The listeriosis triangle: Pathogen, host and the environment

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen well known for its adaptability to diverse environment and host niches and its high fatality rate among infected immunocompromised populations. Infection in the immunocompetent host occurs but risk factors for the disease primarily points to abnormalities in cell-mediated and innate immunity as major predispositions to listeriosis. After ingestion of contaminated food, this pathogen is able to cross the intestinal, blood-brain and placental barrier and leads to gastroenteritis, meningitis and maternofetal infections which may result in abortion and spontaneous stillbirth. Despite the extensive use of this bacterium in the study of cell-mediated immunity and intracellular growth, our understanding of the host, pathogen and environmental factors that impact the pathogenesis of listeriosis is still incomplete. This review will summarize current knowledge, including our own efforts, about pathogen, host and environmental factors that influence, and contribute to the pathogenesis of Listeria monocytogenes infection

THE IMPACT OF HYPOGLYCEMIA AND EPA AND DHA SUPPLEMENTATION ON BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR LEVEL IN PREGNANT WOMEN WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES: A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

Background: In addition to its neuroprotective effect, Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) also plays a role in glucose and lipid metabolism. This study aims: a) to find changes in the BDNF concentration during pregnancy in type 1 diabetes. b) to prove the effect of DHA and EPA supplementation on changes in BDNF concentrations c) to investigate the impact of hypoglycemia on BDNF concentration. Subjects and methods: The data from this study were from the PRE-HYPO cohort study. Twenty-one of them were on a standard diabetic diet enriched with EPA and DHA (EPA 120 mg/day and DHA 616 mg/day; Exposed group), and nineteen pregnant diabetic women were on the standard diabetic diet without EPA and DHA supplementation (Non-exposed group). In the first trimester of pregnancy, fift .9 mmol/L; HYPO+ group), and twenty-five pregnant women did not have hypoglycemia episodes (HYPO- group). Results: BDNF concentration significantly decreased during pregnancy from the first to the third trimester, in Non-exposed from 25.1 (22.0-30.2) to 22.1 (16.3-28.2), P<0.05, in the Exposed group from 22.1 (19.8-25.9) to 18.1 (14.8-18.9), P<0.01. Pregnant patients with hypoglycemia episodes (HYPO+ subgroup) had significantly higher BDNF in the third trimester of pregnancy [22.5 (20.6-28.4)] when compared with patients who did not develop hypoglycemia [16.3 (14.3-18.8), P<0.001]. In the third trimester of pregnancy, BDNF and n-6 PUFAs were associated with hypoglycemia (OR 1.818 95 % CI 1.079-3.003, P=0.025; OR 1.103 95 % CI 1.001-1.217, P=0.048). Total F.A.s were inversely associated with hypoglycemia (OR 0.969 95% CI 0.939-0.998, P=0.048). Conclusion: Pregnant women with hypoglycemia (HYPO+ group) had higher concentrations of BDNF in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy compared to those without hypoglycemia. An increase in body weight during pregnancy leads to a decrease in BDNF concentration

THE IMPACT OF HYPOGLYCEMIA AND EPA AND DHA SUPPLEMENTATION ON BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR LEVEL IN PREGNANT WOMEN WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES: A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

