Infrared spectrometry (IR) became a workhorse to characterize microplastics (MPs) worldwide. However, reports on the experimental conditions to measure them decreased alarmingly. As complete, ...relevant information on the instrumental setup determining IR spectra is crucial for scientific reproducibility, ca. 50% of the papers that reported FTIR to measure MPs were evaluated and it was found that most studies cannot be replicated due to missing experimental details. To ameliorate this, the most critical parameters influencing IR spectra are depicted, their impact when matching a spectrum against databases exemplified, and, following efforts from other scientific fields, a minimum information for publication of IR-related data on MPs characterization (MIPIR-MP) is proposed, along with a brief, simple paragraph to resume the most critical information to be reported. This can be used to improve the worrying figures that point out to a reproducibility crisis in the field, as disclosed by the survey.
•Studies on microplastics lack information on IR measurement setup parameters•Around 25% of published papers do not offer useful instrumental information•A lack of understanding of basic IR parameters might affect polymer identifications•The quality of reported data on microplastics is compromised•A paragraph is proposed to minimize the lack of IR instrumental information
Objective:While it is now recognized that psychotic experiences are associated with an increased risk of later mental disorders, we lack a detailed understanding of the reciprocal time-lagged ...relationships between first onsets of psychotic experiences and mental disorders. Using data from World Health Organization World Mental Health (WMH) Surveys, the authors assessed the bidirectional temporal associations between psychotic experiences and mental disorders.Method:The WMH Surveys assessed lifetime prevalence and age at onset of psychotic experiences and 21 common DSM-IV mental disorders among 31,261 adult respondents from 18 countries. Discrete-time survival models were used to examine bivariate and multivariate associations between psychotic experiences and mental disorders.Results:Temporally primary psychotic experiences were significantly associated with subsequent first onset of eight of the 21 mental disorders (major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, posttraumatic stress disorder, adult separation anxiety disorder, bulimia nervosa, and alcohol abuse), with odds ratios ranging from 1.3 (95% CI=1.2–1.5) for major depressive disorder to 2.0 (95% CI=1.5–2.6) for bipolar disorder. In contrast, 18 of 21 primary mental disorders were significantly associated with subsequent first onset of psychotic experiences, with odds ratios ranging from 1.5 (95% CI=1.0–2.1) for childhood separation anxiety disorder to 2.8 (95% CI=1.0–7.8) for anorexia nervosa.Conclusions:While temporally primary psychotic experiences are associated with an elevated risk of several subsequent mental disorders, these data show that most mental disorders are associated with an elevated risk of subsequent psychotic experiences. Further investigation of the underlying factors accounting for these time-order relationships may shed light on the etiology of psychotic experiences.
Summary Background Daily oral triple therapy is effective at halting HIV disease progression, but can have toxic effects and is costly. We investigated whether dual therapy with lopinavir and ...ritonavir plus lamivudine is non-inferior to standard triple therapy. Methods The GARDEL study (Global AntiRetroviral Design Encompassing Lopinavir/r and Lamivudine vs LPV/r based standard therapy) is a 48 week, phase 3, randomised, controlled, open-label, non-inferiority trial in antiretroviral-therapy-naive adults (age ≥18 years) with documented HIV-1 RNA viral load of at least 1000 copies per mL. The study was done at 19 centres in six countries. Patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to dual therapy or triple therapy by sealed envelopes, in blocks of four, stratified by baseline viral load (<100 000 vs ≥100 000 copies per mL). Dual therapy consisted of lopinavir 400 mg and ritonavir 100 mg plus lamivudine 150 mg, both twice daily. Triple therapy consisted of lopinavir 400 mg and ritonavir 100 mg twice daily and lamivudine or emtricitabine plus another nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI) in fixed-dose combination. Efficacy was analysed in all participants who received at least one dose of study drug. The primary endpoint was virological response rate, defined as the proportion of patients with HIV RNA less than 50 copies per mL at 48 weeks. Dual therapy was classed as non-inferior to triple therapy if the lower bound of the 95% CI for the difference between groups was no lower than −12%. Patients and investigators were unmasked to treatment allocation. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , number NCT01237444. Findings Between Dec 10, 2010, and May 15, 2012, 217 patients were randomly assigned to the dual-therapy group and 209 to the triple-therapy group. 198 patients in the dual-therapy group and 175 in the triple-therapy group completed 48 weeks of treatment. At week 48, 189 patients (88·3%) in the dual-therapy group and 169 (83·7%) in the triple-therapy group had viral response (difference 4·6%, 95% CI −2·2 to 11·8; p=0·171). Patients with baseline viral load of at least 100 000 copies per mL showed similar results (87·2% vs 77·9%, respectively; difference 9·3%, 95% CI −2·8 to 21·5; p=0·145). Toxicity-related or tolerability-related discontinuations were more common in the triple-therapy group (n=10 4·9%) than in the dual-therapy group (n=1 0·4%; difference 4·5%, 95% CI −8·1 to −0·9; p=0·011). 65 adverse events in the dual-therapy group and 88 in the triple-therapy group were possibly or probably drug related (p=0·007). Two serious adverse events occurred, both in the dual-therapy arm, one of which (a case of gastritis) was reported as possibly or probably related to drug treatment. Interpretation Dual therapy with lopinavir and ritonavir plus lamivudine regimen warrants further clinical research and consideration as a potential therapeutic option for antiretroviral-therapy-naive patients. Funding Fundación Huésped and AbbVie.
