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PubMedDate not supplied

Fine needle aspiration cytology of high grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the thyroid. A case report.

BACKGROUND: Although mucoepidermoid carcinoma is considered a very rare, low grade thyroid neoplasm, in two patients a very rapid and aggressive outcome occurred. We describe the cytologic, histologic and immunohistochemical findings of a high grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma that evolved into an anaplastic carcinoma. CASE: A 57-year-old man was admitted with dysphagia, dysphonia and odynophagia. The patient had begun to develop symptoms over the previous two months. Ultrasound and computed tomography revealed diffuse enlargement of the thyroid gland with multiple, bilateral, palpable lymph nodes in the cervical, supraclavicular, paratracheal and retrocaval chains. The patient died four weeks after receiving the first cycle of treatment with adriamycin and cisplatin. The smears were highly cellular, with a background rich in neutrophilic, inflammatory infiltrate and necrotic debris. Two main types of tumor cell were identified: squamoid and mucus secreting. Squamoid cells were polygonal, with well-defined borders and dense cytoplasm. Nuclei varied greatly in shape and size and displayed clumped chromatin and prominent nucleoli. Mucussecreting cells were ring shaped and dispersed among the squamoid cells; they contained a large vacuole, with condensed acid and neutral mucins, that peripherally displaced the nucleus. Small and large clusters of large, polygonal cells with single or multiple bizarre nuclei and less-dense cytoplasm were also present. Histology revealed tumor cells distributed in irregular nests, with necrosis surrounded by a fibrous stroma. The predominant cells were squamoid, but dispersed mucus-secreting cells were frequently seen in the better-differentiated areas. Sparse anaplastic spindle cells were observed adjacent to the squamoid focus. Immunohistochemistry revealed a reaction positive for cytokeratin (AE3/AE1) in tumor nests and negative staining for thyroglobulin and neuroendocrine markers. CONCLUSION: Although mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the thyroid is a very rare neoplasm, its peculiar cytomorphologic features in fine needle aspiration cytology may contribute to its correct diagnosis.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed2001

Symptom clusters and their effect on the functional status of patients with cancer.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of the symptom cluster of pain, fatigue, and sleep insufficiency on functional status during three cycles of chemotherapy. DESIGN: Prospective, longitudinal. SETTING: 23 outpatient offices and clinics. SAMPLE: 93 patients with cancer. The typical participant was female (72%), married/partnered (65%), white (87%), and middle-aged (55.4 years), with an average of 14.8 years of education. METHODS: The Quality of Life-Cancer (QOL-CA) version instrument and the Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) were completed by 93 outpatients receiving chemotherapy at baseline (Time 1) and at the end of the third cycle (Time 2). Three items (pain, tires easily, sleeps enough to meet needs) from the QOL-CA questionnaire were used to measure the symptom cluster. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Symptom cluster, outcome, functional status, chemotherapy. FINDINGS: A hierarchical multiple regression model explained 48.4% of the variance in functional status. The KPS at Time 1 explained 30.8% of the variance in KPS at Time 2 (p < 0.001). After KPS at Time 1 was partialled out from KPS at Time 2, the four independent variables entered in the next step were considered predictors of the change in functional status between Time 1 and Time 2. Age explained 11.8% of the change (p = 0.001), pain explained 10.7% of the change (p = 0.002), and fatigue explained 7.3% of the change (p = 0.011). Sleep insufficiency statistically was not significant, only explaining 1% of the change (p = 0.344). CONCLUSION: This study provides beginning insights into the effect of a symptom cluster on patients' functional status. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Healthcare professionals need to be aware of the presence of symptom clusters and their possible synergistic adverse effect on patients' future morbidity.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed2005

LARALink: a web application for cytogenetic linkage analysis.

Genomic and expression data have increased dramatically over the last several years. This is primarily due to the completion of the human genome project as well as an upsurge in the use of various high-throughput technologies. Recent attempts to correlate genomic and expression data have stimulated the scientific community to determine how this data can be used within a clinical setting (P Khatri et al., Genomics 2002: 79: 266; LJ van't Veer et al., Nature 2002: 415: 530). LARALink (Loci Analysis for Rearrangements Link) is a database-driven web application that utilizes several public datasets to analyze clinical cytogenetic data to identify candidate genes. LARALink allows UniGene clusters or single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to be queried for multiple patients by cytoband, chromosome marker, or base pair. The results can be further refined with the use of an anatomical site, developmental stage, pathology, or cell-type expression filter. Once a set of UniGene clusters (expressed genes) has been identified either for a single patient or for a shared region among multiple patients, the expression-distribution profile, expressed sequence tags (ESTs), or online mendelian inheritance in man (OMIM) entries are displayed. The utility of this tool is shown by its application to both research and clinical medicine. LARALink is a public resource available at: http://www.laralink.bioinformatics.wayne.edu:8080/unigene.

