Socialna opora starejših, ki živijo v domačem okolju, v času prvega vala epidemije koronavirusa v Sloveniji

Slovenija sodi med hitro starajoče se države, kar zahteva prilagoditve družbe na različnih področjih. Eno izmed njih je skrb za starejše, ki zaradi težav, povezanih s staranjem, potrebujejo vrsto storitev in pomoči. Del potrebne pomoči lahko pokrijejo formalne storitve (kot je osebna pomoč na domu), zelo pomembni pa so tudi neformalni viri socialne opore (sorodniki, prijatelji, sosedi). Raziskave kažejo, da ima del starejših razmeroma zadostno socialno oporo, obstaja pa tudi nezanemarljiv delež starejših s šibko socialno oporo ali brez virov neformalne socialne opore. Ti so lahko še posebej ranljivi v okoliščinah, kot je pandemija koronavirusa SARS-CoV-2. Tako članek naslavlja značilnosti omrežij socialne opore starejših, ki živijo doma, v času popolnega zaprtja javnega življenja v prvem valu pandemije, in sicer na podlagi podatkov, zbranih v okviru spletnega panela JazVem. Gre za verjetnostni vzorec 605 oseb, starejših od 64 let. V raziskavi so bile merjene čustvena in instrumentalna opora, opora v smislu neformalnega druženja, pa tudi elementi formalne opore in različne značilnosti omrežij. V vzorcu je bila dobra desetina starostnikov z omejenimi viri socialne opore. To so starostniki, ki niso navedli nobenega vira socialne opore, in starostniki s samo oddaljenimi viri socialne opore. Na število in dostopnost virov socialne opore v času pandemije vplivata spol in velikost gospodinjstva starostnika

Potentially toxic planktic and benthic Cyanobacteria in Slovenian freshwater bodies: detection by quantitative PCR

Due to increased frequency of cyanobacterial blooms and emerging evidence of cyanotoxicity in biofilm, reliable methods for early cyanotoxin threat detection are of major importance for protection of human, animal and environmental health. To complement the current methods of risk assessment, this study aimed to evaluate selected qPCR assays for detection of potentially toxic cyanobacteria in environmental samples. In the course of one year, 25 plankton and 23 biofilm samples were collected from 15 water bodies in Slovenia. Three different analyses were performed and compared to each other; qPCR targeting mcyE, cyrJ and sxtA genes involved in cyanotoxin production, LC-MS/MS quantifying microcystin, cylindrospermopsin and saxitoxin concentration, and microscopic analyses identifying potentially toxic cyanobacterial taxa. qPCR analyses detected potentially toxic Microcystis in 10 lake plankton samples, and potentially toxic Planktothrix cells in 12 lake plankton and one lake biofilm sample. A positive correlation was observed between numbers of mcyE gene copies and microcystin concentrations. Potential cylindrospermopsin- and saxitoxin-producers were detected in three and seven lake biofilm samples, respectively. The study demonstrated a potential for cyanotoxin production that was left undetected by traditional methods in both plankton and biofilm samples. Thus, the qPCR method could be useful in regular monitoring of water bodies to improve risk assessment and enable timely measures

Dynamics of Responses in Compatible Potato - Potato virus Y Interaction Are Modulated by Salicylic Acid

To investigate the dynamics of the potato – Potato virus Y (PVY) compatible interaction in relation to salicylic acid - controlled pathways we performed experiments using non-transgenic potato cv. Désirée, transgenic NahG-Désirée, cv. Igor and PVYNTN, the most aggressive strain of PVY. The importance of salicylic acid in viral multiplication and symptom development was confirmed by pronounced symptom development in NahG-Désirée, depleted in salicylic acid, and reversion of the effect after spraying with 2,6-dichloroisonicotinic acid (a salicylic acid - analogue). We have employed quantitative PCR for monitoring virus multiplication, as well as plant responses through expression of selected marker genes of photosynthetic activity, carbohydrate metabolism and the defence response. Viral multiplication was the slowest in inoculated potato of cv. Désirée, the only asymptomatic genotype in the study. The intensity of defence-related gene expression was much stronger in both sensitive genotypes (NahG-Désirée and cv. Igor) at the site of inoculation than in asymptomatic plants (cv. Désirée). Photosynthesis and carbohydrate metabolism gene expression differed between the symptomatic and asymptomatic phenotypes. The differential gene expression pattern of the two sensitive genotypes indicates that the outcome of the interaction does not rely simply on one regulatory component, but similar phenotypical features can result from distinct responses at the molecular level

Assessment of different experimental setups to determineviral filtration efficiency of face masks

Abstract As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many new materials and masks came onto the market. To determine their suitability, several standards specify which properties to test, including bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE), while none describe how to determine viral filtration efficiency (VFE), a property that is particularly important in times of pandemic. Therefore, we focused our research on evaluating the suitability and efficiency of different systems for determining VFE. Here, we evaluated the VFE of 6 mask types (e.g., a surgical mask, a respirator, material for mask production, and cloth masks) with different filtration efficiencies in four experimental setups and compared the results with BFE results. The study included 17 BFE and 22 VFE experiments with 73 and 81 mask samples tested, respectively. We have shown that the masks tested had high VFE (>99% for surgical masks and respirators, ≥98% for material, and 87–97% for cloth masks) and that all experimental setups provided highly reproducible and reliable VFE results (coefficient of variation < 6%). Therefore, the VFE tests described in this study can be integrated into existing standards for mask testing

