Temperate Coastal Microbial Communities Rapidly Respond to Low Concentrations of Partially Weathered Diesel.

Diesel is frequently encountered in coastal ecosystems due to land run-off from road surfaces. The current study investigates how partially weathered diesel at environmentally relevant concentrations, as may be seen during a run-off event, affect coastal microbial communities. A mesocosm experiment using seawater from the Bedford Basin, Nova Scotia, was followed for 72 h after the addition of partially weathered diesel.

Submersible optical sensors exposed to chemically dispersed crude oil: wave tank simulations for improved oil spill monitoring.

In situ fluorometers were deployed during the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Gulf of Mexico oil spill to track the subsea oil plume. Uncertainties regarding instrument specifications and capabilities necessitated performance testing of sensors exposed to simulated, dispersed oil plumes. Dynamic ranges of the Chelsea Technologies Group AQUAtracka, Turner Designs Cyclops, Satlantic SUNA and WET Labs, Inc.

Interfacial film formation: influence on oil spreading rates in lab basin tests and dispersant effectiveness testing in a wave tank.

Test facilities such as lab basins and wave tanks are essential when evaluating the use of chemical dispersants to treat oil spills at sea. However, these test facilities have boundaries (walls) that provide an ideal environment for surface (interfacial) film formation on seawater. Surface films may form from surfactants naturally present in crude oil as well as dispersant drift/overspray when applied to an oil spill.

Rates of gonorrhea and Chlamydia in U.S. military personnel deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan (2004-2009).

The increased incidence of sexually transmitted infections has historically been associated with military personnel at war. The incidence of gonorrhea and Chlamydia in personnel deployed in the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has not been reported. An electronic records' review of testing done from January 2004 to September 2009 revealed higher rates of Chlamydia than gonorrhea, especially among females who deploy to Iraq.

Changes in the incidences of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant organisms isolated in a military medical center.

Background: Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa have emerged as the causes of nosocomial infections in critically ill patients.

Objective: To characterize the incidence of these MDR bacteria over time in the military healthcare system, comparing isolates recovered from overseas combat casualties with isolates recovered from local military and civilian patients.

Methods: Retrospective electronic records review of culture and/or susceptibility testing results of patients admitted to a military level I trauma center in San Antonio, Texas, during the period from January 2001 through December 2008.

Aminoglycoside resistance and susceptibility testing errors in Acinetobacter baumannii-calcoaceticus complex.

Antimicrobial resistance is depleting the pharmacopeia of agents clinically useful against Gram-negative bacilli. As the number of active agents diminishes, accurate susceptibility testing becomes critical. We studied the susceptibilities of 107 isolates of the Acinetobacter baumannii-calcoaceticus complex to amikacin, gentamicin, and tobramycin using disk diffusion, Etest, as well as the Phoenix, Vitek 2, and MicroScan automated systems, and compared the results to those obtained by broth microdilution.

Prevalence of multidrug-resistant organisms recovered at a military burn center.

Infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) pathogens are associated with significant morbidity and mortality in patients with burn injuries. We performed a 6-year antibiotic susceptibility records review from January 2003 to December 2008 to assess the prevalence of MDR isolates by pathogen at the US Army Institute of Surgical Research Burn Center. During the study period Acinetobacter baumannii (780 isolates [22%]) was the most prevalent organism recovered, followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (703 isolates [20%]), Klebsiella pneumoniae (695 isolates [20%]), and Staphylococcus aureus (469 isolates [13%]).

Incidence and bacteriology of burn infections at a military burn center.

Considerable advancements in shock resuscitation and wound management have extended the survival of burned patients, increasing the risk of serious infection. We performed a 6-year review of bacteria identification and antibiotic susceptibility records at the US Army Institute of Surgical Research Burn Center between January 2003 and December 2008. The primary goal was to identify the bacteria recovered from patients with severe burns and determine how the bacteriology changes during extended hospitalization as influenced by population and burn severity.

Biodegradation of endocrine disrupting compounds in harbour seawater and sediments.

The biodegradation of three endocrine disrupting compounds was examined using samples of seawater and sediment collected from Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada, an urbanized harbour impacted by over two centuries of anthropogenic contamination. Flask experiments, where the samples were mixed to form a slurry were used to monitor the aerobic biodegradation of the synthetic plasticizer bisphenol A (BPA), the natural hormone 17beta-estradiol (E2), and the pharmaceutical and contraceptive ethinylestradiol (EE2). Degradation rates followed the order E2>EE2>BPA with half-lives of up to 1, 5 and 14 days in seawater, respectively.

