Production of PHB from Chicory Roots - Comparison of Three Cupriavidus necator Strains

Chicory roots from hydroponic salad cultivation are an abundant food residue in Navarra (Spain) that are underutilized to date. Aiming at a holistic utilization of resources, we report here the first process using chicory root hydrolysate for the production of poly([R]-3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB). The polymer can be used for packaging material made for the locally produced vegetables. In the first step, we developed a pre-treatment process to obtain a hydrolysate, which contained 34 g L-1 sugars and 0.7 g L-1 total Kjeldahl nitrogen. This hydrolysate was used as fermentation substrate for three PHB-producing strains. Cupriavidus necator DSM 428 reached a dry biomass concentration of 11.3 g L-1 with a PHB content of 66 % in dry mass within 5 days. C. necator DSM 531 yielded 3.5 g L-1 dry biomass containing 46 % PHB within the same period. C. necator DSM 545 was superior over the other two in that 14.0 g L-1 of biomass containing 78 % PHB after only 3 days were obtained. These results show that even within the same species, the productivities on natural substrates are very different. The produced polymers were extracted using chloroform, and several thermo-physical parameters are in good accordance with published data. Overall, our holistic approach and the encouraging results prove that chicory roots are a viable fermentation substrate for PHB-production.This work was conducted as a part of the LEAD-ERA Project CARBIO, which was financed by the Basque Goverment and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the European Union

Detección de efecto adverso a benzodiacepinas de vida media larga en paciente anciano, optimización de la farmacoterapia desde la farmacia comunitaria.

Pciente de 96 años que desde hace una semana sufre un desequilibrio en su estado de salud que alerta a sus familiares, sufre un cuadro de letárgia, pérdida del equilibrio y una caida la noche anterior al intentar ir al aseo. Se decide derivan a la apciente al servicio de seguimiento farmacoterapéutico de la oficina de fármacia. La paciente presenta un cuadro de hipotensión, pérdida del equilibrio, mareos y caidas posiblemente causados por el fármaco antihipertensivo que toma. Se recomienda valorar la necesidad de la benzodiacepina que toma la paciente y pensar en cambiarla por otra benzodiacepina de acción corta, como zolpidem o zoplicona, para evitar la sedación excesiva durante el día. El médico acepta nuestras sugerencias. Se le reduce la dosis del fármaco antihipertensivo y se le cambia a una benzodiacepina de acción corta. La paciente ya no sufre mareos, pérdidas del equilibrio ni caidas y las cifras de presión arterial están en rangos adecuados

Detección de efecto adverso a benzodiacepinas de vida media larga en paciente anciano, optimización de la farmacoterapia desde la farmacia comunitaria.

Pciente de 96 años que desde hace una semana sufre un desequilibrio en su estado de salud que alerta a sus familiares, sufre un cuadro de letárgia, pérdida del equilibrio y una caida la noche anterior al intentar ir al aseo. Se decide derivan a la apciente al servicio de seguimiento farmacoterapéutico de la oficina de fármacia. La paciente presenta un cuadro de hipotensión, pérdida del equilibrio, mareos y caidas posiblemente causados por el fármaco antihipertensivo que toma. Se recomienda valorar la necesidad de la benzodiacepina que toma la paciente y pensar en cambiarla por otra benzodiacepina de acción corta, como zolpidem o zoplicona, para evitar la sedación excesiva durante el día. El médico acepta nuestras sugerencias. Se le reduce la dosis del fármaco antihipertensivo y se le cambia a una benzodiacepina de acción corta. La paciente ya no sufre mareos, pérdidas del equilibrio ni caidas y las cifras de presión arterial están en rangos adecuados

