Madsenthybo9741

Bat caves are very special roosts that harbour thousands of bats of one or more species. Such sites may hold an incredible "dark fungal diversity" which is still underestimated. Complement System antagonist We explored the culturable fungal richness in the air, on bats, and in the guano in a bat cave in Brazil's Caatinga dry forest. Fungal abundance was 683 colony-forming units (CFU) in the guano, 673 CFU in the air, and 105 CFU on the bats. Based on morphological and phylogenetic analysis of ITS, LSU, and TUB2 sequences, fungal isolates of 59 taxa belonging to 37 genera in the phyla Ascomycota (28 genera, including Aspergillus, Penicillium, Cladosporium, and Talaromyces), Basidiomycota (eight genera, including Rhodotorula and Schizophyllum), and Mucoromycota (only Rhizopus) were identified. The fungal richness in the air was 23 taxa (especially Aspergillus taxa), mainly found at 15 m and 45 m from the cave entrance; on the bodies of bats it was 36 taxa (mainly Aspergillus taxa), especially on their wing membranes (21 taxa, nine of which were exclusively found in this microhabitat); and in guano 10 fungal taxa (especially Aspergillus and Penicillium) were found. The fungal richness associated with guano (fresh and non-fresh) was similar from bats with different eating habits (insectivorous, frugivorous, and haematophagous). Sampling effort was not sufficient to reveal the total fungal taxa richness estimated. Eight (21.6%) of the 37 genera and 17 (53.1%) of the 32 identified fungal species are reported for the first time in caves. Our results highlight bat caves in Brazil as hotspots of fungal diversity, emphasizing the need to protect such special roosts.We have developed a novel methodology for the delivery of cell-impermeable molecules, based on electrical short-circuiting via a water droplet in dielectric oil. When a cell suspension droplet is placed between a pair of electrodes with an intense DC electric field, droplet bouncing and droplet deformation, which results in an instantaneous short-circuit, can be induced, depending on the electric field strength. We have demonstrated successful transfection of various mammalian cells using the short-circuiting; however, the molecular mechanism remains to be elucidated. In this study, flow cytometric assays were performed with Jurkat cells. An aqueous droplet containing Jurkat cells and plasmids carrying fluorescent proteins was treated with droplet bouncing or short-circuiting. The short-circuiting resulted in sufficient cell viability and fluorescent protein expression after 24 hours' incubation. In contrast, droplet bouncing did not result in successful gene transfection. Transient membrane pore formation was investigated by uptake of a cell-impermeable fluorescence dye YO-PRO-1 and the influx of calcium ions. As a result, short-circuiting increased YO-PRO-1 fluorescence intensity and intracellular calcium ion concentration, but droplet bouncing did not. We also investigated the contribution of endocytosis to the transfection. The pre-treatment of cells with endocytosis inhibitors decreased the efficiency of gene transfection in a concentration-dependent manner. Besides, the use of pH-sensitive dye conjugates indicated the formation of an acidic environment in the endosomes after the short-circuiting. Endocytosis is a possible mechanism for the intracellular delivery of exogenous DNA.

Routine use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to assess quality of health care systems is mandated in many countries and has been implemented successfully in many specialities. Ophthalmology currently lags behind. To support and inform future implementation, we investigated paediatric ophthalmic clinicians' experience of, and future training needs for, using child-appropriate vision PROMs and their views about the barriers and enablers to future routine implementation in clinical practice.

We conducted a pilot study, using an online survey to elicit the experience, attitudes, training needs and perceptions of barriers and enablers to routine PROMs use of ophthalmic health professionals in the Paediatric Ophthalmology Department at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London. A focus-group was undertaken to discuss survey results and preferences regarding presentation of PROM data. Analysis comprised descriptive statistics, presented alongside complementary qualitative data.

Eighteen clinicians in thside ophthalmology relating to overcoming barriers and exploiting enablers to routine implementation, findings may be applicable in planning routine PROM implementation in paediatric ophthalmology.

The findings of this pilot study of ophthalmic clinicians working in a specialist paediatric ophthalmology department, suggest that ophthalmic clinicians recognise the potential benefits of routine PROMs use in clinical practice. Together with existing literature outside ophthalmology relating to overcoming barriers and exploiting enablers to routine implementation, findings may be applicable in planning routine PROM implementation in paediatric ophthalmology.

Gender-based domestic violence has gained significant visibility in recent years and is currently considered a priority in the field of public health. This preliminary, qualitative study explores how social norms and professional regulations impact the attitudes and practices of health workers and criminal justice professionals regarding domestic violence against women in Brazil and Norway.

A total of 16 semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted; eight in two different cities in Brazil, and eight in two different cities in Norway. In each country, four health workers and four criminal justice professionals were interviewed. We focused on the participants' experiences with cases of domestic violence, their perceptions of their professional responsibilities, as well as the challenges they encounter. We analysed the transcribed interviews using a focused open coding process.

The participants ranged in age from 32 to 59. All of them worked, with and without supervision, in cases involving domesticof repercussions may affect the way health and criminal justice workers perceive and deal with domestic violence cases. The findings in the study thus indicate that personal psychological factors and social norms concerning the acceptability of domestic violence are critical risk factors for women, and that a multi-professional approach is needed. The findings from this preliminary study can serve as background for larger and more comprehensive studies of how professionals handle cases of domestic violence.