Alzheimer Disease↗
PubMed1989

Purified P fimbriae from two cloned gene clusters of a single pyelonephritogenic strain adhere to unique structures in the human kidney.

We have completed immunofluorescence binding studies of purified fimbriae from two clones which express Pap or Pap-2 fimbriae. Although the two fimbrial types exhibited common binding to the uroepithelia of the bladder and renal pelvis and to occasional cells located within the glomeruli which we have termed glomerular elements, only Pap-2 fimbriae adhered to Bowman's capsule. Previous studies have demonstrated that the Gal alpha 1----4Gal disaccharide moiety is capable of inhibiting Pap hemagglutination and adherence to uroepithelial cells. Results of our experiments demonstrate that this disaccharide is not sufficient for blocking binding of Pap-2 fimbriae to Bowman's capsule but that GalNAc beta 1----3Gal completely blocks Pap-2 adherence to Bowman's capsule. These results indicate that the different hemagglutination capacities of the two clones reflect different receptor specificities and differential tissue tropisms in the urinary tract. These unique receptor specificities may provide uropathogenic strains of Escherichia coli carrying multiple chromosomal copies of pap-like gene clusters with the advantage of increased numbers of binding sites within the urinary tract. This, in turn, might improve the chances of colonization and the establishment of infection.

Adhesins, Escherichia coli↗
PubMed1996

Investigation of an apparent cluster of Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremias using random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis.

A cluster of bacteremia episodes with Klebsiella pneumoniae was noted in patients in a hematology-oncology ward during a 3-week period. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis, a novel technique for generating chromosomal fingerprints from bacterial isolates, was used as an aid to the epidemiological investigation of this cluster. For each of the two patients from whom multiple isolates had been obtained, identical RAPD patterns were observed in the serial isolates, even for a patient where the isolates had different biotypes. Isolates from different patients gave distinct patterns. Random amplified polymorphic DNA was found to be a useful typing technique for this cluster of K pneumonia bacteremias.

Bacteremia↗
PubMed1991

Susceptibility to multiple sclerosis is associated with the proximal immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region.

15 immunoglobulin heavy chain constant (CH) and variable region (VH) polymorphisms were selected to span the entire length of the heavy chain cluster. These polymorphisms were examined in 34 sib pairs concordant for multiple sclerosis (MS) and in 23 sporadic MS patients. Allele frequencies were calculated for the 2 MS patient groups and compared with those found in a control population from the same geographical location and of similar ethnic background. No significant association was found between MS and the 7 CH region polymorphisms examined. However, a significant correlation between the MS phenotype and a VH2 family polymorphism was observed in both MS patient populations (familial MS patients chi 2 = 8.16, P less than 0.005; sporadic MS patients chi 2 = 8.90, P less than 0.005). One allele of the VH2-5 gene segment was found to be over-represented in both MS groups. VH2-5 has recently been physically mapped close to the CH region, between 180 and 360 kb away. These results indicate that a locus near or within the CH-proximal VH region is associated with increased susceptibility to MS.

Gene Frequency↗
PubMed1981

Structure and distribution of inverted repeats (palindromes). II. Analysis of DNA of the mouse.

