Bacterial and Fungal Pathogens: New Weapons to Fight Them.

In high-income countries, degenerative diseases are the primary cause of death [...

Intravenous Treprostinil in Severe Inoperable Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension Using Implantable Pumps-Single-Center Experience over More Than a Decade.

The management of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension has significantly changed over the last decade with the availability of both specific therapies and interventional treatments. In parallel, implantable pumps for intravenous administration of treprostinil have broadened the spectrum of continuous prostanoid infusion. We evaluated the course of 17 consecutive patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension treated with treprostinil by means of an implantable infusion pump between 2011 and 2023 at our center.

Genome-wide association reveals host-specific genomic traits in Escherichia coli.

Background: Escherichia coli is an opportunistic pathogen which colonizes various host species. However, to what extent genetic lineages of E. coli are adapted or restricted to specific hosts and the genomic determinants of such adaptation or restriction is poorly understood.

How to survive pig farming: Mechanism of SCC element deletion and metabolic stress adaptation in livestock-associated MRSA.

Previous research on methicillin susceptible (MSSA) belonging to livestock-associated (LA-) sequence type (ST) 398, isolated from pigs and their local surroundings, indicated that differences between these MSSA and their methicillin resistant predecessors (MRSA) are often limited to the absence of the staphylococcal cassette chromosome (SCC) and few single nucleotide polymorphisms. So far, our understanding on how LA-MRSA endure the environmental conditions associated with pig-farming as well as the putative impact of this particular environment on the mobilisation of SCC elements is limited. Thus, we performed in-depth genomic and transcriptomic analyses using the LA-MRSA ST398 strain IMT38951 and its methicillin susceptible descendant.

Current Challenges and Future Directions in Handling Stroke Patients With Patent Foramen Ovale-A Brief Review.

The role of patent foramen ovale (PFO) in stroke was debated for decades. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have shown fewer recurrent events after PFO closure in patients with cryptogenic stroke (CS). However, in clinical practice, treating stroke patients with coexisting PFO raises some questions.

Experimental Induction of Emotional and Sexual Intimacy: Exploring the Validity of the German Fast Friends Procedure in Individuals with and without Childhood Maltreatment.

The Fast Friends Procedure (FFP) is a widely used experimental paradigm to induce emotional intimacy. Besides exploring the validity of a German translation of the paradigm (n = 46), we developed an extension of the FFP that induces sexual intimacy and assessed heart rate, high-frequency heart rate variability, and electrodermal activity responses to the FFP and its extension. Furthermore, we examined its applicability to individuals with childhood maltreatment (n = 56), who frequently suffer from intimacy-related difficulties.

Bacterial Sub-Species Typing Using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry: What Is Promising?

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is routinely used for bacterial identification. It would be highly beneficial to also be able to use the technology as a fast way to detect clinically relevant clones of bacterial species. However, studies to this aim have often had limited success.

Genome-wide insights into population structure and host specificity of Campylobacter jejuni.

The zoonotic pathogen Campylobacter jejuni is among the leading causes of foodborne diseases worldwide. While C. jejuni colonises many wild animals and livestock, persistence mechanisms enabling the bacterium to adapt to host species' guts are not fully understood.

Long-term experience with implantable infusion pumps for intravenous treprostinil in pulmonary arterial hypertension-procedural safety and system-related complications.

Implantable pumps for intravenous treprostinil provide a promising option to overcome drawbacks of parenteral prostanoid administration with external pumps in pulmonary hypertension. We retrospectively analyzed 85 patients undergoing implantation in a single center since 2010. In our cohort, serious complications were rare, and flow rate increase over time warrants careful monitoring.

Interictal Fast Ripples Are Associated With the Seizure-Generating Lesion in Patients With Dual Pathology.

Patients with dual pathology have two potentially epileptogenic lesions: One in the hippocampus and one in the neocortex. If epilepsy surgery is considered, stereotactic electroencephalography (SEEG) may reveal which of the lesions is seizure-generating, but frequently, some uncertainty remains. We aimed to investigate whether interictal high-frequency oscillations (HFOs), which are a promising biomarker of epileptogenicity, are associated with the primary focus.

Rapid Switch From Subcutaneous to Intravenous Treprostinil in Precapillary Pulmonary Hypertension by Pump Implantation.

Limited data are available on the transition from subcutaneous to intravenous prostacyclin in precapillary pulmonary hypertension. We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients who were switched from subcutaneous to intravenous treprostinil with an implantable infusion pump. We included 85 consecutive, clinically stable patients (mean age 66 years and range 16-85), who had been treated with subcutaneous treprostinil for mean 9 months (range 1-78) before pump implantation.

Silence as a way of niche adaptation: mecC-MRSA with variations in the accessory gene regulator (agr) functionality express kaleidoscopic phenotypes.

Functionality of the accessory gene regulator (agr) quorum sensing system is an important factor promoting either acute or chronic infections by the notorious opportunistic human and veterinary pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. Spontaneous alterations of the agr system are known to frequently occur in human healthcare-associated S. aureus lineages.

