Outbreak of Serogroup C Meningococcal Disease Primarily Affecting Men Who Have Sex with Men - Southern California, 2016.

During March 4-August 11, 2016, 25 outbreak-associated cases of meningococcal disease, including two deaths (8% case-fatality ratio), were reported in Southern California. Twenty-four of the cases were caused by serogroup C Neisseria meningitidis (NmC) and one by N. meningitidis with an undetermined serogroup (Figure).

Skin tissue engineering advances in severe burns: review and therapeutic applications.

Current advances in basic stem cell research and tissue engineering augur well for the development of improved cultured skin tissue substitutes: a class of products that is still fraught with limitations for clinical use. Although the ability to grow autologous keratinocytes in-vitro from a small skin biopsy into sheets of stratified epithelium (within 3 to 4 weeks) helped alleviate the problem of insufficient donor site for extensive burn, many burn units still have to grapple with insufficient skin allografts which are used as intermediate wound coverage after burn excision. Alternatives offered by tissue-engineered skin dermal replacements to meet emergency demand have been used fairly successfully.

An unusual presentation of carcinomatous meningitis.

A 67-year old previously well male presented with a 1 week history of confusion on a background of 3 weeks of headache. Past history included two superficial melanomas excised 5 years ago. Treatment for meningoencephalitis was commenced based on lumbar puncture (LP) and non-contrast brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results.

Characterization of DprE1-Mediated Benzothiazinone Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Benzothiazinones (BTZs) are a class of compounds found to be extremely potent against both drug-susceptible and drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. The potency of BTZs is explained by their specificity for their target decaprenylphosphoryl-d-ribose oxidase (DprE1), in particular by covalent binding of the activated form of the compound to the critical cysteine 387 residue of the enzyme. To probe the role of C387, we used promiscuous site-directed mutagenesis to introduce other codons at this position into dprE1 of M.

The effect of door-to-balloon delay in primary percutaneous coronary intervention on clinical outcomes of STEMI: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.

Background: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a medical emergency in which sudden occlusion of coronary artery(ies) results in ischemia and necrosis of the cardiac tissues. Reperfusion therapies that aim at reopening the occluded artery remain the mainstay of treatment for AMI. Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), which enables the restoration of blood flow by reopening the occluded artery(ies) via a catheter with an inflatable balloon, is currently the preferred treatment for AMI with ST segment elevation (STEMI).

The C2H2-ZF transcription factor Zfp335 recognizes two consensus motifs using separate zinc finger arrays.

The complexities of DNA recognition by transcription factors (TFs) with multiple Cys2-His2 zinc fingers (C2H2-ZFs) remain poorly studied. We previously reported a mutation (R1092W) in the C2H2-ZF TF Zfp335 that led to selective loss of binding at a subset of targets, although the basis for this effect was unclear. We show that Zfp335 binds DNA and drives transcription via recognition of two distinct consensus motifs by separate ZF clusters and identify the specific motif interaction disrupted by R1092W.

Cost-effectiveness modelling of novel oral anticoagulants incorporating real-world elderly patients with atrial fibrillation.

Background: Novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) expand the treatment options for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Their benefits need to be weighed against the risk-benefit ratio in real-world elderly patients, prompting this cost-effectiveness study of NOACs (apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban and rivaroxaban), warfarin and aspirin for stroke prevention in AF.

Methods: Applying effectiveness estimates from a network meta-analysis involving over 800,000 patients from randomised controlled trials and observation studies, our Markov model projected cost and health outcomes for a cohort of 65-year-old AF patients over a life-time.

Mapping the testicular interstitial fluid proteome from normal rats.

Communication between the testicular somatic (Sertoli, Leydig, peritubular myoid, macrophage) and germ cell types is essential for sperm production (spermatogenesis), but the communicating factors are poorly understood. We reasoned that identification of proteins in the testicular interstitial fluid (TIF) that bathes these cells could provide a new means to explore spermatogenic function. The aim of this study was to map the proteome of TIF from normal adult rats.

Elizabethkingia anophelis bacteremia is associated with clinically significant infections and high mortality.

Unlike Elizabethkingia meningoseptica, the clinical importance of E. anophelis is poorly understood. We determined the clinical and molecular epidemiology of bacteremia caused by Elizabethkingia-like species from five regional hospitals in Hong Kong.

Ringhalexin from Hemachatus haemachatus: A novel inhibitor of extrinsic tenase complex.

Anticoagulant therapy is used for the prevention and treatment of thromboembolic disorders. Blood coagulation is initiated by the interaction of factor VIIa (FVIIa) with membrane-bound tissue factor (TF) to form the extrinsic tenase complex which activates FX to FXa. Thus, it is an important target for the development of novel anticoagulants.

Breast Cancer: A Molecular and Redox Snapshot.

Significance: Breast cancer is a unique disease characterized by heterogeneous cell populations causing roadblocks in therapeutic medicine, owing to its complex etiology and primeval understanding of the biology behind its genesis, progression, and sustenance. Globocan statistics indicate over 1.7 million new breast cancer diagnoses in 2012, accounting for 25% of all cancer morbidities.

