Bacterial profile of surfaces and equipment of the Orthopedic Clinic of a University Hospital

Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) are an important public health problem that impacts negatively on hospital costs and patient prognosis. Given the importance of the hospital environment in the development of HAIs, the objective was to evaluate the bacterial profile on surfaces and equipment of the Orthopedic Clinic of the Hospital Universitário do Vale do São Francisco. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive, quantitative study. Samples were collected in 13 wards, each ward with four beds and one was chosen at random, where surfaces and equipment were sampled using swabs soaked in saline and a 1cm2 filter paper mold to standardize the samples. After passing the swab, they were stored in a tube containing 5mL of BHI (Brain Heart Infusion) liquid medium. Then, samples were transported to the Clinical Analysis Laboratory/Microbiology Sector where the microbiological analyzes were performed. Results: In total, 257 bacteria were observed, of which 5.11% were possible causes of hospital infection and 79% coagulase-negative Staphylococcus. Antibiograms of these were performed and different resistance profiles were found. The bathroom doorknob, a high-touch surface, presented the greatest variety of species among the evaluated surfaces. Conclusion: Surfaces and equipment of the evaluated clinic present possible bacteria that cause hospital infection with different profiles of antimicrobial resistance, contributing to possible cross infection

Development of Inhalable Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles (SPIONs) in microparticulate system for antituberculosis drug delivery

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease which affects millions of people worldwide. Inhalable polymeric dry powders are promising alternatives as anti-TB drug carriers to the alveoli milieu and infected macrophages, with potential to significantly improve the therapeutics efficiency. Here, the development of a magnetically responsive microparticulate system for pulmonary delivery of an anti-TB drug candidate (P3) is reported. Microparticles (MPs) are developed based on a cast method using calcium carbonate sacrificial templates and incorporate superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles to concentrate MPs in alveoli and enable drug on demand release upon actuation of an external alternate magnetic field (AMF). The MPs are shown to be suitable for P3 delivery to the lower airways and for alveolar macrophage phagocytosis. The developed MPs reveal unique and promising features to be used as an inhalable dry powder allowing the AMF control over dosage and frequency of drug delivery anticipating improved TB treatments.The authors wish to acknowledge the financial support from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for the postdoctoral grant of M.S.M. (SFRH/BPD/110868/2015) and R.M.A.D (SFRH/BPD/112459/2015), FCT grant of E.T. (IF/01390/2014) and Recognize project (UTAP-ICDT/CTM-BIO/0023/2014). This article is also a result of the project “Accelerating tissue engineering and personalized medicine discoveries by the integration of key enabling nanotechnologies, marine-derived biomaterials and stem cells,” supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The authors acknowledge the financial support from the European Union Framework Programme for Research and Innovation HORIZON 2020, under the TEAMING Grant Agreement No. 739572 – The Discoveries CTR.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Perfil bacteriano das infecções hospitalares de pacientes cirúrgicos em um hospital terciário

Introduction: Hospital infections are a worldwide problem, challenging health professionals and systems. The surgical patients are more exposed to nosocomial infections. Objective:To determine the bacterial profile of the nosocomial infections of patients approached to surgical procedures by the general surgery team in a tertiary hospital. Material and Methods: The patients included in this study were approached to surgical procedures by the general surgery team and developed bacterial nosocomial infection documented by one or more positive cultures in 2019 and 2020. The variables analyzed were genre, age, surgical type (urgency or elective), culture sample, infectious focus, isolated bacterial species and its antibiogram, bacterial multidrug resistance and presence or absence of more than one bacterial species isolated in the sample analyzed. Results: Most of the patients were male, surgically treated on an urgent/emergent and with average age of 41 years. The main infectious focus was abdominal, whose the main isolated etiological agents were (27%), Enterococcus faecalis (16%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (14%). There was also an expressive number of cultures demonstrating Acinetobacter baumannii in respiratory infections. Furthermore, 71% of microorganisms isolated from biological samples were multidrug-resistant. Conclusion: The study's findings may promote changes in the empirical antibiotic therapy used in the institution under study, since the high rate of drug resistance found is a risk to the studied population, even more alarming in the context of the frequent isolation of bacterial species.Introdução: A infecções hospitalares são um agravo de notoriedade mundial, desafiando profissionais e sistemas de saúde. Pacientes expostos a intervenções cirúrgicas estão mais propensos a esse agravo. Objetivo: Determinar o perfil bacteriano das infecções hospitalares de pacientes abordados cirurgicamente pela equipe da cirurgia geral em um hospital terciário. Material e Métodos: Foram incluídos no estudo os pacientes abordados cirurgicamente pela equipe da cirurgia geral e que desenvolveram infecção hospitalar bacteriana comprovada por uma ou mais culturas positivas nos anos de 2019 e 2020. As variáveis analisadas foram gênero, idade, caráter da cirurgia (urgência ou eletiva), amostra da cultura, foco infeccioso, espécie bacteriana isolada e seu respectivo antibiograma, multirresistência bacteriana e presença ou não de mais de uma espécie bacteriana isolada na amostra analisada. Os dados foram analisados através da descrição de valores absolutos e percentuais. Resultados: A maioria dos pacientes foi do gênero masculino, abordado cirurgicamente em caráter de urgência/emergência e com idade média de 41 anos. O principal foco infeccioso foi o abdominal, cujos principais agentes etiológicos isolados foram Escherichia coli (27%), Enterococcus faecalis (16%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (14%). Também houve um número expressivo de culturas demonstrando Acinetobacter baumannii nas infecções respiratórias. Além disso, 71% das bactérias isoladas das amostras biológicas foram multirresistentes. Conclusão: Os achados do estudo promovem mudanças nos esquemas antibióticos empíricos usados na instituição em estudo, uma vez que o alto índice de farmacorresistência encontrado é um risco à população estudada, ainda mais alarmante no contexto do isolamento frequente de espécies bacterianas

Inflammatory events during murine squamous cell carcinoma development

Abstract Background Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is one of the most common human cancers worldwide. In SCC, tumour development is accompanied by an immune response that leads to massive tumour infiltration by inflammatory cells, and consequently, local and systemic production of cytokines, chemokines and other mediators. Studies in both humans and animal models indicate that imbalances in these inflammatory mediators are associated with cancer development. Methods We used a multistage model of SCC to examine the involvement of elastase (ELA), myeloperoxidase (MPO), nitric oxide (NO), cytokines (IL-6, IL-10, IL-13, IL-17, TGF-β and TNF-α), and neutrophils and macrophages in tumour development. ELA and MPO activity and NO, IL-10, IL −17, TNF-α and TGF-β levels were increased in the precancerous microenvironment. Results ELA and MPO activity and NO, IL-10, IL −17, TNF-α and TGF-β levels were increased in the precancerous microenvironment. Significantly higher levels of IL-6 and lower levels of IL-10 were detected at 4 weeks following 7,12-Dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) treatment. Similar levels of IL-13 were detected in the precancerous microenvironment compared with control tissue. We identified significant increases in the number of GR-1+ neutrophils and F4/80+/GR-1- infiltrating cells in tissues at 4 and 8 weeks following treatment and a higher percentage of tumour-associated macrophages (TAM) expressing both GR-1 and F4/80, an activated phenotype, at 16 weeks. We found a significant correlation between levels of IL-10, IL-17, ELA, and activated TAMs and the lesions. Additionally, neutrophil infiltrate was positively correlated with MPO and NO levels in the lesions. Conclusion Our results indicate an imbalance of inflammatory mediators in precancerous SCC caused by neutrophils and macrophages and culminating in pro-tumour local tissue alterations

Manufacture of probiotic minas frescal cheese with lactobacillus casei zhang

In this study, the addition of Lactobacillus casei Zhang in the manufacture of Minas Frescal cheese was investigated. Minas Frescal cheeses supplemented with probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus casei Zhang) were produced by enzymatic coagulation and direct acidification and were subjected to physicochemical (pH, proteolysis, lactic acid, and acetic acid), microbiological (probiotic and lactic bacteria counts), and rheological analyses (uniaxial compression and creep test), instrumental color determination (luminosity, yellow intensity, and red intensity) and sensory acceptance test. The addition of L. casei Zhang resulted in low pH values and high proteolysis indexes during storage (from 5.38 to 4.94 and 0.470 to 0.702, respectively). Additionally, the cheese protocol was not a hurdle for growth of L. casei Zhang, as the population reached 8.16 and 9.02 log cfu/g by means of the direct acidification and enzymatic coagulation protocol, respectively, after 21 d of refrigerated storage. The rheology data showed that all samples presented a more viscous-like behavior, which rigidity tended to decrease during storage and lower luminosity values were also observed. Increased consumer acceptance was observed for the control sample produced by direct acidification (7.8), whereas the cheeses containing L. casei Zhang presented lower values for all sensory attributes, especially flavor and overall liking (5.37 and 4.61 for enzymatic coagulation and 5.57 and 4.72 for direct acidification, respectively). Overall, the addition of L. casei Zhang led to changes in all parameters and affected negatively the sensory acceptance. The optimization of L. casei Zhang dosage during the manufacturing of probiotic Minas Frescal cheese should be performed991183

Generation of integration-free iPS cell lines from three sickle cell disease patients from the state of Bahia, Brazil

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most prevalent and severe monogenetic disorders, affecting several million people around the world. Clinical manifestations and complications of the disease include sickle cell pain crisis, silent cerebral infarct, stroke, nephropathy and early death. In this study, we generated induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines from three homozygous SCD patients from the state of Bahia, Brazil, where SCD is highly prevalent. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were collected and erythroblasts were expanded for cell reprogramming with the use of non-integrative episomal vectors. The generated iPSC lines expressed high levels of pluripotency markers, presented a normal karyotype and were able to differentiate into the three germ layers in embryoid body spontaneous differentiation assays. Moreover, the expression of the episomal vectors was lost in all iPSC lines after 15 passages. These iPSC lines may help increasing the knowledge about SCD pathogenesis and can be a useful tool for drug testing and gene editing studies