Cultivable Bacteria in Urine of Women With Interstitial Cystitis: (Not) What We Expected.

Objective: Multiple studies show cultivatable bacteria in urine of most women. The existence of these bacteria challenges interstitial cystitis (IC)/painful bladder syndrome (PBS) diagnosis, which presumes a sterile bladder. The aims of this study were (1) to compare the female bladder microbiomes in women with IC/PBS and unaffected controls and (2) to correlate baseline bladder microbiome composition with symptoms.

An Electronic Sexual Health Module for Hospitalized Adolescent Girls.

Objectives: To evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of an electronic sexual health module for inpatient adolescent girls and assess the preliminary effect on uptake of sexual health services.

Methods: We recruited girls 14 to 18 years old admitted to the hospitalist service of 1 academic children's hospital from January 2016 to October 2016. Participants completed an electronic sexual health module that included a sexual health assessment, tailored feedback (randomized for half of the participants only), and a questionnaire to request sexual health services.

Obstetrical and neonatal outcomes after benzodiazepine exposure during pregnancy: Results from a prospective registry of women with psychiatric disorders.

Objective: The goal of this analysis was to examine the effect of benzodiazepine use during pregnancy on maternal and neonatal outcomes in a cohort of women with psychiatric disorders.

Methods: 794 evaluable women from the Massachusetts General Hospital National Pregnancy Registry for Psychiatric Medications were followed across pregnancy (N = 144 exposed to benzodiazepines and N = 650 unexposed). Data obtained through maternal report and medical records included maternal outcomes (cesarean section, preeclampsia) and neonatal outcomes (birth weight, breathing difficulty, feeding difficulty, head circumference, 5-minute Apgar score, muscular and/or extrapyramidal symptoms, NICU admission, prematurity).

Vortioxetine for major depressive disorder, vasomotor, and cognitive symptoms associated with the menopausal transition.

Background: In a preliminary trial, we assessed the efficacy of vortioxetine for major depressive disorder (MDD) during the menopausal transition. Secondary outcomes included hot flashes (HFs), anxiety, and cognitive complaints.

Methods: Perimenopausal and early postmenopausal women with MDD (N = 27) received 8 weeks of open-label, flexible-dose treatment with vortioxetine.

Functional significance of active site residues in the enzymatic component of the binary toxin.

binary toxin (CDT) is an ADP-ribosyltransferase which is linked to enhanced pathogenesis of strains. CDT has dual function: domain (CDTa) catalyses the ADP-ribosylation of actin (enzymatic component), whereas domain (CDTb) transports CDTa into the cytosol (transport component). Understanding the molecular mechanism of CDT is necessary to assess its role in infection.

Molecular features of the sortase enzyme family.

Bacteria possess complex and varying cell walls with many surface exposed proteins. Sortases are responsible for the covalent attachment of specific proteins to the peptidoglycan of the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria. Sortase A of Staphylococcus aureus, which is seen as the archetypal sortase, has been shown to be essential for pathogenesis and has therefore received much attention as a potential target for novel therapeutics.

The structure of the cysteine protease and lectin-like domains of Cwp84, a surface layer-associated protein from Clostridium difficile.

Clostridium difficile is a major problem as an aetiological agent for antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. The mechanism by which the bacterium colonizes the gut during infection is poorly understood, but undoubtedly involves a myriad of components present on the bacterial surface. The mechanism of C.

Super toxins from a super bug: structure and function of Clostridium difficile toxins.

Clostridium difficile, a highly infectious bacterium, is the leading cause of antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous colitis. In 2009, the number of death certificates mentioning C. difficile infection in the U.