Decreasing Prevalence of Multidrug-Resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii in Rīga East University Hospital

Publisher Copyright: © 2016 by Maris Liepiņš. Copyright: Copyright 2016 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.There has been an increasing tendency of infections caused by multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO), including multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (MDRAB), in the Rīga East University Hospital (REUH) during the last decade. Over the last two years (2014-2015), this tendency has reversed and the prevalence of MDRAB has decreased considerably. In this study we assessed the prevalence of MDRAB in intensive care units (ICUs), internal medicine, surgery units and analysed antibiotic sensitivity profiles. In addition, we determined if current infection control measures are preventing further increase of infections caused by MDRAB in REUH. Retrospective Acinetobacter baumannii prevalence data were collected for the period from 2009 until 2012. For the time period from the beginning of 2013 until 2015, after implementing such infection control measures as control of compliance to hand hygiene guidelines, a review of central venous catheter insertion protocols and regular search for sources of MDRAB in hospital environment, prospective follow-up of new cases was conducted. Antimicrobial sensitivity profiles were assessed for the period from 2013 until 2015. Data were processed with the statistical software WHONET 5.5. Bacteria identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing were performed by VITEK 2 compact, BioMerieux, France. The prevalence of MDRAB in the period 2009 to 2013 increased from 71 to 217 cases per year, but from between 2013 (time of implementing infection control measures) and 2015 it decreased to 113 cases in 2015. In the three year period (2013-2015), the proportion of MDRAB causing bloodstream infections (BSI) and central nervous system infections (CNSI) was 15.85% from all identified MDRAB cases. Of the 113 MDRAB infections diagnosed in 2015, BSI was found in 16.81% cases (n = 19). Antibiotic resistance testing showed that colistin is the most effective drug against MDRAB. The majority of Acinetobacter baumannii isolates were resistant to Ampicillin/Sulbactam, Piperacillin/Tazobactam, Ceftazidime, Cefepime, Imipenem, Meropenem, Amikacin, Gentamicin, Tobramycin, and Ciprofloxacin. Over the last two years (2014-2015), prevalence of MDRAB infections decreased considerably. In the time period from 2013 to 2014, resistance of Acinetobacter baumannii increased to imipenem, ciprofloxacin and colistin, while decreased slightly to amikacin. Rigorous infection control measures, such as identification and elimination of new MDRAB sources in environment, review of the central venous catheter insertion protocol and improvements in hand hygiene, are crucial for decreasing distribution of and invasive infections caused by MDRAB in the hospital environment.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Procedural aspects of healthcare quality control in Latvia and its effect on legal protection of patients

According to the European Commission data, 8–12% of patients cared for in hospitals throughout the European Union have suffered accidents related to the healthcare provided for them. The Directive 2011/24/EU of the European Parliament and Council of 9th March 2011 on the application of patients’ rights in cross-border healthcare provides that the Member States should ensure that patients have easily accessible and transparent appeal procedures and mechanisms that provide possibilities for legal remedies in cases of inflicted harm during medical treatment according to regulations of the respective Member State. Healthcare quality control mechanisms are intended for two major purposes: to identify accidents that have occurred during medical treatment and to prevent similar accidents from reoccurring in the future. The aim of this article is to evaluate, firstly, the procedural aspects of healthcare quality control mechanisms in Latvia and, secondly, how healthcare quality control mechanisms have been affected with the implementation of the Directive 2011/24/EU in Latvian legal order, providing for a specific legal remedy – the newly created Medical risk fund. Conclusions are made on the procedural nature of the patients’ right to submit complaints and also the developments in Latvian court practice related to the healthcare quality control. The authors have also analysed regulations related to the Medical risk fund, its influence on the civil liability mechanisms of medical practitioners, as well as the patient’s right to obtain just compensation for the harm inflicted to his health and the legal nature of opinions of the Health Inspectorate of Latvia.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Aspects of yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae desiccation tolerance

