Inorganic arsenic contamination and the health of children living near an inactive mining site: northern Thailand.

Arsenic toxicity is a global health problem affecting millions of people. Contamination is caused by arsenic from natural geological sources leaching into aquifers, contaminating drinking water, and may also be caused by mining and other industrial processes. Acute arsenic poisoning is associated with nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and severe diarrhea. Chronic arsenic toxicity results in multisystemic diseases leading to central nervous system (CNS) impairments such as cognitive or intellectual deficits in children. Over the past ten years, arsenic contamination has been reported in northern Thailand. The Ministry of Public Health; Thailand, Forensic Science Institute Thammasat University, and the Research Center to Promote Safety and Prevent Injuries in Children at the Ramathibodi Hospital compiled a report on the health impact of the population within a 10 kilometer radius around a mine tailing in the Phichit, Phitsanulok, and Phetchabun Provinces of Thailand. It showed that more than 30 % of children (aged 8-13 years) had higher than normal arsenic contamination levels based on the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). After the publication of that report, the mine was temporarily closed in 2016. Based on this data, this research aimed to follow arsenic contamination after the mining operation had stopped operation for three years. The study showed that 4.5 % of school aged children had levels of inorganic arsenic in their urine, higher than the normal range (ATSDR), showing clearly that inorganic arsenic contamination is still above the normal range in children living near an inactive mining site. Therefore, monitoring heavy metal contamination in Thailand and the health effects on vulnerable children who live near mines during regular operation or after being temporarily suspended can prevent and mitigate possible health impacts.

Stress and craving reduction under treatment with heart rate variability biofeedback and the Phramongkutklao model among patients with alcohol use disorder.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Stress is an environmental cue, which may lead to increased alcohol craving, and vulnerability to relapse. Heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback, a supplement standard for inpatient rehabilitation, has been applied for treatment and has been shown to effectively reduce craving and anxiety, increase HRV, and improve vasomotor function, among patients who have alcohol dependence problems. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of HRV biofeedback and the Phramongkutklao model (PMK model) as an intensive inpatient rehabilitation program concerning stress and craving reduction of inpatients with alcohol use disorder. The findings could benefit treatment design to increase the effectiveness regarding stress and craving reduction among patients with alcohol use disorder and may also reduce rehabilitation costs. METHODS: We conducted this study as a randomized controlled intervention trial, which was also performed single blinded. In all, 35 patients with alcohol use disorder were recruited and randomly assigned in two groups. Patients in the intervention group (n=17) were treated under the PMK model and underwent 16 sessions of the HRV biofeedback program, which included 30 minute long sessions, 4 days per week, for 4 weeks continuously. Patients in the control group (n=18) received PMK model treatment only. Participants were asked to complete a Stress Test (ST-5) and the Penn Alcohol-Craving Scale at baseline, after completing treatment, and at one month afterward (follow-up). RESULTS: The study showed decreased stress and craving in the intervention group immediately after treatment and at one-month follow-up, whereas the control group had reduced stress and craving only immediately after treatment. Furthermore, we found a significant effect concerning stress and craving between baseline and at one-month follow-up that showed the intervention group exhibited higher difference of scores than the control group. CONCLUSION: The study results showed that applying HRV biofeedback may be considered beneficial for standard rehabilitation inpatients to reduce stress and craving for patients with alcohol use disorder.

Draft genome sequence of Arthrospira platensis C1 (PCC9438).

Arthrospira platensis is a cyanobacterium that is extensively cultivated outdoors on a large commercial scale for consumption as a food for humans and animals. It can be grown in monoculture under highly alkaline conditions, making it attractive for industrial production. Here we describe the complete genome sequence of A. platensis C1 strain and its annotation. The A. platensis C1 genome contains 6,089,210 bp including 6,108 protein-coding genes and 45 RNA genes, and no plasmids. The genome information has been used for further comparative analysis, particularly of metabolic pathways, photosynthetic efficiency and barriers to gene transfer.

Homology modeling of Mycoplasma pneumoniae enolase and its molecular interaction with human plasminogen.

Alpha (alpha)-enolase (e), a glycolytic enzyme, has an alternative role as a surface receptor of several bacteria mediating plasminogen (pg) binding. It is also recognized as a virulence factor of some pathogenic bacteria facilitating plasminogen activation and host cell invasion. A mycoplasmal alpha-enolase is also a plasminogen binding protein. Molecular interactions of enolase from Mycoplasma pneumoniae with host plasminogen would be useful for exploring the pathogen-host interaction. In an attempt to identify plasminogen binding sites of M. pneumoniae enolase, homology modeling and docking studies were conducted to obtain modeled structures of the M. pneumoniae enolase-plasminogen complex. The refined model was validated further by standard methods. Molecular docking revealed hydrogen bonding of eLys70-pgTyr50, eAsn165-pgThr66, eAla168-pgGlu21, eAsp17-pgLys70, and eAsn213-pgPro68/pgAsn69. Substantial decreases in accessible surface area (ASA) were observed and in concurrence with hydrogen bond pattern. These findings provide a detailed prediction of key residues that interact at the protein-protein interface. Our theoretical prediction is consistent with known biochemical data. The predicted interaction complex can be of great assistance in understanding structural insights, which is necessary to pathogen and host-component interaction. The ability of M. pneumoniae enolase to bind plasminogen may be indicative of an important role in invasion of this pathogen to host.