Molecular Compositions, Mutagenicity, and Mutation Spectra of Atmospheric Oxidation Products of Alkenes and Dienes Initiated by NOx + UV or Ozone: A Structure-Activity Analysis.

Photooxidation products resulting from volatile organic compounds (VOCs) reacting with sunlight are important contributors to gas-phase air pollution. We characterized the product-weighted mutagenic potencies (rev m mgC h) in TA100 of atmospheres resulting from the hydroxyl radical (OH)-initiated photochemical oxidation of 11 C or C alkenes or dienes in the presence of nitric oxide (NO) and from the ozonolysis of four VOCs without NO (isoprene; 1,3-pentadiene; 1,4-pentadiene; and 1,3-butadiene). Irradiated atmospheres from precursors with a single C═C bond (3-methyl-1-butene, 2-methyl-1-butene, -2-pentene, 2-methyl-2-butene, 1-butene, and 1-pentene) had low potencies (<5), whereas linear dienes with terminal C═C bonds had high potencies (50-65).

Comparative genome analyses of clinical and non-clinical strains.

The pathogenic bacterium is a worldwide health burden with increasing morbidity, mortality and antibiotic resistances. Therefore, extensive research efforts are made to unravel its virulence and dissemination. One crucial aspect for is its mobilome, which for instance allows the spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) or influence strain virulence.

Applying a Phase-Separation Parameterization in Modeling Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation from Acid-Driven Reactive Uptake of Isoprene Epoxydiols under Humid Conditions.

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) from acid-driven reactive uptake of isoprene epoxydiols (IEPOX) contributes up to 40% of organic aerosol (OA) mass in fine particulate matter. Previous work showed that IEPOX substantially converts particulate inorganic sulfates to surface-active organosulfates (OSs). This decreases aerosol acidity and creates a viscous organic-rich shell that poses as a diffusion barrier, inhibiting additional reactive uptake of IEPOX.

Audio-based event detection in the operating room.

Purpose: Even though workflow analysis in the operating room has come a long way, current systems are still limited to research. In the quest for a robust, universal setup, hardly any attention has been given to the dimension of audio despite its numerous advantages, such as low costs, location, and sight independence, or little required processing power.

Methodology: We present an approach for audio-based event detection that solely relies on two microphones capturing the sound in the operating room.

Sandwich Immuno-RCA Assay with Single Molecule Counting Readout: The Importance of Biointerface Design.

The analysis of low-abundance protein molecules in human serum is reported based on counting of the individual affinity-captured analyte on a solid sensor surface, yielding a readout format similar to digital assays. In this approach, a sandwich immunoassay with rolling circle amplification (RCA) is used for single molecule detection (SMD) through associating the target analyte with spatially distinct bright spots observed by fluorescence microscopy. The unspecific interaction of the target analyte and other immunoassay constituents with the sensor surface is of particular interest in this work, as it ultimately limits the performance of this assay.

Relational Quantum Mechanics, quantum relativism, and the iteration of relativity.

The idea that the dynamical properties of quantum systems are invariably relative to other systems has recently regained currency. Using Relational Quantum Mechanics (RQM) for a case study, this paper calls attention to a question that has been underappreciated in the debate about quantum relativism: the question of whether relativity iterates. Are there absolute facts about the properties one system possesses relative to a specified reference, or is this again a relative matter, and so on? It is argued that RQM (in its best-known form) is committed to what I call the Unrestricted Iteration Principle (UIP), and thus to an infinite regress of relativisations.

Carbon dioxide and cardiac output as major contributors to cerebral oxygenation during apnoeic oxygenation.

Apnoeic oxygenation has experienced a resurgence in interest in critical care and perioperative medicine. However, its effect on cerebral oxygenation and factors influencing it, have not yet been investigated in detail. By using near-infrared spectroscopy, we intended to provide further evidence for the safety of apnoeic oxygenation and to increase our understanding of the association between cerebral perfusion, haemodynamic, respiratory and demographic factors.

Mass-Spectrometric Identification of Proteins and Pathways Responsible for Fouling on Poly(ethylene glycol) Methacrylate Polymer Brushes.

Prevention of fouling from proteins in blood plasma attracts significant efforts, and great progress is made in identifying surface coatings that display antifouling properties. In particular, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is widely used and dense PEG-like cylindrical brushes of poly[oligo(ethylene glycol) methacrylate] (poly(OEGMA)) can drastically reduce blood plasma fouling. Herein, a comprehensive study of the variation of blood plasma fouling on this surface, including the analysis of the composition of protein deposits on poly(OEGMA) coatings after contact with blood plasma from many different donors, is reported.

The zoonotic pathogen Wohlfahrtiimonas chitiniclastica - current findings from a clinical and genomic perspective.

The zoonotic pathogen Wohlfahrtiimonas chitiniclastica can cause several diseases in humans, including sepsis and bacteremia. Although the pathogenesis is not fully understood, the bacterium is thought to enter traumatic skin lesions via fly larvae, resulting in severe myiasis and/or wound contamination. Infections are typically associated with, but not limited to, infestation of an open wound by fly larvae, poor sanitary conditions, cardiovascular disease, substance abuse, and osteomyelitis.

Emergency front-of-neck access in infants: A pragmatic crossover randomized control trial comparing two approaches on a simulated rabbit model.