Elektroniskā versija nesatur pielikumusDoktora darbs veltīts atsevišķiem maizes rauga Saccharomyces cerevisiae sausumizturības vispārējās fizioloģijas un pielietojamiem aspektiem. Konkrēti – noskaidrota barotnes barības vielu ietekme uz rauga sausumizturību, kā arī pētīts žāvēšanas pielietojums karboksilētu alus raugu beta glikānu imūnstimulējošo īpašību paaugstināšanā. Šūnu izdzīvotība pēc žāvēšanas bija tieši atkarīga no barotnes slāpekļa un oglekļa avotiem, kā arī no auksotrofiskas badošanās. Darbā diskutēts par proteīnu kināzes A kompleksa (PKA) un target of rapamycin (TOR) signālceļu dinamisku derepresiju periodiskās kultivēšanas laikā un to ietekmi uz sausumizturību. Žāvēšana izmaina rauga β-D-glikānu 3D struktūru, kas ietekmē tā imunoloģisko aktivitāti. Žāvēta alus rauga β-D-glikāni uzrādīja augstāku imunoloģisko aktivitāti nekā komerciāls imūnmodulators (Immunoglikan). Atslēgvārdi: S. cerevisiae , barības vielu signalizācija, sausumizturība, TOR un PKA signālceļi, β-D-glikānsDoctoral thesis is devoted to particular fundamental and applied aspects of baker’s yeast desiccation tolerance. Particulary – nutrient effects on Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell survival after desiccation and application of desiccation to increase immunostimulatory properties of carboxylated beer yeast beta glucans. Cell survival after desiccation was severly affected by media nitrogen and carbon source as well as yeast auxotrophic starvation. Nutrient effects on dynamic derepression of protein kinase A (PKA) and target of rapamycin (TOR) pathways and their subsequent effect on survival after desicction are discussed. Desiccation induced changes in spent brewer’s yeast β-D-glucan 3D structure what in turn induced stronger immunoresponse (murine macrophage TNF-α excretion) than commercial immunomodulator (Immunoglikan). Key Words: S. cerevisiae , nutrient signalization, desiccation tolerance TOR and PKA pathways, β-D-glucan

EFFECT OF COOPERATION WITH THE EUROPEAN AGENCY FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF OPERATIONAL COOPERATION AT THE EXTERNAL BORDERS OF THE MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION (FRONTEX) ON THE FACILITATION OF TRAINING PROCESS OF THE LATVIAN STATE BO

The research focuses on major cooperation directions established between the State Border Guard of Latvia and the European Agency FRONTEX. It deals with the legal regulation of SBG and FRONTEX cooperation, depicts and analyses SBG and FRONTEX cooperation in the field of training as well as explores the main pillars of SBG and FRONTEX cooperation development perspectives. The aim of the research is to investigate how SBG cooperation with the Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (Frontex) influences the increase of SBG officers’ capacity regarded in carrying out their functions. The main tasks that were brought up are as follows: to investigate the legal regulation of SBG and FRONTEX cooperation as well as to analyse the main directions of SBG and FRONTEX cooperation in the training process of the officers, finally, to study perspectives of SBG and FRONTEX cooperation development aiming at officers’ capacity building.  The key methods employed in the framework of this research are: descriptive method, analysis and synthesis, clustering, graphical method.

RESEARCH OF BIOMASS MICRO-COGENERATION SYSTEM INTEGRATION WITH A SOLAR PV PANELS IN ZERO-ENERGY FAMILY BUILDING

Nowadays, any economic development is based on its sustainability. On the other hand, sustainability of the economy is no longer conceivable without efficient use of resources. Climate change and environmental degradation affects everybody and have no borders. It is essential, that all countries, regardless of their existing resources, are involved in environmental matters. The European Union (EU) has taken the initiative and has seen the possibility of transforming climate change into a guiding theme for sustainability and development in the economy. The EU has developed a green policy in order to transform all economic sectors into sustainable use of resources. EU is planning to achieve climate neutralisation in all sectors of the economy by year 2050. In order to achieve this objective, only the transformation of the industrial, transport and energy sectors will not be sufficient. The activity and willingness of each individual to achieve these objectives at their own household level will be crucial. It should change habits in all sectors important for households: food, transport, waste management and decreasing energy consumption in all mentioned sectors. Solar PV panels traditionally are used to reach zero balance, but taking in to account climatic conditions and seasonable solar irradiation activity, they can operate successfully during the summer and partly during the spring and autumn season. During the heating season, the efficiency of solar PV panel systems is very low. Use of innovative micro-cogeneration equipment producing both heat and electricity is more efficient during heating season in Latvia.In this paper case study of innovative biomass Stirling engine micro-cogeneration system integration with a solar PV panels in zero-energy family building will be present.

