Characterization of bacteria causing acute otitis media using Raman microspectroscopy

Otitis media (OM) is a prevalent disease that is the most frequent cause of physician visits and prescription of antibiotics for children. Current methods to diagnose OM and differentiate between the two main types of OM, acute otitis media (AOM) and otitis media with effusion (OME), rely on interpreting symptoms that may overlap between them. Since AOM requires antibiotic treatment and OME does not, there is a clinical need to distinguish between AOM and OME to determine whether antibiotic treatment is necessary and guide future prescriptions. We used an optical spectroscopy technique, Raman spectroscopy (RS), to identify and characterize the biochemical features of the three main pathogens that cause AOM in vitro. A Renishaw inVia confocal Raman microscope at 785 nm was used to spectrally investigate the Raman signatures of Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Biochemical features or biomarkers important for classification of each bacterial species were identified and yielded a 97% accuracy of discrimination. To test the effectiveness of Raman-based bacterial classification in a clinical sample, human middle ear effusion (MEE) from patients affected by recurrent AOM was collected, cultured, and measured using RS. The probability of bacterial involvement from each of the three main bacteria that cause AOM was determined from the clinical MEE samples. These results suggest the potential of utilizing RS to aid in accurately diagnosing AOM and providing physicians with bacterial identification to guide treatment.

Transdermal buprenorphine plus oral paracetamol vs an oral codeine-paracetamol combination for osteoarthritis of hip and/or knee: a randomised trial

OBJECTIVE

Low-dose transdermal opioids offer a new therapeutic option for osteoarthritis (OA). This study compared symptom relief obtained with buprenorphine patches plus oral paracetamol with that obtained with an oral codeine-paracetamol combination tablet (co-codamol) in older adults with OA.

METHOD

Two hundred and twenty people (aged ≥60 years) with OA hip and/or knee pain were randomised to treatment with 7-day buprenorphine patches plus oral paracetamol (5-25 μg/h buprenorphine patches plus 1000 mg oral paracetamol q.i.d. (4 times daily); n=110) or co-codamol tablets (two 8/500-two 30/500 mg tablets q.i.d.; n=110). They entered a titration period of up to 10 weeks, during which their dose of study medication was adjusted until they reached optimum pain control. Patients who achieved optimum pain control entered a 12-week assessment period. The primary outcome was average daily pain scores recorded using the box scale-11 (BS-11) pain scale.

RESULTS

Both treatments significantly reduced patient pain scores. The estimated treatment difference [95% confidence interval (CI)] was -0.02 (-0.64, 0.60) for the per protocol (PP) population. The results were similar for the full analysis population. Patients receiving 7-day buprenorphine patches plus oral paracetamol needed significantly less escape medication (ibuprofen) than those receiving co-codamol tablets (P=0.002; PP population). Less than 10% of patients in the 7-day buprenorphine patches plus oral paracetamol group were receiving the highest dose level at the end of the study, compared with 34% in the co-codamol group. Withdrawal rates were high in both groups. The incidence of adverse events (AEs) was comparable between the groups (86.4% of patients in the 7-day buprenorphine patches plus oral paracetamol group; 81.7% in the co-codamol group). Six serious AEs were reported in three patients (2.7%) in the 7-day buprenorphine patches plus oral paracetamol group and one (0.9%) in the co-codamol group.

CONCLUSIONS

7-day buprenorphine patches plus oral paracetamol were non-inferior to co-codamol tablets with respect to analgesic efficacy in older adults with OA pain in the hip/knee.

The use of the mini C-arm in the outpatient setting: evolving practice

The mini C-arm image intensifier (mini C-arm) has now become an established diagnostic tool in the hand surgery outpatient department. This study reviews the use of the mini C-arm and formal radiographs (X-rays) in the outpatient hand surgery setting. X-rays provide a standard image whereas the mini C-arm can obtain non-standard images to aid diagnosis and treatment. The mini C-arm enables the clinician to obtain dynamic images and perform interventions such as manipulations or injections. The mini C-arm results in a significantly lower radiation exposure for the patients than a formal X-ray. Use of the mini C-arm may be cheaper, and can lead to a shorter outpatient visit with less travel between hospital departments.

