Evaluation of PCR assays in presence of antibody to thermostable DNA polymerases for detection of microbial agents: Avoiding false negative results for specimen containing low-titer agent

The serial low-titer specimens of Influenza A virus and Adeno virus type 7 were tested for the presence of virus specific genes by PCR based on Tth DNA polymerase and by that based on Taq DNA polymerase, in the absence and presence of antibody to the respective DNA polymerases. Increased product DNA synthesis and higher sensitivity of detection were observed in the presence of antibody compared to those in the absence of antibody. 10- to 100-fold lower titer specimen of Influenza A virus and 10-fold lower titer specimen of Adeno virus could be detected in the presence of antibody than those detected in the absence of antibody to the appropriate DNA polymerase, in a PCR. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 12:238–241, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Seventy-five years ago: insulin treatment in Hereford General Hospital

This year, 1998, marks the 75th anniversary of the general availability of insulin in the United Kingdom. To mark the occasion, Diabetic Medicine publishes this account of the early days of insulin therapy in one of Britain’s district general hospitals, Hereford General Hospital. The authors describe the first tentative use of insulin and draw some interesting parallels with the issues which still concern the introduction of novel therapies in endocrinology today. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Interventions to Disrupt Coronavirus Disease Transmission at a University,Wisconsin, USA,August–October 2020

University settings have demonstrated potential for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreaks; they combine congregate living, substantial social activity, and a young population predisposed to mild illness. Using genomic and epidemiologic data, we describe a COVID-19 outbreak at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. During August–October 2020, a total of 3,485 students, including 856/6,162 students living in dormitories, tested positive. Case counts began rising during move-in week, August 25–31, 2020, then rose rapidly during September 1–11, 2020. The university initiated multiple prevention efforts, including quarantining 2 dormitories; a subsequent decline in cases was observed. Genomic surveillance of cases from Dane County, in which the university is located, did not find evidence of transmission from a large cluster of cases in the 2 quarantined dorms during the outbreak. Coordinated implementation of prevention measures can reduce COVID-19 spread in university settings and may limit spillover to the surrounding community.     

Precision Food Parenting: A Proposed Conceptual Model and Research Agenda

Precision medicine, nutrition and behavioral interventions are attempting to move beyond the specification of therapies applied to groups, since some people benefit, some do not and some are harmed by the same therapy. Instead, precision therapies are attempting to employ diverse sets of data to individualize or tailor interventions to optimize the benefits for the receiving individuals. The benefits to be achieved are mostly in the distant future, but the research needs to start now. While precision pediatric nutrition will combine diverse demographic, behavioral and biological variables to specify the optimal foods a child should eat to optimize health, precision food parenting will combine diverse parent and child psychosocial and related variables to identify the optimal parenting practices to help a specific child accept and consume the precision nutrition specified foods. This paper presents a conceptual overview and hypothetical model of factors we believe are needed to operationalize precision food parenting and a proposed research agenda to better understand the many specified relationships, how they change over the age of the child, and how to operationalize them to encourage food parenting practices most likely to be effective at promoting healthy child food choices.     

Optimized PCR amplification of influenza A virus RNA using Tth DNA polymerase,incorporating uracil N glycosylase (UNG) in a single tube reaction

An optimized reaction condition for amplification of influenza A virus RNA, by thermus thermophilus (Tth) DNA polymerase-based PCR, incorporating uracil N glycosylase (UNG) and dUTP in the reaction has been determined. DUTP could not be substituted for all dTTP sites when UNG was present in the reaction. The relative concentration of dUTP and dTTP has been optimized for allowing amplification of the target RNA. It has been verified that the amplified product DNA had sufficient dUTP and was digestable by UNG. Using the optimized reaction condition, influenza A virus-specific DNA fragment could be amplified and detected in 15 of 15 culture positive (for influenza A virus) nasopharyngeal specimens. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 11:323–327, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; Ecstasy) administration produces dose‐dependent neurochemical,endocrine and immune changes in the rat

3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy) is a widely abused drug that is structurally related to both amphetamines and hallucinogens. In addition to the behavioural and neurochemical effects of MDMA, we recently reported that an acute administration of this drug produces a profound suppression of mitogen‐stimulated lymphocyte proliferation and reduction in the number of circulating white blood cells, which was accompanied by elevated circulating corticosterone concentrations. In the present study, the effect of acute MDMA administration on PHA‐induced lymphocyte proliferation, leucocyte subpopulations, HPA‐axis activity and cortical serotonin utilization were examined in a dose‐dependent manner in female Sprague‐Dawley rats. The results of this study demonstrate that MDMA induces a suppression of lymphocyte function even at doses that fail to provoke any significant alteration in central 5‐HT utilization and plasma corticosterone concentrations, thereby suggesting that the reduced functional responsiveness of lymphocytes to mitogenic stimulation after MDMA administration may be mediated by glucocorticoid independent mechanisms. In contrast, the MDMA‐induced reduction in the number of circulating blood lymphocytes was evident only at doses of MDMA which elevated circulating corticosterone concentrations, suggesting that the observed reduction in circulating lymphocytes may be at least partly a glucocorticoid‐mediated event. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The prognostic significance of CDKN2A homozygous deletion in IDH-mutant lower-grade glioma and glioblastoma: a systematic review of the contemporary literature

Journal of Neuro-Oncology - The most recent cIMPACT-NOW update highlighted the homozygous deletion of the Cyclin Dependent Kinase Inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A) gene as a clinically important molecular...