Defects or no defects? Or how to design 20-25 nm spherical iron oxide nanoparticles to harness both magnetic hyperthermia and photothermia.

Designing iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) to effectively combine magnetic hyperthermia (MH) and photothermia (PTT) in one IONP formulation presents a significant challenge to ensure a multimodal therapy allowing the adaptation of the treatment to each patient. Recent research has highlighted the influence of factors such as the size, shape, and amount of defects on both therapeutic approaches. In this study, 20-25 nm spherical IONPs with a spinel composition were synthesized by adapting the protocol of the thermal decomposition method to control the amount of defects.

The interplay of facilitation and competition drives the emergence of multistability in dryland plant communities.

Within communities, species are wrapped in a set of feedbacks with each other and with their environment. When such feedbacks are strong enough they can generate alternative stable states. So far, research on alternative stable states has mostly focused on systems with a small number of species and a limited diversity of interaction types.

Leriglitazone halts disease progression in adult patients with early cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy.

Cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (CALD) is an X-linked rapidly progressive demyelinating disease leading to death usually within a few years. The standard of care is haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), but many men are not eligible due to age, absence of a matched donor or lesions of the corticospinal tracts (CST). Based on the ADVANCE study showing that leriglitazone decreases the occurrence of CALD, we treated 13 adult CALD patients (19-67 years of age) either not eligible for HSCT (n = 8) or awaiting HSCT (n = 5).

Magnetic anisotropy engineering in onion-structured metal oxide nanoparticles combining dual exchange coupling and proximity effects.

A series of exchange-coupled magnetic nanoparticles combining several magnetic phases in an onion-type structure were synthesized by performing a three-step seed-mediated growth process. Iron and cobalt precursors were alternatively decomposed in high-boiling-temperature solvents (288-310 °C) to successively grow CoO and FeO shells (the latter in three stages) on the surface of FeO seeds. The structure and chemical composition of these nanoparticles were investigated in depth by combining a wide panel of advanced techniques, such as scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), electron energy-loss spectroscopy-spectrum imaging (EELS-SI), Fe Mössbauer spectrometry, and X-ray circular magnetic dichroism (XMCD) techniques.

Clinical impact and public health challenges of a PVL-MRSA bacteraemia outbreak amongst people who inject drugs in South Yorkshire, UK.

Background: Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) (SA) is an emergent public health concern. PVL toxin has been mostly associated with methicillin-sensitive (MSSA)-related skin and soft tissue infections occurring in high-risk groups such as people who inject drugs (PWID). The emergence of PVL methicillin-resistant (MRSA) infection is causing severe and life-threatening disease in PWID.

Bringing science to the public in the light of evolution.

Evolution stands as a foundational pillar within modern biology, shaping our understanding of life. Studies related to evolution, for example constructing phylogenetic trees, are often carried out using DNA or protein sequences. These data, readily accessible from public databases, represent a treasure trove of resources that can be harnessed to create engaging activities with the public.

Emergence and control of an outbreak of PVL-positive MRSA in a UK-based maternity setting.

This paper aims to describe the investigation and control of an outbreak of USA300 ST8 Panton-Valentine leucocidin (PVL)-positive meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), confirmed by whole genome sequencing (WGS), within a maternity and neonatal setting in the UK. The identification of two linked PVL-MRSA cases led to an outbreak investigation. A lookback exercise conducted using the infection control surveillance database, typing of saved MRSA isolates, enhanced patient screening, and staff screening were used to identify further cases.

Comprehensive evaluation of the implementation of episignatures for diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs).

Episignatures are popular tools for the diagnosis of rare neurodevelopmental disorders. They are commonly based on a set of differentially methylated CpGs used in combination with a support vector machine model. DNA methylation (DNAm) data often include missing values due to changes in data generation technology and batch effects.

Whole-genome sequencing links cases dispersed in time, place, and person while supporting healthcare worker management in an outbreak of Panton-Valentine leucocidin meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; and a review of literature.

