bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Distribution of Serotypes, Genotypes, and Resistance Determinants among Macrolide-Resistant
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Isolates
Authors: Xu Xiaoping , Cai Lin , Xiao Meng , Kong Fanrong , Oftadeh Shahin , Zhou Fei , Gilbert Gwendolyn L. 
Published: January 2010

ABSTRACT

Macrolide resistance in
Streptococcus pneumoniae
has emerged as an important clinical problem worldwide over the past decade. The aim of this study was to analyze the phenotypes (serotype and antibiotic susceptibility), genotypes (multilocus sequence type [MLST] and antibiotic resistance gene/transposon profiles) among the 31% (102/328) of invasive isolates from children in New South Wales, Australia, in 2005 that were resistant to erythromycin. Three serotypes—19F (47 isolates [46%]), 14 (27 isolates [26%]), and 6B (12 isolates [12%])—accounted for 86 (84%) of these 102 isolates. Seventy four (73%) isolates had the macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (MLS
B
) resistance phenotype and carried Tn
916
transposons (most commonly Tn
6002
); of these, 73 (99%) contained the erythromycin ribosomal methylase gene [
erm
(B)], 34 (47%) also carried the macrolide efflux gene [
mef
(E)], and 41 (55%) belonged to serotype 19F. Of 28 (27%) isolates with the M phenotype, 22 (79%) carried
mef
(A), including 16 (57%) belonging to serotype 14, and only six (19%) carried Tn
916
transposons. Most (84%) isolates which contained
mef
also contained one of the
msr
(A) homologues,
mel
or
msr
(D); 38 of 40 (95%) isolates with
mef
(E) (on
mega
) carried
mel
, and of 28 (39%) isolates with
mef
(A), 10 (39%) carried
mel
and another 11(39%) carried
msr
(D), on Tn
1207.1
. Two predominant macrolide-resistant
S. pneumoniae
clonal clusters (CCs) were identified in this population. CC-271 contained 44% of isolates, most of which belonged to serotype 19F, had the MLS
B
phenotype, were multidrug resistant, and carried transposons of the Tn
916
family; CC-15 contained 23% of isolates, most of which were serotype 14, had the M phenotype, and carried
mef
(A) on Tn
1207.1.
Erythromycin resistance among
S. pneumoniae
isolates in New South Wales is mainly due to the dissemination of multidrug-resistant
S. pneumoniae
strains or horizontal spread of the Tn
916
family of transposons.
The GenusAeromonas: Taxonomy, Pathogenicity, and Infection
Authors: Janda J. Michael , Abbott Sharon L. 
Published: January 2010

SUMMARYOver the past decade, the genusAeromonashas undergone a number of significant changes of practical importance to clinical microbiologists and scientists alike. In parallel with the molecular revolution in microbiology, several new species have been identified on a phylogenetic basis, and the genome of the type species,A. hydrophilaATCC 7966, has been sequenced. In addition to established disease associations,Aeromonashas been shown to be a significant cause of infections associated with natural disasters (hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes) and has been linked to emerging or new illnesses, including near-drowning events, prostatitis, and hemolytic-uremic syndrome. Despite these achievements, issues still remain regarding the role thatAeromonasplays in bacterial gastroenteritis, the extent to which species identification should be attempted in the clinical laboratory, and laboratory reporting of test results from contaminated body sites containing aeromonads. This article provides an extensive review of these topics, in addition to others, such as taxonomic issues, microbial pathogenicity, and antimicrobial resistance markers.
Enhanced Susceptibility to Acute Pneumococcal Otitis Media in Mice Deficient in Complement C1qa, Factor B, and Factor B/C2
Authors: Tong Hua Hua , Li Yong Xing , Stahl Gregory L. , Thurman Joshua M. 
Published: January 2010

