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Aim: Patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) remain at risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) even with nucleos(t)ide analog therapy. We evaluated risk factors for HCC development, including serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) RNA, hepatitis B core‐related antigen level, and growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) level, a predictor of HCC development in patients with chronic hepatitis C. Methods: We collected clinical data and stored serum from CHB patients without a history of HCC who were receiving nucleos(t)ide analog treatment for more than 1 year and whose HBV DNA level was less than 3.0 log IU/mL. We measured the serum levels of HBV RNA and GDF15. Results: Among 242 CHB patients, 57 had detectable HBV RNA, and GDF15 was quantified in all patients. The median GDF15 level was 0.86 ng/mL. Cox proportional hazards analysis revealed that male sex and higher GDF15, FIB‐4 index, alpha‐fetoprotein and gamma‐glutamyl transpeptidase were independent risk factors for HCC. The presence of HBV RNA above the lower limit of quantification was not a risk factor. When we set cutoff values based on the Youden index, the cumulative incidence of HCC was significantly higher in the male, AFP ≥3.0 ng/mL, gamma‐glutamyl transpeptidase ≥22 U/L, FIB‐4 index ≥1.93, and GDF‐15 ≥1.17 ng/mL groups. In patients with no or more than three of these five risk factors, the 10‐year HCC cumulative incidence rates were 0% and 41.0%, respectively. Conclusions: High serum GDF15 is an independent risk factor for the occurrence of HCC in CHB patients treated with nucleos(t)ide analogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Background and Aims Methods Results Conclusions To investigate the association between air pollution and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients treated with nucleotide/nucleoside analogues.We enrolled 1298 CHB patients treated with nucleotide/nucleoside analogues and analysed the incidence and risk factors for HCC. Daily estimates of air pollutants were estimated since the previous year from the enrolment date.The annual incidence of HCC was 2.1/100 person‐years after a follow‐up period of over 4840.5 person‐years. Factors with the strongest association with HCC development were liver cirrhosis (hazard ratio [HR]/95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.00/1.55–5.81; p = 0.001), male sex (2.98/1.51–5.90; p = 0.02), body mass index (1.11/1.04–1.18; p = 0.002) and age (1.06/1.04–1.09; p < 0.001). Among patients with cirrhosis, the factors associated with HCC development were male sex (HR/95% CI: 2.10/1.00–4.25; p = 0.04) and NO2 (per one‐unit increment, parts per billion; 1.07/1.01–1.13; p = 0.01). Moreover, patients with the highest quartile of annual NO2 exposure had more than a three‐fold risk of HCC than those with the lowest quartile of annual exposure (HR/95% CI: 3.26/1.34–7.93; p = 0.01). Among patients without cirrhosis, the strongest factors associated with HCC development were male sex (HR/95% CI: 5.86/1.79–19.23; p = 0.004), age (1.12/1.07–1.17; p < 0.001) and platelet count (0.99/0.98–1.00; p = 0.04).Air pollution influences HCC development in CHB patients who receive nucleotide/nucleoside analogue therapy. Long‐term NO2 exposure might accelerate HCC development in CHB patients with cirrhosis receiving nucleotide/nucleoside analogue treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: Until recently, pegylated interferon‐alfa‐2a (PEG‐IFNa) therapy was the only treatment option for patients infected with hepatitis D virus (HDV). Treatment with PEG‐IFNa with or without tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) for 96 weeks resulted in HDV RNA suppression in 44% of patients at the end of therapy but did not prevent short‐term relapses within 24 weeks. The virological and clinical long‐term effects after prolonged PEG‐IFNa‐based treatment of hepatitis D are unknown. Methods: In the HIDIT‐II study patients (including 40% with liver cirrhosis) received 180 μg PEG‐IFNa weekly plus 300 mg TDF once daily (n = 59) or 180 μg PEG‐IFNa weekly plus placebo (n = 61) for 96 weeks. Patients were followed until week 356 (5 years after end of therapy). Results: Until the end of follow‐up, 16 (13%) patients developed liver‐related complications (PEG‐IFNa + TDF, n = 5 vs PEG‐IFNa + placebo, n = 11; p =.179). Achieving HDV suppression at week 96 was associated with decreased long‐term risk for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (p =.04) and hepatic decompensation (p =.009). Including complications irrespective of PEG‐IFNa retreatment status, the number of patients developing serious complications was similar with (3/18) and without retreatment with PEG‐IFNa (16/102, p >.999) but was associated with a higher chance of HDV‐RNA suppression (p =.024, odds ratio 3.9 [1.3–12]). Conclusions: Liver‐related clinical events were infrequent and occurred less frequently in patients with virological responses to PEG‐IFNa treatment. PEG‐IFNa treatment should be recommended to HDV‐infected patients until alternative therapies become available. Retreatment with PEG‐IFNa should be considered for patients with inadequate response to the first course of treatment. Clinical Trial registration: NCT00932971. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work aimed at determination of the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of S. aureus species and investigating the presence of the enterotoxins (SEA and SEB) in the obtained isolates in consumed Egyptian ice cream. Thirty ice cream samples were obtained from many ice cream shops, dairy shops, supermarkets and local markets from different localities at Mansoura city. Samples were spread on Baird Parker selective agar media for bacterial isolation. The isolates were characterized by antibiotic susceptibility testing and resistance genes. S. aureus was detected in 60% (18 out of 30) of ice cream samples with a minimum and maximum count of 4x10² and 1.5x107 CFU/g, respectively. Furthermore, 4 isolates (22%) out of the total isolates (n=18) were positive for nuc gene. Of these positive isolates, one isolate (25%) was positive for mec A and sea genes, while seb was not detected. The AMR profile of molecularly positive nuc gene S. aureus isolates revealed that the highest resistance was against ampicillin, cefazolin, Cefoxitin, cefotaxime, cefepime, azithromycin and amoxycillin- clavulanic acid (100%) followed by gentamicin and erythromycin (75%), and imipenem, tetracycline and clindamycin (50%). No resistance was found to sulphamethazone-trimethoprim, doxycycline, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, vancomycin and linezolid. Our results showed that 100% of the molecularly positive nuc gene isolates was methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and 50% was inducible clindamycin resistant S. aureus (ICRSA). The MRSA and ICRSA are potential risks for health. Poor hygienic measures with ice cream manufacture may lead to contamination of ice cream with highly resistant enterotoxigenic S. aureus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to determine the genetic relatedness between Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from pet animals and human. In that context, 561 swabs were collected from dogs (n=238) and cats (n=323). In addition, 30 MRSA positive isolates from Qasr Elainy hospital, from different patients were also included. The collected samples were subjected for bacteriological examination for isolation of S. aureus. The recovered S. aureus isolates that were resistant to oxacillin and cefoxitin were tested for the presence of mecA, mecC, spa, and nuc genes by PCR, followed by a sequence analysis of the mecA gene in seven selected isolates. Out of 238 swab samples collected from dogs and 323 swab samples collected from cats, 13 (5.46%) and 8 (2.48%) isolates respectively were confirmed to be MRSA. In addition, the 30 human isolates were all categorized as MRSA. The mecA gene was successfully identified in all isolates from dogs, cats and human, while spa was harbored by 13, 4 and 30 isolates from dogs, cats and human respectively. Furthermore 13, 4 and 23 isolates from dogs, cats and human were positive for the nuc gene. mecC was not identified from all examined isolates. The phylogenetic analysis of the mecA gene sequence in seven selected MRSA isolates demonstrated a high degree of similarity among isolates originating from dogs, cats, and humans. This study confirms the zoonotic spread of S. aureus and suggests that dogs and cats are probably contributing to the spread of MRSA to human. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that is both common and capable of causing harmful infections in humans. Staphylococcus aureus colonies around 30% of the human population. Staphylococcus aureus has a variety of virulence traits that contribute to its capacity to colonies and infiltrate host tissues, avoid the host's immune system, and collect nutrition. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) outbreaks have arisen as a major concern in healthcare facilities around the world. Sample collection began from September 2022 to January 2023, during which 300 samples were isolated from patients, including wound swabs, medial urine samples, semen, upper vaginal swabs, and burn swabs. The samples were selected from the patients of Al-Furat Al-Awsat and Al-Najaf Teaching Hospitals in Al-Najaf Governorate in the Guidance Department, and the included age groups ranged from (1-60) years. After diagnosing the samples by Gram stain, catalase test, and Coagulase test and cultures on a mannitol agar, the diagnosis was confirmed by the Vitek device. DNA was extracted by extraction kit. In the next stage, virulence genes were detected by PCR technique, and the result was PVL (20%), while Nuc was (90%), Sea was (63.3%), and finally, icaA was (36.6%). Correlations of virulence genes were also made, namely between age, sex and gene coexistence in the isolates, with Sea and Nuc being the most prevalent, followed by Sea with icaA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of Staphylococcus aureus, a normal human flora on cellphones of different professionals in Ile-Ife was investigated with a view to determining their antibiotic susceptibility profile and nature of resistance and virulence genes. One hundred swab samples were collected aseptically from mobile phones of various users based on their profession. Surfaces of the mobile phones were swabbed and the streak plate method was used to isolate colonies showing characteristic golden yellow on mannitol salt agar plates. These isolates were further identified using standard microbiological methods. The antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates was determined using Kirby-Bauer's disk diffusion technique. Molecular detection of nuc, mecA and pvl genes in some isolates was carried out by polymerase chain reaction technique. All the 36 isolates obtained in this study were 100% resistant to amoxicillin and augmentin; the isolates also displayed 55.6%, 44.4% and 41.7% resistance to ceftriazone, erythromycin and chloramphenicol, respectively. Based on resistance to oxacillin, prevalence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was 11.1%. Only one S. aureus was positive for plasmid analysis. MecA gene was genetically confirmed in four (4) out of the 16 suspected phenotypic MRSA strains, nuc gene was confirmed in all 28 isolates investigated, while there was no pvl gene in the strains investigated. Mobile phones harbor multiple antibiotics resistant S. aureus, which are responsible for important diseases in humans and could be difficult to manage with antibiotics thereby posing serious health risks.

