A critical meta-analysis of predicted no effect concentrations for antimicrobial resistance selection in the environment.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest threats to human health with a growing body of evidence demonstrating that selection for AMR can occur at environmental antimicrobial concentrations. Understanding the concentrations at which selection for resistance may occur is critical to help inform environmental risk assessments and highlight where mitigation strategies are required. A variety of experimental and data approaches have been used to determine these concentrations.

Mindreading beliefs in same- and cross-neurotype interactions.

Autistic people are often characterised as having problems with mindreading, which refers to understanding other people's thoughts, beliefs and feelings. However, it has recently been suggested that mindreading difficulties may be a two-way issue between autistic and non-autistic people. This would imply that autistic people may not have difficulty reading the minds of other autistic people, whereas non-autistic people may struggle to read autistic people effectively.

Plant-Environment Response Pathway Regulation Uncovered by Investigating Non-Typical Legume Symbiosis and Nodulation.

Nitrogen is an essential element needed for plants to survive, and legumes are well known to recruit rhizobia to fix atmospheric nitrogen. In this widely studied symbiosis, legumes develop specific structures on the roots to host specific symbionts. This review explores alternate nodule structures and their functions outside of the more widely studied legume-rhizobial symbiosis, as well as discussing other unusual aspects of nodulation.

Environmental surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), perspectives from a national environmental regulator in 2023.

The development, and in some cases increasing prevalence, of resistance to antimicrobials used in clinical and veterinary settings has long been recognised. In recent years, the concept of 'One Health' has added recognition of the role that the environment plays in health protection along with the need for protection of the health of the environment itself. Organisations including the World Health Organization, United Nations Environment Programme, and national governments have identified a need for surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in the environment to sit alongside the surveillance carried out in clinical, veterinary and food sectors.

Antifungal Exposure and Resistance Development: Defining Minimal Selective Antifungal Concentrations and Testing Methodologies.

This scoping review aims to summarise the current understanding of selection for antifungal resistance (AFR) and to compare and contrast this with selection for antibacterial resistance, which has received more research attention. AFR is an emerging global threat to human health, associated with high mortality rates, absence of effective surveillance systems and with few alternative treatment options available. Clinical AFR is well documented, with additional settings increasingly being recognised to play a role in the evolution and spread of AFR.

Proportional contributions to organic chemical mixture effects in groundwater and surface water.

Semi-quantitative GC-MS and LC-MS measurements of organic chemicals in groundwater and surface waters were used to assess the overall magnitude and contribution of the most important substances to calculated mixture hazard. Here we use GC-MS and LC-MS measurements taken from two separate national monitoring programs for groundwater and surface water in England, in combination with chronic species sensitivity distribution (SSD) HC50 values published by Posthuma et al. (2019, Environ.

Worst-case ranking of organic chemicals detected in groundwaters and surface waters in England.

The Environment Agency has been using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and Accurate-mass Quadrupole Time-of-Flight (Q-TOF) / Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) target screen analysis to semi-quantitatively measure organic substances in groundwater and surface water since 2009 for GC-MS and 2014 for LC-MS. Here we use this data to generate a worst-case "risk" ranking of the detected substances. Three sets of hazard values relating to effects on aquatic organisms, namely Water Framework Directive EQSs, NORMAN Network PNECs (hereafter NORMAN PNEC) and chronic Species Sensitivity Distribution (SSD) HC50s from Posthuma et al.

Comparative Genomics across Three Ensifer Species Using a New Complete Genome Sequence of the Medicago Symbiont () WSM1022.

Here, we report an improved and complete genome sequence of () strain WSM1022, a microsymbiont of , revealing its tripartite structure. This improved genome sequence was generated combining Illumina and Oxford nanopore sequencing technologies to better understand the symbiotic properties of the bacterium. The 6.

Symbiotic Outcome Modified by the Diversification from 7 to over 700 Nodule-Specific Cysteine-Rich Peptides.

Legume-rhizobium symbiosis represents one of the most successfully co-evolved mutualisms. Within nodules, the bacterial cells undergo distinct metabolic and morphological changes and differentiate into nitrogen-fixing bacteroids. Legumes in the inverted repeat lacking clade (IRLC) employ an array of defensin-like small secreted peptides (SSPs), known as nodule-specific cysteine-rich (NCR) peptides, to regulate bacteroid differentiation and activity.

Examining the relationship between burnout and empathy in healthcare professionals: A systematic review.

Objective: Empathy and burnout are two related yet distinct constructs that are relevant to clinical healthcare staff. The nature of their relationship is uncertain and this review aimed to complete a rigorous, systematic exploration of the literature investigating the relationship between burnout and empathy in healthcare staff.

Design: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidance.

A Framework for Developing a Curriculum Regarding Autism Spectrum Disorders for Primary Care Providers.

Introduction: The prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) has increased and varies across age groups. Thus there is an increasing need for educational opportunities for General Practitioners (GPs) and other Primary Care providers to help in early identification and referral to specialist services. An earlier survey of GPs in New South Wales (Australia) demonstrated two broad domains for educational activities: (1) a general knowledge (important for early identification and referral) and (2) surveillance (important for ongoing management).

Homing pigeons respond to time-compensated solar cues even in sight of the loft.

The sun has long been thought to guide bird navigation as the second step in a two-stage process, in which determining position using a map is followed by course setting using a compass, both over unfamiliar and familiar terrain. The animal's endogenous clock time-compensates the solar compass for the sun's apparent movement throughout the day, and this allows predictable deflections in orientation to test for the compass' influence using clock-shift manipulations. To examine the influence of the solar compass during a highly familiar navigational task, 24 clock-shifted homing pigeons were precision-tracked from a release site close to and in sight of their final goal, the colony loft.

A model-based prioritisation exercise for the European water framework directive.

A model-based prioritisation exercise has been carried out for the Water Framework Directive (WFD) implementation. The approach considers two aspects: the hazard of a certain chemical and its exposure levels, and focuses on aquatic ecosystems, but also takes into account hazards due to secondary poisoning, bioaccumulation through the food chain and potential human health effects. A list provided by EU Member States, Stakeholders and Non-Governmental Organizations comprising 2,034 substances was evaluated according to hazard and exposure criteria.

Comparison of the Arylamine N-acetyltransferase from Mycobacterium marinum and Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Arylamine N-acetyltansferase (NAT) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TBNAT) is a potential drug target for anti-tubercular therapy. Recombinant TBNAT is much less soluble and is produced in lower yields than the closely related NAT from Mycobacterium marinum (MMNAT). In order to explore MMNAT as a model for TBNAT in drug discovery, we compare the two mycobacterial NAT enzymes.

Inhibition of proteasomal degradation of Mcl-1 by cobalt chloride suppresses cobalt chloride-induced apoptosis in HCT116 colorectal cancer cells.

Cobalt promotes apoptosis in multiple cell systems, however, the molecular mechanisms that influence cobalt-induced apoptosis are not fully understood. We investigated mechanisms of cobalt chloride induced apoptosis in HCT116 colorectal cancer cells. Cobalt chloride induced dose dependent apoptosis in HCT116 cells (250-750 muM) which, at higher concentrations (500-750 muM), was associated with an increase in the expression of the Bcl-2-related Mcl-1 survival protein.

Identification, molecular cloning, and characterization of a novel GABAA receptor-associated protein, GRIF-1.

A novel 913-amino acid protein, gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABA(A)) receptor interacting factor-1 (GRIF-1), has been cloned and identified as a GABA(A) receptor-associated protein by virtue of its specific interaction with the GABA(A) receptor beta 2 subunit intracellular loop in a yeast two-hybrid assay. GRIF-1 has no homology with proteins of known function, but it is the rat orthologue of the human ALS2CR3/KIAA0549 gene. GRIF-1 is expressed as two alternative splice forms, GRIF-1a and a C-terminally truncated form, GRIF-1b.