Barberalvarez9448
Ticks require bacterial symbionts for the provision of necessary compounds that are absent in their hematophagous diet. Such symbionts are frequently vertically transmitted and, most commonly, belong to the Coxiella genus, which also includes the human pathogen Coxiella burnetii. This genus can be divided in four main clades, presenting partial but incomplete cocladogenesis with the tick hosts. Here, we report the genome sequence of a novel Coxiella, endosymbiont of the African tick Amblyomma nuttalli, and the ensuing comparative analyses. Its size (∼1 Mb) is intermediate between symbionts of Rhipicephalus species and other Amblyomma species. Phylogenetic analyses show that the novel sequence is the first genome of the B clade, the only one for which no genomes were previously available. Accordingly, it allows to draw an enhanced scenario of the evolution of the genus, one of parallel genome reduction of different endosymbiont lineages, which are now at different stages of reduction from a more versatile ancestor. Gene content comparison allows to infer that the ancestor could be reminiscent of C. burnetii. Interestingly, the convergent loss of mismatch repair could have been a major driver of such reductive evolution. Predicted metabolic profiles are rather homogenous among Coxiella endosymbionts, in particular vitamin biosynthesis, consistently with a host-supportive role. Concurrently, similarities among Coxiella endosymbionts according to host genus and despite phylogenetic unrelatedness hint at possible host-dependent effects.RNA modifications are a well-recognized way of gene expression regulation at the post-transcriptional level. Despite the importance of this level of regulation, current knowledge on modulation of tRNA modification status in response to stress conditions is far from being complete. While it is widely accepted that tRNA modifications are rather dynamic, such variations are mostly assessed in terms of total tRNA, with only a few instances where changes could be traced to single isoacceptor species. Using Escherichia coli as a model system, we explored stress-induced modulation of 2'-O-methylations in tRNAs by RiboMethSeq. This analysis and orthogonal analytical measurements by LC-MS show substantial, but not uniform, increase of the Gm18 level in selected tRNAs under mild bacteriostatic antibiotic stress, while other Nm modifications remain relatively constant. The absence of Gm18 modification in tRNAs leads to moderate alterations in E. coli mRNA transcriptome, but does not affect polysomal association of mRNAs. Interestingly, the subset of motility/chemiotaxis genes is significantly overexpressed in ΔTrmH mutant, this corroborates with increased swarming motility of the mutant strain. The stress-induced increase of tRNA Gm18 level, in turn, reduced immunostimulation properties of bacterial tRNAs, which is concordant with the previous observation that Gm18 is a suppressor of Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7)-mediated interferon release. This documents an effect of stress induced modulation of tRNA modification that acts outside protein translation.Bacterial retrons consist of a reverse transcriptase (RT) and a contiguous non-coding RNA (ncRNA) gene. One third of annotated retrons carry additional open reading frames (ORFs), the contribution and significance of which in retron biology remains to be determined. In this study we developed a computational pipeline for the systematic prediction of genes specifically associated with retron RTs based on a previously reported large dataset representative of the diversity of prokaryotic RTs. We found that retrons generally comprise a tripartite system composed of the ncRNA, the RT and an additional protein or RT-fused domain with diverse enzymatic functions. These retron systems are highly modular, and their components have coevolved to different extents. Based on the additional module, we classified retrons into 13 types, some of which include additional variants. Our findings provide a basis for future studies on the biological function of retrons and for expanding their biotechnological applications.The emergence of the new corona virus (SARS-CoV-2) and the resulting COVID-19 pandemic requires fast development of novel prevention and therapeutic strategies. These rely on understanding the biology of the virus and its interaction with the host, and on agnostic phenotypic screening for compounds that prevent viral infection. In vitro screenings of compounds are usually performed in human or animal-derived tumor or immortalized cell lines due to their ease of culturing. However, these platforms may not represent the tissues affected by the disease in vivo, and therefore better models are needed to validate and expedite drug development, especially in face of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this scenario, human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are a powerful research tool due to their ability to generate normal differentiated cell types relevant for the disease. Here we discuss the different ways hiPSCs can contribute to COVID-19 related research, including modeling the disease in vitro and serving as a platform for drug screening.The empowerment of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) is key to improving their quality of life, autonomy, self-esteem, level of satisfaction and healthcare costs. The aim was to identify the most effective nursing interventions to promote the empowerment of patients with CHF in the hospital context. Eight articles were selected for review (four experimental, two quasi-experimental and two systematic reviews). From their analysis, three types of interventions were identified educational, cognitive-behavioral and combined, the latter being the most effective. The use of the Empowerment Questionnaire is recommended as a valid and reliable instrument to measure the empowerment of chronic hospitalized patients. Given the lack of studies on the phenomenon of interest, this review advocates for future research including combined interventions to empower hospitalized patients with chronic heart failure using a valid, reliable and specific scale.
