Comparative genomics of Lactobacillus sakei with emphasis on strains from meat.

Lactobacillus sakei is a lactic acid bacterium important in food microbiology mainly due to its ability to ferment and preserve meat. The genome sequence of L. sakei strain 23K has revealed specialized metabolic capacities that reflect the bacterium's adaption to meat products, and that differentiate it from other LAB.

Improved analysis of bacterial CGH data beyond the log-ratio paradigm.

Background: Existing methods for analyzing bacterial CGH data from two-color arrays are based on log-ratios only, a paradigm inherited from expression studies. We propose an alternative approach, where microarray signals are used in a different way and sequence identity is predicted using a supervised learning approach.

Results: A data set containing 32 hybridizations of sequenced versus sequenced genomes have been used to test and compare methods.

Diversity of Lactobacillus sakei strains investigated by phenotypic and genotypic methods.

The diversity of 10 strains of Lactobacillus sakei, a commercially important species of lactobacilli, was characterized by studying food isolates. Growth characteristics varied among the strains when examined after growth in a complex medium and a defined medium with either glucose or ribose. A commercial starter culture strain showed the fastest growth rates and high biomass formation on all media, while two of the strains hardly grew on ribose.

Mixture models as a method to find present and divergent genes in comparative genomic hybridization studies on bacteria.

Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) using microarrays is performed on bacteria in order to test for genomic diversity within various bacterial species. The microarrays used for CGH are based on the genome of a fully sequenced bacterium strain, denoted reference strain. Labelled DNA fragments from a sample strain of interest and from the reference strain are hybridized to the array.

Survey of genomic diversity among Enterococcus faecalis strains by microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization.

We have compared nine Enterococcus faecalis strains with E. faecalis V583 by comparative genomic hybridization using microarrays (CGH). The strains used in this study (the "test" strains) originated from various environments.

Hemodynamic and neurohumoral effects of continuous infusion of levosimendan in patients with congestive heart failure.

Objectives: We sought to define the therapeutic dose range of levosimendan in patients with New York Heart Association class II-IV heart failure of ischemic origin.

Background: Levosimendan is a calcium sensitizer for treatment of acute decompensated heart failure.

Methods: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, multicenter, parallel-group study included 151 adult patients.

The value of repeated echocardiographic evaluation in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy during treatment with metoprolol or captopril.

Serial echocardiographic investigations were carried out on patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, to evaluate treatment effects on left ventricular (LV) performance during therapy with either metoprolol or captopril. Thirty-two patients (23 males and 9 females) with mild to moderate symptoms of heart failure (NYHA II-III) and a mean age of 49 years were included in the investigation. The patients were investigated with Doppler echocardiography before treatment, after 3 and 6 months of treatment (either metoprolol or captopril) and 1 month after withdrawal of treatment.

The effects of metoprolol and captopril on heart rate variability in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.

Background: The effects of treatment with captopril or metoprolol on heart rate variability (HRV) were investigated in 38 patients (29 men and 9 women) with mild to moderate symptoms of heart failure due to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

Hypothesis: The aim of the study was to investigate and compare the effects of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor captopril with those of the selective beta-adrenergic receptor blocker metoprolol on HRV in patients with idiopathic DCM.

Methods: Heart rate variability was analyzed in the time and frequency domains from 18th of Holter monitoring before randomized treatment was started, after 6 months of therapy, and 1 month after therapy was stopped.

The circulating renin-angiotensin system during treatment with metoprolol or captopril in patients with heart failure due to non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy.

Objective: To investigate the effects of beta-blocker (metoprolol) or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (captopril) treatment on neurohormonal function in a randomized prospective study on patients with heart failure due to dilated cardiomyopathy.

Patients: Fifty-four patients (42 men and 12 women, mean age 50 years) were studied. There were three patients in NYHA (New York Heart Association) functional class I, 32 patients in class II and 19 patients in class III.

The prevalence of chronic Chlamydia pneumoniae infection as detected by polymerase chain reaction in pharyngeal samples from patients with ischaemic heart disease.

Aims: Cross-sectional serological studies have suggested an association between ischaemic heart disease and infections from Chlamydia pneumoniae and Helicobacter pylori. We therefore sought to find out if patients with ischaemic heart disease had an increased prevalence of C. pneumoniae in the pharynx.

Excellent reliability of nurse-based bedside diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction by rapid dry-strip creatine kinase MB, myoglobin, and troponin T.

With the aim to compare the diagnostic efficacy as regards acute myocardial infarction of two rapid dry-strip tests, one with both creatine kinase MB (CK-MB) and myoglobin (C + M) and the other with troponin T, and to test the reliability of bedside diagnosis by the coronary care unit (CCU) nurse, 151 patients with acute chest pain admitted to the CCU were investigated. There was no difference in diagnostic performance between rapid tests and quantitative determinations. With <6-hour duration of symptoms, the sensitivity was better for C + M than for troponin T (72% vs 33%, p < 0.

Intravenous nitroglycerin reduces ischaemia in unstable angina pectoris: a double-blind placebo-controlled study.

