A five year outbreak of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus phage type 53,85 in a regional neonatal unit

We identified a 5-year outbreak of a methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) strain, affecting 202 babies on a neonatal unit, by routine weekly phage typing all S. aureus isolates. Multiple staged control measures including strict emphasis on hand hygiene, environmental and staff surveillance sampling, and application of topical hexachlorophane powder failed to end the outbreak. S. aureus PT 53,85 (SA5385) was found on opened packs of Stomahesive®, used as a neonatal skin protectant. Only following the implementation of aseptic handling of Stomahesive®, and the use of topical mupirocin for staff nasal carriers of SA5385, and for babies colonized or infected with S. aureus, did the isolation rate of SA5385 decline. DNA fingerprinting indicated that [gt-or-equal, slanted]95% of SA5385 isolates were clonal. In vitro death rates of SA5385 on Stomahesive® with human serum were significantly lower than on Stomahesive® alone (P = 0·04), and on cotton sheet with serum (P = 0·04), highlighting the potential of this material as a survival niche. Phage typing remains a valuable, inexpensive and simple method for monitoring nosocomial MSSA infection

Observed response of stratospheric and mesospheric composition to sudden stratospheric warmings.

In this study we investigate and quantify the statistical changes that occur in the stratosphere and mesosphere during 37 sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) events from 1989 to 2016. We consider changes in the in-situ ozonesonde observations of the stratosphere from four sites in the northern hemisphere (Ny-Ålesund, Sodankylä, Lerwick, and Boulder). These data are supported by Aura/MLS satellite observations of the ozone volumetric mixing ratio above each site, and also ground-based total-column O3 and NO2, and mesospheric wind measurements, measured at the Sodankylä site. Due to the long-time periods under consideration (weeks/months) we evaluate the observations explicitly in relation to the annual mean of each data set. Following the onset of SSWs we observe an increase in temperature above the mean (for sites usually within the polar vortex) that persists for >∼40 days. During this time the stratospheric and mesospheric ozone (volume mixing ratio and partial pressure) increases by ∼20% as observed by both ozonesonde and satellite instrumentation. Ground-based observations from Sodankylä demonstrate the total column NO2 does not change significantly during SSWs, remaining close to the annual mean. The zonal wind direction in the mesosphere at Sodankylä shows a clear reversal close to SSW onset. Our results have broad implications for understanding the statistical variability of atmospheric changes occurring due to SSWs and provides quantification of such changes for comparison with modelling studies

Solar proton events and stratospheric ozone depletion over northern Finland

We examine the variation of stratospheric ozone over northern Finland using ozonesonde observations from 1845 stratospheric balloon flights launched between 1989 and 2015 from near Sodankylä. The annual variation of the ozone partial pressure is examined and seasonal variations are explored and quantified. Direct links between the measured ozone partial pressure and common solar-wind parameters are also examined. A superposed-epoch analysis of the observations based on 191 solar proton events (SPEs) reveals a clear drop in the ozone partial pressure that commences following SPE-arrival at Earth. This analysis shows a reduction in stratospheric ozone in the winter/early-spring months (when the polar vortex is active over northern Finland), in contrast to summer/early-autumn months where no decrease is detected. By subtracting the natural seasonal variations in ozone partial pressure the SPE-driven reduction in ozone between 16 km and 24 km altitude is quantified. Analysis indicates that the ozone partial pressure during winter/early-spring is reduced, with a minimum reached ∼8 days following the SPE arrival. On average, the ozone partial pressure is reduced by ∼10% between 16 and 24 km altitude and takes ∼40 days to return to its previous level. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive statistical study, on a regional basis, that provides direct, and long-term in-situ evidence for ozone depletion by SPEs in the northern hemisphere

The Depsipeptide Romidepsin Reverses HIV-1 Latency In Vivo.

