Detection of Quinolone resistance Qnr genes and its association with Extended Spectrum β-lactamase and AmpC β-lactamase genes in Qnr Positive Enterobacteriaceae in Bangladesh

This cross-sectional study was conducted to explore quinolone resistant Enterobacteriaceae followed by searching the prevalence of three groups of quinolone resistance genes (QnrA, QnrB and QnrS) from January 2015 to December 2015 at Dhaka Medical College hospital, Bangladesh. Then genes for ESBL and AmpC β-lactamase were detected among Qnr positive strains for better understanding the role of these genes for multiple drug resistance. Total 340 urines, sputum, wound swab and blood samples were collected from DMCH. Total 270(79.41%) Enterobacteriaceae were isolated from 340 samples. Out of 270 Enterobacteriaceae, 225(83.33%) were quinolone (ciprofloxacin) resistant strains. Qnr genes were detected in 141(62.67%) of the 225 quinolone resistant Enterobacteriaceae. Total 187 Qnr genes [84(59.57%) QnrS, 70(49.64%) QnrB and 33(23.40%) QnrA] were detected from 141 quinolone resistant strains. Total 48(34.04%) ESBL producers were detected by DDS test and 47(33.33%) ESBL producers were positive by PCR among 141 Qnr positive strains. QnrA was co-existed with CTX-M-15. QnrB was co-existed with TEM, CTXM-15 and OXA-1. QnrS genes were also associated with TEM, CTX-M-15 and OXA-1. Among 52 cefoxitin resistant Qnr positive strains, 22(42.31%) AmpC β-lactamase producers were detected by Modified three-dimensional test (MTDT) and 45(86.54%) AmpC β-lactamase producers were detected by PCR. QnrA had been identified with DHA, ACC, EBC and CIT while QnrB had been identified with DHA, ACC, EBC and CIT. QnrS had also been co-existed with DHA, ACC, EBC and CIT. The results of this study provided insights into the high proportion of Qnr genes among isolated Enterobacteriaceae. Simultaneous presence of Qnr genes and genes for extended-spectrum β-lactamase or AmpC β-lactamase were observed in multidrug resistant Enterobacteriaceae.

Combining biophysical parameters with thermal and RGB indices using machine learning models for predicting yield in yellow rust affected wheat crop

Evaluating crop health and forecasting yields in the early stages are crucial for effective crop and market management during periods of biotic stress for both farmers and policymakers. Field experiments were conducted during 2017-18 and 2018-19 with objective to evaluate the effect of yellow rust on various biophysical parameters of 24 wheat cultivars, with varying levels of resistance to yellow rust and to develop machine learning (ML) models with improved accuracy for predicting yield by integrating thermal and RGB indices with crucial plant biophysical parameters. Results revealed that as the level of rust increased, so did the canopy temperature and there was a significant decrease in crop photosynthesis, transpiration, stomatal conductance, leaf area index, membrane stability index, relative leaf water content, and normalized difference vegetation index due to rust, and the reductions were directly correlated with levels of rust severity. The yield reduction in moderate resistant, low resistant and susceptible cultivars as compared to resistant cultivars, varied from 15.9-16.9%, 28.6-34.4% and 59-61.1%, respectively. The ML models were able to provide relatively accurate early yield estimates, with the accuracy increasing as the harvest approached. The yield prediction performance of the different ML models varied with the stage of the crop growth. Based on the validation output of different ML models, Cubist, PLS, and SpikeSlab models were found to be effective in predicting the wheat yield at an early stage (55-60 days after sowing) of crop growth. The KNN, Cubist, SLR, RF, SpikeSlab, XGB, GPR and PLS models were proved to be more useful in predicting the crop yield at the middle stage (70 days after sowing) of the crop, while RF, SpikeSlab, KNN, Cubist, ELNET, GPR, SLR, XGB and MARS models were found good to predict the crop yield at late stage (80 days after sowing). The study quantified the impact of different levels of rust severity on crop biophysical parameters and demonstrated the usefulness of remote sensing and biophysical parameters data integration using machine-learning models for early yield prediction under biotically stressed conditions.

