Distribution, Extracellular Virulence Factors and Drug Resistance of Motile Aeromonads in Fresh Water Ornamental Fishes and Associated Carriage Water

During last decades there has been a continuous growth of aquaculture industries all over the world and taking into consideration the spurt in freshwater ornamental fish aquaculture and trade in Kerala, the present study was aimed to assess the prevalence of various motile Aeromonas spp. in fresh water ornamental fishes and associated carriage water. The extracellular virulence factors and the antibiogram of the isolates were also elucidated. Various species of motile aeromonads such as Aeromonas caviae, A. hydrophila, A. jandaei, A. schubertii, A. sobria, A. trota and A. veronii were detected. Aeromonas sobria predominated both fish and water samples. Extracellular enzymes and toxins produced by motile aeromonds are important elements of bacterial virulence. The production of extracellular virulence factors - proteases, lipase, DNase and haemolysin by the isolates were studied. All the isolates from both fish and water samples produced gelatinase and nuclease but the ability to produce lipase, caseinase and haemolysins was found to vary among isolates from different sources. Among the 15 antibiotics to which the isolates were tested, all the isolates were found to be sensitive to chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin and gentamicin and resistant to amoxycillin. Local aquarists maintain the fish in crowded stressful conditions, which could trigger infections by the obligate/ opportunistic pathogenic members among motile aeromonads

Infecciones recurrentes por staphylococcus aureus en paciente con piercing nasal asociado al estado de portador: estudio de caso

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Infecciones recurrentes en paciente con piercing nasal

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Què saben els pares dels infants de 0-3 anys, sobre l'ús del rentat nasal i els inhaladors amb cambra?

Aquest estudi insisteix en la importància de l’educació sanitària dirigida als pares per tal d’assegurar l’eficàcia del tractament a administrar i consolidar els coneixements i habilitats del progenitors per tal de que aquests puguin dur a terme les tècniques requerides de forma adequada. Destacar la necessitat de conscienciar a tots els professionals de la salut, sobretot els que passen més temps amb els familiars, de la importància que té la seva competència com educador en l’àmbit de la salut. Evidenciar la importància de fer una avaluació continuada dels coneixements i les habilitats adquirides pels cuidadors principals, sobre com dur a terme les tècniques del rentat de nas i administració de la medicació inhalada amb cambra i mascareta, per detectar-ne els possibles errors i poder posar-hi mesures correctores per pal·liar-los. Constatar la utilitat de preguntar i esbrinar “in situ” què saben els progenitors sobre les tècniques a avaluar (rentat de nas i administració de la medicació inhalada amb cambra i mascareta), abans de donar qualsevol explicació o iniciar l’educació sanitària per detectar les necessitats específiques de cada pare o mare i poder individualitzar el procés educatiu

The staphylococcus aureus surface protein IsdA mediates resistance to the innate defenses of human skin

Resistance to human skin innate defenses is crucial for survival and carriage of Staphylococcus aureus, a common cutaneous pathogen and nasal colonizer. Free fatty acids extracted from human skin sebum possess potent antimicrobial activity against S. aureus. The mechanisms by which S. aureus overcomes this host defense during colonization remain unknown. Here, we show that S. aureus IsdA, a surface protein produced in response to the host, decreases bacterial cellular hydrophobicity rendering them resistant to bactericidal human skin fatty acids and peptides. IsdA is required for survival of S. aureus on live human skin. Reciprocally, skin fatty acids prevent the production of virulence determinants and the induction of antibiotic resistance in S. aureus and other Gram-positive pathogens. A purified human skin fatty acid was effective in treating systemic and topical infections of S. aureus suggesting that our natural defense mechanisms can be exploited to combat drug-resistant pathogens.

