Initial Stroke Thrombectomy Experience in New York City during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

New York City has become the global epicenter of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Despite a massive shift in health care resources, cerebrovascular disease continues to be a substantial burden. We review the first 10 patients undergoing thrombectomy following a series of governmental and institutional policy changes diverting resources to the care of critically ill patients with COVID-19. Ten patients with emergent large-vessel occlusion underwent thrombectomy between March 23 and April 1, 2020. Five patients tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. Successful reperfusion was achieved in 9 of 10 patients, at a median time of 37 minutes from vascular access. The postprocedural NIHSS score improved by an average of 7.7 points. Of the 5 patients positive for COVID-19, none have experienced a critical respiratory illness. We report the early incidence of COVID-19 positivity in patients with emergent large-vessel occlusion and demonstrate that thrombectomy continues to be an efficacious option, as well as safe for health care providers.

Molecular composition of the paralyzing venom of three solitary wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) collected in southeast Mexico.

The chemical and biological characterization of peptide and protein components of the paralyzing venom from three Pompilidae solitary spider wasps (Pepsis mexicana, Pepsis terminata, and Anoplius nigritus) is described for the first time. The molecular masses of the most abundant peptides were determined. The N-terminal sequences of two cysteine-rich peptides were obtained from Pepsis. Metalloproteinase and hyaluronidase activities were identified in the venom of P. mexicana. A novel non-lethal method to collect venom is described.

Antagonism of Bacillus spp. isolated from marine biofilms against terrestrial phytopathogenic fungi.

We aimed at determining the antagonistic behavior of bacteria derived from marine biofilms against terrestrial phytopathogenic fungi. Some bacteria closely related to Bacillus mojavensis (three isolates) and Bacillus firmus (one isolate) displayed antagonistic activity against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides ATCC 42374, selected as first screen organism. The four isolates were further quantitatively tested against C. gloeosporioides, Colletotrichum fragariae, and Fusarium oxysporum on two culture media, potato dextrose agar (PDA) and a marine medium-based agar [yeast extract agar (YEA)] at different times of growth of the antagonists (early, co-inoculation with the pathogen and late). Overall antagonistic assays showed differential susceptibility among the pathogens as a function of the type of culture media and time of colonization (P < 0.05). In general, higher suppressive activities were recorded for assays performed on YEA than on PDA; and also when the antagonists were allowed to grow 24 h earlier than the pathogen. F. oxysporum was the most resistant fungus while the most sensitive was C. gloeosporioides ATCC 42374. Significant differences in antagonistic activity (P < 0.05) were found between the different isolates. In general, Bacillus sp. MC3B-22 displayed a greater antagonistic effect than the commercial biocontrol strain Bacillus subtilis G03 (Kodiak). Further incubation studies and scanning electronic microscopy revealed that Bacillus sp. MC3B-22 was able to colonize, multiply, and inhibit C. gloeosporioides ATCC 42374 when tested in a mango leaf assay, showing its potential for fungal biocontrol. Additional studies are required to definitively identify the active isolates and to determine their mode of antifungal action, safety, and biocompatibility.

Synergism between the nucleopolyhedroviruses of Autographa californica and Trichoplusia ni.

Previous observations on high virulence of Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) and Trichoplusia ni single nucleopolyhedrovirus (TnSNPV) acting together led us to test possible synergism between these two nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPVs) on cabbage looper larvae. Because synergism between AcMNPV and the Trichoplusia ni granulovirus (TnGV) has been well established before, these two viruses were included in this study as a positive control. Each virus was assayed separately on first-instar cabbage looper and their LC50s were estimated at 2.33, 0.39 and 462 OB/mm2 diet for AcMNPV, TnSNPV and TnGV, respectively. LC50s of AcMNPV mixed with sub-lethal concentrations of TnSNPV and TnGV increased 8 and 10.7 times, respectively. Synergism between the viruses was analyzed by the ANOVA test for the LC50s, the Plackett and Hewlett's joint-action rate test, and the Tammes-Bakuniak graphic method. All three analyses corroborated the synergism between the viruses. The presence of a putative enhancin in the TnSNPV was analyzed by Southern blot hybridization, using a 1.5 kbp KpnI fragment from the TnGV vef gene as a probe. No hybridization was observed. The occurrence of a new putative synergistic factor in TnSNPV is discussed.