A Highly Sensitive Potentiometric Amphetamine Microsensor Based on All-Solid-State Membrane Using a New Ion-Par Complex, [3,3′-Co(1,2-closo-C2B9H11)2]− C9H13NH+

In the present work a highly sensitive ion-selective microelectrode for the detection of amphetamine is presented. For this purpose, a novel ion-par complex based on the metallocarborane, cobalt bis(dicarbollide) anion ([3,3′-Co(1,2-C2B9H11)2]−) coupled to amphetamonium cation has been prepared as the active site for amphetamine recognition. The prepared ion-par complex was incorporated to a PVC-type sensitive membrane. It was then drop-casted on the top of a gold microelectrode previously modified with a solid contact layer of polypyrrole. This novel amphetamine microsensor has provided excellent and quick response within the range 10−5 M to 10−3 M of amphetamine concentration, a limit of detection of 12 µM and a slope of 60.1 mV/decade. It was also found to be highly selective toward some potential interference compounds when compared to amphetamine.The authors acknowledge the financial support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme entitled MicroMole and HEARTEN grant agreement No. 653626 and No. 643694 respectivel

Atopic asthmatic immune phenotypes associated with airway microbiota and airway obstruction

© 2017 Turturice et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Background: Differences in asthma severity may be related to inflammation in the airways. The lower airway microbiota has been associated with clinical features such as airway obstruction, symptom control, and response to corticosteroids. Objective: To assess the relationship between local airway inflammation, severity of disease, and the lower airway microbiota in atopic asthmatics. Methods: A cohort of young adult, atopic asthmatics with intermittent or mild/moderate persistent symptoms (n = 13) were assessed via bronchoscopy, lavage, and spirometry. These individuals were compared to age matched non-asthmatic controls (n = 6) and to themselves after six weeks of treatment with fluticasone propionate (FP). Inflammation of the airways was assessed via a cytokine and chemokine panel. Lower airway microbiota composition was determined by metagenomic shotgun sequencing. Results: Unsupervised clustering of cytokines and chemokines prior to treatment with FP identified two asthmatic phenotypes (AP), termed AP1 and AP2, with distinct bronchoalveolar lavage inflammatory profiles. AP2 was associated with more obstruction, compared to AP1. After treatment with FP reduced MIP-1β and TNF-α and increased IL-2 was observed. A module of highly correlated cytokines that include MIP-1β and TNF-α was identified that negatively correlated with pulmonary function. Independently, IL-2 was positively correlated with pulmonary function. The airway microbiome composition correlated with asthmatic phenotypes. AP2, prior to FP treatment, was enriched with Streptococcus pneumoniae. Unique associations between IL-2 or the cytokine module and the microbiota composition of the airways were observed in asthmatics subjects prior to treatment but not after or in controls. Conclusion: The underlying inflammation in atopic asthma is related to the composition of microbiota and is associated with severity of airway obstruction. Treatment with inhaled corticosteroids was associated with changes in the airway inflammatory response to microbiota

A Fully Integrated Electrochemical BioMEMS Fabrication Process for Cytokine Detection: Application for Heart Failure

AbstractIn this present study, a fully integrated BioMEMS was developed using silicon technology to simultaneously detect varying cytokine biomarkers: interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) using eight gold working microelectrodes (WE). The biomarkers are one of many antigens that are secreted in acute stages of inflammation after left ventricle assisted device (LVAD) implantation for patients suffering from heart failure (HF). The monoclonal antibodies (mAb): anti-human IL-1, IL-10, and IL-6 were immobilized onto gold microelectrodes through functionalization with carboxyl diazonium, respectively. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was applied during the microelectrode functionalization process to characterize the gold microelectrode surface properties, while electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to characterize the modified gold microelectrodes. The BioMEMS was highly sensitive towards the three cytokines in a range of 1 pg/mL to 15 pg/mL, which is the window where acute inflammations were observed

Diversity and ethics in trauma and acute care surgery teams: results from an international survey

Background: Investigating the context of trauma and acute care surgery, the article aims at understanding the factors that can enhance some ethical aspects, namely the importance of patient consent, the perceptiveness of the ethical role of the trauma leader, and the perceived importance of ethics as an educational subject. Methods: The article employs an international questionnaire promoted by the World Society of Emergency Surgery. Results: Through the analysis of 402 fully filled questionnaires by surgeons from 72 different countries, the three main ethical topics are investigated through the lens of gender, membership of an academic or non-academic institution, an official trauma team, and a diverse group. In general terms, results highlight greater attention paid by surgeons belonging to academic institutions, official trauma teams, and diverse groups. Conclusions: Our results underline that some organizational factors (e.g., the fact that the team belongs to a university context or is more diverse) might lead to the development of a higher sensibility on ethical matters. Embracing cultural diversity forces trauma teams to deal with different mindsets. Organizations should, therefore, consider those elements in defining their organizational procedures. Level of evidence: Trauma and acute care teams work under tremendous pressure and complex circumstances, with their members needing to make ethical decisions quickly. The international survey allowed to shed light on how team assembly decisions might represent an opportunity to coordinate team member actions and increase performance

