Extraction and sensitive detection of toxins A and B from the human pathogen Clostridium difficile in 40 seconds using microwave-accelerated metal-enhanced fluorescence.

Clostridium difficile is the primary cause of antibiotic associated diarrhea in humans and is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Thus the rapid and accurate identification of this pathogen in clinical samples, such as feces, is a key step in reducing the devastating impact of this disease. The bacterium produces two toxins, A and B, which are thought to be responsible for the majority of the pathology associated with the disease, although the relative contribution of each is currently a subject of debate. For this reason we have developed a rapid detection assay based on microwave-accelerated metal-enhanced fluorescence which is capable of detecting the presence of 10 bacteria in unprocessed human feces within 40 seconds. These promising results suggest that this prototype biosensor has the potential to be developed into a rapid, point of care, real time diagnostic assay for C. difficile

Discovery of rare variants associated with blood pressure regulation through meta-analysis of 1.3 million individuals

Correction: Volume53, Issue5 Page 762-762 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-021-00832-z Published MAY 2021Genetic studies of blood pressure (BP) to date have mainly analyzed common variants (minor allele frequency > 0.05). In a meta-analysis of up to similar to 1.3 million participants, we discovered 106 new BP-associated genomic regions and 87 rare (minor allele frequencyPeer reviewe

Local Government Revenue Mobilisation in Anglophone Africa

This paper examines opportunities and constraints facing local revenue mobilisation in anglophone Africa, with an emphasis on urban settings. It discusses specific revenue instruments and their effects on economic efficiency, income distribution and accountability. In particular, it addresses political and administrative constraints facing various revenue instruments and factors affecting citizens’ compliance. The analysis is illustrated with examples from across anglophone Africa. A general conclusion emerging from the study is that local revenues mobilised in most local government authorities in Africa are necessary but not sufficient to develop and supply adequate services for the fast-growing population. On this basis, areas for further research on local government revenue mobilisation in Africa are identifiedDfI

Towards Customary Legal Empowerment

Rule of Law and Development: Formation, Implementation and Improvement of Law and Governance in Developing Countrie

Publisher Correction: Stroke genetics informs drug discovery and risk prediction across ancestries (Nature, (2022), 611, 7934, (115-123), 10.1038/s41586-022-05165-3)

In the version of this article initially published, the name of the PRECISE4Q Consortium was misspelled as “PRECISEQ” and has now been amended in the HTML and PDF versions of the article. Further, data in the first column of Supplementary Table 55 were mistakenly shifted and have been corrected in the file accompanying the HTML version of the article

Genome-wide association study for refractive astigmatism reveals genetic co-determination with spherical equivalent refractive error : the CREAM consortium

Peer reviewe