The effects of a therapy dog intervention on dental fear and anxiety in adult patients undergoing dental procedures: a pilot study.

Dental anxiety poses challenges for providing effective oral healthcare. While therapy dogs have shown promise in various medical and mental health contexts, their use for alleviating dental anxiety in adults remains underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the emotional and physiologic effects of therapy dogs on self-reported dental anxiety. Adults with dental anxiety were randomly assigned to an intervention group (DOG; n = 19) or a standard care group (SC; n = 14). Standard self-report measures were used to assess dental anxiety (Index of Dental Anxiety and Fear [IDAF-4C+]), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire 9), and generalized anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7) prior to the intervention. Participants in the DOG group received a 10-minute therapy dog intervention before dental procedures in sessions 1 and 2, while participants in the SC group rested quietly for 10 minutes before their procedure. The SC participants received the 10-minute therapy dog intervention before dental procedures in the third and final session, while patients in the DOG group received no intervention prior to their third procedure. After the dental procedures, patients completed a questionnaire about their satisfaction with the dog therapy (Therapy Satisfaction Scale) and recorded their anxiety and comfort levels on visual analog scales. Continuous electrocardiographic recording measured heart rate variability during the intervention and dental procedure. Prior to the intervention, most participants (90.9%) met the IDAF-4C+ criteria for dental anxiety, with 7 (21.2%) meeting the criteria for dental phobia. The DOG group participants expressed high satisfaction with the therapy dog intervention. No significant differences in heart rate variability were observed between the groups during dental procedures. Therapy dogs can effectively manage dental anxiety in adults with mild to moderate dental anxiety, offering potential benefits for oral healthcare.

Opposing macroevolutionary and trait-mediated patterns of threat and naturalisation in flowering plants.

Due to expanding global trade and movement of people, new plant species are establishing in exotic ranges at increasing rates while the number of native species facing extinction from multiple threats grows. Yet, how species losses and gains globally may, together, be linked to traits and macroevolutionary processes is poorly understood. Here, we show that, adjusting for diversification rate and clade age, the proportion of threatened species across flowering plant families is negatively related to the proportion of naturalised species per family. Moreover, naturalisation is positively associated with range size, short generation time, autonomous seed production and interspecific hybridisation, but negatively with age and diversification, whereas threat is negatively associated with range size and hybridisation, and positively with biotic pollination, age and diversification rate. That we find such a pronounced signature of naturalisation and threat across plant families suggests that both trait syndromes have coexisted over deep evolutionary time and counter to intuition, that neither strategy is necessarily superior to the other over long evolutionary timespans.

Water storage decisions will determine the distribution and persistence of imperiled river fishes.

Managing the world's freshwater supply to meet societal and environmental needs in a changing climate is one of the biggest challenges for the 21st century. Dams provide water security; however, the allocation of dwindling water supply among reservoirs could exacerbate or ameliorate the effects of climate change on aquatic communities. Here, we show that the relative sensitivity of river thermal regimes to direct impacts of climate change and societal decisions concerning water storage vary substantially throughout a river basin. In the absence of interspecific interactions, future Colorado River temperatures would appear to benefit both endemic and nonnative fish species. However, endemic species are already declining or extirpated in locations where their ranges overlap with warmwater nonnatives and changes in water storage may lead to warming in some of the coolest portions of the river basin, facilitating further nonnative expansion. Integrating environmental considerations into ongoing water storage negotiations may lead to better resource outcomes than mitigating nonnative species impacts after the fact.

Pain catastrophising in the oro-facial pain population.

