Linear discriminant analysis reveals differences in root architecture in wheat seedlings by nitrogen uptake efficiency

Root architecture impacts water and nutrient uptake efficiency. Identifying exactly which root architectural properties influence these agronomic traits can prove challenging. In this paper approximately 300 wheat plants were divided into four groups using two binary classifications, high vs. low nitrogen uptake efficiency (NUpE), and high vs. low nitrate in medium. The root system architecture for each wheat plant was captured using 16 quantitative variables. The multivariate analysis tool, linear discriminant analysis, was used to construct composite variables, each a linear combination of the original variables, such that the score of the wheat plants on the new variables showed the maximum between-group variability. The results show that the distribution of root system architecture traits differ between low and high NUpE wheat plants and, less strongly, between low NUpE wheat plants grown on low vs. high nitrate media

16 years against smoking in Catalonia (1982-1998)

Tabaquisme; Prevenció; CatalunyaSmoking; Prevention; CataloniaTabaquismo; Prevención; CataluñaAquest document recull les principals activitats desplegades pel Departament de Sanitat i Seguretat Social de la Generalitat de Catalunya en matèria de prevenció del tabaquisme durant el període 1982-1998.This document contains a description of the principal activities in the field of smoking prevention undertaken by the Generalitat of Catalonia’s Department of Health and Social Security over the last sixteen years

Using mobile health technology and community health workers to identify and refer caesarean-related surgical site infections in rural Rwanda: a randomised controlled trial protocol

Introduction: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in low-income and middle-income countries, where rates of SSIs can reach 30%. Due to limited access, there is minimal follow-up postoperatively. Community health workers (CHWs) have not yet been used for surgical patients in most settings. Advancements in telecommunication create an opportunity for mobile health (mHealth) tools to support CHWs. We aim to evaluate the use of mHealth technology to aid CHWs in identification of SSIs and promote referral of patients back to healthcare facilities. Methods and analysis Prospective randomised controlled trial conducted at Kirehe District Hospital, Rwanda, from November 2017 to November 2018. Patients ≥18 years who undergo caesarean section are eligible. Non-residents of Kirehe District or patients who remain in hospital >10 days postoperatively will be excluded. Patients will be randomised to one of three arms. For arm 1, a CHW will visit the patient’s home on postoperative day 10 (±3 days) to administer an SSI screening protocol (fever, pain or purulent drainage) using an electronic tablet. For arm 2, the CHW will administer the screening protocol over the phone. For both arms 1 and 2, the CHW will refer patients who respond ‘yes’ to any of the questions to a health facility. For arm 3, patients will not receive follow-up care. Our primary outcome will be the impact of the mHealth-CHW intervention on the rate of return to care for patients with an SSI. Ethics and dissemination The study has received ethical approval from the Rwandan National Ethics Committee and Partners Healthcare. Results will be disseminated to Kirehe District Hospital, Rwanda Ministry of Health, Rwanda Surgical Society, Partners In Health, through conferences and peer-reviewed publications. Trial registration number NCT03311399

Enhancing crop yields through improvements in the efficiency of photosynthesis and respiration

Published online January 2023The rate with which crop yields per hectare increase each year is plateauing at the same time that human population growth and other factors increase food demand. Increasing yield potential (Yp) of crops is vital to address these challenges. In this review, we explore a component of Yp that has yet to be optimised – that being improvements in the efficiency with which light energy is converted into biomass (ϵc) via modifications to CO2 fixed per unit quantum of light (α), efficiency of respiratory ATP production (ϵprod) and efficiency of ATP use (ϵuse). For α, targets include changes in photoprotective machinery, ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase kinetics and photorespiratory pathways. There is also potential for ϵprod to be increased via targeted changes to the expression of the alternative oxidase and mitochondrial uncoupling pathways. Similarly, there are possibilities to improve ϵuse via changes to the ATP costs of phloem loading, nutrient uptake, futile cycles and/or protein/membrane turnover. Recently developed high-throughput measurements of respiration can serve as a proxy for the cumulative energy cost of these processes. There are thus exciting opportunities to use our growing knowledge of factors influencing the efficiency of photosynthesis and respiration to create a step-change in yield potential of globally important crops.Andres Garcia, Oorbessy Gaju, Andrew F. Bowerman, Sally A. Buck, John R. Evans, Robert T. Furbank, Matthew Gilliham, A. Harvey Millar, Barry J. Pogson, Matthew P. Reynolds, Yong-Ling Ruan, Nicolas L. Taylor, Stephen D. Tyerman, and Owen K. Atki

