Description of <i>Acinetobacter venetianus ex</i> Di Cello <i>et al.</i> 1997 sp. nov.

The name ‘Acinetobacter venetianus’ has been used previously to designate three marine hydrocarbon-degrading Acinetobacter strains, of which strain RAG-1 (=ATCC 31012) has industrial applications for the production of the bioemulsifier emulsan. However, to date, the name of this taxon has not been validly published. In this study, five strains were examined to corroborate the delineation of this taxon by means of phenotypic characterization, DNA–DNA hybridization, selective restriction fragment amplification (AFLP), amplified rDNA restriction analysis (ARDRA), rpoB gene sequence analysis and tRNA intergenic spacer length polymorphism analysis (tDNA-PCR) and to emend the description of ‘Acinetobacter venetianus’ (ex Di Cello et al. 1997 ). AFLP analysis showed that the five strains formed a tight cluster at 56.8±5.0 % genomic relatedness that was separated from strains of other haemolytic species of the genus Acinetobacter and from the type and reference strains of other Acinetobacter species at ≤27 % relatedness, indicating the distinctiveness of the novel strains. The strains were haemolytic and able to grow on citrate (Simmons), L-histidine and malonate. The strains did not oxidize D-glucose or utilize DL-lactate or L-aspartate. The G+C contents of strains RAG-1 and of VE-C3 were 43.9 % and 43.6 mol%, respectively. The novel strains could be recognized by a characteristic ARDRA pattern (CfoI 1, AluI 3, MboI 2, RsaI 2, MspI 3). The consensus tDNA-PCR pattern for the five strains consisted of amplified fragments of 87.9, 100.2, 134.6 and 248.5 bp and was indistinguishable from that of strains of Acinetobacter genomic species 14BJ. The five strains represent a novel species for which the name Acinetobacter venetianus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is RAG-1T (=ATCC 31012T=CCUG 45561T=LMG 19082T=LUH 3904T=NIPH 1925T)

Novel benzothiazole-based ureas as 17β-HSD10 inhibitors, a potential Alzheimer’s disease treatment

Funding: This work was supported by Alzheimer’s Society (specifically The Barcopel Foundation), Scottish Universities Life Science Alliance (SULSA), The Rosetrees Trust, WT-ISSF and RS MacDonald Charitable Trust, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of Czech Republic (project ESF no. CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/18_069/0010054), and University of Hradec Kralove (Faculty of Science, no. VT2019-2021, SV2115-2018, and Postdoctoral job positions at UHK).It has long been established, that mitochondrial dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients can trigger pathological changes in cell metabolism by altering metabolic enzymes such as the mitochondrial 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 10 (17β-HSD10) also known as amyloid-binding alcohol dehydrogenase (ABAD). We and others have shown that frentizole and riluzole derivatives can inhibit 17β-HSD10 and that this inhibition is beneficial and holds therapeutic merit for the treatment of AD. Here we evaluate several novel series based on benzothiazolylurea scaffold evaluating key structural and activity relationships required for the inhibition of 17β-HSD10. Results show that the most promising of these compounds have markedly increased potency on our previously published inhibitors, with the most promising exhibiting advantageous features like low cytotoxicity and target engagement in living cells.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Trends in invasive bacterial diseases during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic: analyses of prospective surveillance data from 30 countries and territories in the IRIS Consortium.

BACKGROUND: The Invasive Respiratory Infection Surveillance (IRIS) Consortium was established to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on invasive diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Streptococcus agalactiae. We aimed to analyse the incidence and distribution of these diseases during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the 2 years preceding the pandemic. METHODS: For this prospective analysis, laboratories in 30 countries and territories representing five continents submitted surveillance data from Jan 1, 2018, to Jan 2, 2022, to private projects within databases in PubMLST. The impact of COVID-19 containment measures on the overall number of cases was analysed, and changes in disease distributions by patient age and serotype or group were examined. Interrupted time-series analyses were done to quantify the impact of pandemic response measures and their relaxation on disease rates, and autoregressive integrated moving average models were used to estimate effect sizes and forecast counterfactual trends by hemisphere. FINDINGS: Overall, 116 841 cases were analysed: 76 481 in 2018-19, before the pandemic, and 40 360 in 2020-21, during the pandemic. During the pandemic there was a significant reduction in the risk of disease caused by S pneumoniae (risk ratio 0·47; 95% CI 0·40-0·55), H influenzae (0·51; 0·40-0·66) and N meningitidis (0·26; 0·21-0·31), while no significant changes were observed for S agalactiae (1·02; 0·75-1·40), which is not transmitted via the respiratory route. No major changes in the distribution of cases were observed when stratified by patient age or serotype or group. An estimated 36 289 (95% prediction interval 17 145-55 434) cases of invasive bacterial disease were averted during the first 2 years of the pandemic among IRIS-participating countries and territories. INTERPRETATION: COVID-19 containment measures were associated with a sustained decrease in the incidence of invasive disease caused by S pneumoniae, H influenzae, and N meningitidis during the first 2 years of the pandemic, but cases began to increase in some countries towards the end of 2021 as pandemic restrictions were lifted. These IRIS data provide a better understanding of microbial transmission, will inform vaccine development and implementation, and can contribute to health-care service planning and provision of policies. FUNDING: Wellcome Trust, NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Torsten Söderberg Foundation, Stockholm County Council, Swedish Research Council, German Federal Ministry of Health, Robert Koch Institute, Pfizer, Merck, and the Greek National Public Health Organization