This is a report on an outbreak of Panton-Valentine leucocidin-producing meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (PVL-MRSA) in an intensive care unit (ICU) during the COVID-19 pandemic that affected seven patients and a member of staff. Six patients were infected over a period of ten months on ICU by the same strain of PVL-MRSA, and a historic case identified outside of the ICU. All cases were linked to a healthcare worker (HCW) who was colonized with the organism.

Soft Tissue Infection of Immunocompetent Man with Cat-Derived Globicatella Species.

We report a novel Globicatella species causing extensive soft tissue infection in a man bitten by a stray domestic cat in the United Kingdom. We identified this bacterium by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, whole-genome sequencing, and biochemical profiling and determined antimicrobial drug susceptibility.

Quality matters: Stoichiometry of resources modulates spatial feedbacks in aquatic-terrestrial meta-ecosystems.

Species dispersal and resource spatial flows greatly affect the dynamics of connected ecosystems. So far, research on meta-ecosystems has mainly focused on the quantitative effect of subsidy flows. Yet, resource exchanges at heterotrophic-autotrophic (e.

Trends in coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), England, 2010-2021.

Objective: To review the epidemiology of coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) in England over the recent 12 year period.

Methods: Laboratory-confirmed CoNS reported from sterile sites in patients in England to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) between 2010 and 2021 were extracted from the national laboratory database and analysed.

Results: Overall, 668 857 episodes of CoNS were reported.

Whole-genome sequencing reveals widespread presence of Staphylococcus capitis NRCS-A clone in neonatal units across the United Kingdom.

Objective: Increased incidence of neonatal Staphylococcus capitis bacteraemia in summer 2020, London, raised suspicion of widespread multidrug-resistant clone NRCS-A. We set out to investigate the molecular epidemiology of this clone in neonatal units (NNUs) across the UK.

Methods: We conducted whole-genome sequencing (WGS) on presumptive S.

Landscape Structure Affects Metapopulation-Scale Tipping Points.

AbstractEven when environments deteriorate gradually, ecosystems may shift abruptly from one state to another. Such catastrophic shifts are difficult to predict and sometimes to reverse (so-called hysteresis). While well studied in simplified contexts, we lack a general understanding of how catastrophic shifts spread in realistically spatially structured landscapes.

An unusual familial Xp22.12 microduplication including EIF1AX: A novel candidate dosage-sensitive gene for premature ovarian insufficiency.

We report on the results of array-CGH and Whole exome sequencing (WES) studies carried out in a Tunisian family with 46,XX premature ovarian insufficiency (POI). This study has led to the identification of a familial Xp22.12 tandem duplication with a size of 559.

Crossover From Individual to Collective Magnetism in Dense Nanoparticle Systems: Local Anisotropy Versus Dipolar Interactions.

Dense systems of magnetic nanoparticles may exhibit dipolar collective behavior. However, two fundamental questions remain unsolved: i) whether the transition temperature may be affected by the particle anisotropy or it is essentially determined by the intensity of the interparticle dipolar interactions, and ii) what is the minimum ratio of dipole-dipole interaction (E ) to nanoparticle anisotropy (K V, anisotropy⋅volume) energies necessary to crossover from individual to collective behavior. A series of particle assemblies with similarly intense dipolar interactions but widely varying anisotropy is studied.

MRSA surveillance programmes worldwide: moving towards a harmonised international approach.

Multinational surveillance programmes for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are dependent on national structures for data collection. This study aimed to capture the diversity of national MRSA surveillance programmes and to propose a framework for harmonisation of MRSA surveillance. The International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (ISAC) MRSA Working Group conducted a structured survey on MRSA surveillance programmes and organised a webinar to discuss the programmes' strengths and challenges as well as guidelines for harmonisation.

Healthcare-worker-associated outbreak of Panton-Valentine-leukocidin-producing meticillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus in a large neonatal unit in London: successful targeted suppression therapy following failure of mass suppression therapy.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of healthcare-associated infection, and outbreaks have been associated with neonatal units and colonization of healthcare workers.

Aim: To describe an outbreak of Panton-Valentine-leukocidin-producing meticillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (PVL-MSSA) in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Methods: Multi-disciplinary outbreak control investigation.