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1.
Mol Ther ; 32(2): 284-312, 2024 Feb 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38204162

ABSTRACT

Five small interfering RNA (siRNA)-based therapeutics have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), namely patisiran, givosiran, lumasiran, inclisiran, and vutrisiran. Besides, siRNA delivery to the target site without toxicity is a big challenge for researchers, and naked-siRNA delivery possesses several challenges, including membrane impermeability, enzymatic degradation, mononuclear phagocyte system (MPS) entrapment, fast renal excretion, endosomal escape, and off-target effects. The siRNA therapeutics can silence any disease-specific gene, but their intracellular and extracellular barriers limit their clinical applications. For this purpose, several modifications have been employed to siRNA for better transfection efficiency. Still, there is a quest for better delivery systems for siRNA delivery to the target site. In recent years, nanoparticles have shown promising results in siRNA delivery with minimum toxicity and off-target effects. Patisiran is a lipid nanoparticle (LNP)-based siRNA formulation for treating hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis that ultimately warrants the use of nanoparticles from different classes, especially lipid-based nanoparticles. These nanoparticles may belong to different categories, including lipid-based, polymer-based, and inorganic nanoparticles. This review briefly discusses the lipid, polymer, and inorganic nanoparticles and their sub-types for siRNA delivery. Finally, several clinical trials related to siRNA therapeutics are addressed, followed by the future prospects and conclusions.


Subject(s)
Amyloid Neuropathies, Familial , Nanoparticles , Polymers , RNA, Small Interfering/genetics , RNA, Small Interfering/metabolism , Transfection , Lipids
2.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38809300

ABSTRACT

Given the multifaceted character of depression and its related symptoms, an adolescent living with it is at increased risk for a wide range of adverse events. This research aimed to understand and characterize the psychosocial rehabilitation experiences of depressed teenage participants in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. A cross-sectional semi-structured interview design influenced by an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) technique was adopted. We employed a nonprobability, purposeful sampling approach to recruit twenty-one adolescents (6 males, 15 females) diagnosed with depression from the community after one month of discharge from admission and undergoing psychosocial rehabilitation. Using separate interviews, we gathered and analyzed data using interpretive phenomenological analysis to produce themes and sub-themes. These were presented with the participants' direct quotations. We discovered that the perspectives of adolescents' psychosocial rehabilitation experience include hopelessness and suicide ideation, coping difficulties, undesirable attitudes from support networks, challenges related to school, and isolation. Participants suggested appropriate therapeutic environments, encouraging support systems, and the media's role in preventing and treating depression among young people as rehabilitation approaches that could assist adolescents to remain lucid for longer intervals. These results shed light on the tragic realities faced by depressed adolescents. There is an urgent need to put well-defined structures in place to aid their rehabilitation and develop coping strategies for a better life.

3.
Pharm Res ; 40(9): 2215-2228, 2023 Sep.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37700104

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This study aims at chemotherapy and starvation therapy of HCC via starvation and apoptosis. METHODS: Hollow mesoporous organosilica nanoparticles (HMONs) with the thioether-hybrid structure were developed using an organic/inorganic co-templating assembly approach. Hydrofluoric acid was used to remove the internal MSN core for yielding large radial mesopores for loading drug cargos. The morphology and structure of NPs were determined using TEM and SEM. HMONs were stepwise surface modified with glucose oxidase (GOx), oxygen (O2) and Doxorubicin (DOX), and cancer cell membrane (CCM) for yielding CCM-coated HMONs (targeted stealth biorobots; TSBRs) for starvation, apoptotic, and enhanced cell uptake properties, respectively. The surface area and pore size distribution were determined via BET and BJH assays. The catalytic ability of GOx-modified NPs was measured using in vitro glucose conversion approach authenticated by H2O2 and pH determination assays. MTT assay was used to determine the cytotoxicities of NPs. Cell uptake and apoptotic assay were used for the NPs internalization and apoptosis mechanisms. The subcutaneous HepG2 tumor model was established in mice. The long-term in vivo toxicity was determined using blood assays. RESULTS: The prepared NPs were spherical, hollow and mesoporous with excellent surface area and pore size distribution. The GOx-modified NPs exhibited excellent catalytic activity. The TSBRs showed better cytotoxicity and reduce the tumor size and weight. The NPs showed long-term safety in vivo. CONCLUSION: TSBRs destroyed cancer cells by starvation and chemotherapy in both in-vitro and in-vivo settings which demonstrates its anti-cancer potential.


