Significant decline in galactomannan signal during storage of clinical serum samples

Galactomannan (GM) is widely used for detection of invasive aspergillosis in high-risk haemato-oncology patients. Recent publications have reported a lack of repeatability of GM detection. The objective of this retrospective study was to assess the repeatability of GM levels during storage of clinical samples. In a GM screening strategy, positive sera were repeat tested as per manufacturer's recommendations. Short-term (ST) storage of samples was at +4 °C while long-term (LT) storage was at -80 °C. Bronchoalveolar (BAL) fluid was also repeating tested after ST storage and LT storage. Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test was employed to assess the repeatability of GM levels. In a subset of 14 GM positive sera, repeat testing was performed on both the original serum and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) pre-treated sample. There was a significant reduction in GM signals on repeat testing following ST storage (median GM index: 0.65 vs. 0.19; p < 0.001) and LT storage (median GM index: 0.56 vs. 0.10; p < 0.001) of serum samples. Of samples that were initially GM positive, an average GM index reduction of 50% was seen, with approximately two-thirds becoming GM negative on repeat testing of the same sample. In contrast, GM signal loss was not seen on repeat testing of BAL fluid following ST or LT storage. When GM positive serum samples were repeat tested using EDTA pre-treated serum from the first step of the testing protocol, all samples remained GM positive. In contrast, when the same samples were repeat tested from the original collected serum, 9 samples (64%) became GM negative. The significant reduction in GM signals during ST and LT storage of serum samples has implications for clinical management. Although the reasons for GM decline are unknown, they occur prior to the EDTA pre-treatment stage, indicating that the time from phlebotomy to testing should be minimized. BAL fluid GM index values remain stable

Triad pattern algorithm for predicting strong promoter candidates in bacterial genomes

Abstract Background Bacterial promoters, which increase the efficiency of gene expression, differ from other promoters by several characteristics. This difference, not yet widely exploited in bioinformatics, looks promising for the development of relevant computational tools to search for strong promoters in bacterial genomes. Results We describe a new triad pattern algorithm that predicts strong promoter candidates in annotated bacterial genomes by matching specific patterns for the group I σ70 factors of Escherichia coli RNA polymerase. It detects promoter-specific motifs by consecutively matching three patterns, consisting of an UP-element, required for interaction with the α subunit, and then optimally-separated patterns of -35 and -10 boxes, required for interaction with the σ70 subunit of RNA polymerase. Analysis of 43 bacterial genomes revealed that the frequency of candidate sequences depends on the A+T content of the DNA under examination. The accuracy of in silico prediction was experimentally validated for the genome of a hyperthermophilic bacterium, Thermotoga maritima, by applying a cell-free expression assay using the predicted strong promoters. In this organism, the strong promoters govern genes for translation, energy metabolism, transport, cell movement, and other as-yet unidentified functions. Conclusion The triad pattern algorithm developed for predicting strong bacterial promoters is well suited for analyzing bacterial genomes with an A+T content of less than 62%. This computational tool opens new prospects for investigating global gene expression, and individual strong promoters in bacteria of medical and/or economic significance.</p

The ANTENATAL multicentre study to predict postnatal renal outcome in fetuses with posterior urethral valves: objectives and design

Abstract Background Posterior urethral valves (PUV) account for 17% of paediatric end-stage renal disease. A major issue in the management of PUV is prenatal prediction of postnatal renal function. Fetal ultrasound and fetal urine biochemistry are currently employed for this prediction, but clearly lack precision. We previously developed a fetal urine peptide signature that predicted in utero with high precision postnatal renal function in fetuses with PUV. We describe here the objectives and design of the prospective international multicentre ANTENATAL (multicentre validation of a fetal urine peptidome-based classifier to predict postnatal renal function in posterior urethral valves) study, set up to validate this fetal urine peptide signature. Methods Participants will be PUV pregnancies enrolled from 2017 to 2021 and followed up until 2023 in >30 European centres endorsed and supported by European reference networks for rare urological disorders (ERN eUROGEN) and rare kidney diseases (ERN ERKNet). The endpoint will be renal/patient survival at 2 years postnatally. Assuming α = 0.05, 1–β = 0.8 and a mean prevalence of severe renal outcome in PUV individuals of 0.35, 400 patients need to be enrolled to validate the previously reported sensitivity and specificity of the peptide signature. Results In this largest multicentre study of antenatally detected PUV, we anticipate bringing a novel tool to the clinic. Based on urinary peptides and potentially amended in the future with additional omics traits, this tool will be able to precisely quantify postnatal renal survival in PUV pregnancies. The main limitation of the employed approach is the need for specialized equipment. Conclusions Accurate risk assessment in the prenatal period should strongly improve the management of fetuses with PUV

Triad pattern algorithm for predicting strong promoter candidates in bacterial genomes-0

Ture displays a linear graph of the "exponential low" (thin line), which approximates fairly closely to the curve ln [N(A+T)], shown as a thick line. The logarithm of the percentage of strong promoter candidates in real genomes is shown by (○).<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Triad pattern algorithm for predicting strong promoter candidates in bacterial genomes"</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2105/9/233</p><p>BMC Bioinformatics 2008;9():233-233.</p><p>Published online 9 May 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2412878.</p><p></p

Triad pattern algorithm for predicting strong promoter candidates in bacterial genomes-1

; 9 – P; 10 – P; 11 – P; 12 – P; 13 – P; 14 – P; 15 – P. Similar results were obtained in 3 experiments.<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Triad pattern algorithm for predicting strong promoter candidates in bacterial genomes"</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2105/9/233</p><p>BMC Bioinformatics 2008;9():233-233.</p><p>Published online 9 May 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2412878.</p><p></p

Triad pattern algorithm for predicting strong promoter candidates in bacterial genomes-2

Moters; consensus of the UP element is described in [26, 27]; (C) the strong promoters Pand Pwere used as references in this study.<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "Triad pattern algorithm for predicting strong promoter candidates in bacterial genomes"</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2105/9/233</p><p>BMC Bioinformatics 2008;9():233-233.</p><p>Published online 9 May 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2412878.</p><p></p

Workplace affective commitment, emotional labor and burnout : a multiple mediator model

The objective of this study was to investigate the mediating effects of emotional labor strategies on the relationships between multiple targets of workplace affective commitment and burnout components. A total of 370 service employees from Canada completed a questionnaire. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed and the significance of indirect effects was computed using bias-corrected bootstrap 95% confidence intervals. Results revealed that: (a) indirect effects were almost absent in the prediction of emotional exhaustion, (b) surface acting significantly mediated the relations between affective commitment and cynicism, and (c) expression of naturally felt emotions significantly mediated the relation between affective commitment and feelings of professional inefficacy. These findings suggest that specific emotional labor strategies may represent psychological mechanisms intervening in the relationship between affective commitment and burnout development or alleviation. Further research is needed to fully understand how each emotional labor strategy impact on relevant individual and organizational outcomes