Comparison of Knowledge About Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Relation to Gender Among Healthcare Professionals and in the General Population.

INTRODUCTION: Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are derived by reprogramming adult somatic cells using a forced expression of four specific transcription factors in a highly controlled artificial environment. The aim of this paper is to examine the knowledge about these cells of the general population and the population of health workers in relation to gender. METHODS: The research was designed as a cohort study conducted with a validated questionnaire to assess knowledge about iPSCs. Respondents were people over 18 years of age on the territory of the cities of Belgrade and Kragujevac in Serbia. RESULTS: The study surveyed a total of 1,047 respondents, 560 (53.5%) women and 487 (46.5%) men. Statistically significant differences were observed for both genders. Women from both populations were better informed, more often agreed to treatment with iPSCs, more often supported further research, and were willing to take further education about iPSCs. CONCLUSION: Comparing men and women from both populations, we found that men and women health workers showed greater knowledge compared to the general population. Level of knowledge and attitudes of the public can have multiple effects on further research emphasizing the importance of the support of public opinion about this type of treatment.

Patterns of ASFV Transmission in Domestic Pigs in Serbia.

The first case of African swine fever in domestic pigs in Serbia was in 2019. The following year, the disease was confirmed in wild boar. Thenceforth, ASF has been continuously reported in both wild and domestic pigs. The outbreaks in domestic pigs could not be linked directly to wild boars, even though wild boars were endemically infected, and reservoirs for ASF. This study aimed to investigate outbreaks and routes of transmission in domestic pigs in a region of central Serbia where no outbreaks in wild boar were reported. Fourteen outbreaks of ASF on backyard farms with low biosecurity were traced back, and no connection to wild boar was found. The epidemic investigation covered 2094 holdings, with 24,368 pigs, out of which 1882 were tested for ASF. In surrounding hunting grounds, field searches were conducted. Dead wild boars were found, and 138 hunted wild boars were negative for ASFV. It was concluded that outbreaks in 2021 were provoked by the illegal trade of live animals and pig products. Even though infective pressure from wild boars is assumed, no positive cases have been found, while the ASFV spreads within the domestic swine population evidenced in four recent outbreaks in 2022.

Self-Generated Hypoxia Leads to Oxidative Stress and Massive Death in Ustilago maydis Populations under Extreme Starvation and Oxygen-Limited Conditions.

Ustilago maydis and Saccharomyces cerevisiae differ considerably in their response to water-transfer treatments. When stationary phase cells were transferred to pure water and incubated under limited supply of oxygen, the U. maydis cells suffered a catastrophic loss of viability while the S. cerevisiae population was virtually unaffected by the treatment. The major factor underlying the death of the U. maydis cells under those conditions was an oxygen-consuming cellular activity that generated a hypoxic environment, thereby inducing oxidative stress and accumulation of reactive oxygen species, which resulted in lethality. Importantly, a small residue of U. maydis cells that did survive was able to resume growth and repopulate up to the initial culture density when sufficient aeration was restored. The regrowth was dependent on the cellular factors (Adr1, Did4, Kel1, and Tbp1), previously identified as required for repopulation, after killing with hydrogen peroxide. Surprisingly, the survivors were also able to resume growth under apparently hypoxic conditions, indicating that these remnant cells likely switched to a fermentative mode of growth. We discuss the findings in terms of their possible relevance to the eco-evolutionary adaptation of U. maydis to risky environments.

Bioavailability of Nutritional Resources From Cells Killed by Oxidation Supports Expansion of Survivors in Ustilago maydis Populations.

After heavy exposure of Ustilago maydis cells to clastogens, a great increase in viability was observed if the treated cells were kept under starvation conditions. This restitution of viability is based on cell multiplication at the expense of the intracellular compounds freed from the damaged cells. Analysis of the effect of the leaked material on the growth of undamaged cells revealed opposing biological activity, indicating that U. maydis must possess cellular mechanisms involved not only in reabsorption of the released compounds from external environment but also in contending with their treatment-induced toxicity. From a screen for mutants defective in the restitution of viability, we identified four genes (adr1, did4, kel1, and tbp1) that contribute to the process. The mutants in did4, kel1, and tbp1 exhibited sensitivity to different genotoxic agents implying that the gene products are in some overlapping fashion involved in the protection of genome integrity. The genetic determinants identified by our analysis have already been known to play roles in growth regulation, protein turnover, cytoskeleton structure, and transcription. We discuss ecological and evolutionary implications of these results.

Multilocus sequence typing for investigation of diversity of Campylobacter jejuni strains from humans and environment in Norway.

This report describes the use of the Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) method for typing 32 strains previously identified as Campylobacter jejuni. This system identified a great diversity between the investigated strains. The majority of strains belonged to already existing alleles found on the Campylobacter MLST home page, and most of them represented clonal complexes ST-21 and ST-45, but there were some newly identified alleles as well.