Lacticaseicin 30 and Colistin as a Promising Antibiotic Formulation against Gram-Negative β-Lactamase-Producing Strains and Colistin-Resistant Strains.

Antimicrobial resistance is a global health concern across the world and it is foreseen to swell if no actions are taken now. To help curbing this well announced crisis different strategies are announced, and these include the use of antimicrobial peptides (AMP), which are remarkable molecules known for their killing activities towards pathogenic bacteria. Bacteriocins are ribosomally synthesized AMP produced by almost all prokaryotic lineages.

Sensitive visualization of SARS-CoV-2 RNA with CoronaFISH.

The current COVID-19 pandemic is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus contains a single linear RNA segment that serves as a template for transcription and replication, leading to the synthesis of positive and negative-stranded viral RNA (vRNA) in infected cells. Tools to visualize vRNA directly in infected cells are critical to analyze the viral replication cycle, screen for therapeutic molecules, or study infections in human tissue.

Expanding the clinicopathological spectrum of succinate dehydrogenase-deficient renal cell carcinoma with a focus on variant morphologies: a study of 62 new tumors in 59 patients.

Most succinate dehydrogenase (SDH)-deficient renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) demonstrate stereotypical morphology characterized by bland eosinophilic cells with frequent intracytoplasmic inclusions. However, variant morphologic features have been increasingly recognized. We therefore sought to investigate the incidence and characteristics of SDH-deficient RCC with variant morphologies.

The benefits of systematic intraoperative sampling during lower limb arthroplasties due to sequelae from prior osteoarticular infections: A retrospective study of 92 cases.

Introduction: Osteoarticular infections (OAIs) of native joints lead to cartilage damage which may require subsequent arthroplasty. There is no consensus on systematic intraoperative microbiological sampling when performing an arthroplasty on a native joint with a history of OAI. We carried out a retrospective study to: (1) identify the frequency of the persistence of the microorganism(s) involved during the initial, presumed cured OAI, when performing an arthroplasty for sequelae of osteoarthritis, (2) to find an association between the length of time between the OAI and arthroplasty, and the recurrence of bacterial infection, (3) to assess the influence of the presence of hardware on the risk of infectious recurrence.

Evaluation of the new BL-RED (β-Lactamase Rapid Electrochemical Detection) test in positive blood culture broths.

The rapid detection of extended-spectrum β-lactamase Enterobacterales (ESBL-E) in a positive blood culture is important in order to initiate an appropriate antibiotic therapy and thus decrease mortality. We evaluated the new BL-RED (β-Lactamase Rapid Electrochemical Detection) test in 100 positive blood culture broths to detect (in ten minutes) the presence or absence of ESBL-E. The BL-RED test appears to be an easy, rapid and reliable test to detect the presence of ESBL directly in Gram negative bacilli-positive blood culture broths, with good performances (sensibility =97.

Could Cytochrome P450 2D6, 3A4 and 3A5 Polymorphisms Explain the Variability in Clinical Response to Clomiphene Citrate of Anovulatory PCOS Women?

Introduction: Cytochrome P450 2D6, 3A4 and 3A5 are involved in the metabolism of many drugs. These enzymes have a genetic polymorphism responsible for different metabolic phenotypes. They play a role in the metabolism of clomiphene citrate (CC), which is used to induce ovulation.

Passages in culture and stimulation conditions influence protein expression of primary fibroblasts.

Fibroblasts (Fb) are key effector cells in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Fb stimulation with transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) is considered as a positive control in studies assessing fibrogenesis. The lack of standardization of TGF-β1 stimulation might be responsible for discrepancies in experiments performed in different conditions.

Specification and Evaluation of Plasticizer Migration Simulants for Human Blood Products: A Delphi Study.

Potentially toxic plasticizers are commonly added to polyvinyl chloride medical devices for transfusion in order to improve their flexibility and workability. As the plasticizers are not chemically bonded to the PVC, they can be released into labile blood products (LBPs) during storage. Ideally, LBPs would be used in laboratory studies of plasticizer migration from the medical device.

Citrin deficiency: Does the reactivation of liver aralar-1 come into play and promote HCC development?

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a longstanding issue in clinical practice and metabolic research. New clues in better understanding the pathogenesis of HCC might relate to the metabolic context in patients with citrin (aspartate-glutamate carrier 1) deficiency (CD). Because citrin-deficient liver (CDL) is subject to HCC, it represents a unique metabolic model to highlight the mechanisms of HCC promotion, offering different angles of study than the classical metabolic syndrome/obesity/non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)/HCC study axis.

Detection of complex DNA in CD34-positive peripheral blood mononuclear cells of asymptomatic tuberculosis contacts: an observational study.

