Bacteroides vulgatus SNUG 40005 Restores Akkermansia Depletion by Metabolite Modulation.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Weight loss and exercise intervention have been reported to increase the interaction between Bacteroides spp and Akkermansiamuciniphila (Am), although the underlying mechanisms and consequences of the interaction remain unknown. METHODS: Using a healthy Korean twin cohort (n = 582), we analyzed taxonomic associations with host body mass index. B vulgatus strains were isolated from mice and human subjects to investigate the strain-specific effect of B vulgatus SNUG 40005 (Bvul) on obesity. The mechanisms underlying Am enrichment by Bvul administration were investigated by multiple experiments: (1) in vitro cross-feeding experiments, (2) construction of Bvul mutants with the N-acetylglucosaminidase gene knocked out, and (3) in vivo validation cohorts with different metabolites. Finally, metabolite profiling in mouse and human fecal samples was performed. RESULTS: An interaction between Bvul and Am was observed in lean subjects but was disrupted in obese subjects. The administration of Bvul to mice fed a high-fat diet decreased body weight, insulin resistance, and gut permeability. In particular, Bvul restored the abundance of Am, which decreased significantly after a long-term high-fat diet. A cross-feeding analysis of Am with cecal contents or Bvul revealed that Am enrichment was attributed to metabolites produced during mucus degradation by Bvul. The metabolome profile of mouse fecal samples identified N-acetylglucosamine as contributing to Am enrichment, which was confirmed by in vitro and in vivo experiments. Metabolite network analysis of the twin cohort found that lysine serves as a bridge between N-acetylglucosamine, Bvul, and Am. CONCLUSIONS: Strain-specific microbe-microbe interactions modulate the mucosal environment via metabolites produced during mucin degradation in the gut.

Hyperglycemia enhances brain susceptibility to lipopolysaccharide-induced neuroinflammation via astrocyte reprogramming.

Hyperglycemia has been shown to modulate the immune response of peripheral immune cells and organs, but the impact of hyperglycemia on neuroinflammation within the brain remains elusive. In the present study, we provide evidences that streptozotocin (STZ)-induced hyperglycemic condition in mice drives a phenotypic switch of brain astrocytes to a proinflammatory state, and increases brain vulnerability to mild peripheral inflammation. In particular, we found that hyperglycemia led to a significant increase in the astrocyte proliferation as determined by flow cytometric and immunohistochemical analyses of mouse brain. The increased astrocyte proliferation by hyperglycemia was reduced by Glut1 inhibitor BAY-876. Transcriptomic analysis of isolated astrocytes from Aldh1l1CreERT2;tdTomato mice revealed that peripheral STZ injection induced astrocyte reprogramming into proliferative, and proinflammatory phenotype. Additionally, STZ-induced hyperglycemic condition significantly enhanced the infiltration of circulating myeloid cells into the brain and the disruption of blood-brain barrier in response to mild lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration. Systemic hyperglycemia did not alter the intensity and sensitivity of peripheral inflammation in mice to LPS challenge, but increased the inflammatory potential of brain microglia. In line with findings from mouse experiments, a high-glucose environment intensified the LPS-triggered production of proinflammatory molecules in primary astrocyte cultures. Furthermore, hyperglycemic mice exhibited a significant impairment in cognitive function after mild LPS administration compared to normoglycemic mice as determined by novel object recognition and Y-maze tasks. Taken together, these results demonstrate that hyperglycemia directly induces astrocyte reprogramming towards a proliferative and proinflammatory phenotype, which potentiates mild LPS-triggered inflammation within brain parenchymal regions.

Long-Lasting, Transparent Antibacterial Shield: A Durable, Broad-Spectrum Anti-Bacterial, Non-Cytotoxic, Transparent Nanocoating for Extended Wear Contact Lenses.

The increasing incidence of serious bacterial keratitis, a sight-threatening condition often exacerbated by inadequate contact lens (CLs) care, highlights the need for innovative protective technology. This study introduces a long-lasting antibacterial, non-cytotoxic, transparent nanocoating for CLs via a solvent-free polymer deposition method, aiming to prevent bacterial keratitis. The nanocoating comprises stacked polymer films, with poly(dimethylaminomethyl styrene-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) (pDE) as a biocompatible, antibacterial layer atop poly(2,4,6,8-tetramethyl-2,4,6,8-tetravinylcyclotetrasiloxane) (pV4D4) as an adhesion-promoting layer. The pD6E1-grafted (g)-pV4D4 film shows non-cytotoxicity toward two human cell lines and antibacterial activity of >99% against four bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), an antibiotic-resistant bacteria and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which causes ocular diseases. Additionally, the film demonstrates long-lasting antibacterial activity greater than 96% against MRSA for 9 weeks in phosphate-buffered saline. To the best knowledge, this duration represents the longest reported long-term stability with less than 5% decay of antibacterial performance among contact-killing antibacterial coatings. The film exhibits exceptional mechanical durability, retaining its antibacterial activity even after 15 washing cycles. The pD6E1-g-pV4D4-coated CL maintains full optical transmittance compared to that of pristine CL. It is expected that the unprecedentedly prolonged antibacterial performance of the coating will significantly alleviate the risk of infection for long-term CL users.

Detection of anaerobic and aerobic bacteria from commercial tattoo and permanent makeup inks.

Tattooing and use of permanent makeup (PMU) have dramatically increased over the last decade, with a concomitant increase in ink-related infections. Studies have shown evidence that commercial tattoo and PMU inks are frequently contaminated with pathogenic microorganisms. Considering that tattoo inks are placed into the dermal layer of the skin where anaerobic bacteria can thrive and cause infections in low-oxygen environments, the prevalence of anaerobic and aerobic bacteria should be assessed in tattoo and PMU inks. In this study, we tested 75 tattoo and PMU inks using the analytical methods described in the FDA Bacteriological Analytical Manual Chapter 23 for the detection of both aerobic and anaerobic bacterial contamination, followed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing for microbial identification. Of 75 ink samples, we found 26 contaminated samples with 34 bacterial isolates taxonomically classified into 14 genera and 22 species. Among the 34 bacterial isolates, 19 were identified as possibly pathogenic bacterial strains. Two species, namely Cutibacterium acnes (four strains) and Staphylococcus epidermidis (two strains) were isolated under anaerobic conditions. Two possibly pathogenic bacterial strains, Staphylococcus saprophyticus and C. acnes, were isolated together from the same ink samples (n = 2), indicating that tattoo and PMU inks can contain both aerobic (S. saprophyticus) and anaerobic bacteria (C. acnes). No significant association was found between sterility claims on the ink label and the absence of bacterial contamination. The results indicate that tattoo and PMU inks can also contain anaerobic bacteria. IMPORTANCE: The rising popularity of tattooing and permanent makeup (PMU) has led to increased reports of ink-related infections. This study is the first to investigate the presence of both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria in commercial tattoo and PMU inks under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Our findings reveal that unopened and sealed tattoo inks can harbor anaerobic bacteria, known to thrive in low-oxygen environments, such as the dermal layer of the skin, alongside aerobic bacteria. This suggests that contaminated tattoo inks could be a source of infection from both types of bacteria. The results emphasize the importance of monitoring these products for both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, including possibly pathogenic microorganisms.

Brunauer-Emmett-Teller Areas from Nitrogen and Argon Isotherms Are Similar.

Despite recommendations from the 2015 International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) technical report, surface areas of porous materials continue to be characterized by an N2 adsorption isotherm using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method. In this study, we provide the basis for such a practice by carrying out systematic large-scale molecular simulations on homogeneous and heterogeneous model surfaces. Specifically, we investigated the purported "orientational effect" of the N2 molecule on these surfaces. Grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulation results from 257 diverse metal-organic frameworks show that the BET areas from Ar and N2 are similar in the range of 250-7500 m2/g with a mean deviation of 4%. Detailed analyses based on the consistency criteria for BET equations reveal that the large deviation (>10%) between the BET areas from Ar and N2 are materials specific and more prone to materials that are not able to satisfy the 3 and 4 consistency criteria. For materials that satisfy all four consistency criteria, the BET areas predicted from Ar and N2 isotherms are comparable.

BPCNN: Bi-Point Input for Convolutional Neural Networks in Speaker Spoofing Detection.

