How to tackle the molecular species inventory for an industrialized nation-lessons from the first phase of the German Barcode of Life initiative GBOL (2012-2015).

Biodiversity loss is mainly driven by human activity. While concern grows over the fate of hot spots of biodiversity, contemporary species losses still prevail in industrialized nations. Therefore, strategies were formulated to halt or reverse the loss, driven by evidence for its value for ecosystem services. Maintenance of the latter through conservation depends on correctly identified species. To this aim, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research is funding the GBOL project, a consortium of natural history collections, botanic gardens, and universities working on a barcode reference database for the country's fauna and flora. Several noticeable findings could be useful for future campaigns: (i) validating taxon lists to serve as a taxonomic backbone is time-consuming, but without alternative; (ii) offering financial incentives to taxonomic experts, often citizen scientists, is indispensable; (iii) completion of the libraries for widespread species enables analyses of environmental samples, but the process may not hold pace with technological advancements; (iv) discoveries of new species are among the best stories for the media; (v) a commitment to common data standards and repositories is needed, as well as transboundary cooperation between nations; (vi) after validation, all data should be published online via the BOLD to make them searchable for external users and to allow cross-checking with data from other countries.

Occurrence OF Pectobacterium carotovorum strains isolated from potato soft rot in Morocco.

Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum, Pectobacterium astrosepticum and Pectobacterium chrysanthemi are the soft rot tuber of potatoes pathogens (Solanum tuberosum). The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of these pathogens in Moroccan regions producing potatoes. Fifty three isolates of Pectobacterium were isolated on medium Crystal Violet Pectate. The comparison of their bacteriological characteristics with standard strains allowed us to conclude that all the isolates belonged to the Pectobacterium. With regard to phenotype characteristics, the variability that was found included 32 typical Pectobacetrium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum, 3 typical Pectobacterium atrosepticum, and 18 atypical Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum. Three strains of the atypical group; showed that the biochemical properties overlap among the Pectobacterium carotovorum and Pectobacterium chrysanthemi. These data were needed molecular characterization. However, the PCR amplification of total genomic DNA of 53 isolates with the two primers Y1/Y2 and P143/P145 yielded an amplified fragment of the expected size (434 bp) only with Y1/Y2, indicated that all the isolates collected and tested belonged to the Pectobacterium carotovorum species. On the basis the pathogenicity tests, these strains revealed that they were pectinolytic, and showed differences in aggressiveness against potato and leaves of tobacco.

Rapid detection of Listeria monocytogenes in food by polymerase chain reaction.

The standard conventional methods for the detection of Listeria monocytogenes in foods require high time 7 to 10 days to give ready results. To dissolve this problem we have evaluate a short method using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to analyze food samples. In parallel with this study, a comparison was made between PCR amplification from templates directly prepared from food and the official standard ISO procedure 11290-1. In this study we have used a Half Frazer broth as an enrichment medium; there were positive results of PCR detection of L. monocytogenes in different food sample analyzed (milk, cheese and meat) with approximately 1.5 10(1) Colony Forming Units /25 g in less than 36 h. This PCR procedure has proved to be rapid and sensitive method suitable for the routine analysis; firstly, because this assay required just a short pre-enrichment step before PCR. Secondly, this procedure is very simple and time-saving; it could take less than one working day to obtain results if initial microbiological load was very important.

Cerium and boron chemistry in doped borosilicate glasses examined by EELS.

Spatially resolved measurements of boron coordination and cerium valency in a doped borosilicate glass with crystalline nano-precipitates are described. The fine structure of the boron K-edge and the white-line ratio of the cerium M-edge doublet were evaluated from EELS line scans. Due to high beam sensitivity it was found that reliable boron-coordination measurements in some of the glasses studied required extrapolation of results acquired after different periods of irradiation back to a zero-irradiation. However, borosilicates that contained heavy alkali atoms were found to suffer very little structural change. The Ce valency of a 4% (molar) doped alkali-borosilicate glass was found to be mixed +III/+IV in the glass matrix and purely +IV (indicative of CeO2) in the precipitates. A significant dependency of the valence results on the data processing method was found and explained.

Vitrified metal finishing wastes II. Thermal and structural characterisation.