Consent for plastic surgical procedures

The objective of this study was to examine patients' attitudes to providing consent for elective plastic and reconstructive surgical procedures and to identify their priorities in terms of information disclosure. Sixty-three consecutive patients attending the elective plastic and reconstructive surgery preadmission clinics at Sandwell Hospital, West Bromwich were prospectively audited by means of a questionnaire which included both open and closed questions. Seventy-five percent of patients volunteered that 'they ought' to have certain information disclosed prior to giving their consent to a surgical procedure. (It was interesting to note that the information they volunteered as wanting to know was not consistently the information that guidelines suggest they are told.) The provision of information is at the centre of the process of valid consent. This study shows the priorities of a group of elective patients prior to plastic surgery procedures, and highlights to clinicians the importance of tailoring information to individual patients.

Breeding for Papaya ringspot virus resistance in Carica papaya via hybridisation with Vasconcellea quercifolia

Papaya ringspot virus type P (PRSV-P) is a major threat to the papaya industry worldwide. F1 hybrids have been produced when Carica papaya L. female flowers have been pollinated with pollen of the PRSV-P resistant species Vasconcellea quercifolia. F1 plant production required embryo rescue 90 days post-pollination, and plantlet regeneration in vitro. Three hundred F1 hybrids were grown to maturity in the field and had morphological characteristics that were identical to 1 or both parents, were intermediate between those of the parents, or were greater than either parent. They had a sex ratio of 2 (male) : 49 (hermaphrodite) : 49(female). Eighteen plants (7 male and 11 hermaphrodite) produced some viable pollen. Pollen viability of these plants as measured by germination on agar medium varied between 1.1 and 6.1% (mean of 3.37 ± 0.18) compared with >90% for C. papaya. Cytogenetic studies showed limited homology between C. papaya and V. quercifolia genomes. The intergeneric hybrids varied in their reaction to strains of PRSV-P in Australia and the Philippines. Of the hybrids, 75% were resistant to PRSV-P while 25% produced virus symptoms.

A comparison of cyclizine, ondansetron and placebo as prophylaxis against postoperative nausea and vomiting in children

Nausea and vomiting is a relevant and common problem with unfavourable sequelae in children undergoing some plastic surgery procedures. There is a lack of anti-emetic trials performed in children, with only a few investigating the roles of the older anti-emetic agents such as cyclizine compared with newer ones such as ondansetron. This randomised, controlled, double-blind study examined the effectiveness of a single dose of ondansetron (0.1 mg x kg-1), cyclizine (20 mg) and placebo (normal saline) in the prevention of postoperative nausea and vomiting in 150 children (mean age 3.6 years) undergoing plastic genitourinary procedures. Rates of previous postoperative nausea and vomiting and motion sickness were comparable across the groups. Postoperative vomiting was significantly reduced with ondansetron prophylaxis (p = 0.006) but there was no detectable anti-emetic effect with cyclizine. Furthermore, cyclizine caused pain on injection (p < 0.001).

Sleep deprivation, disorganization and fragmentation during opiate withdrawal in newborns

OBJECTIVE

To determine specific sleep characteristics in neonatal opiate withdrawal, referred to as the Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS), by measuring sleep efficiency, deprivation, disorganization and fragmentation in three groups: (i) healthy term neonates; (ii) opiate-exposed neonates who were treated for opiate withdrawal; and (iii) a group of opiate-exposed neonates who did not require treatment.

METHODS

A cohort study recording sleep patterns of neonates at 2-10 days of age (after 36 or more weeks of gestation) was carried out. Twenty-one neonates were exposed to opiates during pregnancy and 15 neonates were healthy controls. Sleep characteristics were predefined, and treated newborns were divided into early and stabilized treatment groups. Polygraphic recordings of sleep, movement and breathing were made continuously after a daytime feed.

