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Scientific Reports Jul 2024Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide problem that imposes a devastating effect on developing countries and requires immediate interventions. Initially, most of the...
Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide problem that imposes a devastating effect on developing countries and requires immediate interventions. Initially, most of the antibiotic drugs were identified by culturing soil microbes. However, this method is prone to discovering the same antibiotics repeatedly. The present study employed a shotgun metagenomics approach to investigate the taxonomic diversity, functional potential, and biosynthetic capacity of microbiomes from two natural agricultural farmlands located in Bekeka and Welmera Choke Kebelle in Ethiopia for the first time. Analysis of the small subunit rRNA revealed bacterial domain accounting for 83.33% and 87.24% in the two selected natural farmlands. Additionally, the analysis showed the dominance of Proteobacteria representing 27.27% and 28.79% followed by Actinobacteria making up 12.73% and 13.64% of the phyla composition. Furthermore, the analysis revealed the presence of unassigned bacteria in the studied samples. The metagenome functional analysis showed 176,961 and 104, 636 number of protein-coding sequences (pCDS) from the two samples found a match with 172,655 and 102, 275 numbers of InterPro entries, respectively. The Genome ontology annotation suggests the presence of 5517 and 3293 pCDS assigned to the "biosynthesis process". Numerous Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes modules (KEGG modules) involved in the biosynthesis of terpenoids and polyketides were identified. Furthermore, both known and novel Biosynthetic gene clusters, responsible for the production of secondary metabolites, such as polyketide synthases, non-ribosomal peptide synthetase, ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (Ripp), and Terpene, were discovered. Generally, from the results it can be concluded that the microbiomes in the selected sampling sites have a hidden functional potential for the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. Overall, this study can serve as a strong preliminary step in the long journey of bringing new antibiotics to the market.
Topics: Soil Microbiology; Metagenomics; Microbiota; Multigene Family; Secondary Metabolism; Metagenome; Farms; Bacteria; Ethiopia; Phylogeny
PubMed: 38956049
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63254-x -
GeroScience Jul 2024There is abundant evidence that bone mineral content is highly heritable, while the heritability of bone quality (i.e. trabecular bone score [TBS] and quantitative...
There is abundant evidence that bone mineral content is highly heritable, while the heritability of bone quality (i.e. trabecular bone score [TBS] and quantitative ultrasound index [QUI]) is rarely investigated. We aimed to disentangle the role of genetic, shared and unique environmental factors on TBS and QUI among Hungarian twins. Our study includes 82 twin (48 monozygotic, 33 same-sex dizygotic) pairs from the Hungarian Twin Registry. TBS was determined by DXA, QUI by calcaneal bone ultrasound. To estimate the genetic and environmental effects, we utilized ACE-variance decomposition. For the unadjusted model of TBS, an AE model provided the best fit with > 80% additive genetic heritability. Adjustment for age, sex, BMI and smoking status improved model fit with 48.0% of total variance explained by independent variables. Furthermore, there was a strong dominant genetic effect (73.7%). In contrast, unadjusted and adjusted models for QUI showed an AE structure. Adjustments improved model fit and 25.7% of the total variance was explained by independent variables. Altogether 70-90% of the variance in QUI was related to additive genetic influences. We found a strong genetic heritability of bone quality in unadjusted models. Half of the variance of TBS was explained by age, sex and BMI. Furthermore, the adjusted model suggested that the genetic component of TBS could be dominant or an epistasis could be present. In contrast, independent variables explained only a quarter of the variance of QUI and the additive heritability explained more than half of all the variance.
PubMed: 38955996
DOI: 10.1007/s11357-024-01265-2 -
Environmental Science and Pollution... Jul 2024The removal of dyes from the aquatic ecosystem is necessary being a major threat to life. For enhanced remediation of methylene blue (MB) dye, a new ternary...
