Apis mellifera, especially weak ones, are highly vulnerable to Carpoglyphus lactis mites, which can rapidly infest and consume stored pollen, leading to weakened colonies and potentially colony collapse. This study aimed to ascertain and investigate the prevalence of this mite in honeybee colonies across 9 provinces in the Republic of Korea (ROK). A total of 615 honeybee colonies were collected, from 66 apiaries during the spring and 58 apiaries during the summer of 2023. A 1,242 bp segment of the the Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene was amplified using the polymerase chain reaction method. The detection levels of C. lactis in the honeybees were compared between winter and summer. Based on the COI sequence analysis, the nucleotide sequence similarity of C. lactis mites isolated in the ROK with those from China (NC048990.1) was found to be 99.5%, and with those from the United Kingdom (KY922482.1) was 99.3%. This study is the first report of C. lactis in Korean apiaries. The findings in this study demonstrate a significantly higher detection rate in winter, which is 4.1 times greater than that in summer (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the results underscore the usefulness of molecular diagnostic techniques for detecting C. lactis mites.

Meningitis is a severe disease associated with death in children under five with highest rates of infections under age of one. Vaccines for Neisseria meningitides and Haemophilus influenza are used to prevent the main causative agents of meningitis. Administration of H. influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine is recommended at 2, 4 and 6 months with a booster dose at 18 months. N. meningitidis has two commercially available vaccines, the pure polysaccharide is recommended at 24 months meanwhile the protein-conjugated vaccines at 12 months. We sought in this study to examine if coadministering the vaccines for the two main meningitis causing bacteria might be synergistic as a preliminary step towards the possibility of shuffling immunization schedule. So, we coadministered Hib vaccine with commercially available vaccines either quadrate (ACWY) polysaccharide meningococcal (Men) or conjugated meningococcal (Nim) vaccines in Balb/C mice (n = 6/group) and compared to each vaccine administered separately and controls. Thirty-five days post immunization, we measured specific antibodies titers. Hib vaccine increased Men antibody titers significantly for serotypes Y and W. When Hib vaccine was coadministrated with Nim, antibody titer for Y, W and A significantly increased. For serotype C, there was no significant difference in antibody titers among immunized groups. As for effect of meningococcal vaccines on Hib, Men significantly increased Hib antibody titers while Nim had no effect. Collectively, our data suggested that coadministration of Hib and Men or Nim vaccines was safe and had synergistic effect on immune responses elicited to both vaccines. Further studies are needed before immunization schedule modifications. Such immunization schedule recommendation should provide better protection against this life-threatening disease in young children.

Theoretical and experimental approaches have been applied to study the polymer physics under-lying compaction of DNA in the bacterial nucleoid. Knowledge of the compaction mechanism is necessary to obtain a mechanistic understanding of the process of segregation of replicating chromosome arms (replichores) during the cell cycle. In the first part of this review light microscope observations are discussed that have demonstrated that the nucleoid has a lower refractive index and thus a lower density than the cytoplasm. A polymer-physical explanation for this phenomenon was given by the theory of Theo Odijk pro-posed in 1998. By assuming a phase separation between nucleoid and cytoplasm and by imposing equality of osmotic pressure and chemical potential between the two phases, a minimal energy situation is obtained in which soluble proteins are depleted from the nucleoid, thus explaining its lower density. The theory is compared with recent views for DNA compaction that are based on mere exclusion of polyribosomes from the nucleoid or on the transcriptional activity of the cell. These new views raise the question of whether they can still explain the lower refractive index or density of the nucleoid. In the second part of this review the question is discussed how DNA segregation occurs in Esche-richia coli, in the absence of the so-called active ParABS system, present in the majority of bacteria. How is entanglement prevented of nascent chromosome arms, generated at the origin in the pa-rental network of the E. coli nucleoid? The observations of the groups of Sherratt and Hansen in 2006, that the four nascent chromosome arms synthesized in the initial replication bubble, segre-gate to opposite halves of the sister nucleoids implies that extensive intermingling of daughter strands does not occur. Based on the hypothesis that leading and lagging replichores synthesized in the replication bubble, fold into micro-domains that do not intermingle, a passive "four-excluding-arms model" for segregation is proposed. This model implies that the key for seg-regation already lies in the structure of the replication bubble at the very start of DNA replication; it explains the different patterns of chromosome arms as well as the segregation distances between replicated loci as experimentally observed.

Count data analysis presents unique challenges due to its discrete nature, often exhibiting excessive zeros and overdispersion. To address these complexities, count models, such as Poisson regression and Negative Binomial regression, have been developed, enabling modeling and prediction of count-based phenomena. Additionally, it’s important to notice that zero inflation, a phenomenon commonly observed in count data, requires specialized techniques for robust analysis. This article provides an overview of count data and count models, explores zero inflation, introduces Likelihood Ratio Tests, and explains how the Vuong Test can be used as a model selection criteria. Furthermore, we created a Vuong Test implementation from scratch using the Python programming language. This implementation enhances the accessibility and applicability of the Vuong Test in real-world scenarios, providing a valuable contribution to the academic community, since Python didn’t have an implementation of this statistical test.

Panax notoginseng is a traditional Chinese medicine, and saponins are its main active ingredients. The content of saponins in flower of P. notoginseng is the highest in the whole plant. Minor ginsenosides have stronger pharmacological activity than main ginsenosides, but its content in nature is very low. We can use extracted total saponins from P. notoginseng flower as the substrate to produce minor ginsenosides by biotransformation method. In this study, we used the fungus Talaromyces flavus and its crude enzymes to transform the extracted total saponins of P. notoginseng flower. Through the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the transformation substrates and products, it was found that minor ginsenosides Gyp-XVII, ginsenosides C-Mc1, C-Mx1, F2, Rg3, 20(R)-Rg3, Rk1 and Rg5 were found in the products and the conversion rate of the major saponins in P. notoginseng flower ranged from 44.16 to 55.22%, the yields of the minor ginsenosides ranged from 0.05 to 3.24%. This study provided a good experimental idea, greatly increased the utilization rate of total saponins in P. notoginseng flower, and laid a foundation for promoting the wide application of minor saponins.

Thromboembolic conditions, such as stroke and myocardial infarction [MI], are the primary causes of mortality globally. High efficiency was demonstrated by fibrinolytic enzymes isolated from microbial sources in dissolving various blood clots. The study aimed to investigate and produce bacterial fibrinolytic enzymes from various Egyptian soil conditions using recombinant DNA technology. Fifty soil samples were examined to determine the production of fibrinolytic enzymes. The plasmin plate technique assessed the thrombolytic activities of the strong fibrinolytic enzyme-producing bacterial isolates. In addition to determining the molecular mass using a mass spectrometer and the western blot method, the activity and thermostability of the enzymes were characterized. An affinity chromatography approach was used to purify the fibrinolytic enzymes. However, bacterial recombinant DNA technology produced the pure bacterial fibrinolytic enzyme. Several dosage formulations for the formulation of fibrinolytic enzymes were tested. By using affinity chromatography and the SDS-PAGE test, the isolated bacterial fibrinolytic enzyme in this investigation was almost 83% pure. Bacillus cereus ATCC 4342 was identified as the predominant bacterial isolate secreting fibrinolytic enzymes. It was discovered that the fibrinolytic enzyme activity of fifty soil samples ranged from 0.167 U/ml to 1.853 U/ml. The extracellular enzyme extracted from Bacillus cereus culture supernatant demonstrated a relatively stable fibrinolytic activity over 18 hours at a pH range of 7.4–10, as well as stability with maximum productivity at 43℃ for over 60 minutes. In this investigation, the enzyme was referred to as Fibrin-proteinase[ FP]. The fibrin clots were directly thrombolyzed by the FP. The calculated values for the specific activity and molecular mass of the FP were approximately 40.71 units/mg of protein and approximately 30 KDa, respectively. It was observed that the presence of Fe+3 marginally boosted protease activity, but the presence of EDTA decreased it. On the other hand, adding monovalent cations like K+1 and Na+1 significantly increased the fibrinolytic activity of FP. The enzyme exhibited activity throughout the temperature range of 20 to 65℃, peaking at 55℃. The ideal range for the generation of protease was 35–43℃ and 8.0–10. The thermostable fibrinolytic enzyme FP, which was isolated from Bacillus cereus ATCC 4342 in various soil environments in Egypt during the current study, was a promising fibrinolytic enzyme because it demonstrated a more extensive and effective fibrinolytic activity and fewer side effects than the fibrinolytic enzymes that are currently available worldwide. It is advised that further research be done on optimizing the right formulation of bacterial fibrinolytic enzymes in the future to help dissolve different types of blood clots and, as a result, lower the high death rate that exists worldwide.

The blood count is crucial for assessing bone marrow's cell production and differentiation during infections, gauging disease severity, and monitoring therapeutic responses. The profile of blood count in chronic form of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) has been insufficiently explored. To better understand the changes in hematological cells in different stages of the PCM chronic form, we evaluated the blood count, including immature blood cells in automated equipment, before and during the treatment follow-up of 62 chronic PCM patients. Predominantly male (96.8%) with an average age of 54.3 (SD 6.9) years, participants exhibited pre-treatment conditions such as anemia (45.2%), monocytosis (38.7%), and leukocytosis (17.7%) which became less frequent after clinical cure. Anemia was more prevalent in severe cases. Notably, hemoglobin and reticulocyte hemoglobin content increased, while leukocytes, monocytes, neutrophils, immature granulocytes, and platelets decreased. Chronic PCM induced manageable hematological abnormalities, mainly in the red blood series. Monocytosis, indicating monocytes' role in PCM's immune response, was frequent. Post-treatment, especially after achieving clinical cure, significant improvements were observed in various hematological indices, including immature granulocytes and reticulocyte hemoglobin content, underscoring the impact of infection on these parameters.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) stands as a debilitating neurodegenerative condition characterized by the progressive degeneration of motor neurons. Despite extensive research in various model animals, the cellular signal mechanisms of ALS remain elusive, impeding the development of efficacious treatments. Among these models, a well-characterized and diminutive organism, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), has arisen as a potent tool for investigating the molecular and cellular dimensions of ALS pathogenesis. This review summarizes the contributions of C. elegans models to our comprehension of ALS, emphasizing pivotal findings pertaining to genetics, protein aggregation, cellular pathways, and potential therapeutic strategies. We analyze both the merits and constraints of C. elegans system in the realm of ALS research, and point towards future investigations that could bridge the chasm between C. elegans foundational discoveries and clinical applications.

Promoting green development has become an important way to optimize the ecological and economic structure and promote sustainable development. The Yangtze River Economic Belt is an important economic corridor in China, and it remains to be examined whether the implementation of environmental regulations has enhanced the green total factor productivity (GTFP) of cities. This paper calculates the green total factor productivity of 107 cities within the Yangtze River Economic Belt by using the super-efficient SBM model and the GML index with Chinese city panel data from 2007-2019 and measures the intensity of environmental regulations through textual analysis. The bidirectional fixed-effects model constructed in this paper suggests an inverted U-shaped relationship between environmental regulation and GTFP, which is confirmed by a series of robustness tests. Green technology innovation and advanced industrial structure play a mechanism role in this. In regions with lower levels of green technology and industrial structure, the inverted U-shaped relationship between environmental regulation and green total factor productivity is more significant. In addition, the phenomenon of GTFP rising and then falling because of environmental regulation is more obvious in cities in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River and outside the urban agglomerations. Therefore, when formulating environmental regulation policies, it is necessary to balance the relationship between economic development and environmental protection and harmonize the environment and economic development of the entire Yangtze River Basin.

The traditional practice of harvesting and processing raw date palm sap is not only culturally significant but also an essential nutritional source in South Asia. Yet, the potential for bacterial or viral contamination from animals and environmental sources during its collection remains a real and insufficiently studied risk. Implementing improved food safety measures and collection techniques could mitigate the risk of these infections. Additionally, the adoption of advanced food analytical methods has the potential to identify pathogens and uncover the natural bacterial diversity of these products. The advancement of NGS technologies, particularly nanopore sequencing, offers rapid and highly mobile capabilities. In this study, we employed nanopore sequencing for bacterial metabarcoding of a set of raw date palm sap samples collected without protective coverage against animals in Bangladesh in 2021. We identified several bacterial species with importance in the natural fermentation of the product and demonstrated the feasibility of this NGS method in the surveillance of raw palm sap products. We revealed two fermentation directions dominated by either Leuconostoc species or Lactococcus species in these products at the first 6 hours from harvest along with opportunistic human pathogens in the background, represented with low abundance. Plant pathogens, bacteria with the potential for opportunistic human infections and the sequences of the Exiguobacterium genus were also described and their potential role is discussed.

Kinesiophobia (fear of movement) has been recognized as a significant barrier to recovery and rehabilitation in patients after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Our goal was to identify predictors of kinesiophobia and examine its correlation with early functional outcomes in TKA recipients. On the first and fifth postoperative days (POD1 and POD5), we evaluated pain using the International Pain Outcomes Questionnaire (IPO-Q) and created multidimensional pain composite scores (PCS). Pain Composite Score-total (PCStotal) assesses the overall impact of pain, taking into account outcomes of pain intensity, pain-related interference with function, and emotions and side effects. Functional status on POD 5 was determined by the Barthel index, 6-minute walking test, and knee range of motion. Kinesiophobia was measured on POD5 using the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK) and multivariable logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with kinesiophobia. Among 75 TKA patients, 27% exhibited kinesiophobia. The final regression model highlighted PCStotal on POD5 (OR=6.2, CI=1.9-19.9), PCStotal (OR=2.1, CI=1.2-3.8) on POD1, and the intensity of chronic pain before surgery (OR=1.4, CI=1.1-2.1) as significant kinesiophobia predictors. On POD5, those with kinesiophobia showed increased dependency, slower gait, and poorer knee extension recovery. This study highlights the importance of identifying and addressing kinesiophobia in TKA patients to optimize functional outcomes and improve recovery. Also, it is important to assess not only pain intensity but also the physical and emotional interference caused by pain, which can contribute to the development of kinesiophobia.

