Increase of resistance to macrolides in invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae in Spain (2000-2001)

This study examined the antimicrobial resistance of 1,278 invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from 41 Spanish laboratories participating in the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (EARSS) during 2000 and 2001. Twenty-nine laboratories participated during both years and provided 950 of the isolates. Each laboratory used its own susceptibility testing methods. External quality assessment was performed annually by each participating laboratory. Significant increases in penicillin and erythromycin resistance were observed between 2000 and 2001. This increase was particularly noticeable in isolates from the laboratories participating during both years and in isolates from children and elderly patients.

Symmetry properties with pupil phase-filters

Pupil filters can modify the three dimensional response of an optical system. In this paper, we study different pupil symmetries that produce a predictable image behavior. We show that different pupil-filters that satisfy certain symmetry conditions can produce axial responses which are either identical or mirror reflected. We also establish the differences in the symmetry properties between amplitude-only filters and phase-only filters. In particular, we are interested in phase filters that produce transverse superresolution with axial superresolution or high depth of focus.

Production and Characterization of Monoclonal Antibodies to E1 Tor Toxin Co-Regulated Pilus ofVibrio cholerae

Murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against Vibrio cholerae toxin co-regulated pilus (TCP) were generated using conventional hybridoma procedures. Four hybridomas were obtained and two characterized. Hybridomas 10E10E1 and 4D6F9 secreted antibodies of the IgG2a and IgG1 isotypes, respectively, that reacted with a 24-kDa antigen corresponding to the product of the El Tor tcpA gene fused to a six Histidine tail. Additionally, MAbs produced by 4D6F9 selectively recognized the major pilin subunit (TcpA) of El Tor and O139 vibrios in western immunoblot, while MAbs from 10E10E1 also cross-reacted with classical TcpA. Furthermore, vibrios expressing TCP on their surface selectively inhibited binding of the antibodies secreted by both hybridomas to TcpA-coated microtiter plates. Thus, the MAbs reported in this work detected the structural subunit of the pilus either denatured or assembled on the bacterial surface.

PUBLIC HEALTH: Building Microbial Forensics as a Response to Bioterrorism

Combating bioterrorism is a challenge to all of us. To be proactive, the U.S. Government has formalized the discipline of "microbial forensics" to deter and attribute perpetrators of such acts. This Policy Forum describes the foundations of the microbial forensics program: the creation of a national bioforensics laboratory, a partnership laboratory network, and a peer-consensus scientific working group and the promulgation of quality assurance guidelines.

Beneficial effects of HLA class II incompatibility in living donor liver transplantation

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the impact of HLA matching in both patient and graft evolution after LDLT.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Twenty recipients underwent LDLT with follow-up of 3 to 30 months. HLA typing was performed on all donor-recipient pairs; class I antigens were typed using serological methods and class II loci (DRB1 and DQB1) using low-resolution molecular typing. Recipient sera were cross-matched with donor lymphocytes. Antigen mismatches were analyzed for each locus individually, for each class as a whole and for HLA class I immunogenic triplets according to HLA Matchmaker software.

RESULTS

Eighteen of 20 donor-recipient pairs were HLA haploidentical. All but one of the recipients had a negative cross-match before transplantation. While there was not a statistically significant correlation between HLA class I mismatches and the incidence of acute rejection episodes, HLA class II matching in DRB1 and DQB1 loci appeared to be associated with a higher incidence of acute rejection episodes after LDLT. Both host-versus-graft (HvG) and graft-versus-host (GvH) HLA class II compatibilities correlated with rejection episodes, especially for the GvH direction.

CONCLUSIONS

HLA class II matching for DRB1 and DQB1 loci appears to be associated with a higher incidence of acute rejection episodes after LDLT. In this study, mismatches in class I HLA antigens are not related to an higher incidence of acute rejection episodes nor other complications after LDLT. Further studies are needed to unveil the role of HLA matching in LDLT.

QSAR-derived choline kinase inhibitors: how rational can antiproliferative drug design be?

