bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The effects of nutritional guideline implementation on nursing home staff performance: a controlled trial
Authors: Törmä Johanna , Winblad Ulrika , Saletti Anja , Cederholm Tommy 
Published: August 2017

RationaleSuboptimal nutritional practices in elderly care settings may be resolved by an efficient introduction of nutritional guidelines.AimsTo compare two different implementation strategies, external facilitation (EF) and educational outreach visits (EOVs), when introducing nutritional guidelines in nursing homes (NHs), and study the impact on staff performance.Methodological designA quasi‐experimental study with baseline and follow‐up measurements.Outcome measuresThe primary outcome was staff performance as a function of mealtime ambience and food service routines.Interventions/research methodsTheEFstrategy was a 1‐year, multifaceted intervention that included support, guidance, practice audit and feedback in twoNHunits. TheEOVstrategy comprised one‐three‐hour lecture about nutritional guidelines in two otherNHunits. Both strategies were targeted to selectedNHteams, which consisted of a unit manager, a nurse and 5–10 care staff. Mealtime ambience was evaluated by 47 observations using a structured mealtime instrument. Food service routines were evaluated by 109 food records performed by the staff.ResultsMealtime ambience was more strongly improved in theEFgroup than in theEOVgroup after the implementation. Factors improved were laying a table (p = 0.03), offering a choice of beverage (p = 0.02), the serving of the meal (p = 0.02), interactions between staff and residents (p = 0.02) and less noise from the kitchen (p = 0.01). Food service routines remained unchanged in both groups.ConclusionsAnEFstrategy that included guidance, audit and feedback improved mealtime ambience when nutritional guidelines were introduced in a nursing home setting, whereas food service routines were unchanged by theEFstrategy.
Envisioning the future as expressed within family health conversations by families of persons suffering from stroke
Authors: Sundin Karin , Pusa Susanna , Jonsson Carin , Saveman Britt‐Inger , Östlund Ulrika 
Published: August 2017

BackgroundThe whole family is affected when a person suffers from stroke, but few studies have focused on families’ expectations following the stroke.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to illuminate what persons with stroke and their family members talk about in Family Health Conversations (FamHCs) with focus on the future and how nurses leading these conversations apprehended the families’ future shown in closing letters based on these conversations.MethodIn this study, seven families with a member ≤65 years who had suffered a stroke participated in FamHC in their homes after the person with stroke had been discharged from the rehabilitation clinic. The FamHC comprised a series of three conversations conducted every other week and a closing letter sent by the nurses to the family to conclude the series. In this study, the third conversations were recorded and they and the closing letters were transcribed and analysed using qualitative content analysis.ResultThe family members including the persons with stroke were found to be able to tell their stories and express their feelings, worries, losses, hopes and wishes for the future within the context of the Family Health Conversations. Support within the family was highlighted as essential to the satisfactory management of future situations.ConclusionThe persons with stroke and their belonging family members’ vision of the future was reflected over in the light of theories about beliefs, possible selves, hope and suffering, and the findings highlight the need for broader use of family conversations to support persons with stroke and their families to manage the future.
Regulation of tapetum‐specific A9 promoter by transcription factors AtMYB80, AtMYB1 and AtMYB4 in Arabidopsis thaliana and Nicotiana tabacum
Authors: Verma Neetu , Burma Pradeep Kumar 
Published: August 2017

