In our work, spectroscopic and conductometric analyses of the ninhydrin (Nin) and threonine (Thr) reaction were investigated in the aqueous micellar system. To perform the study in the micellar ...system, double-headed geminis with different flexible methylene chain length were chosen as surfactants. Rate constants, k ψ, were observed by varying different parameters, viz., Nin, Thr, pH, and temperature in geminis using UV–vis spectroscopy. The study obeyed unity- and fractional-order dependencies on Thr and Nin. To check the efficacies of geminis, kinetic runs were performed at several geminis, that is, below and above the critical micellar concentration (cmc) of these surfactants. Surfactants at a concentration less than the cmc are capable of catalyzing the reaction over aqueous medium and follow the order 16-4-16 > 16-5-16 > 16-6-16. k ψ values noted at varying concentrations of gemini surfactants, thus, were scrutinized by the pseudo-phase model of micelles. Experimental outcomes of the current study are used to evaluate various constants and parameters and discussed by proposing a reasonable reaction mechanism.
Objectives
Carbapenemase-producing
Enterobacterales
(CPE) are high priority targets of global antimicrobial surveillance. Herein, we determined the colonization rate of CPE on admission to intensive ...care units in Vientiane, Lao PDR in August-September 2019.
Methods
Data regarding clinical conditions, infection control, and antibiotic usage were collected during admission. Rectal swab samples (n = 137) collected during admission were inoculated to selective chromogenic agars, followed by confirmatory tests for extended-spectrum beta-lactamases and carbapenemases. All CPE isolates were sequenced on Illumina (HiSeq2500), reads assembled using SPAdes 3.13, and the draft genomes used to query a database (
https://www.genomicepidemiology.org
) for resistome, plasmid replicons, and sequence types (ST). Optical DNA mapping (ODM) was used to characterize plasmids and to determine location of resistance genes. Minimum spanning tree was generated using the Bacterial Isolate Genome Sequence database (BIGSdb) and annotated using iTOL.
Result
From 47
Enterobacterales
isolated on selective agars,
K
.
pneumoniae
(25/47) and
E
.
coli
(12/47) were the most prevalent species, followed by
K aerogenes
(2/47),
K
.
variicola
(1/47), and
K
.
oxytoca
(1/47). The overall prevalence of ESBLs was 51.0%;
E
.
coli
83.3% (10/12) and
Klebsiella
spp. 41.3% (12/29). Twenty percent of the
K
.
pneumoniae
(5/25) isolates were carbapenem-resistant, and 4/5 contained the
bla
NDM-1
gene. All
bla
NDM-1
isolates belonged to ST147 and were indistinguishable with cgMLST. ODM showed that the
bla
NDM-1
gene was located on identical plasmids in all isolates.
Conclusion
The prevalence of ESBL-producing
Enterobacterales
was high, while carbapenemases were less common. However, the detection of clonal dissemination of
bla
NDM-1
-producing
K
.
pneumoniae
isolates in one of the intensive care units calls for vigilance. Stringent infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship strategies are highly important measures.
Congenital ichthyosis (CI) is a collective group of rare hereditary skin disorders. Patients present with epidermal scaling, fissuring, chronic inflammation, and increased susceptibility to ...infections. Recently, there is increased interest in the skin microbiome; therefore, we hypothesized that CI patients likely exhibit an abnormal profile of epidermal microbes because of their various underlying skin barrier defects. Among recruited individuals of Southeast Asian ethnicity, we performed skin meta-genomics (i.e., whole-exome sequencing to capture the entire multi-kingdom profile, including fungi, protists, archaea, bacteria, and viruses), comparing 36 CI patients (representing seven subtypes) with that of 15 CI age-and gender-matched controls who had no family history of CI.
This case-control study revealed 20 novel and 31 recurrent pathogenic variants. Microbiome meta-analysis showed distinct microbial populations, decreases in commensal microbiota, and higher colonization by pathogenic species associated with CI; these were correlated with increased production of inflammatory cytokines and Th17- and JAK/STAT-signaling pathways in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In the wounds of CI patients, we identified specific changes in microbiota and alterations in inflammatory pathways, which are likely responsible for impaired wound healing.
Together, this research enhances our understanding of the microbiological, immunological, and molecular properties of CI and should provide critical information for improving therapeutic management of CI patients.
Previous congenital heart disease estimates came from few data sources, were geographically narrow, and did not evaluate congenital heart disease throughout the life course. Completed as part of the ...Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017, this study aimed to provide comprehensive estimates of congenital heart disease mortality, prevalence, and disability by age for 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2017.
