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Biomedical subjects

J E Moore

Publications and source records attributed to J E Moore.

At least 127 records · Page 7Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Occurrence of Burkholderia cepacia in foods and waters: clinical implications for patients with cystic fibrosis.

Two hundred forty-eight retail "ready-to-eat" foodstuffs in eight food categories and 134 waters categorized into nine types were analyzed for the presence of the Burkholderia cepacia complex of organisms. Of these, 14 of 26 (53.8%) samples of raw unpasteurized bovine milk were positive for this organism. Consumption of raw unpasteurized milk may therefore act as a potential source of infection with this organism, which is of particular concern for patients with cystic fibrosis, where colonization and infection with this organism can lead to a fatal necrotizing pneumonia and premature death. In addition to the associated risk of infection from fecal pathogens, patients with cystic fibrosis should therefore avoid the consumption of raw unpasteurized milk to minimize the risk of becoming infected with this organism.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

PCR cloning of the resuscitation-promoting factor (Rpf) gene from Micrococcus luteus, sequencing and expression in Escherichia coli.

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) cloning procedure was developed for the resuscitation-promoting factor (Rpf) gene of Micrococcus luteus using strains NCIMB 13267, JCM 1464T, JCM 3347, and JCM 3348. A PCR product of the Rpf gene fragment was ligated into a cloning vector pBluescript II KS (+) with the restriction endonucleases Eco RI and Bam HI. The ligation mixture was used to transform Escherichia coli DH5alpha. The DNA sequence of the Rpf gene cloned from strain JCM 1464T was 84% homologous with that of NCIMB 13267, and from strains JCM 3347 and JCM 3348 it was 100% and 86% homologous, respectively. Recombinant Rpf proteins of M. luteus NCIMB 13267 and JCM 1464T after expression in E. coli BL21 harbouring the pET-19b-Rpf plasmid, and after purification, were approximately 16 kD for both strains.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2001

Burkholderia cepacia and cystic fibrosis--50 years on.

Burkholderia cepacia (also known as Pseudomonas cepacia or P. multivorans), is a complex of bacteria that are phylogenetically distinguishable from each other but phenotypically indistinguishable. Though already present in the environment, they have been given selective advantage by changing environments and now infect a new and susceptible host group--cystic fibrosis sufferers. This brief review highlights the transmission of B. cepacia through the cystic fibrosis patient population and looks at possible treatments and current patient management approaches.

Burkholderia Infections↗
PubMed2001

Demonstration of genome DNA diversity of strains of urease-positive thermophilic Campylobacter isolated from the natural environment by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis.

Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis was carried out after separate digestion with Apa I, Sal I and Sma I of the genomic DNA from sixteen isolates of urease-positive thermophilic Campylobacter (UPTC) obtained from the natural environment, namely from oysters and mussels, in Northern Ireland. Five NCTC strains previously isolated in England were used for the analysis. Although the eight isolates of UPTC in Northern Ireland and a strain of UPTC in England showed that one or no fragments appeared after digestion with Apa I around 1,900 to 1,640 kb region of the gel, Apa I was shown to cut the genomic DNA from all of the other twelve strains of UPTC and Sal I and Sma I from all of the 21 strains in a distinctly different and distinguishable manner. Consequently, the present study clearly demonstrated that the sixteen isolates of UPTC in Northern Ireland and the five strains in England gave the diversity of the genomic DNA by using PFGE. Some strains of UPTC examined were shown to carry genomes from 1.6 to 1.9 Mb in length, thus the heterogeneous profiles of PFGE and the length of the genomes are thought to occur among the isolates of UPTC in Northern Ireland, as well as among the five representative strains of UPTC from NCTC.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Occurrence of Campylobacter spp. in water in Northern Ireland: implications for public health.

The occurrence of Campylobacter spp was examined in a variety of waters in Northern Ireland. Conventional cultural techniques were employed with 768 water specimens, including drinking waters (tap, spring, bore hole and bottled) and recreational waters (swimming pool, lough, river and sea). Positive waters included 1/11 (9.1%) drinking water from untreated well water, as well as 5/12 (41.7%) untreated surface waters from loughs and 7/8 (87.5%) untreated river waters. Overall, untreated surface waters may represent a source of contamination with Campylobacter spp. in Northern Ireland, where they have a recreational involvement or are used as a drinking source by man or agricultural livestock. Therefore waterborne campylobacteriosis should be considered in patients presenting with acute enteritis and a history of participation in water sports/activities. As faecal coliform organisms have been previously shown to be poor markers of water quality, especially for Campylobacter spp, new criteria should be established to assess the risk of this infection and to evaluate and monitor the quality of water used for recreational purposes.

