Toward refined environmental scenarios for ecological risk assessment of down-the-drain chemicals in freshwater environments.

Current regulatory practice for chemical risk assessment suffers from the lack of realism in conventional frameworks. Despite significant advances in exposure and ecological effect modeling, the implementation of novel approaches as high-tier options for prospective regulatory risk assessment remains limited, particularly among general chemicals such as down-the-drain ingredients. While reviewing the current state of the art in environmental exposure and ecological effect modeling, we propose a scenario-based framework that enables a better integration of exposure and effect assessments in a tiered approach.

High MICs for Vancomycin and Daptomycin and Complicated Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections with Methicillin-Sensitive Staphylococcus aureus.

We investigated the prognostic role of high MICs for antistaphylococcal agents in patients with methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus catheter-related bloodstream infection (MSSA CRBSI). We prospectively reviewed 83 episodes from 5 centers in Spain during April 2011-June 2014 that had optimized clinical management and analyzed the relationship between E-test MICs for vancomycin, daptomycin, oxacillin, and linezolid and development of complicated bacteremia by using multivariate analysis. Complicated MSSA CRBSI occurred in 26 (31.

Environmental and human health risks of antimicrobials used in Fenneropenaeus chinensis aquaculture production in China.

This study aimed to quantify the environmental fate of antimicrobials applied in Fenneropenaeus chinensis aquaculture production in China and to assess their potential risks for surrounding aquatic ecosystems, for the promotion of antimicrobial resistance in target and non-target bacteria and for consumers eating shrimp products that contain antimicrobial residues. For this, we first used the results of an environmental monitoring study performed with the antimicrobial sulfamethazine to parameterize and calibrate the ERA-AQUA model, a mass balance model suited to perform risk assessments of veterinary medicines applied in aquaculture ponds. Next, a scenario representing F.

Entry Sites of Venezuelan and Western Equine Encephalitis Viruses in the Mouse Central Nervous System following Peripheral Infection.

Unlabelled: Venezuelan and western equine encephalitis viruses (VEEV and WEEV; Alphavirus; Togaviridae) are mosquito-borne pathogens causing central nervous system (CNS) disease in humans and equids. Adult CD-1 mice also develop CNS disease after infection with VEEV and WEEV. Adult CD-1 mice infected by the intranasal (i.

Lethal and sub-lethal effects of five pesticides used in rice farming on the earthworm Eisenia fetida.

The toxicity of five pesticides typically used in rice farming (trichlorfon, dimethoate, carbendazim, tebuconazole and prochloraz) was evaluated on different lethal and sub-lethal endpoints of the earthworm Eisenia fetida. The evaluated endpoints included: avoidance behaviour after an exposure period of 2 days; and mortality, weight loss, enzymatic activities (cholinesterase, lactate dehydrogenase and alkaline phosphatase) and histopathological effects after an exposure period of 14 days. Carbendazim was found to be highly toxic to E.

Aptamer selection by direct microfluidic recovery and surface plasmon resonance evaluation.

A surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based SELEX approach has been used to raise RNA aptamers against a structured RNA, derived from XBP1 pre-mRNA, that folds as two contiguous hairpins. Thanks to the design of the internal microfluidic cartridge of the instrument, the selection was performed during the dissociation phase of the SPR analysis by recovering the aptamer candidates directly from the target immobilized onto the sensor chip surface. The evaluation of the pools was performed by SPR, simultaneously, during the association phase, each time the amplified and transcribed candidates were injected over the immobilized target.

Depletion of brain functional connectivity enhancement leads to disability progression in multiple sclerosis: A longitudinal resting-state fMRI study.

Background: The compensatory effect of brain functional connectivity enhancement in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) remains controversial.

Objective: To characterize the relationships between brain functional connectivity changes and disability progression in RRMS.

Methods: Long-range connectivity, short-range connectivity, and density of connections were assessed using graph theoretical analysis of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data acquired in 38 RRMS patients (disease duration: 120 ± 32 months) and 24 controls.

Epidemiology of Epidemic Ebola Virus Disease in Conakry and Surrounding Prefectures, Guinea, 2014-2015.

In 2014, Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa was first reported during March in 3 southeastern prefectures in Guinea; from there, the disease rapidly spread across West Africa. We describe the epidemiology of EVD cases reported in Guinea's capital, Conakry, and 4 surrounding prefectures (Coyah, Dubreka, Forecariah, and Kindia), encompassing a full year of the epidemic. A total of 1,355 EVD cases, representing ≈40% of cases reported in Guinea, originated from these areas.

testing and first-line treatment among patients diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer using population data from ten National Program of Cancer Registries in the United States.

Background: In 2011, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommended testing for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients. Our study assessed testing prevalence and its association with socio-demographic and clinical factors and examined first-line treatment.

Methods: Ten state population-based registries supported by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Program of Cancer Registries (NPCR) collected detailed cancer information on mCRC cases diagnosed in 2011, including biomarker testing and first-line treatment from ten central cancer registries.

Influence of Cigarette Package Brand on the Emotional Impact of Tobacco-Warning Images That Cover 30% of Cigarette Packs in Smokers and Nonsmokers.

Introduction: Research on the emotional impact of tobacco-warning images (TWIs) has not evaluated the role of context (ie, cigarette packs) as a modulator of the emotional response to TWIs. The objective of the present study was to identify the influence of the cigarette package brand on the emotional impact of TWIs that cover 30% of cigarette packs in smokers and nonsmokers using a specific methodology for the study of emotion.

Methods: The participants included 95 smokers and 111 nonsmokers who observed three TWIs under two conditions: TWIs that covered 30% of cigarette packs and TWIs alone, without brands.

Comparison of Asian Aquaculture Products by Use of Statistically Supported Life Cycle Assessment.

We investigated aquaculture production of Asian tiger shrimp, whiteleg shrimp, giant river prawn, tilapia, and pangasius catfish in Bangladesh, China, Thailand, and Vietnam by using life cycle assessments (LCAs), with the purpose of evaluating the comparative eco-efficiency of producing different aquatic food products. Our starting hypothesis was that different production systems are associated with significantly different environmental impacts, as the production of these aquatic species differs in intensity and management practices. In order to test this hypothesis, we estimated each system's global warming, eutrophication, and freshwater ecotoxicity impacts.

Is the chronic Tier-1 effect assessment approach for insecticides protective for aquatic ecosystems?

We investigated the appropriateness of several methods, including those recommended in the Aquatic Guidance Document of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), for the derivation of chronic Tier-1 regulatory acceptable concentrations (RACs) for insecticides and aquatic organisms. The insecticides represented different chemical classes (organophosphates, pyrethroids, benzoylureas, insect growth regulators, biopesticides, carbamates, neonicotinoids, and miscellaneous). Chronic Tier-1 RACs derived using toxicity data for the standard species Daphnia magna, Chironomus spp.

Developing ecological scenarios for the prospective aquatic risk assessment of pesticides.

The prospective aquatic environmental risk assessment (ERA) of pesticides is generally based on the comparison of predicted environmental concentrations in edge-of-field surface waters with regulatory acceptable concentrations derived from laboratory and/or model ecosystem experiments with aquatic organisms. New improvements in mechanistic effect modeling have allowed a better characterization of the ecological risks of pesticides through the incorporation of biological trait information and landscape parameters to assess individual, population and/or community-level effects and recovery. Similarly to exposure models, ecological models require scenarios that describe the environmental context in which they are applied.

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor interaction with β1 integrin is required for platelet-derived growth factor-AB-induced human mesenchymal stem/stromal cell migration.

Introduction: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are well described for their role in tissue regeneration following injury. Migratory properties of endogenous or administrated MSC are critical for tissue repair processes. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is a chemotactic growth factor that elicits mesenchymal cell migration.

The Cell Division Protein FtsZ from Streptococcus pneumoniae Exhibits a GTPase Activity Delay.

