A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

Meeting abstrac

A putative genomic island, PGI-1, in Ralstonia solanacearum biovar 2 revealed by subtractive hybridization

Ralstonia solanacearum biovar 2, a key bacterial pathogen of potato, has recently established in temperate climate waters. On the basis of isolates obtained from diseased (potato) plants, its genome has been assumed to be virtually clonal, but information on environmental isolates has been lacking. Based on differences in pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns, we compared the genomes of two biovar 2 strains with different life histories. Thus, genomic DNA of the novel environmental strain KZR-5 (The Netherlands) was compared to that of reference potato strain 715 (Bangladesh) by suppressive subtractive hybridization. Various strain-specific sequences were found, all being homologous to those found in the genome of reference potato strain 1609. Approximately 20% of these were related to genes involved in recombinational processes. We found a deletion of a 17.6-Kb region, denoted as a putative genomic island PGI-1, in environmental strain KZR-5. The deleted region was, at both extremes, flanked by a composite of two insertion sequence (IS) elements, identified as ISRso2 and ISRso3. The PGI-1 region contained open reading frames that putatively encoded a (p)ppGpp synthetase, a transporter protein, a transcriptional regulator, a cellobiohydrolase, a site-specific integrase/recombinase, a phage-related protein and seven hypothetical proteins. As yet, no phenotype could be assigned to the loss of PGI-1. The ecological behavior of strain KZR-5 was compared to that of reference strain 715. Strain KZR-5 showed enhanced tolerance to 4°C as compared to the reference strain, but was not affected in its virulence on tomato

New Detection Systems of Bacteria Using Highly Selective Media Designed by SMART: Selective Medium-Design Algorithm Restricted by Two Constraints

Culturing is an indispensable technique in microbiological research, and culturing with selective media has played a crucial role in the detection of pathogenic microorganisms and the isolation of commercially useful microorganisms from environmental samples. Although numerous selective media have been developed in empirical studies, unintended microorganisms often grow on such media probably due to the enormous numbers of microorganisms in the environment. Here, we present a novel strategy for designing highly selective media based on two selective agents, a carbon source and antimicrobials. We named our strategy SMART for highly Selective Medium-design Algorithm Restricted by Two constraints. To test whether the SMART method is applicable to a wide range of microorganisms, we developed selective media for Burkholderia glumae, Acidovorax avenae, Pectobacterium carotovorum, Ralstonia solanacearum, and Xanthomonas campestris. The series of media developed by SMART specifically allowed growth of the targeted bacteria. Because these selective media exhibited high specificity for growth of the target bacteria compared to established selective media, we applied three notable detection technologies: paper-based, flow cytometry-based, and color change-based detection systems for target bacteria species. SMART facilitates not only the development of novel techniques for detecting specific bacteria, but also our understanding of the ecology and epidemiology of the targeted bacteria

First case of stenting of a vulnerable plaque in the SECRITT I trial—the dawn of a new era?

Background. a 63-year-old man presented with class II anginal symptoms. Investigations. cardiac catheterization, intravascular ultrasound (IVus) virtual histology, optical coherence tomography and off-line palpography. Diagnosis. the patient was diagnosed as having a culprit lesion in the left circumflex artery and a vulnerable plaque in the left anterior descending artery. Management. the culprit lesion was treated with two overlapping drug-eluting stents. the vulnerable plaque was then treated with a self-expanding stent tailored to shield vulnerable plaques (vProtect (R) Luminal shield). after dilatation of the stent with a low-pressure balloon, IVus and optical coherence tomography showed excellent apposition of the stent to the vessel wall, with no signs of tissue prolapse or edge dissections. at the 6-month follow-up appointment, the stent showed complete tissue coverage without signs of in-stent restenosis. Conclusions. six months of follow-up has demonstrated that a patient with an IVUS-derived, thin capped fibroatheroma was successfully treated with a stent tailored to shield vulnerable plaques