Evaluation of the most effective measures of infectivity of a precocious line of Eimeria acervulina in poultry.
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Analysis of Variance↗
Biomedical subjects
G Richards
Publications and source records attributed to G Richards.
The threat of a new influenza pandemic -- are we doing enough?
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Antiviral Agents↗
Infections associated with cantaloupe consumption: a public health concern.
Fresh produce is an important part of a healthy diet and is consumed in greater quantity in the United States than ever before. Consumption of cantaloupe has recently been associated with several large outbreaks of infections in North America, highlighting the need for a better understanding of practices and processes that may contribute to contamination. We reviewed all cantaloupe-associated outbreaks that were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and published in the literature. Twenty-three outbreaks occurred between 1984 and 2002; 1434 people became ill, 42 were hospitalized, and two died in these outbreaks. Aetiological agents in the outbreaks included five serotypes of Salmonella enterica, Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and norovirus. We reviewed processes contributing to cantaloupe contamination, conditions affecting survival and growth of bacterial pathogens on melons, and potential methods for sanitization. For maximum safety, industry, federal, and international partners must collaborate to ensure that appropriate interventions are in place to minimize the risk of contamination and prevent the growth of pathogens during cantaloupe production, processing, storage, and preparation.
Cucumis melo↗
Back to basics--optimizing the use of available resources during an outbreak of multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter spp.
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Acinetobacter Infections↗
Glandular kallikreins in the teleost Cyprinus carpio: tissue distribution, possible involvement in prolactin processing, and effect of 17 beta-estradiol in vivo.
We examined glandular kallikrein (GK), a putative prolactin processing protease, in the teleost Cyprinus carpio. When employing an anti-Centropristis striata GK antibody proteins of 39 kDa in muscle, 52 kDa in gill, 52 kDa in kidney, and two proteins of 46 and 72 kDa in pituitary gland were detected. Immunoreactive kallikreins were recognized in intermuscle cell tissue, epithelial gill cells, apical region of tubular cells, and prolactin producing lactotrophs in pituitary gland, suggesting a osmoregulatory role for this enzyme. We found three prolactin (PRL) variants using anti-tilapia PRL antibodies, in pituitary gland 23 and 16 kDa, and in plasma 23 and 22 kDa forms. Clearly co-localization of GK and PRL in lactotrophs could be demonstrated. In winter-acclimatized male carp, where the pituitary PRL level is low, 17beta-estradiol treatment increased PRL but not GK immunoreactivity. In contrast to GK and PRL co-regulation by estrogen in mammalian pituitary gland, no similar effect on immunoreactive PRL and GK was observed in the ichtyc pituitary. No changes in GK immunostaining occurred in gill or muscle tissue in response to estrogen treatment. These results, taken with the observation of significantly increased GK immunoreactivity in the apical region of kidney tubular cells in estrogen treated male carp, indicate that the regulation of GK expression in pituitary and kidney could be different in fish with respect to mammals.
Acclimatization↗
Sustainable coccidiosis control in poultry production: the role of live vaccines.
The development of new methods of administering coccidiosis vaccines has facilitated their use in the hatchery and thereby improved prospects for the economic vaccination of broilers. The acquisition of protective immunity to Eimeria species is boosted by further exposure to infection after vaccination. Factors that affect the reproductive efficiency of non-attenuated and attenuated vaccines are considered and the key role that oocyst production plays in establishing and maintaining uniform immunity in a flock of chickens is discussed. In addition to immunisation, a possible advantage to the application of certain vaccines is that their use could repopulate poultry houses with drug-sensitive organisms. Theoretical rotation programmes in which the use of drugs is alternated with that of vaccines are described. Variability of the cross-protective immune response between strains of the same species should be considered during vaccine development and subsequent use. The significance of less common species of Eimeria, not included in all vaccines, also needs to be assessed. An important consideration is the occurrence of pathogens other than Eimeria (such as the bacterium Clostridium) in flocks given coccidiosis vaccines and the methods by which they might be controlled. More research is required into the relationship between bacterial and viral infections of poultry and coccidiosis vaccination. Vaccines need to be developed that are simple to apply and cost effective for use in areas of the world where small-scale poultry production is commonplace. In the near future it is likely that more live vaccines based upon oocysts derived from attenuated strains of Eimeria will be developed but in the longer term vaccines will be based on the selective presentation to the host of specific molecules that can induce protective immunity. This achievement will require significant investment from the private and public sectors, and, if successful, will facilitate the sustainable control of coccidiosis in poultry production.
