Hearing loss has been identified as the potentially largest modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), estimated to account for a similar increase in AD risk as the apolipoprotein E (

) gene.

We investigated the genetic relationship between hearing loss and AD, and sought evidence for a causal relationship.

We found a significant genetic overlap between hearing impairment and AD and a polygenic risk score for AD was able to significantly predict hearing loss in an independent cohort. Additionally, regions of the genome involved in inflammation were identified to be shared between hearing difficulty and AD. However, causality tests found no significant evidence of a causal relationship between these traits in either direction.

Overall, these results show that the relationship between hearing difficulty and AD may, in part, be due to shared genes and immune response pathways between the traits. However, currently available data do not support a causal relationship.

Overall, these results show that the relationship between hearing difficulty and AD may, in part, be due to shared genes and immune response pathways between the traits. However, currently available data do not support a causal relationship.

We sought to examine whether depressive symptoms and level of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology are independently or interactively associated with the risk of progression to mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

The study included a total of 216 participants from the Biomarkers for Older Controls at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease study, a cohort of individuals who were cognitively normal at baseline (mean age=57) and followed for more than 20 years (mean=12.7 years), who had baseline Hamilton Depression Scale (HAM-D) scores and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) amyloid beta (Aβ)

, t-tau, and p-tau measures available.

Cox regression demonstrated that baseline HAM-D and CSF AD biomarkers were both associated with time to onset of MCI. There was an interaction between HAM-D scores and markers of AD pathology, in which depression was associated with time of onset in participants with low levels of AD pathology (hazard ratio=0.64; 95% confidence interval=0.43-0.95;

=.026).

The effect of depressive symptoms on progression to clinical symptoms of MCI may be most evident among individuals with low levels of AD pathology.

The effect of depressive symptoms on progression to clinical symptoms of MCI may be most evident among individuals with low levels of AD pathology.

Plasma markers have been reported to be associated with brain amyloid burden, tau pathology, or neurodegeneration. We aimed to evaluate whether plasma biomarker profiles could predict Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology and clinical progression in older adults without dementia.

Cross-sectional and longitudinal data of participants enrolled in this study were from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). Plasma amyloid beta (Aβ)

/Aβ

ratio was selected as the marker for amyloid pathology, p-tau181 for tau pathology, and neurofilament light for neurodegeneration. Cut-offs for these plasma markers were calculated with well-established positron emission tomography and structural imaging biomarkers as reference. Older adults without dementia were categorized into eight groups at baseline by plasma amyloid/tau/neurodegeneration (A/T/N) cut-offs. Clinical progression was analyzed using linear mixed-effects models and Cox proportional hazard models.

A total of 183 participants (97 cognitively normal [CN] subjects and 86 patients with mild cognitive impairment [MCI]; mean age 72.6 years, and 48.1% men) were included. Participants with A+ had significantly higher proportions of apolipoprotein E (

) gene ɛ4 carriers than those with A-. Brain atrophy was observed in all groups of CN, whereas cognition decline was obvious in the A+T+N+ group. Compared to A-T-N-, MCI patients with A+T+N+ had faster cognition worsening and faster brain atrophy. In the whole cohort, A+T+N+ and A+T+N- participants were at higher risk of clinical progression.

Plasma A/T/N biomarker profiles may predict AD pathology and clinical progression, indicating a potential role for plasma biomarkers in clinical trials. More research is warranted to develop a robust plasma AD framework.

Plasma A/T/N biomarker profiles may predict AD pathology and clinical progression, indicating a potential role for plasma biomarkers in clinical trials. More research is warranted to develop a robust plasma AD framework.

This study aimed to predict brain amyloid beta (Aβ) status in older adults using collected information from an online registry focused on cognitive aging.

Aβ positron emission tomography (PET) was obtained from multiple in-clinic studies. Using logistic regression, we predicted Aβ using self-report variables collected in the Brain Health Registry in 634 participants, as well as a subsample (N=533) identified as either cognitively unimpaired (CU) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Cross-validated area under the curve (cAUC) evaluated the predictive performance.

The best prediction model included age, sex, education, subjective memory concern, family history of Alzheimer’s disease, Geriatric Depression Scale Short-Form, self-reported Everyday Cognition, and self-reported cognitive impairment. The cross-validated AUCs ranged from 0.62 to 0.66. This online model could help reduce between 15.2% and 23.7% of unnecessary Aβ PET scans in CU and MCI populations.

The findings suggest that a novel, online approach could aid in Aβ prediction.