The removal of dyes from the aquatic ecosystem is necessary being a major threat to life. For enhanced remediation of methylene blue (MB) dye, a new ternary biopolymer-geopolymer-surfactant composite adsorbent is synthesized by combining phosphoric acid geopolymer (PAGP), calcium alginate (Alg), and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). During the synthesis of the composites, PAGP and SLS were mixed with the alginate matrix, producing porous hybrid beads. The PAGP-SLS-alginate (PSA) beads prepared were characterized using different analytical tools, i.e., scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry (FTIR), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), surface area and porosimetery (SAP), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). To ascertain the ideal conditions for the adsorption process, a batch reactor procedure was used to investigate the effects of several parameters on MB adsorption, including pH (2, 4, 6, 8, 10), PSA adsorbent dosage (0.06-0.12 g), MB concentration (50-500 mg/L), contact time (15 to 300 min), and temperature (25, 35, and 45 °C). The SEM investigation indicated that ~ 1860 μm-sized PSA beads with 6-8 μm voids are generated. Based on XRD, FTIR, and SAP examinations, the material is amorphous, having numerous functional groups and an average pore size of 6.42 nm. Variation of pH has a little effect on the adsorption process, and the pH of 7.44 was found to be the pH of the PSA beads. According to the findings of the batch study, equilibrium adsorption was obtained in 270-300 min, showing that the adsorption process was moderately slow-moving and effective. The dye adsorption linearly increased with initial dye concentration over concentration range of 50-500 mg/L and reciprocally decreased with rise in temperature. 0.06 g adsorbent dose, 25 °C, pH10, and 270 min were found to be the better conditions for adsorption experiments. Langmuir isotherm fitted well compared to Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich (DR) isotherm models on the experimental data, and the maximum adsorption capacity(q) calculated was 1666.6 mg. g. Pseudo-second-order (PSO) kinetics model and multi steps (two) intra particle diffusion (IPD) model fitted well on the adsorption kinetics data. The system's entropy, Gibbs free energy, and change in enthalpy were measured and found to be -109.171 J. mol. K, - 8.198 to - 6.014 kJ. mol, and - 40.747 kJ. mol. Thermodynamics study revealed that adsorption process is exothermic, energetically favorable and resulting in the decrease in randomness. Chemisorption is found to be the dominant mechanism as confirmed by pH effect, Langmuir isotherm, PSO kinetics, IPD model, and thermodynamics parameters. PSA beads were successfully regenerated using ethanol in a course of 120 min and re-used for five times. To sum up, the PSA adsorbent's impressive adsorption capability of 1666.66 mg/g highlights its potential as a successful solution for methylene blue removal. The results of this study add to the expanding corpus of information on sophisticated adsorption materials and demonstrate PSA's potential for real-world uses in wastewater treatment and environmental clean-up.
PubMed: 38955975
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-33573-7 -
Journal of Molecular Modeling Jul 2024This study investigates the impact of arsenic doping on the optical characteristics and electronic structure of zigzag (8, 0) and armchair (4, 4) gallium phosphide...
CONTEXT
This study investigates the impact of arsenic doping on the optical characteristics and electronic structure of zigzag (8, 0) and armchair (4, 4) gallium phosphide nanotubes using first-principles calculations based on the GaPAs system, where x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1. The electronic calculations showed that doping more arsenic atoms reduces the energy band gap for zigzag and armchair GaPAs nanotubes. PDOS analysis indicates that Ga-4p and P-3p orbitals play a significant role in determining the electronic properties of the GaP nanotube. The dominance of Ga-4p and P-3p orbitals in both the valence and conduction bands indicates their importance across the energy spectrum of the material. The complex dielectric function and absorption coefficient of zigzag and armchair GaPAs nanotubes are calculated for incident radiation with energies ranging from 1 to 6.2 eV. Optical results revealed that both zigzag and armchair GaPNTs exhibit strong absorption in the UV-visible regions due to electronic transitions between different Van Hove singularities. Also, due to quantum confinement effects, pure zigzag gallium phosphide nanotube exhibited two absorption edges at wavelengths (273 and 375 nm). These edges stand from the energy level's quantization in the nanotube construction, affecting the absorption characteristics. Substitutional doping by arsenic atoms changes the absorption edge to the long wavelengths due to decreased bandgap energy. Investigating electronic structures and optical properties of nanotubes proposes several advantages, such as understanding the doping effects on the nanotube structure and contributing to the direction of the experimental studies. These computational studies play a key role in developing the applications of nanomaterials.
METHODS
Calculations of density functional theory (DFT) are achieved via the SIESTA package. SIESTA is a powerful and effective tool for executing DFT calculations on a large system of atoms. It generates numerous output files covering detailed information about the electronic structure, optical properties, total energy, optimized geometry, and other computed properties. The generalized gradient approximation GGA with Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof PBE functional was used. A vacuum region of 10 A was applied to avoid the interactions of adjacent nanotubes.