Morphological and molecular characterization of Haemonchus contortus isolated from the small ruminants of south Gujarat, India

The successful design of strategic control measures against the blood-sucking gastrointestinal nematode, Haemonchus contortus in small ruminants can be facilitated by revealing its general features from morphology to the molecular level. In the south Gujarat region of India, a total of 2408 H. contortus were collected from 84 slaughtered sheep's abomasum, consisting of 347 males and 2061 females (1:6 ratio) (p<0.05). Furthermore, 726 H. contortus were collected from 61 goats, comprising 145 males and 581 females (1:4 ratio) (p<0.05). The male worms were approximately 12±0.06 mm long, while female worms were about 20±0.09 mm long. The vulvar morphotypes of the female worms were found to be 17.7% linguiform, 76.6 % knobbed/button (p<0.05), and 5.7 % smooth type, demonstrating common features of H. contortus. The nucleotide sequences of the Internal Transcribed Spacer 1 (ITS-1) of 165 bp or ITS-2 plus of 256 bp were aligned, and it was found that the genotypes of male and female specimens of either sheep or goat origin were identical, with a 100 % match. The present isolates shared >95 % and >94 % homology with published sequences of ITS-1 and ITS-2 plus of H. contortus, respectively, with more nucleotide transitions than transversions in the aligned sequences. The reconstructed phylogram of either ITS-1 or ITS-2 plus revealed two major clades, one for H. contortus and another for other nematodes, with Haemonchus placei showing its proximity with the clade of H. contortus. The study established the role of morphological and molecular features in identifying and differentiating H. contortus parasite at the local level.

Physiological and biochemical evaluation of high anthocyanin pigmented tea (Camellia sinensis L. O. Kuntze) germplasm for purple tea production

Finding promising purple tea germplasm that would target new tea products for diversification and value addition boost the tea industry’s economic growth. Accordingly, 10 tea germplasm viz. TRA St. 817, TRA St. 293, TRA St. 400, TRA 177/3, TRA 376/2, TRA 376/3, TRA 427/7, TRA P7, TRA P8, and TV1 were evaluated in terms of gas exchange parameters, multiplication performance, and biochemical markers such as chlorophyll, carotenoids, and anthocyanin content, which are related to the purple tea quality. The investigated gas exchange and biochemical parameters revealed significant differences. Germplasm TRA St.817 was physiologically more efficient (24.7 μmol m^–2 s^–1), followed by TRA St. 293, exhibiting the highest net photosynthesis, water use efficiency (19.02 μmol mmol^–1), carboxylation efficiency (0.73), chlorophyll fluorescence or photochemical efficiency of PSII (0.754) and mesophyll efficiency (ci/gs ratio: 2.54). Net photosynthesis was positively correlated with water use efficiency, carboxylation efficiency, mesophyll efficiency, and photochemical efficiency of PSII (r = 0.965^**, 0.937^**, 0.857^**, 0.867^**; P = 0.05), respectively, but negatively correlated with the transpiration ratio (r = −0.878^**; P = 0.05) based on Pearson correlation analysis. The total anthocyanin content (4764.19 μg.g^–1 fresh leaf weight) and carotenoid content (3.825 mg.g^–1 fresh leaf weight) were highest in the TRA St.817 germplasm, followed by germplasm TRA St. 293 (2926.18 μg.g^–1 FW). In contrast, total chlorophyll content was significantly low (1.779 mg.g^–1 fresh weight), which is very suitable for manufacturing purple tea. The highest carotenoid concentration in TRA St. 817 was 3.825 mg.g^–1 FW, followed by TRA P8 (3.475 mg.g^–1 FW), favoring the formation of more volatile flavor constituents. The promising germplasm, TRA St 817, has a multiplication success rate of 91.4% through cleft grafting. The outcome reveals that TRA St.817 is a promising germplasm that can be used to make speciality teas, i.e., purple tea.

Factors Affecting School Performance in the Adolescents of USA- Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System

Introduction

Poor academic performance has been linked to factors such as sleep, health, illicit drug use, physical fighting, social media use, cyber bullying, physical activity, homelessness, times spent in video games and television. It is difficult to get a sense of the interplay between and relative importance of different behaviours/factors on academic performance as only limited research has been aimed at quantifying these factors.

Objectives

To evaluate association of school performance and variables in five categories of the YRBSS: physical fighting, diet/lifestyle, electronic device usage, concurrent substance use, and violence/self-harm.

Methods

The CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) data from 1991-2019 was used in study. Respondents were grouped by good and poor school performance and variables related to nutrition/lifestyle, electronic device use, concurrent substance use, mood/violence/self-harm were analyzed using chi-square test.

