The Diaries of Besieged Leningraders (1941-1944): Representations of a Mass Famine during World War II.

During the siege of Leningrad by the Nazis and their allies between 1941 and 1944 (one of the most deadliest events of World War II), famine caused hundreds of thousands of deaths among the civilian population. How did people react to malnourishment and its impact on the body and mind? The diaries kept by hundreds of ordinary men and women provide an insight into the intimate perception of the famine as these events were unfolding. While the extent of food deprivation is heavily downplayed (even concealed) in Soviet propaganda, it is absolutely central in the diaries. At the crossroads of history and literature, this article examines the challenges of addressing the experience of hunger: the search for resources (linguistic, literary, historical), the attempts at verbalization, and the limits of language. Ultimately, the diarists furnish us with an invaluable testimony of unmitigated malnourishment, giving us the unique opportunity to it see through the eyes of the starving.

Rapid resistome fingerprinting and clonal lineage profiling of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates by targeted next-generation sequencing.

Thirty-two carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates, representative of different resistance mechanisms and clonal lineages, were analyzed with the Pathogenica HAI BioDetection system, based on targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology. With most strains, the system simultaneously yielded comprehensive information on relevant ß-lactam resistance determinants and accurate discrimination of clonal lineages, in a shorter time frame and in a less labor-intensive manner than currently available methods for molecular epidemiology analysis. Results supported the usefulness of targeted NGS-based technologies for similar applications.

Variation in clinical phenotype of human infection among genetic groups of Blastomyces dermatitidis.

BACKGROUND: Blastomyces dermatitidis, the etiologic agent of blastomycosis, has 2 genetic groups and shows varied clinical presentation, ranging from silent infections to fulminant respiratory disease and dissemination. The objective of this study was to determine whether clinical phenotype and outcomes vary based on the infecting organism's genetic group. METHODS: We used microsatellites to genotype 227 clinical isolates of B. dermatitidis from Wisconsin patients. For each isolate, corresponding clinical disease characteristics and patient demographic information were abstracted from electronic health records and Wisconsin Division of Health reportable disease forms and questionnaires. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, group 1 isolates were more likely to be associated with pulmonary-only infections (P < .0001) and constitutional symptoms such as fever (P < .0001). In contrast, group 2 isolates were more likely to be associated with disseminated disease (P < .0001), older patient age (P < .0001), and comorbidities (P = .0019). In multivariate analysis, disease onset to diagnosis of >1 month (P < .0001), older age at diagnosis (P < .0001), and current smoking status (P = .0001) remained predictors for group 2 infections. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified previously unknown associations between clinical phenotype of human infection and genetic groups of B. dermatitidis and provides a framework for further investigations of the genetic basis for virulence in B. dermatitidis.