169,906 research outputs found
TYPING OF LEGIONELLA PNEUMOPHILA SEROGROUP 1 BY SBT, MLVA AND SPOLIGOTYPING
No full textIntroduction: The current typing method
of Legionella pneumophila recommended by
the European EWGLI Consortium is a multi
locus sequence typing (MLST)-like protocol
called sequence-based typing (SBT).This approach
is highly portable and widely used to
perform epidemiological surveys and outbreak
investigation. Recent studies have demonstrated
the values of using the multiple-locus
variable-number tandem repeat (VNTR)
analysis (MLVA) and the diversity of clustered
regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat
(CRISPR)-based typing technique (Spoligotyping)
as genotyping markers.
In this study we used these three methods for
typing the L. pneumpophila isolates and for investigating
the origin of two cases of legionellosis
in Palermo, Italy.
Materials and Methods: A total of 40 strains
of L. pneumophila was investigated. The strains
analyzed were obtained from 2 clinical samples
and 38 environmental samples (hotels,
hospitals and private home); all isolates belonged
to serogroup 1.
SBT alleles were coded following the EWGLI
convention and minimum spanning tree was
made using BioNumerics 6.5. For VNTRs typing
12 VNTR loci followed by a number were
used and MLVA clustering was performed by
Hamming’s distance and UPGMA. In addition
the Spoligotyping was performed by Luminex
devices.
Results: SBT analysis discriminated ten different
genotypes (STs). In particular, only one
clinical isolate showed the same ST of environmental
strains obtained from the structure in
which the subject was hospitalized.
The MLVA and Spoligotyping did not confirmed
the source of contamination.
Moreover through the MLVA analysis four different
clonal complex (VACCs) were identified.
Discussion and Conclusion: Phylogenetic
analysis in L. pneumophila is a difficult task
considering the enormous genetic differences
observed in the accessory genome of this species.
However, by using VNTR polymorphism
and Spoligotyping is possible to group isolates
within complex which are highly congruent
with SBT clustering results and to provide
further insight into relationships among these
groups.
In this study we demonstrate that typing by the
three methods provides valuable information
for epidemiological studies and for identification
of clonal complex in L. pneumophila.
48 Oral Communications
CO 07
MECHANISM OF
SITE-SPECIFIC
INTEGRATION OF ICE Tn5253
IN THE CHROMOSOME
OF STREPTOCOCCUS
PNEUMONIAE
Francesco Santoro1, Alessandra Romeo1,
Marco Oggioni2, Gianni Pozzi1,
Francesco Iannelli1
1LAMMB, Dip. di Biotecnologie Mediche,
Università di Siena - Italy; 2Department of Genetics,
University of Leicester, Leicester - United Kingdom
Introduction: Integrative Conjugative Elements
(ICEs) are mobile genetic elements that
can integrate into bacterial genome, excise
from it to form a closed circular intermediate
capable of intracellular transposition in a new
genomic location or intercellular transposition
in a new genome host upon conjugative transfer.
ICE Tn5253 of Streptococcus pneumoniae is
a composite element which carries the tet(M)
bearing Tn5251 and the resistance genes and
the cat bearing Ωcat(pC194), conferring resistance
to tetracycline and chloramphenicol, respectively.
Tn5253 is found integrated at a 83-
bp specific target site (attB) into the R6 pneumococcal
chromosome.
Materials and Methods: Bacterial strains
used for conjugation are standard laboratory
strains whose genome sequence is available in
GenBank. For plate conjugation experiments,
donor and recipient cells were grown separately
and mixed at 1:10 ratio, plated and incubated
for 4 h at 37°C. Scoring of transconjugants was
obtained in presence of appropriate antibiotics
with a multilayer plating procedure. PCR and
direct PCR sequencing were carried out following
standard protocols. DNA sequence alignments
were performed using Clustalw2 and
Lalign.
