Incidence and Risk Factors for New and Recurrent Infarcts in Adults With Sickle Cell Disease.

Background: Most adults with sickle cell disease will experience a silent cerebral infarction (SCI) or overt stroke. Identifying patient subgroups with increased stroke incidence is important for future clinical trials focused on stroke prevention. Our 3-center prospective cohort study tested the primary hypothesis that adults with sickle cell disease and SCIs have a greater incidence of new stroke or SCI compared with those without SCI.

Early Results of Orthopaedic Trauma and Anemia: Conservative Versus Liberal Transfusion Strategy.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine whether it is safe to use a conservative packed red blood cell transfusion hemoglobin threshold (5.5 g/dL) compared with a liberal transfusion threshold (7.0 g/dL) for asymptomatic patients with musculoskeletal-injured trauma out of the initial resuscitative period.

Orthopaedic Trauma and Anemia: Conservative versus Liberal Transfusion Strategy: A Prospective Randomized Study.

Objectives: To determine whether it is safe to use a conservative packed red blood cell transfusion hemoglobin (Hgb) threshold (5.5 g/dL) compared with a liberal transfusion threshold (7.0 g/dL) for asymptomatic musculoskeletal injured trauma patients who are no longer in the initial resuscitative period.

Smoking cessation interventions for U.S. adults with disabilities: A systematic review.

Introduction: People with disabilities disproportionately use tobacco products. However, little is known about cessation interventions tailored for people with disabilities. The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review of smoking cessation interventions for adults with disabilities.

Advancing Equity in Graduate Medical Education Recruitment Through a Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Toolkit for Program Directors.

Objectives: To increase diversity and inclusion in graduate medical education (GME), the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) issued new diversity standards requiring programs to engage in practices that focus on systematic recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce of trainees and faculty. The literature on how program directors (PDs) can incorporate and prepare for this standard is limited.

Methods: We developed a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) toolkit for PDs as an example of an institutional GME-led effort to promote inclusive recruitment and DEI awareness among residency and fellowship programs at a large academic center.

Women's strategies for navigating a healthy sex life post-sexual trauma.

Sexual trauma is common. Consequences of sexual trauma can include deterioration of mental and physical health and it can also affect future romantic and sexual relationships. Previous studies have identified common healthy and destructive coping mechanisms to recover after experiencing sexual trauma, but few studies have investigated useful strategies to move into a healthy sexual relationship focused on resilience.

Smoking cessation interventions for US adults with disabilities: protocol for a systematic review.

Introduction: People with disabilities have a higher prevalence of cigarette smoking than people without disabilities. However, little information exists on smoking cessation interventions tailored to address the unique needs of people with disabilities. This paper describes a systematic review protocol to identify and evaluate tobacco smoking cessation interventions designed to improve outcomes for people with disabilities.

Temporal dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 genome and detection of variants of concern in wastewater influent from two metropolitan areas in Arkansas.

Although SARS-CoV-2 can cause severe illness and death, a percentage of the infected population is asymptomatic. This, along with other factors, such as insufficient diagnostic testing and underreporting due to self-testing, contributes to the silent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and highlights the importance of implementing additional surveillance tools. The fecal shedding of the virus from infected individuals enables its detection in community wastewater, and this has become a valuable public health tool worldwide as it allows the monitoring of the disease on a populational scale.

Genomics Analyses of GIV and GVI Noroviruses Reveal the Distinct Clustering of Human and Animal Viruses.

Noroviruses are highly diverse viruses that are the major viral cause of acute gastroenteritis in humans. Although these viruses can infect multiple mammalian species, their potential for zoonosis is not well understood, especially within Genogroup IV (GIV), which contains viruses that infect humans, canines, and felines. The study of GIV viruses has been, in part, hindered by the limited number of complete genomes.

Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles Evoke Proinflammatory Response during Murine Norovirus Infection Despite Having Minimal Effects on Virus Replication.