ABSTRACT

To define the roles of specific complement activation pathways in host defense against
Streptococcus pneumoniae
in acute otitis media (AOM), we investigated the susceptibility to AOM in mice deficient in complement factor B and C2 (
Bf/C2
−/
−
), C1qa (
C1qa
−/
−
), and factor B (
Bf
−
/
−
). Bacterial titers of both
S. pneumoniae
serotype 6A and 14 in the middle ear lavage fluid samples from
Bf/C2
−/
−
,
Bf
−
/
−
, and
C1qa
−/
−
mice were significantly higher than in samples from wild-type mice 24 h after transtympanical infection (
P
< 0.05) and remained persistently higher in samples from
Bf/C2
−/
−
mice than in samples from wild-type mice. Bacteremia occurred in
Bf/C2
−/
−
,
Bf
−
/
−
, and
C1qa
−/
−
mice infected with both strains, but not in wild-type mice. Recruitment of inflammatory cells was paralleled by enhanced production of inflammatory mediators in the middle ear lavage samples from
Bf/C2
−/
−
mice. C3b deposition on both strains was greatest for sera obtained from wild-type mice, followed by
C1qa
−
/
−
and
Bf
−
/
−
mice, and least for
Bf/C2
−
/
−
mice. Opsonophagocytosis and whole-blood killing capacity of both strains were significantly decreased in the presence of sera or whole blood from complement-deficient mice compared to wild-type mice. These findings indicate that both the classical and alternative complement pathways are critical for middle ear immune defense against
S. pneumoniae
. The reduced capacity of complement-mediated opsonization and phagocytosis in the complement-deficient mice appears to be responsible for the impaired clearance of
S. pneumoniae
from the middle ear and dissemination to the bloodstream during AOM.
Two Atypical Enteropathogenic
Escherichia coli
Strains Induce the Production of Secreted and Membrane-Bound Mucins To Benefit Their Own Growth at the Apical Surface of Human Mucin-Secreting Intestinal HT29-MTX Cells
Authors: Vieira Mônica A. M. , Gomes Tânia A. T. , Ferreira Antonio J. P. , Knöbl Terezinha , Servin Alain L. , Liévin-Le Moal Vanessa 
Published: January 2010

ABSTRACT

In rabbit ligated ileal loops, two atypical enteropathogenic
Escherichia coli
(aEPEC) strains, 3991-1 and 0421-1, intimately associated with the cell membrane, forming the characteristic EPEC attachment and effacement lesion of the brush border, induced a mucous hypersecretion, whereas typical EPEC (tEPEC) strain E2348/69 did not. Using cultured human mucin-secreting intestinal HT29-MTX cells, we demonstrate that apically aEPEC infection is followed by increased production of secreted MUC2 and MUC5AC mucins and membrane-bound MUC3 and MUC4 mucins. The transcription of the
MUC5AC
and
MUC4
genes was transiently upregulated after aEPEC infection. We provide evidence that the apically adhering aEPEC cells exploit the mucins' increased production since they grew in the presence of membrane-bound mucins, whereas tEPEC did not. The data described herein report a putative new virulence phenomenon in aEPEC.
Indications for thoracic ultrasound in chest medicine: an observational study
Authors: Medford A R L , Entwisle J J 
Published: January 2010

Abstract

Introduction
Thoracic ultrasound (TUS) is increasingly used in chest medicine in secondary care. The indications for TUS are well known but less is known about their relative frequency. The purpose of this observational study was to describe the common indications for TUS and their relative frequency and the impact of TUS on management in a consecutive group of patients.

Methods
80 consecutive inpatients and outpatients referred for TUS by the same operator in a UK National Health Service teaching hospital were included. Demographic data, clinical indication, findings and effect of TUS on clinical management were noted.

Results
The most common clinical indication was to assess a pleural effusion in 60/80 cases (75%), but other indications included assessment of diaphragmatic function, pleural thickening and chest wall masses. TUS significantly altered patient management in 52/80 cases (65%): it resolved equivocal chest radiograph (CXR) findings and excluded pathology in 20/80 cases (25%), detected effusions not visible on CXR in 14/80 cases (18%), localised a safe site for medical thoracoscopy in 11/80 cases (14%) when not clinically apparent, and detected unexpected septation in 7/80 cases (9%). TUS guided pleural cytology diagnosed pleural fluid metastases in 9/22 cases aspirated (41%).

