A PMT-Block test bench

The front-end electronics of the ATLAS hadronic calorimeter (Tile Cal) is housed in a unit, called {\it PMT-Block}. The PMT-Block is a compact instrument comprising a light mixer, a PMT together with its divider and a {\it 3-in-1} card, which provides shaping, amplification and integration for the signals. This instrument needs to be qualified before being assembled on the detector. A PMT-Block test bench has been developed for this purpose. This test bench is a system which allows fast, albeit accurate enough, measurements of the main properties of a complete PMT-Block. The system, both hardware and software, and the protocol used for the PMT-Blocks characterisation are described in detail in this report. The results obtained in the test of about 10000 PMT-Blocks needed for the instrumentation of the ATLAS (LHC-CERN) hadronic Tile Calorimeter are also reported.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figure

Epidemiology of community-acquired Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in children

The epidemiology of community-acquired Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in children during a one-year period (January through December 1993) was evaluated, A total of 6,859 clinical samples, each one representing a separate individual with suspected infection, were cultured. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was isolated from 218 children with various infections occurring in the following order of frequency: chronic suppurative otitis media, 76.3%; appendicitis/peritonitis, 10.3%; osteomyelitis, 8.9%; skin or soft tissue infection, 6.3%; acute conjunctivitis, 3.0%; and urinary tract infection, 0.1%. A variety of O serogroups were identified: O1 (15.2%), O6 (14.7%), O11 (12.4%), O10 (11.5%), O3 (10.6%), O5 (5.1%), and O9 (4.6%), Other serogroups and nontypable strains were recovered at a frequency of 11.2% and 14.7%, respectively, Nontypable strains predominated in chronic otitis media (18.9%), while serogroups O1 (18.3%), O6 (17.5%), and O11 (17.5%) were recovered most frequently among the typable isolates, Susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to antipseudomonadal agents was extremely high. The rate of susceptibility to ceftazidime was 99.6%, to azlocillin 98.6%, to piperacillin 98.2%, to aztreonam 97.3%, to gentamicin and netilmicin 97.7%, and to ciprofloxacin 99.1%, All isolates were susceptible to tobramycin, imipenem, and amikacin. The results might suggest that community-acquired Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in children can be treated successfully with any antipseudomonadal antibiotic

Emergence of VIM-1 metallo-β-lactamase-producing escherichia coli in a neonatal intensive care unit

A carbapenem-resistant Escherichia coli isolate was recovered from rectal swab of a 12-day-old female neonate, which was admitted to a Greek neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Phenotypic testing, polymerase chain reaction assays with sequencing, and plasmid analysis revealed that the isolate harbored a plasmid-mediated blaVIM-1 metallo-β-lactamase gene. The appearance of a metallo-β-lactamase-producing E. coli in NICU is worrisome. Further surveys are needed to determine whether such Enterobacteriaceae may also be spreading in other NICUs. Copyright © 2011, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc

Resistance pattern of Streptococcus pneumoniae in children during a four-year period in Greece

The resistance pattern of 432 Streptococcus pneumoniae strains isolated from children with various infections over a 4-year period (1992-1995) was determined. The rates of resistance to penicillin, chloramphenicol. tetracycline, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, erythromycin, clindamycin, cefotaxime, and vancomycin were 10%, 2.8%, 4.6%, 4.9%, 4.4%, 2.5%, 0.9%, and 0%, respectively. All strains not susceptible to penicillin were intermediately susceptible to penicillin(MIC >0.06-less than or equal to 1 mu g/ml). Isolates not susceptible to penicillin were encountered significantly more often in children with localized infections than in those with invasive disease: these isolates displayed significantly lower susceptibility to non-beta-lactam agents as compared with their penicillin-susceptible counterparts

Increased hydrolysis of oximino-β-lactams by CMY-107, a Tyr199Cys mutant form of CMY-2 produced by Escherichia coli

The cephalosporinase CMY-107, a Tyr199Cys mutant form of CMY-2 encoded by an IncI self-transferable plasmid carried by an Escherichia coli clinical strain, was characterized. The enzyme hydrolyzed oximino-cephalosporins and aztreonam more efficiently than CMY-2 did. © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved

Bacillus cereus meningitis in a term neonate

A case of Bacillus cereus meningitis in a term neonate without identifiable risk factors or source of the organism is presented. Prompt identification of the organism and treatment resulted in a favourable outcome. ©2009 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc

CMY-13, a novel inducible cephalosporinase encoded by an Escherichia coli plasmid

An IncN plasmid (p541) from Escherichia coli carried a Citrobacter freundii-derived sequence of 4,252 bp which included an ampC-ampR region and was bound by two directly repeated IS26 elements. ampC encoded a novel cephalosporinase (CMY-13) with activity similar to that of CMY-2. AmpR was likely functional as indicated in induction experiments

Real-life evaluation of a COVID-19 rapid antigen detection test in hospitalized children

Rapid antigen detection (RAD) tests for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 are simpler, faster, and less expensive than the reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) that is currently considered the gold standard for the diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The objective of this study was to determine the performance of the PANBIO COVID-19 Ag RAD (Abbott) test, a lateral flow immunoassay that detects the nucleocapsid protein, using as a reference RT-PCR method the Cobas®8800 System (Roche Diagnostics). This prospective study was conducted in a tertiary Children's Hospital and included individuals aged ≤16 years with COVID-19-related symptoms or epidemiological criteria for COVID-19. Two nasopharyngeal samples were collected to perform the PANBIO RAD test and RT-PCR. Of 744 children included, 51 (6.86%) had a positive RT-PCR result. The RAD test detected 42 of 51 PCR-positive children while there were no false-positive results. The overall sensitivity and specificity were 82.35% (95% CI, 71.9%–92.8%) and 100%, respectively. Sensitivity was >95% in symptomatic children. The assay performed poorly in asymptomatically infected children. In agreement with previous studies in adults, the PANBIO RAD test can be useful in screening for COVID-19 in children admitted with symptoms suggestive of the disease, especially in the first days of the illness. © 2021 Wiley Periodicals LL