The old Greek of Isaiah : an analysis of its pluses and minuses

This study seeks to provide more insight into the Septuagint of Isaiah (LXX Isaiah) by analysing all the cases of pluses and minuses in that translation. In this way it sets out to contribute to and to complement the discussion of pluses and minuses in LXX Isaiah which was presented by Joseph Ziegler in his work Untersuchungen zur Septuaginta des Buches Isaias (1934). All LXX Isaiah’s pluses and minuses have been collected and classified in this study, and then analysed to understand the motivation for them. Do they betray certain translation tendencies of the translator, or do they indicate that the Greek translator had a Vorlage in front of him which differed from the Masoretic text? One of the conclusions is that many pluses and minuses in the translation seem to be connected with certain literary, stylistic preferences of the translator. Hardly any previous investigations have been made into this stylistic or rhetorical aspect of the Greek translation of Isaiah.LEI Universiteit LeidenNWOUBL - phd migration 201

The accuracy of four commercial broth microdilution tests in the determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration of colistin

Colistin is considered as one of the last-resort antibiotics and reliable antimicrobial susceptibility testing is therefore crucial. The reference standard for AST according to EUCAST and CLSI is broth microdilution (BMD). However, BMD is labor intensive to perform. Commercial antimicrobial susceptibility tests derived from BMD method are available. We investigated the performance of four different commercial tests: Sensititre™, SensiTest™ Colistin, Micronaut MIC Strip Colistin and UMIC Colistin using 70 clinical isolates (half of them was deemed by VITEK2 as resistant), including isolates from cystic fibrosis patients and mcr-1 bearing isolates. We used two reference standards: BMD and composite MIC as determined by all four tests. Sensititre™ had essential agreement (EA, defined as minimum inhibitory concentration within ± 1 dilution) of 87% and 89% compared to BMD and composite reference standard, respectively. For SensiTest™, the EA’s were 93% and 90%. For UMIC, 87% and 90%, and for Micronaut, 83% and 84%. All four tests demonstrated categorical agreement (CA) above 90%. CA for SensiTest™ and Micronaut was both 96%, UMIC 94%, and Sensititre™ 93%. All tests were reproducible as tested in two quality control isolates. In conclusion, in clinical isolates from a large referral center, the four commercial tests for determination of colistin minimum inhibitory concentrations showed acceptable performance

Molecular characterization and phylogeny of Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli isolates obtained from two Dutch regions using whole genome sequencing

AbstractShiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is one of the major causes of human gastrointestinal disease and has been implicated in sporadic cases and outbreaks of diarrhoea, haemorrhagic colitis and haemolytic uremic syndrome worldwide. In this study, we determined the molecular characteristics and phylogenetic relationship of STEC isolates, and their genetic diversity was compared to that of other E. coli populations. Whole genome sequencing was performed on 132 clinical STEC isolates obtained from the faeces of 129 Dutch patients with gastrointestinal complaints. STEC isolates of this study belonged to 44 different sequence types (STs), 42 serogenotypes and 14 stx subtype combinations. Antibiotic resistance genes were more frequently present in stx1-positive isolates compared to stx2 and stx1 + stx2–positive isolates. The iha, mchB, mchC, mchF, subA, ireA, senB, saa and sigA genes were significantly more frequently present in eae-negative than in eae-positive STEC isolates. Presence of virulence genes encoding type III secretion proteins and adhesins was associated with isolates obtained from patients with bloody diarrhoea. Core genome phylogenetic analysis showed that isolates clustered according to their ST or serogenotypes irrespective of stx subtypes. Isolates obtained from patients with bloody diarrhoea were from diverse phylogenetic backgrounds. Some STEC isolates shared common ancestors with non-STEC isolates. Whole genome sequencing is a powerful tool for clinical microbiology, allowing high-resolution molecular typing, population structure analysis and detailed molecular characterization of strains. STEC isolates of a substantial genetic diversity and of distinct phylogenetic groups were observed in this study

Interferon α kinoid induces neutralizing anti-interferon α antibodies that decrease the expression of interferon-induced and B cell activation associated transcripts: analysis of extended follow-up data from the interferon α kinoid phase I/II study.

IFN α Kinoid (IFN-K) is a therapeutic vaccine composed of IFNα2b coupled to a carrier protein. In a phase I/II placebo-controlled trial, we observed that IFN-K significantly decreases the IFN gene signature in whole blood RNA samples from SLE patients. Here, we analysed extended follow-up data from IFN-K-treated patients, in order to evaluate persistence of neutralizing anti-IFNα Abs antibodies (Abs), and gene expression profiling. Serum and whole blood RNA samples were obtained in IFN-K-treated patients included in the follow-up study, in order to determine binding and neutralizing anti-IFNα Ab titres, and perform high-throughput transcriptomic studies. Neutralization studies of 13 IFNα subtypes demonstrated the polyclonal nature of the Ab response induced by IFN-K. Follow-up analyses in six patients confirmed a significant correlation between neutralizing anti-IFNα Ab titres and decrease in IFN scores compared to baseline. These analyses also revealed an inhibitory effect of IFNα blockade on the expression of B cell associated transcripts. IFN-K induces a polyclonal anti-IFNα response that decreases IFN- and B cell-associated transcripts. ClinicalTrials.gov, clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01058343

Effects of Recombinant Human Interleukin 7 on T-Cell Recovery and Thymic Output in HIV-Infected Patients Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy: Results of a Phase I/IIa Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter Study

Interleukin 7 induces a well-tolerated, dose-dependent, and sustained increase of CD4 T cells in human immunodeficiency virus-infected individuals treated with antiretroviral therapy, through an expansion of peripheral T cells that do not express activation markers, and increases thymic output in some patients

Is Shiga Toxin-Negative Escherichia coli O157:H7 Enteropathogenic or Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli? Comprehensive Molecular Analysis Using Whole-Genome Sequencing

The ability of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to induce cellular damage leading to disease in humans is related to numerous virulence factors, most notably the stx gene, encoding Shiga toxin (Stx) and carried by a bacteriophage. Loss of the Stx-encoding bacteriophage may occur during infection or culturing of the strain. Here, we collected stx-positive and stx-negative variants of E. coli O157:H7/NM (nonmotile) isolates from patients with gastrointestinal complaints. Isolates were characterized by whole-genome sequencing (WGS), and their virulence properties and phylogenetic relationship were determined. Because of the presence of the cae gene but lack of the bfpA gene, the stx-negative isolates were considered atypical enteropathogenic E. coli (aEPEC). However, they had phenotypic characteristics similar to those of the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) isolates and belonged to the same sequence type, STI1. Furthermore, EPEC and STEC isolates shared similar virulence genes, the locus of enterocyte effacement region, and plasmids. Core genome phylogenetic analysis using a gene-by-gene typing approach showed that the sorbitol-fermenting (SF) stx-negative isolates clustered together with an SF STEC isolate and that one non-sorbitol-fermenting (NSF) stx-negative isolate clustered together with NSF STEC isolates. Therefore, these stx-negative isolates were thought either to have lost the Stx phage or to be a progenitor of STEC O157: H7/NM. As detection of STEC infections is often based solely on the identification of the presence of stx genes, these may be misdiagnosed in routine laboratories. Therefore, an improved diagnostic approach is required to manage identification, strategies for treatment, and prevention of transmission of these potentially pathogenic strains

An international multicenter retrospective study of Pseudomonas aeruginosa nosocomial pneumonia: Impact of multidrug resistance

Introduction: Pseudomonas aeruginosa nosocomial pneumonia (Pa-NP) is associated with considerable morbidity, prolonged hospitalization, increased costs, and mortality. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult patients with Pa-NP to determine 1) risk factors for multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains and 2) whether MDR increases the risk for hospital death. Twelve hospitals in 5 countries (United States, n = 3; France, n = 2; Germany, n = 2; Italy, n = 2; and Spain, n = 3) participated. We compared characteristics of patients who had MDR strains to those who did not and derived regression models to identify predictors of MDR and hospital mortality. Results: Of 740 patients with Pa-NP, 226 patients (30.5%) were infected with MDR strains. In multivariable analyses, independent predictors of multidrug-resistance included decreasing age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 0.91, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.96-0.98), diabetes mellitus (AOR 1.90, 95% CI 1.21-3.00) and ICU admission (AOR 1.73, 95% CI 1.06-2.81). Multidrug-resistance, heart failure, increasing age, mechanical ventilation, and bacteremia were independently associated with in-hospital mortality in the Cox Proportional Hazards Model analysis. Conclusions: Among patients with Pa-NP the presence of infection with a MDR strain is associated with increased in-hospital mortality. Identification of patients at risk of MDR Pa-NP could facilitate appropriate empiric antibiotic decisions that in turn could lead to improved hospital survival

Somatostatin and dopamine receptors as targets for medical treatment of Cushing's Syndrome

Somatostatin (SS) and dopamine (DA) receptors are widely expressed in neuroendocrine tumours that cause Cushing's Syndrome (CS). Increasing knowledge of specific subtype expression within these tumours and the ability to target these receptor subtypes with high-affinity compounds, has driven the search for new SS- or DA-based medical therapies for the various forms of CS. In Cushing's disease, corticotroph adenomas mainly express dopamine receptor subtype 2 (D2) and somatostatin receptor subtype 5 (sst5), whereas sst2is expressed at lower levels. Activation of these receptors can inhibit ACTH-release in primary cultured corticotroph adenomas and compounds that target either sst5(pasireotide, or SOM230) or D2(cabergoline) have shown significant efficacy in subsets of patients in recent clinical studies. Combination therapy, either by administration of both types of compounds separately or by treatment with novel somatostatin-dopamine chimeric molecules (e.g. BIM-23A760), appears to be a promising approach in this respect. In selected cases of Ectopic ACTH-producing Syndrome (EAS), the sst2-preferring compound octreotide is able to reduce cortisol levels effectively. A recent study showed that D2receptors are also significantly expressed in the majority of EAS and that cabergoline may decrease cortisol levels in subsets of these patients. In both normal adrenal tissue as well as in adrenal adenomas and carcinomas that cause CS, sst and DA receptor expression has been demonstrated. Although selected cases of adrenal CS may benefit from sst or DA-targeted treatment, its total contribution to the treatment of these patients is likely to be low as surgery is effective in most cases