bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Use of Clindamycin in Patients with Liver Disease
Authors: Hinthorn Daniel R. , Baker Larry H. , Romig Donald A. , Hassanein Khatab , Liu Chien
Published: June 2012

Hepatotoxicity has been noted by several investigators during parenteral use of clindamycin, and some have reported that drug half-life is prolonged in the presence of liver disease. We administered 300 mg of clindamycin intravenously at 12-h intervals for 2 days to patients with acute and chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and controls to determine whether clindamycin will exacerbate preexisting hepatic dysfunction or whether drug excretion will be delayed in patients with liver disease as compared with controls. Exacerbation of hepatotoxicity was not found in this study. There was a small, but significant, delay in drug elimination between cirrhotics and controls, even after the first dose of clindamycin (
P
< 0.05); however, half-lives in all categories were in the range usually considered normal. We conclude that clindamycin can be used in liver disease in some circumstances, if proper precautions are exercised.
Efficacy of Cinoxacin in Urinary Tract Infections
Authors: Panwalker Anand P. , Giamarellou Helen , Jackson George G.
Published: June 2012

Cinoxacin, a new synthetic antibacterial agent with in vitro activity against all species of
Enterobacteriaceae
, was used in the treatment of urinary tract infections in 20 patients. The dose of cinoxacin was 250 mg orally every 6 h for 10 days. The etiological agents were
Escherichia coli
in fifteen,
Klebsiella-Enterobacter
in five,
Proteus mirabilis
in two, and
Providencia
in one. The minimal inhibitory concentration for these organisms ranged from 2 to 64 μg/ml. Eleven of the 20 patients had renal involvement by defined criteria, whereas the remaining nine were considered to have bladder bacilluria. The initial strain was eradicated during and immediately after treatment in 19 of 20 cases. At 6 weeks, 65% had sterile urine. Bactericidal urine levels of cinoxacin were obtained in all patients. No significant hematological, renal, hepatic, or gastroenterologic toxicity was noted. Cinoxacin appears to be a safe and useful drug in the treatment of urinary tract infections caused by
Enterobacteriaceae
.
Peritoneal Transfer of Thiamphenicol During Peritoneal Dialysis
Authors: Furman K. I. , Koornhof H. J. , Kilroe-Smith T. A. , Landless R. , Robinson R. G.
Published: June 2012

The pharmacokinetics of thiamphenicol (TAP) was studied in 17 functionally anephric patients during peritoneal dialysis. Eleven patients were given single intramuscular injections of TAP in doses of 10 to 20 mg/kg of body weight. After this, serial blood samples and outflow dialysate collections were assayed for TAP by gas chromatography. The mean overall elimination rate constant was 0.036 ± 0.007/h, the serum half time was 8.4 h, and the apparent volume of distribution was 71.0% (±14.39%) of the body weight. These parameters were not significantly different from those determined in anephric patients not on dialysis. The mean recovery of the administered TAP doses in the pooled outflow dialysate was 7.7% (±2.76%) over 22 h. In six other patients TAP was added to the inflow dialysate in concentrations of 10 to 20 mg/liter for 22 h. Throughout the dialysis periods, serum TAP levels did not rise above 4 μg/ml in transfer of TAP.
Mode of Action of the Polyene Antibiotic Candicidin: Binding Factors in the Wall of
Candida albicans
Authors: Hammond S. M. , Kliger B. N.
Published: June 2012

The polyene antibiotic candicidin produces a rapid efflux of K
+
ions from a suspension of
Candida albicans
. Onset of K
+
leakage depends on the culture age, stationary-phase yeasts leaking K
+
more slowly than exponential-phase yeasts. The time taken for potassium leakage to begin represents the time taken by the antibiotic to cross the cell wall and produce membrane damage. It was shown that there were factors in the cell wall of
C. albicans
that increased their total binding capacity and their affinity for candicidin during growth. An attempt was made to relate changes in the lipid content of the yeast cell with the increased time taken to produce membrane damage.
In Vitro Susceptibility Comparisons and Recommendations for Oxolinic Acid
Authors: Klein Dolph , Matsen John M.
Published: June 2012

Minimal inhibitory concentration and disk diffusion susceptibility studies were carried out with oxolinic acid to determine a recommended disk content for disk susceptibility testing. Regression curve analyses were performed with disks containing 1, 2, and 5 μg of oxolinic acid. Data suggest that the 5-μg disk more satisfactorily fulfills requirements for susceptibility testing than the 1- or 2-μg disks evaluated. Ultraviolet spectral analysis studies for absorption maxima and extinction coefficients were done to verify the authenticity and concentration of oxolinic acid in the aqueous solutions studied.
Formation of Beta-Lactamase in
Bacteroides fragilis
: Cell-Bound and Extracellular Activity
Authors: Olsson Barbro , Nord Carl-Erik , Wadström Torkel
Published: June 2012

Nine strains of
Bacteroides fragilis
were cultivated in stirred fermentors and tested for their ability to produce β-lactamase. There was a correlation between formation of β-lactamase and high values of the minimal inhibitory concentration against β-lactam antibiotics.
B. fragilis
strain B70 was used for optimizing the production of β-lactamase. The highest bacterial yield was obtained in a proteose peptone-yeast extract medium. Optimal conditions for growth and β-lactamase production were obtained at 37 C and pH 7.0. The β-lactamase was released into the surrounding medium during the growth period to about 50%. Osmotic shock released about 20% of the total activity, and remaining activity was found in the cytoplasmic fraction. Substrate profile studies on four β-lactamase-producing strains showed that the enzymes were mainly cephalosporinases. They are inhibited by cloxacillin,
p
-chloromercuribenzoate, and iodine. Analytical isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gel gave an isoelectric point of 4.9 ± 0.2 for three of the strains and 5.6 ± 0.2 for one. Comparison with β-lactamases from aerobic gram-negative species with regard to isoelectric points showed no similarities. Also the molecular weight of the β-lactamase from strain B70 of 43,000 indicates that this is a new class of β-lactamase.
Activity of Sulfamethoxazole and Trimethoprim Against
Bacteroides fragilis
Authors: Phillips Ian , Warren Christine
Published: June 2012

Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and trimethoprim (TMP), alone and in three combinations, 20:1, 1:1, and 1:20, were determined on Diagnostic Sensitivity Test (DST) and Mueller-Hinton (MH) agars containing lysed blood for various inocula of 91 strains of
Bacteroides fragilis
from the U.S.A. and U.K. MICs of SMX were high with large inocula and higher on MH than DST, but results for TMP were less affected by these two factors. True SMX resistance was rare: 10 U.S.A. strains previously reported as resistant appeared to be susceptible. Maximum potentiation of MICs was observed when SMX and TMP were combined in ratios close to those of the ratios of their MICs, that is, SMX/TMP 20:1 for large inocula and the reverse for small inocula for determinations on DST and usually 20:1 for all inoculum sizes on MH. These observations explain some of the discrepancies in reports, but defer the problem of potential usefulness of the drugs in the treatment of infection with anaerobes to future study.
Active Immobilized Antibiotics Based on Metal Hydroxides
Authors: Kennedy John F. , Humphreys John D.
Published: June 2012

The water-insoluble hydroxides of zirconium (IV), titanium (IV), titanium (III), iron (II), vanadium (III), and tin (II) have been used to prepare insoluble derivatives of a cyclic peptide antibiotic by a facile chelation process. Testing of the antibacterial activities of the products against two gram-positive and two gram-negative bacteria showed that in the majority of cases the water-insoluble antibiotics remained active against those bacteria susceptible to the parent antibiotic. The power of the assay system has been extended by the novel use of colored organisms to aid determinations where the growth of normal organisms could not be distinguished from the appearance of the supporting material. Insoluble derivatives of neomycin, polymyxin B, streptomycin, ampicillin, penicillin G, and chloramphenicol were prepared by chelation with zirconium hydroxide, and these derivatives similarly reflected the antibacterial activities of the parent compounds. Several of the metal hydroxides themselves possess antibacterial activity due to complex formation with the bacteria. However, the use of selected metal hydroxides can afford a simple, inexpensive, and inert matrix for antibiotic immobilization, resulting in an antibacterial product that may possess slow-release properties. The mechanisms by which the metal hydroxide-antibiotic association-dissociation may occur are discussed.
Mecillinam, a Novel Penicillanic Acid Derivative with Unusual Activity Against Gram-Negative Bacteria
Authors: Neu Harold C.
Published: June 2012

The in vitro activity of mecillinam, a 6 β-amidinopenicillanic acid derivative, was investigated. Mecillinam is not active against most gram-positive coccal or bacilliary forms. Many members of the
Enterobacteriaceae
are inhibited, with 86% of
Escherichia coli
, 71% of Klebsiella, 62% of
Enterobacter
, 75% of
Salmonella
, 69% of
Shigella
, and 70% of
Citrobacter
inhibited by 6.3 μg/ml. Indole-positive
Proteus
and
Serratia
were generally resistant as are
Pseudomonas
strains. Although mecillinam is hydrolyzed by gram-negative β-lactamases, the compound inhibits β-lactamase-producing organisms, particularly
E. coli
. The conductivity of medium used to determine minimal inhibitory concentration and inoculum size produce markedly different values. In medium of high conductivity, 10 mS, mecillinam is inactive against many strains of bacteria. In all media there is a great difference between the minimal inhibitory and minimal bactericidal levels.
Direct Method to Determine the Antibiotic Susceptibility of Rapidly Growing Blood Pathogens
Authors: Wegner Dennis L. , Mathis Clarence R. , Neblett Thomas R.
Published: June 2012

Standardized direct disk diffusion antibiotic susceptibility testing on monomicrobial blood cultures is compared with the Food and Drug Administration method. The direct method yields acceptable data and may conserve 24 h in reporting results.
Antibiotic Resistance Among Coliform and Fecal Coliform Bacteria Isolated from the Freshwater Mussel
Hydridella menziesii
Authors: Cooke Marylyn D.
Published: June 2012

Freshwater mussels (
Hydridella menziesii
) collected from Lakes Rotoroa, Rotoiti, and Brunner, South Island, New Zealand, contained coliform and fecal coliform bacteria. The majority of these bacteria were resistant to one or more antibiotics, but none transferred streptomycin, tetracycline, or kanamycin resistance to an antibiotic-susceptible strain of
Escherichia coli
K-12.
Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Six Clinical Isolates of
Aspergillus
Authors: Kitahara M. , Seth V. K. , Medoff G. , Kobayashi G. S.
Published: June 2012

Several different methods of performing susceptibility tests on six clinical isolates of
Aspergillus
are described. Some of the conditions that affected the level of susceptibility to drugs were: the type of media used, temperature and time of incubation, and the initial inoculum size. For amphotericin B susceptibility testing, the effectiveness of the polyene antibiotic as measured by visual growth was equivalent to the effectiveness as measured by inhibition of ribonucleic acid synthesis and dry-weight increase. For 5-fluorocytosine and rifampin, the visual-turbidity method gave minimum inhibitory concentrations that were much higher than those determined by effects on ribonucleic acid synthesis and dry weight. The reason for these discrepancies in susceptibility testing with 5-fluorocytosine and rifampin are unknown. We conclude that the most relevant test of this fungus to antifungal agents will have to be determined by the correlation of in vitro data with animal experiments and clinical results.
Streptomycin Accumulation in Susceptible and Resistant Strains of
Escherichia coli
and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Authors: Bryan L. E. , Elzen H. M. Van Den
Published: June 2012

Streptomycin accumulation by susceptible strains of
Escherichia coli
and
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
has been shown to be prevented or inhibited by inhibitors of electron transport, sulfhydryl groups and protein synthesis, and agents that uncouple oxidative phosphorylation. Streptomycin is recovered from cells in an unchanged form and is intracellularly concentrated above extracellular concentrations. Accumulation kinetics are multiphasic; an initial phase which cannot be prevented by the above inhibitors is unable to cause inhibition of cell growth or loss of cell viability. Prevention of further phases of uptake does prevent these events. Inhibitor-susceptible accumulation is time dependent and begins almost immediately upon exposure of cells to streptomycin. Streptomycin accumulation remains energy dependent even when cells are losing acid-soluble [
3
H]adenine, presumably through loss of permeability control. These results demonstrate that streptomycin accumulation necessary for inhibition of cell growth or cell death requires energy and is not a process of diffusion or secondary to membrane leakage. Streptomycin accumulation in ribosomally resistant mutants of
E. coli
and
P. aeruginosa
is similar in that both energy-independent and energy-dependent accumulation can be demonstrated. The total energy-dependent accumulation is, however, significantly lower than that in streptomycin-susceptible cells due to the absence of an additional energy-dependent phase of accumulation, which seems dependent on ribosomal binding of streptomycin. Ribosomally resistant strains can be shown to concentrate streptomycin accumulated by the energy-dependent process above the external concentration in nutrient broth but not in Trypticase soy broth. The energy-dependent accumulation can be saturated in the Str
r
strain of
E. coli
in nutrient broth, implying limited accumulation sites.
Relative Inactivation by
Staphylococcus aureus
of Eight Cephalosporin Antibiotics
Authors: Fong Ignatius W. , Engelking Elin R. , Kirby William M. M.
Published: June 2012

These studies extend the recent observation that cefazolin is inactivated to a greater extent than cephaloridine by some strains of penicillinase-producing
Staphylococcus aureus
, whereas cephalothin undergoes little if any inactivation. In Mueller-Hinton broth (inoculum, 3 × 10
6
) 100 recently isolated strains had minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ≤ 2 μg/ml for cephalothin and cephaloridine, whereas in Trypticase soy broth (TSB) 50% had MICs > 2 μg/ml and 10% (designated “resistant” strains) were >8 μg/ml for cephaloridine but remained ≤2 μg/ml for cephalothin. A large inoculum (3 × 10
7
) of strains with high MICs in TSB almost completely inactivated 50 μg of cefazolin per ml in 6 h, with progressively less inactivation, in the following order, of cephaloridine, cephalexin, cephradine, cephapirin, and cefamandole; cefoxitin and cephalothin underwent little if any inactivation. The greater inactivation in TSB than in Mueller-Hinton broth appeared to be due to a greater production of β-lactamases by each colony-forming unit, since the inoculum size in the two broths was not significantly different. In contrast, “susceptible” strains (MICs ≤ 2 μg/ml in both broths) inactivated cephaloridine more than cefazolin, and equal amounts of powdered bacterial extracts confirmed the fact that qualitatively different β-lactamases were produced by the susceptible and resistant strains. Disk diffusion tests were unreliable in separating the two groups of staphylococci. The clinical significance of inactivation by strains with high MICs is not known but, unless susceptibility can be clearly established, cephalothin appears preferable for severe staphylococcal infections, since it undergoes little if any inactivation by any strains of staphylococci.
Ototoxicity of Amikacin
Authors: Black Robert E. , Lau William K. , Weinstein Ralph J. , Young Lowell S. , Hewitt William L.
Published: June 2012

Amikacin was used in 77 treatment courses at a dosage of ≥7.5 mg/kg every 8 h, and patients were monitored for ototoxicity by following serial audiograms, serum creatinine, and amikacin blood levels. Patients were leukopenic (58), were infected by gentamicin-resistant organisms (11), or had cystic fibrosis (8). Three patients developed tinnitus, but none had vertigo or nystagmus. Of 55 courses with pre- and post-treatment audiogram, 13 (24%) were associated with development of high-frequency hearing loss, which was usually bilateral. No patient had conversational hearing loss, and audiograms reverted to normal in three patients. Onset of cochlear damage occurred in one patient after therapy was stopped. The group with high-tone hearing loss, in comparison to the group without audiographic changes, received a larger mean total dose (24 versus 9.6 g), were treated for a longer duration (19 versus 9 days), and more frequently had previous aminoglycosides. Fifty-seven percent of patients with a “peak” serum level exceeding 32 μg/ml and 55% of patients with “trough” levels exceeding 10 μg/ml developed cochlear damage. There was no difference between the groups in age, body weight, previous cochlear damage, renal disease before or during therapy, or average daily dose. Both monitoring of blood levels and limiting duration of therapy may prevent amikacin ototoxicity.
In Vitro Comparison of Cefoxitin, Cefamandole, Cephalexin, and Cephalothin
Authors: Eickhoff Theodore C. , Ehret Josephine M.
Published: June 2012

The in vitro effect of cefoxitin, cefamandole, cephalexin, and cephalothin was tested against 645 strains of bacteria recently isolated from clinical sources. Against gram-positive organisms cephalothin and cefamandole were the most effective, generally being three- to fourfold more active than cephalexin or cefoxitin. Enterococci were not inhibited by less than 25 μg of any of the antibiotics per ml. Against
Enterobacteriaceae
, cefoxitin and cefamandole were the most active. An exception was the
Enterobacter
strains, against which cefoxitin was the least effective. None of the
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
strains were susceptible to 100 μg of any of the cephalosporins per ml. Cefamandole was the most active agent against
Neisseria meningitidis
and
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
. It was also the most effective agent against
Haemophilus influenzae
, even when taking into account a threefold inoculum effect.
Genome-Wide Mapping of Cystitis Due to Streptococcus agalactiae and Escherichia coli in Mice Identifies a Unique Bladder Transcriptome That Signifies Pathogen-Specific Antimicrobial Defense against Urinary Tract Infection
Authors: Tan Chee K. , Carey Alison J. , Cui Xiangqin , Webb Richard I. , Ipe Deepak , Crowley Michael , Cripps Allan W. , Benjamin William H. , Ulett Kimberly B. , Schembri Mark A. , Ulett Glen C.
Published: June 2012

The most common causes of urinary tract infections (UTIs) are Gram-negative pathogens such asEscherichia coli; however, Gram-positive organisms, includingStreptococcus agalactiae, or group B streptococcus (GBS), also cause UTI. In GBS infection, UTI progresses to cystitis once the bacteria colonize the bladder, but the host responses triggered in the bladder immediately following infection are largely unknown. Here, we used genome-wide expression profiling to map the bladder transcriptome of GBS UTI in mice infected transurethrally with uropathogenic GBS that was cultured from a 35-year-old women with cystitis. RNA from bladders was applied to Affymetrix Gene-1.0ST microarrays; quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to analyze selected gene responses identified in array data sets. A surprisingly small significant-gene list of 172 genes was identified at 24 h; this compared to 2,507 genes identified in a side-by-side comparison with uropathogenicE. coli(UPEC). No genes exhibited significantly altered expression at 2 h in GBS-infected mice according to arrays despite high bladder bacterial loads at this early time point. The absence of a marked early host response to GBS juxtaposed with broad-based bladder responses activated by UPEC at 2 h. Bioinformatics analyses, including integrative system-level network mapping, revealed multiple activated biological pathways in the GBS bladder transcriptome that regulate leukocyte activation, inflammation, apoptosis, and cytokine-chemokine biosynthesis. These findings define a novel, minimalistic type of bladder host response triggered by GBS UTI, which comprises collective antimicrobial pathways that differ dramatically from those activated by UPEC. Overall, this study emphasizes the unique nature of bladder immune activation mechanisms triggered by distinct uropathogens.
Host Response Signature to Staphylococcus aureus Alpha-Hemolysin Implicates Pulmonary Th17 Response
Authors: Frank Karen M. , Zhou Tong , Moreno-Vinasco Liliana , Hollett Brian , Garcia Joe G. N. , Bubeck Wardenburg Juliane
Published: June 2012

Staphylococcus aureuspneumonia causes significant morbidity and mortality. Alpha-hemolysin (Hla), a pore-forming cytotoxin ofS. aureus, has been identified through animal models of pneumonia as a critical virulence factor that induces lung injury. In spite of considerable molecular knowledge of how this cytotoxin injures the host, the precise host response to Hla in the context of infection remains poorly understood. We employed whole-genome expression profiling of infected lungs to define the host response to wild-typeS. aureuscompared with the response to an Hla-deficient isogenic mutant in experimental pneumonia. These data provide a complete expression profile at 4 and at 24 h postinfection, revealing a unique response to the toxin-expressing strain. Gene ontogeny analysis revealed significant differences in the extracellular matrix and cardiomyopathy pathways, both of which govern cellular interactions in the tissue microenvironment. Evaluation of individual transcript responses to Hla-secreting staphylococci was notable for upregulation of host cytokine and chemokine genes, including the p19 subunit of interleukin-23. Consistent with this observation, the cellular immune response to infection was characterized by a prominent Th17 response to the wild-type pathogen. These findings define specific host mRNA responses to Hla-producingS. aureus, coupling the pulmonary Th17 response to the secretion of this cytotoxin. Expression profiling to define the host response to a single virulence factor proved to be a valuable tool in identifying pathways for further investigation inS. aureuspneumonia. This approach may be broadly applicable to the study of bacterial toxins, defining host pathways that can be targeted to mitigate toxin-induced disease.
Complete Genome Sequence of Borrelia crocidurae
Authors: Elbir Haitham , Gimenez Grégory , Robert Catherine , Bergström Sven , Cutler Sally , Raoult Didier , Drancourt Michel
Published: June 2012

We announce the draft genome sequence of
Borrelia crocidurae
(strain Achema). The 1,557,560-bp genome (27% GC content) comprises one 919,477-bp linear chromosome and 638,083-bp plasmids that together carry 1,472 open reading frames, 32 tRNAs, and three complete rRNAs, with almost complete colinearity between
B. crocidurae
and
Borrelia duttonii
chromosomes.
Genome Sequence of Helicobacter pylori hpEurope Strain N6
Authors: Behrens Wiebke , Bönig Tobias , Suerbaum Sebastian , Josenhans Christine
Published: June 2012

Helicobacter pylori
colonizes about half of the world's population. It is a causative agent of stomach diseases, including malignant tumors. We report the genome sequence of strain N6, which is widely used in
H. pylori
research and appreciated for its large cell size and high transformation efficiency.
Genome Sequence of the Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacterium
Bacillus
sp. Strain JS
Authors: Song Ju Yeon , Kim Hyun A , Kim Ji-Seoung , Kim Seon-Young , Jeong Haeyoung , Kang Sung Gyun , Kim Byung Kwon , Kwon Soon-Kyeong , Lee Choong Hoon , Yu Dong Su , Kim Beom Seok , Kim Sun-Hyung , Kwon Suk Yoon , Kim Jihyun F.
Published: June 2012

Volatile and nonvolatile compounds emitted from the plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium
Bacillus
sp. strain JS enhance the growth of tobacco and lettuce. Here, we report the high-quality genome sequence of this bacterium. Its 4.1-Mb genome reveals a number of genes whose products are possibly involved in promotion of plant growth or antibiosis.
Genome Sequence of the Leaf-Colonizing Bacterium Bacillus sp. Strain 5B6, Isolated from a Cherry Tree
Authors: Kim Byung Kwon , Chung Joon-hui , Kim Seon-Young , Jeong Haeyoung , Kang Sung Gyun , Kwon Soon-Kyeong , Lee Choong Hoon , Song Ju Yeon , Yu Dong Su , Ryu Choong-Min , Kim Jihyun F.
Published: June 2012

Plant growth-promoting bacteria colonize various habitats, including the phyllosphere. Here, we present the high-quality draft genome sequence of
Bacillus
sp. strain 5B6, which was isolated from the leaf of a cherry tree. The 3.9-Mb genome uncovers its potential for understanding the nature of leaf colonization as well as antibiosis against plant pathogens.
Draft Genome Sequence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Strain ATCC 27853
Authors: Fang Xiangqun , Fang Zhiwei , Zhao Jiao , Zou Yuanqiang , Li Tianzhi , Wang Junfeng , Guo Yinghua , Chang De , Su Longxiang , Ni Peixiang , Liu Changting
Published: June 2012

Pseudomonas aeruginosa
is a common bacterium that can cause disease. The versatility of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
enables the organism to infect damaged tissues or those with reduced immunity which cause inflammation and sepsis. Here we report the genome sequence of the strain ATCC 27853.
Complete Genome Sequence of Bifidobacterium breve CECT 7263, a Strain Isolated from Human Milk
Authors: Jiménez Esther , Villar-Tajadura M. Antonia , Marín María , Fontecha Javier , Requena Teresa , Arroyo Rebeca , Fernández Leónides , Rodríguez Juan M.
Published: June 2012

Bifidobacterium breve
is an actinobacterium frequently isolated from colonic microbiota of breastfeeding babies. Here, we report the complete and annotated genome sequence of a
B. breve
strain isolated from human milk,
B. breve
CECT 7263. The genome sequence will provide new insights into the biology of this potential probiotic organism and will allow the characterization of genes related to beneficial properties.
A microbiological hazard of rural living:Clostridium septicumbrain abscess in a child withE coli0157 associated haemolytic uraemic syndrome: Figure 1
Authors: Williams Eleri J , Mitchell Patrick , Mitra Dipayan , Clark Julia E
Published: June 2012

Clostridium septicuminfection in humans is rare and this is the second case report of focalC septicumbrain abscesses associated withEscherichia coli0157 haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS). The case presented in a child who lived on a rural farm. The abscesses initially progressed despite 7 months of appropriate antibiotic therapy and repeated image-guided aspiration. After definitive resection and prolonged antibiotic therapy, there was no recurrence. This case reminds us of this rare but important neurological complication of HUS and supports consideration of early definitive neurosurgical intervention in similar unusual cases.
Benign inflammatory pseudotumour mimicking extrahepatic bile duct cholangiocarcinoma in an adult man presenting with painless obstructive jaundice
Authors: Abu-Wasel Bassam , Eltawil Karim M , Molinari Michele
Published: June 2012

Inflammatory pseudotumours (IPTs) of the biliary tract are extremely rare and heterogeneous by aetiology and clinical presentation. They might cause biliary obstruction and mimic cholangiocarcinomas and their final diagnosis is usually achieved only after surgical excision. The most characteristic feature of IPT is the presence of chronic inflammatory cell infiltrates with variable degree of proliferating fibrous tissue. IPTs have the potential for recurrence even after resection and if untreated they can grow causing a variety of symptoms due to compression of the surrounding structures and organs. Despite the significant improvement of modern imaging techniques, preoperative distinction between IPTs of the biliary system and malignancies is extremely difficult. Histological diagnosis poses a clinical challenge because sampling is often suboptimal. Although rare, IPTs should be in the differential diagnosis of patients who present with painless jaundice and no other clinical symptoms or signs characteristics of cholangiocarcinomas.
Kettlebell swing targets semitendinosus and supine leg curl targets biceps femoris: an EMG study with rehabilitation implications
Authors: Zebis Mette Kreutzfeldt , Skotte Jørgen , Andersen Christoffer H , Mortensen Peter , Petersen Højland H , Viskær Tine C , Jensen Tanja L , Bencke Jesper , Andersen Lars L
Published: June 2012

Background

The medial hamstring muscle has the potential to prevent excessive dynamic valgus and external rotation of the knee joint during sports. Thus, specific training targeting the medial hamstring muscle seems important to avoid knee injuries.

Objective

The aim was to investigate the medial and lateral hamstring muscle activation balance during 14 selected therapeutic exercises.

Study design

The study design involved single-occasion repeated measures in a randomised manner. Sixteen female elite handball and soccer players with a mean (SD) age of 23 (3) years and no previous history of knee injury participated in the present study. Electromyographic (EMG) activity of the lateral (biceps femoris – BF) and medial (semitendinosus – ST) hamstring muscle was measured during selected strengthening and balance/coordination exercises, and normalised to EMG during isometric maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). A two-way analysis of variance was performed using the mixed procedure to determine whether differences existed in normalised EMG between exercises and muscles.

Results

Kettlebell swing and Romanian deadlift targeted specifically ST over BF (Δ17–22%, p<0.05) at very high levels of normalised EMG (73–115% of MVC). In contrast, the supine leg curl and hip extension specifically targeted the BF over the ST (Δ 20–23%, p<0.05) at very high levels of normalised EMG (75–87% of MVC).

Conclusion

Specific therapeutic exercises targeting the hamstrings can be divided into ST dominant or BF dominant hamstring exercises. Due to distinct functions of the medial and lateral hamstring muscles, this is an important knowledge in respect to prophylactic training and physical therapist practice.
Increased plasma and salivary cortisol levels in patients with oral cancer and their association with clinical stage
Authors: Bernabé Daniel Galera , Tamae Adriano Caires , Miyahara Glauco Issamu , Sundefeld Maria Lúcia Marçal , Oliveira Sandra Penha , Biasoli Éder Ricardo
Published: June 2012

Objectives

Dysregulation of the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis has been observed in patients with cancer. This cross-sectional study investigated whether patients with oral and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) show changes in cortisol levels in saliva and plasma compared with three control groups, and evaluated its correlation with clinicopathological data.

Methods

Salivary and plasma cortisol levels of 34 patients with oral SCC were compared with hormonal levels of 17 oropharyngeal SCC patients, 17 oral leukoplakia patients, 27 smokers and/or drinkers and 25 healthy volunteers. Multivariate analysis was used to evaluate the impact of clinical variables on the cortisol levels.

Results

The plasma (p<0.05) and salivary (p<0.01) cortisol levels were significantly higher in patients with oral SCC compared with all groups. Patients with oropharyngeal SCC had higher levels of salivary cortisol compared with smokers and/or drinkers (p<0.05) and patients with leukoplakia (p<0.01). Patients with advanced-stage oral SCC showed significantly higher levels of cortisol than those in an initial clinical stage. Men with oral SCC had higher salivary cortisol levels than women (p<0.05). Age, smoking, alcohol consumption, presence of teeth and awareness of cancer diagnosis had no significant effect on cortisol levels.

Conclusions

These results indicate a dysregulation of cortisol secretion in patients with oral cancer and suggest that this hormone can be a biomarker associated with the disease's clinical status.
Bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling with desmopressin
Authors: Deipolyi Amy R , Hirsch Joshua A , Oklu Rahmi
Published: June 2012

In this technical note, the use of desmopressin to stimulate pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone secretion in place of the commercially available corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) in bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling is described. Although the use of CRH is the standard of practice, it is currently unavailable in the USA and desmopressin provides reliable results with no additional observed side effects.
Serological survey to determine the occurrence of respiratory Mycoplasma infections in the Polish cattle population
Authors: Bednarek D. , Ayling R. D. , Nicholas R. A. J. , Dudek K. , Szymańska‐Czerwińska M.
Published: June 2012

Mycoplasma bovis and Mycoplasma mycoides subspecies mycoides small colony (Mmm SC) are causes of bovine mycoplasmosis and contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), respectively, and are responsible for serious economic losses in cattle around the world. CBPP was last reported in Poland in 1939 but bovine mycoplasmosis is believed to be endemic. A survey of 3670 serum samples for antibodies to M bovis and Mmm SC from 361 herds in 16 Polish provinces Poland between 2007 and 2010 found no evidence of CBPP. The seroprevalence of M bovis, however, appeared high with 76.7 per cent of samples giving a positive reaction in the ELISA test, which did not appear to reflect the clinical disease status of the cattle. Adjusting the sensitivity of the test reduced the prevalence to 28.2 per cent and reflects the levels reported in other European countries
Metaproteome analysis to determine the metabolically active part of a thermophilic microbial community producing biogas from agricultural biomass
Authors: Hanreich Angelika , Heyer Robert , Benndorf Dirk , Rapp Erdmann , Pioch Markus , Reichl Udo , Klocke Michael
Published: June 2012

Complex consortia of microorganisms are responsible for biogas production. A lot of information about the taxonomic structure and enzymatic potential of such communities has been collected by a variety of gene-based approaches, yet little is known about which of all the assumable metabolic pathways are active throughout the process of biogas formation. To tackle this problem, we established a protocol for the metaproteomic analysis of samples taken from biogas reactors fed with agricultural biomass. In contrast to previous studies where an anaerobic digester was fed with synthetic wastewater, the complex matrix in this study required the extraction of proteins with liquid phenol and the application of paper bridge loading for 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Proteins were subjected to nanoHPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) coupled to tandem mass spectrometry for characterization. Several housekeeping proteins as well as methanogenesis-related enzymes were identified by a MASCOT search and de novo sequencing, which proved the feasibility of our approach. The establishment of such an approach is the basis for further metaproteomic studies of biogas-producing communities. In particular, the apparent status of metabolic activities within the communities can be monitored. The knowledge collected from such experiments could lead to further improvements of biogas production.
THE BREAKDOWN VOLTAGE CURVES IN DIRECT CURRENT MICRODISCHARGES IN MOLECULAR GASES
Authors: RADMILOVIĆ-RADJENOVIĆ M. , RADJENOVIĆ B. , KLAS M. , MATEJČIK Š.
Published: June 2012

This paper contains experimental results of the direct current breakdown voltage curves in nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen and dry air discharges formed between parallel-plane electrodes placed at distances ranging from 2.5 μm to 100 μm. Experimental results presented here clearly show that electrical breakdown across micron size gap may occur at voltages below the minimum predicted by the conventional scaling law. The observed breakdown voltage reduction maybe attributed to the long path breakdown. Experimental results satisfactorily agree with the available simulation results and can be useful for microelectronic devices in localized diagnostics of ICs during their manufacture, in choosing appropriate conditions for electromechanical micro systems which may eventually lead to nano-machining in localized treatment of materials and assembly of nano-structures and in micro- and nano-biological processing and diagnostics.
NEW APPLICATION OF DECOMPOSITION OF U(1) GAUGE POTENTIAL: AHARONOV–BOHM EFFECT AND ANDERSON–HIGGS MECHANISM
Authors: LI JIAN-FENG , JIANG YU , SUN WEI-MIN , ZONG HONG-SHI , WANG FAN
Published: June 2012

In this paper, we study the Aharonov–Bohm (A–B) effect and Anderson–Higgs mechanism in Ginzburg–Landau model of superconductors from the perspective of the decomposition of U (1) gauge potential. By the Helmholtz theorem, we derive exactly the expression of the transverse gauge potential A⊥ in A–B experiment, which is gauge-invariant and physical. For the case of a bulk superconductor, we find that the gradient of the total phase field θ provides the longitudinal component A‖, which reflects the Anderson–Higgs mechanism. For the case of a superconductor ring, the gradient of the longitudinal phase field θ1 provides the longitudinal component A‖, while the transverse phase field θ2 produces new physical effects such as the flux quantization inside a superconducting ring.
DATASET AND GROUND TRUTH FOR HANDWRITTEN TEXT IN FOUR DIFFERENT SCRIPTS
Authors: ALAEI ALIREZA , PAL UMAPADA , NAGABHUSHAN P.
Published: June 2012

In document image analysis (DIA) especially in handwritten document recognition, standard databases play significant roles for evaluating performances of algorithms and comparing results obtained by different groups of researchers. The field of DIA regard to Indo-Persian documents is still at its infancy compared to Latin script-based documents; as such standard datasets are not still available in literature. This paper is an effort towards alleviating this gap. In this paper, an unconstrained handwritten dataset containing documents of Persian, Bangla, Oriya and Kannada (PBOK) is introduced. The PBOK contains 707 text-pages written in four different languages (Persian, Bangla, Oriya and Kannada) by 436 individuals. Total number of text-lines, words/subwords and characters are 12,565, 104,541 and 423,980, respectively. In most documents of PBOK dataset contain either an overlapping or a touching text-lines. The average number of text-lines in text-pages of the PBOK dataset is 18. Two types of ground truths, based on pixels information and content information, are generated for the dataset. Because of such ground truths, the PBOK dataset can be utilized in many areas of document image processing e.g. text-line segmentation, word segmentation and word recognition. To provide an insight for other researches, recent text-line segmentation results on this dataset are also reported.
COMPETING EFFECTS OF ATTRACTION VS. REPULSION IN CHEMOTAXIS
Authors: TAO YOUSHAN , WANG ZHI-AN
Published: June 2012

We consider the attraction–repulsion chemotaxis system [Formula: see text] under homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions in a bounded domain Ω ⊂ ℝn with smooth boundary, where χ ≥ 0, ξ ≥ 0, α > 0, β > 0, γ > 0, δ > 0 and τ = 0, 1. We study the global solvability, boundedness, blow-up, existence of non-trivial stationary solutions and asymptotic behavior of the system for various ranges of parameter values. Particularly, we prove that the system with τ = 0 is globally well-posed in high dimensions if repulsion prevails over attraction in the sense that ξγ - χα > 0, and that the system with τ = 1 is globally well-posed in two dimensions if repulsion dominates over attraction in the sense that ξγ - χα > 0 and β = δ. Hence our results confirm that the attraction–repulsion is a plausible mechanism to regularize the classical Keller–Segel model whose solution may blow up in higher dimensions.
CONVERGENCE OF A CANCER INVASION MODEL TO A LOGISTIC CHEMOTAXIS MODEL
Authors: HILLEN THOMAS , PAINTER KEVIN J. , WINKLER MICHAEL
Published: June 2012

A characteristic feature of tumor invasion is the destruction of the healthy tissue surrounding it. Open space is generated, which invasive tumor cells can move into. One such mechanism is the urokinase plasminogen system (uPS), which is found in many processes of tissue reorganization. Lolas, Chaplain and collaborators have developed a series of mathematical models for the uPS and tumor invasion. These models are based upon degradation of the extracellular material through plasmid plus chemotaxis and haptotaxis. In this paper we consider the uPS invasion models in one-space dimension and we identify a condition under which this cancer invasion model converges to a chemotaxis model with logistic growth. This condition assumes that the density of the extracellular material is not too large. Our result shows that the complicated spatio-temporal patterns, which were observed by Lolas and Chaplain et al. are organized by the chaotic attractor of the logistic chemotaxis system. Our methods are based on energy estimates, where, for convergence, we needed to find lower estimates in Lγ for 0 < γ < 1. This is a new method for these types of PDE.
FREE LUNCH OR NO FREE LUNCH: THAT IS NOT JUST A QUESTION?
Authors: YANG XIN-SHE
Published: June 2012

The increasing popularity of metaheuristic algorithms has attracted a great deal of attention in algorithm analysis and performance evaluations. No-free-lunch theorems are of both theoretical and practical importance, while many important studies on convergence analysis of various metaheuristic algorithms have proven to be fruitful. This paper discusses the recent results on no-free-lunch theorems and algorithm convergence, as well as their important implications for algorithm development in practice. Free lunches may exist for certain types of problem. In addition, we will highlight some open problems for further research.
ROLE OF PROTECTION IN A TRI-TROPHIC FOOD CHAIN DYNAMICS
Authors: GAKKHAR S. , PRIYADARSHI A. , BANERJEE SANDIP
Published: June 2012

In this paper, the role of protection in stabilizing the tri-trophic food chain dynamics has been explored. The density-dependent protection is provided to bottom prey or middle predator or both. It favors the oscillations damping and has the potential to control the chaotic fluctuations of population density. The bifurcation diagrams have been drawn with respect to protection parameter. They exhibit coexistence of all three species in the form of periodic solutions. The coexistence in the form of stable equilibrium is possible for higher values of protection parameters. Further increase in protection parameters may lead to extinction of one or two species. A two-parameter bifurcation diagram has also been drawn. The Poincaré Maps further confirm the role of protection in controlling the chaos.
"Black Swans" and the Financial Crisis
Authors: Marsh Terry , Pfleiderer Paul
Published: June 2012

Post-mortems of the financial crisis typically mention "black swans" as the rare events that were the Achilles heel of financial models, manifesting themselves as "25 standard deviation events occurring several days in a row". Here, we briefly discuss the implications of "black swan" events in asset pricing and risk management. We then show that the "black swans" problem virtually disappears for S&P Index returns when surprises are measured relative to the standard deviation of the conditional S&P distribution. In our illustration, we use the one-day-lagged VIX as an easy-to-understand measure of that conditional S&P standard deviation.
THE COMPETITION BETWEEN INTERNET SERVICE QUALITIES FROM A DIFFERENCE GAME VIEWPOINT
Authors: BLOT JOEL , HAYEK NAILA , PEKERGIN FERHAN , PEKERGIN NIHAL
Published: June 2012

We treat the competition between two Internet Service Providers which are distinguished by the Quality of Services that they propose. We model this competition by means of an infinite-horizon discrete-time differential game. The dynamical modeling is due to the presence of investments of the firms. We solve the problem by using several Pontryagin principles for the optimal control problems associated to this differential game. We obtain the existence and the uniqueness of a Markov–Nash equilibrium of this differential game.
TRANSBOUNDARY WATER MANAGEMENT: CAN ISSUE LINKAGE HELP MITIGATE EXTERNALITIES?
Authors: PHAM DO KIM HANG , DINAR ARIEL , MCKINNEY DAENE
Published: June 2012

Managing transboundary river basins is never easy and usually involves conflicts. This paper introduces a special class of games with externalities and issue linkage to promote cooperation on transboundary water resources. The paper analyzes whether issue linkages can be used as a form of negotiations on sharing benefits and mitigating conflicts. It is shown that whenever opportunities for linkages exist, countries may indeed contribute towards cooperation. In particular, if the linked games are convex, the grand coalition is the only optimal level of social welfare.
RANKING AUCTIONS: A COOPERATIVE APPROACH
Authors: APARICIO JUAN , LLORCA NATIVIDAD , SANCHEZ-SORIANO JOAQUIN , PULIDO MANUEL A. , SANCHO JULIA
Published: June 2012

In this paper, we deal with situations arising from markets where an Internet search service provider offers a service of listing firms in decreasing order according to what they have bid. We call these ranking auction situations and introduce the corresponding TU-games. The core, as well as the two friendly solutions for the corners of the market, in this class of games can be easily described using a related assignment game. We study the Alexia value and the Shapley value of this type of games. Using these solutions, we show which circumstances in the game are in favor of the provider and which are beneficial to the bidders.
A NEW THEOREM TO FIND BERGE EQUILIBRIA
Authors: MUSY OLIVIER , POTTIER ANTONIN , TAZDAIT TARIK
Published: June 2012

This paper examines the existence of Berge equilibrium. Colman et al. provide a theorem on the existence of this type of equilibrium in the paper [Colman, A. M., Körner, T. W., Musy, O. and Tazdaït, T. [2011] Mutual support in games: Some properties of Berge equilibria, J. Math. Psychol.55, 166–175]. This theorem has been demonstrated on the basis of a correspondence with Nash equilibrium. We propose to restate this theorem without using Nash equilibrium, and deduce a method for the computation of Berge equilibria.
THE NUCLEOLUS OF THE BANKRUPTCY PROBLEM BY HYDRAULIC RATIONING
Authors: FLEINER TAMÁS , SZIKLAI BALÁZS
Published: June 2012

In this note, we give a straightforward and elementary proof of a theorem by Aumann and Maschler stating that in the well-known bankruptcy problem, the so-called CG-consistent solution described by the Talmud represents the nucleolus of the corresponding coalitional game. The proof nicely fits into the hydraulic rationing framework proposed by Kaminski. We point out further interesting properties in connection with this framework.
STRONG MATCHING PRECLUSION FOR THE ALTERNATING GROUP GRAPHS AND SPLIT-STARS
Authors: BONNEVILLE PHILIP , CHENG EDDIE , RENZI JOSEPH
Published: June 2012

The strong matching preclusion number of a graph is the minimum number of vertices and edges whose deletion results in a graph that has neither perfect matchings nor almost-perfect matchings. This is an extension of the matching preclusion problem and has recently been introduced by Park and Ihm.15In this paper, we examine properties of strong matching preclusion for alternating group graphs, by finding their strong matching preclusion numbers and categorizing all optimal solutions. More importantly, we prove a general result on taking a Cartesian product of a graph with K2(an edge) to obtain the corresponding results for split-stars.