Objective: To study whether intravenous nitroglycerin (NTG) reduces the incidence of ischaemic events and leucocyte activation, as well as inhibiting platelet aggregation in patients with unstable angina pectoris.

Design: Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study.

Subjects: One hundred and sixty-two patients with a history and electrocardiographic changes suggesting unstable angina pectoris.

No difference in blood thiamine diphosphate levels between Swedish Caucasian patients with congestive heart failure treated with furosemide and patients without heart failure.

Objectives: To determine whether furosemide treatment in congestive heart failure (CHF) patients is associated with thiamine deficiency.

Design: Patients without heart failure and without diuretic treatment were included to compare with patients with CHF belonging to New York Heart Association (NYHA) functional class II and III-IV, respectively, and receiving furosemide therapy.

Setting: All patients were recruited from the emergency ward of the cardiology section.

More favourable haemodynamic effects from metoprolol than from captopril in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Aim: The object of this study was to investigate and compare the haemodynamic effects of treatment with a beta receptor blocker (metoprolol) or an angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor (captopril) in 54 patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.

Method: All patients had cardiac catheterization performed at rest and during exercise, before and after 3 months of treatment.

Results: The mean dose of metoprolol was 135 mg.

[What do we know today about neuroleptic malignant syndrome?].

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome is a complication that may occur during treatment with neuroleptic drugs, or after abrupt cessation of dopaminagonists. Although the condition is relatively rare, it has a high mortality of about 20% when untreated. The first symptoms can appear the first day after initiation of treatment with neuroleptic drugs.

Beat-to-beat QRS amplitude variability during dobutamine infusion in patients with coronary artery disease.

The aim of this study was to investigate if provoked myocardial ischemia induces increased beat-to-beat QRS amplitude variability in patients with angiographically verified coronary artery disease. 15 patients (median age 62 years, range 46-73 years) and 10 healthy controls (median age 25 years, range 22-42 years) were studied. Dobutamine was infused intravenously at a low and at a high dose.

Creatine supplementation in chronic heart failure increases skeletal muscle creatine phosphate and muscle performance.

Background: Cardiac creatine levels are depressed in chronic heart failure. Oral supplementation of creatine to healthy volunteers has been shown to increase physical performance.

Aim: To evaluate the effects of creatine supplementation on ejection fraction, symptom-limited physical endurance and skeletal muscle strength in patients with chronic heart failure.

Influence of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition on relation of atrial natriuretic peptide concentration to atrial pressure in heart failure.

Objective: To examine the relation between haemodynamics and atrial natriuretic peptide concentration during short term angiotensin converting enzyme inhibition.

Design: Patients were randomly allocated to receive placebo or one of three doses of the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor ramipril.

Setting: Cardiac units of two tertiary referral hospitals.

Variance ECG detection of coronary artery disease--a comparison with exercise stress test and myocardial scintigraphy.

Variance electrocardiogram (ECG) is a newly developed method by which resting ECG is registered with 24 leads during 220 beats. The temporal beat-to-beat QRS microamplitude variability is computed and a nondimensional diagnostic variance ECG coronary artery disease (CAD) index is derived from it. Consecutive outpatients (n = 160) were referred to myocardial scintigraphy (SPECT) investigation for the evaluation of angina pectoris.

Short-term effects of eating on vasoactive hormones and haemodynamics in patients with heart failure.

Objectives: To investigate if eating can influence the measurements of vasoactive hormones or their relationship to important haemodynamic variables.

Design: Haemodynamic variables and plasma concentrations of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), arginine vasopressin and angiotensin enzyme (ACE) activity were measured. During the 24-h study period the patients ate ordinary hospital meals and thus were studied both in the absorptive and post-absorptive phases.

Electrocardiogram signal variance analysis in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease--a comparison with exercise stress test in an angiographically documented high prevalence population.

Variance electrocardiography (variance ECG) is a new resting procedure for detection of coronary artery disease (CAD). The method measures variability in the electrical expression of the depolarization phase induced by this disease. The time-domain analysis is performed on 220 cardiac cycles using high-fidelity ECG signals from 24 leads, and the phase-locked temporal electrical heterogeneity is expressed as a nondimensional CAD index (CAD-I) with the values of 0-150.

Acute haemodynamic effects and pharmacokinetics of ramipril in patients with heart failure. A placebo controlled three-dose study.

The aim of the present study was primarily to evaluate the haemodynamic effects of the ACE-inhibitor ramipril which is active via its metabolite ramiprilat. Ramipril 1.25, 2.

Induction of a reduction in haemoglobin concentration by enalapril in stable, moderate heart failure: a double blind study.

Objective: To study the long term effects (12 weeks) of enalapril on central haemodynamic function and on arterial oxygen content and its determinants--haemoglobin concentration and oxygen saturation--in patients with stable moderate heart failure.

Design: Double blind placebo controlled randomised study.

Patients: 17 patients with stable moderate heart failure caused by dilated cardiomyopathy which was treated with diuretics and digoxin.