Subject(s)
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular , Liver Neoplasms , Nanoparticles , Mice , Animals , Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/drug therapy , Drug Delivery Systems , Silicon Dioxide/chemistry , Hydrogen Peroxide , Liver Neoplasms/drug therapy , Nanoparticles/chemistry , Doxorubicin/chemistry , Porosity
4.
Environ Res ; 226: 115678, 2023 06 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36921787

ABSTRACT

Antibiotics are intensively used to improve public health, prevent diseases and enhance productivity in animal farms. Contrarily, when released, the antibiotics laden wastewater produced from pharmaceutical industries and their application sources poses a potential ecological risk to the environment. This study provides a discussion on the occurrence of various antibiotics in wastewater and their potential ecological risk in the environment. Further, a critical review of anaerobic-aerobic processes based on three major systems (such as constructed wetland, high-rate bioreactor, and integrated treatment technologies) applied for antibiotics removal from wastewater is performed. The review also explores microbial dynamics responsible for antibiotic biodegradation in anaerobic-aerobic systems and its economic feasibility at wider-scale applications. The operational problems and prospective modifications are discussed to define key future research directions. The appropriate selection of treatment processes, sources control, understanding of antibiotic fate, and adopting precise monitoring strategies could eliminate the potential ecological risks of antibiotics. Integrated bio-electrochemical systems exhibit antibiotics removal ≥95% by dominant Geobacter sp. at short HRT ∼4-10 h. Major process factors like organic loading rate, hydraulic loading rate (HRT), and solid retention time significantly affect the system performance. This review will be beneficial to the researchers by providing in-depth understanding of antibiotic pollution and its abatement via anaerobic-aerobic processes to develop sustainable wastewater treatment technology in the future.


Subject(s)
Waste Disposal, Fluid , Wastewater , Animals , Anaerobiosis , Anti-Bacterial Agents , Prospective Studies , Bioreactors
5.
J Environ Manage ; 327: 116898, 2023 Feb 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36459783

ABSTRACT

Hybrid anaerobic-aerobic biological systems are an environmentally sustainable way of recovering bioenergy during the treatment of high-strength wastewaters and landfill leachate. This study provides a critical review of three major categories of anaerobic-aerobic processes such as conventional wetland, high-rate and integrated bioreactor systems applied for treatment of wastewaters and leachate. A comparative assessment of treatment mechanisms, critical operating parameters, bioreactor configurations, process control strategies, efficacies, and microbial dynamics of anaerobic-aerobic systems is provided. The review also explores the influence of wastewater composition on treatment performance, ammonium nitrogen removal efficacy, impact of mixing leachate, energy consumption, coupled bioenergy production and economic aspects of anaerobic-aerobic systems. Furthermore, the operational challenges, prospective modifications, and key future research directions are discussed. This review will provide in-depth understanding to develop sustainable engineering applications of anaerobic-aerobic processes for effective co-treatment of wastewaters and leachate.


Subject(s)
Wastewater , Water Pollutants, Chemical , Anaerobiosis , Prospective Studies , Systems Integration , Bioreactors , Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis , Nitrogen
6.
Stem Cells ; 39(1): 78-91, 2021 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33022858

ABSTRACT

Lyl1 encodes a hematopoietic- and endothelial-specific bHLH transcription factor. Lyl1-deficient mice are viable, but they display mild hematopoietic and vascular defects. Specifically, LYL1 is required for the maturation and stabilization of blood vessel endothelial adherens junctions. Here, we report that young adult Lyl1-/- mice exhibit transient overweight associated with general expansion of adipose tissue, without signs of metabolic disorder and unrelated to food intake. The increased fat tissue development in Lyl1-/- mice resulted from earlier differentiation of adipose stem cells (ASCs) into adipocytes through noncell autonomous mechanisms. Specifically, we found that in Lyl1-/- mice, the adipose tissue vascular structures are immature, as indicated by their high permeability, reduced coverage by pericytes, lower recruitment of VE-cadherin and ZO1 at cell junctions, and more prone to angiogenesis. Together, our data show that in Lyl1-/- mice, the impaired vascular compartment of the adipose niche promotes ASC differentiation, leading to early adipocyte expansion and premature ASC depletion. Our study highlights the major structural role of the adipose tissue vascular niche in coordinating stem cell self-renewal and differentiation into adipocytes.