Animals↗
Automated, fluorescence-based approach for the specific diagnosis of chicken coccidiosis.
We have established a fluorescence-based electrophoretic approach for the specific identification of all seven currently recognised species of Eimeria infecting chickens. The second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) of ribosomal DNA is amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from any of the seven species using a single set of oligonucleotide primers (of which the reverse one is fluorescently labelled). The amplicons are heat-denatured, subjected to denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in a 377 DNA sequencer (ABI). The chromatograms produced are stored electronically and then analysed using GeneScan 3.1 software. Using control DNA samples representing monospecific lines of Eimeria, regions in the chromatograms have been defined for the specific identification of each of the seven species, although some variation in the chromatograms (reflecting population variation) was detectable within two species. Electrophoretic reading and analysis is carried out automatically using a computer imaging system, thus making it a time- and cost-effective approach. It is well suited for high-throughput diagnostic screening of oocyst samples and should find applicability as a tool for prevalence studies, monitoring of coccidiosis outbreaks and the quality control of vaccines.
Animals↗
An open, randomised, multi-centre study comparing the safety and efficacy of sitafloxacin and imipenem/cilastatin in the intravenous treatment of hospitalised patients with pneumonia.
This was a phase II, randomised, open-label, multi-centre study to assess the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of sitafloxacin (DU-6859a, 400 mg once daily) compared with imipenem (imipenem/cilastatin, 500 mg three times daily) in the treatment of hospitalised patients with pneumonia. Patients (n=69) were entered into the study in the intent-to-treat group, 35 in the sitafloxacin and 34 in the imipenem group. Patients (n=65) were included in the clinically evaluable population and 42 in the bacteriologically evaluable population. Baseline demographic data and clinical characteristics were similar for both treatment groups and across all patient populations. The incidence, severity and type of adverse events were similar in both treatment groups. The frequency of adverse events, which were considered to be related to the study of drugs was low and generally similar between the two groups. Mild transient increases in alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase occurred in the sitafloxacin treatment group, but there were no apparent trends in the other serum enzyme levels. The clinical response at the first and second follow-up assessments indicated that 94-97% of patients in the clinically evaluable population and 91% of patients in the intent-to-treat population were classified as cured in both treatment groups. The bacteriological response was classified as satisfactory for all patients (100%) in the bacteriologically evaluable population in the imipenem treatment group and satisfactory for 90 and 95% of cases at the first and second follow-up assessments in the bacteriologically evaluable population in the sitafloxacin treatment group, respectively. In conclusion, for the treatment of pneumonia, sitafloxacin was considered as safe and as tolerable as imipenem and preliminary data from this study suggest that it may have similar efficacy.
Adolescent↗
Data mining for indicators of early mortality in a database of clinical records.
This paper describes the analysis of a database of diabetic patients' clinical records and death certificates. The objective of the study was to find rules that describe associations between observations made of patients at their first visit to the hospital and early mortality.Pre-processing was carried out and a knowledge discovery in databases (KDD) package, developed by the Lanner Group and the University of East Anglia, was used for rule induction using simulated annealing.The most significant discovered rules describe an association that was not generally known or accepted by the medical community, however, recent independent studies confirm their validity.
Aged↗
Foot-to-foot bioelectrical impedance analysis: a valuable tool for the measurement of body composition in children.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the accuracy of foot-to-foot bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and anthropometric indices as measures of body composition in children. DESIGN: Comparison of foot-to-foot BIA and anthropometry to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA)-derived body composition in a multi-ethnic group of children. SUBJECTS: : Eighty-two European, NZ Maori and Pacific Island children aged 4.9-10.9 y. MEASUREMENTS: DEXA body composition, foot-to-foot bioelectrical impedance, height, weight, hip and waist measurements. RESULTS: Using a BIA prediction equation derived from our study population we found a high correlation between DEXA and BIA in the estimation of fat-free mass (FFM), fat mass (FM) and percentage body fat (PBF) (r=0.98, 0.98 and 0.94, respectively). BIA-FFM underestimated DEXA-FFM by a mean of 0.75 kg, BIA-FM overestimated DEXA-FM by a mean of 1.02 kg and BIA-PBF overestimated DEXA-PBF by a mean of 2.53%. The correlation between six anthropometric indices (body mass index (BMI), ponderal index, Chinn's weight-for-height index, BMI standard deviation score, weight-for-length index and Cole's weight-for-height index) and DEXA were also examined. The correlation of these indices with PBF was remarkably similar (r=0.85-0.87), more variable with FM (r=0.77-0.94) and poor with FFM (r=0.41-0.75). CONCLUSIONS: BIA correlated better than anthropometric indices in the estimation of FFM, FM and PBF. Foot-to-foot BIA is an accurate technique in the measurement of body composition.