This review presents an overview of Choline Kinase (ChoK) inhibitors with antiproliferative activity. The consideration of ChoK as a novel target for the development of new anticancer drugs is justified. The synthesis of several derivatives based on structural modifications of hemicholinium-3 (HC-3) is not accompanied by potentiation of the neurological toxicity of HC-3. The increment of both ChoK inhibitory and antiproliferative activities was successfully obtained by the two following changes: a) substitution of the oxazonium moiety of HC-3 by several aromatic heterocycles, and b) using the 1,2-ethylene(bisbenzyl) moiety instead of the 4,4'-biphenyl fragment. In an attempt to understand the ChoK inhibitory activity, a quantitative structure-activity relationship was developed. The QSAR equations have described the forces involved in quantitative terms. The electron characteristic of the substituent at position 4 of the heterocycle and the lipophilic character of the whole molecule were found to significantly affect the antitumour activity in compounds 17-95. Trispyridinium compounds 91-95 are more potent than the bispyridinium ones 87-89 as ChoK inhibitors. Nevertheless, 91-95 are less active than 87-89 as antiproliferative agents because the latter show better lipophilicities to cross the cytosolic membranes. Inhibition of the growth of human tumours in nude mice has been demonstrated: Antitumour activity of compound 64 against human HT-29 produced a decrease of up to 70% in the size of the tumour in nude mice. These results indicate that ChoK can be used as a general target for anticancer drug design against Ras-dependent tumourigenesis.

Antibiotic resistance in 1962 invasive isolates of Escherichia coli in 27 Spanish hospitals participating in the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (2001)

In Europe, antimicrobial resistance of invasive pathogens has been monitored since 1998 by the European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (EARSS). The goal of this study is to analyse the susceptibility data of invasive Escherichia coli collected by 27 Spanish laboratories in 2001. Each laboratory identified strains and tested their susceptibility using its own methods. To assess the comparability of susceptibility test results, a quality assurance exercise was performed. We report data from 1962 invasive isolates of E. coli: 1959 from blood and three from cerebrospinal fluid, corresponding to the same number of patients. Resistance to ampicillin, co-trimoxazole, ciprofloxacin and gentamicin was found in 58.46%, 32.91%, 17.19% and 6.39% of isolates, respectively. Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production was detected in 30 strains (1.55%). Ciprofloxacin resistance was higher in isolates from men and in-patients than in those from women and out-patients (P < 0.001). Resistance to ampicillin and co-trimoxazole was more widespread in children than in adults: 70.37% versus 57.87% (P = 0.01) and 41.84% versus 32.53% (P = 0.05). Non-significant differences in resistance to fluoroquinolones were observed between isolates from children (11.1%) and adults (17.54%), despite the fact that fluoroquinolones are not administered to children. Significantly, resistance to non-beta-lactam antibiotics (co-trimoxazole, ciprofloxacin and gentamicin) was more prevalent in ampicillin-resistant strains and ESBL-producing strains than in ampicillin-susceptible strains and non-ESBL-producing strains. Multidrug resistance was present in 13.92% of isolates; the most prevalent phenotype was resistance to ampicillin, co-trimoxazole and ciprofloxacin, which was detected in 59.36% of multiresistant strains and in 8.22% of strains overall.

Integration in the Fourier domain for restoration of a function from its slope: comparison of four methods

In some measurement techniques the profile, f(x), of a function should be obtained from the data on measured slope f(?)(x) by integration. The slope is measured in a given set of points, and from these data we should obtain the profile with the highest possible accuracy. Most frequently, the integration is carried out by numerical integration methods [Press et al., Numerical Recipes: The Art of Scientific Computing (Cambridge U. Press, Cambridge, 1987)] that assume different kinds of polynomial approximation of data between sampling points. We propose the integration of the function in the Fourier domain, by which the most-accurate interpolation is automatically carried out. Analysis of the integration methods in the Fourier domain permits us to easily study and compare the methods' behavior.

Observing emotion in infants: facial expression, body behavior, and rater judgments of responses to an expectancy-violating event

Eleven-month-old European-American, Japanese, and Chinese infants (ns = 23, 21, and 15, respectively) were videotaped during baseline and stimulus episodes of a covert toy-switch procedure. Infants looked longer at the object during the expectancy-violating event (stimulus episode) but did not produce more surprise-related facial expressions. American and Japanese infants produced more bodily stilling during stimulus than baseline, and American infants also produced more facial sobering. Naive raters viewing both episodes could correctly identify the expectancy-violating event. Rater judgments of surprise were significantly related to infants' bodily stilling and facial sobering. Judgments of interest were related to cessation of fussing. Thus, observer judgments of infant emotions can be systematically related to behaviors other than prototypic emotional facial expressions.

