bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Nosocomial Outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease: Molecular Epidemiology and Disease Control Measures
Authors: Johnston Jeffrey M. , Latham Robert H. , Meier Frederick A. , Green Jon A. , Boshard Rebecca , Mooney Barbara R. , Edelstein Paul H. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractMolecular laboratory techniques were used to study the epidemiology of an outbreak of nosocomial Legionnaires' disease. All patient isolates wereLegionella pneumophilaserogroup 1 and showed identical plasmid profiles and reactions with serogroup-specific monoclonal antibodies.L pneumophilawas also cultured from four of five cooling tower water samples; however, the isolate from only one tower was serogroup 1 of the same sub-type as patient isolates. Since the cases were temporally clustered and epidemiologically associated with exposure to cooling tower aerosols, the single cooling tower implicated by molecular analysis was the most likely source of the outbreak. Chlorination of cooling tower ponds has eradicated the epidemic strain. Since potable water also harbored the infecting organism and was the probable source for cooling tower contamination, decontamination of the hospital water system was also undertaken. Superchlorination of hot water holding tanks to 17 ppm on a weekly basis has effectively eradicatedL pneumophilafrom the potable water system and appears to be a reasonable, simple, and relatively inexpensive alternative to previously described methods of control.
Operative Related Infection Rates for Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Procedures in a Children's Hospital
Authors: Younger Janara J. , Simmons James C.H. , Barrett Fred F. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractWe determined the operative related cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt infection rates for our institution over a 3-year period (1982 to 1984) using strictly defined numerator and denominator data. The minimum post-operative follow-up period was 12 months. The average surgical infection risk for a CSF shunt procedure at our institution during the study period was 13.3%. Annual infection rates were relatively constant (13.8%, 13.2% and 12.9%), however both quarterly (5.7% to 23.3%) and surgeon-specific (5.7% to 22.8%) rates varied widely. Infection rates calculated by using “traditional” numerator and denominator data were considerably lower (6.5% to 9.2%).Operative related CSF shunt infection rates should be determined by utilizing strictly defined numerator and denominator values in order to allow valid comparisons of published rates.
Tuberculosis Screening in the Long-term Care Setting
Authors: Price Loraine E. , Rutala William A. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractTuberculosis (TB) skin-testing practices in long-term care facilities (LTCFs) in North Carolina (NC) were assessed from a 56% (148/263) response to a comprehensive TB screening questionnaire. TB skin tests were administered to employees on initial employment by 98% and annually by 97% of the LTCFs, generally (74%) by the Mantoux method. Employee skin tests were read at the appropriate time interval of 48 to 72 hours by 91%, but less than half used diameter of induration when interpreting reactive tests. The booster test was performed on new employees at eight (6%) of the LTCFs. TB skin tests were routinely performed on newly admitted residents by 56% or conditionally required by 18%, generally (73%) by the Mantoux method. Resident skin tests were read at the appropriate time interval of 48 to 72 hours by 92%, but again only half correctly interpreted reactive tests as significant. Residents received routine annual skin tests at 71% of the LTCFs, generally (80%) by the Mantoux method. Eight (6%) facilities routinely performed the booster test on newly admitted residents. TB infection prevalence in new employees during 1983 was 8.1% (47/578) in seven LTCFs and in newly admitted residents was 6.4% (7/110) in three LTCFs supplying this data. The five-year mean TB skin test conversion rate among employees was 1.1% (101/9545) in 12 LTCFs and among residents was 0.9% (46/5216) in nine LTCFs supplying this data. Lack of compliance to established TB skin-testing guidelines in NC LTCF was prevalent. In recognition of described endemic and epidemic spread of TB in LTCFs, residents and employees of LTCFs should be screened for TB utilizing established skin-testing practices.
The Effect of Frequency of Chart Review on the Sensitivity of Nosocomial Infection Surveillance in General Surgery
Authors: Delgado-Rodríguez Miguel , Gómez-Ortega Antonio , Sierra Antonio , Dierssen Trinidad , Llorca Javier , Sillero-Arenas María 
Published: August 2016

