Microbial keratitis at a single tertiary eye care in Andhra Pradesh: A 12-year analysis of microbiological profile and susceptibility of bacterial isolates.

Context: Microbial keratitis is a potentially vision-threatening emergency that demands prompt diagnosis and treatment to ensure better vision recovery. Empirical use of broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapies is often the primary treatment modality, which is then tailored according to clinical response, cultured organisms, and their sensitivities. Since the spectrum of microbial agents associated with corneal ulcers is wide and varies from one geographical location to another, it is imperative that local microbial trends and susceptibility patterns are analyzed to enable better care in the management of these patients.

Early Atopic Sensitization to House-Dust Mite in Children with Recurrent Wheeze-A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives: To determine sensitization to house-dust mite (HDM) antigen in under-five children with recurrent wheeze, compare it with nonwheezers, and assess atopic comorbidities in them.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was done in the Pediatric department of a teaching hospital in North India, in 190 children aged 1-5 y. Out of these, 127 had recurrent wheeze (RW), and 63 had no wheeze (NW).

Enterobacter cloacae Keratitis: Clinicomicrobiological Profiles, Risk Factors, and Outcomes.

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to report the clinical features, risk factors, antibiotic susceptibility, and treatment outcomes in a series of Enterobacter cloacae keratitis.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed of the electronic medical records of microbial keratitis caused by E. cloacae identified by the Vitek 2 system (BioMerieux, Craponne, France).

Pediatric Microbial Keratitis: Identification of Clinical Biomarkers for Prognosis and Outcome of 218 Cases From 2009 to 2019.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze the risk factors, microbiological profile, and treatment efficacy in pediatric microbial keratitis (MK) and to identify clinical biomarkers prognosticating outcome.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted from patients younger than 16 years with MK-excluding viral, marginal, or interstitial keratitis. Data pertaining to predisposing factors, symptom duration, prior treatment, ulcer characteristics, microbiological profile, time to resolution, and final outcome were recorded.

Shear forces induce ICAM-1 nanoclustering on endothelial cells that impact on T-cell migration.

The leukocyte-specific β-integrin LFA-1 and its ligand ICAM-1, expressed on endothelial cells (ECs), are involved in the arrest, adhesion, and transendothelial migration of leukocytes. Although the role of mechanical forces on LFA-1 activation is well established, the impact of forces on its major ligand ICAM-1 has received less attention. Using a parallel-plate flow chamber combined with confocal and super-resolution microscopy, we show that prolonged shear flow induces global translocation of ICAM-1 on ECs upstream of flow direction.

Improved Outcome of Pythium Keratitis With a Combined Triple Drug Regimen of Linezolid and Azithromycin.

Purpose: To describe the clinical features, microbiological profile, and outcome of a series of cases of Pythium keratitis treated with topical and oral linezolid and topical azithromycin eye drops.

Methods: This was a retrospective interventional case series of microbiologically and/or histopathologically proven cases of Pythium keratitis seen between October 2016 and December 2019. All patients received a combination of topical linezolid and/or azithromycin eye drops with oral linezolid.

Bacterial vaginosis and antibacterial susceptibility pattern of asymptomatic urinary tract infection in pregnant women at a tertiary care hospital, Visakhaptn, India.

Background And Objectives: The association between bacterial vaginosis and urinary tract infection (UTI) in pregnant women is at a greater risk comparatively than patients with bacterial vaginosis or UTI. Bacterial vaginosis and asymptomatic UTI both pose risk for mother and fetus. Early diagnosis and treatment can save the life of both.

Detyrosinated microtubules spatially constrain lysosomes facilitating lysosome-autophagosome fusion.

Microtubule post-translational modifications impart functional diversity to microtubules by affecting their dynamics, organization, and interaction with proteins. Using super-resolution microscopy, we show that only a small subpopulation of microtubules are detyrosinated in epithelial cells, while acetylated and tyrosinated microtubules comprise the majority of all microtubules. Surprisingly, lysosomes are enriched by approximately threefold on detyrosinated microtubules.