PubMed: 38955842
DOI: 10.1007/s00894-024-06047-3 -
Journal of Food Science Jul 2024The wide biological activity of the Moringa oleifera represents a potential opportunity for developing selective cancer treatment drugs. The bioactive phytochemicals in...
The wide biological activity of the Moringa oleifera represents a potential opportunity for developing selective cancer treatment drugs. The bioactive phytochemicals in Moringa seed extract (MSE) indicated large numbers of phytochemicals (21 compounds) with dominant abundance for cycloisolongifolene, 8,9-dehydro-9-vinyl, and chamazulene accounting for 12.7% and 12.19% of the total detected compounds. The MSE showed a potent anticancer effect toward Caco-2, MDA, and HepG-2 cells with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC) values of 9.15 ± 1.18, 4.85 ± 0.11, and 7.36 ± 0.22 µg/mL, respectively, with higher safety (≥31-folds) toward normal human cells (IC of 150.7 ± 11.11 µg/mL). It appears that MSE stimulates selective-dose-dependent cell shrinkage, and nuclear condensation in the tumor cells, which finally induces the apoptosis pathway to increase its anticancer action. Additionally, MSE showed a potent capability to stimulate cell cycle arrest in both main checkpoint phases (G0/G1 and G2/M) of cell population growth. The apoptotic death stimulation was confirmed through upregulation of tumor protein p53 (p53) and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 (p21) expression by more than three- to sixfold and downregulation of B-cell lymphoma 2 expression (threefold) in MSE-treated cells compared to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU)-treated tumor cells. Furthermore, the MSE revealed strong anti-inflammatory activity with significant antioxidant activity by lowering nitric oxide levels and enhancing the superoxide dismutase activity. On the other hand, the MSE revealed broad-spectrum antibacterial activity in a dose-dependent manner against Staphylococcus aureus minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC of 1.25 mg/mL), followed by Salmonella typhimurium (MIC of 1.23 mg/mL), whereas Escherichia coli was the least sensitive to MSE activity (MIC of 22.5 mg/mL) with significant antibiofilm activity against sensitive pathogens.
PubMed: 38955793
DOI: 10.1111/1750-3841.17223 -
Zhonghua Yu Fang Yi Xue Za Zhi [Chinese... Jun 2024This study was to investigate the relationship between spring pollen distribution concentration, species and the detection results of air-borne pollen allergens in...
This study was to investigate the relationship between spring pollen distribution concentration, species and the detection results of air-borne pollen allergens in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province during March to May 2022 and March to May 2023.A retrospective study was conducted in the Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Clinic of the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University.Pollen particles will be monitored by gravity sedimentation method on the roof of the outpatient department of the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University in downtown Taiyuan from March to May 2022-2023, and pollen species and quantity will be observed and recorded under an optical microscope.The air-borne pollen allergen detection results of all allergic rhinitis patients in the otolaryngology Head and Neck surgery Department of the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University were extracted from the relevant outpatient system. SPSS software and Pearson correlation analysis were used to compare the correlation between the allergens and the dominant air-borne pollen monitoring results. Results are as follows: (1)A total of 18 species of spring pollen in Taiyuan City were monitored in 2022-2023, with 101 177.5 grains, and the dominant airborne pollen was poplar (16.69%) and pine (29.06%) pollen. The pollen of poplar (11.96%), elm (7.89%) and cypress (8.68%) were dominant in early spring; Pine (25.16%) pollen predominated in late spring. The two peaks of pollen dispersal in Taiyuan were in late March (15 479 grains) and early and mid May (15 094/15 343 grains).(2) The positive rates of allergens in serum specific IgE detection were: wormwood (46%, 248/541 cases), tree combination (26%, 143/541 cases), ragweed (19%, 101/541 cases), humulus scandens (9%, 49/541 cases).(3)There was a linear positive correlation between the positive rate of air-borne pollen allergens in allergic rhinitis patients in the Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery in the First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University and the dominant air-borne pollen concentration in the same period (0.05, =0.999). In conclusion, two spring pollen dispersal peaks were formed in late March and early to mid May in Taiyuan City, and the dominant air-borne pollens were poplar and pine pollens. The positive rate of air borne pollen allergen sIgE showed that wormwood allergy was the highest.There was a positive correlation between the concentration of air-borne pollen and the positive rate of air-borne pollen allergens in patients with allergic rhinitis in the Department of otorhinolaryngology and head and neck surgery in Taiyuan in 2022 and 2023.The monitoring of pollen distribution in spring can provide an important scientific basis for clinical workers to formulate prevention and treatment plans for patients with allergic rhinitis in the season, and provide data reference for the epidemiological investigation of allergic diseases in Taiyuan in the future.
