This work shows once again that novel CTX-M enzymes with an expanded activity towards ceftazidime through a single amino acid substitution can be identified from clinical isolates. Thus, detection of CTX-M enzymes can no longer be based solely on the resistance phenotypes of clinical isolates towards ceftazidime and cefotaxime.

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We assessed the diagnostic utility of the connective tissue disease (CTD) screen as an automated screening test, in comparison with the indirect immunofluorescence (IIF), EliA extractable nuclear antigen (ENA), and line immunoassay (LIA) for patients with antinuclear antibody- (ANA-) associated rheumatoid disease (AARD). A total of 1115 serum samples from two university hospitals were assayed using these four autoantibody-based methods. The AARD group consisted of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSc), Sjögren's syndrome (SS), and mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD). The qualitative results of all four autoantibody assays showed a significant association with AARDs, compared to controls (P < 0.0001 for all). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC-AUCs) of the CTD screen for differentiating total AARDs, SLE, SSc, SS, and MCTD from controls were 0.89, 0.93, 0.73, 0.93, and 0.95, respectively. The ROC-AUCs of combination testing with LIA were slightly higher in patients with AARDs (0.92) than those of CTD screen alone. Multivariate analysis indicated that all four autoantibody assays could independently predict AARDs. CTD screening alone and in combination with IIF, EliA ENA, and LIA are potentially valuable diagnostic approaches for predicting AARDs. Combining CTD screen with LIA might be effective for AARD patients.

This work shows that CTX-M-12, which confers high-level resistance to cefotaxime but not to ceftazidime, has emerged in Korea. The bla(CTX-M-12) gene was associated with an upstream ISEcp1 insertion sequence.

Vagus nerve preservation contributes to the maintenance of body weight after gastrectomy, and this phenomenon may be related to the suppressed activity of peptide YY(3-36).