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Conventional Methods for the Diagnosis of Dermatophytosis
Dermatophytes are keratinolytic fungi responsible for a large variety of diseases that can affect glabrous skin, nails and hair. In many cases, the diagnosis is not clinically obvious, and mycological analysis is required. This includes both direct microscopic examination and cultures. First of all, clinical specimens have to be sampled according to localization and characteristics of the lesions. Direct microscopic examination is usually performed using clearing reagents (KOH or Amman's chloral-lactophenol), but its sensitivity may be greatly enhanced by the use of stains or fluorochromes such as Congo red or Calcofluor white. Histological analysis is an efficient method, but it is constraining for the patients and, as direct examination, it does not allow precise identification of the pathogen. Cultures are therefore needed, and specific culture media may be used to overcome the growth of rapidly growing contaminating moulds which may hamper the recovery of dermatophytes. Identification at the species level which may be useful to initiate an appropriate treatment or for setting prophylactic measures, relies on macroscopic and microscopic morphology. Subcultures on culture media which stimulate conidiation and, for some species, the production of pigments, are often necessary. Additionally, in case of atypical isolates, some biochemical or physiological tests may be performed such as the search for urease activity or the in vitro hair perforation test. However, their contribution to species identification is rather limited, and progress is still needed for the development of biochemical or immunological tests allowing an accurate identification at the species level, pending for the availability of molecular biology-based kits.
Journal Article
Separate games : African American sport behind the walls of segregation
The hardening of racial lines during the first half of the twentieth century eliminated almost all African Americans from white organized sports, forcing black athletes to form their own teams, organizations, and events. This separate sporting culture, explored in the twelve essays included here, comprised much more than athletic competition; these \"separate games\" provided examples of black enterprise and black self-help and showed the importance of agency and the quest for racial uplift in a country fraught with racialist thinking and discrimination.
Book
A Fusion Algorithm Based on a Constant Velocity Model for Improving the Measurement of Saccade Parameters with Electrooculography
Electrooculography (EOG) serves as a widely employed technique for tracking saccadic eye movements in a diverse array of applications. These encompass the identification of various medical conditions and the development of interfaces facilitating human–computer interaction. Nonetheless, EOG signals are often met with skepticism due to the presence of multiple sources of noise interference. These sources include electroencephalography, electromyography linked to facial and extraocular muscle activity, electrical noise, signal artifacts, skin-electrode drifts, impedance fluctuations over time, and a host of associated challenges. Traditional methods of addressing these issues, such as bandpass filtering, have been frequently utilized to overcome these challenges but have the associated drawback of altering the inherent characteristics of EOG signals, encompassing their shape, magnitude, peak velocity, and duration, all of which are pivotal parameters in research studies. In prior work, several model-based adaptive denoising strategies have been introduced, incorporating mechanical and electrical model-based state estimators. However, these approaches are really complex and rely on brain and neural control models that have difficulty processing EOG signals in real time. In this present investigation, we introduce a real-time denoising method grounded in a constant velocity model, adopting a physics-based model-oriented approach. This approach is underpinned by the assumption that there exists a consistent rate of change in the cornea-retinal potential during saccadic movements. Empirical findings reveal that this approach remarkably preserves EOG saccade signals, resulting in a substantial enhancement of up to 29% in signal preservation during the denoising process when compared to alternative techniques, such as bandpass filters, constant acceleration models, and model-based fusion methods.
Journal Article
Hurricane season
Based on the true story of basketball coach and mentor Al Collins, who led his team to victory after Hurricane Katrina ravaged their homes and destroyed their spirits. Collins attempts to create a winning basketball team using players from five of the hardest-hit high schools in the area. Takes a look at the disaster and shows how heroes can rise from the most devastating of circumstances.
DVD
Body Composition and Metabolic Changes following Bariatric Surgery: Effects on Fat Mass, Lean Mass and Basal Metabolic Rate: Six Months to One-Year Follow-up
With the failure of traditional weight loss plans, bariatric surgery has become the treatment of choice for morbid obesity. The primary objective of this study was to track body composition and metabolic changes for 1 year following bariatric surgery.
19 bariatric patients (14 female, 5 male) began the study and completed 12 months of testing, which included data collection within 1 week preoperatively and 1, 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively. 2 female subjects were lost to the study between 6 months and 1 year, resulting in 17 subjects (12 female, 5 male) completing the entire 12-month follow-up. Variables measured in this study included weight, lean body mass (LBM), fat mass (FM), % body fat and basal metabolic rate (BMR).
