Bacterial microbiota associated with raw plant-based meat analogue products and their influences on selective enrichment for O157:H7.

Towards fostering a more sustainable food production system in face of the climate change challenge, alternative protein meat-substitute products that are plant-based and free of animal by-products have been gaining attractions from both food manufacturers and consumers. With these so-called plant-based meat analogues (PBMAs) becoming increasingly available at supermarkets, there is very little known about their microbial properties. In this short report, we characterized the bacterial composition of raw plant-based ground meat imitation retail products using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing.

Seroepidemiology of human leptospirosis in the Dominican Republic: A multistage cluster survey, 2021.

Little is known about the epidemiology of leptospirosis in the Dominican Republic, the second most populous country in the Caribbean. We report on findings from a multi-stage household survey across two regions in the country that reveals a previously under-estimated burden of human Leptospira infection. Our findings, based on the reference-standard microscopic agglutination test, indicate a complex picture of serogroup diversity, spatial heterogeneity in infection and risk, and a marked discrepancy between reported cases and serologically estimated infections.

A Novel Porcine Model of Bilateral Hindlimb Bypass Graft Surgery Integrating Transit Time Flowmetry.

Background: Bypass graft surgery is a key surgical intervention for ischemic heart disease (coronary bypass graft surgery) and critical limb ischemia (peripheral bypass graft surgery). Graft occlusion remains a significant clinical problem for both types. Further research into the pathobiological mechanisms of graft occlusion are needed in order to design targeted therapeutic strategies.

Interest, home environment, and young Chinese children's development of English as a second/foreign language.

The current study examined the relationship between interest, the home environment, and young Chinese children's development of English as a second/foreign language in Hong Kong. Two hundred and seventy-four Hong Kong kindergartners were assessed on their interest in learning English and their English language skills (i.e.

Contact zones reveal restricted introgression despite frequent hybridization across a recent lizard radiation.

Introgression - the exchange of genetic material through hybridization - is now recognized as common among animal species. The extent of introgression, however, can vary considerably even when it occurs: for example, introgression can be geographically restricted or so pervasive that populations merge. Such variation highlights the importance of understanding the factors mediating introgression.