Waste filter cakes from two metal finishing operations were heat treated and vitrified. Substantial weight loss during heating was due to emission of water, volatile sulphur-rich and chlorine-rich compounds, and the combustion of carbonaceous components. Estimations of CO(x), SO(x) and HCl emissions were based on chemical analyses. Upon cooling from molten, one sample remained amorphous but all others partially crystallised. Crystalline nature was dependent upon waste composition and the level of P(2)O(5) addition. Thermal stabilities of the waste forms were good, but less so than MW, a borosilicate glass developed for its high temperature stability. Mossbauer and FTIR analyses showed that iron environments in the different vitrified waste forms were very similar. Iron was present predominantly as Fe(3+), although the exact redox ratio varied slightly between waste forms. Iron in both redox states occupied distorted octahedral coordination polyhedra with similar levels of site distortion. Phosphate networks in the vitreous materials were highly de-polymerised, consisting largely of (PO(4))(3-) monomer and (P(2)O(7))(2-) dimer units. This explained the high chemical durability of these waste forms and their structural insensitivity to compositional change, underlining their suitability as hosts for the immobilisation of toxic and nuclear wastes.

Vitrified metal finishing wastes I. Composition, density and chemical durability.

Durable phosphate glasses were formed by vitrifying waste filter cakes from two metal finishing operations. Some melts formed crystalline components during cooling. Compositional analysis of dried, heat treated and vitrified samples was made using energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, inductively-coupled plasma spectroscopy and Leco induction furnace combustion analysis. Hydrolytic dissolution, measured by an adapted product consistency test, was reduced by up to 3 orders of magnitude upon heat treatment or vitrification, surpassing the performance of borosilicate glass in some cases. This was attributed to the high levels of iron and zinc in the wastes, which greatly improve the durability of phosphate glasses. One of the wastes arose from a metal phosphating process and was particularly suitable for vitrification due to its high P2O5 content and favourable melting behaviour. The other waste, which arose from a number of processes, was less suitable as it had a low P2O5 content and during heating it emitted harmful corrosive gases and underwent violent reactions. Substantial volume reductions were obtained by heat treatment and vitrification of both wastes. Compositions and performances of some vitrified wastes were comparable with those of glasses which are under consideration for the immobilisation of toxic and nuclear wastes.

Prevalence and characteristics of nim genes encoding 5-nitroimidazole resistance among Bacteroides strains isolated in Morocco.

We report here an evaluation of the dissemination of nim genes, encoding 5-nitroimidazoles resistance, among Bacteroides clinical strains isolated in Morocco. This study was done using a PCR method. Among 60 strains studied, nine contain a copy of a nim gene. The sequence determination of these genes showed that they are homologous to three nim genes previously characterized in strains isolated in France: nimB (five genes), nimC (three genes), and nimA (one gene). Although the nimA and nimC genes were previously identified on plasmids pIP417 and pIP419, respectively, we found here that they have a chromosomal location. The MICs of three 5-nitroimidazole antibiotics (metronidazole, ornidazole, and tinidazole) of the nim gene-containing strains were very low (0.5-2 microg/ml), indicating that the nim genes were not efficiently expressed in these clinical isolates.

The analgesic effects of subhypnotic doses of propofol in human volunteers with experimentally induced tourniquet pain.

This double-blind, placebo-controlled study was performed to determine whether subhypnotic doses of propofol have analgesic or sedative effects. Of 48 subjects randomly assigned to 1 of 4 bolus-infusion treatment groups, group 1 (n = 16) received propofol at 16 micrograms/kg per minute; group 2 (n = 16) received propofol at 32 micrograms/kg per minute; and group 3 (n = 8) received 10% intralipids at 16 micrograms/kg per minute; and group 4 (n = 8) received 20% intralipids at 32 micrograms/kg per minute. Following a bolus of the study drug, a maintenance infusion was started and continued throughout the study. Thirty minutes after the study drug began infusing, an Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation Scale was completed, a tourniquet was inflated, and a maximum tourniquet tolerance time (TTT) was obtained. Pain was assessed every 5 minutes while the tourniquet was inflated and immediately before deflation using a 0 to 10 verbally administered numeric rating scale (NRS). No significant differences in TTT were noted between the 2 propofol groups. However, the TTT for both propofol groups differed significantly from the control group (intralipid groups combined) (P < .05). There was a statistically significant difference in the time it took the propofol groups to reach a NRS score of 8 or greater when compared with the control group (P < .05). Sedation scores differed significantly between the control and the propofol at 32 micrograms/kg per minute groups (P < .05). The results of this study suggest that propofol given at subhypnotic doses could serve as a valuable adjunct for acute postoperative pain management.

