Analysis of high-molecular-weight proteins using MALDI-TOF MS and machine learning for the differentiation of clinically relevant Clostridioides difficile ribotypes.

Purpose: Clostridioides difficile is the main cause of antibiotic related diarrhea and some ribotypes (RT), such as RT027, RT181 or RT078, are considered high risk clones. A fast and reliable approach for C. difficile ribotyping is needed for a correct clinical approach.

Effects of a nutrition education intervention on food-provision managerial decisions in Catalan old age nursing homes.

Introduction: Existing research does not provide definitive conclusions on the most effective initiatives for preventing malnutrition among older adult residents in nursing homes.

Objective: We aimed to assess whether a nutrition education intervention provided to nursing home managers can improve dietary managerial decisions within nursing homes.

Methods: We performed a multicenter study, where each center was randomized to an intervention or a control group.

Multicenter evaluation of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy as a first-line typing tool for carbapenemase-producing in clinical settings.

Early use of infection control methods is critical for preventing the spread of antimicrobial resistance. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is considered the gold standard for investigating outbreaks; however, the turnaround time is usually too long for clinical decision-making and the method is also costly. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and artificial intelligence tools as a first-line typing tool for typing carbapenemase-producing (CPK) in the hospital setting.

Epidemiological, clinical and histological characteristics of melanoma in young adults: a 30-year retrospective study (1993-2022).

Background: Melanoma in young adults significantly impacts the survival of this age group. There are limited studies that analyze melanoma characteristics in young patients. We aimed to describe the epidemiological, clinical, and histological characteristics of melanoma in young adults and their temporal trends over the last decades.

Erythematous papule over a tattoo.

A 38-year-old man presented with an erythematous papule over a longstanding back tattoo. Dermoscopic examination revealed a polymorphous vascular pattern with serpentine and dotted vessels, and shiny white-blueish lines indicating a fibrous stroma mixed with tattoo pigment. Histopathological analysis confirmed fibroepithelioma of Pinkus (FeP).

Towards unified reporting of genome sequencing results in clinical microbiology.

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) has become a vital tool in clinical microbiology, playing an important role in outbreak investigations, molecular surveillance, and identification of bacterial species, resistance mechanisms and virulence factors. However, the complexity of WGS data presents challenges in interpretation and reporting, requiring tailored strategies to enhance efficiency and impact. This study explores the diverse needs of key stakeholders in healthcare, including clinical management, laboratory work, public surveillance and epidemiology, infection prevention and control, and academic research, regarding WGS-based reporting of clinically relevant bacterial species.

Association Between Pulse Wave Velocity and Frailty, Disability, and Mortality in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Background: Arterial stiffness leads to several adverse events in the older population, but there is a lack of data on its association with frailty, disability, and mortality in the same population.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of arterial stiffness in the loss of functional ability (frailty and disability) and mortality.

Methods: Data were taken from community-dwelling aged 65 years participants without diabetes in the Toledo Study of Healthy Ageing cohort.

Characterization of an outbreak caused by Elizabethkingia miricola using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy.

Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy has the potential to be used for bacterial typing and outbreak characterization. We evaluated FTIR for the characterization of an outbreak caused by Elizabethkingia miricola. During the 2020-2021 period, 26 isolates (23 clinical and 3 environmental) were collected and analyzed by FTIR (IR Biotyper) and core-genome MLST (cgMLST), in addition to antimicrobial susceptibility testing.

Expanding the Clinical and Molecular Spectrum of FOXG1- and ZBTB18-Associated Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

Introduction: The zinc finger BTB domain-containing protein ZBTB18 binds to FOXG1 to form a transcriptional repressive complex involved in neuronal differentiation. Disruption of the components of this complex results in chromosome 1q43-q44 deletion syndrome/intellectual developmental disorder 22 or in FOXG1 syndrome.

Case Presentation: This study reports on five patients with cognitive and behavioral impairment, seizures, microcephaly, and/or congenital brain abnormalities.

Evaluation of the Insecticidal Potential of Acetonic and Methanolic Extracts against and Their Ecotoxicological Effect on .

For the management of , botanical extracts have been used to reduce the environmental impacts of synthetic chemical pesticides. In the present investigation, the insecticidal activity of the acetonic and methanolic extracts of (Asteraceae) and of the main compound 7-hydroxy-3,4-dihydrocadalene on this pest as well as its ecotoxicological effect on were evaluated. A greater insecticidal response was obtained from the acetonic extracts than from the methanolic extracts, with LC values of 730.

