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Early detection of disseminating vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VREfm) in ICU wards is crucial for outbreak identification and the implementation of prompt infection control measures. Genotypic methods like pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) are costly and time-consuming, hindering rapid response due to batch dependency. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) offers the potential for real-time outbreak detection and reliable strain typing. We utilized FT-IR to identify clonal VREfm dissemination and compared its performance to PFGE and WGS. Between February through October 2023, an unusually high number of VREfm were recovered at a tertiary hospital in Barcelona. Isolates were examined for antimicrobial susceptibility, carriage of vanA/vanB genes and clonality was also studied using FT-IR, PFGE, and WGS. Routine FT-IR inspections revealed recurring VREfm clustering during the outbreak's initial weeks. In total, 104 isolates were recovered from 75 patients and from multiple wards. However, only one isolate was recovered from an environmental sample, suggesting the absence of environmental reservoirs. An ST80 vancomycin-resistant (vanA) E. faecium strain was the main strain responsible for the outbreak, although a few additional VREfm strains were also identified, all belonging to CC17. PFGE and cgMLST (WGS) yielded identical clustering results to FT-IR, and WGS confirmed vanA/vanB gene carriage in all VREfm isolates. Infection control measures led to a rapid decline in VREfm isolates, with no isolates detected in November. FT-IR spectroscopy offers rapid turnaround times, sensitivity, and reproducibility, comparable to standard typing methods. It proved as an effective tool for monitoring VREfm dissemination and early outbreak detection.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an autoimmune disorder caused by uncontrolled immune activation and the subsequent destruction of the colon tissue. Quercetin (Qt) is a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent proposed as an alternative to mitigate IBD. However, its use is limited by its low oral bioavailability. This study aimed to develop nanoemulsions (NEs) based on a soluble chenopodin/alginate (QPA) complex and Tween 80 (T80), intended for the colonic release of Qt, activated by the pH (5.4) and bacteria present in the human colonic microbiota. NEs with different ratios of QPA/Tw80 (F1-F6) were prepared, where F4Qt (60/40) and F5Qt (70/30) showed sizes smaller than 260 nm, PDI < 0.27, and high encapsulation efficiency (>85%). The stability was evaluated under different conditions (time, temperature, pH, and NaCl). The DSC and FTIR analyses indicated hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding interactions between QPA and Qt. F4Qt and F5Qt showed the greater release of Qt in PBS1X and Krebs buffer at pH 5.4 (diseased condition), compared to the release at pH 7.4 (healthy condition) at 8 h of study. In the presence of E. coli and B. thetaiotaomicron, they triggered the more significant release of Qt (ƒ2 < 50) compared to the control (without bacteria). The NEs (without Qt) did not show cytotoxicity in HT-29 cells (cell viability > 80%) and increased the antioxidant capacity of encapsulated Qt. Therefore, these NEs are promising nanocarriers for the delivery of flavonoids to the colon to treat IBD.

Summary: Background: While a low CD4/CD8 ratio during HIV treatment correlates with immunosenescence, its value in identifying patients at an increased risk for clinical events remains unclear. Methods: We analyzed data from the CoRIS cohort to determine whether CD4 count, CD8 count, and CD4/CD8 ratio at year two of antiretroviral therapy (ART) could predict the risk of serious non-AIDS events (SNAEs) during the next five years. These included major adverse cardiovascular events, non-AIDS-defining malignancies, and non-accidental deaths. We used pooled logistic regression with inverse probability weighting to estimate the survival curves and cumulative risk of clinical events. Findings: The study included 4625 participants, 83% male, of whom 200 (4.3%) experienced an SNAE during the follow-up period. A CD4/CD8 ratio

Infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii are a global threat causing a high number of fatal infections. This microorganism can also easily acquire antibiotic resistance determinants, making the treatment of infections a big challenge, and has the ability to persist in the hospital environment under a wide range of conditions. The objective of this work was to study the molecular epidemiology and genetic characteristics of two blaOXA24/40 Acinetobacter baumannii outbreaks (2009 and 2020-21) at a tertiary hospital in Northern Spain. Thirty-six isolates were investigated and genotypically screened by Whole Genome Sequencing to analyse the resistome and virulome. Isolates were resistant to carbapenems, aminoglycosides and fluoroquinolones. Multi-Locus Sequence Typing analysis identified that Outbreak 1 was mainly produced by isolates belonging to ST3Pas/ST106Oxf (IC3) containing blaOXA24/40, blaOXA71 and blaADC119. Outbreak 2 isolates were exclusively ST2Pas/ST801Oxf (IC2) blaOXA24/40, blaOXA66 and blaADC30, the same genotype seen in two isolates from 2009. Virulome analysis showed that IC2 isolates contained genes for capsular polysaccharide KL32 and lipooligosacharide OCL5. A 8.9 Kb plasmid encoding the blaOXA24/40 gene was common in all isolates. The persistance over time of a virulent IC2 clone highlights the need of active surveillance to control its spread.

