Extraordinary Relief of Punitive and Administrative Discharges from the Armed Forces

A problem frequently encountered today in general law practice involves an individual who, after having been released from one of the armed services with a discharge in some degree less than the normal honorable discharge, seeks the aid of a lawyer in changing the discharge. The effects of an unfavorable discharge are beyond the scope of this article. It is sufficient to note, however, that a discharge in any degree less than honorable carries a mark of social stigma and, more seriously, often acts as a bar to employment and educational opportunities

Feast of sacrifice and orf, Milan, Italy, 2015–2018

Orf (ecthyma contagiosum) is an infection of the skin caused by a DNA virus belonging to the genus Parapoxvirus. We recently observed 7 cases of orf in Muslim men living in the metropolitan area of Milan, Italy, who acquired the infection after the Feast of Sacrific

Phenotypic and genotypic Helicobacter pylori clarithromycin resistance and therapeutic outcome: benefits and limits

n/

Clinical Performance of the Automated LIAISON® Meridian H. pylori SA Stool Antigen Test

Background. Antigens derived from Helicobacter pylori can be used as stool biomarkers to assist in the diagnosis of H. pylori infection. Since current assays have variable performance, we assessed the clinical performance of the automated LIAISON® Meridian H. pylori SA chemiluminescent immunoassay against more invasive biopsy tests that are considered to be the "gold standard" (Composite Reference Method). Methods. This prospective multisite study enrolled patients undergoing an esophagogastroduodenoscopy with collection of biopsy and stool specimens. Adult patients (≥22 years) participated in the study from February 2017 to August 2018. Specimens of the stomach were tested by three methods, known as the Composite Reference Method: (1) histological evaluation, (2) culture of the organism, and (3) rapid urease detection test. H. pylori in stool was detected using the automated LIAISON® Meridian H. pylori SA assay, a chemiluminescent immunoassay. Statistical analyses were performed using MedCalc 18.11.6. Results. 277 patients (63% female) were included in the study. The prevalence of infected subjects was 24.2% in this study cohort. Clinical performance assessed against the Composite Reference Method showed very good agreement (Cohen's kappa=0.922), with good sensitivity (95.5%) and specificity (97.6%). Reproducibility study results showed total imprecision ranging from 3.1% to 13.9% CV. Conclusion. The automated LIAISON® Meridian H. pylori SA assay brings reliable noninvasive testing for H. pylori to the laboratory that is in very good agreement with the current, more invasive biopsy-based methods such as histology, culture, or rapid urease test. The clinical trial identifiers are NCT03060746 (pretherapy) and NCT03060733 (posttherapy)

Alkaloids from single skins of the Argentinian toad Melanophryniscus rubriventris (ANURA, BUFONIDAE): An unexpected variability in alkaloid profiles and a profusion of new structures

GC-MS analysis of single-skins of ten Melanophryniscus rubriventris toads (five collections of two toads each) captured during their breeding season in NW Argentina has revealed a total of 127 alkaloids of which 56 had not been previously detected in any frog or toad. Included among these new alkaloids are 23 new diastereomers of previously reported alkaloids. What is particularly distinguishing about the alkaloid profiles of these ten collections is the occurrence of many of the alkaloids, whether known or new to us, in only one of the ten skins sampled, despite two skins being obtained from each breeding site of the five populations. Many of the alkaloids are of classes known to have structures with branched-chains (e.g. pumiliotoxins and tricyclic structures) that are considered to derive from dietary mites. A large number of previously reported and new alkaloids are also of unclassified structures. Only a very few 3,5-disubstituted-indolizidine or -pyrrolizidine alkaloids are observed that have a straight-chain carbon skeleton and are likely derived from ant prey. The possible relationship of these collections made during the toad’s brief breeding episodes to sequestration of dietary arthropods and individual alkaloid profiles is discussed.Fil: Garraffo, H. Martin. Laboratorio de Bioorganic Chemistry; Estados UnidosFil: Andriamaharavo, Nirina R.. Laboratorio de Bioorganic Chemistry; Estados UnidosFil: Vaira, Marcos. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Salta. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA. Universidad Nacional de Salta. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales. Museo de Ciencias Naturales. Instituto de Bio y Geociencias del NOA; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Facultad de Ingeniería; ArgentinaFil: Quiroga, Maria Fernanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Jujuy. Universidad Nacional de Jujuy. Centro de Investigaciones y Transferencia de Jujuy; ArgentinaFil: Heit, Cecilia Inés. Laboratorio de Análisis de Residuos y Trazas; ArgentinaFil: Spande, Thomas F.. Laboratorio de Bioorganic Chemistry; Estados Unido