III. Bacterial Contamination of the Umbilicus

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1960 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 921-922
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Contamination ◽  
Once Daily ◽  
Hemolytic Streptococcus ◽  
Puerperal Sepsis ◽  
Treat All ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Low Rate

In December 1957, two cases of omphalitis occurred in one of the nurseries. Hemolytic streptococcus and S. aureus were isolated from the umbilicus in each case. These findings prompted us to take umbilical swabs from all the babies in the two nurseries on the same ward. Table XIX shows that on this occasion 83% of the 23 cords sampled were contaminated with Hemolytic streptococcus and 78% with S. aureus. When it was noted that such a high percentage of cords were contaminated with pyogenic streptococci and staphylococci, it was decided to treat all babies by painting the cords once daily with aqueous benzalkonium, Zephiran®, (1:1000). After this procedure had been in use for 5 weeks, surveys showed that 67% of 57 infants' cords still carried Hemolytic streptococcus and 68% carried S. aureus (Table XIX). As the Zephiran® treatment had not reduced the number of either streptococci or staphylococci appreciably, triple-dye was applied daily to the cord stumps (Jellard, J.:Brit. M. J., 1:925, 1957). With this method, although streptococci and staphylococci were not immediately eliminated, the results after 6 weeks showed a low rate of contamination (Table XIX). Although not shown in the Table, on the occasion of our last survey, when 31 cords were sampled, no streptococci were recovered. The presence of such a high degree of streptococcal cord contamination was disturbing. An explanation for this was sought by attempting to locate streptococcal throat-carries amongst the nursery personnel. However, pyogenic streptococci were not recovered from their throats. No case of streptococcal puerperal sepsis had been reported from the maternity wards of the hospital for more than a year.

POSSIBLE ROLE OF HUMIDIFYING EQUIPMENT IN SPREAD OF INFECTIONS FROM THE NEWBORN NURSERY

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1959 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-53
Author(s):  
John L. Sever
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Contamination ◽  
Low Level ◽  
High Degree

Because of the increasing importance of the newborn nursery in the occurrence of nosocomial epidemic infections, an investigation was conducted on the role of humidifying equipment in this connection. The results of this study indicate that an extremely high degree of gross contamination existed in the water of the humidifying devices in use in the newborn nursery. After the institution of the described procedures governing the care and cleansing of the humidification equipment, the degree of bacterial contamination was reduced to a low level.

scholarly journals Counting on Numbers—Numerical Abilities in Grey Bamboo Sharks and Ocellate River Stingrays

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 2634
Author(s):  
Nils Kreuter ◽  
Nele Christofzik ◽  
Carolin Niederbremer ◽  
Janik Bollé ◽  
Vera Schluessel
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Continuous Variables ◽  
Quantity Discrimination ◽  
Numerical Information ◽  
Invertebrate Species ◽  
Elasmobranch Species ◽  
Bamboo Shark ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Low Rate ◽  
Chiloscyllium Griseum

Over the last decade, studies examining the cognitive abilities of fish have increased, using a broad range of approaches. One of the foci has been to test the ability of fish to discriminate quantities of items and to determine whether fish can solve tasks solely on the basis of numerical information. This study is the first to investigate this ability in two elasmobranch species. All animals were trained in two-alternative forced-choice visual experiments and then examined in transfer tests, to determine if previously gained knowledge could be applied to new tasks. Results show that the grey bamboo shark (Chiloscyllium griseum) and the ocellate river stingray (Potamotrygon motoro) can discriminate quantities based on numerical information alone, while continuous variables were controlled for. Furthermore, the data indicates that similar magnitudes and limits for quantity discrimination exist as in other animals. However, the high degree of intraspecific variation that was observed as well as the low rate of animals proving to be successful suggest that the ability to discriminate quantities may not be as important to these species as to some other vertebrate and invertebrate species tested so far.

scholarly journals Milk quality and its suitability for technological processing in cows with metritis

2021 ◽  
Vol 845 (1) ◽  
pp. 012101
Author(s):  
A S Ryhlov ◽  
G M Firsov ◽  
S O Loschinin ◽  
A V Filatova ◽  
V S Avdeenko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lactic Acid ◽  
Cell Viability ◽  
Bacterial Contamination ◽  
Acid Product ◽  
E Coli ◽  
The Third ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Technological Processing ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Control Samples