The findings suggest that a novel, online approach could aid in Aβ prediction.Safety nets are expanding in African countries as a policy instrument to alleviate poverty and food insecurity. Whether safety nets have improved household food security and child diet and nutrition in sub-Saharan Africa has not been well documented. This paper takes the case of Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) and provides evidence of the impact of safety nets on household food security and child nutritional outcomes. Prior studies provide inconclusive evidence as to whether PSNP has improved household food security and child nutrition. These studies used analytical approaches that correct for selection bias but have overlooked the effect of time-varying confounders that might have resulted in biased estimation. Given that household food security status is both the criteria for participation and one of the desirable outcomes of the program, estimating the causal impact of PSNP on household food security and child nutrition is prone to endogeneity due to selection bias and time-varying confounders. Therefore, the objectives of this paper are (1) to examine the impacts of PSNP on household food security, child meal frequency, child diet diversity, and child anthropometry using marginal structural modeling approach that takes into account both selection bias and time-varying confounders and (2) to shed some light on policy and programmatic implications. Results show that PSNP has not improved household food insecurity, child dietary diversity, and child anthropometry despite its positive impact on child meal frequency. Household participation in PSNP brought a 0.308 unit gain on child meal frequency. Given the consequence of food insecurity and child undernutrition on physical and mental development, intergenerational cycle of poverty, and human capital formation, the program would benefit if it is tailored to nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions.We report the effect of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) against paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration (PCD) in a case of progressive ovarian cancer. Our patient developed PCD soon after postoperative chemotherapy and became bedridden. After undergoing IVIG, however, symptoms dramatically improved, and unexpectedly the remaining tumors were confirmed to have completely disappeared. When PCD is diagnosed, IVIG treatment should be attempted to reduce neuropathy regardless of its degree and the state of the cancer. It may also have further potential benefits that should be considered.Anastomosing hemangioma (AH) is an uncommon benign vascular tumor reported to occur in the kidney and, in rare instances, the ovary. While most cases of AH in the ovary are incidental findings, we report a case of ovarian AH presenting with abdominal ascites and elevated CA-125 suggestive of metastatic ovarian cancer. Postoperative histopathologic examination demonstrated a tumor consisting of numerous vascular spaces lined by benign-appearing endothelial cells with exuberant hilus cell hyperplasia. These characteristics led to the diagnosis of anastomosing hemangioma of the ovary. A summary of the characteristics of AH, along with a review of all previously reported cases and possible theories for its presentation, are discussed.Docetaxel is an anti-neoplastic agent commonly used to treat major solid tumors. Common toxicities of docetaxel include neutropenia, alopecia, nausea and vomiting. While docetaxel is typically considered an irritant, we present the case report of a 54-year-old female with high-grade undifferentiated uterine sarcoma who experienced a standard infusion reaction during a docetaxel infusion, followed by an atypical, delayed vesicant-type reaction, without a clear extravasation history.Analysis of the proteins of the aqueous humor can help to elucidate the complex pathogenesis of primary open angle glaucoma. Thanks to advances in liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) it is now possible to identify hundreds of proteins in individual aqueous humor samples without the need to pool samples. We performed a systematic literature search to find publications that performed LC-MS/MS on aqueous humor samples of glaucoma patients and of non-glaucomatous controls. Of the seven publications that we found, we obtained the raw data of three publications. These three studies used glaucoma patients that were clinically similar (i.e. undergoing glaucoma filtration surgery) which prompted us to reanalyse and combine their data. Raw data of each study were analysed separately with the latest version of MaxQuant (version v1.6.11.0). Outcome files were exported to Microsoft Excel. Samples belonging to the same patient were averaged to obtain peptide expression values per individual. We compars detected with high confidence, i.e. in more than 70% of the samples of at least one study. This yielded 248 proteins of which we compared the expression in glaucoma patients against control patients. Gene ontology enrichment analysis and pathway analysis was used to interpret the results. The unfiltered dataset reported in this data article and the approach reported here to reanalyse and combine raw data of different studies can be applied by other glaucoma researchers to gain more insight in the pathogenesis of glaucoma.Identification of kinase substrates is a prerequisite for elucidating the mechanism by which a kinase transduces internal or external stimuli to cellular responses. Conventional methods to profile this type of protein-protein interaction typically deal with one kinase-substrate pair at a time. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics, on the other hand, can determine putative kinase-substrate pairs at a large-scale in an unbiased manner. In this study, we identified the interacting partners of SNF1-related protein kinase 2.4 (SnRK2.4) via immunoprecipitation coupled with mass spectrometry. Proteins from stable transgenic Arabidopsis plants overexpressing a FLAG-tagged SnRK2.4 (cloned from Brassica napus) were pulled down using an anti-FLAG antibody. The protein components were then identified by mass spectrometry. In parallel, proteins from wild type plants were also analyzed, providing a list of nonspecific binding proteins that were further removed from the candidate SnRK2.4-interacting protein list. Our data identified over 30 putative SnRK2.4 interacting partners, which included many key players in stress responses, transport, and cellular metabolic processes.This work reports the measured and derived quantities of an experimental campaign conducted in an existing laundry to record the conditions of the exhaust air of a batch industrial natural gas-fired dryer for cotton flat fabrics, like bed linens or tablecloths. The load of fabrics is 85 kg, referred to the dry fabric. The measured quantities are temperature and velocity in the center of a squared exhaust duct, which are reported along with their measurement uncertainty. The derived quantity is the exhaust air mass flow rate along with its combined uncertainty. In particular, these data can be used to study the feasibility of waste heat recovery strategies, such as that studied in the related research article „Optimal cascade phase change regenerator for waste heat recovery in a batch industrial dryer” [1].

In this study we analyze new clinical data in the use of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for the treatment of pain and motor symptoms in patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), as both a singular bioelectric therapy and as a salvage therapy after deep brain stimulation (DBS).

Fifteen patients were recruited and had percutaneous electrodes implanted at the level of the thoracic or cervical spine. Participants were set to one of three stimulation modes continuous tonic stimulation, continuous Burst stimulation (40 Hz, 500 Hz, 1000 μs), or cycle mode (on time of 10-15 s, off time of 15-30 s) with Burst (40 Hz, 500 Hz, 1000 μs). Patients completed the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale, Self-Rating Depression Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Profile of Mood State, 10-meter walking test, and the Timed Up and Go (TUG).

