Canine Saliva as a Possible Source of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes

While the One Health issues of intensive animal farming are commonly discussed, keeping companion animals is less associated with the interspecies headway of antimicrobial resistance. With the constant advance in veterinary standards, antibiotics are regularly applied in companion animal medicine. Due to the close coexistence of dogs and humans, dog bites and other casual encounters with dog saliva (e.g., licking the owner) are common. According to our metagenome study, based on 26 new generation sequencing canine saliva datasets from 2020 and 2021 reposited in NCBI SRA by The 10,000 Dog Genome Consortium and the Broad Institute within Darwin's Ark project, canine saliva is rich in bacteria with predictably transferable antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs). In the genome of potentially pathogenic Bacteroides, Capnocytophaga, Corynebacterium, Fusobacterium, Pasteurella, Porphyromonas, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus species, which are some of the most relevant bacteria in dog bite infections, ARGs against aminoglycosides, carbapenems, cephalosporins, glycylcyclines, lincosamides, macrolides, oxazolidinone, penams, phenicols, pleuromutilins, streptogramins, sulfonamides and tetracyclines could be identified. Several ARGs, including ones against amoxicillin-clavulanate, the most commonly applied antimicrobial agent for dog bites, were predicted to be potentially transferable based on their association with mobile genetic elements (e.g., plasmids, prophages and integrated mobile genetic elements). According to our findings, canine saliva may be a source of transfer for ARG-rich bacteria that can either colonize the human body or transport ARGs to the host bacteriota, and thus can be considered as a risk in the spread of antimicrobial resistance.European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program [874735]The research was supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No. 874735 (VEO)

OPTIMIZATION OF DECOMPRESSIVE CRANIECTOMY BASED ON FINITE ELEMENT SIMULATIONS

Decompressive Craniectomy (DC) is a neurosurgical procedure which is often applied to decrease the intracranial pressure (ICP), even if its optimal execution in terms of the size and location of the skull opening is not known. The current research focuses on DC from a biomechanical perspective. A finite element (FE) modelling strategy is applied where patient-specific head models are developed. These numerical models are used to perform virtual experiments where DC is simulated several times with skull openings having different size and location. During the simulations ICP, stress and strain distributions in the brain tissue are monitored in the function of the skull opening details. In the knowledge of these objective functions suggestions could be made regarding the applied optimization procedure which can lead to the identification of optimal DC scenarios in the future

Readability of hearing-related information on the Internet in the German language

Purpose: To describe the readability of hearing-related information on the Internet in the German language and compare the readability between webpage origins (by country), type of organisation (i.e., government, non-profit, and commercial), and with and without Health on the Net Foundation (HONcode) certification. Method: Hearing-related search terms were identified using native German-speaking informants. The three keywords, Schwerhörigkeit [hard of hearing], Hörtest [hearing test], and Hörgerät [hearing aid], were checked with Google Trends and then entered into five country code top-level domain (ccTLD) versions of the Google search engine (Google.de; Google.at; Google.ch; Google.li; and Google.hu). The first 10 retrieved webpages, that matched the inclusion criteria, were documented for each key word along with their webpage origins, type of organisation, date of last update, and HONcode certification. After removing duplicates, from the total of 150 webpages, 39 webpages remained from four ccTLDs. These webpages were analysed for readability using the Läsbarhetsindex 1 (LIX 1) [readability index 1], Läsbarhetsindex 2 - German technical literature (LIX 2) [readability index 2]; Quadratwurzelverfahren (Qu) [square root process], Rate index 1 (RIX 1), and Rate index 2 - German non-fiction (RIX 2); and the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook 1 (SMOG 1) readability formulas (RFs) provided by the Readability Studio software 2012.1 that generated the reading grade levels (RGLs). Descriptive statistics were computed to describe the readability of hearing-related information on the Internet in the German language, and any differences between readability formulas. Univariate and non-parametric ANOVA were used to determine whether there are significant differences in hearing-related information between webpages with, and without, HONcode certification. Results: The different RFs consistently showed that readability levels for the assessed webpages exceeded the recommended 6th RGL. All webpages analysed in this study had a mean RGL of 12 which was not significantly different based on location and type of organisation. Seventy-seven percent of the webpages were of commercial origin and 23% nonprofit. No government webpages were retrieved by the ccTLDs. The date of last update on 67% of the webpages was not documented. The location of organisation for most webpages was in Germany. Eighty-two percent of the assessed webpages did not have HONcode certification but, most of the webpages that did have HONcode certification were of commercial origin. RGLs did not significantly differ based on HONcode certification. Conclusion: The readability of hearing-related information on the Internet in the German language is above the 12th grade level, that is, readers need on average 12 years of education to be able to comprehend the information: however, the limitations of the different RFs, and the software used for the analysis, need to be kept in mind when interpreting results because they can artificially influence the RGL results. Due to the increasing number of people who seek health information online, further studies are needed to investigate whether the online health information in the German language informs or misinforms adults with hearing impairment (HI). The clinical implications of poor readability for audiologists and other stakeholders are discussed

Succession in family business as, s. p.