UNLABELLED: Pharmacologically-induced activation of replication competent proviruses from latency in the presence of antiretroviral treatment (ART) has been proposed as a step towards curing HIV-1 infection. However, until now, approaches to reverse HIV-1 latency in humans have yielded mixed results. Here, we report a proof-of-concept phase Ib/IIa trial where 6 aviremic HIV-1 infected adults received intravenous 5 mg/m2 romidepsin (Celgene) once weekly for 3 weeks while maintaining ART. Lymphocyte histone H3 acetylation, a cellular measure of the pharmacodynamic response to romidepsin, increased rapidly (maximum fold range: 3.7-7.7 relative to baseline) within the first hours following each romidepsin administration. Concurrently, HIV-1 transcription quantified as copies of cell-associated un-spliced HIV-1 RNA increased significantly from baseline during treatment (range of fold-increase: 2.4-5.0; p = 0.03). Plasma HIV-1 RNA increased from <20 copies/mL at baseline to readily quantifiable levels at multiple post-infusion time-points in 5 of 6 patients (range 46-103 copies/mL following the second infusion, p = 0.04). Importantly, romidepsin did not decrease the number of HIV-specific T cells or inhibit T cell cytokine production. Adverse events (all grade 1-2) were consistent with the known side effects of romidepsin. In conclusion, romidepsin safely induced HIV-1 transcription resulting in plasma HIV-1 RNA that was readily detected with standard commercial assays demonstrating that significant reversal of HIV-1 latency in vivo is possible without blunting T cell-mediated immune responses. These finding have major implications for future trials aiming to eradicate the HIV-1 reservoir. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov NTC02092116

Specification of the near-Earth space environment with SHIELDS

Predicting variations in the near-Earth space environment that can lead to spacecraft damage and failure is one example of “space weather” and a big space physics challenge. A project recently funded through the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program aims at developing a new capability to understand, model, and predict Space Hazards Induced near Earth by Large Dynamic Storms, the SHIELDS framework. The project goals are to understand the dynamics of the surface charging environment (SCE), the hot (keV) electrons representing the source and seed populations for the radiation belts, on both macro- and micro-scale. Important physics questions related to particle injection and acceleration associated with magnetospheric storms and substorms, as well as plasma waves, are investigated. These challenging problems are addressed using a team of world-class experts in the fields of space science and computational plasma physics, and state-of-the-art models and computational facilities. A full two-way coupling of physics-based models across multiple scales, including a global MHD (BATS-R-US) embedding a particle-in-cell (iPIC3D) and an inner magnetosphere (RAM-SCB) codes, is achieved. New data assimilation techniques employing in situ satellite data are developed; these provide an order of magnitude improvement in the accuracy in the simulation of the SCE. SHIELDS also includes a post-processing tool designed to calculate the surface charging for specific spacecraft geometry using the Curvilinear Particle-In-Cell (CPIC) code that can be used for reanalysis of satellite failures or for satellite design

Cotton in the new millennium: advances, economics, perceptions and problems

Cotton is the most significant natural fibre and has been a preferred choice of the textile industry and consumers since the industrial revolution began. The share of man-made fibres, both regenerated and synthetic fibres, has grown considerably in recent times but cotton production has also been on the rise and accounts for about half of the fibres used for apparel and textile goods. To cotton’s advantage, the premium attached to the presence of cotton fibre and the general positive consumer perception is well established, however, compared to commodity man-made fibres and high performance fibres, cotton has limitations in terms of its mechanical properties but can help to overcome moisture management issues that arise with performance apparel during active wear. This issue of Textile Progress aims to: i. Report on advances in cotton cultivation and processing as well as improvements to conventional cotton cultivation and ginning. The processing of cotton in the textile industry from fibre to finished fabric, cotton and its blends, and their applications in technical textiles are also covered. ii. Explore the economic impact of cotton in different parts of the world including an overview of global cotton trade. iii. Examine the environmental perception of cotton fibre and efforts in organic and genetically-modified (GM) cotton production. The topic of naturally-coloured cotton, post-consumer waste is covered and the environmental impacts of cotton cultivation and processing are discussed. Hazardous effects of cultivation, such as the extensive use of pesticides, insecticides and irrigation with fresh water, and consequences of the use of GM cotton and cotton fibres in general on the climate are summarised and the effects of cotton processing on workers are addressed. The potential hazards during cotton cultivation, processing and use are also included. iv. Examine how the properties of cotton textiles can be enhanced, for example, by improving wrinkle recovery and reducing the flammability of cotton fibre