Spectinamides are effective partner agents for the treatment of tuberculosis in multiple mouse infection models.

Objectives: New drug regimens employing combinations of existing and experimental antimicrobial agents are needed to shorten treatment of tuberculosis (TB) in humans. The spectinamides are narrow-spectrum semisynthetic analogues of spectinomycin, modified to avoid intrinsic efflux by Mycobacterium tuberculosis . Spectinamides, including lead 1599, have been previously shown to exhibit a promising therapeutic profile in mice as single agents.

Validation of an Assessment Tool for Field Endotracheal Intubation.

Objectives: Endotracheal intubation (ETI) is an important skill for all emergency providers; our ability to train and assess our learners is integral to providing optimal patient care. The primary aim of this study was to assess the inter-rater reliability (IRR) and discriminant validity of a novel field ETI assessment tool using a checklist-derived performance score (PS) and critical failure (CF) rate.

Methods: Forty-three participants (18 paramedic students, 11 paramedics, and 14 emergency physicians [EPs]) performed ETI during a simulated trauma scenario on a pseudo-ventilated cadaver.

Anthrax Vaccine and the Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in the U.S. Military: A Case-Control Study.

U.S. military personnel assigned to areas deemed to be at high risk for anthrax attack receive Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed (AVA).

Establishing Consensus on Residency Education in Women's Health.

Background: Internal medicine residents are expected to be able to provide gender-specific care. The objective of this study was to develop a consensus list of core topics and procedural skills in women's health to allow residency program directors to prioritize and standardize educational efforts in women's health.

Methods: We conducted a two-round Delphi of women's health experts.

Control of cell mechanics by RhoA and calcium fluxes during epithelial scattering.

Epithelial tissues use adherens junctions to maintain tight interactions and coordinate cellular activities. Adherens junctions are remodeled during epithelial morphogenesis, including instances of epithelial-mesenchymal transition, or EMT, wherein individual cells detach from the tissue and migrate as individual cells. EMT has been recapitulated by growth factor induction of epithelial scattering in cell culture.

Literature Evidence on Live Animal Versus Synthetic Models for Training and Assessing Trauma Resuscitation Procedures.

There are many models currently used for teaching and assessing performance of trauma-related airway, breathing, and hemorrhage procedures. Although many programs use live animal (live tissue [LT]) models, there is a congressional effort to transition to the use of nonanimal- based methods (i.e.

Adverse events following pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent and seasonal influenza vaccinations during the 2009-2010 season in the active component U.S. military and civilians aged 17-44years reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System.

Background: No comparative review of Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) submissions following pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 and seasonal influenza vaccinations during the pandemic season among U.S. military personnel has been published.

Patient preferences in early glottic cancer treatment.

Patients with early-stage glottic cancer are primarily treated with one of three options: endoscopic laser excision, external-beam radiation, or open conservation surgery. We sought to determine patient preferences for treatment when presented with a choice between CO2 laser resection and radiation (open conservation surgery was not offered because the endoscopic approach is preferred at our institution). This prospective cohort study was conducted at the Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine in Halifax, Canada.

Assembling of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Cell Wall Core.

The unique cell wall of mycobacteria is essential to their viability and the target of many clinically used anti-tuberculosis drugs and inhibitors under development. Despite intensive efforts to identify the ligase(s) responsible for the covalent attachment of the two major heteropolysaccharides of the mycobacterial cell wall, arabinogalactan (AG) and peptidoglycan (PG), the enzyme or enzymes responsible have remained elusive. We here report on the identification of the two enzymes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, CpsA1 (Rv3267) and CpsA2 (Rv3484), responsible for this function.

Identification of a Novel Mycobacterial Arabinosyltransferase Activity Which Adds an Arabinosyl Residue to α-d-Mannosyl Residues.

The arabinosyltransferases responsible for the biosynthesis of the arabinan domains of two abundant heteropolysaccharides of the cell envelope of all mycobacterial species, lipoarabinomannan and arabinogalactan, are validated drug targets. Using a cell envelope preparation from Mycobacterium smegmatis as the enzyme source and di- and trimannoside synthetic acceptors, we uncovered a previously undetected arabinosyltransferase activity. Thin layer chromatography, GC/MS, and LC/MS/MS analyses of the major enzymatic product are consistent with the transfer of an arabinose residue to the 6 position of the terminal mannosyl residue at the nonreducing end of the acceptors.

Post licensure surveillance of influenza vaccines in the Vaccine Safety Datalink in the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 seasons.