All patients experienced significant improvement in VAS scores with a mean reduction of 59% across all patients. Patients who chose the cycling burst stimulation parameter had an average 67% reduction in VAS scores, as compared to the continuous burst parameter group, which had an average 48% reduction in VAS scores. Seventy-three percent of patients experienced improvement in the 10-meter walk, with an average improvement of 12%. Sixty-four percent of patients experienced clinically relevant improvements in the TUG, with an average improvement of 21%.

This study points to the potential utility of SCS to address both pain and certain aspects of motor symptoms in PD patients who have and have not received DBS therapy.

This study points to the potential utility of SCS to address both pain and certain aspects of motor symptoms in PD patients who have and have not received DBS therapy.While antiretroviral therapy (ART) can completely suppress viremia, it is not a cure for HIV. HIV persists as a latent reservoir of infected cells, able to evade host immunity and re-seed infection following cessation of ART. Two promising immunotherapeutic strategies to eliminate both productively infected cells and reactivated cells of the reservoir are the adoptive transfer of potent HIV-specific T cells and the passive administration of HIV-specific broadly neutralizing antibodies also capable of mediating antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). The simultaneous use of both as the basis of a single therapeutic has never been explored. We therefore sought to modify HIV-specific T cells from HIV-naive donors (to allow their use in the context of allotransplant, a promising platform for sterilizing cures) so they are able to secrete a broadly neutralizing antibody (bNAb) directed against the HIV envelope to elicit ADCC. We designed an antibody construct comprising bNAb 10-1074 heavy and light chainsaptive approach allows for synergy between the two immune arms, broadens the target range of the immune therapy, and provides further insight into what defines an effective anti-HIV response.Most antibodies display very low brain exposure due to the blood-brain barrier (BBB) preventing their entry into brain parenchyma. Transferrin receptor (TfR) has been used previously to ferry antibodies to the brain by using different formats of bispecific constructs. Tetravalent bispecific tandem immunoglobulin Gs (IgGs) (TBTIs) containing two paratopes for both TfR and protofibrillar forms of amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide were constructed and shown to display higher brain penetration than the parent anti-Aβ antibody. Additional structure-based mutations on the TfR paratopes further increased brain exposure, with maximal enhancement up to 13-fold in wild-type mice and an additional 4-5-fold in transgenic (Tg) mice harboring amyloid plaques, the main target of our amyloid antibody. Parenchymal target engagement of extracellular amyloid plaques was demonstrated using in vivo and ex vivo fluorescence imaging as well as histological methods. The best candidates were selected for a chronic study in an amyloid precursor protein (APP) Tg mouse model showing efficacy at reducing brain amyloid load at a lower dose than the corresponding monospecific antibody. TBTIs represent a promising format for enhancing IgG brain penetration using a symmetrical construct and keeping bivalency of the payload antibody.An adolescent with failure to thrive developed cuboid bone osteomyelitis and brain abscesses. Mold isolated from both locations was identified by universal genetic sequencing as Nannizziopsis spp, which is typically a pathogen of reptiles. The patient was subsequently diagnosed with a STAT1 mutation and was successfully treated.

Due to increasing multidrug-resistant (MDR) infections, there is an interest in assessing the use of bacteriophage therapy (BT) as an antibiotic alternative. After the first successful case of intravenous BT to treat a systemic MDR infection at our institution in 2017, the Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics (IPATH) was created at the University of California, San Diego, in June 2018.

We reviewed IPATH consult requests from June 1, 2018, to April 30, 2020, and reviewed the regulatory process of initiating BT on a compassionate basis in the United States. We also reviewed outcomes of the first 10 cases at our center treated with intravenous BT (from April 1, 2017, onwards).

Among 785 BT requests to IPATH, BT was administered to 17 of 119 patients in whom it was recommended. One-third of requests were for

,

, and

. Intravenous BT was safe with a successful outcome in 7/10 antibiotic-recalcitrant infections at our center (6 were before IPATH). BT may be safely self-administered by outpatients, used for infection suppression/prophylaxis, and combined successfully with antibiotics despite antibiotic resistance, and phage resistance may be overcome with new phage(s). Failure occurred in 2 cases despite in vitro phage susceptibility.

We demonstrate the safety and feasibility of intravenous BT for a variety of infections and discuss practical considerations that will be critical for informing future clinical trials.

We demonstrate the safety and feasibility of intravenous BT for a variety of infections and discuss practical considerations that will be critical for informing future clinical trials.Persistent viral activity may cause enduring seropositivity and inflammation in treated people with HIV (PWH). We compared inflammatory biomarkers between early treated PWH who remained seronegative or seroconverted and found similar levels of D-dimer, soluble cluster of differentiation 14, C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6, indicating that seronegativity does not affect chronic inflammation in early treated PWH.

Of all microbiological tests performed, blood cultures have the most impact on patient care. Timely results are essential, especially in the management of sepsis. While there are multiple available blood culture systems on the market, they have never been compared in a prospective study in a critically ill population.

We performed an analysis of the FABLED study cohort to compare culture results and time to positivity (TTP) of 2 widely used blood culture systems BacT/Alert and BACTEC. In this multisite prospective study, patients with severe manifestations of sepsis had cultures drawn before antibiotics using systematic enrollment criteria and blood drawing methodology allowing for minimization of pre-analytical biases.