Mortality and length of stay as performance indicators for pneumonia in the elderly.

BACKGROUND: Mortality and length of stay are frequently used as performance measures for hospitals. If they are valid measures, they should be reproducible from year to year with attributable variation rather than random variation. METHODS: We compared hospitals on 2 outcomes, mortality and length of stay, in pneumonia in Medicare patients. The database was from 20 Illinois hospitals with the largest number of discharges for diagnosis-related group 89 (pneumonia with complications/comorbidities) for the years 1989 through 1992. This comprised 16,249 claims for hospitalization in patients 65 years of age or older. RESULTS: The distributions showed trends toward lower mortality and shorter stays over the 4 years. Correlation of performance from year to year at each hospital for mortality was low with none of the calculated correlation coefficients significant at p < .05. Correlations for length of stay were higher (all coefficients significant at p < .01). For length of stay, the correlation between 1991 and 1992 was .766 (p < .00005, r2 = .587), showing that nearly 60% of differences (variance) were caused by differences in performance. In contrast, for mortality in 1991 and 1992, the correlation was .301 (p = .0986, r2 = .091), showing that less than 10% of differences (variance) between hospitals were caused by differences in performance. Similar results were obtained when the 20 hospitals were ranked and their rank correlations calculated. CONCLUSION: For pneumonia in Medicare patients, differences in length of stay between hospitals are caused by differences in performance, while differences in mortality are random.

Rural hospital mortality for myocardial infarction in Medicare patients in Illinois.

OBJECTIVE: To compare rural and nonrural hospitals for mortality for Medicare patients with myocardial infarction. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of variance from Illinois for the year 1989. Claims were aggregated by hospital and the hospitals grouped into geographic areas that were completely rural (N = 32), partially rural with small cities (N = 82), exurban (N = 21), suburban (N = 43), and urban (N = 44). PATIENTS: 11,753 patients older than 65 years hospitalized for acute myocardial infarction. RESULTS: In rural hospitals, the mean in-hospital mortality rate was 24.3% compared to rates of 18.3-20.9% at hospitals in the other four regions (P = 0.10, power = 0.68). Rates for coronary angiography were 0% at rural hospitals compared to 8-20% at hospitals in the other four regions (P < 0 0.0005, power = 0.99). CONCLUSION: There is a trend toward higher in-hospital mortality for myocardial infarction at rural hospitals. Whether this is caused by their inability to perform coronary angiography during the index admission warrants further investigation.

Secondary diagnoses as predictive factors for survival or mortality in Medicare patients with acute pneumonia.

We wished to determine if a claims-based method for severity adjustment would predict mortality or survival in pneumonia based on age, gender, and secondary diagnoses. We used a discriminant analysis model of severity of illness developed from Medicare Part A claims data. Our data base was taken from a hospitalized population age 65 years or older coded as DRG 89 (pneumonia with complications/comorbidities). There were 35,677 cases with a mortality = 11.2% in the derivation cohort from 1989 to 1990, and 19,915 cases with a mortality = 9.8% in the validation cohort from 1991. In the derivation cohort, 98% of patients predicted to live, lived, whereas 18% of patients predicted to die, died. Of the three variables, secondary diagnoses had greatest explanatory power. Receiver operating characteristic curves showed that the model performed best at 40% survival. Results were confirmed with the 1991 validation cohort. The model could be applied to hospitals with as few as 172 discharges. This simple, claims-based method can predict survival in pneumonia. It may be useful in selecting medical records for intensified review of medical quality.

Interpreting quality improvement data with time-series analyses.

In quality improvement efforts, the data are frequently a series of measurements taken over time. A collection of statistical methods, commonly referred to as time-series analysis, provides a simple and understandable method for interpreting this longitudinal data. In this article, we present a time-series analysis of data on the quality of prenatal care at a mid-sized public hospital. We will demonstrate some simple tests that alert us to the potential value of using more sophisticated tests of association such as regression. Using regression, we show how to confirm a visual impression of an improvement. The analytical approach we present here is useful with many types of process or outcome data from health care quality improvement efforts.

Prolonged survival of mice with glioma injected intracerebrally with double cytokine-secreting cells.

