Pilot study evaluation of the eQUANT™ system for accelerated antimicrobial susceptibility testing of gram-negative organisms directly from positive blood cultures.

We describe results from a multicenter pilot study evaluating the eQUANT system for rapid generation of a standardized inoculum (0.5 McFarland equivalent) directly from blood cultures positive for target gram-negative bloodstream pathogens for same-day antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) by disk diffusion, MicroScan and Vitek2 methods. Out of 167 blood cultures that met study criteria (monomicrobial with one of 9 target gram-negative species), colony counts from eQUANT suspensions of 164 (98.

Novel electronic biosensor for automated inoculum preparation to accelerate antimicrobial susceptibility testing.

A key predictor of morbidity and mortality for patients with a bloodstream infection is time to appropriate antimicrobial therapy. Accelerating antimicrobial susceptibility testing from positive blood cultures is therefore key to improving patient outcomes, yet traditional laboratory approaches can require 2-4 days for actionable results. The eQUANT-a novel instrument utilizing electrical biosensors-produces a standardized inoculum equivalent to a 0.

Changing the perception of premenstrual dysphoric disorder - An online-experiment using the Stereotype Content Model.

Women with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) are often faced with prejudices about the premenstrual phase. The aim of this study was to investigate whether providing information (psychoeducation) could improve study participants' perception of a PMDD-patient and whether experimentally-induced prejudices about PMDD resulted in stigmatization. Two hundred sixteen students (50% female; aged 18-42 years) from Philipps University Marburg participated in January 2014.

Activity-Dependent Phosphorylation by CaMKIIδ Alters the Ca Affinity of the Multi-C-Domain Protein Otoferlin.

Otoferlin is essential for fast Ca-triggered transmitter release from auditory inner hair cells (IHCs), playing key roles in synaptic vesicle release, replenishment and retrieval. Dysfunction of otoferlin results in profound prelingual deafness. Despite its crucial role in cochlear synaptic processes, mechanisms regulating otoferlin activity have not been studied to date.

Consequences of seed origin and biological invasion for early establishment in restoration of a North American grass species.

Local, wild-collected seeds of native plants are recommended for use in ecological restoration to maintain patterns of adaptive variation. However, some environments are so drastically altered by exotic, invasive weeds that original environmental conditions may no longer exist. Under these circumstances, cultivated varieties selected for improved germination and vigor may have a competitive advantage at highly disturbed sites.