Subject(s)
Adipose Tissue , Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors/deficiency , Neoplasm Proteins/deficiency , Neovascularization, Pathologic , Stem Cell Niche , Stem Cells/metabolism , Adipose Tissue/blood supply , Adipose Tissue/metabolism , Adipose Tissue/pathology , Animals , Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors/metabolism , Mice , Mice, Knockout , Neoplasm Proteins/metabolism , Neovascularization, Pathologic/genetics , Neovascularization, Pathologic/metabolism , Neovascularization, Pathologic/pathology , Stem Cells/pathology
7.
J Appl Microbiol ; 132(1): 633-641, 2022 Jan.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33969606

ABSTRACT

AIMS: Antibiotic resistance is a major problem in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of XDR Salmonella among local population of Lahore and genotyping of isolates for antibiotic-resistant genes. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 200 blood samples from suspected typhoid fever patients were collected. One hundred and fifty-seven bacterial samples were confirmed as Salmonella Typhi and 23 samples were confirmed as Salmonella Paratyphi after biochemical, serological and PCR based molecular characterization. Antibiogram analysis classified 121 (67·2%) Salmonella isolates as MDR and 62 isolates (34·4%) as XDR. The predominant resistance gene was ampC with 47·7% prevalence, followed by gyrA, catA1, tet(A), aac (3)-la, qnrS, blaNDM-1 and blaCTX-M-15 genes in 45·5, 40, 21·6, 18·3, 11·6, 2·2 and 0·5% isolates respectively. Sequence analysis showed the presence of sul1 and dfrA7 gene cassette arrays in 12 class 1 integron integrase positive isolates. CONCLUSION: Large number of clinical XDR S. Typhi-resistant against third generation cephalosporins have been reported. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The current study highlights the possible emergence of clinical XDR S. Typhi cases in Lahore, Pakistan. Potential attribution of phenotypic and genotypic XDR cases may help to contribute targeted therapy.


Subject(s)
Pharmaceutical Preparations , Typhoid Fever , Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Genotype , Humans , Microbial Sensitivity Tests , Pakistan , Salmonella typhi/genetics
8.
J Nanobiotechnology ; 20(1): 236, 2022 May 19.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35590412

ABSTRACT

Nanomedicines (NMs) have emerged as an efficient approach for developing novel treatment strategies against a variety of diseases. Over the past few decades, NM formulations have received great attention, and a large number of studies have been performed in this field. Despite this, only about 60 nano-formulations have received industrial acceptance and are currently available for clinical use. Their in vivo pharmaceutical behavior is considered one of the main challenges and hurdles for the effective clinical translation of NMs, because it is difficult to monitor the pharmaceutic fate of NMs in the biological environment using conventional pharmaceutical evaluations. In this context, non-invasive imaging modalities offer attractive solutions, providing the direct monitoring and quantification of the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic behavior of labeled NMs in a real-time manner. Imaging evaluations have great potential for revealing the relationship between the physicochemical properties of NMs and their pharmaceutical profiles in living subjects. In this review, we introduced imaging techniques that can be used for in vivo NM evaluations. We also provided an overview of various studies on the influence of key parameters on the in vivo pharmaceutical behavior of NMs that had been visualized in a non-invasive and real-time manner.


Subject(s)
Nanomedicine , Humans , Pharmaceutical Preparations
9.
Nano Lett ; 21(8): 3680-3689, 2021 04 28.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33596656

