Manipulation of peptide-fatty acid bioconjugates on graphene: effects of fatty acid chain length and attachment point.

The non-destructive functionalisation of graphene in aqueous media is a critical process with the potential to enhance the versatility of the 2D nanosheet material as a technological enabler. This could also unlock strategies for a wider uptake of graphene in bio-related applications. Graphene functionalisation can be achieved using peptides that specifically recognise the carbon-based material, resulting in persistent non-covalent adsorption without damaging the nanosheet.

Developing New Treatments for COVID-19 through Dual-Action Antiviral/Anti-Inflammatory Small Molecules and Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Modeling.

Broad-spectrum antiviral agents that are effective against many viruses are difficult to develop, as the key molecules, as well as the biochemical pathways by which they cause infection, differ largely from one virus to another. This was more strongly highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which found health systems all over the world largely unprepared and proved that the existing armamentarium of antiviral agents is not sufficient to address viral threats with pandemic potential. The clinical protocols for the treatment of COVID-19 are currently based on the use of inhibitors of the inflammatory cascade (dexamethasone, baricitinib), or inhibitors of the cytopathic effect of the virus (monoclonal antibodies, molnupiravir or nirmatrelvir/ritonavir), using different agents.

Ultraviolet disinfection efficacy test method using bacteria monolayers.

Monolayers of bacterial cells of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were inoculated on glass slide carriers using an automated inoculum spray deposition system. The use of bacterial monolayers allows for control of critical variables for testing and verification of light-based disinfection technologies. This approach avoids the variability associated with manual inoculation and high inoculum titers, which can engender clustering of cells and the associated photoprotection that clustering incurs.

Bloodstream Infections in Hematologic Malignancy Patients With Fever and Neutropenia: Are Empirical Antibiotic Therapies in the United States Still Effective?

Background: Rising antimicrobial resistance rates may impact the efficacy of empirical antibiotic treatment for febrile neutropenia in high-risk cancer patients. Lacking contemporary data about the epidemiology, antibiotic resistance patterns, and clinical outcomes from bloodstream infections (BSIs) in US cancer patients, it is unclear if current guidelines remain relevant.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 14 US cancer centers prospectively identified BSIs in high-risk febrile neutropenic (FN) patients, including those receiving chemotherapy for hematologic malignancies or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Severe maternal morbidity in Scotland.

Using a cohort study design, we analysed 17 diagnoses and 9 interventions (including critical care admission) as a composite measure of severe maternal morbidity for pregnancies recorded over 14 years in Scotland. There were 762,918 pregnancies, of which 7947 (10 in 1000 pregnancies) recorded 9345 severe maternal morbidity events, 2802 episodes of puerperal sepsis being the most common (30%). Severe maternal morbidity incidence increased from 9 in 1000 pregnancies in 2012 to 17 in 1000 pregnancies in 2018, due in part to puerperal sepsis recording.

Are models of plantar heel pain suitable for competitive runners? A narrative review.

Background: Plantar heel pain (PHP), or plantar fasciopathy, is a common condition in active and sedentary populations, contributing to short- and long-term reductions in quality of life. The condition's aetiology and pathophysiology are the subjects of a significant body of research. However, much of this research has been conducted with sedentary participants, and comparatively little research exists in a population of highly-trained athletes focused on performance outcomes.

Candida auris Pan-Drug-Resistant to Four Classes of Antifungal Agents.

Candida auris is an urgent antimicrobial resistance threat due to its global emergence, high mortality, and persistent transmissions. Nearly half of C. auris clinical and surveillance cases in the United States are from the New York and New Jersey Metropolitan area.

Co-Administration of Adjuvanted Recombinant -103 and -RAL-2 Vaccines Confer Protection against Natural Challenge in A Bovine Infection Model of Human Onchocerciasis.

Onchocerciasis (river blindness), caused by the filarial nematode , is a neglected tropical disease mainly of sub-Saharan Africa. Worldwide, an estimated 20.9 million individuals live with infection and a further 205 million are at risk of disease.

The role of predicted chemotactic and hydrocarbon degrading taxa in natural source zone depletion at a legacy petroleum hydrocarbon site.

Petroleum hydrocarbon contamination is a global problem which can cause long-term environmental damage and impacts water security. Natural source zone depletion (NSZD) is the natural degradation of such contaminants. Chemotaxis is an aspect of NSZD which is not fully understood, but one that grants microorganisms the ability to alter their motion in response to a chemical concentration gradient potentially enhancing petroleum NSZD mass removal rates.

