Wheelermorales1241

Fibre is the viral protein that mediates the attachment and infection of adenovirus to the host cell. Fowl adenovirus 4 (FAdV-4) possesses two different fibre trimers on each penton capsomere, and roles of the separate fibres remain elusive. Here, we attempted to investigate the function of FAdV-4 fibres by using reverse genetics approaches. Adenoviral plasmids carrying fiber1 or fiber2 mutant genes were constructed and used to transfect chicken LMH cells. Fiber1-mutated recombinant virus could not be rescued. Such defective phenotype was complemented when a fiber1-bearing helper plasmid was included for co-transfection. The infection of fiber-intact FAdV-4 (FAdV4-GFP) to LMH cells could be blocked with purified fiber1 knob protein in a dose-dependent manner, while purifed fiber2 knob had no such function. On the contrary, fiber2-mutated FAdV-4, FAdV4XF2-GFP, was successfully rescued. The results of one-step growth curves showed that proliferative capacity of FAdV4XF2-GFP was 10 times lower than that of the control FAdV4-GFP. FAdV4XF2-GFP also caused fewer deaths of infected chicken embryos than FAdV4-GFP did, which resulted from poorer virus replication in vivo. These data illustrated that fiber1 mediated virus adsorption and was essential for FAdV-4, while fiber2 was dispensable although it significantly contributed to the virulence.Introduction. Drug resistant tuberculosis remains a worldwide problem that requires prompt diagnosis.Hypothesis/Gap statement. The WHO recommended direct, rapid Xpert MTB/RIF is prohibitively costly, therefore, there is a need to validate a rapid, affordable DST for use in low- and middle-income settings.Aim. The technical performance and time to results of a simple, direct microscopy-based slide DST (SDST) assay for diagnosis of rifampicin-resistant TB was evaluated in Uganda.Methodology. Sputum samples from 122 smear-positive re-treatment TB patients presenting to the TB treatment centre at Uganda's National Referral Hospital, Mulago, Kampala, Uganda were examined. The sputum samples were tested by the direct SDST which was compared to the indirect Lowenstein Jensen Proportion Method (LJDST) method as the gold standard. The time to results was defined as the time from DST setting to results interpretation. The results were further analysed for sensitivity and specificity as well as agreement between LJDST and SDST for rifampicin resistance determination.Results. A total of 117 smear positive sputum samples with valid results for both tests were compared. The median time to results for SDST was 14 days with an interquartile range (IQR) of 10-14 days compared to 60 days with IQR of 60-75 days for LJDST. The number for rifampicin resistance by the gold standard LJDST was 26. The SDST had a sensitivity of 96 % (95 %; CI 81-99 %) and a specificity of 97.8 % (95 %; CI 93-100 %). The Positive Predictive and Negative Predictive values for SDST were 92.3 % (95 %; CI 76.8-99 %) and 98.9 % (95 %; CI 94-100 %), respectively. The kappa agreement between SDST and LJDST was 92.3 %.Conclusion. The SDST was found to be a rapid and accurate direct test for the detection of rifampicin resistance among retreatment TB cases in low-income settings.Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy affecting men. Prostate biopsy remains the key clinical tool for selecting appropriate treatment options. The process of specimen collection and diagnosis is multistep and vulnerable to human error along every stage. Specimen provenance testing (SPT) aims to provide certainty that biopsy results can be trusted when recommending life changing treatments and has emerged as a necessary tool in medicine to counteract human error and specimen contamination. In this study we report our practice's experience using the Know Error test to verify prostate biopsy specimens. In this study, we retrospectively reviewed the results of a specific SPT known as Know Error which is used in our institution for specimen verification during prostate biopsy. Over a period of 16 months, we identified 445 patients with a total of 921 specimens. The percentage of patients who had 1, 2 or 3 specimens analyzed was 29%, 38%, and 30%, respectively. Our cohort's rate of specimen verification was 92.8% with a 2.8% contamination rate. The pathology reports for 445 patients were then examined to determine Gleason Grade Group (GG) showing 180 GG1 and 148 GG2 patients. Cross reference of pathology reports and Know Error reports showed 8 GG1 and 9 GG2 patients had contaminated biopsy specimens. Specimen provenance complications such as contamination can negatively impact patient counselling and treatment modalities leading to unnecessary intervention and detrimental patient outcomes.Prostate cancer is rarely metastatic to visceral organs, and even less commonly to the brain. Recent data suggests brain metastasis from prostatic adenocarcinoma occur in 0.16% of patients, and almost universally in the setting of very high-volume disease. We present a man with an abruptly symptomatic brain lesion that developed at a PSA value of 1.5 ng/mL with no other known metastatic disease and required emergent neurosurgical resection. The patient had been initially treated with radiotherapy for Grade Group 4 prostate cancer in 2005 with a long period of PSA suppression.Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a cutaneous inflammatory disorder that results in painful ulcers. Isolated penile PG is an exceedingly rare entity that has only been reported in a handful of cases. This case highlights the course of a 71-year old man with a locally destructive, nonhealing penile ulceration who was ultimately diagnosed with PG. check details He underwent extensive work up to reach the diagnosis. His disease progression was halted with systemic steroids and Methotrexate. We present his clinical course and a review of the literature to highlight the need for early recognition of this potentially devastating condition and to outline management options.Non-obstructive, chronic flank pain in urologic patients can be a challenging problem to manage. In this series, we examined the efficacy of celiac plexus blockade in providing pain relief and reducing opiate use in 14 adult urology patients with non-obstructive flank pain for > 1 year. Demographic, clinical, and procedural variables were collected from the medical record for retrospective analysis. Subjective improvement in pain occurred in 11 individuals (79%), and 5 (50%) were able to reduce their daily morphine equivalent dose (MED). Celiac plexus blockade is a viable option for symptomatic relief in urologic patients with non-obstructive chronic flank pain.