UPLC–MS and Dereplication-Based Identification of Metabolites in Antifungal Extracts of Fungal Endophytes

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, India Section B: Biological Sciences - Microbial biopesticides offer an eco-friendly alternative to synthetic chemical pesticides. Bioassay-guided...     

Difference of sociodemographic characteristics among the disabled population in Cambodia: a cross-sectional study of the demographic and health survey data

Objective: There is an urgent need to raise awareness of the significance of the social security system for vulnerable populations in developing countries and identify the widening disparities among people with disabilities. This study determined the sociodemographic characteristics of people with disabilities in Cambodia.Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Data from the Cambodia Demographic and Health Survey were used to determine the association between disability and sociodemographic characteristics such as age, gender, number of family members, residence (rural/urban), and economic status.Results: The results showed that the proportion of people with disabilities greatly increased with age. The rural-urban residence difference affected the disability proportion in univariate analysis; however, the effect was not significant after adjusting for covariables in multivariate analysis. The odds of having a disability were 0.85 times lower for the high economic status group than for the low economic status group.Conclusion: Raising awareness to expand the capacity of social support for older adults with disabilities, especially those who do not receive care from their families, may be an urgent issue in Cambodia. Therefore, a well-designed and disease-specific study is required. This study was the first to determine the sociodemographic disparities among people with disabilities in Cambodia.     

Online data on opening hours of general practices in England: a comparison with telephone survey data

Background

The NHS Choices website (www.nhs.uk) provides data on the opening hours of general practices in England. If the data are accurate, they could be used to examine the benefits of extended hours.

Aim

To determine whether online data on the opening times of general practices in England are accurate regarding the number of hours in which GPs provide face-to-face consultations.

Design and setting

Cross-sectional comparison of data from NHS Choices and telephone survey data reported by general practice staff, for a nationally representative sample of 320 general practices (December 2013 to September 2014).

Method

GP face-to-face consultation times were collected by telephone for each sampled practice for each day of the week. NHS Choices data on surgery times were available online. Analysis was based on differences in the number of surgery hours (accounting for breaks) and the times of the first and last consultations of the day only between the two data sources.

Results

The NHS Choices data recorded 8.8 more hours per week than the survey data on average (40.1 versus 31.2; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 7.4 to 10.3). This was largely accounted for by differences in the recording of breaks between sessions. The data were more similar when only the first and last consultation times were considered (mean difference = 1.6 hours; 95% CI = 0.9 to 2.3).

Conclusion

NHS Choices data do not accurately measure the number of hours in which GPs provide face-to-face consultations. They better record the hours between the first and last consultations of the day.     

Role of Ultra-Wide Field Imaging in the Management of Tubercular Posterior Uveitis

Purpose: To assess the utility of ultra-wide field (UWF) versus conventional fundus imaging in the management of tubercular (TB) posterior uveitis.

Methods: Twenty-two consecutive patients (33 eyes) diagnosed with TB posterior uveitis in a tertiary care center who underwent UWF fundus photography and fluorescein angiography (FA) between July 2014 and March 2015 were included. Complete clinical and imaging records of the patients were retrospectively reviewed. A circle simulating the central 75-degree field was drawn on UWF pseudocolor and fluorescein angiography images. Findings within the circle were compared with the information yielded by the complete image and its impact on patient management was noted.

Results: The clinical manifestations of posterior tubercular uveitis included retinal vasculitis (17 eyes), multifocal serpiginoid choroiditis (13 eyes), choroidal granulomas (2 eyes) and intermediate uveitis (1 eye). UWF imaging revealed additional capillary non-perfusion areas, neovascularization, active vasculitis, and peripheral choroiditis lesions in 30/33 eyes (90.9%), which influenced treatment decision in 15 eyes (45.5%).

Conclusions: UWF imaging is useful in the detection of peripheral pathologies in tubercular posterior uveitis that may influence management decisions, such as addition of immunosuppressive therapy or scatter laser photocoagulation.     