RESULTS

Sleep deprivation, disorganization and fragmentation were found in newborns with NAS and were associated with the severity of the withdrawal. Neonates treated for NAS displayed increased wakefulness during early treatment (deprivation), but were similar to controls once stabilized. Both treated and non-treated groups had reduced amounts of quiet sleep (deprivation). Treated newborns showed an increase in indeterminate sleep (disorganization) and arousals-to-wakefulness (fragmentation).

CONCLUSION

This study determined the exact nature and degree of sleep disturbances in newborns during acute opiate withdrawal. The findings contribute to a further understanding of the physiology underlying neonatal opiate withdrawal and suggest that some changes in sleep are due to opiate withdrawal but others may reflect opiate dependency in utero.

Isolation of pluripotent embryonic stem cells from reprogrammed adult mouse somatic cell nuclei

Pluripotent human stem cells isolated from early embryos represent a potentially unlimited source of many different cell types for cell-based gene and tissue therapies [1-3]. Nevertheless, if the full potential of cell lines derived from donor embryos is to be realised, the problem of donor-recipient tissue matching needs to be overcome. One approach, which avoids the problem of transplant rejection, would be to establish stem cell lines from the patient's own cells through therapeutic cloning [3,4]. Recent studies have shown that it is possible to transfer the nucleus from an adult somatic cell to an unfertilised oocyte that is devoid of maternal chromosomes, and achieve embryonic development under the control of the transferred nucleus [5-7]. Stem cells isolated from such a cloned embryo would be genetically identical to the patient and pose no risk of immune rejection. Here, we report the isolation of pluripotent murine stem cells from reprogrammed adult somatic cell nuclei. Embryos were generated by direct injection of mechanically isolated cumulus cell nuclei into mature oocytes. Embryonic stem (ES) cells isolated from cumulus-cell-derived blastocysts displayed the characteristic morphology and marker expression of conventional ES cells and underwent extensive differentiation into all three embryonic germ layers (endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm) in tumours and in chimaeric foetuses and pups. The ES cells were also shown to differentiate readily into neurons and muscle in culture. This study shows that pluripotent stem cells can be derived from nuclei of terminally differentiated adult somatic cells and offers a model system for the development of therapies that rely on autologous, human pluripotent stem cells.

Septic sacroiliitis: an unusual causative organism in a rare condition

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a relatively uncommon cause of septic arthritis, and Infection of the sacroiliac joint by this organism has been rarely described. We present such a case.

Comparison of exposure standards in the mammography x-ray region

Direct comparisons of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Ritz 20 kV to 100 kV standard free-air ionization chamber and a portable variable-length free-air ionization chamber designed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Accredited Dosimetry Calibration Laboratory (UW-ADCL) were made on NISTs low-energy tungsten x-ray range. As a result of this direct comparison, NIST has established a UW-ADCL designed chamber, the Attix chamber, as the national standard chamber for the mammography energy x-ray range. The Ritz standard chamber and the Attix standard chamber have been extensively compared using the new molybdenum and rhodium beam qualities. The results indicate that exposure measurements in the mammography energy x-ray region with the two free-air chambers can be made with a discrepancy of less than 0.35%.

Specificity for activase is changed by a Pro-89 to Arg substitution in the large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase

Tobacco activase does not markedly facilitate the activation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco, EC 4.1.1. 39) from non-Solanaceae species, including the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. To examine the basis of this specificity, we focused on two exposed residues in the large subunit of Rubisco that are unique to the Solanaceae proteins. By employing in vitro mutagenesis and chloroplast transformation, P89R and K356Q substitutions were separately made in the Chlamydomonas enzyme to change these residues to those present in tobacco. Both mutants were indistinguishable from the wild type when grown with minimal medium in the light and contained wild-type levels of holoenzyme. Purified Rubisco was assessed for facilitated activation by spinach and tobacco activase. Both wild-type and K356Q Rubisco were similar in that spinach activase was much more effective than tobacco activase. In contrast, P89R Rubisco was not activated by spinach activase but was well activated by tobacco activase. Thus, the relative specificities of the spinach and tobacco activases for Chlamydomonas Rubisco were switched by changing a single residue at position 89. This result provides evidence for a site on the Rubisco holoenzyme that interacts directly with Rubisco activase.

