Hydration dynamics at fluorinated protein surfaces

Water-protein interactions dictate many processes crucial to protein function including folding, dynamics, interactions with other biomolecules, and enzymatic catalysis. Here we examine the effect of surface fluorination on water-protein interactions. Modification of designed coiled-coil proteins by incorporation of 5,5,5-trifluoroleucine or (4S)-2-amino-4-methylhexanoic acid enables systematic examination of the effects of side-chain volume and fluorination on solvation dynamics. Using ultrafast fluorescence spectroscopy, we find that fluorinated side chains exert electrostatic drag on neighboring water molecules, slowing water motion at the protein surface

Technical tip: high-resolution isolation of nanoparticle–protein corona complexes from physiological fluids

Nanoparticles (NPs) in contact with biological fluids are generally coated with environmental proteins, forming a stronger layer of proteins around the NP surface called the hard corona. Protein corona complexes provide the biological identity of the NPs and their isolation and characterization are essential to understand their in vitro and in vivo behaviour. Here we present a one-step methodology to recover NPs from complex biological media in a stable non-aggregated form without affecting the structure or composition of the corona. This method allows NPs to be separated from complex fluids containing biological particulates and in a form suitable for use in further experiments. The study has been performed systematically comparing the new proposed methodology to standard approaches for a wide panel of NPs. NPs were first incubated in the biological fluid and successively recovered by sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation in order to separate the NPs and their protein corona from the loosely bound proteins. The isolated NP–protein complexes were characterized by size and protein composition through Dynamic Light Scattering, Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis, SDS-PAGE and LC-MS. The protocol described is versatile and can be applied to diverse nanomaterials and complex fluids. It is shown to have higher resolution in separating the multiple protein corona complexes from a biological environment with a much lower impact on their in situ structure compared to conventional centrifugal approaches

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Particulate matter exposure during pregnancy is associated with birth weight, but not gestational age, 1962-1992: a cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Exposure to air pollutants is suggested to adversely affect fetal growth, but the evidence remains inconsistent in relation to specific outcomes and exposure windows.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using birth records from the two major maternity hospitals in Newcastle upon Tyne in northern England between 1961 and 1992, we constructed a database of all births to mothers resident within the city. Weekly black smoke exposure levels from routine data recorded at 20 air pollution monitoring stations were obtained and individual exposures were estimated via a two-stage modeling strategy, incorporating temporally and spatially varying covariates. Regression analyses, including 88,679 births, assessed potential associations between exposure to black smoke and birth weight, gestational age and birth weight standardized for gestational age and sex.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Significant associations were seen between black smoke and both standardized and unstandardized birth weight, but not for gestational age when adjusted for potential confounders. Not all associations were linear. For an increase in whole pregnancy black smoke exposure, from the 1^st(7.4 μg/m³) to the 25^th(17.2 μg/m³), 50^th(33.8 μg/m³), 75^th(108.3 μg/m³), and 90^th(180.8 μg/m³) percentiles, the adjusted estimated decreases in birth weight were 33 g (SE 1.05), 62 g (1.63), 98 g (2.26) and 109 g (2.44) respectively. A significant interaction was observed between socio-economic deprivation and black smoke on both standardized and unstandardized birth weight with increasing effects of black smoke in reducing birth weight seen with increasing socio-economic disadvantage.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The findings of this study progress the hypothesis that the association between black smoke and birth weight may be mediated through intrauterine growth restriction. The associations between black smoke and birth weight were of the same order of magnitude as those reported for passive smoking. These findings add to the growing evidence of the harmful effects of air pollution on birth outcomes.</p

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world. Methods: This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231. Findings: Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p < 0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05–2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p < 0·001). Interpretation: Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication

“The Mouth of Christ Alone”: Luther’s Eine treue Vermahnung (1522) on the Weak in Faith

Cet article examine un petit mais très important ouvrage que Luther a écrit avant de quitter pour toujours le château de Wartbourg, au début de mars 1522. A Sincere Admonition to All Christians présente des idées et un langage caractéristiques que l’on retrouve dans les sermons Invocavit. L’analyse de ce texte montre comment Luther a sélectionné, interprété et amplifié les textes bibliques dans le développement de son herméneutique, afin d’éloigner le mouvement de Wittenberg des influences puissantes de la politique, pour la ramener vers ce qu’il considérait comme l’irrésistibles nature et fonction de la parole de Dieu. Lorsque les chrétiens identifient correctement leur interlocuteur, la « voix du Seigneur » — un agent de jugement dépassant toute insurrection humaine — favorise également le soutien persuasif du faible dans la foi

Style in rhetorical criticism: The case of Martin Luther's vernacular sermons

Serious attention to style of the discourse analyzed remains a neglected feature of the tradition of rhetorical criticism. A survey of the literature reveals a fundamental neglect of style in both the theory and practice of rhetorical criticism. Application of stylistic matters to discourse has resulted in little which would help critics approach a text for analysis.Kenneth Burke's notion of rhetorical form as the arousing and fulfillment of desires, and Chaim Perelman's concepts of persuasion as adherence to theses and of figures as devices which are functional and argumentative rather than merely ornamental or aesthetic are useful concepts for critically approaching a text. Specifically, a three-fold conceptual scheme of focus, presence, and communion provides a systematic method of employing the notions of Burke and Perelman. Particularly are these terms helpful for sorting out the structural and argumentative devices which speakers use strategically, but for which the handbooks offer little guidance to the critic, save for giving names to the devices.A case-study for enacting a method of stylistic analysis produces insightful criticism as to how the discourse works. A case-study of the Eight Wittenberg Sermons, which Martin Luther preached in March, 1522, are closely analyzed, using the conceptual scheme of focus, presence, and communion. Particularly analyzed are speaker strategies which respond to (and create) audience expectations. The analysis closely examines the German text of the sermons, which were delivered in the vernacular but not published directly by Luther. Generalizations and implications are drawn about the sermons themselves, regarding Luther as rhetor, on preaching in general, and on the role of style in rhetorical criticism. The author argues that style cannot be neglected in the criticism of the function of discourse.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio

Bacillus thuringiensis: an impotent pathogen?

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is an insecticidal bacterium that has successfully been used as a biopesticide for many years. It is usually referred to as a soil-dwelling organism, as a result of the prevalence of its spores in this environment, but one that can act as an opportunistic pathogen under appropriate conditions. Our understanding of the biology of this organism has been challenged further by the recent publication of two reports that claim that Bt requires the co-operation of commensal bacteria within the gut of a susceptible insect for its virulence. It is our opinion that Bt is not primarily a saprophyte and does not require the assistance of commensal bacteria but is a true pathogen in its own right and furthermore that its primary means of reproduction is in an insect cadaver