Plasma Exchange Therapy Using Solvent Detergent-Treated Plasma: An Observational Pilot Study on Complement, Neutrophil and Endothelial Cell Activation in a Case Series of Patients Suffering from Atypical Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome.

Introduction: Plasma exchange therapy (PEX) was standard treatment for thrombotic microangiopathy before eculizumab was available and is still widely applied. However, most PEX patients still ultimately progress to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). It has been suggested that infusion of plasma that contains active complement may induce additional complement activation with subsequent activation of neutrophils and endothelial cells, leading to exacerbation of organ damage and deterioration of renal function.

Controversies and evidence on Chlamydia testing and treatment in asymptomatic women and men who have sex with men: a narrative review.

Background: Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) worldwide. CT is mainly asymptomatic. Test-and-treat strategies are widely implemented to prevent transmission and complications.

Machine learning predicts the impact of antibiotic properties on the composition and functioning of bacterial community in aquatic habitats.

In the past decades, hundreds of antibiotics have been isolated from microbial metabolites or have been artificially synthesized for protecting humans, animals and crops from microbial infections. Their everlasting usage results in impacts on the microbial community composition and causes well-known collateral damage to the functioning of microbial communities. Nevertheless, the impact of different antibiotic properties on aquatic microbial communities have so far only poorly been disentangled.

Development of a Quasi-Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship Model for Prediction of the Immobilization Response of Daphnia magna Exposed to Metal-Based Nanomaterials.

The conventional Hill equation model is suitable to fit dose-response data obtained from performing (eco)toxicity assays. Models based on quasi-quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) to estimate the Hill coefficient ( were developed with the aim of predicting the response of the invertebrate species Daphnia magna to exposure to metal-based nanomaterials. Descriptors representing the pristine properties of nanoparticles and media conditions were coded to a quasi-simplified molecular input line entry system and correlated to experimentally derived values of .

Age and Primary Vaccination Background Influence the Plasma Cell Response to Pertussis Booster Vaccination.

Pertussis is a vaccine-preventable disease caused by the bacterium . Over the past years, the incidence and mortality of pertussis increased significantly. A possible cause is the switch from whole-cell to acellular pertussis vaccines, although other factors may also contribute.

Immunotoxic effects of metal-based nanoparticles in fish and bivalves.

There is a global research interest in metal nanoparticles (MNPs) due to their diverse applications, rapidly increasing use, and increased presence in the aquatic environment. Currently, most MNPs in the environment are at levels unlikely to cause overt toxicity. Sub-lethal effects that MNPs may induce, notable immunotoxicity, could however have significant health implications.

BCG-induced trained immunity enhances acellular pertussis vaccination responses in an explorative randomized clinical trial.

Acellular pertussis (aP) booster vaccines are central to pertussis immunization programs, although their effectiveness varies. The Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine is a prototype inducer of trained immunity, which enhances immune responses to subsequent infections or vaccinations. While previous clinical studies have demonstrated that trained immunity can protect against heterologous infections, its effect on aP vaccines in humans is unknown.

Dissolved Organic Matter Enhanced the Aggregation and Oxidation of Nanoplastics under Simulated Sunlight Irradiation in Water.

Nanoplastics (NPs) have become a new type of pollutant of high concern that is ubiquitous in aqueous environments. However, the transport and transformation of NPs in natural waters are not yet fully understood. In this study, the aggregation and photooxidation of NPs were assessed with nanosized polystyrene (PS) as an example, and the effects of dissolved organic matter (DOM) were investigated with Suwannee River fulvic acid (SRFA) as representative DOM.

Inflammatory marker trajectories associated with frailty and ageing in a 20-year longitudinal study.

Objective: The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate the development of low-grade inflammation during ageing and its relationship with frailty.

Methods: The trajectories of 18 inflammatory markers measured in blood samples, collected at 5-year intervals over a period of 20 years from 144 individuals aged 65-75 years at the study endpoint, were related to the degree of frailty later in life.

Results: IFN-γ-related markers and platelet activation markers were found to change in synchrony.