Age-related changes of glycosidases in human retinal pigment epithelium

This study was undertaken to determine whether there are age-related changes in the specific activities of several glycosidases in fresh retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE) isolated from the posterior pole of human donor eyes. One hundred and twenty-one pairs of eyes from human donors, between the ages of 43 and 95 years, were obtained from the National Disease Research Interchange (NDRI, Philadelphia, PA) and the Cleveland Ohio Eye Bank within 18 to 24 h of death. None had histories of diabetes, hepatitis, HIV infection, intraocular surgery, or documented age-related macular degeneration, although several older donors with evidence of drusen were included in the study. RPE cells were isolated from the posterior third of the retina using the conventional rush method and homogenized with a glass, Broeck tissue grinder. All post-nuclear supernatants were analyzed for glycosidase activity; a smaller number of nuclear pellets were assayed to verify that the majority of the enzyme activity was associated with the post-nuclear sypernatants. Glycosidase activity was quantitated fluorometrically by measuring the enzymatic release of umbelliferone from synthetic substrate preparations, specific for each enzyme. Total protein was determined by a micro BCA protein assay. Regression analysis revealed statistically significant age-related decreases for the specific activities of alpha-mannosidase (p = 0.0001), beta-galactosidase (p = 0.0001), N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (p = 0.0001), and N-acetyl beta galactosaminidase (p = 0.0001) in fresh human donor RPE cells taken from the region of the posterior third of the retina that included the macula. Mannose and N-acetyl-glucosamine are major carbohydrate monomers of the oligosaccaride chains of human rhodopsin, and a relatively high percentage of the oligosaccharide chains are galactosylated. Defects in their degradation may lead to the accumulation of undigested residual material in the RPE.

Characterization of peptide binding to the murine MHC class I H-2Kk molecule. Sequencing of the bound peptides and direct binding of synthetic peptides to isolated class I molecules

Peptides that are bound by the murine class I MHC molecule H-2Kk have been isolated and sequenced. The initial step in the fractionation was affinity column isolation of the peptide-class I complex from either RDM-4 or x5563 tumor cell lines. Acid denaturation of the complex followed by HPLC fractionation of the peptides allowed us to sequence individual peptides, as well as pools of peptides. To date, a total of 10 sequences have been characterized, and all were 8 mers. The sequences were variable except for glutamic acid in the second position (P2) and isoleucine in the eighth (P8), which were highly conserved. To further study peptide binding to H-2Kk, a competitive binding assay consisting of the immobilized histocompatibility protein and a biotinylated self-peptide for signal generation was developed. A complete set of single-alanine variants for this one self-peptide was tested in the assay, demonstrating that substitution at P2 and P8 markedly decreased the affinity for the class I molecule; alanine at position 3 had an intermediate effect on binding. A comparison of the identified self-peptides for binding to H-2Kk showed that they differed in affinity by more than one order of magnitude. Influenza virus nucleoprotein peptide, SDY EGR LI, associated with the plate-bound class I molecule, and the resulting MHC-peptide complex could trigger TNF release by influenza-primed CTLs. This result demonstrated the functional activity of the plate-bound H-2Kk-peptide complex.

