Early indicators of exposure to biological threat agents using host gene profiles in peripheral blood mononuclear cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Effective prophylaxis and treatment for infections caused by biological threat agents (BTA) rely upon early diagnosis and rapid initiation of therapy. Most methods for identifying pathogens in body fluids and tissues require that the pathogen proliferate to detectable and dangerous levels, thereby delaying diagnosis and treatment, especially during the prelatent stages when symptoms for most BTA are indistinguishable flu-like signs.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To detect exposures to the various pathogens more rapidly, especially during these early stages, we evaluated a suite of host responses to biological threat agents using global gene expression profiling on complementary DNA arrays.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that certain gene expression patterns were unique to each pathogen and that other gene changes occurred in response to multiple agents, perhaps relating to the eventual course of illness. Nonhuman primates were exposed to some pathogens and the <it>in vitro</it> and <it>in vivo</it> findings were compared. We found major gene expression changes at the earliest times tested post exposure to aerosolized <it>B. anthracis </it>spores and 30 min post exposure to a bacterial toxin.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Host gene expression patterns have the potential to serve as diagnostic markers or predict the course of impending illness and may lead to new stage-appropriate therapeutic strategies to ameliorate the devastating effects of exposure to biothreat agents.</p

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Toward more transparent and reproducible omics studies through a common metadata checklist and data publications

none61siBiological processes are fundamentally driven by complex interactions between biomolecules. Integrated high-throughput omics studies enable multifaceted views of cells, organisms, or their communities. With the advent of new post-genomics technologies, omics studies are becoming increasingly prevalent; yet the full impact of these studies can only be realized through data harmonization, sharing, meta-analysis, and integrated research. These essential steps require consistent generation, capture, and distribution of metadata. To ensure transparency, facilitate data harmonization, and maximize reproducibility and usability of life sciences studies, we propose a simple common omics metadata checklist. The proposed checklist is built on the rich ontologies and standards already in use by the life sciences community. The checklist will serve as a common denominator to guide experimental design, capture important parameters, and be used as a standard format for stand-alone data publications. The omics metadata checklist and data publications will create efficient linkages between omics data and knowledge-based life sciences innovation and, importantly, allow for appropriate attribution to data generators and infrastructure science builders in the post-genomics era. We ask that the life sciences community test the proposed omics metadata checklist and data publications and provide feedback for their use and improvement.noneKolker, Eugene; Özdemir, Vural; Martens, Lennart; Hancock, William; Anderson, Gordon; Anderson, Nathaniel; Aynacioglu, Sukru; Baranova, Ancha; Campagna, Shawn R.; Chen, Rui; Choiniere, John; Dearth, Stephen P.; Feng, Wu-Chun; Ferguson, Lynnette; Fox, Geoffrey; Frishman, Dmitrij; Grossman, Robert; Heath, Allison; Higdon, Roger; Hutz, Mara H.; Janko, Imre; Jiang, Lihua; Joshi, Sanjay; Kel, Alexander; Kemnitz, Joseph W.; Kohane, Isaac S.; Kolker, Natali; Lancet, Doron; Lee, Elaine; Li, Weizhong; Lisitsa, Andrey; Llerena, Adrian; MacNealy-Koch, Courtney; Marshall, Jean-Claude; Masuzzo, Paola; May, Amanda; Mias, George; Monroe, Matthew; Montague, Elizabeth; Mooney, Sean; Nesvizhskii, Alexey; Noronha, Santosh; Omenn, Gilbert; Rajasimha, Harsha; Ramamoorthy, Preveen; Sheehan, Jerry; Smarr, Larry; Smith, Charles V.; Smith, Todd; Snyder, Michael; Rapole, Srikanth; Srivastava, Sanjeeva; Stanberry, Larissa; Stewart, Elizabeth; Toppo, Stefano; Uetz, Peter; Verheggen, Kenneth; Voy, Brynn H.; Warnich, Louise; Wilhelm, Steven W.; Yandl, GregoryKolker, Eugene; Özdemir, Vural; Martens, Lennart; Hancock, William; Anderson, Gordon; Anderson, Nathaniel; Aynacioglu, Sukru; Baranova, Ancha; Campagna, Shawn R.; Chen, Rui; Choiniere, John; Dearth, Stephen P.; Feng, Wu Chun; Ferguson, Lynnette; Fox, Geoffrey; Frishman, Dmitrij; Grossman, Robert; Heath, Allison; Higdon, Roger; Hutz, Mara H.; Janko, Imre; Jiang, Lihua; Joshi, Sanjay; Kel, Alexander; Kemnitz, Joseph W.; Kohane, Isaac S.; Kolker, Natali; Lancet, Doron; Lee, Elaine; Li, Weizhong; Lisitsa, Andrey; Llerena, Adrian; MacNealy Koch, Courtney; Marshall, Jean Claude; Masuzzo, Paola; May, Amanda; Mias, George; Monroe, Matthew; Montague, Elizabeth; Mooney, Sean; Nesvizhskii, Alexey; Noronha, Santosh; Omenn, Gilbert; Rajasimha, Harsha; Ramamoorthy, Preveen; Sheehan, Jerry; Smarr, Larry; Smith, Charles V.; Smith, Todd; Snyder, Michael; Rapole, Srikanth; Srivastava, Sanjeeva; Stanberry, Larissa; Stewart, Elizabeth; Toppo, Stefano; Uetz, Peter; Verheggen, Kenneth; Voy, Brynn H.; Warnich, Louise; Wilhelm, Steven W.; Yandl, Gregor