Salmonella Typhi meningitis in a 9-year old boy with urinary schistosomiasis: a case report.

Background: Cases of Salmonella Typhi meningitis have been rarely reported in infants. There are few documented cases of persistent salmonella bacteraemia in patients with schistosomiasis. A presented case highlights the importance of broadening the list of pathogens that can cause meningitis among older children in schistosomiasis endemic regions.

Two cases of chronic suppurative otitis media caused by Kerstersia gyiorum in Tanzania: is it an underappreciated pathogen in chronic otitis media?

Two cases of mixed infection involving Kerstersia gyiorum causing chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) have been reported worldwide. We report, for the first time, two cases of CSOM due to mixed infections involving K. gyiorum in adults in Africa.

Work flow analysis of around-the-clock processing of blood culture samples and integrated MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis for the diagnosis of bloodstream infections.

Background: Because sepsis has a high mortality rate, rapid microbiological diagnosis is required to enable efficient therapy. The effectiveness of MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) analysis in reducing turnaround times (TATs) for blood culture (BC) pathogen identification when available in a 24-h hospital setting has not been determined.

Methods: On the basis of data from a total number of 912 positive BCs collected within 140 consecutive days and work flow analyses of laboratory diagnostics, we evaluated different models to assess the TATs for batch-wise and for immediate response (real-time) MALDI-TOF MS pathogen identification of positive BC results during the night shifts.

Pancreatic stellate cells--role in pancreas cancer.

Background: Adenocarcinomas of the pancreas are characterized by a rapid progression, an early metastasis, a limited response to chemo- and radiotherapy, and an intense fibrotic reaction known as tumor desmoplasia. Carcinoma cells are surrounded by a dense stroma consisting of myofibroblast-like cells, collagens, and fibronectin.

Materials And Methods: This review describes the interaction of activated pancreatic stellate cells (myofibroblast-like cells) with tumor cells in pancreas adenocarcinomas.

Pancreatic stellate cells are an important source of MMP-2 in human pancreatic cancer and accelerate tumor progression in a murine xenograft model and CAM assay.

The effect of the characteristic desmoplastic reaction of pancreatic cancer on tumor progression is largely unknown. We investigated whether pancreatic stellate cells, which are responsible for the desmoplastic reaction, support tumor progression. Immunohistology revealed that matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2), which is suggested to promote pancreatic cancer progression, is present in stellate cells adjacent to cancer cells.

Transcriptome analysis of human hepatic and pancreatic stellate cells: organ-specific variations of a common transcriptional phenotype.

Pancreatic stellate cells (PSCs) are thought to be the primary source of the extensive fibrotic reaction characteristic of pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis in humans. PSCs share many morphological and functional characteristics with hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), whose central role in liver fibrosis is well established. However, it has remained unclear if hepatic and pancreatic stellate cells are derived from a common cell lineage and if they are completely similar or if they possess organ-specific features.