Enhancing Bone Infection Diagnosis with Raman Handheld Spectroscopy: Pathogen Discrimination and Diagnostic Potential.

Osteomyelitis is a bone disease caused by bacteria that can damage bone. Raman handheld spectroscopy has emerged as a promising diagnostic tool for detecting bone infection and can be used intraoperatively during surgical procedures. This study involved 120 bone samples from 40 patients, with 80 samples infected with either Staphylococcus aureus or Staphylococcus epidermidis. Raman handheld spectroscopy demonstrated successful differentiation between healthy and infected bone samples and between the two types of bacterial pathogens. Raman handheld spectroscopy appears to be a promising diagnostic tool in bone infection and holds the potential to overcome many of the shortcomings of traditional diagnostic procedures. Further research, however, is required to confirm its diagnostic capabilities and consider other factors, such as the limit of pathogen detection and optimal calibration standards.

Browning of vegetation in efficient carbon sink regions of India during the past two decades is driven by climate change and anthropogenic intrusions.

Accurate estimation of carbon cycle is a challenging task owing to the complexity and heterogeneity of ecosystems. Carbon Use Efficiency (CUE) is a metric to define the ability of vegetation to sequester carbon from the atmosphere. It is key to understand the carbon sink and source pathways of ecosystems. Here, we quantify CUE using remote sensing measurements to examine its variability, drivers and underlying mechanisms in India for the period 2000-2019, by applying the principal component analyses (PCA), multiple linear regression (MLR) and causal discovery. Our analysis shows that the forests in the hilly regions (HR) and northeast (NE), and croplands in the western areas of South India (SI) exhibit high (>0.6) CUE. The northwest (NW), Indo-Gangetic plain (IGP) and some areas in Central India (CI) show low (<0.3) CUE. In general, the water availability as soil moisture (SM) and precipitation (P) promote higher CUE, but higher temperature (T) and air organic carbon content (AOCC) reduce CUE. It is found that SM has the strongest relative influence (33%) on CUE, followed by P. Also, SM has a direct causal link with all drivers and CUE; reiterating its importance in driving vegetation carbon dynamics (VCD) for the cropland dominated India. The long-term analysis reveals that the low CUE regions in NW (moisture induced greening) and IGP (irrigation induced agricultural boom) have an increasing trend in productivity (greening). However, the high CUE regions in NE (deforestation and extreme events) and SI (warming induced moisture stress) exhibit a decreasing trend in productivity (browning), which is a great concern. Our study, therefore, provides new insights on the rate of carbon allocation and the need of proper planning for maintaining balance in the terrestrial carbon cycle. This is particularly important in the context of drafting policy decisions for the mitigation of climate change, food security and sustainability.

The evolution of trait correlations constrains phenotypic adaptation to high CO2 in a eukaryotic alga.

Microbes form the base of food webs and drive biogeochemical cycling. Predicting the effects of microbial evolution on global elemental cycles remains a significant challenge due to the sheer number of interacting environmental and trait combinations. Here, we present an approach for integrating multivariate trait data into a predictive model of trait evolution. We investigated the outcome of thousands of possible adaptive walks parameterized using empirical evolution data from the alga Chlamydomonas exposed to high CO2. We found that the direction of historical bias (existing trait correlations) influenced both the rate of adaptation and the evolved phenotypes (trait combinations). Critically, we use fitness landscapes derived directly from empirical trait values to capture known evolutionary phenomena. This work demonstrates that ecological models need to represent both changes in traits and changes in the correlation between traits in order to accurately capture phytoplankton evolution and predict future shifts in elemental cycling.

Assessing resistance of sugarcane varieties to sugarcane borer Diatraea saccharalis Fab. (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).

In this study, we investigated resistance traits to the sugarcane borer Diatraea saccharalis Fab. (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in the leaves and stalks of six sugarcane cultivars in a series of greenhouse and laboratory assays. Investigation of plant factors and infestation rates to better discriminate stalk damage by the sugarcane borer indicated that infestation of 7-month-old, single plants with 20 larvae at the third or fourth instar per plant was suitable to assess tunneling length. Three cultivars (i.e. SP803280, RB928064, and RB835486) had lower stalk damage (i.e. tunnel length) than cultivar SP891115, which exhibited relatively greater susceptibility to tunneling by the borer. The time required for the larvae to enter the sugarcane stalk was longer for cultivar SP803280, indicating resistance traits on the stalk surface, which correlated with lower stalk damage. Larvae feeding on SP813250 stalks had the lowest weight gain, indicating that this cultivar has resistance traits to larval development within its stalks. Cultivars RB867515 and SP891115 resulted in the highest mortality of early-stage larvae feeding on leaves, indicating the presence of resistance factors in their leaves. Multi-trait cluster and principal component analyses placed the cultivars into three and four clusters, respectively. The cultivars placed in different groups that exhibited resistance to leaf feeding, stalk entrance, and tunneling by the sugarcane borer could be used for crossings in sugarcane breeding programs with the goal of obtaining higher levels of resistance to D. saccharalis.