The Vehicle, Fall 2004

Table of Contents Six-Billion to One AgainstRyan Maneypage 5 May 25th, 2004Megan Rankinpage 6 Summer DeliveryAnthony Shootpage 7 A Young Family, Smithland, Kentucky. October 1935.Clementinepage 8 UntitledJonathan M. Cookpage 9 October 23, 2021Ryan Maneypage 10 Last NightKaty Dwigginspage 11 UntitledMegan Rankinpage 12 Clever DisguiseSarah Johnsonpage 13 conspiracy against grandmaClementinepage 14 ThunderKitty Apodacapage 15 UntitledJonathan M. Cookpage 16 Self PortraitAnnette Carlinpage 17 LeavesAnthony Shootpage 18 UntitledKaty Dwigginspage 19 The Woman I Almost UnderstoodGreg Lyonspage 20 Flesh and SandJonathan M. Cookpage 21 Lunch DateAlisa Habelpage 22 Like and Unlike Everyone ElseC. Alan Doughtypage 23 Thankfully SwayedSarah Johnsonpage 24 A Warm Winter DayJoshua D. Andersonpage 25-26 Oak, Maple, SassafrasClementinepage 27-30https://thekeep.eiu.edu/vehicle/1080/thumbnail.jp

New Concerns for Neurocognitive Function during Deep Space Exposures to Chronic, Low Dose-Rate, Neutron Radiation.

As NASA prepares for a mission to Mars, concerns regarding the health risks associated with deep space radiation exposure have emerged. Until now, the impacts of such exposures have only been studied in animals after acute exposures, using dose rates ∼1.5×105 higher than those actually encountered in space. Using a new, low dose-rate neutron irradiation facility, we have uncovered that realistic, low dose-rate exposures produce serious neurocognitive complications associated with impaired neurotransmission. Chronic (6 month) low-dose (18 cGy) and dose rate (1 mGy/d) exposures of mice to a mixed field of neutrons and photons result in diminished hippocampal neuronal excitability and disrupted hippocampal and cortical long-term potentiation. Furthermore, mice displayed severe impairments in learning and memory, and the emergence of distress behaviors. Behavioral analyses showed an alarming increase in risk associated with these realistic simulations, revealing for the first time, some unexpected potential problems associated with deep space travel on all levels of neurological function

Human Nail Plate Modifications Induced by Onychomycosis : Implications for Topical Therapy

Open Access - This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are creditedConclusions: Onchomycotic nails presented a thicker but more porous barrier, and its eroded intracellular matrix rendered the tissue more permeable to topically applied chemicals when an aqueous vehicle was used.Purpose: Through the characterisation of the human onchomycotic nail plate this study aimed to inform the design of new topical ungual formulations.Methods: The mechanical properties of the human nail were characterised using a Lloyd tensile strength tester. The nail’s density was determined via pycnometry and the nail’s ultrastructure by electron microscopy. Raman spectroscopy analysed the keratin disulphide bonds within the nail and its permeability properties were assessed by quantifying water and rhodamine uptake.Results: Chronic in vivo nail plate infection increased human nailplate thickness (healthy 0.49 ± 0.15 mm; diseased 1.20 ± 0.67 mm), but reduced its tensile strength (healthy 63.7 ± 13.4 MPa; diseased 41.7 ± 5.0 MPa) and density (healthy 1.34 ± 0.01 g/cm3; diseased 1.29 ± 0.00 g/cm3). Onchomycosis caused cell-cell separation, without disrupting the nail disulfide bonds or desmosomes. The diseased and healthy nails showed equivalent water uptake profiles, but the rhodamine penetration was 4-fold higher in the diseased nails using a PBS vehicle and 3 -fold higher in an ethanol/PBS vehicle.Peer reviewe

Human Rights Shaming Through INGOs and Foreign Aid Delivery

Does the ``shaming" of human rights violations influence foreign aid delivery decisions across OECD donor countries? We examine the effect of shaming, defined as targeted negative attention by human rights international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs), on donor decisions about how to deliver bilateral aid. We argue that INGO shaming of recipient countries leads donor governments, on average, to ``bypass" the recipient government in favor of non-state aid delivery channels, including international and local NGOs and international organizations (IOs). However, we expect this relationship to be conditional on a donor country's position in the international system. Minor power countries have limited influence in global affairs and are therefore more able to centrally promote human rights in their foreign policy. Major power countries, on the other hand, shape world politics and often confront ``realpolitik" concerns that may require government-to-government aid relations in the presence of INGO shaming. We expect aid officials of minor donor countries to be more likely to condition aid delivery decisions on human rights shaming than their counterparts of major donor countries. Using compositional data analysis, we test our argument using originally collected data on human rights shaming events in a time-series cross-sectional framework from 2004 to 2010. We find support for our hypotheses: On average, OECD donor governments increase the proportion of bypass when INGOs shame the recipient government. When differentiating between donor types we find that this finding holds for minor but not for major powers. These results add to both our understanding of the influences of aid allocation decision-making and our understanding of the role of INGOs on foreign-policy