Genome-wide siRNA Screening at Biosafety Level 4 Reveals a Crucial Role for Fibrillarin in Henipavirus Infection.

Hendra and Nipah viruses (genus Henipavirus, family Paramyxoviridae) are highly pathogenic bat-borne viruses. The need for high biocontainment when studying henipaviruses has hindered the development of therapeutics and knowledge of the viral infection cycle. We have performed a genome-wide siRNA screen at biosafety level 4 that identified 585 human proteins required for henipavirus infection.

First Report of Laribacter hongkongensis Peritonitis in Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis.

The most common pathogens associated with peritonitis in patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) are gram-positive bacteria, which constitute 60 - 80% of all isolates. With the advancement of molecular technologies for bacterial identification, cases of CAPD-related peritonitis caused by bacteria previously not known to be associated with this clinical condition have been reported. Here we report the first case of CAPD-related peritonitis due to Laribacter hongkongensis.

The trauma signature of 2016 Hurricane Matthew and the psychosocial impact on Haiti.

. Hurricane Matthew was the most powerful tropical cyclone of the 2016 Atlantic Basin season, bringing severe impacts to multiple nations including direct landfalls in Cuba, Haiti, Bahamas, and the United States. However, Haiti experienced the greatest loss of life and population disruption.

Synthetic Lethality of a Novel Small Molecule Against Mutant KRAS-Expressing Cancer Cells Involves AKT-Dependent ROS Production.

Aims: We recently reported the death-inducing activity of a small-molecule compound, C1, which triggered reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent autophagy-associated apoptosis in a variety of human cancer cell lines. In this study, we examine the ability of the compound to specifically target cancer cells harboring mutant KRAS with minimal activity against wild-type (WT) RAS-expressing cells.

Results: HCT116 cells expressing mutated KRAS are susceptible, while the WT-expressing HT29 cells are resistant.

Utilization of reduced graphene oxide/cadmium sulfide-modified carbon cloth for visible-light-prompt photoelectrochemical sensor for copper (II) ions.

A newly developed CdS/rGO/CC electrode was prepared based on a flexible carbon cloth (CC) substrate with cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles and reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The CdS was synthesized using an aerosol-assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD) method, and the graphene oxide was thermally reduced on the modified electrode surface. The existence of rGO in the CdS-modified electrode increased the photocurrent intensity of the CdS/rGO/CC-modified electrode by three orders of magnitude, compared to that of the CdS/ITO electrode and two orders of magnitude higher than the CdS/CC electrode.

Claudin-11 and occludin are major contributors to Sertoli cell tight junction function, in vitro.

The Sertoli cell tight junction (TJ) is the key component of the blood-testis barrier, where it sequesters developing germ cells undergoing spermatogenesis within the seminiferous tubules. Hormonally regulated claudin-11 is a critical transmembrane protein involved in barrier function and its murine knockout results in infertility. We aimed to assess quantitatively the significance of the contribution of claudin-11 to TJ function, in vitro, using siRNA-mediated gene silencing.

An electronically tunable duct silencer using dielectric elastomer actuators.

A duct silencer with tunable acoustic characteristics is presented in this paper. Dielectric elastomer, a smart material with lightweight, high elastic energy density and large deformation under high direct current/alternating current voltages, was used to fabricate this duct silencer. The acoustic performances and tunable mechanisms of this duct silencer were experimentally investigated.

The Learning Curve of Robotic-Assisted Low Rectal Resection of a Novice Rectal Surgeon.

Background: With the increasing availability of the surgical robotic system, the young generation colorectal surgeons may learn robotic-assisted rectal surgery upfront. There are currently very limited studies evaluating the learning curve of novice rectal surgeons.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the learning curve of a surgeon who had limited experience in open and laparoscopic rectal surgery.

Improving the effectiveness of service delivery in the public healthcare sector: the case of ophthalmology services in Malaysia.

Background: Rising demand of ophthalmology care is increasingly straining Malaysia's public healthcare sector due to its limited human and financial resources. Improving the effectiveness of ophthalmology service delivery can promote national policy goals of population health improvement and system sustainability. This study examined the performance variation of public ophthalmology service in Malaysia, estimated the potential output gain and investigated several factors that might explain the differential performance.

Manganese-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging Enables In Vivo Confirmation of Peri-Infarct Restoration Following Stem Cell Therapy in a Porcine Ischemia-Reperfusion Model.

Background: The exact mechanism of stem cell therapy in augmenting the function of ischemic cardiomyopathy is unclear. In this study, we hypothesized that increased viability of the peri-infarct region (PIR) produces restorative benefits after stem cell engraftment. A novel multimodality imaging approach simultaneously assessed myocardial viability (manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging [MEMRI]), myocardial scar (delayed gadolinium enhancement MRI), and transplanted stem cell engraftment (positron emission tomography reporter gene) in the injured porcine hearts.