Performance evaluation of InfectID-BSI: A rapid quantitative PCR assay for detecting sepsis-associated organisms directly from whole blood.

Background: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) (presence of pathogenic organism in blood) that progress to sepsis (life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by the body's dysregulated response to an infection) is a major healthcare issue globally with close to 50 million cases annually and 11 million sepsis-related deaths, representing about 20% of all global deaths. A rapid diagnostic assay with accurate pathogen identification has the potential to improve antibiotic stewardship and clinical outcomes.

Methods: The InfectID-Bloodstream Infection (InfectID-BSI) test is a real-time quantitative PCR assay, which detects 26 of the most prevalent BSI-causing pathogens (bacteria and yeast) directly from blood (without need for pre-culture).

The starch-deficient plastidic PHOSPHOGLUCOMUTASE mutant of the constitutive crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) species Kalanchoë fedtschenkoi impacts diel regulation and timing of stomatal CO2 responsiveness.

Background And Aims: Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is a specialized type of photosynthesis characterized by a diel pattern of stomatal opening at night and closure during the day, which increases water-use efficiency. Starch degradation is a key regulator of CAM, providing phosphoenolpyruvate as a substrate in the mesophyll for nocturnal assimilation of CO2. Growing recognition of a key role for starch degradation in C3 photosynthesis guard cells for mediating daytime stomatal opening presents the possibility that starch degradation might also impact CAM by regulating the provision of energy and osmolytes to increase guard cell turgor and drive stomatal opening at night.

The evolution of alkaliphilic biofilm communities in response to extreme alkaline pH values.

Extremes of pH present a challenge to microbial life and our understanding of survival strategies for microbial consortia, particularly at high pH, remains limited. The utilization of extracellular polymeric substances within complex biofilms allows micro-organisms to obtain a greater level of control over their immediate environment. This manipulation of the immediate environment may confer a survival advantage in adverse conditions to biofilms.

Paediatric trauma imaging in a regional Queensland hospital: Do we need clearer guidance?

Objective: Paediatric trauma is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in those aged 0-14. Anatomical and physiological differences require a specialised approach to paediatric trauma care. Medical imaging, particularly computed tomography (CT) scans, requires specific consideration because of the consequences of radiation exposure in the paediatric population.

Antenatal counselling for prospective parents whose fetus has a neurological anomaly: part 2, risks of adverse outcome in common anomalies.

After diagnosis of a fetal neurological anomaly, prospective parents want to know the best and worst-case scenarios and an estimation of the risk to their infant of having an atypical developmental outcome. The literature on developmental outcomes for fetal neurological anomalies is poor: studies are characterized by retrospective design, small sample size, often no standardized assessment of development, and differing definitions of anomalies. This review provides an aide-memoir on the risks of adverse neurodevelopmental outcome for ventriculomegaly, cortical anomalies, microcephaly, macrocephaly, agenesis of the corpus callosum, posterior fossa anomalies, and myelomeningocele, to assist healthcare professionals in counselling.

Antenatal counselling for prospective parents whose fetus has a neurological anomaly: part 1, experiences and recommendations for service design.

Prospective parents whose fetus is diagnosed with a neurological anomaly go through a complex range of emotions. They describe their discussions of antenatal counselling from health care professionals as focusing too much on the nature of the anomaly involving unintelligible medical terminology, when what they really want is a picture of the best- and worst-case scenarios. Whilst information on the level of risk for their fetus is important, it is not the parents' primary concern.

Zinc-dependent multimerization of mutant calreticulin is required for MPL binding and MPN pathogenesis.

Calreticulin (CALR) is mutated in the majority of JAK2/MPL-unmutated myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Mutant CALR (CALRdel52) exerts its effect by binding to the thrombopoietin receptor MPL to cause constitutive activation of JAK-STAT signaling. In this study, we performed an extensive mutagenesis screen of the CALR globular N-domain and revealed 2 motifs critical for CALRdel52 oncogenic activity: (1) the glycan-binding lectin motif and (2) the zinc-binding domain.

