Gamma radiation sterilization of N95 respirators leads to decreased respirator performance.

In response to personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages in the United States due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019, two models of N95 respirators were evaluated for reuse after gamma radiation sterilization. Gamma sterilization is attractive for PPE reuse because it can sterilize large quantities of material through hermetically sealed packaging, providing safety and logistic benefits. The Gamma Irradiation Facility at Sandia National Laboratories was used to irradiate N95 filtering facepiece respirators to a sterilization dose of 25 kGy(tissue).

Exploring the Role of Piperacillin and Tazobactam in Combination with Vancomycin against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Previous studies have demonstrated synergy between piperacillin (PIP)-tazobactam (TAZ) (TZP) and vancomycin (VAN) against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). However, it is unknown whether PIP and/or TAZ synergizes with VAN against MRSA. We sought to determine whether PIP and/or TAZ synergizes with VAN against MRSA in vitro.

Epidemiological and Economic Effects of Priming With the Whole-Cell Bordetella pertussis Vaccine.

Importance: Current acellular pertussis vaccines may not protect against transmission of Bordetella pertussis.

Objective: To assess whether a priming dose of whole-cell pertussis (wP) vaccine is cost-effective at reducing pertussis infection in infants.

Design, Setting, And Participants: Mathematical model of pertussis transmission fit to US incidence data in a simulation of the US population.

Applying a reservoir functional-zone paradigm to littoral bluegills: differences in length and catch frequency?

Reservoirs exhibit gradients in conditions and resources along the transition from lotic to lentic habitat that may be important to bluegill ecology. The lotic-lentic gradient can be partitioned into three functional zones: the riverine, transitional, and lacustrine zones. We measured catch frequency and length of bluegills (Lepomis macrochirus) captured along the periphery of these areas (i.

Modulation of platelet aggregation in baboons: implications for mixed chimerism in xenotransplantation. I. The roles of individual components of a transplantation conditioning regimen and of pig peripheral blood progenitor cells.

Background: The induction of tolerance to pig antigens in primates may facilitate the development of successful clinical xenotransplantation protocols. The infusion of mobilized porcine peripheral blood leukocytes (PBPCs, comprised of approximately 2% peripheral blood progenitor cells) into splenectomized preconditioned baboons, intended to induce mixed hematopoietic cell chimerism, however, results in a severe thrombotic microangiopathy (TM) that includes pronounced thrombocytopenia. Because the mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon are unclear, we have explored the effects of individual components of the conditioning regimen, of therapeutic adjuncts, and of PBPCs on platelet aggregation.

Clearance of mobilized porcine peripheral blood progenitor cells is delayed by depletion of the phagocytic reticuloendothelial system in baboons.

Introduction: Attempts to achieve immunological tolerance to porcine tissues in nonhuman primates through establishment of mixed hematopoietic chimerism are hindered by the rapid clearance of mobilized porcine leukocytes, containing progenitor cells (pPBPCs), from the circulation. Eighteen hours after infusing 1-2 x 10(10) pPBPC/kg into baboons that had been depleted of circulating anti-alphaGal and complement, these cells are almost undetectable by flow cytometry. The aim of the present study was to identify mechanisms that contribute to rapid clearance of pPBPCs in the baboon.