Statistical approach for radioactivity detection: A brief review.

Radioactivity detection is a major research and development priority for many practical applications. Amongst the various technical challenges in this field is the need to carry out accurate low-level radioactivity measurements in the presence of a large fluctuations in the natural radiation background, while reducing the false alarm rates. The task becomes even more harder with high detection limits under low signal-to-background ratios.

Combination of in vivo phage therapy data with in silico model highlights key parameters for pneumonia treatment efficacy.

The clinical (re)development of bacteriophage (phage) therapy to treat antibiotic-resistant infections faces the challenge of understanding the dynamics of phage-bacteria interactions in the in vivo context. Here, we develop a general strategy coupling in vitro and in vivo experiments with a mathematical model to characterize the interplay between phage and bacteria during pneumonia induced by a pathogenic strain of Escherichia coli. The model allows the estimation of several key parameters for phage therapeutic efficacy.

A Case of Phage Therapy against Pandrug-Resistant in a 12-Year-Old Lung-Transplanted Cystic Fibrosis Patient.

Bacteriophages are a promising therapeutic strategy among cystic fibrosis and lung-transplanted patients, considering the high frequency of colonization/infection caused by pandrug-resistant bacteria. However, little clinical data are available regarding the use of phages for infections with . A 12-year-old lung-transplanted cystic fibrosis patient received two rounds of phage therapy because of persistent lung infection with pandrug-resistant .

When a Ventilator Takes Autonomous Decisions without Seeking Approbation nor Warning Clinicians: A Case Series.

Background: Complexity and functions of automated medical devices used to support life (eg, ventilators, dialysis machines, monitors, insulin pump with continuous blood glucose monitoring system, etc.) increase over time. Until recently, devices were partially automated by very simple feedback loops, with no or few software dependence (such as the simplest home thermostat).

Detection and quantification of copper in scrap metal by linac-based neutron activation analysis.

This paper presents the investigation carried out by CEA List and ArcelorMittal R&D in order to assess the potential of linac-based neutron activation analysis to detect and quantify copper in scrap metal. Performances are evaluated using MCNP6 and then validated experimentally using a 6 MeV linac coupled with heavy water. It is shown that (γ, n) reaction cross-sections for deuterium are likely to be undervalued in ENDF/B-VII and suggested that photoneutron production algorithms in Monte Carlo codes should be reexamined.

New Bacteriophages against Emerging Lineages ST23 and ST258 of and Efficacy Assessment in Larvae.

is a bacterial pathogen of high public health importance. Its polysaccharide capsule is highly variable but only a few capsular types are associated with emerging pathogenic sublineages. The aim of this work is to isolate and characterize new lytic bacteriophages and assess their potential to control infections by the ST23 and ST258 sublineages using a larvae model.

Hemolysis and Plasma Free Hemoglobin During Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Support: From Clinical Implications to Laboratory Details.

Venovenous and venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) are lifesaving supports that are more and more frequently used in critically ill patients. Despite of major technological improvements observed during the last 20 years, ECMO-associated hemolysis is still a complication that may arise during such therapy. Hemolysis severity, directly appreciated by plasma free hemoglobin concentration, may be present with various intensity, from a nonalarming and tolerable hemolysis to a highly toxic one.

[A century of research on bacteriophages].

Bacteriophages have a prominent place in the living world. They participate to our understanding of the living world through three main aspects : (i) the dissection of the most intimist aspects of viral infection molecular mechanisms (molecular biology), (ii) the description and functioning mechanisms of ecosystems (ecology), and (iii) the adaptive dynamics of integrated viral and host-cell populations (evolution). This review looks back at the genesis of these fundamental findings and draws a picture of the most active fields of current research.

[Antibacterial applications of bacteriophages].

In the 1917 article in which Félix d'Hérelle describes his first observations and proposes the name of bacteriophage, he also reports the first use of these viruses to treat bacterial infections, thus giving birth to phage therapy. Soon after antibiotics supplanted bacteriophages. Today, bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics become a growing public health issue worldwide.

In Vivo Bacteriophage Biodistribution.

