In Vitro Framework to Assess the Anti-Helicobacter pylori Potential of Lactic Acid Bacteria Secretions as Alternatives to Antibiotics.

Helicobacter pylori is a prevalent bacterium that can cause gastric ulcers and cancers. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) ameliorate treatment outcomes against H. pylori, suggesting that they could be a source of bioactive molecules usable as alternatives to current antibiotics for which resistance is mounting. We developed an in vitro framework to compare the anti-H. pylori properties of 25 LAB and their secretions against H. pylori. All studies were done at acidic and neutralized pH, with or without urea to mimic various gastric compartments. Eighteen LAB strains secreted molecules that curtailed the growth of H. pylori and the activity was urea-resistant in five LAB. Several LAB supernatants also reduced the urease activity of H. pylori. Pre-treatment of H. pylori with acidic LAB supernatants abrogated its flagella-mediated motility and decreased its ability to elicit pro-inflammatory IL-8 cytokine from human gastric cells, without reverting the H. pylori-induced repression of other pro-inflammatory cytokines. This study identified the LAB that have the most anti-H. pylori effects, decreasing its viability, its production of virulence factors, its motility and/or its ability to elicit pro-inflammatory IL-8 from gastric cells. Once identified, these molecules can be used as alternatives or complements to current antibiotics to fight H. pylori infections.

Application of high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing to identify fecal contamination sources and to complement the detection of fecal indicator bacteria in rural groundwater.

Residents in rural communities across Canada collect potable water from aquifers. Fecal contaminants from sewage and agricultural runoffs can penetrate aquifers, posing a public health risk. Standard methods for detecting fecal contamination test for fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), but the presence of these do not identify sources of contamination. In contrast, DNA-based diagnostic tools can achieve this important objective. We employed quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and high-throughput DNA sequencing to trace fecal contamination sources in Wainfleet, a rural Ontario township that has been under the longest active boil water advisory in Canada due to FIB contamination in groundwater wells. Using traditional methods, we identified FIBs indicating persistent fecal pollution in well waters. We used 16S rRNA sequencing to profile groundwater microbial communities and identified Campylobacteraceae as a fecal contamination DNA marker in septic tank effluents (STEs). We also identified Turicibacter and Gallicola as a potential cow and chicken fecal contamination marker, respectively. Using human specific Bacteroidales markers, we identified leaking septic tanks as the likely primary fecal contamination source in some of Wainfleet's groundwater. Overall, the results support the use of sequencing-based methods to augment traditional water quality testing methods and help end-users assess fecal contamination levels and identify point and non-point pollution sources.

Guidelines on Diabetic Eye Care: The International Council of Ophthalmology Recommendations for Screening, Follow-up, Referral, and Treatment Based on Resource Settings.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a global epidemic and affects populations in both developing and developed countries, with differing health care and resource levels. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major complication of DM and a leading cause of vision loss in working middle-aged adults. Vision loss from DR can be prevented with broad-level public health strategies, but these need to be tailored to a country's and population's resource setting. Designing DR screening programs, with appropriate and timely referral to facilities with trained eye care professionals, and using cost-effective treatment for vision-threatening levels of DR can prevent vision loss. The International Council of Ophthalmology Guidelines for Diabetic Eye Care 2017 summarize and offer a comprehensive guide for DR screening, referral and follow-up schedules for DR, and appropriate management of vision-threatening DR, including diabetic macular edema (DME) and proliferative DR, for countries with high- and low- or intermediate-resource settings. The guidelines include updated evidence on screening and referral criteria, the minimum requirements for a screening vision and retinal examination, follow-up care, and management of DR and DME, including laser photocoagulation and appropriate use of intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors and, in specific situations, intravitreal corticosteroids. Recommendations for management of DR in patients during pregnancy and with concomitant cataract also are included. The guidelines offer suggestions for monitoring outcomes and indicators of success at a population level.

Comparative study of membrane bioreactor (MBR) and activated sludge processes in the treatment of Moroccan domestic wastewater.

The study was based on an external pilot-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) with a ceramic membrane compared to a conventional activated sludge process (ASP) plant. Both systems received their influent from domestic wastewater. The MBR produced an effluent of much better quality than the ASP in terms of total suspended solids (TSS), 5-day biological oxygen demand (BOD5) and chemical oxygen demand (COD), total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN). Other effluent quality parameters also indicated substantial differences between the ASP and the MBR. This study leads to the conclusion that in the case of domestic wastewater, MBR treatment leads to excellent effluent quality. Hence, the replacement of ASP by MBR may be justified on the basis of the improved removal of solids, nutrients, and micropollutants. Furthermore, in terms of reuse the high quality of the treated water allows it to be reused for irrigation.

Rhegmatogenous retinal detachment following intravitreal ocriplasmin.

