Preparation, characterization, and prebiotic potential of resistant maltodextrin from the remaining starch in cassava pulp.

This study aimed to produce a novel resistant maltodextrin (RMD) from the remaining starch in cassava pulp via pyrodextrinization and enzymatic hydrolysis. The optimum conditions involved a temperature of 180 °C, 0.5 % HCl, and a reaction time of 5 h, resulting in a significant RMD yield (18.

Biochemical study and digestion profile of olive oil by LipBK: Revealing the potential applications of a new acid/broad thermal range true lipase.

This study characterized a novel bacterial lipase with high biotechnological potential, focusing on industrial and environmental applications. Bacterial isolates were screened using olive oil as a substrate, and the strain with the highest hydrolytic halo was identified as Burkholderia sp. via 16S rRNA analysis.

Reliability of various Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Methods for Piperacillin/tazobactam in challenging Escherichia coli isolates.

Piperacillin/tazobactam antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) against Enterobacterales can be challenging. The aim of this study was to assess the reproducibility of various automated (Vitek®2) and non-automated AST methods (broth microdilution (BMD), minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) test strip, and disk diffusion) for piperacillin/tazobactam in 'challenging' E. coli isolates.

Outbreak of carbapenem resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae in a neurorehabilitation unit: genomic epidemiology reveals complex transmission pattern in a tertiary care hospital.

Objectives: Infections by Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales in hospitals represent a severe threat but little is known on outbreaks in rehabilitation wards caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Carbapenemase (KPC-Kp). We report an outbreak by KPC-Kp, in a Neurorehabilitation Unit in Italy, analysed through Whole-Genome Sequencing (WGS) for transmission routes reconstruction to improve management of KPC-Kp infections in rehabilitation units.

Methods: We investigated cases and KPC-Kp isolates collected from February to October 2022 from hospital surveillance.

OLAgen: A Software Tool for Reagent Design to Expand Access to Single Nucleotide Variant Detection by the Oligonucleotide Ligation Assay.

Single nucleotide variations (SNVs) and polymorphisms (SNPs) are characteristic biomarkers in various biological contexts, including pathogen drug resistances and human diseases. Tools that lower the implementation barrier of molecular SNV detection methods would provide greater leverage of the expanding SNP/SNV database. The oligonucleotide ligation assay (OLA) is a highly specific means for detection of known SNVs and is especially powerful when coupled with polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Phosphorylated-tau associates with HSV-1 chromatin and correlates with nuclear speckles decondensation in low-density host chromatin regions.

Abnormal tau phosphorylation is a key mechanism in neurodegenerative diseases. Evidence implicates infectious agents, such as Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV-1), as co-factors in the onset or the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. This has led to divergence in the field regarding the contribution of viruses in the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases.

FilmArray® Effectively Detects All Clades of F41 but Encounters Challenges with Other Adenovirus Species.

The BioFire FilmArray® Gastrointestinal (GI) Panel, a widely used diagnostic tool, is designed to detect the genetic material of 22 common pathogens responsible for gastroenteritis, including viruses, bacteria, and parasites. It can detect human adenovirus (HAdV) species F, particularly serotypes F40 and F41, which are the major causes of diarrhea and mortality in children. However, its potential shortcomings in detecting other HAdV species limit its effectiveness in broader HAdV detection in clinical settings and outbreak investigations.

Clostridioides difficile infection and recurrence in cancer patients (CIRCA): a multicentre, international study.

Objectives: We aimed to describe the characteristics of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) in cancer patients, analysing risk factors for 90-day recurrence and attributable mortality.

Methods: Retrospective analysis on all CDI episodes from 2020 to 2022 in three Australian hospitals and one Spanish hospital. Logistic regression analyses were performed.

The effect of Torque Teno Virus (TTV) Infection on Clinical Outcomes, Genomic Integrity, and Mortality in COPD Patients.

Introduction: Torque Teno Virus (TTV), an "orphan" virus with unclear pathology, has been associated with various diseases and immune dysfunctions. This study investigates the link between TTV viremia and clinical markers in patients with severe to very severe COPD undergoing respiratory rehabilitation.

Methods: We analyzed 102 elderly COPD patients, stratified by TTV viremia levels (< or ≥ 4 log10 copies/mL).

Can microbiota gut-brain axis reverse neurodegenerative disorders in human?

The trillions of microbial populations residing in the gut have recently shown that they can be used as a remedy for various diseases. The gut microbiota-brain-axis interface is one unique pathway that the microbiota demonstrates its medicinal value. This medicinal value is further seen when there is a decline in gut microbial diversity (dysbiosis).

Cervicovaginal microbiome and natural history of Chlamydia trachomatis in adolescents and young women.

This study investigated the cervicovaginal microbiome's (CVM's) impact on Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infection among Black and Hispanic adolescent and young adult women. A total of 187 women with incident CT were matched to 373 controls, and the CVM was characterized before, during, and after CT infection. The findings highlight that a specific subtype of bacterial vaginosis (BV), identified from 16S rRNA gene reads using the molBV algorithm and community state type (CST) clustering, is a significant risk factor for CT acquisition.

Decoding the blueprint of receptor binding by filoviruses through large-scale binding assays and machine learning.

Evidence suggests that bats are important hosts of filoviruses, yet the specific species involved remain largely unidentified. Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1) is an essential entry receptor, with amino acid variations influencing viral susceptibility and species-specific tropism. Herein, we conducted combinatorial binding studies with seven filovirus glycoproteins (GPs) and NPC1 orthologs from 81 bat species.