AbstractObjective:To assess the sensitivity of different frequencies of nosocomial infection surveillance (NIS) in general surgery.Design:Data obtained with a prospective daily NIS are compared with those of hypothetical cross-sectional studies carried out with different frequencies (from one weekly visit up to one visit every other day).Setting:General surgery services at three hospitals.Main Outcome Measure:Sensitivity in the detection of nosocomial infection (overall and stratified by site), compared to a gold standard of prospective surveillance of every patient's complete medical record daily from the first day after surgery until discharge and once more after discharge.Patients:5,859 patients.Results:837 nosocomial infections were detected by the gold standard (58.8% were surgical-site infections [SSI]). The sensitivity of weekly NIS for all infections was 74.5% (95% confidence interval [CI95], 71.4%-77.5%) and varied from 65.1% (CI95, 56.2%-73.3%) for urinary tract infection to 83.3% (CI95, 62.6%-95.3%) for respiratory tract infection; it was 76.4% (CI95, 72.4%-80.1%) for SSI. As expected, sensitivity increased with the frequency of NIS. Performing NIS every 4 days improved sensitivity significantly, to 82.3% (CI95, 79.5%-84.8%) for all infections and 83.3% (CI95, 79.7%-86.5%) for SSI. One visit every other day increased the sensitivity for all infections by another 4.9%, mainly due to increased detection of urinary tract and other less severe infections.Conclusions:The sensitivity of two visits a week exceeded that of one weekly visit by approximately 8%, and one visit every other day added another 5% increase. Results varied according to duration of infection and postdischarge hospital stay.
Nosocomial Infection Surveillance in the United States: Historical Perspective
Authors: Hughes James M. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractDuring the past 30 years, many important strides have been made in the prevention of nosocomial infections in the United States. Infection control programs have been established in hospitals throughout the country. Techniques for surveillance of nosocomial infections have been developed and utilized extensively. Results of the Study on the Efficacy of Nosocomial Infection Control (SENIC Project) and the experience with surveillance of surgical wound infections have documented the fact that surveillance is an integral component of an effective nosocomial infection control program. In recent years, a number of approaches to nosocomial infection surveillance have been proposed as alternatives to comprehensive or hospital-wide surveillance. In 1986, four surveillance components were introduced in the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) system to provide participating institutions the option to tailor their surveillance program to their local needs and priorities while continuing to provide information to the national database on nosocomial infections. Infection control practitioners currently face a challenge to develop more meaningful nosocomial infection rates to permit identification of new infection control priorities for their institution and to assess progress toward specific prevention objectives.
Microbial Examination of Kidney Lithotripter Tub Water and Epidural Anesthesia Catheters
Authors: Cooper Glenn L. , Roberts James T. , O'Brien Amapola , Kelleher Marie , Dretler Stephen P. , Battit George E. , Hopkins Cyrus C. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractKidney lithotripsy patients frequently receive epidural anesthesia via indwelling epidural catheters. In our hospital, patients are immersed in a tub of warm, continuously-flowing tap water. The epidural catheter-entry site is covered by a transparent occlusive dressing. To determine the risk of microbial colonization of the epidural catheter during lithotripsy, we performed quantitative cultures of tub water and semiquantitative cultures of catheters in 63 lithotripsy procedures. Most of the tub water organisms were typical tap water and skin flora isolates. Total colony counts were generally low with no significant progression during the course of serial procedures. Forty-two epidural catheters were cultured; 34 (81%) were sterile, 8 (19%) were colonized with small numbers of flavobacteria or coagulase-negative staphylococci. Only four catheters had organisms present on catheter segments covered by the transparent occlusive dressing (in each case there was a single colony forming unit per semiquantitative plate) and these organisms were probable contaminants. We conclude that with our current lithotripsy procedures, the risk for the development of epidural catheter-associated infection seems to be low.
Sentinel System for Nosocomial Infections in the Netherlands A Pilot Study
Authors: Severijnen A.J. , Verbrugh H.A. , Groot A.J. Mintjes-de , Vandenbroucke-Grauls C.M.J.E. , van Pelt W. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractObjective:To determine the feasibility of stan¬dardized surveillance of nosocomial infections (NI) in The Netherlands, using local data on patients with NI collected by infection control practitioners (ICPs) and denominator data on all patients under surveillance obtained from the Dutch National Medical Registry (LMR).Design:A prospective, multicenter study.Setting:Eight hospitals in the Utrecht region, and the National Institute of Public Health and the Environment.Patients:ICPs traced NI in gynecological and orthopedic patients for 9 to 16 months. Denominator data on all patients under surveillance were obtained from the LMRResults:Data from 8,922 patients were collected; the ICPs registered 470 patients with 526 N1. Overall, the NI incidence was 5.9 per 100 patients, or 6.3 per 1,000 patient days. Urinary tract infections (UTI) were most frequent (3.3%), followed by surgical-wound infections (SWI; 2.0%) and bloodborne infections (0.12%). The incidence of both SWI and UTI differed markedly between hospitals, only partially on account of differences in patient mix (age, type of operations), antibiotic prophylaxis, and intensity of tracing methods for NI. Delay in the availability of denominator data hampered the timely feedback of incidence figures.Conclusions:Surveillance of NI in a network of sentinel hospitals offered valuable information on the occurrence of NI and on factors influencing the incidence of NI. It revealed situations in which both NI surveillance and infection control methods in individual hospitals should be improved. Obtaining denominator data on all patients from electronically registered patient discharge data greatly reduces the workload of ICPs and enables surveillance on all types of NI (all body sites and all pathogens). For timely feedback, numerator and denominator data within hospitals must be linked.
Bacterial communities in Antarctic lichens
Authors: Park Chae Haeng , Kim Kyung Mo , Kim Ok-Sun , Jeong Gajin , Hong Soon Gyu 
Published: August 2016

