Validation of a Modified Version of Actero™ Salmonella Enrichment Media for Rapid Detection of Salmonella spp. in Environmental and Food Samples.

Background: Actero™ Salmonella Enrichment Media1 (Actero™ Salmonella) is a culture broth developed to recover Salmonella spp. from foods and environmental surfaces. Performance of Actero™ Salmonella broth has already been assessed and validated (AOAC Performance Tested MethodSM 041403) for the detection of Salmonella spp.

Isolated straight hair nevus in a White child.

We report a 6-month-old girl born with a fronto-parietal patch of hair straighter than the remainder of the scalp hairs. We took a biopsy to rule out a congenital melanocytic nevus. We concluded after additional scanning electron microscopy study of the hair shafts that the lesion corresponds to a possible local mosaicism causing an isolated straight hair nevus phenotype.

SraL sRNA interaction regulates the terminator by preventing premature transcription termination of mRNA.

Transcription termination is a critical step in the control of gene expression. One of the major termination mechanisms is mediated by Rho factor that dissociates the complex mRNA-DNA-RNA polymerase upon binding with RNA polymerase. Rho promotes termination at the end of operons, but it can also terminate transcription within leader regions, performing regulatory functions and avoiding pervasive transcription.

GcvB small RNA uses two distinct seed regions to regulate an extensive targetome.

GcvB small RNA is described as post-transcriptional regulator of 1-2% of all mRNAs in Escherichia coli and Salmonella Typhimurium. At least 24 GcvB:mRNA interactions have been validated in vivo, establishing the largest characterized sRNA targetome. By performing MS2-affinity purification coupled with RNA sequencing (MAPS) technology, we identified seven additional mRNAs negatively regulated by GcvB in E.

Inflammasome Activation Characterizes Lesional Skin of Folliculitis Decalvans.

Folliculitis decalvans (FD) is a chronic inflammatory disease leading to scarring alopecia with poorly defined pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of markers associated with the activation of innate immune signals, such as inflammasome (NALP1 and NALP3), interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-8 and type I interferon (MxA). A retrospective monocentric study was conducted and included 17 patients with FD with available biopsies.

Efficacy and safety of autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in systemic sclerosis: a systematic review of the literature.

We aimed to assess the efficacy of autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for skin sclerosis (SSc) and lung function in SSc. We performed a systematic literature review in the PubMed and Scopus databases from the earliest records to March 2016. We assessed study quality using the Cochrane tool for randomized studies, the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for controlled cohort studies and an 18-item quality-appraisal checklist for case series.

An in vivo reporter assay for sRNA-directed gene control in Gram-positive bacteria: identifying a novel sRNA target in Staphylococcus aureus.

Bacterial small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) play a major role in the regulation of various cellular functions. Most sRNAs interact with mRNA targets via an antisense mechanism, modifying their translation and/or degradation. Despite considerable progresses in discovering sRNAs in Gram-positive bacteria, their functions, for the most part, are unknown.

Identification of unknown RNA partners using MAPS.

Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing have led to an explosion in the rate of small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) discovery among bacteria. However, only a handful of them are functionally characterized. Most of the time, little to no targets are known.

A small RNA controls a protein regulator involved in antibiotic resistance in Staphylococcus aureus.

The emergence of Staphylococcus aureus strains that are resistant to glycopeptides has led to alarming scenarios where serious staphylococcal infections cannot be treated. The bacterium expresses many small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) that have unknown biological functions for the most part. Here we show that an S.

A mechanistic model for m-xylene treatment with a peat-bed biofilter.

The painting of vehicles in the automobile industry generates large quantities of gaseous emissions which contain volatile organic compounds (VOC) like xylenes. This polluted air has a high moisture content and a temperature around 15-20 degrees C. It is thus possible to consider its treatment by a biological way.

4-alkoxy and 4-thioalkoxyquinoline derivatives as chemosensitizers for the chloramphenicol-resistant clinical Enterobacter aerogenes 27 strain.

Enterobacter aerogenes is a Gram-negative bacteria frequently responsible for nosocomial respiratory tract infections. Strains resistant to chloramphenicol are frequently isolated. Alkoxy and thio-alkoxyquinolines have a potential to act as chemosensitizers that would render multi-drug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infections susceptible to antibiotics to which they were originally resistant.

Inhibitors of antibiotic efflux pump in resistant Enterobacter aerogenes strains.

Enterobacter aerogenes, a nosocomial pathogen, is frequently exhibiting multidrug resistance mechanisms associated with a change in membrane permeability. In clinical isolates, active efflux plays a prominent role in antibiotic resistance. We report here the effect of three unrelated compounds that are able to restore a noticeable antibiotic susceptibility to resistant strains.

New pyridoquinoline derivatives as potential inhibitors of the fluoroquinolone efflux pump in resistant Enterobacter aerogenes strains.

Enterobacter aerogenes, one of the most frequently isolated nosocomial pathogens in France, is exhibiting increasing multidrug resistance mechanisms associated with a change in membrane permeability. For drugs of the quinolone family, mutations in the target and active efflux play a prominent role in the resistance. We report here the effect of several pyridoquinoline derivatives that restore a noticeable fluoroquinolone accumulation to resistant strains that overexpress the MarA activator.

Membrane permeability modifications are involved in antibiotic resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Two Klebsiella pneumoniae strains selected according to their high cross-resistance pattern to cephalosporins were characterized by (i) outer membrane protein content such as OmpA or nonspecific porins, (ii) MICs of various cephalosporins and unrelated antibiotics, (iii) beta-lactamase production, and (iv) active efflux of fluoroquinolones. An association of porin deficiency and beta-lactamase production induced a noticeable cephalosporin resistance. In addition to these mechanisms, the presence of an active efflux participating in high-level fluoroquinolone resistance was identified in one strain.

Porin alteration and active efflux: two in vivo drug resistance strategies used by Enterobacter aerogenes.

Enterobacter aerogenes is among the five most frequently isolated nosocomial pathogens in France, and this bacterium also shows increasing multidrug resistance. In this study, various E. aerogenes strains isolated from hospital units were characterized for their outer-membrane proteins, antibiotic susceptibilities (inhibition diameters and MICs) and resistance mechanisms associated with modification of envelope permeability (porin alteration and active efflux).

Influence of heavy metals on the resistance of mice toward infection.

Previous studies have shown that heavy metals may exert marked immunomodulatory effects, at least in rodents, despite some discrepancies. However, the mechanism of their influence on the immune system is still unclear. As host resistance assays against experimental infections are generally considered as the most relevant criteria when predicting the immunotoxicity of drugs and chemicals, the effects of lead acetate, nickel chloride and sodium selenite on the resistance toward experimental Klebsiella pneumoniae infection was investigated in mice, with particular emphasis on the interference of the time of toxic exposure with the infectious challenge.

[Chemotactic response of human polynuclear neutrophils after in vivo administration of spiramycin].

The chemotactic response of polymorphonuclear leukocytes using the agarose method, has been studied in six healthy volunteers, immediately prior and after a 5-day oral administration of spiramycin, 6 million units per day. The influence of spiramycin proved to be small as the directed and spontaneous migration were decreased by 21% and 18% respectively. Despite the fact that spiramycin can penetrate into leukocytes, these results indicate that no clinically relevant alterations of chemotaxis are likely under therapeutic conditions.