Predicting the onset of diabetes-related complications after a diabetes diagnosis with machine learning algorithms.

Aims: Using machine learning algorithms and administrative data, we aimed to predict the risk of being diagnosed with several diabetes-related complications after one-, two- and three-year post-diabetes diagnosis.

Methods: We used longitudinal data from administrative registers of 610,019 individuals in Catalonia with a diagnosis of diabetes and checked the presence of several complications after diabetes onset from 2013 to 2017: hypertension, renal failure, myocardial infarction, cardiovascular disease, retinopathy, congestive heart failure, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral vascular disease and stroke. Four different machine learning (ML) algorithms (logistic regression (LR), Decision tree (DT), Random Forest (RF), and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB)) will be used to assess their prediction performance and to evaluate the prediction accuracy of complications changes over the period considered.

Does becoming an informal caregiver make your health worse? A longitudinal analysis across Europe.

Objective: To determine whether becoming an informal caregiver in Europe has a significant effect on health status, compared with non-informal caregivers, distinguishing by place of residence (in or outside the home of the care receivers) and country. And to determine whether there is an adaptation effect after the passage of time.

Methods: The Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe (2004-2017) was used.

Direct Detection of Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae by MALDI-TOF Analysis of Full Spectra Applying Machine Learning.

MALDI-TOF MS is considered to be an important tool for the future development of rapid microbiological techniques. We propose the application of MALDI-TOF MS as a dual technique for the identification of bacteria and the detection of resistance, with no extra hands-on procedures. We have developed a machine learning approach that uses the random forest algorithm for the direct prediction of carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (CPK) isolates, based on the spectra of complete cells.

Validation of an expanded, in-house library and an optimized preparation method for the identification of fungal isolates using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.

The goal of this study was to validate an optimized sample preparation method for filamentous fungal isolates coupled with the use of an in-house library for the identification of moulds using Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) in a multicenter context. For that purpose, three Spanish microbiology laboratories participated in the identification of 97 fungal isolates using MALDI-TOF MS coupled with the Filamentous Fungi library 3.0 (Bruker Daltonics) and an in-house library containing 314 unique fungal references.

Automatic Discrimination of Species within the Enterobacter cloacae Complex Using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry and Supervised Algorithms.

The Enterobacter cloacae complex (ECC) encompasses heterogeneous clusters of species that have been associated with nosocomial outbreaks. These species may have different acquired antimicrobial resistance and virulence mechanisms, and their identification is challenging. This study aims to develop predictive models based on matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) profiles and machine learning for species-level identification.

Determination of the ability of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry to identify high-biofilm-producing strains.

Background: The traditional method for assessing the capacity of a microorganism to produce biofilm is generally a static model in a multi-well plate using the crystal violet (CV) binding assay, which takes 96 h. Furthermore, while the method is simple to perform, its reproducibility is poor.

Objective: We evaluated whether matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) could make it possible to differentiate between high-and low-biofilm-producing microorganisms on 24-h cultures of and .

Identification of Mycobacterium abscessus Subspecies by MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry and Machine Learning.

Mycobacterium abscessus is one of the most common and pathogenic nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) isolated in clinical laboratories. It consists of three subspecies: M. abscessus subsp.

Identification of Nocardia and non-tuberculous Mycobacterium species by MALDI-TOF MS using the VITEK MS coupled to IVD and RUO databases.

Identification of Nocardia and Mycobacterium species by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is still a challenging task that requires both suitable protein extraction procedures and extensive databases. This study aimed to evaluate the VITEK MS Plus system coupled with updated RUO (v4.17) and IVD (v3.

Healthcare cost expenditures associated to frailty and sarcopenia.

Objectives: Frailty and sarcopenia have been related with adverse events, including hospitalization. However, its combined effect with hospitalization-related outcomes, including costs, has not been previously investigated. Our purpose was to explore how frailty, sarcopenia and its interaction could impact on healthcare expenditures.

Physical performance measures in frailty screening: diagnostic and prognostic accuracy in the Toledo Study of Healthy Ageing.

Introduction: The present study aimed to explore the diagnostic and prognostic accuracy of standard and population-specific Physical Performance Measures (PPMs) cut-off points for frailty screening.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Setting And Participants: Population-based study including 2328 subjects from the Toledo Study of Healthy Aging (age = 76.