Validation of a dynamic 4D microsurgical bypass simulator for training and teaching microvascular anastomosis techniques with blood flow and fluorescence imaging.

Objective: Microvascular anastomosis is challenging, and training surgeons to develop and maintain skills is imperative. Current training models either miss the simulation of the surgical workflow, lack 3D key-hole space, need ethical approval, require special preparation, or lack realism. To circumvent these issues, this study describes the use of a mixed reality 3D printed model with integrated blood flow for training cerebral anastomosis and assesses its validity.

HIV Self-Testing for Efficient PrEP Delivery Is Highly Acceptable and Feasible in Public Health HIV Clinics in Kenya: A Mixed Methods Study.

HIV self-testing (HIVST) has the potential to reduce barriers associated with clinic-based preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) delivery. We conducted a substudy nested in a prospective, pilot implementation study evaluating patient-centered differentiated care services. Clients chose either a blood-based or oral fluid HIVST kit at the first refill visit.

Evaluation of the Golden Proportion, Golden Percentage, and Recurring Esthetic Dental Proportion in Kenyans of African Descent.

Objectives: To evaluate the validity of the Golden Proportion, Golden Percentage, and Recurring Esthetic Dental (RED) Proportion among Kenyans of African descent with naturally well-aligned teeth.

Materials And Methods: Standardized frontal photographic images of the smiles of 175 participants aged 18-35 years were obtained, and Adobe Photoshop was used to analyze and measure the frontal widths of the maxillary central and lateral incisors and canines in triplicate. The average teeth widths were calculated to determine the existence of the Golden Proportion, Golden Percentage, and RED Proportion, and their validity using independent sample t-tests to compare the differences in the mean teeth widths at α < 0.

Unlocking the potential of spent coffee grounds via a comprehensive biorefinery approach: production of microbial oil and carotenoids under fed-batch fermentation.

The valorization of renewable feedstock to produce a plethora of value-added products could promote the transition towards a circular bioeconomy. This study presents the development of cascade processes to bioconvert spent coffee grounds (SCGs) into microbial oil and carotenoids employing sustainable practices. The stepwise recovery of crude phenolic extract and coffee oil was carried out using green or recyclable solvents, i.

Effect of differentiated direct-to-pharmacy PrEP refill visits supported with client HIV self-testing on clinic visit time and early PrEP continuation.

Introduction: Delivery of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is being scaled up in Africa, but clinic-level barriers including lengthy clinic visits may threaten client continuation on PrEP.

Methods: Between January 2020 and January 2022, we conducted a quasi-experimental evaluation of differentiated direct-to-pharmacy PrEP refill visits at four public health HIV clinics in Kenya. Two clinics implemented the intervention package, which included direct-to-pharmacy for PrEP refill, client HIV self-testing (HIVST), client navigator, and pharmacist-led rapid risk assessment and dispensing.

Lemongrass () growth rate, essential oil yield and composition as influenced by different soil conditioners under two watering regimes.

The vast cultivation of lemongrass () as an essential oil-bearing plant worldwide relies heavily on its compound citral that holds immense industrial potential. Soil fertility practices greatly affect the growth and quality of these plants, with a majority of the agricultural land globally grappling with water scarcity. In this respect, field experiments were conducted at the University of Embu research farm during the November 2021-September 2022 growing period and aimed to investigate the influence of two different factors, namely; (i) two watering regimes (rainfed and irrigated) and (ii) four soil conditioner levels (control (T1), cow manure (T2), cow manure plus NPK fertilizer (T3), and NPK fertilizer alone (T4)) on the growth and essential oil parameters of .

Unraveling plant-microbe interactions: can integrated omics approaches offer concrete answers?

Advances in high throughput omics techniques provide avenues to decipher plant microbiomes. However, there is limited information on how integrated informatics can help provide deeper insights into plant-microbe interactions in a concerted way. Integrating multi-omics datasets can transform our understanding of the plant microbiome from unspecified genetic influences on interacting species to specific gene-by-gene interactions.

Hybrid RNA sequencing of broad bean wilt virus 2 from faba beans.

Globally, viral diseases impair the growth and vigor of cultivated crops such as grains, leading to a significant reduction in quality, marketability, and competitiveness. As an island nation, Australia has a distinct advantage in using its border to prevent the introduction of damaging viruses, which threaten the continental agricultural sector. However, breeding programs in Australia rely on imported seeds as new sources of genetic diversity.

Longitudinal assessment of bacterial vaginosis prior to and during incident pregnancy: an observational study in Kenyan adolescent girls and young women.

Objective: To determine bacterial vaginosis (BV) status at multiple time points among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) and assess the impact of pregnancy on their BV status.

Design: Longitudinal cohort study.

Setting: Thika, Kenya.

Complement System Proteins in the Human Aqueous Humor and Their Association with Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma.

This study discovers the complement protein profile in the aqueous humor (AH) of human subjects and investigates its association with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) pathogenesis. Among the 32 complement proteins identified, 22 were highly abundant and detected in more than 50% of AH samples. The most predominant active complement proteins in the AH are C3, C4B, C4A, CFB, CFD, and C9.

Low prevalence of bacterial vaginosis in Kenyan adolescent girls and rapid incidence after first sex.

Background: Bacterial vaginosis is a risk factor for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. Adult African women have a high prevalence of bacterial vaginosis, but it is not known when first bacterial vaginosis occurs.