We enrolled 315 patients; 144 had blood cultures (47 positive) with BacT/Alert and 171 with BACTEC (53 positive). Patients whose blood cultures were processed using the BacT/Alert system were younger (median, 64 vs 70 years;

 = .003), had a higher proportion of HIV (9.03% vs 1.75%;

  the BACTEC system yielded positive culture results 4.5 hours earlier than BacT/Alert. These results apply to commonly isolated bacteria. However, our study design did not allow direct comparison of TTP for unusual pathogens nor of clinical sensitivity between systems. More research is needed to determine the clinical implications of this finding.Maintenance antiretroviral therapy with combination of two injectable long-acting drugs, cabotegravir and rilpivirine, is a new strategy addressing the challenges of daily adherence to oral pills that has shown non-inferior efficacy to standard of care therapy in patients with suppressed HIV-infection. Patients co-infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) are not eligible for this dual therapy since it has no activity against HBV, but this strategy should also be restricted to patients with anti-HBs antibodies since people with HIV are still at risk of HBV acquisition due to high risk behavior and since HBV vaccination does not always elicit anti-HBs antibodies, as highlighted in the case report below.

Human cases of Madariaga virus (MADV) infection were first detected during an outbreak in 2010 in eastern Panama, where Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) also circulates. Little is known about the long-term consequences of either alphavirus infection.

A follow-up study of the 2010 outbreak was undertaken in 2015. An additional survey was carried out 2 weeks after a separate 2017 alphavirus outbreak in a neighboring population in eastern Panama. Serological studies and statistical analyses were undertaken in both populations.

Among the originally alphavirus-seronegative participants (n = 35 of 65), seroconversion was observed at a rate of 14.3% (95% CI, 4.8%-30.3%) for MADV and 8.6% (95% CI, 1.8%-23.1%) for VEEV over 5 years. Among the originally MADV-seropositive participants (n = 14 of 65), VEEV seroconversion occurred in 35.7% (95% CI, 12.8%-64.9%). In the VEEV-seropositive participants (n = 16 of 65), MADV seroconversion occurred in 6.3% (95% CI, 0.2%-30.2%). MADV seroreversion was observedoms up to 5 years following MADV and VEEV exposure.

pneumonia (PJP) remains a cause of mortality in HIV-negative patients. The clinical benefit of adjuvant corticosteroids in these patients is uncertain. This study aimed to determine if corticosteroids would reduce mortality in a cohort of HIV-negative PJP patients.

We examined a retrospective case series of patients diagnosed with PJP at the University of Colorado Hospital between 1995 and 2019. Data were collected in 71 PJP-infected patients. Twenty-eight patients were HIV-negative, and 43 were infected with HIV. We performed bivariate and forward, stepwise multivariable logistic regressions to identify mortality predictors.

Common underlying conditions in HIV-negative patients were hematologic malignancies (28.6%), autoimmune disorders (25.9%), and solid organ transplantation (10.7%). HIV-negative patients had higher rates and durations of mechanical ventilation and intensive care unit stay. Survival was significantly increased in HIV-negative patients receiving adjuvant corticosteroids, with 100% moe in PJP patients without HIV infection. Further prospective studies may establish a more definitive role of the addition of corticosteroids among HIV-negative patients with PJP.

is the leading cause of prosthetic joint infection (PJI). Beyond the antibiogram, little attention has been paid to the influence of deep microbiological characteristics on patient prognosis. Our aim was to investigate whether microbiological genotypic and phenotypic features have a significant influence on infection pathogenesis and patient outcome.

A prospective multicenter study was performed, including all

PJIs (2016-2017). Clinical data and phenotypic (

functionality, β-hemolysis, biofilm formation) and genotypic characteristics of the strains were collected. Biofilm susceptibility to antimicrobials was investigated (minimal biofilm eradication concentration [MBEC] assay).

Eighty-eight patients (39.8% men, age 74.7 ± 14.1 years) were included. Forty-five had early postoperative infections (EPIs), 21 had chronic infections (CPIs), and 19 had hematogenous infections (HIs). Twenty (22.7%) were caused by methicillin-resistant

. High genotypic diversity was observed, including 16 clonal complexelight differences in clinical presentation and pathogenesis. No major microbiological characteristics were observed to influence the outcome, including MBEC.Immune abnormalities featuring HIV infection persist despite the use of effective combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) and may be linked to the development of noninfectious comorbidities. The aim of the present narrative, nonsystematic literature review is to understand whether cART regimens account for qualitative differences in immune reconstitution. Many studies have reported differences in T-cell homeostasis, inflammation, coagulation, and microbial translocation parameters across cART classes and in the course of triple vs dual regimens, yet such evidence is conflicting and not consistent. Possible reasons for discrepant results in the literature are the paucity of randomized controlled clinical trials, the relatively short follow-up of observational studies, the lack of clinical validation of the numerous inflammatory biomarkers utilized, and the absence of research on the effects of cART in tissues. We are currently thus unable to establish if cART classes and regimens are truly accountable for the differences observed in immune/inflammation parameters in different clinical settings. Questions still remain as to whether an early introduction of cART, specifically in the acute stage of disease, or newer drugs and novel dual drug regimens are able to significantly impact the quality of immune reconstitution and the risk of disease progression in HIV-infected subjects.We analyzed Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) rates and various antimicrobials’ application densities from 2013 to 2019 at Leipzig University Hospital, Germany, by using multivariate linear regression. Ceftriaxone application was the only independent predictor of CDI incidence. Thus, antibiotics’ specific pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties such as biliary excretion of ceftriaxone in its active form should be considered when determining their potential to cause CDI.Childhood tuberculosis (TB) is a significant public health problem and the ninth leading cause of death worldwide. Progression of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection to active disease depends on mycobacterial virulence, environmental diversity, and host susceptibility and immune response. In children, malnutrition and immaturity of the immune system contribute to an inadequate immune response. Coinfections, though rarely described in TB, might be associated with host immune deficiencies. Here, we describe the immunological evaluation of eight pediatric patients infected with a member of the M. tuberculosis complex, most of them with concomitant pulmonary infections (bacteria, viruses, or fungi). We assessed the functionality of several innate immunity receptors, IL-12 receptor, and IFN-γ receptor, as well as the antioxidant levels (glutathione), which are essential mechanisms for fighting intracellular pathogens such as M. tuberculosis. This study is aimed at developing a thorough immunological evaluation of patients with TB and a coinfection.