Purpose: The changes in each year in influenza vaccine antigenic components as well as vaccine administration patterns may pose new risks of adverse events following immunization (AEs). To evaluate the safety of influenza vaccines annually administered to people ≥ 6 months, we conducted weekly post licensure surveillance for seven pre-specified adverse events following receipt of influenza vaccines during the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 seasons in the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD).

Methods: We used both a historically-controlled cohort design with the Poisson-based maximized sequential probability ratio test (maxSPRT) and a self-controlled risk interval (SCRI) design with the binomial-based maxSPRT.

CRISPR-Cas gene-editing reveals RsmA and RsmC act through FlhDC to repress the SdhE flavinylation factor and control motility and prodigiosin production in Serratia.

SdhE is required for the flavinylation and activation of succinate dehydrogenase and fumarate reductase (FRD). In addition, SdhE is conserved in proteobacteria (α, β and γ) and eukaryotes. Although the function of this recently characterized family of proteins has been determined, almost nothing is known about how their genes are regulated.

The effect of speaking rate on serial-order sound-level errors in normal healthy controls and persons with aphasia.

Background: Although many speech errors can be generated at either a linguistic or motoric level of production, phonetically well-formed sound-level serial-order errors are generally assumed to result from disruption of phonologic encoding (PE) processes. An influential model of PE (Dell, 1986; Dell, Burger & Svec, 1997) predicts that speaking rate should affect the relative proportion of these serial-order sound errors (anticipations, perseverations, exchanges). These predictions have been extended to, and have special relevance for persons with aphasia (PWA) because of the increased frequency with which speech errors occur and because their localization within the functional linguistic architecture may help in diagnosis and treatment.

Recent developments in the understanding and use of anthrax vaccine adsorbed: achieving more with less.

Anthrax Vaccine Adsorbed (AVA, BioThrax™) is the only Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved vaccine for the prevention of anthrax in humans. Recent improvements in pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use of AVA include intramuscular (IM) administration and simplification of the priming series to three doses over 6 months. Administration IM markedly reduced the frequency, severity and duration of injection site reactions.

Vaccination and 30-Day Mortality Risk in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults.

Objective: This study evaluates the potential association of vaccination and death in the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD).

Methods: The study cohort included individuals ages 9 to 26 years with deaths between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2011. We implemented a case-centered method to estimate a relative risk (RR) for death in days 0 to 30 after vaccination.

A predictive model for diagnosing stroke-related apraxia of speech.

Diagnosis of the speech motor planning/programming disorder, apraxia of speech (AOS), has proven challenging, largely due to its common co-occurrence with the language-based impairment of aphasia. Currently, diagnosis is based on perceptually identifying and rating the severity of several speech features. It is not known whether all, or a subset of the features, are required for a positive diagnosis.

Estimation of D-Arabinose by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry as Surrogate for Mycobacterial Lipoarabinomannan in Human Urine.

Globally, tuberculosis is slowly declining each year and it is estimated that 37 million lives were saved between 2000 and 2013 through effective diagnosis and treatment. Currently, diagnosis relies on demonstration of the bacteria, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), in clinical specimens by serial sputum microscopy, culture and molecular testing. Commercial immunoassay lateral flow kits developed to detect Mtb lipoglycan lipoarabinomannan (LAM) in urine as a marker of active TB exhibit poor sensitivity, especially in immunocompetent individuals, perhaps due to low abundance of the analyte.

Women's health 2015: an update for the internist.

The field of women's health is varied and dynamic. Major studies in 2014 and the first half of 2015 suggest that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are not strongly associated with congenital heart defects, that paroxetine 7.5 mg is effective for treating menopausal symptoms, and that women with heart failure may benefit more from cardiac resynchronization therapy than men.

Association of Tdap Vaccination With Acute Events and Adverse Birth Outcomes Among Pregnant Women With Prior Tetanus-Containing Immunizations.

Importance: The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends the tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine for pregnant women during each pregnancy, regardless of prior immunization status. However, safety data on repeated Tdap vaccination in pregnancy is lacking.

Objective: To determine whether receipt of Tdap vaccine during pregnancy administered in close intervals from prior tetanus-containing vaccinations is associated with acute adverse events in mothers and adverse birth outcomes in neonates.

Risk of anaphylaxis after vaccination in children and adults.

Background: Anaphylaxis is a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. The risk of anaphylaxis after vaccination has not been well described in adults or with newer vaccines in children.

Objective: We sought to estimate the incidence of anaphylaxis after vaccines and describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of confirmed cases of anaphylaxis.