Objective: This study aimed to describe bacterial vaginosis in younger African women, before and after first sex, and to determine the incidence of bacterial vaginosis and significant correlates of bacterial vaginosis incidence and recurrence.

Nematode assemblages, food web indices and metabolic footprints in maize-pigeon pea agro-ecosystems.

Pigeon pea ( L.) and maize ( L.) are important food crops in developing countries due to their multiple benefits.

Nutrient content of sorghum hybrid lines between Gadam and hard coat tannin sorghum cultivars.

Sorghum is an important food crop in the world that exhibits a predominant role in fulfilling the nutritional requirements, particularly in low-income group populations of marginal areas in Kenya. It is a principal source of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and crude fibers (CFs), which are important nutrients necessary for human development and health. Reduced tannin in sorghum grains is desirable since it affects the availability of nutrients.

Oxford Nanopore Sequencing Reveals an Exotic Genome within Australian Grains Post-Entry Quarantine.

A (BBMV) isolate (S52) obtained from an infected Vicia faba leaf sample from Syria was sequenced using Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing at the Australian border. The genome had 95.6%, 98.

Rosemary ( L.) growth rate, oil yield and oil quality under differing soil amendments.

In this work, we examined the influence of different soil amendments namely cow manure alone (Cm), cow manure plus fertilizer (Cm + F), fertilizer alone (F) and unamended check, control on rosemary growth rate, fat content, oil yield and oil quality. Plant height (PLH), number of primary branches per plant (NOPB) and survival rate were assessed at 0, 90, 180, 270 and 360 days after planting during the 2020-2021 growing season. Rosemary plant essential oil and fat content were extracted using steam distillation and Soxhlet methods, respectively, and determined for quality using the gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) method.

Genomics in Plant Viral Research.

Plant viruses constitute a large group of pathogens causing damaging diseases in many agricultural and horticultural crops around the world [...

Pheomelanin Effect on UVB Radiation-Induced Oxidation/Nitration of l-Tyrosine.

Pheomelanin is a natural yellow-reddish sulfur-containing pigment derived from tyrosinase-catalyzed oxidation of tyrosine in presence of cysteine. Generally, the formation of melanin pigments is a protective response against the damaging effects of UV radiation in skin. However, pheomelanin, like other photosensitizing substances, can trigger, following exposure to UV radiation, photochemical reactions capable of modifying and damaging cellular components.

Variation in Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Various Organs of African Cabbage ( L.) Accessions at Different Growth Stages.

The presence of nutritional and health-benefiting compounds has increased awareness of orphan leafy vegetables such as (CG), whose phytochemicals vary among accessions and organs during growth. This study investigated the polyphenol accumulation and antioxidant activities (AOA) of eight CG accessions from the vegetative stage to the seed set stage. Plants were separated into leaves and stem (LS), flowers, and silique organs, and extracts were analyzed for total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), rutin and astragalin content, and AOA using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl-hydrate (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS).

Virus Diseases of Cereal and Oilseed Crops in Australia: Current Position and Future Challenges.

This review summarizes research on virus diseases of cereals and oilseeds in Australia since the 1950s. All viruses known to infect the diverse range of cereal and oilseed crops grown in the continent's temperate, Mediterranean, subtropical and tropical cropping regions are included. Viruses that occur commonly and have potential to cause the greatest seed yield and quality losses are described in detail, focusing on their biology, epidemiology and management.

Geographical origin discrimination of "Ntopia" olive oil cultivar from Ionian islands using volatile compounds analysis and computational statistics.

Unlabelled: The aim of the present study was to characterize the aroma profile of olive oil of the "Ntopia" (local) cultivar from the Ionian islands (Zakynthos, Kefalonia, Leukada, and Kerkyra) (Greece), and investigate whether specific volatile compounds could be considered as indicators of olive oil geographical origin, using computational statistics. In this context, 137 olive oil samples were subjected to headspace solid phase microextraction coupled to gas chromatography/mass spectrometry using the internal standard method. Computational statistics on the semi-quantitative data of olive oil samples, as rapid machine learning algorithms, showed that specific volatile compounds could be used as indicators of geographical origin of olive oil of the "Ntopia" cultivar, among the four main Ionian islands.

Exposure to Salinity and Light Spectra Regulates Glucosinolates, Phenolics, and Antioxidant Capacity of L. Microgreens.

The effect of salt treatment on (BC) microgreens grown under different light wavelengths on glucosinolates (GLs) and phenolic compounds were evaluated. Quantifiable GLs were identified using ultra-high performance-quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry. Extracts' ability to activate antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT)) was evaluated on human colorectal carcinoma cells (HCT116).

Comparative analysis of draft genome assemblies developed from whole genome sequences of two isolate samples differing in field virulence on .

causes downy mildew, a major disease of Brassicaceae species. We sequenced the genomes of two isolates of high (Sample B) and low (Sample C) virulence. Sequencing reads were first assembled with software's SOAPdenovo2, ABySS V2.

Prospects on bio-based 2,3-butanediol and acetoin production: Recent progress and advances.

The bio-based platform chemicals 2,3-butanediol (BDO) and acetoin have various applications in chemical, cosmetics, food, agriculture, and pharmaceutical industries, whereas the derivatives of BDO could be used as fuel additives, polymer and synthetic rubber production. This review summarizes the novel technological developments in adapting genetic and metabolic engineering strategies for selection and construction of chassis strains for BDO and acetoin production. The valorization of renewable feedstocks and bioprocess development for the upstream and downstream stages of bio-based BDO and acetoin production are discussed.