The prognostic impact of SIGLEC5-induced impairment of CD8 T cell activation in sepsis.

Background: Sepsis is associated with T-cell exhaustion, which significantly reduces patient outcomes. Therefore, targeting of immune checkpoints (ICs) is deemed necessary for effective sepsis management. Here, we evaluated the role of SIGLEC5 as an IC ligand and explored its potential as a biomarker for sepsis.

Does Lidocaine Shorten Seizure Duration in Electroconvulsive Therapy?

Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective short-term treatment for schizophrenia and depression, amongst other disorders. Lidocaine is typically added to reduce pain from intravenous propofol injection. However, depending on the dose used in the ECT setting, it can shorten seizure duration.

Circulation of multi-drug-resistant Shigella sonnei and Shigella flexneri among men who have sex with men in Barcelona, Spain, 2015-2019.

Background: In high-income countries, shigellosis is mainly found in travellers to high-risk regions or in men who have sex with men (MSM). This study investigated the genomic characteristics and the features of antimicrobial resistance of MSM-associated Shigella flexneri and Shigella sonnei circulating in Barcelona, Spain, elucidating their connectivity with contemporaneous Shigella spp. from other countries.

Household Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Transmission and Children: A Network Prospective Study.

Background: The role of children in household transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remains unclear. We describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of children with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Catalonia, Spain, and investigate the household transmission dynamics.

Methods: A prospective, observational, multicenter study was performed during summer and school periods (1 July 2020-31 October 2020) to analyze epidemiological and clinical features and viral household transmission dynamics in COVID-19 patients aged <16 years.

Biomarkers and clinical scores to aid the identification of disease severity and intensive care requirement following activation of an in-hospital sepsis code.

Background: Few validated biomarker or clinical score combinations exist which can discriminate between cases of infection and other non-infectious conditions following activation of an in-hospital sepsis code, as well as provide an accurate severity assessment of the corresponding host response. This study aimed to identify suitable blood biomarker (MR-proADM, PCT, CRP and lactate) or clinical score (SOFA and APACHE II) combinations to address this unmet clinical need.

Methods: A prospective, observational study of patients activating the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital sepsis code (ISC) within the emergency department (ED), hospital wards and intensive care unit (ICU).

Rapid and Digital Detection of Inflammatory Biomarkers Enabled by a Novel Portable Nanoplasmonic Imager.

New point-of-care diagnostic devices are urgently needed for rapid and accurate diagnosis, particularly in the management of life-threatening infections and sepsis, where immediate treatment is key. Sepsis is a critical condition caused by systemic response to infection, with chances of survival drastically decreasing every hour. A novel portable biosensor based on nanoparticle-enhanced digital plasmonic imaging is reported for rapid and sensitive detection of two sepsis-related inflammatory biomarkers, procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) directly from blood serum.

Population dynamics and antigenic drift of following whole cell vaccine replacement, Barcelona, Spain, 1986-2015.

Among the factors associated with the resurgence of whooping cough, special emphasis has been given to pathogen adaptation after the introduction of the acellular vaccine (ACV). To assess the impact of the vaccine transition strategy from whole-cell vaccine (WCV) to ACV on population dynamics of in Barcelona (Spain), we studied 339 isolates collected from 1986 to 2015 by PFGE and multi-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA). Additionally, allelic variants for the pertussis toxin and its promoter, pertactin, type 3 fimbriae and fimbrial serotyping were assessed to determine its antigenic drift.

Label-free Bacteria Quantification in Blood Plasma by a Bioprinted Microarray Based Interferometric Point-of-Care Device.

Existing clinical methods for bacteria detection lack speed, sensitivity, and, importantly, point-of-care (PoC) applicability. Thus, finding ways to push the sensitivity of clinical PoC biosensing technologies is crucial. Here we report a portable PoC device based on lens-free interferometric microscopy (LIM).

Population-based incidence of lymphoid neoplasms: Twenty years of epidemiological data in the Girona province, Spain.

Background: The aim of this study was to describe incidence patterns of lymphoid neoplasms in the Girona province (Spain) (1996-2015), and to predict the number of cases in Spain during 2020.

Methods: Data were extracted from the Girona cancer registry. Incident cases were classified using the ICD-O-3, third revision, and grouped according to the WHO 2008 classification scheme.

First insights into the pleiotropic role of vrf (yedF), a newly characterized gene of Salmonella Typhimurium.

Salmonella possesses virulence determinants that allow replication under extreme conditions and invasion of host cells, causing disease. Here, we examined four putative genes predicted to encode membrane proteins (ydiY, ybdJ, STM1441 and ynaJ) and a putative transcriptional factor (yedF). These genes were identified in a previous study of a S.

Emergence of Bordetella holmesii as a Causative Agent of Whooping Cough, Barcelona, Spain.

We describe the detection of Bordetella holmesii as a cause of whooping cough in Spain. Prevalence was 3.9% in 2015, doubling to 8.

Effectiveness of a Double-Carbapenem Regimen in a KPC-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Infection in an Immunocompromised Patient.