PURPOSE: To describe the characteristics and outcomes of patients presenting with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) after ocriplasmin (OCP) injection. METHODS: Retrospective, multi-centre, observational case series with case note review. RESULTS: Eight patients with symptomatic vitreomacular traction (six with concomitant macular hole) were diagnosed with RRD after a median of 16 days (range 3-131 days) post-OCP injection. Presentation was within 3 weeks of the OCP injection in six of the cases. Five patients presented with symptoms post-OCP, and three were diagnosed asymptomatically on planned visits. Seven cases were phakic, one had high myopia (>8 dioptres), and two cases had lattice degeneration. Following RRD surgery, hole closure was achieved in 5/6 MH cases. The final median BCVA at 7 months was 20/80 (range 20/40-20/1200) similar to the baseline BCVA 20/80, with four patients gaining ≥1 line of vision compared to baseline but three losing ≥3 lines. CONCLUSIONS: RRD is a non-negligible risk associated with intravitreal OCP, and it should be used with caution in eyes with high myopia and peripheral retinal pathology predisposing to RRD. Detailed peripheral retinal examination is recommended pre- and postoperatively at all visits. Patients should be advised to seek attention if symptoms recur after initial presentation.

Rare images of renal mass and lithiasis in native kidney after renal transplantation in a patient with hematuria: Casual or correlated?

Renal transplantation is a common treatment option for patients with end-stage renal disease. The goal of transplantation is to restore normal renal function and improve their quality of life. However, some patients may experience complications after transplantation, including the development of calculi or tumors in their native kidneys. In such cases, the question arises whether native nephrectomy should be performed during renal transplantation or not. A 62-year-old patient with a history of renal transplant twenty years ago presented a macroscopic hematuria.

Rare association of central pontine myelinolysis with intrasellar arachnoidocele - casual or correlated?

Our case report presents a patient with central pontine myelinolysis and arachnoidocele. He was hospitalized twice these 2 last months for a confusional syndrome associated to an alteration of his general health where metabolic disorders where found: a hyponatremia at 125 mmol/l that was quickly corrected and a hypoglycemia at 0.30 g/l. A central pontine myelinolysis was found as an iso-signal on T1-weighted sequences and a hypersignal on T2-weighted and FLAIR sequences on magnetic resonnance imaging. Central pontine myelinolysis lesions did not enhance with contrast. Incidental imaging findings of arachnoidocele was detected. Through this case, we would like to share with the other practitioners these rare images and the consequence of a diagnostic delay. Indeed, hyponatremia in our patient could be the consequence of the intrasellar arachnoidocele and the overly rapid correction of this chronic hyponatremia caused central pontine myelinolysis, or it is an accidental phenomenon where we found both lesions.

Contemporary Outcomes and Prognostic Factors of 23-Gauge Vitrectomy for Retained Lens Fragments After Phacoemulsification.

PURPOSE: To provide data on visual acuity (VA) outcomes and prognostic factors of microincision (23-gauge) vitrectomy surgery (MIVS) for retained lens fragments after complicated cataract surgery. DESIGN: Retrospective, interventional case series from 2012 to 2017. METHODS: Precataract surgery and intraoperative (vitrectomy) parameters, postvitrectomy complications, and best-corrected visual acuities (BCVAs) were identified. Vitrectomy was performed as early as corneal clarity permitted. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to characterize factors associated with achieving VA better than 20/40, or worse than 20/200 at 6 months. RESULTS: This study included 291 consecutive eyes (291 patients). LogMAR BCVA improved from 0.73 ± 0.70 before cataract surgery to 0.46 ± 0.63 (P < .001) after vitrectomy. The previtrectomy VA was 1.43 ± 0.79. At 6 months, 183 (62.9%) and 45 patients (15.5%) achieved BCVAs better than 20/40 and worse than 20/200, respectively. Most frequent complications were de novo ocular hypertension (29 eyes, 10%) and transient cystoid macular edema (25 eyes, 8.6%). Postvitrectomy retinal detachment occurred in 9 eyes (3.1%). Final VA of 20/40 or better was independently associated only with better precataract surgery VA, age <75 years, absence of preexisting diabetic macular edema (DME) or postvitrectomy persistent cystoid macular edema (P < .05). Only poorer precataract surgery VA, delaying vitrectomy to later than 2 weeks, and final aphakic status were independently predictive of 20/200 or worse VA (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Contemporary VA outcomes of 23-gauge vitrectomy for retained lens fragments are comparable with that of prior predominantly non-MIVS cohorts, but fall short of benchmarks for uncomplicated cataract surgery. IOL type or timing of placement do not impact final VA.

[Imaging features of CNS tuberculosis]. / Les aspects en imagerie de la tuberculose du système nerveux central.

CNS tuberculosis remains relatively frequent in endemic regions. Both CT and MRI are valuable for diagnosis. Even though non-specific, MRI including diffusion-weighted imaging and proton spectroscopy is more sensitive than CT for detection of some lesions. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the imaging features of CNS tuberculosis.

