Antimicrobial resistance in urosepsis: outcomes from the multinational, multicenter global prevalence of infections in urology (GPIU) study 2003–2013

Primary objective was to identify the (1) relationship of clinical severity of urosepsis with the pathogen spectrum and resistance and (2) appropriateness of using the pathogen spectrum and resistance rates of health-care-associated urinary tract infections (HAUTI) as representative of urosepsis. The secondary objective was to provide an overview of the pathogens and their resistance profile in patients with urosepsis. POPULATION AND METHODS: A point prevalence study carried out in 70 countries (2003-2013). Population studied included; 408 individuals with microbiologically proven urosepsis, 1606 individuals with microbiological proof of HAUTI and 27,542 individuals hospitalised in urology wards. Main outcomes are pathogens and resistance identified in HAUTIs and urosepsis including its clinical severity. A statistical model that included demographic factors (study year, geographical location, hospital setting) was used for analysis. RESULTS: Amongst urology practices, the prevalence of microbiologically proven HAUTI and urosepsis was 5.8 and 1.5 %, respectively. Frequent pathogens in urosepsis were E. coli (43 %), Enterococcus spp. (11 %), P. aeruginosa (10 %) and Klebsiella spp. (10 %). Resistance to commonly prescribed antibiotics was high and rates ranged from 8 % (imipenem) to 62 % (aminopenicillin/β lactamase inhibitors); 45 % of Enterobacteriaceae and 21 % of P. aeruginosa were multidrug-resistant. Resistance rates in urosepsis were higher than in other clinical diagnosis of HAUTI (Likelihood ratio <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: It is not appropriate to use the pathogen spectrum and resistance rates of other HAUTIs as representative of urosepsis to decide on empirical treatment of urosepsis. Resistance rates in urosepsis are high, and precautions should be made to avoid further increas

Antimicrobial activity of apple cider vinegar against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans; downregulating cytokine and microbial protein expression

The global escalation in antibiotic resistance cases means alternative antimicrobials are essential. The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial capacity of apple cider vinegar (ACV) against E. coli, S. aureus and C. albicans. The minimum dilution of ACV required for growth inhibition varied for each microbial species. For C. albicans, a 1/2 ACV had the strongest effect, S. aureus, a 1/25 dilution ACV was required, whereas for E-coli cultures, a 1/50 ACV dilution was required (p < 0.05). Monocyte co-culture with microbes alongside ACV resulted in dose dependent downregulation of inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL-6). Results are expressed as percentage decreases in cytokine secretion comparing ACV treated with non-ACV treated monocytes cultured with E-coli (TNFα, 99.2%; IL-6, 98%), S. aureus (TNFα, 90%; IL-6, 83%) and C. albicans (TNFα, 83.3%; IL-6, 90.1%) respectively. Proteomic analyses of microbes demonstrated that ACV impaired cell integrity, organelles and protein expression. ACV treatment resulted in an absence in expression of DNA starvation protein, citrate synthase, isocitrate and malate dehydrogenases in E-coli; chaperone protein DNak and ftsz in S. aureus and pyruvate kinase, 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase, fructose bisphosphate were among the enzymes absent in C.albican cultures. The results demonstrate ACV has multiple antimicrobial potential with clinical therapeutic implications

Puntius conchonius yumurtalarının sayımında fotokopi yönteminin geliştirilmesi

Balık yumurtalarını saymak için fotokopi tekniği geliştirilmiştir. Konkinyus Puntius conchoniuäun yumurta verimliliği, gerçek sayım ve fotokopi yöntemiyle belirlenmiştir. Yumurta sağımı ve dölleme el ile yapılmıştır. Döllemeden sonra, su ile sertleşen yumurtaların fotokopileri alınmıştır. Beyaz daireler sayılıp canlı yumurtalar, siyah noktalar ise sayılıp ölü yumurtalar olarak kaydedilmiştir. Bu teknikle hesaplanan yumurta sayıları ile gerçek sayım arasında önemli ölçüde korelasyon saptanmıştır (r = 0,999; P < 0,05). Fotokopi yönteminin avantajı, doğrulukta önemli ölçüde bir kayıp olmaksızın, hızlı ve aynı zamanda kullanılan diğer metotlardan ucuz olmasıdır.The photocopy technique was developed to count fish eggs. Fecundity of the rosy barb Puntius conchonius was determined by both actual counts and the photocopy method. Egg stripping and fertiiisation were performed manually. After fertilisation, water-hardened eggs were photocopied. White circles were counted and recorded as viable eggs and dark dots counted as dead eggs. Egg numbers estimated by this technique were significantly correlated with those estimated by actual counting (r = 0.999; P < 0.05). The advantage of the photocopy method is that it is a relatively fast method without significant loss in accuracy and it is cheaper than the other currently used methods

