Extraction and sensitive detection of toxins A and B from the human pathogen Clostridium difficile in 40 seconds using microwave-accelerated metal-enhanced fluorescence.

Clostridium difficile is the primary cause of antibiotic associated diarrhea in humans and is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Thus the rapid and accurate identification of this pathogen in clinical samples, such as feces, is a key step in reducing the devastating impact of this disease. The bacterium produces two toxins, A and B, which are thought to be responsible for the majority of the pathology associated with the disease, although the relative contribution of each is currently a subject of debate. For this reason we have developed a rapid detection assay based on microwave-accelerated metal-enhanced fluorescence which is capable of detecting the presence of 10 bacteria in unprocessed human feces within 40 seconds. These promising results suggest that this prototype biosensor has the potential to be developed into a rapid, point of care, real time diagnostic assay for C. difficile

Ultra-Fast and Sensitive Detection of Non-Typhoidal Salmonella Using Microwave-Accelerated Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence (“MAMEF”)

Certain serovars of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica cause invasive disease (e.g., enteric fever, bacteremia, septicemia, meningitis, etc.) in humans and constitute a global public health problem. A rapid, sensitive diagnostic test is needed to allow prompt initiation of therapy in individual patients and for measuring disease burden at the population level. An innovative and promising new rapid diagnostic technique is microwave-accelerated metal-enhanced fluorescence (MAMEF). We have adapted this assay platform to detect the chromosomal oriC locus common to all Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovars. We have shown efficient lysis of biologically relevant concentrations of Salmonella spp. suspended in bacteriological media using microwave-induced lysis. Following lysis and DNA release, as little as 1 CFU of Salmonella in 1 ml of medium can be detected in <30 seconds. Furthermore the assay is sensitive and specific: it can detect oriC from Salmonella serovars Typhi, Paratyphi A, Paratyphi B, Paratyphi C, Typhimurium, Enteritidis and Choleraesuis but does not detect Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae or Acinetobacter baumanii. We have also performed preliminary experiments using a synthetic Salmonella oriC oligonucleotide suspended in whole human blood and observed rapid detection when the sample was diluted 1∶1 with PBS. These pre-clinical data encourage progress to the next step to detect Salmonella in blood (and other ordinarily sterile, clinically relevant body fluids)

Controlled synthesis of monodisperse gold nanorods with different aspect ratios in the presence of aromatic additives

This paper reports the synthesis of monodisperse gold nanorods (GNRs) via a simple seeded growth approach in the presence of different aromatic additives, such as 7-bromo-3-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid (7-BrHNA), 3-hydroxy-2-naphthoic acid (HNA), 5-bromosalicylic acid (5-BrSA), salicylic acid (SA) or phenol (PhOH). Effects of the aromatic additives and hydrochloric acid (HCl) on the structure and optical properties of the synthesized GNRs were investigated. The longitudinal surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak wavelength of the resulting GNRs was found to be dependent on the aromatic additive in the following sequence: 5-BrSA (778 nm) > 7-BrHNA (706 nm) > SA (688 nm) > HNA (676 nm) > PhOH (638 nm) without addition of HCl, but this was changed to 7-BrHNA (920 nm) > SA (890 nm) > HNA (872 nm) > PhOH (858 nm) > 5-BrSA (816 nm) or 7-BrHNA (1005 nm) > PhOH (995 nm) > SA (990 nm) > HNA (980 nm) > 5-BrSA (815 nm) with the addition of HCl or HNO3 respectively. The LSPR peak wavelength was increased with the increasing concentration of 7-BrHNA without HCl addition, however, there was a maximum LSPR peak wavelength when HCl was added. Interestingly, the LSPR peak wavelength was also increased with amount of HCl added. The results presented here thus established a simple approach to synthesize monodisperse GNRs of different LSPR wavelength

Attitudes towards vegetables and fruits rich in bioactive compounds in a group of individuals aged 20-39 years old