The size and distribution of renatured inverted repeats (palindromes) in Mus musculus DNA were examined by electron microscopy (EM). The majority (85%) of the palindromes were found to be clustered in about one half of the DNA strands. The rest of the DNA strands were seen with a solitary looped structure - The unlooped palindromes constituted 53% of all palindromes and were always clustered. There was a significant reduction in the number of unlooped palindromes in comparison to D. melanogaster DNA (Biezunski, 1981) and as a result the palindrome clusters were smaller and contained 2-8 palindromes [4-16 inverted repeats (ir)] per DNA strand. The looped palindromes had a wide and regular distribution with spacing lengths similar to those found in D. melanogaster DNA, and showed some periodicity. The average spacing between centers of all palindromes (inside a cluster) was 4.325 kb, and between centers of looped palindromes 8.544 kb. - The lengths of the ir of unlooped and looped palindromes were grouped (similar to D. melanogaster DNA) in one size-class with a range of 30-240 bp and an average length of 130 bp. Longer ir were also observed and the average length of ir in unlooped palindromes was 186 bp, in looped 588 bp, and the total average length was 375 bp. - It was calculated that there are about 224,000-320,000 palindromes (ir pairs) in the mouse genome, with the spacing between centers of all palindromes about 13-9 kb in length. - In high molecular weight mouse DNA, complex looped structures composed of rows of 5-8 looped palindromes one on "top" the other, formed by renaturation of multiple ir, were observed. It is suggested, that clustered repetitive sequences, in direct and inverted orientation, might be of one family and homologous to one another, and be able to reassociate, in vitro and in vivo, into structures of different forms, which could function as binding sites for various regulatory proteins during mouse development.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Phylogenetic detection of conserved gene clusters in microbial genomes.

BACKGROUND: Microbial genomes contain an abundance of genes with conserved proximity forming clusters on the chromosome. However, the conservation can be a result of many factors such as vertical inheritance, or functional selection. Thus, identification of conserved gene clusters that are under functional selection provides an effective channel for gene annotation, microarray screening, and pathway reconstruction. The problem of devising a robust method to identify these conserved gene clusters and to evaluate the significance of the conservation in multiple genomes has a number of implications for comparative, evolutionary and functional genomics as well as synthetic biology. RESULTS: In this paper we describe a new method for detecting conserved gene clusters that incorporates the information captured by a genome phylogenetic tree. We show that our method can overcome the common problem of overestimation of significance due to the bias in the genome database and thereby achieve better accuracy when detecting functionally connected gene clusters. Our results can be accessed at database GeneChords http://genomics10.bu.edu/GeneChords. CONCLUSION: The methodology described in this paper gives a scalable framework for discovering conserved gene clusters in microbial genomes. It serves as a platform for many other functional genomic analyses in microorganisms, such as operon prediction, regulatory site prediction, functional annotation of genes, evolutionary origin and development of gene clusters.

Algorithms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The use of diazepam per rectum at home for the acute management of cluster seizures in dogs.

The use of diazepam per rectum (RDZ) in the home to control generalized cluster seizures in 11 dogs diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy was evaluated over a 16-month period. All dogs had a prior history of clusters of generalized seizures and were treated with multiple antiepileptic drugs. Owners were instructed to administer diazepam injectable solution (5 mg/mL) per rectum to their dogs at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg when an initial generalized seizure occurred and when a second or third generalized seizure occurred within 24 hours of the first seizure. Seizure activity was recorded by owners in a daily log before the onset of RDZ use and for the duration of RDZ use, which ranged from 57 to 464 days (median = 157 days). The median age at which the first seizure occurred and the median age at the time of enrollment in the study were 19 and 42 months, respectively. All 11 dogs were treated with phenobarbital, with 10 dogs receiving concomitant bromide therapy. No significant correlation between the duration of the first, second, or third antiepileptic drug therapy and the change in the number of cluster seizure events before or after use of RDZ was found. Comparisons of seizure activity were done for the same time interval before and after the onset of RDZ availability. A significant decrease in the total number of seizure events and the total number of cluster seizures events was found after RDZ availability. Similarly, a significant difference in the average number of seizures per cluster seizure event and the total number of isolated seizure events occurred before and after RDZ therapy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Administration, Rectal↗
PubMed1991

Advances in data assessment. Application to the etiology of nausea reported during chemotherapy, concerns about significance testing, and opportunities in clinical trials.