AbstractTo date, many studies surveying the bacterial communities in lichen thalli from diverse geographical areas have shown that Alphaproteobacteria is the predominant bacterial class in most lichens. In this study, bacterial communities in several Antarctic lichens with different growth form and substrates were analysed. The bacterial community composition in fruticose and foliose lichens, Cladonia, Umbilicaria and Usnea, and crustose lichens, Buelia granulosa, Amandinea coniops and Ochrolechia parella, from King George Island was analysed by pyrosequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes. Results showed that Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes were predominant phyla. The predominant bacterial class in most of the samples was Alphaproteobacteria. Acetobacteriaceae of the order Rhodospiralles in Alphaproteobacteria was the most abundant bacterial family in Antarctic lichens. The LAR1 lineage of the order Rhizobiales, a putative N-fixer which has been frequently observed in lichens from temperate areas, was detected only from a few samples at low frequency. It is expected that other bacterial taxa are working as N-fixers in Antarctic lichens. From the PCoA analysis of the Fast UniFrac distance matrix, it was proposed that the microbial community structures in Antarctic lichens were affected by host species, growth form and substrates.
Literary Imaginings of the Bunya
Authors: McKay Belinda , Buckridge Patrick 
Published: August 2016

By the time that Europeans became acquainted with the bunya, the gum tree was already well established as the iconic Australian tree. The genus Eucalyptus, with all its locally specific variants, was both distinctive to the continent and widely dispersed throughout it. In contrast, the bunya tree (classified as Araucaria bidwillii in 1843) grew in a small area of what is now South-East Queensland and was seen by few Europeans before the 1840s, when Moreton Bay was opened to free settlement. The physical distinctiveness of the bunya tree, and stories of the large gatherings which accompanied the triennial harvesting of its nut, aroused the curiosity of early European explorers and settlers, and in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the bunya tree achieved a special status in local civic culture. Although heavy logging had largely destroyed the great bunya forests, the tree was planted extensively in school grounds, around war memorials and in long avenues in parks.
Who Owns Brisbane's Radical Past?
Authors: Connors Libby , Hutton Drew 
Published: August 2016

When a history of the Australian environment movement was published several years ago, the joke that went around the environment movement was that the first (and sometimes the only thing) purveyors of the book would read was the index to check whether their names were there. If some of the reports we have heard from around the bookshops of Brisbane are true, Radical Brisbane has received a similar response. We feel for Ray Evans and Carole Ferrier, the editors of Radical Brisbane, because everyone who has been around the activist scene in Brisbane over the last 40 years will want to see themselves, or at least their organisations, represented. Inevitably, given the limitations of such publications, many have been disappointed. The point of this review essay is not to critique the inclusions and omissions in order to assuage individual egos, but to further an understanding of the basis of radical politics and to interpret why Brisbane has been the seat of dissent as much as of development in this state.
Microchemical Study of Pigments and Binders in Polychrome Relics from Maiji Mountain Grottoes in Northwestern China
Authors: Liu Luyao , Shen Wei , Zhang Bingjian , Ma Qian 
Published: August 2016

