A VersaTile Approach to Reprogram the Specificity of the R2-Type Tailocin Towards Different Serotypes of and .

Phage tail-like bacteriocins, or tailocins, provide a competitive advantage to producer cells by killing closely related bacteria. Morphologically similar to headless phages, their narrow target specificity is determined by receptor-binding proteins (RBPs). While RBP engineering has been used to alter the target range of a selected R2 tailocin from , the process is labor-intensive, limiting broader application.

Assessing tick attachments to humans with citizen science data: spatio-temporal mapping in Switzerland from 2015 to 2021 using spatialMaxent.

Background: Ticks are the primary vectors of numerous zoonotic pathogens, transmitting more pathogens than any other blood-feeding arthropod. In the northern hemisphere, tick-borne disease cases in humans, such as Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis, have risen in recent years, and are a significant burden on public healthcare systems. The spread of these diseases is further reinforced by climate change, which leads to expanding tick habitats.

Transition to home after very preterm birth: improving outcomes of children and their families-a systematic review protocol.

Introduction: Medical progress has significantly improved the survival rates of very preterm-born infants in recent decades. Nevertheless, these infants are still at increased risk for long-term impairments as compared with term-born infants. While the homecoming of a preterm-born infant is long-awaited and brings relief to families, it also marks the end of intensive monitoring and highly specialised professional care.

Temporal trends and spatial variations of chlorinated paraffins and olefins in sewage sludge from eight Swiss wastewater treatment plants from 1993 to 2020.

High production rates of chlorinated paraffins (CPs) and their widespread use resulted in a global contamination. Since 2017, short-chain CPs (SCCPs, C-C) are listed as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the Stockholm Convention. Technical CP mixtures contain hundreds of homologues and side products such as chlorinated olefins (COs), diolefins (CdiOs) and triolefins (CtriOs).

ExerG - an exergame-based training device for the rehabilitation of older adults: a functional model usability study.

Background: Exergames are interactive technology-based exercise programs. By combining physical and cognitive training components, they aim to preserve independence in older adults and reduce their risk of falling. This study explored whether primary end users (PEU, healthy older adults and patients with neurological and geriatric diagnoses) and secondary end users (SEU, health professionals) evaluated the ExerG functional model to be usable, providing a positive experience and therefore acceptable.

Active bodies - active minds? A deep dive into the voluntary sports programs for individuals with psychiatric disorders in Switzerland: participants view.

Background: The positive influence of physical activities on a person's physical and mental health has been proven many times. These findings were implemented in the regular exercise therapy offered within psychiatric hospitals in Switzerland. However, after leaving a psychiatric hospital, there are insufficient opportunities for individuals with psychiatric disorders to engage in sports.

Phthalimide derivatives as a new class of papain-like protease inhibitors in SARS-CoV-2.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) papain-like cysteine protease (PLpro) represents one of only two essential cysteine proteases involved in the regulation of viral replication. It, therefore, qualifies as a promising therapeutic target for the development of antiviral agents. We identified a previously synthesized protease inhibitor, resulting from an earlier project, as a PLpro inhibitor and crafted a structure-activity relationship around the hit, leading to the more potent inhibitors ZHAWOC6941 (17h) and ZHAWOC25153 (17o) displaying IC values of 8 and 7 µM, respectively.

Single-character insertion-deletion model preserves long indels in ancestral sequence reconstruction.

Insertions and deletions (indels) play a significant role in genome evolution across species. Realistic modelling of indel evolution is challenging and is still an open research question. Several attempts have been made to explicitly model multi-character (long) indels, such as TKF92, by relaxing the site independence assumption and introducing fragments.

The association of different types of stress, and stress accumulation with low back pain in call-center workers - a cross-sectional observational study.

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a common health complaint and a prominent factor in the development of LBP among the working population is stress. Mostly, stress is addressed as a general problem, which is why LBP prevention programs are often imprecise. Accordingly, a closer look at the association between specific stress types and the development of LBP is necessary.

Does adherence to physiotherapy depend on the typologies of patients with back pain and their physiotherapists? A qualitative typology study.

Background: Patient adherence to physiotherapy is influenced by a multitude of factors including the characteristics and attitudes of patients and physiotherapists. This study aims to identify typologies of patients with back pain and their physiotherapists and attempts to explain how typologies could influence patient adherence.

Method: This study was based on a secondary data analysis from focus group interviews to identify barriers and facilitators for adherence.

A theoretical analysis of professionalism in health promotion with a focus on the Swiss context.

The pressing global health crises highlight the need for professional health promotion (HP). Debates on the professionalization of HP are still overlaid by questions regarding the conceptualization of HP, yet literature is scarce regarding this point. Therefore, this article aims to (a) provide an overview of the current state of professionalism in HP with a focus on the Swiss context, and (b) identify facilitators, gaps and barriers of professionalism in HP.

Translation, reliability, and validity of the German version of the Activity Patterns Scale (APS) in musculoskeletal pain: a methodological study.

In musculoskeletal pain (MSP), pain duration, disability, and mental health relate to how a person engages in daily activities. The self-reporting questionnaire Activity Patterns Scale (APS) assesses these activity patterns and their subscales: Pacing (Pacing to increase activity levels,Pacing to conserve energy for valued activities,Pacing to reduce pain); Avoidance (Pain avoidance,Activity avoidance); Pacing (Excessive persistence, Task-contingent persistence, Pain-contingent persistence). This investigation translated the APS into German and estimated its internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct validity.

