Draft genome sequences of two clinical Isolates of mycobacterium tuberculosis from sputum of Kazakh patients

Here, we report the draft genome sequences of two clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB-476 and MTB-489) isolated from sputum of Kazakh patients

Identifying risk factors associated with smear positivity of pulmonary tuberculosis in Kazakhstan

Background Sputum smear-positive tuberculosis (TB) patients have a high risk of transmission and are of great epidemiological and infection control significance. Little is known about the smearpositive populations in high TB burden regions, such as Kazakhstan. The objective of this study is to characterize the smear-positive population in Kazakhstan and identify associated modifiable risk factors. Methods Data on incident TB cases’ (identified between April 2012 and March 2014) socio-demographic, risk behavior, and comorbidity characteristics were collected in four regions of Kazakhstan through structured survey and medical record review. We used multivariable logistic regression to determine factors associated with smear positivity. Results Of the total sample, 193 (34.3%) of the 562 study participants tested smear-positive. In the final adjusted multivariable logistic regression model, sex (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.0, 95% CI:1.3–3.1, p < 0.01), incarceration (aOR = 3.6, 95% CI:1.2–11.1, p = 0.03), alcohol dependence (aOR = 2.6, 95% CI:1.2–5.7, p = 0.02), diabetes (aOR = 5.0, 95% CI:2.4–10.7, p < 0.01), and physician access (aOR = 2.7, 95% CI:1.3–5.5p < 0.01) were associated with smear-positivity. Conclusions Incarceration, alcohol dependence, diabetes, and physician access are associated with smear positivity among incident TB cases in Kazakhstan. To stem the TB epidemic, screening, treatment and prevention policies should address these factors

Circular design : Exploration of the potentials of discarded fishing gear

Treball desenvolupat dins el marc del programa 'Circular Design: Learning for Innovative Design for Sustainability (L4IDS)'.[CASTELLÀ] Las redes de pesca desechadas son un problema establecido en Irlanda que consiste en aproximadamente 50 toneladas de redes de polietileno por año que terminan en un vertedero. Las autoridades locales identifican la falta de conocimiento sobre reprocesamiento y la falta de incentivos para que los pescadores desechen responsablemente las herramientas son los principales obstáculos. Para abordar este problema, Circular Design, Learning for Innovative Design for Sustainability ha llevado a cabo un proyecto, junto con Mamukko s.l., una empresa de up-cycling en Kinsale, con el objetivo de resolver el problema y explorar métodos de reprocesamiento rentables y ofrecer una variedad de productos para nuevas empresas siguiendo los principios de economía circular. El objetivo era introducir productos atractivos en el mercado producidos exclusivamente o parcialmente con redes de pesca de polietileno. Durante el período de tres meses, se han realizado investigaciones para identificar de material, las propiedades y futuras aplicaciones de los polímeros. Se identificaron un conjunto de desafíos de procesamiento y producción y se comentan posibles soluciones en el siguiente informe, sugiriendo productos de diferentes niveles de inversión y complejidad, que van desde pequeños artículos turísticos como posavasos y llaveros, hasta un invernadero modular con un enfoque a un sistema de reciclado de circuito cerrado.Outgoin

Distribution of Beijing Genotype Among Clinical Isolates of M. tuberculosis Circulating in Kazakhstan