Inflammatory phenotypes in patients with severe asthma are associated with distinct airway microbiology

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).Background Asthma pathophysiology and treatment responsiveness are predicted by inflammatory phenotype. However, the relationship between airway microbiology and asthma phenotype is poorly understood. Objective We aimed to characterize the airway microbiota in patients with symptomatic stable asthma and relate composition to airway inflammatory phenotype and other phenotypic characteristics. Methods The microbial composition of induced sputum specimens collected from adult patients screened for a multicenter randomized controlled trial was determined by using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Inflammatory phenotypes were defined by sputum neutrophil and eosinophil cell proportions. Microbiota were defined by using α- and β-diversity measures, and interphenotype differences were identified by using similarity of percentages, network analysis, and taxon fold change. Phenotypic predictors of airway microbiology were identified by using multivariate linear regression. Results Microbiota composition was determined in 167 participants and classified as eosinophilic (n = 84), neutrophilic (n = 14), paucigranulocytic (n = 60), or mixed neutrophilic-eosinophilic (n = 9) asthma phenotypes. Airway microbiology was significantly less diverse (P = .022) and more dissimilar (P = .005) in neutrophilic compared with eosinophilic participants. Sputum neutrophil proportions, but not eosinophil proportions, correlated significantly with these diversity measures (α-diversity: Spearman r = −0.374, P < .001; β-diversity: r = 0.238, P = .002). Interphenotype differences were characterized by a greater frequency of pathogenic taxa at high relative abundance and reduced Streptococcus, Gemella, and Porphyromonas taxa relative abundance in patients with neutrophilic asthma. Multivariate regression confirmed that sputum neutrophil proportion was the strongest predictor of microbiota composition. Conclusions Neutrophilic asthma is associated with airway microbiology that is significantly different from that seen in patients with other inflammatory phenotypes, particularly eosinophilic asthma. Differences in microbiota composition might influence the response to antimicrobial and steroid therapies and the risk of lung infection

Team dynamics in emergency surgery teams: results from a first international survey

Background: Emergency surgery represents a unique context. Trauma teams are often multidisciplinary and need to operate under extreme stress and time constraints, sometimes with no awareness of the trauma\u2019s causes or the patient\u2019s personal and clinical information. In this perspective, the dynamics of how trauma teams function is fundamental to ensuring the best performance and outcomes. Methods: An online survey was conducted among the World Society of Emergency Surgery members in early 2021. 402 fully filled questionnaires on the topics of knowledge translation dynamics and tools, non-technical skills, and difficulties in teamwork were collected. Data were analyzed using the software R, and reported following the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES). Results: Findings highlight how several surgeons are still unsure about the meaning and potential of knowledge translation and its mechanisms. Tools like training, clinical guidelines, and non-technical skills are recognized and used in clinical practice. Others, like patients\u2019 and stakeholders\u2019 engagement, are hardly implemented, despite their increasing importance in the modern healthcare scenario. Several difficulties in working as a team are described, including the lack of time, communication, training, trust, and ego. Discussion: Scientific societies should take the lead in offering training and support about the abovementioned topics. Dedicated educational initiatives, practical cases and experiences, workshops and symposia may allow mitigating the difficulties highlighted by the survey\u2019s participants, boosting the performance of emergency teams. Additional investigation of the survey results and its characteristics may lead to more further specific suggestions and potential solutions

WSES/GAIS/WSIS/SIS-E/AAST global clinical pathways for patients with skin and soft tissue infections

Skin and soft-tissue infections (SSTIs) encompass a variety of pathological conditions that involve the skin and underlying subcutaneous tissue, fascia, or muscle, ranging from simple superficial infections to severe necrotizing infections. Together, the World Society of Emergency Surgery, the Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery, the Surgical Infection Society-Europe, The World Surgical Infection Society, and the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma have jointly completed an international multi-society document to promote global standards of care in SSTIs guiding clinicians by describing reasonable approaches to the management of SSTIs. An extensive non-systematic review was conducted using the PubMed and MEDLINE databases, limited to the English language. The resulting evidence was shared by an international task force with different clinical backgrounds.Peer reviewe

WSES/GAIS/SIS-E/WSIS/AAST global clinical pathways for patients with intra-abdominal infections

Intra-abdominal infections (IAIs) are common surgical emergencies and have been reported as major contributors to non-trauma deaths in hospitals worldwide. The cornerstones of effective treatment of IAIs include early recognition, adequate source control, appropriate antimicrobial therapy, and prompt physiologic stabilization using a critical care environment, combined with an optimal surgical approach. Together, the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES), the Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery (GAIS), the Surgical Infection Society-Europe (SIS-E), the World Surgical Infection Society (WSIS), and the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) have jointly completed an international multi-society document in order to facilitate clinical management of patients with IAIs worldwide building evidence-based clinical pathways for the most common IAIs. An extensive non-systematic review was conducted using the PubMed and MEDLINE databases, limited to the English language. The resulting information was shared by an international task force from 46 countries with different clinical backgrounds. The aim of the document is to promote global standards of care in IAIs providing guidance to clinicians by describing reasonable approaches to the management of IAIs.Peer reviewe