Effects of changing land use on the microbial water quality of tidal creeks.

Population growth along the southeastern United States coast has precipitated the conversion of forested watersheds to suburban and urban ones. This study sampled creeks representing forested, suburban, and urban watersheds along a longitudinal gradient for indicators of water quality, including traditional indicator bacteria (fecal coliforms and enterococci) and alternative viral indicators (male-specific and somatic coliphages). Tested microorganisms were generally distributed with highest concentrations in creek headwaters and in more developed watersheds.

Estrogenic compounds in seawater and sediment from Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Abstract-Samples of seawater and surface sediment were collected from seven locations around Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia, Canada, and analyzed for the presence of the organic estrogenic contaminants, bisphenol A (BPA), 17beta-estradiol (E2), and 17alpha-ethinylestradiol (EE2). Samples were extracted using solid phase extraction (seawater) or sonication (sediments), followed by fractionation on a two-layer alumina/silica gel column prior to analysis by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LCMS/MS) with negative-ion electrospray ionization. Levels of the three compounds consistently ranked as BPA > E2 > EE2.

A statistical appraisal of disproportional versus proportional microbial source tracking libraries.

Library-based microbial source tracking (MST) can assist in reducing or eliminating fecal pollution in waters by predicting sources of fecal-associated bacteria. Library-based MST relies on an assembly of genetic or phenotypic "fingerprints" from pollution-indicative bacteria cultivated from known sources to compare with and identify fingerprints of unknown origin. The success of the library-based approach depends on how well each source candidate is represented in the library and which statistical algorithm or matching criterion is used to match unknowns.

Phenotypic library-based microbial source tracking methods: efficacy in the California collaborative study.

As part of a larger microbial source tracking (MST) study, several laboratories used library-based, phenotypic subtyping techniques to analyse fecal samples from known sources (human, sewage, cattle, dogs and gulls) and blinded water samples that were contaminated with the fecal sources. The methods used included antibiotic resistance analysis (ARA) of fecal streptococci, enterococci, fecal coliforms and E. coli; multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) and Kirby-Bauer antibiotic susceptibility testing of E.

Acquisition and maintenance of endoscopic skills: developing an endoscopic dexterity training system for anesthesiologists.

The acquisition and maintenance of essential psychomotor skills that are only required sporadically is a significant problem in medical training and practice. It is of particular relevance to anesthesiologists with regard to fiberoptic intubation, a technique that may be under-utilized despite its central role in the management of the difficult airway. Dexterity deficit due to current training models, dexterity decay due to lack of practice, and situational stress related to the clinical environment may combine to impede effective training and confident use of endoscopes in airway management.

Acquisition and Maintenance of Endoscopic Skills: Developing an endoscopic dexterity training system for anesthesiologists.

The acquisition and maintenance of essential psychomotor skills that are only required sporadically is a significant problem in medical training and practice. It is of particular relevance to anesthesiologists with regard to fibreoptic intubation, a technique that may be under-utilized despite its central role in the management of the difficult airway. Dexterity deficit due to current training models, dexterity decay due to lack of practice, and situational stress related to the clinical environment may combine to impede effective training and confident use of endoscopes in airway management.

The role of strain gauge plethysmography in the assessment of patients with suspected deep vein thrombosis.

Suspicion of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a common reason for medical referral to hospital. Clinical signs and symptoms are notoriously unreliable, hence there is the need for objective testing. Strain gauge plethysmography (SGP) has been marketed as a technique for excluding lower limb DVT.

Vascular responsiveness to brachial artery infusions of phenylephrine during isoflurane and desflurane anesthesia.

Unlabelled: Compared with equi-minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration (MAC) isoflurane, desflurane is associated with greater levels of sympathetic nerve activity in humans but similar reductions in blood pressure. To explore these divergent effects, we evaluated vascular alpha(1)-adrenoceptor responses in the human forearm during isoflurane and desflurane anesthesia to determine if alpha(1)-adrenoceptor responses were more substantially attenuated during desflurane administration. Bilateral forearm venous occlusion plethysmography was used to examine arterial blood flow and to determine changes in forearm vascular resistance during brachial artery infusions of saline and phenylephrine (0.