Introduction. Methods of genotyping of M. tuberculosis play an important role in tuberсulosis (TB) infection control. These techniques are used to detect or exclude laboratory errors, control recurrent cases, and determine ways of TB transmission. Today, there are more than 10 methods of genotyping; MIRU-VNTR is one of the most widely used methods in the world. In this study we aimed to estimate biological diversity of clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis from different regions of Kazakhstan based on MIRU-VNTR analysis. Materials and methods. MIRU-VNTR was used to genotype 134 clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis isolated from new cases and recurrent cases of TB from different regions of Kazakhstan.  Amplification was done using 15 MIRU-VNTR loci. Determination of the number of tandem repeats in the corresponding locus was performed via Quantity One v.4.4.0 (BioRad, USA) software. H37Rv (NC_000962) reference strain was used as a positive control. Results. Phylogenic tree was built using www.miru-vntr.org web-resource based on the results of MIRU-VNTR analysis. Beijing family strains associated with drug resistance to antituberculosis drugs were prevalent among all isolates of M. tuberculosis circulating in Kazakhstan. Strains of the Beijing genotype were prevalent in both new cases (65%) and recurrent cases (89.4%) of tuberculosis. The second meaningful genotype that is spread in the territory of Kazakhstan is LAM, the frequency of distribution is 7.3% in new and 4.5% in recurrent cases. Other families of M. tuberculosis such as Ural, Haarlem, CAS, NEW-1, S were found in less than 4% of cases. Conclusion. Prevalence of Beijing family strains among all isolates of M. tuberculosis from different regions of Kazakhstan was shown. Strains of this family are prevalent among young people. This genotype is responsible for ongoing TB transmission in the present time. This genotype is more virulent; therefore, investigation of the epidemiology of the Beijing genotype plays crucial role in the monitoring of tuberculosis

Selection and framing of briefs for educational circular design projects

© 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited.Purpose: This paper aims to present key characteristics of educational design briefs for the circular economy (CE) through the analysis of 11 design briefs focussing on real-life challenges related to sustainability and the CE, developed with collaborating industry partners for four consecutive circular design internships conducted in Ireland, Catalunya, The Netherlands and Sweden. Design/methodology/approach: These four internships were conducted between September 2017 and June 2019 and each internship lasted three to four months. The supervisors for each internship collaborated with local industry partners genuinely interested in adopting sustainable business practices to develop design briefs focussing on real-life challenges they face. The briefs for each internship were developed further according to the feedback of the interns, industry partners and supervisors of previous internships. Findings: Five steps of brief making for circular design were identified as reviewing the existing resources, emphasizing the importance of systems thinking, emphasizing the importance of collaboration for the CE, focussing on circularity and communicating expectations. The paper outlines how design briefs changed throughout the consecutive internships according to the different curricula and the characteristics of an educational circular design brief. Originality/value: For design educators and researchers, the value of this paper lies in presenting the steps for the brief making of educational circular design projects. Additionally, the characteristics of circular design briefs are outlined, discussing their focus and content to act as a guide for design educators

Selection and framing of briefs for educational circular design projects

Purpose: This paper aims to present key characteristics of educational design briefs for the circular economy (CE) through the analysis of 11 design briefs focussing on real-life challenges related to sustainability and the CE, developed with collaborating industry partners for four consecutive circular design internships conducted in Ireland, Catalunya, The Netherlands and Sweden. Design/methodology/approach: These four internships were conducted between September 2017 and June 2019 and each internship lasted three to four months. The supervisors for each internship collaborated with local industry partners genuinely interested in adopting sustainable business practices to develop design briefs focussing on real-life challenges they face. The briefs for each internship were developed further according to the feedback of the interns, industry partners and supervisors of previous internships. Findings: Five steps of brief making for circular design were identified as reviewing the existing resources, emphasizing the importance of systems thinking, emphasizing the importance of collaboration for the CE, focussing on circularity and communicating expectations. The paper outlines how design briefs changed throughout the consecutive internships according to the different curricula and the characteristics of an educational circular design brief. Originality/value: For design educators and researchers, the value of this paper lies in presenting the steps for the brief making of educational circular design projects. Additionally, the characteristics of circular design briefs are outlined, discussing their focus and content to act as a guide for design educators

GENETIC VARIANTS, METABOLOME, AND GUT MICROBIOME BIOMARKERS FOR OBESITY AND AGING IN RANDOMLY SELECTED KAZAKH INDIVIDUALS