The objective of this study was to analyze the 100 top-cited systematic reviews/meta-analyses on diabetic research.

The Science Citation Index Expanded database was searched to identify top-cited studies on diabetic research up to March 4

, 2020. Studies were analyzed using the following characteristics citation number, publication year, country and institution of origin, authorship, topics, and journals.

The 100 top-cited diabetic systematic reviews/meta-analyses were published in 43 different journals, with

having the highest numbers (

= 17), followed by

(

= 14) and

(

= 9). The majority of studies are published in the 2000s. The number of citations ranged from 2197 to 301. The highest number of contributions was from the USA, followed by England and Australia. The leading institution was Harvard University. The hot topic was a risk factor (

= 33), followed by comorbidity (

= 27).

The 100 top-cited systematic reviews/meta-analyses on diabetic research identify impactful authors, journals, institutes, and countries. It will also provide the most important references to evidence-based medicine in diabetes and serve as a guide to the features of a citable paper in this field.

The 100 top-cited systematic reviews/meta-analyses on diabetic research identify impactful authors, journals, institutes, and countries. It will also provide the most important references to evidence-based medicine in diabetes and serve as a guide to the features of a citable paper in this field.[This corrects the article DOI 10.1155/2014/169203.].Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are widely known for their probiotic activities for centuries. These bacteria synthesise some secretory proteinaceous toxins, bacteriocins, which help destroy similar or interrelated bacterial strains. This study was aimed at characterising bacteriocins extracted from Lactobacillus spp. found in yoghurt and assessing their bactericidal effect on foodborne bacteria. Twelve isolated Lactobacillus spp. were examined to produce bacteriocins by the organic solvent extraction method. Bacteriocins produced by two of these strains, Lactobacillus helveticus (BLh) and Lactobacillus plantarum (BLp), showed the most significant antimicrobial activity, especially against Staphylococcus aureus and Acinetobacter baumannii. Analysis of SDS-PAGE showed that L. plantarum and L. helveticus bacteriocins have a molecular weight of ~10 kDa and ~15 kDa, respectively. L. plantarum (BLp) bacteriocin was heat stable while L. helveticus (BLh) bacteriocin was heat labile. Both bacteriocins have shown activity at acidic pH. Exposure to a UV light enhances the activity of the BLh; however, it had negligible effects on the BLp. Different proteolytic enzymes confirmed the proteinaceous nature of both the bacteriocins. From this study, it was concluded that bacteriocin extracts from L. helveticus (BLh) can be considered a preferable candidate against foodborne pathogens as compared to L. plantarum (BLp). These partially purified bacteriocins should be further processed to attain purified product that could be useful for food spoilage and preservation purposes.This study investigated if intestinal Clostridioides difficile (CD) causes liver injury. Four-week-old male C3H/HeN mice were treated with phosphate-buffered solution (control), CD, diethylnitrosamine (DEN) to induce liver injury with PBS (DEN+PBS), and DEN with CD (DEN+CD) for nine weeks. After sacrifice, livers and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) were removed and bacterial translocation, transcriptomes, and proteins were analysed. CD was found in 20% of MLNs from the control and DEN+PBS groups, in 30% of MLNs from the CD group, and in 75% of MLNs from the DEN+CD groups, which had injured livers. Also, CD was detected in 50% of the livers in the DEN+CD group with CD-positive MLNs. Elevated IL-1β, HB-EGF, EGFR, TGF-α, PCNA, DES, HMGB1, and CRP expressions were observed in the CD and DEN+CD groups as compared to the control and DEN+PBS groups. Protein levels of IL-6 and HMGB1 were higher in the CD and DEN+CD groups than in the control and DEN+PBS groups. These results indicate that intestinal CD can initiate and aggravate liver injury, and the mechanism of pathogenesis for liver injury should be investigated in further studies.The antioxidant properties of uric acid may have a protective effect against the formation of oxygen radicals and subsequently against carcinogenicity. The present study aimed at evaluating the serum level of uric acid in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) with different histopathological grades. In this descriptive-analytical, case-control study, patients with OSCC and healthy controls were selected and matched regarding age and gender. The serum samples were collected from patients (before radiotherapy and chemotherapy) and controls, and their serum uric acid levels were measured enzymatically. Data were analyzed using independent t-test and ANOVA at 0.05 level of significance. The mean serum uric acid level in OSCC patients (4.2 ± 1.5 mg/dL) and healthy controls (4.38 ± 1.22 mg/dL) was not significantly different (P = 0.377). No significant association was noted between the histopathological grade of OSCC and mean serum uric acid (P = 0.781). The serum uric acid level had a direct significant correlation with age in OSCC patients (P less then 0.001). The results of this study did not support the role of uric acid as a protective biomarker in OSCC. Further prospective studies are recommended to better elucidate the role of uric acid in the etiology of OSCC.There is an increased effort on developing novel and active surfaces in order to accelerate their osteointegration, such as nanosized crystalline hydroxyapatite coating (HAnano®). To better understand the biological behavior of osteoblasts grown on HAnano® surface, the set of data was compared with SLActive®, a hydrophilic sandblasted titanium surface. Methodologically, osteoblasts were seeded on both surfaces up to 72 hours, to allow evaluating cell adhesion, viability, and set of genes encoding proteins related with adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation. Our data shows HAnano® displays an interesting substrate to support cell adhesion with typical spread morphologic cells, while SLActive®-adhering cells presented fusiform morphology. Our data shows that the cellular adhesion mechanism was accompanied with upexpression of integrin β1, Fak, and Src, favoring the assembling of focal adhesion platforms and coupling cell cycle progression (upmodulating of Cdk2, Cdk4, and Cdk6 genes) in response to HAnano®. Additionally, both bioactive surfaces promoted osteoblast differentiation stimulus, by activating Runx2, Osterix, and Alp genes. Although both surfaces promoted Rankl gene expression, Opg gene expression was higher in SLActive® and this difference reflected on the Rankl/Opg ratio. Finally, Caspase1 gene was significantly upmodulated in response to HAnano® and it suggests an involvement of the inflammasome complex. Collectively, this study provides enough evidences to support that the nanohydroxyapatite-coated surface provides the necessary microenvironment to drive osteoblast performance on dental implants and these stages of osteogenesis are expected during the early stages of osseointegration.The coconut sugar powder produced by vacuum drying and conventional method has high hygroscopicity due to its high sugar content (mostly sucrose). Therefore, it is easier for caking to occur during storage. An anticaking agent such as tricalcium phosphate was therefore added to the powder to maintain its stability. The purpose of this research was to determine the physical characteristics of amorphous and crystalline coconut sugar after the addition of tricalcium phosphate (TCP) in different concentrations. The two types of coconut sugar were prepared by the conventional method, which gave it a predominantly crystalline structure, and the vacuum drying method, which gave it a mainly amorphous structure. The TCP at concentrations 0, 0.5%, and 1% was added to both types of the coconut sugar. The addition of the anticaking agent affected the water sorption of coconut sugar by decreasing the monolayer water content for both types of coconut sugar. TCP seemed to give more significant effect on decreasing the hygroscopicity of crystalline coconut sugar than the amorphous one, while similar trends were obtained in increasing flow ability of both types of coconut sugar. The capacity of TCP to cover the surface of the host coconut powder was proposed as the mechanism of TCP in decreasing hygroscopicity and increasing flow ability of the host powder.