Bathing Beaches↗
PubMed2000

A model of stress-induced geometrical remodeling of vessel segments adjacent to stents and artery/graft anastomoses.

The mismatch between the elastic properties and initial geometry of a host artery and an implanted stent or graft cause significant stress concentration at the zones close to junctions. This may contribute to the often observed intimal hyperplasia, resulting in late lumen loss and eventual restenosis. This study proposes a mathematical model for stress-induced thickening of the arterial wall at the zones close to an implanted stent or graft. The host artery was considered initially as a cylindrical shell with constant thickness that was clamped to the stent or graft, which was assumed to be non-deformable in the circumferential direction. It was assumed that the abnormal circumferential and axial stresses due to the bending of the arterial wall cause wall thickening that tends to restore the stress state close to that existing far from the junction. The linear equations of a cylindrical shell with variable thickness were coupled to an evolution equation for the wall thickness. These equations were solved numerically and a parametric study was performed using finite difference method and explicit time step. The results show that the remodeling process is self-limiting and leads to local thickening that gradually decreases with distance from the edge of the stent/graft. Model predictions were tested against morphological findings existing in the literature. Recommendations on stent designs that reduce stress concentrations are discussed.

Anastomosis, Surgical↗
PubMed2000

A simple and sensitive method to extract bacterial, yeast and fungal DNA from blood culture material.

This study investigated the various commercially available kits and 'in-house' methods to extract DNA from Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria, yeast and fungal agents in commonly employed blood culture material. The main methods investigated were as follows; Qiagen QIAmp Blood kit, Roche high PCR template preparation kit, Puregene DNA extraction kit, boiling, glass beads/sonication and wash/alkali/heat lysis. The results indicated that a simple wash/alkali/heat lysis method was the most sensitive, reproducible, simple and cost-effective extraction method. This was the only method which removed any PCR inhibitors and inherent DNA which existed in virgin BacT/Alert aerobic, anaerobic and paediatric blood culture material. Contaminating microbial DNA from Lactococcus lactis or Bacillus coagulans was identified in all batches of BacT/Alert FAN aerobic blood culture material examined.

Blood↗
PubMed2000

The effect of thermal stress on Campylobacter coli.

AIM: Enteropathogenic Campylobacter jejuni, Camp. coli and Camp. lari are currently the most common cause of acute infectious diarrhoeal illness in the UK. Many domestic animals, including pigs, act as natural reservoirs for these organisms and infection may occur through the ingestion of contaminated foodstuffs. The safety of locally produced porcine liver was assessed in relation to the heat susceptibility of Campylobacter spp. present in eviscerated product. METHODS AND RESULTS: Heat susceptibility (D10) studies were performed on a wild-type strain of Camp. coli [NI39] isolated from porcine liver under standardized conditions. In addition, the effect of culture age and heating menstruum was determined. Thermal stress studies in phosphate-buffered saline showed Camp. coli NI39 to be heat sensitive (D10 = 8.-0, 30.8, 15.6, 10.3 s at 55.4, 57.4, 59.7, 61.2 degrees C, respectively; z = 6.10 degrees C). However, non-logarithmic biphasic survivor curves were observed at higher temperatures ( > 56 degrees C), indicating the presence of a heat-resistant subpopulation (10(4)-10(5) cfu) which was not demonstrated when examining either Salmonella typhimurium or Listeria monocytogenes. CONCLUSIONS: The use of D10 values may be limited. Therefore, porcine liver, under processing, must be treated as a potential source of Campylobacter spp., and clearly defined F-values should be quantified through the use of empirically 'spiked' samples to ensure the eradication of campylobacters from the product, for each individual process being evaluated. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: It is important to define safe processing parameters in the manufacture of products which receive mild thermal processes in order to eliminate the risk of disease to man.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Detection and speciation of Cryptosporidium spp. in environmental water samples by immunomagnetic separation, PCR and endonuclease restriction.