Conclusion
There are many clinical indications for TUS but the most common is pleural effusion assessment. TUS can diagnose inoperable pleural metastases, allow safe day case pleural intervention, exclude significant pleural pathology not visible on CXR, and triage further investigation.
Tobacco Institute lobbying at the state and local levels of government in the 1990s
Authors: Morley C P , Cummings K M , Hyland A , Giovino G A , Horan J K 
Published: January 2010

Objective: To describe variation in Tobacco Institute (TI) lobbying expenditures across states and test whether these expenditures vary in relationship to measures of tobacco control activity at the state level.Independent variable: Data for this study came from the TI's State Activities Division (SAD) annual budgets for the years 1991-97, excluding 1993. These data include budgetary information pertaining to state and local lobbying activity and special projects reported by state.Dependent variables: The following measures of state tobacco control activity during the period 1991 to 1997 were considered: (1) American Stop Smoking Intervention Study (ASSIST) funding; (2) voter initiatives to raise cigarette taxes; (3) cigarette excise tax level; (4) workplace smoking restrictions; (5) the intensification of smoke-free air laws covering private worksites, government worksites, and restaurants; (6) the intensification of strength of sales to minors laws; (7) the intensification of strength of laws that punish minors for possessing, purchasing, and/or using cigarettes; (8) state status as a major grower of tobacco; (9) partisan control of state government, 1996; and (10) an overall composite index reflecting a state's strength of tobacco control, combining cigarette prices with workplace and home smoking bans.Results: The overall annual budget for the TI declined steadily during the 1990s, from $47.7 million in 1991 to $28.1 million by 1996. The proportion of the TI's budget allocated to the SAD remained relatively stable at about 30%. TI expenditures for lobbyists were highest in California where tobacco control activity has been strong for the past decade. We found significant associations between TI SAD expenditures and cigarette excise tax levels, the status of a state as a recipient of federal ASSIST funds, and changes in the strength of statewide laws that penalise minors for possessing, purchasing, and/or using cigarettes. We found little or no association between state and local lobbying budgets of the TI and changes in statewide smoke-free air laws, although we did find evidence of TI special project expenditures earmarked to specific states and localities to resist clean indoor air legislation/regulations (that is, Maryland and New York City). We found no significant correlation between TI lobbying expenditures and sales to minors' laws, status as a major producer of tobacco, or partisan control of state government.Conclusions: The findings from this study support the hypothesis that in the 1990s tobacco control activities such as raising cigarette excise taxes and participation in ASSIST attracted TI resources to undermine these efforts.
The cigarette pack as image: new evidence from tobacco industry documents
Authors: Wakefield M , Morley C , Horan J K , Cummings K M 
Published: January 2010