This work aimed at studying dietary energy supplementation effects during late pregnancy upon the metabolic status of does, as well as on the birth weight (BW), body temperature, and metabolic profile for their kids and the net economic profit.

Eighty pregnant does (Egyptian Nubian) were equally split into four dietary treatments; the control (CON) receiving basal diet, the basal diet with 200 gm corn starch and 100 gm of molasses /h/d added (MS), the basal diet with 300 gm/h/d of corn grains added (CG), and the basal diet with 300 gm/h/d of barley grains added (BG).

Body weight and temperature of kids were significantly higher in MS and BG groups, respectively. The serum concentration of albumin (Alb), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels are significantly decreased. At the same time, urea and vitamin A increased dramatically in the BG group before giving birth. After birth, conversely, the serum concentration of albumin, AST, ALT, cholesterol, and vitamin A signiation may also increases the profit margins of the farmers.

To evaluate the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in the attenuation of canine atopic dermatitis (AD).

Sixteen dogs were selected and divided into three groups, mild, moderate, and severe, according to the Canine Atopic Dermatitis Extent and Severity Index (CADESI-4). They were evaluated for 82 days. The protocol recommended in this experiment was to inject 2 × 10

/kg bodyweight of MSC’s in all groups by the intravenous route with intervals of applications of 21 days. The degree of pruritus was evaluated by examining the visual analog scale, the CADESI-4, the histopathology of the skin, hematological and biochemical parameters, the pyogenic effect of MSCs, and the thickness of the epidermis.

There was a significant difference in the reduction of epidermal thickness in the moderate and severe groups. Hematological, biochemical, and body temperature parameters remained within normal limits for the species with no side effects.

MSCs attenuated the clinical signs of AD.

MSCs attenuated the clinical signs of AD.

The present study estimated the seroprevalence of avian reovirus (ARV) infections in backyard chickens of the Mymensingh district in Bangladesh.

Considering several risk factors, a total of 460 serum samples were collected from backyard chickens from eight Upazilas of the Mymensingh district in Bangladesh. Blood samples were taken from the wing vein using 3-ml sterile syringes and kept at room temperature for clotting in a slanting position and then transported to the laboratory maintaining the cool chain. Subsequently, the prepared sera were harvested and stored at -20°C until used. Finally, an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to detect ARVspecific antibodies using a commercial ARV antibody detection ELISA test kit.