Določanje učinkovitosti bakterijske filtracije različnih tipov mask

Face coverings, such as surgical masks and respirators, have an important role in preventing bacterial and viral transmission, especially during a global pandemic like COVID-19. Therefore, to secure their availability, new manufacturers and the use of novel materials must be encouraged. However, masks and their materials must first be properly tested for safety and efficiency, as required by the relevant standard, valid in a specific region. All standards prescribe determination of the bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE) of masks. In this study, we report the establishment of a test method for the BFE of face masks in accordance with European standard EN 14683:2019, by which we tested 52 samples, each composed of 3 to 5 subsamples, of surgical and cloth masks, respirators, filters, and mask materials. Forty-seven out of the 52 samples reached a BFE above 75 %. Of these, 16 samples had a BFE of 75 % to 95 %, 3 had a BFE of 95 % to 98 %, while 28 reached a filtration efficiency above 98 %. Our findings show that all tested samples provided some level of protection, most of which met the requirements for the national or European market

Molecular screening for cyanobacteria and their cyanotoxin potential in diverse habitats

Cyanobacteria are adaptable and dominant organisms that exist in many harsh and extreme environments due to their great ecological tolerance. They produce various secondary metabolites, including cyanotoxins. While cyanobacteria are well studied in surface waters and some aerial habitats, numerous other habitats and niches remain underexplored. We collected 61 samples of: (i) biofilms from springs, (ii) aerial microbial mats from buildings and subaerial mats from caves, and (iii) water from borehole wells, caves, alkaline, saline, sulphidic, thermal, and iron springs, rivers, seas, and melted cave ice from five countries (Croatia, Georgia, Italy, Serbia, and Slovenia). We used (q)PCR to detect cyanobacteria (phycocyanin intergenic spacer—PC-IGS and cyanobacteria-specific 16S rRNA gene) and cyanotoxin genes (microcystins—mcyE, saxitoxins—sxtA, cylindrospermopsins—cyrJ), as well as amplicon sequencing and morphological observations for taxonomic identification. Cyanobacteria were detected in samples from caves, a saline spring, and an alkaline spring. While mcyE or sxtA genes were not observed in any sample, cyrJ results showed the presence of a potential cylindrospermopsin producer in a biofilm from a sulphidic spring in Slovenia. This study contributes to our understanding of cyanobacteria occurrence in diverse habitats, including rare and extreme ones, and provides relevant methodological considerations for future research in such environments

Omrežja socialne opore Ljubljančanov

Tako teorija kot številne empirične raziskave kažejo, da je socialne opora večrazsežen pojem. Lahko ga razdelimo na štiri večje razsežnosti: materialna (instrumentalna), informacijska, in emocionalna opora ter opora v smislu neformalnega druženja. V članku analiziramo omrežja socialne opore prebivalcev Ljubljane, glavnega mesta Slovenije. Podatki so bili zbrani v letu 2000 s telefonskim anketiranjem na slučajnem vzorcu 1033 polnoletnih prebivalcev Ljubljane. Rezultati se ujemajo z rezultati nekaterih zgodnejših podobnih raziskav, pokazali pa so se tudi nekateri novi in zanimivi rezultati.Theory and empirical studies show that social support is a multidimensional concept. It can be subdivided into four major dimensions: material (instrumental) support, informational support, emotional support, and social companionship. In the paper, the personal support networks of the residents of Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, are described. The data were collected in the year 2000 by telephone interview on a random sample of 1033 residents of Ljubljana. The preliminary results confirm some findings of the earlier similar studies, but also some new and interesting results were obtained

Statistical modeling of long-term grapevine response to "Candidatus Phytoplasma solani" infection in the field

Bois noir (BN) is the most widespread European grapevine yellows disease caused by ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma solani’. Although our knowledge of the mechanisms of interactions of this pathogenic bacteria with host is largely unknown, the plant-pathogen system of BN is commonly used as a model system for studying grapevine yellows diseases. We applied here a conceptual model of general plant pathology – a disease triangle for describing interactions among the host plant, the pathogen and the environment. We generated a proof-of-concept statistical model for disease triangle using original experimental data and different statistical and data mining approaches for a selected system of ‘Ca. P. solani’ infection of cv. ‘Chardonnay’ grapevine plants. We monitored individual plants from a single vineyard over a period of six years. Phytoplasma content, the expression of 21 selected grapevine genes and environmental conditions were recorded and related to disease severity. Our model predicts that in described conditions BN is a function of the expression of grapevine gene VvDMR6, summer rainfall and abundance of ‘Ca. P. solani’. The greatest impact among elements of the disease triangle is attributed to the pathogen, and is independent of the pathogen titer. We showed that this first de facto representation of the disease triangle is useful for showing disease dynamics over several years and could be applied to other plant-pathogen systems. The overall results of this study will contribute to understanding of ‘Ca. P. solani’ biology and its interactions with grapevine host