The hospital indoor environment plays a significant role in shaping the microbial exposures that humans encounter. Resistance to antibiotics is one of the mechanisms employed by bacteria to develop resilience against stress in indoor environments. The extensive usage of antibiotics has been a key factor in driving changes in the ecological function of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and their acquisition by pathogenic bacteria. By integrating the 16S rRNA Illumina sequencing and high throughput-qPCR approaches with water and air dust samples across seven departments at Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, China, this study yielded intriguing findings regarding the department-specific variation, transmission, and correlation of bacteria, ARGs and MGEs within the hospital indoor environment. One notable observation was that the seasonal variation played a vital role in shaping the bacterial composition in the overall hospital indoor environment across seven studied departments. Nevertheless, a similar significant seasonal impact was only observed in the blood test room and emergency departments, rather than in the other five departments. Another intriguing finding was the correlation between ARGs and MGEs abundance. This correlation was evident in the overall hospital indoor environment, which was conversely not found in the emergency, pneumology and gynecology departments. Additionally, while there was no significant relationship that occurred between bacterial communities and ARGs/MGEs within the hospital, the gynecology department demonstrated a close link between bacterial communities and the presence of ARGs/MGEs. Notably, the gynecology department also stood out as an important source of bacteria and ARGs/MGEs for other departments. This study underscores the need for careful surveillance and monitoring of antibiotic resistance, particularly in Legionella spp. in man-made water systems. The findings also show the importance of monitoring and understanding the genetic elements such as Tp614 involved in gene transfer and recombination, as well as their impact on antimicrobial treatment efficacy.

Acoustic Radiation Forced Impulse (ARFI) is an ultrasound integrated method, measuring stiff-ness by point shear wave elastography. To evaluate the diagnostic performance of ARFI of the liver and of the spleen, combined with spleen dimension and platelet count, in predicting clinical events in cirrhosis, a prospective and cross-sectional study was conducted between February 2017 and February 2021. The following ratio scores with ARFI measurements were performed: ALSDP (ARFI Liver-Spleen Diameter-to-Platelets ratio score), ASSDP (ARFI Spleen-Spleen Diam-eter-to-Platelets ratio score), ASSAP (ARFI Spleen-Spleen Area-to-Platelets ratio score), ALSAP (ARFI Liver-Spleen Area-to-Platelets ratio score). In 100 enrolled subjects, spleen ARFI, ASSDP, ASSAP, were significantly associated with high-risk oesophageal varices (HRVs) in the prospec-tive short- and long-term follow-up and in the cross-sectional study (p 0.7). ARFI-ratio scores can predict, in cirrhotic patients, the risk of developing HVRs in short and long-term period.

Asphaltene precipitation and deposition pose significant operational challenges in both reservoirs and surface facilities by inducing formation damage. To understand the kinetics involved in asphaltene particle nucleation, growth, and aggregation, this study employed confocal microscopy and centrifuge-based methods under a unified set of experimental parameters. The acquired time-resolved particle size images were analyzed using MIPAR image processing software, while asphaltene mass yield was quantitatively evaluated through centrifugation. Experimental conditions were varied to study the effects of heptane concentration, asphaltene concentration, and shear rate. Notably, this investigation introduces, for the first time, the parameter of particle count as an additional variable influencing asphaltene mass production. This study aims to discern how particle count correlates with asphaltene mass yield over time. Results indicate that the minimum mean particle diameter was observed to be 2 microns, which progressively grew up to 80 microns. The mean particle diameter exhibited a positive correlation with both asphaltene concentration and shear rate, whereas an inverse correlation was seen with heptane concentration. Furthermore, the asphaltene mass yield was found to increase with greater asphaltene and heptane concentrations, as well as with higher shear rates. The relationship between mean particle diameter and mass yield was found to be nonlinear. In the early stages, a higher prevalence of small particles contributed to a greater total particle count, while at later stages, particle aggregation led to the formation of larger particles that influenced the overall asphaltene mass. The insights gained from understanding the relationship between particle diameter, count, and mass yield are crucial for advancing the fundamental science of asphaltene precipitation and deposition. These findings may also guide future research that relies solely on particle counts for assessing asphaltene deposition.

Capabilities of the Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) at THz wavelengths for increased sub-surface depth characterisation of (bio-)materials is presented. The penetration depth of a THz evanescent wave in biological samples is dependent on the wavelength and temperature and can reach 0.1-0.5 mm depth due to strong refractive index change ∼0.4 of the ice-water transition; this is quite significant and important when studying biological samples. Technical challenges are discussed when using ATR for uneven, heterogeneous, high refractive index samples with possibility of frustrated total internal reflection (a breakdown of the ATR reflection-mode into transmission-mode). Local field enhancements at the interface are discussed with numerical/analytical examples. Maxwell’s scaling was used to model behaviour of absorber-scatterer inside materials at the interface with ATR prism for realistic complex refractive indices of bio-materials. Modality of ATR with polarisation analysis is proposed and its principle illustrated, opening an invitation for its experimental validation. The sensitivity of the polarised ATR mode to the refractive index between the sample and ATR prism is revealed. Design principles of polarisation active optical elements and spectral filters are outlined. The results and concepts are based on experiments carried out at the THz beamline of the Australian Synchrotron.

Clinically, knowing the number of red blood cells (RBCs) and white blood cells (WBCs) helps doctors to make the better decision on accurate diagnosis of numerous diseases. The manual cell counting is a very time-consuming and expensive process, and it depends on the experience of specialists. Therefore, a completely automatic method supporting cell counting is a viable solution for clinical laboratories. This paper proposes a novel blood cell counting procedure to address this challenge. The proposed method adopts SegNet - a deep learning semantic segmentation to simultaneously segment RBCs and WBCs. The global accuracy of the segmentation of WBCs, RBCs, and the background of peripheral blood smear images obtains 89% when segment WBCs and RBCs from the background of blood smear images. Moreover, an effective solution to separate grouped or overlapping cells and cell count is presented using Euclidean distance transform, local maxima, and connected component labeling. The counting result of the proposed procedure achieves an accuracy of 93.3% for red blood cell count using dataset 1 and 97.38% for white blood cell count using dataset 2.

Technology development changes society and society demands new and innovative technology development. We analyze technology to understand society and technology itself. Many researches have been introduced in various fields. Most of them were about patent analysis. This is because detailed and accurate results of research and development are patented. In this paper, we study on new patent analysis method based on count data model and Bayesian regression analysis. Using count data model, we analyze the technological keywords extracted from the collected patent documents. We use the posterior distribution of Bayesian statistics to reflect the experience and knowledge of the relevant technological experts in the analysis model. Moreover, we apply the proposed model to finding sustainable technologies. Finding and developing sustainable technologies is an important activity for companies and research institutes to maintain their technological competitiveness. To illustrate how our modeling could be applied to real domain, we carry out a case study using the patent documents related to artificial intelligence.

Public restrooms are often a hub of microbial contamination, and the examination of bacterial contamination in these facilities can serve as an important indicator of the transmission of infectious diseases. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of bacterial contamination in public restrooms based on the economic class of the building. Samples were collected from various spots in 32 restrooms found in 10 shopping malls, classifying them into two categories: upper-end restrooms and lower-end restrooms. The findings showed that the level of contamination was higher in the lower-end restrooms, with the seat being the most contaminated area. The most dominant Gram-positive bacteria were coagulase-negative staphylococci species, making up 86% of the identified Gram-positive isolates. The most dominant Gram-negative bacteria identified were Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The antibiotic sensitivity test results revealed the presence of multi-drug resistant bacteria among the Gram-positive and negative isolates, including Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Staphylococcus kloosi, Acinetobacter baumanii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. In conclusion, the study underscores the significance of monitoring bacterial contamination in public restrooms and the need for measures to reduce the spread of infectious diseases. Further research is crucial to gain a complete understanding of the bacterial contamination in public restrooms and their resistance patterns, to ensure the safety and health of the public. The implementation of improved cleaning practices and hands-free designs in restrooms can help reduce the risk of cross-contamination and prevent the spread of diseases.

Organic fertilizer application in agricultural land is known to improve soil microbial processes, fertility, and yield. In particular, stable changes in soil chemical composition through multi-year fertilization of organic fertilizers are thought to cause changes in the microbial community. Here, the effects of oil cake amendments (OC) on soil bacterial diversity, community profile and enzyme activity were evaluated and compared to those amended with chemical fertilizer (NPK). The comparison of diversity indices between OC and NPK amended soils shows that application of oil cake has increased microbial diversity potentially with an increase in the number of different microbial groups. The ordination plot distinguished and clustered both treatments showing differential effects of soils chemical factors on the microbial communities of each treatment. Proteobacteria, Verrucomicrobia and Bacteriodetes were significantly abundant in OC amended soil than in the NPK received soil, indicating alterations in community structure, composition, and diversity con-current to the changes in pH, Ca and Mg contents of the soil. These shifts in bacterial community structure and composition could also be observed from the phylum to the genus level in both NPK and OC amended soils partially explained by differences in soil chemical factors. The OC soil compared to the NPK amended soil also contain significantly higher abundance of predicted genes corresponding to enzymes related to biogeochemical cycling, decomposition and plant growth promotion. Collectively, these results support the use of an unconventional organic fertilizer positively altering bacterial populations in jujube orchards. The application of oil cake-based organic fertilizer improved microbial diversity and enhanced potential ecosystem functions related to bio-geochemical cycles, mineralization and plant growth promotion.

Silicon Photomultipliers find applications across various fields. One potential Silicon Photomultiplier application domain is neutrino telescopes, where they may enhance the angular resolution. However, the elevated dark count rate associated with Silicon Photomultipliers represents a significant challenge to their widespread utilization. To address this issue, it is proposed to use Silicon Photomultipliers and Photomultiplier Tubes together. The Photomultiplier Tubes signals would serve as a trigger to mitigate the dark count rate, thereby preventing undue saturation of the available bandwidth. This paper presents an investigation into a fast and resource-efficient method for filtering Silicon Photomultiplier dark count rate. A low-resource and fast coincident filter has been developed, which removes the Silicon Photomultiplier dark count rate by using as trigger the Photomultiplier Tube input signals. The architecture of the coincidence filter, together with the first results obtained, which validate the effectiveness of this method are presented.

It is quite easy to stochastically distort an original count variable to obtain a new count variable with relatively more variability than in the original variable. Many popular overdispersion models (variance greater than mean) can indeed be obtained by mixtures, compounding or randomlystopped sums. There is no analogous stochastic mechanism for the construction of underdispersed count variables (variance less than mean), starting from an original count distribution of interest. This work proposes a generic method to stochastically distort an original count variable to obtain a new count variable with relatively less variability than in the original variable. The proposed mechanism, termed condensation, attracts probability masses from the quantiles in the tails of the original distribution and redirect them toward quantiles around the expected value. If the original distribution can be simulated, then the simulation of variates from a condensed distribution is straightforward. Moreover, condensed distributions have a simple mean-parametrization, a characteristic useful in a count regression context. An application to the negative binomial distribution resulted in a distribution allowing under, equi and overdispersion. In addition to graphical insights, fields of applications of special cases of condensed Poisson and condensed negative binomial distributions were pointed out as an indication of the potential of condensation for a flexible analysis of count data

A proportion of osteoarthritis (OA) patients are unsatisfied with post-operative outcomes following total joint replacement surgery (TJR), with insufficient pain relief or poor functional improvement. Predicting those will have poor outcomes would be beneficial for patients and clinicians. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between baseline anthropometric data and the concentration of pre-operative serum and peri-operative synovial fluid (SF) cytokines with 7-month post-operative outcomes in a cohort of knee and hip OA patients. 160 OA patients were recruited who were scheduled for TJR. The concentration of 24 cytokines were measured in blood and SF by multiplex assay. EQ5Dindex health status was assessed pre-operatively and at 7-months post-operatively. 13% of patients were identified as non-responders based on EQ5Dindex. Compared to responders, non-responders were of higher BMI, had greater waist and hip circumference and had higher levels of SF leptin but lower levels of SF Resistin (p<0.05). Linear regression analysis found a significant relationship between pre-operative body weight and post-operative response (ΔEQ5Dindex; r=0.222, p=0.049). The combination of body weight with SF amphiregulin and SF IL-6 provided an improved predictive model of post-operative response (r=0.470, p=0.035).

It has recently been discovered that mere cell contact by human cytomegalovirus (CMV) particles leads to profound modulation of cellular gene expression. Reduced monocyte human leukocyte antigen (HLA-DR) expression is a novel biomarker of severity and outcome in many diseases. Modulation of CD14 protein by CMV was shown in vitro, but little is known about the phenomenon in vivo (during active cytomegalovirus disease). Therefore, we investigated monocyte CD14 and HLA-DR expression in CMV infected patients in relation to logarithmic phase of infectious process. Samples from patients with active CMV replication (exponential growth of CMV viremia) were tested. After CD45/SSC gating monocyte CD14 and HLA-DR expression were determined by double-color flow-cytometry. Significant monocytosis and poor correlation between CMV replication and CD14+HLA-DR(-) cells prompted CD14 investigation. During logarithmic phase of CMV infection increased count and percentage of CD14low monocytes were observed which correlated with viral replication in several clinical situations except when there was a rapid recovery without relapse. Furthermore, most of CD14low monocytes are HLA-DR+. The increase of CD14low monocytes is also observed under the influence of high dose of glucocorticoids (20 mg of dexamethasone). The reduction in CD14 induced by CMV and dexamethasone indicates that the monocyte balance is disturbed between the classical and non-classical phenotype. A high percentage of CD14lowHLA-DR+ probably gives rise to adaptive and a decrease of innate immune response. In light of the logarithmic increase of viral load (with exponent between 3,23 and 5,77), high monocytosis above 1200 / µl is a hallmark of CMV replication.

