Clostridioides difficile-Infection (CDI)

Clostridioides difficile is a Gram positive, spore-forming bacillus colonizing the lower gastrointestinal tract. Use of antibiotics, older age, and underlying diseases contribute to changes in the microbial flora of the gut, which may lead to the production of toxins that cause C. difficile infection (CDI), with symptoms ranging from mild to moderate diarrhea to severe diarrhea, pseudomembranous colitis, toxic megacolon and sepsis. CDI is difficult to treat and has a high risk of recurrence. The fecal-oral route is the predominant mode of C. difficile transmission. The highest CDI incidence rates are reported from developed countries, particularly the United States, but limited disease awareness and surveillance capacity may lead to underestimation of disease burden elsewhere. Treatment consists of stopping ongoing antibiotic treatment, specific anti-CDI antibiotics and fecal microbiota transplant (FMT). CDI recurrence can be prevented by an anti-toxin B monoclonal antibody, bezlotoxumab. Various hygiene measures should be applied but they are costly and of variable effect. A candidate vaccine directed at the C. difficile toxin failed in the past, possibly due to a change in the epitope through inactivation or to a suboptimal immunization schedule. Currently, only one vaccine candidate based on genetically and chemically detoxified toxins A and B is in phase III studies.

Factors Affecting on IoT-Based Business Management in the Post-Pandemic Period

This research examines the relationship between facilitating condition, digital literacy, pandemic adoption, social influence, application use intention, and IoT-based business. Also, the research used systematic random sampling in this study to achieve the most rigorous analysis of the possible research objectives even though 277 legitimate replies were received in response to the survey questions asked at the online-based companies in Bangladesh. The scope of this study is the urban SME industry in Bangladesh. Besides that, the data was being analyzed with the help of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). These research findings showed that facilitating condition (FC), digital literacy (DL), pandemic adoption (PA), social influence (SI), application use intention (AUI), and IoT-based business (dependent variable) effect in SME business industries in Bangladesh.

Distance Learning and Student Anxiety at Palangkaraya University

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on the entire world, including the field of education. Students at the Faculty of Medicine experience anxiety due to distance learning. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the extent to which distance learning affects the anxiety level of students at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Palangkaraya. The research was conducted using a descriptive quantitative design. The population for this study was comprised of all students at the University of Palangkaraya's Faculty of Medicine and 219 individuals. The modified Halmilton Anxiety Rating Scale was used as the research instrument (HARS). The findings indicated that the greatest challenge encountered during distance learning was the absence of direct practical work (39 %). According to the level of anxiety, 141 respondents (64.38%) reported experiencing no symptoms of anxiety, 48 respondents (21.91%) reported experiencing mild anxiety, 22 respondents (10.04 %) reported experiencing moderate anxiety symptoms, and eight respondents (3.67%) reported experiencing severe anxiety. When anxiety symptoms manifest, the behavioral response manifests the highest percentage of mild anxiety symptoms, at 43.83%; the cognitive response manifests at 29.22 %; and the physiological and affective responses manifest at the same rate, at 26.48 %. The moderate and severe anxiety levels indicated that cognitive responses accounted for the highest anxiety response, at 18.27 % and 8.19 %, respectively. The study's conclusion indicates that distance education has a variable effect on the emergence of anxiety in medical faculty students at the University of Palangka Raya. As a result, support from various stakeholders is required to pay attention to the impact of distance learning on students.

Apparatus performance improvement model of the national narcotics agency in preventing illegal circulation of narcotics

This study aims to determine apparatus performance model variabels of job satisfaction and the impact on personil performance of National Narcotics Agency Aceh Province. The data used is the data by distributing questionnaires to 177 respondent of personil National Narcotics Agency Aceh Province. To analyze the data, the statistical analysis used structure equation modeling (SEM) and processed with the help of the application Amos. The variables of apparatus performance model measured include transformational leadership, organization culture and Intrinsic Motivation effect toward job satisfaction and then analysis of statistical test is transformational leadership, organization culture, Intrinsic Motivation and job satisfaction effect toward of Personil Performance of National Narcotics Agency Aceh Province. The result job satisfaction variable effect dominand variabel to Apparatus Performance of National Narcotics Agency Aceh Province.

