Healthcare Application of Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA): Is There Room in the Infectious Disease Setting? A Scoping Review.

: Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) is a valuable risk analysis tool aimed at predicting the potential failures of a system and preventing them from occurring. Since its initial use, it has also recently been applied to the healthcare setting, which has been made progressively more complex by technological developments and new challenges. Infection prevention and control (IPC) is an area that requires effective strategies.

The European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support (EUROMACS): fourth Paediatric EUROMACS (Paedi-EUROMACS) report.

Objectives: The use of ventricular assist devices (VADs) in children is increasing. However, absolute numbers in individual centres and countries remain small. Collaborative efforts such as the Paedi-European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support (EUROMACS) are therefore essential for combining international experience with paediatric VADs.

Expression, purification and application of a recombinant, membrane permeating version of the light chain of botulinum toxin B.

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are valuable tools to unveil molecular mechanisms of exocytosis in neuronal and non-neuronal cells due to their peptidase activity on exocytic isoforms of SNARE proteins. They are produced by Clostridia as single-chain polypeptides that are proteolytically cleaved into light, catalytic domains covalently linked via disulfide bonds to heavy, targeting domains. This format of two subunits linked by disulfide bonds is required for the full neurotoxicity of BoNTs.

Correction: Gligoric et al. IOTA-Based Distributed Ledger in the Mining Industry: Efficiency, Sustainability and Transparency. 2024, , 923.

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Myomerger Induces Membrane Hemifusion and Regulates Fusion Pore Expansion.

Membrane fusion is a crucial mechanism in a wide variety of important events in cell biology from viral infection to exocytosis. However, despite many efforts and much progress, cell-cell fusion has remained elusive to our understanding. Along the life of the fusion pore, large conformational changes take place from the initial lipid bilayer bending, passing through the hemifusion intermediates, and ending with the formation of the first nascent fusion pore.

IOTA-Based Distributed Ledger in the Mining Industry: Efficiency, Sustainability and Transparency.

The paper presents a traceability framework founded upon a methodological approach specifically designed for the integration of the IOTA-based distributed ledger within the mining industry. This framework constitutes an initial stride towards the certification and labelling of sustainable material production. The efficacy of this methodology is subject to real-world evaluation within the framework of the European Commission funded project DIG_IT.

Ocular surface and glaucoma, a mutual relationship. Practical suggestions for classification and management.

The chronic use of glaucoma medications could improve the development of an ocular comorbidity, the glaucoma therapy-related ocular surface disease. This could be related to the exposure of the conjunctiva to preservatives, but also active compounds such as prostaglandin analogues may improve the risk of ocular surface inflammation. Inflammation has a negative impact on tolerability and adherence to eyedrops and to the outcome of filtration surgery as well.

The SARS-CoV-2 mutation landscape is shaped before replication starts.

Mutation landscapes and signatures have been thoroughly studied in SARS-CoV-2. Here, we analyse those patterns and link their changes to the viral replication tissue in the respiratory tract. Surprisingly, a substantial difference in those patterns is observed in samples from vaccinated patients.

A lung-specific mutational signature enables inference of viral and bacterial respiratory niche.

Exposure to different mutagens leaves distinct mutational patterns that can allow inference of pathogen replication niches. We therefore investigated whether SARS-CoV-2 mutational spectra might show lineage-specific differences, dependent on the dominant site(s) of replication and onwards transmission, and could therefore rapidly infer virulence of emergent variants of concern (VOCs). Through mutational spectrum analysis, we found a significant reduction in G>T mutations in the Omicron variant, which replicates in the upper respiratory tract (URT), compared to other lineages, which replicate in both the URT and lower respiratory tract (LRT).

Short- and long-term survival of children treated with ventricular assist devices in Spain, based on 15 years' experience.

Objectives: To describe the use of ventricular assist devices (VAD) in children in Spain and to identify variables related to survival.

Methods: This is an observational cohort study of all children younger than 18 years of age who underwent an initial implantation of a VAD at any of the 6 paediatric heart transplant centres from May 2006 to December 2020. Subjects were identified retrospectively from each hospital's database.

A Bicentric Propensity Matched Analysis of 158 Patients Comparing Porcine Versus Bovine Stented Bioprosthetic Valves in Pulmonary Position.

Background And Objectives: Pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) is the most common operation in adults with congenital heart disease (CHD). There is controversy regarding the best bioprosthesis. We compare the performance of stented bioprosthetic valves (the Mosaic [Medtronic™] porcine pericardial against Carpentier Perimount Magna Ease [Edwards™] bovine) in pulmonary position in patients with CHD.

The European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support (EUROMACS): third Paediatric (Paedi-EUROMACS) report.

Objectives: A third paediatric report has been generated from the European Registry for Patients with Mechanical Circulatory Support (EUROMACS). The purpose of EUROMACS, which is operated by the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, is to gather data related to durable mechanical circulatory support for scientific purposes and to publish reports with respect to the course of mechanical circulatory support therapy. Since the first report issued, efforts to increase compliance and participation have been extended.