Noroviruses (NoV) have enhanced tropism for the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and are the major cause of nonbacterial gastroenteritis in humans. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles (NPs) used as food additives, dietary supplements, and cosmetics accumulate in the GI tract. We investigated the effect anatase TiO2 NPs on NoV replication and host response during virus infection, using murine norovirus (MNV-1) infection of RAW 264.

Silicon Dioxide Impedes Antiviral Response and Causes Genotoxic Insult During Calicivirus Replication.

Noroviruses (NoV) are the leading cause of nonbacterial gastroenteritis in humans, and replicate extensively in the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Silica (also known as silicon dioxide, SiO) nanoparticles (NPs) used in processed foods, dairy products, and beverages also accumulate in the GI tract. We investigated the effect of silica NPs on NoV replication and host cell response during virus infection, using murine norovirus (MNV-1) infection of RAW 264.

Infection of Murine Macrophages by Salmonella enterica Serovar Heidelberg Blocks Murine Norovirus Infectivity and Virus-induced Apoptosis.

Gastroenteritis caused by bacterial and viral pathogens constitutes a major public health threat in the United States accounting for 35% of hospitalizations. In particular, Salmonella enterica and noroviruses cause the majority of gastroenteritis infections, with emergence of sporadic outbreaks and incidence of increased infections. Although mechanisms underlying infections by these pathogens have been individually studied, little is known about the mechanisms regulating co-infection by these pathogens.

Human Respiratory Coronaviruses Detected In Patients with Influenza-Like Illness in Arkansas, USA.

Acute respiratory viruses often result in significant morbidity and mortality. The potential impact of human respiratory coronavirus (CoV) infections was underestimated until the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV) outbreak in 2003, which showed that new, highly pathogenic coronaviruses could be introduced to humans, highlighting the importance of monitoring the circulating coronaviruses. The use of sensitive molecular methods has contributed to the differential diagnosis of viruses circulating in humans.

Staphylococcus aureus toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) production and Lactobacillus species growth in a defined medium simulating vaginal secretions.

Lactobacillus species are commensal with the healthy vaginal environment and inhibit the growth of many pathogenic bacteria in the vaginal tract by a variety of mechanisms, such as the production of hydrogen peroxide, organic acids, and antimicrobial substances. Simulation of the vaginal environment is crucial for proper investigation of the effects of Lactobacillus species on pathogenic bacteria. In this study, we modified a medium used to simulate vaginal secretions to improve the growth of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1)-producing Staphylococcus aureus clinical strains and Lactobacillus species so that interactions between these bacteria may be examined.

A metallo-β-lactamase is responsible for the degradation of ceftiofur by the bovine intestinal bacterium Bacillus cereus P41.

Ceftiofur is a highly effective veterinary cephalosporin, yet it is rapidly degraded by bacteria in the gut. The goal of this work was to directly determine the mechanism of ceftiofur degradation by the bovine intestinal isolate Bacillus cereus P41. B.

Stability of bovine coronavirus on lettuce surfaces under household refrigeration conditions.

Fecal suspensions with an aerosol route of transmission were responsible for a cluster of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) cases in 2003 in Hong Kong. Based on that event, the World Health Organization recommended that research be implemented to define modes of transmission of SARS coronavirus through sewage, feces, food and water. Environmental studies have shown that animal coronaviruses remain infectious in water and sewage for up to a year depending on the temperature and humidity.

Single nucleotide polymorphism analysis of the major tripartite multidrug efflux pump of Escherichia coli: functional conservation in disparate animal reservoirs despite exposure to antimicrobial chemotherapy.

AcrAB-TolC imparts a strong intrinsic resistance phenotype to many clinically significant molecules in Escherichia coli. This complex is composed of a pump, AcrB, and a periplasmic protein, AcrA, that exports substrates through a common outer membrane porin, TolC. A sequence survey of the pump-specific components, acrA and acrB, was conducted on three discrete animal reservoirs: rodents, bovines, and catfish.

Interaction of dietary resveratrol with animal-associated bacteria.

