Cloning and expression of α‐d‐glucosidase and N‐acetyl‐β‐glucosaminidase from the periodontal pathogen,Tannerella forsythensis (Bacteroides forsythus)

Screening a genomic library of Tannerella forsythensis (Bacteroides forsythus), using synthetic substrates conjugated to a fluorogen, 4‐methylumbelliferone identified two glycosidase genes, which encode α‐d ‐glucosidase and N‐acetyl‐β‐d ‐glucosaminidase, respectively. The α‐d ‐glucosidase has a M_r of 81,141 and is homologous to an α‐d ‐glucosidase from Bacteroidesthetaiotaomicron. The N‐acetyl‐β‐d ‐glucosaminidase has a M_r of 87,787 and is homologous to an N‐acetyl‐β‐d ‐glucosaminidase in Porphyromonasgingivalis W83.     

The role of preoperative vascular embolization in surgery for metastatic spinal tumours

Purpose

To determine the effect of preoperative embolization on intraoperative blood loss in surgery for metastatic spinal tumours stratified by tumour type, type of surgical approach and extent of surgery.

Methods

We retrospectively analysed 218 patients undergoing open surgery for metastatic spine tumours in our institution between 2005 and 2014. The cohort was divided to those who underwent preoperative embolization and those who did not. The patients were further stratified into different subgroups by tumour types, types of surgical procedure, levels of instrumentation and levels of decompression. Estimated blood loss, duration of surgery and length of hospital stay were compared between embolized and non-embolized cases in each subgroup. The impact of embolization extent, the time gap between embolization and index surgery on blood loss were also studied.

Results

Preoperative embolization was performed in 45 out of 218 patients. Non-embolized cases had insignificantly lesser blood loss and shorter duration of surgery compared to embolized cases in all subgroups. Embolization, however, conferred reduction in length of hospital stay in some of the subgroups, yet the differences were not significant. The patients who achieved total embolization bled less than those who achieved subtotal or partial embolization. The effectiveness of the embolization procedure in reducing intraoperative blood loss was found to be profound when the gap between embolization and surgery was within 24 h.

Conclusions

Our study demonstrated that success of embolization in reducing blood loss depends on the extent of embolization and time interval between embolization and index surgery.

     

Sublingual tissue perfusion improves during emergency treatment of acute decompensated heart failure

Objectives

The aim of this study was to measure sublingual perfused capillary density (PCD) to assess sublingual microvascular perfusion during emergency department (ED) treatment of acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF).

Methods

This prospective, observational study enrolled ED patients with ADHF, measuring pre- and post-ED treatment PCD. Sidestream dark-field imaging was analyzed by 3 investigators blinded to patient identifiers and time points. Patient demographics, ADHF etiology, serum brain natriuretic peptide, and hemoglobin were measured along with a visual analogue scale (VAS), which assessed patient baseline characteristics and response to ED treatment. A paired t test analyzed changes in PCD, mean arterial pressure (MAP), and patient assessment. Interrater variability was assessed with an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), with a P value <.05 considered significant for all testing.

Results

Thirty-six patients were enrolled with a mean time between pretreatment and posttreatment PCD (±SD) of 138 ± 59 minutes and a hospital length of stay of 4.0 ± 4.1 days. During this time, PCD increased (difference, 1.3 mm/mm²; 95% confidence interval, 0.4-2.1; P = .004), as did the MAP (P = .002), patient VAS score (P < .001), and observer VAS score (P < .001). There was no correlation between the change in PCD and time (R² = .016, P = .47), MAP (R² = .013, P = .54), or VAS scores. The ICC was 0.954.

Conclusions

Sublingual tissue perfusion is diminished in ADHF but increases with treatment. It may represent a quantitative way to evaluate ADHF in the ED setting.     