High prevalence of multidrug-tolerant bacteria and associated antimicrobial resistance genes isolated from ornamental fish and their carriage water

Background: Antimicrobials are used to directly control bacterial infections in pet (ornamental) fish and are routinely added to the water these fish are shipped in to suppress the growth of potential pathogens during transport. Methodology/Principal Findings: To assess the potential effects of this sustained selection pressure, 127 Aeromonas spp. isolated from warm and cold water ornamental fish species were screened for tolerance to 34 antimicrobials. Representative isolates were also examined for the presence of 54 resistance genes by a combination of miniaturized microarray and conventional PCR. Forty-seven of 94 Aeromonas spp. isolates recovered from tropical ornamental fish and their carriage water were tolerant to >= 15 antibiotics, representing seven or more different classes of antimicrobial. The quinolone and fluoroquinolone resistance gene, qnrS2, was detected at high frequency (37% tested recent isolates were positive by PCR). Class 1 integrons, IncA/C broad host range plasmids and a range of other antibiotic resistance genes, including floR, blaTEM21, tet(A), tet(D), tet(E), qacE2, sul1, and a number of different dihydrofolate reductase and aminoglycoside transferase coding genes were also detected in carriage water samples and bacterial isolates. Conclusions: These data suggest that ornamental fish and their carriage water act as a reservoir for both multi-resistant bacteria and resistance genes.

The Phantom Carriage (1921)

The reputation of The Phantom Carriage (Körkarlen) as one of the major films of Swedish silent cinema is in some respects securely established. Yet the film has attracted surprisingly little detailed discussion. It may be that its most striking stylistic features have deflected or discouraged closer scrutiny. Tom Gunning, for instance, in making the case for Sjöström’s Masterman, argues that ‘Körkarlen wears its technique on its sleeve, overtly displays its unquestionable mastery of superimposition and complex narrative structure. Mästerman tucks its mastery of editing and composition up its sleeve, so to speak’. This article makes an argument for a different evaluation of The Phantom Carriage, bringing a critical and interpretative understanding of the film’s style into conversation with the historical accounts of film form which predominate in the scholarship around silent cinema. It suggests that the film achieves ‘mastery of editing and composition’ with a flexibility and fluidity in the construction of dramatic space that is in itself remarkable for its period, but that Sjöström’s achievements extend well beyond his handling of film space. Specifically, it discusses a segment which is in several respects at the heart of the film: the first meeting between the two central characters, David Holm (Victor Sjöström) and Sister Edit (Astrid Holm); it spans the film’s exact mid-point; and at almost twelve and a half minutes it is the longest uninterrupted passage to take place in a single setting. The chapter argues that the dramatic and structural centrality of the hostel segment is paralleled by its remarkably rich articulation of the relationships between action, character and space. We show how Sjöström’s creation of a three-dimensional filmic space - with no hint of frontality - becomes the basis for a reciprocal relationship between spatial naturalism and performance style, and for a mise-en-scene that can take on discrete interpretive force. The argument also places the hostel sequences within the film as a whole in order to show how relationships articulated through the detailed decisions in this section take on their full resonance within patterns and motifs that develop across the film.

The Phantom Carriage: a revaluation

This is a two-part audiovisual essay on Victor Sjöström’s extraordinary film The Phantom Carriage (Körkarlen), which was released on New Year’s Day 1921. Part 1 explores a sequence in detail, revealing a mastery of three-dimensional film space which is remarkable for its period; the essay then look at the ways in which this handling of space is integral to the film’s rich articulation of character and action. Part 2 considers aspects of the film’s mise-en-scène and shows how the features of the sequence explored in Part 1 take on their full resonance within patterns and motifs that develop across the film. Published by Movie: a journal of film criticism, the essay complements our chapter on the film in the volume Silent Features, edited by Steve Neale (Exeter University Press, 2016).

Objective Assessment of Internal Nasal Dimensions and Speech Resonance in Individuals With Repaired Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate After Rhinoseptoplasty

The objective of the current study was to analyze the effects of rhinoseptoplasty on internal nasal dimensions and speech resonance of individuals with unilateral cleft lip and palate, estimated by acoustic rhinometry and nasometry, respectively. Twenty-one individuals (aged 15-46 years) with previously repaired unilateral cleft lip and palate were analyzed before (PRE), and 6 to 9 (POST1) and 12 to 18 months (POST2) after surgery. Acoustic rhinometry was used to measure the cross-sectional areas (CSAs) of segments corresponding to the nasal valve (CSA1), anterior portion (CSA2), and posterior portion (CSA3) of the lower turbinate, and the volumes at the nasal valve (V1) and turbinate (V2) regions at cleft and noncleft sides, before and after nasal decongestion with a topical vasoconstrictor. Nasometry was used to evaluate speech nasalance during the reading of a set of sentences containing nasal sounds and other devoid of nasal sounds. At the cleft side, before nasal decongestion, there was a significant increase (P < 0.05) in mean CSA1 and V1 values at POST1 and POST2 compared with PRE. After decongestion, increased values were also observed for CSA2 and V2 at POST2. No significant changes were observed at the noncleft side. Mean nasalance values at PRE, POST1, an POST2 were not different from each other in both oral and nasal sentences. The measurement of CSAs and volumes by acoustic rhinometry revealed that rhinoseptoplasty provided, in most cases analyzed, a significant increase in nasal patency, without concomitant changes in speech resonance, as estimated by nasalance assessment.

