Extended-spectrum β-lactamase and AmpC β-lactamase Production among Gram-negative Bacilli Isolates Obtained from Urinary Tract Infections and Wound Infections

Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) and AmpC β-lactamases continue to be a major problem in healthcare settings. Due to the scarcity of information regarding the antibiotic susceptibility patterns particularly from urinary tract infection (UTI) and wound infections, the current study was carried out to assist the clinicians to prescribe appropriate antibiotics against Gram-negative clinical isolates. In the current study, urine (n = 620) and pus (n = 228) samples were collected from different sites (at various clinical departments) and subjected to direct microscopic examination, culture and antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST). In the AST testings, the isolates that exhibited reduced zone of inhibition to one or more of the antibiotics such as cefotaxime (≤27 mm), ceftriaxone (≤25 mm), ceftazidime (≤22 mm), cefpodoxime (≤17 mm) and aztreonam (≤27 mm) were considered as potential ESBL producers and the ESBL production was confirmed using phenotypic screening test (double-disk synergy test) and phenotypic confirmatory test (combined-disk test). However, isolates showing resistance or decreased sensitivity to cefoxitin, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone, ceftazidime, cefpodoxime or aztreonam and sensitive to cefepime were considered as a screen positive AmpC producer and subjected to AmpC disk tests. The current study concluded that 72.41% and 21.76% of ESBL and AmpC producers were detected, respectively in our hospital. It was also observed that the double-disk synergy and combined-disk tests were equally effective for ESBL detection. Further, AmpC disk test is simple, easy to perform and interpret, requiring less expertise for the rapid detection of AmpC isolates

Genomic strategies for soybean oil improvement and biodiesel production

Track II: Transportation and BiofuelsIncludes audio file (21 min.)Soybean oil, a promising renewable energy resource, comprises 73% of biodiesel in addition to other industrial applications. Missouri is the fifth largest state in the US for soybean plantation. With the target to produce 225 million gallons of biodiesel by 2015 from the current 75 million gallons produced in 2005, efforts should not only focus on expanding the number of oil crops to meet the demand but also to increase the amount of oil per hectare for each crop. Considering the ever increasing need for biodiesel and the potential for Missouri to play a major role in national and international demand, We, at the National Center for Soybean Biotechnology focus on discovering the genetic factors that are responsible for oil content in soybean using genetic and genomic strategies. The long term goal is to apply discoveries in breeding programs and biotechnology for the development of improved soybean cultivars with increased oil content that will make this crop more competitive in end-uses. Our multidisciplinary approaches include traditional Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) mapping, association mapping, bioinformatics and transgenics by developing new resources and utilizing already available resources such as mapping populations, diverse germplasm collections, genome sequence information and transgenes. In addition to total oil content, we are focusing on improving quality traits such as oleic acid which has direct human health benefits and application in biodiesel production. With the use of advanced genomic technologies, genetic materials, and synergistic efforts involving intra- and inter institutional collaborations, we believe that our current and future research will contribute substantially to biodiesel production. Increased production using high oil soybean cultivars will not only increase the economic gains to farmers/growers but also facilitate the US to emerge as the global leader in biodiesel production

Usefulness of automated cell counter in detection of malaria in a cancer set up-Our experience

Background: Malaria diagnosis presents a challenge to all laboratories. In malaria-endemic areas, there is a need for rapid, sensitive and cost-effective method to effectively screen all samples, especially when the workload is very high. Various hematology analyzers have been investigated for detection of malaria in the past. Here, we present our experience of malaria detection in a cancer hospital where a large number of complete blood count requests are received either before or during chemotherapy. Fever, being a very common symptom in cancer patients, causes a suspicion of malaria. Aim: This study was conducted to assess the usefulness of hematology cell counter, viz. WBC-DIFF and WBC/BASO scatter plots and the flaggings generated in malaria-positive cases. The occurrence of pseudoeosinophilia as reported by previous studies was also assessed. The parasitic index was determined and its correlation with the abnormalities found on the Hematology analyzer was also studied. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected from 80 out-patient department and inpatients with various solid as well as hematological malignancies, who presented with acute febrile illness during September 2010 and January 2012, and for whom complete blood cell analysis and peripheral smear for malaria parasite had been requested. Results: Of the 80 patients who presented with fever and suspicion of malaria, 29 patients were positive for malaria and 10 cases were diagnosed incidentally by the findings on the cell counter and were confirmed by Giemsa-stained blood smears. The sensitivity and specificity of the abnormalities detected in the WBC-Diff channel in detecting malaria is 82% and 100% respectively. Using WBC-BASO channel abnormality for initial diagnosis the sensitivity and specificity is 50% and 92.5% respectively. The sensitivity and specificity with respect to pseudoeosinophilia is 18% and 100% respectively. The most common WBC and PLT flags were leukopenia, atypical lymphocytes, lymphopenia, WBC abnormal scattergram, platelet clumps, thrombocytopenia, platelet abnormal distribution flag. Conclusion: The instrument provides significantly valuable diagnostic parameters in detecting acute Plasmodium vivax malaria; however, it is not very useful for acute falciparum malaria infection. It is suggested that the laboratories using the hematology analyzers should be aware of such specific parameters, even in the absence of a clinical request

MENTAL DISORDERS AND FUNDAMENTAL SPACE TIME GEOMETRY AT PLANCK SCALE: A HYPOTHESIS

SUMMARY The cytoskeleton is a critical player in the neuronal structure and function determining the shape, structure, growth and function of neurons. Actin, microtubules and intermediate filaments are part of cytoskeleton. Microtubules consist of tubulin dimmers and have been shown to be associated with quantum computation. Since cytoskeleton is altered in mental disorders we have earlier proposed that the mental disorders are associated with altered quantum computation. This may lead to altered brain frequency which resonates with a world which has frequency different from that of the decohered world. We further propose that the world which resonates with the brain of a patient with the mental disorder is stabilized in the reference frame of the patient at the Planck scale. Further we discuss that there may be a thin line between epiphany (and creativity in general) and hallucinations/delusions and we propose a physical explanation for it

Multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus hominis subsp. novobiosepticus causing septicemia in patients with malignancy

A new subspecies of Staphylococcus hominis described by Kloos et al. in 1998 and named S. hominis subsp. novobiosepticus (SHN) has been implicated in nosocomial outbreaks. Multidrug resistance, including resistance to novobiocin and oxacillin, is a particularly important feature of SHN. In our institute, we encountered 13 cases of S. hominis subsp. hominis in cancer patients with septicemia, of which seven were methicillin resistant. The isolates were identified by VITEK ® 2 compact automated system, using GP REF 21342 identification card and antimicrobial susceptibility testing card P-628. The biochemical reactions and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the seven methicillin-resistant isolates were re-analyzed and patient details were re-checked to finally identify them as SHN. The increasing number of cases reporting isolation of SHN from biological specimens point to potential virulence and clinical importance of this bacterium