Questions of quality: the Danish State Serum Institute, Thorvald Madsen and biological standardisation

The opening of the Danish State Serum Institute (SSI) in Copenhagen on 9 September 1902 was a festive occasion, attended by renowned figures from the wider bacteriological community including the German scientists Paul Ehrlich, Carl Weigert, and Julius Morgenroth, future Nobel prize-winner Svante Arrhenius from Sweden, Ole Malm and Armauer Hansen from Norway, and William Bulloch and German Sims Woodhead from England.1 Established as a national resource for the production of diphtheria antitoxin, the SSI was from its inception concerned to deliver a quality product at a minimum price, and to link pharmaceutical production with research into, and further development of, biological products. In the course of the twentieth century, the institute acquired an international reputation for the quality of its products and its cutting edge research, and, in the 1920s, achieved international authority as the League of Nations Health Commission’s central laboratory for the preservation and distribution of all standard sera and bacterial products.2 The rise of the SSI to international prominence came about through a combination of factors, personal, scientific and political, but above all, perhaps, from its early association with questions of quality in the production of the new generation biological medicines, of which diphtheria antitoxin was the first to emerge

Individual leader to interdependent leadership: A case study in leadership development and tripartite evaluation

This article is available open access through the publisher’s website at the link below. Copyright @ 2013 Sage Publications.The Problem - In this case study we see a move away from orthodox views of school leadership as “headship” to a more contemporary model of educational leadership wherein we note a departure from functional, curricula-based school leadership toward more human resource development (HRD) approaches. The aim of this study was to consider the effectiveness of an educational development program for middle leaders within an educational establishment. The Solution - We examined the impact of a bespoke higher education leadership development intervention in Leadership (and Change) on the formation and cohesiveness of a newly formed innovative leadership structure. The Stakeholders - The leadership development intervention was designed through a tripartite collaboration including a university, senior school leaders, and staff. The intervention was designed to shift leadership from individual leader agency to interdependent human leadership agency. Through tripartite evaluation we uncover leadership development praxis that transcends the boundaries of conventional educational leadership and reemphasizes the benefits of bridging the academic/practitioner divide and the application of theory to praxis

Prediction of bioactive compounds activity against wood contaminant fungi using artificial neural networks

Biopesticides based on natural endophytic bacteria to control plant diseases are an ecological alternative to the chemical treatments. Bacillus species produce a wide variety of metabolites with biological activity like iturinic lipopeptides. This work addresses the production of biopesticides based on natural endophytic bacteria, isolated from Quercus suber. Artificial Neural Networks were used to maximize the percentage of inhibition triggered by antifungal activity of bioactive compounds produced by Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. The active compounds, produced in liquid cultures, inhibited the growth of fifteen fungi and exhibited a broader spectrum of antifungal activity against surface contaminant fungi, blue stain fungi and phytopathogenic fungi. A 19-7-6-1 neural network was selected to predict the percentage of inhibition produced by antifungal bioactive compounds. A good match among the observed and predicted values was obtained with the R2 values varying between 0.9965 – 0.9971 and 0.9974 – 0.9989 for training and test sets. The 19-7-6-1 neural network was used to establish the dilution rates that maximize the production of antifungal bioactive compounds, namely 0.25 h-1 for surface contaminant fungi, 0.45 h-1 for blue stain fungi and between 0.30 and 0.40 h-1 for phytopathogenic fungi. Artificial neural networks show great potential in the modelling and optimization of these bioprocesses.Les biopesticides à base de bactéries endophytes naturelles pour lutter contre les maladies des plantes constituent une alternative écologique aux traitements chimiques. Les espèces de Bacillus produisent une grande variété de métabolites biologiquement actifs tels que les lipopeptides ituriniques. Cette étude porte sur la production de biopesticides par des bactéries endophytes naturelles isolées du Quercus suber L. Des réseaux neuronaux artificiels ont été utilisés pour maximiser le pourcentage d’inhibition provoquée par l’activité antifongique des composés bioactifs produits par Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. Les composés actifs, produits en culture liquide, ont inhibé la croissance de 15 champignons et avaient un spectre d’activé antifongique plus large contre les contaminants fongiques de surface, les champignons de bleuissement et les champignons phytopathogènes. Un réseau neuronal 19-7-6-1 a été choisi pour prédire le pourcentage d’inhibition produit par les composés bioactifs antifongiques. Une bonne concordance entre les valeurs observées et prédites a été obtenue; les valeurs de R2 variaient de 0,9965 a` 0,9971 et de 0,9974 a` 0,9989 pour les bases d’apprentissage et de test. Le réseau neuronal 19-7-6-1 a été utilisé pour établir les taux de dilution qui maximisent la production des composés bioactifs antifongiques, nommément 0,25 h−1 pour les contaminants fongiques de surface, 0,45 h−1 pour les champignons de bleuissement et entre 0,30 et 0,40 h−1 pour les champignons phytopathogènes. Les réseaux neuronaux artificiels ont un potentiel élevé pour modéliser et optimiser ces processus biologiques

The impact of networks on clinical trials in the United Kingdom

The conduct of clinical trials in the UK has been affected by the recent introduction of managed clinical networks, clinical research networks and rigorous governance regulations. This commentary considers the challenges that these changes have posed for clinical triallists in the UK, based on experiences derived in the conduct of a multicentre neonatal clinical trial under the conditions that now prevail. We conclude that the considerable skills and knowledge that are now required to be an effective Principal Investigator should be recognised and that application processes, including issuing honorary contracts, should be simplified and centralised

Working and learning across professional boundaries

This paper focuses on a context where interdisciplinarity intersects with interprofessionality: the work of children's services professionals who address the needs of children identified as vulnerable. It draws on evidence and perspectives from two disciplines - educational studies and health care - to consider the issues and challenges posed by learning and/or working across disciplinary boundaries and why these have proved so obdurate

