Fecal carriage of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and carcass contamination in cattle at slaughter in northern Italy

Feedlot cattle slaughtered at a large abattoir in northern Italy during 2002 were examined for intestinal carriage and carcass contamination with Escherichia coli O157:H7. Carcass samples were taken following the excision method described in the Decision 471/2001/EC, and fecal material was taken from the colon of the calves after evisceration. Bacteria were isolated and identified according to the MFLP-80 and MFLP-90 procedures (Food Directorate’s Health Canada’s). Eighty-eight non-sorbitol-fermenting E. coli O157:H7 isolates were obtained from 12 of the 45 calves examined. In particular, E. coli O157:H7 isolates were found in 11 (24%) fecal and five (11%) carcass samples. PCR analysis showed that all 11 fecal samples and five carcass samples carried eae-γ1-positive E. coli O157:H7 isolates. In addition, genes encoding Shigatoxins were detected in O157:H7 isolates from nine and two of those 11 fecal and five carcasses, respectively. A representative group of 32 E. coli O157:H7 isolates was analyzed by phage typing and DNA macrorestriction fragment analysis (PFGE). Five phage types (PT8, PT32v, PT32, PT54, and PT not typable) and seven (I–VII) distinct restriction patterns of similarity > 85% were detected. Up to three different O157:H7 strains in an individual fecal sample and up to four from the same animal could be isolated. These findings provide evidence of the epidemiological importance of subtyping more than one isolate from the same sample. Phage typing together with PFGE proved to be very useful tools to detect cross-contamination among carcasses and should therefore be included in HACCP programs at abattoirs. The results showed that the same PFGE-phage type E. coli O157:H7 profile was detected in the fecal and carcass samples from an animal, and also in two more carcasses corresponding to two animals slaughtered the same day. [Int Microbiol 2007; 10(2):109-116

Galician consensus on management of cardiotoxicity in breast cancer: risk factors, prevention, and early intervention

This Galician consensus statement is a joint oncologists/cardiologists initiative indented to establish basic recommendations on how to prevent and to manage the cardiotoxicity in breast cancer with the aim of ensuring an optimal cardiovascular care of these patients. A clinical screening of the patients before treatment is recommended to stratify them into a determined risk group based on their intrinsic cardiovascular risk factors and those extrinsic arose from breast cancer therapy, thereby providing individualized preventive and monitoring measures. Suitable initial and ongoing assessments for patients with low and moderate/high risk and planned treatment with anthracyclines and trastuzumab are given; also, measures aimed at preventing and correcting any modifiable risk factor are pointed out .TEVA Farma Españ

Development and validation of a clinical score to estimate progression to severe or critical state in Covid-19 pneumonia hospitalized patients

The prognosis of a patient with Covid-19 pneumonia is uncertain. Our objective was to establish a predictive model of disease progression to facilitate early decision-making. A retrospective study was performed of patients admitted with Covid-19 pneumonia, classified as severe (admission to the intensive care unit, mechanic invasive ventilation, or death) or non-severe. A predictive model based on clinical, analytical, and radiological parameters was built. The probability of progression to severe disease was estimated by logistic regression analysis. Calibration and discrimination (receiver operating characteristics curves and AUC) were assessed to determine model performance. During the study period 1,152 patients presented with Covid-19 infection, of whom 229 (19.9%) were admitted for pneumonia. During hospitalization, 51 (22.3%) progressed to severe disease, of whom 26 required ICU care (11.4); 17 (7.4%) underwent invasive mechanical ventilation, and 32 (14%) died of any cause. Five predictors determined within 24 hours of admission were identified: Diabetes, Age, Lymphocyte count, SaO2, and pH (DALSH score). The prediction model showed a good clinical performance, including discrimination (AUC 0.87 CI 0.81, 0.92) and calibration (Brier score = 0.11). In total, 0%, 12%, and 50% of patients with severity risk scores ≤5%, 6-25%, and >25% exhibited disease progression, respectively. A simple risk score based on five factors predicts disease progression and facilitates early decision-making according to prognosis.Carlos III Health Institute, Spain, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (SPAIN) and the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER)Instituto de Salud Carlos II

Investment in the long-tail of biodiversity data: from local research to global knowledge

In business, the "long-tail economy" refers to a market strategy where the gravity center shifts from a few high-demand products to many, varied products focused on small niches. Commercialization of individually low-demand products can be profitable as long as their production cost is low and, all taken together, they aggregate into a big chunk of the market. Similarly, in the "business" of biodiversity data acquisition, we can find several mainstream products that produce zillions of bits of information every year and account for most of the budget allocated to increase our primary data-based knowledge about Earth's biological diversity. These products play a crucial role in biodiversity research. However, along with these large global projects, there is a constellation of small-scale institutions that work locally, but whose contribution to our understanding of natural processes should not be dismissed. These information datasets can be collectively referred to as the "long-tail biodiversity data"

