The Potential of Fluralaner as a Bait Toxicant to Control Pest Yellowjackets in California.

The western yellowjacket, (Saussure), is an important seasonal pest of recreational and outdoor venues in the western United States. Its propensity to scavenge food increases the likelihood of stinging incidences. Control measures are limited to intensive trapping and treating subterranean nests.

Development and clinical evaluation of a novel fully automated qualitative PCR assay for the diagnosis of anogenital herpes simplex virus infection.

Molecular detection of viral infections has the potential to improve microbial diagnostics, particularly with the emergence of rapid automated systems. We describe the design of the IDbox fully automated cassette-based system for nucleic acid extraction and real-time PCR amplification and perform a clinical evaluation for the diagnosis of genital herpes simplex infections. At optimal cutoff values determined by receiver-operator curves, the IDbox showed sensitivities of 94.

Analytical and clinical performance characteristics of the Simplexa BK virus quantitative PCR assay for the diagnosis of polyomavirus-associated nephropathy in renal transplant recipients using plasma and urine specimens.

Background: Polyomavirus-associated nephropathy is a significant cause of kidney rejection in renal transplant recipients. Quantification of BK viral load in plasma and urine can predict the development of polyomavirus-associated nephropathy, though each assay requires careful evaluation of analytical and clinical performance characteristics for optimal use.

Objectives: This study evaluated the analytical and clinical performance characteristics of the Simplexa BK virus quantitative PCR assay.

Detection of vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus with the updated Trek-Sensititre System and the MicroScan System. Comparison with results from the conventional Etest and CLSI standardized MIC methods.

Vancomycin-intermediate Staphylococcus aureus (VISA) organisms have minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 4 to 8 microg/mL and are often associated with vancomycin treatment failure. Detection of VISA has remained problematic. A comparison of 4 methods to detect VISA was done.

Palliative care for AIDS at a large urban teaching hospital: program description and preliminary outcomes.

Background: Despite major advances in therapy, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality in young adult populations. As AIDS has been converted into a chronic disease, it has resulted for some patients in a more protracted course of symptomatic illness. Comprehensive care for late-stage human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease now involves an increasingly complex mixture of disease-specific and palliative therapies, requiring coordination and collaboration between AIDS and palliative care services.