No evidence that mask-wearing in public places elicits risk compensation behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Face masks have been widely employed as a personal protective measure during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, concerns remain that masks create a false sense of security that reduces adherence to other public health measures, including social distancing. This paper tested whether mask-wearing was negatively associated with social distancing compliance.

Quantitative tracing of uptake and transport of submicrometre plastics in crop plants using lanthanide chelates as a dual-functional tracer.

The uptake pathways of nanoplastics by edible plants have recently been qualitatively investigated. There is an urgent need to accurately quantify nanoplastics accumulation in plants. Polystyrene (PS) particles with a diameter of 200 nm were doped with the europium chelate Eu-β-diketonate (PS-Eu), which was used to quantify PS-Eu particles uptake by wheat (Triticum aestivum) and lettuce (Lactuca sativa), grown hydroponically and in sandy soil using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

Health Effects of Increasing Protein Intake Above the Current Population Reference Intake in Older Adults: A Systematic Review of the Health Council of the Netherlands.

Whether older adults need more protein than younger adults is debated. The population reference intake for adults set by the European Food Safety Authority is 0.83 g/kg body weight (BW)/d based primarily on nitrogen balance studies, but the underlying data on health outcomes are outdated.

Commonwealth of Soil Health: How Do Earthworms Modify the Soil Microbial Responses to CeO Nanoparticles?

Soil ecotoxicological assays on nanoparticles (NPs) have mainly investigated single components (e.g., plants, fauna, and microbes) within the ecosystem, neglecting possible effects resulting from the disturbance of the interactions between these components.

Topical or oral antibiotics for children with acute otitis media presenting with ear discharge: study protocol of a randomised controlled non-inferiority trial.

Background: Around 15%-20% of children with acute otitis media present with ear discharge due to a spontaneous tear or perforation of the eardrum (AOMd). Current guidance recommends clinicians to consider oral antibiotics as first-line treatment in this condition. The opening in the eardrum however should allow topical antibiotics to enter the middle ear directly.

Comparison of Whole-Genome Sequence-Based Methods and PCR Ribotyping for Subtyping of Clostridioides difficile.

Clostridioides difficile is the most common cause of antibiotic-associated gastrointestinal infections. Capillary electrophoresis (CE)-PCR ribotyping is currently the gold standard for C. difficile typing but lacks the discriminatory power to study transmission and outbreaks in detail.

"Please, you go first!" preferences for a COVID-19 vaccine among adults in the Netherlands.

Background: Vaccination is generally considered the most direct way to restoring normal life after the outbreak of COVID-19, but the available COVID-19 vaccines are simultaneously embraced and dismissed. Mapping factors for vaccine hesitancy may help the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines and provide valuable insights for future pandemics.

Objectives: We investigate how characteristics of a COVID-19 vaccine affect the preferences of adult citizens in the Netherlands to take the vaccine directly, to refuse it outright, or to wait a few months and first look at the experiences of others.

Delineating the Type 2 Diabetes Population in the Netherlands Using an All-Payer Claims Database: Specialist Care, Medication Utilization and Expenditures 2016-2018.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the healthcare utilization and expenditures related to medical specialist care and medication of the entire type 2 diabetes population in the Netherlands in detail.

Methods: For this retrospective, observational study, we used an all-payer claims database. Comprehensive data on specialist care and medication utilization and expenditures of the type 2 diabetes population (n = 900,522 in 2018) were obtained and analyzed descriptively.

Strong Increase in Moxifloxacin Resistance Rate among Multidrug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates in China, 2007 to 2013.

We designed this study to determine the trend of moxifloxacin resistance among multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients from 2007 to 2013 in China to inform the composition of multidrug-resistant/rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB) treatment regimens. We assessed moxifloxacin resistance among MDR-TB isolates collected in national drug resistance surveys in 2007 and 2013 that included 3,634 smear-positive and 7,206 culture-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients, respectively. Moxifloxacin susceptibility was examined by a Mycobacterium growth indicator tube (MGIT) 960 for the 2007 isolates, and by the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) method for the 2013 isolates, at both breakpoints 0.