-
Zoological Research Jan 2024We examined the global biogeography of the group of spitting spiders based on 23 years of sampling at the species level (61 species in the group and 84 species of )...
We examined the global biogeography of the group of spitting spiders based on 23 years of sampling at the species level (61 species in the group and 84 species of ) using DNA data from six loci. Our results indicated that the group initially dispersed from Southeast Asia to East Africa between 46.5 and 33.0 million years ago, and dispersal events intensified between Southeast/South Asia and East/South Africa from the early to late Miocene. The timing of these events indicates that Asian-African faunal exchange of the group was driven by the Indian monsoon, and the pattern of dispersal suggests that colonialization took root when the Indian monsoon shifted from a North-South direction to an East-West direction from the middle Eocene.
Topics: Animals; Spiders
PubMed: 38247177
DOI: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2023.364 -
Eating Disorders 2024Non-purging compensatory behaviors (NPCB; e.g. driven exercise, fasting, other extreme behaviors) are a subcategory of compensatory behaviors typically characterized as...
Non-purging compensatory behaviors (NPCB; e.g. driven exercise, fasting, other extreme behaviors) are a subcategory of compensatory behaviors typically characterized as infrequent and less severe. Limited prior research has studied NPCB despite their increasing prevalence among adults with binge-spectrum eating disorders (B-ED). More research is needed to understand the types of NPCB present among B-ED and the association between NPCB, clinical severity, and treatment outcomes. Secondary analyses were conducted among 155 adults with B-ED in cognitive-behavioral (CBT)-based clinical trials. At baseline and post-treatment, clinical interviews of eating pathology assessed binge eating frequency, purging compensatory behavior frequency, and global eating pathology. The following NPCB were also assessed: driven exercise, 24-h fasting, 8+ waking hours of compensatory fasting, chewing and spitting, and other extreme weight control behaviors. Participants engaging in NPCB reported higher global eating pathology than those not engaging in NPCB. Frequency of chewing and spitting and 24-h fasting significantly decreased over treatment. Engagement in NPCB at baseline did not predict CBT outcomes. The current study highlights the prevalence and clinical severity of NPCB in B-ED but offers promising results regarding the potential for CBT to improve these behaviors. More research is needed on other extreme weight control behaviors reported qualitatively in our sample and on the maintenance of improvements in non-purging behaviors after CBT.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Binge-Eating Disorder; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Treatment Outcome; Bulimia; Fasting
PubMed: 38186089
DOI: 10.1080/10640266.2023.2293504 -
Stem Cell Reports Jan 2024The genetic abnormalities observed in hPSC cultures worldwide have been suggested to pose an important hurdle in their safe use in regenerative medicine due to the... (Review)
Review
The genetic abnormalities observed in hPSC cultures worldwide have been suggested to pose an important hurdle in their safe use in regenerative medicine due to the possibility of oncogenic transformation by mutant cells in the patient posttransplantation. One of the best-characterized genetic lesions in hPSCs is the gain of 20q11.21, found in 20% of hPSC lines worldwide, and strikingly, also amplified in 20% of human cancers. In this review, we have curated the existing knowledge on the incidence of this mutation in hPSCs and cancer, explored the significance of chromosome 20q11.21 amplification in cancer progression, and reviewed the oncogenic role of the genes in the smallest common region of gain, to shed light on the significance of this mutation in hPSC-based cell therapy. Lastly, we discuss the state-of-the-art strategies devised to detect aneuploidies in hPSC cultures, avoid genetic changes in vitro cultures of hPSCs, and strategies to eliminate genetically abnormal cells from culture.
Topics: Humans; Pluripotent Stem Cells; Mutation; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Aneuploidy; Cell Differentiation
PubMed: 38157850
DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.11.013 -
Journal of Education and Health... 2023The purpose of the study was to analyze the public perception toward COVID Appropriate Behavior (CAB) obedience and to identify the factors associated with declining CAB.
BACKGROUND
The purpose of the study was to analyze the public perception toward COVID Appropriate Behavior (CAB) obedience and to identify the factors associated with declining CAB.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
It is a mixed methods study conducted from November 2021 to September 2022 in Pune city, India. A set of 15-CAB guidelines published by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India (GoI), were used as a base document to design the instruments of qualitative and quantitative study. Using a one-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, CAB scores were tested for normality and distribution. Comparisons of various parameters were done using z test for proportion and paired -test (statistical significance level was 0.05). Thematic content analysis was conducted for qualitative data analysis and verbatims are reported where applicable.