Information Processing

Hoarding disorder, a complex syndrome marked by extreme difficulty discarding possessions and debilitating clutter, is increasingly recognized as a severe and impairing public health burden. Within the cognitive-behavioral model of hoarding, specific information processing difficulties have been implicated as contributing factors, including (1) attention, (2) memory, and (3) executive functioning difficulties associated with decision making, categorization abilities, and impulsivity. The authors first outline general issues and considerations relevant to the study of neuropsychological factors, followed by a more specific examination of the extant literature on hoarding. For each of the primary neurocognitive deficits hypothesized for hoarding disorder, this review outlines and evaluates past research. In summary, there is a strong indication that the attentional system is compromised in hoarding disorder, particularly with respect to inattention. Furthermore, there is suggestive evidence for recall deficits of both verbal and visual information, along with less efficient organization of visual information for encoding purposes. Data on categorization abilities also provide evidence that individuals with hoarding rely on a greater number of underinclusive categories. Less convincing evidence has been obtained for decision making, impulsivity, and planning. For each of the larger information processing domains, the authors discuss limitations and highlight unexplored avenues for future study. In general, the study of neurocognitive deficits in hoarding represents a highly promising area for future research, though one that is still in its nascent stage

The importance of assessing clinical phenomena in Mechanical Turk research

Amazon.com's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) website provides a data collection platform with quick and inexpensive access to diverse samples. Numerous reports have lauded MTurk as capturing high-quality data with an epidemiological sample that is more representative of the U.S. population than traditional in-person convenience samples (e.g., undergraduate subject pools). This benefit, in combination with the ease and low-cost of data collection, has led to a remarkable increase in studies using MTurk to investigate phenomena across a wide range of psychological disciplines. Multiple reports have now examined the demographic characteristics of MTurk samples. One key gap remains, however, in that relatively little is known about individual differences in clinical symptoms among MTurk participants. This paper discusses the importance of assessing clinical phenomena in MTurk samples and supports its assertions through an empirical investigation of a large sample (N = 1,098) of MTurk participants. Results revealed that MTurk participants endorse clinical symptoms to a substantially greater degree than traditional nonclinical samples. This distinction was most striking for depression and social anxiety symptoms, which were endorsed at levels comparable with individuals with clinically diagnosed mood and anxiety symptoms. Participants' symptoms of physiological anxiety, hoarding, and eating pathology fell within the subclinical range. Overall, the number of individuals exceeding validated clinical cutoffs was between 3 and 19 times the estimated 12-month prevalence rates. Based on the current findings, it is argued that MTurk participants differ from the general population in meaningful ways, and researchers should consider this when referring to this sample as truly representative. (PsycINFO Database Recor

Exploring the Association Between Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms and Loneliness: Consideration of Specificity and Gender

Loneliness, or perceived social isolation, is associated with a range of adverse physical and emotional outcomes. In particular, feeling lonely has been linked with anxiety, anger, stress, and depressive symptoms. Although loneliness has been extensively investigated with respect to depression and social anxiety, few studies have considered the relationship between loneliness and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS). Loneliness may be particularly relevant to OCS given the social stigma associated with obsessions and compulsions along with high comorbidity between OCS and depression. The overarching aim of this investigation was to examine the relationship between OCS and loneliness in a young adult sample (N = 395) recruited from a large university. Participants completed self-report measures of OCS, loneliness, depression, and social anxiety. Higher levels of OCS were associated with greater perceived loneliness, and this relationship remained significant despite controlling for depression and social anxiety. OCS had a significant association with the isolation facet of loneliness, and loneliness in turn was uniquely associated with obsessions and checking symptoms. Gender differences were examined, which indicated that females with high OCS endorsed the greatest levels of loneliness. Implications for clinical research and treatment are discussed