Atypical and Typical Bacteria in Children with Community Acquired Pneumonia.

This study seeks to determine the pathogens in respiratory specimens and blood serum obtained from children who present with community acquired pneumonia (CAP) diagnosed on the basis of clinical and radiological evidence. The study group consisted of 46 hospitalized children aged 1-11 years. The material for research consisted of pharyngeal swabs and samples of blood serum. One hundred and thirty eight pharyngeal swabs were examined for the presence of C. pneumoniae antigen, C. pneumoniae DNA, and for typical pathogens. C. pneumoniae DNA was detected in pharyngeal swabs with nested PCR. Classical microbiological culture was used for detection of typical bacteria. ELISA test were used for detection anti-C. pneumoniae and anti-M. pneumoniae antibodies in the serum. C. pneumoniae DNA was identified in 10.9% of children. Positive culture for typical pathogens was observed in 8.7% of children. Specific anti-C. pneumoniae IgM antibodies were found in 8.7% of children, and IgG and IgA antibodies in 1 child each. Specific anti-M. pneumoniae IgG antibodies were found in 13.1% of children and IgM antibodies in 1 child. We conclude that the underlying bacterial etiology of CAP is rather rarely conclusively confirmed in children. Nonetheless, determining the etiology of CAP is essential for the choice of treatment to optimize the use and effectiveness of antimicrobials and to avoid adverse effect. Due to considerable variations in the power of detection of the type of atypical bacteria causing CAP, the search for the optimum diagnostic methods continues.

Comparison of genomes of Coxiella burnetii strains using formal order analysis.

The Coxiella burnetii strain NL3262 was isolated during the Q fever outbreak in the Netherlands in 2007-2010. Formal-order analysis (FOA) was used to study the similarity of the genome (chromosome and plasmid) of this strain with the genomes from other strains. Chromosomes from ten C. burnetii strains and eight plasmids were studied with FOA tools such as 'Map of genes' and 'Matrix of similarity.' The 'Map of genes' tool showed that the chromosome of strain C. burnetii str. NL3262 distanced itself by the index of average remoteness (g) of 1.449640 (x-axis) from chromosomes of other strains (g 1.448295-1.448865). The 'Matrix of similarity' was used for an advanced analysis of the obtained results. The complete similarity of the components of chromosomes and plasmids was determined by pairwise comparison and the identification of nucleotides matching with them. A total of 84.90% of the chromosomal components of C. burnetii strain NL3262 coincided completely with the chromosomal components of strain Z3055. For chromosomes of other strains, this percentage varied from 12.06% to 47.14%. The plasmid of strain NL3262 had 50.0% of the components being completely coincident with the components of the plasmid of RSA 331; with RSA 493 it was 29.89%. Thus, C. burnetii str. NL3262 is the closest to str. Z3055 by the similarity of the chromosomal components, but on the index of average remoteness of the chromosome and the similarity of the plasmids' QpH1 components, it is the closest to strain RSA 331.

New approaches in the systematics of rickettsiae.

The development of a formal order analysis (FOA) allowed constructing a classification of 49 genomes of Rickettsiaceae family representatives. Recently FOA has been extended with new tools-'Map of genes,' 'Matrix of similarity' and 'Locality-sensitive hashing'-for a more in-depth study of the structure of rickettsial genomes. The new classification confirmed and supplemented the previously constructed one by determining the position of Rickettsia africae str. ESF-5, R. heilongjiangensis 054, R. monacensis str. IrR/Munich, R. montanensis str. OSU 85-930, R. raoultii str. Khabarovsk, R. rhipicephali str. 3-7-female6-CWPP and Rickettsiales bacterium str. Ac37b. The 'Map of genes' demonstrated the complete genomes and their components in a graphical form. The 'Matrix of similarity' was applied for an in-depth classification to a subtaxonomic category of the strain within the species R. rickettsii (11 strains) and R. prowazekii (ten strains). The 'Matrix of similarity' determines the degree of homology of complete genomes by pairwise comparison of their components and identification of those being identical and similar in the arrangement of nucleotides. A new genomosystematics approach is proposed for the study of complete genomes and their components through the development and application of FOA tools. Its applications include the development of principles for the classification of microorganisms, based on the analysis of complete genomes and their annotations. This approach may help in the taxonomic classification and characterization of some Candidatus Rickettsia spp. that are found in large numbers in arthropods worldwide.

Cardiac manifestations of carbohydrate-deficient glycoprotein syndrome.

A 2-month-old girl with exudative pericarditis and hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy is presented. The child had characteristic dysmorphic features of carbohydrate-deficient glycoprotein syndrome, which was confirmed by serum levels of carbohydrate-deficient transferrin.

Two flavonol 5-O-glycosides from the roots of Leuzea carthamoides.

Two new flavonoids, identified as quercetin 5-O-galactoside (1) and isorhamnetin 5-O-rhamnoside (2) were isolated from the roots of Leuzea carthamoides.

Identification and biochemical characteristics of yeast microflora of Rokpol cheese.

Yeast microflora on the surface and interior of Rokpol cheese was examined for cheeses produced at three dairies located in Lower Silesia, Poland. Yeast populations on the surface of the cheeses ranged from 10(5)-10(9) cfu/g, but were 10-100 times lower for interior samples. The occurrence and proportions of yeast species varied, depending on the dairy plant and cheese sample. The most frequently isolated species were: Candida famata and C. spherica, followed by C. intermedia and Geotrichum sp. Other species such as Saccharomyces kluyveri, C. kefyr and C. lipolytica were found occasionally. Extracellular and intracellular proteolytic and lipolytic activities were examined for 39 isolates of C. famata.

[Nursing and education in gerontology]. / Pflege und Geragogik.

Originally, nursing was a practically determined concept. Modern nursing theories are scientifically based concepts, which--more or less--are open to psychosocial aspects. As to seniors, educational gerontology favours nursing theories, which focus upon psychosocial components. Such nursing theories are important prerequisites for successful cooperation between nursing and educational gerontology.