The presence of Staphylococcus aureus, a normal human flora on cellphones of different professionals in Ile-Ife was investigated with a view to determining their antibiotic susceptibility profile and nature of resistance and virulence genes. One hundred swab samples were collected aseptically from mobile phones of various users based on their profession. Surfaces of the mobile phones were swabbed and the streak plate method was used to isolate colonies showing characteristic golden yellow on mannitol salt agar plates. These isolates were further identified using standard microbiological methods. The antibiotic susceptibility of the isolates was determined using KirbyBauer’s disk diffusion technique. Molecular detection of nuc, mecA and pvl genes in some isolates was carried out by polymerase chain reaction technique. All the 36 isolates obtained in this study were 100% resistant to amoxicillin and augmentin; the isolates also displayed 55.6%, 44.4% and 41.7% resistance to ceftriazone, erythromycin and chloramphenicol, respectively. Based on resistance to oxacillin, prevalence of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was 11.1%. Only one S. aureus was positive for plasmid analysis. MecA gene was genetically confirmed in four (4) out of the 16 suspected phenotypic MRSA strains, nuc gene was confirmed in all 28 isolates investigated, while there was no pvl gene in the strains investigated. Mobile phones harbor multiple antibiotics resistant S. aureus, which are responsible for important diseases in humans and could be difficult to manage with antibiotics thereby posing serious health risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Staphylococcus aureus are Gram positive bacteria known to acquire antibiotic resistance rapidly and pose a major challenge to clinicians worldwide. Infections by methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are usually associated with increased mortality and prolonging of treatment. Samples (n = 706) from diverse sources (livestock, pets, animal handlers, human hospital) were collected and screened for the presence of MRSA by phenotypic and genotypic methods. The incidence of Staphylococcus aureus was greater in goats (42.00%; 28.20 - 56.80%, confidence interval [CI] 95.00%) followed by cattle (13.50%; 9.20 - 18.80%, CI 95.00%), humans (12.90%; 9.30 - 17.40%, CI 95.00%) and dogs (12.90%; 8.10 - 19.20%, CI 95.00%). Significantly higher incidence of MRSA was observed in dogs (65.00%; 40.80 - 84.60%, CI 95.00%), compared to other hosts namely cattle (48.00%; 26.50 - 64.30%, CI 95.00%), humans (35.00%; 20.20 - 52.50%, CI 95.00%) and goats (10.00%; 1.20 - 30.40%, CI 95.00%). All the S. aureus isolates were further screened for thermostable nuclease (nuc gene) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The incidence of nuc gene in cattle, dog, goat and human were found to be 3.30% (1.30 - 6.60%, CI 95.00%), 5.20% (2.30 - 9.90%, CI 95.00%), 28.00% (16.20 - 42.50%, CI 95.00%) and 9.10% (6.00 - 13.00%, CI 95.00%), respectively. Comparative evaluation of two PCR primers (mecA-162 and mecA-310) indicated the former one as more rational choice for detection of MRSA. Overall, the results of our study indicated possible risk of zoonotic transmission of MRSA from canines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & Aims: Patterns of liver HBV antigen expression have been described but not quantified at single-cell resolution. We applied quantitative techniques to liver biopsies from individuals with chronic hepatitis B and evaluated sampling heterogeneity, effects of disease stage, and nucleos(t)ide (NUC) treatment, and correlations between liver and peripheral viral biomarkers. Methods: Hepatocytes positive for HBV core and HBsAg were quantified using a novel four-plex immunofluorescence assay and image analysis. Biopsies were analysed from HBeAg-positive (n = 39) and HBeAg-negative (n = 75) participants before and after NUC treatment. To evaluate sampling effects, duplicate biopsies collected at the same time point were compared. Serum or plasma samples were evaluated for levels of HBV DNA, HBsAg, hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg), and HBV RNA. Results: Diffusely distributed individual HBV core+ cells and foci of HBsAg+ cells were the most common staining patterns. Hepatocytes positive for both HBV core and HBsAg were rare. Paired biopsies revealed large local variation in HBV staining within participants, which was confirmed in a large liver resection. NUC treatment was associated with a >100-fold lower median frequency of HBV core+ cells in HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative participants, whereas reductions in HBsAg+ cells were not statistically significant. The frequency of HBV core+ hepatocytes was lower in HBeAg-negative participants than in HBeAg-positive participants at all time points evaluated. Total HBV+ hepatocyte burden correlated with HBcrAg, HBV DNA, and HBV RNA only in baseline HBeAg-positive samples. Conclusions: Reductions in HBV core+ hepatocytes were associated with HBeAg-negative status and NUC treatment. Variation in HBV positivity within individual livers was extensive. Correlations between the liver and the periphery were found only between biomarkers likely indicative of cccDNA (HBV core+ and HBcrAg, HBV DNA, and RNA). Impact and Implications: HBV infects liver hepatocyte cells, and its genome can exist in two forms that express different sets of viral proteins: a circular genome called cccDNA that can express all viral proteins, including the HBV core and HBsAg proteins, or a linear fragment that inserts into the host genome typically to express HBsAg, but not HBV core. We used new techniques to determine the percentage of hepatocytes expressing the HBV core and HBsAg proteins in a large set of liver biopsies. We find that abundance and patterns of expression differ across patient groups and even within a single liver and that NUC treatment greatly reduces the number of core-expressing hepatocytes.

The current study aimed to detect the effect of gentamicin stress on the expression of hla (encodes hemolysin) and nuc (encodes nuclease) genes of Staphylococcus aureus. Fifty-eight isolates identified as S. aureus were isolated locally from different clinical specimens. Disk diffusion method was used to detect the resistance to S. aureus. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of gentamicin was estimated by broth microdilution method. hla and nuc genes were determined by polymerase chain reaction technique. The biofilm was evaluated using the microtiter plate method in the presence and absence of gentamicin at sub-MIC. The results showed that 18 (31%) and 40 (69%) S. aureus isolates were sensitive and resistant to gentamicin, respectively. All S. aureus isolates succeeded in forming biofilm. However, eight (13.79%), 28 (48.28%) and 22 (37.93%) isolates produced weak, moderate and strong biofilms respectively. In most isolates, gentamicin at sub- MIC decreased biofilm intensity. Due to gentamicin stress, the hla and nuc genes were upregulated in S. aureus biofilm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Cataracts are the cause of more than 50% of blindness in the world. Cataract is diagnosed using a slit-lamp to evalauate the opacity of the lens. Slit-lamps as the primary tools cataract are not available in primary care units. Smart Eye Camera (SEC) from OUI Inc. is a medical device placed on smartphone, capable of creating slit beam similar to conventional slit-lamp. Previous studies have been conducted by Shimizu et al. in Japan. Researchers wanted to compare ocular examination between SEC and conventional slit lamp with sample taken from UPTD Eye Clinic Ambon Vlissingen, Indonesia with further analysis., Methods: Observational analytical study with a cross-sectional study design. The research sample consisted of 67 people selected by consecutive sampling. All samples were examined for cataracts using a conventional slit-lamp and SEC. To evaluate the accuracy of SEC, diagnosis of cataract was carried out by 1 observer based on slit-lamp images. The results of examinations were then compared with the examinations by 2 observers based on the SEC video, where the videos were read 2 times in a span of 1 week., Results: Sixty seven eye sample were taken with average age of 61.76 ± 5.83 years, visual acuity was 0.07 ± 0.12, intraocular pressure was 14.12 ± 2.06, and SEC video duration was 4.15 ± 1.09 seconds. SEC intraobserver reliability has a kappa of 0.795/0.818, SEC interobserver reliability has a Kappa of 0.795/0.817. SEC assessment accuracy for observer 1 has a Kappa of 0.606/0.681 and for observer 2 has a Kappa of 0.629/0.717, with the highest accuracy for cataract grade 3 86,67%/91,18%., Conclusion: This study shows SEC has good consistency and reliability in assessing the degree of nuclear cataract compared to conventional slit-lamp. This tool could be used for cataract screening in remote areas.

