The Low Energy Spectrum of Cosmic Rays as an Indicator of Primary Source Characteristics and Interstellar Propagation

Low energy spectrum of cosmic rays as indicator of primary source characteristics and interstellar propagatio

Motivation: key to a healthy lifestyle in people with diabetes? Current and emerging knowledge and applications

Aim Motivation to take up and maintain a healthy lifestyle is key to diabetes prevention and management. Motivations are driven by factors on the psychological, biological and environmental levels, which have each been studied extensively in various lines of research over the past 25 years. Here, we analyse and reflect on current and emerging knowledge on motivation in relation to lifestyle behaviours, with a focus on people with diabetes or obesity. Structured according to psychological, (neuro‐)biological and broader environmental levels, we provide a scoping review of the literature and highlight frameworks used to structure motivational concepts. Results are then put in perspective of applicability in (clinical) practice. Results Over the past 25 years, research focusing on motivation has grown exponentially. Social–cognitive and self‐determination theories have driven research on the key motivational concepts ‘self‐efficacy’ and ‘self‐determination’. Neuro‐cognitive research has provided insights in the processes that are involved across various layers of a complex cortical network of motivation, reward and cognitive control. On an environmental – more upstream – level, motivations are influenced by characteristics in the built, social, economic and policy environments at various scales, which have provided entry points for environmental approaches influencing behaviour. Conclusions Current evidence shows that motivation is strongly related to a person's self‐efficacy and capability to initiate and maintain healthy choices, and to a health climate that supports autonomous choices. Some approaches targeting motivations have been shown to be promising, but more research is warranted to sustainably reduce the burden of diabetes in individuals and populations

Influence of different protecting groups on the regioselectivity of the hydrotelluration reaction of hydroxy alkynes

The influence of protecting groups on the synthesis of regio- and stereodefined vinyl tellurides derived from the reaction of BuTeNa and propargylic- or homo-propargylic alcohols showed that TIPS silyl ether is useful as a regiodirecting group. The application of the methodology to the synthesis of a fragment of (±)-Seselidiol, a natural product, demonstrated the applicability of the new methodology

Worldwide Disseminated IncX4 Plasmid Carrying mcr-1 Arrives to Wild Mammal in Portugal

The mcr-1 gene spread is worldwide recognized as a public health threat at multidrug-resistant infections therapy level. Here, we report for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, the detection of the globally distributed IncX4 plasmid carrying mcr-1 (mcr-1/IncX4) in Escherichia coli isolated from a wild mammal in Portugal and Europe. This plasmid was found in a ST533 E. coli isolate with a multidrug-resistant profile, virulence potential, and possibly phylogenetically related to human isolates. Our work contributes to highlight the importance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance in wildlife, an important compartment of the whole ecosystem often overlooked in the fight against AMR. IMPORTANCE Colistin resistance mediated by plasmids is recognized worldwide as an emergency problem connected with the whole ecosystem, since is well described in the interface of the human-animal-environment. The plasmid IncX4 is reported as one of the most prevalent plasmids harboring the gene mcr-1. On an European scale the plasmid IncX4 carrying mcr-1 has been described in humans, the environment, and animals, including wildlife, but only in wild birds. This study shows the first report of the plasmid IncX4 harboring mcr-1 in a wild mammal in Portugal and Europe, identified in a ST533 E. coli commensal that is, curiously, more related to isolates from humans than from livestock. Our findings show that the plasmid IncX4 harboring mcr-1 is well established in a colistin resistance drive embracing the whole ecosystem.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A walk on the wild side: Wild ungulates as potential reservoirs of multi-drug resistant bacteria and genes, including Escherichia coli harbouring CTX-M beta-lactamases

Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBL)-producing Enterobacterales have been classified as critical priority pathogens by the World Health Organization (WHO). ESBL are universally distributed and, in 2006, were firstly reported on a wild animal. Understanding the relative contributions of wild animals to ESBL circulation in the environment is urgently needed. In this work, we have conducted a nationwide study in Portugal to investigate the occurrence of bacteria carrying clinically significant antimicrobial resistance genes (ARG), using widely distributed wild ungulates as model species. A total of 151 antimicrobial resistant-Enterobacterales isolates were detected from 181 wild ungulates: 50% (44/88) of isolates from wild boar (Sus scrofa), 40.3% (25/62) from red deer (Cervus elaphus), 41.4% (12/29) from fallow deer (Dama dama) and 100% (2/2) from mouflon (Ovis aries subsp. musimon). Selected isolates showed a diversified resistance profile, with particularly high values corresponding to ampicillin (71.5%) and tetracycline (63.6%). Enterobacterales strains carried blaTEM, tetA, tetB, sul2, sul1 or dfrA1 ARG genes. They also carried blaCTX-M-type genes, which are prevalent in human infections, namely CTX-M-14, CTX-M-15 and CTX-M-98. Strikingly, this is the first report of CTX-M-98 in wildlife. Almost 40% (n = 59) of Enterobacterales were multi-drug resistant. The diversity of plasmids carried by ESBL isolates was remarkable, including IncF, K and P. This study highlights the potential role of wild ungulates as environmental reservoirs of CTX-M ESBL-producing E. coli and in the spill-over of AMR bacteria and their determinants. Our findings suggest that wild ungulates are useful as strategic sentinel species of AMR in terrestrial environments, especially in response to potential sources of anthropogenic pollution, providing early warning of potential risks to human, animal and environmental health.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Emergence and Spread of Cephalosporinases in Wildlife: A Review

