Rapid detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus directly from clinical samples: methods, effectiveness and cost considerations

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates is a serious public health problem whose ever-increasing rate is commensurate with the pressure it is exerting on the healthcare system. At present, more than 20% of clinical S. aureus isolates in German hospitals are methicillin resistant. Strategies from low-prevalence countries show that this development is not necessarily inevitable. In the Scandinavian countries and the Netherlands, thanks to a rigorous prevention programme, MRSA prevalence has been kept at an acceptably low level (<1–3%). Central to these ‘search and destroy’ control strategies is an admission screening using several MRSA swabs taken from mucocutaneous colonisation sites of high-risk patients (‘MRSA surveillance’)

Short Hypoxia Does not Affect Plasma Leptin in Healthy Men under Euglycemic Clamp Conditions

Leptin is involved in the endocrine control of energy expenditure and body weight regulation. Previous studies emphasize a relationship between hypoxic states and leptin concentrations. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of acute hypoxia on leptin concentrations in healthy subjects. We examined 14 healthy men. Hypoxic conditions were induced by decreasing oxygen saturation to 75% for 30 minutes. Plasma leptin concentrations were determined at baseline, after 3 hours of euglycemic clamping, during hypoxia, and repeatedly the following 2.5 hours thereafter. Our results show an increase of plasma leptin concentrations in the course of 6 hours of hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamping which may reflect diurnal rhythmicity. Notwithstanding, there was no difference between levels of leptin in the hypoxic and the normoxic condition (P = .2). Since we did not find any significant changes in leptin responses upon hypoxia, plasma leptin levels do not seem to be affected by short hypoxic episodes of moderate degree

Chemical weed control in maize (Zea mays) using mulch seed cultivation without the use of glyphosate

Zur Überprüfung der chemischen Unkrautregulierung in Mais-Mulchsaaten wurde ein Ringversuchsprogramm in vier Bundesländern von 2014 bis 2017 durchgeführt. In 17 Feldversuchen wurden Herbizidbehandlungen mit und ohne Vorsaatbehandlung auf der Basis von Glyphosat und 2,4-D geprüft. In den unterschiedlichen Nachauflaufbehandlungen wurden die Bodenherbizide mit den Wirkstoffen Dimethenamid-P, Pendimethalin und Terbuthylazin verwendet. Als blattaktive Wirkstoffe kamen Bromoxynil, Dicamba, Foramsulfuron, Iodosulfuron, Nicosulfuron, Thiencarbazone, Tembotrione, Topramezone und Tritosulfuron zum Einsatz. Unter den häufig aufgetretenen Unkräutern war ein relativ hoher Anteil von Ausfallraps (Brassica napus), Ausfallgetreide und Ampfer-Arten (Rumex sp.) auffällig. Als schwer bekämpfbar haben sich Ausfallgetreide, Grüne Borstenhirse (Setaria viridis), Trespen-Arten (Bromus sp.) und Weidelgras-Arten (Lolium sp.) erwiesen. Im Vergleich der Herbizid-Varianten konnte kein signifikanter Leistungsunterschied in der Unkrautregulierung festgestellt werden. Die Anwendung von Glyphosat in der Vorsaatbehandlung ergab keine signifikant höhere Unkrautbekämpfungsleistung im Vergleich zu Behandlungsvarianten ohne Glyphosat. Im Vergleich aller Behandlungsvarianten war eine ausreichende Unkrautregulierung in Mais-Mulchsaaten gewährleistet. Ein Verzicht auf gewässersensible Wirkstoffe wie Terbuthylazin, S-Metholachlor, Topramezone und Nicosulfuron war ohne signifikante Unterschiede in der Unkrautbekämpfungsleistung möglich.A field trial program in four German federal states was conducted from 2014 – 2017 to test the chemical weed control in mulch sowing maize. In 17 trials treatments with pre-sowing application of glyphosate and 2,4-D were compared to herbizide treatments without glyphosate. Dimethenamid-P, pendimethalin and terbuthylazine were used as soil active herbicides in post emergence application in combination with foliar active ingredients like bromoxynil, dicamba, foramsulfuron, iodosulfuron, nicosulfuron, thiencarbazone, tembotrione, topramezone and tritosulfuron. Dock (Rumex sp.), volunteer oilseed rape (Brassica napus) and cereals were conspicuously weeds in the mulch sowing trials. Volunteer cereals, green foxtail (Setaria viridis), brome (Bromus sp.) and ryegrass species (Lolium sp.) were hard to control weeds with all herbicide treatments. No significant difference in weed control efficacy was assessed for all types of herbicide treatments. We found no advantage for pre-sowing treatment of glyphosate. In the comparison of all herbicide variants a sufficient weed control was possible. Active ingredients dangerous for groundwater like terbuthylazine, S-metholachlor, topramezone and nicosulfuron can be dispensed with for water protection