V diplomskem projektu bomo s pomočjo raziskave literature podrobno pojasnili pomen družinskega podjetja. Nato sledita prestavitev vlog družine v družinskem podjetju in razlaga družinskega in poslovnega sistema ter modela treh krogov, ki pojasnjujejo soodvisnost med družino, podjetjem in lastniki družinskega podjetja. V okviru diplomskega projekta želimo preučiti prednosti in slabosti družinskega podjetja, odnose in konflikte med družinskimi člani ter pomen planiranja nasledstva v družinskem podjetju. Družinska podjetja se srečujejo z raznimi ovirami, ki negativno vplivajo na njihovo poslovanje in razvoj. Da lahko podjetje dolgoročno preživi, mora tovrstne težave uspešno rešiti. Večja ovira, ki se lahko pojavi v družinskih podjetjih, je lahko izbira naslednika, zato bomo podrobneje opisali nasledstvene možnosti in dejavnike, ki vplivajo nanj. V diplomskem projektu bomo teoretična izhodišča povezali s praktičnim primerom družinskega podjetja AS, s. p., ki na prekmurskem trgu uspešno posluje že 34 let. Izbrano podjetje bomo podrobneje predstavili. Predstavili bomo družinske člane in njihove vloge v družinskem podjetju. Opisali bomo prednosti in slabosti ter izpostavili odnose in konflikte, ki se pojavljajo med poslovanjem preučevanega družinskega podjetja. Temeljni cilj tega diplomskega projekta je predstaviti nasledstvene možnosti v družinskem podjetju AS, s. p., kar bo podjetju lahko v veliko pomoč v obdobju prenosa nasledstva na mlajšo generacijo.In this diploma we will, with the help of various literature, explain in detail the notion of a family business. Afterwards we will discuss the roles of the individual family members in the family company, the interpretation of the family and business systems and the three circle model as well as the development of a family business. We also examined the strengths and weaknesses of family businesses, the relationships and conflicts between family members and the importance of succession planning in a family business. Family businesses face various obstacles that have a negative impact on the business and operations of the company. Such problems need to be successfully solved so that the company can survive. The main problem that can occur in family businesses can be the choice of a successor. This is the reason why we will describe in detail the succession possibilities and the factors influencing it. The theoretical basis can be linked to practical examples of the family company AS, s.p., which has been successfully operating in the Prekmurje market for over 34 years. We will present the selected company in greater detail. We will present the individual family members and their roles in the family business. We will describe the strengths and weaknesses and highlight the relationships and conflicts that may arise in the company\u27s commerce. Then the hereditary options in the family company AS, s.p. are presented which will help the company when it comes to choosing a successor in the future

LANA-Mediated Recruitment of Host Polycomb Repressive Complexes onto the KSHV Genome during <i>De Novo</i> Infection

<div><p>One of the hallmarks of the latent phase of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) infection is the global repression of lytic viral gene expression. Following <i>de novo</i> KSHV infection, the establishment of latency involves the chromatinization of the incoming viral genomes and recruitment of the host Polycomb repressive complexes (PRC1 and PRC2) to the promoters of lytic genes, which is accompanied by the inhibition of lytic genes. However, the mechanism of how PRCs are recruited to the KSHV episome is still unknown. Utilizing a genetic screen of latent genes in the context of KSHV genome, we identified the latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA) to be responsible for the genome-wide recruitment of PRCs onto the lytic promoters following infection. We found that LANA initially bound to the KSHV genome right after infection and subsequently recruited PRCs onto the viral lytic promoters, thereby repressing lytic gene expression. Furthermore, both the DNA and chromatin binding activities of LANA were required for the binding of LANA to the KSHV promoters, which was necessary for the recruitment of PRC2 to the lytic promoters during <i>de novo</i> KSHV infection. Consequently, the LANA-knockout KSHV could not recruit PRCs to its viral genome upon <i>de novo</i> infection, resulting in aberrant lytic gene expression and dysregulation of expression of host genes involved in cell cycle and proliferation pathways. In this report, we demonstrate that KSHV LANA recruits host PRCs onto the lytic promoters to suppress lytic gene expression following <i>de novo</i> infection.</p></div

LANA-binding to the lytic KSHV promoters is required for the EZH2 recruitment during <i>de novo</i> infection.

<p><b>(A)</b> Immunoblot analysis of SLK cells infected with lentiviruses expressing 3xFLAG-tagged WT or mutant LANA using anti-FLAG antibody. <b>(B)</b> ChIP assays for the recruitment of LANA (using αLANA antibody) and EZH2 on viral promoters in RTA KO and LANA/RTA dKO KSHV-infected SLK cells as well as in LANA/RTA dKO KSHV-infected SLK cells expressing WT or mutant LANA. <b>(C)</b> Total lysates of 293T cells expressing either 3xF-LANA or 3xF-GMRRL mutant LANA were subjected to FLAG immunoprecipitation followed by immunoblotting with anti-FLAG and anti-EZH2 antibodies. Input lysates were included as controls. <b>(D)</b> ChIP assays for LANA and EZH2 occupancy on the KSHV promoters during <i>de novo</i> LANA/RTA dKO KSHV infection of WT- or GMRRL mutant LANA-expressing SLK cells. <b>(E)</b> Model showing LANA-mediated recruitment PRCs onto the KSHV genome during <i>de novo</i> infection.</p