Fat beyond muscle: Assessing epimuscular fat of the lumbar spine and its association with vertebral level, demographics, BMI, and low back pain.

Introduction: Epimuscular fat (EF) has rarely been studied in the context of low back pain (LBP).

Research Question: This study aims to assess the presence and extent of EF in the lumbar muscles and its association with vertebral level in patients with low back disorders and to explore correlations between EF, demographics, BMI, and LBP.

Material And Methods: T2 axial MRIs from L1 to L5 were manually segmented to analyze the cross-sectional area (CSA) of EF (mm), and fat infiltration (FI,%) of 40 patients (23 females, 17 males; mean age:65.

Assessing the Influence of Illumination on Ion Conductivity in Perovskite Solar Cells.

Whether illumination influences the ion conductivity in lead-halide perovskite solar cells containing iodide halides has been an ongoing debate. Experiments to elucidate the presence of a photoconductive effect require special devices or measurement techniques and neglect possible influences of the enhanced electronic charge concentrations. Here, we assess the electronic-ionic charge transport using drift-diffusion simulations and show that the well-known increase in capacitance at low frequencies under illumination is caused by electronic currents that are amplified due to the screening of the alternating electric field by the ions.

Road network disruptions during extreme flooding events and their impact on the access to emergency medical services: A spatiotemporal vulnerability analysis.

The impact of extreme floods can be significant, affecting humans, the environment and any type of human-built infrastructure. A further consequence of flooding is restricted access to medical facilities, including constraints to access more dedicated emergency medical services (EMS). To date, there has been a lack of investigation into EMS accessibility dynamics during extreme floods.

Isolation, characterization, and receptor-binding protein specificity of phages PAS7, PAS59 and PAS61 infecting Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O103 and O146.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a foodborne pathogen with 6,534 annual reported cases in the EU in 2021. This pathotype generally contains strains with smooth LPS with O-antigen serogroup O157 being the predominant serogroup in the US. However, non-O157 STEC serogroups are becoming increasingly prevalent.

Loss of a Parent in Disney and Pixar Films: What We Can Learn?

Early parental loss is a tragic experience for children causing complex reactions to the loss. Providing a supportive environment where they can express their feelings is crucial to help them cope with this challenging experience. This study analyses the depiction of parental death in animated films by Disney and Pixar using a multimethod design and including the QUAGOL approach.

Development of two quantitative PCR assays for the detection of emerging opportunistic human pathogens belonging to the genus Phytobacter in routine diagnostics.

The genus Phytobacter (fam. Enterobacteriaceae) includes species like Phytobacter diazotrophicus and Phytobacter ursingii, which have emerged as opportunistic human pathogens, particularly affecting vulnerable populations such as pre-term infants and immunocompromised patients. Traditional biochemical and molecular methods have struggled to accurately identify Phytobacter species in clinical diagnostics.

Exploring patient perspective: using narrative DIPEx interviews and the ICF model for interprofessional learning.

Introduction: The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) has been widely adopted in academic health profession education and is part of bachelor curricula since its introduction by the WHO in 2001. In this context, interprofessional exchange among health professionals from a biopsychosocial perspective has become increasingly important and is now a key part of bachelor's program curricula to learn with, about, and from each other regarding students' curiosity about interprofessional collaboration (IPC). This pilot study describes initial teaching experiences within an interprofessional elective module for health professions focused on patient-centeredness.

Fire blight cases in Almaty Region of Kazakhstan in the proximity of wild apple distribution area.

Fire blight caused by reached Kazakhstan in 2008. Here, the disease poses a threat not only to agricultural production of apples and pears, but also to the forests of wild , the progenitor of most domesticated apple varieties worldwide. In the period 2019-2021, the spread of fire blight in the growth area of wild apples was limited by the weather conditions.

Persistence, not avoidance, is associated with low back pain-An observational cohort study.

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is increasingly understood as a long-lasting condition with a variable course. Avoidance and persistence behaviour have been described to mediate pain persistence by potentially linking psychosocial factors and biomechanics. The resulting maladaptive changes in musculoskeletal structures can result in movement control impairment (MCI).

Opportunities for nurses to address employee voice in health care providers: a scoping review.

Background: Employees' decision to speak up or to stay silent can have implications for health care providers, employees and people who need care. As a result, a shift is needed from blindly following guidelines to implementing a sustainable proactive organizational culture in which employees, especially nurses, can evaluate their work environment and take advantage of growth opportunities. The aim of this review is to analyse the characteristics of employee voice opportunities in the health care context, particularly for nurses.

Item response theory for before-after designs in interprofessional education research.

Although Item Response Theory (IRT) has been recommended for helping advance interprofessional education (IPE) research, its use remains limited. This may be partly explained by potential misconceptions regarding IRT`s "limitation" to cross-sectional data. The aim of this study is to demonstrate how Item Response Theory (IRT) can be applied effectively in before-and-after designs in IPE research.

The Use of Survival Dose-Rate Dependencies as Theoretical Discrimination Criteria for Dynamic Radiobiological Models.

Introduction: Cell repair dynamics are crucial in optimizing anti-cancer therapies. Various assays (eg, comet assay and γ-H2AX) assess post-radiation repair kinetics, but interpreting such data is challenging and model-based data analyses are required. However, ambiguities in parameter calibration remain an unsolved challenge.