Therapeutic Potential of Staphylococcal Bacteriophages for Nasal Decolonization of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>in Mice

Bacteriophages represent a rich and unique resource of anti-infectives to counter the global problem of antibiotic resis- tance. In this work, we assessed the bactericidal activity of two virulent staphylococcal phages, K and 44AHJD, against S. aureus isolates of clinical significance, and tested their efficacy in vivo. The phage cocktail lysed >85% of the clinical isolates tested. Both the phages were purified by ion-exchange column chromatography following propagation in bioreactors. The purity profiles of the ion-exchange purified phages were compared with those of phages purified using cesium chloride density gradient ultracentrifugation, and infectiousness of the purified phages was confirmed by plaque forming assay. The in vivo efficacy of a phage cocktail was evaluated in an experimental murine nasal colonization model, which showed that the phage cocktail was efficacious. To our knowledge, this is the first report of phage use in an in vivo model of nasal carriage.

World Literature and Decolonization

With remarkable force,"decolonization"re-entered the academic agenda some ten years ago.Having been an ambivalent historical experience undergirding postcolonial studies in its emergence in the 1980s,"decolonization"today is wielded as a concept and a rallying call.One of its rhetorical purposes is to set up an opposition between morally objectionable and morally progressive ways of constructing and sharing knowledge,yet the content of the term is often vague.In this context,world literature has much to contribute,both methodologically and critically.If,on the one hand,there is a decolonizing potential in the very ambition to make the world's literary cultures visible,the critical dimension of world literature scholarship makes us aware of its colonial genealogy.Taking Mazisi Kunene's epic poem from South Africa,Emperor Shaka the Great,as its key example,this article discusses how the dual potential of world literature might contribute to a"decolonized"'mode of literary reading.

Gut Microbiota and Intestinal Decolonization of Pathogenic Microorganisms

The occurrence of infections and mortality in critically ill patients in Intensive Care Units （ICUs） are as high as 53.9% and 30.0%, respectively. In the United States, the number of patients who died from hospital-acquired infections exceeds 100,000 and the single-item cost is as high as 25 billion USD12 per year. A study has demonstrated that colonization of conditional exogenous pathogens within the gut is an important pathologic basis of hospital-acquired infections in critically ill ICU patients The gut is inhabited by the largest variety of bacteria. On one hand, commensal bacteria can inhibit intestinal colonization of conditional exogenous pathogens, and on the other hand, intestinal bacterial flora plays important roles in immunity, metabolism and nourishment. Here, we address the composition of intestinal bacteria, the mechanism underlying decolonization of pathogens in the gut, change in the intestinal micro-ecological environment under pathologic conditions, and maintenance of the ability of the gut in decolonizing pathogenic microbiota.

Africa or Morocco?A Historical Perspective on the Resolution of the Contrived Stalemate over the Western Sahara Decolonization Process

The stalemated decolonization process in Africa’s last colony,Western Sahara,was investigated in its historical context.Deploying the critical-analytic methodology of contemporary history and examining available sources on the subject,the paper posits the Saharawi right to self-determination and independence,within the framework of the UN Charter as a non-self-governing territory which is not in dispute.It concludes that the stalemate is Morocco’s contrivance to further its dream of a“Greater Morocco”,and that the reactivation of Saharawi armed struggle,complemented with diplomatic efforts under the strategic leadership of the African Union,would present the United Nations with a choice between Africa and Morocco,and reinvest the world body with the political will for its early resolution.

Ethnography at the Turn of the Third Decade:Privilege and Challenge

The article analyzes the situation in which ethnographic studies found themselves at the turn of the third decade of the 21st century.The historical background,rooted in the past century,as well as the situation that developed by the end of the second decade,is considered at the general philosophical level,while the area that illustrates the situation was chosen taking into account the author’s professional orientation—ethnomusicology.The problems are divided into three groups.The first such group is devoted to new practices and information spaces that are constantly changing the situation.The second group concerns worldview aspects related to the perception of new ethnographers by the guild elders.A critique of the“decolonization”of ethnographic research as part of an overview of institutional and disciplinary barriers concludes the topics discussed in the article.