Background: In addition to its neuroprotective effect, Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) also plays a role in glucose and lipid metabolism. This study aims: a) to find changes in the BDNF concentration during pregnancy in type 1 diabetes. b) to prove the effect of DHA and EPA supplementation on changes in BDNF concentrations c) to investigate the impact of hypoglycemia on BDNF concentration. Subjects and methods: The data from this study were from the PRE-HYPO cohort study. Twenty-one of them were on a standard diabetic diet enriched with EPA and DHA (EPA 120 mg/day and DHA 616 mg/day; Exposed group), and nineteen pregnant diabetic women were on the standard diabetic diet without EPA and DHA supplementation (Non-exposed group). In the first trimester of pregnancy, fift .9 mmol/L; HYPO+ group), and twenty-five pregnant women did not have hypoglycemia episodes (HYPO- group). Results: BDNF concentration significantly decreased during pregnancy from the first to the third trimester, in Non-exposed from 25.1 (22.0-30.2) to 22.1 (16.3-28.2), P<0.05, in the Exposed group from 22.1 (19.8-25.9) to 18.1 (14.8-18.9), P<0.01. Pregnant patients with hypoglycemia episodes (HYPO+ subgroup) had significantly higher BDNF in the third trimester of pregnancy [22.5 (20.6-28.4)] when compared with patients who did not develop hypoglycemia [16.3 (14.3-18.8), P<0.001]. In the third trimester of pregnancy, BDNF and n-6 PUFAs were associated with hypoglycemia (OR 1.818 95 % CI 1.079-3.003, P=0.025; OR 1.103 95 % CI 1.001-1.217, P=0.048). Total F.A.s were inversely associated with hypoglycemia (OR 0.969 95% CI 0.939-0.998, P=0.048). Conclusion: Pregnant women with hypoglycemia (HYPO+ group) had higher concentrations of BDNF in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy compared to those without hypoglycemia. An increase in body weight during pregnancy leads to a decrease in BDNF concentration

Survival of bacteria on dry surfaces in the hospital environment

Prijenos uzročnika infekcija rukama bolničkog osoblja vodeći je način prijenosa bolničkih infekcija. Uzročnici infekcija na ruke mogu dospjeti izravnim kontaktom osoblja s pacijentom, ali i kontaktom s različitim površinama u zdravstvenoj ustanovi. Bakterije koje su najčešći uzročnici bolničkih infekcija mogu mjesecima preživjeti na različitim površinama i materijalima koji tako mogu postati kontinuirani izvor zaraze za pacijente i osoblje u bolnici. U radu je opisano kako sušenje utječe na bakterijsku stanicu, navedeni su mehanizmi pomoću kojih pojedine bakterijske vrste uspješno preživljavaju u suhom okolišu, a objašnjeno je i kako različiti okolišni uvjeti utječu na preživljavanje bakterija u bolničkoj sredini. Navedeni su rezultati ispitivanja osjetljivosti na sušenje nekih češćih bakterijskih uzročnika bolničkih infekcija. Poznavanje čimbenika koji olakšavaju preživljavanja bakterija izloženih sušenju omogućuje izbor učinkovitih mjera dezinfekcije i sterilizacije kojima će se uništiti otporne vrste u zdravstvenim ustanovama, naročito bolnicama.Hand-transmission of microorganisms, mostly bacteria, by the hospital staff is the leading mode of transmission of nosocomial infections. Microorganisms can reach hands through direct contact with the patient but also through contacts with different surfaces in a medical institution. Bacteria that are the most common causes of nosocomial infections can survive for months on a variety of surfaces and materials, and in this way become a continuous source of infection to patients and hospital staff. The paper describes how desiccation affects the bacterial cell, the mechanisms by which bacteria successfully survive in a dry environment and how different environmental conditions affect the survival of bacteria in hospital settings. The sensitivity to desiccation of the most common bacterial causes of nosocomial infections is also described. Knowledge of the factors that facilitate the survival of bacteria exposed to desiccation enables selection of appropriate disinfectant and sterilization method for use in health care facilities

Littoral mayfly assemblages in South-East European man-made lakes

Man-made freshwater habitats have been widely used to successfully modify the environment for human benefit, including purposes of irrigation, flood control or electricity generation. Over the past decade, our knowledge about the mayfly fauna and its ecology in South-East Europe has been growing, yet the data related to lentic assemblages remain very scarce. In this study, littoral mayfly assemblages were investigated at artificial and heavily modified lentic habitats in the Dinaric Western Balkan (n=21) and Pannonian Lowland (n=15) ecoregions. Mayfly nymphs were sampled during the summer months of 2016 or 2017. At each sampling site, ten samples were collected using a benthos hand net. A total of 21 mayfly species were recorded, though species richness per site was rather low (i.e., between zero and seven species). Cloeon dipterum (Linnaeus, 1761) was the most frequent species recorded, while Caenis horaria Linnaeus, 1758 was the most abundant. This study showed that the Croatian mayfly fauna is still growing, with the first record of Siphlonurus aestivalis Eaton, 1903 for the country. The assemblage structure was mainly dominated by lower reaches and lentic (potamal and littoral) elements and detritivores (gatherers/collectors and active filter feeders). Orthophosphates and chemical oxygen demand had the highest influence on mayfly assemblages, reflecting a higher level of pollution at sites in the Pannonian Lowland ecoregion, and consequently markedly lower mayfly abundances. As mayflies are widely used as bioindicators of freshwater ecosystems, detailed information about their assemblages in heavily modified and artificial habitats could contribute to future conservation activities of freshwater habitats and their communities. Additionally, these results could be applied in creating a monitoring system for artificial lakes according to the requirements of the European Water Framework Directive

Photon blockade in two-emitter-cavity systems

The photon blockade (PB) effect in emitter-cavity systems depends on the anharmonicity of the ladder of dressed energy eigenstates. The recent developments in color center photonics are leading toward experimental demonstrations of multiemitter-cavity solid-state systems with an expanded set of energy levels compared to the traditionally studied single-emitter systems. We focus on the case of N=2 nonidentical quasiatoms strongly coupled to a nanocavity in the bad cavity regime (with parameters within reach of the color center systems), and discover three PB mechanisms: polaritonic, subradiant, and unconventional. The polaritonic PB, which is the conventional mechanism studied in single-emitter-cavity systems, also occurs at the polariton frequencies in multiemitter systems. The subradiant PB is a new interference effect owing to the inhomogeneous broadening of the emitters which results in a purer and a more robust single-photon emission than the polaritonic PB. The unconventional PB in the modeled system corresponds to the suppression of the single- and two-photon correlation statistics and the enhancement of the three-photon correlation statistic. Using the effective Hamiltonian approach, we unravel the origin and the time-domain evolution of these phenomena

Društvene mreže i zdravlje

Društvene mreže, kao vrsta internetskog servisa i novi medij, služile su u prvom redu povezivanju i međusobnoj komunikaciji. S vremenom se pokazalo da osim pozitivnih učinaka društvene mreže donose i niz po zdravlje negativnih učinaka. Žrtve takvog negativnog utjecaja ponajprije su maloljetnici koji zbog svojega psihosocijalnoga razvoja još uvijek nisu u mogućnosti otkriti sve zamke koje Internet stavlja pred njih. Kod djece se tako javlja ovisnost o Internetu koja vodi u mnoge druge zdravstvene probleme. članak se usredotočuje na Y generaciju koja se rađa i odrasta u blagodatima modernog doba. Poglavlje o medijskom odgoju bavi se problemom internetske ovisnosti i načinima njezina rješavanja i prevencije

Devijantno ponašanje maloljetnika i uloga obitelji

Maloljetnička delikvencija je nedruštveno i protudruštveno ponašanje u razvojnom periodu, a odraz je poremećenog biološkog, psihološkog i socijalnog razvoja. Ponašanje svakog djeteta rezultat je genetskih/bioloških, socijalnih i okolinskih faktora. Utjecaj obitelji na delikventno ponašanje možemo podijeliti na skupine rizičnih utjecaja u obiteljskom okruženju - odnos između roditelja i djece, roditeljski odgojni stilovi, jednoroditeljske obitelji i sociopatološke pojave u obitelji. Da bi dijete izraslo u sigurnu, zadovoljnu i zdravu osobu potrebno je da mu njegovo obiteljsko okruženje pruža osjećaj sigurnosti, zadovoljstva, radosti i sreće