Isohemagglutinin titration in pooled and apheresis platelets.

Background: Platelet inventory constraints necessitate ABO-incompatible platelet transfusion. Many minimize the hemolytic impact by confirming low titre (LT) donor isohemagglutinins. This process is costly.

Community based Primary Care for Adolescents and Young Adults Transitioning From Pediatric Specialty Care: Results from a Scoping Review.

Background: Ongoing primary care during adolescence is recommended by best practice guidelines for adolescents and young adults (AYAs; ages 12-25) with chronic conditions. A synthesis of the evidence on the roles of Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) and benefits of primary care is needed to support existing guidelines.

Methods: We used Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review framework, and searched databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, CINAHL) for studies that (i) were published in English between 2004 and 2019, (ii) focused on AYAs with a chronic condition(s) who had received specialist pediatric services, and (iii) included relevant findings about PCPs.

Primary care during the transition to adult care for adolescents involved with pediatric specialty services: a scoping review protocol.

Background: Of the 15-20% of youth in North America affected by a chronic health condition (e.g., type 1 diabetes, cystic fibrosis) and/or mental health or neurodevelopmental disorder (e.

The Influence of Weight-Related Self-Esteem and Symptoms of Depression on Shape and Weight Concerns and Weight-Loss 12 Months After Bariatric Surgery.

Introduction: While body image can improve following bariatric surgery, a portion of patients continue to experience concerns about weight and shape regardless of weight lost. Research is needed to identify risk factors for post-surgical weight and shape concerns given that body dissatisfaction may contribute to poor outcomes.

Aims: To evaluate whether (1) change in weight-related self-esteem and symptoms of depression from pre- to 12-month post-surgery were associated with change in weight and shape concerns independent of weight-loss; (2) improvement in weight and shape concerns, symptoms of depression, and/or weight-related self-esteem predict greater weight-loss 12 months after bariatric surgery; and (3) improvements in weight-related self-esteem, symptoms of depression, weight concerns, or shape concerns predict weight loss.

Proof of Concept for a Mindfulness-Informed Intervention for Eating Disorder Symptoms, Self-Efficacy, and Emotion Regulation among Bariatric Surgery Candidates.

Up to 64% of patients seeking bariatric (weight-loss) surgery report eating disorder (ED) symptoms (addictive-like eating, binge eating, emotional eating, grazing) that can interfere with post-surgical weight loss. This prospective proof-of-concept study aimed to evaluate the impact of a pre-surgical mindfulness-informed intervention (MII) on ED symptoms and potential mechanisms-of-action to inform optimization of the intervention. Surgery-seeking adults attended four, 2-hour, MII sessions held weekly.

An examination of the social determinants of health as factors related to health, healing and prevention of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in a northern context--the Brightening Our Home Fires Project, Northwest Territories, Canada.

Objective: The Brightening Our Home Fires (BOHF) project was conceptualized as an exploratory project to examine the issue of the prevention of foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) from a women's health perspective in the Northwest Territories (NT). While dominant discourse suggests that FASD is preventable by abstention from alcohol during pregnancy, a broader perspective would indicate that alcohol and pregnancy is a far more complex issue, that is, bound in location, economics, social and cultural views of health. This project was prevention focused and a social determinant of health (SDH) perspective informed this research.

Bacillus arenosi sp. nov., Bacillus arvi sp. nov. and Bacillus humi sp. nov., isolated from soil.

A group of nine Gram-positive endospore-forming bacteria was isolated from soil of the Drentse A agricultural research area in The Netherlands. Using (GTG)5-PCR genomic fingerprinting and fatty acid analysis, the nine isolates were divided into three consistent groups. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of representative strains, the nine isolates were shown to belong to the genus Bacillus.

Development and application of a selective PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis approach to detect a recently cultivated Bacillus group predominant in soil.

The worldwide presence of a hitherto-nondescribed group of predominant soil microorganisms related to Bacillus benzoevorans was analyzed after development of two sets of selective primers targeting 16S rRNA genes in combination with denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The high abundance and cultivability of at least some of these microorganisms makes them an appropriate subject for studies on their biogeographical dissemination and diversity. Since cultivability can vary significantly with the physiological state and even between closely related strains, we developed a culture-independent 16S rRNA gene-targeted DGGE fingerprinting protocol for the detection of these bacteria from soil samples.

Diversity and seasonal changes of uncultured Planctomycetales in river biofilms.

Cell counts of planctomycetes showed that there were high levels of these organisms in the summer and low levels in the winter in biofilms grown in situ in two polluted rivers, the Elbe River and the Spittelwasser River. In this study 16S rRNA-based methods were used to investigate if these changes were correlated with changes in the species composition. Planctomycete-specific clone libraries of the 16S rRNA genes found in both rivers showed that there were seven clusters, which were distantly related to the genera Pirellula, Planctomyces, and Gemmata.

Oceanibulbus indolifex gen. nov., sp. nov., a North Sea alphaproteobacterium that produces bioactive metabolites.

A water sample from the North Sea was used to isolate the abundant heterotrophic bacteria that are able to grow on complex marine media. Isolation was by serial dilution and spread plating. Phylogenetic analysis of nearly complete 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that one of the strains, HEL-45T, had 97.

Isolation and biodiversity of hitherto undescribed soil bacteria related to Bacillus niacini.

The hitherto largely not described phylogenetic neighborhood of Bacillus niacini has been explored by a comprehensive cultivation experiment and genomic variety studies. Previous culture-independent studies demonstrated that approximately 15% of all Bacillus 16S rDNA directly extracted from soils worldwide was affiliated to B. niacini.

Bacillus novalis sp. nov., Bacillus vireti sp. nov., Bacillus soli sp. nov., Bacillus bataviensis sp. nov. and Bacillus drentensis sp. nov., from the Drentse A grasslands.

A group of 42 isolates were isolated from the soil of several disused hay fields, in the Drentse A agricultural research area (The Netherlands), that were taken out of production at different times. The group represents hitherto-uncultured Bacillus lineages that have previously been found, by a non-cultural method, to be predominant in soil. The strains were subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study, including (GTG)5-PCR, 16S rDNA sequence analysis, DNA-DNA hybridizations, DNA base-ratio determination, fatty acid analysis and morphological and biochemical characterization.

Functional profiling of mercuric reductase (mer A) genes in biofilm communities of a technical scale biocatalyzer.

Background: Bacterial mercury resistance is based on enzymatic reduction of ionic mercury to elemental mercury and has recently been demonstrated to be applicable for industrial wastewater clean-up. The long-term monitoring of such biocatalyser systems requires a cultivation independent functional community profiling method targeting the key enzyme of the process, the merA gene coding for the mercuric reductase. We report on the development of a profiling method for merA and its application to monitor changes in the functional diversity of the biofilm community of a technical scale biocatalyzer over 8 months of on-site operation.

Multiplex PCR screening of soil isolates for novel Bacillus-related lineages.

A16S rDNA multiplex PCR-based high-throughput protocol is presented to screen bacterial isolates in large amounts for the appearance of novel lineages of bacteria, especially hitherto unknown Bacillus relatives. The 16S rDNAs of 4224 isolates from a comprehensive cultivation campaign were screened for similarity to predominant uncultured soil bacteria. Soil suspensions were plated in serial dilutions on various media.

Aerobic anoxygenic photosynthesis in Roseobacter clade bacteria from diverse marine habitats.

The marine Roseobacter clade comprises several genera of marine bacteria related to the uncultured SAR83 cluster, the second most abundant marine picoplankton lineage. Cultivated representatives of this clade are physiologically heterogeneous, and only some have the capability for aerobic anoxygenic photosynthesis, a process of potentially great ecological importance in the world's oceans. In an attempt to correlate phylogeny with ecology, we investigated the diversity of Roseobacter clade strains from various marine habitats (water samples, biofilms, laminariae, diatoms, and dinoflagellate cultures) by using the 16S rRNA gene as a phylogenetic marker gene.

Diversity and seasonal variability of beta-Proteobacteria in biofilms of polluted rivers: analysis by temperature gradient gel electrophoresis and cloning.

The beta-subgroup of the Proteobacteria has been shown to be important in aquatic habitats and was investigated in depth here by molecular 16S rRNA techniques in biofilms of the Elbe River and its polluted tributary, the Spittelwasser River. The bacterial 16S rRNA genes were cloned from each site, screened for beta-proteobacterial clones and sequenced. River biofilm clones from both rivers grouped into 9 clusters (RBFs).

Jannaschia helgolandensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel abundant member of the marine Roseobacter clade from the North Sea.