Risk of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus prosthetic joint infection in elective total hip and knee arthroplasty following eradication therapy

Re-screening following methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus(MRSA) decolonization will be helpful to minimize the development of prosthetic joint infection among MRSA colonizers.

Eradication of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>and MRSA in the Nares: A Historical Perspective of the Ecological Niche, with Suggestions for Future Therapy Considerations

Nasal colonization with pathogenic bacteria continues to present challenges for patients undergoing surgical procedures, and for the physicians that treat them. Even as molecular medicine produces ever faster and improved data sets for clinicians, it would benefit all medical personnel attempting to decolonize the nose to better understand the historical nasal decolonization data with specific reference to the ecological niche for these bacteria, as it has been recorded for more than a century. Much of the historical data points to the largest ecological niche for nasal Staphylococcus aureus as the vibrissae of the vestibulum nasi. A careful study shows that any topical antimicrobial preparation needs to successfully penetrate the deepest recesses of these specialized nasal hair follicles, if decolonization is to be adequately accomplished. This review highlights the most relevant data of the last 140 years concerning the staphylococcal ecological niche of the vibrissae. Also to be discussed will be a historical review of topical Mupirocin. Almost thirty years after its FDA approval, Mupirocin is still the most widely used topical antibiotic for decolonization therapy around the world. Correspondingly, new experimental in vitro data will be presented showing the differing efficacy of Mupirocin against multiple strains of HA-MRSA and CA- MRSA, based solely on the commercial topical formulation (non Mupirocin ingredients) that acts synergistically with the Mupirocin. Finally, the review will discuss why an understanding of these historical data is a vital component to integrate into any new or augmented nasal decolonization therapy.

Displacement of Indigenous People in Canada under the Indian Act: Participatory Video with Lake St. Martin and Little Saskatchewan First Nations on Flood Impacts

Four participatory video research projects were undertaken over eight years with two Indigenous communities displaced by a flood. The films focus on how floodwaters were diverted away from non-Indigenous regions to Indigenous communities at Lake St. Martin by Canada’s colonial government. This displacement repeats the colonial pattern of forcibly relocating Indigenous people away from their land, resources, and good life. This participatory video research of flood stories underwent a content, process, and outcome analysis. The environmental, social, cultural, health and economic impacts are documented in the films, including poverty, environmental injustice, gang predation, separation of families, food insecurity, illness, culture loss, addictions, and racism. The films captured the lived experience of Elders, youth and, families during their eight years of displacement to temporary, unsuitable accommodations and upon relocation. In terms of process, community members engaged in filming, scriptwriting, and narrating to tell their stories. The process was transformative, decolonizing, and built community research capacity. The participatory video research was helpful for lawyers advocating for compensation. The popularity of the videos online exceeded that of academic papers and helped fuel a movement to wake people to the ongoing colonial injustices faced by Indigenous people across Canada. This paper not only analyzes the films but traces the roots of Indigenous displacement by man-made flooding to the Indian Act and colonization, calling for abolishing the Indian Act and decolonization.

Decolonizing Geography and Access to Powerful Disciplinary Knowledge

Article history Received:6 June 2019 Accepted:8 October 2019 Published Online:30 November 2019 This article engages with and aims to advance the debate about Decolonizing geography,examining its approach to knowledge and its implications for the discipline.Decolonizers draw heavily upon social constructivist and historically-rooted notions of knowledge which emphasize its embeddedness in power relations.While shedding light on the social and political conditions under which knowledge is produced is valuable,its context-dependent view of knowledge limits its scope to account for disciplinary knowledge.Taking a particularistic epistemology which conflates knowledge with experience is insufficient to explain the historical evolution of theoretical and disciplinary frameworks.Denying the potential for and even the desirability of context-independent(theoretical)knowledge Decolonizing geography can be read as post-disciplinary and post-universal,potentially denying that geography can offer all students,regardless of their background,access to powerful knowledge and insights.Here,social realism is proposed as an alternative approach to knowledge which accounts for both the social context of knowledge production and its distinctive epistemic qualities.An epistemological framework for geography is examined which demonstrates the relationship between propositional(conceptual),contextual and procedural knowledge,and why all three are essential for the student of geography。

The Empire Departs:The Partitions of British India,Mandate Palestine,and the Dawn of Self-Determination in the Third World

This article argues that the political system established by the United Kingdom in British India and Mandate Palestine contributed to their partition in 1947.This is not to suggest that other factors–nationalism,anticolonialism,the Second World War,and the early Cold War,did not also play a part in strategic calculations.It is merely to suggest that the formation of national identity in British India and Mandate Palestine were both linked to British policies and the political system Britain established in those territories that contributed to the failure to come up with a scheme that would satisfy their political aspirations when Britain left.The problem was systemic,and was not merely due to British calculations in the final hours although these calculations undoubtedly shaped the final borders.