BACKGROUND: Pain catastrophising is a maladaptive cognitive response characterised by an exaggerated negative interpretation of pain experiences. It has been associated with greater disability and poorer outcomes in chronic pain, to include several specific oro-facial pain conditions. The goal of this study was to examine pain catastrophising at a military oro-facial pain specialty clinic. METHODS: This retrospective chart review (RCR) examined information collected at initial examination from 699 new patients seen between September 2016 and August 2019 at the Orofacial Pain Center at the Naval Postgraduate Dental School (Bethesda, MD). Pain catastrophising, pain characteristics, psychosocial factors and sleep were assessed using standardised scales. Linear regression was used to evaluate associations of patient characteristics and pain intensity with pain catastrophising. Mediation analyses were done to characterise the extent to which the relationship between pain intensity and pain catastrophising may be explained by anxiety, depression and insomnia. RESULTS: Higher pain intensity, depression, anxiety, insomnia and younger age were each associated with higher pain catastrophising (all p < .05). A primary diagnosis of neuropathic pain was the strongest independent predictor of higher pain catastrophising. The relationship between pain intensity and pain catastrophising was partially mediated by anxiety, depression and insomnia. CONCLUSIONS: In this RCR of a population of oro-facial pain patients, those diagnosed with neuropathic pain were most likely to display high levels of pain catastrophising, a characteristic which is associated with poor long-term pain outcomes. This is the first study to show that, independent of other patient characteristics, those suffering from neuropathic pains displayed the highest levels of pain catastrophising. This highlights the importance of also addressing psychosocial factors in the treatment of neuropathic pain conditions, which are commonly treated using a predominantly biomedical approach. Additionally, anxiety, depression and insomnia each partially explains the relationship between pain intensity and pain catastrophising.

Integrating data mining and transmission theory in the ecology of infectious diseases.

Our understanding of ecological processes is built on patterns inferred from data. Applying modern analytical tools such as machine learning to increasingly high dimensional data offers the potential to expand our perspectives on these processes, shedding new light on complex ecological phenomena such as pathogen transmission in wild populations. Here, we propose a novel approach that combines data mining with theoretical models of disease dynamics. Using rodents as an example, we incorporate statistical differences in the life history features of zoonotic reservoir hosts into pathogen transmission models, enabling us to bound the range of dynamical phenomena associated with hosts, based on their traits. We then test for associations between equilibrium prevalence, a key epidemiological metric and data on human outbreaks of rodent-borne zoonoses, identifying matches between empirical evidence and theoretical predictions of transmission dynamics. We show how this framework can be generalized to other systems through a rubric of disease models and parameters that can be derived from empirical data. By linking life history components directly to their effects on disease dynamics, our mining-modelling approach integrates machine learning and theoretical models to explore mechanisms in the macroecology of pathogen transmission and their consequences for spillover infection to humans.

No Change in Risk for Antibiotic-Resistant Salmonellosis from Beef, United States, 2002-2010.

Restricting antibiotic use in food production animals is a target for reducing antimicrobial drug-resistant infections in humans. We used US surveillance data to estimate the probability of antibiotic-resistant nontyphoidal salmonellosis per meal made with beef during 2002-2010. Applying data for nontyphoidal Salmonella in raised-without-antibiotics cattle, we tested the effect of removing antibiotic use from all beef cattle production. We found an average of 1.2 (95% credible interval 0.6-4.2) antibiotic-resistant nontyphoidal salmonellosis cases per 1 million beef meals made with beef initially contaminated with antibiotic-resistant nontyphoidal Salmonella at slaughter or retail and 0.031 (95% credible interval 0.00018-0.14) cases per 1 million meals irrespective of beef contamination status. Neither outcome showed sustained change except for increases in 2003 and 2009 (>98% confidence) when larger or more outbreaks occurred. Switching all beef production to a raised-without-antibiotics system may not have a significant effect on antibiotic-resistant nontyphoidal salmonellosis (94.3% confidence).