The effects of violet and blue light irradiation on ESKAPE pathogens and human cells in presence of cell culture media

Bacteria belonging to the group of ESKAPE pathogens are responsible for the majority of nosocomial infections. Due to the increase of antibiotic resistance, alternative treatment strategies are of high clinical relevance. In this context visible light as disinfection technique represents an interesting option as microbial pathogens can be inactivated without adjuvants. However cytotoxic effects of visible light on host cells have also been reported. We compared the cytotoxicity of violet and blue light irradiation on monocytic THP-1 and alveolar epithelium A549 cells with the inactivation effect on ESKAPE pathogens. THP-1 cells displayed a higher susceptibility to irradiation than A549 cells with first cytotoxic effects occurring at 300 J cm−2 (405 nm) and 400 J cm−2 (450 nm) in comparison to 300 J cm−2 and 1000 J cm−2, respectively. We could define conditions in which a significant reduction of colony forming units for all ESKAPE pathogens, except Enterococcus faecium, was achieved at 405 nm while avoiding cytotoxicity. Irradiation at 450 nm demonstrated a more variable effect which was species and medium dependent. In summary a significant reduction of viable bacteria could be achieved at subtoxic irradiation doses, supporting a potential use of visible light as an antimicrobial agent in clinical settings.

Bentonite Clay Mixed With Different N Sources Have Variable Effect on Nitrate Leaching From Sandy Soil

Nitrate (NO3) leaching from soils results in lower soil fertility, reduced crop productivity and groundwater pollution. The present study determined NO3 leaching from bentonite [0, 2 and 4% (m/m)] treated sandy soil, under three N sources (calcium nitrate [Ca(NO3)2], ammonium chloride [NH4Cl], urea [CO(NH2)2] @ 300 kg N ha-1) with a leaching fraction of 0.3-0.4. Bentonite markedly reduced NO3 release in leachate, while 4% bentonite retained higher NO3 in soil. The NO3 leaching varied with N sources as Ca(NO3)2>NH4Cl>(CO(NH2)2. This study indicated that soil amendment with bentonite could efficiently mitigate NO3 leaching from soil and hence prevent N fertilizer losses and groundwater pollution.

Heritability and Genomic Architecture of Episodic Exercise-Induced Collapse in Border Collies

An episodic nervous system disorder triggered by strenuous exercise, termed border collie collapse (BCC), exists in border collies and related breeds. The genetic basis of BCC is unknown but is believed to be a complex genetic disorder. Our goal was to estimate the heritability (h2SNP) of BCC, define its underlying genetic architecture, and identify associated genomic loci using dense whole-genome single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping data. Genotype data were obtained for ~440,000 SNPs from 343 border collies (168 BCC cases and 175 controls). h2SNP was calculated to be 49–61% depending on the estimated BCC prevalence. A total of 2407 SNPs across the genome accounted for nearly all the h2SNP of BCC, with an estimated 2003 SNPs of small effect, 349 SNPs of moderate effect, and 56 SNPs of large effect. Genome-wide association analyses identified significantly associated loci on chromosomes 1, 6, 11, 20, and 28, which accounted for ~5% of the total BCC h2SNP. We conclude that BCC is a moderately- to highly- heritable complex polygenetic disease resulting from contributions from hundreds to thousands of genetic variants with variable effect sizes. Understanding how much the BCC phenotype is determined by genetics and whether major gene mutations are likely to exist inform veterinarians and working/stock dog communities of the true nature of this condition.

