is a zoonotic pathogen commonly found in pigs, capable of causing disease in humans when in contact with contaminated pigs or pork products. The most common presentation in humans is meningitis, although it can also manifest as sepsis, arthritis, endocarditis, or endophthalmitis. In Europe, most cases are described as occupational disease related to pig farming or raw pork handling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProduction of affordable coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines in low- and lower-middle-income countries is needed. NDV-HXP-S is an inactivated egg-based recombinant Newcastle disease virus vaccine expressing the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A public sector manufacturer in Vietnam assessed the immunogenicity of NDV-HXP-S (COVIVAC) relative to an authorized vaccine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn increasing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is expected in the coming decades mainly due to the need to achieve carbon neutrality until 2050. However, predicting electric mobility's future is challenging due to three main factors: technological advancements, regulatory policies, and consumer behaviour. The projections presented in this study are based on several scenarios driven mainly from reports published by public entities and consultants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Womens Health (Larchmt)
November 2024
To examine trends with a focus on racial and ethnic disparities in reported gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and related outcomes (macrosomia, large for gestational age infants) before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Carolina (SC). A retrospective cohort study of pregnancies resulting in livebirths from 2015 through 2021 was conducted in SC. Statewide maternal hospital and emergency department discharge codes were linked to birth certificate data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: This study aimed to examine associations of fetal biometric and amniotic fluid measures with intrapartum primary cesarean delivery (PCD) and develop prediction models for PCD based on ultrasound parameters and maternal factors.
Study Design: Secondary analysis of the National Institute of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Fetal Growth Studies-singleton cohort (2009-2013) including patients with uncomplicated pregnancies and intent to deliver vaginally at ≥37 weeks. The estimated fetal weight, individual biometric parameters, fetal asymmetry measurements, and amniotic fluid single deepest vertical pocket assessed at the final scan (mean 37.
The SpaceX Inspiration4 mission provided a unique opportunity to study the impact of spaceflight on the human body. Biospecimen samples were collected from four crew members longitudinally before (Launch: L-92, L-44, L-3 days), during (Flight Day: FD1, FD2, FD3), and after (Return: R + 1, R + 45, R + 82, R + 194 days) spaceflight, spanning a total of 289 days across 2021-2022. The collection process included venous whole blood, capillary dried blood spot cards, saliva, urine, stool, body swabs, capsule swabs, SpaceX Dragon capsule HEPA filter, and skin biopsies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe advent of civilian spaceflight challenges scientists to precisely describe the effects of spaceflight on human physiology, particularly at the molecular and cellular level. Newer, nanopore-based sequencing technologies can quantitatively map changes in chemical structure and expression at single molecule resolution across entire isoforms. We perform long-read, direct RNA nanopore sequencing, as well as Ultima high-coverage RNA-sequencing, of whole blood sampled longitudinally from four SpaceX Inspiration4 astronauts at seven timepoints, spanning pre-flight, day of return, and post-flight recovery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpaceflight can change metabolic, immunological, and biological homeostasis and cause skin rashes and irritation, yet the molecular basis remains unclear. To investigate the impact of short-duration spaceflight on the skin, we conducted skin biopsies on the Inspiration4 crew members before (L-44) and after (R + 1) flight. Leveraging multi-omics assays including GeoMx™ Digital Spatial Profiler, single-cell RNA/ATAC-seq, and metagenomics/metatranscriptomics, we assessed spatial gene expressions and associated microbial and immune changes across 95 skin regions in four compartments: outer epidermis, inner epidermis, outer dermis, and vasculature.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs spaceflight becomes more common with commercial crews, blood-based measures of crew health can guide both astronaut biomedicine and countermeasures. By profiling plasma proteins, metabolites, and extracellular vesicles/particles (EVPs) from the SpaceX Inspiration4 crew, we generated "spaceflight secretome profiles," which showed significant differences in coagulation, oxidative stress, and brain-enriched proteins. While >93% of differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) in vesicles and metabolites recovered within six months, the majority (73%) of plasma DAPs were still perturbed post-flight.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSpaceflight induces molecular, cellular and physiological shifts in astronauts and poses myriad biomedical challenges to the human body, which are becoming increasingly relevant as more humans venture into space. Yet current frameworks for aerospace medicine are nascent and lag far behind advancements in precision medicine on Earth, underscoring the need for rapid development of space medicine databases, tools and protocols. Here we present the Space Omics and Medical Atlas (SOMA), an integrated data and sample repository for clinical, cellular and multi-omic research profiles from a diverse range of missions, including the NASA Twins Study, JAXA CFE study, SpaceX Inspiration4 crew, Axiom and Polaris.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe recent acceleration of commercial, private and multi-national spaceflight has created an unprecedented level of activity in low Earth orbit, concomitant with the largest-ever number of crewed missions entering space and preparations for exploration-class (lasting longer than one year) missions. Such rapid advancement into space from many new companies, countries and space-related entities has enabled a 'second space age'. This era is also poised to leverage, for the first time, modern tools and methods of molecular biology and precision medicine, thus enabling precision aerospace medicine for the crews.