Harnessing Natural Polymers for Nano-Scaffolds in Bone Tissue Engineering: A Comprehensive Overview of Bone Disease Treatment.

Numerous surgeries are carried out to replace tissues that have been harmed by an illness or an accident. Due to various surgical interventions and the requirement of bone substitutes, the emerging field of bone tissue engineering attempts to repair damaged tissues with the help of scaffolds. These scaffolds act as template for bone regeneration by controlling the development of new cells. For the creation of functional tissues and organs, there are three elements of bone tissue engineering that play very crucial role: cells, signals and scaffolds. For the achievement of these aims, various types of natural polymers, like chitosan, chitin, cellulose, albumin and silk fibroin, have been used for the preparation of scaffolds. Scaffolds produced from natural polymers have many advantages: they are less immunogenic as well as being biodegradable, biocompatible, non-toxic and cost effective. The hierarchal structure of bone, from microscale to nanoscale, is mostly made up of organic and inorganic components like nanohydroxyapatite and collagen components. This review paper summarizes the knowledge and updates the information about the use of natural polymers for the preparation of scaffolds, with their application in recent research trends and development in the area of bone tissue engineering (BTE). The article extensively explores the related research to analyze the advancement of nanotechnology for the treatment of bone-related diseases and bone repair.

A novel method for enrichment of Morganella morganii in fecal samples using designed culture medium.

Morganella morganii is a gram negative, facultative anaerobic rod-shaped bacterium, commonly found in environment and in the intestine of human, mammals, and reptiles as a part of their gut microbiome. M. morganii can cause Gram-negative folliculitis, black nail infection, acute retiform purpura, fetal demise, and subdural empyema. The increasing frequency of M. morganii infections generate the need for efficient methods to enrich the presence of M. morganii in clinical samples to make its detection easier. Culturomics aims to grow and maximize the number of culturable bacteria. Different methods are followed to maximize the growth of minority population of bacteria by disrupting the growth of bacteria which are present in higher concentration. This article presents a method for selective enriching the M. morganii in human fecal samples. This method includes prior incubation of fecal microbiota in an anaerobic environment, adding supplement like fecal water to give dormant bacteria a break to become active to grow to threshold concentration, and an enrichment stage which provides the additional opportunity of growing to M. morganii on the selective medium. This method also provides an ingenuous way for augmenting the growth of fecal M. morganii species.

Gut microbiota derived short-chain fatty acids in physiology and pathology: An update.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are essential molecules produced by gut bacteria that fuel intestinal cells and may also influence overall health. An imbalance of SCFAs can result in various acute and chronic diseases, including diabetes, obesity and colorectal cancer (CRC). This review delves into the multifaceted roles of SCFAs, including a brief discussion on their source and various gut-residing bacteria. Primary techniques used for detection of SCFAs, including gas chromatography, high-performance gas chromatography, nuclear magnetic resonance and capillary electrophoresis are also discussed through this article. This review study also compiles various synthesis pathways of SCFAs from diverse substrates such as sugar, acetone, ethanol and amino acids. The different pathways through which SCFAs enter cells for immune response regulation are also highlighted. A major emphasis is the discussion on diseases associated with SCFA dysregulation, such as anaemia, brain development, CRC, depression, obesity and diabetes. This includes exploring the relationship between SCFA levels across ethnicities and their connection with blood pressure and CRC. In conclusion, this review highlights the critical role of SCFAs in maintaining gut health and their implications in various diseases, emphasizing the need for further research on SCFA detection, synthesis and their potential as diagnostic biomarkers. Future studies of SCFAs will pave the way for the development of novel diagnostic tools and therapeutic strategies for optimizing gut health and preventing diseases associated with SCFA dysregulation.

The European Genome-phenome Archive in 2021.

The European Genome-phenome Archive (EGA - https://ega-archive.org/) is a resource for long term secure archiving of all types of potentially identifiable genetic, phenotypic, and clinical data resulting from biomedical research projects. Its mission is to foster hosted data reuse, enable reproducibility, and accelerate biomedical and translational research in line with the FAIR principles. Launched in 2008, the EGA has grown quickly, currently archiving over 4,500 studies from nearly one thousand institutions. The EGA operates a distributed data access model in which requests are made to the data controller, not to the EGA, therefore, the submitter keeps control on who has access to the data and under which conditions. Given the size and value of data hosted, the EGA is constantly improving its value chain, that is, how the EGA can contribute to enhancing the value of human health data by facilitating its submission, discovery, access, and distribution, as well as leading the design and implementation of standards and methods necessary to deliver the value chain. The EGA has become a key GA4GH Driver Project, leading multiple development efforts and implementing new standards and tools, and has been appointed as an ELIXIR Core Data Resource.

Interrelationship of lipid aldehydes (MDA, 4-HNE, and 4-ONE) mediated protein oxidation in muscle foods.

Proteins and essential fatty acids are crucial components of the human diet. However, lipids and proteins are susceptible to oxidative modification during food processing resulting in changes to their structural characteristics and functional properties. Food products rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids are highly susceptible to lipid peroxidation and generate bifunctional reactive aldehydes. Bifunctional aldehydes such as malondialdehyde (MDA), 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE), and 4-oxo-2-nonenal (4-ONE) readily bind to protein nucleophiles and lead to intra- or intermolecular protein cross-linking. In comparison with lipid oxidation, the degradation of proteins by prooxidants appears to be more intricate and results in a greater diversity of oxidation products. Although individual oxidation processes involving lipids and proteins received increasing attention in the past decades, the interactions between those aldehydes and protein oxidation in food have not been extensively explored. Studies indicate that the reactions of lipid and protein oxidation may take place simultaneously or independently, but oxidation products that arose from one reaction may further interact with lipids or proteins. The present review presents a perspective on reactive aldehydes and the role of aldehydes in inducing protein oxidation in muscle foods. Emphasis is focused on the interaction mechanism of the lipid, protein, and myoglobin protein oxidations. In addition, the occurrence of aldehydes derived from lipid oxidation in food systems as well as the endogenous antioxidant peptides or amino acids in meat and plant proteins are also briefly described.

Empty pelvis syndrome: a retrospective audit from a tertiary cancer center.

INTRODUCTION: Empty pelvis syndrome (EPS) has been defined as a complications arising as a sequel of empty space created after extensive pelvic surgery involving perineal resection. However this definition has been heterogenous throughout the limited literature available. Hence, EPS is a significant yet under recognized complication vexing both patients and surgeons. Even till date, prevention and management of EPS remain a challenge. Various preventive strategies have been employed each with its own complications. Few small studies mentioned incidence of this dreaded complication in between 20 and 40%. But most of these studies quote vague evidence and especially only after TPE surgeries. To the best of our knowledge, incidence after APR and PE has never been mentioned in literature. PURPOSE: To assess the clinical burden of empty pelvis syndrome in patients undergoing abdominoperineal resection (APR), posterior exenteration (PE), or total pelvic exenteration (TPE) for low rectal cancers. METHODS: This is a retrospective audit from a high-volume tertiary cancer center in India. Patients who underwent APR, PE, or TPE between the years 2013 to 2021 were screened and analyzed for incidence, presentation, and management of empty pelvic syndrome (EPS). RESULTS: A total of 1224 patients' electronic medical records were screened for complications related to empty pelvis. The overall incidence of EPS was 95/1224 (7%) with 55/1024 (5%) in APR, 8/39 (20.5%) in PE, and 32/143 (21.9%) in TPE. The most common clinical presentation was small bowel obstruction 43/95 (45.2%) and most presented late, 56/95 (60%), i.e., after 30 days of surgery. Most of the patients who had EPS were managed conservatively 55/95 (57%). CONCLUSION: EPS is a significant clinical problem that can lead to major morbidity, especially after exenterative surgeries warranting effective preventive strategies.

Wool keratin as a novel alternative protein: A comprehensive review of extraction, purification, nutrition, safety, and food applications.

