Fast and Economic Microarray-Based Detection of Species-, Resistance-, and Virulence-Associated Genes in Clinical Strains of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE).

Today, there is a continuous worldwide battle against antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and that includes vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). Methods that can adequately and quickly detect transmission chains in outbreaks are needed to trace and manage this problem fast and cost-effectively. In this study, DNA-microarray-based technology was developed for this purpose.

Molecular Characterization of Chimeric Strains from Waterfowl.

is a versatile pathogen that does not only occur in humans but also in various wild and domestic animals, including several avian species. When characterizing isolates from waterfowl, isolates were identified as atypical CC133 by DNA microarray analysis. They differed from previously sequenced CC133 strains in the presence of the collagen adhesin gene ; some also showed a different capsule type and a deviant type.

Description of Staphylococcal Strains from Straw-Coloured Fruit Bat () and Diamond Firetail () and a Review of their Phylogenetic Relationships to Other Staphylococci.

The phylogenetic tree of the complex consists of several distinct clades and the majority of human and veterinary isolates form one large clade. In addition, two divergent clades have recently been described as separate species. One was named , due to the lack of the "golden" pigment staphyloxanthin.

Characterisation and Molecular Analysis of an Unusual Chimeric Methicillin Resistant Strain and its Bacteriophages.

In the context of microarray-based epidemiological typing of the clonal organism /MRSA a strain was identified that did not belong to known clonal complexes. The molecular analysis by microarray-based typing yielded signals suggesting that it was a mosaic or hybrid strain of two lineages. To verify this result, the isolate was sequenced with both, short-read Illumina and long-read Nanopore technologies and analysed in detail.

Hepatectomy-Induced Alterations in Hepatic Perfusion and Function - Toward Multi-Scale Computational Modeling for a Better Prediction of Post-hepatectomy Liver Function.

Liver resection causes marked perfusion alterations in the liver remnant both on the organ scale (vascular anatomy) and on the microscale (sinusoidal blood flow on tissue level). These changes in perfusion affect hepatic functions via direct alterations in blood supply and drainage, followed by indirect changes of biomechanical tissue properties and cellular function. Changes in blood flow impose compression, tension and shear forces on the liver tissue.

EpiDope: a deep neural network for linear B-cell epitope prediction.

Motivation: By binding to specific structures on antigenic proteins, the so-called epitopes, B-cell antibodies can neutralize pathogens. The identification of B-cell epitopes is of great value for the development of specific serodiagnostic assays and the optimization of medical therapy. However, identifying diagnostically or therapeutically relevant epitopes is a challenging task that usually involves extensive laboratory work.

A comprehensive annotation and differential expression analysis of short and long non-coding RNAs in 16 bat genomes.

Although bats are increasingly becoming the focus of scientific studies due to their unique properties, these exceptional animals are still among the least studied mammals. Assembly quality and completeness of bat genomes vary a lot and especially non-coding RNA (ncRNA) annotations are incomplete or simply missing. Accordingly, standard bioinformatics pipelines for gene expression analysis often ignore ncRNAs such as microRNAs or long antisense RNAs.

Massive Effect on LncRNAs in Human Monocytes During Fungal and Bacterial Infections and in Response to Vitamins A and D.

Mycoses induced by C.albicans or A.fumigatus can cause important host damage either by deficient or exaggerated immune response.

Differential transcriptional responses to Ebola and Marburg virus infection in bat and human cells.

The unprecedented outbreak of Ebola in West Africa resulted in over 28,000 cases and 11,000 deaths, underlining the need for a better understanding of the biology of this highly pathogenic virus to develop specific counter strategies. Two filoviruses, the Ebola and Marburg viruses, result in a severe and often fatal infection in humans. However, bats are natural hosts and survive filovirus infections without obvious symptoms.

FTDP-17: an early-onset phenotype with parkinsonism and epileptic seizures caused by a novel mutation.

Recently, mutations in the tau gene on chromosome 17 were found causative for autosomal dominantly inherited frontotemporal dementia and parkinsonism (FTDP-17). We describe a family carrying a missense mutation at nucleotide 1137 C --> T, resulting in the amino acid substitution P301S. Methods of investigations include clinical, electrophysiological, and imaging techniques.

Intracellular calcium chelator BAPTA protects cells against toxic calcium overload but also alters physiological calcium responses.

The effect of the membrane-permeant calcium chelator 1,2-bis-(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid tetra(acetoxymethyl) ester (BAPTA/AM) on ionomycin-induced cellular calcium overload was studied in single differentiated NH15-CA2 neuroblastoma x glioma hybrid cells. To monitor [Ca2+]i we used the fluorescent indicator Fura-2. Preincubation of the cells with 3 microM BAPTA/AM reduced the number of cells showing deregulation of [Ca2+]i during ionomycin-induced calcium influx.

A comparison of single-level fusions with and without hardware.

During a 47-month period, 68 patients were studied prospectively to compare single-level lumbar fusion with and without adjunctive pedicular fixation. Fusion indications were disabling back pain for a minimum of 6 months, inability to work, and failed conservative care. Twenty-nine patients fused without hardware and 39 fused with VSP fixation in identical procedures.