Abstract It has been established that the development of metritis in cows after providing obstetric aid as a result of abortion, eversion of the uterus or retention of the placenta is accompanied by an increased microbial and fungal background of the uterus. Without obstetric aid during delivery, only from 5… 9 days after birth, 35.37% of cows had genitals contaminated with various pathogenic microflora. Already on the third day of puerperia, 14 species of bacteria were isolated from cows that were assisted in delivery, which in 74.5% of cases were contaminated with pathogenic microflora: S. aureus (in 15.5% of cases), E. coli (37%), K. pneumonia (12%), and S. pyogenes (10% of cases). The results of mycological studies revealed that A. fumigatus, C. albicans and C. crusei were isolated from cows after obstetrics. It was found out that the content of somatic cells (SC) r = 0.63, the activity of muramidase (AM) r = 0.84, lactoperoxidase (LPO) r = 0.65 and lactoferrin (LF) r = 0.66 change with a high degree of correlation. Milk from cows with metritis showed 2 times higher total bacterial contamination than milk from clinically healthy animals. Milk from sick cows has a reduced number of lactic acid organisms after the first day of storage. At the same time, acid formation occurred faster by 5.0–15.0% than that in control samples of milk prepared for production of lactic acid products. The acidity in milk fermented with Lactobacillus bulgarus was 12.0-13.3% higher than that in the control sourdough samples, and the cell viability of the symbiotic combination was an order of magnitude lower (2.5×106 versus 2.5×107) compared to the control samples of the lactic acid product.

scholarly journals THE ROLE OF SANITARY AND HYGIENIC FACTORS IN THE SPREAD OF BACTERIAL INTESTINAL INFECTIONS BY WATERWAY

2017 ◽  
pp. 20-23
Author(s):  
V.V. Aleshnya ◽  
P.V. Zhuravlyov ◽  
O.P. Panasovets ◽  
T.Z. Artyomova ◽  
A.V. Zagainova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Bacterial Contamination ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Water Sources ◽  
Recreation Areas ◽  
Intestinal Infections ◽  
Enteric Infections ◽  
High Degree ◽  
The Given

It was found that the determining factor influencing the epidemic process in bacterial enteric infections transmitted by water, are the sanitary – hygienic conditions of the population's living on the given territory. In 2006–2015, there was carried out the monitoring of the bacterial contamination of the household-drinking water supply, water sources, recreation areas and municipal improvement in the town of Azov, Rostov region. Using the mark estimation of risk, there was revealed the most unfavourable factor by the degree of the potential danger of the epidemic — the poor quality of drinking water by bacteriological parameters and a high degree of bacterial contamination of water sources, including pathogenic microorganisms.

scholarly journals Cocaine Hepatotoxicity and Its Potentiation by Lipopolysaccharide: Treatment and Gender Effects

2004 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 163-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Visalli ◽  
Rita Turkall ◽  
Mohamed S. Abdel-Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Histological Analysis ◽  
Day Treatment ◽  
Gender Effects ◽  
Oxidation Stress ◽  
Once Daily ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Sterile Saline ◽  
Cocaine Hydrochloride ◽  
And Gender ◽  
High Degree

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of a 7-day treatment as well as the influence of gender on cocaine hepatotoxicity (CH). Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) potentiation of CH was also investigated. Male and female CF-1 mice were orally administered 20 mg/kg body weight cocaine hydrochloride once daily for 7 days. Four hours after the last cocaine administration, the mice were administered 12 × 106 EU LPS (or equal volume of sterile saline) intraperitoneally. Plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were evaluated as indices of liver injury. Blood and liver glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GRx), and catalase (CAT) activities were also determined to investigate the oxidation stress induced by the treatment. Plasma ALT and AST concentrations were elevated in all males receiving cocaine alone or cocaine + LPS. Furthermore, blood GSH and CAT were decreased and GRx activity was elevated in the same males. Histological analysis revealed a high degree of focal necrosis in the male cocaine group, and severe necrosis in the male cocaine + LPS group. Unlike males, females showed no effect of either cocaine alone or cocaine + LPS treatments. These results indicate that gender plays a significant role in CH and its potentiation by LPS and lengthening the administration by two treatments increased the severity of cocaine + LPS hepatotoxicity dramatically in male mice.

