Staphylococcus aureus - selective reporting of antibiogram results and its impact on antibiotic use: Interventional study with a reference group on the effect of switching from non-selective to selective antibiotic reporting.

Background: Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) strategies worldwide focus on optimising the use of antibiotics. Selective susceptibility reporting is recommended as an effective AMS tool although there is a lack of representative studies investigating the impact of selective susceptibility reporting on antibiotic use. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of selective susceptibility reporting of Staphylococcus aureus (S.

Valence EELS below the limit of inelastic delocalization using conical dark field EFTEM or Bessel beams.

In this experimental work we present novel methods to increase the spatial resolution of valence electron energy loss spectrometry (VEELS) investigations below the limit given by the inelastic delocalization. For this purpose we analyse a layer stack consisting of silicon/silicon-oxide/silicon-nitride/silicon-oxide/silicon (SONOS) with varying layer thickness down to the 2nm level. Using a combination of a conical illumination and energy filtered transmission electron microscopy we are able to identify the layers by using low energy losses.

Phases and phase transitions of hexagonal cobalt oxide films on Ir(100)-(1 × 1).

Cobalt oxides on the unreconstructed Ir(100) surface were prepared by reactive deposition of Co established by simultaneous oxygen flux at about 50 °C and subsequent annealing. The films were investigated by low-energy electron diffraction (LEED), scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). We show that in spite of the quadratic unit mesh of the substrate, oxide films of (111) orientation develop.

Coexistence of rocksalt and wurtzite structure in nanosized CoO films.

Cobalt oxide (CoO) films epitaxially grown on Ir(100) in (111) orientation were investigated by means of quantitative low-energy electron diffraction and scanning tunneling microscopy. We find with high crystallographic precision that in the bulk of the films the rocksalt structure prevails while near the surface there is a switch towards the wurtzite structure. As a consequence, nanosized CoO cannot be considered as a single structural phase.

Surface structure of polar Co(3)O(4)(111) films grown epitaxially on Ir(100)-(1 × 1).

Cobalt oxide films were prepared by oxidation of different amounts of cobalt deposited on Ir(100)-(1 × 1), where oxygen rich conditions were applied during deposition. The resulting oxide films with thicknesses of up to about 40 Å were investigated as regards their crystallographic structure and morphology, applying quantitative low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). It can be unequivocally shown that the spinel-type Co(3)O(4) phase develops, for which an excellent fit between measured and calculated LEED intensity spectra is achieved (Pendry R-factor R = 0.

Thermal decomposition of ferrocene as a method for production of single-walled carbon nanotubes without additional carbon sources.

A new method to grow bulk quantities of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) by a catalytic chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process with the possibility of varying the pressure has been developed and is reported in this paper. Thermal decomposition of ferrocene provides both catalytic particles and carbon sources for SWCNT growth using Ar as a carrier gas. Upon an increase in the pressure, the mean diameter of the SWCNTs decreases.

Crystal structure of the Orf virus NZ2 variant of vascular endothelial growth factor-E. Implications for receptor specificity.

Mammalian vascular endothelial growth factors constitute a family of polypeptides, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A, -B, -C, -D and placenta growth factor (PlGF), that regulate blood and lymphatic vessel development. VEGFs bind to three types of receptor tyrosine kinases, VEGF receptors 1, 2, and 3, that are predominantly expressed on endothelial and some hematopoietic cells. Pox viruses of the Orf family encode highly related proteins called VEGF-E that show only 25-35% amino acid identity with VEGF-A but bind with comparable affinity to VEGFR-2.

Desmoglein 2 is expressed abnormally rather than mutated in familial and sporadic gastric cancer.

Alterations of the cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin have been demonstrated in sporadic and hereditary gastric carcinomas. A cell adhesion molecule with functional similarity to E-cadherin is desmoglein 2 (Dsg2), a major component of the desmosomes. In this study, we investigated whether alterations of Dsg2 are involved in gastric carcinogenesis and whether germline mutations contribute to a genetic predisposition in familial gastric cancer patients with no germline mutations in the E-cadherin gene.

Comparison of real-time PCR signal-amplified in situ hybridization and conventional PCR for detection and quantification of human papillomavirus in archival cervical cancer tissue.

Archival paraffin-embedded tumor specimens offer a wealth of information for both cancer research and for routine clinical applications. However, the use of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens for quantitative real-time PCR is not yet a standard diagnostic method in many laboratories, in particular for the quantification of human papillomavirus (HPV). Particularly high-risk HPV types are involved in almost 100% of the carcinogenesis of cervical cancer.

Efficacy of organic acids in hand cleansers for prevention of rhinovirus infections.