Typical inferential statistical procedures, such as the t-test and analysis of variance, compare differences in mean values of variables. This approach can sometimes obscure rather than illuminate research data. Here we present and discuss alternative data analytic techniques. Potential advantages of box plots over conventional t-tests for understanding data are shown by comparing the area under high and low frequencies from spectral curves of autonomic changes following chemotherapy treatment. Typical t-tests provide information regarding statistical significance in terms of the differences in group means; box plots and related exploratory techniques provide information regarding the characteristics of the distributions within the groups as well as examination of potential outliers. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and other multivariate techniques are commonly used to deal with potentially complex data sets with multiple outcome measures. The potential advantages of visual clustering techniques such as star plots, Chernoff faces, and Andrew's Function Plots are demonstrated by examining changes in facial pallor caused by chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Typical MANOVA approaches can identify potential differences in mean values between groups; visual clustering approaches do this by graphically presenting complex interrelationships for individual cases. This approach enhances the visual interpretation of potential interactions that would be obscured by simply focusing on overall mean values. Preliminary data from a meta-analysis on the effect of metoclopramide on chemotherapy-induced vomiting demonstrates the potential uses and advantages of this summary technique over simple tabular summaries. We found significant relationships between the effect size of the drug and variables such as the year of study publication and whether the publication was an article or an abstract. While none of these techniques are meant to replace traditional inferential statistics, they offer advantages in terms of data exploration and understanding relationships within data sets that are not clearly addressed by other methods. They are potentially valuable alternatives worthy of exploration. Finally, we discuss issues of interim analyses and multiple endpoint assessment for clinical trials.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed2005

Production of the tubulin destabilizer disorazol in Sorangium cellulosum: biosynthetic machinery and regulatory genes.

Myxobacteria show a high potential for the production of natural compounds that exhibit a wide variety of antibiotic, antifungal, and cytotoxic activities. The genus Sorangium is of special biotechnological interest because it produces almost half of the secondary metabolites isolated from these microorganisms. We describe a transposon-mutagenesis approach to identifying the disorazol biosynthetic gene cluster in Sorangium cellulosum So ce12, a producer of multiple natural products. In addition to the highly effective disorazol-type tubulin destabilizers, S. cellulosum So ce12 produces sorangicins, potent eubacterial RNA polymerase inhibitors, bactericidal sorangiolides, and the antifungal chivosazoles. To obtain a transposon library of sufficient size suitable for the identification of the presumed biosynthetic gene clusters, an efficient transformation method was developed. We present here the first electroporation protocol for a strain of the genus Sorangium. The transposon library was screened for disorazol-negative mutants. This approach led to the identification of the corresponding trans-acyltransferase core biosynthetic gene cluster together with a region in the chromosome that is likely to be involved in disorazol biosynthesis. A third region in the genome harbors another gene that is presumed to be involved in the regulation of disorazol production. A detailed analysis of the biosynthetic and regulatory genes is presented in this paper.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1987

Multiple agminate Spitz naevi: review of the literature and report of a case with distinctive immunohistological features.

We describe a 13-year-old girl with multiple pigmented nodules and plaques arranged in a cluster in the right lumbar region, which had developed since infancy. Eleven of 15 lesions which were examined histologically were found to be Spitz naevi. The remaining four lesions were compound naevocellular naevi, and two of them showed focal dysplasia. Eight Spitz naevi were investigated immunohistologically with monoclonal antibodies against HLA-antigens and malignancy-associated melanocytic antigens which are rarely present in common naevi. Naevus cells in all lesions expressed HLA-ABC antigens, but lacked HLA-DR antigens in seven of the eight lesions. All naevi were positive for 'constitutive' (KG-6-56) and 'early' (K-1-2) markers of naevomelanocytic cells. In five of the eight Spitz naevi, at least one of the three malignancy-associated melanocytic antigens PAL-M1, A-1-43 and A-10-33 was found. The expression of malignancy-associated antigens in multiple agminate Spitz naevi is at variance with their benign clinical course.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1978

Multiple primary cancers and prolonged survival: familial colonic and endometrial cancers.

We describe features of multiple cancers in a small kindred wherein a cluster of tumors affecting various anatomic sites has been observed among eight directline relatives. Three of these individuals have had two or more primary malignancies, and one woman showed a remarkable tolerance to invasive cancer, having had four histologically verified neoplasms (cancers of the ovary, endometrium, and colon, and myelogenous leukemia). The constellation of tumors occurring at an early age among relatives of the kindred supports a genetic etiology.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2026

A novel biocontrol Pseudomonas species with broad-spectrum antagonistic activity against phytopathogens.