Absorptiometry, Photon↗
Prognostic factors in severe community-acquired pneumonia in patients without co-morbid illness.
OBJECTIVES: We wished to determine the prognostic factors and the impact of initial empirical antibiotic therapy on the outcome of severe community-acquired pneumonia in patients without underlying co-morbid illness. METHODOLOGY: This is a retrospective record review of consecutive patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia who were divided into those with and without underlying co-morbid illness. RESULTS: There were 182 patients including 112 primary (no co-morbid illness) and 70 secondary (underlying co-morbid illness) pneumonias. The overall mortality was 41.8% and there were no differences in APACHE II score or mortality when comparing cases with primary (37.5%) and secondary infections (48.6%). The mortality was significantly higher in patients with negative microbiology. Univariate analysis identified a number of parameters and various antibiotic regimens, which appeared to be associated with a significantly poorer outcome. On multivariate analysis multilobar pulmonary consolidation, need for mechanical ventilation, inotropes and dialysis were documented to be independent predictors of mortality. Only in their absence could different antibiotic regimens be shown to have an apparent impact on outcome and further analysis suggested that the reason for these differences related predominantly to differences in the severity of the infection. CONCLUSIONS: Markers of disease severity appear to be the most important predictors of outcome in patients with severe community-acquired pneumonia.
APACHE↗
Relaxing on the run: stress management for the busy professional.
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Humans↗
Inducible expression of the long pentraxin PTX3 in the central nervous system.
PTX3 is a prototypic long pentraxin consisting of a C terminal 203-amino acid pentraxin-like domain coupled with an N-terminal 178-amino acid unrelated portion. PTX3 is induced by primary proinflammatory signals in various cell types, most prominently macrophages and endothelial cells. Other long pentraxins, such as murine or rat neuronal pentraxin 1 (NP1) and human neuronal pentraxin 2 (NPTX2), are expressed in the central nervous system (CNS). The present study was designed to investigate whether PTX3 is expressed in the brain and to define the structures and cells involved. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.), but not i.v., injection of LPS induced high levels of PTX3 mRNA in the mouse brain. In contrast NP1 is constitutively expressed in the murine CNS and is not modulated by LPS administration. I.c.v. IL-1beta was also a potent inducer of PTX3 expression in the CNS, whereas TNFalpha was substantially less effective and IL-6 induced a barely detectable signal. Central administration of LPS and IL-1 induced PTX3 also in the periphery (heart), whereas the reverse did not occur. Expression of PTX3 was also observed in the brain of mice infected with Candida albicans (C. albicans) or Cryptococcus neoformans. (C. neoformans). The kinetics of PTX3 gene induction were consistently different between C. albicans- and C. neoformans-infected mice, according to the diverse outcome of the CNS immune reaction. In situ hybridization revealed that i.c.v. injection of LPS induced a strong PTX3 expression in presumptive glial cells, in the white matter (corpus callosum, fimbria) and meningeal pia mater as well as in dentate gyrus hilus and granule cells. No constitutive expression of PTX3 was detected. Central expression of PTX3 may amplify mechanisms of innate resistance and damage in the CNS. The possibility of a direct interaction of PTX3 with neuronal cells, as suggested for NPTX2, remains to be explored.
Animals↗
Krüppel-homolog, a stage-specific modulator of the prepupal ecdysone response, is essential for Drosophila metamorphosis.
We have characterised a P-element-induced prepupal mutant of Drosophila melanogaster which after an apparently normal embryonic and larval development fails to complete head eversion, an essential step in metamorphosis. The P-element insertion disrupts an ecdysone-regulated transcript which, although expressed during embryonic and larval stages, appears critical for preparing the late prepupal response to ecdysone. By a combination of molecular and genetic studies, in which we recovered new alleles, we show that the locus is complex, containing at least two distinct promoters. Its transcripts contain a short region described previously by R. Schüh et al. (1986, Cell 47, 1025-1032), who screened for homologues of the Krüppel gene. Our studies on the corresponding gene, named Krüppel-homolog (Kr-h), add to a growing body of evidence that specific isoforms of a number of key genes are implicated in both embryogenesis and metamorphosis.
