Unlocking nature's brilliance: using Antarctic extremophile Shewanella baltica to biosynthesize lanthanide-containing nanoparticles with optical up-conversion.

Both lanthanide-containing and fluorine-containing nanomaterials present challenging targets for microbial biosynthesis because these elements are toxic to most bacteria. Here, we overcome these challenges by using an Antarctic Shewanella baltica strain that tolerates these elements and report the first biosynthesis of lanthanide-doped fluoride nanoparticles (NPs) from them. NaYF NPs doped with Er/Yb are prototypical lanthanide-based upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) with upconverted luminescence at visible wavelengths under infrared excitation.

Microbial green synthesis of luminescent terbium sulfide nanoparticles using E. Coli: a rare earth element detoxification mechanism.

Background: Rare-earth sulfide nanoparticles (NPs) could harness the optical and magnetic features of rare-earth ions for applications in nanotechnology. However, reports of their synthesis are scarce and typically require high temperatures and long synthesis times.

Results: Here we present a biosynthesis of terbium sulfide (TbS) NPs using microorganisms, identifying conditions that allow Escherichia coli to extracellularly produce TbS NPs in aqueous media at 37 °C by controlling cellular sulfur metabolism to produce a high concentration of sulfide ions.

Oxygen delivery and monitoring in neonatal intensive care units in Mexico in 2011 and in 2023: an observational longitudinal study.

Background: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a leading cause of avoidable blindness in children, particularly in Latin America, where hyperoxia is a significant risk factor. This study evaluated resource availability and use for administering and monitoring supplemental oxygen in Mexico.

Methods: In 2011, an observational study in which 32 government neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across Mexico were visited.

Subthalamic nucleus input-output dynamics are correlated with Parkinson's burden and treatment efficacy.

The subthalamic nucleus (STN) is pivotal in basal ganglia function in health and disease. Micro-electrode recordings of >25,000 recording sites from 146 Parkinson's patients undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS) allowed differentiation between subthalamic input, represented by local field potential (LFP), and output, reflected in spike discharge rate (SPK). As with many natural systems, STN neuronal activity exhibits power-law dynamics characterized by the exponent α.

Cardiac paraganglioma: implications and impacts of a rare disease-a case report .

Background: Tumour-producing catecholamines arise in the adrenal medulla (pheochromocytomas), as well as in extra-adrenal chromaffin cells (paragangliomas). The origin can be from any location; however, it is very rare in the heart.

Case Summary: A 43-year-old woman with a history of arterial hypertension presented with dyspnoea on moderate exertion, New York Class Association (NYHA) functional classes III and IV, and oedema in the lower extremities.

Description of clinical and genetic features of 122 patients included in the Spanish Pompe registry.

Pompe disease is a rare genetic disorder with an estimated prevalence of 1:60.000. The two main phenotypes are Infantile Onset Pompe Disease (IOPD) and Late Onset Pompe Disease (LOPD).

Vitamin A biomarkers were associated with (1)-acid glycoprotein and C-reactive protein over the course of a human norovirus challenge infection.

Retinol binding protein (RBP) is used as a proxy for retinol in population-based assessments of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) for cost-effectiveness and feasibility. When the cut-off of < 0·7 μmol/l for retinol is applied to RBP to define VAD, an equivalence of the two biomarkers is assumed. Evidence suggests that the relationship between retinol and RBP is not 1:1, particularly in populations with a high burden of infection or inflammation.

Prevalence and risk factors of anemia in the mother-child population from a region of the Colombian Caribbean.

Background: Despite Colombia's robust well-child visits program, Colombian children and mothers still suffer from anemia, especially in populations of lower socioeconomic status. In this study, we aimed to quantify the prevalence and risk factors among mothers and their children attending their well-child visits in Apartadó, a municipality in the Urabá region of the Colombian Caribbean.

Methods: There were 100 mother-child pairs enrolled in this secondary data-analysis study from a health facility in the municipality of Apartadó, Urabá, Colombia, during well-child visits.

ER stress increases expression of intracellular calcium channel RyR1 to modify Ca homeostasis in pancreatic beta cells.

Pancreatic beta cells maintain glucose homeostasis by secreting pulses of insulin in response to a rise in plasma glucose. Pulsatile insulin secretion occurs as a result of glucose-induced oscillations in beta-cell cytosolic Ca. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) helps regulate beta-cell cytosolic Ca, and ER stress can lead to ER Ca reduction, beta-cell dysfunction, and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

Effect of Norovirus Inoculum Dose on Virus Kinetics, Shedding, and Symptoms.

The effect of norovirus dose on outcomes such as virus shedding and symptoms after initial infection is not well understood. We performed a secondary analysis of a human challenge study by using Bayesian mixed-effects models. As the dose increased from 4.

Combined Infection Control Interventions Protect Essential Food Workers from Occupational Exposures to SARS-CoV-2 in the Agricultural Environment.

Essential food workers experience elevated risks of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection due to prolonged occupational exposures in food production and processing areas, shared transportation (car or bus), and employer-provided shared housing. Our goal was to quantify the daily cumulative risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection for healthy susceptible produce workers and to evaluate the relative reduction in risk attributable to food industry interventions and vaccination. We simulated daily SARS-CoV-2 exposures of indoor and outdoor produce workers through six linked quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) model scenarios.

Design principles of microparticle size and immunomodulatory factor formulation dictate antigen-specific amelioration of multiple sclerosis in a mouse model.

Antigen-specific therapies allow for modulation of the immune system in a disease relevant context without systemic immune suppression. These therapies are especially valuable in autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), where autoreactive T cells destroy myelin sheath. This work shows that an antigen-specific dual-sized microparticle (dMP) system can effectively halt and reverse disease progression in a mouse model of MS.

Ultrathin ALD Aluminum Oxide Thin Films Suppress the Thermal Shrinkage of Battery Separator Membranes.

Thermal runaway is a major safety concern in the applications of Li-ion batteries, especially in the electric vehicle (EV) market. A key component to mitigate this risk is the separator membrane, a porous polymer film that prevents physical contact between the electrodes. Traditional polyolefin-based separators display significant thermal shrinkage (TS) above 100 °C, which increases the risk of battery failure; hence, suppressing the TS up to 180 °C is critical to enhancing the cell's safety.

Characteristics and Outcomes of Heart Failure Patients from a Middle-Income Country: The RECOLFACA Registry.

Background: There is a lack of epidemiological data around heart failure (HF) in Latin America; the potential impact description of this disease in middle-income countries is relevant.

Objective: This study aimed to describe the characteristics and healthcare resource utilization patterns of HF patients at baseline and six-month follow-up.

Methods: This retrospective observational study used data from the RECOLFACA () registry, which includes data obtained from the examination of clinical records from 2,528 patients in 60 Colombian healthcare institutions.

Safety of Obtaining an Extra Biobank Kidney Biopsy Core.

Background And Objectives: Kidney biopsy (KB) is the "gold standard" for the diagnosis of nephropathies and it is a diagnostic tool that presents a low rate of complications. Nowadays, biobank collections of renal tissue of patients with proven renal pathology are essential for research in nephrology. To provide enough tissue for the biobank collection, it is usually needed to obtain an extra kidney core at the time of kidney biopsy.

Decontamination of SARS-CoV-2 from cold-chain food packaging provides no marginal benefit in risk reduction to food workers.

Countries continue to debate the need for decontamination of cold-chain food packaging to reduce possible severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) fomite transmission among frontline workers. While laboratory-based studies demonstrate persistence of SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces, the likelihood of fomite-mediated transmission under real-life conditions is uncertain. Using a quantitative microbial risk assessment model of a frozen food packaging facility, we simulated 1) SARS-CoV-2 fomite-mediated infection risks following worker exposure to contaminated plastic packaging; and 2) reductions in these risks from masking, handwashing, and vaccination.

Ten years of pediatric congenital heart disease surgery in a Caribbean nation.

Background: Socioeconomical limitations in developing countries make congenital heart disease surgery (CHDs) a challenge that often relays on humanitarian efforts. We aimed to describe the evolution of an established pediatric CHDs program in the Dominican Republic and the impact of international medical missions (IMM) on its sustainability.

Methods: Data of cases operated from 2009 to 2018 were analyzed using Pearson's chi-squared test to study trends between a 5-year implementation period (T1) January 2009-December 2013, and subsequent consolidation (T2) January 2014-December 2018.

Outcome of the treatment of hydronephrosis due to congenital ureteropelvic stenosis according to age at surgery.

Background: Congenital kidney and urinary tract anomalies are the most common cause of chronic kidney disease in the first three decades of life. Stenosis of the ureteropelvic junction may cause dilation of the collecting system in the fetal kidney. This study aimed to determine hydronephrosis due to congenital ureteropelvic stenosis treatment outcome according to the age of the intervention.

Intravesical Chemohyperthermia vs. Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Instillation for Intermediate- and High-Risk Non-muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

The efficacy of intravesical chemotherapy maintenance for patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is inferior compared to intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG). How intravesical chemohyperthermia (CHT) compares with BCG is under investigation. To compare the oncological outcomes and safety profile between intravesical CHT and BCG treatment for intermediate- and high-risk NMIBC.

Controlling risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in essential workers of enclosed food manufacturing facilities.

The SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic poses significant health risks to workers who are essential to maintaining the food supply chain. Using a quantitative risk assessment model, this study characterized the impact of risk reduction strategies for controlling SARS-CoV-2 transmission (droplet, aerosol, fomite-mediated) among front-line workers in a representative indoor fresh fruit and vegetable manufacturing facility. We simulated: 1) individual and cumulative SARS-CoV-2 infection risks from close contact (droplet and aerosols at 1-3 m), aerosol, and fomite-mediated exposures to a susceptible worker following exposure to an infected worker during an 8 h-shift; and 2) the relative reduction in SARS-CoV-2 infection risk attributed to infection control interventions (physical distancing, mask use, ventilation, surface disinfection, hand hygiene, vaccination).

Norovirus transmission mitigation strategies during simulated produce harvest and packing.

In the agricultural setting, core global food safety elements, such as hand hygiene and worker furlough, should reduce the risk of norovirus contamination on fresh produce. However, the effect of these practices has not been characterized. Using a quantitative microbial risk model, we evaluated the individual and combined effect of farm-based hand hygiene and worker furlough practices on the maximum risk of norovirus infection from three produce commodities (open leaf lettuce, vine tomatoes, and raspberries).

Low risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission via fomite, even in cold-chain.

Background: Countries continue to debate the need for decontamination of cold-chain food packaging to reduce possible SARS-CoV-2 fomite transmission among workers. While laboratory-based studies demonstrate persistence of SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces, the likelihood of fomite-mediated transmission under real-life conditions is uncertain.

Methods: Using a quantitative risk assessment model, we simulated in a frozen food packaging facility 1) SARS-CoV-2 fomite-mediated infection risks following worker exposure to contaminated plastic packaging; and 2) reductions in these risks attributed to masking, handwashing, and vaccination.

Analysis and Simulation of Polymer Injectivity Test in a High Temperature High Salinity Carbonate Reservoir.

Polymer flooding has gained much interest within the oil industry in the past few decades as one of the most successful chemical enhanced oil recovery (CEOR) methods. The injectivity of polymer solutions in porous media is a key factor in polymer flooding projects. The main challenge that faces prediction of polymer injectivity in field applications is the inherent non-Newtonian behavior of polymer solutions.