Identification of pathogenic bacteria in complex samples using a smartphone based fluorescence microscope

Diagnostics based on fluorescence imaging of biomolecules is typically performed in well-equipped laboratories and is in general not suitable for remote and resource limited settings. Here we demonstrate the development of a compact, lightweight and cost-effective smartphone-based fluorescence microscope, capable of detecting signals from fluorescently labeled bacteria. By optimizing a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) based fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay, we demonstrate the use of the smartphone-based microscope for rapid identification of pathogenic bacteria. We evaluated the use of both a general nucleic acid stain as well as species-specific PNA probes and demonstrated that the mobile platform can detect bacteria with a sensitivity comparable to that of a conventional fluorescence microscope. The PNA-based FISH assay, in combination with the smartphone-based fluorescence microscope, allowed us to qualitatively analyze pathogenic bacteria in contaminated powdered infant formula (PIF) at initial concentrations prior to cultivation as low as 10 CFU per 30 g of PIF. Importantly, the detection can be done directly on the smartphone screen, without the need for additional image analysis. The assay should be straightforward to adapt for bacterial identification also in clinical samples. The cost-effectiveness, field-portability and simplicity of this platform will create various opportunities for its use in resource limited settings and point-of-care offices, opening up a myriad of additional applications based on other fluorescence-based diagnostic assays

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

New species of Jupiaba Zanata (Characiformes: Characidae) from Serra do Cachimbo, with comments on the endemism of upper rio Curu\ue1, rio Xingu basin, Brazil

A new species of Jupiaba is described from rio Curuá, a tributary of the rio Iriri, rio Xingu basin, Pará State, Brazil. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by the unique combination of teeth cusps of similar size, dentary teeth gradually decreasing in size towards posterior portion, color pattern consisting of dark markings on the base of the majority of lateral body scales, inconspicuous dark elongate humeral blotch and conspicuous dark round blotch on the caudal peduncle, and 21 to 24 branched anal-fin rays. The new species is very similar, and possibly sister taxon to J. meunieri. Comments on the endemism of the fish fauna of the upper rio Curuá are given.Uma nova espécie de Jupiaba é descrita do rio Curuá, afluente do rio Iriri, bacia do rio Xingu, Estado do Pará, Brasil. A nova espécie difere de seus congêneres pela combinação única de dentes com cúspides aproximadamente de mesmo tamanho e dentes do dentário gradualmente menores posteriormente, pelo colorido que consiste em manchas escuras na base da maioria das escamas laterais do corpo, mancha umeral alongada e inconspícua e mancha caudal redonda e conspícua , e 21 a 24 raios ramificados na nadadeira anal. A nova espécie é similar e possivelmente táxon irmão de J. meunieri. Comentários sobre o endemismo da fauna de peixes do alto rio Curuá são fornecidos.FAPES

Synthesis and antibiotic activity of some β-Carboline alkaloids

Nine β-carboline alkaloids were synthetized and screened for antibiotic activity. Six of the compounds testes showed inhibitory activity against one or more of the microorganisms assayed

Evaluation of exposure metrics for effect assessment of soil invertebrates (Review)

Risk and hazard assessments for the soil environment are performed on the basis of the total content of a contaminant in the dry bulk soil. Presently, scientific evidence is emerging and indicating that pore water may be a more relevant exposure medium for uptake of chemicals by biota and plants in soil. To deduce the degree to which pore water concentrations are indeed a better metrics for quantifying uptake of organic chemicals by terrestrial biota (mostly invertebrates), a literature search was performed and the available evidence in favor of any metrics was gathered in the context of a mandate of the European Food Safety Authority. It is concluded that knowledge on uptake routes of contaminants by soil invertebrates is far from complete. Overall it is clear that uptake of organic contaminants depends on species, soil type, and the chemical properties. The mode of exposure of soil invertebrates is determined by the way animals are in contact with their local environment. Morphology, physiology, and behavior are important factors in this respect, as is the mode of uptake of food, water, and oxygen. The contribution of oral uptake may vary within a specific taxon but for soil organisms in close contact with the soil solution, pore water-mediated uptake is in general the dominant pathway and it is commonly modified by soil specific ageing and speciation, and by specific factors of the organisms, such as nutrition status. Residual uptake appears to be the most important uptake route following pore water-mediated uptake. It is likely that in this case, too, pore water is involved as carrier in or at the surface of the soil in which the chemicals are dissolved. Intraspecies (especially between different life stages) and interspecies variances (e.g., size and ecological preferences) will most likely modify the actual contribution of potential exposure pathways, and a distinction must be made between hard-bodied and soft-bodied organisms. Hard-bodied organisms rely for uptake of oxygen and water on specialized organs, whereas water (pore water) and oxygen are mainly taken up via the skin in soft-bodied organisms. Hard-bodied animals are nevertheless in contact with pore water, as shown for spiders, woodlice, and collembolans. Uptake of nutrients and chemicals is possible for all invertebrates via their food, and this may be an important route in case of food sources in which high concentrations of chemicals are present. The assimilation efficiency will however depend on species-specific properties of the digestive tract and no general conclusions are to be generated in this respect. \ua9 2012 Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

Legal Philosophy in the Twentieth Century: The Civil Law World. Tome 1: Language Areas. Tome 2: Main Orientations and Topics

"A Treatise of Legal Philosophy and General Jurisprudence" is the first-ever treatment of issues in legal philosophy and general jurisprudence in a single multivolume work offering a perspective at once theoretical and historical. Volume 12 of the Treatise, titled "Legal Philosophy in the Twentieth Century: The Civil-Law World" is a two-tome volume offering the first comprehensive account of the complex development that legal philosophy has undergone in continental Europe and Latin America since 1900. In Tome 1 of this volume, scholars from the different language areas making up the civil-law world give an account of the way legal philosophy has evolved in these areas in the 20th century, the outcome being an overall mosaic of civil-law legal philosophy in this arc of time. Tome 2, which instead takes a more thematic approach, traces out the development that legal philosophy has undergone in the 20th century, focusing on four of its main strands (namely, legal positivism, legal realism, natural law theory, and the theory of legal reasoning) and discussing the different conceptions that have been put forward under these labels. The volume is thus structured in such a way that the historical analysis can be viewed in light of the subsequent developments in the contemporary theoretical debate