ABSTRACT

Efficient endosomal escape is the most essential but challenging issue for siRNA drug development. Herein, a series of quaternary ammonium-based amphiphilic triblock polymers harnessing an elaborately tailored pH-sensitive hydrophobic core were synthesized and screened. Upon incubating in an endosomal pH environment (pH 6.5-6.8), mPEG45-P(DPA50-co-DMAEMA56)-PT53 (PDDT, the optimized polymer) nanomicelles (PDDT-Ms) and PDDT-Ms/siRNA polyplexes rapidly disassembled, leading to promoted cytosolic release of internalized siRNA and enhanced silencing activity evident from comprehensive analysis of the colocalization and gene silencing using a lysosomotropic agent (chloroquine) and an endosomal trafficking inhibitor (bafilomycin A1). In addition, PDDT-Ms/siPLK1 dramatically repressed tumor growth in both HepG2-xenograft and highly malignant patient-derived xenograft models. PDDT-Ms-armed siPD-L1 efficiently blocked the interaction of PD-L1 and PD-1 and restored immunological surveillance in CT-26-xenograft murine model. PDDT-Ms/siRNA exhibited ideal safety profiles in these assays. This study provides guidelines for rational design and optimization of block polymers for efficient endosomal escape of internalized siRNA and cancer therapy.


Subject(s)
Endosomes , Polymers , Animals , Cell Line, Tumor , Gene Silencing , Humans , Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions , Mice , RNA, Small Interfering/genetics
10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36008111

ABSTRACT

The BCG vaccination programme in the UK is risk based and has usually been given to eligible babies soon after birth. On advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, NHS England and Improvement recently revised the timing of this vaccination to 28 days after birth or soon thereafter. In this article, we highlight the change in timing of vaccination, the rationale and barriers to BCG uptake that this change may pose.

11.
Entropy (Basel) ; 24(10)2022 Oct 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37420445

ABSTRACT

In recent years, searching and retrieving relevant images from large databases has become an emerging challenge for the researcher. Hashing methods that mapped raw data into a short binary code have attracted increasing attention from the researcher. Most existing hashing approaches map samples to a binary vector via a single linear projection, which restricts the flexibility of those methods and leads to optimization problems. We introduce a CNN-based hashing method that uses multiple nonlinear projections to produce additional short-bit binary code to tackle this issue. Further, an end-to-end hashing system is accomplished using a convolutional neural network. Also, we design a loss function that aims to maintain the similarity between images and minimize the quantization error by providing a uniform distribution of the hash bits to illustrate the proposed technique's effectiveness and significance. Extensive experiments conducted on various datasets demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method in comparison with state-of-the-art deep hashing methods.

12.
Microb Pathog ; 160: 105161, 2021 Nov.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34461244

ABSTRACT

Hantaviruses are etiological agents of several severe respiratory illnesses in humans and their human-to-human transmission has been reported. To cope with any potential pandemic, this group of viruses needs further research and a data platform. Therefore, herein we developed a database "HantavirusesDB (HVdb)", where genomics, proteomics, immune resource, RNAi based therapeutics and information on the 3D structures of druggable targets of the Orthohantaviruses are provided on a single platform. The database allows the researchers to effectively map the therapeutic strategies by designing multi-epitopes subunit vaccine and RNA based therapeutics. Moreover, the ease of the web interface allow the users to retrieve specific information from the database. Because of the high quality and excellent functionality of the HVdb, therapeutic research of Hantaviruses can be accelerated, and data analysis might be a foundation to design better treatment strategies targeting the hantaviruses. The database is accessible at http://hvdb.dqweilab-sjtu.com/index.php.


Subject(s)
Genomics , Pandemics , Databases, Nucleic Acid , Humans , Proteomics , RNA
13.
Eur J Nutr ; 60(7): 3853-3860, 2021 Oct.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33880645

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: We compared the impact of management of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) by lady health workers (LHWs) at a community level with the standard CMAM program provided at the health facility. METHODS: A two-arm cluster randomised controlled trial was conducted in a rural district in sindh Pakistan. The primary outcome was recovery from SAM and secondary outcomes were relapse, defaulter and mortality rate. RESULTS: A total of 829 children were recruited in the trial (430 in intervention and 399 in control groups). No significant difference was noted in recovery rate between the intervention and control groups (79.2% vs 85.6%, p = 0.276). Similarly, no significant differences were noted in relapse (p = 0.757), weight gain (p = 0.609), deaths (p = 0.775) and defaulter rate (p = 0.324) across the groups. Compliance of RUTF was significantly higher in the control group (93%) than in the intervention group (87%), p < 0.000. CONCLUSION: Our results showed no impact of SAM treatment on performance indicators of CMAM (recovery, relapse, death and default) between the standard CMAM programme performed at the health facility by the government and NGO staff and the programme performed at health house level by the LHWs in Pakistan. We recommend further robust trials in other settings to confirm our results.


