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PaperThin, Inc., a leading Web content management solution provider, today announced that major Healthcare organizations are increasingly selecting CommonSpot to power their Web initiatives. Some of CommonSpot’s Healthcare customers include leading organizations such as Baptist Healthcare, Loyola medicine, Oregon health & Science University, Riverside health, Sharp Healthcare, and St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System; as well as PaperThin’s newest customer Meridian health. (PRWeb Nov 11, 2008) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/major_healthcare/episcopal_health/prweb1602464.htm

Dell Expands the Palette of Its Art House Series with Three Exclusive (PRODUCT)RED Designs Dell Spotlights (RED)-Inspired Artists and Their Visions in Global Gallery on Dell.com For Each Dell (PRODUCT)RED Design Purchased, Dell Will Contribute $20 to the Global Fund, Helping to Save Lives and Eliminate AIDS in Africa (PRWeb Nov 11, 2008) Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/global_fund/dell_studio/prweb1603244.htm

(American Society of Tropical medicine and Hygiene) "Airport malaria" is a term coined by researchers to explain the more recent spread of malaria to areas such as the United States and Europe, which some scientists credit to warmer climate changes.

Illnesses caused by C. difficile, a bacterial infection linked to overuse of antibiotics and improperly cleaned health care rooms, may be 20 times more common than once thought.

Background: The incidence and risk factors of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) acquisition after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) are unclear. The aim of the present study was to assess the incidence and to analyze the risk factors for the acquisition of MRSA after LDLT in adults by multivariate analysis. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data from 158 adult patients that underwent LDLT at the Tokyo University hospital. The microbiologic and medical records of the patients from admission to 3 months after LDLT were reviewed. Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the risk factors for postoperative acquisition of MRSA. Results: Postoperative MRSA acquisition was detected in 35 of 158 patients by median postoperative day 18. Age (>= 60 y) and perioperative dialysis and/or apheresis predicted postoperative MRSA acquisition by multivariate analysis. In contrast, postoperative use of fluoroquinolone was negatively associated with acquis

(Oxford University Press) A high proportion of people are not using condoms when they have sex with a new partner, according to a new study of heterosexual partnerships among British men and women, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology. Among people in their 30s and 40s, and in partnerships where there is an age difference of five or more years, condom use is particularly low.

Background: Tularemia re-emerged in Germany starting in 2004 (with 39 human cases from 2004 to 2007) after over 40 years of only sporadic human infections. The reasons for this rise in case numbers are unknown as is the possible reservoir of the etiologic agent Francisella (F.) tularensis. No systematic study on the reservoir situation of F. tularensis has been published for Germany so far. Methods: We investigated three areas six to ten months after the initial tularemia outbreaks for the presence of F. tularensis among small mammals, ticks/fleas and water. The investigations consisted of animal live-trapping, serologic testing, screening by real-time-PCR and cultivation. Results: A total of 386 small mammals were trapped. F. tularensis was detected in five different rodent species with infection ratios of 2.04, 6.94 and 10.87 % per trapping area. None of the ticks or fleas (n = 432) tested positive for F. tularensis. We were able to demonstrate F. tularensis-specific DNA in one of 28

Background: Human glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (hGAD65) is a key autoantigen in type 1 diabetes, having much potential as an important marker for the prediction and diagnosis of type 1 diabetes, and for the development of novel antigen-specific therapies for the treatment of type 1 diabetes. However, recombinant production of hGAD65 using conventional bacterial or mammalian cell culture-based expression systems or nuclear transformed plants is limited by low yield and low efficiency. Chloroplast transformation of the unicellular eukaryotic alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii may offer a potential solution. Results: A DNA cassette encoding full-length hGAD65, under the control of the C. reinhardtii chloroplast rbcL promoter and 5'- and 3'-UTRs, was constructed and introduced into the chloroplast genome of C. reinhardtii by particle bombardment. Integration of hGAD65 DNA into the algal chloroplast genome was confirmed by PCR. Transcriptional expression of hGAD65 was demonstrated by RT-PCR.

Background: DNA microarrays contain thousands of different probe sequences represented on their surface. These are designed in such a way that potential cross-hybridization reactions with non-target sequences are minimized. However, given the large number of probes, the occurrence of cross hybridization events cannot be excluded. This problem can dramatically affect the data quality and cause false positive/false negative results. Results: CrossHybDetector is a software package aimed at the identification of cross-hybridization events occurred during individual array hybridization, by using the probe sequences and the array intensity values. As output, the software provides the user with a list of array spots potentially 'corrupted' and their associated p-values calculated by Monte Carlo simulations. Graphical plots are also generated, which provide a visual and global overview of the quality of the microarray experiment with respect to cross-hybridization issues. Conclusions: CrossHy

Background: Ageing is associated with dysfunction in the humoral response leading to decreased protection against infectious diseases. Defects in T cell function due to age have been well characterized but it is unclear if dysfunctions in antibody responses are due to deficiencies in a helper environment or intrinsic B cell defects. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that aged B lymphocytes are able to differentiate into high affinity antibody-secreting cells at a frequency similar to their young counterparts. However, expansion of B cells in vivo was reduced in aged animals when compared to young. Methods: To further investigate the cause of this reduced expansion, we have now examined early activation events of aged B cells in response to anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody (mAb) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation in vitro. To do this spleen cells were harvested from young, middle-aged and aged quasi-monoclonal (QM) mice and cultured in complete RPMI for 24 and