Recent experiments have created supersolids of dipolar quantum droplets. The resulting crystals lack, however, a genuine cohesive energy and are maintained by the presence of an external confinement, bearing a resemblance to the case of ion Coulomb crystals. We show that a mixture of two antiparallel dipolar condensates allows for the creation of potentially large, self-bound crystals, which, resembling ionic crystals in solid-state physics, are maintained by the mutual dipolar attraction between the components, with no need of transversal confinement. This opens intriguing possibilities, including three-dimensionally self-bound droplet-ring structures, stripe/labyrinthic patterns, and self-bound crystals of droplets surrounded by an interstitial superfluid, resembling the case of superfluid Helium in porous media.

Mitochondrial dysfunction is an interesting therapeutic target to help reduce cancer deaths, and the use of bioactive compounds has emerged as a novel and safe approach to solve this problem. Here, we discuss the information available related to phlorotannins, a type of polyphenol present in brown seaweeds that reportedly functions as antioxidants/pro-oxidants and anti-inflammatory and anti-tumorigenic agents. Specifically, available evidence indicates that dieckol and phloroglucinol promote mitochondrial membrane depolarization and mitochondria-dependent apoptosis. Phlorotannins also reduce pro-tumorigenic, -inflammatory, and -angiogenic signaling mechanisms involving RAS/MAPK/ERK, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, NF-κB, and VEGF. In doing so, they inhibit pathways that favor cancer development and progression. Unfortunately, these compounds are rather labile and, therefore, this review also summarizes approaches permitting the encapsulation of bioactive compounds, like phlorotannins, and their subsequent oral administration as novel and non-invasive therapeutic alternatives for cancer treatment.

Advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages lead to exacerbated inflammation and oxidative stress. Patients with CKD in stage 5 need renal hemodialysis (HD) to remove toxins and waste products. However, this renal replacement therapy is inefficient in controlling inflammation. Regular curcumin consumption has been shown to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress in subjects with chronic pathologies, suggesting that the daily intake of curcumin may alleviate these conditions in HD patients. This review analyzes the available scientific evidence regarding the effect of curcumin intake on oxidative stress and inflammation in HD patients, focusing on the mechanisms and consequences of HD and curcumin consumption. The inclusion of curcumin as a dietary therapeutic supplement in HD patients has shown to control the inflammation status. However, the optimal dose and oral vehicle for curcumin administration are yet to be determined. It is important to consider studies on curcumin bioaccessibility to design effective oral administration vehicles. This information will contribute to the achievement of future nutritional interventions that validate the efficacy of curcumin supplementation as part of diet therapy in HD.

Abstract In this study, the waste oil of rendered pork (WO-RP) from a food processing industry was studied as a source of biodiesel. The WO-RP was characterized and was found to have a high acid value of 4.30 mg KOH/g. A pre-treatment using H2SO4 was done through the standard titration method that resulted in a reduction of acid value to 0.75 mg KOH/g. The transesterification process over the KOH catalyst was carried out and optimized using the central composite design (CCD) using the Design Expert 7.0 software. The optimum conditions were found at 3:1 methanol–oil molar ratio, 0.55% catalyst loading, and 45-min reaction time. At optimum conditions, the biodiesel yield was 95.28 ± 0.15%. Its chemical characteristics were tested in terms of acid value at 0.75 mg KOH/g, ash content at 0.01 wt%, density at 0.86 g/cm3, HHV at 39.98 MJ/kg, water content at 0.10%, and kinematic viscosity at 6.9 mm2/s. The FAME profile shows the presence of linoleic, palmitic, oleic and stearic acid as major fatty acid components and functional group shows carbonyl group with traces of carboxylic at 1719 cm−1 and the sharp peak of esters at 1749 cm−1 indicating that the derived product is biodiesel.