We propose a method, called bi-point input, for convolutional neural networks (CNNs) that handle variable-length input features (e.g., speech utterances). Feeding input features into a CNN in a mini-batch unit requires that all features in each mini-batch have the same shape. A set of variable-length features cannot be directly fed into a CNN because they commonly have different lengths. Feature segmentation is a dominant method for CNNs to handle variable-length features, where each feature is decomposed into fixed-length segments. A CNN receives one segment as an input at one time. However, a CNN can consider only the information of one segment at one time, not the entire feature. This drawback limits the amount of information available at one time and consequently results in suboptimal solutions. Our proposed method alleviates this problem by increasing the amount of information available at one time. With the proposed method, a CNN receives a pair of two segments obtained from a feature as an input at one time. Each of the two segments generally covers different time ranges and therefore has different information. We also propose various combination methods and provide a rough guidance to set a proper segment length without evaluation. We evaluate the proposed method on the spoofing detection tasks using the ASVspoof 2019 database under various conditions. The experimental results reveal that the proposed method reduces the relative equal error rate (EER) by approximately 17.2% and 43.8% on average for the logical access (LA) and physical access (PA) tasks, respectively.

The Group B Streptococcal surface antigen I/II protein, BspC, interacts with host vimentin to promote adherence to brain endothelium and inflammation during the pathogenesis of meningitis.

Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus, GBS) normally colonizes healthy adults but can cause invasive disease, such as meningitis, in the newborn. To gain access to the central nervous system, GBS must interact with and penetrate brain or meningeal blood vessels; however, the exact mechanisms are still being elucidated. Here, we investigate the contribution of BspC, an antigen I/II family adhesin, to the pathogenesis of GBS meningitis. Disruption of the bspC gene reduced GBS adherence to human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (hCMEC), while heterologous expression of BspC in non-adherent Lactococcus lactis conferred bacterial attachment. In a murine model of hematogenous meningitis, mice infected with ΔbspC mutants exhibited lower mortality as well as decreased brain bacterial counts and inflammatory infiltrate compared to mice infected with WT GBS strains. Further, BspC was both necessary and sufficient to induce neutrophil chemokine expression. We determined that BspC interacts with the host cytoskeleton component vimentin and confirmed this interaction using a bacterial two-hybrid assay, microscale thermophoresis, immunofluorescent staining, and imaging flow cytometry. Vimentin null mice were protected from WT GBS infection and also exhibited less inflammatory cytokine production in brain tissue. These results suggest that BspC and the vimentin interaction is critical for the pathogenesis of GBS meningitis.

Brefeldin A-sensitive ER-Golgi vesicle trafficking contributes to NLRP3-dependent caspase-1 activation.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-Golgi vesicle trafficking plays a pivotal role in the conventional secretory pathway of many cytokines; however, the precise release mechanism of a major inflammasome mediator, IL-1ß, is not thought to follow the conventional ER-Golgi route and remains elusive. Here, we found that perturbation of ER-Golgi trafficking by brefeldin A (BFA) treatment attenuated nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor family, pyrin-domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation in mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). BFA treatment inhibited NLRP3-mediated inflammasome assembly and caspase-1 activation but did not block IL-1ß secretion from BMDMs following BFA administration after NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Consistently, short-hairpin RNA-dependent knockdown of BFA-inhibited guanine nucleotide-exchange protein 1 (BIG1), a molecular target of BFA and an initiator of Golgi-specific vesicle trafficking, abolished NLRP3-dependent apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase-recruitment domain oligomerization and caspase-1 activation in BMDMs. Similarly, knockdown of Golgi-specific BFA-resistance guanine nucleotide exchange factor 1, another target of BFA, clearly attenuated NLRP3-mediated caspase-1 activation in BMDMs. Mechanistically, inhibition of BIG1-mediated vesicle trafficking did not impair NLRP3-activating signal 2-promoted events, such as potassium efflux and mitochondrial rearrangement, but caused significant impairment of signal 1-triggered priming steps, including NF-κB-mediated pathways. These data suggest that BFA-targeted vesicle trafficking at the Golgi contributes to activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome signaling.-Hong, S., Hwang, I., Gim, E., Yang, J., Park, S., Yoon, S.-H., Lee, W.-W., Yu, J.-W. Brefeldin A-sensitive ER-Golgi vesicle trafficking contributes to NLRP3-dependent caspase-1 activation.

Size-dependent magnetic and inductive heating properties of Fe3O4 nanoparticles: scaling laws across the superparamagnetic size.

