The epidemiology of Candida species isolated from urinary tract infections

Candida spp. are members of a genus, including closely related fungal species that cause a variety of infections. Objectives: The aim of this study was the isolation of various Candida species from vulvovaginitis and urethra of patients in Neyshabur, Northeast Iran from 2013 to 2015. Methods: This descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study was performed to identify Candida spp. causing vulvovaginitis and Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) at a referral laboratory in Neyshabur district, Khorasan Razavi Province. A total of 451 vaginal and midstream urine samples were collected. Ten micro-liters of each specimen was cultured on CHROM agar plates and then incubated at 37°C for 24 to 48 hours, aerobically. Candida species were identified based on colony morphology, germ tube production and micro-morphology on corn meal agar including 1% Tween 80. Results: The mean age of the patients was 34.7_16.3. Candida albicans was the predominant species isolated. Moreover, age groups of 21 to 30 and 0 to 1 years were the most and the least infected individuals. Moreover, Candida spp. were significantly morecommon in females compared to males (P value 103. Conclusions: In this study, C. albicans was the most common species isolated from patients with vulvovaginitis and UTI, and significantly more common amongst females compared to males. The prevalence of candida spp. had significantly declined from 2013 to 2015. Moreover, the candida spp. counts were mostly higher than 103cfu/mL

Orbital textures and charge density waves in transition metal dichalcogenides

Low-dimensional electron systems, as realized naturally in graphene or created artificially at the interfaces of heterostructures, exhibit a variety of fascinating quantum phenomena with great prospects for future applications. Once electrons are confined to low dimensions, they also tend to spontaneously break the symmetry of the underlying nuclear lattice by forming so-called density waves; a state of matter that currently attracts enormous attention because of its relation to various unconventional electronic properties. In this study we reveal a remarkable and surprising feature of charge density waves (CDWs), namely their intimate relation to orbital order. For the prototypical material 1T-TaS2 we not only show that the CDW within the two-dimensional TaS2-layers involves previously unidentified orbital textures of great complexity. We also demonstrate that two metastable stackings of the orbitally ordered layers allow to manipulate salient features of the electronic structure. Indeed, these orbital effects enable to switch the properties of 1T-TaS2 nanostructures from metallic to semiconducting with technologically pertinent gaps of the order of 200 meV. This new type of orbitronics is especially relevant for the ongoing development of novel, miniaturized and ultra-fast devices based on layered transition metal dichalcogenides

A review of information flow diagrammatic models for product-service systems

A product-service system (PSS) is a combination of products and services to create value for both customers and manufacturers. Modelling a PSS based on function orientation offers a useful way to distinguish system inputs and outputs with regards to how data are consumed and information is used, i.e. information flow. This article presents a review of diagrammatic information flow tools, which are designed to describe a system through its functions. The origin, concept and applications of these tools are investigated, followed by an analysis of information flow modelling with regards to key PSS properties. A case study of selection laser melting technology implemented as PSS will then be used to show the application of information flow modelling for PSS design. A discussion based on the usefulness of the tools in modelling the key elements of PSS and possible future research directions are also presented

Parent-of-origin-specific allelic associations among 106 genomic loci for age at menarche.

Age at menarche is a marker of timing of puberty in females. It varies widely between individuals, is a heritable trait and is associated with risks for obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and all-cause mortality. Studies of rare human disorders of puberty and animal models point to a complex hypothalamic-pituitary-hormonal regulation, but the mechanisms that determine pubertal timing and underlie its links to disease risk remain unclear. Here, using genome-wide and custom-genotyping arrays in up to 182,416 women of European descent from 57 studies, we found robust evidence (P < 5 × 10(-8)) for 123 signals at 106 genomic loci associated with age at menarche. Many loci were associated with other pubertal traits in both sexes, and there was substantial overlap with genes implicated in body mass index and various diseases, including rare disorders of puberty. Menarche signals were enriched in imprinted regions, with three loci (DLK1-WDR25, MKRN3-MAGEL2 and KCNK9) demonstrating parent-of-origin-specific associations concordant with known parental expression patterns. Pathway analyses implicated nuclear hormone receptors, particularly retinoic acid and γ-aminobutyric acid-B2 receptor signalling, among novel mechanisms that regulate pubertal timing in humans. Our findings suggest a genetic architecture involving at least hundreds of common variants in the coordinated timing of the pubertal transition

Key indicators to track current progress and future ambition of the Paris Agreement

Current emission pledges to the Paris Agreement appear insufficient to hold the global average temperature increase to well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels. Yet, details are missing on how to track progress towards the â € Paris goal', inform the five-yearly â € global stocktake', and increase the ambition of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). We develop a nested structure of key indicators to track progress through time. Global emissions track aggregated progress, country-level decompositions track emerging trends that link directly to NDCs, and technology diffusion indicates future reductions. We find the recent slowdown in global emissions growth is due to reduced growth in coal use since 2011, primarily in China and secondarily in the United States. The slowdown is projected to continue in 2016, with global CO 2 emissions from fossil fuels and industry similar to the 2015 level of 36 GtCO 2. Explosive and policy-driven growth in wind and solar has contributed to the global emissions slowdown, but has been less important than economic factors and energy efficiency. We show that many key indicators are currently broadly consistent with emission scenarios that keep temperatures below 2 °C, but the continued lack of large-scale carbon capture and storage threatens 2030 targets and the longer-term Paris ambition of net-zero emissions

