Antimicrobial susceptibility of periodontopathogenic bacteria

Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the resistance profiles of Aggregatibacter (Actinobacillus) actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Prevotella intermedia/Prevotella nigrescens and to detect possible changes in antibiotic resistance over the time period of 1991-2005. Methods A. actinomycetemcomitans (125 strains), P. gingivalis (152 strains) and P. intermedia/P. nigrescens (326 strains) isolated during the years 1991-2005 were tested for their susceptibility to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, clindamycin, metronidazole, phenoxymethylpenicillin and tetracycline using the Etest. Results No antibiotic resistance was detected in P. gingivalis, whereas a few isolates of P. intermedia were not susceptible to clindamycin (0.9%), phenoxymethylpenicillin (13.5%) or tetracycline (12.6%). Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, tetracycline and metronidazole were the most effective antibiotics against A. actinomycetemcomitans with 0%, 0.8% and 20.8% non-susceptible isolates, respectively. However, 88% of the A. actinomycetemcomitans isolates were non-susceptible to phenoxymethylpenicillin and 88% to clindamycin. When strains isolated in the years 1991-94 were compared with those isolated in the years 2001-04, there was no statistically significant difference in the percentage of A. actinomycetemcomitans strains non-susceptible to clindamycin, metronidazole or phenoxymethylpenicillin, or in the percentage of P. intermedia strains non-susceptible to phenoxymethylpenicillin or tetracycline (P > 0.4 each). Conclusions Increasing antibiotic resistances in periodontopathogenic bacteria are not yet a problem in the Northern part of Switzerlan

Architektur für ein System zur Dokumentanalyse im Unternehmenskontext - Integration von Datenbeständen, Aufbau- und Ablauforganisation

Workflowmanagementsysteme werden im Bürobereich verstärkt zur effizienten Geschäftsprozeßabwicklung eingesetzt. Das bereits Mitte der 70er Jahre propagierte papierlose Büro bleibt jedoch gegenwärtig immer noch Utopie. Dieser Widerspruch liegt darin begründet, daß die Handhabung von papierintensiven Vorgängen in hohem Maße abhängig ist von einer Identifkation und Aufbereitung der in den Dokumenten enthaltenen Informationen. Allerdings müssen solche Daten z.B. bei eingehender Post immer noch von Hand eingegeben werden. In diesem Dokument wird die Architektur eines System vorgestellt, das diesen Medienbruch überwinden soll. Techniken aus dem Gebiet der Dokumentanalyse und des Dokumentverstehens werden in den Workftowkontext integriert und nutzen das dort verfügbare Wissen zur Steigerung der Erkennungsqualität. Das Architekturdokument beruht auf einer ebenfalls dokumentierten Anforderungsanalyse (DFKI Dokument D-97-05). Es enthält eine statische und eine dynamische Beschreibung der benötigten Klassenkategorien und erklärt deren Funktionalität anhand eines umfassenden Beispiels

Faster transport with a directed quantum walk

We give the first example of faster transport with a quantum walk on an inherently directed graph, on the directed line with a variable number of self-loops at each vertex. These self-loops can be thought of as adding a number of small dimensions. This is a discrete time quantum walk using the Fourier transform coin, where the walk proceeds a distance $\Theta(1)$ in constant time compared to $\Theta(1/n)$ classically, independent of the number of these small dimensions. The analysis proceeds by reducing this walk to a walk with a two dimensional coin.Comment: 3 pages, 2 figures. To be published in Phys. Rev. A. v2: Minor wording changes. For Mathematica simulation source, see http://panic.berkeley.edu/~shoyer

Convergence towards a European strategic culture? A constructivist framework for explaining changing norms.

The article contributes to the debate about the emergence of a European strategic culture to underpin a European Security and Defence Policy. Noting both conceptual and empirical weaknesses in the literature, the article disaggregates the concept of strategic culture and focuses on four types of norms concerning the means and ends for the use of force. The study argues that national strategic cultures are less resistant to change than commonly thought and that they have been subject to three types of learning pressures since 1989: changing threat perceptions, institutional socialization, and mediatized crisis learning. The combined effect of these mechanisms would be a process of convergence with regard to strategic norms prevalent in current EU countries. If the outlined hypotheses can be substantiated by further research the implications for ESDP are positive, especially if the EU acts cautiously in those cases which involve norms that are not yet sufficiently shared across countries

Sex differences in associations of comorbidities with incident cardiovascular disease: focus on absolute risk