Topics: Humans; Pollen; China; Retrospective Studies; Allergens; Immunoglobulin E; Seasons; Rhinitis, Allergic; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal
PubMed: 38955729
DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.cn112150-20231213-00442 -
Zhonghua Yu Fang Yi Xue Za Zhi [Chinese... Jun 2024To investigate the distribution rules of artemisia pollen and the clinical sensitization characteristics of allergic rhinitis (AR) induced by artemisia pollen in three...
To investigate the distribution rules of artemisia pollen and the clinical sensitization characteristics of allergic rhinitis (AR) induced by artemisia pollen in three urban and rural areas of Inner Mongolia. From March to October 2019, in 3 central cities (Chifeng, Hohhot, Ordos) and rural areas of Inner Mongolia, an epidemiological investigation method combining multi-stage stratified random sampling and face-to-face questionnaire survey was adopted to screen suspected AR patients, and skin prick test (SPT) was applied for diagnosis. At the same time, pollen monitoring was carried out in 3 areas to analyze the distribution and clinical sensitization characteristics of artemisia pollen.SPSS26.0 statistical software was used to process all the data. Chi-square test was used to compare rates among different age, sex, region and nationality, Spearman test was used to describe correlation analysis, and pairwise comparison of positive rates among multiple samples was used Bonferroni method. Among the 6 393 subjects, 1 093 cases were diagnosed with AR, and the prevalence of AR was 17.10% (1 093/6 393). Among them, pollen-induced allergic rhinitis, the prevalence of PiAR was 10.97% (701/6 393), accounting for 64.14%(701/1 093).The highest incidence was in the youth group (20-39 years old), accounting for 46.94% (329/701).The diagnosed prevalence was higher in females than in males (11.35% 10.64%, value 12.304, <0.001).The prevalence rate of ethnic minority was higher than that of Han nationality (13.01% 10.65%, value 6.296, =0.008).The prevalence in urban areas was also significantly higher than that in rural areas (18.40% 5.50%, value 10.497, <0.001).There was significant difference in prevalence rate among the three regions in Inner Mongolia (6.06% in Chifeng, 13.46% in Hohhot, 16.39% in Ordos, value 70.054, <0.001).The main clinical symptoms of artemisia PiAR were sneezing (95.58%), nasal congestion (91.73%) and nasal itching (89.30%).Allergic conjunctivitis accounted for 79.60% (558/701), chronic sinusitis for 55.63% (390/701), asthma for 23.25% (163/701).The pattern of artemisia pollen sensitization was mainly multiple sensitization, and the frequency of clinical symptoms and clinical diseases induced by hypersensitization with other allergens accounted for more than that caused by single artemisia pollen. The spread period of Artemisia pollen in the three regions was from June to October, and the peak state was in August in summer. The peak time of clinical symptoms in artemisia PiAR patients was about 2 weeks earlier than the peak time of pollen concentration, and the two were significantly positively correlated (=0.7671, <0.001). Artemisia pollens are the dominant pollens in late summer and early autumn in Inner Mongolia, and the prevalence of artemisia PiAR is high. Controlling the spread of Artemisia pollens is of great significance for the prevention and treatment of AR.
Topics: Humans; Artemisia; Pollen; Rural Population; China; Prevalence; Urban Population; Skin Tests; Rhinitis, Allergic; Surveys and Questionnaires; Allergens; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal; Male; Female; Adult; Young Adult
PubMed: 38955727
DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.cn112150-20230927-00228 -
Veterinary Parasitology Jun 2024Epidemiologic monitoring of wild animals is always an important step in defining potential zoonoses that can threaten humans. Particular emphasis should be given to...