The growing global population and lifestyle changes have increased the demand for specialized diets that require protein and other essential nutrients for humans. Recent technological advances have enabled the use of food bioresources treated as waste as additional sources of alternative proteins. Sheep wool is an inexpensive and readily available bioresource containing 95%-98% protein, making it an outstanding potential source of protein for food and biotechnological applications. The strong structure of wool and its indigestibility are the main hurdles to achieving its potential as an edible protein. Although various methods have been investigated for the hydrolysis of wool into keratin, only a few of these, such as sulfitolysis, oxidation, and enzymatic processes, have the potential to generate edible keratin. In vitro and in vivo cytotoxicity studies reported no cytotoxicity effects of extracted keratin, suggesting its potential for use as a high-value protein ingredient that supports normal body functions. Keratin has a high cysteine content that can support healthy epithelia, glutathione synthesis, antioxidant functions, and skeletal muscle functions. With the recent spike in new keratin extraction methods, extensive long-term investigations that examine prolonged exposure of keratin generated from these techniques in animal and human subjects are required to ascertain its safety. Food applications of wool could improve the ecological footprint of sheep farming and unlock the potential of a sustainable protein source that meets demands for ethical production of animal protein.

Leiomyosarcoma of inferior vena cava (IVC): do we really need to reconstruct IVC post resection? Single institution experience.

BACKGROUND: Inferior vena cava (IVC) leiomyosarcomas (LMS) are a rare group of retroperitoneal tumors. R0 surgical resection is the only curative modality of treatment. IVC resection for retroperitoneal sarcoma is a complex surgery with no definitive guidelines for reconstruction. METHODS: Retrospective review of all patients who underwent surgical resection of primary leiomyosarcoma of the IVC requiring resection from 2010 to 2020 at our tertiary care center was performed. RESULTS: Among 24 patients who required IVC resection for LMS, only 7 (29%) required reconstruction of IVC. According to Clavien-Dindo classification, there was one grade 3 or more morbidity and 1 post-operative mortality. Seventeen patients underwent R0 resection whereas 7 patients had R1 resection on final histopathology. At a median follow-up of 25 months (range 8-91 months), the median OS was 40 months with median DFS of 28 months. Two patients presented with local recurrence while 13 patients developed systemic recurrence on follow-up. CONCLUSION: Careful preoperative multidisciplinary planning can make IVC resection without reconstruction feasible with acceptable perioperative morbidity, mortality, and oncological outcomes for IVC LMS.

Fine-needle aspiration to improve diagnosis of melioidosis of the head and neck in children: a study from Sarawak, Malaysia.

BACKGROUND: Melioidosis, the infection caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, is associated with a high case fatality rate, due in part to difficulties in clinical recognition and diagnostic confirmation of the disease. Although head and neck involvement is common in children, specific disease manifestations differ between geographic regions. The aim of this study was to provide a detailed description of melioidosis of the head and neck among children in Sarawak, Malaysia, and determine if fine-needle aspiration of suspected head or neck lesions could improve melioidosis diagnosis. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective descriptive study of all children aged < 12 years with culture-confirmed melioidosis presenting with head and neck manifestations and admitted to Bintulu Hospital in Sarawak, Malaysia, from January 2011 until December 2020. Fine-needle aspiration of head and neck lesions suspected to be due to melioidosis with inoculation in blood culture bottles (FNA + BCB) was used from the beginning of 2016. RESULTS: Of 34 children with culture-confirmed melioidosis, 20 (59%) had an infection involving one or more sites in the head and neck. Of these, 17 (85%) were diagnosed in or after 2016. Cervical lymph nodes were the most common organ or site affected, involved in 19 (95%) children. Clinical presentations of B. pseudomallei lymph node infections were highly variable. Five (25%) children had salivary gland involvement. Lacrimal gland involvement (dacryocystitis) and skin or soft tissue infection (scalp abscess) were less frequent. B. pseudomallei was isolated from the head or neck using FNA + BCB in 15 (75%) children and by standard culture methods of direct plating of pus on agar following incision and drainage in only 2 (10%) children. B. pseudomallei was isolated from non-head or neck specimens or blood in 3 (15%) children. CONCLUSIONS: Manifestations of pediatric head and neck melioidosis in Sarawak, Malaysia, differ from those of other regions. Fine-needle aspiration, mainly of affected cervical lymph nodes, facilitates B. pseudomallei detection and enables confirmation of melioidosis infections.

Invasive Salmonella infections among children in Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo: a 6-year retrospective review.

