The persistence of flood-borne pathogens on building surfaces under drying conditions

Previous research into microbial persistence on material surfaces following flooding has produced a wide range of results due to differing experimental conditions, including the temperature and humidity conditions of the experimental material and/or surrounding air. However, investigations to identify and quantify these factors and their links to the hygrothermal properties of building materials and the transient environmental conditions are rarely reported. This paper examines the viability of bacterial species on drying material surfaces that have been saturated with water or synthetic sewage. Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecalis were inoculated on brick, wood, or plaster and allowed to dry at the conditions intended to mimic the remediation environments commonly found in domestic dwellings following a flood event. The inactivation rates were compared between environmental conditions, water type and the material properties of the surfaces. Significant differences were found in the declines in E. coli according to water type, the surface relative humidity and air relative humidity and between drying rates for sewage floods. Simulations using hygrothermal software were performed to illustrate the wide variation in material drying rates under different scenarios, taking into account material size, wall composition, and ventilation. The significantly differing rates of microbial death on flooded building materials under different drying regimes suggest that building simulation models can be useful tools for predicting the level and duration of microbial contamination in buildings following a flood event. A better understanding of microbial survival on drying surfaces can be used to assess the health risks to occupants in flood affected properties.     

Phlegmons and abscesses in the floor of mouth. Report of 10 cases and review of the literature

We report a review about 10 cases of phlegmons-abscesses in the floor of mouth (Ludwig's angina) treated by our Service analyzing the following variables: Age, sex, time of evolution, personal antecedents, E.N.T. exploration, clinical symptoms, type of treatment and clinical evolution. This pathology represents one of the most severe forms of cervicofacial diffuse cellulitis; it requires an early diagnosis and therapy which can include an urgent tracheostomy ifthe airway is compromised.     

Shuttle vectors for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Candida albicans</Emphasis>: control of plasmid copy number and elevated expression of cloned genes

Plasmids containing the inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase gene CaIMH3 from Candida albicans strain ATCC 32354 transform their host to resistance against mycophenolic acid (MPA). The transformants maintain the plasmids at a high copy number (20–40 per cell) and express the CaIMH3 gene at very high levels relative to untransformed controls. The plasmid copy number can be controlled by the concentration of MPA in the media. The transformation procedure is reproducible and the efficiency of transformation is high, up to 15,000 per microgram. Unrearranged plasmids are readily recovered by transforming total DNA from transformants back into Escherichia coli. C. albicans genes cloned into the plasmid are expressed at elevated levels relative to untransformed controls. A derivative vector containing the CaMAL2 promoter and termination sequences expresses the CaERG11 ORF at high levels and confers moderate resistance to fluconazole. These shuttle vectors should facilitate global genomics approaches in C. albicans that have been hampered by its diploid genome.     

Can Fried Frailty Score predict postoperative morbidity and mortality in gynecologic cancer surgery? Results of a prospective study

BackgroundAim of this study is to evaluate the predictive ability of Fried Frailty Score for surgical outcomes in patients undergoing gynecologic cancer surgery.MethodsThis is a prospective cohort study at an academic gynecological cancer center from Oct 2015 through Jan 2017. We applied systematically numerous screening tools, geriatric questionnaires and single measurements which may provide predictions for surgical outcomes. We classified frailty according to the Fried definition and surgical complications were graded according Clavien-Dindo criteria. Using logistic regression analysis, we identified predictive clinical variables for postoperative complications (POC).ResultsOverall 226 patients were enrolled (median age 59 years, range 18–87 years). The prevalence of frailty based on the presence of three or more frailty criteria was 14.2%, the presence of one or two frailty criteria was classified as prefrail with 59.4% and without any presence as robust with 26.5%. Within 30 days of surgery, nine (3.8%) patients have died and 40 (18.3%) experienced a grade ≥ IIIb complication. In the regression analysis obesity (OR: 5.37, 95% CI 1.99–14.49, p = 0.001) as well as ECOG >1 (OR: 4.32, 95% CI 1.28–1.55, p = 0.018) and Albumin<3.6 g/dl (OR: 3.88, 95% CI 1.37–10.98, p = 0.011) emerged as significant predictors of postoperative complications (POC). Fried Frailty Score (OR: 2.41, 95% CI 0.91–6.41, p = 0.077) showed no significant additional predictive value.ConclusionFried Frailty Score could help the surgeon to estimate the risk for POC among patients undergoing gynecologic cancer surgery. But preoperatively determined ECOG, BMI and Albumin can predict severe POC in patients undergoing gynecologic surgery more precisely and should be assessed routinely.     