Inhibidors de l’adenosina difosfat en pacients amb síndrome coronària aguda sense elevació del segment ST

Antiagregante plaquetario; Síndrome coronario agudo; InhibidoresAntigregant plaquetari; Síndrome coronària aguda; InhibidorsAntiplatelet drug; Acute coronary syndrome; InhibitorsAquest document conté les recomanacions d’ús dels antiagregants plaquetaris antagonistes dels receptors de l’adenosina difosfat (ADP) en pacients amb síndrome coronària aguda sense elevació persistent del segment ST (SCASEST). L’objectiu d’aquest document ha estat la generació de recomanacions d’ús per a clopidogrel, prasugrel i ticagrelor en pacients amb SCASEST, considerant els diferents escenaris clínics en els quals els pacients es poden trobar en funció del seu perfil de risc. Aquestes recomanacions estan adreçades a reduir la variabilitat en el maneig farmacològic d’aquests pacients i a homogeneïtzar els criteris d’ús de les tres alternatives antiagregants disponibles en el nostre entorn

Antibiotic resistance genes in the gut microbiota of mothers and linked neonates with or without sepsis from low- and middle-income countries

Early development of the microbiome has been shown to affect general health and physical development of the infant and, although some studies have been undertaken in high-income countries, there are few studies from low- and middle-income countries. As part of the BARNARDS study, we examined the rectal microbiota of 2,931 neonates (term used up to 60 d) with clinical signs of sepsis and of 15,217 mothers screening for blaCTX-M-15, blaNDM, blaKPC and blaOXA-48-like genes, which were detected in 56.1%, 18.5%, 0% and 4.1% of neonates’ rectal swabs and 47.1%, 4.6%, 0% and 1.6% of mothers’ rectal swabs, respectively. Carbapenemase-positive bacteria were identified by MALDI-TOF MS and showed a high diversity of bacterial species (57 distinct species/genera) which exhibited resistance to most of the antibiotics tested. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter cloacae/E. cloacae complex, the most commonly found isolates, were subjected to whole-genome sequencing analysis and revealed close relationships between isolates from different samples, suggesting transmission of bacteria between neonates, and between neonates and mothers. Associations between the carriage of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) and healthcare/environmental factors were identified, and the presence of ARGs was a predictor of neonatal sepsis and adverse birth outcomes

Effects of antibiotic resistance, drug target attainment, bacterial pathogenicity and virulence, and antibiotic access and affordability on outcomes in neonatal sepsis: an international microbiology and drug evaluation prospective substudy (BARNARDS)

Background Sepsis is a major contributor to neonatal mortality, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). WHO advocates ampicillin–gentamicin as first-line therapy for the management of neonatal sepsis. In the BARNARDS observational cohort study of neonatal sepsis and antimicrobial resistance in LMICs, common sepsis pathogens were characterised via whole genome sequencing (WGS) and antimicrobial resistance profiles. In this substudy of BARNARDS, we aimed to assess the use and efficacy of empirical antibiotic therapies commonly used in LMICs for neonatal sepsis. Methods In BARNARDS, consenting mother–neonates aged 0–60 days dyads were enrolled on delivery or neonatal presentation with suspected sepsis at 12 BARNARDS clinical sites in Bangladesh, Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Africa. Stillborn babies were excluded from the study. Blood samples were collected from neonates presenting with clinical signs of sepsis, and WGS and minimum inhibitory concentrations for antibiotic treatment were determined for bacterial isolates from culture-confirmed sepsis. Neonatal outcome data were collected following enrolment until 60 days of life. Antibiotic usage and neonatal outcome data were assessed. Survival analyses were adjusted to take into account potential clinical confounding variables related to the birth and pathogen. Additionally, resistance profiles, pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic probability of target attainment, and frequency of resistance (ie, resistance defined by in-vitro growth of isolates when challenged by antibiotics) were assessed. Questionnaires on health structures and antibiotic costs evaluated accessibility and affordability. Findings Between Nov 12, 2015, and Feb 1, 2018, 36 285 neonates were enrolled into the main BARNARDS study, of whom 9874 had clinically diagnosed sepsis and 5749 had available antibiotic data. The four most commonly prescribed antibiotic combinations given to 4451 neonates (77·42%) of 5749 were ampicillin–gentamicin, ceftazidime–amikacin, piperacillin–tazobactam–amikacin, and amoxicillin clavulanate–amikacin. This dataset assessed 476 prescriptions for 442 neonates treated with one of these antibiotic combinations with WGS data (all BARNARDS countries were represented in this subset except India). Multiple pathogens were isolated, totalling 457 isolates. Reported mortality was lower for neonates treated with ceftazidime–amikacin than for neonates treated with ampicillin–gentamicin (hazard ratio [adjusted for clinical variables considered potential confounders to outcomes] 0·32, 95% CI 0·14–0·72; p=0·0060). Of 390 Gram-negative isolates, 379 (97·2%) were resistant to ampicillin and 274 (70·3%) were resistant to gentamicin. Susceptibility of Gram-negative isolates to at least one antibiotic in a treatment combination was noted in 111 (28·5%) to ampicillin–gentamicin; 286 (73·3%) to amoxicillin clavulanate–amikacin; 301 (77·2%) to ceftazidime–amikacin; and 312 (80·0%) to piperacillin–tazobactam–amikacin. A probability of target attainment of 80% or more was noted in 26 neonates (33·7% [SD 0·59]) of 78 with ampicillin–gentamicin; 15 (68·0% [3·84]) of 27 with amoxicillin clavulanate–amikacin; 93 (92·7% [0·24]) of 109 with ceftazidime–amikacin; and 70 (85·3% [0·47]) of 76 with piperacillin–tazobactam–amikacin. However, antibiotic and country effects could not be distinguished. Frequency of resistance was recorded most frequently with fosfomycin (in 78 isolates [68·4%] of 114), followed by colistin (55 isolates [57·3%] of 96), and gentamicin (62 isolates [53·0%] of 117). Sites in six of the seven countries (excluding South Africa) stated that the cost of antibiotics would influence treatment of neonatal sepsis

Trichotriuroides boneti gen. n., sp. n. (Zygentoma, Nicoletiidae) and new data on Zygentoma in the collection of the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales in Madrid (Spain)

[EN] In this paper we study several samples of Zygentoma (families Ateluridae, Lepismatidae and Nicoletiidae) deposited in the collection of the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales in Madrid (Spain). The studied specimens were collected in Spain, Morocco, Syria and Equatorial Guinea. Several faunistic novelties are emphasized: the male of Grassiella modesta (Silvestri, 1908) is redescribed on the basis of material from Bioko Island (Fernando Poo) and Trichotriuroides boneti gen. n., sp. n., also from Bioko is described and compared with the closest genera of Nicoletiidae.[ES] Se estudian diversas muestras de Zygentoma, pertenecientes a las familias Ateluridae, Lepismatidae y Nicoletiidae. El material estudiado pertenece a la colección del Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (Madrid). Los ejemplares provienen de España, Marruecos, Siria y Guinea Ecuatorial. Se amplía el conocimiento de muchas de las especies. Se redescribe el macho de Grassiella modesta (Silvestri, 1908) con material procedente de la isla de Bioko (Fernando Poo). Se describe Trichotriuroides boneti gen. n., sp. n., también de Bioko, y se compara con los géneros de Nicoletiidae más próximos.Peer reviewe