In this study, the degradation characteristics of radio-frequency (RF) low-noise amplifier (LNA) based on silicon-germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) due to total ionizing dose (TID) are investigated. The small-signal equivalent model of a SiGe HBT is utilized to analyze circuit-level performance including the input and the output matching and noise figure (NF). As a target circuit, an LNA with a cascode common-emitter stage with emitter degeneration is studied and the equation of each performance parameter is derived. The RF LNA fabricated using commercial 350 nm SiGe technology was exposed to X-ray irradiation with the total dose up to 3 Mrad (SiO2). The experimental results exhibit that modeled device parameters estimate the degraded circuit performance. In addition, the relative impact of each parameter on the circuit metrics is revealed, which is expected from the derived design equations. The key device parameters for modeling TID-induced circuit degradations include the base resistance, the transconductance, and the base-to-emitter capacitance.

Most existing flexible count regression models allow only approximate inference. This work proposes a new framework to provide an exact and flexible alternative for modeling and simulating count data with various types of dispersion (equi-, under- and overdispersion). The new method, referred as “balanced discretization”, consists in discretizing continuous probability distributions while preserving expectations. It is easy to generate pseudo random variates from the resulting balanced discrete distribution since it has a simple stochastic representation in terms of the continuous distribution. For illustrative purposes, we have developed the family of balanced discrete gamma distributions which can model equi-, under- and overdispersed count data. This family of count distributions is appropriate for building flexible count regressionmodels because the expectation of the distribution has a simple expression in terms of the parameters of the distribution. Using the Jensen–Shannon divergence measure, we have shown that under equidispersion restriction, the family of balanced discrete gamma distributions is similar to the Poisson distribution. Based on this, we conjecture that while covering all types of dispersion, a count regression model based on the balanced discrete gamma distribution will allow recovering a near Poisson distribution model fit when the data is Poisson distributed.

Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the tissues that surround and support the teeth. In the U. S., approximately 65 million people are affected by this condition. Its occurrence is also associated with many important systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer’s disease. Among the most important etiologies of periodontitis is Porphyromonas gingivalis, a keystone bacterial pathogen. Keystone pathogens can orchestrate inflammatory disease by remodeling a normally benign microbiota causing imbalance between normal and pathogenic microbiota (dysbiosis). The important characteristics of P. gingivalis causing dysbiosis are its virulence factors that cause effective subversion of host defenses to its advantage [1], allowing other pathogens to grow. However, the mechanisms involving these processes are poorly understood. However, various microbial strategies target host sialoglycoproteins for immune dysregulation. In addition, the enzymes that break down sialoglycoproteins/sialoglycans are the “sialoglycoproteases”, resulting in exposed terminal sialic acid. This process could lead to pathogen-toll like receptor (TLR) interactions mediated through sialic acid receptor–ligand mechanisms. By assessing the function of P. gingivalis sialoglycoproteases, could pave the way to designing carbohydrate analogues and sialic acid mimetics to serve as drug targets.

Presence of lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) in the outer layer of outer membranes (OMs) is an almost universal molecular signature of Gram-negative bacteria. The O-antigen or O-polysaccharide (OPS) chains attach to millions of LPS molecule to form a continuous layer on the surface of most of Escherichia coli strains. OPS structure is one of the most variable features of bacteria, with about 200 E. coli O-serotypes currently described. In this review a analyze accumulating evidence suggesting that a vast majority of these OPS types provide robust shields that restrict the access of large molecules to the OM surface. Sophisticated mechanisms employed by bacteriophages to penetrate the OPS barrier are also considered. These are initiated with specific recognition of OPS molecules by phage receptor-binding proteins (RBP), or of other cell-surface molecules that are exposed above the OPS layer. Only after can virions gain access to secondary receptors found closer to the OM surface. The mechanisms of breaking through OPS in most if not all cases appear to rely on mechanical force generated by molecular motors of processive depolymerization or deacetylation of cell surface polysaccharides by enzymatically active RBPs, or by internal rearrangement of the virion.

A novel domination invariant defined by Boutrig and Chellali in the recent: total vertex-edge domination. In this paper we obtain an improved upper bound of total vertex edge-domination number of a tree. If is a connected tree with order , then with and we characterize the trees attaining this upper bound. Furthermore we provide a characterization of trees with

The Loess Plateau is an important region for vegetation restoration in China, however, changes in soil organic carbon (SOC), soil nutrients, and stoichiometry after restoration in this vulnerable ecoregion are not well understood. Typical restoration types, including orchardland (OL), grassland (GL), shrubland (SL), and forestland (FL) were chosen to examine changes in the stocks and stoichiometry of SOC, soil total nitrogen (TN), and soil total phosphorus (TP) at different soil depths and recovery times. Results showed that SOC stocks first increased and then stabilized in OL, GL, and SL at 0–30 cm depth, while in FL, stocks gradually increased. Soil TN stocks first increased and then decreased in OL, SL, and FL with vegetation age at 0–30 cm depth, while soil TP stocks showed little variation between restoration types. In the later stages of restoration, the stocks of SOC and soil TN at 0–30 cm soil depth were still lower than those in natural grassland (NG) and natural forest (NF). The overall C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios increased with vegetation age. Additionally, the SOC, soil TN and soil TP stocks, and C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios decreased with soil depth. The FL had the highest rate of change in SOC and soil TN stocks, at 0-10 cm soil depth. These results indicate a complex response of SOC, soil TN, and soil TP stocks and stoichiometry to vegetation restoration, which could have important implications for understanding C, N, and P changes and nutrient limitations after vegetation restoration.

Bacterial endophytes (120) were isolated from six halophytes (Distichlis spicata, Cynodon dactylon, Eragrostis obtusiflora, Suaeda torreyana, Kochia scoparia, and Baccharis salicifolia). These halophiles were molecularly identified and characterized with or without NaCl conditions. Characterization was based on tests such as indole acetic acid (IAA), exopolysaccharides (EPS), and siderophores (SID) production; solubilization of phosphate (P), potassium (K), zinc (Zn), and manganese (Mn); mineralization of phytate; enzymatic activity (acid and alkaline phosphatase, phytases, xylanases, and chitinases) and mineralization/solubilization mechanisms involved (organic acids and sugars). Eleven halophiles (tolerated NaCl 2.5 M) were identified as Oceanobacillus sp. (1), Bacillus sp. (2), Nesterenkonia sp. (3), Bacillus velezensis (4), Halobacillus sp. (5), Oceanobacillus sp. (6), B. velezensis (7) Halomonas sp. (8), B. pumilus (9), Pseudomonas sp. (10) and Oceanobacillus sp. (11). Biochemical responses of nutrient solubilization and enzymatic activity varied between bacteria and the presence of NaCl. Organic acids were involved in P-mineralization and nutrient solubilization. Tartaric acid was common in the solubilization of P, Zn, and K. Maleic and vanillic acid were only detected in Zn and K solubilization, respectively. Moreover, sugars appeared to be involved in the solubilization of nutrients; fructose was detected in solubilization tests. Therefore, these bacteria should be tested as a consortium to mitigate saline stress in glycophytes under a global climate change scheme that threatens to exacerbate soil salinity.

Opossums, native to the Americas, are unique marsupials with over 100 species. The Common Opossum and Virginia Opossum are notable species. They are nocturnal, omnivorous, and adapt to various habitats. Their reproduction involves a short gestation and marsupial pouch development. Despite their ecological benefits like seed dispersal and insect control, their proximity to human habitats exposes them to pathogens, posing public health risks. These include protozoa, helminths, and arthropods that can spread zoonotic parasites and vector-borne diseases. The marsupial immune system, including opossums, is complex, rivaling eutherian mammals. Key immune genes were identified in the grey short-tailed opossum genome. CD1 protein and VpreB surrogate light chain were also found. Marsupials are proposed as ideal models for studying developmental immunology. A West Indian opossum (Didelphis marsupialis) was found and examined. Blood tests revealed abnormalities, including a low white blood cell count and signs of anemia. The results contribute to understanding the species’ health and adaptability in the wild.

Olive trees have been of economic and cultural value since pre-Roman times, and continue to dominate landscapes and agriculture in many mediterranean regions. Recent mass losses of olive trees in Southern Italy due to an exotic plant pathogen highlight the need for methods that to monitor the olive trees in a landscape or region operationally. Here, we develop a method for counting olive trees from aerial photographs and test it in areas with a high diversity of olive tree ages, sizes, and shapes. This heterogeneity complicates tree counting as centennial trees often have crowns that are split into multiple segments, resembling multiple crowns, while nearby crowns often form a semi-closed canopy comprising multiple trees. Comparisons with reference counts in two 20 ha sites and over three different years indicate the automated counts tend to be reasonably accurate (median error 13%, n = 6), but heavily influenced by a few olive orchards with particularly high planting densities and a relatively closed canopy in which distinguishing individual trees is challenging. Overall, the algorithm estimated tree densities well (counting 82 to 109 trees/ha versus 87 to 104 trees/ha in the reference counts), indicating the method is suitable to track the number of olive trees over large areas.

Mercury has a strong environmental impact since both its organic and inorganic forms are toxic and it represents a pollutant of global concern. Liquid Hg is highly volatile and it can be released during natural and anthropogenic processes in the hydrosphere, biosphere and atmosphere. In this study the distribution of Gaseous Elemental Mercury (GEM) and the total and leached mercury concentrations on paints, plasters, roof tiles, concretes, metals, dust and wood structures were determined in the main buildings and structures of the former Hg-mining area of Abbadia San Salvatore (Siena, Central Italy). The mining complex (divided into 7 units) covers a surface of about 65 ha and contains mining structures and managers and workers buildings. In this work, nine surveys of GEM measurements were carried out from July 2011 to August 2015 for the buildings and structures located in the units 2, 3 and 6. Moreover, detailed measurements were performed in February, April, July, September and December 2016 in the edifices and mining structures of Unit 6. GEM concentrations showed a strong variability in terms of space and time mostly depending on the distance from the building hosting driers, furnaces and condensers and ambient temperature, respectively. In the Unit 2 surveys carried out in the hotter period (from June to September) showed GEM concentrations up to 27,500 ng m⁻³, while in the Unit 6 they were on average much higher and occasionally they saturated the GEM measurement device (>50,000 ng m⁻³). Concentrations of total (in mg kg⁻¹) and leached (in μg L⁻¹) mercury measured in different building materials (up to 46,580 mg kg⁻¹ and 4,470 mg L⁻¹ for total and leached mercury, respectively) showed for the same type of material highly variable values in dependence on the edifice or mining structure from which they were collected. The results obtained in this study are of relevant interest for the operational cleanings to be carried out during the reclamation activities.

RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) is a complicated protocol, both in the laboratory in generation of data and at the computer in analysis of results. Several decisions during RNA-Seq library construction have important implications for analysis, most notably strandedness during complementary DNA (cDNA) library construction. Here we clarify bioinformatic decisions related to strandedness in both alignment of DNA sequencing reads to reference genomes and subsequent determination of transcript abundance.

A major health threat for children in the 21st century is physical inactivity in conjunction with the elevated prevalence of obesity. In Malaysia, low physical activity among children is a major concern. The objective of the study was to analyze the day to day variation of step count in a sample of obese children using the activPAL^TM monitor. This was a cross sectional study conducted in Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu. The sample compromised 41 boys and 24 girls between the ages of 9-11 years. Number of steps was objectively measured using an activPAL^TM accelerometer over a period of 4-7 days and had their height and weight measured. Mean step count from this sample of obese children was 8861 ± 3157steps. Steps per day were significantly higher for boys compared to girls (p=0.034). Obese children took significantly more steps at weekdays than on weekends (p=0.001). Steps/hour were significantly higher in weekday compared to weekend between 0600 to 0700 (p<0.001), 0700 to 0800 (p<0.001), 0800 to 0900 am (p<0.001), 0900 to 1000 (p=0.032), 1000 to 1100 (p=0.046), 1100 to 1200 (p<0.001), 1300 to 1400 (p=0.002), 1400 to 1500 (p<0.001), 1800 to 1900 (p=0.026) and 2000 to 2100 (p=0.019). Detailed daily patterns of physical activity are required to fully understand the differences across days that help future interventions to target those falling short particularly during weekend.

Parasite control strategies such as blanket anthelmintic treatment of all horses in a herd or interval treatment regimen based on egg reappearance remain widely followed practices for the last several decades. These practices have resulted in the fast emergence of resistance in equine strongyles to all major classes of drugs on the market. In this regard, the guidelines set by the American Association of Equine Practitioners advocate evidence-based strongyle control in horses. It recommends targeted treatment of all heavy egg shedders [&gt; 500 eggs per gram (EPG) of feces] while the low shedders (0-200 EPG) are left untreated to maintain susceptible parasite refugia in a herd. As 50-75% of adult horses in a herd are low shedders, preventing them from unnecessary anthelmintic exposure is critical to tackling resistance. There are various fecal egg count (FEC) techniques with many modifications and variations in use, but none is identified as a gold standard and methods comparison studies are lacking. We hypothesized that the diagnostic performance of commonly used quantitation methodologies differs and the FEC methods must be evaluated to determine the gold standard. In this regard, we performed methods comparison studies using polystyrene beads with size and specific gravity comparable to strongyle eggs, as proxy. The linearity of 12 commonly used FEC methodologies (3 techniques with 4 different solutions) was studied using bead standards in the clinically applicable range (63 to 1,000) to determine their suitability for strongyle egg counts. Deming regression analysis identified Mini-FLOTAC with sugar (specific gravity 1.33) as the test with the greatest coefficient of determination. All tests underestimated the true bead count, and we determined a correction factor (CF) for each test to estimate the true count. CF negates the preference for a gold standard test. Finally, we analyzed the validity of CF for 5 tests with R2&gt;0.95 to accurately quantify strongyle eggs from 40 different horses. Overall, this study identified methodologies with the highest diagnostic performance and the limitations to standardizing routine FEC tests to promote uniformity in implementing AAEP parasite control guidelines.