AIM: To examine sex differences in associations of obesity, type-2 diabetes, hypertension, and atrial fibrillation (AF) with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD), focusing on absolute risk measures. METHODS AND RESULTS: We included a total of 7994 individuals (mean age 49.1 years; 51.2% women) without prior CVD from the PREVEND (Prevention of Renal and Vascular End-stage Disease) cohort with a median follow-up of 12.5 years. Using Poisson regression, we calculated the increase in absolute as well as relative CVD risk associated with a comorbidity using incidence rate differences (IRD = IR(comorbidity)−IR(no-comorbidity)) and incidence rate ratios (IRR = IR(comorbidity)/IR(no-comorbidity)), respectively. Sex differences were presented as women-to-men differences (WMD = IRD(women)−IRD(men)) and women-to-men ratios (WMR = IRR(women)/IRR(men)). Absolute CVD risk was lower in women than in men (IR(women): 6.73 vs. IR(men): 14.58 per 1000 person-years). While increase in absolute CVD risk associated with prevalent hypertension was lower in women than in men [WMD: −6.12, 95% confidence interval: (−9.84 to −2.40), P = 0.001], increase in absolute CVD risk associated with prevalent obesity [WMD: −4.25 (−9.11 to 0.61), P = 0.087], type-2 diabetes [WMD: −1.04 (−14.36 to 12.29), P = 0.879] and AF [WMD: 18.39 (−39.65 to 76.43), P = 0.535] did not significantly differ between the sexes. Using relative risk measures, prevalent hypertension [WMR: 1.49%, 95% confidence interval: (1.12–1.99), P = 0.006], type-2 diabetes [WMR: 1.73 (1.09–2.73), P = 0.019], and AF [WMR: 2.53 (1.12–5.70), P = 0.025] were all associated with higher CVD risk in women than in men. CONCLUSION: Increase in absolute risk of developing CVD is higher in hypertensive men than in hypertensive women, but no substantial sex-related differences were observed among individuals with obesity, type-2 diabetes and AF. On a relative risk scale, comorbidities, in general, confer a higher CVD risk in women than in men

Meta-analysis of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in combination with intra-aortic balloon pump vs. extracorporeal membrane oxygenation only in patients with cardiogenic shock due to acute myocardial infarction

BackgroundIncidence and mortality of cardiogenic shock (CS) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remain high despite substantial therapy improvements in acute percutaneous coronary intervention over the last decades. Unloading the left ventricle in patients with Veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) can be performed by using an intra-aortic balloon pumps’ (IABP) afterload reduction, which might be especially beneficial in AMI patients with CS.ObjectiveThe objective of this meta-analysis was to assess the effect of VA-ECMO + IABP vs. VA-ECMO treatment on the mortality of patients with CS due to AMI.MethodsA systematic literature search was performed using EMBASE, COCHRANE, and MEDLINE databases. Studies comparing the effect of VA-ECMO + IABP vs. VA-ECMO on mortality of patients with AMI were included. Meta-analyses were performed to analyze the effect of the chosen treatment on 30-day/in-hospital mortality.ResultsTwelve studies were identified by the literature search, including a total of 5,063 patients, 81.5% were male and the mean age was 65.9 years. One thousand one hundred and thirty-six patients received treatment with VA-ECMO in combination with IABP and 2,964 patients received VA-ECMO treatment only. The performed meta-analysis showed decreased mortality at 30-days/in-hospital after VA-ECMO + IABP compared to VA-ECMO only for patients with cardiogenic shock after AMI (OR 0.36, 95% CI 0.30–0.44, P≤0.001). Combination of VA-ECMO + IABP was associated with higher rates of weaning success (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.16–0.53, P < 0.001) without an increase of vascular access complications (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.35–2.08, P = 0.72).ConclusionIn this meta-analysis, combination therapy of VA-ECMO + IABP was superior to VA-ECMO only therapy in patients with CS due to AMI. In the absence of randomized data, these results are hypothesis generating only

CD4 cell count and the risk of AIDS or death in HIV-Infected adults on combination antiretroviral therapy with a suppressed viral load: a longitudinal cohort study from COHERE.

BACKGROUND: Most adults infected with HIV achieve viral suppression within a year of starting combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). It is important to understand the risk of AIDS events or death for patients with a suppressed viral load. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Using data from the Collaboration of Observational HIV Epidemiological Research Europe (2010 merger), we assessed the risk of a new AIDS-defining event or death in successfully treated patients. We accumulated episodes of viral suppression for each patient while on cART, each episode beginning with the second of two consecutive plasma viral load measurements 500 copies/µl, the first of two consecutive measurements between 50-500 copies/µl, cART interruption or administrative censoring. We used stratified multivariate Cox models to estimate the association between time updated CD4 cell count and a new AIDS event or death or death alone. 75,336 patients contributed 104,265 suppression episodes and were suppressed while on cART for a median 2.7 years. The mortality rate was 4.8 per 1,000 years of viral suppression. A higher CD4 cell count was always associated with a reduced risk of a new AIDS event or death; with a hazard ratio per 100 cells/µl (95% CI) of: 0.35 (0.30-0.40) for counts <200 cells/µl, 0.81 (0.71-0.92) for counts 200 to <350 cells/µl, 0.74 (0.66-0.83) for counts 350 to <500 cells/µl, and 0.96 (0.92-0.99) for counts ≥500 cells/µl. A higher CD4 cell count became even more beneficial over time for patients with CD4 cell counts <200 cells/µl. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the low mortality rate, the risk of a new AIDS event or death follows a CD4 cell count gradient in patients with viral suppression. A higher CD4 cell count was associated with the greatest benefit for patients with a CD4 cell count <200 cells/µl but still some slight benefit for those with a CD4 cell count ≥500 cells/µl

Conformally Flat Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics: Application to Neutron Star Mergers

We present a new 3D SPH code which solves the general relativistic field + hydrodynamics equations in the conformally flat approximation. Several test cases are considered to test different aspects of the code. We finally apply then the code to the coalescence of a neutron star binary system. The neutron stars are modeled by a polytropic equation of state (EoS) with adiabatic indices $\Gamma=2.0$, $\Gamma=2.6$ and $\Gamma=3.0$. We calculate the gravitational wave signals, luminosities and frequency spectra by employing the quadrupole approximation for emission and back reaction in the slow motion limit. In addition, we consider the amount of ejected mass.Comment: 23 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. D. v3: Final Versio