TIPIT: A randomised controlled trial of thyroxine in preterm infants under 28 weeks' gestation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Infants born at extreme prematurity (below 28 weeks' gestation) are at high risk of developmental disability. A major risk factor for disability is having a low level of thyroid hormone which is recognised to be a frequent phenomenon in these infants. At present it is unclear whether low levels of thyroid hormone are a cause of disability, or a consequence of concurrent adversity.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We propose an explanatory multi-centre double blind randomised controlled trial of thyroid hormone supplementation in babies born below 28 weeks' gestation. All infants will receive either levothyroxine or placebo until 32 weeks' corrected gestational age. The primary outcome will be brain growth. This will be assessed by the width of the sub-arachnoid space measured using cranial ultrasound and head circumference at 36 weeks' corrected gestational. The secondary outcomes will be (a) thyroid hormone concentrations measured at increasing postnatal age, (b) status of the hypothalamic pituitary axis, (c) auxological data between birth and 36 weeks' corrected gestational age, (d) thyroid gland volume, (e) volumes of brain structures (measured by magnetic resonance imaging), (f) determination of the extent of myelination and white matter integrity (measured by diffusion weighted MRI) and brain vessel morphology (measured by magnetic resonance angiography) at expected date of delivery and (g) markers of morbidity including duration of mechanical ventilation and chronic lung disease.</p> <p>We will also examine how activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis modulates the effects of thyroid supplementation. This will contribute to decisions about which confounding variables to assess in large-scale studies.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN89493983</p

Plant growth-promoting actinobacteria: a new strategy for enhancing sustainable production and protection of grain legumes

Grain legumes are a cost-effective alternative for the animal protein in improving the diets of the poor in South-East Asia and Africa. Legumes, through symbiotic nitrogen fixation, meet a major part of their own N demand and partially benefit the following crops of the system by enriching soil. In realization of this sustainability advantage and to promote pulse production, United Nations had declared 2016 as the “International Year of pulses”. Grain legumes are frequently subjected to both abiotic and biotic stresses resulting in severe yield losses. Global yields of legumes have been stagnant for the past five decades in spite of adopting various conventional and molecular breeding approaches. Furthermore, the increasing costs and negative effects of pesticides and fertilizers for crop production necessitate the use of biological options of crop production and protection. The use of plant growth-promoting (PGP) bacteria for improving soil and plant health has become one of the attractive strategies for developing sustainable agricultural systems due to their eco-friendliness, low production cost and minimizing consumption of non-renewable resources. This review emphasizes on how the PGP actinobacteria and their metabolites can be used effectively in enhancing the yield and controlling the pests and pathogens of grain legumes

TIPIT: A randomised controlled trial of thyroxine in preterm infants under 28 weeks gestation: Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Magnetic Resonance Angiography protocol

<p>Abstract </p> <p>Background</p> <p>Infants born at extreme prematurity are at high risk of developmental disability. A major risk factor for disability is having a low level of thyroid hormone described as hypothyroxinaemia, which is recognised to be a frequent phenomenon in these infants. Derangements of critical thyroid function during the sensitive window in prematurity when early development occurs, may have a range of long term effects for brain development. Further research in preterm infants using neuroimaging techniques will increase our understanding of the specificity of the effects of hypothyroxinaemia on the developing foetal brain. This is an explanatory double blinded randomised controlled trial which is aimed to assess the effect of thyroid hormone supplementation on brain size, key brain structures, extent of myelination, white matter integrity and vessel morphology, somatic growth and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study is a multi-centred double blinded randomised controlled trial of thyroid hormone supplementation in babies born below 28 weeks' gestation. All infants will receive either levothyroxine or placebo until 32 weeks corrected gestational age. The primary outcomes will be width of the sub-arachnoid space measured using cranial ultrasound and head circumference at 36 weeks corrected gestational age. The secondary outcomes will be thyroid hormone concentrations, the hypothalamic pituitary axis status and auxological data between birth and expected date of delivery; thyroid gland volume, brain size, volumes of key brain structures, extent of myelination and brain vessel morphology at expected date of delivery and markers of morbidity which include duration of mechanical ventilation and/or oxygen requirement and chronic lung disease.</p> <p><b>Trial registration</b></p> <p>Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN89493983</p

Biology and biotechnology of Trichoderma

Fungi of the genus Trichoderma are soilborne, green-spored ascomycetes that can be found all over the world. They have been studied with respect to various characteristics and applications and are known as successful colonizers of their habitats, efficiently fighting their competitors. Once established, they launch their potent degradative machinery for decomposition of the often heterogeneous substrate at hand. Therefore, distribution and phylogeny, defense mechanisms, beneficial as well as deleterious interaction with hosts, enzyme production and secretion, sexual development, and response to environmental conditions such as nutrients and light have been studied in great detail with many species of this genus, thus rendering Trichoderma one of the best studied fungi with the genome of three species currently available. Efficient biocontrol strains of the genus are being developed as promising biological fungicides, and their weaponry for this function also includes secondary metabolites with potential applications as novel antibiotics. The cellulases produced by Trichoderma reesei, the biotechnological workhorse of the genus, are important industrial products, especially with respect to production of second generation biofuels from cellulosic waste. Genetic engineering not only led to significant improvements in industrial processes but also to intriguing insights into the biology of these fungi and is now complemented by the availability of a sexual cycle in T. reesei/Hypocrea jecorina, which significantly facilitates both industrial and basic research. This review aims to give a broad overview on the qualities and versatility of the best studied Trichoderma species and to highlight intriguing findings as well as promising applications