Azithromycin in severe malaria bacterial co-infection in African children (TABS-PKPD): a phase II randomised controlled trial.

Background: African children with severe malaria are at increased risk of non-typhoidal salmonellae co-infection. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are recommended by guidelines but the optimal class and dose have not been established. We investigated the optimal dose of oral dispersible azithromycin and whether simple clinical criteria and point-of-care biomarkers could target antibiotics to those at greatest risk of bacterial co-infection.

Statistical analysis in support of maintaining a healthy traditional Siamese cat population.

Background: For many years, breeders of companion animals have applied inbreeding or line breeding to transfer desirable genetic traits from parents to their offspring. Simultaneously, this resulted in a considerable spread of hereditary diseases and phenomena associated with inbreeding depression.

Results: Our cluster analysis of kinship and inbreeding coefficients suggests that the Thai or traditional Siamese cat could be considered as a subpopulation of the Siamese cat, which shares common ancestors, although they are considered as separate breeds.

A single assay for multiple storage-sensitive red blood cell characteristics by means of infrared spectroscopy.

Background: To maintain a high quality of red blood cells (RBCs), RBC characteristics must be followed during storage under blood bank conditions. By means of infrared (IR) spectroscopy, several characteristics can be measured simultaneously.

Study Design And Methods: IR spectra were acquired for samples from RBCs that were collected and stored according to Dutch blood bank procedures for a period of up to 50 days.

Monitoring of biomass composition from microbiological sources by means of FT-IR spectroscopy.

An FT-IR spectroscopic method was developed for the simultaneous quantitative analysis of biomacromolecular components in biomass, originating from various microbiological sources. For the determination of protein, lipid and carbohydrate content, creatine phosphokinase, egg phosphatidyl choline and starch hydrolysate were chosen as external standards. This selection was based on spectral similarity and ease of availability.

The ring of the rhodopsin chromophore in a hydrophobic activation switch within the binding pocket.

The current view that the beta-ionone ring of the rhodopsin chromophore vacates its binding pocket within the protein early in the photocascade has been adopted in efforts to provide structural models of photoreceptor activation. This event casts doubt on the ability of this covalently bonded ligand to participate directly in later stages involving activation of the photoreceptor and it is difficult to translate into predictions for the activation of related G protein-coupled receptors by diffusable ligands (e.g.