Comparison of broad range 16S rDNA PCR to conventional blood culture for diagnosis of sepsis in the newborn

Neonatal sepsis is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates. The gold standard for detecting bacterial sepsis is blood culture. However, it has low sensitivity and a reporting delay of approximately 48–72 h. Molecular assays for the detection of bacterial DNA represent possible new diagnostic tools for early identification of a bacterial cause. This study aimed at comparing a broad range 16S rDNA PCR to conventional blood culture for detecting bacterial DNA in blood samples from neonates with suspected sepsis. Fifty neonates with suspected sepsis, admitted at Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Ain Shams University Hospitals, were included in this study. From each neonate, a minimum of 2–3 ml blood was collected by standard sterile procedures, 1 ml for conventional blood culture and 1–2 ml EDTA blood for PCR. The isolated microorganisms were identified by conventional microbiological methods. Thirty neonates (60%) gave positive blood culture results. The most frequently isolated microorganisms were Staphylococcus aureus (n= 17, 56.7%), followed by Coagulase negative Staphylococci (n=7, 23.3%),  Escherichia coli (n= 4, 13.3%), and Candida spp. (n=2, 6.7%). Twenty-eight (56%) neonates gave positive bacterial blood culture while 35 (70%) neonates gave positive PCR results. Considering the blood culture as the gold standard in diagnosis of bacterial neonatal sepsis, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of PCR in detecting bacteremia relative to blood cultures were 20/28 (71.42%), 7/22 (31.81%), 20/35 (57.14%) & 7/15 (46.66%), respectively. In conclusion, PCR approach appears to be a relatively easy, reliable and valuable complementary method for diagnosis of neonatal sepsis for samples obtained during antimicrobial treatment especially when routine cultures remain negative. Staphylococci spp. has played an important role in causing neonatal sepsis. So, implementation of simple infection control measures such as hand washing, barrier nursing and promotion of clean deliveries should be considered to reduce neonatal sepsisKeywords: Neonatal sepsis; Conventional blood culture; Broad range 16S DNA PC

On the Hardware/Software Design and Implementation of a High Definition Multiview Video Surveillance System

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PERSEN DEGRADASI EKSTRAK ETANOL KELOPAK BUNGA ROSELLA (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) DALAM SAUS TOMAt SELAMA PENYIMPANAN

Ekstrak kelopak bunga rosella memiliki stabilitas yang lebih baik pada pH yang rendah jika dibandingkan pada pH yang tinggi. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk, mengetahui bagaimana pengaruh rasio ekstrak etanol kelopak bunga rosella:saus tomat serta perbandingan pH terhadap % degradasi selang penyimpanan. Perlakuan yang diterapkan meliputi dua variabel bebas yaitu perbandingan rasio dan perbandingan pH. Ekstrak Etanol kelopak bunga rosella  dengan perbandingan  0,5:1; 1:1;  dan 0:1 atas dasar b/b masing-masing perbandingan dikondisikan pada pH 2, pH 3, pH 4, pH 5 dan pH 6. Ekstrak Etanol kelopak bunga rosella yang tercampur saus tomat didasarkan pada nilai absorbansi spektrofotometer UV-Vis terhadap masing-masing perlakuan. Data hasil analisis diolah menggunakan Rancangan Acak Lengkap pola Faktorial. Berdasarkan hasil analisis diperoleh bahwa rasio ekstrak etanol kelopak bunga rosella terhadap saus tomat menunjukkan hasil nilai degradasi yang semakin menurun seiring dengan bertambahnya penggunaan rasio ekstrak etanol terhadap saus tomat dengan nilai degradasi terendah sebesar 30.09 % diperoleh pada pengunaan dengan rasio antara ekstrak kelopak bunga rosella terhadap saus tomat 1:0 pada pH 2. Sedangkan hasil yang diperoleh pada variasi pH setelah masa penyimpanan  10 hari menunjukkan bahwa Nilai degradasi tertinggi terdapat pada pH 6 dengan rasio antara ekstrak kelopak bunga rosella terhadap saus tomat 0,5:1 sebesar 93.33 % dan terendah pada pH 2 dengan rasio antara ekstrak kelopak bunga rosella terhadap saus tomat 1:0 sebesar 30.09 %.Kata Kunci : Kelopak Bunga Rosella, Ekstrak etanol, Saus Tomat, dan  Degradas

Brazilin Isolated from Caesalpinia sappan Suppresses Nuclear Envelope Reassembly by Inhibiting Barrier-to-Autointegration Factor Phosphorylation

To date, many anticancer drugs have been developed by directly or indirectly targeting microtubules, which are involved in cell division. Although this approach has yielded many anticancer drugs, these drugs produce undesirable side effects. An alternative strategy is needed, and targeting mitotic exit may be one alternative approach. Localization of phosphorylated barrier-to-autointegration factor (BAF) to the chromosomal core region is essential for nuclear envelope compartment relocalization. In this study, we isolated brazilin from Caesalpinia sappan Leguminosae and demonstrated that it inhibited BAF phosphorylation in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we demonstrated direct binding between brazilin and BAF. The inhibition of BAF phosphorylation induced abnormal nuclear envelope reassembly and cell death, indicating that perturbation of nuclear envelope reassembly could be a novel approach to anticancer therapy. We propose that brazilin isolated from C. sappan may be a new anticancer drug candidate that induces cell death by inhibiting vaccinia-related kinase 1-mediated BAF phosphorylation.X1153Ysciescopu

Long-term safety and outcome of a temporary self-expanding metallic stent for achalasia: a prospective study with a 13-year single-center experience