Background A limited lymphadenectomy may make patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) at risk for missing occult nodal disease. This study aimed to determine an effective threshold of lymph nodes (LNs) for evaluation of the quality of lymphadenectomy and discuss the impact of adjuvant chemotherapy on pN0 patients. Methods Patients treated surgically for ESCC between 2010 and 2018 in Sichuan Cancer Hospital were included. NPV (Negative Predictive Value) based on a beta-binomial distribution was developed to assess the confidence of node-negative disease. Kaplan-Meier curves were plotted to compare survival differences among groups. Results When patients had >21 LNs examined, the probability of false-negative findings was estimated at <10%, and NPV was estimated at a high level (>86.5%). For patients with LNs removed ≤21, 5-year OS (or DFS) in postoperative chemotherapy group vs that in surgery group was 65.3% vs 54.6%, p = 0.041 (or 59.2% vs 46.6%, p = 0.033). But for patients with >21 LNs, there were no statistical differences (p = 0.683 for OS or p = 0.942 for DFS). Conclusion Only pN0 patients who were at high risk of occult lymph node metastasis (examined LNs ≤21) could benefit from postoperative chemotherapy.

Most existing flexible count regression models allow only approximate inference. Balanced discretization is a simple method to produce a mean-parametrizable flexible count distribution starting from a continuous probability distribution. This makes easy the definition of flexible count regression models allowing exact inference under various types of dispersion (equi-, under- and overdispersion). This study describes maximum likelihood (ML) estimation and inference in count regression based on balanced discrete gamma (BDG) distribution and introduces a likelihood ratio based latent equidispersion (LE) test to identify the parsimonious dispersion model for a particular dataset. A series of Monte Carlo experiments were carried out to assess the performance of ML estimates and the LE test in the BDG regression model, as compared to the popular Conway-Maxwell-Poisson model (CMP). The results show that the two evaluated models recover population effects even under misspecification of dispersion related covariates, with coverage rates of asymptotic 95% confidence interval approaching the nominal level as the sample size increases. The BDG regression approach, nevertheless, outperforms CMP regression in very small samples (n = 15 − 30), mostly in overdispersed data. The LE test proves appropriate to detect latent equidispersion, with rejection rates converging to the nominal level as the sample size increases. Two applications on real data are given to illustrate the use of the proposed approach to count regression analysis.

Nowadays, the high demand for healthy foods and sustainable products, has led the food industry to explore innovative food technologies, such as fortification with bioactive compounds like antioxidants and polyphenols, that may be sourced from herbs or by-products. The aim of the present study was to explore the enrichment of refined olive oils with natural bioactive compounds such as the herbs rosemary (salvia rosmarinus), basil (ocimum basil), sage (salvia officinalis), lemon balm (melissa oficinallis), st. john’s wort (hypericum perforatum), pink savory (Thymbra satureja), dittany (origanum dictamnus), and by-products such as pomace from olives, olive leaves (olea europaea tree), orange peel (citrus sinensis), lemon peel (citrus limon), pomegranate peel (punica granatum) and mandarin peel (citrus reticulate). The fortification of the refined olive oils was performed with the use of different methodologies such as Conventional maceration (CM), Incubation shaking maceration (ISM), and Ultrasound assisted maceration (UAM). Their phenolic content and antioxidant capacity were measured with Folin–Ciocalteu assay and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP) assay respectively. All methods demonstrated that different parameters such as time of maceration, temperature and sample concentration, play an important role in the fortification process of the refined olive oils. The predicyed bioavailability of the antioxidant and phenolic compounds in the fortified oils was determined with in vitro digestion and ranged from 4.84% to 53.11%. Furthermore, the refined olive oils fortified with pomace, basil, st. john's wort, and pomegranate peel presented the highest antioxidant and phenolic predicted bioavailability indices during the in vitro process compared to the control refined olive oil. Finally, fortification with natural herbs or by-products can be considered an innovative method for the improvement of the nutritional value of refined olive oils.

Meloidogyne nematodes, commonly known as root-knot nematodes, pose a considerable threat to crop yields, resulting in significant economic losses due to their intricate biology and limited control methods. In line with the European Union's focus on promoting organic farming and soil health to encourage sustainable agricultural practices, this study explores the efficacy of two characterized bacterial communities obtained from compost, namely SynCom1 and SynCom2, against Meloidogyne javanica in tomato plants. Through pot experiments, it is demonstrated that both bacterial communities effectively suppress nematode reproduction and root infections while simultaneously enhancing various growth parameters in tomatoes. These findings underscore the potential of synthetic bacterial communities as promising tools for organic or integrated pest management, thereby supporting sustainable agricultural practices and contributing to improved crop yields.

Biofilms are usually defined as surface-associated microbial communities, surrounded by an extracellular polymeric substance matrix. There are three major steps that are observed in biofilm formation: initial attachment events, microcolony formation and construction of mushroom-like structure with secretion of extracelluar polymeric substances. These substances can be considered a mechanism to protect the bacterial community from external insults.Biofilms, significantly increase the ability of the pathogen to evade both host defenses and antibiotics and they are being implicated in the pathogenesis and also clinical manifestation of several infections. They cause a variety of persistent infections, such as native valve endocarditis, osteomyelitis, dental caries, middle ear infections, ocular implant infections, urinary tract infections and cystic fibrosis. Established biofilms can tolerate antimicrobial agents at concentrations of 10–1000-times that needed to kill genetically equivalent planktonic bacteria, and are also resistant to phagocytosis, making biofilms extremely difficult to eradicate from living hosts. Consequently, biofilm-related infections that appear to respond to a therapeutic course of antibiotics may relapse weeks or even months later, making surgical removal and replacement of the infected tissue or medical device a frequent and unfortunate necessity.Several pathogens associated with chronic infections, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis pneumonia, Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae in chronic otitis media and Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli in recurrent urinary tract infections, are linked to biofilm formation.

Background: Recent disasters have demonstrated gaps in employers’ preparedness to protect employees and promote their well-being in the face of emergencies and disasters affecting the workplace and their communities. Total Worker Health (TWH), a comprehensive perspective developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, is a helpful framework for addressing employer preparedness. It includes attention to health and safety at work, and the promotion of the health and well-being of the employee in the context of social determinants of health, such as work-life balance. Methods: TWH concepts, including the domains of TWH and the TWH Hierarchy of Controls, were investigated for their relevance to protecting employees and promoting their well-being during and after crises such as weather disasters, pandemics, and acts of terrorism. Building upon TWH concepts, an employer preparedness framework and model is proposed. Findings: The Model emphasizes upstream prevention, workplace-community linkages, social and economic impacts, and employer leadership through a cyclical planning process. Conclusions/Application to Practice: The Model can assist employers in advancing their preparedness for all hazards through self-assessment and planning agendas based upon the proposed domains.

Objective: To examine the effect of bilateral total lobectomy and unilateral total lobectomy on improving thyroid function in patients with thyroid micropapillary carcinoma treated with euthyrox. Methods: The study was conducted on 68 patients with thyroid micro papillary carcinoma treated with euthyroxwho had been surgically treated with euthyrox in our hospital between January 2018 and December 2019. On the basis of random number grouping, they were divided into control groups (n = 34, bilateral total lobectomy) and observation groups (n = 34, unilateral total lobectomy plus isthmectomy). Thyroid function, free triiodothyronine (FT3), thyroid hormone (TSH), and voice function (VHI score) of the two groups were compared.Results: In comparison to the control group, the observation group had shorter incision lengths, shorter operation times, and shorter hospital stays, as well as less intraoperative bleeding and drainage volume, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05); As compared with the control group, the observation group had higher FT4 and FT3 levels as well as lower TSH levels, a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05).VHI scores of emotions, function, physiology, and other voice functions were significantly lower among the observation group than those of the control group (P < 0.05).Conclusion: A unilateral total lobectomy with adjacent isthmus resection in patients with thyroid micro papillary carcinoma can yield ideal results, accelerate the time taken for surgical rehabilitation, improve thyroid function, thereby improving voice quality, as well as improve the overall prognosis of the patient.

In the context of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), total kidney volume (TKV) plays a key role as biomarker of disease progression and response to therapy and has been recently recognized as enrichment biomarker and possible surrogate endpoint. Several imaging modalities and methods are available to calculate TKV, and the choice depends on the purpose of use. Technological advancements have made it possible to accurately assess cyst burden, that can be crucial to assess the disease state and help identifying rapid progressors. Moreover, the development of automated algorithms has increased the efficiency of total kidney and cyst volume measurements. Beyond total kidney and cyst volume, the quantification and characterization of non-cystic kidney tissue show potential to early stratify ADPKD patients, monitor disease progression, and possibly predict renal function loss. A broad spectrum of kid-ney MRI techniques are available to characterize kidney tissue, showing promise to non-invasively pick up early signs of ADPKD progression. Radiomics has been used to extract tex-tural features from ADPKD images, providing valuable information about the heterogeneity of the cystic and non-cystic components. This review provides an overview of ADPKD imaging bi-omarkers, focusing on quantification methods, potential, and necessary steps towards successful translation to clinical practice.

As participating molecules in nucleic acids, nucleotides also have signaling functions and act as second messengers in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, the most common example being cyclic AMP (cAMP). In bacteria, a great interest has arisen in studying nucleotide signaling. It has been determined that cyclic di-AMP (c-di-AMP), cAMP, and cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) participate in biological events such as bacterial growth, biofilm formation, sporulation, cell differentiation, motility, virulence, and other. Moreover, these cyclic-di-nucleotides (c-di-nucleotides) produced in pathogenic intracellular bacteria can affect eukaryotic host cells for infection. On the other hand, the nucleotide molecules pppGpp, and ppGpp are alarmones involved in regulating bacterial nutritional stress; they are also considered second messengers. These second messengers can be used as therapeutic agents because of their immunological functions on eukaryotic cells. In this review, different topics on the role of c-di-nucleotides as second messengers in different bacterial processes are addressed.

Objective: To evaluate the variables influencing the length of stay (LoS) for COVID-19 ICU patients at Tygerberg Hospital (Cape Town) and to identify the covariates that significantly influenced it and any potential risk factors associated with LoS. Methods and Results: Poisson, negative binomial (NB), Hurdle–Poisson, and Hurdle–NB regression models were used to model the LoS in this prospective cohort study. The fitted models were compared using the Akaike information criterion (AIC), Vuong’s test criteria, and Rootograms. Based on the chosen performance criteria, the NB model provided the best fit outperforming other candidate models. The baseline LoS count was 8 days. On average, antibiotics reduced LoS by 0.74-fold (95% CI 0.62-0.89) compared to not taking antibiotics. The second wave had a significant effect on the average LoS, which decreased by 0.36-fold (95% CI 0.14-0.93) compared to the first wave. Average LoS increased by 1.01-fold (95% CI 1.01-1.02) for every one-year increase in the age of the patient and by 1.02-fold (95% CI 1.01-1.03) for every 1 unit increase in neutrophils. A 1 ng/L increase in log (TropT) levels decreased the average LoS by 0.87-fold (95% CI 0.81-0.93) similarly, a unit increase in the PF ratio decreased the average LoS by 0.998-fold (95% CI 0.997-0.999) respectively. Conclusion: The study identified common clinical characteristics associated with length of stay in ICU for COVID-19 patients, including age at admission, PF ratio, neutrophils, TropT, Wave, and antibiotic use. These results can aid in identifying risk factors for increased length of stay, assist in healthcare systems planning, and aid in evaluating different models for analysing this type of data.

Research indicates that painful experiences can significantly affect the fear of cancer recurrence among cancer survivors, which is a distressing concern that influences both physiological and psychological recovery. Yet, the role of potential factors and mechanisms in these relationships is not fully known. This cross-sectional study aimed to advance our comprehension of the associa-tions between total pain and the fear of recurrence in post-treatment cancer patients by examining two potential mediators: psychological flexibility and mentalization. Three hundred and thirty-five participants (aged 22 to 88, 49.1% female) who had finished their cancer treatment completed self-report assessments of total pain, fear of recurrence, psychological flexibility, and mentalization. The serial mediation analysis showed that all dimensions of total pain were positively related to the fear of recurrence indirectly through psychological flexibility and mentalization, in serial. Additionally, gender moderated these serial mediational effects. In line with the psychological flexibility model, personal capacities to face difficult internal/external problems and interpret one’s behaviour in motivational terms can counterbalance patients’ negative emotions and feelings related to the illness.

In all mammals, the circulating pool of MLT is synthesized in the pineal gland, during the night darkness hours. Its main function is that of synchronizing the organism in the photoperiod. In contrast, extra-pineal MLT is synthesized in peripheral organs, does not follow any circadian rhythm nor circulates and plays a detoxifying and cytoprotective action. Circulating MLT may stimulate both innate and acquired immune responses by its circadian action and by activating high affinity receptors on immunocompetent cells. Extra-pineal MLT may have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects dampening the innate immune response. These two seemingly divergent roles may be considered as two faces of the same coin. In fact, the integration of both circulating and extra-pineal MLT functions might generate a balanced and effective immune response against microbial pathogens. The studies described in this review investigated the effect of exogenous MLT in various models of infectious diseases using extremely different doses and treatment schedules. None of them evaluated the possibility to integrate the non-circadian anti-inflammatory effect with the circadian immunoenhancing action of MLT. As a consequence, in spite that most studies agree that MLT has a beneficial effect against infections, it seems difficult to draw any definite conclusion about its possible therapeutic use.