Quality and sensory acceptability of fish fillet (Oreochromis niloticus) with alginate-based coating containing essential oils.

The quality and sensory acceptability of fish fillet (Oreochromis niloticus) with alginate-based coating containing ginger and oregano essential oils (EO) were evaluated. The antioxidant activity of essential oil, coating, and fish were also investigated. In relation to lipid oxidation, a decrease was observed in fish with the edible coatings compared to the control being the coating with oregano EO the most effective and also with the highest antioxidant activity. Loss in color and weight were significantly lower with coating. Fish with coating maintained firmness whereas fish without coating became softer. Fish with edible coating and oregano essential oils showed higher sensory acceptability regarding to odor evaluated by consumers. Thus, edible coatings with essential oils as natural antioxidant improved the product quality and sensory acceptability.

Dietary patterns in Swedish adults; results from a national dietary survey.

Dietary patterns derived by statistical procedures is a way to identify overall dietary habits in specific populations. The aim of this study was to identify and characterise dietary patterns in Swedish adults using data from the national dietary survey Riksmaten adults 2010-11 (952 women, 788 men). Principal component analyses were used and two patterns were identified in both sexes: a healthy pattern loading positively on vegetables, fruits, fish and seafood, and vegetable oils, and negatively on refined bread and fast food, and a Swedish traditional pattern loading positively on potatoes, meat and processed meat, full-fat milk products, sweet bakery products, sweet condiments and margarine. In addition, a light-meal pattern was identified in women with positive loadings on fibre-rich bread, cheese, rice, pasta and food grain dishes, substitute products for meat and dairy products, candies and tea. The healthy pattern was positively correlated to dietary fibre (r 0·51-0·58) and n-3 (r 0·25-0·31) (all P<0·0001), and had a higher nutrient density of folate, vitamin D and Se. The Swedish traditional and the light-meal pattern were positively correlated to added sugar (r 0·20-0·25) and the Swedish traditional also to SFA (r 0·13-0·21) (all P<0·0001); both patterns were in general negatively correlated to micronutrients. Dietary pattern scores were associated with, for example, age, physical activity, education and income. In conclusion, we identified three major dietary patterns among Swedish adults. The patterns can be further used for examining the association between whole diet and health outcomes.

The effect of under-reporting of energy intake on dietary patterns and on the associations between dietary patterns and self-reported chronic disease in women aged 50-69 years.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate whether under-reporting of energy intake affects derived dietary patterns and the association between dietary patterns and self-reported chronic disease. Diets of 6204 women aged 50-69 years participating in the Norwegian Breast Cancer Screening Program were assessed using a 253-item FFQ. We identified dietary patterns using principal component analysis. According to the revised Goldberg cut-off method, women with a ratio of reported energy intake:estimated BMR<1·10 were classified as low energy reporters (n 1133, 18 %). We examined the associations between dietary patterns and self-reported chronic diseases by log-binomial regression, and the results are presented as prevalence ratios (PR) and CI. 'Prudent', 'Western' and 'Continental' dietary patterns were identified among all reporters and plausible reporters. The PR expressing the associations between the 'Western' and 'Prudent' dietary pattern scores and self-reported chronic diseases were consistently highest among plausible reporters except for joint/muscle/skeletal disorders. The largest difference in PR among plausible v. all reporters was found for the association between the 'Prudent' pattern and diabetes (PR for highest v. lowest tertile: PRall reporters 2·16; 95 % CI 1·50, 3·13; P trend<0·001; PRplausible reporters 2·86; 95 % CI 1·81, 4·51; P trend<0·001). In conclusion, our results suggest that under-reporting can result in systematic error that can affect the association between dietary pattern and disease. In studies of dietary patterns, investigators ought to consider reporting effect estimates both for all individuals and for plausible reporters.

