Connectivity Infrastructure and Components for POCT Environments - Overall Infrastructure

Connectivity infrastructure, hardware and software components for point-of-care testing (POCT) environments at medium-to-large sized hospitals with expected number of POCT instruments in the order of hundreds or thousands are described. The instruments include both network-ready and non-network-ready devices. The latter are connected to the network by means of a hardware-based Instrument Network Adapter. Instrument messages are converted to standardized form and, depending on message content, are routed and delivered to appropriate destinations by a software-based Message Routing System consisting of a Message Router and a Delivery Agent. Target information systems consist of departmental and central information systems.     

Partial Reduction in BRCA1 Gene Dose Modulates DNA Replication Stress Level and Thereby Contributes to Sensitivity or Resistance

BRCA1 is a well-known breast cancer risk gene, involved in DNA damage repair via homologous recombination (HR) and replication fork protection. Therapy resistance was linked to loss and amplification of the BRCA1 gene causing inferior survival of breast cancer patients. Most studies have focused on the analysis of complete loss or mutations in functional domains of BRCA1. How mutations in non-functional domains contribute to resistance mechanisms remains elusive and was the focus of this study. Therefore, clones of the breast cancer cell line MCF7 with indels in BRCA1 exon 9 and 14 were generated using CRISPR/Cas9. Clones with successful introduced BRCA1 mutations were evaluated regarding their capacity to perform HR, how they handle DNA replication stress (RS), and the consequences on the sensitivity to MMC, PARP1 inhibition, and ionizing radiation. Unexpectedly, BRCA1 mutations resulted in both increased sensitivity and resistance to exogenous DNA damage, despite a reduction of HR capacity in all clones. Resistance was associated with improved DNA double-strand break repair and reduction in replication stress (RS). Lower RS was accompanied by increased activation and interaction of proteins essential for the S phase-specific DNA damage response consisting of HR proteins, FANCD2, and CHK1.     

Significant histamine formation in tuna (Thunnus albacares) at 2 degrees C--effect of vacuum- and modified atmosphere-packaging on psychrotolerant bacteria

Occurrence and importance of psychrotolerant histamine producing bacteria in chilled fresh tuna were demonstrated in the present study. The objective was to evaluate microbial formation of histamine and biogenic amines in chilled fresh tuna from the Indian Ocean and stored either vacuum-packed (VP) or modified atmosphere-packed (MAP). Firstly, biogenic amines and the dominating microbiota were determined in VP tuna involved in an outbreak of histamine fish poisoning in Denmark. Secondly, the microbiota of fresh MAP tuna was evaluated at the time of processing in Sri Lanka and chemical, microbial and sensory changes were evaluated during storage at 1-3 degrees C. To explain the results obtained with naturally contaminated tuna the effect of VP and MAP on biogenic amine formation by psychrotolerant bacteria was evaluated in challenge tests at 2 degrees C and 10 degrees C. The VP tuna that caused histamine fish poisoning had a histamine concentration of >7000 mg/kg and this high concentration was most likely produced by psychrotolerant Morganella morganii-like bacteria or by Photobacterium phosphoreum. Similar psychrotolerant M. morganii-like bacteria dominated the spoilage microbiota of fresh MAP tuna with 60% CO2/40% N2 and formed >5000 mg/kg of histamine after 24 days at 1.7 degrees C. These psychrotolerant bacteria were biochemically similar to M. morganii subsp. morganii and their 16S rDNA (1495 bp) showed >98% sequence similarity to the type strain of this species. Toxic concentrations of histamine were produced at 2.1 degrees C in inoculated VP tuna by both the psychrotolerant M. morganii-like bacteria (7400+/-1050 mg/kg) and P. phosphoreum (4250+/-2050 mg/kg). Interestingly, MAP with 40% CO2/60% O2, in challenge tests, had a strong inhibitory effect on growth and histamine formation by both the psychrotolerant M. morganii-like bacteria and P. phosphoreum. In agreement with this, no formation of histamine was found in naturally contaminated fresh MAP tuna with 40% CO2/60% O2 during 28 days of storage at 1.0 degrees C. To reduce current problems with histamine fish poisoning due to VP tuna it is suggested, for lean tuna loins, to replace vacuum packaging with MAP containing approximately 40% CO2 and approximately 60% O2.     