Seasonal Prevalence of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli on Pork Carcasses for Three Steps of the Harvest Process at Two Commercial Processing Plants in the United States.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a foodborne pathogen that has a significant impact on public health, with strains possessing the attachment factor intimin referred to as enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) and associated with life-threatening illnesses. Cattle and beef are considered typical sources of STEC, but their presence in pork products is a growing concern. Therefore, carcasses (n = 1,536) at two U.S. pork processors were sampled once per season at three stages of harvest (poststunning skins, postscald carcasses, and chilled carcasses) and then examined using PCR for Shiga toxin genes (stx), intimin genes (eae), aerobic plate count (APC), and Enterobacteriaceae counts (EBC). The prevalence of stx on skins, postscald, and chilled carcasses was 85.3, 17.5, and 5.4%, respectively, with 82.3, 7.8, and 1.7% of swabs, respectively, having stx and eae present. All stx-positive samples were subjected to culture isolation that resulted in 368 STEC and 46 EHEC isolates. The most frequently identified STEC were serogroups O121, O8, and O91 (63, 6.7, and 6.0% of total STEC, respectively). The most frequently isolated EHEC was serotype O157:H7 (63% of total EHEC). Results showed that scalding significantly reduced (P < 0.05) carcass APC and EBC by 3.00- and 2.50-log10 CFU/100 cm2, respectively. A seasonal effect was observed, with STEC prevalence lower (P < 0.05) in winter. The data from this study show significant (P < 0.05) reduction in the incidence of STEC (stx) from 85.3% to 5.4% and of EHEC (stx plus eae) from 82.3% to 1.7% within the slaughter-to-chilling continuum, respectively, and that potential EHEC can be confirmed present throughout using culture isolation.IMPORTANCE Seven serogroups of STEC are responsible for most (>75%) cases of severe illnesses caused by STEC and are considered adulterants of beef. However, some STEC outbreaks have been attributed to pork products, although the same E. coli are not considered adulterants in pork because little is known of their prevalence along the pork chain. The significance of the work presented here is that it identifies disease-causing STEC, EHEC, demonstrating that these same organisms are a food safety hazard in pork as well as beef. The results show that most STEC isolated from pork are not likely to cause severe disease in humans and that processes used in pork harvest, such as scalding, offer a significant control point to reduce contamination. The results will assist the pork processing industry and regulatory agencies to optimize interventions to improve the safety of pork products.

The antibiotic peptaibol alamethicin from Trichoderma permeabilises Arabidopsis root apical meristem and epidermis but is antagonised by cellulase-induced resistance to alamethicin.

BACKGROUND: Trichoderma fungi live in the soil rhizosphere and are beneficial for plant growth and pathogen resistance. Several species and strains are currently used worldwide in co-cultivation with crops as a biocontrol alternative to chemical pesticides even though little is known about the exact mechanisms of the beneficial interaction. We earlier found alamethicin, a peptide antibiotic secreted by Trichoderma, to efficiently permeabilise cultured tobacco cells. However, pre-treatment with Trichoderma cellulase made the cells resistant to subsequent alamethicin, suggesting a potential mechanism for plant tolerance to Trichoderma, needed for mutualistic symbiosis. RESULTS: We here investigated intact sterile-grown Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings germinated in water or growth medium. These could be permeabilised by alamethicin but not if pretreated with cellulase. By following the fluorescence from the membrane-impermeable DNA-binding probe propidium iodide, we found alamethicin to mainly permeabilise root tips, especially the apical meristem and epidermis cells, but not the root cap and basal meristem cells nor cortex cells. Alamethicin permeabilisation and cellulase-induced resistance were confirmed by developing a quantitative in situ assay based on NADP-isocitrate dehydrogenase accessibility. The combined assays also showed that hyperosmotic treatment after the cellulase pretreatment abolished the induced cellulase resistance. CONCLUSION: We here conclude the presence of cell-specific alamethicin permeabilisation, and cellulase-induced resistance to it, in root tip apical meristem and epidermis of the model organism A. thaliana. We suggest that contact between the plasma membrane and the cell wall is needed for the resistance to remain. Our results indicate a potential mode for the plant to avoid negative effects of alamethicin on plant growth and localises the point of potential damage and response. The results also open up for identification of plant genetic components essential for beneficial effects from Trichoderma on plants.