Reproducibility of data-driven dietary patterns in two groups of adult Spanish women from different studies.

The objective of the present study was to assess the reproducibility of data-driven dietary patterns in different samples extracted from similar populations. Dietary patterns were extracted by applying principal component analyses to the dietary information collected from a sample of 3550 women recruited from seven screening centres belonging to the Spanish breast cancer (BC) screening network (Determinants of Mammographic Density in Spain (DDM-Spain) study). The resulting patterns were compared with three dietary patterns obtained from a previous Spanish case-control study on female BC (Epidemiological study of the Spanish group for breast cancer research (GEICAM: grupo Español de investigación en cáncer de mama)) using the dietary intake data of 973 healthy participants. The level of agreement between patterns was determined using both the congruence coefficient (CC) between the pattern loadings (considering patterns with a CC≥0·85 as fairly similar) and the linear correlation between patterns scores (considering as fairly similar those patterns with a statistically significant correlation). The conclusions reached with both methods were compared. This is the first study exploring the reproducibility of data-driven patterns from two studies and the first using the CC to determine pattern similarity. We were able to reproduce the EpiGEICAM Western pattern in the DDM-Spain sample (CC=0·90). However, the reproducibility of the Prudent (CC=0·76) and Mediterranean (CC=0·77) patterns was not as good. The linear correlation between pattern scores was statistically significant in all cases, highlighting its arbitrariness for determining pattern similarity. We conclude that the reproducibility of widely prevalent dietary patterns is better than the reproducibility of more population-specific patterns. More methodological studies are needed to establish an objective measurement and threshold to determine pattern similarity.

Dittrichia graveolens (L.) Greuter Essential Oil: Chemical Composition, Multivariate Analysis, and Antimicrobial Activity.

The chemical composition and in vitro antimicrobial activities of Dittrichia graveolens (L.) Greuter essential oil was studied. Moreover, using agglomerative hierarchical cluster (AHC) and principal component analyses (PCA), the interrelationships of the D. graveolens essential-oil profiles characterized so far (including the sample from this study) were investigated. To evaluate the chemical composition of the essential oil, GC-FID and GC/MS analyses were performed. Altogether, 54 compounds were identified, accounting for 92.9% of the total oil composition. The D. graveolens oil belongs to the monoterpenoid chemotype, with monoterpenoids comprising 87.4% of the totally identified compounds. The major components were borneol (43.6%) and bornyl acetate (38.3%). Multivariate analysis showed that the compounds borneol and bornyl acetate exerted the greatest influence on the spatial differences in the composition of the reported oils. The antimicrobial activity against five bacterial and one fungal strain was determined using a disk-diffusion assay. The studied essential oil was active only against Gram-positive bacteria.

Spectroscopic insights into multi-phase protein crystallization in complex lysate using Raman spectroscopy and a particle-free bypass.

Protein crystallization as opposed to well-established chromatography processes has the benefits to reduce production costs while reaching a comparable high purity. However, monitoring crystallization processes remains a challenge as the produced crystals may interfere with analytical measurements. Especially for capturing proteins from complex feedstock containing various impurities, establishing reliable process analytical technology (PAT) to monitor protein crystallization processes can be complicated. In heterogeneous mixtures, important product characteristics can be found by multivariate analysis and chemometrics, thus contributing to the development of a thorough process understanding. In this project, an analytical set-up is established combining offline analytics, on-line ultraviolet visible light (UV/Vis) spectroscopy, and in-line Raman spectroscopy to monitor a stirred-batch crystallization process with multiple phases and species being present. As an example process, the enzyme Lactobacillus kefir alcohol dehydrogenase (LkADH) was crystallized from clarified Escherichia coli (E. coli) lysate on a 300 mL scale in five distinct experiments, with the experimental conditions changing in terms of the initial lysate solution preparation method and precipitant concentration. Since UV/Vis spectroscopy is sensitive to particles, a cross-flow filtration (cross-flow filtration)-based bypass enabled the on-line analysis of the liquid phase providing information on the lysate composition regarding the nucleic acid to protein ratio. A principal component analysis (PCA) of in situ Raman spectra supported the identification of spectra and wavenumber ranges associated with productspecific information and revealed that the experiments followed a comparable, spectral trend when crystals were present. Based on preprocessed Raman spectra, a partial least squares (PLS) regression model was optimized to monitor the target molecule concentration in real-time. The off-line sample analysis provided information on the crystal number and crystal geometry by automated image analysis as well as the concentration of LkADH and host cell proteins (HCPs) In spite of a complex lysate suspension containing scattering crystals and various impurities, it was possible to monitor the target molecule concentration in a heterogeneous, multi-phase process using spectroscopic methods. With the presented analytical set-up of off-line, particle-sensitive on-line, and in-line analyzers, a crystallization capture process can be characterized better in terms of the geometry, yield, and purity of the crystals.

Computational insight into the binding of bryostatin 1 with ferritin: implication of natural compounds in Alzheimer's disease therapeutics.

Neuronal damage in iron-sensitive brain regions occurs as a result of iron dyshomeostasis. Increased iron levels and iron-related pathogenic triggers are associated with neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Ferritin is a key player involved in iron homeostasis. Major pathological hallmarks of AD are amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and synaptic loss that lead to cognitive dysfunction and memory loss. Natural compounds persist in being the most excellent molecules in the area of drug discovery because of their different range of therapeutic applications. Bryostatins are naturally occurring macrocyclic lactones that can be implicated in AD therapeutics. Among them, Bryostatin 1 regulates protein kinase C, a crucial player in AD pathophysiology, thus highlighting the importance of bryostatin 1 in AD management. Thus, this study explores the binding mechanism of Bryotstain 1 with ferritin. In this work, the molecular docking calculations revealed that bryostatin 1 has an appreciable binding potential towards ferritin by forming stable hydrogen bonds (H-bonds). Molecular dynamics simulation studies deciphered the binding mechanism and conformational dynamics of ferrritin-bryostatin 1 system. The analyses of root mean square deviation, root mean square fluctuations, Rg, solvent accessible surface area, H-bonds and principal component analysis revealed the stability of the ferritin-bryostatin 1 docked complex throughout the trajectory of 100 ns. Moreover, the free energy landscape analysis advocated that the ferritin-bryostatin 1 complex stabilized to the global minimum. Altogether, the present work delineated the binding of bryostatin 1 with ferritin that can be implicated in the management of AD.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Principal component regression analysis of familial psychiatric histories and suicide risk factors among adults with opioid use disorder.

This study explores familial psychiatric risk factors that are closely linked to suicide risk among patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) as measured by the Family History Assessment Module (FHAM). Data was derived from adults diagnosed with OUD (N = 389). To analyze the covariance between the 11 items of the FHAM, principal component analysis was applied to infer principal components (PC) scores. Log-binominal regression was conducted to quantify the associations between PC scores and mental health symptoms (e.g., lifetime suicidal attempt, P30D suicidal ideation, depression, and anxiety). Analyses revealed that the first 3 three PCs could account for 56% of the total variance of the FHAM items within the data. Family history of substance misuse (PC1) was positively associated with lifetime suicide attempts and severe anxiety. Family history of serious mental illness (PC2) and of suicidal behavior (PC3) were not significantly associated with any outcomes. Our findings suggest current suicide risk is associated with an array of familial psychiatric issues among people with OUD. However, family history of suicide attempts and death by suicide has less bearing on current suicide risk in OUD patients whereas family history of substance use confers significant risk. Findings underscore suicide-related preventive interventions as necessary components of treatment plans among people with OUD, who commonly report family histories of substance misuse.

In silico interactions and deep neural network modeling for toxicity profile of methyl methanesulfonate.

