A critical meta-analysis of predicted no effect concentrations for antimicrobial resistance selection in the environment.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest threats to human health with a growing body of evidence demonstrating that selection for AMR can occur at environmental antimicrobial concentrations. Understanding the concentrations at which selection for resistance may occur is critical to help inform environmental risk assessments and highlight where mitigation strategies are required. A variety of experimental and data approaches have been used to determine these concentrations. However, there is minimal standardisation of existing approaches and no consensus on the relative merits of different methods. We conducted a semi-systematic literature review to collect and critically appraise available minimal selective concentration (MSC) and predicted no effect concentration for resistance (PNECR) data and the approaches used to derive them. There were 21 relevant articles providing 331 selective concentrations, ranging from 0.00087 µg/L (ciprofloxacin) to 2000 µg/L (carbenicillin). Meta-analyses of these data found that selective concentrations are highly compound-dependent, and only a subset of all antimicrobials have been the focus of most of the research. The variety of approaches that have been used, knowledge gaps and future research priorities were identified, as well as recommendations for those considering the selective risks of antimicrobials in the environment.

Calcium and phosphorus digestibility in broilers as affected by varying phytate concentrations from corn.

Dietary phytate P (PP) concentration impacts Ca and P digestibility in broilers. Research was conducted to determine the impact of increasing concentration of dietary PP, with and without phytase, on broiler standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of Ca and P. Digestible (Dig) Ca and P were calculated by multiplying SID and the analyzed dietary Ca and P concentrations. The experiment was a factorial arrangement of 2 phytase (0 and 1,000 U/kg) and 4 PP (0.16, 0.23, 0.29, and 0.34%) concentrations. Treatments were fed for 36 h from 20 to 22 d of age (4 b/pen, n ≥ 7 replicate pens/treatment). Different ratios of corn and corn germ were used to achieve the desired PP concentrations. A limestone with 800 µm geometric mean diameter was used as the sole Ca source to achieve 0.7% Ca in the final diets (96% Ca from limestone). An additional diet was fed that was N, Ca- and P-free, for the determination of endogenous losses of each nutrient. Distal ileal digesta were pooled from all birds in a pen. There were no interactions between PP and phytase on SID Ca or Dig Ca from limestone. Irrespective of phytase inclusion, increasing PP from 0.16 to 0.34% decreased SID Ca from 53.8 to 38.1% (P < 0.05). The SID Ca averaged 41.5 and 51.4% in diets containing 0 and 1000 U phytase/kg, respectively, across all PP concentrations (P < 0.05). Interactions were seen between PP and phytase on SID and Dig P (P < 0.05) with SID P of 31.1, 24.0, 20.1, and 16.3% for broilers fed 0.16, 0.23, 0.29, and 0.34% PP diets without phytase, respectively. When phytase was included at 1000 U/kg, SID P was 89.9, 87.5, 73.9 and 60.4% for diets containing 0.16, 0.23, 0.29 and 0.34% PP, respectively (P < 0.05). Overall, phytase improved SID Ca and P independent of PP concentration. However, with increasing PP concentration, both SID Ca and P were negatively affected.

Ecotoxicological study of seven pharmaceutically active compounds: Mixture effects and environmental risk assessment.

Pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs) have been detected in several aquatic compartments, which has been of environmental concern since PhACs can cause adverse effects on the aquatic ecosystem at low concentrations. Despite the variety of PhACs detected in surface water, ecotoxicological studies are non-existent for many of them, mainly regarding their mixture. In addition, water bodies can continuously receive the discharge of raw or treated wastewater with micropollutants. Thus, PhACs are subject to mixture and interactions, potentiating or reducing their toxicity. Therefore, the present study evaluated the toxicity on Aliivibrio fischeri of seven PhACs, which still needs to be explored in the literature. The effects were evaluated for the PhACs individually and for their binary and tertiary mixture. Also, the experimental effects were compared with the concentration addition (CA) and independent action (IA) models. Finally, an environmental risk assessment was carried out. Fenofibrate (FEN), loratadine (LOR), and ketoprofen (KET) were the most toxic, with EC50 of 0.32 mg L-1, 6.15 mg L-1 and 36.8 mg L-1, respectively. Synergistic effects were observed for FEN + LOR, KET + LOR, and KET + FEN + LOR, showing that the CA and IA may underestimate the toxicity. Environmental risks for KET concerning algae, and LOR e 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) for crustaceans and fish were high for several locations. Besides, high removals by wastewater treatment technologies are required to achieve the concentrations necessary for reducing KET and LOR risk quotients. Thus, this study contributed to a better understanding of the toxic interactions and environmental risks of PhACs.

