Examination of phase-variable haemoglobin-haptoglobin binding proteins in non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae reveals a diverse distribution of multiple variants.

Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a major human pathogen for which there is no globally licensed vaccine. NTHi has a strict growth requirement for iron and encodes several systems to scavenge elemental iron and heme from the host. An effective NTHi vaccine would target conserved, essential surface factors, such as those involved in iron acquisition.

Substance Use and Its Impact on Athlete Health and Performance.

The pressure to gain mass, power, explosiveness, and endurance and to obtain a performance edge continues to a part of sports. Anabolic agents, including selective androgen receptor modulators along with peptides, hormones, and metabolic modulators, continues to evolve. Methods to promote transcription to modify gene expression are a part of the evolution.

Achieving Mental Health and Peak Performance in Elite Athletes.

Many factors place athletes at increased risk of compromised performance, including mental health symptoms and disorders. Mental health disorders are common among athletes and if untreated may impair outcomes. Cultural influences including social media, negative attitudes about help seeking mental help, and stereotyping, when not addressed, compromise a healthy wholesome training environment that may limit outcomes.

The Role of a Sport Psychiatrist on the Sports Medicine Team, Circa 2021.

The field of sports psychiatry is in early stages of development and the role of the sport psychiatrist continues to evolve as the psychiatric needs of athletes become more apparent. Today's sports psychiatrist has increasing roles, including treatment of athletes, coaches, and their support personnel as well as providing an in depth and broad understanding of the medical and psychiatric demands in sport. The ongoing development of the field will help determine the eventual growth and expansion in the field.

A bacterial vaccine polypeptide protective against nontypable Haemophilus influenzae.

Nontypeable strains of Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) are one of the most common cause of otitis media and the most frequent infection associated with exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; there is currently no vaccine in the U.S. to prevent NTHi.

Recreational and ergogenic substance use and substance use disorders in elite athletes: a narrative review.

Background: Substances from various classes may be used for recreational purposes, self-treatment or to boost performance. When substance use shifts from occasional to regular, heavy or hazardous use, positive and negative effects can develop that vary by substance class and athlete. Regular use of recreational or performance enhancing substances can lead to misuse, sanctions or use disorders.

Mental health in elite athletes: International Olympic Committee consensus statement (2019).

Mental health symptoms and disorders are common among elite athletes, may have sport related manifestations within this population and impair performance. Mental health cannot be separated from physical health, as evidenced by mental health symptoms and disorders increasing the risk of physical injury and delaying subsequent recovery. There are no evidence or consensus based guidelines for diagnosis and management of mental health symptoms and disorders in elite athletes.

Mental health symptoms and disorders in elite athletes: a systematic review on cultural influencers and barriers to athletes seeking treatment.

Objective: To summarise the literature on the barriers to athletes seeking mental health treatment and cultural influencers of mental health in elite athletes.

Design: Systematic review DATA SOURCES: PubMed, Cochrane, Scopus, SportDiscus (Ebsco), and PsycINFO (ProQuest) up to November 2018.

Eligibility Criteria For Selecting Studies: Qualitative and quantitative original studies of elite athletes (those who competed at the professional, Olympic, or collegiate/university levels), published in any language.

The modA10 phasevarion of nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae R2866 regulates multiple virulence-associated traits.

Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a human restricted commensal and pathogen that elicits inflammation by adhering to and invading airway epithelia cells: transcytosis across these cells can result in systemic infection. NTHi strain R2866 was isolated from the blood of a normal 30-month old infant with meningitis, and is unusual for NTHi in that it is able to cause systemic infection. Strain R2866 is able to replicate in normal human serum due to expression of lgtC which mimics human blood group p(k).

Draft Genome Sequences of Eight Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae Strains Previously Characterized Using an Electrophoretic Typing Scheme.

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae is an important cause of human disease. Strains were selected for genome sequencing to represent the breadth of nontypeable strains within the species, as previously defined by the electrophoretic mobility of 16 metabolic enzymes.

Draft Genome Sequences of Six Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae Strains That Establish Bacteremia in the Infant Rat Model of Invasive Disease.

Haemophilus influenzae is an important cause of invasive disease. The infant rat is the accepted model of invasive H. influenzae disease.

Antisera Against Certain Conserved Surface-Exposed Peptides of Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae Are Protective.

