Burden and risk factors for Pseudomonas aeruginosa community-acquired pneumonia:a Multinational Point Prevalence Study of Hospitalised Patients

Pseudornonas aeruginosa is a challenging bacterium to treat due to its intrinsic resistance to the antibiotics used most frequently in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Data about the global burden and risk factors associated with P. aeruginosa-CAP are limited. We assessed the multinational burden and specific risk factors associated with P. aeruginosa-CAP. We enrolled 3193 patients in 54 countries with confirmed diagnosis of CAP who underwent microbiological testing at admission. Prevalence was calculated according to the identification of P. aeruginosa. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify risk factors for antibiotic-susceptible and antibiotic-resistant P. aeruginosa-CAP. The prevalence of P. aeruginosa and antibiotic-resistant P. aeruginosa-CAP was 4.2% and 2.0%, respectively. The rate of P. aeruginosa CAP in patients with prior infection/colonisation due to P. aeruginosa and at least one of the three independently associated chronic lung diseases (i.e. tracheostomy, bronchiectasis and/or very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) was 67%. In contrast, the rate of P. aeruginosa-CAP was 2% in patients without prior P. aeruginosa infection/colonisation and none of the selected chronic lung diseases. The multinational prevalence of P. aeruginosa-CAP is low. The risk factors identified in this study may guide healthcare professionals in deciding empirical antibiotic coverage for CAP patients

Track A Basic Science

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138319/1/jia218438.pd

TaqMan DNA technology confirms likely overestimation of cod (Gadus morhua L.) egg abundance in the Irish Sea: Implications for the assessment of the cod stock and mapping of spawning areas using egg-based methods

Recent substantial declines in northeastern Atlantic cod stocks necessitate improved biological knowledge and the development of techniques to complement standard stock assessment methods (which largely depend on accurate commercial catch data). In 2003, an ichthyoplankton survey was undertaken in the Irish Sea and subsamples of 'cod-like' eggs were analysed using a TaqMan multiplex, PCR (polymerase chain reaction) assay (with specific probes for cod, haddock and whiting). The TaqMan method was readily applied to the large number of samples (n = 2770) generated during the survey and when combined with a manual DNA extraction protocol had a low failure rate of 6%. Of the early stage 'cod-like' eggs (1.2-1.75 mm diameter) positively identified: 34% were cod, 8% haddock and 58% whiting. As previous stock estimates based on egg surveys for Irish Sea cod assumed that the majority of 'cod-like' eggs were from cod, the TaqMan results confirm that there was probably substantial contamination by eggs of whiting and haddock that would have inflated estimates of the stock biomass. © 2005 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.Peer Reviewe

Optical and structural properties of nanostructured ZnO thin films deposited onto FTO/glass substrate by a solution-based technique

Nanostructured zinc oxide thin films were spin coated on conductive glass substrates via a sol-gel based technique using zinc acetate dihydrate as precursor. The pH of the alkalis used as catalytic agents in the hydrolysis step is shown to have a strong effect on the structural and morphological properties of the deposited ZnO. The size of the particles was observed by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), while Focused Ion Beam-Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB-SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), were used to analyze the morphology of the films. X-ray iffraction (XRD) and Raman spectra provided evidence of crystal growth together with an increase in the crystalline degree of the hexagonal wurtzite structure after annealing. The bandgap energy was estimated by Tauc´s method and found to decrease after annealing, which is attributed to an increase in the crystallite size and to the presence of less defect sites. A good correlation between crystallite size and absorption edges was found. The photoluminescence spectra of as-deposited samples depend on the nature and pH values of catalytic agent used, and reveal the presence of a broad visible emission attributed to a variety of intrinsic defects.Fil: Berruet, Mariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigación en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales (i); Argentina;Fil: Pereyra, C.J.. Universidad de la República. Facultad de Ingenieria. Instituto de Física. Centro Interdisciplinario de Nanotecnología, Química y Física de Materiales; Uruguay;Fil: Mhlongo, G.H.. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. National Centre for Nano-Structured Materials; Sudafrica;Fil: Dhlamini, M.S.. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. National Centre for Nano-Structured Materials; Sudafrica; University of South Africa. Department of Physics; Sudafrica;Fil: Hillie, K.T.. Council for Scientific and Industrial Research. National Centre for Nano-Structured Materials; Sudafrica; University of the Free State. Department of Physics; Sudafrica;Fil: Vazquez, Marcela Vivian. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Mar del Plata. Instituto de Investigación en Ciencia y Tecnología de Materiales (i); Argentina;Fil: Marotti, R.E.. Universidad de la Republica. Facultad de Ingenieria. Instituto de Fisica y CINQUIFIMA; Uruguay

E2F-Family Members Engage the PIDDosome to Limit Hepatocyte Ploidy in Liver Development and Regeneration

E2F transcription factors control the cytokinesis machinery and thereby ploidy in hepatocytes. If or how these proteins limit proliferation of polyploid cells with extra centrosomes remains unknown. Here, we show that the PIDDosome, a signaling platform essential for caspase-2-activation, limits hepatocyte ploidy and is instructed by the E2F network to control p53 in the developing as well as regenerating liver. Casp2 and Pidd1 act as direct transcriptional targets of E2F1 and its antagonists, E2F7 and E2F8, that together co-regulate PIDDosome expression during juvenile liver growth and regeneration. Of note, whereas hepatocyte aneuploidy correlates with the basal ploidy state, the degree of aneuploidy itself is not limited by PIDDosome-dependent p53 activation. Finally, we provide evidence that the same signaling network is engaged to control ploidy in the human liver after resection. Our study defines the PIDDosome as a primary target to manipulate hepatocyte ploidy and proliferation rates in the regenerating liver. Sladky et al. report a key role for the PIDDosome in regulating p53 activation to limit hepatocyte polyploidy during juvenile liver growth and regeneration. Expression of essential PIDDosome components is controlled by a E2F-family regulated circuitry. The study defines the PIDDosome as a putative target to enhance liver regeneration