Characterization of peptide binding to the murine MHC class I H-2Kk molecule. Sequencing of the bound peptides and direct binding of synthetic peptides to isolated class I molecules

Peptides that are bound by the murine class I MHC molecule H-2Kk have been isolated and sequenced. The initial step in the fractionation was affinity column isolation of the peptide-class I complex from either RDM-4 or x5563 tumor cell lines. Acid denaturation of the complex followed by HPLC fractionation of the peptides allowed us to sequence individual peptides, as well as pools of peptides. To date, a total of 10 sequences have been characterized, and all were 8 mers. The sequences were variable except for glutamic acid in the second position (P2) and isoleucine in the eighth (P8), which were highly conserved. To further study peptide binding to H-2Kk, a competitive binding assay consisting of the immobilized histocompatibility protein and a biotinylated self-peptide for signal generation was developed. A complete set of single-alanine variants for this one self-peptide was tested in the assay, demonstrating that substitution at P2 and P8 markedly decreased the affinity for the class I molecule; alanine at position 3 had an intermediate effect on binding. A comparison of the identified self-peptides for binding to H-2Kk showed that they differed in affinity by more than one order of magnitude. Influenza virus nucleoprotein peptide, SDY EGR LI, associated with the plate-bound class I molecule, and the resulting MHC-peptide complex could trigger TNF release by influenza-primed CTLs. This result demonstrated the functional activity of the plate-bound H-2Kk-peptide complex.

Plasmodium falciparum infection of splenectomized and intact Guyanan Saimiri monkeys

Spleen-intact and splenectomized Saimiri monkeys of Guyanan origin were examined for their potential suitability for Plasmodium falciparum protection studies. The animals could be readily infected with adapted strains of P. falciparum (Indochina 1/CDC and Uganda Palo Alto FUP strains), but spontaneously recovered without drug treatment and without development of severe clinical disease. In intact animals, peak parasitemia prior to recovery generally ranged from 0.1% to 10%, whereas in splenectomized animals the peak parasitemia was generally higher so that some animals were given drug treatment to assist in recovery from infection. In reinfection studies, previously infected spleen-intact monkeys demonstrated sterile immunity to the homologous parasite strain but not to a heterologous strain. However, in monkeys infected with the heterologous strain, the peak parasitemia was less than in the first infection and of shorter duration. Splenectomized animals did not demonstrate sterile immunity although the peak parasitemia achieved was less than in the previous infection of each of these monkeys. While the lack of major clinical disease indicated that these monkeys did not provide a good animal model for human malaria, the development of protective immunity was consistent with a useful role in evaluating candidate vaccine antigens.

Failure of recombinant vaccinia viruses expressing Plasmodium falciparum antigens to protect Saimiri monkeys against malaria

Saimiri sciurus monkeys were immunized at multiple sites with recombinant vaccinia viruses expressing Plasmodium falciparum antigen genes and boosted 4 weeks later. Control monkeys were immunized with a thymidine kinase-negative vaccinia virus mutant. Two weeks later, all of the monkeys were challenged by intravenous inoculation of P. falciparum (Indochina strain) parasites. A group of unimmunized monkeys was challenged in parallel. All of the monkeys that received vaccinia virus recombinants or the control virus produced good anti-vaccinia virus antibody responses. However, those that received a single construct containing ring-infected erythrocyte surface antigen (RESA) given at eight sites did not produce significant antibody to any of the three major RESA repeat epitopes after immunization but were primed for an enhanced antibody response after challenge infection with P. falciparum. Most of the monkeys produced detectable antibodies to the RESA epitopes after challenge infection. One group of monkeys was immunized with four constructs (expressing RESA, two merozoite surface antigens [MSA-1 and MSA-2], and a rhoptry protein [AMA-1]), each given at two sites. While these monkeys failed to produce significant antibody against MSA-2 or AMA-1 after immunization, they produced enhanced responses against these antigens after challenge infection. Immunization involved an allelic form of MSA-2 different from that present in the parasite challenge strain, so that the enhanced responses seen after challenge infection indicated the presence of T-cell epitopes common to both allelic forms. No groups of monkeys showed any evidence of protection against challenge, as determined by examination of the resulting parasitemias.