Background: Rapid-sequence tracheotomy and scalpel-bougie tracheotomy are two published approaches for establishing emergency front-of-neck access in infants. It is unknown whether there is a difference in performance times and success rates between the two approaches.

Aims: The aim of this cross-over randomized control trial study was to investigate whether the two approaches were equivalent for establishing tracheal access in rabbit cadavers.

Layer-by-layer assembly of poly-l-lysine/hyaluronic acid protein reservoirs on poly(glycerol sebacate) surfaces.

The modification of biomaterial surfaces has become increasingly relevant in the context of ongoing advancements in tissue engineering applications and the development of tissue-mimicking polymer materials. In this study, we investigated the layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition of polyelectrolyte multilayer protein reservoirs consisting of poly-l-lysine (PLL) and hyaluronic acid (HA) on the hydrophobic surface of poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) elastomer. Using the methods of isothermal titration calorimetry and surface plasmon resonance, we systematically investigated the interactions between the polyelectrolytes and evaluated the deposition process in real time, providing insight into the phenomena associated with film assembly.

Scale-up in twin-screw wet granulation: impact of formulation properties.

The focus of this study was to investigate the sensitivity of different drug formulations to differences in process parameters based on previously developed scale-up strategies. Three different formulations were used for scale-up experiments from a QbCon® 1 with a screw diameter of 16 mm and a throughput of 2 kg/h to a QbCon® 25 line with a screw diameter of 25 mm and a throughput of 25 kg/h. Two of those formulations were similar in their composition of excipients but had a different API added to the blend to investigate the effect of solubility of the API during twin-screw wet granulation, while the third formulation was based on a controlled release formulation with different excipients and a high fraction of HPMC.

gen. nov., sp. nov., the first characterized representative of the candidate family env.OPS 17 and proposal of fam. nov.

16S rRNA sequence types associated with the candidate family env.OPS 17 have been reported from various environments, but no representatives have been characterized and validly named. Bacteria of env.

Extension of the Segatella copri complex to 13 species with distinct large extrachromosomal elements and associations with host conditions.

The Segatella copri (formerly Prevotella copri) complex (ScC) comprises taxa that are key members of the human gut microbiome. It was previously described to contain four distinct phylogenetic clades. Combining targeted isolation with large-scale metagenomic analysis, we defined 13 distinct Segatella copri-related species, expanding the ScC complex beyond four clades.

Organ Dysfunction in Children With Blood Culture-Proven Sepsis: Comparative Performance of Four Scores in a National Cohort Study.

Objectives: Previous studies applying Sepsis-3 criteria to children were based on retrospective analyses of PICU cohorts. We aimed to compare organ dysfunction criteria in children with blood culture-proven sepsis, including emergency department, PICU, and ward patients, and to assess relevance of organ dysfunctions for mortality prediction.

Design: We have carried out a nonprespecified, secondary analysis of a prospective dataset collected from September 2011 to December 2015.

Ongoing diversification of the global fish pathogen Piscirickettsia salmonis through genetic isolation and transposition bursts.

The management of bacterial pathogens remains a key challenge of aquaculture. The marine gammaproteobacterium Piscirickettsia salmonis is the etiological agent of piscirickettsiosis and causes multi-systemic infections in different salmon species, resulting in considerable mortality and substantial commercial losses. Here, we elucidate its global diversity, evolution, and selection during human interventions.

Atelectasis in obese patients undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery are not increased upon discharge from Post Anesthesia Care Unit.

Background: Obese patients frequently develop pulmonary atelectasis upon general anesthesia. The risk is increased during laparoscopic surgery. This prospective, observational single-center study evaluated atelectasis dynamics using Electric Impedance Tomography (EIT) in patients undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery.

Sensitivity of ICD coding for sepsis in children-a population-based study.

Background: International Classification of Diseases 10th edition (ICD-10) is widely used to describe the burden of disease.

Aim: To describe how well ICD-10 coding captures sepsis in children admitted to the hospital with blood culture-proven bacterial or fungal infection and systemic inflammatory response syndrome.

Methods: Secondary analysis of a population-based, multicenter, prospective cohort study on children with blood culture-proven sepsis of nine tertiary pediatric hospitals in Switzerland.

Comparison of scale-up strategies in twin-screw wet granulation.

The aim of this study was to compare different scale-up strategies in twin-screw wet granulation and investigate the impact of the selected strategy on granule and tablet properties for a defined formulation. For the scale-up, a granulation process was transferred from a QbCon® 1 with a screw diameter of 16 mm to a QbCon® 25 line with a screw diameter of 25 mm. Three different scale-up strategies were introduced based on differences in process parameters and their resulting effects on various aspects.

Molecular characterization of isolates from poultry in rural Ghana.

In recent years, has gained clinical significance as an emerging diarrheagenic pathogen associated with poultry and water reservoirs. The full clinical significance of remains rather speculative due to variable virulence and antibiotic susceptibility of individual strains. The aims of the present study were (i) to identify antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in the genome sequences of two multidrug-resistant isolates, (ii) to use multilocus-sequence typing (MLST) to generate a guiding phylogeny of isolates collected in Kumasi, Ghana, (iii) to examine the distribution of ARGs in the test cohort, and (iv) to assess the strain's virulence and possible antibiotic treatment options for arcobacteriosis based on the genome sequences and the ARG distribution.