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Simple and rapid detection of Salmonella strains by direct PCR amplification of the hilA gene

Pathmanathan SG, Cardona-Castro N, Sánchez-Jiménez MM, Correa-Ochoa MM, Puthucheary SD, Thong KL

J Med Microbiol, 2003 Sep;52(Pt 9):773-6.
PMID: 12909653

The suitability of a PCR procedure using a pair of primers targeting the hilA gene was evaluated as a means of detecting Salmonella species. A total of 33 Salmonella strains from 27 serovars and 15 non-Salmonella strains from eight different genera were included. PCR with all the Salmonella strains produced a 784 bp DNA fragment that was absent from all the non-Salmonella strains tested. The detection limit of the PCR was 100 pg with genomic DNA and 3 x 10(4) c.f.u. ml(-1) with serial dilutions of bacterial culture. An enrichment-PCR method was further developed to test the sensitivity of the hilA primers for the detection of Salmonella in faecal samples spiked with different concentrations of Salmonella choleraesuis subsp. choleraesuis serovar Typhimurium. The method described allowed the detection of Salmonella Typhimurium in faecal samples at a concentration of 3 x 10(2) c.f.u. ml(-1). In conclusion, the hilA primers are specific for Salmonella species and the PCR method presented may be suitable for the detection of Salmonella in faeces.
Elastic reversible valves on centrifugal microfluidic platforms

Aeinehvand MM, Weber L, Jiménez M, Palermo A, Bauer M, Loeffler FF, et al.

Lab Chip, 2019 Feb 20.
PMID: 30785443 DOI: 10.1039/c8lc00849c

Reversible valves on centrifugal microfluidic platforms facilitate the automation of bioanalytical assays, especially of those requiring a series of steps (such as incubation) in a single reaction chamber. In this study, we present fixed elastic reversible (FER) valves and tunable elastic reversible (TER) valves that are easy to fabricate, implement and control. In the FER valve the compression of an elastic barrier/patch against a microchamber's outlet prevents the release of liquid. The valve sealing pressure was determined by adjusting the engraving depth of the valve-seat at which the elastic patch was located, this allows to set the sealing pressure during disc fabrication. In the TER valve, the patch compression value and sealing pressure is controlled by the penetration depth of a plastic screw into the valve-seat. The ER valves prevent liquid flow until the centrifugal force overcomes their sealing pressure. Moreover, at a constant spin speed, turning the screw of a TER valve reduces its sealing pressure and opens the valve. Therefore, the TER valve allows for controlling of the liquid transfer volume at various spin speeds. The FER and TER valves' behavior is mathematically described and equations for the prediction of their operation under centrifugal forces are provided. As a point-of-care (POC) application of ER valves, we have developed a microfluidic disc with a series of TER valves and peptide microarrays for automated multiplexed detection of five different proteins from a single serum sample.
Fulltext Characteristics and outcomes of an international cohort of 600 000 hospitalized patients with COVID-19

Kartsonaki C, Baillie JK, Barrio NG, Baruch J, Beane A, Blumberg L, et al.

Int J Epidemiol, 2023 Apr 19;52(2):355-376.
PMID: 36850054 DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyad012

BACKGROUND: We describe demographic features, treatments and clinical outcomes in the International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) COVID-19 cohort, one of the world's largest international, standardized data sets concerning hospitalized patients.
METHODS: The data set analysed includes COVID-19 patients hospitalized between January 2020 and January 2022 in 52 countries. We investigated how symptoms on admission, co-morbidities, risk factors and treatments varied by age, sex and other characteristics. We used Cox regression models to investigate associations between demographics, symptoms, co-morbidities and other factors with risk of death, admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV).
RESULTS: Data were available for 689 572 patients with laboratory-confirmed (91.1%) or clinically diagnosed (8.9%) SARS-CoV-2 infection from 52 countries. Age [adjusted hazard ratio per 10 years 1.49 (95% CI 1.48, 1.49)] and male sex [1.23 (1.21, 1.24)] were associated with a higher risk of death. Rates of admission to an ICU and use of IMV increased with age up to age 60 years then dropped. Symptoms, co-morbidities and treatments varied by age and had varied associations with clinical outcomes. The case-fatality ratio varied by country partly due to differences in the clinical characteristics of recruited patients and was on average 21.5%.
CONCLUSIONS: Age was the strongest determinant of risk of death, with a ∼30-fold difference between the oldest and youngest groups; each of the co-morbidities included was associated with up to an almost 2-fold increase in risk. Smoking and obesity were also associated with a higher risk of death. The size of our international database and the standardized data collection method make this study a comprehensive international description of COVID-19 clinical features. Our findings may inform strategies that involve prioritization of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who have a higher risk of death.
Fulltext COVID-19 infection in patients on long-term home parenteral nutrition for chronic intestinal failure

Pironi L, Jezerski D, Sobocki J, Lal S, Vanuytsel T, Theilla M, et al.

Clin Nutr ESPEN, 2023 Jun;55:212-220.
PMID: 37202049 DOI: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2023.03.008

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To investigate the incidence and the severity of COVID-19 infection in patients enrolled in the database for home parenteral nutrition (HPN) for chronic intestinal failure (CIF) of the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN).
METHODS: Period of observation: March 1st, 2020 March 1st, 2021.
INCLUSION CRITERIA: patients included in the database since 2015 and still receiving HPN on March 1st, 2020 as well as new patients included in the database during the period of observation. Data related to the previous 12 months and recorded on March 1st 2021: 1) occurrence of COVID-19 infection since the beginning of the pandemic (yes, no, unknown); 2) infection severity (asymptomatic; mild, no-hospitalization; moderate, hospitalization no-ICU; severe, hospitalization in ICU); 3) vaccinated against COVID-19 (yes, no, unknown); 4) patient outcome on March 1st 2021: still on HPN, weaned off HPN, deceased, lost to follow up.
RESULTS: Sixty-eight centres from 23 countries included 4680 patients. Data on COVID-19 were available for 55.1% of patients. The cumulative incidence of infection was 9.6% in the total group and ranged from 0% to 21.9% in the cohorts of individual countries. Infection severity was reported as: asymptomatic 26.7%, mild 32.0%, moderate 36.0%, severe 5.3%. Vaccination status was unknown in 62.0% of patients, non-vaccinated 25.2%, vaccinated 12.8%. Patient outcome was reported as: still on HPN 78.6%, weaned off HPN 10.6%, deceased 9.7%, lost to follow up 1.1%. A higher incidence of infection (p = 0.04), greater severity of infection (p