Results

A total of 41,235 student respondents.Nutrition/Lifestyle, electronic device use, concurrent substance use, mood/violence/self-harm are found to be significantly correlated with school performance.

	Poor Performance n(%)	Good Performance n(%)	Total n(%)	p-Value
Nutrition/Lifestyle
Daily breakfast	2,715(26)	11,429(38.22)	14,144(35.06)	<0.0001
Sodas ≥2/day	1,998(19.12)	2,710(9.03)	4,708(11.63)	<0.0001
Concurrent Substance Use
Alcohol use	3,544(37.55)	8,067(28.49)	11,611(30.75)	<0.0001
Cigarette smoking	1,616(15.74)	1,845(6.17)	3,461(8.61)	<0.0001
Mood/Violence/Self-Harm
Difficulty concentrating	4,188(46.34)	7,327(28.27)	11,516(32.94)	<0.0001
Felt sad or hopeless	4,373(41.06)	9,038(29.67)	13,410(32.62)	<0.0001
Considered suicide	2,567(24.14)	4,810(15.8)	7,377(17.96)	<0.0001

Conclusions

In national data, we found school performance is affected by nutrition, lifestyle, substance use, mood and exposure to surrounding violence, and self-harm. Further studies should be planned to evaluate benefits from the risk stratification to reduce this burden amongst US adolescents.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

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Enhanced superconductivity and ferroelectric quantum criticality in plastically deformed strontium titanate

The properties of quantum materials are commonly tuned using experimental variables such as pressure, magnetic field and doping. Here we explore a different approach using irreversible, plastic deformation of single crystals. We show that compressive plastic deformation induces low-dimensional superconductivity well above the superconducting transition temperature (T_c) of undeformed SrTiO₃, with evidence of possible superconducting correlations at temperatures two orders of magnitude above the bulk T_c. The enhanced superconductivity is correlated with the appearance of self-organized dislocation structures, as revealed by diffuse neutron and X-ray scattering. We also observe deformation-induced signatures of quantum-critical ferroelectric fluctuations and inhomogeneous ferroelectric order using Raman scattering. Our results suggest that strain surrounding the self-organized dislocation structures induces local ferroelectricity and quantum-critical dynamics that strongly influence T_c, consistent with a theory of superconductivity enhanced by soft polar fluctuations. Our results demonstrate the potential of plastic deformation and dislocation engineering for the manipulation of electronic properties of quantum materials.

Practice variation in the diagnosis of acute rejection among pediatric heart transplant centers: An analysis of the pediatric heart transplant society (PHTS) registry

BACKGROUND

Freedom from rejection in pediatric heart transplant recipients is highly variable across centers. This study aimed to assess the center variation in methods used to diagnose rejection in the first-year post-transplant and determine the impact of this variation on patient outcomes.

METHODS

The PHTS registry was queried for all rejection episodes in the first-year post-transplant (2010-2019). The primary method for rejection diagnosis was determined for each event as surveillance biopsy, echo diagnosis, or clinical. The percentage of first-year rejection events diagnosed by surveillance biopsy was used to approximate the surveillance strategy across centers. Methods of rejection diagnosis were described and patient outcomes were assessed based on surveillance biopsy utilization among centers.

RESULTS

A total of 3985 patients from 56 centers were included. Of this group, 873 (22%) developed rejection within the first-year post-transplant. Surveillance biopsy was the most common method of rejection diagnosis (71.7%), but practices were highly variable across centers. The majority (73.6%) of first rejection events occurred within 3-months of transplantation. Diagnosis modality in the first-year was not independently associated with freedom from rejection, freedom from rejection with hemodynamic compromise, or overall graft survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Rejection in the first-year after pediatric heart transplant occurs in 22% of patients and most commonly in the first 3 months post-transplant. Significant variation exists across centers in the methods used to diagnose rejection in pediatric heart transplant recipients, however, these variable strategies are not independently associated with freedom from rejection, rejection with hemodynamic compromise, or overall graft survival.

