62 research outputs found
Enteral versus parenteral nutrition in critically ill patients: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Subgroup analysis comparing the effect of enteral versus parenteral nutrition on infectious complications in higher versus lower quality trials (with the median methodological score 7 as cutoff). CI confidence interval, EN enteral nutrition, M-H Mantel-Haenszel test, PN parenteral nutrition. (PDF 87 kb
Adaptation and diagnostic potential of a commercial cat interferon gamma release assay for the detection of Mycobacterium bovis infection in African lions (Panthera leo)
CITATION: Gumbo, R. et al. 2022. Adaptation and diagnostic potential of a commercial cat interferon gamma release assay for the detection of Mycobacterium bovis infection in African lions (Panthera leo). Pathogens, 11:765, doi:10.3390/pathogens11070765.The original publication is available at https://www.mdpi.comMycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) infection in wildlife, including lions (Panthera leo), has
implications for individual and population health. Tools for the detection of infected lions are needed
for diagnosis and disease surveillance. This study aimed to evaluate the Mabtech Cat interferon
gamma (IFN-γ) ELISABasic kit for detection of native lion IFN-γ in whole blood samples stimulated
using the QuantiFERON® TB Gold Plus (QFT) platform as a potential diagnostic assay. The ELISA
was able to detect lion IFN-γ in mitogen-stimulated samples, with good parallelism, linearity, and
a working range of 15.6–500 pg/mL. Minimal matrix interference was observed in the recovery of
domestic cat rIFN-γ in lion plasma. Both intra- and inter-assay reproducibility had a coefficient
of variation less than 10%, while the limit of detection and quantification were 7.8 pg/mL and
31.2 pg/mL, respectively. The diagnostic performance of the QFT Mabtech Cat interferon gamma
release assay (IGRA) was determined using mycobacterial antigen-stimulated samples from M. bovis
culture-confirmed infected (n = 8) and uninfected (n = 4) lions. A lion-specific cut-off value (33 pg/mL)
was calculated, and the sensitivity and specificity were determined to be 87.5% and 100%, respectively.
Although additional samples should be tested, the QFT Mabtech Cat IGRA could identify M. bovisinfected African lions.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/11/7/765Publisher's versio
A clinical review of the treatment of catatonia
Catatonia is a severe motor syndrome with an estimated prevalence among psychiatric inpatients of about 10%. At times, it is life-threatening especially in its malignant form when complicated by fever and autonomic disturbances. Catatonia can accompany many different psychiatric illnesses and somatic diseases. In order to recognize the catatonic syndrome, apart from thorough and repeated observation, a clinical examination is needed. A screening instrument, such as the Bush-Francis Catatonia Rating Scale, can guide the clinician through the neuropsychiatric examination. Although severe and life-threatening, catatonia has a good prognosis. Research on the treatment of catatonia is scarce, but there is overwhelming clinical evidence of the efficacy of benzodiazepines, such as lorazepam, and electroconvulsive therapy
Integrated genomic characterization of oesophageal carcinoma
Oesophageal cancers are prominent worldwide; however, there are few targeted therapies and survival rates for these cancers remain dismal. Here we performed a comprehensive molecular analysis of 164 carcinomas of the oesophagus derived from Western and Eastern populations. Beyond known histopathological and epidemiologic distinctions, molecular features differentiated oesophageal squamous cell carcinomas from oesophageal adenocarcinomas. Oesophageal squamous cell carcinomas resembled squamous carcinomas of other organs more than they did oesophageal adenocarcinomas. Our analyses identified three molecular subclasses of oesophageal squamous cell carcinomas, but none showed evidence for an aetiological role of human papillomavirus. Squamous cell carcinomas showed frequent genomic amplifications of CCND1 and SOX2 and/or TP63, whereas ERBB2, VEGFA and GATA4 and GATA6 were more commonly amplified in adenocarcinomas. Oesophageal adenocarcinomas strongly resembled the chromosomally unstable variant of gastric adenocarcinoma, suggesting that these cancers could be considered a single disease entity. However, some molecular features, including DNA hypermethylation, occurred disproportionally in oesophageal adenocarcinomas. These data provide a framework to facilitate more rational categorization of these tumours and a foundation for new therapies
Energy expenditure and protein catabolism in ventilated trauma patients, the effect of head injury and neuromuscular blockade
grantor:
University of TorontoEnergy expenditure (EE) and nitrogen excretion (NE) were compared in trauma patients with and without severe head injury. Indirect calorimetry was used to measure energy expenditure (MEE) in 18 head injured (HI), (GCS 8), and 14 multiple trauma patients (TR), (ISS of 17-59), while ventilated, on and off pancuronium within the first 13 days of injury. Urinary nitrogen losses from urea and creatinine were measured daily. Average EE (off pancuronium) was 28.7 4.6 vs. 24.5 4.5 kcal/kg/day in HI vs TR patients (NS). With pancuronium, EE in the HI group was 22.8 3.7 kcal/kg/day (p = 0.006). Comparison of average NE and nitrogen balance respectively, between HI and TR groups were not significant, 200 53 vs. 208 60 mg/kg/day (t = 0.23), and 91 6 vs. 137 6 mg/kg/day (p = 0.061). We conclude that there were no significant differences in EE or NE between HI and TR patients. Pancuronium use significantly lowers EE to basal levels in HI patients.M.Sc
A Novel Synthesis of p-Nitrobenzylphosphonic Acid and Its Action on Alkaline Phosphatase
p-Nitrobenzylphosphonic acid was obtained via a nucleophilic substitution of nitrobenzyl bromide with trimethyl phosphite as opposed to nitration of benzylphosphonic acid. This compound is a competitive inhibitor of alkaline phosphatase (KI ∼ 125 μM) and has potential to inhibit a wide range of other phosphatases including serine/threonine phosphatases and tyrosine phosphatases
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