Phage types of Vibrio cholerae O1 and O139 in the past decade in India

Cholera has been a prevalent disease worldwide since the early 19th century. Vibrio cholerae O1 and O139 are the two serogroups that have been mainly implicated in causing cholera. This study reports the results of biotyping, serotyping and phage typing of V. cholerae O1 and O139 (1998-2007) strains received from different parts of India for the identification of the trends in the occurrence and spread of cholera in the country. However, there has been a notable steep decline in the occurrence of V. cholerae O139 strains over the past few years resulting in no strain of V. cholerae O139 being received from any part of India in 2007 and 2008. Of the total strains received, 79.1% were serotyped as Ogawa and the remaining 20.9% were found to be Inaba, which indicates that Ogawa was the predominant serotype. Almost 100% typeability was observed with the new scheme of V. cholerae O1, with type 27 being the dominant phage type and V. cholerae O139 strains were clustered into the predominant phage type T-1. From the phage typing and serotyping results, it can be concluded that V. cholerae O1 (T-27) and O139 (T-1) strains circulate throughout the country at any given time.     

Randomised controlled clinical trial of Lactobacillus sporogenes (Bacillus coagulans), used as probiotic in clinical practice, on acute watery diarrhoea in children

Objective To assess the clinical efficacy of Lactobacillus sporogenes (Bacillus coagulans), as probiotic preparation, against dehydrating diarrhoea in children. Methods Double‐blind, randomised, placebo‐controlled, hospital‐based clinical trial with children aged 6–24 months who had diarrhoea with some dehydration. Children received tablets of L. sporogenes (B. coagulans) or placebo (control group) and oral rehydration salt solution for correction of initial dehydration as well as maintenance therapy. Duration, frequency, volume of diarrhoea and intake of ORS of two groups were compared as outcome variables. Results One hundred and forty‐eight children participated, of whom 78 (Study group) received L. sporogenes (B. coagulans) and 70 received placebo (Control group). Differences in recovery rate (P = 0.2), duration (P = 0.5), frequency (P = 0.05), volume (P = 0.1) of diarrhoea, intake of ORS (P = 0.2) and other fluids (P = 0.1) were not significant between both groups. Neither did a subgroup analysis of children who had rotavirus as sole enteropathogens show any significant differences in duration (P = 0.5), frequency (P = 0.6), volume (P = 0.8) of diarrhoea, intake of ORS (P = 0.8) and other fluids (P = 0.8) among both groups. Conclusion L. sporogenes (B. coagulans), as an adjunct to ORS, had no therapeutic impact on management of acute dehydrating diarrhoea of diverse etiology including rotavirus associated diarrhoea in children.     

Exploring the Relationship Between Gestural Recognition and Imitation: Evidence of Dyspraxia in Autism Spectrum Disorders

In this study, the relationship between gesture recognition and imitation was explored. Nineteen individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were compared to a control group of 23 typically developing children on their ability to imitate and recognize three gesture types (transitive, intransitive, and pantomimes). The ASD group performed more poorly than controls on all tasks of recognition and imitation. Higher performance on tests of working memory was associated with increased odds of successful imitation in both groups. Group differences remained even when working memory was statistically controlled for. An association was revealed in the ASD group between pantomime recognition and imitation but a similar association was not identified for intransitive gestures suggesting that recognition alone is not sufficient for imitation success.     

Mechanisms of crystalline silica-induced pulmonary toxicity revealed by global gene expression profiling

A proper understanding of the mechanisms underlying crystalline silica-induced pulmonary toxicity has implications in the management and potential prevention of the adverse health effects associated with silica exposure including silicosis, cancer and several auto-immune diseases. Human lung type II epithelial cells and rat lungs exposed to crystalline silica were employed as experimental models to determine global gene expression changes in order to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying silica-induced pulmonary toxicity. The differential gene expression profile induced by silica correlated with its toxicity in the A549 cells. The biological processes perturbed by silica exposure in the A549 cells and rat lungs, as identified by the bioinformatics analysis of the differentially expressed genes, demonstrated significant similarity. Functional categorization of the differentially expressed genes identified cancer, cellular movement, cellular growth and proliferation, cell death, inflammatory response, cell cycle, cellular development, and genetic disorder as top ranking biological functions perturbed by silica exposure in A549 cells and rat lungs. Results of our study, in addition to confirming several previously identified molecular targets and mechanisms involved in silica toxicity, identified novel molecular targets and mechanisms potentially involved in silica-induced pulmonary toxicity. Further investigations, including those focused on the novel molecular targets and mechanisms identified in the current study may result in better management and, possibly, reduction and/or prevention of the potential adverse health effects associated with crystalline silica exposure.