Virome of Ixodes ricinus,Dermacentor reticulatus,and Haemaphysalis concinna Ticks from Croatia

Tick-borne diseases are a serious threat to both public and veterinary health. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing to characterize the virome of three tick species implicated in the spread of vector-borne disease throughout Croatia. Ten viruses were identified, including seven potential novel species within the viral families Flaviviridae, Nyamiviridae, Rhabdoviridae, Peribunyaviridae, Phenuiviridae, and Nairoviridae.     

Marine and Agro-Industrial By-Products Valorization Intended for Topical Formulations in Wound Healing Applications

Over the past years, research attention has been focusing more on waste-derived, naturally derived, and renewable materials, in the view of a more sustainable economy. In this work, different topical formulations were obtained from the valorization of marine and agro-industrial by-products and the use of Carbopol 940 as gelling agent. In particular, the combination of extracts obtained from the marine snail, Rapanosa venosa, with Cladophora vagabunda and grape pomace extracts, was investigated for wound healing purposes. Rapana venosa has demonstrated wound healing properties and antioxidant activity. Similarly, grape pomace extracts have been shown to accelerate the healing process. However, their synergic use has not been explored yet. To this aim, four different formulations were produced. Three formulations differed for the presence of a different extract of Rapana venosa: marine collagen, marine gelatin, and collagen hydrolysate, while another formulation used mammalian gelatin as further control. Physico-chemical properties of the extracts as well as of the formulations were analyzed. Furthermore, thermal stability was evaluated by thermogravimetric analysis. Antioxidant capacity and biological behavior, in terms of cytocompatibility, wound healing, and antimicrobial potential, were assessed. The results highlighted for all the formulations (i) a good conservation and thermal stability in time, (ii) a neutralizing activity against free radicals, (iii) and high degree of cytocompatibility and tissue regeneration potential. In particular, collagen, gelatin, and collagen hydrolysate obtained from the Rapana venosa marine snail represent an important, valuable alternative to mammalian products.     

The Potential Application of Natural Clinoptilolite-Rich Zeolite as Support for Bacterial Community Formation for Wastewater Treatment

The aim of this study was to investigate the use of natural zeolite as support for microbial community formation during wastewater treatment. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermal decomposition and differential thermogravimetric curves (TGA/DGT) techniques were used for the physicochemical and structural characterization of zeolites. The chemical characterization of wastewater was performed before and after treatment, after 30 days of using stationary zeolite as support. The chemical composition of wastewater was evaluated in terms of the products of nitrification/denitrification processes. The greatest ammonium (NH₄⁺) adsorption was obtained for wastewater contaminated with different concentrations of ammonium, nitrate and nitrite. The wastewater quality index (WWQI) was determined to assess the effluent quality and the efficiency of the treatment plant used, showing a maximum of 71% quality improvement, thus suggesting that the treated wastewater could be discharged into aquatic environments. After 30 days, NH₄⁺ demonstrated a high removal efficiency (higher than 98%), while NO₃⁺ and NO₂⁺ had a removal efficiency of 70% and 54%, respectively. The removal efficiency for metals was observed as follows (%): Mn > Cd > Cr > Zn > Fe > Ni > Co > Cu > Ba > Pb > Sr. Analysis of the microbial diversity in the zeolite samples indicated that the bacteria are formed due to the existence of nutrients in wastewater which favor their formation. In addition, the zeolite was characterized by SEM and the results indicated that the zeolite acts as an adsorbent for the pollutants and, moreover, as a support material for microbial community formation under optimal conditions. Comparing the two studied zeolites, NZ1 (particle size 1–3 mm) was found to be more suitable for wastewater treatment. Overall, the natural zeolite demonstrated high potential for pollutant removal and biomass support for bacteria community growth in wastewater treatment.     

Effects of Cu on plasma cortisol and cortisol secretion by adrenocortical cells of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Fish are exposed to multiple stressors, often acting concurrently, in their environment. To evaluate the potential of Cu to act as a chemical stressor, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were exposed to Cu (30 or 80 microg/l) for 30 days in the laboratory and they were subjected to a physical stressor (1 min air exposure) before sampling. Physiological stress indicators in the whole fish as well as cortisol secretion by adrenocortical cells in vitro were measured. Fish exposed to Cu had a lower condition factor, hepatosomatic index, plasma glucose, hepatic glycogen and gill Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase activity compared to controls. Exposure to Cu did not have an effect on basal plasma cortisol (fish sampled without air exposure stress) however, the air exposure-induced increase in plasma cortisol was lower in fish exposed to Cu. Cortisol secretion stimulated by ACTH in vitro was greater in adrenocortical cells isolated from fish exposed to Cu in vivo but in vitro exposure to Cu consistently impaired cortisol secretion. Our results indicate that Cu at high concentrations disrupts cortisol secretion through a direct toxic effect on adrenocortical cells while low concentrations resulting from a 30-day exposure to environmentally relevant Cu concentrations enhances cortisol secretion in response to ACTH in vitro.     