A critical review of biogas production and usage with legislations framework across the globe

This review showcases a comprehensive analysis of studies that highlight the different conversion procedures attempted across the globe. The resources of biogas production along with treatment methods are presented. The effect of different governing parameters like feedstock types, pretreatment approaches, process development, and yield to enhance the biogas productivity is highlighted. Biogas applications, for example, in heating, electricity production, and transportation with their global share based on national and international statistics are emphasized. Reviewing the world research progress in the past 10 years shows an increase of ~ 90% in biogas industry (120 GW in 2019 compared to 65 GW in 2010). Europe (e.g., in 2017) contributed to over 70% of the world biogas generation representing 64 TWh. Finally, different regulations that manage the biogas market are presented. Management of biogas market includes the processes of exploration, production, treatment, and environmental impact assessment, till the marketing and safe disposal of wastes associated with biogas handling. A brief overview of some safety rules and proposed policy based on the world regulations is provided. The effect of these regulations and policies on marketing and promoting biogas is highlighted for different countries. The results from such studies show that Europe has the highest promotion rate, while nowadays in China and India the consumption rate is maximum as a result of applying up-to-date policies and procedures.

Activation of TRPV4 by mechanical, osmotic or pharmaceutical stimulation is anti-inflammatory blocking IL-1β mediated articular cartilage matrix destruction

OBJECTIVE

Cartilage health is maintained in response to a range of mechanical stimuli including compressive, shear and tensile strains and associated alterations in osmolality. The osmotic-sensitive ion channel Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is required for mechanotransduction. Mechanical stimuli inhibit interleukin-1β (IL-1β) mediated inflammatory signalling, however the mechanism is unclear. This study aims to clarify the role of TRPV4 in this response.

DESIGN

TRPV4 activity was modulated glycogen synthase kinase (GSK205 antagonist or GSK1016790 A (GSK101) agonist) in articular chondrocytes and cartilage explants in the presence or absence of IL-1β, mechanical (10% cyclic tensile strain (CTS), 0.33 Hz, 24hrs) or osmotic loading (200mOsm, 24hrs). Nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) and sulphated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) release and cartilage biomechanics were analysed. Alterations in post-translational tubulin modifications and primary cilia length regulation were examined.

RESULTS

In isolated chondrocytes, mechanical loading inhibited IL-1β mediated NO and PGE₂ release. This response was inhibited by GSK205. Similarly, osmotic loading was anti-inflammatory in cells and explants, this response was abrogated by TRPV4 inhibition. In explants, GSK101 inhibited IL-1β mediated NO release and prevented cartilage degradation and loss of mechanical properties. Upon activation, TRPV4 cilia localisation was increased resulting in histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6)-dependent modulation of soluble tubulin and altered cilia length regulation.

CONCLUSION

Mechanical, osmotic or pharmaceutical activation of TRPV4 regulates HDAC6-dependent modulation of ciliary tubulin and is anti-inflammatory. This study reveals for the first time, the potential of TRPV4 manipulation as a novel therapeutic mechanism to supress pro-inflammatory signalling and cartilage degradation.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE AND PARTIALLY HYDROLYZED POLYACRYLAMIDE – LOW-SOLID NONDISPERSED DRILLING MUD WITH RESPECT TO PROPER-TY ENHANCEMENT AND SHALE INHIBITION

During drilling, different problems are encountered that can interfere with smooth drilling processes, including the accumulation of cuttings, reduced penetration rates, pipe sticking, loss of wellbore stability, and loss of circulation. These problems are generally encountered with conventional drilling mud, such as the bentonite–barite mud system. Formation damage is the most common problem encountered in bentonite mud systems with high solid content. In this work, we aimed to formulate two low-solid nondispersed (LSND) muds: carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)–LSND mud and partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (PHPA)–LSND mud. A comparative analysis was performed to evaluate their property enhancements. LSND muds aid in maintaining hole stability and proper cutting removal. The results of this work show that the addition of both CMC and PHPA helps to improve drilling fluid properties; however, the PHPA–LSND mud was found to be superior. Shale swelling is a major concern in the petroleum industry, as it causes various other problems, such as pipe sticking, low penetration rates, and bit wear. The effect of these two LSND polymer muds in inhibiting shale swelling was analyzed using shale collected from the Champhai district of Mizoram, India.