scholarly journals Influence of Gender on Cocaine Hepatotoxicity in CF-1 Mice

2005 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Visalli ◽  
Rita Turkall ◽  
Mohamed S Abdel-Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Histological Analysis ◽  
Toxic Substances ◽  
Once Daily ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Liver Glutathione ◽  
Sterile Saline ◽  
Hemorrhagic Necrosis ◽  
Cocaine Hydrochloride ◽  
Biochemical Profiles ◽  
High Degree

Gender is known to play a role in the bioavailability, metabolism, and lethality of many toxic substances. This study was conducted to investigate the influence of gender on cocaine hepatotoxicity (CH) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) potentiation of CH. Male and female CF-1 mice were orally administered 20 mg/kg body weight cocaine hydrochloride once daily for 7 days. Four hours after the last cocaine administration, the mice were administered 12 × 106 EU LPS (or equal volume of sterile saline) intraperitoneally. Plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were evaluated as indices of liver injury. Blood and liver glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GRx), and catalase (CAT) activities were also determined to investigate the extent of oxidative stress induced by the treatments. Serum ALT and AST concentrations were elevated in all males receiving cocaine alone or cocaine + LPS. Furthermore, blood GSH and CAT were decreased and GRx activity was elevated in these same animals. Histological analysis revealed a high degree of hepatic focal necrosis in the male cocaine group, and severe hemorrhagic necrosis in the male cocaine + LPS group. Unlike males, females showed no damage resulting from cocaine or cocaine + LPS exposure, whereas testosterone-supplemented ovariectomized females displayed histological and biochemical profiles statistically similar to males. The results demonstrate that the extent of CH or LPS-potentiated CH is influenced by gender and sex hormones, particularly testosterone.

Bacterial Contamination of Platelets: The Effect on Patient Outcome.

Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (11) ◽  
pp. 4151-4151
Author(s):  
Kathleen A. Szelei-Stevens ◽  
Benjamin Lichtiger
Keyword(s):  
Patient Outcome ◽  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Bacterial Contamination ◽  
Systolic Pressure ◽  
Blood Cultures ◽  
The Other ◽  
Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus ◽  
Hemolytic Streptococcus ◽  
Skin Flora ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Bacterial contamination of blood components is an important cause of transfusion-related morbidity and mortality. Platelets in particular are susceptible to contamination, as they are stored at room temperature for up to five days. It is estimated that 1 in every 2000 units of platelets is contaminated with bacteria. The current study is a retrospective analysis of bacterially contaminated platelet pools and the effect on the patients transfused. Bacterially contaminated pooled platelets transfused between November 16, 2005, and March 3, 2006, were identified, along with the species of bacteria. Records of the patients transfused with these pools were analyzed to assess for signs / symptoms of transfusion-associated sepsis (fever and hypotension during and after the transfusion), and whether antibiotics had been administered prior to the transfusion. Of the 5,676 platelet pools transfused between November 16, 2005, and March 3, 2006, 46 (0.8%) were bacterially contaminated. Platelets more than 3 days old are not transfused. The majority of bacteria isolated consisted of normal skin flora. See Table. None of the patients experienced an increase in temperature more than 1°C between the time the transfusion started and four to six hours after it was completed. Three patients had a temperature of more than 38 °C after the transfusion. In two of the patients, the post-transfusion temperature had actually decreased, even though it remained above 38 °C. The other patient had a pre-transfusion temperature of 37.8 °C and a post-transfusion temperature of 38.4 °C; this was not reported at the time as a febrile transfusion reaction. None of the patients developed hypotension severe enough to warrant interrupting the transfusion. One patient had blood pressure of 98/60 immediately following the transfusion, but the pre-transfusion blood pressure was 111/65. None of the other patients had systolic pressure less than 100 post-transfusion. Thirty-five patients were receiving antibiotics at the time of transfusion. Of these, two had positive blood cultures (coagulase negative staphylococcus and enterococcus faecium) after the transfusion, although their blood cultures were also positive for these bacteria prior to the transfusion. None of the patients not receiving antibiotics had positive blood cultures. 0.8% of pooled platelets transfused were contaminated, most of them with skin flora. None of these pools had a detrimental effect on the patients. Although most of the patients were receiving antibiotics due to their underlying diseases, none developed either clinical symptoms of sepsis or positive blood cultures due to transfusion of the contaminated platelets. Platelets in our institution are stored for a maximum of three days. It is possible that transfusion was completed before the bacteria in the unit reached a significant level. Our findings and experience clearly point out that transfusion of platelets of one to three days of age may not have a detrimental clinical impact. Our current policy follows the practice described of releasing pools of platelets before the bacterial cultures are completed and resulted. Additional research is needed to determine how many colony forming units are present in the platelet units at three days and again at five days, and the impact on patient outcome. Bacteria Isolated from Platelet Pools Bacteria Number of Pools Percentage Coagulase negative staphylococcus 41 89 Alpha hemolytic streptococcus 1 2.2 Gamma hemolytic streptococcus 1 2.2 Bacillus species 2 4.4 Pasteurella multocida 1 2.2