An efficient heat activating mediator with an enhanced specific absorption rate (SAR) value is attained via control of the iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticle size from 3 to 32 nm. Monodispersed Fe3O4 nanoparticles are synthesized via a seed-less thermolysis technique using oleylamine and oleic acid as the multifunctionalizing agents (surfactant, solvent and reducing agent). The inductive heating properties as a function of particle size reveal a strong increase in the SAR values with increasing particle size up to 28 nm. In particular, the SAR values of ferromagnetic nanoparticles (>16 nm) are strongly enhanced with the increase of ac magnetic field amplitude than that for the superparamagnetic (3-16 nm) nanoparticles. The enhanced SAR values in the ferromagnetic regime are attributed to the synergistic contribution from the hysteresis and susceptibility loss. Specifically, the 28 nm Fe3O4 nanoparticles exhibit an enhanced SAR value of 801 W g-1 which is nearly an order higher than that of the commercially available nanoparticles.

Transposase-Mediated Excision, Conjugative Transfer, and Diversity of ICE6013 Elements in Staphylococcus aureus.

ICE6013 represents one of two families of integrative conjugative elements (ICEs) identified in the pan-genome of the human and animal pathogen Staphylococcus aureus Here we investigated the excision and conjugation functions of ICE6013 and further characterized the diversity of this element. ICE6013 excision was not significantly affected by growth, temperature, pH, or UV exposure and did not depend on recA The IS30-like DDE transposase (Tpase; encoded by orf1 and orf2) of ICE6013 must be uninterrupted for excision to occur, whereas disrupting three of the other open reading frames (ORFs) on the element significantly affects the level of excision. We demonstrate that ICE6013 conjugatively transfers to different S. aureus backgrounds at frequencies approaching that of the conjugative plasmid pGO1. We found that excision is required for conjugation, that not all S. aureus backgrounds are successful recipients, and that transconjugants acquire the ability to transfer ICE6013 Sequencing of chromosomal integration sites in serially passaged transconjugants revealed a significant integration site preference for a 15-bp AT-rich palindromic consensus sequence, which surrounds the 3-bp target site that is duplicated upon integration. A sequence analysis of ICE6013 from different host strains of S. aureus and from eight other species of staphylococci identified seven divergent subfamilies of ICE6013 that include sequences previously classified as a transposon, a plasmid, and various ICEs. In summary, these results indicate that the IS30-like Tpase functions as the ICE6013 recombinase and that ICE6013 represents a diverse family of mobile genetic elements that mediate conjugation in staphylococci.IMPORTANCE Integrative conjugative elements (ICEs) encode the abilities to integrate into and excise from bacterial chromosomes and plasmids and mediate conjugation between bacteria. As agents of horizontal gene transfer, ICEs may affect bacterial evolution. ICE6013 represents one of two known families of ICEs in the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, but its core functions of excision and conjugation are not well studied. Here, we show that ICE6013 depends on its IS30-like DDE transposase for excision, which is unique among ICEs, and we demonstrate the conjugative transfer and integration site preference of ICE6013 A sequence analysis revealed that ICE6013 has diverged into seven subfamilies that are dispersed among staphylococci.

Fusion rate according to mixture ratio and volumes of bone graft in minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion: minimum 2-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVES: Hydroxyapatite (HA) is commonly used as bone substitute in clinical practices. However, only few studies have compared the relationship between the mixture ratio of bone graft in the actual clinical field and fusion rate according to bone graft volume. The study aimed to analyze the fusion rate according to the mixture ratio and the amount of bone graft in minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MI-TLIF). METHODS: A total number of 88 subjects who completed a 2-year follow-up after MI-TLIF participated in this study. Subjects were divided into three groups: Group 1 with local autograft, Group II with a mixture of HA and autobone of over 50%, and Group III with a mixture of HA and autobone of less than 50%. Subjects were also grouped into two groups: Group A with a graft volume of less than 12 ml and Group B with more than 12 ml. The correlation of mixture ratio and the graft volume with fusion rate was analyzed. For clinical analysis, visual analogue scale for pain and Oswestry Disability Index were used. Bone integration was evaluated based on the classification methods described in the Burkus study. RESULTS: Fusion rates are increased according to the ratio of autograft in all groups: 90.9% in Group I, 87.8% in Group II, and 85.7% in Group III. However, there were no significant differences between groups (p = 0.22). The fusion rates significantly increased as the amount of bone graft increased to over 12 ml, showing 81.5% in Group A and 92.0% in Group B (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: A high rate of fusion was achieved in MI-TLIF in graft volume of more than 12 ml. We therefore recommend at least 12 ml of bone graft volume for successful fusion.

Comparison of Clinical and Radiological Outcomes after Vertebroplasty and Balloon Kyphoplasty in the Treatment of Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures.

BACKGROUND: Vertebroplasty (VP) and balloon kyphoplasty (KP) are effective means with which to improve pain and function in osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. However, the risk of complications after these procedures is poorly understood, with concerns regarding adjacent vertebral fractures. This study retrospectively investigated the clinical and radiological outcomes of these procedures. METHODS: A total of 115 patients who experienced their first vertebral fracture were treated with VP (N=63) or KP (N=52) at the Dankook University Hospital between January 2013 and December 2022. The clinical outcomes were evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS) preoperative and at 1-year follow-up. Radiological comparisons were performed for kyphosis correction, vertebral height restoration, and postoperative cement leakage. RESULTS: KP was more effective than VP, especially for vertebral body height restoration and kyphotic angle reduction (P<0.05). However, the incidence of cement leakage, new adjacent vertebral fractures, and improvement in pain assessed by VAS did not differ statistically between the 2 groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Considering that KP was performed on fractures with severe deformity, no differences were observed in the clinical outcomes and incidence of adjacent vertebral fractures compared Considering that KP was performed for fractures with severe deformity, there was no difference in clinical outcomes and incidence of adjacent vertebral fractures compared to VP. Improvements in radiological measurements were demonstrated. Therefore, KP may be a good treatment option for pain relief and long-term prognosis in patients with high-compressive-rate vertebral fractures.

Fermented Milk Containing Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus SNU50430 Modulates Immune Responses and Gut Microbiota in Antibiotic-Treated Mice.

Antibiotics are used to control infectious diseases. However, adverse effects of antibiotics, such as devastation of the gut microbiota and enhancement of the inflammatory response, have been reported. Health benefits of fermented milk are established and can be enhanced by the addition of probiotic strains. In this study, we evaluated effects of fermented milk containing Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus (L. rhamnosus) SNUG50430 in a mouse model with antibiotic treatment. Fermented milk containing 2 × 105 colony-forming units of L. rhamnosus SNUG50430 was administered to six week-old female BALB/c mice for 1 week. Interleukin (IL)-10 levels in colon samples were significantly increased (P < 0.05) compared to water-treated mice, whereas interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) were decreased, of mice treated with fermented milk containing L. rhamnosus SNUG50430-antibiotics-treated (FM+LR+Abx-treated) mice. Phylum Firmicutes composition in the gut was restored and the relative abundances of several bacteria, including the genera Coprococcus and Lactobacillus, were increased in FM+LR+Abx-treated mice compared to PBS+Abx-treated mice. Interestingly, abundances of genus Coprococcus and Lactobacillus were positively correlated with IL-5 and IL-10 levels (P < 0.05) in colon samples and negative correlated with IFN-γ and TNF-α levels in serum samples (P < 0.001). Acetate and butyrate were increased in mice with fermented milk and fecal microbiota of FM+LR+Abx-treated mice were highly enriched with butyrate metabolism pathway compared to water-treated mice (P < 0.05). Thus, fermented milk containing L. rhamnosus SNUG50430 was shown to ameliorate adverse health effects caused by antibiotics through modulating immune responses and the gut microbiota.

The Effect of Denosumab in Elderly Patients Regarding Bone Density and Fracture Risk.