Using the TIDieR checklist to describe the intervention of the Sedation and Weaning in Children (SANDWICH) trial.

Background: Published reports of complex interventions in randomized controlled trials often lack sufficient detail to allow trial replication and adoption into practice.

Aim: The aim of this paper is to describe our experience of using the Template for Intervention Description and Replication (TIDieR) checklist in reporting a recent trial of sedation and ventilation weaning in critically ill children (the Sedation and Weaning in Children [SANDWICH] trial).

Methods: The TIDieR 12-point checklist has been used to detail and describe the specific SANDWICH trial intervention and methods of implementation.

Pharmacokinetic modelling of caspofungin to develop an extended dosing regimen in paediatric patients.

Background: Echinocandins are commonly used in treatment and prophylaxis of invasive fungal diseases. Intravenous daily dosing for prophylaxis in the outpatient setting can however become a hurdle for adequate compliance in the paediatric population.

Objectives: Simulations were performed to assess extended twice-weekly dosing for antifungal prophylaxis using caspofungin.

Comparison between Perianal Swab and Stool Specimens for Detecting Colonization with Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing and Fluoroquinolone-Resistant .

Stool specimens are frequently used to detect gastrointestinal tract colonization with antimicrobial-resistant enteric bacteria, but they cannot be rapidly collected. Perianal swab specimens can be collected more quickly and efficiently, but data evaluating their suitability as a specimen type for this purpose are sparse. We performed selective culture for extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing (ESBL-E) and fluoroquinolone-resistant (FQRE) using paired perianal swab and stool specimens that were collected within 1 day of each other from hematopoietic cell transplant recipients and patients with acute leukemia.

Predicting biomolecule adsorption on MoS nanosheets with high structural fidelity.

A new force field, MoSu-CHARMM, for the description of bio-interfacial structures at the aqueous MoS interface is developed, based on quantum chemical data. The force field describes non-covalent interactions between the MoS surface and a wide range of chemistries including hydrocarbon, alcohol, aldehyde, ketone, carboxylic acid, amine, thiol, and amino acid groups. Density functional theory (DFT), using the vdW-DF2 functional, is employed to create training and validation datasets, comprising 330 DFT binding energies for 21 organic compounds.

CRTH2 Mediates Profibrotic Macrophage Differentiation and Promotes Lung Fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a particularly deadly form of pulmonary fibrosis of unknown cause. In patients with IPF, high serum and lung concentrations of CHI3L1 (chitinase 3 like 1) can be detected and are associated with poor survival. However, the roles of CHI3L1 in these diseases have not been fully elucidated.

ContactAngleCalculator: An Automated, Parametrized, and Flexible Code for Contact Angle Estimation in Visual Molecular Dynamics.

Accurate, fast, and flexible approaches for contact angle estimation in molecular dynamics simulations are of great importance for characterization of surface wettability, especially for machine learning approaches which would usually require thousands of computational contact angle evaluations for training and prediction purposes. However, evaluation of the contact angle from molecular simulations is typically a human-intensive process, which hinders the required fast throughput. To address this challenge, here a flexible and automated contact angle estimation tool, ContactAngleCalculator, is developed to meet these new requirements.

Safe oesophageal stent deployment using a checklist system instead of fluoroscopy.

Background: Stenting is the management of choice for many benign and malignant oesophageal conditions and in the interest of safety stent insertion has traditionally been performed under fluoroscopic guidance. But this incurs additional expense, time, radiation risk and for the foreseeable future, an increased risk of Covid infection to patients and healthcare personnel. We describe a protocol that obviates the need for fluoroscopic guidance, relying instead on a systematic checklist to ensure safe positioning of the guidewire and the accurate positioning of the stent.

Pain catastrophising, body mass index and depressive symptoms are associated with pain severity in tertiary referral orthopaedic foot/ankle patients.

Introduction: Patients with chronic foot/ankle pain are often referred for orthopaedic assessment. Psychological vulnerabilities influence pain states (including foot and ankle), therefore this study aimed to establish the prevalence and relative importance of compromised psychological health to perceived foot/ankle pain severity in people referred to an orthopaedic foot and ankle clinic with non-urgent presentations.

Methods: Patients with triaged non-urgent foot/ankle referrals to the Department of Orthopaedics at Gold Coast University Hospital were recruited over a 12-month period and completed the Manchester-Oxford Foot and Ankle Questionnaire which was the primary measure.