Comparison of different technologies for the decipherment of the whole genome sequence of BfR-CA-14430.

Background: is a zoonotic pathogen that infects the human gut through the food chain mainly by consumption of undercooked chicken meat, raw chicken cross-contaminated ready-to-eat food or by raw milk. In the last decades, has increasingly become the most common bacterial cause for food-born infections in high income countries, costing public health systems billions of euros each year. Currently, different whole genome sequencing techniques such as short-read bridge amplification and long-read single molecule real-time sequencing techniques are applied for in-depth analysis of bacterial species, in particular, Illumina MiSeq, PacBio and MinION.

Bacterial identification using a SCIEX 5800 TOF/TOF MALDI research instrument and an external database.

In our current study we were identifying 26 bacterial isolates using a SCIEX 5800 TOF/TOF MALDI instrument and an external database. The results were compared with the results of a Vitek® MS system and in case of discrepancies at the species level 16s rRNA sequencing was performed for further verification.

Equine Methicillin-Resistant Sequence Type 398 (MRSA) Harbor Mobile Genetic Elements Promoting Host Adaptation.

Continuing introduction of multi-drug resistant, zoonotic pathogens such as methicillin-resistant (MRSA) in horse clinics challenges the biosafety of employees and animal patients. This study was aimed to determine the occurrence of mobile genetic elements facilitating survival in the early stages of invasive infection in different host species, including humans and horses, in MRSA carried by equine patients admitted to a large horse clinic. A total of 341 equine patients were investigated for carriage of MRSA by hygiene screening directly at hospital admission.

The value of psychometric analysis of the advanced trauma life support cognitive test: Outcome of an ACS-Accredited educational institute multisite study.

Background: The Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course provides a standard approach to trauma. Participants must pass the ATLS post-test. We deployed the test online to allow ongoing psychometric item analysis and potential objective refinement.

Occurrence and molecular composition of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from ocular surfaces of horses presented with ophthalmologic disease.

Severe infections due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have been increasingly recognized in virtually all fields of veterinary medicine. Our objective was to study the occurrence, phylogenetic relationships and antimicrobial resistance properties of MRSA isolated from ocular surfaces of horses prior to invasive procedures. Within a 49-week sampling period, ocular swabs obtained from 46 eyes of 44 horses, including eyes with clinical signs of conjunctivitis/blepharitis, keratitis or uveitis were screened for the presence of S.

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baumannii among horses entering a veterinary teaching hospital: The contemporary "Trojan Horse".

Pathogens frequently associated with multi-drug resistant (MDR) phenotypes, including extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-E) and Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from horses admitted to horse clinics, pose a risk for animal patients and personnel in horse clinics. To estimate current rates of colonization, a total of 341 equine patients were screened for carriage of zoonotic indicator pathogens at hospital admission. Horses showing clinical signs associated with colic (n = 233) or open wounds (n = 108) were selected for microbiological examination of nostril swabs, faecal samples and wound swabs taken from the open wound group.

Detection of carbapenemase activity in Enterobacteriaceae using LC-MS/MS in comparison with the neo-rapid CARB kit using direct visual assessment and colorimetry.

It has been described that the sensitivity of the Carba NP test may be low in the case of OXA-48-like carbapenamases and mass spectrometry based methods as well as a colorimetry based method have been described as alternatives. We evaluated 84 Enterobacteriaceae isolates including 31 OXA-48-like producing isolates and 13 isolates that produced either an imipenemase (IMP; n=8), New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase (NDM; n=3), or Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC; n=2), as well as 40 carbapenemase negative Enterobacteriaceae isolates. We used the Neo-Rapid CARB kit, assessing the results with the unaided eye and compared it with a colorimetric approach.

Upper Versus Lower Gastrointestinal Delivery for Transplantation of Fecal Microbiota in Recurrent or Refractory Clostridium difficile Infection: A Collaborative Analysis of Individual Patient Data From 14 Studies.

Goals: The aim of this study was to compare upper gastrointestinal (UGI) versus lower gastrointestinal (LGI) delivery routes of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for refractory or recurrent/relapsing Clostridium difficile infection (CDI).

Background: FMT has been proven to be a safe and highly effective therapeutic option for CDI. Delivery, however, could be via the UGI or LGI routes, and it is unclear as to which route provides better clinical outcome.

Asymptomatic Clostridium difficile colonization: epidemiology and clinical implications.

Background: The epidemiology of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) has changed over the past decades with the emergence of highly virulent strains. The role of asymptomatic C. difficile colonization as part of the clinical spectrum of CDI is complex because many risk factors are common to both disease and asymptomatic states.

Species identification within Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii complex using MALDI-TOF MS.

Acinetobacter baumannii, one of the more clinically relevant species in the Acinetobacter genus is well known to be multi-drug resistant and associated with bacteremia, urinary tract infection, pneumonia, wound infection and meningitis. However, it cannot be differentiated from closely related species such as Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, Acinetobacter pittii and Acinetobacter nosocomialis by most phenotypic tests and can only be differentiated by specific, time consuming genotypic tests with very limited use in clinical microbiological laboratories. As a result, these species are grouped into the A.