Resveratrol (3,5,4'-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene), an antifungal phytoalexin produced by grapes, peanuts, and Japanese knotweeds, is thought to be a beneficial dietary phytochemical in red wine and grape juice. Information on its antibacterial properties and biotransformation, however, is limited. We surveyed the interactions of resveratrol with 43 strains of bacterial species that are often animal- or human-associated.

Lactobacillus-mediated inhibition of clinical toxic shock syndrome Staphylococcus aureus strains and its relation to acid and peroxide production.

The inhibitory activities of 39 strains representing 20 different species of Lactobacillus toward a menstrual toxic shock syndrome (TSS) Staphylococcus aureus archetype strain MN8 were investigated. Nearly every strain (38 of 39) produced an inhibitory effect under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions when assayed on agar medium. In addition, the MN8 inhibition was conserved against at least 10 other clinical TSS S.

Substrate competition studies using whole-cell accumulation assays with the major tripartite multidrug efflux pumps of Escherichia coli.

AcrAB-TolC is the major, constitutively expressed tripartite multidrug efflux system in Escherichia coli that recognizes various structurally unrelated molecules, including many antibiotics, dyes, and steroids. The AcrB inner membrane pump portion of the efflux system has been shown in recent structural studies to bind substrates at multiple sites, suggesting that particular substrate "sets" may compete for efflux by interfering with a certain binding site(s). However, our data indicate that the general structural class does not appear to dictate a particular substrate binding site that can be competitively inhibited in whole cells.

Mammalian steroid hormones are substrates for the major RND- and MFS-type tripartite multidrug efflux pumps of Escherichia coli.

A steroid-hormone-dependent growth suppression was observed in Escherichia coli efflux-deficient backgrounds containing mutations in the major RND- and MFS-type tripartite multidrug efflux systems, AcrAB-TolC and EmrAB-TolC, respectively. In addition to their previously known natural steroid spectrum, which includes bile acids, both systems were shown to transport the hormones estradiol and progesterone, whereas hydrocortisone served as a substrate of only AcrAB-TolC. Furthermore, at least two other RND-type pumps, YhiV and AcrD, were capable of transporting such hormones when overexpressed on plasmid vectors (with some demonstrable specificity observed with AcrD).

Bile-mediated aminoglycoside sensitivity in Lactobacillus species likely results from increased membrane permeability attributable to cholic acid.

Few studies have been conducted on antimicrobial resistance in lactobacilli, presumably because of their nonpathogenic nature as anaerobic commensals. We assessed resistance in 43 type strains and isolates representing 14 species by using agar disk diffusion and MIC analysis in MRS medium. Most noteworthy were two general phenotypes displayed by nearly every strain tested: (i) they were more susceptible (up to 256-fold in some cases) to the deconjugated bile acid cholic acid than to the conjugate taurocholic or taurodeoxycholic acid, and (ii) they became susceptible to aminoglycosides when assayed on agar medium containing 0.

Estimated copper requirements of angus and simmental heifers.

In Exp. 1, Simmental (n = 21) and Angus (n = 21) heifers, approximately 9 mo of age, were used in a 160-d study to determine the effect of dietary Cu on growth and Cu status. Two- or three-yr-old first-calf heifers (21 Angus and 21 Simmental) entering into their last trimester of pregnancy were used in Exp.

Effects of breed (Angus vs Simmental) and copper and zinc source on mineral status of steers fed high dietary iron.

Forty-four Angus (n = 24) and Simmental (n = 20) steers, averaging 301 kg initially, were used to determine the effects of breed and Cu and Zn source (SO4 or proteinate (Prot) form) on Cu and Zn status of steers fed high dietary iron (Fe). Steers were stratified by weight within breed and randomly assigned to treatments. Treatments consisted of: 1) CuSO4 + ZnSO4 ,2) CuSO4 + ZnProt, 3) CuProt + ZnSO4, and 4) CuProt + ZnProt.