Abstract In this study, a novel activated carbon adsorbent from the press mud of a sugarcane industry was used to remove methyl orange dye (MOD) from aqueous solution and was optimized via response surface methodology using the central composite design. The adsorbent was characterized by FTIR and SEM analysis and showed the presence of functional groups such as alcohols, nitriles, amides, alkane, alkyl halides, and alkenes, and it also showed fibrous surface morphological appearance. The factors affecting MOD adsorption, such as initial concentration, adsorbent dose, and contact time were examined, and optimal pH 2.0 to remove MOD in an aqueous solution that is found in various studies is also utilized. The results showed maximum MOD removal rate of 98.68% when the initial concentration, adsorbent dose, and contact time were optimally set as 24.17 mg/L, 0.5 g, and 20 min, respectively. The analysis of the equilibrium data revealed that MOD adsorption using press mud activated carbon best fitted the Langmuir isotherm (R 2 = 0.96103) which implies monolayer adsorption process. Also, the kinetics of MOD adsorption using press mud activated carbon followed a pseudo-first-order model (R 2 = 0.96096) which means that the active sites are proportional to the non-active sites during the adsorption process.

Abstract Background The objective was to analyze the effectiveness and safety of dual therapy with rilpivirine plus boosted-darunavir (RPV + bDRV) in real-life patients. Methods Observational, retrospective, multi-center study in HIV+ patients who had received RPV + bDRV for 24 weeks to optimize/simplify their previous antiretroviral treatment. We determined the percentage of patients without virologic failure (2 consecutive viral loads > 50 copies/mL) at 24 weeks of treatment. Results The study included 161 patients from 15 hospitals with median age of 49 years; 29.3% had previous AIDS stage and median CD4+ lymphocyte nadir of 170 cells/uL. They had been diagnosed with HIV for a median of 17 years and had received 14 years of ART, with five previous treatment combinations, and 36.6% had a history of virological failure. The reasons for the switch were simplification/optimization (49.7%), toxicity/intolerance (17.4%), or inadequate effectiveness of previous ART (10.6%). Baseline VL of 50–1000 copies/mL was recorded in 25.5% of the patients. In the“intention-to-treat” analysis at 24 weeks, 87.6% of 161 patients continued the study treatment without virologic failure criteria. In the “on treatment” analysis (excluding patients who discontinued treatment with dual therapy for any reason other than virologic failure) the efficacy was 94.6% (141/149 patients). Conclusions Dual therapy with RPV + DRVb proved to be effective and safe in patients with advanced HIV infection, long exposure to ART, low CD4 nadir, previous virologic failure, and/or history of ineffective ART.

The presence of heavy metals in water resources brings hazard to health and the environment considering that most of these cannot be degraded and may result in bioaccumulation in the food chain. Its removal from aqueous solution can relatively be done through adsorption, a known technique that efficiently reduces heavy metal concentration. This study investigated the applicability and efficiency of waste chicken eggshells as an adsorbent for the removal of Cadmium (Cd) heavy metal in aqueous solution. The adsorbent dose, contact time and initial concentration were the chosen variables of the study that were optimized through the Central Composite Design of the Response Surface Methodology using Design Expert 7.0 software. The result of the study showed that the chicken eggshells as an adsorbent could remove Cd in an aqueous solution up to 73%. The optimum adsorption capacity was 146 mg g−1 obtained at 150 mg L−1 initial concentration, 75 min contact time, 0.75 g adsorbent dose, and pH 6 at room temperature. Heterogeneous adsorption occurred during the process as revealed by isotherm studies with Freundlich model emerged having a higher coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.91) than the Langmuir model (R2 = 0.86). Overall, the study demonstrated that the chicken eggshell that is generally considered as wastes in large quantities could become an economically advantageous raw material for the removal of carcinogenic Cd from the water body. Keywords: Cadmium removal, Calcium carbonate, Adsorption, Eggshell, Heavy metal

Low recovery coupled with intensive energy requirement due to long processing time makes the potential of bio-oil production not seamlessly appreciated. In this study, the optimization of bio-oil yield from non-edible Swietenia macrophylla seeds through microwave pretreatment before ultrasonic-assisted solvent extraction was investigated. Central composite design of response surface methodology was employed to analyze the effects to the bio-oil yield of the irradiation time (4–8 min) and irradiation power (90–450 W) as pretreatment variables using a microwave oven at 2.45 GHz frequency. Results showed that microwave pretreatment significantly increased the bio-oil yield by 5% with optimum recovery of 43% at shortened pretreatment time of 7 min instead of 6 h in the conventional oven heating method. The bio-oil yield increased when the irradiation time was increased, while irradiation power showed no significant effect. Analysis of the produced bio-oil through Fourier Transform Infrared Radiation spectroscopy identified similar functional groups present both in the extracted bio-oils from the microwave and the conventional pretreated seeds indicating that the former pretreatment, like the latter, did not destruct the compounds present in the seeds. The study demonstrated that the seeds of S. macrophylla have strong potential for bio-oil production and poise huge implications to the future of liquid biofuel and chemical industries. Keywords: Swietenia macrophylla, Microwave pretreatment, Oil extraction, Optimization, Response surface methodology

