Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has rapidly spread across the globe at unprecedented speed and is showing no signs of slowing down. The outbreak of coronavirus disease ...2019 (COVID-19) has led to significant health burden in infected patients especially in those with underlying comorbidities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between comorbidities and their role in the exacerbation of disease in COVID-19 patients leading to fatal outcomes. A systematic review was conducted using data from MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases published from 1 December 2019 to 15 September 2020. Fifty-three articles were included in the systematic review. Of those 53 articles, 8 articles were eligible for meta-analysis. Hypertension, obesity, and diabetes mellitus were identified to be the most prevalent comorbidities in COVID-19 patients. Our meta-analysis showed that cancer, chronic kidney diseases, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension were independently associated with mortality in COVID-19 patients. Chronic kidney disease was statistically the most prominent comorbidity leading to death. However, despite having high prevalence, obesity was not associated with mortality in COVID-19 patients.
COVID-19 has plagued the world since it was first identified in December 2019. Previous systematic reviews and meta-analysis were limited by various factors such as the usage of non-peer reviewed data and were also limited by the lack of clinical data on a global scale. Comorbidities are frequently cited as risk factors for severe COVID-19 outcomes. However, the degree to which specific comorbidities impact the disease is debatable. Our study selection involves a global reach and covers all comorbidities that were reported to be involved in the exacerbation of COVID-19 leading to fatal outcomes, which allows us to identify the specific comorbidities that have higher risk in patients. The study highlights COVID-19 high-risk groups. However, further research should focus on the status of comorbidities and prognosis in COVID-19 patients.
The biorecovery of europium (Eu) from primary (mineral deposits) and secondary (mining wastes) resources is of interest due to its remarkable luminescence properties, important for modern ...technological applications. In this study, we explored the tolerance levels, reduction and intracellular bioaccumulation of Eu by a site-specific bacterium, Clostridium sp. 2611 isolated from Phalaborwa carbonatite complex. Clostridium sp. 2611 was able to grow in minimal medium containing 0.5 mM Eu
. SEM-EDX analysis confirmed an association between Eu precipitates and the bacterium, while TEM-EDX analysis indicated intracellular accumulation of Eu. According to the HR-XPS analysis, the bacterium was able to reduce Eu
to Eu
under growth and non-growth conditions. Preliminary protein characterization seems to indicate that a cytoplasmic pyruvate oxidoreductase is responsible for Eu bioreduction. These findings suggest the bioreduction of Eu
by Clostridium sp. as a resistance mechanism, can be exploited for the biorecovery of this metal.
is an indigenous cereal-based fermented drink traditionally produced in the mountain kingdom of Lesotho, Southern Africa. The present study sought to examine the microbial (bacterial and fungal) ...community composition of
at five fermentation stages in five different locations. Using culture-independent (Illumina sequencing) techniques it was found that the bacterial communities followed similar successional patterns during the fermentation processes, regardless of geographical location and recipe variation between breweries. The most abundant bacterial taxa belonged to the phyla Firmicutes (66.2% of the reads on average) and Proteobacteria (22.1%); the families Lactobacillaceae (54.9%), Enterobacteriaceae (14.4%) and Leoconostrocaceae (8.1%); and the genera
(54%),
(10.7%),
(8.5%), and
(5.5%). Most fungal taxa were from the phyla Ascomycota (60.7%) and Mucoromycota (25.3%); the families Rhizopodaceae (25.3%), Nectriaceae (24.2%), Saccharomycetaceae (16%) and Aspergillaceae (6.7%); and the genera
(25.3%),
(9.6%), and
(2.5%). Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) such as
,
,
,
, and
; as well as yeasts belonging to the genus
, were dominant in all breweries during the production of
. Several pathogenic and food spoilage microorganisms (e.g.,
,
,
, etc.) were also present, but the study demonstrated the safety potential of the
fermentation process, as these microbial groups decline throughout
production. The functional profiles of the different brewing steps showed that the process is dominated by chemoheterotrophic and fermentative metabolisms. This study reveals, for the first time, the complex microbial dynamics that occur during
production.
