Towards accurate exclusion of neonatal bacterial meningitis: a feasibility study of a novel 16S rDNA PCR assay.

Background: PCRctic is an innovative assay based on 16S rDNA PCR technology that has been designed to detect a single intact bacterium in a specimen of cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF). The assay's potential for accurate, fast and inexpensive discrimination of bacteria-free CSF makes it an ideal adjunct for confident exclusion of bacterial meningitis in newborn babies where the negative predictive value of bacterial culture is poor. This study aimed to stress-test and optimize PCRctic in the "field conditions" to attain a clinically useful level of specificity.

Premature baby with extreme hyponatraemia (95 mmol per litre): a case report.

Background: Whilst mild neonatal hyponatraemia is common and relatively harmless, extreme hyponatraemia of 95 mmol per litre has never been reported in a premature baby and such a level could be associated with immediate as well as long-lasting detrimental effects on health.

Case Presentation: Twenty-four days old baby boy born at 28 weeks gestation (triplet one) unexpectedly became moribund with hypovolaemic shock and was found to have blood sodium of 95 mmol per litre. Diagnostic work up revealed a combination of a urinary tract infection, inadvertently low sodium provision with donor breast milk, and weak renin-angiotensin-aldosterone response.

Does lack of routine postnatal examination on maternity unit increase the risk of hospital admission in the first week of life?

Objective: The purpose of this study is to establish whether omitting routine postnatal examination on maternity units increases the risk of hospitalisation in the first week of life of the newborn.

Study Design: Retrospective analysis of maternal and baby details and paediatric admission data spanning 12 months in the setting of two maternity units and children's admission unit (CAU) at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester, UK looking at all live-born babies not admitted to neonatal units (n = 7,058).

Main Outcome Measures: For babies within first week of life, main outcome measures are: (1) risk of the need to be assessed on CAU and (2) risk of hospitalisation for 48 h.

Targeting the A site RNA of the Escherichia coli ribosomal 30 S subunit by 2'-O-methyl oligoribonucleotides: a quantitative equilibrium dialysis binding assay and differential effects of aminoglycoside antibiotics.

The bacterial ribosome comprises 30 S and 50 S ribonucleoprotein subunits, contains a number of binding sites for known antibiotics and is an attractive target for selection of novel antibacterial agents. On the 30 S subunit, for example, the A site (aminoacyl site) close to the 3'-end of 16 S rRNA is highly important in the decoding process. Binding by some aminoglycoside antibiotics to the A site leads to erroneous protein synthesis and is lethal for bacteria.