Nasal immunization of mice with Lactobacillus casei expressing the Pneumococcal Surface Protein A: induction of antibodies, complement deposition and partial protection against Streptococcus pneumoniae challenge

Strategies for the development of new vaccines against Streptococcus pneumoniae infections try to overcome problems such as serotype coverage and high costs, present in currently available vaccines. Formulations based on protein candidates that can induce protection in animal models have been pointed as good alternatives. Among them, the Pneumococcal Surface Protein A (PspA) plays an important role during systemic infection at least in part through the inhibition of complement deposition on the pneumococcal surface, a mechanism of evasion from the immune system. Antigen delivery systems based on live recombinant lactic acid bacteria (LAB) represents a promising strategy for mucosal vaccination, since they are generally regarded as safe bacteria able to elicit both systemic and mucosal immune responses. In this work, the N-terminal region of clade I PspA was constitutively expressed in Lactobacillus casei and the recombinant bacteria was tested as a mucosal vaccine in mice. Nasal immunization with L. casei-PspA 1 induced anti-PspA antibodies that were able to bind to pneumococcal strains carrying both clade 1 and clade 2 PspAs and to induce complement deposition on the surface of the bacteria. In addition, an increase in survival of immunized mice after a systemic challenge with a virulent pneumococcal strain was observed. (C) 2008 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

O espelho de Glatzel na avaliação da permeabilidade nasal em adultos

Introdução O espelho de Glatzel (EG) é correntemente utilizado em consultórios fonoaudiológicos para a avaliação rápida da permeabilidade nasal. O mesmo foi descrito inicialmente em 1898 por Zwaardemaker. Porém, estudos de validação inexistem na literatura. Este estudo teve por objetivos verificar a reprodutibilidade do EG e a correlação intra-sujeito entre área de condensação e percepção subjetiva de permeabilidade nasal. Material e Métodos Vinte e cinco sujeitos foram avaliados com o EG por cinco minutos consecutivos (475 medidas por sujeito); cada meia hora por quatro horas; cada dia no início da tarde, por cinco dias e toda a quinta-feira por cinco semanas consecutivas. Utilizou-se uma escala análoga visual para avaliar a percepção de respiração nos períodos de horas, dias e semanas. Resultados O coeficiente de correlação total (área direita mais esquerda) encontrado entre área de condensação e percepção subjetiva foi de r=0,04 (p=0,3761). No lado esquerdo foi de r=0,08 (p=0,0984) e no lado direito de r=0,05 (p=0,2862). Os coeficientes de variação unilaterais medianos foram menores que 15% e os totais menores que 12%, independente do intervalo de tempo entre teste e re-teste. Conclusão Não se evidenciou correlação significativa entre a percepção subjetiva e a área de condensação nasal. A variabilidade unilateral foi maior do que quando considerados os valores totais (direito mais esquerdo) e não houve diferença na variabilidade das medidas de área de condensação nasal nos diferentes momentos do tempo.

