Shared mechanisms of enhanced plasmid maintenance and antibiotic tolerance mediated by the VapBC toxin:antitoxin system.

Unlabelled: Toxin:antitoxin (TA) systems are widespread in bacteria and were first identified as plasmid addiction systems that kill bacteria lacking a TA-encoding plasmid following cell division. TA systems have also been implicated in bacterial persistence and antibiotic tolerance, which can be precursors of antibiotic resistance. Here, we identified a clinical isolate of (CS14) with a remarkably stable pINV virulence plasmid; pINV is usually frequently lost from , but plasmid loss was not detected from CS14.

Leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava.

Inferior vena cava leiomyosarcoma is a rare malignant mesenchymal tumor that originates from the smooth muscle cells of the venous media and is more frequent in females in the V-VI decade of life. Due to scarce and specific symptoms, diagnosis is not simple, and often metastases to the liver, lungs, and/or lymph nodes are already present. A 44-year-old male patient arrives at our institution presenting diffuse abdominal pain and a sense of weight associated with lumbar pain.

Liposarcoma of the spermatic cord: The state of art and our experience.

Liposarcoma of the spermatic cord is a malignant neoformation so rare that less than 200 cases are reported in the world. It is a tumor that originates from adipose tissue and when it is found in the spermatic cord it can deceptively simulate an inguinal hernia and not be easily identified. The present work describes the case of a 37-year-old man with liposarcoma of the spermatic cord who arrives at our institution with painless swelling of the left testicle.

Virulence plasmid pINV as a genetic signature for phylogeny.

is a major health burden in low- and middle-income countries, where it is a leading cause of mortality associated with diarrhoea in children, and shows an increasing incidence among travellers and men having sex with men. Like all spp., has evolved from commensal following the acquisition of a large plasmid pINV, which contains genes essential for virulence.

OXA-244-Producing ST131 From Surface and Groundwaters of Pavia Urban Area (Po Plain, Northern Italy).

The study aimed to investigate (i) the occurrence of third-generation cephalosporins and/or carbapenems non-sensitive in Pavia surface and groundwaters, (ii) their resistance determinants, and (iii) the clonal features of the most relevant strains. During May 13 and 14, 2019, = 18 water samples from = 12 sampling sites in the urban/peri-urban area of Pavia (Po Plain, Northern Italy) have been evaluated. At first, hydrochemical analysis and bacterial plate counts were carried out on all the water samples.

Maintenance of the Shigella sonnei Virulence Plasmid Is Dependent on Its Repertoire and Amino Acid Sequence of Toxin-Antitoxin Systems.

Shigella sonnei is a major cause of bacillary dysentery and an increasing concern due to the spread of multidrug resistance. S. sonnei harbors pINV, an ∼210 kb plasmid that encodes a type III secretion system (T3SS), which is essential for virulence.

Evaluation of a Live Attenuated Vaccine Strain in the Human Enteroid Model.

is a leading cause of bacillary dysentery worldwide, responsible for high death rates especially among children under five in low-middle income countries. prevails in high-income countries and is becoming prevalent in industrializing countries, where multi-drug resistant strains have emerged, as a significant public health concern. One strategy to combat drug resistance in is the development of effective vaccines.

Alterations in Intracardiac Flow Patterns Affect Mitral Leaflets Dynamics in a Model of Ischemic Mitral Regurgitation.

Purpose: This study was to evaluate the effects of ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR) on vortex formation and leaflet dynamics using an established porcine infarct model of IMR.

Methods: Using direct coronary ligation, five animals were subjected to a posterolateral myocardial infarction (MI) followed by an MRI at 12-weeks post MI. MR imaging consisted of 4D time-resolved left ventricular (LV) flow, full coverage 2D LV cine, and high resolution 2D cine of mitral valve dynamics.

Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of hyperpolarized [1- C]-pyruvate in a translational oncologic model.

This study investigates the in vivo pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of hyperpolarized [1- C]-pyruvate in a translational cancer model in order to inform the application of dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP)-enhanced magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) as a tool for imaging liver cancer. Intratumoral metabolism within autochthonous hepatocellular carcinomas in male Wistar rats was analyzed by MRSI following hyperpolarized [1- C]-pyruvate injections with 80 mM (low dose [LD]) or 160 mM (high dose [HD]) pyruvate. Rats received (i) LD followed by HD injection, (ii) sequential LD injections with or without an interposed lactate dehydrogenase inhibitor (LDHi) injection, or (iii) a single LD injection.

Functional Genetic Screening Enables Theranostic Molecular Imaging in Cancer.

Purpose: Targeted therapies for cancer have accelerated the need for functional imaging strategies that inform therapeutic efficacy. This study assesses the potential of functional genetic screening to integrate therapeutic target identification with imaging probe selection through a proof-of-principle characterization of a therapy-probe pair using dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP)-enhanced magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI).

Experimental Design: CRISPR-negative selection screens from a public dataset were used to identify the relative dependence of 625 cancer cell lines on 18,333 genes.