Objectives: To gain an understanding of the role of pack design in tobacco marketing.Methods: A search of tobacco company document sites using a list of specified search terms was undertaken during November 2000 to July 2001.Results: Documents show that, especially in the context of tighter restrictions on conventional avenues for tobacco marketing, tobacco companies view cigarette packaging as an integral component of marketing strategy and a vehicle for (a) creating significant in-store presence at the point of purchase, and (b) communicating brand image. Market testing results indicate that such imagery is so strong as to influence smoker's taste ratings of the same cigarettes when packaged differently. Documents also reveal the careful balancing act that companies have employed in using pack design and colour to communicate the impression of lower tar or milder cigarettes, while preserving perceived taste and “satisfaction”. Systematic and extensive research is carried out by tobacco companies to ensure that cigarette packaging appeals to selected target groups, including young adults and women.Conclusions: Cigarette pack design is an important communication device for cigarette brands and acts as an advertising medium. Many smokers are misled by pack design into thinking that cigarettes may be “safer”. There is a need to consider regulation of cigarette packaging.
Personality, Mental Health and Glossolalia
Authors: Francis L.J. , Kay William K. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThis article reports on a survey of young men and women training for Pentecostal ministry. The survey was designed to test the relationship between glossolalia, or speaking in tongues, and personality. Personality theory, briefly outlined below, is complex and divided into several schools. For this reason it is necessary to show how findings derived from one school may be interpreted differently by another. Nevertheless, the general outline of previous work is clear. Most critically important for young men and women preparing for Pentecostal ministry is the fact that some research has questioned the mental health of those who speak in tongues. This article is able to show that, on the contrary, those who speak in tongues in the current sample under study are less neurotic than the general population. In order to demonstrate the validity of this thesis, this article will first outline the optional psychological theories of personality with their explanations of mental health and mental illness, then delineate the findings of various psychological studies of glossolalia, and finally present the results of our study of Pentecostal ministry candidates from a data analysis of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire.
God Present in a Confused Situation: The Mixed Influence of the Charismatic Movement on Classical Pentecostalism in the United States
Authors: Macchia Frank D. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThis confused response to the Charismatic movement2 by an official of the Assemblies of God is typical of what many classical Pentecostals in the United States have felt in their struggle over the past three decades to come to terms with the obvious proliferation of extraordinary signs and gifts of the Holy Spirit among members of mainline churches. In the past, Pentecostals viewed these churches as the chief opponents of the latter-day bestowal of supernatural signs and wonders. Apparently, without the permission of Pentecostals, the Spirit of God was suddenly being felt in Charismatic Renewal among members of major Protestant churches and, most surprisingly for Pentecostals, in the Roman Catholic Church. The Pentecostal confusion, however, was due not only to the unexpected work of the Spirit among alleged opponents of revival, but also to the influence that these Renewal movements were having on many classical Pentecostals. In other words, Pentecostals not only had to wrestle with the dramatic work of the Spirit in the mainline churches, they also had to come to terms with the possibility that the movement may serve as a source of renewal for Pentecostal churches. This confusion was rooted in the Pentecostal ambivalence toward a Renewal movement that both repelled and influenced the classical Pentecostal churches.
Feedback: the Charismatic Renewal
Authors: Hocken Peter D. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThe Theological Commission of the Charismatic Renewal in the Catholic Church of Germany is to be commended for its detailed tackling of an important topic that most Churches and denominations affected by "extraordinary bodily phenomena" are neither studying nor evaluating in any serious way. As a fellow Catholic theologian, I wish to reflect on the importance of this document "Concerning Extraordinary Bodily Phenomena in the Context of Spiritual Occurrences" published in the previous issue of PNEEWA1 and to begin by recognizing its valuable contribution.
An example of a 'New Age' interpretation of the Bible
Authors: Steyn H.C. 
Published: January 2010

AbstractThis article sketches the framework in terms of the New Age movement, the Ancient Wisdom tradition and the astrological background in which a 'NewAge' interpretation of the Bible is made by esotericist Corrine Heline. Her interpretation of the Christ and his mission on earth is explored and attention is given to the concept of salvation in this context. In conclusion, the necessary presuppositions for the validity of this type of exegesis are considered.
CloudSat Precipitation Profiling Algorithm—Model Description
Authors: Mitrescu Cristian , L’Ecuyer Tristan , Haynes John , Miller Steven , Turk Joseph 
Published: January 2010

AbstractIdentifying and quantifying the intensity of light precipitation at global scales is still a difficult problem for most of the remote sensing algorithms in use today. The variety of techniques and algorithms employed for such a task yields a rather wide spectrum of possible values for a given precipitation event, further hampering the understanding of cloud processes within the climate. The ability of CloudSat’s millimeter-wavelength Cloud Profiling Radar (CPR) to profile not only cloud particles but also light precipitation brings some hope to the above problems. Introduced as version zero, the present work uses basic concepts of detection and retrieval of light precipitation using spaceborne radars. Based on physical principles of remote sensing, the radar model relies on the description of clouds and rain particles in terms of a drop size distribution function. Use of a numerical model temperature and humidity profile ensures the coexistence of mixed phases otherwise undetected by the CPR. It also provides grounds for evaluating atmospheric attenuation, important at this frequency. Related to the total attenuation, the surface response is used as an additional constraint in the retrieval algorithm. Practical application of the profiling algorithm includes a 1-yr preliminary analysis of global rainfall incidence and intensity. These results underscore once more the role of CloudSat rainfall products for improving and enhancing current estimates of global light rainfall, mostly at higher latitudes, with the goal of understanding its role in the global energy and water cycle.
A Systematic Error in Plane-Parallel Radiative Transfer Calculations
Authors: McLinden Chris A. , Bourassa Adam E. 
Published: January 2010

