Extra-intestinal clostridial infection (EICI) is rare but can be fatal. Traditional phenotypic methods can only assign many of the Clostridium species to the genus level.
A total of 376 ...non-repetitive Clostridium isolates from sterile sites were collected and subjected to matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) Biotyper analysis and 16S rRNA sequencing. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined, and clinical characteristics of the patients were assessed. Clostridium innocuum isolates were characterized by genome sequencing and genotyping. We used molecular and cellular methods to explore the virulence and resistance mechanisms of C.innocuum.
Clostridium innocuum was the second most common species to cause EICI, only next to Clostridium perfringens. All Clostridium isolates showed susceptibility to clindamycin, metronidazole, penicillin, piperacillin and ampicillin-sulbatam, while C. innocuum isolates were invariably resistant to vancomycin. Among 24 patients with EICI caused by C. innocuum, two (8.3%) had diarrhoea, three (12.5%) had soft-tissue infection, six (25%) had appendicitis and four (16.7%) each had shock and gastrointestinal perforation. The 30-day mortality was 16.7%. The C. innocuum isolated from different sites could not be separated from one another by genotyping. No known toxin genes were identified in the genome of C. innocuum but the species expressed cytotoxicity to epithelial cells. d-Alanine-d-alanine ligase, alanine racemase and d-alanyl-d-alanine carboxypeptidase are three main genes responsible for vancomycin resistance in C. innocuum.
Vancomycin-resistant C. innocuum is a previously unrecognized, yet prominent, cause for EICI. Genome analysis showed that the species could carry a lipopolysaccharide-like structure that is associated with cytotoxicity to cells in vitro.
Two different size nanosilica (NS) particles, nominally 20 nm and 80 nm in diameter, and carboxyl terminated butadiene acrylonitrile (CTBN) were blended into a lightly crosslinked, DGEBA/piperidine ...epoxy system to investigate the toughening mechanisms in hybrid epoxy-silica-rubber nanocomposites (HESRNs). Adding small amount of NS particles into CTBN toughened epoxies further improved the fracture toughness to a level that could not be achieved by increasing CTBN content alone. Interestingly, this toughening effect is diminished when NS particles clustered at high CTBN contents. In addition, the effect of NS particle size on toughening behavior was not considerable, except the case when NS clustering is observed. According to the SEM and TOM investigations, the plastic zone, which consists of shear banding and matrix dilation, is further enlarged in front of the crack tip in HESRNs. Irwin’s model is used to evaluate the process zone concept and the result indicates that zone shielding is credited for the toughening mechanism in these HESRNs.
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Modern consumption patterns lead to massive waste, which poses challenges in storage and highlights the urgent need for more sustainable product development. Customer feedback on products plays a ...crucial role in product design, yet previous studies overlooked these invaluable insights. In response, this study introduces a novel systematic methodology that integrates the strengths of text mining, Quality Function Deployment (QFD), and the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ). Text mining techniques are utilized to extract customer requirements from online platforms, while QFD is used to translate these requirements into technical specifications. By integrating the contradiction matrix from TRIZ theory with the triptych, technical conflicts are resolved. The design process for next-generation smart glasses is employed as an illustrative case to validate the proposed integrated innovation design approach. Analytical outcomes suggest that the introduced methodology can effectively address sustainable product design challenges and sets the stage for future advancements in smart glasses.
In China, there are four types of liver abscesses (LAs) that meet the clinical criteria. Pyogenic liver abscesses (PLAs) and amoebic liver abscesses (ALAs) are two of the most common types of ...abscesses, followed by fungal liver abscesses (FLAs) and hydatid secondary liver abscesses (HsLAs). Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with the development of PLAs. However, there is a lack of population-based studies that have evaluated the underlying relationship between LAs (mainly PLAs and FLAs) and DM. We conducted a retrospective study based on a large population to identify the potential differences and factors that affect the mortality of PLA patients in DM and non-DM groups. Our results revealed that the prevalence of DM is 44.3% (158/357) in PLA patients and 35.3% (18/51) in FLA patients. Compared with the non-DM patients, statistically significant differences were found in DM patients according to symptomatology, clinical manifestations, laboratory findings, microbiological characteristics, antimicrobial resistance, clinical treatments and outcomes in relation to mortality. In addition, the status of antibiotic resistance to E. coli and K. pneumoniae, which were isolated from the patient samples, is severe in the area in which the study was conducted. Regarding the treatment of PLAs, our study indicated that broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy and drug combinations should be recommended and initiated before the pathogens are cultured and identified. In the clinic, therapies that combine percutaneous drainage with antibiotics and surgery with antibiotics are the two most useful strategies for treating an LA. These two combined treatments resulted in satisfactory cure rates. In the DM and non-DM groups, the cure rates for percutaneous drainage with antibiotics were 90.3% and 92.0%, respectively, and the cure rates for surgery with antibiotics were 93.9% and 95.2%, respectively.
Abstract Mutations in the Leucine Rich Repeat Kinase 2 ( LRRK2) gene, first described in 2004 have now emerged as the most important genetic finding in both autosomal dominant and sporadic ...Parkinson's disease (PD). While a formidable research effort has ensued since the initial gene discovery, little is known of either the normal or the pathological role of LRRK2 . We have created lines of mice that express human wild-type (hWT) or G2019S Lrrk2 via bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) transgenesis. In vivo analysis of the dopaminergic system revealed abnormal dopamine neurotransmission in both hWT and G2019S transgenic mice evidenced by a decrease in extra-cellular dopamine levels, which was detected without pharmacological manipulation. Immunopathological analysis revealed changes in localization and increased phosphorylation of microtubule binding protein tau in G2019S mice. Quantitative biochemical analysis confirmed the presence of differential phospho-tau species in G2019S mice but surprisingly, upon dephosphorylation the tau isoform banding pattern in G2019S mice remained altered. This suggests that other post-translational modifications of tau occur in G2019S mice. We hypothesize that Lrrk2 may impact on tau processing which subsequently leads to increased phosphorylation. Our models will be useful for further understanding of the mechanistic actions of LRRK2 and future therapeutic screening.
One type of carbon-based bioceramic composite film, zirconium (Zr) incorporated amorphous carbon (Zr/a-C) gradient multilayer films (GMFs), is deposited on titanium (Ti) alloys by magnetron ...sputtering to attain superior biocompatibility and mechanical and bio-tribological properties. The morphologies and structure of Zr/a-C GMFs were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). XRD and SEM and TEM analysis confirmed the gradient multilayer nature of the film, and the presence of nanostructured fcc-ZrC at the Zr/C layer interface for Zr content of 6.3 at.%. XPS analyses confirmed elevated sp2 bond content as a result of incorporating the Zr interlayer in the a-C matrix. The tribological properties of Zr/a-C GMFs were defined using a tribometer with a fetal bovine serum (FBS) solution, in which all Zr/a-C GMFs exhibited improved wear resistance, compared to the pure a-C film and Ti alloy. Additionally, Zr/a-C GMFs exhibited the lowest friction coefficient (COF) at 0.114, and a wear rate of 1.47–1.56 × 10−6 mm3/Nm, compared to pure a-C films and Ti alloy. Phase composition and the superior mechanical properties of GMFs were determined as crucial factors contributing to the enhanced wear resistance and low COF in Zr/a-C GMFs. Furthermore, osteoblast cell viability and proliferation on GMF films were tested in cultures, and results indicated that Zr/a-C GMFs have better biocompatibility, compared to Ti alloy. Cell adhesion experiments also demonstrated the excellent biocompatibility and functional reliability of composite biofilms for potential application in bone implants.
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•Zr incorporated amorphous carbon gradient multilayer films.•Zr/a-C exhibited graphitic characterization.•Phase composition in films significantly improved the wear resistance.•Zr/a-C and a-c with different biocompatibility
This paper studies the information-theoretic limits of a secondary or cognitive radio (CR) network under spectrum sharing with an existing primary radio network. In particular, the fading cognitive ...multiple-access channel (C-MAC) is first studied, where multiple secondary users transmit to the secondary base station (BS) under both individual transmit-power constraints and a set of interference-power constraints each applied at one of the primary receivers. This paper considers the long-term (LT) or the short-term (ST) transmit-power constraint over the fading states at each secondary transmitter, combined with the LT or ST interference-power constraint at each primary receiver. In each case, the optimal power allocation scheme is derived for the secondary users to achieve the ergodic sum capacity of the fading C-MAC, as well as the conditions for the optimality of the dynamic time-division multiple-access (D-TDMA) scheme in the secondary network. The fading cognitive broadcast channel (C-BC) that models the downlink transmission in the secondary network is then studied under the LT/ST transmit-power constraint at the secondary BS jointly with the LT/ST interference-power constraint at each of the primary receivers. It is shown that D-TDMA is indeed optimal for achieving the ergodic sum capacity of the fading C-BC for all combinations of transmit-power and interference-power constraints.
Aim
To test the ability of periapical radiography (PA) and cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT) to determine the presence/absence of periapical lesions and examine the reliability of volumetric ...measurements of periapical lesions on CBCT scans.
Methodology
After tooth extractions in human mandibles, bone defects were cut at the base of extraction sockets to mimic periapical bone lesions. The teeth were then returned into the extraction sockets. Sixty‐three roots of anterior teeth, premolars and molars with artificial periapical lesions and 37 roots without lesions were examined with PA and CBCT. Presence/absence of periapical lesion was noted. The CBCT‐based volume of each lesion (Vct) was measured using Amira software 5.4 (Visage Imaging GmbH, Berlin, Germany). A replica of each lesion was created using silicone impression material, and the volume of the replica was measured using a water displacement method, representing the physical volume of the lesion (Vp). Regression analysis was used to test the correlation between the Vp and Vct values.
Results
The positive and negative predictive values and accuracy for CBCT in diagnosing periapical lesions were all 1, compared with 1, 0.64 and 0.79 for PA diagnosis. Twenty‐one (33%) lesions were undetected by PA. The Vp (21.5 ± 11.0 mm3) and Vct (21.4 ± 11.5 mm3) values of 63 lesions were highly correlated (R2 = 96.9%, P < 0.001).
Conclusion
Cone‐beam computed tomography is more accurate than PA in diagnosing periapical lesions associated with mandibular teeth. The volumes of artificial mandibular periapical lesions were accurately measured with CBCT data.
Among numerous active electrode materials, nickel hydroxide is a promising electrode in electrochemical capacitors. Nickel hydroxide research has thus far focused on the crystalline rather than the ...amorphous phase, despite the impressive electrochemical properties of the latter, which includes an improved electrochemical efficiency due to disorder. Here we demonstrate high-performance electrochemical supercapacitors prepared from amorphous nickel hydroxide nanospheres synthesized via simple, green electrochemistry. The amorphous nickel hydroxide electrode exhibits high capacitance (2,188 F g(-1)), and the asymmetric pseudocapacitors of the amorphous nickel hydroxide exhibit high capacitance (153 F g(-1)), high energy density (35.7 W h kg(-1) at a power density of 490 W kg(-1)) and super-long cycle life (97% and 81% charge retentions after 5,000 and 10,000 cycles, respectively). The integrated electrochemical performance of the amorphous nickel hydroxide is commensurate with crystalline materials in supercapacitors. These findings promote the application of amorphous nanostructures as advanced electrochemical pseudocapacitor materials.
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