Quantitative expression of LNAPL pollutant concentrations in capillary zone by coupling multiple environmental factors based on random forest algorithm.

The capillary zone plays a crucial role in migration and transformation of pollutants. Light nonaqueous liquids (LNAPLs) have become the main organic pollutant in soil and groundwater environments. However, few studies have focused on the concentration distribution characteristics and quantitative expression of LNAPL pollutants within capillary zone. In this study, we conducted a sandbox-migration experiment using diesel oil as a typical LNAPL pollutant, with the capillary zone of silty sand as the research object. The variation characteristics of LNAPL pollutants (total petroleum hydrocarbon) concentration and environmental factors (moisture content, electrical conductivity, pH, and oxidationreduction potential) were essentially consistent at different locations with the same height. These characteristics differed within range of 10.0-50.0 cm and above 60.0 cm from groundwater. A model for quantitative expression of concentrations was constructed by coupling multiple environmental factors of 968 sets-7744 data via random forest algorithm. The goodness of fit (R2) for both training and test sets was greater than 0.90, and the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) was less than 16.00 %. The absolute values of relative errors in predicting concentrations at characteristic points were less than 15.00 %. The constructed model can accurately and quantitatively express and predict concentrations in capillary zone.

Use of pumice stone and silica fume as precursor material for the design of a geopolymer.

Background: Geopolymers are alternative materials to cement because they require less energy in their production process; hence, they contribute to the reduction in CO 2 emissions. This study aims to evaluate the possibility of using industrial residues such as silica fume (SF) to improve the physical and mechanical properties of a pumice stone (PS)-based geopolymer. Methods: Through an experimental methodology, the process starts with the extraction, grinding, and sieving of the raw material to carry out the physical and chemical characterization of the resulting material, followed by the dosage of the geopolymer mixture considering the factors that influence the resistance mechanical strength. Finally, the physical and mechanical properties of the geopolymer were characterized. This research was carried out in four stages: characterization of the pumice stone, design of the geopolymer through laboratory tests, application according to the dosage of the concrete, and analysis of the data through a multi-criteria analysis. Results: It was determined that the optimal percentage of SF replacement is 10%, which to improves the properties of the geopolymer allowing to reach a maximum resistance to compression and flexion of 14.10 MPa and 4.78 MPa respectively, showing that there is a direct relationship between the percentage of SF and the resistance. Conclusions: Geopolymer preparation involves the use of PS powder with a composition rich in silicon and aluminum. The factors influencing strength include the ratio of sodium silicate to sodium hydroxide, water content, temperature, curing time, molarity of sodium hydroxide, and binder ratio. The results showed an increase in the compression and flexural strength with 10% SF replacement. The geopolymer's maximum compressive strength indicates its non-structural use, but it can be improved by reducing the PS powder size.

Vacancy Manipulation by Ordered Mesoporous Induced Optimal Carrier Concentration and Low Lattice Thermal Conductivity in BixSb2- xTe3 Yielding Superior Thermoelectric Performance.