Subject(s)
Malnutrition , Severe Acute Malnutrition , Child , Community Health Workers , Humans , Infant , Malnutrition/therapy , Neoplasm Recurrence, Local , Rural Population , Severe Acute Malnutrition/therapy , Weight Gain
14.
Int J Mol Sci ; 22(4)2021 Feb 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33557133

ABSTRACT

The interaction and crosstalk of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) is an established pathway in which the innate immune system recognises and fights pathogens. In a single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) analysis of an Indian cohort, we found evidence for both TLR4-399T and TRL8-1A conveying increased susceptibility towards tuberculosis (TB) in an interdependent manner, even though there is no established TLR4 ligand present in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which is the causative pathogen of TB. Docking studies revealed that TLR4 and TLR8 can build a heterodimer, allowing interaction with TLR8 ligands. The conformational change of TLR4-399T might impair this interaction. With immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry, we precipitated TLR4 with TLR8-targeted antibodies, indicating heterodimerisation. Confocal microscopy confirmed a high co-localisation frequency of TLR4 and TLR8 that further increased upon TLR8 stimulation. The heterodimerisation of TLR4 and TLR8 led to an induction of IL12p40, NF-κB, and IRF3. TLR4-399T in interaction with TLR8 induced an increased NF-κB response as compared to TLR4-399C, which was potentially caused by an alteration of subsequent immunological pathways involving type I IFNs. In summary, we present evidence that the heterodimerisation of TLR4 and TLR8 at the endosome is involved in Mtb recognition via TLR8 ligands, such as microbial RNA, which induces a Th1 response. These findings may lead to novel targets for therapeutic interventions and vaccine development regarding TB.


Subject(s)
Host-Pathogen Interactions/immunology , Immunity, Innate , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/immunology , Toll-Like Receptor 4/metabolism , Toll-Like Receptor 8/metabolism , Tuberculosis/immunology , Tuberculosis/metabolism , Alleles , Biomarkers , Case-Control Studies , Cell Line , Cohort Studies , Genotype , Host-Pathogen Interactions/genetics , Humans , Mass Spectrometry , Models, Molecular , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , Protein Conformation , Structure-Activity Relationship , Toll-Like Receptor 4/chemistry , Toll-Like Receptor 8/chemistry , Tuberculosis/microbiology
15.
J Environ Manage ; 300: 113827, 2021 Dec 15.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34649320

ABSTRACT

This study developed and evaluated a high-purity butyrate producing bioprocess from food waste by combining dry fermentation (DF) with a microbial fuel cell (MFC). Acclimatization of a DF reactor with an enrichment culture resulted in high food waste degradation (VS removed, %) and butyrate production. A high VS degradation of 81%, butyrate concentration of up to 24 gCODbutyrate/L and butyrate yields of 497 gCODbutyrate/kg VSadded was obtained in the DF reactor. As a result, butyrate comprised 83% of all short chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the DF broth. Acetate (10%) and propionate (7%) comprised the rest of the SCFA. The butyrate composition was further purified by feeding the DF broth to a multi-electrode MFC enriched with anode respiring bacteria (ARB) such as Geobacter sp. (>55%). The ARB in the MFC removed acetate and propionate while purified butyrate was recovered in the MFC effluent. Butyrate purity in the MFC effluent reached as high as 99% at hydraulic retention time of 72 h. Along with butyrate purification, the MFC produced electric power in a range of 0.1-0.6 Wh/gCODbutyraterecovered (or 0.01-7.85 kWh/ton of food waste), demonstrating that MFCs can be an energy-positive butyrate purification bioprocess.


Subject(s)
Bioelectric Energy Sources , Refuse Disposal , Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors , Butyrates , Electricity , Electrodes , Fermentation , Food
16.
Genes Immun ; 21(1): 13-26, 2020 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31118495

ABSTRACT

Tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) is a major health care threat worldwide causing over a million deaths annually. Host-pathogen interaction is complex, and a strong genetic contribution to disease susceptibility has been proposed. We have investigated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within cGAS/STING in Indian TB patients and healthy cohorts from India and Germany by Lightcycler®480 genotyping technique. The cGAS/STING pathway is an essential defense pathway within the cytosol after M.tb is internalized and mycobacterial DNA is released inducing the production of type I IFNs. We found that the rs311686 SNP upstream of cGAS provides protection from getting TB overall and is differently distributed in pulmonary TB patients compared with extra-pulmonary and particularly relapse cases. This SNP furthermore differs in distribution when comparing individuals with respect to BCG vaccination status. Taken together, our results show that the presence of the rs311686 SNP influences the course of TB significantly. However, structural conformation changes were found only for the cGAS rs610913 SNP. These findings underscore the importance of M.tb DNA recognition for TB pathogenesis and may eventually help in risk stratification of individuals. This may ultimately help in prevention of disease and aid in developing new vaccination and treatment strategies.


Subject(s)
BCG Vaccine/administration & dosage , Nucleotidyltransferases/genetics , Tuberculosis/genetics , Adult , BCG Vaccine/immunology , Case-Control Studies , Cohort Studies , Female , Host-Pathogen Interactions , Humans , India/epidemiology , Male , Mycobacterium tuberculosis/genetics , Nucleotidyltransferases/metabolism , Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide , Recurrence , Signal Transduction , Tuberculosis/enzymology , Tuberculosis/immunology , Tuberculosis/microbiology
17.
Int J Clin Pract ; 74(8): e13515, 2020 Aug.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32306458

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Ecological studies show association between antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and inappropriate oral antibiotics use. Moderating antibiotic prescribing requires an understanding of all drivers of local prescribing. The aim was to quantify how much is determined by external factors compared with discretionary clinical choices. METHODS: Oral antibiotic usage taken from England General Practitioner/Family Doctor practice prescribing data was aggregated using WHO/ATC defined daily doses (DDDs). The average annual antibiotic daily prescribing rate (AAADPR) in each practice was the total DDD of oral antibiotics divided by registered population and 365. The AAADPR of English practices in 2017_18 was linked by regression to factors including demographics, geography, medical comorbidities, clinical performance, patient satisfaction, medical workforce characteristics and prescribing selection. The regression coefficients for modifiable prescribing selection factors were applied to the difference between the median and top decile practice values to establish overall reduction opportunities through changing prescribing behaviour. RESULTS: Twenty five factors accounted for 58% of the AAADPR variation in 5889 practices supporting 49.8 million patients. Non-modifiable factors linked increased AAADPR to more northerly location, higher prevalence of diabetes, COPD, CHD, and asthma; higher white ethnicity; higher patient satisfaction and lower population density. Modifiable behaviour accounted for 11% of the variation in AAADPR, with increases associated with a wider range of antibiotics, higher proportion taken as liquids, higher doses in each prescription, lower guideline compliance, lower targeted antibiotics, lower spend/dose, and less seasonal variation. If all practices achieved the level of modifiable factors of the top decile, this model suggests that overall AAADPR could reduce by 31%. CONCLUSION: Such analysis is associative and does not infer causation. However, demographics, location, medical condition of the population, and prescribing selection are drivers of overall antibiotic prescribing. This analysis provides benchmarks for both non-modifiable and modifiable factors against which practices could evaluate their opportunities to reduce antibiotic prescribing.


Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , General Practitioners/statistics & numerical data , Inappropriate Prescribing/statistics & numerical data , Practice Patterns, Physicians'/statistics & numerical data , Adult , Comorbidity , Drug Monitoring/statistics & numerical data , England/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Patient Satisfaction
18.
Molecules ; 25(8)2020 Apr 20.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32326009

ABSTRACT

Date palm dust mites are important pests severely infesting valuable nutritious fruits (dates) of date palm. In search of an alternative to acaricides, joint action of Metarhizium anisopliae EBCL 02049 spores and 1-Chlorooctadecane was evaluated as a potential candidate for the management of Oligonychus afrasiaticus through natural products. In this regard, in vitro tests were performed to evaluate the interaction of M. anisopliae spores with multiple doses of 1-Chlorooctadecane (0.8, 1.6, 2.4, 3.2, and 4.0 mg/mL). Compatibility bioassay results evidenced from vegetative growth (77.7-84.40 mm), sporulation (5.50-7.30 × 106 spores/mL), and germination (96.70-98.20%), revealed that all the tested doses are compatible (biological index > 82) with the spores of M. anisopliae. The impact of combined treatment of spores with 1-Chlorooctadecane in different proportions (Scheme I, II, III, and IV) compared to their sole application against O. afrasiaticus was evaluated by concentration-mortality response bioassays. Results showed that all the combined treatments revealed high mortality compared to the sole application, which showed relatively slow mortality response over time. Toxicity recorded from Scheme IV combinations (80% 1-Chlorooctadecane: 20% Spores), exhibited strong synergistic interaction (joint toxicity = 713). Furthermore, potent interactions have overcome the host antioxidant defense at the final stage of infection by tremendously reducing catalase, and superoxide dismutase activities. These experiments demonstrated fungal-toxin joint synergistic interaction as a promising date palm dust mite management option.


