Lipoarabinomannan-based Tuberculosis Diagnosis using a Fiber Cavity Ring Down Biosensor

Despite existing for millennia, tuberculosis (TB) remains a persistent global health challenge. A significant obstacle in controlling TB spread is the need for a rapid, portable, sensitive, and accurate diagnostic test. Currently, sputum culture stands as a benchmark test for TB diagnosis. Although highly reliable, it necessitates advanced laboratory facilities and involves considerable testing time. In this context, we present a rapid, portable, and cost-effective optical fiber sensor designed to measure lipoarabinomannan (LAM), a TB biomarker found in patients' urine samples. Our sensing approach is based on the applications of phase shift-cavity ringdown spectroscopy (PS-CRDS) to an optical fiber cavity created by two fiber Bragg gratings. A tapered fiber is spliced inside the optical cavity to serve as the sensing head. We functionalize the tapered fiber surface with anti-LAM antigen CS-35 through a unique chemistry, creating a strong affinity for LAM molecules. We measure the phase difference between the cavity transmission and the reference modulating signal at the cavity output. The measured phase is directly proportional to the injected LAM concentrations in aqueous solutions over the sensing head. Our demonstrated sensor provides a detection limit of 10 pg/mL and a sensitivity of 2.6$^\circ$/ng/mL. This sensor holds promise for numerous applications in the healthcare sector, particularly in low-resource settings.Comment: This paper is submitted to Biomedical Optics Express on 28 Dec 202

COVID-19 Crowd Detection

Object detection was introduced by researchers for face detection. Researchers explain how the detected face is divided into minor frames to be recognized by the algorithm. Due to COVID-19 and government regulations, many people face problems going to shopping centers and shop safely. It has been very hard for both the government and the people to manage social distancing. In our study, we developed a system using Raspberry Pi-4 that will detect the distance between people along with counting the number of distance and mask violations. An error message will appear on the screen in red, showing the total number of distance and mask violations, which could later be used by the customer as statistical evidence for better safety precautions

Organization Performance Influenced by the BSD and Consultative Management Style

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship among Balanced Scorecard, consultative management style, participative management style and organization size with organizational performance. All the variables are highly correlated with each other. This is an empirical study and data is collected from 100 respondents of service sector from Azad Kashmir. We used five likert scales to collect data from the respondents and data analyzed through SPSS. The result showed that there is a significant positive correlation among variables. This study also indicates that effective management style is necessary for improving the performance of organization. The result indicates that Balanced Scorecard has significant impact on performance of organization. Organization use BSC to handle the complexity and challenges that management faces during their operations. The collection of data is from small area due to time constraint. In the future comparative study can be done with other organizations for better analysis of results

Fabrication of dual drug loaded bilayered chitosan based composite scaffolds as osteochondral substitutes and evaluation of in vitro cell response using the MC3T3 pre-osteoblast cell line

Osteochondral defects are relatively common in weight-bearing joints of the lower extremities and require multiple approaches of treatment. This work is focused on designing three-dimensional (3D) bilayered scaffolds fully integrating a top chitosan/hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose layer (CS/HPMC) mimicking cartilage and a bottom chitosan/hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose/nano-hydroxyapatite layer (CS/HPMC/nHAp) imitating bone for the treatment of osteochondral defects prepared by freeze drying. Additionally, an anti-inflammatory drug (in the bottom layer) and an antibiotic drug (in the top layer) are incorporated in the form of microspheres and nanofibers, respectively, into these scaffolds to diminish/prevent post-surgical inflammation/infection through sustained release of the drugs. The scaffolds were characterized by a variety of techniques. FT-IR analysis confirmed that there is no/weak interactions between the components, SEM images showed that both layers of the scaffolds have homogenous pore distribution, and scaffolds exhibited reproducible swelling and degradation behavior. Drug release was shown to take place over a period of 14 days in PBS. The scaffolds supported the growth and proliferation of MC3T3 pre-osteoblast cells in vitro and have potential for use in vivo application in the future

Switching Transport through Nanopores with pH-Responsive Polymer Brushes for Controlled Ion Permeability

Several nanoporous platforms were functionalized with pH-responsive poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) brushes using surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP). The growth of the PMAA brush and its pH-responsive behavior from the nanoporous platforms were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The swelling behavior of the pH-responsive PMAA brushes grafted only from the nanopore walls was investigated by AFM in aqueous liquid environment with pH values of 4 and 8. AFM images displayed open nanopores at pH 4 and closed ones at pH 8, which rationalizes their use as gating platforms. Ion conductivity across the nanopores was investigated with current–voltage measurements at various pH values. Enhanced higher resistance across the nanopores was observed in a neutral polymer brush state (lower pH values) and lower resistance when the brush was charged (higher pH values). By adding a fluorescent dye in an environment of pH 4 or pH 8 at one side of the PMAA-brush functionalized nanopore array chips, diffusion across the nanopores was followed. These experiments displayed faster diffusion rates of the fluorescent molecules at pH 4 (PMAA neutral state, open pores) and slower diffusion at pH 8 (PMAA charged state, closed pores) showing the potential of this technology toward nanoscale valve applications