In different fields in our life, like physics, coding theory and computer science, graph labeling dramas an vital role and appears in many applications. A labeling of a graph is a map which assign each element in with a positive integer number. An edge irregular total -labeling is a function such that where and are weights for any two distinct edges. In this case, has total edge irregularity strength (TEIS) if is minimum. In our paper, we defined a new type of graphs called a triple star snake graph and star snake graph . Also, we investigated TEIS for a triple star snake graph . After that, we generalized the results for star snake graph .

Total hip arthroplasty is a complex procedure. The achievements of implantology enabled the development of a faithful representation of hip joint physiology as well as the production of materials that can successfully replace damaged natural tissues. A very important issue is the correct selection of the geometry of the endoprosthesis adequate to the load of the joint. Materials used for endoprosthesis are a metal head and a polymer cup (e.g. PE-UHMW). The main interactions in the endoprosthesis are friction and surface pressure, which must be limited, exceeding them causes the destruction of the biomechanical system - plastic deformation of the polymer and the formation of too large and unacceptable radial clearances. Based on the author's developed calculation method of hip joint endoprosthesis contact parameters, the impact on maximum contact pressure and the angle of contact of the joint load was estimated depending on the diameter of the endoprosthesis and radial clearance. The correctness of changing the values of maximum contact pressure from the mentioned parameters was determined. Correspondingly: an increase in joint load causes a linear increase in the maximum contact pressure; increasing the diameter of the endoprosthesis head - their non-linear decrease, and increasing radial clearance - their increase

The rapid and sensitive detection of pathogenic bacteria is becoming increasingly important for the timely prevention of contamination and treatment of infections. Biosensors based on nucleic acid aptamers integrat-ed with optical, electrochemical, and mass-sensitive analytical techniques have garnered intense interest for their versatility, cost-efficiency, and ability to exhibit high affinity and specificity in binding bacterial bi-omarkers, toxins, and whole cells. This review emphasizes the development of aptamers, their structural op-timization, and their use in bacterial sensing applications. Moreover, we explore barriers and develop per-spectives in applying aptamer-based bacterial detection.

Background: Bacterial conjunctivitis is one of the most commonly encountered eye complications in medicine, particularly in developing nations. In Hadhramout Governorate-Yemen, there is no data about bacterial conjunctivitis among patients. Aim: The present study aimed to determine the prevalence rate of bacterial conjunctivitis among patients seeking hospitals in Hadhramout Governorate, Yemen. Methods: A total of 1722 eye swabs were collected from patients attending different Hadhramout hospitals over a period of April to December 2018. The isolation and identification of bacteria are performed using standard bacteriological procedures. In addition, structured questionnaires were used to gather data from patients. Results: Out of 1722 eye swabs, 198 (11.49%) were positive for bacterial conjunctivitis, while 1524 (88.5%) were negative. The high prevalence rate of infection was among female participants and the age group between 31 and 40 years, at 15.25% and 29.29%, respectively. In addition, the prevalence of gram-positive bacteria was significantly greater among study patients than gram-negative bacteria (58.59% vs. 41.41%). The most predominant Gram-positive bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus (26.26%), followed by Streptococci pneumoniae (17.18%), Alpha-hemolytic Streptococci (8.08%), and Staphylococcus epidermidis (7.07%). Whereas the gram-negative bacteria were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (12.1%), followed by Moraxella catarrhalis (10.1%), Haemophilus influenza (7.07%), Klebsiella sp. (6.06%), Enterobacter agglomerans (4.04%), and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (2.02%). Additionally, the majority of study patients suffered from red eyes (100%), tearing eyes (93.93%), itching (90.9%), painful eyes (87.87%), purulent eyes (56.56%), and eye discharge (38.38%). Conclusion: The prevalence rate of bacterial conjunctivitis among patients in Hadhramout, Yemen, is relatively low compared with international investigations. Further investigation is required to assess and identify the antibiotic resistance to these agents that cause conjunctivitis.

Wetlands are carriers of metals and organic pollutants from natural and anthropogenic sources. Studies have shown that sediments are sinks for these pollutants as they carry more than 99% of the total amount of metals which are released as soluble metals into the Lagoon. The University of Lagos, located at Akoka North eastern part of Yaba in Lagos Mainland runs along a highly industrialized and residential area. This paper reports the total metal concentrations in wetland and sediment and their seasonal variations. Wetland and sediment samples were collected for two seasons in 8 sampling sites. Results showed wetland data having lower concentrations of metals as compared to sediments. Wet season had higher concentrations of metals as compared to other season. Total concentrations in wetlands were Cd (1.0-6.0), Cu (1.0-11.0), Cr (0.3-82.7), Zn (2.7-65.0) and Pb (0.3-16.0) all in μg L-1 respectively. Statistical analysis showed that there was a significant difference between the wet and dry seasons for sediments. Cd was the only metal at acceptable levels while Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn concentrations all exceeded levels deemed acceptable by the SABS and the EPA. Therefore, the wetland is in poor health.

Hybrid woven kenaf-carbon composite were fabricated in this study using epoxy resin as matrix. Effects of different fabric material namely weave designs (plain and satin) and fabric counts (5×5 and 6×6) on the properties of laminated woven kenaf polymer composite were evaluated. This study evaluates the mechanical and morphological properties of hybrid fabric kenaf-carbon from kenaf yarn of 500tex. Kenaf and carbon fabrics were used in this work, where vacuum infusion technique was selected to prepare the composite and epoxy resin was used as a matrix. The fibre weight content is 30% and four specimens were prepared for each samples and tested for their tensile, flexural, and impact strengths. The morphological properties of composites were analysed through the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The results revealed that plain woven fabric is favourable in terms of tensile and impact strengths compared to satin woven fabric. Meanwhile, 5×5 of fabric count gives better flexural modulus than composite fabricated with 6×6 fabric count. The morphologies of the fractured surface investigated by SEM demonstrated better adhesion properties and less fibre pull-out on plain woven fabric.

The wide metabolic diversity of microalgae, their fast growth rates, and cost-effective production make these organisms highly promising resources for a variety of biotechnological applications, addressing critical needs in industry, agriculture, and medicine. The utilization of microalgae in consortia with bacteria is proving to be valuable in different biotechnological fields, including treating various types of wastewaters, producing biofertilizers, and extracting various products from their biomass. Monoculture of the microalgae Chlamydomonas has been a prominent research model for many years, extensively utilized in studying photosynthesis, sulfur and phosphorus metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, respiration, and flagella synthesis, among others. Recent re-search has increasingly recognized the potential of Chlamydomonas-bacteria consortia as a bio-technological tool for various applications. Bioremediation of wastewater using Chlamydomonas, and its bacterial consortia presents significant potential for the sustainable reduction of contam-inants, while also facilitating resource recovery and valorization of microalgal biomass. Using Chlamydomonas and its bacterial consortia as biofertilizers can offers several benefits, such as en-hancing crop yield, protecting crops, maintaining soil fertility and stability, aiding in CO2 miti-gation, and contributing to sustainable agriculture practices. Chlamydomonas-bacterial consortia play a significant role in the production of high-value products, particularly in biofuel and en-hancing H2 production. This review aims to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the po-tential of Chlamydomonas monoculture and its bacterial consortia, identifying current applications, and proposing new research and development directions to maximize its potential.

Refractive index measurements have been an important task for a long time because that index plays an essential role in describing the optical properties of a material. Many methods have been developed to perform that task. Some of them use interferometry to achieve high precision, however these configurations are complicated. Some measure the critical angle using simple structures, but the accuracy is not satisfactory because it is difficult to judge the exact critical angle with intensity variations. Here we propose several new schemes based on measuring the polarization change in the total internal reflection. The proposed method has the merits of simple structure and easy incident angle determination that gives the maximum phase change. Additionally, it is possible to find the material dispersion by measuring the wavelength dependence of the polarization ellipticity. Some useful formulas relating the refractive index with the maximum phase change are obtained. This work can provide valuable alternatives for index measurement.

In the literature, the chemical composition of Rhododendron tomentosum is mainly represented by the study of isoprenoid compounds of essential oil. In contrast, the study of the content of flavonoids will contribute to the expansion of the pharmacological action and the use of the medicinal plant for medical purposes. The paper deals with the technology of extracts from Rhododendron tomentosum shoots using ethanol of various concentrations and purified water as an extractant. Extracts from Rhododendron tomentosum were obtained by a modified method that combined the effects of ultrasound and temperature to maximize the extraction of biologically active substances from the raw material. By the method of high-performance thin-layer chromatography in the system of solvents ethyl acetate: formic acid: water (15:1:1) the following substances have been separated and identified: rutin, hyperoside, quercetin, and chlorogenic acid in all the extracts obtained. To quantify the total flavonoids content, a method of spectrophotometric determination based on the reaction of complexation with aluminum chloride has been developed. It has been proved that the course of the complexation reaction and, accordingly, the quantification of the flavonoid structure substances by the spectrophotometric method is influenced by some factors, including the environment, pH, the structure of the complexes, etc. Regardless of the chosen method, for the further production of Rhododendron tomentosum extracts with a higher content of flavonoid structure substance, it is advisable to use 60%, 70%, and 80% ethyl alcohol as extractant.

A total $m$-labelling $\alpha$ on graph $\Gamma$ is called an edge irregular total $m$-labelling if for any two different edges of $\Gamma$, their weights respect to $\alpha$ are distinct, where the weight of any edge is defined as the sum of its label and the labels of its end vertices. We determine the minimum $m$ such that $\Gamma$ can be labelled by an edge irregular total $m$-labelling whenever $\Gamma$ is an odd staircase graph or an even staircase graph.

Total edentulism is the loss of all teeth for any cause by a multifactorial process that involves biological and patient-related factors. Studies on edentulism and risk factors in Mexico are limited, and the epidemiological surveillance data is scarce and controversial since official governmental reports are not statistically representative of the country. We estimate the distribution for edentulism according to sociodemographic and socioeconomic variables in adults from a low-income state in 2003 and its progress in Mexico. We analyzed data from the National Performance Evaluation Survey in Oaxaca, Mexico, and the annual reports of the Epidemiological Surveillance System of Oral Pathologies in 2009-2019 using X². Oaxacan patients older than 75 y.o (17.9%, p<0.05), those with lower schooling (11.2%), and diabetes (14.5%) presented the highest percentage of edentulism. We do not observe differences in edentulism between sex or residence (p>0.05). From 2009 to 2019, country data reports the lowest rate of edentulism in adults over 20 y.o (0.32%; 95% CI 0.18%-0.48%) and the most affected population over 79 y.o. (7.29%; 95% CI 5.2%-9.30%). As it is a cumulative phenomenon, it is necessary to establish better surveillance, prevention, and treatment programs to improve the oral health of older thus reducing edentulism.

This study explores the development of an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion with a high concentration of ostrich oil, rich in omega-3, -6, and -9 fatty acids, for potential skincare applications. Utilizing Span and Tween emulsifiers, an optimized O/W emulsion containing 20% w/w ostrich oil and 15% w/w mixed emulsifiers was formulated through homogenization, demonstrating the smallest droplet size (5.01 ± 0.43 μm) and appropriate zeta potential (-32.22 mV). The emulsion exhibited antioxidant and antibacterial properties against Staphylococcus aureus, suggesting its suitability for skincare. Stability tests over 6 months at varying temperatures (4 °C, 25 °C, 45 °C) confirmed the emulsion's physical and microbial stability, emphasizing its potential for topical applications. Despite slight changes in acid values (AV) and peroxide values (PV), results remained within acceptable limits. Cytotoxicity assessments on human dermal fibroblasts indicated the emulsion's safety, supporting its suitability for skin application. The emulsion demonstrated antibacterial efficacy against S. aureus and enhanced antioxidant activity compared to ostrich oil alone. The study underscores the importance of emulsification in optimizing the efficacy and stability of ostrich oil in skincare formulations, offering valuable insights for practical applications where stability is critical.

The aim of this paper was to test isolated and pre-selected bacteria strains from Nile tilapia intestinal mucus, collected in Brazilian commercial fish farming, to use as probiotics in the feeding. The variable were growth performance, hematology, microbiology and immunology. These strains were submitted to in vitro inhibition tests of pathogenic bacteria. Then, they were identified by PCR and sequencing, and comparing using the BLAST software. The experiment was carried out in the Fisheries Institute, Sao Paulo, Brazil, for 84 days, following the randomized experiment design with seven treatments and three replicates (21 experimental units): T0 – control, T1 – Bacillus velezensis, T2 – Bacillus pumilus, T3 – Bacillus subtilis, T4 –Enterococcus hirae T5 – Enterococcus faecium and T6 – mix of bacteria strains used to this experiment. The variables analyzed were: growth performance, DGGE (Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis), phagocytes respiratory burst activity, hematology and bromatology. As result, the bacteria strains B. pumilus (T2) and all bacteria mix (T6), included in Nile tilapia diet, promoted better biomass values, with similar feed conversion rate of control group (p<0,05). Apparently, the microorganisms use does not affect the health and well-fare of the fish. The hematology index, except basophils and thrombocytes numbers do not demonstrated differences among the groups, as well as glycemia, lactate level, respiratory burst and lysozyme activities. In conclusion, the isolated and pre-selected bacteria from intestinal mucus of Nile tilapia, B. pumilus (T2) and mix (T6 - B. velezensis, B. pumilus, B. subtilis, E. hirae and E. faecium) improve the growth performance and may be used as probiotics for Nile tilapia.

