MtrAB two-component system is crucial for the intrinsic resistance and virulence of Mycobacterium abscessus.

Mycobacterium abscessus (Mab) poses serious therapeutic challenges, largely due to its intrinsic resistance to many antibiotics. The development of targeted therapeutic strategies necessitates the identification of bacterial factors that contribute to its reduced susceptibility to antibiotics and/or to the killing by its host cells. In this study, we discovered that Mab strains with disrupted mtrA, mtrB or both, or a gene-edited mtrA encoding MtrA with Tyr102Cys mutation, exhibited highly increased sensitivity to various drugs compared to the wild-type Mab.

The gene is responsible for intrinsic resistance to various drugs and virulence in by regulating cell division.

exhibits intrinsic resistance to most antibiotics, hence leading to infections that are difficult to treat. To address this issue, the identification of new molecular targets is essential for the development or repositioning of therapeutic agents. This study demonstrated that the -knockout strain, Mab, became significantly susceptible to a range of antibiotics, not only but also exhibited susceptibility to rifabutin, bedaquiline, and linezolid .

Amino-acid surface modulation of cobalt-tin sulfide and band broadening in cobalt-iron selenide heterostructure for high-performing asymmetric supercapacitor.

Controlled synthesis of hierarchical flowerlike cobalt tin sulfide (SnCoS) is successfully obtained using the chelation of the biomolecule l-asparagine with cobalt-tin metal cations by a hydrothermal technique. l-asparagine plays a crucial role as an inducer and a good structure-directing activity. Subsequently, pine needle-shaped cobalt iron selenium (FeCoSe) is tightly deposited on the SnCoS surface to construct cobalt tin sulfide coated with cobalt iron selenide (FeCoSe@SnCoS) heterostructure, which has exposed more active sites and the most abundant channels for electron/ion transfer.

Assessment of the Efficacy of the Antihistamine Drug Rupatadine Used Alone or in Combination against Mycobacteria.

The emergence of drug-resistant mycobacteria has rendered many clinical drugs and regimens ineffective, imposing significant economic and healthcare burden on individuals and society. Repurposing drugs intended for treating other diseases is a time-saving, cost-effective, and efficient approach for identifying excellent antimycobacterial candidates or lead compounds. This study is the first to demonstrate that rupatadine (RTD), a drug used to treat allergic rhinitis, possesses excellent activity against mycobacteria without detectable resistance, particularly and , with a minimal inhibitory concentration as low as 3.

One Stone, Three-Birds Approach: Ultra-active Ru/N, S-MoO/CNTs Electrocatalyst for Overall Water Splitting in Wide Electrode Applications (NF, GC, and CC).

The construction of exceptionally multifunctional electrocatalysts is essential for various applications, but it poses significant challenges. A novel electrocatalyst, denoted as Ru/N, S-MoO/CNTs, was successfully synthesized using a combination of mechano-grinding and hydrothermal/calcination techniques. The Ru/N, S-MoO/CNTs demonstrates ultrasmall overpotentials of 12 and 163 mV in NF, 51 and 167 mV in GCE, and 54 and 173 mV in CC for HER and OER, respectively, at a current density of 10 mA/cm in alkaline medium.

Investigating the role of in intrinsic resistance to multiple drugs in .

Unlabelled: The increasing clinical significance of is owed to its innate high-level, broad-spectrum resistance to antibiotics and therefore rapidly evolves as an important human pathogen. This warrants the identification of novel targets for aiding the discovery of new drugs or drug combinations to treat infections. This study is inspired by the drug-hypersensitive profile of a mutant (U14) with transposon insertion in .

Anchoring Ni(OH)-CeO Heterostructure on FeOOH-Modified Nickel-Mesh for Efficient Alkaline Water-Splitting Performance with Improved Stability under Quasi-Industrial Conditions.

Developing low-cost and industrially viable electrode materials for efficient water-splitting performance and constructing intrinsically active materials with abundant active sites is still challenging. In this study, a self-supported porous network Ni(OH)-CeO heterostructure layer on a FeOOH-modified Ni-mesh (NiCe/Fe@NM) electrode is successfully prepared by a facile, scalable two-electrode electrodeposition strategy for overall alkaline water splitting. The optimized NiCe/Fe@NM catalyst reaches a current density of 100 mA cm at an overpotential of 163 and 262 mV for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER), respectively, in 1.

