Interaction of staphylococci with bone

AbstractStaphylococci, in particular Staphylococcus aureus, are the predominant cause of bone infections worldwide. These infections are painful, debilitating and with the rise in antibiotic-resistant forms, increasingly difficult to treat. The growth in the number of prosthetic joint replacement procedures also provides new opportunities for these infections to take hold. Comprehending the mechanisms by which staphylococci interact with and damage bone is critical to the development of new approaches to meet this challenge. This review summarises current understanding of the mechanisms by which staphylococci infect and damage bone. We address the role of the inflammatory response to staphylococcal infection in disrupting the homeostatic balance of bone matrix deposition and resorption and thereby mediating bone destruction. A number of virulence factors that have been shown to contribute to bone infection and pathology are discussed, however no single factor has been defined as being specific to bone infections. Although traditionally considered an extracellular pathogen, there is increasing evidence that staphylococci are able to invade host cells, and that an intracellular lifestyle may facilitate long-term persistence in bone tissue, enabling evasion of antimicrobials and host immune responses. ‘Small colony variant’ strains, with mutations disabling the electron transport pathway appear particularly adept at invading and persisting within host cells, and exhibit enhanced antimicrobial resistance, and may represent a further complication in the treatment and management of staphylococcal bone disease

Scrotal metastases from colorectal carcinoma: a case report

A 72-year-old man presented with a two month history of rectal bleeding. Colonoscopy demonstrated synchronous lesions at 3 cm and 40 cm with histological analysis confirming synchronous adenocarcinomata. He developed bilobar hepatic metastases while undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Treatment was complicated by Fournier's gangrene of the right hemiscrotum which required surgical debridement. Eight months later he re-presented with an ulcerating lesion on the right hemiscrotum. An en-bloc resection of the ulcerating scrotal lesion and underlying testis was performed. Immunohistological analysis revealed metastatic adenocarcinoma of large bowel origin. Colorectal metastasis to the urogenital tract is rare and here we report a case of rectal carcinoma metastasizing to scrotal skin

Two-year minimum survivorship and radiographic analysis of a pressfit short humeral stem for total shoulder arthroplasty

Newer generation humeral stem designs in total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) are trending towards shorter lengths and uncemented fixation. The goal of this study is to report a 2-yr minimum clinical and radiographic outcomes of an uncemented short-stem press-fit humeral stem in anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (ATSA) and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA). A retrospective multicenter database review was performed of all patients who received an uncemented short-length press-fit humeral stem (Equinoxe Preserve humeral stem, Exactech, Inc., Gainesville, FL, USA) in ATSA and RTSA with a minimum two-year follow-up. The primary outcome was the prevalence of humeral stems at risk of radiographic loosening. Secondary outcomes included evaluation of functional outcome scores and prevalence of revision TSA for humeral stem loosening. Two blinded observers performed radiographic analyses, which included humeral stem alignment, canal filling ratio, radiolucent lines, stress shielding (calcar and greater tuberosity), and changes in component position (subsidence and stem shift). At risk stems were defined by the presence of one or more of the following: humeral stem with shifting or subsidence, scalloping of the humeral cortex, or radiolucent lines measuring 2 mm or greater in 3 or more zones. 287 patients (97 ATSA and 190 RTSA) were included in this study. The mean follow-up was 35.9 (±6.1) months. There were significant improvements for all functional outcome scores (P < .05), range of motion (P < .05), and visual analogue pain scale pain (P < .05). The prevalence of humeral stem at risk of radiographic loosening was 1% in the ATSA group (1/97) and 18.4% in the RTSA group (35/190). Calcar resorption was seen in 34% of ATSA and 19% of RTSA, with severe resorption in 12.4% of ATSA and only 3.2% of RTSA. Greater tuberosity resorption was present in 3.1% of ATSA and 7.9% of RTSA. The mean canal filling ratio was 50.2% (standard deviation 11.2%). Using logistic regression, a significant positive correlation between canal filling ratio and stress shielding (P < .01) was seen for both calcar and tuberosity stress shielding. The revision surgery rate was 0% in ATSA compared to 1.6% in RTSA. This retrospective study demonstrates a low revision rate and low prevalence of humeral stems at risk of radiographic loosening at two years with a press-fit short-stem humeral design in ATSA. Physiologic subsidence of humeral stems can account for higher prevalence of humeral stems at radiographic risk of loosening in RTSA compared to ATS

