Investigation of mediastinitis due to coagulase-negative staphylococci after cardiothoracic surgery.

Six cases of coagulase-negative staphylococcal mediastinitis were identified in the latter half of 1999. A new preoperative cleansing solution was suspected by hospital staff to be a factor in the outbreak. We evaluated this possible risk factor along with other known and suspected surgical site infection risk factors in this case-control study

Non collinear magnetism and single ion anisotropy in multiferroic perovskites

The link between the crystal distortions of the perovskite structure and the magnetic exchange interaction, the single-ion anisotropy (SIA) and the Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya (DM) interaction are investigated by means of density-functional calculations. Using BiFeO$_3$ and LaFeO$_3$ as model systems, we quantify the relationship between the oxygen octahedra rotations, the ferroelectricity and the weak ferromagnetism (wFM). We recover the fact that the wFM is due to the DM interaction induced by the oxygen octahedra rotations. We find a simple relationship between the wFM, the oxygen rotation amplitude and the ratio between the DM vector and the exchange parameter such as the wFM increases with the oxygen octahedra rotation when the SIA does not compete with the DM forces induced on the spins. Unexpectedly, we also find that, in spite of the $d^5$ electronic configuration of Fe$^{3+}$, the SIA is very large in some structures and is surprisingly strongly sensitive to the chemistry of the $A$-site cation of the $A$BO$_3$ perovskite. In the ground $R3c$ state phase we show that the SIA shape induced by the ferroelectricity and the oxygen octahedra rotations are in competition such as it is possible to tune the wFM "on" and "off" through the relative size of the two types of distortion

Nearest neighbor analysis in one dimension

Since its initial presentation by Clark and Evans, nearest neighbor analysis for spatial randomness has gained considerable popularity in fields as diverse as geography, ecology, archaeology, cell biology, forestry, meteorology, and epidemiology. Epidemiologists are often interested in determining whether disease cases are clustered, dispersed, or randomly distributed, since different patterns of disease incidence over time or space can provide dues to the etiology of the disease. An environmental hazard or a transmissable agent can produce a cluster of disease events, i.e. a set of events occurring unusually dose to each other in time, space, or both time and space. In spite of its wide applicability, few attempts have been made to adapt the nearest neighbor method to the analysis of points distributed along a line. This report outlines the theoretical derivation of the moments of the mean nearest neighbor distance in the one dimension case and the correction of its expected value in order to overcome the boundary problem. It presents the derivation of the moments of order statistics, for specific sample sizes and for the general case. These results are then used for the derivation of the moments of nearest neighbor distances, and for the derivation of the moments of the mean nearest neighbor distance. Then the boundary problem and an examination of five alternative ways to compensate for it in the calculation of the expected value of the mean nearest neighbor distance are discussed. Finally, the results from a large scale computer simulation which compares the various correction methods are presented

Geometric realizations of curvature models by manifolds with constant scalar curvature

We show any Riemannian curvature model can be geometrically realized by a manifold with constant scalar curvature. We also show that any pseudo-Hermitian curvature model, para-Hermitian curvature model, hyper-pseudo-Hermitian curvature model, or hyper-para-Hermitian curvature model can be realized by a manifold with constant scalar and *-scalar curvature

An Emerging Pulmonary Haemorrhagic Syndrome in Dogs: Similar to the Human Leptospiral Pulmonary Haemorrhagic Syndrome?

Severe pulmonary haemorrhage is a rare necropsy finding in dogs but the leptospiral pulmonary haemorrhagic syndrome (LPHS) is a well recognized disease in humans. Here we report a pulmonary haemorrhagic syndrome in dogs that closely resembles the human disease. All 15 dogs had massive, pulmonary haemorrhage affecting all lung lobes while haemorrhage in other organs was minimal. Histologically, pulmonary lesions were characterized by acute, alveolar haemorrhage without identifiable vascular lesions. Seven dogs had mild alveolar wall necrosis with hyaline membranes and minimal intraalveolar fibrin. In addition, eight dogs had acute renal tubular necrosis. Six dogs had a clinical diagnosis of leptospirosis based on renal and hepatic failure, positive microscopic agglutination test (MAT) and/or positive blood/urine Leptospira-specific PCR. Leptospira could not be cultured post mortem from the lungs or kidneys. However, Leptospira-specific PCR was positive in lung, liver or kidneys of three dogs. In summary, a novel pulmonary haemorrhagic syndrome was identified in dogs but the mechanism of the massive pulmonary erythrocyte extravasation remains elusive. The lack of a consistent post mortem identification of Leptospira spp. in dogs with pulmonary haemorrhage raise questions as to whether additional factors besides Leptospira may cause this as yet unrecognized entity in dogs

High genetic diversity of Babesia canis (Piana & Galli-Valerio, 1895) in a recent local outbreak in Berlin/ Brandenburg, Germany

Canine babesiosis caused by Babesia canis (Piana & Galli-Valerio, 1895) is emerging in new regions in Europe since its vector Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) is expanding its geographic range. In the Berlin/Brandenburg area in northeast Germany, D. reticulatus is highly abundant but in the past only one autochthonous B. canis infection was reported. Since 2015, autochthonous cases were occasionally diagnosed but numbers increased since autumn 2019. The aim of the study was to genotype autochthonous canine Babesia spp. infections from Berlin/Brandenburg. Between 04/2015 and 01/2022, 46 dogs with acute babesiosis were presented to the small animal clinic (one dog was infected twice resulting in 47 samples). There were 32 dogs that had never left Berlin/Brandenburg and 14 others that had not left the region in the 6 weeks prior to disease onset. PCRs targeting the 18S rRNA and the Bc28.1 merozoite surface antigen were positive in 47 and 42 samples, respectively. Sequencing of cloned PCR products identified all samples as B. canis with 17 18S rRNA and 12 Bc28.1 haplotypes. Based on network analysis for 18S rRNA sequences and a previously described polymorphic dinucleotide, samples were assigned to two distinct clusters. One contained 31 and the other 16 samples. Using network analysis, the Bc28.1 haplotypes could also be separated into two clusters differing by at least five polymorphisms. Analyses of sequences from multiple clones indicated the presence of up to five 18S rRNA and eight Bc28.1 haplotypes and thus high parasite variability in an individual host. The genetic diversity could suggest that the parasites in the region have multiple origins, but diversity in individual dogs and dog populations from endemic regions is unknown. The suitability of both markers for genotyping is questionable due to potential intragenomic diversity for the rRNA and high intergenomic variability for the Bc28.1 marker

Autochthonous Babesia canis infections in 49 dogs in Germany

Background Vector-borne diseases are of increasing importance in Germany. Since 2015, autochthonous cases have been increasingly documented in Berlin/Brandenburg. Objectives Describe autochthonous Babesia canis infection in the Berlin/Brandenburg region. Animals Forty-nine dogs with autochthonous B. canis infection. Methods Evaluation of history, clinical signs, laboratory abnormalities, treatment, and outcome. Results Dogs were presented between March and August (9) and September and January (40) in the years 2015-2021. Historical and clinical findings were lethargy (100%), pale mucous membranes (63%), fever (50%), and pigmenturia (52%). Common clinicopathological findings were thrombocytopenia (100%), anemia (85%), intravascular hemolysis (52%), pancytopenia (41%), and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS; 37%). Babesia detection was based on blood smear evaluation (n = 40) and PCR targeting the 18S rRNA gene of piroplasms (n = 49). Sequencing indicated 99.47% to 100% identity to B. canis sequences from GenBank. All dogs were treated with imidocarb (2.4-6.3 mg/kg; median, 5 mg/kg); 8 dogs received 1, 35 received 2, and 1 dog each received 3, 4, or 5 injections, respectively. Continued PCR-positive results were detected in 7 dogs after the 1st, in 5 after the 2nd, in 2 after the 3rd, and in 1 28 days after the 4th injection. Four dogs were euthanized and 3 dogs died. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Autochthonous B. canis infections in Berlin/Brandenburg were associated with severe clinicopathological changes, SIRS, and multiorgan involvement. Testing by PCR during and after treatment is advisable to monitor treatment success. Screening of blood donors in high-risk areas and year-round tick protection is strongly recommended

Conceptions and expectations of research collaboration in the European social sciences: Research policies, institutional contexts and the autonomy of the scientific field

This paper investigates the interactions between policy drivers and academic practice in international research collaboration. It draws on the case of the Open Research Area (ORA), a funding scheme in the social sciences across four national research agencies, seeking to boost collaboration by supporting “integrated” projects. The paper discusses the scheme’s governance and its place within the European policy space before turning to awarded researchers’ perceptions of its originality and impact on their project’s emergence and development. Drawing on Bourdieu’s field theory, we analyse the scheme’s capacity to challenge researchers’ habitual collaborative practice as well as the hierarchical foundations of the social science field. We relate the discourses of researchers, located in France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, to such structural dimensions of the academic profession as, disciplinary cultures, institutional environments and national performance management of research careers. The paper argues that the ORA introduces novel mechanisms of power sharing and answerability in social sciences research capable of unsettling the autonomy of the scientific field. This analysis offers a new perspective on the often unquestioned superiority of the model of international collaboration induced by schemes such as ORA

Changes in intracellular ion activities induced by adrenaline in human and rat skeletal muscle

To study the stimulating effect of adrenaline (ADR) on active Na+/K+ transport we used double-barrelled ion-sensitive micro-electrodes to measure the activities of extracellular K+ (aKe) and intracellular Na+ (aNai) in isolated preparations of rat soleus muscle, normal human intercostal muscle and one case of hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (h.p.p.). In these preparations bath-application of ADR (10−6 M) resulted in a membrane hyperpolarization and transient decreasesaKe andaNai which could be blocked by ouabain (3×10−4 M). In the h.p.p. muslce a continuous rise ofaNai induced by elevation ofaKe to 5.2 mM could be stopped by ADR. In addition, the intracellular K+ activity (aKi), the free intracellular Ca2+ concentration (pCai) and intracellular pH (pHi) were monitored in rat soleus muscle. During ADRaKi increased, pHi remained constant and intracellular Ca2+ apparently decreased. In conclusion, our data show that ADR primarily stimulates the Na+/K+ pump in mammalian skeletal muscle. This stimulating action is not impaired in the h.p.p. muscle