Results: Tn5253 was transferred by conjugation
to pneumococcal strains with different
genetic backgrounds and to bacterial species
such as Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus
gordonii, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Enterococcus
faecalis, with conjugation frequencies
ranging fro
Investigation of the population structure of Legionella pneumophila by analysis of tandem repeat copy number and internal sequence variation
No full textThe population structure of the species Legionella pneumophila was investigated by multilocus variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) analysis (MLVA) and sequencing of three VNTRs (Lpms01, Lpms04 and Lpms13) in selected strains. Of 150 isolates of diverse origins, 136 (86%) were distributed into eight large MLVA clonal complexes (VACCs) and the rest were either unique or formed small clusters of up to two MLVA genotypes. In spite of the lower degree of genome-wide linkage disequilibrium of the MLVA loci compared with sequence-based typing, the clustering achieved by the two methods was highly congruent. The detailed analysis of VNTR Lpms04 alleles showed a very complex organization, with five different repeat unit lengths and a high level of internal variation. Within each MLVA-defined VACC, Lpms04 was endowed with a common recognizable pattern with some interesting exceptions. Evidence of recombination events was suggested by analysis of internal repeat variations at the two additional VNTR loci, Lpms01 and Lpms13. Sequence analysis of L. pneumophila VNTR locus Lpms04 alone provides a first-line assay for allocation of a new isolate within the L. pneumophila population structure and for epidemiological studies
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
L "INIMITABLE" FRANCK POURCEL ET SON GRAND ORCHESTRE
No full textComprend : MALAGUENA / RAMIREZ - JULIE LA ROUSSE / R.L. LAFFORGUE - TU N'AS PAS TRES BON CARACTERE / F. ALBANO - LE TOUR DU MONDE / V. YOUNG - SWINGING SWEETHEARTS / R. GOODWIN et C. LEIGH - LE MOULIN AUX TULIPES / ALAI - MANDOLINE AMOUREUSE / Ch. CHAPLIN - TOUT CE QUE VEUT LOLA / ADLER-ROSS - LOIN DE VOUS / RAM-RAND - MAMAN LA PLUS BELLE DU MONDE / MARINI - OH ! LA ! LA ! / TACCANI - BUENAS NOCHES, MI AMOR / GIRAUD - CIGARETTES, WHISKY et P'TITES PEPEES / SPENCER - L'OMBRE SOUS LA MER / MORAKIS-FRIEDHOFERBnF-Partenariats, Collection sonore - BelieveContient une table des matière
Evidence of Diversity among Epidemiologically Related Carbapenemase-Producing Acinetobacter baumannii Strains Belonging to International Clonal Lineage II
No full textMitomycin C in highly myopic eyes - Author reply
No full textOphthalmology. 2005 Feb;112(2):208-18; discussion 219.
Mitomycin C modulation of corneal wound healing after photorefractive keratectomy in highly myopic eyes.
Gambato C, Ghirlando A, Moretto E, Busato F, Midena E.
SourceRefractive Surgery Service and Antimetabolite Therapy Research Unit, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of topical mitomycin C in corneal wound healing (CWH) after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in highly myopic eyes.
DESIGN: Prospective, double-masked, randomized clinical trial.
PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-two eyes of 36 patients affected by high (>7 diopters) myopia.
METHODS: In each patient, one eye was randomly assigned to PRK with intraoperative topical 0.02% mitomycin C application, and the fellow eye was treated with a placebo. Postoperatively, mitomycin C-treated eyes received artificial tears (3 times daily, tapered in 3 months), whereas the fellow eye was treated with fluorometholone sodium 2% and artificial tears (3 times daily, tapered in 3 months).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), contrast sensitivity, manifest refraction, and biomicroscopy. Contrast sensitivity was determined using the Pelli-Robson chart. Corneal confocal microscopy documented CWH.
