Local Graft Irradiation to Treat Refractory Acute Rejection in Pediatric and Young Adult Kidney Transplant Patients: A Case Series and Review of the Literature.

Background: Intravenous corticosteroids and anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) are standard treatment agents for acute T-cell mediated rejection (TCMR). Little data exist on the role of second-line treatment agents for TCMR when refractory to standard agents. Local graft irradiation (LGI) was historically used but there are few reports of its use in the modern era.

Exotic Invasive Plant Species Increase Primary Productivity, but Not in Their Native Ranges.

Ecosystem net primary productivity is thought to occur near the maximum that abiotic constraints allow; but exotic invasive plants often correlate with increased productivity. However, field patterns and experimental evidence for this come only from the non-native ranges of exotic species. Thus, we do not know if this pattern is caused by exotic invasions per se or whether successful exotic species are disproportionately productive or colonise more productive microsites.

Enhanced Quinolone Resistance and Differential Expression of Efflux Pump Genes in Grown in Platelet Concentrates.

: Platelet concentrates (PCs) are used in transfusion medicine to treat bleeding disorders. , a predominant PC contaminant, has been implicated in several adverse transfusion reactions. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of PC storage on resistance to quinolones, which are commonly used to treat infections.

Environmental cues in different host niches shape the survival fitness of Staphylococcus aureus.

The ability of Staphylococcus aureus to adapt and thrive in diverse host niches adds to the challenge in combating this ubiquitous pathogen. While extensive research has been pursued on the adaptive mechanisms of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) in various infection models, a comprehensive analysis of its fitness across different host niches is lacking.

Infection Risk Associated With Colonization by Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Bacteria: An Umbrella Review and Meta-analysis.

Background: Infections following colonization of multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB), particularly Enterobacterales with extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL-E) or carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), represent a major global health threat. Our aim was to assess quality of evidence and provide estimates on rate of infection following colonization with multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria.

Methods: We performed an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Effectiveness of L. Supplementation on Mood, Anxiety, and Sleep Quality: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study.

Background And Aims: Despite widespread use, more research is needed to assess the health effects of herbal plants. Preliminary research indicates that cucumber extract ( L.) is safe and may exhibit analgesic properties for joint pain, but studies on its impact on other health-related outcomes-including mood, sleep, and health-related quality of life-are lacking.

Development of a military-specific mesh-type computational phantom library and its application to internal dosimetry and in-field radiological triage screening.

Estimates of organ-absorbed and committed doses to individuals exposed to radioactive materials via acute inhalation often rely on internal dose coefficients and detector responses from reference human computational models. To achieve more accurate dose assessments to United States Armed Forces service members exposed in-field, computational models with varying morphometric parameters representative of this population are necessary. The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) Publication 145 provides detailed mesh reference computational phantoms (MRCPs) for adult males and females, with morphometric parameters matched to the 50th percentile.

Biofilm formation by is triggered by a drop in the levels of a cyclic dinucleotide.

The bacterial pathogen forms multicellular communities known as biofilms in which cells are held together by an extracellular matrix principally composed of repurposed cytoplasmic proteins and extracellular DNA. These biofilms assemble during infections or under laboratory conditions by growth on medium containing glucose, but the intracellular signal for biofilm formation and its downstream targets were unknown. Here, we present evidence that biofilm formation is triggered by a drop in the levels of the second messenger cyclic-di-AMP.

Characterization of YdgH: a mediator of beta-lactam susceptibility in Enterobacterales.

Beta-lactam antibiotics are often the treatment of choice for serious bacterial infections. In a previous screen for novel genetic mediators affecting beta-lactam susceptibility, we discovered that deletion of , a conserved gene of unknown function, leads to increased resistance to beta-lactams, as well as increased susceptibility to detergent compounds. Here, we further characterize YdgH in , and using a combination of biochemical and cell biological approaches.

Weather radar utility in hazard detection and response.

Publicly accessible weather radar data have significant capabilities for meteorological measurements and predictions and, further, have the potential to measure nonmeteorological events that include smoke, ash, and debris plumes as well as explosions. The ability to identify and track nonmeteorological events can be of assistance in emergency response, hazard mitigation, and related activities in locations where radar coverage both exists and is recorded and accessible to the user. In this study, events from multiple locations in the United States that are reported in news outlets are assessed using a manual inspection process of Level 2 weather radar data to identify anthropogenic and nonbiological returns.

Blue Light Compromises Bacterial β-Lactamases Activity to Overcome β-Lactam Resistance.

Objective: In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of antimicrobial blue light (aBL; 410 nm wavelength) against β-lactamase-carrying bacteria and the effect of aBL on the activity of β-lactamases.

Methods: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumoniae strains carrying β-lactamases as well as a purified β-lactamase enzymes were studied. β-lactamase activity was assessed using a chromogenic cephalosporin hydrolysis assay.

Revisiting the Historic Strontium-90 Ingestion Beagle Study Conducted at the University of California Davis: Opportunity in Archival Materials.

Strontium-90 is a radionuclide found in high concentrations in nuclear reactor waste and nuclear fallout from reactor accidents and atomic bomb explosions. In the 1950s, little was known regarding the health consequences of strontium-90 internalization. To assess the health effects of strontium-90 ingestion in infancy through adolescence, the Atomic Energy Commission and Department of Energy funded large-scale beagle studies at the University of California Davis.

Second Time's the Charm? Assessing the Sensitivity and Yield of Inpatient Diagnostic Algorithms for Pulmonary Tuberculosis in a Low-Prevalence Setting.

Background: For persons with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis, the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend collecting 3 respiratory specimens 8 to 24 hours apart for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear and culture, in addition to 1 nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT). However, data supporting this approach are limited. Our objective was to estimate the performance of 1, 2, or 3 AFB smears with or without NAATs to detect pulmonary tuberculosis in a low-prevalence setting.

Divergent genetic landscapes drive lower levels of AmpC induction and stable de-repression in compared to .

The chromosomally encoded AmpC beta-lactamase is widely distributed throughout the Enterobacterales. When expressed at high levels through transient induction or stable de-repression, resistance to ceftriaxone, a commonly used antibiotic, can develop. Recent clinical guidance suggests, based on limited evidence, that resistance may be less likely to develop in compared to the better-studied and recommends that ceftriaxone may be used if the clinical isolate tests susceptible.

Multicenter evaluation of the Selux Next-Generation Phenotyping antimicrobial susceptibility testing system.

The Selux Next-Generation Phenotyping (NGP) system (Charlestown, MA) is a new antimicrobial susceptibility testing system that utilizes two sequential assays performed on all wells of doubling dilution series to determine MICs. A multicenter evaluation of the performance of the Selux NGP system compared with reference broth microdilution was conducted following FDA recommendations and using FDA-defined breakpoints. A total of 2,488 clinical and challenge isolates were included; gram-negative isolates were tested against 24 antimicrobials, and gram-positive isolates were tested against 15 antimicrobials.

The Barriers Assessment Tool-A Patient-Centered Measure of Adherence Barriers in Pediatric Kidney Transplantation.

Objective: Assessing barriers to adherence provides helpful information to clinicians. The objective of this study was to describe the clinical utility of the Barriers Assessment Tool (BAT) using clinical data for a large, midwestern U.S.

Space-based quantum networking in the presence of a nuclear disturbed environment.

Space-based quantum networks provide a means for near-term long-distance transmission of quantum information. This article analyzed the performance of a downlink quantum network between a low-Earth-orbit satellite and an observatory operating in less-than-ideal atmospheric conditions. The effects from fog, haze, and a nuclear disturbed environment on the long-range distribution of quantum states were investigated.

If you don't test, they will not treat: Impact of stopping preoperative screening for asymptomatic bacteriuria.

Objective: Screening for asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) is not recommended outside of patients undergoing invasive urological procedures and during pregnancy. Despite national guidelines recommending against screening for ASB, this practice is prevalent. We present outcomes from a quality-improvement intervention targeting patients undergoing cardiac artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG) at Massachusetts General Hospital, a tertiary-care hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, where preoperative testing checklists were modified to remove routine urinalysis and urine culture.

Proof of principle study: synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microscopy for identification of previously radioactive microparticles and elemental mapping of FFPE tissues.

Biobanks containing formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues from animals and human atomic-bomb survivors exposed to radioactive particulates remain a vital resource for understanding the molecular effects of radiation exposure. These samples are often decades old and prepared using harsh fixation processes which limit sample imaging options. Optical imaging of hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained tissues may be the only feasible processing option, however, H&E images provide no information about radioactive microparticles or radioactive history.

Carfilzomib-based antibody mediated rejection therapy in pediatric kidney transplant recipients.

Background: To date, the evidence for proteasome-inhibitor (PI) based antibody mediated rejection (AMR) therapy has been with the first-generation PI bortezomib. Results have demonstrated encouraging efficacy for early AMR with lesser efficacy for late AMR. Unfortunately, bortezomib is associated with dose-limiting adverse effects in some patients.