Examining direct and indirect flood damages in residential and business sectors through an empirical lens.

Investment to reduce flood risk for social and economic wellbeing requires quantitative evidence to guide decisions. Direct and indirect flood damages at individual household and business building levels were assessed in this study using multivariate analysis with three groups of flood damage attributes, i.e.

Two-pore channels regulate endomembrane tension to enable remodeling and resolution of phagolysosomes.

Phagocytes promptly resolve ingested targets to replenish lysosomes and maintain their responsiveness. The resolution process requires that degradative hydrolases, solute transporters, and proteins involved in lipid traffic are delivered and made active in phagolysosomes. It also involves extensive membrane remodeling.

Molecular mechanisms of resistance and treatment efficacy of clofazimine and bedaquiline against .

Clofazimine (CFZ) and bedaquiline (BDQ) are currently used for the treatment of multidrug-resistant (MDR) () strains. In recent years, adding CFZ and BDQ to tuberculosis (TB) drug regimens against MDR strains has significantly improved treatment results, but these improvements are threatened by the emergence of MDR and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains. Recently, CFZ and BDQ have attracted much attention for their strong clinical efficacy, although very little is known about the mechanisms of action, drug susceptibility test (DST), resistance mechanisms, cross-resistance, and pharmacokinetics of these two drugs.

Novel Derivatives of Quinoxaline-2-carboxylic Acid 1,4-Dioxides as Antimycobacterial Agents: Mechanistic Studies and Therapeutic Potential.

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that tuberculosis (TB) is one of the top 10 leading causes of global mortality. The increasing incidence of multidrug-resistant TB highlights the urgent need for an intensified quest to discover innovative anti-TB medications In this study, we investigated four new derivatives from the quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid 1,4-dioxide class. New 3-methylquinoxaline 1,4-dioxides with a variation in substituents at positions 2 and 6(7) were synthesized via nucleophilic aromatic substitution with amines and assessed against a spp.

Exploring barriers and facilitators of implementing an at-home SARS-CoV-2 antigen self-testing intervention: The Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics-Underserved Populations (RADx-UP) initiatives.

Background: Evaluating community-based programs provides value to researchers, funding entities, and community stakeholders involved in program implementation, and can increase program impact and sustainability. To understand factors related to program implementation, we aimed to capture the perspective of community partners engaged in organizing and executing community-engaged programs to distribute COVID-19 at-home tests in underserved communities.

Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups with community-based stakeholders informed by the Outcomes for Implementation Research framework.

Distribution of common and rare drug resistance patterns in clinical isolates revealed by GenoType MTBDR and MTBDR assay.

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant global health emergency caused by (Mtb). The epidemiology, transmission, genotypes, mutational patterns, and clinical consequences of TB have been extensively studied worldwide, however, there is a lack of information regarding the epidemiology and mutational patterns of Mtb in Pakistan, specifically concerning the prevalence of multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB).

Methods: This study aimed to investigate the incidence of Mtb and associated mutational patterns using the line probe assay (LPA).

A Roadmap from Functional Materials to Plant Health Monitoring (PHM).

Soft bioelectronics have great potential for the early diagnosis of plant diseases and the mitigation of adverse outcomes such as reduced crop yields and stunted growth. Over the past decade, bioelectronic interfaces have evolved into miniaturized conformal electronic devices that integrate flexible monitoring systems with advanced electronic functionality. This development is largely attributable to advances in materials science, and micro/nanofabrication technology.

Patient-reported Outcome Measures in Ileoanal Pouch Surgery: a Systematic Review.

Objective: To summarise frequency, type, and heterogeneity of patient-reported outcomes measures [PROMs] in papers reporting on outcomes after ileal pouch anal anastomosis [IPAA].

Background: Prevalence of ulcerative colitis [UC] has risen in Western countries, and one in three patients requires surgery. IPAA is a frequently performed procedure for UC, and a lack of standardisation is manifest in reporting outcomes for inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] despite the clear need for inclusion of PROMs as primary outcomes in IBD trials.

Recent Advances in Bimetallic Catalysts for Methane Steam Reforming in Hydrogen Production: Current Trends, Challenges, and Future Prospects.

As energy demand continues to rise and the global population steadily grows, there is a growing interest in exploring alternative, clean, and renewable energy sources. The search for alternatives, such as green hydrogen, as both a fuel and an industrial feedstock, is intensifying. Methane steam reforming (MSR) has long been considered a primary method for hydrogen production, despite its numerous advantages, the activity and stability of the conventional Ni catalysts are major concerns due to carbon formation and metal sintering at high temperatures, posing significant drawbacks to the process.

Poly lactic acid production using the ring opening polymerization (ROP) method using Lewis acid surfactant combined iron (Fe) catalyst (Fe(DS)).

LASC catalyst synthesis process was carried out using iron metal (Fe) and its characterization properties were tested. There are five stages carried out, namely, the manufacture of the LASC Fe(DS)3 catalyst, lactic acid dehydration, polycondensation of lactic acid into l-lactic acid oligomers (OLLA), depolymerization of oligomers into l-lactide, and the ROP process to convert l-lactide into Polymers. l-lactic acid (PLLA).

Biodiesel Production from Waste Cooking Oil via β-Zeolite-Supported Sulfated Metal Oxide Catalyst Systems.

Waste cooking oil (WCO) is a readily available and cheap feedstock for biodiesel production. However, WCO contains high levels of free fatty acids (FFAs), which negatively impact the biodiesel yield if homogeneous catalysts are used. Heterogeneous solid acid catalysts are preferred for low-cost feedstocks because the catalysts are highly insensitive to high levels of FFA in the feedstock.

SKINFOLD MEASUREMENTS AS DETERMINANTS OF BLOOD PRESSURE LEVELS AMONG ADULT HYPERTENSIVES ATTENDING A SECONDARY HEALTHCARE CENTRE IN NIGERIA.

Background: Background: The prevalence of obesity is increasing globally, making it a growing pandemic affecting adults and children. Obesity is associated with multiple morbidities and mortalities increasing the burden on the health care system.

Objective: There is inadequacy of data in Nigeria on the prevalence of obesity among adult patients with hypertension and adequate data on these conditions would help in their comprehensive management.

Structure-Activity Relationship of Novel Pyrimidine Derivatives with Potent Inhibitory Activities against .

Discovery of novel antitubercular drugs is an effective strategy against drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). Our previous study has identified as a novel antitubercular compound. Herein, we perform a comprehensive structure-activity relationship (SAR) based on , indicating that the central pyrimidine ring moiety was crucial for the antitubercular activities of its derivatives, and replacing the naphthyl group with hydrophobic substitutes was well tolerated.

Comparative genome analysis reveals high-level drug resistance markers in a clinical isolate of subsp MF GZ001.

Introduction: Infections caused by non-tuberculosis mycobacteria are significantly worsening across the globe. M. fortuitum complex is a rapidly growing pathogenic species that is of clinical relevance to both humans and animals.

Pneumonia hospitalizations and mortality in children 3 - 24-month-old in Nigeria from 2013 to 2020: Impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine ten valent (PHiD-CV-10).

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine ten valent (PCV 10) was introduced into Nigeria in three phases. Phase 3 introduction started in August 2016. However, its impact on pneumonia admissions and mortality among vaccinated Nigerian children has not been determined.

Thoracolumbar Sacral Orthosis for Spinal Fractures: What's the Evidence and Do Patients Use Them?

Introduction The general consensus regarding the non-operative management of thoracolumbar (TL) spine fractures revolves around the use of thoracolumbar spine orthosis (TLSO). The efficacy of TLSO bracing remains controversial within the current literature, with several studies showing that prolonged brace use is associated with diminished lung capacity, skin breakdown, and paraspinal muscular atrophy, with no significant difference in pain and functional outcomes between patients treated with or without TLSO. Aims The aim of this study was to identify the number of braces issued over the duration of the study and understand the cost implication, added length of stay, and patient satisfaction based on a questionnaire and reflect on whether we need to change our practice on the use of TLSO.