Analysis of variance (ANOVA) using the general linear model indicated significant (P<.05) losses for weight, FM, and % fat for all time periods. Significant losses in LBM were observed in all time periods except 6-12 months, where no change in LBM (60.6 vs 61.1 kg) was observed. A significant decrease (P<.05) in BMR (2091 vs 1758) was observed only from pre-surgery to 1 month post-surgery. Thereafter, there was no significant change in BMR (1758 vs 1647 vs 1651 vs 1674) respectively. Changes in LBM were correlated with changes in BMR at both 6-12 months (r=.545, P=.024) and preoperatively to 12 months postoperatively (r=.608, P=.01). There were no significant changes in the BMR/LBM ratio over the 12-month period (28.3 vs 25.0 vs 27.3 vs 27.2 vs 27.4), indicating no adaptation of the body to an energy-conserving mechanism.
Bariatric surgery appears to have been highly successful over the 12-month follow-up period, with 50.9 kg weight loss, 38.3 kg (75.2%) FM loss, and 12.6 kg (24.8%) LBM loss. The 417 kcal loss in BMR (2091 to 1674), while significant, was not greater than what would be predicted from loss of LBM.
Journal Article
Antibodies as Models and Tools to Decipher Candida albicans Pathogenic Development: Review about a Unique Monoclonal Antibody Reacting with Immunomodulatory Adhesins
Candidiasis, caused mainly by Candida albicans, a natural commensal of the human digestive tract and vagina, is the most common opportunistic fungal infection at the mucosal and systemic levels. Its high morbi–mortality rates have led to considerable research to identify the molecular mechanisms associated with the switch to pathogenic development and to diagnose this process as accurately as possible. Since the 1980s, the advent of monoclonal antibody (mAb) technology has led to significant progress in both interrelated fields. This linear review, intended to be didactic, was prompted by considering how, over several decades, a single mAb designated 5B2 contributed to the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis based on β-1,2-linked oligomannoside expression in Candida species. These contributions starting from the structural identification of the minimal epitope as a di-mannoside from the β-1,2 series consisted then in the demonstration that it was shared by a large number of cell wall proteins differently anchored in the cell wall and the discovery of a cell wall glycoplipid shed by the yeast in contact of host cells, the phospholipomannan. Cytological analysis revealed an overall highly complex epitope expression at the cell surface concerning all growth phases and a patchy distribution resulting from the merging of cytoplasmic vesicles to plasmalema and further secretion through cell wall channels. On the host side, the mAb 5B2 led to identification of Galectin-3 as the human receptor dedicated to β-mannosides and signal transduction pathways leading to cytokine secretion directing host immune responses. Clinical applications concerned in vivo imaging of Candida infectious foci, direct examination of clinical samples and detection of circulating serum antigens that complement the Platelia Ag test for an increased sensitivity of diagnosis. Finally, the most interesting character of mAb 5B2 is probably its ability to reveal C. albicans pathogenic behaviour in reacting specifically with vaginal secretions from women infected versus colonized by this species as well as to display higher reactivity with strains isolated in pathogenic circumstances or even linked to an unfavourable prognosis for systemic candidiasis. Together with a detailed referenced description of these studies, the review provides a complementary reading frame by listing the wide range of technologies involving mAb 5B2 over time, evidencing a practical robustness and versatility unique so far in the Candida field. Finally, the basic and clinical perspectives opened up by these studies are briefly discussed with regard to prospects for future applications of mAb 5B2 in current research challenges.
Journal Article
Enrichment allows identification of diverse, rare elements in metagenomic resistome-virulome sequencing
Background
Shotgun metagenomic sequencing is increasingly utilized as a tool to evaluate ecological-level dynamics of antimicrobial resistance and virulence, in conjunction with microbiome analysis. Interest in use of this method for environmental surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and pathogenic microorganisms is also increasing. In published metagenomic datasets, the total of all resistance- and virulence-related sequences accounts for < 1% of all sequenced DNA, leading to limitations in detection of low-abundance resistome-virulome elements. This study describes the extent and composition of the low-abundance portion of the resistome-virulome, using a bait-capture and enrichment system that incorporates unique molecular indices to count DNA molecules and correct for enrichment bias.
Results
The use of the bait-capture and enrichment system significantly increased on-target sequencing of the resistome-virulome, enabling detection of an additional 1441 gene accessions and revealing a low-abundance portion of the resistome-virulome that was more diverse and compositionally different than that detected by more traditional metagenomic assays. The low-abundance portion of the resistome-virulome also contained resistance genes with public health importance, such as extended-spectrum betalactamases, that were not detected using traditional shotgun metagenomic sequencing. In addition, the use of the bait-capture and enrichment system enabled identification of rare resistance gene haplotypes that were used to discriminate between sample origins.
Conclusions
These results demonstrate that the rare resistome-virulome contains valuable and unique information that can be utilized for both surveillance and population genetic investigations of resistance. Access to the rare resistome-virulome using the bait-capture and enrichment system validated in this study can greatly advance our understanding of microbiome-resistome dynamics.
Journal Article