Rapid and accurate identification of carriers of resistant microorganisms is an important aspect of efficient infection control in hospitals. Traditional identification methods of antibiotic-resistant bacteria usually take at least 3 to 4 days after sampling. A duplex real-time PCR assay was developed for rapid detection of ampicillin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (ARE). Primers and probes tha...

The COBAS AMPLICOR Mycobacterium tuberculosis assay was evaluated for routine detection and identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) in 629 sputum samples. In addition to the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), diagnostic culture, which is considered the reference method, was also performed on theses samples. Of the 629 specimens tested, 64 were culture positive for M. tuberculo...

Pyrophosphate (PPi) participates in many biological and chemical processes such as energy transduction so that investigations on its role and detection have become very significant. In this contribution, we have developed a molecular logic gate for the recognition of PPi with a fluorescent hypocrellin A-zinc(II) complex (HA-Zn(2+)), and the outputs of which correspond to the fluorescence emissi...

We conducted a multicenter prospective study to document changes in nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Branhamella catarrhalis during antibiotic therapy. A cohort of 629 children with respiratory tract infections underwent nasopharyngeal sampling before and after antibiotic treatment. Susceptibility testing, serotyping, arbitrarily primed polymerase...

We examine spectral time series of coronal line Mg ix 368 A and transition region line O v 629 A, observed with the Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer (CDS) onboard the SOHO spacecraft. Primarily we were looking for intensity and velocity oscillations in polar plumes, however by chance we detected a giant macro-spicule at the limb and were able to follow its dynamical structure. Blue and red-shift...

OBJECTIVE To examine and compare the extent to which people with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are achieving haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), blood pressure (BP) and LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) treatment targets. METHODS A review of databases (MEDLINE Ovid, Pubmed and Sabinet) was performed and limited to the following terms: type 2 diabetes mellitus AND guideline AND goal achievement for the years 2009 to 2014...

Pulmonary hypertension is a severe life-limiting disease, often affecting younger patients. The connection between HIV infection and the development of pulmonary hypertension is well documented (Mette 1992, Simonneau 2004). However, the underlying pathobiology still remains unclear. Given that the prognosis of HIV infection has been improved by HAART, severe pulmonary hypertension is becoming a...