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a complex health problem with a high short-term mortality. It is a form of end-stage liver disease (ESLD) characterized by acute hepatic insult on the background of an underlying chronic liver disease leading to other extrahepatic organ failures. Due to its rapid rate of progression, it is a challenge for both hepatologists and intensivists to treat. Many variations exist regarding its definition, leading to descriptions of various clinical phenotypes. Patients who have chronic hepatitis B (CHB) or Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related cirrhosis are also prone to develop hepatic or extrahepatic failures when they develop a superadded insult. Different severity criteria and prognostic scores have been proposed and validated among various populations and various etiologies including HBV. The management mainly focusses on support of various organ failures while waiting for the liver to regenerate, for liver transplantation, or, in the case of HBV-related ACLF (HBV-ACLF), for the anti-virals to take effect. Liver transplantation still remains the definitive treatment for HACLV in general and even for HBV- ACLF. Medical therapies, such as nucleos(t)ide analogue (NUCs)and artificial liver support, may improve survival in a subset of patients with HBV-related ACLF. This review updates the understanding of HBV-ACLF from epidemiological and clinical studies and provides new insights into the definition, diagnostic criteria, epidemiology, pathogenesis, treatment, and prognostication of HBV-ACLF.

Flat-field correction (FFC) is commonly used in image signal processing (ISP) to improve the uniformity of image sensor pixels. Image sensor nonuniformity and lens system characteristics have been known to be temperature-dependent. Some machine vision applications, such as visual odometry and single-pixel airborne object tracking, are extremely sensitive to pixel-to-pixel sensitivity variations. Numerous cameras, especially in the fields of infrared imaging and staring cameras, use multiple calibration images to correct for nonuniformities. This paper characterizes the temperature and analog gain dependence of the dark signal nonuniformity (DSNU) and photoresponse nonuniformity (PRNU) of two contemporary global shutter CMOS image sensors for machine vision applications. An optimized hardware architecture is proposed to compensate for nonuniformities, with optional parametric lens shading correction (LSC). Three different performance configurations are outlined for different application areas, costs, and power requirements. For most commercial applications, the correction of LSC suffices. For both DSNU and PRNU, compensation with one or multiple calibration images, captured at different gain and temperature settings are considered. For more demanding applications, the effectiveness, external memory bandwidth, power consumption, implementation, and calibration complexity, as well as the camera manufacturability of different nonuniformity correction approaches were compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The climate crisis threatens sustainability of crop production worldwide. Crop diversification may enhance food security while reducing the negative impacts of climate change. Proso millet (Panicum milaceum L.) is a minor cereal crop which holds potential for diversification and adaptation to different environmental conditions. In this study, we assembled a world collection of proso millet consisting of 88 varieties and landraces to investigate its genomic and phenotypic diversity for seed traits, and to identify marker-trait associations (MTA). Results Sequencing of restriction-site associated DNA fragments yielded 494 million reads and 2,412 high quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). SNPs were used to study the diversity in the collection and perform a genome wide association study (GWAS). A genotypic diversity analysis separated accessions originating in Western Europe, Eastern Asia and Americas from accessions sampled in Southern Asia, Western Asia, and Africa. A Bayesian structure analysis reported four cryptic genetic groups, showing that landraces accessions had a significant level of admixture and that most of the improved proso millet materials clustered separately from landraces. The collection was highly diverse for seed traits, with color varying from white to dark brown and width spanning from 1.8 to 2.6 mm. A GWAS study for seed morphology traits identified 10 MTAs. In addition, we identified three MTAs for agronomic traits that were previously measured on the collection. Conclusion Using genomics and automated seed phenotyping, we elucidated phylogenetic relationships and seed diversity in a global millet collection. Overall, we identified 13 MTAs for key agronomic and seed traits indicating the presence of alleles with potential for application in proso breeding programs.

