LKC Technologies (United States)

Phages impact Bacillus subtilis microbial dynamics, but our understanding of the diversity of phages that can lyse this model organism is limited. Phages were isolated from soil collected from two Southwest United States desert sites on wild B. subtilis strains. Phage genomes were assembled and bioinformatically characterized, and phage host range was assessed. Four myoviruses with high nucleotide and amino acid similarity to each other (>97%) and to three phages in GenBank (>82%), including SIOphi, were isolated. These phages have double-stranded DNA genomes (153,882-156,577 bp), low GC content, and 256-270 putative protein coding genes (28-30% with predicted functions). Comparative genomics revealed differences in putative lysis and replication genes. Comparative approaches provide insight into phage evolution, identifying unique genes shared within phage clusters. Better characterization of Bacillus phages will aid in linking genetic differences among phages (e.g., lysin genes) to phenotype (e.g., host range).

Multiple meta-analyses have been published to compare intramedullary nail and plate for treating humeral shaft fractures; however, results are discordant.The purposes of current study were to perform a systematic review of overlapping meta-analyses comparing intramedullary nail and plate fixation for the treatment of humeral shaft fractures, to appraise the methodological quality and the quality of reporting of meta-analyses, and to propose a guide through the currently discordant available evidence.This systematic review was performed according to the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis. The literature was systematically reviewed to identify meta-analyses comparing intramedullary nail and plate fixation for the treatment of humeral shaft fractures. Only meta-analyses exclusively including randomized clinical trials (RCTs) met eligibility criteria in this systematic review. Methodological quality for each included study was assessed using the Oxford Levels of Evidence and the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews Instrument. We extracted all variables from the included studies and listed the results reported by them. Heterogeneity information of each variable was extracted for the included studies. An I2 of <60% is accepted in this systematic review. The Jadad algorithm was then applied to determine which meta-analyses provided the best evidence.Seven studies met the inclusion criteria in this study. All studies included RCTs or quasi-RCT and were Level II of evidence. Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews scores varied from 6 to 10 with a median of 7.86. Heterogeneity of each outcome was acceptable in those meta-analyses pooled results. The Jadad algorithm suggested that the meta-analyses can be selected based on the search strategies and application of selection. As a result, 2 meta-analyses with more RCTs were selected in this systematic review. The best available evidence suggested that the differences between intramedullary nail and plate fixation were not significant in fracture union, radial nerve injury, and infection. But intramedullary nail significantly increased the risk of shoulder complications (shoulder impingement and restriction of shoulder movement) and reoperation.We concluded that plate fixation is superior to intramedullary nail for the treatment of humeral shaft fractures.

The proportion of Shigella infections that occur asymptomatically in young children has not been established. A community-based cohort study of 367 infants was followed prospectively by weekly home visits from January, 1990, through December, 1991. Stool samples were collected weekly and when diarrhea occurred and were tested for Shigella and other enteropathogens. There were 2925 child months of observation and 65 episodes of Shigella infection. There were 3.1 episodes/100 child months during the warm season (May through September) and 0.97 episode/100 child months during the cold season. Shigella infections were rare during the first 6 months of life but increased with age (P < 0.0001). Overall 55% of detected infections were asymptomatic. The proportion of infections that were asymptomatic increased as age increased (P < 0.01). Symptom status was not significantly associated with Shigella species or season. All isolates from symptomatic and asymptomatic children had the 120- to 140-megadalton virulence plasmid. We conclude that infections with virulent strains of Shigella are commonly asymptomatic in Mexican children during the first 2 years of life.

The electroretinogram (ERG) has been shown to yield sensitive and specific information about the development of neovascularization in ischemic disorders such as diabetic retinopathy and central retinal vein occlusion. However, even though the test is quick, easy to perform, and carries few risks, the ERG is poorly utilized in clinical situations because of the extended training period necessary for test interpretation. We have developed an algorithm that estimates the phase and amplitude of a 30-Hz flicker ERG and that is relatively insensitive to many forms of interference in ERG recordings. These estimates can be directly compared to established criteria for the risk of proliferative retinal disease.

The subject’s task in conventional perimetry is to detect an incremental spot of light on a uniform background. Recent evidence indicates that, at least in glaucoma, this task can be insensitive to large amounts of neural damage. In an attempt to find more effective ways to detect early glaucomatous damage, we are developing alternative perimetric techniques that are based on pattern discrimination rather than light detection. The subject fixates a small square at the center of a large field of dynamic random dots and tries to detect a patch of non-random, or coherent, dots embedded in the background. The stimuli are displayed on a projection CRT, and all test target parameters, including position, size, shape, exposure duration, dot density, dot arrangement and dot dynamics, are under computer control. In particular, spatial and temporal coherence parameters are defined in terms of the spacing and motion of the target dots.We have obtained preliminary control data and glaucoma patient data for four different static protocols that test different stimulus parameters: size and exposure duration thresholds for fully coherent targets, and spatial coherence and temporal coherence thresholds for large, long-duration targets. Our results suggest that the temporal coherence test may be especially sensitive to early glaucomatous defects.KeywordsRetinal Nerve Fiber LayerBlind SpotSpatial CoherenceTemporal CoherencePattern DiscriminationThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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