BACKGROUND: Invasive Salmonella infections result in significant morbidity and mortality in developing countries. In Asia, typhoid and paratyphoid fever are reported to be the major invasive Salmonella infections, while invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS) infections are believed to be uncommon. Data from Sarawak, in Malaysian Borneo, are limited. METHODS: A retrospective study identifying all children aged < 15 years with invasive Salmonella infections from 2011 to 2016 was conducted in Bintulu Hospital in Sarawak. Population incidences, clinical and bacterial characteristics were examined. RESULTS: Forty-four patients were identified during the 6-year study period: 43 had iNTS infection and 1 had typhoid fever. The average annual iNTS incidence was 32.4 per 100,000 children aged < 5 years. None of the children had malaria or HIV infection, and only 7% were severely malnourished. Salmonella Enteritidis and Salmonella Java were the commonest NTS serovars identified. Pneumonia was the most common manifestation of iNTS disease, present in 20 (47%) children. Other manifestations included gastroenteritis, fever without a source, septic arthritis and meningitis. Salmonella Enteritidis was identified in 76% of those with pneumonia, significantly more frequently than in children with other manifestations. Over 25% of children with iNTS developed severe disease and nearly 10% suffered long term morbidity or mortality. While 78% of Salmonella Java isolates were multi-drug resistant, nearly all other isolates were susceptible to most antimicrobials, including ampicillin. CONCLUSIONS: Bintulu Division in Sarawak observed a very high incidence of childhood iNTS infections. Enteric fever was uncommon. The epidemiology of invasive Salmonella infections in Malaysian Borneo differs considerably from that of neighbouring countries in Asia.

Measles infection causing Bacillus Calmette-Guérin reactivation: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Reactivation of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), manifesting as erythema, induration, ulceration or crust formation at a previous BCG inoculation site, is a common and highly specific feature of Kawasaki disease (KD). We report the unusual finding of BCG reactivation in an infant with laboratory-confirmed measles. CASE PRESENTATION: A previously healthy 7-month old infant presented initially with fever, cough and coryza, and subsequently developed Koplik's spots followed by a typical morbilliform skin rash. There was significant contact history with a household relative who had recently been diagnosed with measles. On examination, a 2.5 cm area of erythema and induration was seen at the previous BCG inoculation site, in addition to the widespread maculopapular rash. No other clinical features of KD were present. Measles virus was isolated from the throat swab and measles antibodies (IgM) were present in the serum. The patient recovered completely with oral vitamin A and supportive therapy, and had normal echocardiography examination on follow up. CONCLUSIONS: This case report highlights the rare finding of BCG reactivation in a child with confirmed measles infection, and suggests that this clinical manifestation may occasionally occur in children with infections or conditions other than KD.

Functional properties of bicarbonates and lactic acid on chicken breast retail display properties and cooked meat quality.

Whole chicken breast was injected with potassium bicarbonate (PB), sodium bicarbonate (SB), and potassium lactate (K-lactate) and salt, alone or in combination at different concentration levels. The objectives were to 1) investigate the effects of different concentration of PB, SB, and PL on instrumental color, water-holding capacity (WHC), objective tenderness, expressible moisture, and moisture content and 2) evaluate whether sodium-containing ingredients can be replaced with potassium as a potential strategy to reduce total sodium content in the finished product. Results showed that chicken breast tissue marinated with SB and PB had greater moisture retention, display characteristics, and cooked product qualities than chicken breast tissue injected with water and the nonmarinated control. The L* values (lightness) did not change over the period of retail display and were not different compared to the control (P>0.05). The chicken breast enhanced with SB, PB, and K-lactate retained better retail display color than the controls (marinated with water and nonmarinated). Increasing the potassium bicarbonate concentration from 0.5 to 1.5% significantly improved the water-holding capacity (82.17 to 92.61%; P<0.05) and led to better cook yield (83.84 to 91.96%). Shear force values were lower at the 0.5% level for both SB and PB compared to the control. PB performed better on retail display and cooked meat quality than SB. This study suggests that chicken breast tissue can be marinated with KB as a healthier alternative to phosphate or SB.

Burkholderia pseudomallei isolates from Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, are predominantly susceptible to aminoglycosides and macrolides.

