Microbroth dilution method for antibiotic susceptibility testing of fastidious and anaerobic bacteria of the urinary microbiome.

Bacterial isolates from the human urinary microbiome have been extensively studied for their antibiotic resistance; however, little work has been done on those isolates that are difficult to grow in vitro. This study was designed to qualify a serum-based medium, New York City Broth III (NYCIII), and a broth microdilution method to determine the antibiotic susceptibility of previously underreported or undescribed microbes that have a difficult time growing in standard Mueller-Hinton broth. Here, we demonstrate that NYCIII microbroth dilution can be an effective method for the determination of antibiotic susceptibility of species found in the human urinary microbiome. We show that this method serves well to characterize fastidious and anaerobic urinary microbes that have no Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) guidelines, including several in the families Aerococcaceae, Lactobacillaceae, or Actinomycetaceae. Previous studies using expanded quantitative urine culture reveal that urine samples from clinical patients are commonly polymicrobial in composition. Thus, we test whether NYCIII can serve as a viable harmonized medium, capable of supporting antibiotic susceptibility testing in a range of fastidious, non-fastidious, and anaerobic urinary microbes. We propose this methodology to be standardized comparable to CLSI standards to allow for resistance testing in uncharacterized urinary bacteria. IMPORTANCE: Antibiotic susceptibilities of fastidious and anaerobic bacteria of the human urinary microbiome are largely underreported due to difficulty in growing them in the lab environment. The current standard medium, Muller-Hinton broth, has difficulty supporting the growth of many of these species, leaving microbiologists without a standardized method. To address this need, this study offers a methodology to survey susceptibilities in a high-throughput manner of these understudied microbes with a proposed harmonized medium, NYCIII, which is capable of supporting the growth of both fastidious and non-fastidious urinary microbes. Broader standardization of this method can allow for the development of antibiotic-resistant breakpoints of the many uncharacterized urinary microbes.

Natural Compounds and Biomimetic Engineering to Influence Fibroblast Behavior in Wound Healing.

Throughout history, natural products have played a significant role in wound healing. Fibroblasts, acting as primary cellular mediators in skin wound healing, exhibit behavioral responses to natural compounds that can enhance the wound healing process. Identifying bioactive natural compounds and understanding their impact on fibroblast behavior offers crucial translational opportunities in the realm of wound healing. Modern scientific techniques have enabled a detailed understanding of how naturally derived compounds modulate wound healing by influencing fibroblast behavior. Specific compounds known for their wound healing properties have been identified. Engineered biomimetic compounds replicating the natural wound microenvironment are designed to facilitate normal healing. Advanced delivery methods operating at micro- and nano-scales have been developed to effectively deliver these novel compounds through the stratum corneum. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the efficacy of natural compounds in influencing fibroblast behavior for promoting wound regeneration and repair. Additionally, it explores biomimetic engineering, where researchers draw inspiration from nature to create materials and devices mimicking physiological cues crucial for effective wound healing. The review concludes by describing novel delivery mechanisms aimed at enhancing the bioavailability of natural compounds. Innovative future strategies involve exploring fibroblast-influencing pathways, responsive biomaterials, smart dressings with real-time monitoring, and applications of stem cells. However, translating these findings to clinical settings faces challenges such as the limited validation of biomaterials in large animal models and logistical obstacles in industrial production. The integration of ancient remedies with modern approaches holds promise for achieving effective and scar-free wound healing.

The Urobiomes of Adult Women With Various Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms Status Differ: A Re-Analysis.

The discovery of the urinary microbiome (urobiome) has created opportunities for urinary health researchers who study a wide variety of human health conditions. This manuscript describes an analysis of catheterized urine samples obtained from 1,004 urobiome study participants with the goal of identifying the most abundant and/or prevalent (common) taxa in five clinically relevant cohorts: unaffected adult women (n=346, 34.6%), urgency urinary incontinence (UUI) (n=255, 25.5%), stress urinary incontinence (SUI) (n=50, 5.0%), urinary tract infection (UTI) (n=304, 30.4%), and interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) (n=49, 4.9%). Urine was collected via transurethral catheter and assessed for microbes with the Expanded Quantitative Urine Culture (EQUC) technique. For this combined analytic cohort, the mean age was 59 ± 16; most were Caucasian (n=704, 70.2%), Black (n=137, 13.7%), or Hispanic (n=130, 13.0%), and the mean BMI was 30.4 ± 7.7. Whereas many control or IC/PBS cohort members were EQUC-negative (42.4% and 39.8%, respectively), members of the other 3 cohorts were extremely likely to have detectable microbes. The detected urobiomes of the controls and IC/PBS did not differ by alpha diversity or genus level composition and differed by only a few species. The other 3 cohorts differed significantly from the controls. As expected, Escherichia was both prevalent and highly abundant in the UTI cohort, but other taxa also were prevalent at more moderate abundances, including members of the genera Lactobacillus, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium, Actinomyces, and Aerococcus. Members of these genera were also prevalent and highly abundant in members of the UUI cohort, especially Streptococcus anginosus. Intriguingly, these taxa were also detected in controls but at vastly lower levels of both prevalence and abundance, suggesting the possibility that UUI-associated symptoms could be the result of an overabundance of typical urobiome constituents. Finally, prevalence and abundance of microbes in the SUI cohort were intermediate to those of the UUI and control cohorts. These observations can inform the next decade of urobiome research, with the goal of clarifying the mechanisms of urobiome community composition and function. There is tremendous potential to improve diagnosis, evaluation and treatment for individuals affected with a wide variety of urinary tract disorders.

Rapid picture naming in Parkinson's disease using the Mobile Universal Lexicon Evaluation System (MULES).

OBJECTIVE: The Mobile Universal Lexicon Evaluation System (MULES) is a test of rapid picture naming that captures extensive brain networks, including cognitive, language and afferent/efferent visual pathways. MULES performance is slower in concussion and multiple sclerosis, conditions in which vision dysfunction is common. Visual aspects captured by the MULES may be impaired in Parkinson's disease (PD) including color discrimination, object recognition, visual processing speed, and convergence. The purpose of this study was to compare MULES time scores for a cohort of PD patients with those for a control group of participants of similar age. We also sought to examine learning effects for the MULES by comparing scores for two consecutive trials within the patient and control groups. METHODS: MULES consists of 54 colored pictures (fruits, animals, random objects). The test was administered in a cohort of PD patients and in a group of similar aged controls. Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to determine statistical significance for differences in MULES time scores between PD patients and controls. Spearman rank-correlation coefficients were calculated to examine the relation between MULES time scores and PD motor symptom severity (UPDRS). Learning effects were assessed using Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. RESULTS: Among 51 patients with PD (median age 70 years, range 52-82) and 20 disease-free control participants (median age 67 years, range 51-90), MULES scores were significantly slower (worse performance) in PD patients (median 63.2 s, range 37.3-296.3) vs. controls (median 53.9 s, range 37.5-128.6, P = .03, Wilcoxon rank-sum test). Slower MULES times were associated with increased motor symptom severity as measured by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, Section III (rs = 0.37, P = .02). Learning effects were greater among patients with PD (median improvement of 14.8 s between two MULES trials) compared to controls (median 7.4 s, P = .004). CONCLUSION: The MULES is a complex test of rapid picture naming that captures numerous brain pathways including an extensive visual network. MULES performance is slower in patients with PD and our study suggests an association with the degree of motor impairment. Future studies will determine the relation of MULES time scores to other modalities that test visual function and structure in PD.

Empoderamento da saúde bucal em famílias assistidas pelo Projeto Saúde Criança, através dos guias de saúde bucal materno infantil da Global Child Dental FUND / Empowerment of oral health in families assisted by the Saúde Criança Project, through the Global Child Dental FUND's maternal and child oral health guides