Effect of stem rot on wood basic density, carbon, and nitrogen content of living deciduous trees in hemiboreal forests

While numerous studies have focused on analyzing various aspects of the carbon (C) budget in forests, there appears to be a lack of comprehensive assessments specifically addressing the impact of stem rot on the C budget of broadleaf tree species, especially in old-growth forests where stem rot is prevalent. One of the main challenges in accurately quantifying C losses caused by stem rot is the lack of precise data on the basic density and C content of decayed wood, which are crucial for converting decayed wood volume into biomass and C stocks. Using linear mixed-effects models, we examine the variability of wood basic density, C content, and nitrogen (N) content. Discolored and decomposed wood was collected from the stems of 136 living deciduous trees common in hemiboreal forests in Latvia. Our research indicates a noticeable reduction in the wood basic density, coupled with an increase in the N content within the stem wood throughout the decomposition process in birch (Betula spp.), European aspen (Populus tremula L.), grey alder (Alnus incana (L.) Moench), and common alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.). While aspen wood showed a decreasing trend in C content as decay progressed, a pairwise comparison test revealed no significant differences in C content between discolored and decomposed wood for the studied species, unlike the findings for basic density and N content. This study emphasizes the need to account for stem rot in old-growth forest carbon budgets, especially in broadleaf species, and calls for more research on stem rot-induced carbon losses

Efficient Technology for Introduction Catch-Crops Into Soil

A sharp decrease in the number of cattle in Latvia has essentially affected the possibilities to introduce organic fertilizers into soil. A solution of this problem may be growing catch-crop plants. The purpose of this study is to clarify the factors, technologies and machinery ensuring good and widespread introduction of catch-crops (winter rape, spring rape, red clover, fallow) without their previous shredding. It is found that unthreaded catch- crop plants may be qualitatively introduced into soil using a combined aggregate by orienting them in the direction of the movement of the aggregate and inclining them towards the surface of the field (rolling with the roller) and simultaneously plugging in with a plough which has a disk knife in front of each body to cut the inclined plants and a greater width (50 cm), and adjustable mouldboard curvature having improved skimmers to avoid clogging and to turn over the arable strips in a better way and to ensure more complete plugging of plants into soil. The technology of introducing catch-crops into soil without previous disintegration has been tested in practice and it is an environment-saving means of preserving and raising soil fertility. It is economically efficient in comparison with the introduction of previously shredded plants presently used on farms. It is possible to raise the introduction quality of unthreaded plants (also long-stalked ones) to 96-98%. Optimization the technology and the plough completion allow save labor – 1.4-1.8 men h ha-1, fuel 6-8 kg ha-1 and financial means 5,60-7,20 Ls ha-1

Retrospective study of genetic diversity of Acinetobacter baumannii -resistant strains isolated from patients in Riga East University Hospital in Latvia

Affiliations are different in Web of Science database and original journal publication. Here are given affiliations from original publication in Proceedings of the Latvian Academy of Sciences, Section B: Natural Exact and Applied Sciences.publishersversionPeer reviewe

Model-based biotechnological potential analysis of Kluyveromyces marxianus central metabolism

Funding Information: The research was supported by ERDF project Nr. 2DP/2.1.1.1.0/14/APIA/VIAA/043. Publisher Copyright: © 2017, Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology.The non-conventional yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus is an emerging industrial producer for many biotechnological processes. Here, we show the application of a biomass-linked stoichiometric model of central metabolism that is experimentally validated, and mass and charge balanced for assessing the carbon conversion efficiency of wild type and modified K. marxianus. Pairs of substrates (lactose, glucose, inulin, xylose) and products (ethanol, acetate, lactate, glycerol, ethyl acetate, succinate, glutamate, phenylethanol and phenylalanine) are examined by various modelling and optimisation methods. Our model reveals the organism’s potential for industrial application and metabolic engineering. Modelling results imply that the aeration regime can be used as a tool to optimise product yield and flux distribution in K. marxianus. Also rebalancing NADH and NADPH utilisation can be used to improve the efficiency of substrate conversion. Xylose is identified as a biotechnologically promising substrate for K. marxianus.publishersversionPeer reviewe