The development of therapeutic antibodies in their various forms has been a constant challenge since the development of the first monoclonal antibodies in 1975. This is especially true for the ...development of therapeutic single chain variable (scFv) fragments in Escherichia coli. In a previous study the selection of a tissue factor inhibiting single chain variable fragment (TFI-scFv) isolated from the Thomlinson I + J phage libraries was described. Although the initial findings were promising, additional characterization of the antibody fragment and subsequent application was hampered due low protein yield. This study reports on: i) the improved expression of a previously low yielding TFI-scFv in the cytoplasm of E. coli BL21 (DE3) through modifications to the expression systems in conjunction with codon optimization ii) evaluation of two commercial methods of protein recovery: in vitro refolding and the utilization of cold shock expression systems in conjunction with E. coli SHuffle. Results showed that TFI-scFv could be expressed at higher levels in the cytoplasm of E. coli than previously achieved in the periplasm. Both the in vitro refolding and cold shock strategies were capable of producing functional TFI-scFv with varying degrees of success. These procedures could be applied to improve the production of other problematic low yielding scFv isolated from phage display repositories in order to facilitate their characterization.
•Codon optimization significantly improved expression of target scFv but resulted in the production of insoluble aggregates.•Comparison of two commercial utilized techniques for the production of functional antibody.•Insoluble aggregates were isolated and refolded to produce functional antibodies though in vitro refolding techniques.•Functional antibody was produced in E. coli cytoplasm through a combination of cold shock and specialized E. coli strains.
A fixed combination of long-acting beta(2)-agonists (LABA) plus inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) has never been proven to reduce asthma exacerbations vs ICS alone in children. This 12-month, ...double-blind, randomized study in 341 children (age range, 4 to 11 years) with asthma uncontrolled on ICS investigated whether a novel regimen using budesonide/formoterol for maintenance and reliever therapy (Symbicort maintenance and relief therapy SMART) Symbicort; AstraZeneca R&D, Lund, Sweden could reduce exacerbations.
Patients received SMART (budesonide/formoterol 80/4.5 microg qd maintenance plus additional inhalations for symptom relief), budesonide/formoterol 80/4.5 microg qd for maintenance (fixed combination), or higher-dose budesonide 320 microg qd (fixed-dose budesonide). Blinded as-needed medication (terbutaline 0.4 microg) was provided in both fixed-dose groups.
SMART prolonged the time to first exacerbation vs fixed-dose budesonide (p = 0.02) and fixed-dose combination (p < 0.001). Rates of exacerbation requiring medical intervention were reduced by 70 to 79% with SMART vs fixed-dose budesonide and fixed-dose combination (0.08/patient vs 0.28/patient and 0.40/patient, respectively; both p < 0.001). Mild exacerbation days and awakenings were significantly lower with SMART; yearly growth improved by 1.0 cm vs fixed-dose budesonide (p < 0.01).
The SMART regimen using budesonide/formoterol for both maintenance and as-needed symptom relief reduces the exacerbation rate compared with both fixed-dose combination and higher fixed-dose ICS alone in children with asthma.
Tropical cyclone (TC) activity in the Mozambique Channel from January to March 2012 resulted in five landfalls that affected Madagascar and southeastern Africa. The rainfall, circulation, and ...temperature fields surrounding the TCs were studied for anomalous characteristics. Case studies were considered for two TCs, which brought flooding to southern Mozambique and adjacent areas: Dando 17 January and Irina 3 March. Weather forecasts underestimated rainfall from Dando and poorly resolved the looping track of Irina. An anomalous easterly circulation associated with Pacific La Niña and warm SST in the SW Indian Ocean are indicated as mechanisms supporting repeated tropical cyclogenesis in the Mozambique Channel. The downstream shedding of a vortex from Madagascar contributed to the variable nature of TC tracks and forecast errors in January–March 2012.
Keystone species or ecological engineers are vital to the health of an ecosystem; however, often, their low abundance or biomass present challenges for their discovery, identification, visualization ...and selection. We report the development of fluorescent in situ hybridization of transcript-annealing molecular beacons (FISH-TAMB), a fixation-free protocol that is applicable to archaea and bacteria. The FISH-TAMB method differs from existing FISH methods by the absence of fixatives or surfactants in buffers, the fast hybridization time of as short as 15 min at target cells’ growth temperature, and the omission of washing steps. Polyarginine cell-penetrating peptides are employed to deliver molecular beacons (MBs) across prokaryotic cell walls and membranes, fluorescently labeling cells when MBs hybridize to target mRNA sequences. Here, the detailed protocol of the preparation and application of FISH-TAMB is presented. To demonstrate FISH-TAMB’s ability to label intracellular mRNA targets, differentiate transcriptional states, detect active and rare taxa, and keep cell viability, labeling experiments were performed that targeted the messenger RNA (mRNA) of methyl-coenzyme M reductase A (
mcr
A) expressed in (1)
Escherichia coli
containing a plasmid with a partial
mcr
A gene of the methanogen
Methanosarcina barkeri
(
E. coli mcr
A
+
); (2)
M. barkeri
; and (3) an anaerobic methanotrophic (ANME) enrichment from a deep continental borehole. Although FISH-TAMB was initially envisioned for mRNA of any functional gene of interest without a requirement of prior knowledge of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA)-based taxonomy, FISH-TAMB has the potential for multiplexing and going beyond mRNA and thus is a versatile addition to the molecular ecologist’s toolkit, with potentially widespread application in the field of environmental microbiology.