To apply single-case research methods to evaluate the impact of the Regional Government of Galicia's spending cuts on certain aspects of the quality of healthcare.
In our study, we consider average surgical wait indicators, a Generic Healthcare Deficiency Index (GHDI) of our own design, and rates of perceived improvement based on the Healthcare Barometer. Our analysis combines bottom-up approaches (both visual inspection and non-overlapping measures) with top-down approaches (parametric techniques).
In the quinquennial period of cutbacks, we detect several adverse impacts on the quality of healthcare. The tendency to shorten the average surgical wait is reversed and this effect is statistically significant (p<0.01), according to the three estimated ARIMA models. find more The GHDI increases more than before, with a total effect inferred from regression analyses by both generalized least squares, using the Cochran-Orcutt procedure with the Prais-Winsten adjustment (p<0.1), and non-linear least squares (p<0.05). Indices of perceived improvement fall in primary and specialized care, as well as in hospitalization, with the effect being moderate (NAP, non-overlap of all pairs) or large (SMD, standardized mean difference). The C statistic confirms a significant change.
In this empirical application with single-case research techniques, we notice a certain deterioration in the analyzed indicators, which primarily affect aspects of quality that are not shielded by the doctor-patient relationship, aspects more connected to the conditions of service provision and its overall perception.
In this empirical application with single-case research techniques, we notice a certain deterioration in the analyzed indicators, which primarily affect aspects of quality that are not shielded by the doctor-patient relationship, aspects more connected to the conditions of service provision and its overall perception.We present the case of a 14-year-old female patient with a big muscle hernia in the thigh after extraction of a fascia lata strip to repair bilateral congenital ptosis. After three weeks, a progressive emergence of a large bulge between the two thigh incisions in a standing position was noticeable, with local discomfort, dull pain on exertion and unsightly ap-pearance that worried the patient. On surgery three months later, a large tear in the fascia lata and muscle herniation was revealed. The fascial tear was debrided and a synthetic mesh was applied. Ten years later, the patient confirmed her continued asymptomatic condition. Muscular hernia of significant size as a consequence of a fascia lata strip harvest is extremely infrequent in adoles-cents. Surgical repair of big muscular hernias in extremities with synthetic mesh, usually used in groin hernia repair, is an infrequent orthopaedic tool but is safe, easy to apply and inexpensive.
The aim is to determine whether good functional and quality of life results of sacral nerve stimulation (SNS) in patients with severe fecal incontinence are maintained in the long-term.
Consecutive cohort of patients with severe fecal incontinence not responding to conservative (drugs and/or biofeedback) or surgical (sphincteroplasty) treatment, undergoing SNS between 2002 and 2013. Patients with a definitive implant were individually assessed in consultation throughout the follow-up, until January 2016. Defeca-tory function was assessed by Wexner score and stool diary, and perceived quality of life by FIQL and EQ-5D question-naires.
Acute percutaneous nerve evaluation (PNE) was performed on 93 patients; a temporary electrode was implanted in 91 (79.1% women, mean age 62.5 years), obtaining a good functional response in 64. A permanent implant was per-formed in 61 patients, with a mean follow-up of 78.1 months (SD 35.4; range 1-161); at the end of the study 42 patients remained in follow-up. A significant decrease was observed in the number of days per week with an incontinent episode, from 4.98 (SD 2.1) to 1.25 (SD 1.7), and in Wexner score from 16.88 (SD 2.74) to 6.95 (SD 3.54). Specific FIQL and generic EQ-5D questionnaires showed a significant improvement in quality of life.
Long-term functional and quality of life outcomes of SNS for the treatment of severe faecal incontinence is maintained, with individual follow-ups that reach 10 years.
Long-term functional and quality of life outcomes of SNS for the treatment of severe faecal incontinence is maintained, with individual follow-ups that reach 10 years.
Individuals with gambling disorder display increased levels of risk-taking, but it is not known if it is associated with an altered subjective valuation of gains and/or losses, perception of their probabilities, or integration of these sources of information into expected value.
Participants with gambling disorder (n = 48) were compared with a healthy comparison group (n = 35) on a two-choice lottery task that involved either gains-only or losses-only gambles. On each trial, two lotteries were displayed, showing the associated probability and magnitude of the possible outcome for each. On each trial, participants chose one of the two lotteries, and the outcome was revealed.
Choice behaviour was highly sensitive to the expected value of the two gambles in both the gain and loss domains. This sensitivity to expected value was attenuated in the group with gambling disorder. The group with gambling disorder used both probability and magnitude information less, and this impairment was greater for probability information.
