The Dimorphos ejecta plume properties revealed by LICIACube.

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) had an impact with Dimorphos (a satellite of the asteroid Didymos) on 26 September 20221. Ground-based observations showed that the Didymos system brightened by a factor of 8.3 after the impact because of ejecta, returning to the pre-impact brightness 23.7 days afterwards2. Hubble Space Telescope observations made from 15 minutes after impact to 18.5 days after, with a spatial resolution of 2.1 kilometres per pixel, showed a complex evolution of the ejecta3, consistent with other asteroid impact events. The momentum enhancement factor, determined using the measured binary period change4, ranges between 2.2 and 4.9, depending on the assumptions about the mass and density of Dimorphos5. Here we report observations from the LUKE and LEIA instruments on the LICIACube cube satellite, which was deployed 15 days in advance of the impact of DART. Data were taken from 71 seconds before the impact until 320 seconds afterwards. The ejecta plume was a cone with an aperture angle of 140 ± 4 degrees. The inner region of the plume was blue, becoming redder with increasing distance from Dimorphos. The ejecta plume exhibited a complex and inhomogeneous structure, characterized by filaments, dust grains and single or clustered boulders. The ejecta velocities ranged from a few tens of metres per second to about 500 metres per second.

Caution at choosing a particular colony-forming unit from faecal Escherichia coli: it may not represent the sample profile.

Data about phylogenetic classification of Escherichia coli colonizing calves, lambs and foals are routinely neglected and restricted to outdated methodologies, even in the context of antimicrobial susceptibility (AS) testing. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the phylogenetic diversity and the AS profile of E. coli colony-forming units (CFUs) from faecal samples of healthy animals. Five CFUs of E. coli were randomly selected from each faecal culture of calves (n = 13), foals (n = 13) and lambs (n = 13), totalizing 195 CFUs phylo-typed by quadruplex PCR. The AS profile of five CFUs from 15 samples (five from each animal species; n = 75 isolates) against nine drugs was determined by agar diffusion test. We found E. coli belonging to all phylo-groups already described, except D group, with the predominance of B1 (65% CFUs; 126/195) in the three-animal species sampled. Most faecal samples of calves (77%; 10/13) and foals (69%; 9/13) harboured both pathogenic and nonpathogenic E. coli. All faecal samples showed CFUs with diverse AS profile, highlighting the ineffectiveness of tetracycline, sulphonamide and ampicillin. As a key point, our data reinforce the importance to select at least four E. coli CFUs for AS testing. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study provides relevant data about the high phylogenetic and antimicrobial susceptibility diversity observed in Escherichia coli colony-forming units (CFUs) from a bacteriological culture of faeces from healthy calves, foals and lambs. The selection pressure exerted by the herd treatment may directly impact the intestinal microflora of animals that have never been treated. Finally, we emphasize the importance of Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines and we recommended to analyse at least four E. coli CFUs to determine, in particular, the antimicrobial susceptibility profile of faecal isolates, independent of the animal's health status.

Increased risk for heart valve disease associated with antiphospholipid antibodies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: meta-analysis of echocardiographic studies.

BACKGROUND: Heart valve disease (HVD) is frequent in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and the role of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) is controversial. Thus, our objective was to estimate the risk of HVD, including Libman-Sacks endocarditis, associated with aPL in patients with SLE. METHODS AND RESULTS: Studies were selected if they investigated the association between aPL and HVD in SLE patients and if aPL-negative patients were included for comparison. Data sources were MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, hand search, contact with investigators, and reference lists of studies, without language restrictions. Data on study and patient characteristics, risk estimates, and study quality were independently extracted by 2 investigators. Pooled effect estimates were obtained by using the DerSimonian-Laird method. Of 234 identified abstracts, 23 primary studies (15 cross-sectional, 7 cohort, 1 case-control) met inclusion criteria, including 1656 SLE patients and 508 cases of HVD. Compared with SLE patients without aPL (n=988), the overall pooled odds ratios for HVD and Libman-Sacks endocarditis in aPL-positive patients (n=668) were 3.13 (95% confidence interval, 2.31 to 4.24) and 3.51 (95% confidence interval, 1.93 to 6.38), respectively. The risk of HVD depending on aPL subtypes was the highest for lupus anticoagulant at 5.88 (95% confidence interval, 2.92 to 11.84) and IgG anticardiolipin antibodies at 5.63 (95% confidence interval, 3.53 to 8.97). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the presence of aPL in SLE patients is significantly associated with an increased risk for HVD including Libman-Sacks endocarditis. The risk conferred by IgG anticardiolipin antibodies is as strong as by lupus anticoagulant. Systematic echocardiographic examinations in SLE patients with aPL should be performed.

Laboratory diagnosis of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea and colitis: usefulness of Premier Cytoclone A+B enzyme immunoassay for combined detection of stool toxins and toxigenic C. difficile strains.

Detection of Clostridium difficile toxins A and B in stools by Premier Cytoclone A+B enzyme immunoassay (EIA) was compared with detection by stool culture for C. difficile followed by detection of toxigenic isolates using the same EIA. Chart reviews were performed to evaluate the likelihood of C. difficile-associated diarrhea and colitis (CADC) for all patients with at least one positive toxin assay. While the toxins were detected in 58 of 85 consecutive CADC patients by both assays, CADC in 5 patients was detected only by stool toxin assay, and in 22 patients CADC was detected only by toxigenic culture. Our results suggest that for laboratories using a rapid toxin A+B EIA, direct toxin detection in stools should be combined with toxigenic culture in cases in which there is a negative stool toxin assay.