For BixSb2- xTe3 (BST) in thermoelectric field, the element ratio is easily influenced by the chemical environment, deviating from the stoichiometric ratio and giving rise to various intrinsic defects. In P-type polycrystalline BST, SbTe and BiTe are the primary forms of defects. Defect engineering is a crucial strategy for optimizing the electrical transport performance of Bi2Te3-based materials, but achieving synchronous improvement of thermal performance is challenging. In this study, mesoporous SiO2 is utilized to successfully mitigate the adverse impacts of vacancy defects, resulting in an enhancement of the electrical transport performance and a pronounced reduction in thermal conductivity. Crystal and the microstructure of the continuous modulation contribute to the effective phonon-electronic decoupling. Ultimately, the peak zT of Bi0.4Sb1.6Te3/0.8 wt% SiO2 (with a pore size of 4 nm) nanocomposites reaches as high as 1.5 at 348 K, and a thermoelectric conversion efficiency of 6.6% is achieved at ΔT = 222.7 K. These results present exciting possibilities for the realization of defect regulation in porous materials and hold reference significance for other material systems.

Synergistic treatment of digested wastewater with high ammonia nitrogen concentration using straw and microalgae.

Microalgae as a promising approach for wastewater treatment, has challenges in directly treating digested piggery wastewater (DPW) with high ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) concentration. To improve the performance of microalgae in DPW treatment, straw was employed as a substrate to form a straw-microalgae biofilm. The results demonstrated that the straw-microalgae biofilm achieved the highest NH4+-N removal rate of 193.2 mg L-1 d-1, which was 28.8 % higher than that of culture system without straw. The final NH4+-N concentration in the effluent met the discharge standard of 5 mg L-1. Furthermore, the total organic carbon (TOC) released from straw facilitated bacterial proliferation and the secretion of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). The EPS and TOC increased the suspension viscosity and surface tension, thereby enhancing the residence time of CO2 in the liquid phase and promoting CO2 fixation. This study presented a novel method for the biological treatment of high-ammonia-nitrogen DPW.

Establishment of LC-MS/MS Methodology for the Determination of Rapamycin Concentration in Rat Whole Blood.

BACKGROUND: The establishment and validation of methods for testing biological samples are crucial steps in pharmacokinetic studies. Currently, several methodological reports have been published on the detection of rapamycin plasma concentrations. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to explore an effective method for detecting rapamycin in rat whole blood biological samples. METHOD: In this study, we designed a rapid, sensitive, and specific liquid chromatograph-mass spectrometer/mass spectrometer (LC-MS/MS) methodology for detecting rapamycin in rat whole blood biological samples. We comprehensively validated the specificity, linear range, lower limit of quantification (LLOQ), precision, accuracy, recovery, and stability of this method. RESULTS: The findings of this study confirmed the successful implementation of LC-MS/MS for the detection of rapamycin, demonstrating its sensitivity, specificity, and reliability in quantitative analysis. This method ensures the accuracy and reliability of subsequent study data through our validated LC-MS/MS approach. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated the successful implementation of an LC-MS/MS method for sensitive, specific, and reliable quantitative analysis of rapamycin in rat whole blood samples. This method ensures the accuracy and reliability of subsequent study data. SIGNIFICANCE: The importance of this study lies in the successful establishment of a rapid, sensitive, and specific LC-MS/MS method for detecting rapamycin concentration in rat whole blood, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of subsequent research data. This provides a crucial tool and foundation for further understanding the metabolism and pharmacological effects of rapamycin in vivo, aiding in the advancement of drug research and clinical applications in related fields.

Elevated blood-ethanol concentration promotes reduction of aliphatic ketones (acetone and ethyl methyl ketone) to secondary alcohols along with slower oxidation to aliphatic diols.

Many people convicted for drunken driving suffer from an alcohol use disorder and some traffic offenders consume denatured alcohol for intoxication purposes. Venous blood samples from people arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol were analyzed in triplicate by headspace gas chromatography (HS-GC) using three different stationary phases. The gas chromatograms from this analysis sometimes showed peaks with retention times corresponding to acetone, ethyl methyl ketone (2-butanone), 2-propanol, and 2-butanol in addition to ethanol and the internal standard (1-propanol). Further investigations showed that these drink-driving suspects had consumed an industrial alcohol (T-Red) for intoxication purposes, which contained > 90% w/v ethanol, acetone (~ 2% w/v), 2-butanone (~ 5% w/v) as well as Bitrex to impart a bitter taste. In n = 75 blood samples from drinkers of T-Red, median concentrations of ethanol, acetone, 2-butanone, 2-propanol and 2-butanol were 2050 mg/L (2.05 g/L), 97 mg/L, 48 mg/L, 26 mg/L and 20 mg/L, respectively. In a separate GC analysis, 2,3-butanediol (median concentration 87 mg/L) was identified in blood samples containing 2-butanone. When the redox state of the liver is shifted to a more reduced potential (excess NADH), which occurs during metabolism of ethanol, this favors the reduction of low molecular ketones into secondary alcohols via the alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) pathway. Routine toxicological analysis of blood samples from apprehended drivers gave the opportunity to study metabolism of acetone and 2-butanone without having to administer these substances to human volunteers.

