Systematic overviews of partnership principles and strategies identified from health research about spinal cord injury and related health conditions: A scoping review

STUDY DESIGN

Scoping review.

OBJECTIVE

To identify and provide systematic overviews of partnership principles and strategies identified from health research about spinal cord injury (SCI) and related health conditions.

METHODS

Four health electronic databases (Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO) were searched from inception to March 2019. We included articles that described, reflected, and/or evaluated one or more collaborative research activities in health research about SCI, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, amputation, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, acquired brain injury, or wheelchair-users. Partnership principles (i.e. norms or values) and strategies (i.e. observable actions) were extracted and analyzed using directed qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

We included 39 articles about SCI (n = 13), stroke (n = 15), multiple sclerosis (n = 5), amputation (n = 2), cerebral palsy (n = 2), Parkinson's disease (n = 1), and wheelchair users (n = 1). We extracted 110 principles and synthesized them into 13 overarching principles. Principles related to building and maintaining relationships between researchers and research users were most frequently reported. We identified 32 strategies that could be applied at various phases of the research process and 26 strategies that were specific to a research phase (planning, conduct, or dissemination).

CONCLUSION

We provided systematic overviews of principles and strategies for research partnerships. These could be used by researchers and research users who want to work in partnership to plan, conduct and/or disseminate their SCI research. The findings informed the development of the new SCI Integrated Knowledge Translation Guiding Principles (www.iktprinciples.com) and will support the implementation of these Principles within the SCI research system.

Haplotype study of microsatellites flanking the t(15;17) breakpoint in acute promyelocytic leukemia patients from North Portugal

A higher frequency of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) has been noted in countries of Southern Europe and among 'Latino' patients of the United States with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In order to discover whether there is any genetic predisposition to the disease, we analyzed microsatellites flanking PML and RARalpha genes in 29 t(15;17) APL patients from North Portugal and compared them with a control group of 123 healthy individuals. Fluorescent PCR products were analyzed using an automated capillary electrophoresis system and allele and haplotype frequencies of the two populations were determined. No significant differences were found, suggesting the same genetic origin of patients and healthy individuals. As suggested by the four microsatellites screened, MSI (microsatellite instability) does not explain the increased incidence of t(15;17) APL in this Portuguese population. These results intend to be a new approach to the study of APL, reflecting the particularity of the disease.

Purification and characterization of an adhesin from Pasteurella haemolytica

We purified an adhesin from Pasteurella. haemolytica by affinity chromatography using glutaraldehyde treated rabbit erythrocytes stroma. The adhesin is a protein of 68 kDa, as determined by SDS-PAGE, and the most abundant amino acids constituting this protein were Gly, Ser, Glx, and Ala, and low concentrations of Cys, Met, and Tyr residues were also found. The N-terminal sequence of the adhesin is ANEVNVYIYKQPYLI. No carbohydrate residues were detected. The adhesin agglutinated rabbit erythrocytes but when the latter were desialylated or pronase treated the agglutinating activity was abolished. The agglutinating activity of the adhesin was inhibited with N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc), and in a lesser degree with N-acetyl-neuraminic acid (NeuAc). GalNAc, N-glycolyl-neuraminic acid, N-deacetylated GlcNAc, or neutral sugars do not modify the activity of the adhesin. The equatorial -OH on C4 and the NH-acetylated group on C2 from GlcNAc, as well as the 4-OH and NH-acetylated group on C5 from NeuAc seem to be responsible for the interaction with the adhesin. The protein is divalent cation-dependent and thermolabile. As for the agglutinating activity, the adhesion of P.haemolytica to tracheal cell-cultures was inhibited by GlcNAc, NeuAc or the purified adhesin, strongly suggesting that the P.haemolytica adhesin plays an important role in infection.

[Urinary tract infections. The causative agents and their sensitivities to chemotherapeutic drugs]

A retrospective study was made of the requests for bacteriological examination of urine samples by the different clinical departments of Vila Nova de Famalicão District Hospital, between July/89-June/90 and July/91-June/92. We were interested in assessing the spectrum of occurring micro-organisms in urinary tract infections, their antibiotic susceptibility, especially to those more frequently used in clinical practice in this institution and their evolution in time. In conclusion, the prevalence of isolated pathogens was quite similar to the spectrum published by other authors for a hospital population. No significant variation was found in the bacterial population between the two periods analysed, if we exclude the great increase in coagulase-negative staphylococci. In terms of benefits/costs/resistance, we concluded that the best antibiotic for the beginning of therapy in this Hospital is cotrimoxazole. Good choices were also quinolones, third-generation cephalosporins or aminoglycosides, but with the disadvantages of greater cost for the first two and toxicity for the last.

Bacterial adhesion to mucosal surfaces with special reference to Pasteurella multocida isolates from atrophic rhinitis

Adhesion to mucosal cells is an important virulence attribute of bacterial pathogens colonizing these sites. Bacteria of the upper respiratory system, such as members of the genus Bordetella, have well-defined adhesins. The main adhesin of B. pertussis is the filamentous hemagglutinin which can be used by other bacteria for attachment. The main adhesin of B. bronchiseptica is the bovine erythrocyte hemagglutinin. In both Bordetella species the presence of fimbriae does not appear critical to adhesion. In contrast, atrophic rhinitis (AR)-producing strains of Pasteurella multocida colonize poorly the pig's nasal mucosa. We performed an in vitro trial using newborn pigs' turbinate explants and showed that two toxigenic strains (serotype D fimbria + and serotype A fimbria -) were adherent when observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Intranasal inoculation of both six week old and newborn SPF pigs with various strains of P. multocida also resulted in colonization. Adhesion was best achieved by toxigenic strains, regardless of possession of fimbria, hemagglutinin or capsular serotype. Colonization was more abundant and constant in tonsils. Nasal colonization was sporadic and sparse. Colonization of trachea and lung was only observed with serotype A strains. The results showed that toxigenic P. multocida can colonize the upper respiratory tract, especially the tonsils, of pigs.

Bovine babesiosis: pathogenicity and heterologous species immunity of tick-borne Babesia bovis and B bigemina infections

A total of 22 nonsplenectomized Hereford, Holstein-Friesian, and cross-bred 18-month-old cattle were used to assess the degree of protection conferred by previous infection with Babesia bovis or B bigemina against infection and disease from tick-borne challenge exposure with the heterologous species. Prior infection with B bigemina or B bovis did not significantly (P less than 0.05) reduce the susceptibility of cattle to tick-borne infection and disease caused by the heterologous species. Carrier infections were not activated during heterologous species challenge exposure, nor was the severity of the challenge-exposure infection aggravated. Immunologic cross reactivity in the indirect fluorescent antibody test was restricted to the period during and shortly after recovery. Homologous indirect fluorescent antibody titers persisted long after primary infections with B bovis, but gradually declined in B bigemina-immune cattle. Babesia bovis infections caused severe reactions characterized by high fever, pancytopenia, and death of 9 of 15 infected cattle. Total serum bilirubin and urea nitrogen values increased markedly within 24 hours preceding death and were often accompanied by clinical signs of CNS involvement (incoordination, opisthotonos, and paddling). Microscopic lesions were restricted largely to kidney, CNS, and liver parenchyma and were characterized by vascular congestion and aggregation of infected erythrocytes in small vessels. Babesia bigemina, in contrast, caused only mild fever and anemia despite prolonged parasitemia and marked thrombocytopenia. The absence of significant (P less than 0.05) heterologous species immunity indicated that protection of cattle from these 2 babesial parasites will require specific immunization against each species.