Direct hand-to-hand contact is an important mechanism of transmission of rhinovirus infection. The rhinoviruses are inactivated at a low pH. A survey of organic acids in vitro revealed that these compounds have antirhinoviral activity that persists for at least 3 h after application to the skin.

[Ultrasound in pregnancy--practical aspects].

According to the payments agreement of the health insurance law two screening-scans at 10-13 weeks and 20-23 weeks respectively are part of the low-risk pregnancy care. The first-trimestre-scan includes the determination of the gestational age, the anatomical integrity of the fetus and the chorionicity in case of monochorionic twins. The 20-23 week scan has to evaluate the fetal growth, fetal abnormalities and the placental site.

[Practical aspects of breast ultrasound].

Breast ultrasound has become an important part of senological investigation and is considered as the most important complementary method to mammography. The strengths of ultrasound are the evaluation of the juvenile radiodense breast, peripherical breast lesions and the evaluation of mammary cysts. After the general examination of the mammary gland and its surroundings, breast lesions are evaluated based on the following criteria: shape and border of the tumor, structural breaks, tumor protuberances and posterior shadowing or enhancement, compressibility and shifting.

[Indications of fetal chromosome abnormalities in 1st trimester ultrasound].

The measurement of the nuchal translucency and the evaluation of other sonographic signs in the first trimester scan allow a detection rate of 70-80% of aneuploid pregnancies, significantly more than with consideration of the maternal age alone (30%). The sonographic signs include the early growth retardation, deviations of the fetal heart rate, exomphalos, megacystis, holoprosencephaly and enlargement of the cisterna magna. Maternal serum biochemistry alone (PAPP-A and beta-hCG or alpha-fetoprotein, estriol and beta-hCG) detects about 65% of aneuploid pregnancies.

[Ultrasound mammography].

The importance of breast ultrasound in the determination of a palpable mass grew in the last years, to examine the radiologically dence breast or cysts it even became the first line method. The sonographic evaluation bases on the following criteria: internal echoes, shape of the tumor, posterior shadowing or enhancement, lateral shadows, compressibility and shifting. As there are only a few pathognomic and definite findings like anechoic cysts with smooth walls and sharp borders, the majority of palpable masses may be determined only approximately without final certainty.

[Lung diseases in pregnancy].

Pulmonary diseases play a particular role during pregnancy. First, the adaptive hyperventilation of the mother implies sufficient pulmonary reserves, and second, and increasing oxygen consumption of the fetus during pregnancy might be compromised by maternal hypoxemia and could be followed by fetal growth retardation and fetal hypoxemia. Asthma bronchiale is the leading pulmonary disease in pregnancy and is not associated with higher risk for pregnancy and fetus when sufficiently threatened.

[Sodium concentration and pre-eclampsia: is salt restriction of value?].

Unlabelled: The significance of sodium metabolism with respect to preeclampsia is discussed in the literature with a wide range of diverging opinions. The presented work analyses the influence of a low salt diet on the symptoms of preeclampsia and the consequences for the newborn.

Material And Methods: 160 patients with preeclampsia between 1989 and 1993 were retrospectively studied.

Prevention of vertical HIV transmission: additive protective effect of elective Cesarean section and zidovudine prophylaxis. Swiss Neonatal HIV Study Group.

Objective: To study the effect of elective Cesarean section and zidovudine prophylaxis on vertical HIV transmission.

Design: Prospective study.

Setting: Obstetric and paediatric clinics in Switzerland.

The use of antibodies for characterization and quantification of a recombinant protein.

In this study, we characterized proteinase A secreted by recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae bearing a multicopy plasmid containing the encoding gene (PEP4). Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies were raised to study the product heterogeneity. Characterization of proteinase A was performed by immunoelectrophoresis and immunoblotting techniques.

Mathematical modeling of proteinase A overproduction by Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

A simple, structured model was developed to describe the growth and product formation behavior of two recombinant strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (JG176 and JG180), both overproducing extracellular proteinase A. The model parameters were estimated to data from continuous fermentations obtained at steady-state conditions. Model predictions show good agreement with experimental data obtained by batch fermentations.

Lysozyme binds to elastin and protects elastin from elastase-mediated degradation.

Lysozyme has been shown to be associated with damaged elastic fibers in many tissues and organs. To better characterize this interaction, binding of lysozyme to elastin was studied using solution-based binding assays. Under physiologic conditions, radio-labeled lysozyme bound specifically to elastin in a time- and concentration-dependent manner.

Production of proteinase A by Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a cell-recycling fermentation system: experiments and computer simulations.

Overproduction of proteinase A by recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae was investigated by cultivations in a cell-recycling bioreactor. Membrane filtration was used to separate cells from the broth. Recycling ratios and dilution rates were varied and the effect on enzyme production was studied both experimentally and by computer simulations.