Microbial gamma-aminobutyric acid synthesis: a promising approach for functional food and pharmaceutical applications.

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-protein amino acid that is a main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system. This mini-review emphasis on the microbial production of GABA and its potential benefits in various applications. Numerous microorganisms, including lactic acid bacteria, have been identified as efficient GABA producers.

High rates of respiratory illnesses upon arrival: lessons from Team USA at the Santiago 2023 Pan American and Parapan American Games.

Objective: To describe the incidence and characteristics of injuries and illnesses among Team USA athletes competing at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games (PAG) and Parapan American Games (PPAG), with a particular focus on the incidence of respiratory illnesses and on injuries for sports new to the Olympic and Paralympic programmes.

Methods: Illnesses and injuries occurring among the 870 Team USA athletes competing in the Santiago 2023 PAG or PPAG were documented within Team USA's Injury and Illness Surveillance system. Illness and injury incidence per 1000 athlete-days (ADs) and incidence ratios (IR) were calculated, both with 95% CIs.

Development and implementation of an injury and illness surveillance system for team USA.

Background: The purpose of this report is to provide insight and details regarding the development and implementation of an injury and illness surveillance (IIS) system for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC).

Methods: The development and deployment of the IIS employed a multiphase approach. First, researchers determined variables to include in the IIS using the recommendations from the 2020 IOC consensus statement for reporting sport epidemiological data.

Prospective comparative study on enhancing geometrical mental representation and anatomical learning in medical students through modeling clay as an assessment tool.

While traditional anatomy education often emphasizes passive learning and rote memorization, it seldom employs constructivist theories that focus on active, hands-on experiences for effective learning. This study tests the hypothesis that tactile experiences with modeling clay enhance geometric mental representation more effectively than verbal descriptions. We examine the potential of clay modeling to reflect and evaluate students' mental representation of anatomical structures.

Mutations in STARD8 (DLC3) May Cause 46,XY Gonadal Dysgenesis.

Introduction: 46,XY gonadal dysgenesis is a condition that is characterised by undeveloped testes in individuals with a male karyotype. Mutations in many genes that underlie this condition have been identified; however, there are still a considerable number of patients with an unknown genetic background. Recently, a mutation in the STARD8 X-linked gene in two sisters with 46,XY gonadal dysgenesis has been reported.

PREVALENCE OF ANTIPHOSPHOLIPID SYNDROME AMONG PREGNANT WOMEN IN LAUTECH TEACHING HOSPITAL OGBOMOSO NIGERIA.

Background: Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disease characterized by clinical thrombotic events which may be arterial or venous vasculature associated with the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) in patient plasma. Majority of the studies done in this part of the world utilized single auto-antibody to phospholipids or phospholipid binding protein which resulted in an underestimation of the actual prevalence of this treatable disease entity. Hence, this study incorporates the use of triple auto-antibodies to determine the prevalence of APS among pregnant women in LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso.

Epidemiologic and Clinical Features of Mpox-Associated Deaths - United States, May 10, 2022-March 7, 2023.

As of March 7, 2023, a total of 30,235 confirmed and probable monkeypox (mpox) cases were reported in the United States, predominantly among cisgender men who reported recent sexual contact with another man (1). Although most mpox cases during the current outbreak have been self-limited, cases of severe illness and death have been reported (2-4). During May 10, 2022-March 7, 2023, 38 deaths among persons with probable or confirmed mpox (1.

Mpox in Young Woman with No Epidemiologic Risk Factors, Massachusetts, USA.

We describe a case of mpox characterized by a circularly distributed facial rash but no identified risk factors. Fomite transmission of monkeypox virus from contaminated linen at a massage spa was suspected. Clinicians should consider mpox in patients with consistent clinical syndromes, even in the absence of epidemiologic risk factors.

Mpox Cases Among Cisgender Women and Pregnant Persons - United States, May 11-November 7, 2022.

Monkeypox (mpox) cases in the 2022 outbreak have primarily occurred among adult gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM); however, other populations have also been affected (1). To date, data on mpox in cisgender women and pregnant persons have been limited. Understanding transmission in these populations is critical for mpox prevention.

Incidence and predictors of acute kidney injury among women with severe pre-eclampsia at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital.

Background: The presence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in pre-eclampsia complicates treatment including; increasing length of hospital stay and a need to access services like dialysis which are largely expensive in resource-limited settings. We aimed to determine incidence and predictors of acute kidney injury among women with severe pre-eclampsia at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital in southwestern Uganda.

Methods: We carried out a hospital-based prospective cohort study from 16 November  2018 to 18 April 2019, among pregnant women with severe pre-eclampsia followed up in the hospital.

Willingness and ability to pay for healthcare insurance: A cross-sectional study of Seven Communities in East and West Africa (SevenCEWA).

Willingness and ability to pay for insurance that would cover primary healthcare services has not been evaluated consistently in different African communities. We conducted a cross-sectional community health survey and examined willingness and ability to pay in 3676 adults in seven communities in four countries: Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya. We used an open-ended contingency valuation method to estimate willingness to pay and examined ability to pay indirectly by calculating the ratio of healthcare expenditure to total household income.

Relationship between hyperglycemia, waist circumference, and the course of COVID-19: Mortality risk assessment.

An observational study was conducted in Ukraine to determine the independent mortality risks among adult inpatients with COVID-19. The results of treatment of COVID-19 inpatients ( = 367) are presented, and waist circumference (WC) was measured. Logistic regression analysis was applied to evaluate the effects of factors on the risk of mortality.

Sarcopenia and the risk of adverse events in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: a systematic review.

Background: Sarcopenia has been associated with negative clinical outcomes in cancer patients, particularly response to treatment and survival. The exponential growth in the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has led to an increase in the reporting of both adverse events in general (AEs) and immune-related adverse events (irAEs), which are unintended immune-related phenomenon that take place as a result of checkpoint blockade. However, there are no systematic reviews evaluating the relationship between sarcopenia and the risk of developing AEs and irAEs in cancer patients on ICI therapies.

Concomitant Use of Levothyroxine and Proton Pump Inhibitors in Patients with Primary Hypothyroidism: a Systematic Review.

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the effect of concomitant use of levothyroxine (LT4) and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) on thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in patients with primary hypothyroidism.

Methods: A systematic review of interventional and observational studies that compared the TSH levels before and after concomitant use of LT4 and PPI was performed. Articles published in English up to September 1, 2019, were included.

antibacterial activities and molecular characterization of bacterial species isolated from farmlands against selected pathogens.

This study aims to screen bacterial isolates from Olabisi Onabanjo University Farmland for antibacterial activity against pathogenic microorganisms. Agar well diffusion method was used. Isolates were identified molecularly.

Body mass index and immune-related adverse events in patients on immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: As a result of the growing use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) for treating malignancy, immune-related adverse events (irAEs) have been increasingly reported. Higher body mass index (BMI) has been highlighted as a potential risk factor for the development of irAEs. However, there are no meta-analyses summarizing the association between BMI and irAEs in patients on ICI therapies.

Vitamin D Therapy in Adults With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency has been implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. Emerging literature suggests that optimization of vitamin D levels may be associated with improvements in disease activity and quality of life. We conducted a meta-analysis exploring the effect of vitamin D on serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (s-25[OH]D) levels, clinical improvement, and biomarkers.

Clinical Sequelae Associated with Unresolved Tropical Splenomegaly in a Cohort of Recently Resettled Congolese Refugees in the United States-Multiple States, 2015-2018.

Tropical splenomegaly is often associated with malaria and schistosomiasis. In 2014 and 2015, 145 Congolese refugees in western Uganda diagnosed with splenomegaly during predeparture medical examinations underwent enhanced screening for various etiologies. After anecdotal reports of unresolved splenomegaly and complications after U.

Evaluation of the Functionality and Effectiveness of the CORE Group Polio Project's Community-Based Acute Flaccid Paralysis Surveillance System in South Sudan.

This article describes the functionality and effectiveness of a community-based acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance system designed and implemented by the CORE Group Polio Project (CGPP) in conflict-affected and inaccessible areas of South Sudan between October 2015 and September 2017. The findings are based on interviews with key informants and focus group discussions as well as data from the CGPP and the management information system of the WHO. Through the implementing partners, the CGPP identified and built the capacity of the community-based surveillance (CBS) system, a system consisting of county supervisors, payam (sub-county) assistants, and community key informants.

Unresolved Splenomegaly in Recently Resettled Congolese Refugees - Multiple States, 2015-2018.

In 2014, panel physicians from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), who conduct Department of State-required predeparture examinations for U.S.-bound refugees at resettlement sites in Uganda, noticed an unusually high number of Congolese refugees with enlarged spleens, or splenomegaly.

Use of on-farm data to guide treatment and control mastitis caused by Streptococcus uberis.

Treatment of mastitis is the most common reason for use of antimicrobial agents in dairy cattle. The responsible use of antimicrobials could be strengthened by knowledge of predictors for cure, which would help to tailor treatment decisions. Ideally, to allow for widespread uptake, this would be achieved using data that are routinely available.

[TREATMENT OF SHORT STATURE PATIENTS WITH NOPMAL GROWTH HORMONE SECRETION OF HYPOPHIS].

The article presents the treatment outcome in 86 children with short stature associated with different endocrine pathology and saved growth hormone secretion (congenital adrenal hyperplasia chondrodystrophy, Turner syndrome, idiopathic short stature, syndrome biologically inactive growth hormone and other genetically determined pathology). This study extends prior knowledge about the outcomes of the treatment with recombinant growth hormone and luteinizing hormone--releasing hormone analogue (alone or in combination) in short patients with poor prognosis of final height.

An investigation of the dynamics of intramammary infections acquired during the dry period on European dairy farms.

The dry period is acknowledged as playing a key role in mastitis epidemiology and yet surprisingly few studies have explored dry period infection dynamics in detail. The aim of this study was to investigate the dynamics of intramammary infection across a cohort of dairy herds in Europe. Five hundred and twenty-two cows were recruited from 12 farms in 6 European countries.

A genetic screen identifies an LKB1-MARK signalling axis controlling the Hippo-YAP pathway.

The Hippo-YAP pathway is an emerging signalling cascade involved in the regulation of stem cell activity and organ size. To identify components of this pathway, we performed an RNAi-based kinome screen in human cells. Our screen identified several kinases not previously associated with Hippo signalling that control multiple cellular processes.