Standing up for Myself (STORM): Adapting and piloting a web-delivered psychosocial group intervention for people with intellectual disabilities

BACKGROUND: Our STORM intervention was developed for people (16 +) with intellectual disabilities to enhance their capacity to manage and resist stigma. The current study describes the adaptation of STORM for (synchronous) on-line delivery in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. AIMS: To adapt the manualised face-to-face STORM group intervention for delivery via web-based meeting platforms and to conduct an initial pilot study to consider its acceptability and feasibility. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The 5-session STORM intervention was carefully adapted for online delivery. In a pilot study with four community groups (N = 22), outcome, health economics and attendance data were collected, and fidelity of delivery assessed. Focus groups with participants, and interviews with facilitators provided data on acceptability and feasibility. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The intervention was adapted with minimal changes to the content required. In the pilot study, 95% of participants were retained at follow-up, 91% attended at least three of the five sessions. Outcome measure completion and fidelity were excellent, and facilitators reported implementation to be feasible. The intervention was reported to be acceptable by participants. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: When provided with the necessary resources and support, people with intellectual disabilities participate actively in web-delivered group interventions

Standing up for Myself (STORM): Adapting and piloting a web-delivered psychosocial group intervention for people with intellectual disabilities

Background: Our STORM intervention was developed for people (16 +) with intellectual disabilities to enhance their capacity to manage and resist stigma. The current study describes the adaptation of STORM for (synchronous) on-line delivery in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Aims: To adapt the manualised face-to-face STORM group intervention for delivery via web-based meeting platforms and to conduct an initial pilot study to consider its acceptability and feasibility. Methods and procedures: The 5-session STORM intervention was carefully adapted for online delivery. In a pilot study with four community groups (N = 22), outcome, health economics and attendance data were collected, and fidelity of delivery assessed. Focus groups with participants, and interviews with facilitators provided data on acceptability and feasibility. Outcomes and results: The intervention was adapted with minimal changes to the content required. In the pilot study, 95% of participants were retained at follow-up, 91% attended at least three of the five sessions. Outcome measure completion and fidelity were excellent, and facilitators reported implementation to be feasible. The intervention was reported to be acceptable by participants. Conclusions and implications: When provided with the necessary resources and support, people with intellectual disabilities participate actively in web-delivered group interventions

Early-branching gut fungi possess a large, comprehensive array of biomass-degrading enzymes

available in PMC 2016 November 07The fungal kingdom is the source of almost all industrial enzymes in use for lignocellulose bioprocessing. We developed a systems-level approach that integrates transcriptomic sequencing, proteomics, phenotype, and biochemical studies of relatively unexplored basal fungi. Anaerobic gut fungi isolated from herbivores produce a large array of biomass-degrading enzymes that synergistically degrade crude, untreated plant biomass and are competitive with optimized commercial preparations from Aspergillus and Trichoderma. Compared to these model platforms, gut fungal enzymes are unbiased in substrate preference due to a wealth of xylan-degrading enzymes. These enzymes are universally catabolite-repressed and are further regulated by a rich landscape of noncoding regulatory RNAs. Additionally, we identified several promising sequence-divergent enzyme candidates for lignocellulosic bioprocessing.United States. Dept. of Energy. Office of Science (Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program)United States. Department of Energy (DOE Grant DE-SC0010352)United States. Department of Agriculture (Award 2011-67017-20459)Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies (grant W911NF-09-0001