Phosphorolytic degradation of leaf starch via plastidic α-glucan phosphorylase leads to optimized plant growth and water use efficiency over the diel phases of Crassulacean acid metabolism.

In plants with Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), it has been proposed that the requirement for nocturnal provision of phosphoenolpyruvate as a substrate for CO2 uptake has resulted in a re-routing of chloroplastic starch degradation from the amylolytic route to the phosphorolytic route. To test this hypothesis, we generated and characterized four independent RNAi lines of the obligate CAM species Kalanchoë fedtschenkoi with a >10-fold reduction in transcript abundance of plastidic α-glucan phosphorylase (PHS1). The rPHS1 lines showed diminished nocturnal starch degradation, reduced dark CO2 uptake, a reduction in diel water use efficiency (WUE), and an overall reduction in growth.

Exploring C-CAM plasticity within the Portulaca oleracea complex.

Portulaca oleracea is a C herb capable of performing CAM under drought stress. It is distributed worldwide and is either considered a polymorphic species or a complex of subspecies, due to its numerous morphological variations. We evaluated CAM plasticity within P.

Crassulacean acid metabolism guard cell anion channel activity follows transcript abundance and is suppressed by apoplastic malate.

Plants utilising crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) concentrate CO around RuBisCO while reducing transpirational water loss associated with photosynthesis. Unlike stomata of C and C species, CAM stomata open at night for the mesophyll to fix CO into malate (Mal) and store it in the vacuole. CAM plants decarboxylate Mal in the light, generating high CO concentrations within the leaf behind closed stomata for refixation by RuBisCO.

Transient Existence of Circulating Mesenchymal Stem Cells in the Deep Veins in Humans Following Long Bone Intramedullary Reaming.

The biology of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in humans is incompletely understood and a possible role of systemically circulating cells in health and autoimmune disease remains controversial. Physiological movement of bone marrow MSCs to sites of injury would support the rationale for intravenous administration for relocation to damaged organs. We hypothesized that biophysical skeletal trauma rather than molecular cues may explain reported MSC circulation phenomena.

PPC1 Is Essential for Crassulacean Acid Metabolism and the Regulation of Core Circadian Clock and Guard Cell Signaling Genes.

Unlike C plants, Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plants fix CO in the dark using phosphopyruvate carboxylase (PPC; EC 4.1.1.

C and crassulacean acid metabolism within a single leaf: deciphering key components behind a rare photosynthetic adaptation.

Although biochemically related, C and crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) systems are expected to be incompatible. However, Portulaca species, including P. oleracea, operate C and CAM within a single leaf, and the mechanisms behind this unique photosynthetic arrangement remain largely unknown.

The Impact of Alkaliphilic Biofilm Formation on the Release and Retention of Carbon Isotopes from Nuclear Reactor Graphite.

C is an important consideration within safety assessments for proposed geological disposal facilities for radioactive wastes, since it is capable of re-entering the biosphere through the generation of C bearing gases. The irradiation of graphite moderators in the UK gas-cooled nuclear power stations has led to the generation of a significant volume of C-containing intermediate level wastes. Some of this C is present as a carbonaceous deposit on channel wall surfaces.

The Kalanchoë genome provides insights into convergent evolution and building blocks of crassulacean acid metabolism.

Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is a water-use efficient adaptation of photosynthesis that has evolved independently many times in diverse lineages of flowering plants. We hypothesize that convergent evolution of protein sequence and temporal gene expression underpins the independent emergences of CAM from C photosynthesis. To test this hypothesis, we generate a de novo genome assembly and genome-wide transcript expression data for Kalanchoë fedtschenkoi, an obligate CAM species within the core eudicots with a relatively small genome (~260 Mb).

Phosphorylation of Phosphopyruvate Carboxylase Is Essential for Maximal and Sustained Dark CO Fixation and Core Circadian Clock Operation in the Obligate Crassulacean Acid Metabolism Species .