The progressive increase of infections produced by extensively drug-resistant carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (XDR-CPKP) represents an important threat to public health. Unfortunately, optimal therapeutic options are scarce. Retrospective studies have recommended combined therapy with more than one antibiotic and, more recently, a double-carbapenem regimen has been reported to be an effective alternative therapy.

Carbapenemase-producing enterobacteriaceae recovered from a Spanish river ecosystem.

The increasing resistance to carbapenems is an alarming threat in the fight against multiresistant bacteria. The dissemination properties of antimicrobial resistance genes are supported by their detection in a diverse population of bacteria, including strains isolated from the environment. The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) collected from a river ecosystem in the Barcelona metropolitan area (Spain).

Characterization of the outer membrane subproteome of the virulent strain Salmonella Typhimurium SL1344.

Unlabelled: Outer membrane proteins (OMPs) play an important role in the interaction of bacterial pathogens with host cells. Indeed, some OMPs from different Gram-negative bacteria have been recognized as important virulence factors for host immune recognition. This scenario has led to the study of the outer membrane (OM) subproteome of pathogenic bacteria as an essential step for gaining insight into the mechanisms of pathogenesis and for the identification of virulence factors.

Differential impact of ramRA mutations on both ramA transcription and decreased antimicrobial susceptibility in Salmonella Typhimurium.

Objectives: This study was focused on analysing the heterogeneity of mutations occurring in the regulators of efflux-mediated MDR in Salmonella Typhimurium. Moreover, the impact of such mutations on impairing the transcription of ramA, acrB, tolC and acrF was also assessed as was the impact on the resistance or decreased susceptibility phenotype.

Methods: Strains were selected in vitro under increasing ciprofloxacin concentrations.

Attenuation of in vitro host-pathogen interactions in quinolone-resistant Salmonella Typhi mutants.

Objectives: The relationship between quinolone resistance acquisition and invasion impairment has been studied in some Salmonella enterica serovars. However, little information has been reported regarding the invasive human-restricted pathogen Salmonella Typhi. The aim of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanisms of quinolone resistance acquisition and its impact on virulence in this serovar.

In vivo evolution of resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from patients admitted to an intensive care unit: mechanisms of resistance and antimicrobial exposure.

Objectives: The main objective of this study was to investigate the relationship among the in vivo acquisition of antimicrobial resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa clinical isolates, the underlying molecular mechanisms and previous exposure to antipseudomonal agents.

Methods: PFGE was used to study the molecular relatedness of the strains. The MICs of ceftazidime, cefepime, piperacillin/tazobactam, imipenem, meropenem, ciprofloxacin and amikacin were determined.

Imaging abusive head trauma: why use both computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging?

Abusive head trauma is the leading cause of death in child abuse cases. The majority of victims are infants younger than 1 year old, with the average age between 3 and 8 months, although these injuries can be seen in children up to 5 years old. Many victims have a history of previous abuse and the diagnosis is frequently delayed.

Impact of quinolone-resistance acquisition on biofilm production and fitness in Salmonella enterica.

Objectives: To investigate the potential relationship between quinolone resistance and biofilm production in a collection of Salmonella enterica clinical isolates and in S. enterica serovar Typhimurium serial mutants with increasing resistance to ciprofloxacin.

Methods: Nalidixic acid susceptibility and biofilm formation were assessed in a collection of 122 S.

Extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli faecal carriage in Spanish travellers returning from tropical and subtropical countries.

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) -producing Escherichia coli in stool samples from 457 patients with travellers' diarrhoea who had travelled to tropical and subtropical countries. Ninety-seven ESBL-producing E. coli strains were isolated from 17.

Role of OmpA in the multidrug resistance phenotype of Acinetobacter baumannii.

Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as a nosocomial pathogen with an increased prevalence of multidrug-resistant strains. The role of the outer membrane protein A (OmpA) in antimicrobial resistance remains poorly understood. In this report, disruption of the ompA gene led to decreased MICs of chloramphenicol, aztreonam, and nalidixic acid.

Molecular study of quinolone resistance mechanisms and clonal relationship of Salmonella enterica clinical isolates.

In the last few years, the number of Salmonella enterica strains resistant to nalidixic acid has steadily increased. In a previous study, the quinolone susceptibility phenotype and genotype of 38 S. enterica clinical isolates (19 S.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium skills to succeed in the host: virulence and regulation.

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is a primary enteric pathogen infecting both humans and animals. Infection begins with the ingestion of contaminated food or water so that salmonellae reach the intestinal epithelium and trigger gastrointestinal disease. In some patients the infection spreads upon invasion of the intestinal epithelium, internalization within phagocytes, and subsequent dissemination.

Epididymal maturation and ejaculation are key events for further in vitro capacitation of boar spermatozoa.

Mammalian spermatozoa acquire functionality during epididymal maturation, and the ability to penetrate and fertilize the oocyte during capacitation. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of epididymal maturation, ejaculation and in vitro capacitation on sperm viability, acrosome integrity, mitochondrial activity, membrane fluidity, and calcium influx, both as indicators of capacitation status and sperm motility. Results indicated that boar spermatozoa acquired the ability to move in the epididymal corpus; however, their motility was not linear until the ejaculation.