Does lecture playback speed not affect memory and concentration in medical students?

Merhavy et al.'s study on the impact of lecture playback speeds on concentration and memory is valuable as it is one of the few studies on how different playback speeds may affect medical students' learning. However, despite the novelty of this study, some limitations concerning its methodological rigor, including statistical analyses, lack of evaluation of confounders, unclear characteristics of participants, and lack of a true control group, need to be considered in the interpretation of findings.

Characterization and validation of a prognostic model for the N6-methyladenosine-associated ferroptosis gene in colon adenocarcinoma.

Background: According to statistics, colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) ranks third in global incidence and second in mortality. The role of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification-dependent ferroptosis in tumor development and progression is gaining attention. Therefore, it is meaningful to explore the biological functions mediated by m6A ferroptosis related genes (m6A-Ferr-RGs) in the prognosis and treatment of COAD. This study aimed to explore the regulatory mechanisms and prognostic features of m6A-Ferr-RGs in COAD based on the COAD transcriptome dataset. Methods: The expression data of Ferr-RGs and the correlated analysis with prognosis related m6A regulators were conducted to obtain candidate m6A-Ferr-RGs. Then, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between COAD and normal samples were intersected with candidate m6A-Ferr-RGs to obtain differentially expressed m6A Ferr-RGs (DE-m6A-Ferr-RGs) in COAD. Cox regression analyses were performed to establish risk model and validated in the GSE17538 and GSE41258 datasets. The nomogram was constructed and verified by calibration curves. Moreover, tumor immune dysfunction and exclusion (TIDE) was used to assess immunotherapy response in two risk groups. Finally, the expression of m6A-Ferr-related prognostic genes was validated by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results: In total, 6 model genes (HSD17B11, VEGFA, CXCL2, ASNS, FABP4, and GPX2) were obtained to construct the risk model. The nomogram was established based on the independent prognostic factors for predicting survival of COAD. TIDE assessed that the high-risk group suffered from greater immune resistance. Ultimately, the experimental results confirmed that the expression trends of all model genes were consistent among data from public database. Conclusions: In this study, m6A-Ferr-related prognostic model for COAD was constructed using transcriptome data and clinical data of COAD in public database, which may have potential immunotherapy and chemotherapy guidance implications.

Comparative evaluation of minimal inhibitory concentration and minimal bactericidal concentration of various herbal irrigants against Enterococcus faecalis.

Context: The purpose of this article is to evaluate the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) of Herbal Irrigants. Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate MIC and MBC of herbal extracts of Azadirachta indica, Curcuma longa, and Green Tea Against Enterococcus faecalis. Methodology: The MIC and MBC of extracts of A . indica (neem), C. longa (turmeric), and Green Tea were evaluated to establish them as standard root canal irrigants against E. faecalis using agar well diffusion method. Statistical Analysis Used: The collected data were statistically analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results: The present study found that green tea exhibited the most substantial antimicrobial activity among the tested herbal extracts, which was comparable to chlorhexidine. Although A. indica and C. longa required higher concentrations for effectiveness, their antimicrobial properties were also apparent. Conclusions: Within the constraints of this study, it can be concluded that green tea could be considered a promising alternative to chlorhexidine in treating endodontic infections due to its substantial antimicrobial activity against E. faecalis at lower concentrations.

