67 research outputs found
Corynebacterium ulcerans 0102 carries the gene encoding diphtheria toxin on a prophage different from the C. diphtheriae NCTC 13129 prophage
BACKGROUND: Corynebacterium ulcerans can cause a diphtheria-like illness, especially when the bacterium is lysogenized with a tox gene-carrying bacteriophage that produces diphtheria toxin. Acquisition of toxigenicity upon phage lysogenization is a common feature of C. ulcerans and C. diphtheriae. However, because of a lack of C. ulcerans genome information, a detailed comparison of prophages has not been possible between these two clinically important and closely related bacterial species. RESULTS: We determined the whole genome sequence of the toxigenic C. ulcerans 0102 isolated in Japan. The genomic sequence showed a striking similarity with that of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis and, to a lesser extent, with that of C. diphtheriae. The 0102 genome contained three distinct prophages. One of these, ΦCULC0102-I, was a tox-positive prophage containing genes in the same structural order as for tox-positive C. diphtheriae prophages. However, the primary structures of the individual genes involved in the phage machinery showed little homology between the two counterparts. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these results suggest that the tox-positive prophage in this strain of C. ulcerans has a distinct origin from that of C. diphtheriae NCTC 13129
Acute Effects of Selective Strength Exercise on the Peroneus Longus and Brevis
The peroneus muscles are muscles that mainly act in ankle eversion and can be divided into PL and PB, which have different but important roles in foot and ankle functions. Therefore, PL and PB dysfunction can lead to foot and ankle issues, making. selective strength exercise necessary. This study aimed to identify the effect of two different exercise techniques on PL and PB morphologies. Two interventions were performed on separate days: the PL intervention, in which a Thera-Band® was placed on the ball of the foot and pushed out from the contact point, and the PB intervention, in which the Thera-Band® was pulled from the base of the fifth metatarsal. Cross-sectional area (CSA) and thickness of the peroneus muscles at 25% (showing the PL morphology) and 75% (showing the PB morphology) proximal to the line connecting the fibular head and lateral malleolus, as well as ankle strength was measured before and immediately after the interventions and at 10, 20, and 30 min later. A repeated-measures two-way analysis of variance was conducted to identify differences in the effects of the interventions on the PL and PB. Main and interaction effects on CSA, thickness, and ankle strength, with a significant increase in CSA and thickness in the proximal 25% in the PL intervention and the distal 75% in the PB intervention immediately after implementation, were observed (p < 0.05). The transient increase in muscle volume due to edema immediately after exercise indicates the acute effect of exercise. The CSA and thickness of the proximal 25% in the PL intervention and the distal 75% in the PB intervention increased immediately after the intervention, indicating that these interventions can be used to selectively exercise the PL and PB
Risk Factor Analysis for C5 Palsy after Double-Door Laminoplasty for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy
Study DesignA retrospective comparative study.PurposeTo clarify the risk factors related to the development of postoperative C5 palsy through radiological studies after cervical double-door laminoplasty (DDL).Overview of LiteratureAlthough postoperative C5 palsy is generally considered to be the result of damage to the nerve root or segmental spinal cord, the associated pathology remains controversial.MethodsA consecutive case series of 47 patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy treated by DDL at our institution between April 2008 and April 2015 were reviewed. Postoperative C5 palsy occurred in 5 of 47 cases after DDL. We investigated 9 radiologic factors that have been reported to be risk factors for C5 palsy in various studies, and statistically examined these between the two groups of palsy and the non-palsy patients.ResultsWe found a significant difference between patients with and without postoperative C5 palsy with regards to the posterior shift of spinal cord at C4/5 (p=0.008). The logistic regression analyses revealed posterior shift of the spinal cord at C4/5 (odds ratio, 12.066; p=0.029; 95% confidence interval, 1.295–112.378). For the other radiologic factors, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups.ConclusionsIn the present study, we showed a significant difference in the posterior shift of the spinal cord at C4/5 between the palsy and the non-palsy groups, indicating that the "tethering phenomenon" was likely a greater risk factor for postoperative C5 palsy
Emergence of Quasiparticles in a Doped Mott Insulator
How a Mott insulator develops into a weakly coupled metal upon doping is a
central question to understanding various emergent correlated phenomena. To
analyze this evolution and its connection to the high- cuprates, we study
the single-particle spectrum for the doped Hubbard model using cluster
perturbation theory on superclusters. Starting from extremely low doping, we
identify a heavily renormalized quasiparticle dispersion that immediately
develops across the Fermi level, and a weakening polaronic side band at higher
binding energy. The quasiparticle spectral weight roughly grows at twice the
rate of doping in the low doping regime, but this rate is halved at optimal
doping. In the heavily doped regime, we find both strong electron-hole
asymmetry and a persistent presence of Mott spectral features. Finally, we
discuss the applicability of the single-band Hubbard model to describe the
evolution of nodal spectra measured by angle-resolved photoemission
spectroscopy (ARPES) on the single-layer cuprate LaSrCuO (). This work benchmarks the predictive power of the Hubbard
model for electronic properties of high- cuprates.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figure
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The clinical significance of anaerobic coverage in the antibiotic treatment of aspiration pneumonia: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Introduction: Aspiration pneumonia is increasingly recognised as a common condition. While antibiotics covering anaerobes are thought to be necessary based on old studies reporting anaerobes as causative organisms, recent studies suggest that it may not necessarily benefit prognosis, or even be harmful. Clinical practice should be based on current data reflecting the shift in causative bacteria. The aim of this review was to investigate whether anaerobic coverage is recommended in the treatment of aspiration pneumonia. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing antibiotics with and without anaerobic coverage in the treatment of aspiration pneumonia was performed. The main outcome studied was mortality. Additional outcomes were resolution of pneumonia, development of resistant bacteria, length of stay, recurrence, and adverse effects. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. Results: From an initial 2523 publications, one randomised control trial and two observational studies were selected. The studies did not show a clear benefit of anaerobic coverage. Upon meta-analysis, there was no benefit of anaerobic coverage in improving mortality (Odds ratio 1.23, 95% CI 0.67–2.25). Studies reporting resolution of pneumonia, length of hospital stay, recurrence of pneumonia, and adverse effects showed no benefit of anaerobic coverage. The development of resistant bacteria was not discussed in these studies. Conclusion: In the current review, there are insufficient data to assess the necessity of anaerobic coverage in the antibiotic treatment of aspiration pneumonia. Further studies are needed to determine which cases require anaerobic coverage, if any
2-Diphenylphosphanyl-4-pyridyl(dimethyl) amine as an effective ligand for the ruthenium(II) complex catalyzed homogeneous hydration of nitriles under neutral conditions
New homogeneous catalyst comprised of [Ru(methallyl)(2)(cod)] (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) (1) and 2-diphenylphosphanyl-4-pyridyl(dimethyl) amine (2) is shown to efficiently catalyze the hydration of various nitriles under neutral conditions. The hydration proceeds in the presence of 0.5 mol% of the ruthenium catalyst at 80 degrees C in 1,2-dimethoxyethane solution and the corresponding amide is obtained within few hours without the formation of by products. Comparison of some phosphine ligands for the hydration reveals that the dimethylamino moiety of 2 improves the catalytic performance dramatically
膝関節角度の違いによる内側広筋と外側広筋の筋活動
内容の要約広島大学(Hiroshima University)博士(保健学)Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciencedoctora
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION PATTERN OF THE ELECTROMYOGRAPHIC POTENTIAL IN THE VASTUS MEDIALIS AND LATERALIS MUSCLES FOR THREE KNEE FLEXION ANGLES DURING ISOMETRIC KNEE EXTENSION
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