[Middle aortic syndrome: a case report]. / Middle aortic syndrome: à propos d'un cas.

Middle aortic syndrome (MAS) results from a diffuse narrowing of the distal thoracic or abdominal aorta commonly involving both the visceral and renal arteries. Congenital, acquired, inflammatory, and infectious etiologies have been described. Symptoms typically occur within the first three decades of life and include hypertension, lower extremity claudication, and mesenteric ischemia. The condition is considered a life-threatening emergency as a result of the complications associated with severe hypertension. Diagnosis is made with magnetic resonance and computed tomography angiography. Surgical bypass grafting is the optimal method of treatment and must be tailored depending on the distribution of disease. We report one case of MAS treated with thoracic aorta to abdominal aorta bypass and reimplantation of the right renal artery.

Shotgun metagenomic sequencing reveals freshwater beach sands as reservoir of bacterial pathogens.

Recreational waters and adjacent beach sands harbor complex microbial communities which may contain human pathogens that cannot be detected by conventional methods. Here, we investigate the diversity of bacterial populations inhabiting four freshwater beaches of the Great Lakes region using shotgun metagenomic sequencing approach. Our analysis suggests that average taxonomic richness and alpha diversity are significantly higher (P < 0.001) in beach sands compared to the corresponding water environments. Compared to the water environments, beach sands harbored taxa from a more diverse range of phyla, including a higher proportion of sequences from unclassified phyla. Unique phyla were also identified in sand which included species from Aquificae, Candidatus Microgenomates, Latescibacteria, and Candidatus Aminicenantes. Sequences originating from pathogens were detected in both sand and water, with some pathogens enriched in both environments. Both lakes exhibited similar community composition suggesting that geographic location did not appear to have any major impact on bacterial diversity. These findings reveal the diversity of bacterial communities of freshwater beaches and highlight the importance of monitoring pathogens in recreational beaches, especially in the sand environment of these beaches.

Fragment kinetic energies and modes of fragment formation

Kinetic energies of light fragments ( A

The serological reactions of Mycoplasma isolated from pneumonic sheep lungs in the Sudan.

Seven mycoplasma isolated from pneumonic sheep lungs were found to belong to two serologically unrelated groups. Isolates in one group reacted strongly with antisera to M arginini in the metabolic inhibition and growth inhibition tests. All isolates except one failed to react with antisera to M mycoides var capri or M mycoides var mycoides. The results of the present work support the previously reported division of the isolates into two groups on the basis of their biological properties.

Isolation of mycoplasmas from pneumonic sheep lungs in the Sudan.

Sixty-four pneumonic sheep lungs were examined for mycoplasmas. Eleven isolates were recovered and were identified on generally accepted criteria as mycoplasma. Four isolates were lost during storage and the remaining seven were divided on the basis of their colonial appearance and other biological properties into two groups.

[Imaging of a historical case of vertebral hydatidosis]. / Imagerie d'un cas historique d'hydatidose vertébrale.

Radiological, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings in a case of spinal hydatidosis are reported.

[Traumatic false aneurysms of intracranial artery]. / Les faux anévrismes artériels traumatiques intracrâniens.

The authors report a case of intracranial traumatic aneurysm at young a 21 years old patient. He presented with recurrent epistaxis 3 months after craniofacial trauma. An aneurysm of the left carotid artery was diagnosed at cerebral angiography. Endovascular treatment was performed with favorable outcome. In spite of their rarity, posttraumatic intracranial aneurysms should be suspected in patients with recent or remote history of trauma, even minor, presenting with secondary clinical deterioration, in order to carry out emergent angiographic exploration, before contemplating definitive surgical or endovascular treatment.

[Intracranial textiloma]. / Textilome intracrânien.

The authors report a case of intracranial textiloma in a 36-year-old male diagnosed 3 years after surgery for a left spheno-orbital meningioma.

[Simple cyst of the cerebellum. Report of a case]. / Kyste simple du cervelet. A propos d'un cas.

The authors report a case of simple cyst of the cerebellum documented by magnetic resonance imaging in 42-year-old men with clinical symptoms of expansive cerebellar lesion. No communication with the ventricle, no mural nodule and no enhancement after contrast injection were noted. The postoperative outcome was satisfactory after surgical removal. Histological examination of the cyst wall showed normal cerebellar tissue without epithelial lining neither tumoral features. A brief review of the seventeen cases founded in the literature is given.

[Tuberculosis of the posterior vertebral arch. A case report]. / Tuberculose de l'arc vertébral postérieur. A propos d'un cas.

Tuberculosis of the spine usually involves the vertebral body and intervertebral disk. Involvement of the posterior arch is rare. We report a case of tuberculosis involving the posterior elements of the T4 and T5 vertebrae in a 38 year old woman. CT is helpful to assess bony structures whereas MRI is ideal to evaluate the neural structures. Clinical, radiographic, and therapeutic considerations regarding tuberculosis of the spine are reviewed.