Medicaid managed care in Iowa: Experiences of older adults and people with disabilities

BackgroundA growing number of states are turning to managed care arrangements to provide care to senior and disabled Medicaid beneficiaries. Despite their complex care needs, very little is known about the experience of these individuals in managed care.ObjectiveTo document experiences of a sample of aged and disabled Medicaid beneficiaries receiving long-term services and supports through managed care in Iowa and to assess whether these experiences changed over time.MethodsA purposive sample of 49 aged and disabled beneficiaries enrolled in one of seven HCBS waivers in Iowa was recruited in 2017. Telephone surveys were conducted in 2017 and 2019. A conventional content analysis was used to generate themes, which were then ranked by frequency proportions. Thematic frequencies were compared across waves among repeat respondents.ResultsContent analysis yielded seven themes in the following areas: system navigation; service approvals; provider relations; customer service; case management; perception of Iowa’s transition to managed care; and oversight. Concerns with service approvals was the most frequently reported theme and within this, issues related to changes in approved services or hours and quality of newly approved services comprised the largest number of references. Beneficiary concerns appeared to grow over time among respondents participating in both survey interview waves.ConclusionThe results of this study point to serious and persistent concerns related to access and quality of care under managed care for at least some HCBS waiver participants in Iowa, underscoring the need for a comprehensive evaluation of the program.     

Experimental priapism is associated with increased oxidative stress and activation of protein degradation pathways in corporal tissue

Priapism is a debilitating disease for which there is at present no clinically accepted pharmacological intervention. It has been estimated that priapism lasting more than 24?h in patients is associated with a 44-90% rate of ED. In this investigation, we determined in two animal models of priapism (opiorphin-induced priapism in the rat and priapism in a mouse model of sickle cell disease) if there is evidence for an increase in markers of oxidative stress in corporal tissue. In both animal models, we demonstrate that priapism results in increased levels of lipid peroxidation, glutathione S-transferase activity and oxidatively damaged proteins in corporal tissue. Using western blot analysis, we demonstrated there is upregulation of the ubiquitination ligase proteins, Nedd-4 and Mdm-2, and the lysosomal autophage protein, LC3. The antiapoptotic protein, Bcl-2, was also upregulated. Overall, we demonstrate that priapism is associated with increased oxidative stress in corporal tissue and the activation of protein degradation pathways. As oxidative stress is known to mediate the development of ED resulting from several etiologies (for example, ED resulting from diabetes and aging), we suggest that damage to erectile tissue resulting from priapism might be prevented by treatments targeting oxidative stress.     

Next-generation protein-rich potato expressing the seed protein gene AmA1 is a result of proteome rebalancing in transgenic tuber

Protein deficiency is the most crucial factor that affects physical growth and development and that increases morbidity and mortality especially in developing countries. Efforts have been made to improve protein quality and quantity in crop plants but with limited success. Here, we report the development of transgenic potatoes with enhanced nutritive value by tuber-specific expression of a seed protein, AmA1 (Amaranth Albumin 1), in seven genotypic backgrounds suitable for cultivation in different agro-climatic regions. Analyses of the transgenic tubers revealed up to 60% increase in total protein content. In addition, the concentrations of several essential amino acids were increased significantly in transgenic tubers, which are otherwise limited in potato. Moreover, the transgenics also exhibited enhanced photosynthetic activity with a concomitant increase in total biomass. These results are striking because this genetic manipulation also resulted in a moderate increase in tuber yield. The comparative protein profiling suggests that the proteome rebalancing might cause increased protein content in transgenic tubers. Furthermore, the data on field performance and safety evaluation indicate that the transgenic potatoes are suitable for commercial cultivation. In vitro and in vivo studies on experimental animals demonstrate that the transgenic tubers are also safe for human consumption. Altogether, these results emphasize that the expression of AmA1 is a potential strategy for the nutritional improvement of food crops.