple copy. Promoters, selectable markers and plasmid replication proteins from C. bescii were functional in C. thermocellum. Phylogenetic analyses of the proteins contained on pBAS2 revealed that the replication initiation protein RepL is unique among thermophiles. These results suggest that pBAS2 may be a broadly useful replicon for other thermophilic Firmicutes. Keywords: Plasmid, Genetic tools, Transformation, Thermophile, Clostridi

Brain MRI Lesion Load at 1.5T and 3T versus Clinical Status in Multiple Sclerosis

Background/Purpose: To assess correlation between brain lesions and clinical status with 1.5T and 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Methods: Brain MRI fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery (FLAIR) sequences were performed in 32 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score (mean ± standard deviation) was 2 ± 2.0 (range 0-8), disease duration 9.3 ± 8.0 (range .8-29) years. Results: FLAIR lesion volume (FLLV) at 3T was higher than at 1.5T (P= .01). Correlation between 1.5T FLLV and EDSS score was poor, while 3T FLLV correlated moderately and significantly (rs= .39, P= .03). When controlling for age and depression, correlations between FLLV and cognitive measures were significant at 1.5T for the Judgment of Line Orientation test (JLO) (rs=−.44, P= .05), the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) (rs=−.49, P= .02), and the California Verbal Learning Test Delayed Free Recall (CVLT DR) (rs=−.44, P= .04). Correlations at 3T were also significant for these tests, but of greater magnitude: JLO (rs=−.70, P= .0005), SDMT (rs=−.73, P= .0001), CVLT DR (rs=−.061, P= .003). Additional significant correlations obtained only at 3T included the 2 second-paced auditory serial addition test (rs=−.55, P= .01), the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Delayed Free Recall (rs=−.56, P= .007), and the California Verbal Learning Test Total Recall (rs=−.42, P= .05). Conclusion: MRI at 3T may boost sensitivity and improve validity in MS brain lesion assessment