In the last decade, detection of antibiotic resistant bacteria from wildlife has received increasing interest, due to the potential risk posed by those bacteria to wild animals, livestock or humans at the interface with wildlife, and due to the ensuing contamination of the environment. According toWorld Health Organization, cephalosporins are critically important antibiotics to human health. However, acquired resistance to -lactams is widely distributed and is mainly mediated by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase and AmpC beta-lactamases, such as cephalosporinases. This work thus aimed to compile and analyse the information available on the emergence and dissemination of cephalosporinases in wildlife worldwide. Results suggest a serious scenario, with reporting of cephalosporinases in 46 countries from all continents (52% in Europe), across 188 host species, mainly birds and mammals, especially gulls and ungulates. The most widely reported cephalosporinases, CTX-M-1, CTX-M-14, CTX-M-15 and CMY-2, were also the most common in wild animals, in agreement with their ubiquity in human settings, including their association to high-risk clones of Escherichia coli (E. coli), such as the worldwide distributed CTX-M-15/ST131 E. coli. Altogether, our findings show that anthropogenic activities affect the whole ecosystem and that public policies pro-moting animal and environmental surveillance, as well as mitigation measures to avoid antimicrobial misuse and AMR spread, are urgently needed to be out in practise.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Emergence of colistin resistance genes (mcr-1) in Escherichia coli among widely distributed wild ungulates

The environment is considered a major reservoir of antimicrobial resistant microorganisms (AMR) and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARG). Colistin, a “last resort” antibiotic, is used for the treatment of severe infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. The global dissemination of mobile colistin resistance genes (mcr) in natural and non-natural environments is a major setback in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. Hitherto, there is a limited number of studies screening this resistance determinant in bacteria from wildlife. In this study, we describe for the first time the detection of plasmid-mediated colistin resistance in Escherichia coli from wild ungulates in Portugal, which are also widely distributed across Europe. This information is critical to identify the importance of ungulates in the dissemination of resistant bacteria, and their corresponding genes, across the environment. Here, 151 resistant-Enterobacteriaceae isolated from 181 samples collected from different wild ungulate species throughout Portugal were screened for mcr genes. Four mcr-1-positive Escherichia coli were detected from four fallow deer individuals that were sampled in the same hunting ground. These four isolates harboured mcr-1-related IncP plasmids belonging to sequencing types ST155, ST533 and ST345 (n = 2), suggesting bacterial and/or plasmid circulation. All mcr-1-positive E. coli also showed other resistance phenotypes, including MDR, including the B1 commensal phylogenetic profile. All mcr-1-positive E. coli show additional resistance phenotypes, including MDR, including the B1 commensal phylogenetic profile. Our findings are upsetting, highlighting the global dissemination of colistin resistance genes in the whole ecosystem, which, under the One Health framework, emphasizes the urgent need for effective implementation of AMR surveillance and control in the human-animal-environment interfaces.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mapping the scientific knowledge of antimicrobial resistance in food-producing animals

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) can be highlighted as one of the most significant health concerns among the last decades, for which antimicrobial drug use in food-producing animals has contributed as one of the major drivers. Food-producing animals are one of the most important and rapidly expanding commercial agricultural sectors worldwide but there is currently limited knowledge on the temporal and geographical distribution of scientific research on antimicrobial resistance in food-producing animals. We provide a global overview of the spatial and temporal trends of scientific knowledge on AMR in food-producing animals. Peer-reviewed papers of AMR on food-producing animals were retrieved from the Web of Science, systemized and dissected. The final validated dataset contained 1341 occurrences observations covering the 1957–2018 period. There has been a shift of research efforts, both geographically and temporally, emphasizing regional differences in food animal production and changing practices in the food production industry. It becomes evident that many regions have been poorly surveyed, wherein intensified sampling and testing efforts should be most valuable. This systematization of knowledge will be crucial in helping to determine how to optimally allocate limited resources available for AMR monitor and control, aiding in the prediction where the threat of new resistant infections will be greatest. AMR research in food-producing animals in developing countries is markedly growing, reflecting changes in food animals production systems but also posing a particularly significant threat, not only due to intensive animal production, but also exacerbated by poor sanitation. We highlight that the use of antibiotics in food producing animals is pervasive, calling for urgent action. These findings raise the possibility to finetuning key priorities on AMR global issues.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio