Biofilms consist of groups of bacteria attached to surfaces and encased in a hydrated polymeric matrix. Bacteria in biofilms are more resistant to the immune system and to antibiotics than their free-living planktonic counterparts. Thus, biofilm-related infections are persistent and often show recurrent symptoms. The metal chelator EDTA is known to have activity against biofilms of gram-positiv...

The action of the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) was investigated to control biofilms (aged 7d) formed by Pseudomonas fluorescens on stainless-steel slides, using flow cells reactors, under turbulent and laminar flow. The effect of CTAB was also investigated using planktonic cells in the presence and absence of BSA, by measuring the cellular respiratory activity and t...

PURPOSE To modify existing experimental models to simulate the typical clinical presentation of human rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD), namely an RD caused by a retinal break, in a phakic eye, with a posterior vitreous detachment (PVD); to model RRD in a species that is anatomically similar to humans; and to characterize the glial cell response to RRD. METHODS Mixed-breed pigs underwen...

PURPOSE To determine the natural history of asymptomatic, clinical rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. DESIGN Single observer, prospective, consecutive, observational case series. METHODS Consecutive patients were included who were referred to the author's clinical practice with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment extending greater than two disk-diameters posterior to the equator. Patients who...

We investigated the mediating versus moderating role of psychological detachment in the relationship between job stressors and psychological strain. Our sample consisted of 173 university students invested in challenging programs of advanced professional studies, who could find it difficult to detach from work. Hierarchical regression analyses of cross-sectional survey data affirmed the role of...

The newly described green-pigmented bacterium Pseudoalteromonas tunicata (D2) produces target-specific inhibitory compounds against bacteria, algae, fungi, and invertebrate larvae and is frequently found in association with living surfaces in the marine environment. As part of our studies on the ecology of P. tunicata and its interaction with marine surfaces, we examined the ability of P. tunic...

Phagocytosis of microorganisms by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) is accompanied by inadvertent extracellular release of microbicidal products; this could result in tissue damage. We investigated whether PMN damages endothelial cells when phagocytosis of Staphylococcus aureus occurs on the endothelial surface and how this damage might be modulated. Damage was assayed by the measurement of ce...

monomeric myosin first spotted in electron micrographs almost 30 years ago has finally been united with a proposed function. Tyska and Mooseker (page 395) report that myosin-1A associates with and anchors a raft component in apical membranes. Myosin-1A was previously thought to shuttle Golgi-derived cargos to the plasma membrane (after most of the distance had been covered using microtubule-bas...

Most retinal detachments are preceded by a posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), which causes traction on the retina and, potentially, a retinal tear. The liquefied vitreous can then seep under the retina, causing it to detach. Retinal detachments may initially be localised, but without treatment they may progress and lead to irreversible vision loss. Early recognition and prompt referral are th...

PURPOSE Pseudomyxoma peritonei is an understudied cancer in which an appendiceal neoplasm invades the peritoneum and forms tumor foci on abdominal organs. Previous studies have shown that bacteria reside within pseudomyxoma peritonei tumors and mucin. Thus, we sought to analyze the effect of antibiotics on bacterial density and β-catenin expression within pseudomyxoma peritonei samples. EXPER...