Melioidosis is a potentially fatal disease caused by the saprophytic bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei. Resistance to gentamicin is generally a hallmark of B. pseudomallei, and gentamicin is a selective agent in media used for diagnosis of melioidosis. In this study, we determined the prevalence and mechanism of gentamicin susceptibility found in B. pseudomallei isolates from Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. We performed multilocus sequence typing and antibiotic susceptibility testing on 44 B. pseudomallei clinical isolates from melioidosis patients in Sarawak district hospitals. Whole-genome sequencing was used to identify the mechanism of gentamicin susceptibility. A novel allelic-specific PCR was designed to differentiate gentamicin-sensitive isolates from wild-type B. pseudomallei. A reversion assay was performed to confirm the involvement of this mechanism in gentamicin susceptibility. A substantial proportion (86%) of B. pseudomallei clinical isolates in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, were found to be susceptible to the aminoglycoside gentamicin, a rare occurrence in other regions where B. pseudomallei is endemic. Gentamicin sensitivity was restricted to genetically related strains belonging to sequence type 881 or its single-locus variant, sequence type 997. Whole-genome sequencing identified a novel nonsynonymous mutation within amrB, encoding an essential component of the AmrAB-OprA multidrug efflux pump. We confirmed the role of this mutation in conferring aminoglycoside and macrolide sensitivity by reversion of this mutation to the wild-type sequence. Our study demonstrates that alternative B. pseudomallei selective media without gentamicin are needed for accurate melioidosis laboratory diagnosis in Sarawak. This finding may also have implications for environmental sampling of other locations to test for B. pseudomallei endemicity.

Mutation analysis of glycine decarboxylase, aminomethyltransferase and glycine cleavage system protein-H genes in 13 unrelated families with glycine encephalopathy.

Glycine encephalopathy (GCE) or nonketotic hyperglycinemia is an inborn error of glycine metabolism, inherited in an autosomal recessive manner due to a defect in any one of the four enzymes aminomethyltransferase (AMT), glycine decarboxylase (GLDC), glycine cleavage system protein-H (GCSH) and dehydrolipoamide dehydrogenase in the glycine cleavage system. This defect leads to glycine accumulation in body tissues, including the brain, and causes various neurological symptoms such as encephalopathy, hypotonia, apnea, intractable seizures and possible death. We screened 14 patients from 13 families with clinical and biochemical features suggestive of GCE for mutation in AMT, GLDC and GCSH genes by direct sequencing and genomic rearrangement of GLDC gene using a multiplex ligation-dependant probe amplification. We identified mutations in all 14 patients. Seven patients (50%) have biallelic mutations in GLDC gene, six patients (43%) have biallelic mutations in AMT gene and one patient (7%) has mutation identified in only one allele in GLDC gene. Majority of the mutations in GLDC and AMT were missense mutations and family specific. Interestingly, two mutations p.Arg265His in AMT gene and p.His651Arg in GLDC gene occurred in the Penan sub-population. No mutation was found in GCSH gene. We concluded that mutations in both GLDC and AMT genes are the main cause of GCE in Malaysian population.

Systemic Analysis of Glyphosate Impact on Environment and Human Health.

With a growing global population, agricultural scientists are focusing on crop production management and the creation of new strategies for a higher agricultural output. However, the growth of undesirable plants besides the primary crop poses a significant challenge in agriculture, necessitating the massive application of herbicides to eradicate this problem. Several synthetic herbicides are widely utilized, with glyphosate emerging as a potential molecule for solving this emerging issue; however, it has several environmental and health consequences. Several weed species have evolved resistance to this herbicide, therefore lowering agricultural yield. The persistence of glyphosate residue in the environment, such as in water and soil systems, is due to the misuse of glyphosate in agricultural regions, which causes its percolation into groundwater via the vertical soil profile. As a result, it endangers many nontarget organisms existing in the natural environment, which comprises both soil and water. The current Review aims to provide a systemic analysis of glyphosate, its various effects on the environment, its subsequent impact on human health and animals, which will lead us toward a better understanding of the issues about herbicide usage and aid in managing it wisely, as in the near the future glyphosate market is aiming for a positive forecast until 2035.