Background. Due to the high percentage of deaths caused by non-communicable chronic diseases, such as cancer or cardiovascular diseases, recorded in recent years, proper nutrition, including consumption of vegetables and fruit rich in bioactive compounds is of a vital importance. It is especially important in the light of consumers' interest in pro-health values of foods. Objective. Aim of this study, was to assess the attitudes of people aged 20-39 towards food with a specific health effect, with particular emphasis on selected vegetables and fruits rich in bioactive compounds. Material and methods. The study included 500 people aged 20-39 years old. The research tool was a questionnaire consisting of 3 parts, which assessed: attitudes of people aged 20-39 towards the health values of food, frequency of consumption of selected vegetables and fruits rich in bioactive compounds and knowledge about them. Results. The average result of respondents’ given answers indicated their positive attitude towards health values of food (mean = 4.41). Nevertheless, consumption frequency of selected vegetables and fruits was low or very low among more than half (57%) of the respondents. In addition, members of the study group demonstrated insufficient knowledge about the confirmed by clinical tests, positive impact of the consumption of examined products on health (average knowledge test result = 25% among the members of the test group). At the same time, higher consumption of analysed vegetables and fruits was associated with better knowledge about them. Similarly, more positive attitudes towards health values of food were associated with higher frequency of vegetables and fruit consumption and knowledge about them. Conclusions. The surveyed adults aged 20-39 showed a positive attitude towards health values of food. Nevertheless, consumption of selected vegetables and fruits rich in bioactive compounds and knowledge about them was not sufficient. Due to the association between better knowledge about health values of particular products and frequency of their consumption, in the future, focus should be placed on increasing consumers’ knowledge in this area, e.g. by organizing social and information campaigns.Wprowadzenie. Ze względu na notowany w ostatnich latach, wysoki odsetek zgonów spowodowanych niezakaźnymi chorobami przewlekłymi, takimi jak nowotwory czy choroby sercowo-naczyniowe, niezwykle istotne jest prawidłowe żywienie, w tym spożycie warzyw i owoców wyjątkowo bogatych w składniki bioaktywne. Jest to ważne, w obliczu zainteresowania konsumentów walorami prozdrowotnymi spożywanej żywności. Cel. Celem badania była ocena postaw osób w wieku 20-39 lat wobec żywności o określonym działaniu zdrowotnym, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem wybranych warzyw i owoców bogatych w składniki bioaktywne. Materiał i metodyka. Badanie przeprowadzono wśród 500 osób w wieku 20-39 lat. Narzędziem badawczym był kwestionariusz ankiety składający się z 3 części, w których oceniono: postawy osób w wieku 20-39 lat wobec walorów prozdrowotnych żywności, częstotliwość spożycia wybranych warzyw i owoców bogatych w składniki bioaktywne oraz wiedzę na ich temat. Wyniki. Uzyskane wyniki wskazywały na pozytywną postawę respondentów wobec walorów zdrowotnych żywności (średnia = 4,41). Mimo to, częstotliwość spożycia wybranych warzyw i owoców była niska lub bardzo niska wśród ponad połowy (57%) respondentów. Osoby badane wykazywały również niedostateczną wiedzę na temat potwierdzonych badaniami klinicznymi aspektów pozytywnego wpływu spożycia badanych warzyw i owoców na zdrowie (średni wynik testu wiedzy wyniósł w grupie badanej 25%). Jednocześnie, wyższa częstotliwość spożycia analizowanych warzyw i owoców było powiązane z wyższym poziomem wiedzy respondentów na ich temat. Podobnie, bardziej prozdrowotne postawy respondentów wobec walorów zdrowotnych żywności, były powiązane z wyższą częstotliwość spożycia badanych warzyw i owoców oraz wiedzą na ich temat. Wnioski. Badane osoby w wieku 20-39 lat wykazywały pozytywne nastawienie do walorów zdrowotnych żywności. Mimo to, spożycie wybranych warzyw i owoców bogatych w składniki bioaktywne oraz wiedza na ich temat nie były dostateczne. Ze względu na powiązanie między większą wiedzą na temat działania poszczególnych produktów, a ich spożyciem, w przyszłości należałoby skupić się na działaniach mających na celu zwiększanie posiadanej przez konsumentów wiedzy w tym zakresie, np. poprzez organizacje kampanii społecznych i informacyjnych

Comparative effectiveness of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis options for the patient undergoing total hip and knee replacement: a network meta-analysis

Essentials: Despite trial data, guidelines have not endorsed direct oral Xa inhibitors above other options. We provide profiles of venous thromboembolism and hemorrhage risk for 12 options. Direct oral Xa inhibitors had a favorable profile compared with low-molecular-weight heparin. Other options did not have favorable profiles compared with low-molecular-weight heparin. SUMMARY: Background There are numerous trials and several meta-analyses comparing venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis options after total hip and knee replacement (THR and TKR). None have included simultaneous comparison of new with older options. Objective: To measure simultaneously the relative risk of VTE and hemorrhage for 12 prophylaxis options. Methods: We abstracted VTE and hemorrhage information from randomized controlled trials published between January 1990 and June 2016 comparing 12 prophylaxis options. We then constructed networks to compute the relative risk for each option, relative to once-daily dosing with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) Low. Results Main: Relative to LMWH Low, direct oral Xa inhibitors had the lowest risk of total deep vein thrombosis (DVT)-asymptomatic and symptomatic- (odds ratio [OR], 0.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.35-0.57), translating to 53-139 fewer DVTs per 1000 patients. Vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) titrated to International Normalized Ratio [INR] 2-3 predicted 56% more DVT events (OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.14-2.14). Aspirin performed similarly (OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.34-1.86), although small numbers prohibit firm conclusions. Direct oral Xa inhibitors did not lead to significantly more bleeding (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 0.79-1.90). Secondary: Relative to LMWH Low, direct oral Xa inhibitors prevented 4-fold more symptomatic DVTs (OR, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.13-0.47). Conclusion: Relative to LMWH Low, direct oral Xa inhibitors had a more favorable profile of VTE and hemorrhage risk, whereas VKAs had a less favorable profile. The profile of other agents was not more or less favorable. Clinicians should consider these profiles when selecting prophylaxis options