The results revealed high prevalence rates of ARV antibodies, with a total seroprevalence of 69.78% (321/460). Area-wise, 74.55% (82/110) seroprevalence was recorded as the highest in Mymensingh Sadar, whereas 64% (32/50) was the lowest in Gauripur Upazila. W current study indicates an extensive exposure of ARV to backyard chickens in Bangladesh that may be transmitted naturally to other chickens, ultimately leading to ominous economic effects on the poultry sector.

The high prevalence of ARV antibodies revealed in the current study indicates an extensive exposure of ARV to backyard chickens in Bangladesh that may be transmitted naturally to other chickens, ultimately leading to ominous economic effects on the poultry sector.

IThis study was designed for the investigation of the effect of infection by

on the changes of reproductive indices of the testis, causing reproductive failure in dromedary bulls (

).

Seventy-five bulls were used for monitoring of the changes in the semen characteristics, reproductive hormones, hematobiochemical profiles, histopathological characters in the testis, and oxidative biomarkers. The animals were divided into two groups. Group A represented the uninfected or control group, while group B represented the infected group. Group B was again divided into two subgroups, such as acute and chronic infected animals.

Results showed that the semen analysis of infected camels revealed the presence of alterations in the morphology of sperms, especially the heads and tails, as compared to control animals. The hormonal profile indicated a significant decrease in the luteinizing hormone, follicle- stimulating hormone, and testosterone levels, accompanied by the rise in the cortisol level in infected camels compared with the negative control. The histopathology and testicular degeneration were found to be associated with other disorders in infected camels. The oxidative profile and protein oxidation were promoted in infected testicles, indicating the occurrence of harmful effects in the cell.

It is concluded that

infection in dromedary bulls causes severe damage to the testicular tissue and decreases the reproductive hormone levels associated with severe morphological disorders in sperms due to oxidative stress resulting from the infection. All these findings indicate that

can cause reproductive failure and fertility damage.

It is concluded that T. evansi infection in dromedary bulls causes severe damage to the testicular tissue and decreases the reproductive hormone levels associated with severe morphological disorders in sperms due to oxidative stress resulting from the infection. All these findings indicate that T. evansi can cause reproductive failure and fertility damage.

This study aimed to examine the occurrence of

in falcons from the central region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

Fecal samples (

= 149) from 149 healthy falcons including 56 saker falcons

, 13 lanner falcons (

, 18 peregrine falcons

, 40 Barbary falcons

, and 22 gyrfalcons (

were collected between October 2018 and May 2019. The fecal samples were examined for the presence of C. neofalconis by microscopic examination followed by confirmation by polymerase chain reaction targeting

genes and their phylogenetic analyses.

The overall prevalence of

in the falcons was recorded as 10.7% (16/149) by microscopic examination. The highest prevalence was found in

(6/18, 33.3%), followed by

(3/22, 13.6%),

(5/56, 8.9 %) and

(2/40, 5.0%). There was no C. neofalconis infection observed in

. The

gene could be amplified in eight samples. The phylogenetic analysis of two

isolates exhibited a close relationship with the Mexican isolate (KT03081) with a 99.7% identity.

To our knowledge, based on the microscopic and molecular analysis, this is the first report of

in

,

,

, and

from the central region of the KSA and it emphasize the value of adopting preventive measures to limit the spread of

.

To our knowledge, based on the microscopic and molecular analysis, this is the first report of C. neofalconis in F. cherrug, F. rusticolus, F. pelegrinoides, and F. peregrinus from the central region of the KSA and it emphasize the value of adopting preventive measures to limit the spread of C. neofalconis.

This experiment was designed to assess the quality and to evaluate the feeding impact of moringa feed on intake, digestibility, rumen fermentation, methane (CH

) production, and milk yield.

According to body weight and exit-entry average daily milk production, fifteen BLRI cattle breed-1 lactating cows of 3rd or 4th stage of parturition with wk 3 and 4 of calving were selected and were equally and randomly distributed into three dietary groups. One group of cows was fed a control diet (T

) consisting of 11 dry matter (DM) of Napier silage and conventionally mixed concentrate. The other two groups were fed a control diet by randomly replacing i) 50% (T

) or ii) 100% (T

) of its concentrate with moringa feed. The three dietary groups were balanced nutritionally based on energy and protein following the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) standard.

The concentrate mixture was replaced with moringa feed to increase the feed efficiency and to reduce the DM or crude protein intake (p < 0.05) per 100 kg of metabolic body weight. The T

group flourished with the highest (p < 0.05) amount of raw milk and also 4% fat-corrected milk (4.39 and 4.59 kg/day, respectively) compared to the T

group (3.30 and 3.49 kg/day, respectively). However, it increased (p < 0.05) the concentration of total volatile fatty acid and decreased (p < 0.05) the blood and milk cholesterol, and ammonia-nitrogen (NH

-N) was reputed by adding moringa feed into the T

group, without showing any significant (p > 0.05) change in CH

production, fat, solid not fat, lactose or protein content of milk.

Therefore, moringa feed increased the productivity in dairy cows, replacing the whole concentrate diet.

Therefore, moringa feed increased the productivity in dairy cows, replacing the whole concentrate diet.

This study was carried out to find out the immunolocalization of Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and Interleukin 10 (IL-10) in the testicular tissue of testicular dysfunction rat treated with secretome from human umbilical stem cells.