Changes in the incidence of invasive disease due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis during the COVID-19 pandemic in 26 countries and territories in the Invasive Respiratory Infection Surveillance Initiative: a prospective analysis of surveillance data.

BACKGROUND: Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Neisseria meningitidis, which are typically transmitted via respiratory droplets, are leading causes of invasive diseases, including bacteraemic pneumonia and meningitis, and of secondary infections subsequent to post-viral respiratory disease. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of invasive disease due to these pathogens during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: In this prospective analysis of surveillance data, laboratories in 26 countries and territories across six continents submitted data on cases of invasive disease due to S pneumoniae, H influenzae, and N meningitidis from Jan 1, 2018, to May, 31, 2020, as part of the Invasive Respiratory Infection Surveillance (IRIS) Initiative. Numbers of weekly cases in 2020 were compared with corresponding data for 2018 and 2019. Data for invasive disease due to Streptococcus agalactiae, a non-respiratory pathogen, were collected from nine laboratories for comparison. The stringency of COVID-19 containment measures was quantified using the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker. Changes in population movements were assessed using Google COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports. Interrupted time-series modelling quantified changes in the incidence of invasive disease due to S pneumoniae, H influenzae, and N meningitidis in 2020 relative to when containment measures were imposed. FINDINGS: 27 laboratories from 26 countries and territories submitted data to the IRIS Initiative for S pneumoniae (62 837 total cases), 24 laboratories from 24 countries submitted data for H influenzae (7796 total cases), and 21 laboratories from 21 countries submitted data for N meningitidis (5877 total cases). All countries and territories had experienced a significant and sustained reduction in invasive diseases due to S pneumoniae, H influenzae, and N meningitidis in early 2020 (Jan 1 to May 31, 2020), coinciding with the introduction of COVID-19 containment measures in each country. By contrast, no significant changes in the incidence of invasive S agalactiae infections were observed. Similar trends were observed across most countries and territories despite differing stringency in COVID-19 control policies. The incidence of reported S pneumoniae infections decreased by 68% at 4 weeks (incidence rate ratio 0·32 [95% CI 0·27-0·37]) and 82% at 8 weeks (0·18 [0·14-0·23]) following the week in which significant changes in population movements were recorded. INTERPRETATION: The introduction of COVID-19 containment policies and public information campaigns likely reduced transmission of S pneumoniae, H influenzae, and N meningitidis, leading to a significant reduction in life-threatening invasive diseases in many countries worldwide. FUNDING: Wellcome Trust (UK), Robert Koch Institute (Germany), Federal Ministry of Health (Germany), Pfizer, Merck, Health Protection Surveillance Centre (Ireland), SpID-Net project (Ireland), European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (European Union), Horizon 2020 (European Commission), Ministry of Health (Poland), National Programme of Antibiotic Protection (Poland), Ministry of Science and Higher Education (Poland), Agencia de Salut Pública de Catalunya (Spain), Sant Joan de Deu Foundation (Spain), Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation (Sweden), Swedish Research Council (Sweden), Region Stockholm (Sweden), Federal Office of Public Health of Switzerland (Switzerland), and French Public Health Agency (France)

Cold winds and warm attachments: Interrogating the personal attachment to neoliberal work and economy

The question of personal attachment to work in neoliberalism is subject to debate. Some scholars postulate that personal attachment to work based on durability, collectivity and predictability is weakening because of changes in its organisation; work ceases to provide the basis of subjectivity and identity. Conversely, others claim work, and neoliberal economic logic generally, pervades ever deeper into our lives, shapes our subjectivity, and incites personal and individualised attachments. This article describes four ways social scientists have understood personal attachments: entrepreneurship discourse; biocracy; approaches emphasising desire, lack and affect; and approaches highlighting the normative justifications and ethics of the self. It interrogates their theoretical underpinnings, empirical focus and points of confluence and difference