Tissue section lifting for electron microscopy

1978 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 86-87
Author(s):  
Adrian F. van Dellen
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Tissue Culture ◽  
Organ System ◽  
Surrounding Tissue ◽  
Paraffin Sections ◽  
Surface Areas ◽  
Specific Determination ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Accuracy And Repeatability

The morphologic pathologist may require information on the ultrastructure of a non-specific lesion seen under the light microscope before he can make a specific determination. Such lesions, when caused by infectious disease agents, may be sparsely distributed in any organ system. Tissue culture systems, too, may only have widely dispersed foci suitable for ultrastructural study. In these situations, when only a few, small foci in large tissue areas are useful for electron microscopy, it is advantageous to employ a methodology which rapidly selects a single tissue focus that is expected to yield beneficial ultrastructural data from amongst the surrounding tissue. This is in essence what "LIFTING" accomplishes. We have developed LIFTING to a high degree of accuracy and repeatability utilizing the Microlift (Fig 1), and have successfully applied it to tissue culture monolayers, histologic paraffin sections, and tissue blocks with large surface areas that had been initially fixed for either light or electron microscopy.

Electron Microscopy in Molecular Biology

1967 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 2-3
Author(s):  
Cecil E. Hall
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Molecular Biology ◽  
Noise Level ◽  
Molecular Structures ◽  
Material Structure ◽  
The Arts ◽  
Shadow Casting ◽  
Electron Image ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Very High

The visualization of organic macromolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, viruses and virus components has reached its high degree of effectiveness owing to refinements and reliability of instruments and to the invention of methods for enhancing the structure of these materials within the electron image. The latter techniques have been most important because what can be seen depends upon the molecular and atomic character of the object as modified which is rarely evident in the pristine material. Structure may thus be displayed by the arts of positive and negative staining, shadow casting, replication and other techniques. Enhancement of contrast, which delineates bounds of isolated macromolecules has been effected progressively over the years as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 by these methods. We now look to the future wondering what other visions are waiting to be seen. The instrument designers will need to exact from the arts of fabrication the performance that theory has prescribed as well as methods for phase and interference contrast with explorations of the potentialities of very high and very low voltages. Chemistry must play an increasingly important part in future progress by providing specific stain molecules of high visibility, substrates of vanishing “noise” level and means for preservation of molecular structures that usually exist in a solvated condition.

A High Angle, Double Tilting Cold Stage for the AEI EM7

1974 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
pp. 450-451
Author(s):  
P.R. Swann ◽  
A.E. Lloyd
Keyword(s):  
Habit Plane ◽  
Temperature Control ◽  
Tilt Angle ◽  
Cooling System ◽  
Thermal Drift ◽  
High Angle ◽  
Cold Stage ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Better Than

Figure 1 shows the design of a specimen stage used for the in situ observation of phase transformations in the temperature range between ambient and −160°C. The design has the following features a high degree of specimen stability during tilting linear tilt actuation about two orthogonal axes for accurate control of tilt angle read-out high angle tilt range for stereo work and habit plane determination simple, robust construction temperature control of better than ±0.5°C minimum thermal drift and transmission of vibration from the cooling system.

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