Bacterial and fungal diseases cause significant losses in horticultural crops, and biocontrol using beneficial microorganisms offers a sustainable alternative to chemical pesticides. In this study, a novel Pseudomonas strain D3 was isolated from Actinidiae rhizosphere. D3 exhibited strong antibacterial activity in LB medium but showed no activity against fungi or oomycetes. However, when cultured in KIDO medium, it demonstrated potent antifungal activity. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene showed that D3 was most closely related to Pseudomonas mosselii CIP_105259T, while whole-genome sequencing revealed ANI values below 95% with eight known P. mosselii strains. Digital DNA-DNA hybridization (dDDH) further confirmed its genomic distinctiveness, with the highest dDDH value (58.2%) against the type strain P. mosselii DSM 17497T, well below the 70% species delineation threshold, supporting D3 as a novel Pseudomonas species. Functional validation via targeted gene knockout revealed a dichotomy in the antagonistic mechanisms of D3. Knockout of individual biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) only partially reduced antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae, indicating that multiple BGCs contribute to this activity in a partially redundant manner. In contrast, disruption of a specific lipopeptide synthase cluster completely abolished antifungal activity against Valsa mali. LC-MS/MS analysis confirmed that this lipopeptide was produced exclusively in KIDO medium, consistent with the observed medium-dependent antifungal activity. Detached leaf and twig assays showed that D3 provides strong preventive biocontrol against both pathogens. Collectively, strain D3 employs a dual biocontrol mechanism, combining antibacterial activity mediated by multiple BGCs with lipopeptide-dependent antifungal activity, positioning it as a promising agent for sustainable disease management in horticultural crops.

Pseudomonas↗
PubMed2003

'Bubble chamber model' of fast atom bombardment induced processes.

A hypothesis concerning FAB mechanisms, referred to as a 'bubble chamber FAB model', is proposed. This model can provide an answer to the long-standing question as to how fragile biomolecules and weakly bound clusters can survive under high-energy particle impact on liquids. The basis of this model is a simple estimation of saturated vapour pressure over the surface of liquids, which shows that all liquids ever tested by fast atom bombardment (FAB) and liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) were in the superheated state under the experimental conditions applied. The result of the interaction of the energetic particles with superheated liquids is known to be qualitatively different from that with equilibrium liquids. It consists of initiation of local boiling, i.e., in formation of vapour bubbles along the track of the energetic particle. This phenomenon has been extensively studied in the framework of nuclear physics and provides the basis for construction of the well-known bubble chamber detectors. The possibility of occurrence of similar processes under FAB of superheated liquids substantiates a conceptual model of emission of secondary ions suggested by Vestal in 1983, which assumes formation of bubbles beneath the liquid surface, followed by their bursting accompanied by release of microdroplets and clusters as a necessary intermediate step for the creation of molecular ions. The main distinctive feature of the bubble chamber FAB model, proposed here, is that the bubbles are formed not in the space and time-restricted impact-excited zone, but in the nearby liquid as a 'normal' boiling event, which implies that the temperature both within the bubble and in the droplets emerging on its burst is practically the same as that of the bulk liquid sample. This concept can resolve the paradox of survival of intact biomolecules under FAB, since the part of the sample participating in the liquid-gas transition via the bubble mechanism has an ambient temperature which is not destructive for biomolecules. Another important feature of the model is that the timescale of bubble growth is no longer limited by the relaxation time of the excited zone ( approximately 10(-12) s), but rather resembles the timescale characteristic of common boiling, sufficient for multiple interactions of gas molecules and formation of clusters. Further, when the bubbles burst, microdroplets are released, which implies that FAB processes are similar to those in spraying techniques. Thus, two processes contribute to the ion production, namely, release of volatile solvent clusters from bubbles and of non-volatile solute from sputtered droplets. This view reconciles contradictory views on the dominance of either gas-phase or liquid-phase effects in FAB. Some other effects, such as suppression of all other ions by surface-active compounds, are consistent with the suggested model.

Alcohols↗
PubMed2005

Multiple correcting COL17A1 mutations in patients with revertant mosaicism of epidermolysis bullosa.