This study determined whether the GENECUBE rapid nucleic acid amplification test could directly detect nuc and mecA genes in clinical blood culture samples of Staphylococcus and various other pathogens. Between September 2020 and December 2021, 537 blood culture samples from 192 patients with suspected bacteremia were tested using conventional assays (MicroScan WalkAway96 or VITEK 2 systems) and GENECUBE nuc and mecA assays. Isolates from samples with discrepant results between the conventional and GENECUBE assays were further evaluated using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry, disk diffusion testing using cefoxitin, broth microdilution testing using oxacillin, and sequencing for mecA. Bacterial solutions containing a mixture of methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) were prepared to evaluate the limit of detection (LOD) of mecA. Using conventional assays as the reference, the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values (95 % confidence interval) of GENECUBE were 100 % (96.8–100 %), 100 % (99.1–100 %), 100 % (96.8–100 %), and 100 % (99.1–100 %), respectively, for nuc detection and 100 % (96.1–100 %), 98.9 % (97.4–99.6 %), 94.9 % (88.5–98.3 %), and 100 % (99.2–100 %), respectively, for mecA detection. Sequencing analysis of five samples identified as methicillin-sensitive staphylococci using conventional assays and methicillin-resistant staphylococci using GENECUBE revealed the presence of methicillin-resistant isolates in all samples. The estimated LOD of mecA was 104 colony-forming units (CFU)/mL of MRSE with GENECUBE, compared with 105 CFU/mL with conventional assays. The GENECUBE assay accurately detected mecA in positive blood culture samples and had higher sensitivity than conventional assays. • GENECUBE accurately detected nuc and mecA in various blood cultures within 35 min. • GENECUBE could detect mecA in cultures containing both MS- and MR- bacteria. • Limit of detection of mecA by GENECUBE was 10-fold lower than conventional assays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrared (IR) video sequences Improvement is a difficult task because of many factors for example low dynamic range, noise and Non-Uniformity (NU) effect. The NU is a time-dependent noise that appears due to the lack of sensor equalization. So, it is necessary to apply Non-Uniformity Correction (NUC) in video sequences based on the original sight. This paper suggests two schemes for the IR video sequences improvement. The first proposed scheme is a scene-based NUC technique based on Histogram Matching (HM). The noise effect on each picture in the sequence causes some drift in the histogram of that image. Hence, this technique depends on the HM notion for correction the histogram of each image in the sequence relied on the histogram of the original sight. As the original sight is free from the thermal noise effect. The second proposed scheme relies on Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE) based NUC. The metrics are adapted to assessment are entropy, contrast factor, average gradient, and edge intensity. From the obtained results, it is clear that the two suggested techniques have succeeded in getting the best results in removing the noise and enhancing image quality. Simulation results prove that the second scheme is better than the first algorithm from point views the performance metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aim: Milk production is one of the main props for the national economy. One of the crucial problems in this industry is subclinical mastitis, which harms this industry that considered the backbone of the economy. It is an infectious and zoonotic disease; the infection can spread between dairy animals through milkers' hands, and milking machines, while the human infection occurs due to the consumption of apparently hygienic milk. Staphylococcus aureus is one of the main causative agents of clinical and subclinical mastitis. It is also considered one of the bacteria incriminated in food intoxication of humans due to its virulence factors as enterotoxins and toxic shock syndrome. The current study was designed to assess the prevalence of S. aureus and its enterotoxins, as well as, its other virulence factors in milk collected from cows that suffer from subclinical mastitis. Materials and Methods: Sixty cows were collected from different dairy farms located in Assiut Governorate, Egypt. These cows were subjected to the clinical examination of the udder and its lymph nodes before sampling. Milk samples were collected from clinically healthy udders. All the milk samples were examined by California mastitis test (CMT), polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for confirmation subclinical mastitis, presence of S. aureus and its enterotoxins genes and other virulence factors in the examined milk samples. Results: The cows included in the current study had healthy udders. The sixty collected milk samples were tested by CMT. 48/60 (80.0%) were positive samples; from the 48 positive samples, 46 (95.83%) samples were confirmed positive by S. aureus 16s rRNA PCR assay. Multiplex PCRs confirmed the presence of staphylococcus enterotoxin gene C (sec) in one sample, staphylococcus enterotoxin gene D (sed) in 23 samples, while ELISA assay confirmed the presence of the same enterotoxin in only two samples. On the other hand, other groups of genes responsible for some other virulence factors of S. aureus like the extracellular thermostable nuclease (nuc) gene were found in 33 samples, while toxic shock syndrome (tsst) gene and methicillin restraint S. aureus (mecA) gene were not detected in this study. Conclusion: Subclinical mastitis is one of the hidden factors that adversely affect the health of both animals and humans. The milk is usually appeared good and may be consumed by humans especially children; however, it causes severe public health problems. In addition, the infected animals with this form of mastitis can spread the infection to other dairy animals and may be turned to a clinical case of contagious mastitis that may be ended by animal culling or death. S. aureus is one of the main causes of subclinical mastitis in cattle. In addition to extracellular thermostable nuclease (nuc) gene, staphylococcus enterotoxin gene C (sec) and staphylococcus enterotoxin gene D (sed) are the most common virulence genes confirmed in subclinical mastitis milk. These results highlighted the need to apply more hygienic measures in the dairy farms to avoid spreading the infection between animals to ensure the production of safe and healthy food to humans.