Regulation of the oncogenic phenotype by the nuclear body protein ZC3H8.

BACKGROUND: The Zc3h8 gene encodes a protein with three zinc finger motifs in the C-terminal region. The protein has been identified as a component of the Little Elongation Complex, involved in transcription of small nuclear RNAs. ZC3H8 is overexpressed in a number of human and mouse breast cancer cell lines, and elevated mRNA levels are associated with a poorer prognosis for women with breast cancer. METHODS: We used RNA silencing to decrease levels of expression in mouse mammary tumor cells and overexpression of ZC3H8 in cells derived from the normal mouse mammary gland. We measured characteristics of cell behavior in vitro, including proliferation, migration, invasion, growth in soft agar, and spheroid growth. We assessed the ability of these cells to form tumors in syngeneic BALB/c mice. ZC3H8 protein was visualized in cells using confocal microscopy. RESULTS: Tumor cells with lower ZC3H8 expression exhibited decreased proliferation rates, slower migration, reduced ability to invade through a basement membrane, and decreased anchorage independent growth in vitro. Cells with lower ZC3H8 levels formed fewer and smaller tumors in animals. Overexpression of ZC3H8 in non-tumorigenic COMMA-D cells led to an opposite effect. ZC3H8 protein localized to both PML bodies and Cajal bodies within the nucleus. ZC3H8 has a casein kinase 2 (CK2) phosphorylation site near the N-terminus, and a CK2 inhibitor caused the numerous PML bodies and ZC3H8 to coalesce to a few larger bodies. Removal of the inhibitor restored PML bodies to their original state. A mutant ZC3H8 lacking the predicted CK2 phosphorylation site showed localization and numbers of ZC3H8/PML bodies similar to wild type. In contrast, a mutant constructed with a glutamic acid in place of the phosphorylatable threonine showed dramatically increased numbers of smaller nuclear foci. CONCLUSIONS: These experiments demonstrate that Zc3h8 expression contributes to aggressive tumor cell behavior in vitro and in vivo. Our studies show that ZC3H8 integrity is key to maintenance of PML bodies. The work provides a link between the Little Elongation Complex, PML bodies, and the cancer cell phenotype.

Rodent reservoirs of future zoonotic diseases.

The increasing frequency of zoonotic disease events underscores a need to develop forecasting tools toward a more preemptive approach to outbreak investigation. We apply machine learning to data describing the traits and zoonotic pathogen diversity of the most speciose group of mammals, the rodents, which also comprise a disproportionate number of zoonotic disease reservoirs. Our models predict reservoir status in this group with over 90% accuracy, identifying species with high probabilities of harboring undiscovered zoonotic pathogens based on trait profiles that may serve as rules of thumb to distinguish reservoirs from nonreservoir species. Key predictors of zoonotic reservoirs include biogeographical properties, such as range size, as well as intrinsic host traits associated with lifetime reproductive output. Predicted hotspots of novel rodent reservoir diversity occur in the Middle East and Central Asia and the Midwestern United States.

Functional blaKPC-2 Sequences Are Present in U.S. Beef Cattle Feces Regardless of Antibiotic Use.

Carbapenems are classified as critically important antibiotics since they are employed when resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections fail to respond to other antibiotic therapies. Carbapenem-resistant bacteria (CRB) were traditionally understood to be rare in the U.S. food-producing animals. Recently, using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), our group detected blaKPC-2 in all 72 metagenomic DNA (mgDNA) samples prepared from the feces of 36 lots of beef cattle "raised without antibiotics" (RWA) and 36 lots raised "conventionally" (CONV). Since a small internal fragment of the blaKPC-2 gene was targeted by the qPCR detection method, we sought to determine if functional blaKPC-2-like sequences are present in beef cattle feces. Full-length blaKPC-2 sequences were amplified from 18 mgDNA samples (9 CONV and 9 RWA), cloned into pCR4Blunt-TOPO vectors, and transformed into Escherichia coli TOP10 cells. All 14 of the samples with blaKPC-2 cloned in the same orientation as the Plac promoter had carbapenemase activity and imipenem minimum inhibitory concentrations ≥32 µg/mL. We conclude that the blaKPC-2 genes detected in our previous study were functional, which indicates that CRB were present in those fecal samples. Identification of functional Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemases in fecal samples from both CONV and RWA cattle strongly suggests that CRB are more common in U.S. beef cattle feces than previously believed. Critically, more research using similar qPCR methods to determine the levels of carbapenem-resistant genes in human feces, feces from other food animal species, wildlife, companion animals, and the environment are required to accurately assess public health implications.

