Optimization of single step multiplex PCR for detection of Eimeria tenella and Eimeria necatrix from commercial broilers

Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was optimized for detection of 2 important species of Eimeria (Eimeria tenella and E. necatrix). This optimized protocol was used to screen 100 fecal samples collected from broiler birds in Lahore periphery. Out of 100 samples we found 6 tenella and only 1 E. necatrix positive by this method. The detection limit of oocysts by this method was as leastas 16 oocysts. This optimized multiplex PCR method can be used as routine diagnostic tool for detection of E. tenella and E. necatrix and can be extended up to the detection of 7 Eimeria species in future

Developing a community facilitator-led participatory learning and action women's group intervention to improve infant feeding, care and dental hygiene practices in South Asian infants: NEON programme

INTRODUCTION: The Nurture Early for Optimal Nutrition (NEON) study is a multiphase project that aims to optimize feeding, care and dental hygiene practices in South Asian children <2 years in East London, United Kingdom. The multiphase project uses a participatory learning and action (PLA) approach facilitated by a multilingual community facilitator. In this paper, we elaborate on the process and results of the Intervention Development Phase in the context of the wider NEON programme. METHODS: Qualitative community-based participatory intervention codevelopment and adaptation. SETTING: Community centres in East London and online (Zoom) meetings and workshops. PARTICIPANTS: In total, 32 participants registered to participate in the Intervention Development Phase. Four Intervention Development workshops were held, attended by 25, 17, 20 and 20 participants, respectively. RESULTS: Collaboratively, a culturally sensitive NEON intervention package was developed consisting of (1) PLA group facilitator manual, (2) picture cards detailing recommended and nonrecommended feeding, care and dental hygiene practices with facilitators/barriers to uptake as well as solutions to address these, (3) healthy infant cultural recipes, (4) participatory Community Asset Maps and (5) list of resources and services supporting infant feeding, care and dental hygiene practices. CONCLUSION: The Intervention Development Phase of the NEON programme demonstrates the value of a collaborative approach between researchers, community facilitators and the target population when developing public health interventions. We recommend that interventions to promote infant feeding, care and dental hygiene practices should be codeveloped with communities. Recognizing and taking into account both social and cultural norms may be of particular value for infants from ethnically diverse communities to develop interventions that are both effective in and accepted by these communities. PATIENT AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT AND ENGAGEMENT: Considerable efforts were placed on Patient/Participant and Public Involvement and Engagement. Five community facilitators were identified, each of which represented one ethnic/language group: (i) Bangladeshi/Bengali and Sylheti, (ii) Pakistani/Urdu, (iii) Indian/Gujrati, (iv) Indian/Punjabi and (v) Sri Lankan/Tamil. The community facilitators were engaged in every step of the study, from the initial drafting of the protocol and study design to the Intervention Development and refinement of the NEON toolkit, as well as the publication and dissemination of the study findings. More specifically, their role in the Intervention Development Phase of the NEON programme was to: 1. Support the development of the study protocol, information sheets and ethics application. 2. Ensure any documents intended for community members are clear, appropriate and sensitively worded. 3. Develop strategies to troubleshoot any logistical challenges of project delivery, for example, recruitment shortfalls. 4. Contribute to the writing of academic papers, in particular reviewing and revising drafts. 5. Develop plain language summaries and assist in dissemination activities, for example, updates on relevant websites. 6. Contribute to the development of the NEON intervention toolkit and recruitment of the community members. 7. Attend and contribute to Intervention Development workshops, ensuring the participant's voices were the focus of the discussion and workshop outcomes

Assessment of nematodes in Punjab Urial (Ovis vignei punjabiensis) population in Kalabagh game reserve: development of a DNA barcode approach

Punjab urial (Ovis vignei punjabiensis) is a wild sheep of Pakistan, considered a vulnerable species by IUCN. Major threats to urial populations include habitat loss and poaching, causing severe declines in its population. Nematode infections may also compromise urial survival, but little is known about Punjab urial gastrointestinal nematodes. In this study, a novel DNA barcoding approach was developed using ITS-I as a target region, with a primer pair designed to amplify frequently reported nematode species for small ruminants. The novel primer pair was validated in silico and in vitro and subsequently used to determine the presence of nematodes in Punjab urial samples from Kala Bagh Game Reserve, District Mianwali (Pakistan). DNA barcoding revealed a higher prevalence of Haemonchus contortus (73.91%), Trichuris ovis (16.30%) and Trichostrongylus axei (3.26%) in Punjab urial. This study demonstrates that the novel DNA barcoding approach is a robust tool to detect nematode parasites from faecal samples of Punjab urial. This method can be used to detect nematode infections in wild and domestic hosts for surveillance and population conservation

Prognostic model to predict postoperative acute kidney injury in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery based on a national prospective observational cohort study.

Background: Acute illness, existing co-morbidities and surgical stress response can all contribute to postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery. The aim of this study was prospectively to develop a pragmatic prognostic model to stratify patients according to risk of developing AKI after major gastrointestinal surgery. Methods: This prospective multicentre cohort study included consecutive adults undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection, liver resection or stoma reversal in 2-week blocks over a continuous 3-month period. The primary outcome was the rate of AKI within 7 days of surgery. Bootstrap stability was used to select clinically plausible risk factors into the model. Internal model validation was carried out by bootstrap validation. Results: A total of 4544 patients were included across 173 centres in the UK and Ireland. The overall rate of AKI was 14·2 per cent (646 of 4544) and the 30-day mortality rate was 1·8 per cent (84 of 4544). Stage 1 AKI was significantly associated with 30-day mortality (unadjusted odds ratio 7·61, 95 per cent c.i. 4·49 to 12·90; P < 0·001), with increasing odds of death with each AKI stage. Six variables were selected for inclusion in the prognostic model: age, sex, ASA grade, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate, planned open surgery and preoperative use of either an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker. Internal validation demonstrated good model discrimination (c-statistic 0·65). Discussion: Following major gastrointestinal surgery, AKI occurred in one in seven patients. This preoperative prognostic model identified patients at high risk of postoperative AKI. Validation in an independent data set is required to ensure generalizability

Travel time prediction: issues and benefits

ABSTRACT This paper addresses the issues and benefits pertaining to travel time prediction and incorporates an on-line survey of the Tokyo Metropolitan Expressways (MEX) users. While travel time has the potential to mitigate congestion spatially and temporally, little is known about how the travel time information is used. The MEX survey found that 78% of drivers would change route or departure time if there is time savings. However, the amount of time savings to prompt drivers taking such action depends on the characteristic of the drivers. Not surprisingly drivers rate pre-trip information higher than on-route information as a more desired information because pre-trip information allows drivers to make a more informed travel decision. The MEX survey clearly shows that users&apos; acceptance of prediction accuracy is dependent on the amount of time gain or lost and is insensitive to the trip length. Approximately 70% of the survey participants acknowledge that ±5 minutes as an acceptable level of accuracy. Therefore a more appropriate measure when evaluating travel time prediction models, taking users&apos; expectation into account, would be to use percentage error within ±5 minutes or ±10 minutes

Travel time prediction: issues and benefits

ABSTRACT This paper addresses the issues and benefits pertaining to travel time prediction and incorporates an on-line survey of the Tokyo Metropolitan Expressways (MEX) users. While travel time has the potential to mitigate congestion spatially and temporally, little is known about how the travel time information is used. The MEX survey found that 78% of drivers would change route or departure time if there is time savings. However, the amount of time savings to prompt drivers taking such action depends on the characteristic of the drivers. Not surprisingly drivers rate pre-trip information higher than on-route information as a more desired information because pre-trip information allows drivers to make a more informed travel decision. The MEX survey clearly shows that users&apos; acceptance of prediction accuracy is dependent on the amount of time gain or lost and is insensitive to the trip length. Approximately 70% of the survey participants acknowledge that ±5 minutes as an acceptable level of accuracy. Therefore a more appropriate measure when evaluating travel time prediction models, taking users&apos; expectation into account, would be to use percentage error within ±5 minutes or ±10 minutes

DNA Amplification Techniques for the Detection of Toxoplasma gondii Tissue Cysts in Meat Producing Animals: A Narrative Review Article

Background: Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular parasite, which infects one-third population of world. Humans and animals acquire infection by ingesting oocytes from feces of cats or by meat of other animals having cysts that may lead to congenital, ocular or cephalic toxoplasmosis. Either it is important to detect T. gondii from meat of food animals from retail shops or directly at slaughterhouses, which is meant for export. Methods: The current research was done without time limitation using such terms as follows: “Toxoplasma gondii”, “Meat”, “Tissue cyst”, “PCR”, “LAMP”, “Screening” and “Immunological assay” alone or in combination, in English language. The used electronic databases for searching included as follows: PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science and Science Direct. The searches were limited to the published papers to English language. Results: Sensitivity of different molecular techniques for diagnosis of Toxoplasma is real-time PCR > LAMP > conventional PCR. In addition to these DNA analysis tools, bioassay in mice and cats is considered as “gold standard” to detect T. gondii. Conclusion: This review article will help the readers for grasping advantages and limitations of different diagnostic tools for screening meat samples for T. gondii. This review also makes bibliography about the type of meat sample to be processed for diagnosis and different primers or sequences to be targeted for T. gondii by number of researches for its detection from meat or tissue sample using DNA amplification techniques

Enhanced Degradation of Ciprofloxacin in Floating Treatment Wetlands Augmented with Bacterial Cells Immobilized on Iron Oxide Nanoparticles

Antibiotic contamination of water is an emerging global issue with severe implications for both public health and the environment. Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is a synthetic fluoroquinolone antibiotic, which is broadly used in human and veterinary medicines around the world to treat various bacterial infections. The presence of CIP in the aquatic environment poses serious health problems to human beings and other living entities. Floating treatment wetland (FTW) is a low-cost and eco-friendly wastewater remediation technology. In the current study, the Canna indica. (Indian shot) was vegetated in a floatable mat to develop FTWs. A consortium of three bacterial strains, Acinetobacter lwoffii ACRH76, Bacillus pumulis C2A1, and Acinetobacter sp. HN3, was immobilized on iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4-NPs) and augmented in the FTWs for the remediation of CIP-contaminated (100 mg/L) water. The augmentation of bacteria (immobilized or free) in the FTWs significantly enhanced the removal of CIP from water. The maximum reduction in CIP (98%), chemical oxygen demand (COD; 90%), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD; 93%) and total organic carbon (TOC; 95%) was observed in FTWs that had Fe3O4-NP supported bacteria. This study reveals that FTWs have a great potential to remove the CIP from contaminated water, albeit its CIP removal efficiency was substantially enhanced by augmentation with Fe3O4-NPs supported bacteria

Enhanced Degradation of Ciprofloxacin in Floating Treatment Wetlands Augmented with Bacterial Cells Immobilized on Iron Oxide Nanoparticles

Antibiotic contamination of water is an emerging global issue with severe implications for both public health and the environment. Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is a synthetic fluoroquinolone antibiotic, which is broadly used in human and veterinary medicines around the world to treat various bacterial infections. The presence of CIP in the aquatic environment poses serious health problems to human beings and other living entities. Floating treatment wetland (FTW) is a low-cost and eco-friendly wastewater remediation technology. In the current study, the Canna indica. (Indian shot) was vegetated in a floatable mat to develop FTWs. A consortium of three bacterial strains, Acinetobacter lwoffii ACRH76, Bacillus pumulis C2A1, and Acinetobacter sp. HN3, was immobilized on iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4-NPs) and augmented in the FTWs for the remediation of CIP-contaminated (100 mg/L) water. The augmentation of bacteria (immobilized or free) in the FTWs significantly enhanced the removal of CIP from water. The maximum reduction in CIP (98%), chemical oxygen demand (COD; 90%), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD; 93%) and total organic carbon (TOC; 95%) was observed in FTWs that had Fe3O4-NP supported bacteria. This study reveals that FTWs have a great potential to remove the CIP from contaminated water, albeit its CIP removal efficiency was substantially enhanced by augmentation with Fe3O4-NPs supported bacteria