As the world confronts a surging price of fuel along with various environmental issues, researchers around the globe are scrambling to identify and develop potential biofuel feedstocks that fall outside the “food or fuel dilemma”. This justifies the need for non-edible oilseeds that can be used as sustainable feedstock for biofuel production. In this study, non-edible Ricinus communis seeds were utilized in the production of bio-based fuel to support the crusade for the use of renewable energy. Extraction of bio-oil from R. communis seeds was done through ultrasonic-assisted solvent extraction. The effects of n-hexane to biomass (HB) ratio, extraction time, and resonance amplitude on bio-oil yield were investigated. Optimization of bio-oil yield was done through central composite design of the response surface methodology. The optimum bio-oil yield was found to be 42% at optimum conditions of 10:1 HB ratio, 25 min extraction time and 50 μm resonance amplitude. Characterization of the extracted bio-oil revealed a density of 0.9 g mL−1, kinematic viscosity of 18.6 cSt at 40 °C, and higher heating value of 29.5 MJ kg−1. The Fourier Transform Infrared Radiation spectroscopy analysis of the bio-oil revealed that it contained ester functional groups. Gas chromatography analysis showed that the major fatty acids present in the bio-oil are palmitic (2.2%), stearic (2.4%), oleic (6.7%), linoleic (8.8%) and ricinoleic (77.1%). The R. communis bio-oil is enriched with unsaturated fatty acids while there is a relatively low content of saturated fatty acid accounting 87.8% and 11.3% of the total fatty acids composition, respectively. As confirmed by this study, the results indicate the potential of R. communis bio-oil as a source for biodiesel production. Keywords: Ricinus communis, Bio-oil, Optimization, Ultrasonic-assisted solvent extraction, Response surface methodology

The demand for oil has been increasing vastly over time, and the source of this has slowly been diminishing. The use of non-food feedstock is seen as a promising alternative source for the production of bio-based fuel. In this study, rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) seeds were utilized as biomass in bio-oil production considering that these are non-edible and considered wastes in rubber tree plantations. In the oil extraction process, the rubber seed kernels were oven dried at 100 °C for 24 h, powdered and then dried further at 105 °C for 4 h. After characterization, optimization study was done using Design Expert 7.0 software through central composite design of the response surface methodology. Ultrasonication technology was employed in the oil extraction process which significantly reduced the reaction time needed for extraction to 15 min compared the conventional extraction method of at least 8 h. An optimum rubber seed oil (RSO) yield of 30.3 ± 0.3% was obtained using 15 g biomass, 5:1 n-hexane to biomass (mL gâ1) ratio, 50 μm resonance amplitude and 60 ± 5 °C temperature at 15 min reaction time. The oil yield at optimum condition was found to have 0.89 g mLâ1 density at room temperature, 26.7 cSt kinematic viscosity at 40 °C and high heating value of 39.2 MJ kgâ1. The Fourier Transform Infrared Radiation spectroscopy analysis of the RSO, at optimum condition, showed the presence of carboxylic acid and ester carbonyl functional groups which are good indicators as a potential source of biodiesel. Keywords: Hevea brasiliensis, Oil extraction, Optimization, Response surface methodology, Rubber seed oil, Ultrasonic-assisted solvent extraction

The increase in the Chilean elderly population has promoted public policies to favor an adequate nutrition in later life. This study evaluated the nutritional status, micronutrients intake and serum micronutrients levels of an elderly group beneficiary of the PACAM from the Metropolitan Region, Santiago de Chile. Anthropometric and dietary survey (24 h food recalls) were assessed in 182 elderly individuals (60 and 80 years old). Blood serum collection was used to measure the micronutrient status. The sample was comprised by 12.6%, 46.1%, 28.0% and 13.2% of underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese subjects, respectively. Women presented 11% of underweight, 45% of normal weight and 44% of overweight and obese, while men—18%, 50% and 32%, respectively. Only the 63% of the elderlies consumed PACAM foods, reaching average daily intakes below (50%) the recommended daily serving. Serum deficiencies of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (88%), vitamin B12 (33%) and calcium (36%) were observed, being the highest ones in the PACAM foods women (60–75 years old). Chilean elderlies presented mainly a normal weight; however, an important proportion of overweight/obese subjects was observed. Although PACAM foods consumption significantly increased the micronutrient intake, it was not enough to ensure an adequate serum micronutrient levels in the elderly.

