Detection of Cleaved Stx2a in the Blood of STEC-Infected Patients.

Typical hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is mainly caused by Shiga toxin-producing (STEC) releasing Shiga toxin 2 (Stx2). Two different structures of this AB5 toxin have been described: uncleaved, with intact B and A chains, and cleaved, with intact B and a nicked A chain consisting of two fragments, A1 and A2, connected by a disulfide bond. Despite having the same toxic effect on sensitive cells, the two forms differ in their binding properties for circulating cells, serum components and complement factors, thus contributing to the pathogenesis of HUS differently.

Enzymatic Cleavage of Stx2a in the Gut and Identification of Pancreatic Elastase and Trypsin as Possible Main Cleavers.

Shiga toxins (Stxs), especially the Stx2a subtype, are the major virulence factors involved in enterohemorrhagic (EHEC)-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome (eHUS), a life-threatening disease causing acute kidney injury, especially in children. After oral transmission and colonization in the gut, EHEC release Stx. Intracellular cleavage of the Stx A subunit, when followed by reduction, boosts the enzymatic activity that causes damage to targeted cells.

Surgical outcomes in sensory exotropia.

Purpose: To determine success rates over time for strabismus surgery for sensory exotropia and to determine factors associated with successful outcomes.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients with sensory exotropia (best-corrected visual acuity ≤20/200 in the affected eye) who underwent strabismus surgery between May 2009 and December 2019. Patients with paralytic/restrictive exotropia and patients who did not follow up postoperatively were excluded.

Clinical characteristics and ophthalmic management of a rare disease cohort of patients with trisomy 13.

Trisomy 13 is associated with a variety of ocular findings. As more children with trisomy 13 survive beyond their first year of life, early identification and awareness of associated ocular manifestations is increasingly important. This retrospective case series of 5 patients with trisomy 13 expands on what is known about the complex ocular findings associated with the condition and describes their clinical management, with a mean follow-up of 2 years.

Plasmonic Metasurfaces for Specific SERS Detection of Shiga Toxins.

The interest in the development of nanoscale plasmonic technologies has dramatically increased in recent years. The photonic properties of plasmonic nanopatterns can be controlled and tuned via their size, shape, or the arrangement of their constituents. In this work, we propose a 2D hybrid metallic polymeric nanostructure based on the octupolar framework with enhanced sensing property.