The successful use of alemtuzumab for treatment of steroid‐refractory acute graft‐versus‐host disease in pediatric patients

SR‐aGVHD remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in allogeneic HCT recipients. Alemtuzumab has been used with success in adult patients but has not been studied in the pediatric setting. To estimate the effectiveness of alemtuzumab for the treatment of SR‐aGVHD in pediatric patients, we retrospectively reviewed the charts of 19 patients (median age 4 yr, range 0.5–28 years) with grades II (n = 3), III (n = 10), or IV (n = 6) SR‐aGVHD who received alemtuzumab treatment. Patients received a median dose of 0.9 mg/kg alemtuzumab (range 0.3–2 mg/kg) divided over 2–6 days. Eighty‐nine percent of patients received additional courses. A complete response, defined as GVHD of grade 0 at four wk following the first alemtuzumab course, was observed in nine patients (47%). A partial response, defined as an improvement in grade after four wk, was observed in five patients (26%). There was no response in five patients (26%). The overall response rate at four wk was 73%. Infectious complications included bacteremia (47%), presumed or documented fungal infections (21%), adenovirus viremia (52%), EBV viremia (36%), and CMV viremia (36%). We conclude that alemtuzumab is effective for SR‐aGVHD in pediatric patients with a tolerable spectrum of complications.     

Superhydrophobic Anticorrosive Phosphonate–Siloxane Films Formed on Zinc with Different Surface Morphology

The composition, structure, and protective and hydrophobic properties of nanoscale films formed layer-by-layer in solutions of sodium dodecylphosphonate (SDDP) and vinyltrimethoxysilane or n-octyltriethoxysilane (OTES) on the zinc surface with different morphologies were studied by SEM, XPS, water contact angle measurements, and electrochemical and corrosion tests. The protective, hydrophobic properties of phosphonate–siloxane films on zinc and their stability in a corrosive media are determined both by the initial surface morphology and composition of the surface oxide layer, and by the nature of inhibitors. It was shown that preliminary laser texturing of the zinc surface is preferable than chemical etching to enhance the anticorrosive properties of the resulting thin films. The most stable films with excellent superhydrophobic and protective properties in atmospheres of high humidity and salt spray are formed on the zinc surface with fractal morphology during layer-by-layer passivation with SDDP and OTES.     

Aluminum Perlite Syntactic Foams

This paper presents the usage of spark plasma sintering (SPS) as a method to obtain aluminum-expanded perlite syntactic foams with high porosity. In the test samples, fine aluminum powder with flaky shape particles was used as matrix material and natural, inorganic, granular, expanded perlite was used as a space holder to ensure high porosity (35–57%) and uniform structure. SPS was used to consolidate the specimens. The structures were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and compression tests. Energy absorption (W~7.49 MJ/m³) and energy absorption efficiency (EW < 90%) were also determined.     

Eating Habits in Patients with Familial Hypercholesterolemia from North-Eastern Romania

(1) Background: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic autosomal dominant disorder characterized by elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) that develops deposits of lipids in the arterial wall. Since it is underdiagnosed and undertreated, the disease has a high risk of premature cardiovascular disease and death. Patients are not always aware of the changes they should make in their diet. Thus, our study aimed to evaluate through a food frequency questionnaire their eating habits. (2) Methods: We included 70 patients with FH and 20 subjects in a control group that were evaluated through a physical examination and blood tests. They also completed a food frequency questionnaire. (3) Results: Throughout our study, we observed several aspects: regardless of age, patients with FH had higher carbohydrate intakes compared to the control group; from the same group, a positive correlation was observed between salami intake and the levels of glucose and glycated hemoglobin. Moreover, the sour cream preference was associated with higher liver function tests. In the control group, we observed a higher intake of pasta and fast food and fewer fruit portions. (4) Conclusions: As far as we know, this is the first study from Romania that evaluated the eating habits of patients diagnosed with FH. Our study reveals that, although patients with FH avoid junk food, they still have a high intake of carbohydrates when compared to the control group. Further research is needed in order to get a comprehensive nutritional evaluation of these patients.     

Consumption of vegetables and fruits and risk of subtypes of head–neck cancer in the Netherlands Cohort Study

There is limited prospective data on the relationship between consumption of vegetables and fruits and the risk of head–neck cancer (HNC) subtypes [i.e., oral cavity cancer (OCC), oro‐/hypopharyngeal cancer (OHPC) and laryngeal cancer (LC)]. Therefore, we investigated these associations within the Netherlands Cohort Study, in which 120,852 participants completed a 150‐item food frequency questionnaire at baseline in 1986. After 20.3 years of follow‐up, 415 cases of HNC (131 OCC, 88 OHPC, three oral cavity/pharynx unspecified or overlapping and 193 LC) and 3,898 subcohort members were available for case–cohort analysis using Cox proportional hazards models. Total vegetable and fruit consumption was inversely associated with risk of HNC overall [multivariable‐adjusted rate ratios for highest vs. lowest quartile: 0.61, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.44–0.85, p trend 0.002] and all HNC subtypes, with the strongest associations for OCC. Total vegetable intake and total fruit intake were also associated with a decreased risk of HNC overall and HNC subtypes. No significant interaction was found between vegetable and fruit intake and alcohol consumption or cigarette smoking. In conclusion, in this large‐scale cohort study, consumption of vegetables and fruits was associated with a decreased risk of HNC overall and all subtypes. Consumption of vegetables and fruits (or of specific groups of them) may protect against HNC and its subtypes.