Protective role of Aspergillus fumigatus melanin against ultraviolet (UV) irradiation and Bjerkandera adusta melanin as a candidate vaccine against systemic candidiasis

Melanin protects pigmented cells from physical and biological stresses which are associated with virulence in several important human pathogens, but little is known about the immune response to this ubiquitous biologic compound. Melanin content increased in Aspergillus fumigatus mycelium exposed to ultraviolet for 10 min but gradually decreased after 60 min of UV exposure. So, it can be concluded that melanin protects fungus for survival until 60 min which was obvious after studying conidia and mycelia by transmission electron microscope (TEM). This research hypothesized that melanin produced by a higher fungus, Bjerkandera adusta, is immunogenic against fungal infection. Melanin was purified from melanized fungal hymenium layer and used in mice immunization, then the actively immunized mice were challenged 1 day later with 107 candidal spores. The antibody (Ab) response was evaluated by radio-immunodiffusion diffco-plate of IgM for accurate quantitative measurements of immunoglobulin in biological fluids. Candidasis was detected in mice target organs after the challenge and urea was assayed to detect the degree of kidney damage. The results demonstrate that melanin could be immunogenic; this is indicated through IgM follow-up and its development might suggests that this amorphous insoluble polymer can stimulate the immune system against the latter challenge, thus reducing the degree of infection. This was observed through the reduction of candidiasis and the enhancement of kidney function.Key words: Melanin, ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, active immunization

Dark current mechanisms in bulk GaInNAs photodiodes

We have grown a series of bulk GaInNAs p-i-n diodes and identified some of the dark current mechanisms present in our devices. With a nitrogen composition of ~4 %, the band gap can be reduced to 0.94 eV. We also demonstrate that low dark current density is achievable without compromising the absorption and hence quantum efficiency up to 1.4 mum

Engaging service users and carers in health and social care education: : challenges and opportunities in the Chinese Community

This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Group in Social Work Education on 25 June 2010, available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2010.491542.Service users' and carers' involvement in health and social care education has become a mainstream activity in Britain. However, members from black and minority ethnic communities (BME) remain under-represented in this area of participation. In this article, we will take the readers across the globe to explore the difficulties and opportunities of engaging such an under-represented group, the Chinese community. The journey will begin in Britain where barriers to engagement of service users and carers from the Chinese community will be discussed. We will then travel to Hong Kong, a cosmopolitan city, where successful engagement in work with Chinese service users and carers will be explored. Throughout the journey, we will highlight the importance of the consideration of cultural factors, particularly Confucian beliefs such as social harmony and collectivism, when working with Chinese people. We will also fully explore the issue of ‘trust’ as a culturally laden concept in Chinese societies and its significance for successful engagement in work with Chinese service users and carers in different parts of the world.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

In Silico Screening of the Human Gut Metaproteome Identifies Th17-Promoting Peptides Encrypted in Proteins of Commensal Bacteria

Scientific studies focused on the role of the human microbiome over human health have generated billions of gigabits of genetic information during the last decade. Nowadays integration of all this information in public databases and development of pipelines allowing us to biotechnologically exploit this information are urgently needed. Prediction of the potential bioactivity of the products encoded by the human gut microbiome, or metaproteome, is the first step for identifying proteins responsible for the molecular interaction between microorganisms and the immune system. We have recently published the Mechanism of Action of the Human Microbiome (MAHMI) database (http://www.mahmi.org), conceived as a resource compiling peptide sequences with a potential immunomodulatory activity. Fifteen out of the 300 hundred million peptides contained in the MAHMI database were synthesised. These peptides were identified as being encrypted in proteins produced by gut microbiota members, they do not contain cleavage points for the major intestinal endoproteases and displayed high probability to have immunomodulatory bioactivity. The bacterial peptides FR-16 and LR-17 encrypted in proteins from B. longum DJ010A and B. fragilis YCH46 respectively, showed the higher immune modulation capability over human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Both peptides modulated the immune response towards increases in the Th17 and decreases in the Th1 cell response, together with an induction of IL-22 production. These results strongly suggest the combined use of bioinformatics and in vitro tools as a first stage in the screening of bioactive peptides encrypted in the human gut metaproteome.This work was financed by the Spanish "Programa Estatal de Investigacion, Desarrollo e Inovacion Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad" (Grant AGL2013-44039R). Research in our laboratory is funded by the "Fundacion Cientifica Asociacion Espanola Contra el Cancer" (Grant agreement PS-2016).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Gamification for Health and Wellbeing : A Systematic Review of the Literature

Background: Compared to traditional persuasive technology and health games, gamification is posited to offer several advantages for motivating behaviour change for health and well-being, and increasingly used. Yet little is known about its effectiveness. Aims: We aimed to assess the amount and quality of empirical support for the advantages and effectiveness of gamification applied to health and well-being. Methods: We identified seven potential advantages of gamification from existing research and conducted a systematic literature review of empirical studies on gamification for health and well-being, assessing quality of evidence, effect type, and application domain. Results: We identified 19 papers that report empirical evidence on the effect of gamification on health and well-being. 59% reported positive, 41% mixed effects, with mostly moderate or lower quality of evidence provided. Results were clear for health-related behaviors, but mixed for cognitive outcomes. Conclusions: The current state of evidence supports that gamification can have a positive impact in health and wellbeing, particularly for health behaviors. However several studies report mixed or neutral effect. Findings need to be interpreted with caution due to the relatively small number of studies and methodological limitations present in many studies (e.g., a lack of comparison of gamified interventions to non-gamified versions of the intervention)

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Improved Optoelectronic Properties of Rapid Thermally Annealed Dilute Nitride GaInNAs Photodetectors

We investigate the optical and electrical characteristics of GaInNAs/GaAs long-wavelength photodiodes grown under varying conditions by molecular beam epitaxy and subjected to postgrowth rapid thermal annealing (RTA) at a series of temperatures. It is found that the device performance of the nonoptimally grown GaInNAs p-i-n structures, with nominal compositions of 10% In and 3.8% N, can be improved significantly by the RTA treatment to match that of optimally grown structures. The optimally annealed devices exhibit overall improvement in optical and electrical characteristics, including increased photoluminescence brightness, reduced density of deep-level traps, reduced series resistance resulting from the GaAs/GaInNAs heterointerface, lower dark current, and significantly lower background doping density, all of which can be attributed to the reduced structural disorder in the GaInNAs alloy.© 2012 TMS