Sexuelle Gesundheitsinformationen in sozialen Medien: Ein systematisches Scoping Review

Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz - Informationen zur sexuellen und reproduktiven Gesundheit werden zunehmend auch über soziale Medien verbreitet und erreichen...     

Assessment of neutralization of Micrurus venoms with a blend of anti-Micrurus tener and anti-ScNtx antibodies

BackgroundMicrurus venoms contain two main groups of toxic protein components: short-chain α-neurotoxins (SNtx) and phospholipases type A₂ (PLA₂). In North America, generally, the Micrurus venoms have low abundance of SNtx compared to that of PLA₂s; however, both are highly toxic to mammals, and consequently both can play a major role in the envenomation processes. Concerning the commercial horse-derived antivenoms against Micrurus from the North America region, they contain a relatively large amount of antibodies against PLA₂s, and a low content of antibodies against short chain α-neurotoxins. This is mainly due to the lower relative abundance of SNtxs, and also to its poor immunogenicity due to their size and nature. Hence, Micrurus antivenoms made in North America usually present low neutralizing capacity towards Micrurus venoms whose lethality depend largely on short chain α-neurotoxins, such as South American Micrurus species.MethodsHorses were hyperimmunized with either the venom of M. tener (PLA₂-predominant) or a recombinant short-chain consensus α-neurotoxin (ScNtx). Then, the combination of the two monospecific horse antibodies (anti-M. tener and anti-ScNtx) was used to test their efficacy against eleven Micrurus venoms.ResultsThe blend of anti-M. tener and anti-ScNtx antibodies had a better capacity to neutralize the lethality of diverse species from North, Central and South American Micrurus venoms. The antibodies combination neutralized both the ScNtx and ten out of eleven Micrurus venom tested, and particularly, it neutralized the venoms of M. distans and M. laticollaris that were neither neutralized by monospecific anti-M. tener nor anti-ScNtx.ConclusionsThese results provide a proof-of-principle for using recombinant immunogens to enrich poor or even non-neutralizing antisera against elapid venoms containing short chain α-neurotoxins to develop antivenoms with higher effectiveness and broader neutralizing capacity.     

Classrooms in Peace Within Violent Contexts: Field Evaluation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aulas en Paz</Emphasis> in Colombia

Classrooms in Peace (Aulas en Paz) is an elementary school-based multicomponent program for prevention of aggression and promotion of peaceful relationships. Inspired by international programs and socio-emotional research, it includes (1) a classroom universal curriculum, (2) parent workshops and home visits to parents of the 10% most aggressive children, and (3) extracurricular peer groups of two aggressive and four prosocial children. Activities seek to promote socio-emotional competencies such as empathy, anger management, creative generation of alternatives, and assertiveness. A 2-year quasi-experimental evaluation was conducted with 1154 students from 55 classrooms of seven public schools located in neighborhoods with the presence of youth gangs, drug cartels, and high levels of community violence in two Colombian cities. Despite several implementation (e.g., about half of the activities were not implemented) and evaluation (e.g., randomization problems, large number of missing data, and changes between treatment and control groups) challenges, positive results were found in prosocial behavior and in reduction of aggressive behavior, according to teacher reports, and in assertiveness and reduction of verbal victimization, according to student reports. Furthermore, implementation cost (25 US dollars per student per year) was very low compared to other programs in developed countries. This study shows that the Classrooms in Peace program has an important potential to generate positive results and highlights the challenges of implementing and evaluating prevention programs in highly violent environments.     

BDNF val66met genotype is not associated with psychological distress: A cross-sectional study in Indonesian Pharmacy young adults

The number of mental disorders has been increasing but has yet to receive sufficient attention. In particular, healthcare students and professionals tend to have high stress burden. Finding the root cause of psychological distress is important to formulate a method for early detection and prevention. The association of brain-derived neurotrophic factor val66met polymorphism to neuropsychiatric disorders has been widely studied. To study the interplay between brain-derived neurotrophic factor val66met polymorphism and sociodemographic factors in the pathogenesis of psychological distress among Indonesian Pharmacy students. Level of psychological distress and sociodemographic profiling was collected by using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale and sociodemographic questionnaires, respectively. Genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction-amplified refractory mutation system. Pearson’s chi square and binomial logistic tests were used to evaluate the correlation. This study recruited 148 participants. The psychological distress levels of the participants were well (27.03%), mild (37.16%), moderate (25.00%), and severe (10.81%). Genotypic distributions were AA (25.67%), GA (50.68%), and GG (23.65%). No statistical significance between genotype and psychological distress was found in the study (P = .076). The sociodemographic factors also showed non significance, except for the source of tuition fee among women students (P = .049). Psychological distress is not affected by genotypic and sociodemographic factors. Further confirmatory research with larger and broader populations is required.