A case study exploring Bangladeshi teacher educators' perspectives of information and communication technology (ICT) in education.

This study explores teacher educators’ perceptions of information and communication technology (ICT) within teacher education programs in Bangladesh. The study is set within the context of a nationwide focus on ICT shaped by the Bangladesh Government’s National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Policy – 2009. The intention of this policy is to increase the use and understanding of ICT by introducing specific courses in primary, secondary and tertiary education, technical and vocational education, and teacher education programs. Aligned with this overarching ICT policy, the National Education Policy, 2010, places special emphasis on the integration of ICT in education by recommending that ICT is taught as a separate learning area, and that it is used as a tool across all curriculum areas. Consequently the National Education Policy recommends that all teachers receive training to make the best use of ICT for educational purposes. Given the critical role of teachers in implementing these policies, this study explores teacher educators’ perceptions of ICT within the teacher education programs in Bangladesh. Ten educators from four different teachers’ training colleges (TTC) were interviewed to explore their experiences and understandings of ICT. This study found that the teacher educators believe ICT is more than a simple teaching-learning tool because it has potential for constructing knowledge and enhancing the quality of education. They also recognized that ICT provides relative advantages over traditional teaching tools, and that it facilitates professional learning via access to current knowledge from national and international sources. However, the educators also understood that the mere provision of computers or ICT in institutions does not ensure quality education. Teachers need to develop technological knowledge about how ICTs work; an understanding of pedagogical strategies that utilize ICT; and the capability to design learning experiences that appropriately integrate technology in relation to learning content. In addition, teacher educators should also be prepared with both pedagogical and andragogical knowledge of teaching about and with ICT. The teacher education programs should integrate ICT in cross-curricular activities so that the trainee teachers can experience how to use ICT in different subject areas. Therefore, ICT courses in the B.Ed. curriculum in Bangladesh should be enriched not only with computer operational skills but also with features of social communication, knowledge construction and dissemination. It is also understood that the successful integration of ICT in Bangladeshi education requires a supportive professional culture and appropriate support from different educational administrative layers including the government sector

La colección nuclear española de cebada: diversidad genética y potencial agronómico