Patellar tendon-lateral femoral condyle friction syndrome: MR imaging in 42 patients

OBJECTIVE

To demonstrate the MR imaging findings that occur between the posterior inferolateral patellar tendon and the lateral femoral condyle in patients with chronic anterior and or lateral knee pain.

PATIENTS AND DESIGN

A retrospective review of the MR images in 42 patients who presented with chronic anterior or lateral knee pain was performed by two musculoskeletal radiologists. In 15 patients, post-contrast images were available.

RESULTS

Sagittal and axial imaging planes best demonstrated the patellar tendon and its relationship with the lateral femoral condyle. In 40 patients, there was obliteration of the fat planes and abnormal signal intensity in the lateral soft tissues of the inferior patellofemoral joint. Enhancement after administration of gadolinium was noted in all cases in which contrast was administered. Eighteen patients showed cystic changes in the soft tissues adjacent to the lateral femoral condyle in addition to fat plane obliteration. In two patients, only cystic changes were noted in the lateral soft tissues. Abnormal patellar alignment was noted in 37 patients. Patellar tendon pathology was seen in nine patients.

CONCLUSION

In evaluating anterior knee symptoms, MR imaging allows identification of changes that may be related to patellar tendon-lateral femoral condyle friction syndrome and that should be distinguished from other causes of anterior or lateral knee pain.

Fractional derivatives-analysis and experimental implementation

The fractional derivative spatial-filtering operator is useful for image-processing applications, particularly for examination of phase objects. Experimental implementation is difficult because the mask function combines both amplitude and phase. We present a simple one-dimensional analysis of the fractional derivative operation and note similarities with the fractional Hilbert transform. We demonstrate how to encode these amplitude and phase masks using a phase-only liquid-crystal spatial light modulator and present experimental results. Finally, we introduce a radially symmetric extension of this operation that is more useful for objects having an arbitrary shape.

An integrated simulator for surgery of the petrous bone

This paper describes work being undertaken as part of the IERAPSI (Integrated Environment for the Rehearsal and Panning of Surgical Intervention) project. The project is focussing on surgery for the petrous bone, and brings together a consortium of European clinicians and technology providers working in this field. The paper presents the results of a comprehensive user task analysis that has been carried out in the first phase of the IERAPSI project, and details the current status of development of a pre operative planning environment and a physically-based surgical simulator.

[Larval susceptibility to chemical insecticides of two Aedes aegypti populations]

OBJECTIVE

Insect susceptibility has been one of the most important aspects to be monitored in public health programs for vector control. The purpose of the study is to assess the susceptibility to chemical insecticides of Aedes aegypti larvae in both areas under vector control and no vector control.

METHODS

World Health Organization standard bioassays for diagnostic concentration and multiple concentrations were performed in mosquito larvae collected in an area under no vector control (Campinas, SP) and an area under vector chemical control (Campo Grande, MS), in Brazil.

RESULTS

Potential resistance to a diagnostic concentration of temephos (DC=0.04 ppm) was registered for an Ae. aegypti larval population collected in Campinas. Multiple concentration tests confirmed the larvae resistance, with 24.5% of them surviving at the 0.0125 ppm concentration. Bioassays with the organophosphate fenitrothion (DC=0.08 ppm) and pyrethroid cypermethrin (DC=0.01 ppm) in the same population revealed their susceptibility to these agents. Bioassays carried out in an Ae. aegypti larval population collected in Campo Grande showed their susceptibility to temephos (DC=0.04 ppm) and cypermethrin (DC=0.01 ppm). LC50 and LC95 for cypermethrin (CE25), cyfluthrin (CE5), betacyfluthrin (SC1.25) and propoxur (CE20) were determined for Ae. aegypti. Using the Rockefeller standard strain values, ratios of resistance were estimated: 2.9, 2.2, 2.4 and 1.3 for LC50 and 3.5, 2.6, 3.9 and 1.3 for LC95, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The findings reinforce the need for routinely monitoring pesticide efficacy as a very important step in vector control management programs.