AbstractIn this study, an integrated analytical method was developed to investigate the composition of both the inorganic pigments and organic binders of polychrome relics in Maiji Mountain Grottoes in northwestern China. Cross-sections of each sample were prepared at the beginning of the study, and all experiments were carried out on these cross-sections. Polychromic structures were revealed by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy-backscattered electron imaging. Inorganic materials were determined by using SEM coupled with an energy dispersive spectrometer and μ-Raman spectrometer, whereas organic materials were identified by staining techniques and highly sensitive and specific immunofluorescence microscopy. Data showed that the red colors are attributed to one or two pigments of red ochre, cinnabar, and minium; the blue pigment is natural lazurite; the green pigment is ascribed to atacamite; the white color is attributed to potassium feldspar; and the black surface is formed by the discoloration of minium to plattnerite under the influence of environmental factors. Regarding organic binders used in painting and preparation layers, mammalian animal glue and chicken egg white were both found alone or in mixture. Finally, the conclusion is made that the Secco technique is employed in polychrome relics from Maiji Mountain Grottoes.
Cingulin and actin mediate midbody-dependent apical lumen formation during polarization of epithelial cells
Authors: Mangan Anthony J. , Sietsema Daniel V. , Li Dongying , Moore Jeffrey K. , Citi Sandra , Prekeris Rytis 
Published: August 2016

AbstractCoordinated polarization of epithelial cells is a key step during morphogenesis that leads to the formation of an apical lumen. Rab11 and its interacting protein FIP5 are necessary for the targeting of apical endosomes to the midbody and apical membrane initiation site (AMIS) during lumenogenesis. However, the machinery that mediates AMIS establishment and FIP5-endosome targeting remains unknown. Here we identify a FIP5-interacting protein, Cingulin, which localizes to the AMIS and functions as a tether mediating FIP5-endosome targeting. We analysed the machinery mediating AMIS recruitment to the midbody and determined that both branched actin and microtubules are required for establishing the site of the nascent lumen. We demonstrate that the Rac1-WAVE/Scar complex mediates Cingulin recruitment to the AMIS by inducing branched actin formation, and that Cingulin directly binds to microtubule C-terminal tails through electrostatic interactions. We propose a new mechanism for apical endosome targeting and AMIS formation around the midbody during epithelial lumenogenesis.
PKM2 dephosphorylation by Cdc25A promotes the Warburg effect and tumorigenesis
Authors: Liang Ji , Cao Ruixiu , Zhang Yajuan , Xia Yan , Zheng Yanhua , Li Xinjian , Wang Liwei , Yang Weiwei , Lu Zhimin 
Published: August 2016