With the advancement of long-read sequencing technologies and their more widespread use for bacterial genomics, several methods for generating genome assemblies from error-prone long reads have been developed. These are complemented by various tools for assembly polishing using either long reads, short reads, or reference genomes. End users are therefore left with a plethora of possible combinations of programs for obtaining a final trusted assembly. Hence, there is also the need for measuring completeness and accuracy of such assemblies, for which, again, several evaluation methods implemented in various programs are available. In order to automatically run all these programs, I developed two workflows for the workflow management system Snakemake for bacterial genome assembly and evaluation of assemblies, which provide end users with an easy-to-run method for both tasks. The workflows are available as open source software under the MIT license at https://github.com/pmenzel/ont-assembly-snake and https://github.com/pmenzel/score-assemblies.

The normal and Poisson distribution assumptions in the normal-Poisson mixed effects regression model are often too restrictive for many real count data. Several works have independently relaxed the Poisson conditional distribution assumption for counts or the normal distribution assumption for random effects. This work couples some recent advances in these two regards to develop a skew t–discrete gamma regression model in which the count outcomes have full dispersion flexibility and random effets can be skewed and heavy tailed. Inference in the model is achieved by maximum likelihood using pseudo-adaptive Gaussian quadature. The use of the proposal is demonstrated on a popular owl sibling negotiation data. It appears that, for this example, the proposed approach outperforms models based on normal random effects and the Poisson or negative binomial count distribution.

Monitoring and measuring magnesium (Mg) values are essential to prevent the development of numerous complications in perioperative medicine and critically ill patients. Although previous studies suggest that measuring free ionized magnesium (iMg) is more useful for estimating Mg status, clinicians currently rely on measurement of total serum magnesium to determine if supplemental magnesium is needed. In this review, we analyzed the recent literature to decide whether it is better to measure ionized serum Mg or total serum Mg when assessing magnesium status, whether iMg predicts clinical outcome, and what are the difficulties in measuring serum iMg levels in intensive care patients and perioperative medicine.

The field of microbial pathogenesis seeks to identify the agents and mechanisms responsible for disease causation. Since Robert Koch introduced postulates that were used to guide the characterization of microbial pathogens, technological advances have substantially increased the capacity to rapidly identify a causative infectious agent. Research efforts currently focus on causation at the molecular level with a search for virulence factors (VFs) that contribute to different stages of the infectious process. We note that the quest to identify and characterize VFs sometimes lacks scientific rigor, and this suggests a need to examine the epistemology of VF characterization. We took this premise as an opportunity to explore the epistemology of VF characterization. In this perspective, we discuss how the characterization of various gene products that evolved to facilitate bacterial survival in the broader environment have potentially been prematurely mischaracterized as VFs that contribute to pathogenesis in the context of human biology. Examples of the reasoning that can affect misinterpretation, or at least premature assignment of mechanistic causation, are provided. Our aim is to refine categorization of VFs by emphasizing a broader biological view of their origin.

The remarkable success of taxonomic discovery, powered by culturomics, genomics and metagenomics, creates a pressing need for new bacterial names, while holding a mirror up to the slow pace of change in bacterial nomenclature. Here, I take a fresh look at bacterial nomenclature, exploring how we might create a system fit for the age of genomics, playing to the strengths of current practice, while minimising difficulties. Adoption of linguistic pragmatism, obeying the rules while treating recommendations as merely optional will make it easier to create names derived from descriptions, from people or places or even arbitrarily. Simpler protologues and a relaxed approach to recommendations will also remove much of the need for expert linguistic quality control. Automated computer-based approaches will allow names to be created en masse before they are needed, while also relieving microbiologists of the need for competence in Latin. The result will be a system that is accessible, inclusive and digital, while also fully capable of naming the unnamed millions of bacteria.

Alzheimer’s disease is associated with prion-like aggregation of the amyloid β (Aβ) peptide and the subsequent accumulation of misfolded neurotoxic aggregates in the brain. Therefore, it is critical to clearly identify the factors that trigger the cascade of Aβ misfolding and aggregation. Numerous studies have pointed out the association between microorganisms and their virulence factors and Alzheimer’s disease; however, their exact mechanisms of action remain unclear. Recently, we discovered a new pathogenic role of bacterial extracellular DNA, triggering the formation of misfolded Tau aggregates. In this study, we investigated the possible role of DNA extracted from different bacterial and eukaryotic cells in triggering Aβ aggregation in vitro. Interestingly, we found that the extracellular DNA of some, but not all, bacteria is an effective trigger of Aβ aggregation. Furthermore, the acceleration of Aβ nucleation and elongation can vary based on the concentration of the bacterial DNA and the bacterial strain from which this DNA had originated. Our findings suggest that bacterial extracellular DNA might play a previously overlooked role in the Aβ protein misfolding associated with Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis. Moreover, it highlights a new mechanism of how distantly localized bacteria can remotely contribute to protein misfolding and diseases associated with this process. These findings might lead to the use of bacterial DNA as a novel therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

Bacterial biofilms can cause widespread infection. In addition to causing urinary tract infections and pulmonary infections in patients with cystic fibrosis, biofilms can help microorganisms adhere to the surfaces of various medical devices, causing biofilm-associated infections on the surfaces of biomaterials such as venous ducts, joint prostheses, mechanical heart valves, and catheters. Biofilms provide a protective barrier for bacteria and provide resistance to antimicrobial agents, which increases the morbidity and mortality of patients. This review introduces the formation process and drug resistance mechanism of biofilms in detail, and further summarizes the main characteristics of clinical persistent infection caused by biofilms and the many methods of treating biomaterial-related biofilm. This provides ideas and directions for the development of new biofilm infection strategies related to therapeutic materials.

Objective: Lipids are secreted into milk as bilayer-coated structures: milk lipid globules (MLGs). Adipophilin (ADRP) and perilipin 3 (TIP47) are associated with MLGs in human breast milk; however, the role of these proteins in milk lipid secretion is not fully understood. The aim of the study was to investigate levels of ADRP, TIP47 and total lipid content in human breast milk, their mutual correlations and dynamics during lactation. Research Methods & Procedures: Milk samples from 22 healthy lactating women (Caucasian, Central European) were collected at five time points during lactation (1–3, 12–14, 29–30, 88–90 and 178–180 days postpartum). Mass spectrometry-based method was used for quantification of ADRP and TIP47 in the samples. The gravimetric method was used to determine milk total lipid content. Results: We observed distinctive trends in ADRP, TIP47 levels and lipid content in human breast milk during the first 6 months of lactation. We also found a significant association between lipid content and ADRP, lipid content and TIP47, and ADRP and TIP47 concentrations in breast milk at all sampling points. Moreover, we derived an equation for estimating the mean lipid content of milk based on ADRP concentration in human breast milk. Conclusions: A mass spectrometry-based method was developed for quantifying ADRP and TIP47 in human breast milk. Strong mutual correlations were found between ADRP, TIP47 and total lipid content in human breast milk.

To estimate the recreational value provided by the Foy’s Lake annually using the most applicable model for on-site data is the main objective of this study. Adhere to the objective of this study; Individual Travel Cost Method (ITCM) has been applied and Zero Truncated Poisson Regression Model has been found plausible among other models to estimate consumer surplus. Based on the findings of the study, an estimate of the consumer surplus or recreational benefits per trip per visitor can be recommended as BDT 5,875 or US $ 73.44 and counting the consumer surplus per trip per visitor, the annual recreational value (total consumer surplus) provided by the lake is found to be BDT 321 million or US $ 40.2 million.

Febrile infections are a common cause of presentation to the emergency department (ED) in chil-dren. While viral infections are usually self-limiting, sometimes bacterial illnesses may lead to sepsis and severe complications. Inflammatory biomarkers such as C reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin are usually the first blood exams performed in the ED to differentiate bacterial and viral infections; the better understanding of immunochemical pathways has nowadays led to the discovery of new and more specific biomarkers that could play a role in the emergency setting. The aim of this narrative review is to provide the most recent evidence on biomarkers and predictor models combining them for serious bacterial infections (SBI) diagnosis in febrile children. Litera-ture analysis showed that inflammatory response is a complex mechanism in which many bio-chemical and immunological factors contribute to host response in SBI. CRP and procalcitonin still represent the most used biomarkers in the pediatric ED for the diagnosis of SBI. Their sensibility and sensitivity increase when combined and for this reason it is reasonable to take them both into consideration in the evaluation of a febrile children. The potential of machine learning tools, who represent a real novelty in medical practice, in conjunction with routine clinical and biological in-formation, may improve accuracy of diagnosis and target therapeutic options in SBI. However, studies on this matter are not yet validated in younger populations, making their relevance in pe-diatric precision medicine still uncertain. More data from further researches are needed to improve clinical practice and decision making using these new technologies.

Orchids are often a mystery because of their close and complex relationships with various microorganisms in the natural environment. Orchids rely on microorganisms to obtain nutrients, affecting their seed germination, protocorm, and adult plant growth. Currently, the majority of relevant research is concentrated on isolating and identifying environmental microorganisms that support orchid development and growth. With the development of metagenomic technology, our understanding of orchid mycorrhizal fungi (OMF) and root-associated bacteria (RAB) has been expanded. New research results and discoveries have emerged, which require a comprehensive assessment to provide a reference for studying microorganisms related to orchids. Therefore, we present a comprehensive summary, identifying significant inadequacies of present methodologies while providing ideas for further research.

Microalgae are used in various biotechnological processes, such as biofuel production due to their high biomass yields, agriculture as biofertilizers, production of high-value-added products, de-contamination of wastewater, or as biological models for carbon sequestration. The number of these biotechnological applications is increasing, and as such, any advances that contribute to reducing costs and increasing economic profitability can have a significant impact. Nitrogen fixing organisms, often called diazotroph, also have great biotechnological potential, mainly in agri-culture as an alternative to chemical fertilizers. Microbial consortia typically perform more com-plex tasks than monocultures and can execute functions that are challenging or even impossible for individual strains or species. Interestingly, microalgae and diazotrophic organisms are capable to embrace different types of symbiotic associations. Certain corals and lichens exhibit this sym-biotic relationship in nature, which enhances their fitness. However, this relationship can also be artificially created in laboratory conditions with the objective of enhancing some of the biotech-nological processes that each organism carries out independently. As a result, the utilization of microalgae and diazotrophic organisms in consortia is garnering significant interest as a potential alternative for reducing production costs and increasing yields of microalgae biomass, as well as for producing derived products and serving biotechnological purposes. This review makes an effort to examine the associations of microalgae and diazotrophic organisms, with the aim of highlighting the potential of these associations in improving various biotechnological processes.

On estimation scales ranging from 0.1 nm to 100 nm, the nanoscale is part of the capacitance components of the physical-synthetic and natural environment. Dimensionality, morphology, structure, uniformity, and agglomeration are all used to classify nanoparticles. Its functionality and effect on the environment and species are influenced by its shape and morphology. The priority research is to determine the effects of nanoparticles on any biological entity that is necessary when designing nanotechnology-based biotechnological and biomedical products. Bacteria have a remarkable ability to reduce metal ions, making them one of the most promising candidates for nanoparticle biosynthesis. Nanoparticles have been researched in the biomedical field for antimicrobial, biosensor, diagnostic imaging, and drug delivery applications. These natural technologies appear to be capable of producing stable nanoparticles with well-defined dimensions, morphologies, and compositions by optimizing reaction conditions and selecting the best bacteria. This work includes a list of the most commonly used microorganisms and associated Nanoparticles, as well as a discussion of current biotechnology and biomedical developments.

Rice is currently the most important food crop in the world and we are only just beginning to study the bacterial associated microbiome. It is of importance to perform screenings of the core rice microbiota and also to develop new plant-microbe models and simplified communities for increasing our understanding about the formation and function of its microbiome. In order to begin to address this aspect, we have performed the isolation of hundreds bacterial isolates obtained from endorhizosphere of two rice cultivars from Venezuela. The validation of plant-growth promoting bacterial activities in vitro has led us to select and characterize 15 isolates for in planta studies such as germination test, endophytism ability and plant growth promotion. Consequently, a set of 10 isolates was selected for the set-up of an endophytic consortium as a simplified model of the natural rice bacterial endomicrobiota. Upon inoculation, the colonization and abundance of each strain within the rice roots was tracked by a culture-independent technique in gnotobiotic conditions in a 30 days period. Four strains belonging to Pseudomonas, Agrobacterium and Delftia genera have shown a promising capacity for colonizing and coexistence in root tissues. On the other hand, a bacterial community taxonomic profiling of the rhizosphere and the endorhizosphere of both cultivars were obtained and are discussed. This study is part of a growing body of research on core crops microbiome and simplified microbiomes, which strengthens the formation process of the endophytic community leading to a better understanding of the rice microbiome.

Tracking the kinematics of human movement usually requires the use of equipment that constrains the user within a room (e.g., optical motion capture systems), or requires the use of a conspicuous body-worn measurement system (e.g., inertial measurement units (IMUs) attached to each body segment). This paper presents a novel Lie group constrained extended Kalman filter to estimate lower limb kinematics using IMU and inter-IMU distance measurements in a reduced sensor count configuration. The algorithm iterates through the prediction (kinematic equations), measurement (pelvis height assumption/inter-IMU distance measurements, zero velocity update for feet/ankles, flat-floor assumption for feet/ankles, and covariance limiter), and constraint update (formulation of hinged knee joints and ball-and-socket hip joints). The knee and hip joint angle root-mean-square errors in the sagittal plane for straight walking were 7.6±2.6∘ and 6.6±2.7∘, respectively, while the correlation coefficients were 0.95±0.03 and 0.87±0.16, respectively. Furthermore, experiments using simulated inter-IMU distance measurements show that performance improved substantially for dynamic movements, even at large noise levels (σ=0.2 m). However, further validation is recommended with actual distance measurement sensors, such as ultra-wideband ranging sensors.

