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The population fluctuations of five piercingsucking pests; melon aphid, Aphis gossypii (Glover); cotton whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Genn.); potato leafhopper, Empoasca decipiens (Paoli); onion thrips, Thrips tabaci (Lind.) and two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae (Koch) were investigated on Hail cucumber variety during autumn and spring plantation from 2014 to 2016 seasons. As a result in autumn plantation, population of aphid and whitefly had one peak during 2014 and 2015 seasons, meanwhile, thrips population recorded three peaks in the same seasons. Otherwise, in spring plantationin 2015 and 2016 seasons, the populations of aphid and thrips recorded three peaks and one peak, respectively. In the meantime, the whitefly's population showed three and two peaks, respectively. Leafhopper was the lowest sucking insect attacked cucumber during the two plantations throughout 2014, 2015 and 2016 growing seasons. The two-spotted spider mite only observed on spring plantation 2015 and 2016 and recorded one peak through the growing seasons. It could be concluded that planting date is effective on population fluctuations of piercing sucking pest and can be avoided by planting in late planting date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A heterogeneous Fenton reaction using Iron alginate beads (Fe-AB) was evaluated for the removal of an N-heterocyclic compound indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), which ranked as uremic toxin and an herbicide derivative. The efficiency of the process was studied as a function of the experimental conditions: initial pH; H2O2dose, temperature, initial concentrations of IAA, and Iron alginate beads loading. Under the best experimental conditions: pH 3.0; H2O2dose = 9.8 mM; and [alginate beads] = 1.0 g L−1, it was possible to remove 100% of 0.11 mM IAA in 120 min in a batch reaction at 25°C. The experimental results indicate also that the use of this catalyst allows a significant removal of total organic carbon without significant leaching of Fe ions. A kinetic analysis showed that the removal of IAA followed a first-order kinetics model. In addition, the Fe-AB catalyst can be reused for successive runs, without significant loss of activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: New York (NY) State implemented a new cystic fibrosis (CF) newborn screen (NBS) algorithm in December 2017 with improvement in positive predictive value and unanticipated increased identification of infants with cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)-related metabolic syndrome (CRMS). Repeat sweat testing is recommended in infants with CRMS. During the COVID-19 pandemic infants with CRMS were lost to follow up. With this quality improvement (QI) initiative, we aimed to perform repeat sweat testing in 25% of infants lost to follow up. We also describe consensus recommendations for CRMS from the NY CF NBS Consortium., Methods: Our QI team identified the primary drivers contributing to absent follow up, outreached to families, and created a questionnaire to evaluate parental understanding of CRMS using QI-based strategies., Results: Of 350 infants diagnosed with CRMS during the study period, 179 (51.1%) infants were lost to follow up. A total of 31 (17.3%) were scheduled for repeat sweat tests and followed up at CF Centers. Families reported high satisfaction with the CRMS knowledge questionnaire., Conclusions: With this QI-based approach, we effectively recaptured infants with CRMS previously lost to follow up during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ongoing concerns about infection risk and lack of understanding on the part of families and pediatricians likely contributed to patients with CRMS lost to follow up. Consensus recommendations for CRMS include annual visits with repeat sweat testing until 2-6 years of age and education for adolescents about clinical and reproductive implications of CRMS., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Since the introduction of effective chemotherapy, the development of new diagnostic tools, and raising public awareness of the devastating health, social, and economic consequences of tuberculosis (TB), the frequency of this disease has decreased. Pulmonary TB is the most common form of the disease, but TB bacilli can spread to other organs including lymph nodes, and the oral cavity especially the tongue with very unusual features. Oral lesions, although rare, are very important for early diagnosis and interception of primary TB. The bacteriological and histopathological results are important to confirm the diagnosis. Oral TB lesions may be either primary or secondary. The evolution is generally good under a medical treatment. A 35-year-old patient was admitted to our department for an ulcerous tumor in the lateral border of his tongue. The biopsy of the ulceration confirmed the diagnosis of TB. A concomitant pulmonary localization has been found. This case report aims to attract the attention of TB, which can be located in some uncommon regions, and have unusual clinical presentations., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Gastrointestinal clear cell sarcoma (GICCS)/malignant gastrointestinal neuroectodermal tumor (GNET) is an extremely rare form of cancer with aggressive clinical behavior. It has distinct pathological, immunohistochemical, ultrastructural, and molecular features. Herein, we present the case of a 20-year-old woman with no notable medical history who presented to the outpatient department with complaints of abdominal pain and vomiting. Symptoms had been evolving for 3 months. The physical examination revealed slight abdominal tenderness and melena. Biological investigations revealed iron-deficiency anemia. The upper and lower endoscopies showed no abnormalities. Magnetic resonance enterography revealed small bowel wall thickening of 15 mm × 2 mm. Exploratory laparotomy revealed an ileal mass with mesenteric lymphadenopathy. A wide resection of the mass was then performed. The final pathological report confirmed the diagnosis of small bowel GICCS/GNET. After 11 months of follow-up, the patient presented with mesenteric lymph node metastases., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Recovery of oil spilled on surface waters by the use of sorbents remains one of the primary oil spill response options available. To improve on this response measure, we have successfully fabricated an activated char (AC) sorbent material by pyrolysis of sewage sludge (SS), a readily available waste product generated across the world from wastewater treatment plants. The inherent Fe-minerals in SS texture were converted to magnetic Fe 3 O 4 particles during the pyrolysis reaction. The AC provided a unique means to recover the sorbent after the oil sorption process with a magnetic field. Meanwhile, a superhydrophobic sorbent material with a water contact angle of 152.2° was created by the treatment of AC with myristic acid which could float on the water surface. Feasibility studies at the laboratory-scale were conducted with motor oil and light crude oil to evaluate its potential use in spill response operations. Results showed a sorption capacity of about 8.5 and 10.7 g/g for motor oil and light crude oil, respectively. Following the recovery of the test oils by ethanol stripping, the material could be recycled up to 5 times with trivial loss in sorption capacity. This research proposes a framework for the development of a highly efficient sorbent material for oil spill response operations from SS waste.