At the dawn of the renaissance of bacteriophage therapy, the full acceptation of bacteriophages as anti-bacterial agents requires the determination of their basic pharmacokinetic parameters. Such data, known for all conventional drugs used in human and veterinary medicine, allow optimizing dose regimens, efficacy, and help to limit toxicity. Here, we describe basic methods to experimentally obtain pharmacokinetic data and give also examples of data calculation to determine key parameters related to the biodistribution and elimination of bacteriophages in vivo.

[Phage therapy: a realistic weapon against multidrug resistant bacteria].

The continuous increase in antibiotic resistance among bacteria in infectious diseases associated with the lack of new antibiotics able to circumvent them are urging physicians, researchers and politicians to look for others options for treatments. Among those, phage therapy (use of natural viruses that infect bacteria, called bacteriophages) is one of the most promising approaches. In this review, we first focus on the problematic raised by multidrug resistant bacteria before addressing the main biological characteristics of bacteriophages, as well as the credibility and the relevance of phage therapy.

The Lysis of Pathogenic Escherichia coli by Bacteriophages Releases Less Endotoxin Than by β-Lactams.

Background.: Other than numerous experimental data assessing phage therapy efficacy, questions regarding safety of this approach are not sufficiently addressed. In particular, as phages can kill bacterial cells within <10 minutes, the associated endotoxin release (ER) in severe infections caused by gram-negative bacteria could be a matter of concern.

Bacteriophage LM33_P1, a fast-acting weapon against the pandemic ST131-O25b:H4 Escherichia coli clonal complex.

Objectives: Amongst the highly diverse Escherichia coli population, the ST131-O25b:H4 clonal complex is particularly worrisome as it is associated with a high level of antibiotic resistance. The lack of new antibiotics, the worldwide continuous increase of infections caused by MDR bacteria and the need for narrow-spectrum antimicrobial agents have revived interest in phage therapy. In this article, we describe a virulent bacteriophage, LM33_P1, which specifically infects O25b strains, and provide data related to its therapeutic potential.

Small Intestine Early Innate Immunity Response during Intestinal Colonization by Escherichia coli Depends on Its Extra-Intestinal Virulence Status.

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strains live as commensals in the digestive tract of the host, but they can also initiate urinary tract infections. The aim of this work was to determine how a host detects the presence of a new UPEC strain in the digestive tract. Mice were orally challenged with UPEC strains 536 and CFT073, non-pathogenic strain K12 MG1655, and ΔPAI-536, an isogenic mutant of strain 536 lacking all 7 pathogenicity islands whose virulence is drastically attenuated.

Treatment of Highly Virulent Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli Pneumonia With Bacteriophages.

Objective: To study the effect of bacteriophage treatment on highly virulent extraintestinal Escherichia coli pneumonia in mice and compare it with conventional antimicrobial treatment.

Design: Animal investigation.

Setting: University research laboratory.

Use of high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy to prevent desaturation during tracheal intubation of intensive care patients with mild-to-moderate hypoxemia.

Objectives: Tracheal intubation of ICU patients is frequently associated with severe hypoxemia. Although noninvasive ventilation reduces desaturation during intubation of severely hypoxemic patients, it does not allow for per-procedure oxygenation and has not been evaluated in mild-to-moderate hypoxemic patients for whom high-flow nasal cannula oxygen may be an alternative. We sought to compare pre- and per-procedure oxygenation with either a nonrebreathing bag reservoir facemask or a high-flow nasal cannula oxygen during tracheal intubation of ICU patients.

Transpulmonary thermodilution measurements are not affected by continuous veno-venous hemofiltration at high blood pump flow.

Purpose: To assess whether continuous veno-venous hemofiltration (CVVH) with high blood pump flow alters the measurements of cardiac index (CI), global end-diastolic volume indexed (GEDVI), and extravascular lung water indexed (EVLWI) performed by transpulmonary thermodilution.

Methods: Sixty-nine patients were included if they were monitored by a PiCCO2 device and received CVVH through a femoral (n = 62) or an internal jugular (n = 7) dialysis catheter. The blood pump flow was set at 250 mL/min (n = 31) or 350 mL/min (n = 38) and the filtration flow at 6,000 mL/h.