Udder health of dairy cows is related to their productivity and welfare. The period from dry-off to calving and early lactation is crucial. Ultrasonography is a useful and practical tool for the examination of the mammary parenchyma and blood flow. This observational study investigated the relationship between udder echotexture features, blood flow volume (BFVol) in the milk vein, milk somatic cell count (SCC) and daily milk yield (DMY) from late lactation, throughout dry period and consecutive early lactation. Seventeen repeated measurements were performed on 21 Holstein cows. The udder parenchyma was examined with B-mode ultrasonography. Udder echotexture was studied using 15 features: Numerical Pixel Value (NPV), Pixel Standard Deviation (PSD), Skewness, Excess, Contrast, Homogeneity, Correlation, Entropy, Run Percentage, Long Run Emphasis, Grey Value Distribution, Runlength Distribution, Gradient Mean Value, Gradient Variance and Percentage of Non-zero Gradients. Blood flow in the milk vein was examined with spectral Doppler. Linear mixed effects models were employed to investigate relationships between BFVol, udder echotexture features, SCC and DMY, throughout the study period. Our models showed that a 1-kg increase in DMY was associated with a significant increase of 0.25 L/min in the expected BFVol, and that a 1,000,000-cells/mL increase in SCC was associated with a significant BFVol decrease of 0.49 L/min, keeping all other variables constant. Multivariable models showed significant associations between DMY and NPV, PSD and Long Run Emphasis, and between SCC and NPV, PSD, Gradient Mean Value, Homogeneity, Gradient Variance and Entropy. In conclusion, udder echotexture and BFVol in the milk vein are related to SCC and milk yield. Ultrasonography can be used for the comprehensive assessment of udder health in the direction of precision dairy farming.

Nowadays, there is evidence that bacteria can contribute to cancer formation and interfere with therapy by mediating its carcinogenesis and related infection. Moreover, it is acknowledged that microbial infections and antibiotic resistance represent severe economic and health risks to society. These facts have led to the developing of several new techniques for impeding crucial biological processes in microbial cells. One of these techniques centers on using metal-chelating agents, which can disrupt the microorganism's vital metal metabolism by obstructing metal uptake and bioavailability for critical reactions. Additionally, nanotechnology has made a wide range of nanomaterials available for possible uses in the antibacterial industry. This complex field is shaped by antimicrobial nanoparticles, also investigated as therapeutic and drug-delivery tools. Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) are naturally occurring tubular clay nanomaterials consisting of aluminosilicate kaolin sheets rolled up several times. The aluminon and siloxane groups on the surface of HNTs facilitate the formation of hydrogen bonds with biomaterials on their surface. These properties make HNTs crucial in a wide range of applications, such as in environmental sciences, wastewater treatment, dye removal, nanoelectronics and nanocomposite fabrication, catalytic studies, coatings for glass or anti-corrosive coatings, cosmetics, flame retardants, stimulus-response, and in forensic sciences. This work aimed to produce an antibacterial material by combining the properties of halloysite nanotubes with the ability of kojic acid to chelate iron. Starting from kojic acid, a simple nucleophilic substitution involving the hydroxyl groups on the surface of the nanotubes was performed. The obtained material was characterized by IR and SEM, and its ability to chelate iron was evaluated. Finally, the capacity to load drugs such as resveratrol and curcumin was also evaluated by UV analysis. In this way, a new bio-based material that can be used as a drug carrier and antimicrobial was produced.

In coastal areas around the world, seagrass meadows play a crucial ecological and economic role. A large amount of seagrass beds dominates primary production and contributes to the high secondary productivity of this ecosystem. The microbial loop (consuming bacterial biomass by grazers and using seagrass-derived detritus by bacteria) may be an important mechanism for transferring seagrass-derived organic matter to the aquatic food chain. This study aims to improve our understanding of how bacterial growth and mortality (grazing and viral lysis rates) differ in seagrass and adjacent unvegetated meadow habitats. We found that viral lysis and grazing caused similar mortality rates of bacteria in a seagrass environment during the summer. It has been found, however, that bacterial production is controlled by the availability of resources (bottom-up control) and is cycled within the bacteria-virus-DOC loop in adjacent unvegetated waters. Our study region may be affected by this shift in organic matter fate and cycling.

Chronic non-bacterial osteomyelitis (CNO), also known as chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO), is a rare autoinflammatory bone disease primarily affecting children and adolescents. This review presents a comprehensive analysis of the intricate relationship between CNO and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), shedding light on shared pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical management. A thorough literature review was conducted, encompassing 24 case reports involving 40 patients. The demographic distribution of patients revealed a near-equal gender ratio, with a median age of diagnosis at 12 years. The diagnosis patterns showed a higher proportion of CNO as the initial diagnosis, while Crohn's disease was more prevalent than ulcerative colitis. The time interval between the clinical presentations varied, ranging from simultaneous detection to a substantial 15-year gap. Treatment modalities included non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), steroids, aminosalicylates, and biologic agents, such as infliximab, often overlapping in their use, suggesting shared pathophysiological pathways. Both conditions displayed systemic manifestations, and patients often responded well to immunosuppressive medications. The pathophysiology of CNO involves genetic predisposition, cytokine dysregulation, and osteoclast activation. Dysregulated innate immunity results in immune cell infiltration into bones, causing sterile bone lesions. Notably, emerging evidence hints at a potential link between the microbiome and CNO. In contrast, IBD results from imbalanced mucosal immune responses to the intestinal microbiota. Polymorphisms in the promotor region of IL-10, common cytokines, immune cells, and genetic markers indicate shared immunological and genetic factors between CNO and IBD. Both conditions also involve extraintestinal symptoms. This analysis underscores the need for clinical awareness of the co-occurrence of CNO and IBD, especially among pediatric patients. A deepened understanding of the connections between these seemingly distinct diseases could lead to more effective management and improved patient outcomes.

This article is a scoping review analyzing advances in experimental studies on bacterial self-healing of concrete. From Scopus, ScienceDirect, Web of Science and Google Scholar search engine databases, 54 studies were selected for analysis, and an increasing trend of publications since 2015 was found, with India as the country with the largest research presence. Different ma-terials are used as replacement or admixture in concrete, such as fibers, particles and recycled material from construction waste. It was found that the most commonly used bacteria are Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus sphaericus, which can improve the strength of concrete by generating calcite and sealing cracks. In addition, it was found that the presence of materials such as fibers, ashes and construction recyclates can protect bacteria in an alkaline environment. The designs usually in-clude more than two experimental groups and a control. In summary, this study highlights the importance of bacterial self-healing in concrete and provides information on advances in this field of research.

The ever-growing repertoire of genomic techniques continues to expand our understanding of true diversity and richness of prokaryotic genomes. Riboproteogenomics laid the foundation for dynamic studies of previously overlooked genomic elements. Most strikingly, bacterial genomes were revealed to harbour robust repertoires of small open reading frames (sORFs) encoding a diverse and broadly expressed range of small proteins, or sORF-encoded polypeptides (SEPs). In recent years, continuous efforts led to great improvements in annotation and characterization of such proteins, yet many challenges remain to fully understand the pervasive nature of small proteins and their impact on bacterial biology. In this work we review recent developments in the dynamic field of bacterial genome reannotation, catalogue important biological roles carried out by small proteins and identify challenges obstructing the way to full understanding of these elusive proteins.

Mancozeb is extensively used fungicide to prevent citrus melanose in most Asian countries, especially in China. So far, however, there have been no reports of thet effect of Mancozeb on the citrus rhizosphere bacterial community. Therefore, this comparative experiment defined the genomic and functional related to community and soil health of 2-years old Citrus unshiu Marc. rhizosphere through amplicon sequencing and chemical analysis. This study evaluated the effect of mancozeb on the chemical properties of citrus-cultivated soil and the richness and diversity of rhizosphere bacterial community. We also investigated the abundance response of rhizosphere bacterial groups to 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 times application of 2 g mancozeb (active ingredient content, ai.) 600 times diluted with water. Our data revealed that the abundance of rhizosphere-associated bacterial species increased significantly after planting citrus. The relative abundance of Candidatus, Saccharibacteria, Parcubacteria, and Proteobacteria increased with the increase in mancozeb watering times. Meanwhile, the abundance of Nitrospirae decreased with the increase in mancozeb application times. The findings indicated that the chemical properties of the soil and the richness and diversity of rhizosphere bacterial community did not significantly differ across the mancozeb gradients in soil.

The regulation of multiple bacterial phenotypes was found to depend on different cyclic di-nucleotides (CDNs) that constitute intracellular signalling second messenger systems. Most notably, c-di-GMP, along with proteins related to its synthesis, sensing and degradation, was identified as playing a central role in the switching from biofilm to planktonic modes of growth. Recently, this world has been under expansion, with the discoveries of other signalling CNDs in bacteria (c-di-AMP and cGAMP) and also in eukaryotes, novel protein and RNA receptors of CDNs, and the numerous functions related to these molecules. In this work, we comprehensively review and analyse the structural biology data about the systems that bacteria use to synthesise and recognise CDNs, detailing their interactions at molecular level with their products/ligands. Additional interesting observations were made, including that different receptor types can bind CDNs in similar conformations and that, based on genomic data, different CDN second messenger systems may coexist in many organisms. The large amount of sequence and structural data available allows a broad view of the importance of CDNs in bacteria, but how cells coordinate these molecules to ensure adaptation to changing environmental conditions is still open for much further exploration.

In many regions where drinking water supply is intermittent and unreliable, households adapt by storing water in cisterns or rooftop tanks. Both intermittent supply and stored water can be vulnerable to contamination by microorganisms with deleterious health effects. The Guadalajara Metropolitan Area is a rapidly growing urban center with over five million residents where household storage is nearly ubiquitous. This pilot study was conducted in July 2018 to examine the microbiological quality of drinking water in Guadalajara. Samples were tested for free available chlorine residual, total coliform bacteria, and E. coli. A survey on access to water and public perspectives was also conducted. Water exiting rooftop tanks exceeded regulatory limits for total coliform levels in half of the homes studied. Piped water arriving at two homes had total coliform levels that far exceeded regulatory limits. No E. coli were detected in any of the samples. Only 35% of homes had a chlorine residual between the recommended 0.2 and 1.5 mg/L. Many homes reported unpleasant odors and colors. Only 7% of residents drank the piped water. Future studies are needed, especially during April and May when many homes reported a higher disruption to water service.

Urinary tract infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Mozambique. They are sometimes treated empirically with nitrofurantoin. However, little is known about this antibiotic’s performance and bacterial resistance in the country. This study analyzed the results of nitrofurantoin sensitivity tests requested in the Central Hospital of Maputo during 2012 and 2013. As result, 181 samples were tested and most cases (66.9%) showed absolute sensitivity but there were considerable cases of resistance (29.8%). Morganella morganii was the only bacteria presenting no absolute or intermediate resistance. The sensitivity was also high in the case of Escherichia coli (90%) and Gram-negative bacteria (66.7%). Serratia marcescens was mostly resistant (64.3%). The remaining bacteria showed inconclusive results. Thus they shall be subjected to a sensitivity test before prescription. Factors such as seasonality, patients’ sex and urine transparency did not seem to be reliable indicators of microbial resistance in the urine. Yet, a longer time span (over 5 years) might be sufficient for the sensitivity profile to change.

A potential association between hematopoietic stem cell status in the bone marrow and the surrounding bone tissue has been hypothesized, and some studies have investigated the link between blood count and bone mineral density (BMD), although their exact relationship remains controversial. Moreover, biological factors linking the two are largely unknown. In our present study, we found no clear association between platelet count and BMD in the female group, with aging having a very strong effect on BMD. On the other hand, a significant negative correlation was found between platelet count and BMD in the male group. As a potential mechanism, we examined whether megakaryocytes, the source of platelet production, secrete cytokines that regulate BMD, namely OPG, M-CSF, and RANKL. We detected the production of these cytokines by megakaryocytes deriving from bone marrow mononuclear cells and found that RANKL was negatively correlated with BMD. This finding suggests that RANKL production by megakaryocytes may mediate the negative correlation between platelet count and BMD. To our knowledge, this is the first report to analyze bone marrow cells as a mechanism for the association between blood count and BMD. Our study may provide new insights into the development and potential treatment of osteoporosis.

Background: A careful work-up before Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) consists not only of measuring anatomical conditions but also assessment of frailty. Previous studies have evaluated body composition parameters, primarily fat and muscle mass. Few data are available on other frailty parameters, which, however, can be easily determined by pre-TAVR computed tomography (CT). Objectives: The primary objective was to investigate the impact of total muscle area (TMA) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT), as frailty parameters, on 5-year all-cause mortality in patients undergoing TAVR. Methods: Between 01/2017 and 12/2018, consecutive TAVR patients undergoing CT-angiography scan enabling TMA and VAT measurement were included. A single axial image was acquired at the level of the middle third lumbar vertebra to perform TMA and VAT measurements using dedicated slicing software (Sliceomatic, TomoVision). Results: A total of 500 patients qualified for TMA analysis. Age was not associated with a higher risk of 5-year mortality HR 1.02 (95% CI: 0.998 - 1.049; p=0.069). Body surface area normalized TMA (nTMA) was significantly associated with 5-year all-cause mortality (HR 0.927, 95% CI: 0.927-0.997; p= 0.033), while VAT had no effect (HR 1.002, 95% CI: 0.99-1.015; p= 0.7). The effect of nTMA on 5- year all-cause mortality was gender-dependent: the protective effect of higher nTMA was found in male patients (pinteraction: sex * nTMA = 0.007). The combination of normalized TMA and VAT was not associated with higher mortality rates. Conclusion: Normalized TMA derived from routine CT before TAVR complements frailty assessment in patients undergoing TAVR.