Remdesivir is a nucleotide analog prodrug that has received much attention since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in December 2019. GS-441524 (Nuc) is the active metabolite of remdesivir and plays a pivotal role in the clinical treatment of COVID-19. Here, a robust HPLC-MS/MS method was developed to determine Nuc concentrations in rat plasma samples after a one-step protein precipitation process. Chromatographic separation was accomplished on Waters XBrige C18 column (50 × 2.1 mm, 3.5 μm) under gradient elution conditions. Multiple reaction monitoring transitions in electrospray positive ion mode were m/z 292.2 → 163.2 for Nuc and 237.1 → 194.1 for the internal standard (carbamazepine). The quantitative analysis method was fully validated in line with the United States Food and Drug Administration guidelines. The linearity, accuracy and precision, matrix effect, recovery, and stability results met the requirements of the guidelines. Uncertainty of measurement and incurred sample reanalysis were analyzed to further ensure the robustness and reproducibility of the method. This optimized method was successfully applied in a rat pharmacokinetics study of remdesivir (intravenously administration, 5 mg kg−1). The method can act as a basis for further pharmacokinetic and clinical efficacy investigations in patients with COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The climate crisis threatens sustainability of crop production worldwide. Crop diversification may enhance food security while reducing the negative impacts of climate change. Proso millet (Panicum milaceum L.) is a minor cereal crop which holds potential for diversification and adaptation to different environmental conditions. In this study, we assembled a world collection of proso millet consisting of 88 varieties and landraces to investigate its genomic and phenotypic diversity for seed traits, and to identify marker-trait associations (MTA). Results: Sequencing of restriction-site associated DNA fragments yielded 494 million reads and 2,412 high quality single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). SNPs were used to study the diversity in the collection and perform a genome wide association study (GWAS). A genotypic diversity analysis separated accessions originating in Western Europe, Eastern Asia and Americas from accessions sampled in Southern Asia, Western Asia, and Africa. A Bayesian structure analysis reported four cryptic genetic groups, showing that landraces accessions had a significant level of admixture and that most of the improved proso millet materials clustered separately from landraces. The collection was highly diverse for seed traits, with color varying from white to dark brown and width spanning from 1.8 to 2.6 mm. A GWAS study for seed morphology traits identified 10 MTAs. In addition, we identified three MTAs for agronomic traits that were previously measured on the collection. Conclusion: Using genomics and automated seed phenotyping, we elucidated phylogenetic relationships and seed diversity in a global millet collection. Overall, we identified 13 MTAs for key agronomic and seed traits indicating the presence of alleles with potential for application in proso breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CRISPR/Cas systems act to protect the cell from invading nucleic acids in many bacteria and archaea. The bacterial immune protein Cas9 is a component of one of these CRISPR/Cas systems and has recently been adapted as a tool for genome editing. Cas9 is easily targeted to bind and cleave a DNA sequence via a complementary RNA; this straightforward programmability has gained Cas9 rapid acceptance in the field of genetic engineering. While this technology has developed quickly, a number of challenges regarding Cas9 specificity, efficiency, fusion protein function, and spatiotemporal control within the cell remain. In this work, we develop a platform for constructing novel proteins to address these open questions. We demonstrate methods to either screen or select active Cas9 mutants and use the screening technique to isolate functional Cas9 variants with a heterologous PDZ domain inserted within the protein. As a proof of concept, these methods lay the groundwork for the future construction of diverse Cas9 proteins. Straightforward and accessible techniques for genetic editing are helping to elucidate biology in new and exciting ways; a platform to engineer new functionalities into Cas9 will help forge the next generation of genome-modifying tools.

This article investigates the non-uniform constellation (NUC) optimization adapted for Hierarchical modulation (HM) without using Successive Interference Cancellation (SIC). This approach is promising to reduce system demod/decode delay in comparison to Layered Division Multiplexing (LDM). By maximizing the constellation constrained capacity of Enhanced Layer (EL) service in HM, while the capacity of Core Layer (CL) service are approximately the same in HM and LDM, the capacity achieved by HM using NUCs is comparable to LDM. Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm is used to resolve this problem. To accelerate the optimization, initial constellation is selected from regular NUCs or the combination of CL and EL constellations of LDM in ATSC 3.0. The results imply that under certain capacity demands, especially when there is a large difference between the SNR thresholds of CL and EL or the power ratio of CL to EL is high (for example, 10 dB or higher), HM, with lower delay compared to LDM, can achieve the capacity comparable or even better than LDM with the help of NUCs. Even if the power ratio of CL to EL is relatively low (for example, 3 dB), the capacity loss can be reduced with properly designed NUCs and the SNR threshold loss of EL can be approximately 0.4 dB with respect to LDM. However, LDM is still superior to HM when the difference between the SNR thresholds of CL and EL is relatively low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broadcasting and broadband network is moving towards integration and LTE-based 5G terrestrial broadcast is now researched in Release 16 in Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standardization meetings. However, the work scope of LTE-based 5G terrestrial broadcast focuses on specifying new numerologies and some minor improvement on cell acquisition subframe, which is insufficient. In this paper, limitations in coding and modulation schemes of LTE-based 5G terrestrial broadcast system, e.g., Turbo codes and Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM), are detailedly analyzed. To further enhance the spectrum efficiency of LTE-based 5G terrestrial broadcast system, LDPC (Low Density Parity Check) codes from 5G new radio (NR) standard and newly designed non-uniform constellations (NUCs) are adopted in this paper to replace Turbo codes and QAM respectively. Extensive simulations and complexity analysis show that the proposed LDPC coding and NUC modulation scheme, either standalone or combined, can provide significant performance gain over Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) and Tapped Delayline (TDL) channels, without additional complexity. To summarize, this paper investigates the weakness of the coding and modulation schemes in current systems and provides potential alternatives for the enhanced future broadcast in 3GPP standard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Etlik Veteriner Mikrobiyoloji Dergisi is the property of Veteriner Kontrol Merkez Arastirma Enstitusu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The objective of this study was to determine the probable pathogen causing the recently discovered hepatopancreas browned disease (HPBD) in Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis), an important freshwater aquaculture species. Hepatopancreas material was collected from 30 E. sinensis individuals confirmed as infected using plasma coagulase tests. Genes nuc and femA, both specific for Staphylococcus aureus, were amplified by reverse transcription-PCR from three randomly selected HPBD-infected crabs, specific bands were observed at 191 and 397 bp, and amplified partial sequences aligned perfectly (100%) with published nuc and femA gene sequences using BLAST and GenBank. Four major developmental stages of hepatopancreas histopathological changes were observed in 7-week reverse infection challenge tests in 90 pathogen-induced animals; hepatopancreas material changed colour from orange to yellow, red to brown, and light brown to almost fully necrotised. Optical and transmission electron microscopy revealed similar hepatopancreas pathological characteristics to those of HPBD-infected E. sinensis. The hepatopancreas browning rate of infected crabs (88.89 ± 5.09%) was significantly higher than controls (7.78 ± 1.92%). These results suggest S. aureus is the probable pathogen causing HPBD in E. sinensis, and infection leads to inflammation, atrophy, and complication of hepatopancreatic necrosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Lucrari Stiintifice, Universitatea de Stiinte Agricole Si Medicina Veterinara Ion Ionescu de la Brad Iasi, Seria Horticultura is the property of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (Editura Ion Ionescu de la Brad) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Calciphylaxis, also referred to as calcific uremic arteriolopathy, is a rare and often fatal disorder that is best known for causing cutaneous ischemia and subsequent necrosis due to calcification ot arterial vessels in the underlying dermis and adipose tissue. Although calciphylaxis primarily occurs in patients with end-stage kidney disease who are receiving dialysis, it can also present in patients without endstage kidney disease and in patients who have undergone kidney transplantation and is accordingly termed nonuremic calciphylaxis. Nonuremic calciphylaxis demonstrates pathologic morphology like calcific uremic calciphylaxis and has a similar mortality rate, as high as 52% (Clin J Am So c Nephrol. 2008;3(4); 1139-1143). However, nonuremic calciphylaxis is not as thoroughly detailed as calcificuremic calciphylaxis in the literature, making its diagnosis and management more difficult for providers. Our patient is a 65-year-old Caucasian female w'ho presents to die hospital with encephalopathy stemming from sepsis. Her sepsis originated from infection of chronic ulcers present on her left lower leg due to calciphylaxis. Management of her calciphylaxis is complicated by her co morbidities, and treatment is debated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • An infrared HDR image fusion method based on an improved response model is proposed. • Two influencing factors are introduced to derive the improved response model. • Experimental results show the applicability of the model to cooled thermal cameras. • The fused HDR images retain more details, and the nonuniformity could be corrected. Abstract The multi-exposure fusion method is an effective way to extend the dynamic range of the infrared focal plane array (IRFPA), but the traditional method doesn't take into account the impact of the integration time on every pixel's response function, thereby introducing nonuniform noises and affecting the fusion quality. Based on the traditional response model of an infrared detector, this article derives the relationship between the response function and the integration time by introducing new influence factors, and conducts verification experiments with MW and LW thermal cameras. The experimental results are consistent with the proposed model, which shows that, within the linear response range of the detector, the gain parameters of the pixels are independent of the integration time, and the offset parameters are approximately inversely proportional to it when the ambient temperature is determined. Meanwhile, based on the results, an infrared HDR image fusion method under a variable integration time is studied. The resulting images retain more details of the bright and dark areas of the scene, and the nonuniformity can be corrected to some extent at the same time. This proves that the model proposed in this paper is effective for extending the dynamic range of the IRFPA and has theoretical significance and practical value for further HDR thermal imaging research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Lucrari Stiintifice, Universitatea de Stiinte Agricole Si Medicina Veterinara Ion Ionescu de la Brad Iasi, Seria Horticultura is the property of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (Editura Ion Ionescu de la Brad) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Staphylococcus aureus is considered a major pathogen in veterinary and human medicine, and the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains, such as livestock-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus, means that reliable, inexpensive, and fast methods are required to identify S. aureus obtained from animal sources. We tested the accuracy of a PCR targeting the genes femA, nuc, and coa in identifying S. aureus from animals. A total of 157 Staphylococcus spp. isolates were examined by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry; 18 different Staphylococcus species were identified. Of 68 S. aureus isolates, the genes femA, nuc, and coa were found in 61, 53, and 32 isolates, respectively. Considering MALDI-TOF as the gold standard, the PCR assays targeting all 3 genes showed 100% specificity; the sensitivity values were 89.7, 77.9, and 47.0% for femA, nuc, and coa, respectively. Sensitivity was 100% when femA and nuc markers were targeted simultaneously. These results confirm PCR as an accurate method to identify S. aureus species from animal sources and strongly suggest the simultaneous use of primers targeting femA and nuc genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are equipped with optical systems including an infrared (IR) camera such as electro-optical IR (EO/IR), target acquisition and designation sights (TADS), or forward looking IR (FLIR). However, images obtained from IR cameras are subject to noise such as dead pixels, lines, and fixed pattern noise. Nonuniformity correction (NUC) is a widely employed method to reduce noise in IR images, but it has limitations in removing noise that occurs during operation. Methods have been proposed to overcome the limitations of the NUC method, such as two-point correction (TPC) and scene-based NUC (SBNUC). However, these methods still suffer from unfixed pattern noise. In this paper, a background registration-based adaptive noise filtering (BRANF) method is proposed to overcome the limitations of conventional methods. The proposed BRANF method utilizes background registration processing and robust principle component analysis (RPCA). In addition, image quality verification methods are proposed that can measure the noise filtering performance quantitatively without ground truth images. Experiments were performed for performance verification with middle wave infrared (MWIR) and long wave infrared (LWIR) images obtained from practical military optical systems. As a result, it is found that the image quality improvement rate of BRANF is 30% higher than that of conventional NUC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Miniaturized thermal infrared (TIR) cameras that measure surface temperature are increasingly available for use with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). However, deriving accurate temperature data from these cameras is non-trivialsince they are highly sensitive to changes in their internal temperature and low-cost models are often not radiometrically calibrated. We present the results of laboratory and field experiments that tested the extent of the temperature-dependency of a non-radiometric FLIR Vue Pro 640. We found that a simple empirical line calibration using at least three ground calibration points was sufficient to convert camera digital numbers to temperature values for images captured during UAV flight. Although the camera performed well under stable laboratory conditions (accuracy ±0.5 °C), the accuracy declined to ±5 °C under the changing ambient conditions experienced during UAV flight. The poor performance resulted from the non-linear relationship between camera output and sensor temperature, which was affected by wind and temperature-drift during flight. The camera’s automated non-uniformity correction (NUC) could not sufficiently correct for these effects. Prominent vignetting was also visible in images captured under both stable and changing ambient conditions. The inconsistencies in camera output over time and across the sensor will affect camera applications based on relative temperature differences as well as user-generated radiometric calibration. Based on our findings, we present a set of best practices for UAV TIR camera sampling to minimize the impacts of the temperature dependency of these systems.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major health problem with an important biological and a significant socio-economic impact all over the world. There is a high pressure to come up with a new and more efficient strategy against HBV infection, especially after the recent success of HCV treatment. Preventing HBV infection through vaccine is currently the most efficient way to decrease HBV-related cirrhosis and liver cancer incidence, as well as the best way to suppress the HBV reservoir. The vaccine is safe and efficient in 80-95% of cases. One of its most important roles is to reduce materno-fetal transmission, by giving the first dose of vaccine in the first 24 hours after birth. Transmission of HBV infection early in life is still frequent, especially in countries with high endemicity. Successful HBV clearance by the host is immune-mediated, with a complex combined innate and adaptive cellular and humoral immune response. Different factors, such as the quantity and the sequence of HBV epitope during processing by dendritic cells and presenting by different HLA molecules or the polymorphism of T cell receptors (TOL) are part of a complex network which influences the final response. A new potential therapeutic strategy is to restore T-cell antiviral function and to improve innate and adaptive immune response by immunotherapeutic manipulation. It appears that HBV eradication is far from being completed in the next decades, and a new strategy against HBV infection must be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acute gonorrhea is characterized by neutrophilic inflammation that is insufficient to clear Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Activated neutrophils release extracellular traps (NETs), which are composed of chromatin and decorated with antimicrobial proteins. The N. gonorrhoeae NG0969 open reading frame contains a gene (nuc) that encodes a putatively secreted thermonuclease (Nuc) that contributes to biofilm remodeling. Here, we report that Nuc degrades NETs to help N. gonorrhoeae resist killing by neutrophils. Primary human neutrophils released NETs after exposure to N. gonorrhoeae, but NET integrity declined over time with Nuc-containing bacteria. Recombinant Nuc and conditioned medium from Nuc-containing N. gonorrhoeae degraded human neutrophil DNA and NETs. NETs were found to have antimicrobial activity against N. gonorrhoeae, and Nuc expression enhanced N. gonorrhoeae survival in the presence of neutrophils that released NETs. We propose that Nuc enables N. gonorrhoeae to escape trapping and killing by NETs during symptomatic infection, highlighting Nuc as a multifunctional virulence factor for N. gonorrhoeae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is the main cause of hospital infection emerged over the last decades. Rapid detection of MRSA is important for patient care and proper usage of infection control. Detection of mecA genes (encoding resistance to methicillin and other similar antibiotics) and nuc genes (encoding staphylococcal thermostable nuclease) by PCR method is now considered for rapid identification of MRSA strain. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of MRSA isolated from patients in Tehran, Iran by PCR method for detection of mecA and nuc genes.Phenotypic method such as microscopic and colony morphology and catalase and coagulase tests were used for identification of S. aureus isolates. DNA was extracted from all isolates and the presence of nuc and mecA gene was detected by PCR method. For determination of MRSA by phenotypic methods, oxacillin disk diffusion test were used. Data were analyzed by SPSS software.Out of 126 clinical sample identified by phenotypic method, 101 isolates had nuc gene. In disk diffusion tests by oxacillin disk, 78.2% of isolates were considered to be MRSA, but in PCR method for mecA gene, 69% isolates were positive.The results showed a high prevalence of methicillin-resistance among S. aureus isolates. Identifying MRSA strains, isolating MRSA-positive patients and carrier's treatment in a hospital to prevent MRSA infection is important in limiting the spread of MRSA. The PCR method for detection of nuc and mecA genes has potential for rapid and accurate diagnosis of MRSA strains.

Currently available antiviral treatment for chronic hepatitis B can be divided into two classes of therapeutic agents: pegylated interferon alpha (PEG-IFN) and nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs). The major advantages of NAs are good tolerance and potent antiviral activity associated with high rates of on-treatment response to therapy. The advantages of PEG-IFN include a finite course of treatment, the absence of drug resistance, and an opportunity to obtain a durable post-treatment response to therapy. The use of these two antiviral agents with different mechanisms of action in combination is theoretically an attractive approach for treatment, either simultaneously, as sequential combination therapy (add-on), or even as an immediate switch from one agent to the other. Different NAs have also been combined in certain clinical situations. At present, several studies have confirmed certain virological advantages to combination therapies, but pivotal prospective studies demonstrating long-term clinical benefit to patients are still missing. Therefore, combination treatment, especially with PEG-IFN plus NAs, is not indicated and was not recommended by the European Association for the Study of the Liver Clinical Practice Guidelines written in 2012, while the guidelines for the use of combination NAs is limited to very few clinical situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]