Search results for "ethic"
showing 10 items of 2395 documents
Crossing kingdoms:How can art open up new ways of thinking about science?
2020
“Crossing Kingdoms” is an artist-led experiment in the biological fusion of mammalian and yeast cells and the cultural discussions of these phenomena. We present this collaboration as an experiment in responsible research and innovation (RRI), an institutionalized format for ensuring that researchers reflect on the wider social dimensions of their work. Our methods challenged us as researchers to reflect on interdisciplinary collaboration and the possibility of innovating in biology for artistic purposes, challenged audiences to reflect on biological boundaries, and challenged both groups to reflect on what it means to be responsible in science. We conclude that our experiment in RRI was su…
Childhood cancer predisposition syndromes-A concise review and recommendations by the Cancer Predisposition Working Group of the Society for Pediatri…
2017
Heritable predisposition is an important cause of cancer in children and adolescents. Although a large number of cancer predisposition genes and their associated syndromes and malignancies have already been described, it appears likely that there are more pediatric cancer patients in whom heritable cancer predisposition syndromes have yet to be recognized. In a consensus meeting in the beginning of 2016, we convened experts in Human Genetics and Pediatric Hematology/Oncology to review the available data, to categorize the large amount of information, and to develop recommendations regarding when a cancer predisposition syndrome should be suspected in a young oncology patient. This review su…
Great Expectations: Principal Investigator and Trainee Perspectives on Hiring, Supervision, and Mentoring
2018
A functioning mentor–trainee relationship is of high importance in academia. Discrepancies in expectations between principal investigators (PIs) and trainees are a source of misunderstandings and conflicts, endangering scientific progress and career advancement. In this pilot study, we sought to explore the expectations of PIs and trainees, providing consensus data from physician‐scientists and junior researchers who attended an educational workshop, entitled “The EASL/AASLD Masterclass,” in December 2017. Twenty‐three Masterclass attendees, comprising nine trainees (four Ph.D. candidates, five postdoctoral researchers) and 14 PIs, responded to an online survey. Both parties were asked to s…
Evidence for Human Adaptation and Foodborne Transmission of Livestock-Associated Methicillin-ResistantStaphylococcus aureus: Table 1.
2016
We investigated the evolution and epidemiology of a novel livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain, which colonizes and infects urban-dwelling Danes even without a Danish animal reservoir. Genetic evidence suggests both poultry and human adaptation, with poultry meat implicated as a probable source.
No effect of vancomycin MIC ≥ 1.5 mg/L on treatment outcome in methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia
2018
International audience; The vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) has been shown to affect the outcome of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteraemia. In this study, the outcomes of patients with MSSA bacteraemia with a vancomycin MIC ≥ 1.5 mg/L were assessed. A prospective cohort of patients with MSSA bacteraemia in two tertiary-care hospitals was collected. The vancomycin MIC was determined by Etest. Staphylococcus aureus strains were categorised as low (<1.5 mg/L) or high (≥1.5 mg/L) vancomycin MIC. First- and second-line treatments were recorded and classified as optimal, appropriate and inappropriate. The primary endpoint was 30-day mortality. A total o…
Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec typing and mecA sequencing in methicillin-resistant staphylococci from Algeria: a highly diversified element w…
2016
Genetic mechanisms of methicillin resistance are still relevant in staphylococci. The aims of this study are to assess the possible exchanges of staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) among isolates of methicillin-resistant staphylococci (MRS) and to check for known or new mutations in mecA DNA. A total of 35 MRS non-repetitive isolates were recovered, including 20 Staphylococcus haemolyticus, 7 Staphylococcus aureus, 4 Staphylococcus sciuri, 2 Staphylococcus saprophyticus and 1 isolate each of Staphylococcus xylosus and Staphylococcus lentus. Only 16 of the 35 strains were assigned to known SCCmec types: 7 SCCmec VII, 6 SCCmec IV and 3 SCCmec III, with possible horizontal transfer…
Standardisation and social ordering: A change of perspective
2021
This article examines standardisation in synthetic biology as a form of social coordination and ordering. I discuss standardisation by exploring what makes standards possible, and offer an understanding based on infrastructures: technical and social systems that support the existence and operation of accepted standards. By exploring the role of social infrastructures, I contend that standards depend upon social ordering: ways of arranging people in particular positions, relations, and hierarchies. I suggest that synthetic biologists ought to develop an awareness of these social orders, take responsibility for their creation, and accept accountability for their consequences, both technical a…
The role of spatial structure in the evolution of viral innate immunity evasion: A diffusion-reaction cellular automaton model
2020
Most viruses have evolved strategies for preventing interferon (IFN) secretion and evading innate immunity. Recent work has shown that viral shutdown of IFN secretion can be viewed as a social trait, since the ability of a given virus to evade IFN-mediated immunity depends on the phenotype of neighbor viruses. Following this idea, we investigate the role of spatial structure in the evolution of innate immunity evasion. For this, we model IFN signaling and viral spread using a spatially explicit approximation that combines a diffusion-reaction model and cellular automaton. Our results indicate that the benefits of preventing IFN secretion for a virus are strongly determined by spatial struct…
Microbiological testing of adults hospitalised with community-acquired pneumonia: an international study
2018
This study aimed to describe real-life microbiological testing of adults hospitalised with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and to assess concordance with the 2007 Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA)/American Thoracic Society (ATS) and 2011 European Respiratory Society (ERS) CAP guidelines. This was a cohort study based on the Global Initiative for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Pneumonia (GLIMP) database, which contains point-prevalence data on adults hospitalised with CAP across 54 countries during 2015. In total, 3702 patients were included. Testing was performed in 3217 patients, and included blood culture (71.1%), sputum culture (61.8%), Legionella urinary anti…
Linezolid and atorvastatin impact on pneumonia caused by Staphyloccocus aureus in rabbits with or without mechanical ventilation
2017
International audience; Pneumonia may involve methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), with elevated rates of antibiotics failure. The present study aimed to assess the effect of statins given prior to pneumonia development. Spontaneously breathing (SB) or mechanically ventilated (MV) rabbits with pneumonia received atorvastatin alone, linezolid (LNZ) alone, or a combination of both (n = 5 in each group). Spontaneously breathing and MV untreated infected animals (n = 11 in each group), as well as uninfected animals (n = 5 in each group) were used as controls. Microbiological features and inflammation were evaluated. Data are presented as medians (interquartile range). Linezolid a…