Period Of Imbalance Research Articles

New antibiotics for severe infections due to multidrug-resistant pathogens : Definitive treatment and escalation

Multidrug-resistant pathogens often lead to treatment failure of antimicrobial regimens. After a period of imbalance between the occurrence/spread of resistance mechanisms and the development of new substances, some new substances have meanwhile been approved and many more are currently undergoing clinical testing. They are particularly effective against specific resistance mechanisms/pathogens and should be preserved for definitive treatment of an isolated pathogen. In the absence of alternatives reserve antibiotics, such as aztreonam and colistin have experienced a renaissance. They are again used in special infection scenarios and clinically tested in combination with new substances. Despite the introduction and development of new substances the building of resistance will at some time also render these (at least partially) ineffective. Therefore, their implementation must be carried out according to the antibiotic or infectious diseases stewardship.

Intestinal immune maturation is accompanied by temporal changes in the composition of the microbiota.

In animals establishment of the intestinal microbial ecosystem is influenced by mucosal immune functions. As mucosal immune functions dynamically change during development of juvenile layer chicken, this study focused on dynamics in the ileal microbiota composition in relation to intestinal immune development. In addition, the levels of immunoglobulin (Ig) in serum and amount of bacteria coated with IgA, a hallmark of intestinal immune maturation, were analysed. The composition of the intestinal microbiota transiently changed at the age of 14-42 days compared to the microbiota composition before and after this period. This temporal deviation in microbiota composition was associated to a temporal increase in transcriptional activity of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes. Furthermore, before week two limited amounts of faecal bacteria were bound by IgM and from week two increasing amounts of bacteria were bound by IgA, reaching a maximal level of 70% of IgA-coated bacteria at 6 weeks of age. These data could indicate that prior to achievement of intestinal homeostasis at 6-10 weeks post hatch, activation of inflammatory pathways cause a temporal disturbance of the microbiota composition. This period of imbalance may be essential for adequate immune development and establishment of intestinal homeostasis.

Fighting and voting: Mapping electoral violence in the region of post-Communist Europe

ABSTRACTElectoral disputes accompanied by violent outbreaks have become an emerging problem in societies under transformation, in authoritarian regimes, as well as in young democracies. The truth is that many politicians elected to office, their supporters, and political activists have altered their perceptions of electoral competition in a form of zero-sum logic with direct consequences for their opponents. After the fall of Communism in the beginning of the 1990s, Central and Eastern Europe stood at a crossroads. This period of imbalance and uncertainty affected the violent interaction in newly reformed electoral arenas with serious consequences for legitimizing democratic change. Despite the well-documented tension that existed in the region, the importance of violence in the electoral arena is rather neglected. The article approaches this gap as the first attempt to map electoral violence in a new typological environment where the process of transformation has affected political pluralism and the patterns of political contest. It argues that electoral violence is not a rare phenomenon in the region of post-Communist Europe and the dynamic varies on a great scale. Moreover, the article presents a picture of electoral violence occurring in different settings with potentially different contextual preconditions that need to be studied separately.

The potential of oxygen to improve the stability of anaerobic reactors during unbalanced conditions: Results from a pilot-scale digester treating sewage sludge

A well-functioning pilot reactor treating sewage sludge at approximately 4.4 NL/m(3)/d of oxygen supply and 18d of hydraulic retention time (HRT) was subjected to a hydraulic overload to investigate whether oxygen benefits successful operation in stressful circumstances. Only a mild imbalance was caused, which was overcome without deterioration in the digestion performance. Volatile solids (VS) removal was 45% and 43% at 18 and 14 d of HRT, respectively. Biogas productivity remained around 546 NmL/gVS, but it was slightly higher during the period of imbalance. Thereafter, similar performances were achieved. Under anaerobic conditions, VS removal and biogas productivity were respectively 41% and 525 NmL/gVS, hydrogen partial pressure rose, and acetic acid formation became less favourable. Oxygen seemed to form a more stable digestion system, which meant increased ability to deal successfully with overloads. Additionally, it improved the biogas quality; methane concentration was negligibly lower, while hydrogen sulphide and oxygen remained around 0.02 and 0.03%v/v, respectively.

Bone turnover and trabecular plate survival after artificial menopause

Considerable bone loss often occurs after menopause, particularly if menopause is induced by surgery. For perhaps two years bone formation fails to keep pace with the rapid acceleration of bone resorption that occurs after sex hormone withdrawal. The threat that this poses to the integrity of the skeleton is not clear. Because ethical constraints limit histological studies in normal women existing normal data and statistical modelling techniques were used to explore the dynamics of iliac trabecular bone after menopause. Trabeculae are breached during remodelling when the osteoclasts resorb to a depth equal to the trabecular thickness. Since holes in trabecular plates cannot normally be bridged such defects are probably permanent. Men lose 7% of their vertebral trabecular bone every 10 years; deeper than average resorption of trabeculae at the thin end of the normal range would account for it. The dramatic losses of trabecular bone that are seen in some postmenopausal women, however, require a period of imbalance between bone formation and bone resorption since this leads rapidly to generalised thinning. The statistical model suggested that an imbalance lasting only two years may account for eventual losses of up to half of the iliac trabecular bone. Further understanding is needed of what determines the amount of bone lost in the immediate postmenopause, which varies considerably among women. A simple mean is needed of identifying women who will lose bone most rapidly at the menopause. This must be suitable for use in general practice because these women should probably be offered long term hormone replacement treatment within a few months of the last menstruation.