The aim of this study was to measure the extent of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection among workers at the Institut Pasteur de Tunis (IPT), a public health laboratory involved in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia, and to identify risk factors for infection in this occupational setting. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on IPT workers not vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Participants completed a questionnaire that included a history of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Immunoglobulin G antibodies against the receptor-binding domain of the spike antigen (anti-S-RBD IgG) and the nucleocapsid protein (anti-N IgG) of the SARS-CoV-2 virus were detected by enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA). A multivariate analysis was used to identify factors significantly associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. A total of 428 workers were enrolled in the study. The prevalence of anti-S-RBD and/or anti-N IgG antibodies was 32.9% [28.7-37.4]. The cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection (positive serology and/or previous positive RT-PCR test) was 40.0% [35.5-44.9], while the proportion with asymptomatic infection was 32.9%. One-third of the participants with RT-PCR-confirmed infection tested seronegative more than 90 days postinfection. Participants aged over 40 and laborers were more susceptible to infection (adjusted OR [AOR] = 1.65 [1.08-2.51] and AOR = 2.67 [1.45-4.89], respectively), while tobacco smokers had a lower risk of infection (AOR = 0.54 [0.29-0.97]). The SARS-CoV-2 infection rate among IPT workers was not significantly different from that detected concurrently in the general population. Hence, the professional activities conducted in this public health laboratory did not generate additional risk to that incurred outside the institute in day-to-day activities., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.)

Competing Interests: We declare no financial support or relationships that may pose a conflict of interest.

Psoas abscess is a rare pathology that usually presents with non-specific signs and rare clinical features. These characteristics can delay the diagnosis leading to complications and death. We report a forensic autopsy case of a 65-year-old male, alcoholic, smoker, with a history of hypertension, and urinary infection, who presented to the emergency room for anorexia and consciousness disorder. On physical examination, the patient was febrile and confused. Laboratory exams revealed leukocytosis and elevated C-reactive protein (CRP). Two days later, he died despite extensive resuscitation. Forensic autopsy revealed a large amount of green pus in the left psoas muscle extending to the muscles of the thigh of the same side with multiple cavities. The pus extended to the left kidney with destructive parenchyma and coralliform lithiasis. Histological examination showed destroyed renal tissue by lesions of chronic and acute pyelonephritis with dilatation of the pyelocaliceal cavities. Bacteriological analysis of the pus showed the presence of Escherichia coli. The psoas abscess was secondary to pyonephrosis favored by the immunodeficiency. Thus, death was attributed to a septic shock secondary to a psoas abscess complicating pyonephrosis., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)