BACKGROUND: With an aging population, the importance of treating and diagnosing osteoporosis is increasing. Osteoporosis, previously known as a resorptive change primarily related to endocrinological mechanisms, is also being approached as a phenomenon of senile change. Denosumab is gaining popularity among osteoporosis medications due to its ability to increase bone mineral density (BMD) and the economic benefit arising from the 6-month cycle. In line with previous literature, this study aimed to examine the BMD-augmenting effect of denosumab through which it reduces fracture risk in individuals aged over 80 years. METHODS: We reviewed patients who received denosumab between 2018 and 2022 with a minimum clinical observation period of 12 months. BMD was measured every 12 months, and patients were classified per their period of denosumab use. Fracture risk was evaluated using the fracture risk assessment tool (FRAX) and fracture incidence during the observation period were assessed. RESULTS: Among 155 patients, a significant increase in BMD was observed at 3 sites: the lumbar spine, femoral neck, and total hip (p<0.001, p<0.001, and p=0.001, respectively). The patients were divided according to the length of clinical follow-up they received, and similar results were found in all subgroups. Fracture risk assessment was performed using FRAX and the incidence of fracture events during follow-up. FRAX significantly decreased in all subgroups except those who received 24 months of follow-up (p=0.003, p=0.41, p=0.001 in the 12, 24, and ≥36 months groups, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Denosumab use resulted in long-term BMD increase and reduced fracture risk in individuals aged 80 and above.

Change of Symptoms after Total Hip Arthroplasty in Patients with Hip-Spine Syndrome.

Purpose: Elderly patients with degenerative diseases undergo treatment for the hip and spine; these patients present with various symptoms. This study focused on patients with residual symptoms, predominantly pain, even after receiving treatment for their spinal lesions. Materials and Methods: Patients who underwent total hip arthroplasty (THA) between 2016 and 2022 at a single tertiary hospital were included in the study. Of the 417 patients who underwent primary THA, a retrospective review of 40 patients with previous lesions of the spine was conducted. Patients were stratified to two cohorts: Patients with symptoms related to the spine (Group A), and those with hip-related symptoms (Group B). Pre- and postoperative comparisons of groups A and B were performed. Results: Improvements in patients' symptoms were observed in groups A and B after THA. In Group A, the mean preoperative visual analog scale (VAS) score was 5.10±0.876, which showed a postoperative decrease to 2.70±1.767. In Group B, the mean preoperative VAS score was 5.10±1.539, which showed a postoperative decrease to 2.67±1.493. Conclusion: According to the findings, promising results were achieved with THA in treatment of debilitating diseases of the hip for both the prognosis of the disease, as well as the patients' symptoms. In addition, in some cases elderly patients with dual pathologies underwent treatment for spinal lesions without performance of any evaluation related to the hip. Thus, evaluation of a patient's hip must be performed and performance of THA in patients with symptoms even after treatment of spinal lesions is recommended.

Current status of ß-lactam antibiotic use and characterization of ß-lactam-resistant Escherichia coli from commercial farms by integrated broiler chicken operations in Korea.

ß-Lactam antibiotics are one of the most clinical importance in human and veterinary medicine because they are used for both preventive and therapeutic purposes against several gram-positive, gram-negative, and anaerobic organisms. In this study, it was confirmed that ß-lactams (81.1%) were found to be significantly prescribed the most among 74 farms in 5 integrated broiler operations, and single prescription (84.6%), 2-day (41.5%) or 3-day (40.0%) administration, and 15 to 22 d of age (67.7%) administration was significantly higher in the farms (P < 0.05). Among the E. coli isolated from 74 farms in 5 integrated broiler operations, ß-lactam-resistant E. coli isolates were detected more frequently in fecal sample (94.6%) than in dust sample (60.8%) (P < 0.05). The prevalence of MDR in ß-lactam-resistant isolates, ranging from 88.1 to 96.5%, was significantly higher than that in non-ß-lactam-resistant isolates (P < 0.05), without significant differences among operations. Of 466 ß-lactam-resistant isolates, 432 (92.7%) isolates harbored ß-lactamase genes. The non-extended-spectrum ß-lactamase (ESBL) gene blaTEM-1 (81.8%) showed the highest prevalence among isolates, followed by the non-ESBL gene blaTEM-135 (6.4%) (P < 0.05). Five ESBL genes, SHV-12, OXA-1, CTX-M-27, CTX-M-55, and CTX-M-65, were found in 0.9 to 6.0% of the isolates. The pAmpC gene blaCMY-2 was detected in 17 isolates (3.6%). These results suggest that feces and dust are important reservoirs of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, highlighting the need to strengthen farm management regulations, such as cleaning, disinfection, and litter disposal and to reduce the use of antibiotics in broiler operations.