To prospectively evaluate the long-term clinical safety and efficacy of a newly designed self-expanding metallic stent (SEMS) in the treatment of patients with achalasia. Seventy-five patients with achalasia were treated with a temporary SEMS with a 30-mm diameter. The SEMSs were placed under fluoroscopic guidance and removed by gastroscopy 4–5 days after stent placement. Follow-up data focused on dysphagia score, technique and clinical success, clinical remissions and failures, and complications and was performed at 6 months, 1 year, and within 3 to 5 years, 5 to 8 years, 8 to 10 years, and >10 years postoperatively. Stent placement was technically successful in all patients. Complications included stent migration (n = 4, 5.33%), chest pain (n = 28, 38.7%), reflux (n = 15, 20%), and bleeding (n = 9, 12%). No perforation or 30-day mortality occurred. Clinical success was achieved in all patients 1 month after stent removal. The overall remission rates at 6 months, 1, 1–3, 3–5, 5–8, 8–10, and >10 year follow-up periods were 100%, 96%, 93.9%, 90.9%, 100%, 100%, and 83.3%, respectively. Stent treatment failed in six patients, and the overall remission rate in our series was 92%. The median and mean primary patencies were 2.8 ± 0.28 years (95% CI: 2.25–3.35) and 4.28 ± 0.40 years (95% CI: 3.51–5.05), respectively. The use of temporary SEMSs with 30-mm diameter proved to be a safe and effective approach for managing achalasia with a long-term satisfactory clinical remission rate

Effects of Crystalline Anisotropy and Indenter Size on Nanoindentation by Multiscale Simulation

Nanoindentation processes in single crystal Ag thin film under different crystallographic orientations and various indenter widths are simulated by the quasicontinuum method. The nanoindentation deformation processes under influences of crystalline anisotropy and indenter size are investigated about hardness, load distribution, critical load for first dislocation emission and strain energy under the indenter. The simulation results are compared with previous experimental results and Rice-Thomson (R-T) dislocation model solution. It is shown that entirely different dislocation activities are presented under the effect of crystalline anisotropy during nanoindentation. The sharp load drops in the load–displacement curves are caused by the different dislocation activities. Both crystalline anisotropy and indenter size are found to have distinct effect on hardness, contact stress distribution, critical load for first dislocation emission and strain energy under the indenter. The above quantities are decreased at the indenter into Ag thin film along the crystal orientation with more favorable slip directions that easy trigger slip systems; whereas those will increase at the indenter into Ag thin film along the crystal orientation with less or without favorable slip directions that hard trigger slip systems. The results are shown to be in good agreement with experimental results and R-T dislocation model solution

Measurement of the branching fraction and CP content for the decay B(0) -> D(*+)D(*-)

This is the pre-print version of the Article. The official published version can be accessed from the links below. Copyright @ 2002 APS.We report a measurement of the branching fraction of the decay B0→D*+D*- and of the CP-odd component of its final state using the BABAR detector. With data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.4  fb-1 collected at the Υ(4S) resonance during 1999–2000, we have reconstructed 38 candidate signal events in the mode B0→D*+D*- with an estimated background of 6.2±0.5 events. From these events, we determine the branching fraction to be B(B0→D*+D*-)=[8.3±1.6(stat)±1.2(syst)]×10-4. The measured CP-odd fraction of the final state is 0.22±0.18(stat)±0.03(syst).This work is supported by DOE and NSF (USA), NSERC (Canada), IHEP (China), CEA and CNRS-IN2P3 (France), BMBF (Germany), INFN (Italy), NFR (Norway), MIST (Russia), and PPARC (United Kingdom). Individuals have received support from the A.P. Sloan Foundation, Research Corporation, and Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

Measurement of D-s(+) and D-s(*+) production in B meson decays and from continuum e(+)e(-) annihilation at √s=10.6 GeV

This is the pre-print version of the Article. The official published version can be accessed from the links below. Copyright @ 2002 APSNew measurements of Ds+ and Ds*+ meson production rates from B decays and from qq̅ continuum events near the Υ(4S) resonance are presented. Using 20.8 fb-1 of data on the Υ(4S) resonance and 2.6 fb-1 off-resonance, we find the inclusive branching fractions B(B⃗Ds+X)=(10.93±0.19±0.58±2.73)% and B(B⃗Ds*+X)=(7.9±0.8±0.7±2.0)%, where the first error is statistical, the second is systematic, and the third is due to the Ds+→φπ+ branching fraction uncertainty. The production cross sections σ(e+e-→Ds+X)×B(Ds+→φπ+)=7.55±0.20±0.34pb and σ(e+e-→Ds*±X)×B(Ds+→φπ+)=5.8±0.7±0.5pb are measured at center-of-mass energies about 40 MeV below the Υ(4S) mass. The branching fractions ΣB(B⃗Ds(*)+D(*))=(5.07±0.14±0.30±1.27)% and ΣB(B⃗Ds*+D(*))=(4.1±0.2±0.4±1.0)% are determined from the Ds(*)+ momentum spectra. The mass difference m(Ds+)-m(D+)=98.4±0.1±0.3MeV/c2 is also measured.This work was supported by DOE and NSF (USA), NSERC (Canada), IHEP (China), CEA and CNRS-IN2P3 (France), BMBF (Germany), INFN (Italy), NFR (Norway), MIST (Russia), and PPARC (United Kingdom). Individuals have received support from the Swiss NSF, A. P. Sloan Foundation, Research Corporation, and Alexander von Humboldt Foundation

TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives