The role of the complement system in Shiga toxin-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Background: This research explores complement activation products involvement and risk and protective polymorphisms in the complement alternative pathway genes in Shiga toxin-associated hemolytic uremic syndrome (STEC-HUS) pathogenesis.

Methods: We analyzed the levels of complement activation products, C3a, C5a and soluble C5b-9 (sC5b-9) and plasma concentrations of Factor H (FH) and FH-related protein 1 (FHR-1) in 44 patients with STEC-HUS, 12 children with STEC-positive diarrhea (STEC-D), and 72 healthy controls (HC). STEC-HUS cases were classified as "severe" or "non-severe".

BioFire Joint Infection Panel for Samples Other than Synovial Fluid.

: The early identification of infection-causing microorganisms through multiplex PCR panels enables prompt and targeted antibiotic therapy. This study aimed to assess the performance of the BioFire Joint Infection Panel (BF-JIP) in analysing non-synovial fluid samples. : We conducted a retrospective cohort study at Trieste University Hospital, Italy, on hospitalised adults with non-synovial fluid samples tested by both BF-JIP and traditional culture methods (November 2022-April 2024).

Aglianico grape pomace as a source of antioxidant and anti-proliferative biomolecules: Eco-friendly extraction and HRMS/MS-based molecular networking.

Grape pomace (GP), a by-product of the wine supply chain process, contains bioactive molecules with known healthy properties. This study examines the impact of different extraction techniques on three GPs of Aglianico cultivar [Cantine del Notaio, Barile, and Torrecuso]. Five eco-friendly extractive techniques [maceration (MAC), digestion (DIG), accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), microwaves (MW), and ultrasound (US)] were used with 50 % ethanol/water as solvent.

Nutraceutical Valorization of Exhausted Olive Pomace from L. Using Advanced Extraction Techniques.

Exhausted olive pomace (EOP) represents the principal residue of olive pomace. Several studies have optimized the extraction of specialized metabolites from the EOP of L., but a comparison between different extractive methods has not been made.

The public health and economic burden of long COVID in Australia, 2022-24: a modelling study.

Objective: To estimate the number of people in Australia with long COVID by age group, and the associated medium term productivity and economic losses.

Study Design: Modelling study: a susceptible-exposed-infected-recovered (SEIR) model to estimate the number of people with long COVID over time following single infections, and a labour supply model to estimate productivity losses as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP).

Setting: Australia, 2022-2024.

Functionalization of Carbon Nanofibers with an Aromatic Diamine: Toward a Simple Electrochemical-Based Sensing Platform for the Selective Sensing of Glucose.

Despite a variety of glucose sensors being available today, the development of nonenzymatic devices for the determination of this biologically relevant analyte is still of particular interest in several applicative sectors. Here, we report the development of an impedimetric, enzyme-free electrochemical glucose sensor based on carbon nanofibers (CNFs) functionalized with an aromatic diamine via a simple wet chemistry functionalization. The electrochemical performance of the chemically modified carbon-based screen-printed electrodes (SPCEs) was evaluated by electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), demonstrating a high selectivity of the sensor for glucose with respect to other sugars, such as fructose and sucrose.

Synergistic Activity of Temocillin and Fosfomycin Combination against KPC-Producing Clinical Isolates.

Infections caused by KPC-producing continue to pose a significant clinical challenge due to their emerging resistance to new antimicrobials. We investigated the association between two drugs whose roles have been repurposed against multidrug-resistant bacteria: fosfomycin and temocillin. Temocillin exhibits unusual stability against KPC enzymes, while fosfomycin acts as a potent "synergizer".

Impact of vaccine coverage and disruption to health services on COVID-19 in Ukraine.

COVID-19 surveillance in Ukraine ceased after the Russian invasion of the country in 2022, on a background of low vaccination rates of 34.5% for two doses at this time. We conducted a modelling study to estimate the epidemic trajectory of SARS-COV-2 in Ukraine after the start of the war.

Prediction of 30-day mortality after surgery for infective endocarditis using risk scores: Insights from a European multicenter comparative validation study.

Background: It remains unclear today whether risk scores created specifically to predict early mortality after cardiac operations for infective endocarditis (IE) outperform or not the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation II (EuroSCORE II).

Methods: Perioperative data and outcomes from a European multicenter series of patients undergoing surgery for definite IE were retrospectively reviewed. Only the cases with known pathogen and without missing values for all considered variables were retained for analyses.

When Synthesis Gets It Wrong: Unexpected Epimerization Using PyBOP in the Synthesis of the Cyclic Peptide Thermoactinoamide A.

Chemical synthesis is commonly seen as the final proof of the structure of complex natural products, but even a seemingly easy and well-established synthetic procedure may lead to an unexpected result. This is what happened with the synthesis of thermoactinoamide A (), an antimicrobial and antitumor nonribosomal cyclic hexapeptide produced by the thermophilic bacterium . The synthetic thermoactinoamide A outsourced to a company and the one described in a synthetic paper showed spectroscopic data identical to each other but different from those of the natural product.

Harnessing Cyanobacteria's Bioactive Potential: A Sustainable Strategy for Antioxidant Production.

Unsaturated diacylglycerols are a class of antioxidant compounds with the potential to positively impact human health. Their ability to combat oxidative stress through radical scavenger activity underscores their significance in the context of preventive and therapeutic strategies. In this paper we highlight the role of as a producer of unsaturated mono and diacylglycerols, and then demonstrate the antioxidant activity of its methanolic extract, which has as its main components a variety of acylglycerol analogues.

Identification of IncA Plasmid, Harboring Gene, in Goldcoast ST358 and ST62 Isolated in a Hospitalized Patient.

In the present study, we analyzed the genome of two strains TS1 and TS2 from stool and blood cultures, respectively, and one strain of TS3, isolated from a single hospitalized patient with acute myeloid leukemia. The Goldcoast ST358 (O:8 (C2-C3) serogroup), sequenced by the MiSeq Illumina system, showed the presence of β-lactamase genes (, and ), , , , , , , and several incompatibility plasmids. A wide variety of insertion sequences (ISs) and transposon elements were identified.

Lake Avernus Has Turned Red: Bioindicator Monitoring Unveils the Secrets of "Gates of Hades".

Lake Avernus is a volcanic lake located in southern Italy. Since ancient times, it has inspired numerous myths and legends due to the occurrence of singular phenomena, such as coloring events. Only recently has an explanation been found for them, i.

When surgical option is not provided: a successful multidisciplinary approach to a refractory case of sternal osteomyelitis following coronary surgery.

Purpose: Sternal osteomyelitis is a major complication of cardiac operations performed through median sternotomy. The surgical treatment, which involves the debridement and removal of whole infected and necrotic tissue is the standard of care, although it is sometimes unachievable. This may occur, for instance, when the infectious-inflammatory process invades the anterior mediastinum and tenaciously incorporates one or more of vital anatomical structures.

Systematic review of influenza vaccine effectiveness against laboratory-confirmed influenza among older adults living in aged care facilities.

We estimated the effectiveness of influenza vaccines in preventing laboratory-confirmed influenza among older adults in aged care. Electronic database searches were conducted using search terms, and studies were selected as per the selection criteria. Fourteen studies were included for final review.

Estimated health and economic impact of using high-dose influenza vaccine on respiratory and circulatory plus respiratory hospitalizations of older adults in Australia.

Background: Standard dose influenza vaccine provides moderate protection from infection, but with lower effectiveness among the elderly. High dose and adjuvanted vaccines (HD-TIV and aTIV) were developed to address this. This study aims to estimate the incremental health and economic impact of using HD-TIV (high dose trivalent vaccine) instead of aTIV (adjuvanted trivalent vaccine) on respiratory and circulatory plus respiratory hospitalizations of older people (≥65 years) in Australia.

Bloodstream Infection in an Adult Patient with COVID-19 and Alcohol Use Disorder: A Unique Case and a Systematic Review of the Literature.

is an uncommon species causing invasive fungemia. This yeast is mainly associated with the colonisation of intravascular catheters, complicated intra-abdominal infections, and infections in the paediatric population. Here, we report a case of bloodstream infection in a 53-year-old man.

Maximizing rehabilitation outcomes in geriatric hip fracture patients: the impact of surgical variables.

Background And Aim: Hip fracture is a major traumatic event with high mortality and disability rate. Its management in the acute setting and in the rehabilitation process is highly debated. This study evaluates the possible determinants of hip fracture rehabilitation outcome, among which surgical intervention type, weight-bearing status and hospitalization length Methods: The data of 738 hip fracture patients, who completed rehabilitation process in our centre, were collected and patients' functional abilities at the time of admission and discharge were analysed.

Novel Insights in the Potential of Halogenated Polyketide-Peptide Molecules as Lead Compounds in Cancer Drug Discovery.

In this interdisciplinary study, we selected two compounds, namely, smenamide A, a peptide-polyketide, and smenolactone D, a polyketide, as models because they are representative of two different classes of molecules isolated from the marine sponge . The organic extract of was analyzed using a combination of high-resolution LC-MS/MS and molecular networking, a recently developed method for automated LC-MS data analysis. The analyses were targeted to highlight clusters made by chlorinated compounds present in the extracts.

A Four-Step Platform to Optimize Growth Conditions for High-Yield Production of Siderophores in Cyanobacteria.

In response to Iron deprivation and in specific environmental conditions, the cyanobacteria produce siderophores, iron-chelating molecules that in virtue of their interesting environmental and clinical applications, are recently gaining the interest of the pharmaceutical industry. Yields of siderophore recovery from in vitro producing cyanobacterial cultures are, unfortunately, very low and reach most of the times only analytical quantities. We here propose a four-step experimental pipeline for a rapid and inexpensive identification and optimization of growth parameters influencing, at the transcriptional level, siderophore production in .

Molecular Networking Revealed Unique UV-Absorbing Phospholipids: Favilipids from the Marine Sponge .

Analysis of extracts of the marine sponge by high-resolution LC-MS and molecular networking resulted in the discovery of a new family of potentially UV-protecting phospholipids, the favilipids. One of them, favilipid A (), was isolated and its structure determined by mass and tandem mass spectrometry, NMR, electronic circular dichroism (ECD), and computational studies. Favilipid A, which has no close analogues among natural products, possesses an unprecedented structure characterized by a 4-aminodihydropiridinium core, resulting in UV-absorbing properties that are very unusual for a phospholipid.

Modeling on the Effects of Deliberate Release of Aerosolized Inhalational (Anthrax) on an Australian Population.

This study aimed to determine optimal mitigation strategies in the event of an aerosolized attack with , a category A bioterrorism agent with a case fatality rate of nearly 100% if inhaled and untreated. To simulate the effect of an anthrax attack, we used a plume dispersion model for Sydney, Australia, accounting for weather conditions. We determined the radius of exposure in different sizes of attack scenarios by spore quantity released per second.