Current methods for the detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts in water samples are both time-consuming and subject to variation in sensitivity. A genus-specific PCR assay was designed for the specific amplification of a 552-bp region of the 18S rRNA gene. Postamplification endonuclease restriction generated unique digest patterns that enabled differentiation between the three species, C. muris, C. baileyi and C. parvum, the major human pathogen. Theoretical restriction profiles for other Cryptosporidium species were also predicted. The assay routinely detected 10 oocysts in 10-ml purified oocyst preparations, but sensitivity was found to be 10(3)-10(4) -fold lower in environmental water samples. The use of Chelex resin and an immunomagnetic separation procedure overcame this inhibition. This provided detection levels of 10(1)-10(3) oocysts, depending on water turbidity. Rapid and sensitive pathogen detection methods are essential for the water industry. The results of this study demonstrate that PCR has the potential to improve current detection capabilities greatly by differentiating the major human pathogens from non-pathogenic species. This will greatly facilitate a closer examination of the epidemiology of this important pathogen.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Experimental and computational flow evaluation of coronary stents.

Local flow alterations created by a metallic stent in a simulated coronary artery were studied to compare the hemodynamic effects of two different stent geometries. Dye injection flow visualization and computational fluid dynamics were used. Resting and exercise conditions were studied. Flow visualization using the dye injection method provided a qualitative picture of stent hemodynamics while the computational approach provided detailed quantitative information on the flow next to the vessel wall near the intersections of stent wires. Dye injection visualization revealed that more dye became entrapped between the wires where the wire spacing was smallest. The dye washout times were shorter under exercise conditions for both wire spacings tested. The computational results showed that stagnation zones were continuous from one wire to the next when the wire spacing was small. Results from greater wire spacing (more than six wire diameters) showed that the stagnation zones were separate for at least part of the cardiac cycle. The sizes of the stagnation zones were larger under exercise conditions, and the largest stagnation zones were observed distal to the stent. These studies demonstrate that stent geometry has a significant effect on local hemodynamics. The observation that fluid stagnation is continuous in stents with wire spacings of less than six wire diameters may provide a criterion for future stent design.

Biomechanical Phenomena↗
PubMed1999

Implications of endotracheal tube biofilm for ventilator-associated pneumonia.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between, and antibiotic resistance of, endotracheal tube (ET) biofilm and pulmonary pathogens in ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). SETTING: General intensive care units in two university teaching hospitals. DESIGN: The microbiology of ET biofilm and tracheal samples from patients with and without VAP were compared. For individual patients, matching pairs of pathogens were confirmed as identical and characterised for antibiotic susceptibility. PATIENTS: 40 intensive care unit patients - 20 with VAP, 20 without VAP as control. The duration of intubation (median and range) was 6.5 days (3-17) and 5 days (2-10), respectively. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Samples of tracheal secretions were taken during ventilation for bacteriological culture. Following extubation, ETs were examined for the presence of biofilm. Isolates of high pathogenic potential included Staphylococcus aureus, enterococci, Enterobacteriaceae, pseudomonads and Candida spp. Where the same microorganism was found on tracheal and ET samples by phenotyping, these were confirmed as identical by genotyping and characterised for antibiotic susceptibility in both the free floating and biofilm forms. Seventy per cent of patients with VAP had identical pathogens isolated from both ET biofilm and tracheal secretions. No pairing of pathogens was observed in control patients (p < 0.005). Susceptibility data for these pairs show that the ET acts as a reservoir for infecting microorganisms which exhibit significantly greater antibiotic resistance than their tracheal counterparts. CONCLUSION: This investigation provides further evidence for the role of ET biofilm in VAP. The difficulty in eradicating an established microbial biofilm using antibiotics implies that increased attention must be directed towards modification of the ET to prevent or substantially reduce biofilm formation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Prediction of physician visits and prescription medicine use for back pain.

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which specific patient attitudes and beliefs about medical care and self-care for back pain predict future healthcare use. An automated database allowed examination of the predictive relationships in two primary care patient samples. In general, beliefs that physicians should find a definitive cause and permanent cure for back pain predicted neither physician visits nor prescription medication fills. Patient attitudes endorsing the benefits of medical treatment for back pain (as opposed to a permanent cure) predicted the use of these specific healthcare services. In a third sample of primary care back pain patients, we assessed whether a four-session self-care intervention modified those attitudes and beliefs shown to predict future healthcare use. The group intervention was associated with changes in attitudes about use of physician services but not medication use. A secondary purpose was to examine initial psychometric properties of a proposed back pain Self-Care Orientation Scale made up of the original 11 items. Factor analyses of the item set yielded three factors, but inconclusive results; the internal consistency of the identified sub-scales was only moderate. However, findings that a subset of items predicted physician visits and prescriptions medication fills, and was sensitive to change following a self-care intervention, suggest avenues for improving measurement of self-care orientation. These findings help clarify specific patient attitudes and beliefs that are related to healthcare utilization and suggest that a subset of these beliefs can be modified through a brief educational intervention.

Attitude to Health↗