International links between Streptococcus pneumoniae vaccine serotype 4 sequence type (ST) 801 in Northern European shipyard outbreaks of invasive pneumococcal disease

Background: Pneumococcal disease outbreaks of vaccine preventable serotype 4 sequence type (ST)801 in shipyards have been reported in several countries. We aimed to use genomics to establish any international links between them. Methods: Sequence data from ST801-related outbreak isolates from Norway (n = 17), Finland (n = 11) and Northern Ireland (n = 2) were combined with invasive pneumococcal disease surveillance from the respective countries, and ST801-related genomes from an international collection (n = 41 of > 40,000), totalling 106 genomes. Raw data were mapped and recombination excluded before phylogenetic dating. Results: Outbreak isolates were relatively diverse, with up to 100 SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) and a common ancestor estimated around the year 2000. However, 19 Norwegian and Finnish isolates were nearly indistinguishable (0–2 SNPs) with the common ancestor dated around 2017. Conclusion: The total diversity of ST801 within the outbreaks could not be explained by recent transmission alone, suggesting that harsh environmental and associated living conditions reported in the shipyards may facilitate invasion of colonising pneumococci. However, near identical strains in the Norwegian and Finnish outbreaks does suggest that transmission between international shipyards also contributed to those outbreaks. This indicates the need for improved preventative measures in this working population including pneumococcal vaccination

Influence of Stacking Sequence on the Mechanical and Dynamic Mechanical Properties of Cotton/Glass Fiber Reinforced Polyester Composites

This study focuses on the use of waste cotton fiber from the textile industry to produce composites with unsaturated polyester and to evaluate the performance of glass (G) / cotton (C) fiber laminates, particularly their mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties. Distinct stacking sequences were studied but the overall fiber content was kept constant. In general, hybrid laminates exhibited intermediate mechanical properties compared to those of the pure laminates, and optimum performance was obtained when the glass fiber mats were placed on the surfaces of the composite. Furthermore, some hybrid laminates exhibited superior dynamic mechanical performance, even compared to the pure glass laminate. Lower tan delta peak height (related to better fiber-matrix interaction) values and higher Tg were reported for the [C/G/Ḡ]s and [G/C/C]s samples which, together with the [G/C/Ḡ]s sample, exhibited the best results for reinforcement effectiveness and loss modulus peak height. Therefore, it is found possible to partially replace the glass fiber by waste cotton fiber considering that the final product may be optimized for mechanical property, which requires glass fiber at the surface of the laminate, or for dynamic mechanical properties, that allows higher cotton fiber content

Modes of Aβ toxicity in Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is reaching epidemic proportions, yet a cure is not yet available. While the genetic causes of the rare familial inherited forms of AD are understood, the causes of the sporadic forms of the disease are not. Histopathologically, these two forms of AD are indistinguishable: they are characterized by amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide-containing amyloid plaques and tau-containing neurofibrillary tangles. In this review we compare AD to frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a subset of which is characterized by tau deposition in the absence of overt plaques. A host of transgenic animal AD models have been established through the expression of human proteins with pathogenic mutations previously identified in familial AD and FTD. Determining how these mutant proteins cause disease in vivo should contribute to an understanding of the causes of the more frequent sporadic forms. We discuss the insight transgenic animal models have provided into Aβ and tau toxicity, also with regards to mitochondrial function and the crucial role tau plays in mediating Aβ toxicity. We also discuss the role of miRNAs in mediating the toxic effects of the Aβ peptide

Perbedaan Kemampuan Penyerapan Air Minuman Bersoda terhadap Resin Komposit Nanofiller dan Resin Komposit Nanohybrid

Latar Belakang: Karies gigi merupakan kondisi kerusakan gigi yang paling umum terjadi pada mayoritas orang di dunia. Salah satu material restorasi gigi seperti resin komposit memiliki kemampuan dalam menyerap air. Penyerapan air ini dapat mengakibatkan degradasi kimiawi restorasi yang menyebabkan beberapa kelemahan seperti debonding pengisi dari matriks polimer. Minuman bersoda saat ini merupakan minuman yang masih banyak diminati oleh masyarakat. Asam pada minuman bersoda dapat meningkatkan penyerapan air dan mengurangi sifat bahan restorasi komposit yaitu degradasi material. Penyerapan air resin komposit merupakan hal yang perlu diperhatikan karena dapat mempengaruhi umur ketahanan dari suatu material terutama jika berada di lingkungan yang asam. Tujuan: untuk mengetahui perbedaan kemampuan penyerapan air minuman bersoda terhadap resin komposit nanofiller dan resin komposit nanohybrid. Metode: Penelitian ini menggunakan sampel sebanyak 28 yang dibagi menjadi 4 kelompok perendaman yaitu resin komposit nanofiller kelompok perlakuan dan kelompok kontrol, resin komposit nanohybrid kelompok perlakuan dan kelompok kontrol. Perendaman dilakukan selama 7 hari dengan suhu 37oC. Penyerapan air dihitung dari massa yang didapatkan setelah perendaman menggunakan rumus yang telah ditetapkan oleh ISO 4049. Hasil: Uji one way ANOVA diperoleh p>0,05 menunjukkan hasil yang tidak signifikan pada perbedaan kemampuan penyerapan air minuman bersoda terhadap resin komposit nanofiller dan resin komposit nanohybrid. Kesimpulan: Terdapat perbedaan yang tidak signifikan pada kemampuan penyerapan air minuman bersoda terhadap resin komposit nanofiller dan resin komposit nanohybrid

<span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:EN-IN;mso-fareast-language:EN-IN;mso-bidi-language:HI" lang="EN-IN">Effect of onion (<i>Allium cepa</i> Linn.) and garlic (<i>Allium sativum</i> Linn.) on plasma triglyceride content in Japanese quail (<i>Coturnix coturnix japonicum</i>)</span>

88-90<span style="font-size:14.0pt;line-height: 115%;font-family:" times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"times="" roman";="" mso-ansi-language:en-in;mso-fareast-language:en-in;mso-bidi-language:hi"="" lang="EN-IN">Dietary onion and garlic caused an increase in the level of plasma triglyceride which could be due to insulin like activity of dietary alliums and other factors that promote lipogenesisi in growing stages. Changes in the plasma triglyceride level in the control group due to change in age and sex were also noted. The triglyceride level was more in female birds when compared to males of similar age group. The plasma trigelyecride level increased with age in both sex except for the level being similar in the 6 and 9-week old females and 3 and 6-week old male birds. The results suggest that the effects of alliums in growing and adult stages may be different which needs further study.</span