A saúde bucal é resultante e do bem-estar físico, mental e social e é nesse contexto que a cavidade oral se torna um órgão a ser preservado devido a sua importância nas mais variadas funções que a boca desempenha. Trata-se de um estudo observacional e descritivo de natureza quantitativa. A amostra foram famílias assistidas pela Organização Não Governamental (ONG) Saúde Criança. Foram realizados dois encontros onde foi utilizado um questionário sobre conhecimentos de saúde bucal elaborado pela própria equipe, após o preenchimento dele foi realizada uma palestra sobre saúde bucal junto ao manuseio do guia de saúde bucal materno infantil da Global Child Dental Fund. Os resultados demonstraram que através de palestras de saúde bucal associadas a guias de saúde bucal apresentaram uma melhora na aquisição e retenção de conhecimentos sobre saúde bucal. Concluindo que havendo certa frequência e consistência nos conhecimentos passados aos grupos, o conhecimento é fixado e, através deles, a educação em saúde é multiplicada para a família, propagando prevenção e a longo prazo, evitando novos adoecimentos. (AU)

Oral health is necessary for physical, mental and social well-being and it is in this context that the oral cavity becomes an organ and remains preserved due to its importance in the most varied variables that the mouth plays. The aim of the present study was to verify oral health education based on the Global Child Dental Fund's oral health guides. can improve levels of retention of knowledge about oral health when its content is presented with a certain frequency and accessible form. This is an observational and descriptive study of a quantitative nature. Sample of families assisted by the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Saúde Criança (n = 157). Two meetings were held with an interval of at least 3 months. A questionnaire on knowledge of oral health elaborated by the team was used that addressed several subjects within the area of oral hygiene, after completing a lecture on oral health together with the handling of the child oral health guide of the Global Child Dental Fund. The results showed that, through oral health lectures, they are applied to the guides, as families that had an improvement in the acquisition and retention of knowledge about oral health. Concluding that with a certain frequency and consistency in the knowledge passed on to groups, the knowledge is fixed and, through them, health education is multiplied by a family, spreading prevention and in the long run, avoiding new illnesses. (AU)

The effects of non-thermal plasma and conventional treatments on the bond strength of fiber posts to resin cement.

OBJECTIVES: This study compared the effect of hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) and ammonia (NH3) plasmas on the bond strength of resin cement to fiber posts with conventional treatments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-five fiber posts were divided into 5 groups: Control (no surface treatment); H2O2 (24% hydrogen peroxide for 1 min); Blasting (blasting with aluminum oxide for 30 sec); NH3 (NH3 plasma treatment for 3 min); HMDSO (HMDSO plasma treatment for 15 min). After the treatments, the Ambar adhesive (FGM Dental Products) was applied to the post surface (n = 10). The fiber post was inserted into a silicon matrix that was filled with the conventional resin cement Allcem Core (FGM). Afterwards, the post/cement specimens were cut into discs and subjected to a push-out bond strength (POBS) test. Additionally, 3 posts in each group were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy. The POBS data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance and the Tukey's honest significant difference post hoc test (α = 0.05). RESULTS: The Blasting and NH3 groups showed the highest POBS values. The HMDSO group showed intermediate POBS values, whereas the Control and H2O2 groups showed the lowest POBS values. CONCLUSION: Blasting and NH3 plasma treatments were associated with stronger bonding of the conventional resin cement Allcem to fiber posts, in a procedure in which the Ambar adhesive was used.

Mortality in patients with microvascular disease.

Patients with chest pain/ischemic cardiac disease and normal coronary arteriography are thought to have a benign prognosis despite diminished quality of life. Many patients with hypertension fall into this group, at least in the early stage of their disease. Whether abnormalities in coronary flow reserve in these patients are associated with increased morbidity and mortality is unknown. One hundred sixty-eight patients with chest pain/ischemic cardiac disease and normal coronary angiograms who underwent invasive measures of coronary flow reserve were followed longitudinally. Mortality and quality of life were ascertained by query of the national death index and telephone administration of standardized questionnaires. Patient follow-up occurred at a mean of 8.5 years. In the abnormal coronary flow reserve group, 12 deaths (20%) were documented in 60 patients compared with eight out of 108 patients (7%; p=0.016) with normal coronary flow reserve. Coronary flow reserve did not predict impairment in functional health status in long-term follow-up. Thus, invasive measures of coronary flow reserve in patients with chest pain/ischemic cardiac disease and normal coronary angiograms predicted increased mortality. Surviving patients with chest pain/ischemic cardiac disease and normal coronary angiograms have significant morbidity.