RESULTS
The main motivation for people to get vaccinated was family and personal safety and a higher proportion of people felt safer post-vaccination which was linked to a reduced likelihood of CAB obedience. Qualitative results showed that people's lack of empathy and concern for others leads to undesirable personal behaviors such as spitting in public places, not wearing masks, etc., The need for socialization is high but discomfort with the use of masks/face shields and habituation with the disease were prominent causes of CAB disobedience.
CONCLUSION
We conclude that reduced fear and gradual habituation have led to reduced CAB obedience. There is a need to reinforce empathy and concern for others to improve adherence to CAB like maintaining social distancing and wearing masks in public places for personal and social safety from the disease.
PubMed: 38144002
DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_1838_22 -
Annals of Parasitology 2023In the experiment, 160 medicinal leeches of the species Hirudo verbana Carena, 1820 were studied. Medicinal leeches were fed on the blood of animals and people...
In the experiment, 160 medicinal leeches of the species Hirudo verbana Carena, 1820 were studied. Medicinal leeches were fed on the blood of animals and people (conditionally healthy and diseased). Four leeches were taken from each animal/person. The animals were studied for 3 weeks. Mortality was mostly observed in the first days after feeding on the blood of the host. We noted mortality, the appearance of constrictions on the leeches' body, the intensity of the host blood spitting from their body. The host's blood was taken from their stomach on the first day after feeding. Hematological and immunological indicators of blood were determined in the taken blood of the host. As a result of the study of the blood of the sick, significant changes were found, compared to conditionally healthy ones. It was manifested by an increase in erythrocytes and leukocytes. The leukocyte formula looked like in most pathological conditions of the inflammatory process. The obtained indicators of the experiment make it possible to quickly assess the presence of physiological disorders in the early stages of the disease.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Leeches; Blood; Erythrocytes; Leukocytes
PubMed: 38007222
DOI: 10.17420/ap6902.508 -
Molecular Diagnosis & Therapy Jan 2024Saliva can be used for screening and diagnostic purposes. Although multiple saliva collection methods are available, their use in children can be limited due to lack of... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Saliva can be used for screening and diagnostic purposes. Although multiple saliva collection methods are available, their use in children can be limited due to lack of cooperation, developmental stage, and age. The aim of this scoping review was to comprehensively appraise the different methods of saliva collection among both children and adolescents by assessing the available scientific literature.
METHODS
A literature search was performed using the databases PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. Eligible studies on saliva collection methods among children and adolescents were included for this review.
RESULTS
The literature search identified 249 eligible articles, of which 205 had a cross-sectional study design. Four distinct saliva collection methods have surfaced: the drooling method, the absorption method, the spitting method, and the suction method. Among infants or children under the age of 6 years, the suction and absorption methods were most preferred. The drooling and spitting methods were only applicable among children above the age of 3 years. When children were not willing to cooperate, the absorption method was most feasible. In adolescents and older children, no specific method was found to be preferred over another method.
CONCLUSION
Overall, saliva collection is well tolerated by children and adolescents, with the absorption and suction methods being preferred with young and uncooperative children.
Topics: Adolescent; Child; Child, Preschool; Humans; Infant; Cross-Sectional Studies; Saliva; Sialorrhea
PubMed: 37950136
DOI: 10.1007/s40291-023-00684-9 -
Small (Weinheim An Der Bergstrasse,... Mar 2024A novel semiconductive Co/Fe-MOF embedded with Fe O nanocrystals (Fe O @CoFe-MOF) is developed as a trifunctional electrocatalyst for the urea oxidation reaction (UOR),...
A novel semiconductive Co/Fe-MOF embedded with Fe O nanocrystals (Fe O @CoFe-MOF) is developed as a trifunctional electrocatalyst for the urea oxidation reaction (UOR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and hydrogen evolution reaction for enhancing the efficiency of the hydrogen production via the urea-assisted overall water splitting. Fe O @CoFe-TPyP-MOF comprises unsaturated metal-nitrogen coordination sites, affording enriched defects, self-tuned d-band centers, and efficient π-π interaction between different layers. Density functional theory calculation confirms that the adsorption of urea can be optimized at Fe O @CoFe-TPyP-MOF, realizing the efficient adsorption of intermediates and desorption of the final product of CO and N characterized by the in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The two-electrode urea-assisted water splitting device-assembled with Fe O @CoFe-TPyP-MOF illustrates a low cell voltage of 1.41 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode at the current density of 10 mA cm , attaining the hydrogen production rate of 13.13 µmol min in 1 m KOH with 0.33 m urea. The in situ electrochemical Raman spectra and other basic characterizations of the used electrocatalyst uncover that Fe O @CoFe-TPyP-MOF undergoes the reversible structural reconstruction after the UOR test, while it demonstrates the irreversible reconstruction after the OER measurement. This work redounds the progress of urea-assisted water spitting for hydrogen production.