Background: Haematopoietic stem cells expressing the CD34 surface marker have been posited as a niche for complex bacilli during latent tuberculosis infection. Our aim was to determine whether complex DNA is detectable in CD34-positive peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from asymptomatic adults living in a setting with a high tuberculosis burden.

Methods: We did a cross-sectional study in Ethiopia between Nov 22, 2017, and Jan 10, 2019.

Evaluation of Anti-Activated Factor X Activity and Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time Relations and Their Association with Bleeding and Thrombosis during Veno-Arterial ECMO Support: A Retrospective Study.

Background: We aimed to investigate the relationship between anti-activated Factor X (anti-FXa) and activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT), and its modulation by other haemostasis co-variables during veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) support. We further investigated their association with serious bleeding and thrombotic complications.

Methods: This retrospective single-center study included 265 adults supported by VA-ECMO for refractory cardiogenic shock from January 2015 to June 2019.

Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) infiltrate haematoma and surrounding brain tissue after intracerebral haemorrhage: A post-mortem study.

Aims: Because of their prothrombotic and neuroinflammatory effects, neutrophils and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) represent interesting therapeutic targets for spontaneous intracerebral haemorrhage (sICH). We investigated the presence, spatial and temporal distribution of NETs in a human sICH post-mortem study.

Methods: From 2005 to 2019, all sICH patients who came to autopsy within the first month after stroke were included and grouped according to the timing of death: 72 h, 4-7 days, 8-15 days and >15 days after ICH onset.

Does the alpha-defensin lateral flow test conserve its diagnostic properties in a larger population of chronic complex periprosthetic infections? Enlargement to 112 tests, from 42 tests in a preliminary study, in a reference center.

Background: Diagnosis of periprosthetic infection (PPI) is crucial for management of bone and joint infection. The preoperative gold-standard is joint aspiration, providing results after 2-14 days' culture, with non-negligible false negative rates due to the fragility of certain micro-organisms and/or prior antibiotic treatment. The Synovasure™ alpha-defensin lateral flow test (Zimmer, Warsaw, IN, USA) contributes within minutes to joint fluid diagnosis of almost all infectious agents, including in case of concomitant antibiotic therapy.

Addition of Regular Insulin to Ternary Parenteral Nutrition: A Stability Study.

Background: Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a complex medium in which added insulin can become unstable. The aim of this study is, therefore, to evaluate the stability of insulin in PN and to identify influencing factors.

Methods: A total of 20 IU/L of regular insulin was added to PN in either glass or Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) containers.

Potential role of tocilizumab in severe gastrointestinal barrier damage after CAR T-cell therapy.

We report a septicemia and disseminated candidiasis due to delayed gastrointestinal mucosae repair in a patient treated with tocilizumab after anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy. Tocilizumab could have inhibited intestinal tissue repair and furthered bacteria translocation leading to the invasion of intestinal mucosa by yeasts as IL-6 is known to be involved in mucosal wound healing.

Effects of Two Melt Extrusion Based Additive Manufacturing Technologies and Common Sterilization Methods on the Properties of a Medical Grade PLGA Copolymer.

Although bioabsorbable polymers have garnered increasing attention because of their potential in tissue engineering applications, to our knowledge there are only a few bioabsorbable 3D printed medical devices on the market thus far. In this study, we assessed the processability of medical grade Poly(lactic--glycolic) Acid (PLGA)85:15 via two additive manufacturing technologies: Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) and Direct Pellet Printing (DPP) to highlight the least destructive technology towards PLGA. To quantify PLGA degradation, its molecular weight (gel permeation chromatography (GPC)) as well as its thermal properties (differential scanning calorimetry (DSC)) were evaluated at each processing step, including sterilization with conventional methods (ethylene oxide, gamma, and beta irradiation).

Anti-Müllerian hormone as a driving force of polycystic ovary syndrome, independently from insulin resistance.

Research Question: Which clinical features, along with biological features, ultrasound features, or both, are the most strongly associated with either high or low anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)?

Design: A retrospective cross-sectional study conducted within a university-affiliated reproductive endocrinology unit in Lille, France. A total of 639 patients with PCOS according to the Rotterdam Criteria and 137 control women were included. A comparison of clinical, hormonal, metabolic and ultrasound data in patients with PCOS and controls belonging to the first (Q1) and fourth (Q4) quartiles of their respective AMH ranges (discriminant analysis) was conducted.

Relationship Between Obesity and Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: A Post Hoc Analysis of the NUTRIREA2 Trial.

Background: Patients with obesity are at higher risk for community-acquired and nosocomial infections. However, no study has specifically evaluated the relationship between obesity and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).

Research Question: Is obesity associated with an increased incidence of VAP?

Study Design And Methods: This study was a post hoc analysis of the Impact of Early Enteral vs Parenteral Nutrition on Mortality in Patients Requiring Mechanical Ventilation and Catecholamines (NUTRIREA2) open-label, randomized controlled trial performed in 44 French ICUs.