Effects of In-Feed Chlortetracycline Prophylaxis in Beef Cattle on Antimicrobial Resistance Genes.

Approximately 20% of U.S. beef cattle receive prophylactic in-feed administration of chlortetracycline (CTC) to reduce bovine respiratory disease (BRD) incidence during the transition into feedlots. To determine the impact of prophylaxis on selected antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), 300 beef cattle were placed into 10 pens (30 head/pen). Five "CTC group" pens received in-feed CTC (10 mg/lb of body weight/d) from the fifth to ninth day after feedlot arrival, whereas the five "Control group" pens received no CTC. Fecal swabs and pen surface materials were collected for metagenomic DNA isolation on five sample occasions: arrival at the feedlot, 5 d posttreatment (dpt), and 27, 75, and 117 dpt. For each sample occasion, fecal samples and pen surface material samples were pooled by pen. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the abundances of 10 ARGs. Due to low detection percentages (%D) and quantification percentages (%Q), the abundances of five ARGs were not analyzed: aac(6')-Ie-aph(2'') (%D = 43%, %Q = 4%), blaCMY-2 (%D = 41%, %Q = 0%), blaCTX-M (%D = 0%, %Q = 0%), blaKPC-2 (%D = 21%, %Q = 16%), and mecA (%D = 4%, %Q = 0%). The %D and %Q for the ARGs aadA1, erm(B), tet(A), tet(B), and tet(M) were ≥98% and ≥90%, respectively. The abundances of aadA1, erm(B), tet(A), tet(B), and tet(M) resistance genes did not differ (p > 0.05) between the CTC and control groups at any sampling time for feces or pen surface material. Although only 10 ARGs were examined in this study, the results suggest that a single 5-d in-feed CTC prophylaxis of beef cattle to prevent BRD has a negligible impact on the abundances of ARGs.

Growth Patterns of the Neurocentral Synchondrosis (NCS) in Immature Cadaveric Vertebra.

STUDY DESIGN: Gross anatomic study of osteological specimens. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the age of closure for the neurocentral synchondrosis (NCS) in all 3 regions of the spine in children aged 1 to 18 years old. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The ossification of the human vertebra begins from a vertebral body ossification center and a pair of neural ossification centers located within the centrum called the NCS. These bipolar cartilaginous centers of growth contribute to the growth of the vertebral body, spinal canal, and posterior elements of the spine. The closure of the synchondroses is dependent upon location of the vertebra and previous studies range from 2 to 16 years of age. Although animal and cadaveric studies have been performed regarding NCS growth and early instrumentation's effect on its development, the effects of NCS growth disturbances are still not completely understood. METHODS: The vertebrae of 32 children (1 to 18 y old) from the Hamann-Todd Osteological collection were analyzed (no 2 or 9 y old specimens available). Vertebrae studied ranged from C1 to L5. A total of 768 vertebral specimens were photographed on a background grid to allow for measurement calibration. Measurements of the right and left NCS, pedicle width at the NCS, and spinal canal area were taken using Scandium image-analysis software (Olympus Soft Imaging Solutions, Germany). The percentage of the growth plate still open was found by dividing the NCS by the pedicle width and multiplying by 100. Data were analyzed with JMP 11 software (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). RESULTS: The NCS was 100% open in all 3 regions of the spine in the 1- to 3-year age group. The cervical NCS closed first with completion around 5 years of age. The lumbar NCS was nearly fully closed by age 11. Only the thoracic region remained open through age 17 years. The left and right NCS closed simultaneously as there was no statistical difference between them. In all regions of the spine, the NCS appeared to close sooner in males than in females. Spinal canal area increased with age up to 12 years old in the cervical and thoracic spine but did not significantly change after age 3 in the lumbar spine. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, closure of the NCS differed among the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine regions. The NCS reached closure in males before females even though females mature faster and reach skeletal maturity sooner than males. However, it is not determined whether the continued open NCS in females to a later age may be a factor in their increased rate of scoliosis.

