Outer Surface Protein C Typing of Borrelia burgdorferi in the Tick Populations of the Upper Susquehanna River Basin, New York

Lyme disease, the most common zoonotic disease in the United States, is caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi. In order to manage and confront the notable rise in Lyme disease cases, it is crucial to cultivate a deeper understanding of B. burgdorferi and its genes. The outer surface protein C (ospC) gene is highly polymorphic and commonly used as a genetic marker due to its crucial role in establishing mammalian infection. We report novel data on the prevalence of B. burgdorferi ospC genotypes in the infected tick populations of the Upper Susquehanna River Basin of New York State. DNA extracted from 266 Ixodes scapularis, the blacklegged ticks, were tested for the presence of ospC gene and the positive samples were subjected to sequencing. The specific ospC genotype was identified for 56 positive samples which were infected with B. burgdorferi representing a single ospC genotype. A total of 12 ospC genotypes were identified in the 56 ticks, with genotypes I, K, and A being the most prevalent across the Upper Susquehanna River Basin with little variation among the six counties. The frequency distribution of ospC variants in this region is significantly different from the few previously studied regions in the Northeast. This research will have implications in the public health sector by providing assessment for Lyme disease risk in the Upper Susquehanna River Basin and insight into strain specific vaccines based on OspC. Further research can be done into the dispersion pattern of B. burgdorferi within the Upper Susquehanna River Basin, while also replicating this study for other regions

The lived experiences of deep brain stimulation in Parkinson’s disease: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

Deep Brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) is an effective treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD). In this study we used an interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore how 10 male people with PD experienced life after STN-DBS surgery. Two themes emerged. The first: “Healed and relieved: all that glitters isn’t gold,” highlights the benefits and the personal ‘costs’ of surgery. The second: “The change within: new interpretations of the present and future unfold”, explores how the operated patients reinterpreted their lives as individuals and members of society in the present and as they face their future. Relief, gratitude, disappointment, the need for social support are expressed as well as a new appraisal of values and the future. STN-DBS alters the life course of people with PD and this study provides new insight into psychological and social issues that surgery raises for the patient and their family system. These psychosocial issues should be taken into account when preparing the patient and their family for surgery or supporting them post operatively

Incidence of Infectious Diseases in Patients Suffering from Renal Diseases

Background: Infection is an invasion of an organism’s body tissues by disease-causing agents, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agents and the toxins they produce. Patients with renal compromised states are more susceptible to infection than normal individuals. In the pre-dialysis era, about 45% of patients with the renal compromised state suffering from infection required hospitalization, while a total of about 78% of the enrolled subjects needed hospitalization. It was assumed that the debility caused by the uremic state increased the risk of infection, and the reversal of uremia would reduce the risk of infection.Aim: The main aim of the study is to report the incidence of infectious diseases in patients with renal compromised state and appropriate measures to be considered to control infectious conditions.Materials and Methods: The study was carried out as prospective and cross-sectional studies. During the study period, a total of 195 subjects were examined with the renal compromised state, of which 108 subjects were suffering from infectious co-morbidity, and were enrolled based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, which includes in-patients, out-patients, and patients on regular dialysis.Results: This shows the percentage prevalence of infections in patients with the renal compromised state is 55.38. Patients were found to show various infectious states.Conclusion: The conclusion shows the probability of encountering a subject with renal compromised state along with co-morbid infection is 0.55. Evidence-based international guidelines are of great value and are instrumental in helping reduce health-care-associated infections.Keywords: Incidence of infectious diseases, Renal compromised state, Renal disease

Human Bocavirus Infection among Children, Jordan

Human bocavirus was detected in 57 (18.3%) of 312 children with acute respiratory infection (ARI) who required hospitalization in Jordan. It was also detected in 30 (21.7%) of 138 children with severe ARI, in 27 (15.5%) of 174 with mild or moderate disease, and in 41 (72%) of 57 with other pathogens

NLRP3 Inflammasome in Vascular Disease: A Recurrent Villain to Combat Pharmacologically

Despite the great advances in medicine, mortality from cardiovascular diseases keeps on growing. This tendency is not likely to change considering the pandemic proportions of obesity and diabetes. Besides, the global population is more aged as life expectancy increases, and vascular aging plays a key role in the increased risk of vascular disease. In light of recent trials, namely the CANTOS study, showing the enormous potential of anti-inflammatory therapies and in particular those targeted to IL-1β, a change in therapeutical management of cardiovascular diseases is coming about. The NLRP3 inflammasome is a multiprotein complex that assembles to engage the innate immune defense by processing the maturation of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18. Substantial evidence has positioned the NLRP3 inflammasome at the center of vascular disease progression, with a particular significance in the context of aging and the low-grade chronic inflammation associated (inflammaging). Therefore, pharmacological blockade of the NLRP3 inflammasome and its end products has arisen as an extremely promising tool to battle vascular disease. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms by which the NLRP3 inflammasome contributes to vascular disease, with particular attention to the consequences of aging, and we enumerate the therapeutic options available to combat this recurrent villainWork revised coming from the manuscript’s co-authors has been supported by funding from Plan Nacional I+D [PID2020-115590RB-100/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033] to C.P. and C.F.S-F and Talent Advanced Researchers’ Grant from Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (2019-T1/IND13794) to F.C.; I.V. is supported by an FPU-MECD fellowship (FPU16/02612); L.S. is supported by an FPI-UAM fellowship (SFPI/2020-0053

Increased power generation in supercapacitive microbial fuel cell stack using Fe-N-C cathode catalyst

The anode and cathode electrodes of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) stack, composed of 28 single MFCs, were used as the negative and positive electrodes, respectively of an internal self-charged supercapacitor. Particularly, carbon veil was used as the negative electrode and activated carbon with a Fe-based catalyst as the positive electrode. The red-ox reactions on the anode and cathode, self-charged these electrodes creating an internal electrochemical double layer capacitor. Galvanostatic discharges were performed at different current and time pulses. Supercapacitive-MFC (SC-MFC) was also tested at four different solution conductivities. SC-MFC had an equivalent series resistance (ESR) decreasing from 6.00 Ω to 3.42 Ω in four solutions with conductivity between 2.5 mScm−1 and 40 mScm−1. The ohmic resistance of the positive electrode corresponded to 75–80% of the overall ESR. The highest performance was achieved with a solution conductivity of 40 mS cm−1 and this was due to the positive electrode potential enhancement for the utilization of Fe-based catalysts. Maximum power was 36.9mW (36.9Wm−3) that decreased with increasing pulse time. SC-MFC was subjected to 4520 cycles (8 days) with a pulse time of 5 s (ipulse 55 mA) and a self-recharging time of 150 s showing robust reproducibility

Resolvin E1 attenuates doxorubicin-induced cardiac fibroblast senescence: A key role for IL-1β

Cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) undergo senescence in reaction to different stressors, leading to a poor prognosis of cardiac disease. Doxorubicin (Doxo) is an antineoplastic drug with strong cardiotoxic effects, which induces IL-1β secretion and thus, triggers a potent pro-inflammatory response. Doxo induces CFs senescence; however, the mechanisms are not fully understood. Different pharmacological strategies have been used to eliminate senescent cells by inducing their apoptosis or modifying their secretome. However, Resolvin E1 (RvE1), a lipid derivative resolutive mediator with potent anti-inflammatory effects has not been used before to prevent CFs senescence. CFs were isolated from adult male C57BL/6J mice and subsequently stimulated with Doxo, in the presence or absence of RvE1. Senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity (SA-β-gal), γ-H2A.X, p53, p21, and senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) were evaluated. The involvement of the NLRP3 inflammasome/interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R) signaling pathway on CFs senescence was studied using an NLRP3 inhibitor (MCC950) and an endogenous IL-1R antagonist (IR1A). Doxo is able to trigger CFs senescence, as evidenced by an increase of γ-H2A.X, p53, p21, and SA-β-gal, and changes in the SASP profile. These Doxo effects were prevented by RvE1. Doxo triggers IL-1β secretion, which was dependent on NLRP3 activation. Doxo-induced CFs senescence was partially blocked by MCC950 and IR1A. In addition, IL-1β also triggered CFs senescence, as evidenced by the increase of γ-H2A.X, p53, p21, SA-β-gal activity, and SASP. All these effects were also prevented by RvE1 treatment. Conclusion: These data show the anti-senescent role of RvE1 in Doxo-induced CFs senescence, which could be mediated by reducing IL-1β secretion.This study was supported by PID2020-115590RB-100/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and FONDECYT 1210627 to C.P., C.F.S.F., and G.D.A., respectively. L.S. and J.A.E.C. are the recipients of FPI Universidad Autonoma ´ de Madrid (SFPI/2020-00053) and Beca Doctorado Nacional Ano ˜ 2017 ANID (21170233) fellowships, respectivel

Genomic insights into the origin of farming in the ancient Near East

We report genome-wide ancient DNA from 44 ancient Near Easterners ranging in time between ~12,000 and 1,400 BC, from Natufian hunter–gatherers to Bronze Age farmers. We show that the earliest populations of the Near East derived around half their ancestry from a ‘Basal Eurasian’ lineage that had little if any Neanderthal admixture and that separated from other non-African lineages before their separation from each other. The first farmers of the southern Levant (Israel and Jordan) and Zagros Mountains (Iran) were strongly genetically differentiated, and each descended from local hunter–gatherers. By the time of the Bronze Age, these two populations and Anatolian-related farmers had mixed with each other and with the hunter–gatherers of Europe to greatly reduce genetic differentiation. The impact of the Near Eastern farmers extended beyond the Near East: farmers related to those of Anatolia spread westward into Europe; farmers related to those of the Levant spread southward into East Africa; farmers related to those of Iran spread northward into the Eurasian steppe; and people related to both the early farmers of Iran and to the pastoralists of the Eurasian steppe spread eastward into South Asia