RESULTS: Mean follow-up was 18 months (range, 12-36). No side effects or toxic effects were documented. At 12-month follow-up examination, UCVAs (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) were 0.4+/-0.48 and 0.5+/-0.53 (P = .03) in mitomycin C-treated eyes and corticosteroid-treated eyes, respectively. At 1 year, corneal haze developed in 20% of corticosteroid-treated eyes, versus 0% of mitomycin C-treated eyes. At 12, 24, and 36 months, corneal confocal microscopy showed activated keratocytes and extracellular matrix significantly more evident in untreated eyes (Ps = 0.004, 0.024, and 0.046, respectively).
CONCLUSION: Topical intraoperative application of 0.02% mitomycin C can reduce haze formation in highly myopic eyes undergoing PRK.
Comment in
Ophthalmology. 2006 Feb;113(2):357; author reply 357-8
Soirée de gala à bord de "Liberté"
No full textTitre uniforme : [Mon homme]Titre uniforme : [Un jour tu verras]Titre uniforme : [I believe]Titre uniforme : [Skokiaan]Titre uniforme : [Limelight]Titre uniforme : [Moulin Rouge]. ExtraitComprend : UN HOMME EST UN HOMME, fox / O. BRAND ; l'orch. Jerry MENGO - MON HOMME, fox / M. YVAIN ; l'orch. Fred GERARD - LIMELIGHT, valse / C. CHAPLIN ; l'orch. Franck POURCEL - MOULIN ROUGE, valse / G. AURIC ; l'orch. Franck POURCEL - JE CROIS EN TOI, slow / DRAKE, GRAHAM, SHIRL ; l'orch. Jerry MENGO - UN JOUR TU VERRAS, slow / G. van PARYS ; l'orch. Jacques BRIENNE - BLUE TANGO / LEROY ; l'orch. Franck POURCEL - TANGO MAGIQUE / P. GERARD ; l'orch. Marcel STERN - SKOKIAAN, mambo / MSARURGIVA ; l'orch. Jerry MENGO - LE MUSICIEN, boléro / P. GERARD ; l'orch. Roger BOURDIN - JOLIE COPENHAGUE, valse / LOESSER ; l'orch. Franck POURCEL - L'AME DES POETES, valse / TRENET ; les orch. Franck POURCEL et Noel CHIBOUST - EXTASE, tango / BELMONTE ; l'orch. Franck POURCEL - JOUE POUR MOI, tango / P. MISRAKI ; l'orch. Tito FUGGI - RAPSODIE SUEDOISE, polka / H. ALLEN, FAITH ; l'orch. Franck POURCEL - PARIS CANAILLE, fox / L. FERRE ; l'orch. Noel CHIBOUSTBnF-Partenariats, Collection sonore - BelieveContient une table des matière
Identification of variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) sequences in Legionella pneumophila and development of an optimized multiple-locus VNTR analysis typing scheme
No full textThe utility of a genotypic typing assay for Legionella pneumophila was investigated. A multiple-locus variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) analysis (MLVA) scheme using PCR and agarose gel electrophoresis is proposed based on eight minisatellite markers. Panels of well-characterized strains were examined in a multicenter analysis to validate the assay and to compare its performance to that of other genotyping assays. Excellent typeability, reproducibility, stability, and epidemiological concordance were observed. The MLVA type or profile is composed of a string of allelle numbers, corresponding to the number of repeats at each VNTR locus, separated by commas, in a predetermined order. A database containing information from 99 L. pneumophila serogroup I strains and four strains of other serogroups and their MLVA profiles, which can be queried online, is available from http://bacterial-genotyping.igmors.u-psud.fr/
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
A Multi-Language Comparison of Influences on Author Verification using Character N-Grams
No full textWe create a new multi-language corpus for author verification based on Wikipedia talkpages, and evaluate the influence that differences in topic and time have on character n-gram author profiles. Topic alignment between two texts is found to increase author verification precision, and an authors writing style is found to change over time, but not more significantly after 3 years than after 1 year.Information ArchitectureWISElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
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