SummaryTapetum‐specific promoters have been successfully used for developing transgenic‐based pollination control systems. Although several tapetum‐specific promoters have been identified, in‐depth studies on regulation of such promoters are scarce. The present study analyzes the regulation of the A9 promoter, one of the first tapetum‐specific promoter identified in Arabidopsis thaliana. Transcription factors (TFs) AtMYB80, AtMYB1 (positive regulators) identified by in silico analysis were found to upregulate A9 promoter activity following the over‐expression of the TFs in transient and stable (transgenic) expression assays in both A. thaliana and tobacco. Furthermore, mutations of binding sites of these TFs in the A9 promoter led to loss of its activity. The role of a negative regulator AtMYB4 was also studied by analyzing the activity of A9 promoter following transient expression of RNAi against the TF and by mutating binding sites for AtMYB4 in the A9 promoter. While no changes were observed in case of A. thaliana, the A9 promoter was activated in the roots of transgenic tobacco plants, highlighting the role of these cis‐elements in keeping the A9 promoter repressed in the roots of tobacco.
Potent β-Lactam Enhancer Activity of Zidebactam and WCK 5153 against Acinetobacter baumannii, Including Carbapenemase-Producing Clinical Isolates
Authors: Moya Bartolome , Barcelo Isabel M. , Bhagwat Sachin , Patel Mahesh , Bou German , Papp-Wallace Krisztina M. , Bonomo Robert A. , Oliver Antonio 
Published: August 2017

ABSTRACT

Multidrug-resistant
Acinetobacter baumannii
has rapidly spread worldwide, resulting in a serious threat to hospitalized patients. Zidebactam and WCK 5153 are novel non-β-lactam bicyclo-acyl hydrazide β-lactam enhancer antibiotics being developed to target multidrug-resistant
A. baumannii
. The objectives of this work were to determine the 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC
50
s) for penicillin-binding proteins (PBP), the OXA-23 inhibition profiles, and the antimicrobial activities of zidebactam and WCK 5153, alone and in combination with β-lactams, against multidrug-resistant
A. baumannii
. MICs and time-kill kinetics were determined for an
A. baumannii
clinical strain producing the carbapenemase OXA-23 and belonging to the widespread European clone II of sequence type 2 (ST2). Inhibition of the purified OXA-23 enzyme by zidebactam, WCK 5153, and comparators was assessed. All of the compounds tested displayed apparent

K
i

values of >100 μM, indicating poor OXA-23 β-lactamase inhibition. The IC
50
s of zidebactam, WCK 5153, cefepime, ceftazidime, meropenem, and sulbactam (range of concentrations tested, 0.02 to 2 μg/ml) for PBP were also determined. Zidebactam and WCK 5153 demonstrated specific high-affinity binding to PBP2 of
A. baumannii
(0.01 μg/ml for both of the compounds). The MICs of zidebactam and WCK 5153 were >1,024 μg/ml for wild-type and multidrug-resistant
Acinetobacter
strains. Importantly, combinations of cefepime with 8 μg/ml of zidebactam or WCK 5153 and sulbactam with 8 μg/ml of zidebactam or WCK 5153 led to 4- and 8-fold reductions of the MICs, respectively, and showed enhanced killing. Notably, several of the combinations resulted in full bacterial eradication at 24 h. We conclude that zidebactam and WCK 5153 are PBP2 inhibitors that show a potent β-lactam enhancer effect against
A. baumannii
, including a multidrug-resistant OXA-23-producing ST2 international clone.
Heterogeneous Genetic Location of
mcr-1
in Colistin-Resistant Escherichia coli Isolates from Humans and Retail Chicken Meat in Switzerland: Emergence of
mcr-1
-Carrying IncK2 Plasmids
Authors: Donà Valentina , Bernasconi Odette J. , Pires João , Collaud Alexandra , Overesch Gudrun , Ramette Alban , Perreten Vincent , Endimiani Andrea 
Published: August 2017

ABSTRACT

We characterized the genetic environment of
mcr-1
in colistin-resistant
Escherichia coli
strains isolated in Switzerland during 2014 to 2016 from humans (
n
= 3) and chicken meat (
n
= 6). Whole-genome and plasmid sequencing identified the
mcr-1
gene integrated in IncX4 (of which, one strain carried the
mcr-1.2
variant), IncI2, IncHI2, and novel IncK2 plasmids (overall,
n
= 7), as well as in the bacterial chromosome (
n
= 2) in single or duplicate copies. Our study supports the easy mobilization of
mcr-1
across diverse genetic locations.
Translational Efficacy of Humanized Exposures of Cefepime, Ertapenem, and Levofloxacin against Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamase-Producing Escherichia coli in a Murine Model of Complicated Urinary Tract Infection
Authors: Monogue Marguerite L. , Nicolau David P. 
Published: August 2017

ABSTRACT

Validated animal models are required as bridging tools to assess the utility of novel therapies and potential microbiologic outcomes. Herein, we utilized uropathogenic extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing and non-ESBL-producing
Escherichia coli
in the neutropenic murine complicated urinary tract infection (cUTI) model with humanized exposures of cefepime, ertapenem, and levofloxacin to assess its translational value to human outcomes. Our data support the translational utility of this murine model to cUTI in humans as humanized exposures produced microbiologic outcomes consistent with the phenotypic profiles of the organisms.
Intracavitary and Systemic Daptomycin for Successful Treatment of a Postpneumonectomy Intrathoracic Infection
Authors: Sangro Paloma , Carmona-Torre Francisco , Mesa Miguel , Del Pozo Jose L. , Yuste Jose R. 
Published: August 2017

ABSTRACT

Treatment of an infected postpneumonectomy cavity is very difficult. We present a patient with an infection of a postpneumonectomy cavity by
Staphylococcus epidermidis
treated with local daptomycin for different dwell times, maintaining high antibiotic levels above the MIC. Clinical and microbiological cure were achieved successfully.
Vaborbactam: Spectrum of Beta-Lactamase Inhibition and Impact of Resistance Mechanisms on Activity in Enterobacteriaceae
Authors: Lomovskaya Olga , Sun Dongxu , Rubio-Aparicio Debora , Nelson Kirk , Tsivkovski Ruslan , Griffith David C. , Dudley Michael N. 
Published: August 2017

ABSTRACT

Vaborbactam (formerly RPX7009) is a new beta-lactamase inhibitor based on a cyclic boronic acid pharmacophore. The spectrum of beta-lactamase inhibition by vaborbactam and the impact of bacterial efflux and permeability on its activity were determined using a panel of strains with beta-lactamases cloned from various classes and a panel of
Klebsiella pneumoniae
carbapenemase 3 (KPC-3)-producing isogenic strains with various combinations of efflux and porin mutations. Vaborbactam is a potent inhibitor of class A carbapenemases, such as KPC, as well as an inhibitor of other class A (CTX-M, SHV, TEM) and class C (P99, MIR, FOX) beta-lactamases. Vaborbactam does not inhibit class D or class B carbapenemases. When combined with meropenem, vaborbactam had the highest potency compared to the potencies of vaborbactam in combination with other antibiotics against strains producing the KPC beta-lactamase. Consistent with broad-spectrum beta-lactamase inhibition, vaborbactam reduced the meropenem MICs for engineered isogenic strains of
K. pneumoniae
with increased meropenem MICs due to a combination of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase production, class C beta-lactamase production, and reduced permeability due to porin mutations. Vaborbactam crosses the outer membrane of
K. pneumoniae
using both OmpK35 and OmpK36, but OmpK36 is the preferred porin. Efflux by the multidrug resistance efflux pump AcrAB-TolC had a minimal impact on vaborbactam activity. Investigation of the vaborbactam concentration necessary for restoration of meropenem potency showed that vaborbactam at 8 μg/ml results in meropenem MICs of ≤2 μg/ml in the most resistant engineered strains containing multiple mutations. Vaborbactam is a highly active beta-lactamase inhibitor that restores the activity of meropenem and other beta-lactam antibiotics in beta-lactamase-producing bacteria, particularly KPC-producing carbapenem-resistant
Enterobacteriaceae
.
Otitis Media and Nasopharyngeal Colonization inccl3−/−Mice
Authors: Deniffel Dominik , Nuyen Brian , Pak Kwang , Suzukawa Keigo , Hung Jun , Kurabi Arwa , Wasserman Stephen I. , Ryan Allen F. 
Published: August 2017

ABSTRACTWe previously found CC chemokine ligand 3 (CCL3) to be a potent effector of inflammation during otitis media (OM): exogenous CCL3 rescues the OM phenotype of tumor necrosis factor-deficient mice and the function of macrophages deficient in several innate immune molecules. To further delineate the role of CCL3 in OM, we evaluated middle ear (ME) responses ofccl3−/−mice to nontypeableHaemophilus influenzae(NTHi). CCL chemokine gene expression was evaluated in wild-type (WT) mice during the complete course of acute OM. OM was induced inccl3−/−and WT mice, and infection and inflammation were monitored for 21 days. Phagocytosis and killing of NTHi by macrophages were evaluated by anin vitroassay. The nasopharyngeal bacterial load was assessed in naive animals of both strains. Many CCL genes showed increased expression levels during acute OM, with CCL3 being the most upregulated, at levels 600-fold higher than the baseline.ccl3−/−deletion compromised ME bacterial clearance and prolonged mucosal hyperplasia. ME recruitment of leukocytes was delayed but persisted far longer than in WT mice. These events were linked to a decrease in the macrophage capacity for NTHi phagocytosis and increased nasopharyngeal bacterial loads inccl3−/−mice. The generalized impairment in inflammatory cell recruitment was associated with compensatory changes in the expression profiles of CCL2, CCL7, and CCL12. CCL3 plays a significant role in the clearance of infection and resolution of inflammation and contributes to mucosal host defense of the nasopharyngeal niche, a reservoir for ME and upper respiratory infections. Therapies based on CCL3 could prove useful in treating or preventing persistent disease.
Candida albicans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa Interact To Enhance Virulence of Mucosal Infection in Transparent Zebrafish
Authors: Bergeron Audrey C. , Seman Brittany G. , Hammond John H. , Archambault Linda S. , Hogan Deborah A. , Wheeler Robert T. 
Published: August 2017

ABSTRACT

Polymicrobial infections often include both fungi and bacteria and can complicate patient treatment and resolution of infection. Cross-kingdom interactions among bacteria, fungi, and/or the immune system during infection can enhance or block virulence mechanisms and influence disease progression. The fungus
Candida albicans
and the bacterium
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
are coisolated in the context of polymicrobial infection at a variety of sites throughout the body, including mucosal tissues such as the lung.
In vitro
,
C. albicans
and
P. aeruginosa
have a bidirectional and largely antagonistic relationship. Their interactions
in vivo
remain poorly understood, specifically regarding host responses in mediating infection. In this study, we examine trikingdom interactions using a transparent juvenile zebrafish to model mucosal lung infection and show that
C. albicans
and
P. aeruginosa
are synergistically virulent. We find that high
C. albicans
burden, fungal epithelial invasion, swimbladder edema, and epithelial extrusion events serve as predictive factors for mortality in our infection model. Longitudinal analyses of fungal, bacterial, and immune dynamics during coinfection suggest that enhanced morbidity is associated with exacerbated
C. albicans
pathogenesis and elevated inflammation. The
P. aeruginosa
quorum-sensing-deficient Δ
lasR
mutant also enhances
C. albicans
pathogenicity in coinfection and induces extrusion of the swimbladder. Together, these observations suggest that
C. albicans-P. aeruginosa
cross talk
in vivo
can benefit both organisms to the detriment of the host.
The Essential Genome of Burkholderia cenocepacia H111
Authors: Higgins Steven , Sanchez-Contreras Maria , Gualdi Stefano , Pinto-Carbó Marta , Carlier Aurélien , Eberl Leo 
Published: August 2017

ABSTRACT

The study of the minimum set of genes required to sustain life is a fundamental question in biological research. Recent studies on bacterial essential genes suggested that between 350 and 700 genes are essential to support autonomous bacterial cell growth. Essential genes are of interest as potential new antimicrobial drug targets; hence, our aim was to identify the essential genome of the cystic fibrosis (CF) isolate
Burkholderia cenocepacia
H111. Using a transposon sequencing (Tn-Seq) approach, we identified essential genes required for growth in rich medium under aerobic and microoxic conditions as well as in a defined minimal medium with citrate as a sole carbon source. Our analysis suggests that 398 genes are required for autonomous growth in rich medium, a number that represents only around 5% of the predicted genes of this bacterium. Five hundred twenty-six genes were required to support growth in minimal medium, and 434 genes were essential under microoxic conditions (0.5% O
2
). A comparison of these data sets identified 339 genes that represent the minimal set of essential genes required for growth under all conditions tested and can be considered the core essential genome of
B. cenocepacia
H111. The majority of essential genes were found to be located on chromosome 1, and few such genes were located on chromosome 2, where most of them were clustered in one region. This gene cluster is fully conserved in all
Burkholderia
species but is present on chromosome 1 in members of the closely related genus
Ralstonia
, suggesting that the transfer of these essential genes to chromosome 2 in a common ancestor contributed toward the separation of the two genera.

IMPORTANCE
Transposon sequencing (Tn-Seq) is a powerful method used to identify genes that are essential for autonomous growth under various conditions. In this study, we have identified a set of “core essential genes” that are required for growth under multiple conditions, and these genes represent potential antimicrobial targets. We also identified genes specifically required for growth under low-oxygen and nutrient-limited environments. We generated conditional mutants to verify the results of our Tn-Seq analysis and demonstrate that one of the identified genes was not essential
per se
but was an artifact of the construction of the mutant library. We also present verified examples of genes that were not truly essential but, when inactivated, showed a growth defect. These examples have identified so-far-underestimated shortcomings of this powerful method.
Maintenance of Microbial Cooperation Mediated by Public Goods in Single- and Multiple-Trait Scenarios
Authors: Özkaya Özhan , Xavier Karina B. , Dionisio Francisco , Balbontín Roberto 
Published: August 2017

ABSTRACTMicrobes often form densely populated communities, which favor competitive and cooperative interactions. Cooperation among bacteria often occurs through the production of metabolically costly molecules produced by certain individuals that become available to other neighboring individuals; such molecules are called public goods. This type of cooperation is susceptible to exploitation, since nonproducers of a public good can benefit from it while saving the cost of its production (cheating), gaining a fitness advantage over producers (cooperators). Thus, in mixed cultures, cheaters can increase in frequency in the population, relative to cooperators. Sometimes, and as predicted by simple game-theoretic arguments, such increases in the frequency of cheaters cause loss of the cooperative traits by exhaustion of the public goods, eventually leading to a collapse of the entire population. In other cases, however, both cooperators and cheaters remain in coexistence. This raises the question of how cooperation is maintained in microbial populations. Several strategies to prevent cheating have been studied in the context of a single trait and a unique environmental constraint. In this review, we describe current knowledge on the evolutionary stability of microbial cooperation and discuss recent discoveries describing the mechanisms operating in multiple-trait and multiple-constraint settings. We conclude with a consideration of the consequences of these complex interactions, and we briefly discuss the potential role of social interactions involving multiple traits and multiple environmental constraints in the evolution of specialization and division of labor in microbes.
Lifetime prevalence of traumatic brain injury with loss of consciousness
Authors: Corrigan John D , Yang Jingzhen , Singichetti Bhavna , Manchester Kara , Bogner Jennifer 
Published: August 2017

ObjectiveTo determine the prevalence of lifetime history of traumatic brain injury (TBI) with loss of consciousness (LOC) among adult, non-institutionalised residents of Ohio.MethodsWe analysed data from 2014 Ohio Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which included a state-specific module designed to elicit lifetime history of TBI.ResultsOf non-institutionalised adults 18 years and over living in Ohio, 21.7% reported at least one lifetime TBI with LOC, 2.6% experienced at least one moderate or severe such injury, 9.1% experienced a TBI with LOC before age 15 years and 10.8% experienced either TBI with LOC before age 15 years or a moderate or severe injury. Males, those with lower incomes and those unable to work were more likely to have incurred at least one TBI with LOC, multiple TBIs with LOC, a moderate or severe TBI and a TBI with LOC before age15.ConclusionsOne in five adults experienced TBIs of sufficient severity to cause LOC; 3% experienced at least one moderate or severe TBI and almost 10% experienced a first TBI with LOC before the age of 15 years. The prevalence of lifetime TBI in the present study suggests that there may be a substantially greater burden of injury than concluded from previous prevalence estimates.