Repurposing Carvedilol as a Novel Inhibitor of the Autophagy Flux That Affects Parasite Replication and Survival.

, the causal agent of Chagas disease, is a parasite able to infect different types of host cells and to persist chronically in the tissues of human and animal hosts. These qualities and the lack of an effective treatment for the chronic stage of the disease have contributed to the durability and the spread of the disease around the world. There is an urgent necessity to find new therapies for Chagas disease.

miRNAs as Novel Biomarkers of Chronic Kidney Injury in Anabolic-Androgenic Steroid Users: An Experimental Study.

miRNAs are a family of 20-22 non-coding nucleotides that control gene expression by inhibiting the translation of their target messenger RNAs (mRNAs). Two models have been proposed to elucidate the mechanism of action: they act either hindering mRNA translation or enhancing mRNA degradation. Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids (AASs) represent a class of drugs used to treat several diseases.

Hepatitis C and HIV combined screening in primary care: A cluster randomized trial.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV are major causes of worldwide disease. We aimed to evaluate the effect of a combined screening programme, which included a risk-assessment questionnaire and rapid tests for point-of-care diagnosis, on screening and new diagnosis rates. This prospective, cluster randomized study was carried out in primary care.

Medico-legal assessment of personal damage in older people: report from a multidisciplinary consensus conference.

Ageing of the global population represents a challenge for national healthcare systems and healthcare professionals, including medico-legal experts, who assess personal damage in an increasing number of older people. Personal damage evaluation in older people is complex, and the scarcity of evidence is hindering the development of formal guidelines on the subject. The main objectives of the first multidisciplinary Consensus Conference on Medico-Legal Assessment of Personal Damage in Older People were to increase knowledge on the subject and establish standard procedures in this field.

ADP-ribosylation: from molecular mechanisms to human disease.

Post-translational modification of proteins by ADP-ribosylation, catalysed by poly (ADP-ribose) polymerases (PARPs) using NAD+ as a substrate, plays central roles in DNA damage signalling and repair, modulates a range of cellular signalling cascades and initiates programmed cell death by parthanatos. Here, we present mechanistic aspects of ADP-ribose modification, PARP activation and the cellular functions of ADP-ribose signalling, and discuss how this knowledge is uncovering therapeutic avenues for the treatment of increasingly prevalent human diseases such as cancer, ischaemic damage and neurodegeneration.

Impact of a structured HIV testing program in a hospital emergency department and a primary care center.

Introduction: HIV testing guidelines are poorly implemented in most clinical settings. The best screening strategy and healthcare scenario are still unknown. The aim of our study is to evaluate the impact of a structured HIV testing intervention (DRIVE), compared to HIV testing as routinely performed in clinical practice, in two different clinical settings: a primary care center and an emergency department.

External Validation of 3 Risk Scores in Adults with Congenital Heart Disease.

Background And Objectives: Adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) are an increasing group of patients thanks to the survival of over 85% of children with CHD. 20% of these patients shall warrant a surgical procedure during their life span. However, currently there is no one risk score that assess correctly the mortality of these procedures.

Efficient Single-Strand Break Repair Requires Binding to Both Poly(ADP-Ribose) and DNA by the Central BRCT Domain of XRCC1.

XRCC1 accelerates repair of DNA single-strand breaks by acting as a scaffold protein for the recruitment of Polβ, LigIIIα, and end-processing factors, such as PNKP and APTX. XRCC1 itself is recruited to DNA damage through interaction of its central BRCT domain with poly(ADP-ribose) chains generated by PARP1 or PARP2. XRCC1 is believed to interact directly with DNA at sites of damage, but the molecular basis for this interaction within XRCC1 remains unclear.

Immobilisation of yeasts on oak chips or cellulose powder for use in bottle-fermented sparkling wine.

Sparkling wine production comprises two successive fermentations performed by Sacharomyces cerevisiae strains. This research aimed to: develop yeast immobilisation processes on two wine-compatible supports; study the effects of yeast type (IOC 18-2007 and 55A) and the immobilisation support type (oak chips and cellulose powder) on the fermentation kinetics, the deposition rate of lees and the volatile composition of the finished sparkling wine; compare the fermentation parameters of the wines inoculated with immobilised or non-immobilised cells. Proper immobilisation of yeast on oak chips and cellulose powder was demonstrated by electron microscopy.

Antimicrobial activity of commercial calcium phosphate based materials functionalized with vanillin.

Infections represent one of the most frequent causes of arthroplasty revision. Thus, design of new antimicrobial scaffolds to reduce implant rejections, bone infections and associated medical costs is highly desired. In recent years, essential oil components (EOCs) have merged as compounds with significant antimicrobial activity that can be attached to specific surfaces to enhance and prolong their antimicrobial effect.