Bicarbonate Within: A Hidden Modulator of Antibiotic Susceptibility.

Since its standardization, clinical antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) has relied upon a standard medium, Mueller-Hinton Broth/Agar (MHB/A), to determine antibiotic resistance. However, this microbiologic medium bears little resemblance to the host milieu, calling into question the physiological relevance of resistance phenotypes it reveals. Recent studies investigating antimicrobial susceptibility in mammalian cell culture media, a more host-mimicking environment, demonstrate that exposure to host factors significantly alters susceptibility profiles.

Immune Checkpoint Molecules as Biomarkers of Staphylococcus aureus Bone Infection and Clinical Outcome.

Staphylococcus aureus prosthetic joint infections (PJIs) are broadly considered incurable, and clinical diagnostics that guide conservative vs. aggressive surgical treatments do not exist. Multi-omics studies in a humanized NSG-SGM3 BLT mouse model demonstrate human T cells: 1) are remarkably heterogenous in gene expression and numbers, and 2) exist as a mixed population of activated, progenitor-exhausted, and terminally-exhausted Th1/Th17 cells with increased expression of immune checkpoint proteins (LAG3, TIM-3).

Musculoskeletal Computed Tomography: How to Add Value When Reporting Adult Lower Limb Trauma.

Computed tomography plays an ever-increasing role in the management of fractures and dislocations due to its capability in efficiently providing multiplanar reformats and 3-dimensional volume rendered images. It can reveal findings that are occult on plain radiography and therefore allow for more accurate decision making with regard to fracture classification and management. Clinical radiologists play a critical role in facilitating the processing of imaging to provide adequate image reformats in the desired planes, producing 3 dimensional images but most crucially identifying pertinent findings, which will contribute between the selection of nonoperative and operative management and potentially influence surgical technique.

Phage-Encoded Virulence Factor, Gp05, Alters Membrane Phospholipids and Reduces Antimicrobial Susceptibility in Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a leading pathogen causing severe endovascular infections. The prophage-encoded protein Gp05 has been identified as a critical virulence factor that contributes to MRSA persistence during vancomycin (VAN) treatment in an experimental endocarditis model. However, the underlining mechanisms driving this persistence phenotype remain poorly understood.

A Multiplex High-Resolution Melting (HRM) assay to differentiate Fusarium graminearum chemotypes.

Fusarium graminearum is a primary cause of Fusarium head blight (FHB) on wheat and barley. The fungus produces trichothecene mycotoxins that render grain unsuitable for food, feed, or malt. Isolates of F.