The cell division protein FtsZ assembles in vitro by a mechanism of cooperative association dependent on GTP, monovalent cations, and Mg(2+). We have analyzed the GTPase activity and assembly dynamics of Streptococcus pneumoniae FtsZ (SpnFtsZ). SpnFtsZ assembled in an apparently cooperative process, with a higher critical concentration than values reported for other FtsZ proteins.

Brain functional plasticity at rest and during action in multiple sclerosis patients.

We aimed to demonstrate that basal functional connectivity reorganization observed in a specific network at rest using resting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) could be associated with functional cortical reorganization in such network during action (ta-fMRI) in a population of early multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Altered basal functional connectivity has been previously reported in patients with MS but relationships with cortical reorganization during action have not been explored. Thirteen patients with early relapsing-remitting MS and 14 matched healthy controls were explored on a 3T MRI scanner at rest and during a motor task (conjugate finger flexion and extension movements of each hand).

Effects of intra- and interspecific competition on the sensitivity of Daphnia magna populations to the fungicide carbendazim.

The ecological risk assessment of pesticides is generally based on toxicity data obtained from single-species laboratory experiments and does not take into account ecological interactions such as competition or predation. Intraspecific and interspecific competition are expected to result in additional stress and might increase the sensitivity of aquatic populations to pesticide contamination. To test this hypothesis, the effects of the fungicide carbendazim were assessed on the population dynamics of the micro-crustacean Daphnia magna under different levels of intraspecific and interspecific competition for an algal food resource, using the rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus as competing species.

Effects of intra- and interspecific competition on the sensitivity of aquatic macroinvertebrates to carbendazim.

The Ecological Risk Assessment of pesticides and other potentially toxic chemicals is generally based on toxicity data obtained from single-species laboratory experiments. In the field, however, contaminant effects are ubiquitously co-occurring with ecological interactions such as species competition and predation, which might influence the sensitivity of the individuals exposed to toxicants. The present experimental study investigated how intra- and interspecific competition influence the response of sensitive aquatic organisms to a pesticide.

Evaluating aquatic invertebrate vulnerability to insecticides based on intrinsic sensitivity, biological traits, and toxic mode of action.

In the present study, the authors evaluated the vulnerability of aquatic invertebrates to insecticides based on their intrinsic sensitivity and their population-level recovery potential. The relative sensitivity of invertebrates to 5 different classes of insecticides was calculated at the genus, family, and order levels using the acute toxicity data available in the US Environmental Protection Agency ECOTOX database. Biological trait information was linked to the calculated relative sensitivity to evaluate correlations between traits and sensitivity and to calculate a vulnerability index, which combines intrinsic sensitivity and traits describing the recovery potential of populations partially exposed to insecticides (e.

Species interactions and chemical stress: combined effects of intraspecific and interspecific interactions and pyrene on Daphnia magna population dynamics.

Species interactions are often suggested as an important factor when assessing the effects of chemicals on higher levels of biological organization. Nevertheless, the contribution of intraspecific and interspecific interactions to chemical effects on populations is often overlooked. In the present study, Daphnia magna populations were initiated with different levels of intraspecific competition, interspecific competition, and predation and exposed to pyrene pulses.

Phylogenetic analysis of Chikungunya virus in Colombia: Evidence of purifying selection in the E1 gene.

Introduction: Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a single-stranded positive sense RNA virus that belongs to the Alphavirus genus of the family Togaviridae. Its genome is 11.8 kb in length, and three genotypes have been identified worldwide: Asian, East/Central/South African (ECSA) and West African.

The infiltration-centrifugation technique for extraction of apoplastic fluid from plant leaves using Phaseolus vulgaris as an example.

The apoplast is a distinct extracellular compartment in plant tissues that lies outside the plasma membrane and includes the cell wall. The apoplastic compartment of plant leaves is the site of several important biological processes, including cell wall formation, cellular nutrient and water uptake and export, plant-endophyte interactions and defence responses to pathogens. The infiltration-centrifugation method is well established as a robust technique for the analysis of the soluble apoplast composition of various plant species.