Amino Acid Sequence↗
High-resolution electrophoretic procedures for the identification of five Eimeria species from chickens, and detection of population variation.
To overcome limitations of conventional approaches for the identification of Eimeria species of chickens, we have established high resolution electrophoretic procedures using genetic markers in ribosomal DNA. The first and second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-1 and ITS-2) regions of ribosomal DNA were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from genomic DNA samples representing five species of Eimeria (E. acervulina, E. brunetti, E. maxima, E. necatrix and E. tenella), denatured and then subjected to denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (D-PAGE) or single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. Differences in D-PAGE profiles for both the ITS-1 and ITS-2 fragments (combined with an apparent lack of variation within individual species) enabled the unequivocal identification of the five species, and SSCP allowed the detection of population variation between some isolates representing E. acervulina, which remained undetected by D-PAGE. The establishment of these approaches has important implications for controlling the purity of laboratory lines of Eimeria, for diagnosis and for studying the epidemiology of coccidiosis.
Animals↗
Britain on the couch: the popularization of psychoanalysis in Britain 1918-1940.
Despite the enormous historical attention psychoanalysis has attracted, its popularization in Britain (as opposed to the United States) in the wake of the Great War has been largely overlooked. The present paper explores the sources and fate of the sudden "craze" for psychoanalysis after 1918, examining the content of the books through which the doctrine became widely known, along with the roles played by religious interests and the popular press. The percolation of Freudian and related language into everyday English was effectively complete by the 1930s. Crucially, it is argued that in Britain the character of psychoanalytic theory itself demonstrably converged with the psychological needs of the British population in the postwar period. The situation in Britain was clearly different in many respects from that in the United States. This episode bears on numerous questions about scientific popularization, the distinctiveness of British psychoanalysis, and though it is treated here only peripherally the epistemological status or nature of psychoanalysis. More generally the present paper may be read as an exercise in reflexive disciplinary historiography, in which the levels of discipline ("Psychology") and subject matter ("psychology") are viewed as interpenetrating and mutually constitutive.
History, 20th Century↗
Endogenous proteins controlling amyloid beta-peptide polymerization. Possible implications for beta-amyloid formation in the central nervous system and in peripheral tissues.
We report that certain plasma proteins, at physiological concentrations, are potent inhibitors of amyloid beta-peptide (Abeta) polymerization. These proteins are also present in cerebrospinal fluid, but at low concentrations having little or no effect on Abeta. Thirteen proteins representing more than 90% of the protein content in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid were studied. Quantitatively, albumin was the most important protein, representing 60% of the total amyloid inhibitory activity, followed by alpha1-antitrypsin and immunoglobulins A and G. Albumin suppressed amyloid formation by binding to the oligomeric or polymeric Abeta, blocking a further addition of peptide. This effect was also observed when the incorporation of labeled Abeta into genuine beta-amyloid in tissue section was studied. The Abeta and the anti-diabetic drug tolbutamide apparently bind to the same site on albumin. Tolbutamide displaces Abeta from albumin, increasing its free concentration and enhancing amyloid formation. The present results suggest that several endogenous proteins are negative regulators of amyloid formation. Plasma contains at least 300 times more amyloid inhibitory activity than cerebrospinal fluid. These findings may provide one explanation as to why beta-amyloid deposits are not found in peripheral tissues but are only found in the central nervous system. Moreover, the data suggest that some drugs that display an affinity for albumin may enhance beta-amyloid formation and promote the development of Alzheimer's disease.
Amyloid beta-Peptides↗
The acquisition of competence to respond to ecdysone in Drosophila is transcript specific.
The steroid hormone ecdysone induces a precise sequence of gene activity in Drosophila melanogaster salivary glands in late third larval instar larvae. The acquisition of competence for this response does not result from a single event or pathway but requires factors that accumulate throughout the instar. Individual transcripts become competent to respond at different times and their expression is differentially affected in ecd1, dor22 and BR-C mutants. The induction of early-late transcripts, originally assumed to necessarily follow early transcripts, is partially independent of early transcript activation. Attempts to inhibit the synthesis of regulatory proteins reveal transcript-specific superinduction effects. Furthermore these inhibitors lead to the induction of betaFTZ-F1 and E93 transcripts at levels normally found in prepupal glands. These studies reveal the complexity of the processes underlying the establishment of a hormonal response.
Animals↗