Objective: Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a cluster of inter-related and heritable metabolic traits, which collectively impart unsurpassed risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and type 2diabetes. Considerable work has been done to understand the underlying disease mechanisms by elucidating its genetic etiology. Genome, Metabolome variations and gut microbiome can predict disease risk and diagnosis and help to understand molecular pathophysiology. We aimed toassess plasma metabolom differences and gut microbiome as well as genetic variants among Kazakh population to identify and characterize the genetic, metabolic profiles and host-gut microbiota interactions. Methods: Kazakhs were recruited into study after signing of informed consent in Astana, Kazakhstan. Ultrahigh Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectroscopy (UPLC-MS/MS) (Metabolon, USA) and NGS16S rRNA gene-sequence-based methods were used. Bioinformatic and statistical analyses were performed. Results: Subjects were stratified by age (young <45y, old ≥45y), gender and BMI. 853 different biochemical indicators of the main pathways for the metabolism were identified in plasma. Results demonstrate alterations in various metabolic pathways in older participants compared to younger subjects. Metabolic differences included changes in metabolites associated with the metabolism of fatty acids, steroidogenesis, secondary carnitine metabolism, inflammation and oxidative stress. Microbiomes of older persons are characterized by a high level of microorganisms involved in the processing of plant substrates, butyrate- producing bacteria and also has higher values of opportunistic microorganisms, representatives of the Tenericutes family. The biodiversity index of the microbiome of older persons is reduced in comparison with the biodiversity index in younger participants. This may indicate the influence on the microbiome characteristics of such factors as genotype, nutrition, lifestyle.Genetic risk factors associated with the obesity and hypertension were identified. Conclusions: Understanding plasma metabolome and gut microbiome is essential to the development of future personalized strategies of healthcare. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been widely utilized albeit with modest success in identifying variants that are associated with more than two metabolic traits. Further studies with detailed analysis are needed to clarify host-gut genetic and metbolome interactions. Study was supported by a grant from the Ministry Education and Science, Republic of Kazakhstan (BR05236508)

THE EVALUATION OF CHROMOSOME TELOMERE LENGTH CHANGE AS A CRITERION OF LIFE EXPECTANCY IN BARIATRIC PRACTICE

In recent decades, the prevalence of obesity has been steadily increasing in most countries of the world. Overweight is a risk factor for a wide range of endocrine, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, metabolic, neoplastic and musculoskeletal disorders and diseases. As you know, obesity is a state of chronic inflammation and severe oxidative stress, which will certainly affect the length of the chromosome telomeres. The dynamics of telomere length changes plays a decisive role in the regulation of cellu lar processes and cellular changes. Damage to telomeres, chromatin structures that help maintain the stability of the genome, leads to cell death or aging. However, information on how telomere length changes after weight loss through bariatric surgery remains limited to date. There are several types of bariatric surgery, each of which has its advantages and disadvantages. Based on this, it is possible that the restoration of the telomere length will differ depending on the technique used. This review de scribes the mechanisms for shortening leukocyte telomeres, and how bariatric surgery can affect this. The review also includes an analysis of evidence linking obesity and accelerated aging processes, as they are regulated by telomere

Whole-Genome Sequence-Based Characterization of Pre-XDR <i>M. tuberculosis</i> Clinical Isolates Collected in Kazakhstan

Background: Kazakhstan has a high burden of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in the Central Asian region. This study aimed to perform genomic characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains obtained from Kazakhstani patients with pre-extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis diagnosed in Kazakhstan. Methods: Whole-genome sequencing was performed on 10 pre-extensively drug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains from different regions of Kazakhstan. All strains had high-confidence resistance mutations according to the resistance grading system previously established by the World Health Organization. The genome analysis was performed using TB-Profiler, Mykrobe, CASTB, and ResFinder. Results: Valuable information for understanding the genetic diversity of tuberculosis in Kazakhstan can also be obtained from whole-genome sequencing. The results from the Phenotypic Drug Susceptibility Testing (DST) of bacterial strains were found to be consistent with the drug resistance information obtained from genomic data that characterized all isolates as pre-XDR. This information can help in developing targeted prevention and control strategies based on the local epidemiology of tuberculosis. Furthermore, the data obtained from whole-genome sequencing can help in tracing the transmission pathways of tuberculosis and facilitating early detection of outbreaks. Conclusions: The results from whole-genome sequencing of tuberculosis clinical samples in Kazakhstan provide important insights into the drug resistance patterns and genetic diversity of tuberculosis in the country. These results can contribute to the improvement of tuberculosis control and management programs in Kazakhstan