Ethical challenges in mass drug administration for reducing childhood mortality:a qualitative study

Background:Mass drug administration(MDA)of medications to entire at-risk communities or populations has shown promise in the control and elimination of global infectious diseases.MDA of the broad-spectrum antibiotic azithromycin has demonstrated the potential to reduce childhood mortality in children at risk of premature death in some global settings.However,MDA of antibiotics raises complex ethical challenges,including weighing near-term benefts against longer-term risks—particularly the development of antimicrobial resistance that could diminish antibiotic efectiveness for current or future generations.The aim of this study was to understand how key actors involved in MDA perceive the ethical challenges of MDA.Methods:We conducted 35 semi-structured interviews from December 2020–February 2022 with investigators,funders,bioethicists,research ethics committee members,industry representatives,and others from both highincome countries(HICs)and low-and middle-income countries(LMICs).Interview participants were identifed via one of seven MDA studies purposively chosen to represent diversity in terms of use of the antibiotic azithromycin;use of a primary mortality endpoint;and whether the study occurred in a high child mortality country.Data were analyzed using constructivist grounded theory methodology.Results:The most frequently discussed ethical challenges related to meaningful community engagement,how to weigh risks and benefts,and the need to target MDA We developed a concept map of how participants considered ethical issues in MDA for child mortality;it emphasizes MDA’s place alongside other public health interventions,empowerment,and equity.Concerns over an ethical double standard in weighing risks and benefts emerged as a unifying theme,albeit one that participants interpreted in radically diferent ways.Some thought MDA for reducing child mortality was ethically obligatory;others suggested it was impermissible.Conclusions:Ethical challenges raised by MDA of antibiotics for childhood mortality-which span socio-cultural issues,the environment,and efects on future generations-require consideration beyond traditional clinical trial review.The appropriate role of MDA also requires attention to concerns over ethical double standards and power dynamics in global health that afect how we view antibiotic use in HICs versus LMICs.Our fndings suggest the need to develop additional,comprehensive guidance on managing ethical challenges in MDA.

Comparative Mobilities

This essay explores recent incursions into comparative modalities and highlights how global comparative literature better reflects the ways in which borders and mobility have become definingelementsof the21stcentury.However,thehumanities remainunderattack.Recent openings towards decolonizing the curriculum and strengtheningsynergies between various social justice approaches may prove fruitfulin coordinating defenses.Todayconomic and historical circumstances are such that it has become increasingly hard to think of literary traditions in monolithic terms since globalization has dramatically transformed the circulation of literary works In our understanding,a comparativist is not necessarily invested either in demonstrating the intrinsic connections between cultural or literary objects as traditional practitioners of comparative literature have been,or committed to disclosing incommensurable differences,as postcolonial comparativists have been Instead,the comparative frame of mind is defined by the fundamental insight that any cultural product or production is inherently heterogeneous and hence requires no external object of comparison Put otherwise,a comparative frame of mind does not require the co-presence of two or more cultural or literary archives in practicing comparative literature,for any single object can be read in relation to,oreven against,itsowncontext.Likewise,languagesarenot,andshould notbeconsidered monolithic entities Rather,they are historical containers,mobile vessels that transport perpetually evolving references and symbols across borders,the portals and vectors that allow for multi-dimensional cultural and linguistic expression.We therefore argue that the persistent privileging of multi-lingual fluency as the raison d'etre of comparative literature needs to be relinquished,and that instead one needs to embrace the idea that one can bea comparatist withinasingle language.In other words,we argue that comparison is as relevant within diverse national traditions as it is between them.