In situ measurements of human cough aerosol hygroscopicity

The airborne dynamics of respiratory droplets, and the transmission routes of pathogens embedded within them, are governed primarily by the diameter of the particles. These particles are composed of the fluid which lines the respiratory tract, and is primarily mucins and salts, which will interact with the atmosphere and evaporate to reach an equilibrium diameter. Measuring organic volume fraction (OVF) of cough aerosol has proved challenging due to large variability and low material volume produced after coughing. Here, the diametric hygroscopic growth factors (GF) of the cough aerosol produced by healthy participants were measured in situ using a rotating aerosol suspension chamber and a humidification tandem differential mobility analyser. Using hygroscopicity models, it was estimated that the average OVF in the evaporated cough aerosol was 0.88 ± 0.07 and the average GF at 90% relative humidity (RH) was 1.31 ± 0.03. To reach equilibrium in dry air the droplets will reduce in diameter by a factor of approximately 2.8 with an evaporation factor of 0.36 ± 0.05. Hysteresis was observed in cough aerosol at RH = ∼35% and RH = ∼65% for efflorescence and deliquescence, respectively, and may depend on the OVF. The same behaviour and GF were observed in nebulized bovine bronchoalveolar lavage fluid.     

Competing topological phases in few-layer graphene

We investigate the effect of spin-orbit coupling on the band structure of graphene-based two-dimensional Dirac fermion gases in the quantum Hall regime. Taking monolayer graphene as our first candidate, we show that a quantum phase transition between two distinct topological states—the quantum Hall and the quantum spin Hall phases—can be driven by simply tuning the Fermi level with a gate voltage. This transition is characterized by the existence of a chiral spin-polarized edge state propagating along the interface separating the two topological phases. We then apply our analysis to the more difficult case of bilayer graphene. Unlike in monolayer graphene, spin-orbit coupling by itself has indeed been predicted to be unsuccessful in driving bilayer graphene into a topological phase, due to the existence of an even number of pairs of spin-polarized edge states. While we show that this remains the case in the quantum Hall regime, we point out that by additionally breaking the layer inversion symmetry, a non-trivial quantum spin Hall phase can re-emerge in bilayer graphene at low energy. We consider two different symmetry-breaking mechanisms: inducing spin-orbit coupling only in the upper layer, and applying a perpendicular electric field. In both cases, the presence at low energy of an odd number of pairs of edge states can be driven by an exchange field. The related situation in trilayer graphene is also discussed.     

Willing and able to fake emotions: A closer examination of the link between emotional dissonance and employee well-being.

Emotional dissonance resulting from an employee's emotional labor is usually considered to lead to negative employee outcomes, such as job dissatisfaction and emotional exhaustion. Drawing on Festinger's (1957) cognitive dissonance theory, we argue that the relationship between service employees' surface acting and job dissatisfaction and emotional exhaustion is moderated by 2 aspects of a service worker's self-concept: the importance of displaying authentic emotions (reflecting the self-concept's self-liking dimension) and the employee's self-efficacy when faking emotions (reflecting the self-competence dimension). A survey of 528 frontline employees from a wide variety of service jobs provides support for the moderating role of both self-concept dimensions, which moderate 3 out of 4 relationships. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed from the perspectives of cognitive dissonance and emotional labor theories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Remodeling of fibrinogen by endothelial cells in dependence on fibronectin matrix assembly. Effect of substratum wettability

The endothelization of cardiovascular implants is desirable to improve their blood compatibility. The capacity of the endothelial cells to attach, migrate, proliferate and function on the implant surface depends on the presence of matrix proteins such as fibronectin (FN) and fibrinogen (FNG). In this study, we show that the deposition of fibrinogen into extracellular matrix-like structures by human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) is dependent on FN matrix formation. We found further that the process of organization of both adsorbed and soluble FN and FNG is dependent on the wettability of materials since it was observed only on a hydrophilic and not on a hydrophobic model surface. ₃ integrin was involved in the process of cell attachment to adsorbed FNG, while the mechanism of FNG fibrillogenesis required the activity of the ₁ integrin. Studies of EC morphology showed the predominant peripheral organization of actin filaments and the formation of distinct leading and trailing cell edges suggesting a motile phenotype of cells when they are seeded on FNG. In summary, we concluded that adsorbed fibrinogen may enhance the motility of HUVEC and that soluble FNG requires FN matrix assembly to be organized in fibrilar structures.     

Xenoislet transplantation: experimental and clinical aspects

Ten diabetic renal transplant patients had porcine fetal islet-like cell clusters (ICC) injected intraportally or placed under the kidney capsule. In some patients, temporary graft survival was achieved, as evidenced by the urinary excretion of small amounts of porcine C-peptide (4 patients) and the identification of some intact insulin-staining cells in a biopsy specimen (1 patient). Glucose metabolism remained unaffected. To improve the results, better islets and better immunosuppressive protocols are required. We found that, while fetal porcine ICC produced insulin only after several weeks, adult islets gave immediate insulin production. The search for an optimal immunosuppression was conducted in the pig-to-rat islet transplant model. A clear inhibitory effect on the xenograft rejection was observed when using some of the new drugs. The best results were achieved with a triple drug regimen consisting of cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil and leflunomide.