The interaction of a single-chain variable fragment (scFv) directed against human tissue factor (TF) was predicted using an in silico approach with the aim to establish a most likely mechanism of ...inhibition. The structure of the TF inhibiting scFv (TFI-scFv) was predicted using homology modeling, and complementarity-determining regions (CDRs) were identified. The CDR was utilized to direct molecular docking between the homology model of TFI-scFv and the crystal structure of the extracellular domains of human tissue factor. The rigid-body docking model was refined by means of molecular dynamic (MD) simulations, and the most prevalent cluster was identified. MD simulations predicted improved interaction between TFI-scFv and TF and propose the formation of stable complex for duration of the 600-ns simulation. Analysis of the refined docking model suggests that the interactions between TFI-scFv would interfere with the allosterical activation of coagulation factor VII (FVII) by TF. This interaction would prevent the formation of the active TF:VIIa complex and in so doing inhibit the initiation phase of blood coagulation as observers during in vitro testing.
Aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons are ubiquitous in the environment due to natural and anthropogenic processes. Under aerobic conditions hydrocarbons can be rapidly biodegraded but oxygenated ...environments often quickly become anaerobic when microbial respiration is coupled to contaminant oxidation. Most studies in literature usually focus on the initial microbial diversity of the hydrocarbon impacted environment and examine either aerobic or anaerobic conditions for enrichment. Hence, the aim of the present study was to enrich bacterial consortiums from two diesel impacted soil samples under both these conditions to assess the enrichment diversities and hydrocarbon degradation potentials. This would shed light upon how an environmental population shift would correlate to oxygen intrusion and depletion and still continue hydrocarbon degradation. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences showcases the different microbial populations that could emerge as the environmental factors change, resulting in different populations that are still capable of hydrocarbon degradation. Microbial diversity analysis also highlights the role of facultative anaerobic bacteria like Pseudomonas spp. and Citrobacter spp. in maintaining hydrocarbon degradation. This study shows that microorganisms capable of surviving under both oxic and anoxic (aerobic and anaerobic) conditions are the most crucial to the long term degradation of hydrocarbons in the environment.
Objectives
Asthma affects over 6 million children in the United States alone. This study investigated the efficacy and long‐term safety of mometasone furoate‐formoterol (MF/F) and MF monotherapy in ...children with asthma.
Materials and Methods
This phase 3, multicenter, randomized controlled trial evaluated metered‐dose inhaler twice daily (BID) dosing with MF/F 100/10 µg or MF 100 µg in children, aged 5 to 11 years, with a history of asthma for greater than or equal to 6 months and confirmed bronchodilator reversibility, who were adequately controlled on inhaled corticosteroid/long‐acting beta‐agonist combination therapy for greater than or equal to 4 weeks. After a 2‐week run‐in on MF 100 µg BID, eligible patients received 24 weeks of double‐blind treatment and were followed for safety up to 26 weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint was the change from baseline in AM postdose 60‐minute AUC %predicted FEV1% across 12 weeks of treatment.
Results
A total of 181 participants received at least one dose of MF/F (n = 91) or MF (n = 90). MF/F was superior to MF across the 12‐week evaluation period, with a treatment advantage of 5.21 percentage points (P < .001). Superior onset of action with MF/F over MF was achieved as early as 5 minutes postdose on day 1. Overall, approximately 50% of participants experienced one or more treatment‐emergent adverse events, with fewer occurring in the MF/F group.
Conclusions
In children 5 to 11 years of age with persistent asthma, the addition of F to MF was well tolerated and provided significant, rapid, and sustained improvement in lung function compared with MF alone.
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