Health and Safety Training for Immigrant Dairy Workers in the Upper Midwest.

This project implemented Seguridad en las Lecherías, an award-winning, bilingual (Spanish and English), 5-module curriculum approved by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The intervention aimed to increase safety knowledge among immigrant dairy workers, encourage a safety culture, and identify challenges faced by the dairy farming community in Minnesota and South Dakota. A total of 360 Hispanic immigrant workers from 19 participating dairies were trained.

Resistive-Pulse Sensing Coupled with Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy for Differentiation of Individual Liposomes.

Characterization of individual biological nanoparticles can be significantly improved by coupling complementary analytical methods. Here, we combine resistive-pulse sensing (RPS) with fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) to differentiate liposomes at the single-particle level. RPS measures the particle volume, shape, and surface-charge density, and FLIM determines the fluorescence lifetime of the fluorophore associated with the lipid membrane.

Advancements and Applications of Conjugated Polyelectrolytes and Conjugated Oligoelectrolytes in Bioanalytical and Electrochemical Contexts.

In the past decade, conjugated oligoelectrolytes (COEs) and conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs) have emerged at the forefront of active materials in bioanalytical and electrochemical settings due to their unique electronic and ionic properties. These materials possess π-conjugated backbones with ionic functionalities at the ends of their side chains, granting them water solubility and facilitating their processability, exploration, and applications in aqueous environments. In this perspective, the basis for evaluating their figures of merit in selected bioanalytical and electrochemical contexts will be provided and contextualized.

Cm-p5, a molluscan-derived antifungal peptide exerts its activity by a membrane surface covering in a non-penetrating mode.

Amidst the health crisis caused by the rise of multi-resistant pathogenic microorganisms, Antimicrobial Peptides (AMPs) have emerged as a potential alternative to traditional antibiotics. In this sense, Cm-p5 is an AMP with fungistatic activity against the yeast Candida albicans. Its antimicrobial activity and selectivity have been well characterized; however, the mechanism of action is still unknown.

A comparative guide to expression systems for phage lysin production.

Phage lysins, bacteriophage-encoded enzymes tasked with degrading their host's cell wall, are increasingly investigated and engineered as novel antibacterials across diverse applications. Their rapid action, tuneable specificity, and low likelihood of resistance development make them particularly interesting. Despite numerous application-focused lysin studies, the art of their recombinant production remains relatively undiscussed.

Evolving Synergy Between Synthetic and Biotic Elements in Conjugated Polyelectrolyte/Bacteria Composite Improves Charge Transport and Mechanical Properties.

gLiving materials can achieve unprecedented function by combining synthetic materials with the wide range of cellular functions. Of interest are situations where the critical properties of individual abiotic and biotic elements improve via their combination. For example, integrating electroactive bacteria into conjugated polyelectrolyte (CPE) hydrogels increases biocurrent production.

Thermotogota diversity and distribution patterns revealed in and hydrothermal vent fields in the Pescadero Basin, Gulf of California.

Discovering new deep hydrothermal vent systems is one of the biggest challenges in ocean exploration. They are a unique window to elucidate the physical, geochemical, and biological processes that occur on the seafloor and are involved in the evolution of life on Earth. In this study, we present a molecular analysis of the microbial composition within the newly discovered hydrothermal vent field, , situated in the Southern Pescadero Basin within the Gulf of California.

Feasibility Assessment of a Novel Isolation Care Tent in Uganda During the 2022 Outbreak.

This case study describes a feasibility assessment of a novel isolation care tent used in health facilities in Uganda during the 2022 outbreak. The Isolation System for Treatment and Agile Response to High-Risk Infections Model 1B (ISTARI 1B) is a single-occupancy, portable, negative-pressure isolation tent designed for the safe delivery of standard care to patients with a communicable disease, including Ebola disease (Sudan). At the request of the Uganda Ministry of Health, the Makerere University Infectious Diseases Institute and University of Nebraska Medical Center partnered to evaluate 7 health facilities across 4 districts in Uganda for infrastructure, case management, and infection prevention and control (IPC) capacity relevant to isolation care and ISTARI 1B use.

Gastrostomy placement in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: assessment of risk factors for post-procedural respiratory failure.

Objective: Radiologically inserted gastrostomy placement may be performed in patients with dysphagia secondary to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This study assessed technical outcomes and complications related to gastrostomy placement in patients with ALS.

Methods: A retrospective review of patients with ALS who underwent gastrostomy placement between 2021 and 2023 was performed.

The New SH3b_T Domain Increases the Structural and Functional Variability Among SH3b-Like CBDs from Staphylococcal Phage Endolysins.

Endolysins, proteins encoded by phages to lyse their hosts and release their progeny, have evolved to adapt to the structural features of each host. The endolysins from Staphylococcus-infecting phages typically feature complex architectures with two enzymatically active domains (EADs) and one cell wall-binding domain (CBD) belonging to the bacterial SH3 (SH3b) superfamily. This study focuses on three SH3b-like CBDs from representative staphylococcal phage endolysins (LysRODI, LysC1C and LysIPLA5) that were structurally and functionally characterized.

You get what you test for: The killing effect of phage lysins is highly dependent on buffer tonicity and ionic strength.