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•Raw ore tailings with limited application find added value after simple treatment.•Formerly discarded iron ore is recovered and a clean sand fraction is produced.•Ore Clays can be ...used directly and on their own in the production of ceramic tiles.•Tiles produced with Clays are vitrified and show an appealing dark brown luster.•Expanded usage possibilities help mitigate the negative impact of tailings-dams.
Nearly half of the total iron ore volume extracted in mining operations is rejected as tailings and disposed of in containment dams that are liable for considerable environmental impact and human hazard in case of breaching. This work aims to expand the usage possibilities of iron ore tailings and help mitigate the negative impact of tailings-dams without sacrificing the opportunities provided by mining. Materials were collected from four tailings-dams, subjected to a dry separation procedure and characterized (particle size and morphology, chemical and mineralogical composition). Besides the recovered iron ore concentrate, two other powder fractions were produced (“clay” and “sand” fractions). The sands showed the greatest uniformity (particle size and shape, mineralogy and chemical composition) and may find use as aggregates in a variety of applications. This work shows that the clays can be used on their own in the production of ceramic tiles. They present adequate plasticity and dry strength, and develop mullite and glass upon firing, showing a rather amenable processing behaviour suitable for both artisanal and full-fledged industrial production. The resulting tiles are dimensionally homogeneous and very compact (vitrified products, classified in groups BIa, BIb or BIIa), with high mechanical strength. Either industrialised or artisanal, these materials can be used in the production of “brown porcelain” tiles and ware, showing a very appealing dark brown lustre.
Highlights • Bacterial RNases control sRNA-mediated negative and positive regulation. • RNase III can simultaneously cleave the sRNAs and their respective mRNA target(s). • RNase E and PNPase cleave ...preferentially non-hybridized sRNAs. • The hybridization of sRNAs might protect mRNA target(s) from RNases. • RNases are important factors in the processing/maturation of sRNAs.
Ribosome biogenesis is a complex process involving multiple factors. Here, we show that the widely conserved RNA chaperone Hfq, which can regulate sRNA‐mRNA basepairing, plays a critical role in rRNA ...processing and ribosome assembly in Escherichia coli. Hfq binds the 17S rRNA precursor and facilitates its correct processing and folding to mature 16S rRNA. Hfq assists ribosome assembly and associates with pre‐30S particles but not with mature 30S subunits. Inactivation of Hfq strikingly decreases the pool of mature 70S ribosomes. The reduction in ribosome levels depends on residues located in the distal face of Hfq but not on residues found in the proximal and rim surfaces which govern interactions with the sRNAs. Our results indicate that Hfq‐mediated regulation of ribosomes is independent of its function as sRNA‐regulator. Furthermore, we observed that inactivation of Hfq compromises translation efficiency and fidelity, both features of aberrantly assembled ribosomes. Our work expands the functions of the Sm‐like protein Hfq beyond its function in small RNA‐mediated regulation and unveils a novel role of Hfq as crucial in ribosome biogenesis and translation.
Synopsis
The conserved RNA chaperone Hfq is known to facilitate post‐transcriptional gene expression in bacteria by binding numerous small RNAs and promote their interaction with target mRNAs. This study reveals a new function for Hfq in ribosome biogenesis with implications for translational control.
The widely conserved RNA chaperone Hfq assists ribosome assembly in Escherichia coli.
Hfq associates with immature pre‐30S particles but not with mature 30S ribosomal subunits.
Hfq binds 17S rRNA using its distal surface, which is distinct from the surface governing the small RNA binding.
Inactivation of Hfq compromises translation efficiency and fidelity.
An unexpected ribosome biogenesis role expands the post‐transcriptional gene expression functions of a key bacterial RNA chaperone beyond binding/regulation of small RNAs.
The transient existence of small RNAs free of binding to the RNA chaperone Hfq is part of the normal dynamic lifecycle of a sRNA. Small RNAs are extremely labile when not associated with Hfq, but the ...mechanism by which Hfq stabilizes sRNAs has been elusive. In this work we have found that polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase) is the major factor involved in the rapid degradation of small RNAs, especially those that are free of binding to Hfq. The levels of MicA, GlmY, RyhB, and SgrS RNAs are drastically increased upon PNPase inactivation in Hfq(-) cells. In the absence of Hfq, all sRNAs are slightly shorter than their full-length species as result of 3'-end trimming. We show that the turnover of Hfq-free small RNAs is growth-phase regulated, and that PNPase activity is particularly important in stationary phase. Indeed, PNPase makes a greater contribution than RNase E, which is commonly believed to be the main enzyme in the decay of small RNAs. Lack of poly(A) polymerase I (PAP I) is also found to affect the rapid degradation of Hfq-free small RNAs, although to a lesser extent. Our data also suggest that when the sRNA is not associated with Hfq, the degradation occurs mainly in a target-independent pathway in which RNase III has a reduced impact. This work demonstrated that small RNAs free of Hfq binding are preferably degraded by PNPase. Overall, our data highlight the impact of 3'-exonucleolytic RNA decay pathways and re-evaluates the degradation mechanisms of Hfq-free small RNAs.
Pollution caused by plastics and, in particular, microplastics has become a source of environmental concern for Society. Their ubiquity, with millions of tons of plastic debris spilled in both land ...and sea, requires efficient technological improvements in the ways residues are collected, handled, characterized and recycled. For reliable decision-making, dependable chemical information is essential to assess both the nature of the plastics found in the environment and their fate. In this work an efficient method to identify the polymeric composition of microplastic fragments is proposed. It combines infrared reflectance spectra and chemometric methods. A breakthrough result is that the models include polymers weathered under both dry (shoreline) and submerged (in sea water) conditions and, hence, they are very promising as a starting point for eventual practical applications. In addition, no spectral processing is required after the initial measurement.
This approach to identify microplastics in aquatic environments combines infrared measurements and multivariate data analysis to fight against (micro)plastic pollution.
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•ATR spectra yield better models than their micro reflectance counterparts.•Genetic algorithms allowed a significant reduction in the number of variables.•KNN (3 neighbours) extracted the most satisfactory predictive models.•LDA arose as the worst classification methodology.•The models included microplastics weathered under beach and sea conditions.
SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus causing COVID-19. The clinical characteristics and epidemiology of COVID-19 have been extensively investigated, however, only one study so far focused on the patient's ...nasopharynx microbiota. In this study we investigated the nasopharynx microbial community of patients that developed different severity levels of COVID-19. We performed 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing from nasopharyngeal swab samples obtained from SARS-CoV-2 positive (56) and negative (18) patients in the province of Alicante (Spain) in their first visit to the hospital. Positive SARS-CoV-2 patients were observed and later categorized in mild (symptomatic without hospitalization), moderate (hospitalization), and severe (admission to ICU). We compared the microbiota diversity and OTU composition among severity groups and built bacterial co-abundance networks for each group.
Statistical analysis indicated differences in the nasopharyngeal microbiome of COVID19 patients. 62 OTUs were found exclusively in SARS-CoV-2 positive patients, mostly classified as members of the phylum Bacteroidota (18) and Firmicutes (25). OTUs classified as
were found to be significantly more abundant in patients that developed more severe COVID-19. Furthermore, co-abundance analysis indicated a loss of network complexity among samples from patients that later developed more severe symptoms.
Our study shows that the nasopharyngeal microbiome of COVID-19 patients showed differences in the composition of specific OTUs and complexity of co-abundance networks. Taxa with differential abundances among groups could serve as biomarkers for COVID-19 severity. Nevertheless, further studies with larger sample sizes should be conducted to validate these results.
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