Binding enhancements of antibody functionalized natural and synthetic fibers

Development of low cost biosensing using convenient and environmentally benign materials is important for wide adoption and ultimately improved healthcare and sustainable development. Immobilized antibodies are often incorporated as an essential biorecognition element in point-of-care biosensors but these proteins are costly. We present a strategy of combining convenient and low-cost surface functionalization approaches for increasing the overall binding activity of antibody functionalized natural and synthetic fibers. We demonstrate a simple one-step in situ silica NP growth protocol for increasing the surface area available for functionalization on cotton and polyester fabrics as well as on nanoporous cellulose substrates. Comparing this effect with the widely adopted and low cost plant-based polyphenol coating to enhance antibody immobilization, we find that both approaches can similarly increase overall surface activity, and we illustrate conditions under which the two approaches can produce an additive effect. Furthermore, we introduce co-immobilization of antibodies with a sacrificial “steric helper” protein for further enhancing surface activities. In combination, several hundred percent higher activities compared to physical adsorption can be achieved while maintaining a low amount of antibodies used, thus paving a practical path towards low cost biosensing

Body composition from birth to 2 years

Providing all infants with the best start to life is a universal but challenging goal for the global community. Historically, the size and shape of infants, quantified by anthropometry and commencing with birthweight, has been the common yardstick for physical growth and development. Anthropometry has long been considered a proxy for nutritional status during infancy when, under ideal circumstances, changes in size and shape are most rapid. Developed from data collected in the Multicentre Growth Reference Study (MGRS), WHO Child Growth Standards for healthy infants and children have been widely accepted and progressively adopted. In contrast, and somewhat surprisingly, much less is understood about the ‘quality’ of growth as reflected by body composition during infancy. Recent advances in body composition assessment, including the more widespread use of air displacement plethysmography (ADP) across the first months of life, have contributed to a progressive increase in our knowledge and understanding of growth and development. Along with stable isotope approaches, most commonly the deuterium dilution (DD) technique, the criterion measure of total body water (TBW), our ability to quantify lean and fat tissue using a two-compartment model, has been greatly enhanced. However, until now, global reference charts for the body composition of healthy infants have been lacking. This paper details some of the historical challenges associated with the assessment of body composition across the first two years of life, and references the logical next steps in growth assessments, including reference charts

An exploration of young people's, parent/carers', and professionals' experiences of a voluntary sector organisation operating a Youth Information, Advice, and Counselling (YIAC) model in a disadvantaged area

BACKGROUND: The present evaluation explored young people’s, parents/carers, and healthcare professionals’ perceptions of the Youth Information, Advice and Counselling (YIAC) model operated by a voluntary sector organisation in North West England. With an aim to understand the key components that contribute to enhancing the success of the YIAC model. METHOD: Semi-structured interviews and focus groups with young people, parents/carers, and healthcare professionals were conducted. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Five main themes were identified from the data: 1) Accessibility and flexibility; 2) Non-clinical model and environment; 3) Staff; 4) Partnership working; and 5) Promotion of positive mental health and wellbeing. CONCLUSION: Findings highlight the importance of non-clinical, community-based, ‘one-stop-shop’ hubs for young people in disadvantaged areas. The key components highlighted as facilitating access and engagement include: opportunity to self-refer, choice of location, timely provision of support, non-clinical environment, age appropriate services, a non-hierarchical workforce, inclusive support for family and carers, a focus on wider, often social, issues, and collaboration with partner organisations. These findings suggest that early support hubs for young people’s mental health should have consistent, long-term funding and should exist in every local area. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-022-07800-1

Multi-drug resistance and biofilm production among diarrheagenic Escherichia coli pathotypes isolated from stools of children with acute diarrheal disease

Background. Diarrheagenic E. coli (DEC) is an etiological agent of childhood diarrhea. Resistance against commonly used drugs in the empirical treatment of enteric infections has increased among DEC. Relationship between antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation in microorganisms have been widely reported. This study was aimed to determine the antibiotic resistance and biofilm production pattern among DEC pathotypes isolated from stools of children aged 0–5 years with acute diarrheal disease in Abakaliki, Nigeria. Materials and methods. Diarrheal stool samples were obtained from 60 children and E. coli were isolated and identified using standard guidelines provided for laboratory diagnosis of enteric pathogens. Molecular identification was done by amplification of E. coli universal stress protein A (uspA) using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Detection of virulent genes of DEC pathotypes was performed in a group of multiplex PCR using their specific primers. Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method was used to determine the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of the isolates while biofilms production was detected by thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide dye in a 96-well plate. Results. DEC was isolated in 40 stools among which EIEC [40% (n = 16)] was commonly detected followed by ETEC [30% (n = 12)], EAEC [20% (n = 8)] and typical EPEC [10% (n = 4)]. Half of EAEC showed the highest multidrug resistance against ampicillin, cefoxitin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and tetracycline with the strongest biofilm production followed by all the EPEC which were resistant to ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and tetracycline with moderate biofilm production. All the LT-ETEC exhibited the least resistance to ampicillin and tetracycline with the weakest biofilm production. Conclusion. High frequency of the EIEC pathotype suggests its role as the primary etiological agent of diarrhea in children. Correlation between high drug resistance and biofilm production among the pathotype may indicate that biofilms may provide compatible uptake of resistance genes