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) cause significant disease, including otitis media in children, exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and invasive disease in susceptible populations. No vaccine is currently available to prevent NTHi disease. The interactions of NTHi and the human host are primarily mediated by lipooligosaccharide and a complex array of surface-exposed proteins (SEPs) that act as receptors, sensors and secretion systems.

Are the American Society for Radiation Oncology guidelines accurate predictors of recurrence in early stage breast cancer patients treated with balloon-based brachytherapy?

The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) consensus statement (CS) provides guidelines for patient selection for accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) following breast conserving surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate recurrence rates based on ASTRO CS groupings. A single institution review of 238 early stage breast cancer patients treated with balloon-based APBI via balloon based brachytherapy demonstrated a 4-year actuarial ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) rate of 5.

Comparison of transcription of the Haemophilus influenzae iron/heme modulon genes in vitro and in vivo in the chinchilla middle ear.

Background: Haemophilus influenzae is a significant cause of childhood otitis media, and also has an absolute growth requirement for heme. Recent microarray studies using three H. influenzae isolates were used to propose a putative core of genes responsive to iron and heme levels.

The role of the RNA chaperone Hfq in Haemophilus influenzae pathogenesis.

Background: The RNA binding protein Hfq of Haemophilus influenzae is highly homologous to Hfq from other bacterial species. In many of these other bacteria, Hfq affects the expression of a broad range of genes and enhances the ability to respond to stressful environments. However, the role of Hfq in H.

Haemophilus influenzae OxyR: characterization of its regulation, regulon and role in fitness.

To prevent damage by reactive oxygen species, many bacteria have evolved rapid detection and response systems, including the OxyR regulon. The OxyR system detects reactive oxygen and coordinates the expression of numerous defensive antioxidants. In many bacterial species the coordinated OxyR-regulated response is crucial for in vivo survival.

Signature-tagging of a bacterial isolate demonstrates phenotypic variability of the progeny in vivo in the absence of defined mutations.

Awareness of the high degree of redundancy that occurs in several nutrient uptake pathways of Haemophilus influenzae led us to attempt to develop a quantitative STM method that could identify both null mutants and mutants with decreased fitness that remain viable in vivo. To accomplish this task we designed a modified STM approach that utilized a set of signature tagged wild-type (STWT) strains (in a single genetic background) as carriers for mutations in genes of interest located elsewhere in the genome. Each STWT strain differed from the others by insertion of a unique, Q-PCR-detectable, seven base pair tag into the same redundant gene locus.

A functional tonB gene is required for both virulence and competitive fitness in a chinchilla model of Haemophilus influenzae otitis media.

Background: Haemophilus influenzae requires heme for aerobic growth and possesses multiple mechanisms to obtain this essential nutrient.

Methods: An insertional mutation in tonB was constructed and the impact of the mutation on virulence and fitness in a chinchilla model of otitis media was determined. The tonB insertion mutant strain was significantly impacted in both virulence and fitness as compared to the wildtype strain in this model.

A single-institution review of accelerated partial breast irradiation in patients considered "cautionary" by the American Society for Radiation Oncology.

Background: The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) issued a consensus statement in 2009 regarding patient selection for accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) following breast-conserving surgery (BCS) for breast cancer (BC). We reviewed our single-institution experience with APBI in patients considered "cautionary" by ASTRO to determine patterns of recurrence.

Methods: An institutional review board-approved, retrospective chart review was conducted from January 2004 to November 2009.

'Haptoglobin concentrations in preterm and term newborns'.

Objective: To measure systemic haptoglobin (HPT) concentrations from birth in preterm (PT) and T newborns. To compare HPT in newborns without hemolysis or infection with values in bacteremic newborns.

Study Design: HPT was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 30 PT and 28 T newborns without hemolysis or infection at birth (cord blood), on days of life 2 to 4, and at 1 to 2 weeks of life.

Pediatric vaccines on the horizon.

Vaccines have saved the lives of millions of children and continue to be essential interventions to control infectious diseases among people of all ages. The list of recommended vaccines for children has expanded in recent years; however, many viral, bacterial and parasitic infections remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children. Improved vaccines to prevent Streptococcus pneumoniae and Neisseria meningitidis infections in children will soon be available.