Efecto del bioestimulante Enerplant® en la aclimatización ex vitro de plantas propagadas in vitro de caña de azúcar cv. C97-445

Las plantas in vitro de caña de azúcar (Saccharum spp.) son susceptibles a los cambios ambientales en la fase de aclimatización lo cual afecta su crecimiento y desarrollo. El presente trabajo tuvo como objetivo evaluar el efecto del bioestimulante Enerplant® en el la supervivencia y el crecimiento de plantas in vitro de caña de azúcar cv. C97-445  en la aclimatización ex vitro. Se evaluaron tres disoluciones (0.6, 0.8 y 1.0 ml l-1) de Enerplant® y se comparó con el bioestimulante VIUSID Agro® 0.8 ml l-1. Se realizaron dos aplicaciones diarias, los primeros tres días y posteriormente una vez por semana. Los experimentos se llevaron a cabo en época de seca. Las variables evaluadas fueron la supervivencia a los 15 días y las morfo-fisiológicas a los 55 días después del trasplante. Se comprobó que la aplicación de Enerplant® incrementa la supervivencia de las plantas in vitro de caña de azúcar y mejora su crecimiento. El tratamiento con 0.8 ml l-1 de este bioestimulante tuvo el mayor efecto en el crecimiento de las plantas in vitro en condiciones de aclimatización ex vitro.Las plantas in vitro de caña de azúcar (Saccharum spp.) son susceptibles a los cambios ambientales en la fase de aclimatización lo cual afecta su crecimiento y desarrollo. El presente trabajo tuvo como objetivo evaluar el efecto del bioestimulante Enerplant® en la supervivencia y el crecimiento de plantas in vitro de caña de azúcar cv. C97-445 en la aclimatización ex vitro. Se evaluaron tres disoluciones (0.6, 0.8 y 1.0 ml l-1) de Enerplant® y se comparó con el bioestimulante VIUSID-Agro® 0.8 ml l-1. Se realizaron dos aplicaciones diarias, los primeros tres días y posteriormente una vez por semana. Los experimentos se llevaron a cabo en época de seca. Las variables evaluadas fueron la supervivencia a los 15 días y las morfofisiológicas a los 55 días después del trasplante. Se comprobó que la aplicación de Enerplant® incrementa la supervivencia de las plantas in vitro de caña de azúcar y mejora su crecimiento. El tratamiento con 0.8 ml l-1 de este bioestimulante tuvo el mayor efecto en el crecimiento de las plantas in vitro en condiciones de aclimatización ex vitro

Effect of Enerplant® biostimulant on ex vitro acclimatization of in vitro propagated sugarcane plants cv. C97-4450

In vitro sugarcane plants (Saccharum spp.) are susceptible to environmental changes in theacclimatization phase, which affects their growth and development. The objective of thiswork was to evaluate the effect of the biostimulant Enerplant® on the survival and growth ofin vitro plants of sugarcane cv. C97-445 inex vitro acclimatization. Three solutions (0.6, 0.8and 1.0 ml l-1) of Enerplant® were evaluated and compared with the biostimulant VIUSID Agro®0.8 ml l-1. Two daily applications were made, the first three days after transplant and thenonce a week. The experiments were carried out in the dry season. The variables evaluatedwere survival at 15 days and morphophysiological at 55 days after transplantation. It wasverified that the application of Enerplant® increases the survival of sugarcanein vitroplantsand improves their growth. Treatment with 0.8 ml l-1 of this biostimulant had the greatest effect onin vitroplant growth underex vitro acclimatization conditions

Unraveling the effect of silent, intronic and missense mutations on VWF splicing: contribution of next generation sequencing in the study of mRNA

Large studies in von Willebrand disease patients, including Spanish and Portuguese registries, led to the identification of >250 different mutations. It is a challenge to determine the pathogenic effect of potential splice site mutations on VWF mRNA. This study aimed to elucidate the true effects of 18 mutations on VWF mRNA processing, investigate the contribution of next-generation sequencing to in vivo mRNA study in von Willebrand disease, and compare the findings with in silico prediction. RNA extracted from patient platelets and leukocytes was amplified by RT-PCR and sequenced using Sanger and next generation sequencing techniques. Eight mutations affected VWF splicing: c.1533+1G>A, c.5664+2T>C and c.546G>A (p.=) prompted exon skipping; c.3223-7_3236dup and c.7082-2A>G resulted in activation of cryptic sites; c.3379+1G>A and c.7437G>A) demonstrated both molecular pathogenic mechanisms simultaneously; and the p.Cys370Tyr missense mutation generated two aberrant transcripts. Of note, the complete effect of three mutations was provided by next generation sequencing alone because of low expression of the aberrant transcripts. In the remaining 10 mutations, no effect was elucidated in the experiments. However, the differential findings obtained in platelets and leukocytes provided substantial evidence that four of these would have an effect on VWF levels. In this first report using next generation sequencing technology to unravel the effects of VWF mutations on splicing, the technique yielded valuable information. Our data bring to light the importance of studying the effect of synonymous and missense mutations on VWF splicing to improve the current knowledge of the molecular mechanisms behind von Willebrand disease. clinicaltrials.gov identifier:02869074