Abstract
Systematic errors in plane-parallel radiative transfer calculations are examined in the context of limb radiance. Calculation of the multiple-scattering component of limb radiance using plane-parallel geometry can lead to a systematic overestimation that increases with surface albedo and tangent height. It is demonstrated that the cause of this is the overestimate of the surface-reflected radiance component. A simple yet effective correction is introduced that reduces these errors from 4%–8% to &lt;2%. This error source may manifest itself in any application of radiative transfer calculations employing plane-parallel geometry.
Winter-to-Winter Recurrence of Sea Surface Temperature Anomalies in the Northern Hemisphere
Authors: Zhao Xia , Li Jianping 
Published: January 2010

Abstract
The spatiotemporal characteristics of the winter-to-winter recurrence (WWR) of sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA) in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) are comprehensively studied through lag correlation analysis. On this basis the relationships between the SSTA WWR and the WWR of the atmospheric circulation anomalies, El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), and SSTA interdecadal variability are also investigated.
Results show that the SSTA WWR occurs over most parts of the North Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, but the spatiotemporal distributions of the SSTA WWR are distinctly different in these two oceans. Analyses indicate that the spatiotemporal distribution of the SSTA WWR in the North Atlantic Ocean is consistent with the spatial distribution of the seasonal cycle of its mixed layer depth (MLD), whereas that in the North Pacific Ocean, particularly the recurrence timing, cannot be fully explained by the change in the MLD between winter and summer in some regions. In addition, the atmospheric circulation anomalies also exhibit the WWR at the mid–high latitude of the NH, which is mainly located in eastern Asia, the central North Pacific, and the North Atlantic. The sea level pressure anomalies (SLPA) in the central North Pacific are essential for the occurrence of the SSTA WWR in this region. Moreover, the strongest positive correlation occurs when the SLPA lead SSTA in the central North Pacific by 1 month, which suggests that the atmospheric forcing on the ocean may play a dominant role in this region. Therefore, the “reemergence mechanism” is not the only process influencing the SSTA WWR, and the WWR of the atmospheric circulation anomalies may be one of the causes of the SSTA WWR in the central North Pacific. Finally, the occurrence of the SSTA WWR in the NH is closely related to SSTA interdecadal variability in the NH, but it is linearly independent of ENSO.
The Sensitivity of Mountain Snowpack Accumulation to Climate Warming
Authors: Minder Justin R. 
Published: January 2010

Abstract
Controls on the sensitivity of mountain snowpack accumulation to climate warming (λS) are investigated. This is accomplished using two idealized, physically based models of mountain snowfall to simulate snowpack accumulation for the Cascade Mountains under current and warmed climates. Both models are forced from sounding observations. The first model uses the linear theory (LT) model of orographic precipitation to predict precipitation as a function of the incoming flow characteristics and uses the sounding temperatures to estimate the elevation of the rain–snow boundary, called the melting level (ML). The second “ML model” uses only the ML from the sounding and assumptions of uniform and constant precipitation. Both models simulate increases in precipitation intensity and elevated storm MLs under climate warming. The LT model predicts a 14.8%–18.1% loss of Cascade snowfall per degree of warming, depending on the vertical structure of the warming. The loss of snowfall is significantly greater, 19.4%–22.6%, if precipitation increases are neglected. Comparing the two models shows that the predominant control on λS is the relationship between the distribution of storm MLs and the distribution of topographic area with elevation. Although increases in precipitation due to warming may act to moderate λS, the loss of snow accumulation area profoundly limits the ability of precipitation increases to maintain the snowpack under substantial climate warming (beyond 1°–2°C). Circulation changes may act to moderate or exacerbate the loss of mountain snowpack under climate change via impacts on orographic precipitation enhancement.