In this study, silica sand coated with groundwater treatment residuals was used as adsorbents for the removal of hexavalent chromium from synthetic wastewater. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of initial Cr(VI) concentration, solution pH, adsorbent dosage, solution temperature, contact time, as well as ionic strength on Cr(VI) removal. Results show that low solution pH and high ionic strength improve Cr(VI) adsorption onto the residual coated sand. At pH 4, the highest adsorption capacity was computed at 0.27 mg g−1. The Freundlich isotherm model best described the adsorption process. From 298 to 318 K, the high correlation of the kinetic data with the pseudo-second order model (R2 > 0.981) and a highly positive activation energy value (22.7 kJ mol−1) indicate that chemisorption is the rate-controlling step of the adsorption process.

The optimization of bio-oil produced from sewage sludge using fast pyrolysis in a fluidized bed reactor was investigated. Effects of temperature, sludge particle size and vapor residence time on bio-oil properties, such as yield, high heating value (HHV) and moisture content were evaluated through experimental and statistical analyses. Characterization of the pyrolysis products (bio-oil and biogas) was also done. Optimum conditions produced a bio-oil product with an HHV that is nearly twice as much as lignocellulosic-derived bio-oil, and with properties comparable to heavy fuel oil. Contrary to generally acidic bio-oil, the sludge-derived bio-oil has almost neutral pH which could minimize the pipeline and engine corrosions. The Fourier Transform Infrared and gas-chromatography and mass spectrometry analyses of bio-oil showed a dominant presence of gasoline-like compounds. These results demonstrate that fast pyrolysis of sewage sludge from domestic wastewater treatment plant is a favorable technology to produce biofuels for various applications.

We investigate Bose–Einstein condensates in bubble trap potentials in the presence of a small gravity. In particular, we focus on thin shells and study both contact and dipolar interacting condensates. We first analyze the effects of the anisotropic nature of the dipolar interactions, which already appear in the absence of gravity and are enhanced when the polarization axis of the dipoles and the gravity are slightly misaligned. Then, in the small gravity context, we investigate the dynamics of small oscillations of these thin, shell-shaped condensates triggered either by an instantaneous tilting of the gravity direction or by a sudden change of the gravity strength. This system could be a preliminary stage for realizing a gravity sensor in space laboratories.

Stemming is one of the main important preprocessing techniques that can be used to enhance the accuracy of text classification. The key purpose of using the stemming is combining the number of words that have same stem to decrease high dimensionality of feature space. Reducing feature space cause to decline time to construct a model and minimize the memory space. In this paper, a new stemming approach is explored for enhancing Kurdish text classification performance. Tree data structure and Porter’s stemmer algorithms are incorporated for building the proposed approach. The system is assessed through using Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Decision Tree (C4.5) to illustrate the performance of the suggested stemmer after and before applying it. Furthermore, the usefulness of using stop words are considered before and after implementing the suggested approach.

The main goal of this study was to analyse the determinants of late diagnosis of HIV infection. Secondly, westudied the role of the perception of risk and sexual orientation in HIV testing. Twenty-five people withlate HIV diagnosis were interviewed. They were contacted through hospitals and non-governmentalorganizations (NGOs). To design the interview, we integrated the variables considered in the main modelsof health-related behaviour. We followed a mixed strategy of analysis. Firstly, we carried out thematicanalysis of the interviews, followed by quantitative analysis of the initially qualitative data. The resultsrevealed that the most relevant determinants were the appraisal of the threat of HIV and the low perceptionof HIV risk. Also, the study found many missed opportunities for diagnosis in health-care setting. Lowperception of HIV risk was related to unrealistic optimism, low levels of information about HIV, and thepresence of stereotypes about people with HIV. High perception of HIV risk was related to strategies toavoid testing. Homosexuals reported a more positive balance between the benefits of knowing theirdiagnosis and having the disease. The results provide clues that can guide the design of future strategies topromote early diagnosis.

El síndrome de DRESS es una toxicodermia asociada a eosinofilia con síntomas sistémicos. Presentamos un caso de dicho síndrome tras inicio de Levetiracetam con buena evolución tras inicio de corticoides y retirada del fármaco. Este síndrome, poco conocido y probablemente infradiagnosticado, puede ser potencialmente letal si no se trata de forma precoz.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0152230.].