In Bangladesh, Vibrio cholerae lineages are undergoing genomic evolution, with increased virulence and spreading ability. However, our understanding of the genomic determinants influencing lineage transmission and disease severity remains incomplete. Here, we developed a computational framework using machine-learning, genome scale metabolic modelling (GSSM) and 3D structural analysis, to identify V.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDairy slurry is a major source of environmental contamination with antimicrobial resistant genes and bacteria. We developed mathematical models and conducted on-farm research to explore the impact of wastewater flows and management practices on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in slurry. Temporal fluctuations in cephalosporin-resistant were observed and attributed to farm activities, specifically the disposal of spent copper and zinc footbath into the slurry system.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The cost-of-living crisis (CoLC) is an economic climate that the United Kingdom (UK) has been experiencing since late 2021, characterized by an increase in the price of essential goods faster than real-term incomes. Food and fuel poverty has ensued. This study aimed to assess whether the CoLC is associated with an increase in hot water bottle (HWB)-related burns as patients seek alternative heating sources to keep warm.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Immunizing pharmacy technicians (IPTs) have become more prevalent in recent years, but their impact on community pharmacy practice has yet to be determined.
Objectives: Determine the impact of implementing IPTs on vaccination volume in a community pharmacy chain and assess pharmacy staff's perspectives on the clinical abilities of IPTs and their impact on pharmacy workflow and job satisfaction.
Methods: Retrospective data analysis comparing the number of vaccines administered in a supermarket pharmacy chain from September to March 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 in pharmacies with IPT(s) versus those without IPT(s).
Purpose: Social determinants of health (SDOH), the environmental, economic, and social factors that influence people's health outcomes, are widely recognized across health and human services. In addition, there are other factors that can exacerbate SDOH; among them is immigration status. Its influence is so profound that it has been suggested that immigration be considered an SDOH in and of itself (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2018).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSharing of genetic elements among different pathogens and commensals inhabiting same hosts and environments has significant implications for antimicrobial resistance (AMR), especially in settings with high antimicrobial exposure. We analysed 661 Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica isolates collected within and across hosts and environments, in 10 Chinese chicken farms over 2.5 years using data-mining methods.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study examined the persuasive effects of two-sided refutational conversion messages compared to one-sided advocacy messages in increasing pro-COVID-19 vaccination attitudes and reducing resistance to getting vaccinated among U.S. adults who self-reported as unvaccinated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPimavanserin is an antipsychotic that is approved for use in Parkinson's disease psychosis. Working as a serotonin 2A inverse agonist, pimavanserin allows patients to improve their psychotic symptoms without worsening the motor symptoms of Parkinson's. This mechanism is mediated via serotonin receptors and may allow for pimavanserin to be considered for use in other disease processes that present with psychosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntimicrobial resistant bacterial infections represent one of the most serious contemporary global healthcare crises. Acquisition and spread of resistant infections can occur through community, hospitals, food, water or endogenous bacteria. Global efforts to reduce resistance have typically focussed on antibiotic use, hygiene and sanitation and drug discovery.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe effectiveness of wetlands in sequestering nutrients and improving water quality relies on a suite of abiotic and biotic conditions. To more fully understand the restraints on nutrient removal, especially salinity and plant cover, we created field-scale mesocosms and monitored nutrient sequestration with nutrient additions and isotopic pool dilutions over 2 years in two wetlands near the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Surprisingly, we found no differences in nutrient removal with plant removal, increased salinity, and altered ambient nutrient concentrations, suggesting functional redundancy in associated primary producers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The Australian black swan (Cygnus atratus) is an iconic species with contrasting plumage to that of the closely related northern hemisphere white swans. The relative geographic isolation of the black swan may have resulted in a limited immune repertoire and increased susceptibility to infectious diseases, notably infectious diseases from which Australia has been largely shielded. Unlike mallard ducks and the mute swan (Cygnus olor), the black swan is extremely sensitive to highly pathogenic avian influenza.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBats are recognized as important reservoirs of viruses deadly to other mammals, including humans. These infections are typically nonpathogenic in bats, raising questions about host response differences that might exist between bats and other mammals. Tetherin is a restriction factor which inhibits the release of a diverse range of viruses from host cells, including retroviruses, coronaviruses, filoviruses, and paramyxoviruses, some of which are deadly to humans and transmitted by bats.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA debate is currently ongoing as to whether intensive livestock farms may constitute reservoirs of clinically relevant antimicrobial resistance (AMR), thus posing a threat to surrounding communities. Here, combining shotgun metagenome sequencing, machine learning (ML), and culture-based methods, we focused on a poultry farm and connected slaughterhouse in China, investigating the gut microbiome of livestock, workers and their households, and microbial communities in carcasses and soil. For both the microbiome and resistomes in this study, differences are observed across environments and hosts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBats are important reservoirs for viruses of public health and veterinary concern. Virus studies in Australian bats usually target the families Paramyxoviridae, Coronaviridae and Rhabdoviridae, with little known about their overall virome composition. We used metatranscriptomic sequencing to characterise the faecal virome of grey-headed flying foxes from three colonies in urban/suburban locations from two Australian states.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe emergence of SARS-CoV-2 and the subsequent COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant global impact. However, COVID-19 is just one of several high-impact infectious diseases that emerged from wildlife and are linked to the human relationship with nature. The rate of emergence of new zoonoses (diseases of animal origin) is increasing, driven by human-induced environmental changes that threaten biodiversity on a global scale.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCelebrity disclosures and narratives are popular strategies in health promotion. However, less is known about their joint effects and the mechanisms through which they function. A 2 (: celebrity vs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study examined two-sided conversion messages in relation to one-sided advocacy messages in reducing vaccine hesitancy related to COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Results demonstrated that, for vaccine-hesitant participants, conversion messages increased pro-COVID-19 vaccination attitudes and behavioral intentions. For high vaccine-hesitant participants, the relationship between conversion messages and attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccinations was mediated through source credibility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an acute respiratory disease with systemic complications. Therapeutic strategies for COVID-19, including repurposing (partially) developed drugs are urgently needed, regardless of the increasingly successful vaccination outcomes. We characterized two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional models (3D) to establish a physiologically relevant airway epithelial model with potential for investigating SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Antimicrob Chemother
March 2022
Background: Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) elements are highly diverse and have been classified into 14 types. Novel SCCmec variants have been frequently detected from humans and animals but rarely from food.
Objectives: To characterize a novel SCCmec type and two SCCmec variants identified from food-associated MRSA in China.
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is becoming one of the largest threats to public health worldwide, with the opportunistic pathogen Escherichia coli playing a major role in the AMR global health crisis. Unravelling the complex interplay between drug resistance and metabolic rewiring is key to understand the ability of bacteria to adapt to new treatments and to the development of new effective solutions to combat resistant infections. We developed a computational pipeline that combines machine learning with genome-scale metabolic models (GSMs) to elucidate the systemic relationships between genetic determinants of resistance and metabolism beyond annotated drug resistance genes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF