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Frontiers in Microbiology 2018Arsenic is a metalloid that occurs naturally in aquatic and terrestrial environments. The high toxicity of arsenic derivatives converts this element in a serious problem... (Review)
Review
Arsenic is a metalloid that occurs naturally in aquatic and terrestrial environments. The high toxicity of arsenic derivatives converts this element in a serious problem of public health worldwide. There is a global arsenic geocycle in which microbes play a relevant role. Ancient exposure to arsenic derivatives, both inorganic and organic, has represented a selective pressure for microbes to evolve or acquire diverse arsenic resistance genetic systems. In addition, arsenic compounds appear to have been used as a toxin in chemical warfare for a long time selecting for an extended range of arsenic resistance determinants. Arsenic resistance strategies rely mainly on membrane transport pathways that extrude the toxic compounds from the cell cytoplasm. The operons, first discovered in bacterial R-factors almost 50 years ago, are the most common microbial arsenic resistance systems. Numerous operons, with a variety of genes and different combinations of them, populate the prokaryotic genomes, including their accessory plasmids, transposons, and genomic islands. Besides these canonical, widespread gene clusters, which confer resistance to the inorganic forms of arsenic, additional genes have been discovered recently, which broadens the spectrum of arsenic tolerance by detoxifying organic arsenic derivatives often used as toxins. This review summarizes the presence, distribution, organization, and redundance of arsenic resistance genes in prokaryotes.
PubMed: 30405552
DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.02473 -
Cureus Dec 2023Hepatic injuries attributable to terbinafine usage are a well-documented yet infrequent phenomenon. This case study details the clinical presentation and management of a...
Hepatic injuries attributable to terbinafine usage are a well-documented yet infrequent phenomenon. This case study details the clinical presentation and management of a 70-year-old Hispanic female, with no previous medical history, subsequently hospitalized for progressive jaundice, right upper quadrant abdominal discomfort, and worsening pruritus. A comprehensive review of her prior records revealed a recent terbinafine prescription for onychomycosis, which she took consistently for five weeks and then self-discontinued four weeks before her current admission. Laboratory tests on admission revealed a cholestatic pattern of liver injury, evident by transaminitis and conjugated hyperbilirubinemia. The R factor used to determine whether a liver injury is hepatocellular or cholestatic was 0.9. Further diagnostic imaging, including abdominal ultrasound, CT of the abdomen, and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, failed to disclose an obstructive pathology, revealing only cholelithiasis and chronic cholecystitis. Therapeutically, the patient was initiated on hydroxyzine to address symptoms of pruritus, and then subsequently underwent a liver biopsy. Histopathologic findings from the biopsy revealed benign hepatic parenchyma demonstrating focal canalicular cholestasis, mild chronic inflammation involving select portal tracts, and chronic lobular inflammation, suggesting terbinafine-induced hepatotoxicity. This case highlights the challenges of diagnosing terbinafine-induced liver injury, emphasizing the need for a high index of clinical suspicion and recognizing the potential for prolonged symptomatic manifestation after drug discontinuation. This article provides valuable insights into the complexities inherent in such diagnoses and significantly enriches a medical provider's approach to diagnosing and treating unexplained liver injuries.
PubMed: 38239534
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.50749 -
Inorganic Chemistry Nov 2022Shapeness of the coordination polyhedra is quantified by a procedure that moves arbitrary Cartesian coordinates of the complex to the origin, rotates them, reorders...
Shapeness of the coordination polyhedra is quantified by a procedure that moves arbitrary Cartesian coordinates of the complex to the origin, rotates them, reorders them, and compares with the predefined model complex of exact symmetry by calculating the square Euclidian distance and/or -factor as agreement factors. The generalized crystal-field theory has been enriched by considering a non-perfect match of the characters of the irreducible representations borne by the eigenvectors representing the crystal-field terms with those assigned to a perfect symmetry. The agreement of quasi-symmetry with the perfect one is quantified by an array of square Euclidian distances and/or -factors. This procedure allows assignment of electronic d-d transitions in the case of non-perfect (quasi) symmetry.
PubMed: 36287226
DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.2c03176 -
Enfermedades Infecciosas Y... Feb 2019
Topics: Antimicrobial Stewardship; Bacterial Proteins; Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae; Carbapenems; Cross Infection; Enterobacteriaceae Infections; Humans; R Factors; beta-Lactam Resistance; beta-Lactamases
PubMed: 30591386
DOI: 10.1016/j.eimc.2018.12.006 -
Biotechnology Reports (Amsterdam,... Jun 2022Due to its value and economic importance, the genome of L. has been widely studied in various fields of science. In this study the genetic structure and relationships...
Due to its value and economic importance, the genome of L. has been widely studied in various fields of science. In this study the genetic structure and relationships between 24 accessions of of different origins were assessed. A total of 692, 814, and 258 loci were amplified using 43 RAPD (random amplified polymorphic DNA), 40 ISSR (intersimple sequence repeat), and 20 R-ISSR (RAPD+ISSR) primers, respectively. Among the amplified loci, 66-78% were polymorphic and 12-20% were private. Selected R-ISSR sequences were detected in transcripts. Cluster and STRUCTURE analyses performed for each of the techniques revealed the existing differences and unknown similarities between the genotypes. The -factor values calculated in the Mantel test indicated highly significant positive correlations between the Nei distance matrices, similar to the values ( = 0.223, = 0.279, = 0.363) determined in the analysis of molecular variance. It was found that 78%, 72%, and 64% of the genetic variations were related to the differences observed within the populations, which suggest that the variations are mainly reflected in the differences among the genotypes. The principal coordinate analysis showed greater differences between the mean distances of the genotype pair and the actual distances of the same pairs on the Nei matrix compared to multidimensional scaling. These differences were 45%, 56%, and 42% higher for RAPD, ISSR and R-ISSR, respectively.
PubMed: 35686005
DOI: 10.1016/j.btre.2022.e00721 -
Disability and Rehabilitation Mar 2022Parental illness or disability has wide ranging impacts on offspring. Due to the lack of an Italian contextually sensitive measure of youth caregiving, this study...
PURPOSE
Parental illness or disability has wide ranging impacts on offspring. Due to the lack of an Italian contextually sensitive measure of youth caregiving, this study explored the factor structure, reliability, and validity of the Italian version of the Young Carer of Parents Inventory-Revised (YCOPI-R).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Seven hundred and seventy-four youth aged 11-24 (386 young carers and 388 young non-carers) completed a questionnaire regarding youth caregiving, parental illness, caregiving context variables, and youth adjustment.
RESULTS
The Italian YCOPI-R demonstrated good psychometric properties. Part A factor structure was replicated while two new factors emerged for Part B: Caregiving Stigma and Caregiving Resentment. Discriminant and convergent validity were evinced by differentiation between young carers and non-carers and associations between YCOPI-R factors and measures of caregiving activities and caregiving context. Predictive validity was supported as most Italian YCOPI-R factors were related to poorer youth adjustment, while Caregiving Confidence and Worry about Parents predicted higher levels of health-related quality of life.
CONCLUSIONS
The Italian YCOPI-R is a psychometrically sound measure of caregiving experiences in Italian youth. Findings confirm the multidimensional nature of youth caregiving, the mix of costs and rewards associated with it, and the link between youth caregiving and diverse adjustment outcomes.Implications for rehabilitationGiven the global rise in the number of youth caring for an ill or disabled family member and the association between youth caregiving and greater risks for mental and physical health problems, elevated youth caregiving is a significant public health issue.The Italian version of the YCOPI-R is a valid and reliable measure of youth caregiving experiences in the Italian context.The Italian YCOPI-R offers a promising tool for better identifying young carers who are at risk for adverse psychosocial outcomes and in evaluating young carer support services and preventive interventions.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Caregivers; Child; Humans; Parents; Psychometrics; Quality of Life; Reproducibility of Results; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult
PubMed: 32567411
DOI: 10.1080/09638288.2020.1780478 -
Mindfulness 2022Meditation practice has beneficial effects on physical and mental health, and barriers to regular practice have been recognized. The Determinants of Meditation Practice...
OBJECTIVES
Meditation practice has beneficial effects on physical and mental health, and barriers to regular practice have been recognized. The Determinants of Meditation Practice Inventory (DMPI) was developed and recently revised (DMPI-R). DMPI-R is a 12-item self-report instrument encompassing four dimensions: low perceived benefit, perceived inadequate knowledge, perceived pragmatic barriers, and perceived socio-cultural conflict. The current study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties and factor structure of the European Portuguese version of the DMPI-R in a general population Portuguese sample (non-meditators).
METHODS
A sample comprising 154 participants completed a set of self-report measures online. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and parallel analyses were conducted to decide on the number of factors. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was computed in an independent sample ( = 229). Three models were tested and compared. Reliability and validity were analyzed.
RESULTS
The EFA and parallel analysis revealed a four-factor structure. The three models tested showed a good fit to the data. Models' comparison pointed that the four-factor model, excluding item 10, was the one with the lower Expected Cross-Validation Index. The DMPI-R factors revealed adequate reliability and test-retest stability. The DMPI-R showed correlations with experiential avoidance and perspectives on meditation. No significant differences were found between men and women on the DMPI-R four factors. No significant associations with age and years of education were found.
CONCLUSIONS
The European Portuguese version of DMPI-R is a reliable and valid self-report instrument to assess perceived barriers to meditation, contributing to expand research and support meditation instructors in improving meditation programs.
PubMed: 35966133
DOI: 10.1007/s12671-022-01953-0 -
Biochemistry Nov 2022Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a debilitating eye disease that tends to affect people over the age of 55. Lipofuscins are autofluorescent, toxic byproducts of...
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a debilitating eye disease that tends to affect people over the age of 55. Lipofuscins are autofluorescent, toxic byproducts of the visual cycle thought to contribute toward the progression of the disease. Targeting the accumulation of lipofuscin through catabolism may serve as a method for the early treatment of AMD. Thus, an enzymatic approach capable of degrading lipofuscin, cycloretinal (all retinal dimer), was examined. A peroxidase from the organism (MsP1) has shown capability of degrading this toxic metabolite into nontoxic byproducts. A catalytic triad within MsP1 (D228, H365, and R388) was identified through multiple-sequence alignment and homology modeling and confirmed by kinetic analysis. MsP1-associated cleavage products were detected by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MSMS). MsP1 degradation byproducts of cycloretinal show reduced cytotoxicity within cell culture (ARPE-19), demonstrating its potential as a gene therapeutic to alleviate the buildup of lipofuscin within AMD.
Topics: Humans; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Kinetics; Lipofuscin; Macular Degeneration; Peroxidases
PubMed: 36322106
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.2c00413 -
The Journal of Nervous and Mental... Aug 2023Spirituality/religion (S/R) is clinically relevant to recovery from alcohol use disorders (AUDs)/substance use disorders (SUDs) and also associated with less...
Spirituality/religion (S/R) is clinically relevant to recovery from alcohol use disorders (AUDs)/substance use disorders (SUDs) and also associated with less self-injury; however, the interplay of these factors has not been adequately evaluated. Participants ( n = 1443) were culled from a larger study among psychiatric patients. We assessed for S/R using self-report measures, and medical records were reviewed for demographics, clinical diagnoses, psychiatric medications, and self-harm engagement. Self-harm engagement was significantly higher among patients without AUD/SUD. S/R distress was higher among participants with AUD/SUD, but S/R community activity and importance of religion were lower. Interest in discussing S/R in treatment did not significantly differ across patients. Religious affiliation, importance of religion, and belief in God were associated with less self-harm, but effects were not moderated by presence of AUD/SUD. S/R factors are associated with lower self-harm, irrespective of the presence or absence of AUD/SUD. In contrast with clinical lore, S/R may be equally salient to psychiatric patients with AUD/SUD versus other disorders.
Topics: Humans; Spirituality; Alcoholism; Religion; Substance-Related Disorders; Self-Injurious Behavior
PubMed: 37015109
DOI: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000001655 -
Journal of Religion and Health Apr 2022Chaplains have been embedded in military settings for over a millennium. In recent years however, the decline in spiritual/religious (S/R) affiliation of military...
Chaplains have been embedded in military settings for over a millennium. In recent years however, the decline in spiritual/religious (S/R) affiliation of military personnel across Western cultures has led to some commentators questioning the utilization of religious chaplains by defence personnel. This scoping review maps the literature on S/R and non-S/R factors that influence utilizing military chaplains-with a particular emphasis on the Australian military context. A systematic scoping review of tertiary literature databases using Arksey and O'Malley (2003) and Joanna Briggs Institute methodologies (JBI, 2021), revealed a total of 33 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. Results fell into three broad categories: (i) how personal religious views influence utilization of military chaplaincy, (ii) barriers and enablers to personnel utilizing military chaplains, and (iii) the impact of chaplaincy. Despite the current reduction in religiosity in Western society, findings from this scoping review suggest there is little evidence that low religiosity among military personnel forms a significant barrier to utilizing chaplaincy services. To the contrary, the literature revealed that chaplains provide trusted, confidential, and holistic support for military personnel that if diminished or compromised would leave a substantial gap in staff well-being services.
Topics: Australia; Clergy; Humans; Military Personnel; Pastoral Care
PubMed: 35059963
DOI: 10.1007/s10943-021-01477-2