Phosphopyruvate carboxylase (PPC; EC 4.1.1.

Predicting the Remaining Lifespan and Cultivation-Related Loss of Osteogenic Capacity of Bone Marrow Multipotential Stromal Cells Applicable across a Broad Donor Age Range.

. Culture expanded multipotential stromal cells (MSCs) have considerable potential for bone regeneration therapy but their wider use is constrained by the lack of simple and predictive assays of functional potency. Extended passaging leads to loss of multipotency but speed of decline depends on MSC donor age.

Treatment of anticoagulated patients with negative pressure wound therapy.

There is a paucity of evidence surrounding the use of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in patients receiving anticoagulant medication. Guidelines generally recommend caution regarding the use of NPWT in anticoagulated patients in general, but areas of particular risk are frequently not highlighted. The US Food and Drug Authority (FDA) reported six mortalities between 2009 and 2011 in patients receiving NPWT.

Upregulated WEE1 protects endothelial cells of colorectal cancer liver metastases.

Surgical resection of colorectal cancer liver metastases (CLM) can be curative, yet 80% of patients are unsuitable for this treatment. As angiogenesis is a determinant of CLM progression we isolated endothelial cells from CLM and sought a mechanism which is upregulated, essential for angiogenic properties of these cells and relevant to emerging therapeutic options. Matched CLM endothelial cells (CLMECs) and endothelial cells of normal adjacent liver (LiECs) were superficially similar but transcriptome sequencing revealed molecular differences, one of which was unexpected upregulation and functional significance of the checkpoint kinase WEE1.

Floc Formation Reduces the pH Stress Experienced by Microorganisms Living in Alkaline Environments.

The survival of microorganisms within a cementitious geological disposal facility for radioactive wastes heavily depends on their ability to survive the calcium-dominated, hyperalkaline conditions resulting from the dissolution of the cementitious materials. The results from this study show that the formation of flocs, composed of a complex mixture of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), provides protection against alkaline pH values up to 13.0.

Emerging model systems for functional genomics analysis of Crassulacean acid metabolism.

Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is one of three main pathways of photosynthetic carbon dioxide fixation found in higher plants. It stands out for its ability to underpin dramatic improvements in plant water use efficiency, which in turn has led to a recent renaissance in CAM research. The current ease with which candidate CAM-associated genes and proteins can be identified through high-throughput sequencing has opened up a new horizon for the development of diverse model CAM species that are amenable to genetic manipulations.

Antenatally diagnosed right-sided stomach (dextrogastria): A rare rotational anomaly.

Aim: Antenatal detection of right-sided stomach (dextrogastria) is rare, and its significance in regards to intestinal rotation is unclear. We aimed to review all cases of antenatally-diagnosed dextrogastria in our regional fetal medicine unit over 10years.

Methods: A retrospective case-note review of patients identified from a prospectively-maintained database was performed.

YIP1 family member 4 (YIPF4) is a novel cellular binding partner of the papillomavirus E5 proteins.

E5 proteins are amongst the least understood of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) encoded gene products. They are small, membrane-integrated proteins known to modulate a number of critical host pathways associated with pathogenesis including growth factor receptor signaling and immune evasion. Their role in the virus life cycle is less clear, indicating a role in the productive stages of the life cycle.

A roadmap for research on crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) to enhance sustainable food and bioenergy production in a hotter, drier world.

Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) is a specialized mode of photosynthesis that features nocturnal CO2 uptake, facilitates increased water-use efficiency (WUE), and enables CAM plants to inhabit water-limited environments such as semi-arid deserts or seasonally dry forests. Human population growth and global climate change now present challenges for agricultural production systems to increase food, feed, forage, fiber, and fuel production. One approach to meet these challenges is to increase reliance on CAM crops, such as Agave and Opuntia, for biomass production on semi-arid, abandoned, marginal, or degraded agricultural lands.