An abbreviated MLVA identifies Escherichia coli ST131 as the major extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing lineage in the Copenhagen area

Rapid bacterial typing is a valuable and necessary tool in the prevention and detection of outbreaks. The purpose of this study was to adapt a multilocus variable number of tandem repeats analysis (MLVA) for analysis on a benchtop capillary electrophoresis instrument and compare the modified assay with multilocus sequence typing (MLST) for typing cefpodoxime-resistant Escherichia coli (E. coli). Further, we identified the causative resistance mechanisms and epidemiological type of infection for isolates producing extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs). A collection of E. coli resistant to cefpodoxime was typed by MLST and a modified MLVA assay using a benchtop capillary electrophoresis instrument. Resistance mechanisms were identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing. Patient history was examined to establish the epidemiological type of infection for ESBL-producing E. coli. MLVA yielded typing results homologous with MLST and it correctly identified E. coli sequence type (ST) 131 that was accounting for 45 % of all ESBL-producing isolates in the sample collection. The majority (76.7 %) of ESBL-producing isolates was healthcare-related and only 23.3 % of the ESBL-producing isolates were community-onset infections (COI), regardless of the ST. Patients with COI were significantly more often of female gender and younger age compared to healthcare-associated infections (HCAI) and hospital-onset infections (HOI). In conclusion, the modified MLVA is a useful tool for the rapid typing of E. coli and it identified ST131 as the predominating ESBL-producing lineage in Copenhagen. Healthcare-related infections were the predominant infection setting of ESBL-producing E. coli and the demographic characteristics differed between patients with COI and healthcare-related infections.     

Removal of dyes by agricultural waste

Biowaste is an important sustainable source of adsorption activities for many harmful materials, such as hazardous metals/elements and organics. It has many advantages over the conventional materials due to its low cost, abundance, affective adsorption capacity, and recyclability. Dyes are mainly organics with different structures and molecular weights; they are harmful to the environment and organisms if they were not efficiently treated before releasing. However, there is a massive number of dyes that classified into different categories, and there are different adsorbents that were reported for dyes adsorption. Among these dyes, methyl dyes with their different colors are very common in researches because of their availability and easiness in the study. Also, there are various biosorbents that were used, prepared, or grafted from different parts of plants and animals. In this review, we are focusing on the use of plant parts, such as the leaf, peel, etc. in dyes removal. Researches numbers in this field are increasing yearly (based on Scopus database information), which indicates the importance of this type of material; though, we selected a group of articles to focus on to clarify the idea in summary. Different adsorption capacities, operation conditions, and applying forms were studied, and the reported results showed that biomass adsorbents are so influential and recyclable. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms were illustrated and tabled for selected studies to show the adsorbents behaviors and adsorption mechanisms.     

Drug delivery of amoxicillin molecule as a suggested treatment for covid-19 implementing functionalized mesoporous SBA-15 with aminopropyl groups

SARS-CoV-2 is a novel coronavirus that was isolated and identified for the first time in Wuhan, China in 2019. Nowadays, it is a worldwide danger and the WHO named it a pandemic. In this investigation, a functionalization post-synthesis method was used to assess the ability of an adapted SBA-15 surface as a sorbent to load the drug from an aqueous medium. Different characterization approaches were used to determine the characterization of the substance before and after functionalization such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen adsorption–desorption porosimetry (Brunauer–Emmett–Teller) BET surface area analysis, and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Batch adsorption testing was carried out in a single adsorption device to find the impact of multiple variables on the drug amoxicillin charge output. The following parameters were studied: 0–72 hr. contact time, 20–120 mg/l initial concentration, and 20–250 mg of NH₂-SBA-15 dose. The outcomes from such experiments revealed the strong influence and behavior of the amino-functional group to increase the drug''s load. Drug delivery outcomes studies found that amoxicillin loading was directly related to NH₂-SBA-15 contact time and dose, but indirectly related to primary concentration. It was observed that 80% of amoxicillin was loaded while the best release test results were 1 hour and 51%.     

Size Effect of Hydrated Lime on the Mechanical Performance of Asphalt Concrete

Despite widespread agreement on the beneficial nature of hydrated lime (HL) addition to asphalt concrete mixes, understanding of the effect of HL particle size is still limited. Previous investigations have focused mainly on two different size comparisons, and so certain guidance for a practical application cannot yet be produced. This study investigates three distinct sizes of HL, in the range of regular, nano, and sub-nano scales, for their effects on the properties of modified asphalt concretes. Five different percentages of HL as a partial replacement of ordinary limestone filler in asphalt concrete mixes were studied for wearing course application purposes. Experimental tests were conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties, including resistance to plastic flow, volumetric properties, moisture susceptibility, resilient modulus, and permanent deformation. The results revealed that a positive correlation exists between the mechanical properties and the fineness of HL particle sizes.     