Genome-Wide Analysis of Factors Affecting Transcription Elongation and DNA Repair: A New Role for PAF and Ccr4-Not in Transcription-Coupled Repair

RNA polymerases frequently deal with a number of obstacles during transcription elongation that need to be removed for transcription resumption. One important type of hindrance consists of DNA lesions, which are removed by transcription-coupled repair (TC-NER), a specific sub-pathway of nucleotide excision repair. To improve our knowledge of transcription elongation and its coupling to TC-NER, we used the yeast library of non-essential knock-out mutations to screen for genes conferring resistance to the transcription-elongation inhibitor mycophenolic acid and the DNA-damaging agent 4-nitroquinoline-N-oxide. Our data provide evidence that subunits of the SAGA and Ccr4-Not complexes, Mediator, Bre1, Bur2, and Fun12 affect transcription elongation to different extents. Given the dependency of TC-NER on RNA Polymerase II transcription and the fact that the few proteins known to be involved in TC-NER are related to transcription, we performed an in-depth TC-NER analysis of a selection of mutants. We found that mutants of the PAF and Ccr4-Not complexes are impaired in TC-NER. This study provides evidence that PAF and Ccr4-Not are required for efficient TC-NER in yeast, unraveling a novel function for these transcription complexes and opening new perspectives for the understanding of TC-NER and its functional interconnection with transcription elongation

Synthesis and atypical antipsychotic profile of some 2-(2-piperidinoethyl)benzocycloalkanones as analogues of butyrophenone

Four new 2-(2-piperidinoethyl)benzocycloalkanone derivatives, 20-23, were prepared and evaluated as potential antipsychotic agents in receptor binding assays for dopamine (DA) and 5-HT2A receptors and in functional and behavioral screens. Their affinities for D2 receptors (Ki's in the nanomolar range: 46.7-70.7) and D1 receptors (Ki's in the micromolar range: 1.09-2.81) were slightly lower than that showed by haloperidol (Ki's in the nanomolar range: 5.01 and 97.72 for D2 and for D1 receptors, respectively). The ratio of pKi's values D1/D2 showed that the new molecules are more D2-selective than haloperidol. In contrast, in the [3H]-ketanserin binding assays the new compounds had greater affinity for 5-HT2A receptors (pKi's 7.89-8.60) than haloperidol (pKi 7.70) and in functional studies, endothelium-stripped aorta rings, the pA2 values (6.75-8.12) were slightly lower than that of ketanserin (8.87) in suppresing serotonin-induced contractions. The pKi's for D2 binding (and to a lesser extent pKi's for D1 binding) tend to be greater among typical (classical) than among atypical antipsychotics, while these two classes of antipsychotics exhibit no difference with regard to pKi's for 5-HT2A receptors. The ratios of pKi's for 5-HT2A/D2 receptors may be useful for rapid screening of new compounds, and its potential induction of extrapyramidal symptoms (ratio values >1.12 were predictive of an atypical antipsychotic profile). The new molecules had a ratio value in the range 1.08-1.20, while haloperidol showed a ratio of 0.93. In the behavioral screening tests, the new molecules showed antagonist activity of amphetamine-inducing hyperactivity and apomorphine-induced climbing (predictive tests for antipsychotic activity). In the catalepsy test (predictive test for induction of extrapyramidal symptoms), the values obtained were in accordance with an atypical antipsychotic drugs profile. © 1994 American Chemical Society.Peer Reviewe

Butyrophenone analogues: Synthesis of 2-methyl-3-ethyl-5-aminoethyl-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindol-4-ones, and their affinities for d1, d2 and 5-ht2a receptors

Starting from 2-methyl-3-ethyl-1H-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroindol-4-one 3 we have prepared 2-methyl-3-ethyl-5-morpholinoethyl-1H-4, 5,6,7-tetrahydroindol-4-one, (1) and 2-methyl-3-ethyl-5-(4-o-methoxyphenyl-1-piperazinoethyl)-1H-4,5,6,7-tetr ahydroindol-4-one (2) as butyrophenone analogues of the neuroleptic molindone. The affinities of these compounds for D1 and D2 dopamine and 5-HT2A serotonin receptors were evaluated in vitro. The affinity of 1 for D2 receptors is less than that of molindone (pKi's 6.23 and 7.48 respectively) and that of 2 similar (pKi 7.55). Both compounds bind to 5-HT2A receptors, the affinity of 2 being significantly greater than that of molindone (pKi's of 7.04 and 5.85, and pA2′s of 7.50 and 6.18, respectively). © 1995 Elsevier Science Ltd.Peer Reviewe