Bees increase seed set of wild plants while the proportion of arable land has a variable effect on pollination in European agricultural landscapes

Background and aims – Agricultural intensification and loss of farmland heterogeneity have contributed to population declines of wild bees and other pollinators, which may have caused subsequent declines in insect-pollinated wild plants. Material and methods – Using data from 37 studies on 22 pollinator-dependent wild plant species across Europe, we investigated whether flower visitation and seed set of insect-pollinated plants decline with an increasing proportion of arable land within 1 km. Key results – Seed set increased with increasing flower visitation by bees, most of which were wild bees, but not with increasing flower visitation by other insects. Increasing proportion of arable land had a strongly variable effect on seed set and flower visitation by bees across studies. Conclusion – Factors such as landscape configuration, local habitat quality, and temporally changing resource availability (e.g. due to mass-flowering crops or honey bee hives) could have modified the effect of arable land on pollination. While our results highlight that the persistence of wild bees is crucial to maintain plant diversity, we also show that pollen limitation due to declining bee populations in homogenized agricultural landscapes is not a universal driver causing parallel losses of bees and insect-pollinated plants.

Impact of clinical supervision on healthcare organisational outcomes: A mixed methods systematic review

Objective To review the impact of clinical supervision of post-registration/qualification healthcare professionals on healthcare organisational outcomes. Background Clinical supervision is a professional support mechanism that benefits patients, healthcare professionals and healthcare organisations. Whilst evidence is growing on the impact of clinical supervision on patient and healthcare professional outcomes, the evidence base for the impact of clinical supervision on organisational outcomes remains weak. Methods This review used a convergent segregated approach to synthesise and integrate quantitative and qualitative research findings, as per the Joanna Briggs Institute’s recommendations for mixed methods systematic reviews. Databases searched included CINAHL, Embase, PubMed, PschINFO, and Scopus. Whilst a narrative synthesis was performed to present the findings of the quantitative and qualitative studies, the evidence from both quantitative and qualitative studies was subsequently integrated for a combined presentation. The review followed the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. Results Thirty-two studies including 27 quantitative, two qualitative and three mixed methods studies, were included in the review. The results of the quantitative analysis showed that effective clinical supervision was associated with lower burnout and greater staff retention, and effective supervisor was associated with lower burnout and greater job satisfaction. Qualitative findings showed that healthcare professionals believed that adequate clinical supervision could mitigate the risk of burnout, facilitate staff retention, and improve the work environment, while inadequate clinical supervision can lead to stress and burnout. The evidence from quantitative and qualitative studies were complementary of each other. Conclusion Clinical supervision can have a variable effect on healthcare organisational outcomes. The direction of this effect appears to be influenced by the effectiveness of both the clinical supervision provided and that of the clinical supervisor. This highlights the need for organisations to invest in high quality supervision practices if maximal gains from clinical supervision are to be attained.

Mycotoxins—Prevention, Detection, Impact on Animal Health

Mycotoxins are defined as secondary metabolites of some species of mold fungi. They are present in many foods consumed by animals. Moreover, they most often contaminate products of plant and animal origin. Fungi of genera Fusarium, Aspergillus, and Penicillum are most often responsible for the production of mycotoxins. They release toxic compounds that, when properly accumulated, can affect many aspects of breeding, such as reproduction and immunity, as well as the overall liver detoxification performance of animals. Mycotoxins, which are chemical compounds, are extremely difficult to remove due to their natural resistance to mechanical, thermal, and chemical factors. Modern methods of analysis allow the detection of the presence of mycotoxins and determine the level of contamination with them, both in raw materials and in foods. Various food processes that can affect mycotoxins include cleaning, grinding, brewing, cooking, baking, frying, flaking, and extrusion. Most feeding processes have a variable effect on mycotoxins, with those that use high temperatures having the greatest influence. Unfortunately, all these processes significantly reduce mycotoxin amounts, but they do not completely eliminate them. This article presents the risks associated with the presence of mycotoxins in foods and the methods of their detection and prevention.