Carrier-mediated transport of the quaternary ammonium neuronal nicotinic receptor antagonist n,n'-dodecylbispicolinium dibromide at the blood-brain barrier

The quaternary ammonium compound N,N'-dodecyl-bispicolinium dibromide (bPiDDB) potently and selectively inhibits nicotinic receptors (nAChRs) mediating nicotine-evoked [(3)H]dopamine release and decreases nicotine self-administration, suggesting that this polar, charged molecule penetrates the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This report focuses on 1) BBB penetration of bPiDDB; 2) the mechanism of permeation; and 3) comparison of bPiDDB to the cations choline and N-octylnicotinium iodide (NONI), both of which are polar, charged molecules that undergo facilitated BBB transport. The BBB permeation of [(3)H]choline, [(3)H]NONI, and [(14)C]bPiDDB was evaluated using in situ rat brain perfusion methods. Cerebrovascular permeability surface-area product (PS) values for [(3)H]choline, [(3)H]NONI, and [(14)C]bPiDDB were comparable (1.33 +/- 0.1, 1.64 +/- 0.15, and 1.3 +/- 0.3 ml/s/g, respectively). To ascertain whether penetration was saturable, unlabeled substrate was added to the perfusion fluid. Unlabeled choline (500 microM) reduced the PS of [(3)H]choline to 0.15 +/- 0.06 microl/s/g (p < 0.01). Likewise, unlabeled bPiDDB (500 microM) reduced the PS of [(14)C]bPiDDB to 0.046 +/- 0.005 microl/s/g (p < 0.01), whereas unlabeled NONI reduced the PS for [(3)H]NONI by approximately 50% to 0.73 +/- 0.31 microl/s/g. The PS of [(14)C]bPiDDB was reduced (p < 0.05) in the presence of 500 microM choline, indicating that the BBB choline transporter may be responsible for the transport of bPiDDB into brain. Saturable kinetic parameters for [(14)C]bPiDDB were similar to those for [(3)H]choline. The current results suggest that bPiDDB uses the BBB choline transporter for approximately 90% of its permeation into brain, and they demonstrate the carrier-mediated BBB penetration of a novel bisquaternary ammonium nAChR antagonist.     

The Influence of Cytomegalovirus on Expression of HLA‐G and its Ligand KIR2DL4 by Human Peripheral Blood Leucocyte Subsets

HLA‐G is a non‐classical class I HLA antigen, normally expressed in high levels only on extravillous cytotrophoblast. It has immunosuppressive properties in pregnancy and has also been found to be upregulated on leucocytes in viral infection. In this study, proportions of all leucocyte subsets expressing HLA‐G were found to be low in healthy subjects positive or negative for cytomegalovirus (CMV). Significantly greater proportions of CD4+ CD69+ and CD56+ T cells expressed HLA‐G compared to other T cells. However, following stimulation with CMV antigens or intact CMV, proportions of CD4+, CD8+, CD69+ and CD56+ T cells, and also B cells expressing HLA‐G, were significantly increased in CMV+ subjects. Despite some subjects having alleles of HLA‐G associated with high levels of expression, no relationship was found between HLA‐G genotype and expression levels. Purified B cells from CMV+ subjects stimulated in mixed culture with CMV antigens showed significantly increased HLA‐G mRNA expression by real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Serum levels of soluble HLA‐G were similar in CMV− and CMV+ subjects but levels in culture supernatants were significantly higher in cells from CMV+ than from CMV− subjects stimulated with CMV antigens. The HLA‐G ligand KIR2DL4 was mainly expressed on NK cells and CD56+ T cells with no differences between CMV+ and CMV− subjects. Following stimulation with IL‐2, an increase in the proportion of CD56+ T cells positive for KIR2DL4 was found, together with a significant decrease in CD56dimCD16+ NK cells. The results show that CMV influences HLA‐G expression in healthy subjects and may contribute to viral immune evasion.     

The Prevalence of Biopsy-Proven Eosinophilic Esophagitis in Hispanics Undergoing Endoscopy Is Infrequent Compared to Caucasians: A Cross-Sectional Study

Digestive Diseases and Sciences - The prevalence of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), a chronic, immune-mediated, clinicopathologic, inflammatory disorder, has been well described in the pediatric...     

A pharmacokinetic study on Z-(±)-2-(1-benzylindole-3-yl-methylene)azabicyclo[2.2.2]octane-3-ol; a novel radio-sensitization agent

Purpose The purpose of this research was to characterize the pharmacokinetic parameters and to evaluate the absolute bioavailability of the targeted compound: Z-(±)-2-(1-benzylindole-3-yl-methylene)azabicyclo[2.2.2]octane-3-ol (BMABO), a novel radio-sensitization agent, after oral delivery. Methods Sprague–Dawley rats received a single oral dose of 20 mg/kg and this was compared with intravenous administration of the compound (1 mg/kg). Blood samples were collected at different time points, and plasma BMABO concentrations were determined using a new sensitive and specific LC/MS analytical method, which utilized electrospray ionization. Results The bioavailability of orally administered BMABO was determined by comparing plasma concentrations after oral gavage delivery with intravenous delivery. Following delivery of the oral dose, the average C _max was 1,710 ± 503 ng/ml, and the AUC-value was found to be 3,561 ± 670 ng min kg/ml mg. Relative to the intravenous dose (100% bioavailability), the bioavailability was 6.2% after oral administration. Conclusion As the current studies demonstrate the novel radio-sensitization agent BMABO may have potential therapeutic valuable in cancer treatment. Further evaluation of the efficacy and toxicity of BMABO will determine the feasibility of the oral route for future clinical studies.     

Recycled Concrete Aggregate for Medium-Quality Structural Concrete

This paper reports an evaluation of the properties of medium-quality concrete incorporating recycled coarse aggregate (RCA). Concrete specimens were prepared with various percentages of the RCA (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%). The workability, mechanical properties, and durability in terms of abrasion of cured concrete were examined at different ages. The results reveal insignificant differences between the recycled concrete (RC) and reference concrete in terms of the mechanical and durability-related measurements. Meanwhile, the workability of the RC reduced vastly since the replacement of the RCA reached 75% and 100%. The ultrasound pulse velocity (UPV) results greatly depend on the porosity of concrete and the RC exhibited higher porosity than that of the reference concrete, particularly at the transition zone between the RCA and the new paste. Therefore, the sound transmission in the RC required longer times than that in the reference concrete. Moreover, a predictive equation relating the compressive strength to the UPV was developed.