PubMed: 37936322
DOI: 10.1002/smll.202306273 -
South African Medical Journal =... Jul 2023This was a cross-sectional study with the aim of characterising Naja nigricincta nigricincta's oral bacterial flora as well as accompanying sensitivities and resistance...
This was a cross-sectional study with the aim of characterising Naja nigricincta nigricincta's oral bacterial flora as well as accompanying sensitivities and resistance towards antibiotics. Naja nigricincta nigricincta (zebra snake) is a spitting cobra indigenous to Namibia. Nasopharyngeal and venom swabs for bacterial culture and antibiotic sensitivity were taken from 37 native zebra snakes originating from the Khomas region that were captured for removal and relocation. Enterococcus faecalis, Proteus spp., Morganella morganii and Pseudomonas spp. were the organisms most often cultured. The antibiotic sensitivity profiles of these organisms suggest ciprofloxacin or a third-generation cephalosporin plus gentamicin or piperacillin-tazobactam as prophylactic antibiotics in case of Naja nigricincta nigricincta bites.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Snake Bites; Naja; Venoms; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cross-Sectional Studies; Pharynx; South Africa; Snakes; Bacteria; Antivenins
PubMed: 37882042
DOI: 10.7196/SAMJ.2023.v113i7.271 -
International Journal of Legal Medicine Mar 2024Forensic trace contextualization, i.e., assessing information beyond who deposited a biological stain, has become an issue of great and steadily growing importance in...
Forensic trace contextualization, i.e., assessing information beyond who deposited a biological stain, has become an issue of great and steadily growing importance in forensic genetic casework and research. The human transcriptome encodes a wide variety of information and thus has received increasing interest for the identification of biomarkers for different aspects of forensic trace contextualization over the past years. Massively parallel sequencing of reverse-transcribed RNA ("RNA sequencing") has emerged as the gold standard technology to characterize the transcriptome in its entirety and identify RNA markers showing significant expression differences not only between different forensically relevant body fluids but also within a single body fluid between forensically relevant conditions of interest. Here, we analyze the quality and composition of four RNA sequencing datasets (whole transcriptome as well as miRNA sequencing) from two different research projects (the RNAgE project and the TrACES project), aiming at identifying contextualizing forensic biomarker from the forensically relevant body fluid saliva. We describe and characterize challenges of RNA sequencing of saliva samples arising from the presence of oral bacteria, the heterogeneity of sample composition, and the confounding factor of degradation. Based on these observations, we formulate recommendations that might help to improve RNA biomarker discovery from the challenging but forensically relevant body fluid saliva.
Topics: Humans; Saliva; Semen; Forensic Genetics; Body Fluids; Biomarkers; Sequence Analysis, RNA; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing; RNA
PubMed: 37847308
DOI: 10.1007/s00414-023-03100-3 -
European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology,... Nov 2023To determine minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) for the DyNaChron chronic rhinosinusitis quality-of-life questionnaire.
OBJECTIVES
To determine minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) for the DyNaChron chronic rhinosinusitis quality-of-life questionnaire.
INTRODUCTION
MCIDs are the smallest changes in a quality-of-life score that are of clinical relevance for the patient. They allow treatment benefit to be estimated. MCIDs have not previously been determined for DyNaChron.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
A single-center retrospective study analyzed DyNaChron questionnaires filled out between June 2016 and December 2021 by all patients consulting for chronic nasal dysfunction. Five hundred and thirteen of the 2390 patients were operated on for nasal polyposis (NP; n=282) or septo(rhino)plasty+inferior turbinoplasty (SPIT; n=231). Standard error of measurement was used to determine MCIDs.
RESULTS
MCID for DyNaChron global score was 60 in NP and 58 in SPIT. MCIDs per symptom domain in NP and SPIT respectively were: 15 and 13 for nasal obstruction, 21 and 21 for anterior rhinorrhea, 20 and 19 for posterior rhinorrhea, and 17 and 17 for olfaction. In agreement with global MCID, 257 NPs (91%) and 149 SPITs (65%) showed clinical improvement.
CONCLUSION
MCID helps assess response to treatment. In the DyNaChron questionnaire, MCIDs enable global and symptom-specific assessment of chronic nasal dysfunction and its impact on quality of life in a single patient or in groups.
Topics: Humans; Minimal Clinically Important Difference; Quality of Life; Retrospective Studies; Prospective Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; Rhinorrhea; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 37838601
DOI: 10.1016/j.anorl.2023.10.010