Development of an in situ culture-free screening test for the rapid detection of Staphylococcus aureus within healthcare environments.

This article reports the development of a novel fluorometric indicator which shows a rapid response when exposed to coagulase positive Staphylococcus aureus (SA) bacteria (including methicillin sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria). The test is robust and will detect a wide variety of SA strains and there is no significant fluorescence response observed for other species of bacteria commonly found in clinical specimens, including other Staphylococcus bacteria. This research forms the basis of a prototype SA testing kit for the rapid detection of SA within hospital and healthcare environments as an economical prescreen or alternative to the current PCR based testing methodology.

RANKL and OPG activity is regulated by injury size in networks of osteocyte-like cells.

Bone remodelling is an intricate process encompassing numerous paracrine and autocrine biochemical pathways and mechanical mechanisms. It is responsible for maintaining bone homeostasis, structural integrity and function. The RANKL-RANK-OPG cytokine system is one of the principal mediators in the maintenance of bone cell function and activation of bone remodelling by the Basic Multicellular Unit (BMU) which carries out remodelling.