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman spaceflight has historically been managed by government agencies, such as in the NASA Twins Study, but new commercial spaceflight opportunities have opened spaceflight to a broader population. In 2021, the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission launched the first all-civilian crew to low Earth orbit, which included the youngest American astronaut (aged 29), new in-flight experimental technologies (handheld ultrasound imaging, smartwatch wearables and immune profiling), ocular alignment measurements and new protocols for in-depth, multi-omic molecular and cellular profiling. Here we report the primary findings from the 3-day spaceflight mission, which induced a broad range of physiological and stress responses, neurovestibular changes indexed by ocular misalignment, and altered neurocognitive functioning, some of which match those of long-term spaceflight, but almost all of which did not differ from baseline (pre-flight) after return to Earth.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis database consists of the Peruvian media diet in a post-pandemic context. Specifically, it examines how Peruvians define and utilise media to create environments for information, learning, and entertainment. Since the pandemic, the relationship that users have developed with the media has intensified and changed, fostering new uses and interactions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
April 2024
Preterm delivery (PTD) complications are a major cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. We aimed to assess trends in PTD and small for gestational age (SGA) and whether trends varied between race-ethnic groups in South Carolina (SC). We utilized 2015-2021 SC vital records linked to hospitalization and emergency department records.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic stress is a major risk factor for neuropsychiatric conditions such as depression. Adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) has emerged as a promising target to counteract stress-related disorders given the ability of newborn neurons to facilitate endogenous plasticity. Recent data sheds light on the interaction between cannabinoids and neurotrophic factors underlying the regulation of AHN, with important effects on cognitive plasticity and emotional flexibility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Both progestogens and cerclage are individually effective in preterm birth prevention in high risk pregnancies. However, national and international guidelines cite a lack of data available to comment on the potential benefit of concurrent progestogen therapy after cerclage has been placed. Studies to date have been small with mixed results regarding benefit of concurrent progestogen with cerclage leaving uncertainty regarding best clinical practice.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe axon is a neuronal structure capable of processing, encoding, and transmitting information. This assessment contrasts with a limiting, but deeply rooted, perspective where the axon functions solely as a transmission cable of somatodendritic activity, sending signals in the form of stereotypical action potentials. This perspective arose, at least partially, because of the technical difficulties in probing axons: their extreme length-to-diameter ratio and intricate growth paths preclude the study of their dynamics through traditional techniques.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGestational hypertension, preeclampsia, eclampsia, and chronic hypertension (CHTN) are associated with adverse infant outcomes and disproportionately affect minoritized race/ethnicity groups. We evaluated the relationships between hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and/or CHTN with infant mortality, preterm delivery (PTD), and small for gestational age (SGA) in a statewide cohort with a diverse racial/ethnic population. All live, singleton deliveries in South Carolina (2004-2016) to mothers aged 12-49 were evaluated for adverse outcomes: infant mortality, PTD (20 to less than <37 weeks) and SGA (<10th birthweight-for-gestational-age percentile).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study tested the hypothesis that cocoa monoculture (MS) and cocoa-açai agroforestry systems (AFS) may influence the microbial community structure and populations of plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPR). Accordingly, the aim was to analyze the microbial community structure and PGPR populations in different agroecosystems in the Brazilian Amazon. To achieve this, the rhizosphere microbial community of cocoa and açai plants in both Amazonian seasons (dry and rainy) was analyzed using culture-dependent (PGPR screening) and -independent methods [PCR-DGGE based on , , H gene, and intergenic region (ITS) of fungi].
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
January 2024
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and pre-pregnancy hypertension contribute to maternal morbidity and mortality. We examined the association of HDP and pre-pregnancy hypertension with subsequent venous thromboembolic (VTE) events. The retrospective cohort study included 444,859 women with ≥1 live, singleton birth in South Carolina (2004-2016).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCholesterol 24-hydroxylase (CYP46A1) is an exclusively neuronal cytochrome P450 enzyme responsible for converting cholesterol into 24S-hydroxycholesterol, which serves as the primary pathway for eliminating cholesterol in the brain. We and others have shown that increased activity of CYP46A1 leads to reduced levels of cholesterol and has a positive effect on cognition. Therefore, we hypothesized that CYP46A1 could be a potential therapeutic target in Niemann-Pick type C (NPC) disease, a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by cholesterol accumulation in endolysosomal compartments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Chronic non-recreational use of methamphetamine (shabu) is increasing among the Filipino population in Barcelona. The Asian population presents a different stroke pattern, with a higher incidence of haemorrhage, and different vascular risk factors and health behaviours. The objective of this study is to describe the stroke profile and incidence of methamphetamine use in patients of Filipino origin admitted to our centre.
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