La colección nuclear de cebadas españolas es un recurso fitogenético puesto a punto gracias a un esfuerzo de colaboración entre el IRTA de Cataluña, el ITA de Castilla-León y la EEAD-CSIC de Zaragoza. Es una representación sistematizada de la diversidad genética existente en la colección de referencia guardada en el Centro de Recursos Fitogenéticos del INIA, que conserva más de 2.000 entradas de Hordeum, la mayoría de ellas cebadas autóctonas. Este trabajo presenta la evaluación de la diversidad genética y agronómica de esta colección. La diversidad genética de esta colección fue evaluada mediante marcadores moleculares, concretamente sesenta y cuatro microsatélites, distribuidos por los siete cromosomas. En total, fueron examinados 225 genotipos de cebada. De ellos, 159 líneas puras (148 de seis carreras y 11 de dos carreras) procedentes de variedades locales y 16 variedades antiguas de larga tradición en España, conforman la colección nuclear. Además fueron evaluadas otras 50 entradas testigos de otros orígenes, mayoritariamente europeas. El conjunto de microsatélites empleado detectó un alto grado de polimorfismo general. Asimismo, se identificaron numerosos alelos específicos de grupos de germoplasma, especialmente en las entradas españolas de 6 carreras. Los análisis multivariantes (cluster y coordenadas principales) llevados acabo sobre una matriz de distancias genéticas, así como el análisis de la estructura de población, realizado mediante el programa STRUCTURE, separaron claramente los genotipos de 6 carreras españoles de los europeos. Las entradas de 2 carreras españolas se separaron menos de las variedades de 2 carreras de primavera del conjunto de referencia. Todos estos análisis apuntaron la existencia de dos grupos principales dentro de las entradas españolas de seis carreras. Estos dos grupos mostraron diferencias en distribución geográfica y aparecen tener orígenes distintos. La asociación entre los alelos de 73 marcadores analizados y los parámetros eco-geográficos del lugar de recolección de las entradas de la colección nuclear, mostró que la distribución geográfica de algunos alelos está influenciada por dichos parámetros, lo que sugiere que los patrones de diversidad observados pueden haber sido cuidados en parte por fuerzas adaptativas. La evaluación agronómica de las entradas autóctonas de la colección nuclear, junto con 26 variedades comerciales fue llevada a cabo en diez ensayos, a lo largo de tres años y un total de cinco localidades. Esta evaluación puso de manifiesto la mayor variabilidad existente en las entradas autóctonas par muchos caracteres, en consonancia con la notable diversidad detectada a nivel molecular. Esta evaluación permitió también resaltar en general la superioridad de las variedades comerciales frente a las entradas de la colección nuclear, pero mostró también la estabilidad de estas últimas en condiciones desfavorables. Un análisis de mapeo por asociación a escala del genoma fue llevado a cabo en la totalidad de las entradas de la colección nuclear y también en uno de los grupos genéticos. Este análisis detectó un gran número de asociaciones, que disminuyó drásticamente al tener en cuenta la estructura de poblaciones en el análisis. La mayoría de las asociaciones más probables reveladas coincidieron con QTLs detectados en poblaciones biparentales, o con posiciones de genes conocidos.Esta tesis se realizó gracias a una beca de la Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional y a la financiación de los proyectos del Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia: - Programa Nacional de Recursos y Tecnología Agroalimentaria (INIA) RTA01-088-C3-3 y RF02-016-C2-1; - Plan Nacional AGL2004-05311.Peer reviewe

Improving Systems Dynamics by Means of Advanced Signal Processing -Mathematical, Laboratorial and Clinical Evaluation of Propofol Monitoring in Breathing Gas

Abstract: Electrochemical sensors are used in various gas measurement applications and are available for different gases. Depending on the application, the sensor might need to be installed far away from the actual measurement site, requiring the use of long sampling lines. Examples are portable gas measurement devices in which remote locations like tanks and chemical reactors need to be monitored. But also medical applications, where the sensors cannot be positioned in close vicinity to the patient, are common like, e.g., the side-stream measurement of breathing gas. Due to the characteristics of electrochemical sensors and to the adsorption and desorption behavior of sampling lines for different gases, the electrical sensor signal may indicate long response times. In this paper, we propose an on-line signal processing algorithm which is capable to significantly improve the performance. After characterizing the dynamic behavior of the sensor system, a properly designed deconvolution filter is used to reduce response time and signal noise. Within this article, we also provide an http://www.sensorsportal.com/HTML/DIGEST/P_2747.htm Sensors &amp; Transducers, Vol. 193, Issue 10, October 2015, pp. 145-153 146 example of this algorithm for a novel electrochemical sensor for the measurement of the anesthetic agent propofol in exhaled air. For this application, the acceleration is prerequisite for the measurement chain to be of practical use in a clinical setting. Our goals, to establish measurement dynamics to record the physiologic parameter and to reduce non-physiological disturbances, were achieved with additional reserves. This article is based o

In Vitro Determination of Concentration-Dependent Optical Properties of Hemoglobin

The interest of this paper is the determination of the optical properties of oxygenated (saturation above 97 %) hemoglobin in clinical relevant concentrations (ranging from 5 to 15 g/dl), dependent on the layer thickness. Furthermore the generation of a high rate data set for training with machine learning approaches was intended. With a double integrating sphere setup (laser diodes from 780 to 1310 nm) - as a well referenced method - and flow through optical cuvettes ranging from 1 to 3 mm layer thickness, the transmission () and reflection () values of the samples were acquired. From those the layer thickness independent absorption () and reduced scattering coefficients (’) were calculated by the means of the Inverse Adding Doubling (IAD) algorithm. For each sample the same coefficients should result correspondingly for all cuvette thicknesses in test. This relationship serves as an internal standard in the evaluation of the collected data sets. In parallel a spectrophotometer in the range from 690 to 1000 nm recorded transmission spectra for all samples as a second reference. First, the IAD algorithm provided optical coefficients (, ’) in all measurements, with few exceptions at low hemoglobin concentrations. The resulting coefficients match independently of the layer thickness. As a main second result, a high rate data set was generated which serves for further analysis - for example with machine learning approaches

An In vitro Laboratory Investigation on Layer Thickness-Independent Prediction of the Hemoglobin Concentration

In the noninvasive determination of the hemoglobin concentration a main challenge is the "optical path". With sensors - fixed on human skin - the optical path cannot be exactly determined, as it is defined as the layer thickness in the Lambert Beer principle. The layer thickness is significantly involved in the optical interactions in the tissue. To circumvent this problem self-learning algorithms were evaluated which provide the hemoglobin concentration from reflection and transmission data without knowledge of the layer thickness. First various regression models were trained based on an high rate data set. To evaluate the six most promising models, a prediction dataset was measured in a prospective randomized and blinded study to guarantee integrity of the results. For both data sets, the transmission and reflection of diluted heparinized erythrocyte concentrate was determined with a double integrating sphere setup (laser diodes with 780 to 1310 nm). The evaluated hemoglobin concentrations ranged from 4 to 16 g/dl at a constant oxygen saturation above 97 %. Optical flow through cuvettes (1, 2, 3 mm) simulated different layer thicknesses of the blood. The evaluation of the predictions yielded that the layer thickness independent prediction of the hemoglobin concentration is feasible with the selected approaches. The mean absolute error (MAE) of the best regression model (GPRM - Matern 5/2) is 0.79 g/dl. In the clinically relevant tHb range of less than 8 g/dl the MAE was as low as 0.52 g/dl

tISM - a transportable integrating sphere setup for standardized measurements of blood and tissue phantoms

The development of an optical sensor for non-invasive measurements in humans requires a test setup, where the optical properties of tissue and blood can be adjusted and measured standardized. The goal of this work is to develop a simplified device based on an integrating sphere setup to evaluate the optical properties of tissue and blood phantoms with respect to static as well as flow conditions. Furthermore, the measurement system is intended to be used at different locations such as laboratories and operating theaters. We evaluate the absorption μa and reduced scattering μs' coefficients of specimens, with the developed integrating sphere setup. The measurement is regulated by a microcontroller for averaging and processing the data. The system is housed in a lightproof box and powered by a battery and therefore transportable. Due to this construction, no calibration is necessary between transports of the system. Calculations are executed with the inverse adding doubling algorithm. In order to basically calibrate and evaluate the setup before first transportation, a dilution series with Intralipid and India ink serve for the test. The results were consistent with precedent studies (mean absolute deviation for μs' of 0.75 mm-1) and demonstrate that this method might be able to produce liquids with adjustable optical properties, as required for further research. Furthermore, a first dilution series of heparinized heamoglobin (5 to 15 g/dl) with oxygen saturation of 98 % was measured with this system under flow conditions