AbstractMany types of human tumour cells overexpress the dual-specificity phosphatase Cdc25A. Cdc25A dephosphorylates cyclin-dependent kinase and regulates the cell cycle, but other substrates of Cdc25A and their relevant cellular functions have yet to be identified. We demonstrate here that EGFR activation results in c-Src-mediated Cdc25A phosphorylation at Y59, which interacts with nuclear pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2). Cdc25A dephosphorylates PKM2 at S37, and promotes PKM2-dependent β-catenin transactivation and c-Myc-upregulated expression of the glycolytic genes GLUT1, PKM2 and LDHA, and of CDC25A; thus, Cdc25A upregulates itself in a positive feedback loop. Cdc25A-mediated PKM2 dephosphorylation promotes the Warburg effect, cell proliferation and brain tumorigenesis. In addition, we identify positive correlations among Cdc25A Y59 phosphorylation, Cdc25A and PKM2 in human glioblastoma specimens. Furthermore, levels of Cdc25A Y59 phosphorylation correlate with grades of glioma malignancy and prognosis. These findings reveal an instrumental function of Cdc25A in controlling cell metabolism, which is essential for EGFR-promoted tumorigenesis.
Evidence that birds sleep in mid-flight
Authors: Rattenborg Niels C , Voirin Bryson , Cruz Sebastian M. , Tisdale Ryan , Dell’Omo Giacomo , Lipp Hans-Peter , Wikelski Martin , Vyssotski Alexei L. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractMany birds fly non-stop for days or longer, but do they sleep in flight and if so, how? It is commonly assumed that flying birds maintain environmental awareness and aerodynamic control by sleeping with only one eye closed and one cerebral hemisphere at a time. However, sleep has never been demonstrated in flying birds. Here, using electroencephalogram recordings of great frigatebirds (Fregata minor) flying over the ocean for up to 10 days, we show that they can sleep with either one hemisphere at a time or both hemispheres simultaneously. Also unexpectedly, frigatebirds sleep for only 0.69 h d−1 (7.4% of the time spent sleeping on land), indicating that ecological demands for attention usually exceed the attention afforded by sleeping unihemispherically. In addition to establishing that birds can sleep in flight, our results challenge the view that they sustain prolonged flights by obtaining normal amounts of sleep on the wing.
Genome-wide characteristics of de novo mutations in autism
Authors: Yuen Ryan KC , Merico Daniele , Cao Hongzhi , Pellecchia Giovanna , Alipanahi Babak , Thiruvahindrapuram Bhooma , Tong Xin , Sun Yuhui , Cao Dandan , Zhang Tao , Wu Xueli , Jin Xin , Zhou Ze , Liu Xiaomin , Nalpathamkalam Thomas , Walker Susan , Howe Jennifer L , Wang Zhuozhi , MacDonald Jeffrey R , Chan Ada JS , D’Abate Lia , Deneault Eric , Siu Michelle T , Tammimies Kristiina , Uddin Mohammed , Zarrei Mehdi , Wang Mingbang , Li Yingrui , Wang Jun , Wang Jian , Yang Huanming , Bookman Matt , Bingham Jonathan , Gross Samuel S , Loy Dion , Pletcher Mathew , Marshall Christian R , Anagnostou Evdokia , Zwaigenbaum Lonnie , Weksberg Rosanna , Fernandez Bridget A , Roberts Wendy , Szatmari Peter , Glazer David , Frey Brendan J , Ring Robert H , Xu Xun , Scherer Stephen W 
Published: August 2016

AbstractDe novo mutations (DNMs) are important in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but so far analyses have mainly been on the ~1.5% of the genome encoding genes. Here, we performed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of 200 ASD parent–child trios and characterised germline and somatic DNMs. We confirmed that the majority of germline DNMs (75.6%) originated from the father, and these increased significantly with paternal age only (P=4.2×10−10). However, when clustered DNMs (those within 20 kb) were found in ASD, not only did they mostly originate from the mother (P=7.7×10−13), but they could also be found adjacent to de novo copy number variations where the mutation rate was significantly elevated (P=2.4×10−24). By comparing with DNMs detected in controls, we found a significant enrichment of predicted damaging DNMs in ASD cases (P=8.0×10−9; odds ratio=1.84), of which 15.6% (P=4.3×10−3) and 22.5% (P=7.0×10−5) were non-coding or genic non-coding, respectively. The non-coding elements most enriched for DNM were untranslated regions of genes, regulatory sequences involved in exon-skipping and DNase I hypersensitive regions. Using microarrays and a novel outlier detection test, we also found aberrant methylation profiles in 2/185 (1.1%) of ASD cases. These same individuals carried independently identified DNMs in the ASD-risk and epigenetic genes DNMT3A and ADNP. Our data begins to characterize different genome-wide DNMs, and highlight the contribution of non-coding variants, to the aetiology of ASD.
A simultaneous diagnosis and genotyping method for global surveillance of cetacean morbillivirus
Authors: Yang Wei-Cheng , Wu Bi-Jhen , Sierra Eva , Fernandez Antonio , Groch Kátia R. , Catão-Dias José Luiz , West Kristi , Chan Kun-Wei 
Published: August 2016

AbstractCetacean morbillivirus (CeMV) is considered one of the most important viral pathogens in cetaceans. CeMV outbreaks of lethal disease have repeatedly been observed in Europe, the Americas and Australia, while large herds of gregarious species were found to be the likely reservoirs and sources of CeMV infection to susceptible species in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Furthermore, three new strains were detected recently in Hawaii, Brazil and Australia. To clarify the real global distribution of CeMV and possible carriers, we showed a novel technique successfully diagnosing and distinguishing different virus strains (DMV, PWMV and novel CeMVs) using FFPE samples from 1996 to 2011. This efficient method that combines qRT-PCR and high resolution melting (HRM) could be applied to the future retrospective global studies for better understanding of different prevalence and outbreak conditions among ocean basins and the mechanism of variable host response to pathogens.