Mortality estimates were generated for aggregate congenital heart disease and non-fatal estimates for five subcategories (single ventricle and single ventricle pathway congenital heart anomalies; severe congenital heart anomalies excluding single ventricle heart defects; critical malformations of great vessels, congenital valvular heart disease, and patent ductus arteriosus; ventricular septal defect and atrial septal defect; and other congenital heart anomalies), for 1990 through to 2017. All available global data were systematically analysed to generate congenital heart disease mortality estimates (using Cause of Death Ensemble modelling) and prevalence estimates (DisMod-MR 2·1). Systematic literature reviews of all types of congenital anomalies to capture information on prevalence, associated mortality, and long-term health outcomes on congenital heart disease informed subsequent disability estimates.
Congenital heart disease caused 261 247 deaths (95% uncertainty interval 216 567–308 159) globally in 2017, a 34·5% decline from 1990, with 180 624 deaths (146 825–214 178) being among infants (aged <1 years). Congenital heart disease mortality rates declined with increasing Socio-demographic Index (SDI); most deaths occurred in countries in the low and low-middle SDI quintiles. The prevalence rates of congenital heart disease at birth changed little temporally or by SDI, resulting in 11 998 283 (10 958 658–13 123 888) people living with congenital heart disease globally, an 18·7% increase from 1990 to 2017, and causing a total of 589 479 (287 200–973 359) years lived with disability.
Congenital heart disease is a large, rapidly emerging global problem in child health. Without the ability to substantially alter the prevalence of congenital heart disease, interventions and resources must be used to improve survival and quality of life. Our findings highlight the large global inequities in congenital heart disease and can serve as a starting point for policy changes to improve screening, treatment, and data collection.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
BackgroundTuberculous meningitis (TBM) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis resistant to 1 or more antituberculosis drugs is an increasingly common clinical problem, although the impact on outcome is ...uncertain MethodsWe performed a prospective study of 180 Vietnamese adults admitted consecutively for TBM. M. tuberculosis was cultured from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of all patients and was tested for susceptibility to first-line antituberculosis drugs. Presenting clinical features, time to CSF bacterial clearance, clinical response to treatment, and 9-month morbidity and mortality were compared between adults infected with susceptible and those infected with drug-resistant organisms ResultsOf 180 isolates, 72 (40.0%) were resistant to at least 1 antituberculosis drug, and 10 (5.6%) were resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampicin. Isoniazid and/or streptomycin resistance was associated with slower CSF bacterial clearance but not with any differences in clinical response or outcome. Combined isoniazid and rifampicin resistance was strongly predictive of death (relative risk of death, 11.63 95% confidence interval, 5.21–26.32) and was independently associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection ConclusionsIsoniazid and/or streptomycin resistance probably has no detrimental effect on the outcome of TBM when patients are treated with first-line antituberculosis drugs, but combined isoniazid and rifampicin resistance is strongly predictive of death
Background: Streptococcus suis is a zoonotic pathogen that infects pigs and can occasionally cause serious infections in humans. S. suis infections occur sporadically in human Europe and North ...America, but a recent major outbreak has been described in China with high levels of mortality. The mechanisms of S. suis pathogenesis in humans and pigs are poorly understood. Methodology/Principal Findings: The sequencing of whole genomes of S. suis isolates provides opportunities to investigate the genetic basis of infection. Here we describe whole genome sequences of three S. suis strains from the same lineage: one from European pigs, and two from human cases from China and Vietnam. Comparative genomic analysis was used to investigate the variability of these strains. S. suis is phylogenetically distinct from other Streptococcus species for which genome sequences are currently available. Accordingly, approximately 40% of the approximately 2 Mb genome is unique in comparison to other Streptococcus species. Finer genomic comparisons within the species showed a high level of sequence conservation; virtually all of the genome is common to the S. suis strains. The only exceptions are three approximately 90 kb regions, present in the two isolates from humans, composed of integrative conjugative elements and transposons. Carried in these regions are coding sequences associated with drug resistance. In addition, small-scale sequence variation has generated pseudogenes in putative virulence and colonization factors. Conclusions/Significance: The genomic inventories of genetically related S. suis strains, isolated from distinct hosts and diseases, exhibit high levels of conservation. However, the genomes provide evidence that horizontal gene transfer has contributed to the evolution of drug resistance.
Iron deficiency currently affects over two billion people worldwide despite significant advances in technology and society aimed at mitigating this global health problem. Biofortification of food ...staples with iron (Fe) represents a sustainable approach for alleviating human Fe deficiency in developing countries, however, biofortification efforts have focused extensively on cereal staples while pulses have been largely overlooked. In this study we describe a genetic engineering (GE) approach to biofortify the pulse crop, chickpea (
L.), with Fe using a combination of the chickpea nicotianamine synthase 2 (
) and soybean (
) ferritin (
) genes which function in Fe transport and storage, respectively. This study consists of three main components: (1) the establishment for baseline Fe concentration of existing germplam, (2) the isolation and study of expression pattern of the novel
gene, and (3) the generation of GE chickpea overexpressing the
and
genes. Seed of six commercial chickpea cultivars was collected from four different field locations in Australia and assessed for seed Fe concentration. The results revealed little difference between the cultivars assessed, and that chickpea seed Fe was negatively affected where soil Fe bioavailability is low. The desi cultivar HatTrick was then selected for further study. From it, the
gene was cloned and its expression in different tissues examined. The gene was found to be expressed in multiple vegetative tissues under Fe-sufficient conditions, suggesting that it may play a housekeeping role in systemic translocation of Fe. Two GE chickpea events were then generated and the overexpression of the
and
transgenes confirmed. Analysis of nicotianamine (NA) and Fe levels in the GE seeds revealed that NA was nearly doubled compared to the null control while Fe concentration was not changed. Increased NA content in chickpea seed is likely to translate into increased Fe bioavailability and may thus overcome the effect of the bioavailability inhibitors found in pulses; however, further study is required to confirm this. This is the first known example of GE Fe biofortified chickpea; information gleaned from this study can feed into future pulse biofortification work to help alleviate global Fe deficiency.
Concerning rates of psychological disorders are increasingly recognized in young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to examine the associations of different structural and ...functional social supports on depression, anxiety, and stress among young adults in Vietnam. An online cross-sectional study was performed on 236 respondents aged 16 to 30 years in Vietnam from June to July 2020. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Items (DASS-21); the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the LUBBEN Social Network Scale (LSNS-6) was used to measure psychological health, functional and structural social support characteristics. Multi-level mixed-effect logistic regression was used to identify associations between social support and anxiety, depression, and stress. The rate of at least mild depression, anxiety, and stress were 30.1%, 34.8%, and 35.6%, respectively. Structural supports measured by LSNS-6 were not associated with the likelihood of having depression, anxiety, and stress (p>0.05). Respondents having friends with whom they could share joys and sorrows were less likely to have anxiety (aOR = 0.61, 95%CI = 0.41-0.90) and stress (aOR = 0.66, 95%CI = 0.45-0.96). Having family support in decision-making was also negatively associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. Meanwhile, those having family and friends who tried to help them were more likely to suffer stress (aOR = 1.94, 95%CI = 1.16-3.24) and depression (aOR = 2.09; 95%CI = 1.11-3.92), respectively. This study highlighted a high rate of psychological problems among young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam. Emotional support from friends and advice support from family were important components that should be considered in further interventions to mitigate the psychological problems in young adults.
Preparedness and responses to infectious disease epidemics and pandemics require the understanding of communities’ and multisectoral systems’ characteristics with regards to diseases transmission and ...population’s vulnerabilities. This study aimed to summarize measurement profiles of existing risk assessment toolkits to inform COVID-19 control at global and national levels. An online search in different databases and online sources was performed to identify all epidemic risk and vulnerability assessment instruments. Medline/PubMed, Web of Science databases, and websites of public health organizations were used for the searching process. Of 14 toolkits, levels of setting were mostly at the global or nation level. Components such as Governance and Legislation, Financing, Health Service Provision, and Human Resources are key domains in almost all toolkits. Some important issues for disease detection and surveillance, such as laboratory or capacity of the community for disease control, were not adequately addressed in several toolkits. Limited studies were found that validated the toolkits. Only five toolkits were used in COVID-19 studies. This study provides a summary of risk assessment toolkits to inform epidemic responses. We call for global and national efforts in developing more contextualized and responsive epidemic risk assessment scales incorporating specific-disease and -country factors to inform operational decisions making and strengthen countries’ capacities in epidemic responses.
The chemical compositions and biological activities of the Berberis wallichiana trunk were evaluated for the first time. The alkaloid berberine was found as the main constituent of this plant. In the ...essential oil fraction, safrole was the most abundant component. The isolated 8-oxypalmatine compound exhibited cytotoxic effects on all three cancer cell lines A549 (human lung carcinoma), MDA-MB-231 (human breast carcinoma), and DU145 (human prostate carcinoma), while berberine was the most active to DU145 cells (IC50 of 4.99 μM). This alkaloid compound also potently inhibited the production of nitric oxide with IC50 at 0.017 μM. These findings suggested that the trunks of B. wallichiana might be a good source of bioactive compounds.
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