The epidemiology and transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the community in Singapore: study protocol for a longitudinal household study.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most common multidrug-resistant organisms in healthcare settings worldwide, but little is known about MRSA transmission outside of acute healthcare settings especially in Asia. We describe the methods for a prospective longitudinal study of MRSA prevalence and transmission. METHODS: MRSA-colonized individuals were identified from MRSA admission screening at two tertiary hospitals and recruited together with their household contacts. Participants submitted self-collected nasal, axilla and groin (NAG) swabs by mail for MRSA culture at baseline and monthly thereafter for 6 months. A comparison group of households of MRSA-negative patients provided swab samples at one time point. In a validation sub-study, separate swabs from each site were collected from randomly selected individuals, to compare MRSA detection rates between swab sites, and between samples collected by participants versus those collected by trained research staff. Information on each participant's demographic information, medical status and medical history, past healthcare facilities usage and contacts, and personal interactions with others were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: Understanding the dynamics of MRSA persistence and transmission in the community is crucial to devising and evaluating successful MRSA control strategies. Close contact with MRSA colonized patients may to be important for MRSA persistence in the community; evidence from this study on the extent of community MRSA could inform the development of household- or community-based interventions to reduce MRSA colonization of close contacts and subsequent re-introduction of MRSA into healthcare settings. Analysis of longitudinal data using whole-genome sequencing will yield further information regarding MRSA transmission within households, with significant implications for MRSA infection control outside acute hospital settings

Dental management considerations for the patient with an acquired coagulopathy. Part 1: Coagulopathies from systemic disease

Current teaching suggests that many patients are at risk for prolonged bleeding during and following invasive dental procedures, due to an acquired coagulopathy from systemic disease and/or from medications. However, treatment standards for these patients often are the result of long-standing dogma with little or no scientific basis. The medical history is critical for the identification of patients potentially at risk for prolonged bleeding from dental treatment. Some time-honoured laboratory tests have little or no use in community dental practice. Loss of functioning hepatic, renal, or bone marrow tissue predisposes to acquired coagulopathies through different mechanisms, but the relationship to oral haemostasis is poorly understood. Given the lack of established, science-based standards, proper dental management requires an understanding of certain principles of pathophysiology for these medical conditions and a few standard laboratory tests. Making changes in anticoagulant drug regimens are often unwarranted and/or expensive, and can put patients at far greater risk for morbidity and mortality than the unlikely outcome of postoperative bleeding. It should be recognised that prolonged bleeding is a rare event following invasive dental procedures, and therefore the vast majority of patients with suspected acquired coagulopathies are best managed in the community practice setting

Demand-side approaches for limiting global warming to 1.5 °C

The Paris Climate Agreement defined an ambition of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C above preindustrial levels. This has triggered research on stringent emission reduction targets and corresponding mitigation pathways across energy economy and societal systems. Driven by methodological considerations, supply side and carbon dioxide removal options feature prominently in the emerging pathway literature, while much less attention has been given to the role of demand-side approaches. This special issue addresses this gap, and aims to broaden and strengthen the knowledge base in this key research and policy area. This editorial paper synthesizes the special issue’s contributions horizontally through three shared themes we identify: policy interventions, demand-side measures, and methodological approaches. The review of articles is supplemented by insights from other relevant literature. Overall, our paper underlines that stringent demand-side policy portfolios are required to drive the pace and direction of deep decarbonization pathways and keep the 1.5 °C target within reach. It confirms that insufficient attention has been paid to demand-side measures, which are found to be inextricably linked to supply-side decarbonization and able to complement supply-side measures. The paper also shows that there is an abundance of demand-side measures to limit warming to 1.5 °C, but it warns that not all of these options are “seen” or captured by current quantitative tools or progress indicators, and some remain insufficiently represented in the current policy discourse. Based on the set of papers presented in the special issue, we conclude that demand-side mitigation in line with the 1.5 °C goal is possible; however, it remains enormously challenging and dependent on both innovative technologies and policies, and behavioral change. Limiting warming to 1.5 °C requires, more than ever, a plurality of methods and integrated behavioral and technology approaches to better support policymaking and resulting policy interventions

5-Formylcytosine alters the structure of the DNA double helix.

The modified base 5-formylcytosine (5fC) was recently identified in mammalian DNA and might be considered to be the 'seventh' base of the genome. This nucleotide has been implicated in active demethylation mediated by the base excision repair enzyme thymine DNA glycosylase. Genomics and proteomics studies have suggested an additional role for 5fC in transcription regulation through chromatin remodeling. Here we propose that 5fC might affect these processes through its effect on DNA conformation. Biophysical and structural analysis revealed that 5fC alters the structure of the DNA double helix and leads to a conformation unique among known DNA structures including those comprising other cytosine modifications. The 1.4-Å-resolution X-ray crystal structure of a DNA dodecamer comprising three 5fCpG sites shows how 5fC changes the geometry of the grooves and base pairs associated with the modified base, leading to helical underwinding.E.-A.R. is supported as a Herchel Smith Fellow. The Balasubramanian laboratory is supported by a Senior Investigator Award from the Wellcome Trust (099232/Z/12/Z to S.B.), and it also receives core funding from Cancer Research UK (C9681/A11961 to S.B.). D.Y.C. is supported by the Crystallographic X-ray Facility (CXF) at the Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, and B.F.L. is supported by the Wellcome Trust (076846/Z/05/A to B.F.L.). We thank the staff of Soleil and Diamond Light Source for use of facilities. We thank C. Calladine for stimulating discussions.This is the accepted manuscript for a paper published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology 22, 44–49 (2015) doi: 10.1038/nsmb.293

Swallowing, nutrition and patient-rated functional outcomes at 6 months following two non-surgical treatments for T1-T3 oropharyngeal cancer

Altered fractionation radiotherapy with concomitant boost (AFRT-CB) may be considered an alternative treatment for patients not appropriate for chemoradiation (CRT). As functional outcomes following AFRT-CB have been minimally reported, this exploratory paper describes the outcomes of patients managed with AFRT-CB or CRT at 6 months post-treatment