Computational pipeline for estimation of small-molecule T1 relaxation times.

Molecular imaging of biologic molecules and cellular processes is increasingly accessible through hyperpolarization of chemically-equivalent stable isotopes, most commonly C. However, many molecules are poor candidates for imaging due to their biophysical properties, particularly short spin-lattice relaxation times (T). The inability to consistently predict the T from molecular structure, lack of experimental data for many biologically-relevant molecules and the high cost of developing probes can limit the development of hyperpolarized probes.

Shigella host: Pathogen interactions: Keeping bacteria in the loop.

Shigella spp. are Gram-negative enteric pathogens and the leading cause of bacterial dysentery worldwide. Since the discovery more than three decades ago that the large virulence plasmid of Shigella is essential for pathogenesis, our understanding of how the bacterium orchestrates inflammation and tissue destruction at the mucosal surface has been informed by studies employing the rabbit ileal loop model.

Maintenance of the virulence plasmid in Shigella flexneri is influenced by Lon and two functional partitioning systems.

Members of the genus Shigella carry a large plasmid, pINV, which is essential for virulence. In Shigella flexneri, pINV harbours three toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems, CcdAB, GmvAT and VapBC that promote vertical transmission of the plasmid. Type II TA systems, such as those on pINV, consist of a toxic protein and protein antitoxin.

Going around in circles: virulence plasmids in enteric pathogens.

Plasmids have a major role in the development of disease caused by enteric bacterial pathogens. Virulence plasmids are usually large (>40 kb) low copy elements and encode genes that promote host-pathogen interactions. Although virulence plasmids provide advantages to bacteria in specific conditions, they often impose fitness costs on their host.

Occurrence of Extended Spectrum β-Lactamases, KPC-Type, and MCR-1.2-Producing from Wells, River Water, and Wastewater Treatment Plants in Oltrepò Pavese Area, Northern Italy.

To evaluate the water compartment antibiotic-resistance contamination rates, 11 wells, five streams, and four treatment plants located in the Oltrepò Pavese area were screened for the presence of third generation cephalosporins resistant Gram-negative bacteria. were also characterized for the Extended-Spectrum-β-Lactamases (ESBLs), carbapenemases, and genes presence. From December 2014 to November 2015, 246 water samples were filtered, plated on Plate Count Agar, MacConkey Agar, and MacConkey Agar with cefotaxime.

Genetic plasticity of the Shigella virulence plasmid is mediated by intra- and inter-molecular events between insertion sequences.

Acquisition of a single copy, large virulence plasmid, pINV, led to the emergence of Shigella spp. from Escherichia coli. The plasmid encodes a Type III secretion system (T3SS) on a 30 kb pathogenicity island (PAI), and is maintained in a bacterial population through a series of toxin:antitoxin (TA) systems which mediate post-segregational killing (PSK).

Penicillin's Discovery and Antibiotic Resistance: Lessons for the Future?

Undoubtedly, the discovery of penicillin is one of the greatest milestones in modern medicine. 2016 marks the 75th anniversary of the first systemic administration of penicillin in humans, and is therefore an occasion to reflect upon the extraordinary impact that penicillin has had on the lives of millions of people since. This perspective presents a historical account of the discovery of the wonder drug, describes the biological nature of penicillin, and considers lessons that can be learned from the golden era of antibiotic research, which took place between the 1940s and 1960s.

Influence of nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharges on the stability of a swirled propane/air burner representative of an aeronautical combustor.

This paper reports on an experimental study of the influence of a nanosecond repetitively pulsed spark discharge on the stability domain of a propane/air flame. This flame is produced in a lean premixed swirled combustor representative of an aeronautical combustion chamber. The lean extinction limits of the flame produced without and with plasma are determined and compared.

Colonic sarcoidosis: unusual onset of a systemic disease.

Sarcoidosis is a multisystem chronic inflammatory condition of unknown etiology that has the potential to involve every tissue in the body. Sarcoidosis in the gastrointestinal system, and particularly the colon, is very rare. Here, we report the case of a 57-year-old man with no previous diagnosis of sarcoidosis who presented with new onset of abdominal pain and constipation.

Cryptococcus laurentii Diarrhea in a Neoplastic Patient.

We present a rare case of diarrhea and neutropenia caused by Cryptococcus laurentii (C. laurentii) infection in old patient with metastatic rectal cancer who underwent FOLFOX plus Cetuximab chemotherapy. C.

[Chronic senile cerebrovascular insufficiency. Effects of suloctidil and pentoxifylline on erythrocyte deformability].

Red blood cell filtration, platelet aggregation, serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels were investigated in 15 patients with chronic cerebrovascular disease, 10 of whom treated with Suloctidil and 5 with pentoxifylline. The treatment was carried out in 90 days. Both pentoxifylline and Suloctidil produced a significant improvement of erythrocyte deformability and a decrease of platelet aggregation.