A novel approach toward the treatment of glioma was developed in a murine model. The genes for both interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) were first transfected into a mouse fibroblast cell line that expresses defined major histocompatibility complex (MHC) determinants (H-2k). The double cytokine-secreting cells were then cotransplanted intracerebrally with the Gl261 murine glioma cell line into syngeneic C57BL/6 mice (H-2b) whose cells differed at the MHC from the cellular immunogen. The results indicate that the survival of mice with glioma injected with the cytokine-secreting allogeneic cells was significantly prolonged, relative to the survival of mice receiving equivalent numbers of glioma cells alone. Using a standard 51Cr-release assay, the specific release of isotope from labeled Gl261 cells coincubated with spleen cells from mice injected intracerebrally with the glioma cells and the cytokine-secreting fibroblasts was significantly higher than the release of isotope from glioma cells coincubated with spleen cells from nonimmunized mice. The cellular antiglioma response was mediated by natural killer/lymphokine-activated killer and Lyt-2.2+ (CD8+) cells. The increased survival of mice with glioma and the specific immunocytotoxic responses after immunization with fibroblasts modified to secrete both IL-2 and IFN-gamma indicate the potential of an immunotherapeutic approach to gliomas with cytokine-secreting cells.

Health insurance status and the use of emergency and other outpatient services by adults with sickle cell disease.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To evaluate insurance status and frequency of use of emergency services in adults with sickle cell disease. DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of visits. SETTING: Emergency department and outpatient clinics of an urban university hospital. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred seventy-two subjects, who made 771 visits to the ED during 1990. RESULTS: Of the 172 subjects, 31 were covered by commercial insurance, 32 were covered by Medicare, and 109 were covered by Medicaid or were uninsured. Insurance status and frequency of use of emergency services were independent (P > .05). On discriminant analysis, Medicaid-covered and uninsured subjects were correctly classified, but commercially insured and Medicare subjects were not. Medicaid and uninsured subjects were more likely to be younger and to live closer to the hospital (P < .00005). High-frequency users of emergency services were discriminated from low-frequency users. High-frequency users were more likely to be younger, to be users of primary-care services, and to live closer to the hospital (P = .0004). CONCLUSION: Provision of primary-care services or stable insurance in the form of commercial insurance or Medicare did not decrease use of emergency services in subjects with sickle cell disease in a group of patients selected from one urban academic ED.

Use of statistical control charts to assess outcomes of medical care: pneumonia in Medicare patients.

Detection of nonrandom variation in outcomes with statistical control charts is at the heart of quality improvement techniques. The authors examined the charts' ability to detect variations in outcome of pneumonia. They surveyed Medicare claims data for DRG 89, pneumonia with complications or co-morbidities, from November 1988 through October 1991 at 20 Illinois hospitals with the most Medicare discharges for DRG 89. Control charts were constructed on five outcomes--mean length of stay, range of length of stay, mortality, readmissions, and complications. Standard techniques from industrial statistics were used to construct the historical means and control limits derived from 2 years of data, to plot the monthly samples from the 3rd year of data and to score the control charts for nonrandom variation at less than 1% probability. The observed number of control charts with nonrandom variation was 33 of 100; the expected number was 9.18 (p < 0.0001). Nineteen hospitals had 1 to 3 control charts with nonrandom variation on the five outcomes, whereas only one hospital had none. The number of control charts with nonrandom variation per hospital did not correlate with hospital size, occupancy, teaching status, location, or payer-mix. Statistical control charts provide simple tools for identification of nonrandom variation in outcomes. To the extent that these variations can be related to quality issues, the charts will be useful for quality management.

Patient mix in the primary ambulatory care clinics of an academic medical center.

BACKGROUND: The authors wished to learn whether the primary ambulatory care clinics of a university hospital had a sufficiently diverse patient mix for training in common medical problems. METHOD: Claims data for all the ambulatory care clinics at the University of Illinois Hospital from June 1989 through June 1990 were examined for principal diagnoses. The diagnoses were grouped into common ambulatory care diagnosis clusters. The frequencies of the clusters were compared with the national frequencies from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey of 1989. RESULTS: Only eight of 25 leading clusters nationally were seen with frequencies greater than 1% in the hospital's primary care clinics (i.e., family practice, general internal medicine, general pediatrics). This number increased to 22 when the clinics of other specialties were included. CONCLUSION: To create an appropriate patient mix for training medical students and residents in ambulatory care, the university hospital examined in this study could supplement the use of its primary care clinics with the use of clinics in other specialties. This may be a less expensive and administratively less complex alternative to using off-campus private practices for such training.