Rats were induced with cisplatin for testicular dysfunction condition. After that, the rats were grouped into two categories and were treated with secretome at 0.2 and 0.5 ml/kg BW once every week for 4 weeks. One week later, after the secretome treatment, the rats were sacrificed for histological evaluation using the immunohistochemical method. The preparation slides were examined using a light microscope and were analyzed descriptively and quantitatively.

There were no IL-6 and IL-10 immunoreactivities seen in the testicular tissue after cisplatin induction. However, the immunoreactivities of IL-6 and IL-10 were detected after secretome treatment, with both dosages of 0.2 and 0.5 ml/kg BW. These immunoreactivities were detected in the spermatogonia, spermatid/luminal tissue of seminiferous tubule, spermatogenic cells, and Leydig cells. In the cell calculation, the numbers of IL-6 immunoreactive cells were higher at the lower secretome dosage. In contrast, the numbers of IL-10 immunoreactive cells were higher at the higher secretome dosage.

IL-6 and IL-10 can be localized in the testicular tissue of testicular dysfunction rat after secretome treatment.

IL-6 and IL-10 can be localized in the testicular tissue of testicular dysfunction rat after secretome treatment.

The objective of this study was to investigate the intensity of phage infection caused by

, which was isolated from dairy farms, depending on the initial number of

cells in the medium.

To evaluate the impact of the viable bacteria

on the intensity of phage infection caused by

, 1 mg of phagolysate (phage titer 10

CFU/ ml) was introduced in 9 ml of nutrient broth with an appropriate amount of daily culture of

under study. The number of viable staphylococci was determined by total viable count/ml.

In this experiment, we found that the intensity of phages lytic activity was dependent on the number of sensitive bacterial cells in the volume of the culture medium. Effective phage therapy requires a high concentration of phages in the medium (inflammation foci) for rapid contact of the virus with bacteria.

When developing a phage drug to treat subclinical mastitis, it is necessary to increase the phage titer in the drug or its dosage compared to the clinical form, as there is a lower probability of phage contact with a susceptible microbial cell. Besides, at a high concentration of bacteria, there is a gradual decrease in nutrients in the medium, resulting in phages going back to the condition of lysogeny.

When developing a phage drug to treat subclinical mastitis, it is necessary to increase the phage titer in the drug or its dosage compared to the clinical form, as there is a lower probability of phage contact with a susceptible microbial cell. Besides, at a high concentration of bacteria, there is a gradual decrease in nutrients in the medium, resulting in phages going back to the condition of lysogeny.

Annual health screening inclusive of heart workup is recommended for the detection of heart diseases, especially in asymptomatic patients (no clinical signs). This study determined the occurrences of the common heart disease and the risk factors in apparently healthy cats.

This prospective study that screened 59 healthy cats and the status of the heart were evaluated based on a combination of findings from physical examination, electrocardiography, blood pressure measurement, routine blood test, urinalysis, and total thyroid level.

Approximately 40.7% (

= 24/59) of the apparently healthy cats were diagnosed with heart disease hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (62.5%) remains to be the most commonly diagnosed. The mean age was 4.9-year old (age range, 7-month-old to 19-year-old). The prevalence was higher in males (45.0%;

= 17/38) cats, especially the domestic shorthairs (46.0%;

= 11/24). Among the healthy cats with vertebral heart scale (VHS) > 8.0, only 52% (

= 12/23) of them were diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. However, 33% (

= 12/36) of the cats with normal VHS ≤ 7.9 were diagnosed with heart disease. Consistently, all healthy cats with abnormal heart sounds were diagnosed with heart disease. About 31.4% (

= 16/51) of these cats with typical heart sound had cardiomyopathy too.

The occurrence of cardiomyopathy in apparently healthy cats has no association with the patient’s age, sex, and VHS, except for the heart sound. Echocardiography remains the best diagnostic tool, as normal heart size and normal heart sound do not exclude cardiomyopathy in this group of apparently healthy cats.

The occurrence of cardiomyopathy in apparently healthy cats has no association with the patient’s age, sex, and VHS, except for the heart sound. Echocardiography remains the best diagnostic tool, as normal heart size and normal heart sound do not exclude cardiomyopathy in this group of apparently healthy cats.Captive birds in zoological settings often harbor parasites, but little information is available about the potential for free-ranging avifauna to act as a source of infection. This review summarizes the gastrointestinal parasites found in zoo birds globally and in seven common free-ranging avian species [mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Eurasian blackbird (Turdus merula), common starling (Sturnus vulgaris), Eurasian jackdaw (Corvus monedula), house sparrow (Passer domesticus), European robin (Erithacus rubecula), and rock dove (Columba livia)] to identify the overlap and discuss the potential for cross-species transmission. Over 70 references were assessed, and papers spanned over 90 years from 1925 to 2019. A total of 60 studies from 1987 to 2019 met the eligibility criteria. All examined free-ranging avifauna harbored parasite species that were also reported in zoo birds, except for the European jackdaw. Parasites reported in captive and free-ranging birds include nematodes (Capillaria caudinflata, Dispharynx nasuta, Ornithostrongylus quadriradiatus, Strongyloides avium, Syngamus trachea, and Tetrameres fissispina), cestodes (Dicranotaenia coronula, Diorchis stefanskii, Fimbriaria fasciolaris, and Raillietina cesticillus, Sobolevicanthus gracilis), trematode (Echinostoma revolutum), and protozoa (Cryptosporidium baileyi).