Fungi associated with Glossopteris (Glossopteridales) leaves from the Permian of Antarctica

Fungi today occur on virtually every plant part, living and dead, and represent a significant proportion of fungal diversity. Arborescent seed ferns characterized by large, tongue-shaped leaves with reticulate venation (Glossopteris) represent the dominant floral element in the Permian of Gondwana. However, documented evidence of fungi associated with the leaves of these plants is exceedingly rare. Partially degraded Glossopteris leaves from two upper Permian permineralized peat deposits from Antarctica yield scattered evidence of fungal colonization in the form of hyphae, spores, sporangia, and mycelia. Intact leaves from the same deposits are typically free of fungi, suggesting that the fungi in the degraded leaves were saprotrophs on the forest floor, rather than colonizers of living leaves. We hypothesize that the scarcity of fungi associated with Antarctic Glossopteris leaves may be related to structural and physiological adaptions of the plants to the extreme conditions that governed late Paleozoic polar ecosystems.Lebende und tote Pflanzenteile besiedelnde Pilze stellen heute einen großen Teil der Gesamtdiversität der Pilze dar. BaumförmigeSamenfarne mit großen, zungenförmigen Blättern mit Netznervatur (Glossopteris) waren sehr weit verbreitet im Perm von Gondwana. Nachweise für Pilze auf und in den Blättern dieser Pflanzen sind allerdings bis heute sehr selten. Verrottete und zum Teil zerstörte Glossopteris Blätter aus permineralisiertem Torf von zwei Fundstellen in der Antarktis weisen Spuren einer Besiedlung durch Pilze in Form von Hyphen, Sporen, Sporangien und Myzelien auf. Intakte Blätter aus denselben Torfen sind allerdings in der Regel frei von Pilzen, was vermuten läßt, dass die Pilze in den verotteten Blättern saprotroph waren und nicht lebende Blätter besiedelten. Das Fehlen von Pilzen auf/in intakten Glossopteris Blättern könnte mit bestimmten Anpassungen der Pflanzen an die extremen Bedingungen zusammenhängen, denen die jungpaläozoischen polaren Ökosysteme ausgesetzt waren

In vitro susceptibilities of Leptospira spp. and Borrelia burgdorferi isolates to amoxicillin, tilmicosin, and enrofloxacin

Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted with 6 different spirochetal strains (4 strains of Leptospira spp. and 2 strains of Borrelia burgdorferi) against 3 antimicrobial agents, commonly used in equine and bovine practice. The ranges of MIC and MBC of amoxicillin against Leptospira spp. were 0.05-6.25 µg/ml and 6.25-25.0 µg/ml, respectively. And the ranges of minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of amoxicillin against B. burgdorferi were 0.05-0.39 µg/ml and 0.20-0.78 µg/ml, respectively. The ranges of MIC and MBC of enrofloxacin against Leptospira spp. were 0.05-0.39 µg/ml and 0.05-0.39 µg/ml, respectively. Two strains of B. burgdorferi were resistant to enrofloxacin at the highest concentration tested for MBC (≥100 µg/ml). Therefore, the potential role of tilmicosin in the treatment of leptospirosis and borreliosis should be further evaluated in animal models to understand whether the in vivo studies will confirm in vitro results. All spirochetal isolates were inhibited (MIC) and were killed (MBC) by tilmicosin at concentrations below the limit of testing (≤0.01 µg/ml)

Home-based exercise rehabilitation in addition to specialist heart failure nurse care: design, rationale and recruitment to the Birmingham Rehabilitation Uptake Maximisation study for patients with congestive heart failure (BRUM-CHF): a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Exercise has been shown to be beneficial for selected patients with heart failure, but questions remain over its effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and uptake in a real world setting. This paper describes the design, rationale and recruitment for a randomised controlled trial that will explore the effectiveness and uptake of a predominantly home-based exercise rehabilitation programme, as well as its cost-effectiveness and patient acceptability. METHODS/DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial comparing specialist heart failure nurse care plus a nurse-led predominantly home-based exercise intervention against specialist heart failure nurse care alone in a multiethnic city population, served by two NHS Trusts and one primary care setting, in the United Kingdom. 169 English speaking patients with stable heart failure, defined as systolic impairment (ejection fraction ≤ 40%). with one or more hospital admissions with clinical heart failure or New York Heart Association (NYHA) II/III within previous 24-months were recruited. Main outcome measures at 1 year: Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire, incremental shuttle walk test, death or admission with heart failure or myocardial infarction, health care utilisation and costs. Interviews with purposive samples of patients to gain qualitative information about acceptability and adherence to exercise, views about their treatment, self-management of their heart failure and reasons why some patients declined to participate. The records of 1639 patients managed by specialist heart failure services were screened, of which 997 (61%) were ineligible, due to ejection fraction>40%, current NYHA IV, no admission or NYHA II or more within the previous 2 years, or serious co-morbidities preventing physical activity. 642 patients were contacted: 289 (45%) declined to participate, 183 (39%) had an exclusion criterion and 169 (26%) agreed to randomisation. DISCUSSION: Due to safety considerations for home-exercise less than half of patients treated by specialist heart failure services were eligible for the study. Many patients had co-morbidities preventing exercise and others had concerns about undertaking an exercise programme

Improving the Patient Handoff from OR to PICU in Children Who Have Undergone Cardiac Surgery Using a Standardized Handoff Tool

PURPOSE: Hospitalizations for children are costly, and handoff transition from one inpatient setting to the next may negatively impact health outcomes. Handoffs are often associated with adverse events and medical error. Despite efforts to improve patient handoff, communication failure remains a significant problem. Research shows use of a standardized handoff tool improves patient transition. OBJECTIVES: This project focused on use of a standardized handoff tool from the operating room to the pediatric intensive care unit in children undergoing cardiac surgery to improve duration of handoff, postoperative goal review, patient complications, and staff satisfaction. METHODS: The quality improvement project was an observational pre-post improvement in a Midwestern children’s hospital with a convenience sample of 13 handoffs for patients 0-18 years of age. RESULTS: Handoff tool use improved 100% while duration decreased 0.63 minutes. Postoperative goals (8) improved from 0% to 20-80%. Patient complications decreased 84.7% post-implementation. Nurse satisfaction of handoff information exchanged improved (p=.049). CONCLUSIONS: A standardized handoff tool decreased postoperative complications and improved information exchange and staff satisfaction