Optical fingerprinting in medical microbiology; Raman spectroscopy as a bacterial typing tool

Bacteria are present everywhere on earth and form a large part of the world’s biomass (41). It has been estimated that there are approximately ten times as many bacterial cells as there are human cells in the body. The majority of bacteria present in or on the body are harmless and many are even beneficial (human flora in the gut and on the skin). Besides in or on the human body, bacteria are also found in all our surroundings and, obviously but unfortunately, also in hospitals and health care centers. The population of organisms in hospitals is successfully adapted to the (unnatural) environment present. Many clinically relevant bacterial species have evolved the capacity to survive in this unnatural habitat. Some characteristics that allow them to survive include expression of adhesion factors specific for human tissue and medical equipment and resistance to frequently used antiseptics and antibiotics. Their presence is a risk for the acquisition of infections, especially in critically ill and immune compromised patients. When a patient acquires an infection during a hospital stay, this infection is normally referred to as a hospital acquired infection (HAI) or nosocomial infection. CDC defines an HAI as an infection that is secondary to the cause of admission and not present or incubating at the time of admission (16). HAIs may be caused by infectious agents from endogenous sources (body sites such as skin, nose, and gastrointestinal tract) or exogenous sources (medical devices, health care personnel, other patients or the environment)

iSupport : a WHO global online intervention for informal caregivers of people with dementia

In 2015, it was estimated that worldwide 47 million people had dementia, increasing to 75 million in 2030 and 132 million by 2050. Nearly 9.9 million people are expected to develop dementia each year, which translates to one new case every three seconds. While dementia occurs across all levels of socioeconomic status, nearly 60% of people with dementia currently live in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) and most new cases (71%) are expected to occur in those countries. The majority of people with dementia in those countries do not have access to care and support

Sucrose Synthase Is Associated with the Cell Wall of Tobacco Pollen Tubes1[W]

Sucrose synthase (Sus; EC 2.4.1.13) is a key enzyme of sucrose metabolism in plant cells, providing carbon for respiration and for the synthesis of cell wall polymers and starch. Since Sus is important for plant cell growth, insights into its structure, localization, and features are useful for defining the relationships between nutrients, growth, and cell morphogenesis. We used the pollen tube of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) as a cell model to characterize the main features of Sus with regard to cell growth and cell wall synthesis. Apart from its role during sexual reproduction, the pollen tube is a typical tip-growing cell, and the proper construction of its cell wall is essential for correct shaping and direction of growth. The outer cell wall layer of pollen tubes consists of pectins, but the inner layer is composed of cellulose and callose; both polymers require metabolic precursors in the form of UDP-glucose, which is synthesized by Sus. We identified an 88-kD polypeptide in the soluble, plasma membrane and Golgi fraction of pollen tubes. The protein was also found in association with the cell wall. After purification, the protein showed an enzyme activity similar to that of maize (Zea mays) Sus. Distribution of Sus was affected by brefeldin A and depended on the nutrition status of the pollen tube, because an absence of metabolic sugars in the growth medium caused Sus to distribute differently during tube elongation. Analysis by bidimensional electrophoresis indicated that Sus exists as two isoforms, one of which is phosphorylated and more abundant in the cytoplasm and cell wall and the other of which is not phosphorylated and is specific to the plasma membrane. Results indicate that the protein has a role in the construction of the extracellular matrix and thus in the morphogenesis of pollen tubes