Subject(s)
Host-Pathogen Interactions , Metarhizium/physiology , Plants/metabolism , Plants/microbiology , Secondary Metabolism , Spores, Fungal , Symbiosis , Antioxidants/metabolism , Biological Assay , Catalase/metabolism
19.
Molecules ; 25(17)2020 Aug 27.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32867078

ABSTRACT

With the inception of high voltage (HV), requisites on the insulating permanence of HV equipment is becoming increasingly crucial. Mineral/synthetic oil liquid insulation-together with solid insulation materials (paper, pressboard)-is the fundamental insulation constituent in HV apparatuses; their insulation attributes perform a substantial part in a reliable and steady performance. Meanwhile, implications on the environment, scarcity of petroleum oil supplies and discarding complications with waste oil have stimulated investigators to steer their attention towards sustainable, renewable, biodegradable and environmentally friendly insulating substances. The contemporary insulating constituent's evolution is driven by numerous dynamics-in particular, environmental obligations and other security and economic issues. Consequently, HV equipment manufacturers must address novel specifications concerning to these new standards. Renewable, sustainable and environmentally friendly insulating materials are continuously substituting conventional insulating items in the market place. These are favorable to traditional insulating materials, due to their superior functionality. The also offer explicit security and eco-friendly advantages. This article discusses cutting-edge technology of environmentally friendly insulating materials, including their fabrication, processing and characterization. The new renewable, insulating systems used in HV equipment are submitted and their fundamental gains stated in comparison with conventional insulating materials. Several experimental efforts carried out in various parts of the world are presented, offering an outline of the existing research conducted on renewable insulating systems. The significance of this article lies in summarizing prior investigations, classifying research essence, inducements and predicting forthcoming research trends. Furthermore, opportunities and constraints being experienced in the field of exploration are evidently reported. Last but not least, imminent research proposals and applications are recommended.

20.
J Cell Biochem ; 120(5): 7154-7166, 2019 May.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30485476

ABSTRACT

Pyrazinamide (PZA) is an important component of first-line antituberculosis drugs activated by Mycobacterium tuberculosis pyrazinamidase (PZase) into its active form pyrazinoic acid. Mutations in the pncA gene have been recognized as the major cause of PZA resistance. We detected some novel mutations, Leucine19Arginine (L19R), Arginine140Histidine (R140H), and Glutamic acid144 Lysine (E144K), in the pncA gene of PZA-resistant isolates in our wet lab PZA drug susceptibility testing and sequencing. As the molecular mechanism of resistance of these variants has not been reported earlier, we have performed multiple analyses to unveil different mechanisms of resistance because of PZase mutations L19R, R140H, and E144K. The mutants and native PZase structures were subjected to comprehensive computational molecular dynamics (MD) simulations at 100 nanoseconds in apo and drug-bound form. Mutants and native PZase binding pocket were compared to observe the consequence of mutations on the binding pocket size. Hydrogen bonding, Gibbs free energy, and natural ligand Fe +2 effect were also analyzed between native and mutants. A significant variation between native and mutant PZase structure activity was observed. The native PZase protein docking score was found to be the maximum, showing strong binding affinity in comparison with mutants. MD simulations explored the effect of the variants on the biological function of PZase. Hydrogen bonding, metal ion Fe +2 deviation, and fluctuation also seemed to be affected because of the mutations L19R, R140H, and E144K. The variants L19R, R140H, and E144K play a significant role in PZA resistance, altering the overall activity of native PZase, including metal ion Fe +2 displacement and free energy. This study offers valuable evidence for better management of drug-resistant tuberculosis.

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