1D-2D hybrids as efficient optoelectronic materials: a study on graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets wrapped with zinc oxide rods

Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) wrapped with graphitic carbon nitride (GCN) nanosheet (NS) hybrids have been synthesized by a simple chemical process. The as-prepared samples are characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The images obtained from the transmission electron microscopic study and the existence of C-N stretching modes as observed from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirm the successful attachment of GCN NSs onto the ZnO NRs. It is seen that hybrid samples show broad photoluminescence (PL) emission with enhanced defect related emission along with a quenching effect due to the charge transfer mechanism. The results have been explained by taking into consideration the three different types of electron transitions occurring within the type-II band structure of the hybrid samples. Moreover a study on the conductivity of the samples is carried out under dark conditions and also under ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation. It is observed that the hybrid samples show significantly improved conductivity under both dark and UV irradiated conditions. The absorbance of the samples in the UV range shows better conductivity under UV conditions as compared to dark conditions.

Foot-and-mouth disease virus transmission dynamics and persistence in a herd of vaccinated dairy cattle in India

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is an important transboundary disease with substantial economic impacts. Although between-herd transmission of the disease has been well studied, studies focusing on within-herd transmission using farm-level outbreak data are rare. The aim of this study was to estimate parameters associated with within-herd transmission, host physiological factors and FMD virus (FMDV) persistence using data collected from an outbreak that occurred at a large, organized dairy farm in India. Of 1,836 regularly vaccinated, adult dairy cattle, 222 had clinical signs of FMD over a 39-day period. Assuming homogenous mixing, a frequency-dependent compartmental model of disease transmission was built. The transmission coefficient and basic reproductive number were estimated to be between 16.2-18.4 and 67-88, respectively. Non-pregnant animals were more likely to manifest clinical signs of FMD as compared to pregnant cattle. Based on oropharyngeal fluid (probang) sampling and FMDV-specific RT-PCR, four of 36 longitudinally sampled animals (14%) were persistently infected carriers 10.5 months post-outbreak. There was no statistical difference between subclinical and clinically infected animals in the duration of the carrier state. However, prevalence of NSP-ELISA antibodies differed significantly between subclinical and clinically infected animals 12 months after the outbreak with 83% seroprevalence amongst clinically infected cattle compared to 69% of subclinical animals. This study further elucidates within-herd FMD transmission dynamics during the acute-phase and characterizes duration of FMDV persistence and seroprevalence of FMD under natural conditions in an endemic setting.

Family-led rehabilitation after stroke in India (ATTEND): a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Most people with stroke in India have no access to organised rehabilitation services. The effectiveness of training family members to provide stroke rehabilitation is uncertain. Our primary objective was to determine whether family-led stroke rehabilitation, initiated in hospital and continued at home, would be superior to usual care in a low-resource setting.

METHODS

The Family-led Rehabilitation after Stroke in India (ATTEND) trial was a prospectively randomised open trial with blinded endpoint done across 14 hospitals in India. Patients aged 18 years or older who had had a stroke within the past month, had residual disability and reasonable expectation of survival, and who had an informal family-nominated caregiver were randomly assigned to intervention or usual care by site coordinators using a secure web-based system with minimisation by site and stroke severity. The family members of participants in the intervention group received additional structured rehabilitation training-including information provision, joint goal setting, carer training, and task-specific training-that was started in hospital and continued at home for up to 2 months. The primary outcome was death or dependency at 6 months, defined by scores 3-6 on the modified Rankin scale (range, 0 [no symptoms] to 6 [death]) as assessed by masked observers. Analyses were by intention to treat. This trial is registered with Clinical Trials Registry-India (CTRI/2013/04/003557), Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12613000078752), and Universal Trial Number (U1111-1138-6707).

FINDINGS

Between Jan 13, 2014, and Feb 12, 2016, 1250 patients were randomly assigned to intervention (n=623) or control (n=627) groups. 33 patients were lost to follow-up (14 intervention, 19 control) and five patients withdrew (two intervention, three control). At 6 months, 285 (47%) of 607 patients in the intervention group and 287 (47%) of 605 controls were dead or dependent (odds ratio 0·98, 95% CI 0·78-1·23, p=0·87). 72 (12%) patients in the intervention group and 86 (14%) in the control group died (p=0·27), and we observed no difference in rehospitalisation (89 [14%]patients in the intervention group vs 82 [13%] in the control group; p=0·56). We also found no difference in total non-fatal events (112 events in 82 [13%] intervention patients vs 110 events in 79 [13%] control patients; p=0·80).

INTERPRETATION

Although task shifting is an attractive solution for health-care sustainability, our results do not support investment in new stroke rehabilitation services that shift tasks to family caregivers, unless new evidence emerges. A future avenue of research should be to investigate the effects of task shifting to health-care assistants or team-based community care.

FUNDING

The National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia.