bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Framing the Gun Control Debate: Press Releases and Framing Strategies of the National Rifle Association and the Brady Campaign*
Authors: Steidley Trent , Colen Cynthia G. 
Published: July 2016

ObjectiveHow can social movements increase their presence in the news? We argue that press releases can do so via social movement framing. Press releases from, and news coverage of, social movement organizations (SMOs) in the gun control debate serve as our case.MethodsA qualitative framing analysis is conducted to identify frames in press releases from the National Rifle Association and the Brady Campaign. Logistic regressions assess the effect of frames in press releases on New York Times coverage of the gun control debate.ResultsWe find that both organizations use systematic framing strategies in their press releases. Only the Brady Campaign has a significant association between specific frames in its press releases and coverage in the New York Times.ConclusionsPress releases are viable tactics for SMOs, but biases in news media have implications for how effective press releases might be for an SMO.
Pollution Prophylaxis? Social Capital and Environmental Inequality*
Authors: Ard Kerry , Fairbrother Malcolm 
Published: July 2016

ObjectiveOne major theory of environmental inequality is that firms follow a political path of least resistance when locating polluting facilities in low‐income and minority communities. Such communities, this theory suggests, lack the social capital that allows others to keep such facilities at bay. We will test this argument.MethodsWe investigate whether communities across the United States are located further from stationary sources of airborne toxins depending on their levels of social capital.ResultsAt some scales, we found that communities with more of some types of social capital do indeed tend to be located further from such facilities, though the differences are slight. We also found that, by some measures, minority communities possess no less social capital than others, and that controlling for differences in social capital barely attenuates the associations between demographics and proximity.ConclusionThe theory that differences in social capital explain environmental inequality is not supported.
Verb‐second in embedded clauses in Faroese
Authors: Angantýsson Ásgrímur 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThere has been considerable controversy in the linguistic literature about the nature of Vfin‐Adv (V2) order in subject‐initial embedded clauses in Faroese: Is it the result of a V‐to‐T movement, as is typically assumed for Icelandic, or is it a root phenomenon, i.e. V‐to‐C movement, as usually assumed for the standard Mainland Scandinavian languages. Heycock et al. (2012) argue that both kinds of Vfin‐Adv order can be found in Faroese embedded clauses and this paper provides further evidence for that claim. On the assumption that V‐to‐T is still a possibility in Faroese, some versions of the so‐called Rich Agreement Hypothesis (e.g. Bobaljik & Thráinsson 1998) predict that transitive expletives should also be possible in Faroese. This prediction is borne out. However, contrary to predictions regarding direct connection between verbal inflection on the one hand and verb movement and transitive expletive constructions on the other hand, it is demonstrated that speakers who distinguish tense and agreement morphemes most clearly in their speech are neither more likely to accept transitive expletives nor V2‐orders in various types of embedded clauses than speakers who do not distinguish tense and agreement morphemes as clearly. It is maintained that while Vfin‐Adv is on its way out in Faroese, presumably because of diminishing morphological support and partially ambiguous syntactic evidence, the language has not yet reached the Mainland Scandinavian state in this respect.
Thrombocytopenia and guideline‐evaluated appropriateness of platelet transfusion in a tertiary care intensive care unit
Authors: Vasu B.K. , Sinha R. , Verghese S. 
Published: July 2016

Background and ObjectivesPlatelet transfusions are common in clinical practice especially in the intensive care unit settings without acceptable clinical evidence. A retrospective audit was undertaken to evaluate the prevalence of thrombocytopenia, transfusion triggers and indications of transfusion and to assess the appropriateness of platelet transfusions based on current guidelines in patients admitted to a tertiary care intensive care unit (ICU) in South Australia.MethodsPlatelet counts on ICU admission, during ICU stay, use of platelet transfusion and clinical outcomes including bleeding for each consecutive admission to ICU over a 12‐month period was collected.ResultsThe prevalence of thrombocytopenia (platelet counts <150 × 109/l) was 51·7% in 1790 ICU patients, of which 32·4% (580/1790) were thrombocytopenic at admission while 19·4% (347/1790) of patients developed thrombocytopenia during their ICU stay. Severe thrombocytopenia with platelet counts <50 × 109/l was observed in 4·2%, with 2·6% at admission and 1·6% subsequently. Two hundred and thirteen patients (11·6%) received 480 units of platelets through 319 transfusion episodes. A total of 82·1% (262/319) of these transfusion episodes were therapeutic and 17·9% (57/319) prophylactic. Based on criteria developed from prevailing guidelines and literature, 14·1% (45/319) of platelet transfusion episodes were assessed to be inappropriate, which was 15·8% (9/57) in the prophylactic and 13·7% (36/262) in the therapeutic transfusion episodes.ConclusionThrombocytopenia is common in ICU patients, and a significant proportion of ICU patients receive platelet transfusions to control bleeding and maintain haemostasis. A minority of patients receive inappropriate platelet transfusions with unclear benefits with a potential to develop serious transfusion‐related adverse events.
Reducing risks of Transfusion‐transmitted infections in a resource‐limited hospital‐based blood bank: the case of the Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital, Cameroon
Authors: Tagny C. T. , Ndoumba A. , Laperche S. , Murphy E. , Mbanya D. 
Published: July 2016

Background and ObjectivesAlthough interest in assessing risk of TTIs, very few trends in blood safety epidemiological data from resource‐limited blood services are reported in the literature. This analysis aims at reporting trends in seroprevalences of TTIs in blood donations in the Yaoundé University Teaching Hospital (UTH) from 2011 to 2015 and to describe reasons for these changes.Materials and MethodsAll donations of 2015 were tested for HIV 1&2 antibodies and the P24 antigen, HBsAg, HCV antibody and the Treponema pallidum antibody. Screening for HIV uses a national algorithm based on the systematic use of two assays of different principles: a rapid determination testing assay and an EIA HIV 1 & 2 Ab‐Ag. The tests used for HBsAg and HCVAb screening were all based on EIA techniques. Treponema pallidum antibody screening was based on Treponema Pallidum hemagglutination assay (TPHA) and rapid immunochromatographic test (RIT). Screening techniques and results from 2015 were compared to retrospective data from 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.ResultsIn 2015, 13·4% (n = 214) of 1,596 blood donations were seropositive for at least one screened TTIs. The most frequent serological marker was HBsAg with 123 (7·7%) blood units contaminated. Nineteen (1·2%) and 18 (1·1%) blood units was positive for HIV and syphilis, respectively. There was a significant decrease in the total number of blood donations (P < 10−4) and HIV, HBsAg and syphilis seroprevalences and an increase in the proportion of voluntary non‐remunerated blood donor (P < 0·05). HCVAb seroprevalence was 3·8% in 2015 and has not decreased significantly over the years (P = 0·09).ConclusionSignificant progress is noted in reduction in seroprevalences of HIV, HBV, HCV and syphilis since the beginning of a regular registration of data in 1990.
8-Hydroxyquinolines Are Boosting Agents of Copper-Related Toxicity in Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Authors: Shah Santosh , Dalecki Alex G. , Malalasekera Aruni P. , Crawford Cameron L. , Michalek Suzanne M. , Kutsch Olaf , Sun Jim , Bossmann Stefan H. , Wolschendorf Frank 
Published: July 2016

ABSTRACT

Copper (Cu) ions are likely the most important immunological metal-related toxin utilized in controlling bacterial infections. Impairment of bacterial Cu resistance reduces viability within the host. Thus, pharmacological enhancement of Cu-mediated antibacterial toxicity may lead to novel strategies in drug discovery and development. Screening for Cu toxicity-enhancing antibacterial molecules identified 8-hydroxyquinoline (8HQ) to be a potent Cu-dependent bactericidal inhibitor of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis
. The MIC of 8HQ in the presence of Cu was 0.16 μM for replicating and nonreplicating
M. tuberculosis
cells. We found 8HQ's activity to be dependent on the presence of extracellular Cu and to be related to an increase in cell-associated labile Cu ions. Both findings are consistent with 8HQ acting as a Cu ionophore. Accordingly, we identified the 1:1 complex of 8HQ and Cu to be its active form, with Zn, Fe, or Mn neither enhancing nor reducing its Cu-specific action. This is remarkable, considering that the respective metal complexes have nearly identical structures and geometries. Finally, we found 8HQ to kill
M. tuberculosis
selectively within infected primary macrophages. Given the stark Cu-dependent nature of 8HQ activity, this is the first piece of evidence that Cu ions within macrophages may bestow antibacterial properties to a Cu-dependent inhibitor of
M. tuberculosis
. In conclusion, our findings highlight the metal-binding ability of the 8-hydroxyquinoline scaffold to be a potential focus for future medicinal chemistry and highlight the potential of innate immunity-inspired screening platforms to reveal molecules with novel modes of action against
M. tuberculosis
.
Homologous Recombination within Large Chromosomal Regions Facilitates Acquisition of β-Lactam and Vancomycin Resistance in Enterococcus faecium
Authors: García-Solache Mónica , Lebreton Francois , McLaughlin Robert E. , Whiteaker James D. , Gilmore Michael S. , Rice Louis B. 
Published: July 2016

ABSTRACT

The transfer of DNA between
Enterococcus faecium
strains has been characterized both by the movement of well-defined genetic elements and by the large-scale transfer of genomic DNA fragments. In this work, we report on the whole-genome analysis of transconjugants resulting from mating events between the vancomycin-resistant
E. faecium
C68 strain and the vancomycin-susceptible D344RRF strain to discern the mechanism by which the transferred regions enter the recipient chromosome. Vancomycin-resistant transconjugants from five independent matings were analyzed by whole-genome sequencing. In all cases but one, the penicillin binding protein 5 (
pbp5
) gene and the Tn
5382
vancomycin resistance transposon were transferred together and replaced the corresponding
pbp5
region of D344RRF. In one instance, Tn
5382
inserted independently downstream of the D344RRF
pbp5
gene. Single nucleotide variant (SNV) analysis suggested that entry of donor DNA into the recipient chromosome occurred by recombination across regions of homology between donor and recipient chromosomes, rather than through insertion sequence-mediated transposition. The transfer of genomic DNA was also associated with the transfer of C68 plasmid pLRM23 and another putative plasmid. Our data are consistent with the initiation of transfer by cointegration of a transferable plasmid with the donor chromosome, with subsequent circularization of the plasmid-chromosome cointegrant in the donor prior to transfer. Entry into the recipient chromosome most commonly occurred across regions of homology between donor and recipient chromosomes.
Fosfomycin Enhances the Activity of Daptomycin against Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci in an
In Vitro
Pharmacokinetic-Pharmacodynamic Model
Authors: Hall Snyder Ashley D. , Werth Brian J. , Nonejuie Poochit , McRoberts John P. , Pogliano Joe , Sakoulas George , Yim Juwon , Singh Nivedita , Rybak Michael J. 
Published: July 2016

ABSTRACT

Daptomycin (DAP) is being used more frequently to treat infections caused by vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE). DAP tends to be less active against enterococci than staphylococci and may require high doses or combination therapy to be bactericidal. Fosfomycin (FOF) has activity against VRE and has demonstrated synergistic bactericidal activity with DAP
in vitro
. The objective of this study was to evaluate the activity of DAP alone and in combination with FOF against VRE in an
in vitro
pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) model. The activity of DAP at 8 and 12 mg/kg of body weight/day (DAP 8 and DAP 12, respectively) and FOF of 40 mg/kg intravenously every 8 h, alone and in combination, were evaluated against 2 vancomycin-resistant
Enterococcus faecium
strains (8019 and 5938) and 2 vancomycin-resistant
E. faecalis
strains (V583 and R7302) in an
in vitro
PK/PD model over 72 h. Cell surface charge in the presence and absence of FOF was evaluated by zeta potential analysis. Daptomycin-boron-dipyrromethene (bodipy) binding was assessed by fluorescence microscopy. The addition of FOF to DAP 8 and DAP 12 resulted in significantly increased killing over DAP alone at 72 h for 8019, V583, and R7302 (
P
< 0.05). Therapeutic enhancement was observed with DAP 12 plus FOF against 8019, V583, and R7302. Cell surface charge became more negative after exposure to FOF by ∼2 to 8mV in all 4 strains. Daptomycin-bodipy binding increased by 2.6 times in the presence of fosfomycin (
P
< 0.0001). The combination of DAP plus FOF may provide improved killing against VRE (including DAP-resistant strains) through modulation of cell surface charge. Further studies to clarify the role of intravenous FOF are warranted.
Cryptosporidium and Toxoplasma Parasites Are Inhibited by a Benzoxaborole Targeting Leucyl-tRNA Synthetase
Authors: Palencia Andrés , Liu Ru-Juan , Lukarska Maria , Gut Jiri , Bougdour Alexandre , Touquet Bastien , Wang En-Duo , Li Xianfeng , Alley M. R. K. , Freund Yvonne R. , Rosenthal Philip J. , Hakimi Mohamed-Ali , Cusack Stephen 
Published: July 2016

ABSTRACT

The apicomplexan parasites
Cryptosporidium
and
Toxoplasma
are serious threats to human health. Cryptosporidiosis is a severe diarrheal disease in malnourished children and immunocompromised individuals, with the only FDA-approved drug treatment currently being nitazoxanide. The existing therapies for toxoplasmosis, an important pathology in immunocompromised individuals and pregnant women, also have serious limitations. With the aim of developing alternative therapeutic options to address these health problems, we tested a number of benzoxaboroles, boron-containing compounds shown to be active against various infectious agents, for inhibition of the growth of
Cryptosporidium
parasites in mammalian cells. A 3-aminomethyl benzoxaborole, AN6426, with activity in the micromolar range and with activity comparable to that of nitazoxanide, was identified and further characterized using biophysical measurements of affinity and crystal structures of complexes with the editing domain of
Cryptosporidium
leucyl-tRNA synthetase (LeuRS). The same compound was shown to be active against
Toxoplasma
parasites, with the activity being enhanced in the presence of norvaline, an amino acid that can be mischarged by LeuRS. Our observations are consistent with AN6426 inhibiting protein synthesis in both
Cryptosporidium
and
Toxoplasma
by forming a covalent adduct with tRNA
Leu
in the LeuRS editing active site and suggest that further exploitation of the benzoxaborole scaffold is a valid strategy to develop novel, much needed antiparasitic agents.
Bacterial Spheroplasts as a Model for Visualizing Membrane Translocation of Antimicrobial Peptides
Authors: Wei Lei , LaBouyer Maria A. , Darling Louise E. O. , Elmore Donald E. 
Published: July 2016

ABSTRACT
Studies attempting to characterize the membrane translocation of antimicrobial and cell-penetrating peptides are frequently limited by the resolution of conventional light microscopy. This study shows that spheroplasts provide a valuable approach to overcome these limits. Spheroplasts produce less ambiguous images and allow for more systematic analyses of localization. Data collected with spheroplasts are consistent with studies using normal bacterial cells and imply that a particular peptide may not always follow the same mechanism of action.
First Occurrence of OXA-72-Producing Acinetobacter baumannii in Serbia
Authors: Dortet Laurent , Bonnin Rémy A. , Bernabeu Sandrine , Escaut Lélia , Vittecoq Daniel , Girlich Delphine , Imanci Dilek , Fortineau Nicolas , Naas Thierry 
Published: July 2016

ABSTRACT

Here, we characterized the first OXA-72-producing
Acinetobacter baumannii
isolate (designated MAL) recovered from a urine sample from a Serbian patient. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing, plasmid analysis, and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) were performed to fully characterize the resistome of the
A. baumannii
MAL clinical isolate. The isolate was multidrug resistant and remained susceptible only to colistin and tigecycline. PCR analysis revealed the presence of the carbapenemase OXA-72, an OXA-40 variant. Extraction by the Kieser method revealed the presence of two plasmids, and one of these, a ca. 10-kb plasmid, harbored the
bla
OXA-72
gene. WGS revealed 206 contigs corresponding to a genome of 3.9 Mbp in size with a G+C content of 38.8%. The isolate belonged to sequence type 492 and to worldwide clone II (WWCII). Naturally occurring β-lactamase-encoding genes (
bla
ADC-25
and
bla
OXA-66
) were also identified. Aminoglycoside resistance genes encoding one aminoglycoside adenyltransferase (
aadA2
), three aminoglycoside phosphatases (
strA
,
strB
,
aphA6
), and one 16S RNA methylase (
armA
) conferring resistance to all aminoglycosides were identified. Resistance to fluoroquinolones was likely due to mutations in
gyrA
,
parC
, and
parE
. Of note, the resistome matched perfectly with the antibiotic susceptibility testing results.
Obiltoxaximab Prevents Disseminated Bacillus anthracis Infection and Improves Survival during Pre- and Postexposure Prophylaxis in Animal Models of Inhalational Anthrax
Authors: Yamamoto Brent J. , Shadiack Annette M. , Carpenter Sarah , Sanford Daniel , Henning Lisa N. , Gonzales Nestor , O'Connor Edward , Casey Leslie S. , Serbina Natalya V. 
Published: July 2016

ABSTRACTThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend adjunctive antitoxins when systemic anthrax is suspected. Obiltoxaximab, a monoclonal antibody against protective antigen (PA), is approved for treatment of inhalational anthrax in combination with antibiotics and for prophylaxis when alternative therapies are not available. The impact of toxin neutralization with obiltoxaximab during pre- and postexposure prophylaxis was explored, and efficacy results that supported the prophylaxis indication are presented here. New Zealand White rabbits and cynomolgus macaques received obiltoxaximab as a single intramuscular or intravenous dose of 2 to 16 mg/kg of body weight at various times relative toBacillus anthracisaerosol spore challenge. The primary endpoint was survival, and effect of treatment timing was explored. In rabbits, obiltoxaximab administration 9 h postchallenge singly or combined with a 5-day levofloxacin regimen protected 89% to 100% of animals compared to 33% with levofloxacin monotherapy. In cynomolgus macaques, a single intramuscular dose of 16 mg/kg obiltoxaximab led to 100% survival when given 1 to 3 days preexposure and 83% to 100% survival when given 18 to 24 h postexposure and prior to systemic bacteremia onset. Obiltoxaximab administration after bacteremia onset resulted in lower (25% to 50%) survival rates reflective of treatment setting. Prophylactic administration of obiltoxaximab before spore challenge or to spore-challenged animals before systemic bacterial dissemination is efficacious in promoting survival, ameliorating toxemia, and inhibiting bacterial spread to the periphery.
A Combination Fluorescence Assay Demonstrates Increased Efflux Pump Activity as a Resistance Mechanism in Azole-Resistant Vaginal Candida albicans Isolates
Authors: Bhattacharya Somanon , Sobel Jack D. , White Theodore C. 
Published: July 2016

ABSTRACTCandida albicansis a pathogenic fungus causing vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC). Azole drugs, such as fluconazole, are the most common treatment for these infections. Recently, azole-resistant vaginalC. albicansisolates have been detected in patients with recurring and refractory vaginal infections. However, the mechanisms of resistance in vaginalC. albicansisolates have not been studied in detail. In oral and systemic resistant isolates, overexpression of the ABC transporters Cdr1p and Cdr2p and the major facilitator transporter Mdr1p is associated with resistance. Sixteen fluconazole-susceptible and 22 fluconazole-resistant vaginalC. albicansisolates were obtained, including six matched sets containing a susceptible and a resistant isolate, from individual patients. Using quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR), 16 of 22 resistant isolates showed overexpression of at least one efflux pump gene, while only 1 of 16 susceptible isolates showed such overexpression. To evaluate the pump activity associated with overexpression, an assay that combined data from two separate fluorescent assays using rhodamine 6G and alanine β-naphthylamide was developed. The qRT-PCR results and activity assay results were in good agreement. This combination of two fluorescent assays can be used to study efflux pumps as resistance mechanisms in clinical isolates. These results demonstrate that efflux pumps are a significant resistance mechanism in vaginalC. albicansisolates.
Coexistence of
mcr-1
and
bla
NDM-1
in Escherichia coli from Venezuela
Authors: Delgado-Blas Jose F. , Ovejero Cristina M. , Abadia-Patiño Lorena , Gonzalez-Zorn Bruno 
Published: July 2016

ABSTRACT

We studied the presence of the mobile colistin resistance gene
mcr-1
in human, animal, and environmental
Enterobacteriaceae
samples from Cumana, Venezuela, that were collected in 2015. The
mcr-1
gene was detected in 2/93
Escherichia coli
isolates from swine (novel ST452) and human (ST19) samples that were resistant to colistin. Whole-genome sequencing and transformation experiments identified
mcr-1
on an IncI2 plasmid. One of the isolates also bore the widely spread carbapenemase NDM-1. A One Health approach is necessary to further elucidate the flux of these high-risk genes.