Spatiotemporal Fluctuations and Triggers of Ebola Virus Spillover.

Because the natural reservoir of Ebola virus remains unclear and disease outbreaks in humans have occurred only sporadically over a large region, forecasting when and where Ebola spillovers are most likely to occur constitutes a continuing and urgent public health challenge. We developed a statistical modeling approach that associates 37 human or great ape Ebola spillovers since 1982 with spatiotemporally dynamic covariates including vegetative cover, human population size, and absolute and relative rainfall over 3 decades across sub-Saharan Africa. Our model (area under the curve 0.80 on test data) shows that spillover intensity is highest during transitions between wet and dry seasons; overall, high seasonal intensity occurs over much of tropical Africa; and spillover intensity is greatest at high (>1,000/km2) and very low (<100/km2) human population densities compared with intermediate levels. These results suggest strong seasonality in Ebola spillover from wild reservoirs and indicate particular times and regions for targeted surveillance.

Impact of "Raised without Antibiotics" Beef Cattle Production Practices on Occurrences of Antimicrobial Resistance.

The specific antimicrobial resistance (AMR) decreases that can be expected from reducing antimicrobial (AM) use in U.S. beef production have not been defined. To address this data gap, feces were recovered from 36 lots of "raised without antibiotics" (RWA) and 36 lots of "conventional" (CONV) beef cattle. Samples (n = 719) were collected during harvest and distributed over a year. AMR was assessed by (i) the culture of six AM-resistant bacteria (ARB), (ii) quantitative PCR (qPCR) for 10 AMR genes (ARGs), (iii) a qPCR array of 84 ARGs, and (iv) metagenomic sequencing. Generally, AMR levels were similar, but some were higher in CONV beef cattle. The prevalence of third-generation cephalosporin-resistant (3GCr) Escherichia coli was marginally different between production systems (CONV, 47.5%; RWA, 34.8%; P = 0.04), but the seasonal effect (summer, 92.8%; winter, 48.3%; P < 0.01) was greater. Erythromycin-resistant (ERYr) Enterococcus sp. concentrations significantly differed between production systems (CONV, 1.91 log10 CFU/g; RWA, 0.73 log10 CFU/g; P < 0.01). Levels of aadA1, ant(6)-I, bla ACI, erm(A), erm(B), erm(C), erm(F), erm(Q), tet(A), tet(B), tet(M), and tet(X) ARGs were higher (P < 0.05) in the CONV system. Aggregate abundances of all 43 ARGs detected by metagenomic sequencing and the aggregate abundances of ARGs in the aminoglycoside, ß-lactam, macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (MLS), and tetracycline AM classes did not differ (log2 fold change < 1.0) between CONV and RWA systems. These results suggest that further reductions of AM use in U.S. beef cattle production may not yield significant AMR reductions beyond MLS and tetracycline resistance.IMPORTANCE The majority of antimicrobial (AM) use in the United States is for food-animal production, leading to concerns that typical AM use patterns during "conventional" (CONV) beef cattle production in the United States contribute broadly to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurrence. In the present study, levels of AMR were generally similar between CONV and "raised without antibiotics" (RWA) cattle. Only a limited number of modest AMR increases was observed in CONV cattle, primarily involving macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (MLS) and tetracycline resistance. Macrolides (tylosin) and tetracyclines (chlortetracycline) are administered in-feed for relatively long durations to reduce liver abscesses. To ensure judicious AM use, the animal health, economic, and AMR impacts of shorter duration in-feed administration of these AMs should be examined. However, given the modest AMR reductions observed, further reductions of AM use in U.S. beef cattle production may not yield significant AMR reductions beyond MLS and tetracycline resistance.