Heterotrophic bacteria were isolated from a water sample taken from the North Sea, 2 km off the coast of the island of Helgoland, by direct plating of the serially diluted sample on complex marine media. Sixteen of 80 strains from the highest sample dilution belonged to the 'Roseobacter-Sulfitobacter-Silicibacter' group within the 2-subclass of the Proteobacteria on the basis of partial 16S rDNA sequence analysis. Phylogenetic analysis of nearly complete 16S rDNA sequences showed that the closest relative of two strains, Hel 10(T) and Hel 26, was Ketogulonicigenium vulgare (94.

Molecular quantification of genes encoding for green-fluorescent proteins.

A quantitative PCR approach is presented to analyze the amount of recombinant green fluorescent protein (gfp) genes in environmental DNA samples. The quantification assay is a combination of specific PCR amplification and temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE). Gene quantification is provided by a competitively coamplified DNA standard constructed by point mutation PCR.

A Methylobacterium-like organism from algal crusts covering silicone rubber electric insulators in Africa.

Aims: The primary goals of this study were to isolate, identify and characterize culturable bacteria living in a close association with microalgae within green crusts covering silicone rubber electric insulators in Tanzania.

Methods And Results: Twenty-four bacterial colonies were isolated from an Apatococcus crust. Characterization by statistical analyses of total cellular protein profiles demonstrated that they were highly similar to one another.

Streamlined representational difference analysis for comprehensive studies of numerous genomes.

Representational Difference Analysis (RDA) is a powerful but also quite complex and difficult method to reveal the variable genes among highly similar genomes or transcriptomes. This report is on the substantial simplification of RDA for microdiversity studies on Bacillus isolates. Following improvements are demonstrated: the average fragment size has been pushed up ( approximately 700 bp) by using nucleotide-biased restriction enzymes, in this case the "high-GC" enzyme HhaI for low GC Gram-positive Bacillus.

Long-Term Stability of Mercury-Reducing Microbial Biofilm Communities Analyzed by 16S-23S rDNA Interspacer Region Polymorphism.

The composition of mercury-reducing communities in two bioreactors retaining Hg(II) from chloralkali electrolysis wastewater for 485 days was analyzed based on effluent community DNA. Packed bed bioreactors with lava chips as carrier of the biofilm were inoculated with nine Hg(II)-resistant isolates that belonged to the alpha and gamma subdivisions of the proteobacteria. A rapid DNA-fingerprinting method was applied, using the intergenic spacer region (ISR) of the 16S-23S rDNA for analysis of the community composition.

Spatially oscillating activity and microbial succession of mercury-reducing biofilms in a technical-scale bioremediation system.

Mercury-contaminated chemical wastewater of a mercury cell chloralkali plant was cleaned on site by a technical-scale bioremediation system. Microbial mercury reduction of soluble Hg(II) to precipitating Hg(0) decreased the mercury load of the wastewater during its flow through the bioremediation system by up to 99%. The system consisted of a packed-bed bioreactor, where most of the wastewater's mercury load was retained, and an activated carbon filter, where residual mercury was removed from the bioreactor effluent by both physical adsorption and biological reduction.

The microbial diversity in picoplankton enrichment cultures: a molecular screening of marine isolates.

Picoplankton bacteria from a North Sea water sample were cultured under a variety of different conditions (nutrients, temperature, light, agitation, adhesion). Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis of the enrichments showed complex communities which were dominated by gamma-Proteobacteria or beta-Proteobacteria, followed by alpha-Proteobacteria and bacteria from the Cytophaga/Flavobacterium/Bacteroides (CFB) cluster. Among 410 isolates, a high degree of diversity was found, both with respect to colony color and morphology and with respect to genetic diversity.

Detection of small sequence differences using competitive PCR: molecular monitoring of genetically improved, mercury-reducing bacteria.

A quantitative PCR approach is presented to detect small genomic sequence differences for molecular quantification of recombinant DNA. The only unique genetic feature of the mercury-reducing, genetically improved Pseudomonas putida KT2442::mer73 available to distinguish it from its native mercury-resistant relatives is the DNA sequence crossing the border of the insertion site of the introduced DNA fragment. The quantification assay is a combination of specific PCR amplification and temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE).

Microbiology of the stalactites from Grotta dei Cervi, Porto Badisco, Italy.

The active stalactites from Grotta dei Cervi, Porto Badisco, southeastern Italy, were sampled to investigate the microbial communities present in these speleothems. Sampling was carried out in a transect about 150 m long in the central gallery, where numerous Gram-positive bacteria were isolated. Actinomycetes of the genus Streptomyces were the most abundant, followed by members of the genus Bacillus.