Detection, Genophenotypic Characterization, and Antimicrobial Resistance of Microbial Contaminants.

Microbial contamination is the inadvertent presence of microbes or their byproducts in materials or environments [...].

Situational analysis on fluoroquinolones use and characterization of high-level ciprofloxacin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis by integrated broiler operations in South Korea.

Fluoroquinolones are classified as "critically important antimicrobials for human medicine"; however, their extensive use in livestock poses a significant health risk to humans as it leads to the rapid spread of antimicrobial resistance. This study confirmed that 40.0%-71.4% of the farms in three of the five integrated broiler operations were administered ciprofloxacin (CIP). Moreover, preventive purposes (60.9%), veterinarian prescriptions (82.6%), drinking water route (100%), and 1 to 3 days (82.6%) of age were significantly highest (P < 0.05). 194 high-level ciprofloxacin-resistant (HLCR) Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) were found in 65 of 74 farms, and of which, the prevalence of qnrA (63.9%), tetM (60.3%), ermB (64.9%), blaz (38.7%), and catA (34.0%) was significantly highest (P < 0.05). 154 (79.4%) isolates showed MDR, and the distribution of MDR was significantly differences among the operations (P < 0.05). All HLCR E. faecalis possessed double mutations in gyrA and parC, and S83I/S80I (90.7%) mutations were most commonly identified. Interestingly, the distribution of isolates with MICs ≥ 512 for both CIP and moxifloxacin was significantly higher in CIP-administered farms (56.5%) than in non-CIP-administered farms (41.4%) (P < 0.05). Also, the prevalence of strong or moderate biofilm formers in HLCR E. faecalis was significantly higher than that of weak and no biofilm formers (P < 0.05). HLCR E. faecalis were heavily distributed in the broiler farms in Korea; therefore, it is necessary to minimize the prevalence of resistant bacteria via structural management regulations such as cleaning and disinfection of farm environments.

Recalls of tattoo and permanent makeup inks in the United States and a follow-up microbiological survey of inks with a previous recall history.

In this study, we collected voluntary recall records of tattoo and permanent makeup ink from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) Enforcement Report Database. The recall records contain information, such as recall date, manufacturer, ink color, reason for recall, and the microorganisms detected from the ink samples. Between 2003 and 2021, a total of 15 voluntary tattoo ink recalls occurred in the U.S. market, involving over 200 tattoo inks marketed by 13 manufacturers and one distributor. Fourteen recalls were due to microbial contamination, and one recall was due to allergic reaction. As follow-up, a microbiological survey of 28 tattoo inks of new batches from seven manufacturers having products that were previously recalled was conducted. Aerobic plate count (APC) and enrichment culture methods based on the FDA's Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) were used to detect microbial contamination. The results revealed that six out of 28 tattoo inks were contaminated with bacteria and were produced by two manufacturers. The level of microbial contamination was less than 250 CFU/g in three of the tattoo inks and between 1 × 103 and 1 × 105 CFU/g in the other three inks. Eleven bacterial isolates were identified, including spore-forming Bacillus-related species and potentially pathogenic species. Overall, this study shows that some tattoo ink products produced by manufacturers with a recall history continue to be contaminated with microorganisms. This highlights the need for ongoing monitoring and quality control of such products.

Prediction of strawberry yield based on receptacle detection and Bayesian inference.

The receptacle of strawberry is a more direct part than the flower for predicting yield as they eventually become fruits. Thus, we tried to predict the yield by combining an AI technique for receptacle detection in images and statistical analysis on the relationship between the number of receptacles detected and the strawberry yield over a period of time. Five major cultivars were cultivated to consider the cultivar characteristics and environmental factors for two years were collected to consider the climate difference. Faster R-CNN based object detector was used to estimate the number of receptacles per strawberry plant in given two-dimensional images, which achieved a mAP of 0.6587 for our dataset. However, not all receptacles appear on the two-dimensional images, and Bayesian analysis was used to model the uncertainty associated with the number of receptacles missed by the AI. After estimating the probability of fruiting per receptacle, prediction models for the total strawberry yield at the end of harvest season were evaluated. Even though the detection accuracy was not perfect, the results indicated that counting the receptacles by object detection and estimating the probability of fruiting per receptacle by Bayesian modeling are more useful for predicting the total yield per plant than knowing its cumulative yield during the first month.