Global Mammal Parasite Database version 2.0.

Illuminating the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of parasites is one of the most pressing issues facing modern science, and is critical for basic science, the global economy, and human health. Extremely important to this effort are data on the disease-causing organisms of wild animal hosts (including viruses, bacteria, protozoa, helminths, arthropods, and fungi). Here we present an updated version of the Global Mammal Parasite Database, a database of the parasites of wild ungulates (artiodactyls and perissodactyls), carnivores, and primates, and make it available for download as complete flat files. The updated database has more than 24,000 entries in the main data file alone, representing data from over 2700 literature sources. We include data on sampling method and sample sizes when reported, as well as both "reported" and "corrected" (i.e., standardized) binomials for each host and parasite species. Also included are current higher taxonomies and data on transmission modes used by the majority of species of parasites in the database. In the associated metadata we describe the methods used to identify sources and extract data from the primary literature, how entries were checked for errors, methods used to georeference entries, and how host and parasite taxonomies were standardized across the database. We also provide definitions of the data fields in each of the four files that users can download.

Biofilm Formation, Antimicrobial Resistance, and Sanitizer Tolerance of Salmonella enterica Strains Isolated from Beef Trim.

In the beef industry, product contamination by Salmonella enterica is a serious public health concern, which may result in human infection and cause significant financial loss due to product recalls. Currently, the precise mechanism and pathogen source responsible for Salmonella contamination in commercial establishments are not well understood. We characterized 89 S. enterica strains isolated from beef trim with respect to their biofilm-forming ability, antimicrobial resistance, and biofilm cell survival/recovery growth after sanitizer exposure. A total of 28 Salmonella serovars was identified within these strains. The most common serovars identified were Anatum, Dublin, Montevideo, and Typhimurium, with these accounting for nearly half of the total strains. The vast majority (86%) of the strains was able to develop strong biofilms, and the biofilm-forming ability was highly strain dependent and related to cell surface expression of extracellular polymeric structures. These strains also demonstrated strong tolerance to quaternary ammonium chloride (QAC) and chlorine dioxide (ClO2), but were more sensitive to chlorine treatment. Sanitizer tolerance and bacterial postsanitization recovery growth were closely associated with strains' biofilm-forming ability. Thirty percent of the examined strains were found resistant to multiple antimicrobial agents and the resistance phenotypes were serovar associated, but not related to strains' biofilm-forming ability. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis tended to group strains by serovar rather than by biofilm-forming ability. Collectively, these data indicate that the strong biofilm formers of certain S. enterica strains/serovars possess significant potential for causing meat product contamination in meat processing environment.

The macroecology of infectious diseases: a new perspective on global-scale drivers of pathogen distributions and impacts.

Identifying drivers of infectious disease patterns and impacts at the broadest scales of organisation is one of the most crucial challenges for modern science, yet answers to many fundamental questions remain elusive. These include what factors commonly facilitate transmission of pathogens to novel host species, what drives variation in immune investment among host species, and more generally what drives global patterns of parasite diversity and distribution? Here we consider how the perspectives and tools of macroecology, a field that investigates patterns and processes at broad spatial, temporal and taxonomic scales, are expanding scientific understanding of global infectious disease ecology. In particular, emerging approaches are providing new insights about scaling properties across all living taxa, and new strategies for mapping pathogen biodiversity and infection risk. Ultimately, macroecology is establishing a framework to more accurately predict global patterns of infectious disease distribution and emergence.