In this study, the toxicity induced by the alkylating agent methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) in Allium cepa L. was investigated. For this aim, bulbs were divided into 4 groups as control and application (100, 500 and 4000 µM MMS) and germinated for 72 h at 22-24 °C. At the end of the germination period root tips were collected and made ready for analysis by applying traditional preparation methods. Germination, root elongation, weight, mitotic index (MI) values, micronucleus (MN) and chromosomal abnormality (CAs) numbers, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities and anatomical structures of bulbs were used as indicators to determine toxicity. Moreover the extent of DNA fragmentation induced by MMS was determined by comet assay. To confirm the DNA fragmentation induced by MMS, the DNA-MMS interaction was examined with molecular docking. Correlation and principal component analyses (PCA) were performed to examine the relationship between all parameters and understand the underlying structure and relationships among these parameters. In the present study, a deep neural network (DNN) with two hidden layers implemented in Matlab has been developed for the comparison of the estimated data with the real data. The effect of MDA levels, SOD and CAT activities at 4 different endpoints resulting from administration of various concentrations of MMS, including MN, MI, CAs and DNA damage, was attempted to be estimated by DNN model. It is assumed that the predicted results are in close agreement with the actual data. The effectiveness of the model was evaluated using 4 different metrics, MAE, MAPE, RMSE and R2, which together show that the model performs commendably. As a result, the highest germination, root elongation, weight gain and MI were measured in the control group. MMS application caused a decrease in all physiological parameters and an increase in cytogenetic (except MI) and biochemical parameters. MMS application caused an increase in antioxidant enzyme levels (SOD and CAT) up to a concentration of 500 µM and a decrease at 4000 µM. MMS application induced different types of CAs and anatomical damages in root meristem cells. The results of the comet assay showed that the severity of DNA fragmentation increased with increasing MMS concentration. Molecular docking analysis showed a strong DNA-MMS interaction. The results of correlation and PCA revealed significant positive and negative interactions between the studied parameters and confirmed the interactions of these parameters with MMS. It has been shown that the DNN model developed in this study is a valuable resource for predicting genotoxicity due to oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation. In addition, this model has the potential to help evaluate the genotoxicity status of various chemical compounds. At the end of the study, it was concluded that MMS strongly supports a versatile toxicity in plant cells and the selected parameters are suitable indicators for determining this toxicity.

Comparison of Mid-Infrared Handheld and Benchtop Spectrometers to Detect Staphylococcus epidermidis in Bone Grafts.

Bone analyses using mid-infrared spectroscopy are gaining popularity, especially with handheld spectrometers that enable on-site testing as long as the data quality meets standards. In order to diagnose Staphylococcus epidermidis in human bone grafts, this study was carried out to compare the effectiveness of the Agilent 4300 Handheld Fourier-transform infrared with the Perkin Elmer Spectrum 100 attenuated-total-reflectance infrared spectroscopy benchtop instrument. The study analyzed 40 non-infected and 10 infected human bone samples with Staphylococcus epidermidis, collecting reflectance data between 650 cm-1 and 4000 cm-1, with a spectral resolution of 2 cm-1 (Agilent 4300 Handheld) and 0.5 cm-1 (Perkin Elmer Spectrum 100). The acquired spectral information was used for spectral and unsupervised classification, such as a principal component analysis. Both methods yielded significant results when using the recommended settings and data analysis strategies, detecting a loss in bone quality due to the infection. MIR spectroscopy provides a valuable diagnostic tool when there is a tissue shortage and time is of the essence. However, it is essential to conduct further research with larger sample sizes to verify its pros and cons thoroughly.

Groundwater chemistry and health hazard risk valuation of fluoride and nitrate enhanced groundwater from a semi-urban region of South India.

Evaluation of groundwater chemistry and its related health hazard risk for humans is a prerequisite remedial measure. The semi-urban region in southern India was selected to measure the groundwater quality to know the human health risk valuation for different age groups of adults and children through oral intake and skin contact with elevated concentrations of fluoride ([Formula: see text]) and nitrate ([Formula: see text]) groundwater. Groundwater samples were collected from the semi-urban region for pre- and post-rainfall periods and resolute its major ion chemistry. The pH values showed the water is alkaline to neutral in nature. Total dissolved solid (TDS) ranged from 201 to 3612 mg/l and 154 to 3457 mg/l. However, [Formula: see text] concentration ranges from 0.28 to 5.48 mg/l and 0.21 to 4.43 mg/l; and NO3- ranges from 0.09 to 897.28 mg/l and 0.0 to 606.10 mg/l elevating the drinking water standards of [Formula: see text] in 32% and 38% samples and for [Formula: see text] about 62% and 38% during pre- and post-rainfall seasons, respectively. The fluoride-bearing minerals are the main sources of elevated concentrations of [Formula: see text] and excessive use of chemical fertilizers as the chief source of NO3- concentration in the aquifer regime. Water quality index (WQI) ranged from 18.3 to 233 and 12.97 to 219.14; 20% and 22% showed poor water quality for pre- and post-rainfall seasons with WQI ≥ 200. Piper plot suggests that 46% and 51% of samples signify carbonate water type ([Formula: see text]), and 32% and 28% of groundwater samples show ([Formula: see text]) type water for pre- and post-rainfall seasons respectively. Gibbs' plot suggests the dominance of water-rock interaction in the aquifer system. Further, the principal component analysis (PCA) revealed three and four components which explain 74.85% and 79.30% of the variance in pre- and post-rainfall seasons with positive loading of EC, TDS, Ca2+, Na+, Mg2+, K+, [Formula: see text], Cl-, and [Formula: see text] due to mineral weathering and water-rock interactions altering the chemistry for an elevated concentration of [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] in groundwater. Cluster analyses of chemical variables observed four clusters with a linkage distance of 5 to 25 with a linkage between different variables displaying predominant ion exchange, weathering of silicate and fluoride-rich minerals, salinization of the water, and a high value of [Formula: see text] concentration, resulting from fertilizers. The hazard quotient (HQ) through ingestion (HQing) and dermal (HQder) pathways of F- and NO3- was observed higher than its acceptable limit of 1.0 for different age groups indicating the non-carcinogenic effect on human health. Effective strategic measures like defluoridation, denitrification, safe drinking water supply, sanitary facilities, and rainwater harvesting structures are to be implemented in the area for improvement of human health conditions and also bring awareness to the local community about the health hazard effects of using high concentrated [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] water for daily uses.

