Horizontal transmission of a multidrug-resistant IncN plasmid isolated from urban wastewater.

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are considered reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). Given that plasmid-mediated horizontal gene transfer plays a critical role in disseminating ARGs in the environment, it is important to inspect the transfer potential of transmissible plasmids to have a better understanding of whether these mobile ARGs can be hosted by opportunistic pathogens and should be included in One Health's considerations. In this study, we used a fluorescent-reporter-gene based exogenous isolation approach to capture extended-spectrum beta-lactamases encoding mobile determinants from sewer microbiome samples that enter an urban water system (UWS) in Denmark. After screening and sequencing, we isolated a ∼73 Kbp IncN plasmid (pDK_DARWIN) that harboured and expressed multiple ARGs. Using a dual fluorescent reporter gene system, we showed that this plasmid can transfer into resident urban water communities. We demonstrated the transfer of pDK_DARWIN to microbiome members of both the sewer (in the upstream UWS compartment) and wastewater treatment (in the downstream UWS compartment) microbiomes. Sequence similarity search across curated plasmid repositories revealed that pDK_DARWIN derives from an IncN backbone harboured by environmental and nosocomial Enterobacterial isolates. Furthermore, we searched for pDK_DARWIN sequence matches in UWS metagenomes from three countries, revealing that this plasmid can be detected in all of them, with a higher relative abundance in hospital sewers compared to residential sewers. Overall, this study demonstrates that this IncN plasmid is prevalent across Europe and an efficient vector capable of disseminating multiple ARGs in the urban water systems.

Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and red blood cell distribution width-to-platelet ratio predict cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients.

Cardiovascular diseases are among the primary causes of decreased quality of life as well as mortality of hemodialysis patients with end-stage renal disease. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the predictive value of the red blood cell distribution width (RDW)-to-platelet ratio (RPR) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) regarding the occurrence or development of cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients, as well as the prognostic value of this metric. A total of 219 hemodialysis patients with cardiovascular events (HCE group) and 276 hemodialysis patients with no cardiovascular events (HNCE group) were enrolled in the present study. The clinical characteristics and laboratory parameters on admission, including RDW, as well as neutrophil, lymphocyte and platelet counts, were recorded. The NLR and RPR were increased in the HCE group compared with those in the HNCE group and there was a positive association between the NLR or RPR and the incidence of cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients. In the receiver operating characteristics curve analysis, the area under the curve of the RPR for predicting cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients was 0.88, while that for the NLR was 0.84. The sensitivity and specificity of the RPR for predicting cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients were 0.87 and 0.82 respectively, and for the NLR, they were 0.75 and 0.79, respectively. The RPR was an independent risk factor for the prognosis regarding cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients. In addition, the NLR and RPR were correlated with brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), cardiac troponin I (cTnI), creatine kinase isoenzyme-MB (CK-MB), and associated with ST segment changes in HCE patients. In conclusion, it was possible to predict the incidence of cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients using the NLR and RPR, while the RPR had a better sensitivity and specificity than the NLR. The RPR was an independent risk factor for the prognosis regarding cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients. These routinely available parameters should be considered as novel diagnostic markers for the occurrence and development of cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients and their prognosis.

Porous N-Doped Carbon-Encapsulated CoNi Alloy Nanoparticles Derived from MOFs as Efficient Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysts.

A porous N-doped carbon-encapsulated CoNi alloy nanoparticle composite (CoNi@N-C) was prepared using a bimetallic metal-organic framework composite as the precursor. The optimal prepared Co1Ni1@N-C material at 800 °C exhibited well-defined porosities, uniform CoNi alloy nanoparticle dispersion, a high doped-N level, and scattered CoNi-N x active sites, therefore affording excellent oxygen catalytic activities toward the reduction and evolution processes of oxygen. The oxygen reduction (ORR) onset potential ( Eonset) on Co1Ni1@N-C was 0.91 V and the half-wave potential ( E1/2) was 0.82 V, very close to the parameters recorded on the Pt/C (20 wt Pt%) benchmark. Moreover, it is worth noting that the ORR stability of Co1Ni1@N-C was prominently higher than that of Pt/C. Under the oxygen evolution reaction condition, Co1Ni1@N-C generated the maximum current density at the potential of 1.7 V (8.60 mA cm-2) and the earliest Eonset (1.35 V) among all Co xNi y@N-C hybrids. The Co1Ni1@N-C catalyst exhibited the smallest Δ E value, confirming the superior bifunctional activity. The high surface area and porosity, and CoNi-N x active sites on the carbon surface including the proper interactions between the N-doped C shell and CoNi nanoparticles were attributed as the main contributors to the outstanding oxygen electrocatalytic property and good stability.

The Duplicated Y-specific amhy Gene Is Conserved and Linked to Maleness in Silversides of the Genus Odontesthes.

Sex-determining genes have been successively isolated in several teleosts. In Odontesthes hatcheri and O. bonariensis, the amhy gene has been identified as a master sex-determining gene. However, whether this gene is conserved along related species is still unknown. In this study, the presence of amhy and its association with phenotypic sex was analyzed in 10 species of Odontesthes genus. The primer sets from O. hatcheri that amplify both amhs successfully generated fragments that correspond to amha and amhy in all species. The full sequences of amhy and amha isolated for four key species revealed higher identity values among presumptive amhy, including the 0.5 Kbp insertion in the third intron and amhy-specific insertions/deletions. Amha was present in all specimens, regardless of species and sex, whereas amhy was amplified in most but not all phenotypic males. Complete association between amhy-homologue with maleness was found in O. argentinensis, O. incisa, O. mauleanum, O. perugiae, O. piquava, O. regia, and O. smitti, whereas O. humensis, O. mirinensis, and O. nigricans showed varied degrees of phenotypic/genotypic sex mismatch. The conservation of amhy gene in Odontesthes provide an interesting framework to study the evolution and the ecological interactions of genotypic and environmental sex determination in this group.

Silver nanoparticles enhance the sensitivity of temozolomide on human glioma cells.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) continues to be associated with a dismal prognosis despite aggressive treatment. Significant efforts are being made to develop new nanotechnology-based therapeutic and diagnostic agents. Nanoparticles can act directly on cancer cells or as drug carriers to enhance the cancer therapeutic effect. In this study, we investigated the effect of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on human glioma U251 cells and its role in the combinational use with Temozolomide (TMZ), an imidazotetrazine derivative of the alkylating agent dacarbazine, against glioma cells. AgNPs were synthesized in the sodium citrate system and the mean size were 26 nm in diameter. The AgNP particles showed dose-dependent cytotoxicity on U251 cells. They also showed the ability to enhance the drug-sensitivity of TMZ on U251 cells. Our results revealed that AgNPs could have a potential application in enhancing chemotherapy for glioma.