Effects of In-Feed Chlortetracycline Prophylaxis in Beef Cattle on Animal Health and Antimicrobial-Resistant Escherichia coli.

Concerns have been raised that in-feed chlortetracycline (CTC) may increase antimicrobial resistance (AMR), specifically tetracycline-resistant (TETr) Escherichia coli and third-generation cephalosporin-resistant (3GCr) E. coli We evaluated the impact of a 5-day in-feed CTC prophylaxis on animal health, TETr E. coli, and 3GCr E. coli A control group of cattle (n = 150) received no CTC, while a CTC group (n = 150) received in-feed CTC (10 mg/lb of body weight/day) from the 5th to the 9th day after feedlot arrival. Over 25% (38/150) of the animals in the control group developed illnesses requiring therapeutic treatment with antimicrobials critically important to human medicine. Only two animals (1.3%) in the CTC group required such treatments. Fecal swab and pen surface occurrences of generic E. coli (isolated on media that did not contain antimicrobials of interest and were not isolated based on any specific resistance), TETr E. coli, and 3GCr E. coli were determined on five sampling occasions: arrival at the feedlot, 5 days posttreatment (5 dpt), 27 dpt, 75 dpt, and 117 dpt. On 5 dpt, TETr E. coli concentrations were higher for the CTC group than the control group (P < 0.01). On 27 dpt, 75 dpt, and 117 dpt, TETr E. coli concentrations did not differ between groups. 3GCr E. coli occurrences did not differ between control and CTC groups on any sampling occasion. For both groups, generic, TETr, and 3GCr E. coli occurrences were highest on 75 dpt and 117 dpt, suggesting that factors other than in-feed CTC contributed more significantly to antimicrobial-resistant E. coli occurrence. IMPORTANCE: The occurrence of human bacterial infections resistant to antimicrobial therapy has been increasing. It has been postulated that antimicrobial resistance was inevitable, but the life span of the antimicrobial era has been prematurely compromised due to the misuse of antimicrobials in clinical and agricultural practices. Direct evidence relating the use of antimicrobials in livestock production to diminished human health outcomes due to antimicrobial resistance is lacking, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has taken an approach to maximize therapeutic efficacy and minimize the selection of resistant microorganisms through judicious use of antimicrobials. This study demonstrated that prophylactic in-feed treatment of chlortetracycline administered for 5 days to calves entering feedlots is judicious, as this therapy reduced animal morbidity, reduced the use of antimicrobials more critical to human health, and had no long-term impact on the occurrence of antimicrobial-resistant E. coli.

Alginate Sulfates Mitigate Binding Kinetics of Proangiogenic Growth Factors with Receptors toward Revascularization.

Ever since proangiogenic growth factors have been used as a vascular medicine to treat tissue ischemia, efforts have been increasingly made to develop a method to enhance efficacy of growth factors in recreating microvascular networks, especially at low dose. To this end, we hypothesized that polysaccharides substituted with sulfate groups would amplify growth factor receptor activation and stimulate phenotypic activities of endothelial cells involved in neovascularization. We examined this hypothesis by modifying alginate with a controlled number of sulfates and using it to derive a complex with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), as confirmed with fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) assay. Compared with the bare VEGF and with a mixture of VEGF and unmodified alginates, the VEGF complexed with alginate sulfates significantly reduced the dissociation rate with the VEGFR-2, elevated VEGFR-2 phosphorylation level, and increased the number of endothelial sprouts in vitro. Furthermore, the VEGF-alginate sulfate complex improved recovery of perfusion in an ischemic hindlimb of a mouse due to the increase of the capillary density. Overall, this study not only demonstrates an important cofactor of VEGF but also uncovers an underlying mechanism by which the cofactor mitigates the VEGF-induced signaling involved in the binding kinetics and activation of VEGFR. We therefore believe that the results of this study will be highly useful in improving the therapeutic efficacy of various growth factors and expediting their uses in clinical treatments of wounds and tissue defects.