Avaliação da função nasal em indivíduos expostos ao TXIB

A importância de se estudar os efeitos de substâncias potencialmente deletérias para o nosso organismo, em locais fechados, tem recebido maior atenção nos últimos anos. O ser humano contemporâneo passa grande parte do dia em ambientes fechados e a qualidade do ar repercute no seu bem-estar e também poderá influenciar sua saúde. A Síndrome do Prédio Doente (SPD) é definida como uma condição médica em que indivíduos apresentam uma série de sintomas físicos relacionados ao ambiente de trabalho. A SPD resulta em perda substancial do desempenho no trabalho e relações pessoais, além de considerável perda de produtividade. Como o nariz representa a primeira área exposta aos contaminantes ambientais e a histologia da mucosa nasal é similar à da mucosa das vias aéreas inferiores, processos inflamatórios nas cavidades nasais podem refletir ou afetar àqueles nas vias aéreas inferiores. Estudou-se a exposição nasal aguda ao TXIB (2,2,4- trimetil-1,3-pentanediol diisobutirato), comumente utilizado como um plastificante, em 19 voluntários normais e avaliou-se as alterações na função nasal (resitência nasal, transporte mucociliar e celularidade nasal), tendo como controles a exposição ao placebo e etanol. A exposição nasal ao TXIB e etanol resultou em aumento significativo da resistência nasal total (p< 0,05). Entretanto, também verificou-se aumento na resistência no grupo placebo (p<0,05). O tempo de transporte mucociliar aumentou nos grupos placebo e TXIB, não significativamente (p>0,05). No grupo etanol houve diminuição (p>0,05). O número de células totais e neutrófilos aumentou nos três grupos estudados, porém sem diferença estatisticamente significativa (p>0,05). O número de células epiteliais aumentou nos indivíduos expostos ao TXIB e etanol, e diminuiu no grupo placebo, não significativamente. Porém, no grupo TXIB demonstrou-se aumento do número de células epiteliais com forte tendência estatística (p=0,065). A análise dos resultados deste estudo nos permite concluir que a celularidade nasal apresenta-se como uma medida da função nasal com maior sensibilidade para demonstrar alterações em indivíduos expostos agudamente ao TXIB, sendo que o número de células epiteliais altera-se imediatamente após a exposição.

Slow Oscillations in the Mouse Hippocampus Entrained by Nasal Respiration

Different types of network oscillations occur in different behavioral, cognitive, or vigilance states. The rodent hippocampus expresses prominentoscillations atfrequencies between 4 and 12Hz,which are superimposed by phase-coupledoscillations (30 –100Hz).These patterns entrain multineuronal activity over large distances and have been implicated in sensory information processing and memory formation. Here we report a new type of oscillation at near- frequencies (2– 4 Hz) in the hippocampus of urethane-anesthetized mice. The rhythm is highly coherent with nasal respiration and with rhythmic field potentials in the olfactory bulb: hence, we called it hippocampal respiration-induced oscillations. Despite the similarity in frequency range, several features distinguish this pattern from locally generatedoscillations: hippocampal respiration-induced oscillations have a unique laminar amplitude profile, are resistant to atropine, couple differentlytooscillations, and are abolished when nasal airflow is bypassed bytracheotomy. Hippocampal neurons are entrained by both the respiration-induced rhythm and concurrent oscillations, suggesting a direct interaction between endogenous activity in the hippocampus and nasal respiratory inputs. Our results demonstrate that nasal respiration strongly modulates hippocampal network activity in mice, providing a long-range synchronizing signal between olfactory and hippocampal networks.

Efeito imediato e a curto prazo do cigarro sobre o transporte mucociliar nasal de fumadores

Background and objectives: The efficiency of mucociliary transport may vary in different conditions, such as in exposure to harmful particles of the cigarette smoke. The present study evaluated the acute and short term effects of smoking on nasal mucociliary clearance in current smokers by the quantification of the Saccharin Transit Time (STT), and to investigate its correlation with the history of tobacco consumption.Methods: Nineteen current smokers (11 men, 51 +/- 16 years; BMI 23 +/- 9 kg/m(2), 27 +/- 11 cigarettes per day, 44 +/- 25 pack-years), entering a smoking cessation intervention program, responded to a questionnaire concerning smoking history and were submitted to lung function assessment (spirometry) and the STT test. STT was assessed immediately after smoking and 8 hours after smoking. The STT test was also performed in nineteen matched healthy non-smokers' who served as control group.Results: When compared to STT in non-smokers' (10 +/- 4 min; mean +/- standard deviation), smokers presented similar STT immediately after smoking (11 +/- 6 min; p = 0.87) and slower SIT 8 hours after smoking (16 +/- 6 min; p = 0.005 versus non-smokers' and p = 0.003 versus immediately after smoking). STT 8 hours after smoking correlated positively with age (r = 0.59; p = 0.007), cigarettes per day (r = 0.53; p = 0.02) and pack-years index (r = 0.74; p = 0.0003).Conclusions: In smokers, although the mucociliary clearance immediately after smoking is similar to non-smokers', eight hours after smoking it is reduced, and this reduction is closely related to the smoking habits. (C) 2010 Sociedade Portuguesa de Pneumologia. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.