The phage lysin field has done nothing but grow in the last decades. As a result, many different research groups around the world are contributing to the field, often with certain methodological differences that pose a challenge to the interpretation and comparison of results. In this work, we present the case study of three Acinetobacter baumannii-targeting phage lysins (wild-type endolysin LysMK34 plus engineered lysins eLysMK34 and 1D10) plus one lysin with broad activity against Gram-positive bacteria (PlySs2) to provide exemplary evidence on the risks of generalization when using one of the most common lysin evaluation assays: the killing assay with resting cells.

Parasite airlines: mapping the distribution and transmission of avian blood parasites in migratory birds.

During their journeys, migratory birds encounter a wider range of parasites than residents, transporting them over vast distances. While some parasites are widely distributed, transmission is not inevitable and depends on the presence of competent arthropod vectors as well as parasite compatibility with native bird species. Distinguishing between parasite distribution and transmission areas is crucial for monitoring and assessing risks to native bird species, as distribution areas, with the appropriate conditions, could become potential transmission areas.

Sensing cholesterol-induced rigidity in model membranes with time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy.

Here, we report the characterization of cholesterol levels on membrane fluidity with a twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) membrane dye, namely DI-8-ANEPPS, using fluorescence lifetime techniques such as time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). The characterized liposomes comprised a 3 : 1 ratio of POPC and POPG, respectively, 1% DI-8-ANEPPS, and increasing cholesterol levels from 0% to 50%. Fluorescence lifetime characterization revealed that increasing the cholesterol levels from 0% to 50% increases the fluorescence lifetime of DI-8-ANEPPS from 2.

Stretchable Sensor Materials Applicable to Radiofrequency Coil Design in Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Review.

Wearable sensors are rapidly gaining influence in the diagnostics, monitoring, and treatment of disease, thereby improving patient outcomes. In this review, we aim to explore how these advances can be applied to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We begin by (i) introducing limitations in current flexible/stretchable RF coils and then move to the broader field of flexible sensor technology to identify translatable technologies.

Comparing niraparib versus platinum-taxane doublet chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment in patients with newly diagnosed homologous recombination-deficient stage III/IV ovarian cancer: study protocol for cohort C of the open-label, phase 2, randomized controlled multicenter OPAL trial.

Background: Maintenance therapy with niraparib, a poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor, has been shown to extend progression-free survival in patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer who responded to first-line platinum-based chemotherapy, regardless of biomarker status. However, there are limited data on niraparib's efficacy and safety in the neoadjuvant setting. The objective of Cohort C of the OPAL trial (OPAL-C) is to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of neoadjuvant niraparib treatment compared with neoadjuvant platinum-taxane doublet chemotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed stage III/IV ovarian cancer with confirmed homologous recombination-deficient tumors.

Comparing the outcomes and costs of cardiac monitoring with implantable loop recorders and mobile cardiac outpatient telemetry following stroke using real-world evidence.

Patients with ischemic stroke (IS) commonly undergo monitoring to identify atrial fibrillation with mobile cardiac outpatient telemetry (MCOT) or implantable loop recorders (ILRs). The authors compared readmission, healthcare cost and survival in patients monitored post-stroke with either MCOT or ILR. The authors used claims data from Optum's de-identified Clinformatics Data Mart Database to identify patients with IS hospitalized from January 2017 to December 2020 who were prescribed ambulatory cardiac monitoring via MCOT or ILR.

First European Lytic Bacteriophage Cocktails Effective in the Host: Characterization and Prospects for Fire Blight Biocontrol.

Fire blight, caused by the plant-pathogenic bacterium , is a highly contagious and difficult-to-control disease due to its efficient dissemination and survival and the scarcity of effective control methods. Copper and antibiotics are the most used treatments but pose environmental and human health risks. Bacteriophages (phages) constitute an ecological, safe, and sustainable fire blight control alternative.

Meeting Report of the Second Symposium of the Belgian Society for Viruses of Microbes and Launch of the Phage Valley.

The second symposium of the Belgian Society for Viruses of Microbes (BSVoM) took place on 8 September 2023 at the University of Liège with 141 participants from 10 countries. The meeting program covered three thematic sessions opened by international keynote speakers: two sessions were devoted to "Fundamental research in phage ecology and biology" and the third one to the "Present and future applications of phages". During this one day symposium, four invited keynote lectures, nine selected talks and eight student pitches were given along with thirty presented posters.

Promoter DNA methylation patterns in oral, laryngeal and oropharyngeal anatomical regions are associated with tumor differentiation, nodal involvement and survival.

Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) can be used as head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic targets in precision medicine workflows. DNA from 21 HNSCC and 10 healthy oral tissue samples was hybridized to a genome-wide tiling array to identify DMRs in a discovery cohort. Downstream analyses identified differences in promoter DNA methylation patterns in oral, laryngeal and oropharyngeal anatomical regions associated with tumor differentiation, nodal involvement and survival.

High-Frequency Jet Ventilation Versus Spontaneous Respiration for Percutaneous Cryoablation of Lung Tumors: Comparison of Adverse Events and Procedural Efficiency.

High-frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) facilitates accurate probe placement in percutaneous ablation of lung tumors but may increase risk for adverse events, including systemic air embolism. The purpose of this study was to compare major adverse events and procedural efficiency of percutaneous lung ablation with HFJV under general anesthesia to spontaneous respiration (SR) under moderate sedation. This retrospective study included consecutive adults who underwent CT-guided percutaneous cryoablation of one or more lung tumors with HFJV or SR between January 1, 2017, and May 31, 2023.