Recovery of short-chain organic acids (SCOAs) obtained from anaerobic fermentation process.

Short-chain organic acids (SCOAs) are the intermediates in the anaerobic fermentation process, and can be used in food, textile, and pharmaceutical industries to produce different end use products. SCOAs can be separated, purified, and concentrated by different processes, such as distillation, extraction or membrane-based systems. SCOAs production adds more profitable possibilities to an acidic fermentation process by integration these marketable acids as highly concentrated mixtures with other refinery processes. The present study investigated two approaches for recovering of SCOAs: i) the production of clarified SCOAs liquid by microfiltration (MF) and then performing their concentration by reverse osmosis (RO) and ii) the recovery and concentration by the so-called integrated neutralization and acidified reaction method. The results of MF showed that some SCOAs were retained in the retentate together with the solids. However, in the following RO treatment, SCOAs could be successfully concentrated with a yield retention of over 90 % from the SCOAs liquid. In the latter method, a color-free SCOAs liquid was obtained with an increase in the total SCOAs concentration from 23 g/L to 146 g/L.

Voriconazole therapeutic drug monitoring including analysis of CYP2C19 phenotype in immunocompromised pediatric patients with invasive fungal infections.

PURPOSE: Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of voriconazole (VCZ) should be mandatory for all pediatric patients with invasive fungal infections (IFIs). The narrow therapeutic index, inter-individual variability in VCZ pharmacokinetics, and genetic polymorphisms cause achieving therapeutic concentration during therapy to be challenging in this population. METHODS: The study included 44 children suffering from IFIs treated with VCZ. Trough concentrations (Ctrough) of VCZ ware determined by the HPLC-FLD method. Identification of the CYP2C19*2 and CYP2C19*17 genetic polymorphisms was performed by PCR-RFLP. The correlation between polymorphisms and VCZ Ctrough was analyzed. Moreover, the effect of factors such as dose, age, sex, route of administration, and drug interactions was investigated. RESULTS: VCZ was administered orally and intravenously at a median maintenance dosage of 14.7 mg/kg/day for a median of 10 days. The VCZ Ctrough was highly variable and ranged from 0.1 to 6.8 mg/L. Only 45% of children reached the therapeutic range. There was no significant association between Ctrough and dosage, age, sex, route of administration, and concomitant medications. The frequencies of variant phenotype normal (NM), intermediate (IM), rapid (RM) and ultrarapid metabolizers (UM) were 41%, 18%, 28%, and 13%, respectively. Ctrough of VCZ were significantly higher in NM and IM groups compared with RM, and UM groups. CONCLUSION: The Ctrough of VCZ is characterized by inter-individual variability and a low rate of patients reaching the therapeutic range. The significant association exists in children between VCZ Ctrough and CYPC19 phenotype. The combination of repeated TDM and genotyping is necessary to ensure effective treatment.

Efficient low-strength diclofenac elimination via adsorption-concentration and peroxydisulfate activation mineralization by distinct pretreated biocarbon composites.

Sodium diclofenac (DCF) widely exists in actual water matrices, which can negatively impact ecosystems and aquatic environments even at low-strength. Herein, the adsorption-concentration-mineralization process was innovatively constructed for low-strength DCF elimination by freeze-dried biocarbon and oven-dried biocarbon coupled with cobalt oxide composites derived from the same waste biomass. Surprisingly, low-strength DCF of 0.5 mg/L was adsorbed rapidly and enriched to high-strength DCF under light with a concentration efficiency of 99.67 % by freeze-dried biocarbon. Subsequently, the concentrated DCF was economically mineralized by bifunctional oven-dried biocarbon coupled with cobalt oxide composites for peroxydisulfate (PDS) activation with full PDS activation and 76.11 % mineralization efficiency. Compared with direct low-strength DCF oxidation, adsorption-concentration-mineralization consumed less energy and none PDS residues. Mechanisms confirmed that DCF was adsorbed by freeze-dried biocarbon through hydrogen bonds and π-π stacking interactions, which were switched on due to electron-induced effect by light in DCF desorption-concentration. Furthermore, nonradical pathway (electron transfer) and radical pathway (SO4•-) were involved in efficient PDS activation by oven-dried biocarbon coupled with cobalt oxide composites for concentrated DCF mineralization, and the former was more prominent, in which graphitic carbon, cobalt redox cycle and carboxy groups were the main active sites. Overall, an energy-efficient strategy was proposed for elimination of low-strength DCF in real water matrices.

Molecular identification of rhamnolipids produced by Pseudomonas oryzihabitans during biodegradation of crude oil.

Introduction: The ability to produce biosurfactants plays a meaningful role in the bioavailability of crude oil hydrocarbons and the bioremediation efficiency of crude oil-degrading bacteria. This study aimed to characterize the produced biosurfactants by Pseudomonas oryzihabitans during the biodegradation of crude oil hydrocarbons. Methods: The biosurfactants were isolated and then characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), liquid chromatography-mass-spectrometry (LC-MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) analyses. Results: The FTIR results revealed the existence of hydroxyl, carboxyl, and methoxyl groups in the isolated biosurfactants. Also, the LC-MS analysis demonstrated a main di-rhamnolipid (l-rhamnopyranosyll-rhamnopyranosyl-3-hydroxydecanoyl-3-hydroxydecanoate, Rha-Rha-C10-C10) along with a mono-rhamnolipid (l-rhamnopyranosyl-b-hydroxydecanoylb-hydroxydecanoate, Rha-C10-C10). In agreement with these findings, the NMR analysis confirmed the aromatic, carboxylic, methyl, sulfate moieties, and hexose sugar in the biosurfactants. The emulsion capacity of the biosurfactants decreased the surface tension of the aqueous system from 73.4 mN m-1 to around 33 mN m-1 at 200 mg L-1 as the critical micelle concentration. The emulsification capacity of the biosurfactants in the formation of a stable microemulsion for the diesel-water system at a wide range of pH (2-12), temperature (0-80°C), and salinity (2-20 g L-1 of NaCl) showed their potential use in oil recovery and bioremediation through the use of microbial enhancement. Discussion: This work showed the ability of Pseudomonas oryzihabitans NC392 cells to produce rhamnolipid molecules during the biodegradation process of crude oil hydrocarbons. These biosurfactants have potential in bioremediation studies as eco-friendly and biodegradable products, and their stability makes them optimal for areas with extreme conditions.

Electromicrobiological concentration cells are an overlooked potential energy conservation mechanism for subsurface microorganisms.

Thermodynamics has predicted many different kinds of microbial metabolism by determining which pairs of electron acceptors and donors will react to produce an exergonic reaction (a negative net change in Gibbs free energy). In energy-limited environments, such as the deep subsurface, such an approach can reveal the potential for unexpected or counter-intuitive energy sources for microbial metabolism. Up until recently, these thermodynamic calculations have been carried out with the assumption that chemical species appearing on the reactant and product side of a reaction formula have a constant concentration, and thus do not count towards net concentration changes and the overall direction of the reaction. This assumption is reasonable considering microorganisms are too small (~1 µm) for any significant differences in concentration to overcome diffusion. However, recent discoveries have demonstrated that the reductive and oxidative halves of reactions can be separated by much larger distances, from millimetres to centimetres via conductive filamentous bacteria, mineral conductivity, and biofilm conductivity. This means that the concentrations of reactants and products can indeed be different, and that concentration differences can contribute to the net negative change in Gibbs free energy. It even means that the same redox reaction, simultaneously running in forward and reverse, can drive energy conservation, in an ElectroMicrobiological Concentration Cell (EMCC). This paper presents a model to investigate this phenomenon and predict under which circumstances such concentration-driven metabolism might take place. The specific cases of oxygen concentration cells, sulfide concentration cells, and hydrogen concentration cells are examined in more detail.

