Cat-to-Human Transmission of Mycobacterium bovis, United Kingdom.

Human infection with Mycobacterium bovis is reported infrequently in the United Kingdom. Most cases involve previous consumption of unpasteurized milk. We report a rare occurrence of 2 incidents of cat-to-human transmission of M.

Ophthalmic outcomes following neonatal hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy; oculomotor, biometric and refractive data in early childhood.

Objectives: To investigate the functional and structural impact of neonatal hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) on childhood visual development.

Methods: In a prospective study, the neurocognitive outcomes of 42 children with a history of neonatal HIE were assessed serially up to 5 years. For the ophthalmic component of the study, visual, refractive, orthoptic and ocular biometry measurements were obtained in 32 children, with axial length measurements estimated using the IOLMaster.

Bovine tuberculosis in working foxhounds: lessons learned from a complex public health investigation.

In 2017, Public Health England South East Health Protection Team (HPT) were involved in the management of an outbreak of Mycobacterium bovis (the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis) in a pack of working foxhounds. This paper summarises the actions taken by the team in managing the public health aspects of the outbreak, and lessons learned to improve the management of future potential outbreaks. A literature search was conducted to identify relevant publications on M.

The ability of early serial developmental assessment to predict outcome at 5years following neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy.

Background: Neurodevelopmental difficulties in children following hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) may not emerge until school age.

Aims: To evaluate the value and stability of early serial developmental assessments in predicting long-term outcome.

Study Design: Prospective study of infants with neonatal HIE and early continuous EEG at birth.

Early EEG Grade and Outcome at 5 Years After Mild Neonatal Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy.

Objective: More than half of all infants with neonatal hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) are graded as mild and do not meet current criteria for therapeutic hypothermia. These infants are often not enrolled in follow-up, and hence our knowledge of their long-term outcome is sparse. We wished to compare 5-year outcomes in a group of infants with mild, moderate, and severe HIE, graded with both early EEG and clinical assessment, none of whom were treated with therapeutic hypothermia.

An ecological and comparative perspective on the control of bovine tuberculosis in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

Disease ecology involves a systematic approach to understanding the interactions and evolution of host-pathogen systems at the population level, and is essential for developing a comprehensive understanding of the reasons for disease persistence and the most likely means of control. This systems or ecological approach is being increasingly recognised as a progressive method in disease control and is exploited in diverse fields ranging from obesity management in humans to the prevention of infectious disease in animal populations. In this review we discuss bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in Great Britain (GB) within a disease ecology context, and suggest how a comparative ecological perspective helps to reconcile apparent conflicts with the evidence on the effectiveness of badger culling to assist in the control of bTB in GB and the Republic of Ireland (ROI).

Ciliate telomerase RNA loop IV nucleotides promote hierarchical RNP assembly and holoenzyme stability.

Telomerase adds simple-sequence repeats to chromosome 3' ends to compensate for the loss of repeats with each round of genome replication. To accomplish this de novo DNA synthesis, telomerase uses a template within its integral RNA component. In addition to providing the template, the telomerase RNA subunit (TER) also harbors nontemplate motifs that contribute to the specialized telomerase catalytic cycle of reiterative repeat synthesis.

The predictive value of early neurological examination in neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy and neurodevelopmental outcome at 24 months.

Aim: The clinical and electrographic signs of hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) evolve over the first days of life. We examined the evolution of neurological signs over the first 3 days of life, and determined whether serial administration of the Amiel-Tison Neurological Assessment at Term (ATNAT) would predict neurodevelopmental outcome at 24 months.

Method: Term (>37 wks' gestation) neonates born with suspected HIE between May 2003 and May 2005 in a Cork maternity unit were recruited prospectively.

Stepwise protein-mediated RNA folding directs assembly of telomerase ribonucleoprotein.

Telomerase is an essential cellular ribonucleoprotein (RNP) that solves the end replication problem and maintains chromosome stability by adding telomeric DNA to the termini of linear chromosomes. Genetic mutations that abrogate the normal assembly of telomerase RNP cause human disease. It is therefore of fundamental and medical importance to decipher cellular strategies for telomerase biogenesis, which will require new insights into how specific interactions occur in a precise order along the RNP assembly pathway.

Structural study of elements of Tetrahymena telomerase RNA stem-loop IV domain important for function.

Tetrahymena telomerase RNA (TER) contains several regions in addition to the template that are important for function. Central among these is the stem-loop IV domain, which is involved in both catalysis and RNP assembly, and includes binding sites for both the holoenzyme assembly protein p65 and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT). Stem-loop IV contains two regions with high evolutionary sequence conservation: a central GA bulge between helices, and a terminal loop.

A novel RNA binding domain in tetrahymena telomerase p65 initiates hierarchical assembly of telomerase holoenzyme.

Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and telomerase RNA (TER) assemble as part of a holoenzyme that synthesizes telomeric repeats at chromosome ends. Genetic approaches have identified proteins that are required for in vivo association of TERT and TER, including the Tetrahymena telomerase holoenzyme protein p65. Here, we use quantitative assays to define the mechanisms underlying p65 function in holoenzyme biogenesis.

Two purified domains of telomerase reverse transcriptase reconstitute sequence-specific interactions with RNA.

Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and telomerase RNA (TER) function together to create a uniquely specialized polymerase. Here we have described for the first time domains of bacterially expressed Tetrahymena TERT that interacted directly with TER in the absence of assembly chaperones. We used quantitative binding assays to define TER sequence requirements for recognition by the high affinity RNA binding domain and an independent N-terminal RNA interaction domain.

A telomerase holoenzyme protein enhances telomerase RNA assembly with telomerase reverse transcriptase.

Telomerase maintains the simple sequence repeats at chromosome ends, protecting cells from genomic rearrangement, proliferative senescence and death. The telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and telomerase RNA (TER) alone can assemble into active enzyme in a heterologous cell extract, but the physiological process of telomerase biogenesis is more complex. The endogenous accumulation of Tetrahymena thermophila TERT and TER requires an additional telomerase holoenzyme protein, p65.