Epidemiologic monitoring of wild animals is always an important step in defining potential zoonoses that can threaten humans. Particular emphasis should be given to those zoonotic agents permanently cycling within wild animal populations and represent a permanent reservoir for other wild or domesticated animals that can be direct sources of disease for humans. In Croatia, there are two European jackal populations: the Dalmatian population (DP) that has been inhabiting the islands and coastal area along the Adriatic Sea since medieval times, and the South East European population (SEEP) that is found in continental Croatia. Research on Trichinella infections in jackal populations in Croatia was conducted from 2008 to 2022. During this 15-year period, we tested 186 jackal samples and confirmed infection in 47 individuals (25.3 %). The dominant species was T. spiralis, identified in 28 samples (60 %), T. britovi was found in 13 samples (28 %), while for six samples (12 %) the PCR test was unsuccessful. In both populations, the Trichinella species of the domestic cycle (T. spiralis) was found, though in varying ratios: in DP the ratio of identified species was 10:6 in favour of T. britovi, as opposed to 22:3 in favour of T. spiralis in SEEP. The frequency of infection with parasites from the genus Trichinella was significantly different in DP (22.9 %) than in SEEP (26.7 %) (p<0.001), while the larval count in analysed tissue did not differ by type of Trichinella species (p=0.1028). Infected jackals were found in nine of ten tested counties. The results were analysed statistically and the origin of tested and positive samples shown on a map of Croatia. Based on these findings, both jackal populations can be considered to represent an exceptionally important indicators of parasites from the genus Trichinella in Croatia, both for the sylvatic and domestic cycles. There is an evident need for epidemiological monitoring for members of both populations.
PubMed: 38955641
DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2024.110239 -
The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry Jul 2024Three-dimensional (3D) printing has had extensive applications across dentistry, but a comprehensive bibliometric analysis relating to the application of 3D printing in...
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Three-dimensional (3D) printing has had extensive applications across dentistry, but a comprehensive bibliometric analysis relating to the application of 3D printing in dentistry is lacking.
PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature concerning the application of 3D printing in dentistry from 2012 to 2023.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The literature search was conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection Database. The retrieved literature data were downloaded as plain text file in "full record and cited references" format, with software programs (VOSviewer, CiteSpace, Biblioshiny, RStudio, Carrot2, and Microsoft Excel) used for bibliometric analysis and quantitative assessment.
RESULTS
The bibliometric analysis incorporated 1911 publications. Revilla-León, Marta was the most productive author. Zurich University had the highest number of publications and citations. The United States dominated the research landscape with the highest publication volume and H-index. The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry was the leading journal in both publication volume and citation frequency. Co-occurrence analysis of keyword and co-cited analysis of reference indicated a robust research environment, characterized by a strong focus on the pursuit of accuracy in dental restorative solutions, biocompatibility of materials, and clinical applications.
CONCLUSIONS
Research on 3D printing in the field of dentistry continues to grow. Collaborations with leading organizations and countries have been established, with Revilla-León, Marta et al playing a pivotal role. Top journals represented included the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry and Dental Materials. Main research domain resided in prosthodontics and implantology. Hot research topics included improvements in accuracy, dental materials, and clinical applications centered on implant guide design.
PubMed: 38955600
DOI: 10.1016/j.prosdent.2024.06.002 -
Ecology Jul 2024Within communities, species are wrapped in a set of feedbacks with each other and with their environment. When such feedbacks are strong enough they can generate...
Within communities, species are wrapped in a set of feedbacks with each other and with their environment. When such feedbacks are strong enough they can generate alternative stable states. So far, research on alternative stable states has mostly focused on systems with a small number of species and a limited diversity of interaction types. Here, we analyze a spatial model of plant community dynamics in stressed ecosystems such as drylands, where each species is characterized by a strategy, and the different species interact through facilitation and competition for space and resources, such as water. We identify three different types of multistability emerging from the interplay of competition and facilitation. Under low-stress levels, plant communities organize in small groups of coexisting species, maintained by space, competition and facilitation ("cliques"). Under higher stress levels, positive feedback from facilitation lead to the dominance of a single facilitating species ("mutual exclusion states"). At the highest stress levels, the single facilitating species left in the system coexists with the desert state. By linking community ecology and alternative stable states theory using a spatial plant community model for stressed ecosystems, our study contributes to highlight the importance of positive feedback loops for the stability of ecological communities.
PubMed: 38955486
DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4369