Revertant mosaicism by somatic reversion of inherited mutations has been described for a number of genetic diseases. Several mechanisms can underlie this reversion process, such as gene conversion, crossing-over, true back mutation, and second-site mutation. Here, we report the occurrence of multiple corrections in two unrelated probands with revertant mosaicism of non-Herlitz junctional epidermolysis bullosa, an autosomal recessive genodermatosis due to mutations in the COL17A1 gene. Immunofluorescence microscopy and laser dissection microscopy, followed by DNA and RNA analysis, were performed on skin biopsy specimens. In patient 1, a true back mutation, 3781T-->C, was identified in the specimen from the arm, and a second-site mutation, 4463-1G-->A, which compensated for the frameshift caused by the inherited 4424-5insC mutation, was identified in the 3' splice site of exon 55 in a specimen from the middle finger. Patient 2 showed--besides two distinct gene conversion events in specimens from the arm and hand sites, both of which corrected the 1706delA mutation--a second-site mutation (3782G-->C) in an ankle specimen, which prevented the premature ending of the protein by the 3781C-->T nonsense mutation (R1226X). Thus, both inherited mutations, paternal as well as maternal, reverted at least once by different reversion events in distinct cell clusters in the described patients. The occurrence of multiple correcting mutations within the same patient indicates that in vivo reversion is less unusual than was generally thought. Furthermore, in the male patient, mosaic patterns of type XVII collagen-positive keratinocytes were present in clinically unaffected and affected skin. This latter observation makes it likely that reversion may be overlooked and may happen more often than expected.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Thalamic collaterals of corticostriatal axons: their termination field and synaptic targets in cats.

Branched cortical projections to the thalamus and striatum were investigated in cats by injecting the retrograde-anterograde tracer biotinylated-dextran amine (BDA) into the caudate nucleus. These injections gave rise to plexuses of labeled fibers and varicosities in widespread thalamic territories. For instance, the lateroposterior nucleus and pulvinar (LP-PUL) mostly contained thick axons that contributed clusters of large-sized varicosities, each forming multiple asymmetric synapses, usually with vesicle-filled dendrites. In contrast, the intralaminar nuclei mostly contained thin axonal segments that emitted small en passant varicosities that formed single asymmetric synapses with spines. Because the caudate nucleus does not project to the thalamus, this labeling had to arise from a neuronal population with branching axons to both structures. Previous findings pointed to three possible sources: brainstem monoaminergic cells, intralaminar thalamic neurons, and corticostriatal cells. The first candidate could be ruled out because monoaminergic neurons contribute small-sized terminals that usually lack membrane specializations. The second possibility was discarded because retrograde tracer injections into the LP-PUL did not give rise to retrograde labeling in the intralaminar nuclear complex but to massive retrograde labeling in deep layers of cortical areas 5 and 7. Therefore, we concluded that the thalamic anterograde labeling originated from corticostriatal neurons, with axons branching to the thalamus. In keeping with this conclusion, Phaseolus vulgaris-leucoagglutinin (PHA-L) injections into cortical areas 5-7 labeled a group of thick corticothalamic fibers that ended in clusters of large boutons in the LP-PUL. These PHA-L-positive terminals were indistinguishable from those labeled after injections of BDA into the caudate nucleus, but they were easy to distinguish from the typical corticothalamic fibers. These findings indicate that the cerebral cortex could coordinate the activity of the striatum and the thalamus via a rich axonal network that collateralizes to both structures. The extent and synaptic organization of this branched projection impose a revision of the traditional scheme of thalamic connectivity.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Characterisation of E. coli O157 isolates from bovine hide and beef trimming in Irish abattoirs by pulsed field gel electrophoresis.

Escherichia coli O157 isolates from bovine hide (n=117) and beef trimmings (n=32) from a single abattoir were examined by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Using BioNumerics software, dendrograms of isolates from each sample type (i.e. hide and beef trimming) were produced. In assessing the genetic relatedness of isolates, a similarity criterion of 80% was applied. The 117 E. coli O157 hide isolates were grouped into 14 clusters, comprising of 109 different PFGE profiles. Of the 109 different PFGE profiles, 8 were common to multiple isolates (i.e. shared 100% similarity by PFGE). The 32 E. coli O157 beef trimming isolates produced 28 different PFGE profiles and 2 clusters. Of the 28 PFGE profiles, 2 were common to multiple isolates and the remaining 26 were distinct. On a number of sampling occasions, isolates displaying identical PFGE patterns were recovered from multiple isolates collected from a single sample type (i.e. hides or trimmings), suggesting cross contamination from contaminated hides/animals to uncontaminated hides/animals and from contaminated beef trimmings to uncontaminated beef trimmings during abattoir operations.

Abattoirs↗