The paper proposes a game theory model of price oligopoly with a heterogeneous product, where total demand depends linearly on the minimum market price. This model develops the Bertrand oligopoly for the case of imperfect price elasticity of demand. The most interesting result is an asymmetric Nash equilibrium with different prices and sales in the situation of symmetric oligopolists. The asymmetry is explained by the fact that a decrease in the minimum market price leads not only to a reallocation of consumers among firms, but also to an increase in total demand. Modifications of a two-stage game with a leader and followers and the price discrimination model are also considered. Microeconomic substantiation of the model is given on the basis of the spatial differentiation approach.

There are several causes of hypoxia during and after surgery, and atelectasis is a common symptom that occurs during surgery. In particular, elderly patients are more vulnerable to hypoxia due to their existing lung diseases or respiratory muscle weakness. This study presents the cases of two elderly patients who developed hypoxia during total hip arthroplasty under general anesthesia. Positive end expiratory pressure, recruitment maneuver, and increased fraction of inspired oxygen improved hypoxia only temporarily, and patients’ oxygen saturation level again dropped to 79%–80%. We suspected that hypoxia was caused by atelectasis and, therefore, re-sumed spontaneous respiration. Thereafter, both the patients showed an improvement in hypoxia. Intraopera-tive hypoxia that is suspected to be caused by atelectasis can be improved by securing sufficient lung volume for respiration through increased muscle tone with spontaneous respiration

Mercury is a neurotoxin, with certain organic forms of the element being particularly harmful to humans. The Minamata Convention was adopted to reduce the intentional use and emission of mercury. Because mercury is an element, it cannot be decomposed. Mercury-containing products and mercury used for various processes will eventually enter the waste stream, and landfill sites will become a mercury sink. While landfill sites can be a source of mercury pollution, the behavior of mercury in solid waste within a landfill site is still not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the depth profile of mercury, the levels of methyl mercury (MeHg), and the factors controlling methylation in an old landfill site that received waste for over 30 years. Three sampling cores were selected, and boring sampling was conducted to a maximum depth of 18 m, which reached the bottom layer of the landfill. Total mercury (THg) and MeHg were measured in the samples to determine the characteristics of mercury at different depths. Bacterial species were identified by 16S rRNA amplification and sequencing, because the methylation process is promoted by a series of genes. It was found that the THg concentration was 19–975 ng/g, with a geometric mean of 298 ng/g, which was slightly less than the 400 ng/g concentration recorded 30 years previously. In some samples, MeHg accounted for up to 15–20% of THg, which is far greater than the general level in soils and sediments, although the source of MeHg was unclear. The genetic data indicated that hgcA was present mostly in the upper and lower layers of the three cores, merA was almost as much as hgcA, while the level of merB was hundreds of times less than those of the other two genes. A significant correlation was found between THg and MeHg as well as between MeHg and MeHg/THg. In addition a negative correlation was found between THg and merA. The coexistence of the three genes indicated that both methylation and demethylation processes could occur, but the lack of merB was a barrier for demethylation.

The work provides insights on the effect of fire on soil processes in Mediterranean-type ecosystems of Cyprus. Soil samples from mountainous sites that were subjected to a summer wildfire and adjacent control samples were collected. Incubations were used to estimate basal respiration and isolate soil CO2 release of heterotrophic microorganisms from autotrophic root respiration and heterotrophic respiration from litter decomposition. Physicochemical properties changes, bacteria community changes using DNA extraction and 16S rRNA gene analysis, and the effects of ash and fresh litter addition were studied to reveal the microbial composition and the post-fire soil function. Laboratory incubation showed that burned soils constantly showed higher microbial respiration rates compared with control unburned areas, even six months after fire. Adding ash to unburned samples increased microbial respiration, suggesting that increased nutrient availability positively corelates with increased release of CO2 from fire-affected soil. Elevated temperatures due to the wildfire exerted significant effects on the composition of soil bacterial community. Nevertheless, the wildfire did not affect the alpha-diversity of soil bacteria. New communities of microorganisms are still able to decompose fresh plant material after fire, but at a slower rate than natural pre-fire populations.

Background. Azithromycin (AZM) is widely used in cystic fibrosis (CF) treatment following clinical trials demonstrating improved lung function and fewer pulmonary exacerbations. While the precise mechanisms remain elusive, immunomodulatory actions are thought to be involved. We previously reported impaired phagocytosis and defective anti-inflammatory M2 macrophage polarization in CF macrophages. This study systematically analyzed the effect of AZM on the functions of unpolarized and M1/M2 polarized macrophages in CF. Methods: Monocytes, isolated from the venous blood of patients with CF (pwCF) and healthy controls (HCs) were differentiated into monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) and infected with P. aeruginosa. P. aeruginosa uptake and killing by MDMs in the presence or absence of AZM was studied. M1 and M2 macrophage polarizations were induced and their functions and cytokine release were analyzed. Results: Following AZM treatment, both HC and CF MDMs exhibited a significant increase in P. aeruginosa uptake and killing, however, lysosomal acidification remained unchanged. AZM treatment led to higher activation of ERK1/2 in both HC and CF MDMs. Pharmacological inhibition of ERK1/2 using U0126 significantly reduced P. aeruginosa uptake in HC MDMs. M1 macrophage polarization remained unaffected, however, AZM treatment led to increased IL-6 and IL-10 release in both HC and CF M1 macrophages. AZM also significantly increased the phagocytic index for both pHrodo E. coli and S. aureus in CF M1 macrophages. In CF, AZM treatment promoted anti-inflammatory M2 macrophage polarization, with an increased percentage of CD209+ M2 macrophages, induction of the M2 gene CCL18, along with its secretion in the culture supernatant. However, AZM did not restore endocytosis in CF, another essential feature of M2 macrophages. Conclusions: This study highlights the cellular functions and molecular targets of AZM which may involve improved uptake of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, restored anti-inflammatory macrophage polarization in CF. This may in turn shape the reduced lung inflammation observed in clinical trials. In addition, we confirmed the role of ERK1/2 activation for bacterial uptake.

We investigated and quantified bacterial accumulation in facemasks used by the general population, using 16S rRNA (Sanger Sequencing), culture and biochemical analysis along with Rose Bengal staining. Additionally, a systematic overview of the literature on face mask contamination was undertaken. We found an average bacterial load of 4.24 × 10⁴ CFU recovered/mask, with a maximum load of 2.85 × 10⁵ CFU. This maximum is 310 times higher than the limit value for contamination of ventilation system outlet surfaces specified by the German standard VDI 6022. Biochemical and molecular identification predominantly found Staphylococcus species (80%), including Staphylococcus aureus, along with endospore-forming Bacillus spp. Literature reports also indicate contamination of masks by bacterial and fungal opportunists of the genera Acinetobacter, Aspergillus, Alternaria, Bacillus, Cadosporium, Candida, Escherichia, Enterobacter, Enterococcus, Klebsiella (including K. pneumoniae), Micrococcus, Microsporum, Mucor, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus. Bacterial counts increase linearly with wearing duration, and prolonged use may affect the skin and respiratory microbiomes, promoting consequential eye, skin, oral and airway conditions. These aspects underscore the urgent need for further research and a risk-benefit analysis in respect of mask use, particularly given their unproven efficacy in disrupting the transmission of respiratory viruses and their adverse social consequences.

A fundamental question in biology is how cell shapes are genetically encoded and enzymatically generated. Prevalent shapes among walled bacteria include spheres and rods. These shapes are chiefly determined by the peptidoglycan (PG) cell wall. Bacterial division results in two daughter cells, whose shapes are predetermined by the mother. This makes it difficult to explore the origin of cell shapes in healthy bacteria. In this review, we argue that the Gram-negative bacterium Myxococcus xanthus is an ideal model for understanding PG assembly and bacterial morphogenesis because it forms rods and spheres at different life stages. Rod-shaped vegetative cells of M. xanthus can thoroughly degrade their PG and form spherical spores. As these spores germinate, cells rebuild their PG and reestablish rod shape without preexisting templates. Such a unique sphere-to-rod transition provides a rare opportunity to visualize de novo PG assembly and rod-like morphogenesis in a well-established model organism.

Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that suppresses plant growth; however, application of endophytic bacteria can increase resistance of plants against Cd, as well as improve plant growth. Two bacterial endophytic strains were isolated from Solanum nigrum and were identified as Serratia sp. AI001 and Enterobacter sp. AI002 by 16S DNA sequencing. Strains AI001 and AI002, tolerated up to 25 mg/mL Cd in broth culture and showed phosphate solubilization potential in Pikovskaya agar medium. AI001 and AI002 produced indole-3-acetic acid, which was confirmed by gas spectrometry-mass chromatography. Brassica plants stressed with 0, 5, 15, and 25 mg/L Cd showed significant decrease in plant growth, chlorophyll content and biomass, and significant increase in Cd dose-dependent electrolyte leakage. Inoculation of strain AI001 or AI002 significantly enhanced the plant growth attributes of shoot length, root length, chlorophyll content, and biomass as compared to those in uninoculated plants. Reduced glutathione contents in plants stressed with different concentrations of Cd also increased with inoculation of AI001 and AI002. The reason of Cd resistance enhancement in plants by inocula could be due to their greater plant growth promoting activities as well as their antioxidative response.

In the last years evidence has emerged that neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are strongly associated with the microbiome composition in the gut. Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the most intensively studied neurodegenerative disease in this context. In this review, we performed a systematic evaluation of published literature comparing changes in colonic microbiome in PD to the ones observed in other NDs including Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Multiple system atrophy (MSA), Multiple sclerosis (MS), Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). To warrant comparability of different studies, only human case-control studies were included. Several studies showed an increase of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Verrucomicrobiaceae and Akkermansia in PD. A decrease in PD was observed of Faecalibacterium spp., Coprococcus spp., Blautia spp., Prevotella spp. and Prevotellaceae. On low taxonomic resolution, like phylum level, the changes are not disease specific and inconsistent. However, on higher taxonomic resolution like genus or species level, a minor overlap was observed between PD and MSA, both alpha synucleinopathies. We show that a methodical standardization of sample collection and analysis is necessary for ensuring the reproducibility and comparability of data. We also provide the evidence, that assessing the microbiota composition at high taxonomic resolution, reveals changes in relative abundance, that may be specific or characteristic for one disease, or a disease-group and might evolve discriminative power. The interactions between bacterial species and strains and moreover the co-abundances must be more deeply investigated before assumptions of the effects of specific bacteria on the host can be made with certainty.

Pathologies of the blood brain barrier (BBB) have been linked to a multitude of CNS disorders whose pathology is poorly understood. Cortical spreading depression (CSD) has long been postulated to be involved in the underlying mechanisms of these disease states, yet full understanding remains elusive. This study utilized an in vitro model of the BBB with b.End3 murine endothelial cells to investigate the role of CSD in BBB pathology by characterizing effects of the release of major pronociceptive substances on BBB functional integrity using TEER screening, transcellular uptake, and immunoreactive methods in concert with global proteome and phospho-proteomic approaches. Findings demonstrated relocalization and functional alteration to proteins associated with the cytoskeleton and endothelial tight junctions. Pathologic mechanisms induced by individual substances released during CSD were found to have unique phosphorylation signatures in phospho-proteome analysis, identifying Zona Occludens 1 as a possible pathologic “checkpoint” of the BBB. Utilizing these phosphorylation signatures, possible novel diagnostic methods may be developed for neurological diseases and warrants further investigation.

The total ionizing dose (TID) effect significantly impacts the electrical parameters of fully depleted silicon on insulator (FDSOI) devices and even invalidates the on-off function of devices. At present, most of the irradiation research on the circuit level is focused on the single event effect, and the research on the total ionizing dose effect is very little. Therefore, this study mainly analyzes the influence of TID effects on a CMOS inverter circuit based on 22 nm FDSOI transistors. First, we constructed and calibrated an N-type FDSOI metal-oxide semiconductor (NMOS) structure and P-type FDSOI metal-oxide semiconductor (PMOS) structure. The transfer characteristics and trapped charge distribution of these devices were studied under different irradiation doses. Next, we studied the TID effect on an inverter circuit composed of these two MOS transistors. The simulation results show that when the radiation dose is 400 krad (Si), the logic threshold drift of the inverter is approximately 0.052 V. These results help further investigate the impact on integrated circuits in the irradiation environment.

Objective: To determine the effect of birth season climate on adult total serum IgE (TSIgE) levels. Study design: The study is a retrospective chart review with the following inclusion criteria: TSIgE measurement, age ≥16, and northeastern Tennessee birthplace. Main outcome measures include TSIgE levels, birth season climatic conditions, and regional pollen-producing plant and pollen counts. Results: The records of 1,274 women (mean age 40.8 ± 17.5, age range 16-96) and 762 men (mean age 38.1 ± 17, age range 16-82) seen in our Allergy Clinic were reviewed. Persons born in the spring and summer, the seasons with the highest pollen counts and the most favorable climatic conditions for plant growth, had nearly twice the odds of having TSIgE levels >1σ above the mean of the study group when compared to those born in the fall or winter (odds ratio (OR) 1.75, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.96-3.17 and OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.04-3.57, respectively); odds were highest for those born in March (OR 2.55, 95% CI 1.37-4.74) and July (OR 2.38, 95% CI 1.25-4.51) and lowest for those born in November (OR 0.11, 95% CI 0.0068-1.79). When averaged over the 95-years of study and five 30-year climate cycles TSIgE levels increased linearly as the seasons progressed from fall to summer (r²= 0.9475, P=0.0266). Of the climatic factors, TSIgE levels correlated most strongly with levels of precipitation (r²= 0.9145, P=0.0437). Conclusion: Climatic conditions that increase birth season exposure to environmental allergens may have a life-long effect on TSIgE production.