Impact of fall ammonia fluctuations on winter nitrification in moving bed biofilm reactors.

This pilot-scale study investigated nitrifying moving bed biofilm reactors (MBBRs) in a post-lagoon treatment setup over two years to evaluate the impact of seasonal ammonia fluctuations on winter nitrification. In Year 2, reactors without fall ammonia starvation achieved significantly higher winter ammonia removal (97.2 ± 1.

Survival of viruses in water microcosms.

Human enteric viruses and emerging viruses such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, influenza virus and monkeypox virus, are frequently detected in wastewater. Human enteric viruses are highly persistent in water, but there is limited information available for non-enteric viruses. The present study evaluated the stability of hepatitis A virus (HAV), murine norovirus (MNV), influenza A virus H3N2 (IAV H3N2), human coronavirus (HCoV) 229E, and vaccinia virus (VACV) in reference water (RW), effluent wastewater (EW) and drinking water (DW) under refrigeration and room temperature conditions.

Evaluation of a next generation sequencing assay for Hepatitis B antiviral drug resistance on the oxford nanopore system.

Background: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) for Hepatitis B virus (HBV) antiviral resistance (AVR) testing is a highly sensitive diagnostic method, able to detect low-level mutant subpopulations. Our clinical virology laboratory previously transitioned from DNA hybridization (INNO-LiPA) to NGS, initially with the GS Junior System and subsequently the MiSeq. The Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT) sequencing system was evaluated for HBV resistance testing, with regards to sequencing accuracy and turn-around time.

Impact of COVID-19 on testing, positive cases, patient characteristics, and hospital contacts for respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, and pneumococcus in Danish children.

Background: Respiratory infections substantially impact pediatric health. The COVID-19 pandemic introduced widespread non-pharmaceutical interventions, which influenced the incidence of common respiratory infections. This comprehensive study investigates the impact of these interventions on the incidence of respiratory syncytial virus, influenza, and invasive pneumococcal disease in Danish children.

NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (rs10754558) gene polymorphism in chronic spontaneous urticaria: A pilot case-control study.

Background: Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is a persistent skin condition with no known cause or trigger. The unpredictability of CSU attacks lowers patients' quality of life. NOD-like receptor pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) gene dysregulation can result in numerous immunological and inflammatory diseases.

Nano selenium modulates ripening of Capsicum fruit under postharvest storage: Cellular redox and related physiological characteristics.

In the background of antioxidation properties of selenium (Se) in plants, the role of nano‑selenium (Se-NPs) was justified in the modulation of Capsicum fruit ripening. In our study, exogenous application of 8 mg L Se-NPs on fruits through 7 days (D) of postharvest storage regulated decay rate, water loss and fruit coat firmness. Se-NPs recovered fruit coat damages with reduction of ion leakage, lipid oxidation, and accumulation of polyamines.

Protein binding and folding through an evolutionary lens.

Protein-protein associations are often mediated by an intrinsically disordered protein region interacting with a folded domain in a coupled binding and folding reaction. Classic physical organic chemistry approaches together with structural biology have shed light on mechanistic aspects of such reactions. Further insight into general principles may be obtained by interpreting the results through an evolutionary lens.

Long-term outcome and risk stratification in compensated advanced chronic liver disease after HCV-cure.

Background And Aims: Around 750,000 patients per year will be cured of HCV infection until 2030. Those with compensated advanced chronic liver disease remain at risk for hepatic decompensation and de novo HCC. Algorithms have been developed to stratify risk early after cure; however, data on long-term outcomes and the prognostic utility of these risk stratification algorithms at later time points are lacking.

Antigen affinity and site of immunization dictate B cell recall responses.

Protective antibodies against HIV-1 require unusually high levels of somatic mutations introduced in germinal centers (GCs). To achieve this, a sequential vaccination approach was proposed. Using HIV-1 antibody knockin mice with fate-mapping genes, we examined if antigen affinity affects the outcome of B cell recall responses.

Probing the functional constraints of influenza A virus NEP by deep mutational scanning.

The influenza A virus nuclear export protein (NEP) is a multifunctional protein that is essential for the viral life cycle and has very high sequence conservation. However, since the open reading frame of NEP largely overlaps with that of another influenza viral protein, non-structural protein 1, it is difficult to infer the functional constraints of NEP based on sequence conservation analysis. In addition, the N-terminal of NEP is structurally disordered, which further complicates the understanding of its function.

ERK activation waves coordinate mechanical cell competition leading to collective elimination via extrusion of bacterially infected cells.

Epithelial cells respond to infection with the intracellular bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes by altering their mechanics to promote collective infected cell extrusion (CICE) and limit infection spread across cell monolayers. However, the underlying biochemical pathways remain elusive. Here, using in vitro (epithelial monolayers) and in vivo (zebrafish larvae) models of infection with L.

Distinct peripheral pro-inflammatory profile associated with tuberous sclerosis complex and epilepsy.

Objective: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a monogenetic disorder associated with sustained mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) activation, leading to heterogeneous clinical manifestations. Epilepsy and renal angiomyolipoma are the most important causes of morbidity in adult people with TSC (pwTSC). mTOR is a key player in inflammation, which in turn could influence TSC-related clinical manifestations.

Structure-Based Optimization of Pyridone α-Ketoamides as Inhibitors of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease.

The main protease M is a clinically validated target to treat infections by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Among the first reported M inhibitors was the peptidomimetic α-ketoamide , whose cocrystal structure with M paved the way for multiple lead-finding studies. We established structure-activity relationships for the series by modifying residues at the P1', P3, and P4 sites.