Prion Protein Misfolding Affects Calcium Homeostasis and Sensitizes Cells to Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress

Prion-related disorders (PrDs) are fatal neurodegenerative disorders characterized by progressive neuronal impairment as well as the accumulation of an abnormally folded and protease resistant form of the cellular prion protein, termed PrPRES. Altered endoplasmic reticulum (ER) homeostasis is associated with the occurrence of neurodegeneration in sporadic, infectious and familial forms of PrDs. The ER operates as a major intracellular calcium store, playing a crucial role in pathological events related to neuronal dysfunction and death. Here we investigated the possible impact of PrP misfolding on ER calcium homeostasis in infectious and familial models of PrDs. Neuro2A cells chronically infected with scrapie prions showed decreased ER-calcium content that correlated with a stronger upregulation of UPR-inducible chaperones, and a higher sensitivity to ER stress-induced cell death. Overexpression of the calcium pump SERCA stimulated calcium release and increased the neurotoxicity observed after exposure of cells to brain-derived infectious PrPRES. Furthermore, expression of PrP mutants that cause hereditary Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease or fatal familial insomnia led to accumulation of PrPRES and their partial retention at the ER, associated with a drastic decrease of ER calcium content and higher susceptibility to ER stress. Finally, similar results were observed when a transmembrane form of PrP was expressed, which is proposed as a neurotoxic intermediate. Our results suggest that alterations in calcium homeostasis and increased susceptibility to ER stress are common pathological features of both infectious and familial PrD models

From research to practice: Lay adherence counsellors' fidelity to an evidence-based intervention for promoting adherence to antiretroviral treatment in the Western Cape, South Africa

In the Western Cape, lay counsellors are tasked with supporting antiretroviral (ARV) adherence in public healthcare clinics. Thirty-nine counsellors in 21 Cape Town clinics were trained in Options for Health (Options), an evidence-based intervention based on motivational interviewing (MI). We evaluated counsellors’ ability to deliver Options for addressing poor adherence following 5 days training. Audio-recordings of counselling sessions collected following training were transcribed and translated into English. Thirty-five transcripts of sessions conducted by 35 counsellors were analysed for fidelity to the Options protocol, and using the Motivational Interviewing Treatment and Integrity (MITI) code. Counsellors struggled with some of the strategies associated with MI, such as assessing readiness-to-change and facilitating change talk. Overall, counsellors failed to achieve proficiency in the approach of MI according to the MITI. Counsellors were able to negotiate realistic plans for addressing patients’ barriers to adherence. Further efforts aimed at strengthening the ARV adherence counselling programme are needed.Department of HE and Training approved lis

The effectiveness of problem solving therapy in deprived South African communities: results from a pilot study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The majority of South Africans with a DSM-IV diagnosis receive no treatment for their mental health problems. There is a move to simplify treatment for common mental disorders (CMDs) in order to ease access. Brief problem solving therapy (PST) might fill the treatment gap for CMD's in deprived communities in South Africa. This pilot study evaluates the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of this PST program for CMD's in deprived communities around Cape Town.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A Dutch problem solving program was adapted and translated into English, Xhosa and Afrikaans and thereafter implemented in townships around Cape Town. An initial attempt to recruit participants for online PST proved difficult, and so the program was adapted to a booklet format. Volunteers experiencing psychological distress were invited to participate in the either individually or group delivered 5-week during self-help program. To evaluate the effectiveness, psychological distress was administered through self-report questionnaires. After completion of the intervention participants also rated the program on various acceptability aspects.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of 103 participants, 73 completed 5 weeks of brief PST in a booklet/workshop format. There were significantly more dropouts in those who used the booklet individually than in the group. Psychological distress measured on the K-10 and SRQ fell significantly and the program was evaluated positively.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results suggest that brief problem solving in a booklet/workshop format may be an effective, feasible and acceptable short-term treatment for people with CMD's in deprived communities. In this setting, group delivery of PST had lower drop-out rates than individual delivery, and was more feasible and acceptable. Randomized controlled trials are needed to evaluate the effect of brief self-help PST more rigorously.</p