Composition and Bioactivity of Chlorogenic Acids in Vegetable and Conventional Sweet Potato Vine Tips.

Sweet potato vine tips are abundant in chlorogenic acid (CGA). In this study, CGA was extracted from vegetable and conventional sweet potato vine tips using ethanol, followed by subsequent purification of the extract through a series of sequential steps. Over 4 g of the purified product was obtained from 100 g of sweet potato vine tip powder, producing more than 85% of purified CGA. The LC-MS analysis of all samples indicated that 4-CQA was the predominant isomer in both sweet potato cultivars. Significant variations of p-coumaroyl quinic acids, feruloyl quinic acids, dicaffeoyl quinic acids, and tricaffeoyl quinic acid were identified, whereas the mono-caffeoyl quinic acids did not vary when the two sweet potato varieties were compared. Compared to conventional sweet potatoes, vegetable sweet potatoes exhibit a high negative correlation between 4-CQA and 5-pCoQA, while showing a high positive correlation between 3,5-CQA and 3-pCoQA. A series of principal component analyses (PCA) using CGA isomers enables a clear differentiation between vine tips derived from vegetable and conventional sweet potatoes. The model of linear discriminant analysis, based on the characteristic CGA, achieved a 100% accuracy rate in distinguishing between vegetable and conventional sweet potatoes. The high purity of sweet potato CGA (SCGA) exhibited potent anti-breast cancer activity. The results demonstrated that SCGA significantly suppressed the clonogenicity of MB231 and MCF7 cells, and impeded the migratory, invasive, and lung metastatic potential of MB231 cells.

Raman microscopic spectroscopy as a diagnostic tool to detect Staphylococcus epidermidis in bone grafts.

INTRODUCTION: Raman microscopic spectroscopyis a new approach for further characterization and detection of molecular features in many pathological processes. This technique has been successfully applied to scrutinize the spatial distribution of small molecules and proteins within biological systems by in situ analysis. This study uses Raman microscopic spectroscopyto identify any in-depth benefits and drawbacks in diagnosing Staphylococcus epidermidis in human bone grafts. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 40 non-infected human bone samples and 10 human bone samples infected with Staphylococcus epidermidis were analyzed using Raman microscopic spectroscopy. Reflectance data were collected between 200 cm-1 and 3600 cm-1 with a spectral resolution of 4 cm-1 using a Senterra II microscope (Bruker, Ettlingen, Germany). The acquired spectral information was used for spectral and unsupervised classification, such as principal component analysis. RESULTS: Raman measurements produced distinct diagnostic spectra that were used to distinguish between non-infected human bone samples and Staphylococcus epidermidis infected human bone samples by spectral and principal component analyses. A substantial loss in bone quality and protein conformation was detected by human bone samples co-cultured with Staphylococcus epidermidis. The mineral-to-matrix ratio using the phosphate/Amide I ratio (p = 0.030) and carbonate/phosphate ratio (p = 0.001) indicates that the loss of relative mineral content in bones upon bacterial infection is higher than in non-infected human bones. Also, an increase of alterations in the collagen network (p = 0.048) and a decrease in the structural organization and relative collagen in infected human bone could be detected. Subsequent principal component analyses identified Staphylococcus epidermidis in different spectral regions, respectively, originating mainly from CH2 deformation (wagging) of protein (at 1450 cm-1) and bending and stretching modes of C-H groups (∼2800-3000 cm-1). CONCLUSION: Raman microscopic spectroscopyis presented as a promising diagnostic tool to detect Staphylococcus epidermidis in human bone grafts. Further studies in human tissues are warranted.

Soybean Root Growth in Response to Chemical, Physical, and Biological Soil Variations.

Environmental conditions affect crop yield, and water deficit has been highlighted by the negative impact on soybean grain production. Radicial growth in greater volume and depth can be an alternative to minimize losses caused by a lack of water. Therefore, knowledge of how soybean roots behave before the chemical, physical, and biological attributes of the soil can help establish managements that benefit in-depth root growth. The objective was to evaluate the growth of soybean roots in response to chemical, physical, and biological variations in the soil, in different soil locations and depths. Six experiments were conducted in different locations. Soil samples were collected every 5 cm of soil up to 60 cm of soil depth for chemical, physical, and biological analysis. The roots were collected every 5 cm deep up to 45 cm deep from the ground. The six sites presented unsatisfactory values of pH and organic matter, and presented phosphorus, potassium, and calcium at high concentrations in the first centimeters of soil depth. The total porosity of the soil was above 0.50 m3 m-3, but the proportion of the volume of macropores, micropores, and cryptopores resulted in soils with resistance to penetration to the roots. Microbial biomass was higher on the soil surface when compared to deeper soil layers, however, the metabolic quotient was higher in soil depth, showing that microorganisms in depth have low ability to incorporate carbon into microbial biomass. Root growth occurred in a greater proportion in the first centimeters of soil-depth, possibly because the soil attributes that favor the root growth is concentrated on the soil surface.

Placental Characteristics Classification of Various Native Turkish Sheep Breeds.

The aim of this study was to classify placental characteristics of Akkaraman, Morkaraman, Karayaka, Awassi, Malya, and Bafra sheep breeds using the hierarchical clustering method. In total, 240 individual data records were used as experimental material. Placental characteristics such as total cotyledon surface area, small and large cotyledon length, small cotyledon depth, etc. were used as explanatory variables to classify the breeds' characteristics. Hierarchical clustering was used with the nearest neighbour method with Euclidean distance in order to classify the sheep breeds' variations. As a result, six breeds were separated into three clusters: the first cluster consisted of Bafra, Karayaka, and Awassi breeds; the second consisted of Akkaraman and Malya breeds; and the third cluster included only the Morkaraman breed. Bafra and Karayaka were pointed as the nearest breeds, with a similarity of 98.7% in terms of placental characteristics. The similarity rate of the Akkaraman and Malya breeds was at a level of 97.5%, whereas it was 96.8% for Bafra, Karayaka, and Awassi breeds. The similarity of Akkaraman, Karayaka, Awassi, Malya, and Bafra sheep breeds was estimated as 95.7%. The overall similarity was found to be at a level of 93.2% among sheep breeds. The outcomes of the study might be useful as a selection tool for reproductivity and can be used to select the breed to be reared.

Dietary Patterns among Adolescents Are Associated with Growth, Socioeconomic Features, and Health-Related Behaviors.

Dietary patterns (DPs), usually established in adolescents, are important modifiable risk factors in the etiology of malnutrition and chronic diseases. This study aimed to identify DPs of adolescents and examine their associations with growth, sociodemographic, and lifestyle characteristics. A nationally representative, school-based, cross-sectional study was conducted in Israeli adolescents aged 11-18 years during 2015-2016. A self-administered survey queried sociodemographics, health behaviors, and diet. Weight and height were measured, and WHO height z-scores and BMI cutoffs were calculated. Food frequency questionnaire data were analyzed using principal components analysis (PCA) to identify DPs. Associations between growth, lifestyle, and sociodemographic characteristics and DPs were modeled using multivariable logistic regressions. A total of 3902 adolescents (46% males, mean age 15.2 ± 1.6 years) completed the survey. PCA identified five DPs, accounting for 38.3% of the total variance. The first two prominent DPs were the 'plant-based food' DP, which was associated with the female sex, higher socioeconomic status, overweight/obesity, and healthy lifestyle and the 'junk food' DP, which was associated with lower SES, unhealthy lifestyle, and lower height z-scores. Our results elucidate major DPs that strongly correlate with lifestyle risk behaviors and suboptimal growth among adolescents. Implementing screening for DPs should be further examined to identify higher risk health factors among youth.