The use of concomitant medications on nephrotoxicity associated with teicoplanin: A retrospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Teicoplanin (TEIC) is a nephrotoxic agent. However, little is known about the effects of concomitant medications on nephrotoxicity. In this study, we investigated the effects of concomitant drugs on nephrotoxicity. METHODS: A retrospective observational case-control study was conducted on patients (≥18 years) who started TEIC at the Tokyo Dental College, Ichikawa General Hospital, between January 2013 and April 2023. The primary outcome was nephrotoxicity, defined as an increase in serum creatinine levels of ≥50 % or ≥0.5 mg/dL from baseline. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the risk factors for nephrotoxicity associated with TEIC. In addition, we investigated the relationship between nephrotoxicity and predicted free TEIC concentrations. RESULTS: Of 305 patients, 43 (14.1 %) developed nephrotoxicity. The multivariate logistic regression analysis identified that serum albumin (odds ratio [OR] = 0.50, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.27-0.89, p = 0.02), concomitant use of loop diuretics (OR = 2.22, 95 % CI 1.10-4.59, p = 0.03), antivirals (OR = 3.24, 95 % CI 1.32-7.62, p < 0.01), and vasopressors (OR = 2.57, 95 % CI 1.10-5.78, p = 0.03) were the associated risk factors for nephrotoxicity in patients administered with TEIC. In 216 patients, predicted TEIC concentrations were 3.6 [interquartile range (IQR), 2.6-4.9] µg/mL in the nephrotoxicity group versus 3.6 [IQR, 2.5-4.7] µg/mL in the non-nephrotoxicity group, with no significant difference (p = 0.69). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate the importance of modifying the concomitant use of loop diuretics, antivirals, and vasopressors.

Evaluation of the cytotoxicity and antibacterial activity of nano-selenium prepared via gamma irradiation against cancer cell lines and bacterial species.

A recent scientific investigation has shown promising results of selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) for the anticancer and antimicrobial activities. This study aims to evaluate the effects of PVP SeNPs on bacterial strains, including Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Bacillus cereus (B. cereus), Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae), Escherichia coli (E. coli), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). Also, its antitumor activity against the MRC-5 carcinoma cell line. SeNPs were prepared via gamma irradiation using PVP as a capping agent, and their size and morphological structure were determined using HRTEM. The size of the SeNPs ranged from 36 to 66.59 nm. UV-vis spectra confirmed the formation of SeNPs, while FTIR measurement confirmed a change in the PVP structure after adding selenium nanoparticles. The highest effect was reported on HepG2 by an IC50 with a value of 8.87 µg/ml, followed by HeLa, PC3, MCF-7, and Caco2 cell lines, respectively. Furthermore, ZOI reached 36.33 ± 3.05 mm. The best value of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 0.313 µg/ml. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) imaging against bacteria showed deformations and distortions in their structures. Transmission electron (TEM) revealed ultrastructure changes in treated bacteria because of the free radicals that made cytotoxicity which confirmed by Electron spin resonance (ESR).

Causal relationship between varicose veins and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration based on Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Increased hemoglobin concentrations may increase the risk of varicose veins. However, the underlying relationship between them was not yet understood. METHODS: Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis was performed to investigate causal effect between mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC, exposure factor) and varicose veins (outcome). Afterward, sensitivity analysis was used to ensure the reliability of MR analysis results. Then Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses of SNPs were performed. A search tool for recurring instances of neighbouring genes (STRING) database was used to construct a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. RESULTS: Therefore, the inverse-variance weighted (IVW) results showed there existed a causal relationship between MCHC and varicose veins (p = 0.0026), with MCHC serving as a significant risk factor. (odd ratio [OR] = 1.2321). In addition, the validity of the results of the forward MR analysis was verified by sensitivity analysis. Further, a PPI network of 92 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) which used for forward MR analysis related genes was constructed. And they were found to be closely associated with the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signalling pathway and cellular response to external stimulus by enrichment analysis. In addition, we clarified that the effect of varicose veins on MCHC was minimal by reverse MR analysis, suggesting that the results of forward MR analysis were not disturbed by reverse results. CONCLUSION: This study found a causal relationship between varicose veins and MCHC, which provided strong evidence for the effect of hemoglobin on varicose veins, and a new thought for the diagnosis and prevention of varicose veins in the future.