Endophthalmitis caused by gram-positive bacteria resistant to vancomycin: Clinical settings, causative organisms, antimicrobial susceptibilities, and treatment outcomes.

Purpose: To report the clinical settings, causative organisms, antimicrobial susceptibilities, and treatment outcomes of patients with endophthalmitis caused by gram-positive bacteria resistant to vancomycin.

Methods: Retrospective case series of all patients with culture-proven endophthalmitis caused by gram-positive bacteria resistant to vancomycin between January 2010 and December 2016 in LV Prasad Eye Institute, Visakhapatnam, India.

Results: The current study included 14 patients.

3D motion of vesicles along microtubules helps them to circumvent obstacles in cells.

Vesicle transport is regulated at multiple levels, including regulation by scaffolding proteins and the cytoskeleton. This tight regulation is essential, since slowing or stoppage of transport can cause accumulation of obstacles and has been linked to diseases. Understanding the mechanisms by which transport is regulated as well as how motor proteins overcome obstacles can give important clues as to how these mechanisms break down in disease states.

Fluorescent nanodiamond tracking reveals intraneuronal transport abnormalities induced by brain-disease-related genetic risk factors.

Brain diseases such as autism and Alzheimer's disease (each inflicting >1% of the world population) involve a large network of genes displaying subtle changes in their expression. Abnormalities in intraneuronal transport have been linked to genetic risk factors found in patients, suggesting the relevance of measuring this key biological process. However, current techniques are not sensitive enough to detect minor abnormalities.

Population Explosions of Tiger Moth Lead to Lepidopterism Mimicking Infectious Fever Outbreaks.

Lepidopterism is a disease caused by the urticating scales and toxic fluids of adult moths, butterflies or its caterpillars. The resulting cutaneous eruptions and systemic problems progress to clinical complications sometimes leading to death. High incidence of fever epidemics were associated with massive outbreaks of tiger moth Asota caricae adult populations during monsoon in Kerala, India.

Exhaled breath markers of alveolar macrophage activity in sarcoidosis.

Objective: Granuloma formation in sarcoidosis is dependent upon the interaction between alveolar macrophages (AMs) and a CD4+-driven TH1 response. This study aimed to measure TNF-α and calcium ion concentrations as markers of AM activity, in addition to total protein as a non-specific inflammatory marker in the exhaled breath condensate (EBC) of patients with sarcoidosis as well as control subjects.

Methods: EBC was collected from 17 sarcoidosis patients and 23 healthy volunteers.

Nanodiamond-Mediated Intercellular Transport of Proteins through Membrane Tunneling Nanotubes.

Recently discovered tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) are capable of creating intercellular communication pathways through which transport of proteins and other cytoplasmic components occurs. Intercellular transport is related to many diseases and nanotubes are potentially useful as drug-delivery channels for cancer therapy. Here, we apply fluorescent nanodiamond (FND) as a photostable tracker, as well as a protein carrier, to illustrate the transport events in TNTs of human cells.

Polarization modulation spectroscopy of single fluorescent nanodiamonds with multiple nitrogen vacancy centers.

A technique based on polarization modulation spectroscopy (PMS) has been developed to determine quantitatively the number of fluorophores in nanoparticles at the single-molecule level. The technique involves rotation of the polarization of the excitation laser on a millisecond time scale, leading to fluorescence intensity modulation. By taking account of the heterogeneous orientation among the dipoles of the fluorophores and simulating the modulation depth distribution with Monte Carlo calculations, we show that it is possible to deduce the ensemble average and number distribution of the fluorophores.

In vivo imaging and toxicity assessments of fluorescent nanodiamonds in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Nanoscale carbon materials hold great promise for biotechnological and biomedical applications. Fluorescent nanodiamond (FND) is a recent new addition to members of the nanocarbon family. Here, we report long-term in vivo imaging of FNDs in Caenorhabditis elegans (C.

Meningococcal group A, C, Y and W-135 conjugate vaccine.

In February 2010, a quadrivalent conjugate vaccine (Menveo; Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics) was approved by the US FDA to prevent invasive meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroups A, C, Y and W-135 in people aged 11-55 years.