Global Problem Research Articles

“A Different Creature, Not So Human”: Globalgothic Shapeshifting and Weaponzed Rape in Nnedi Okorafor’s Who Fears Death

Abstract This essay explores Nnedi Okorafor’s engagement with the traumatic consequences of a civil war in Africa through the shapeshifting motif in her novel Who Fears Death (2010). It argues that the interaction between Africanjujuism and globalgothic allows her to transcend the specificities of the conflict and address the transgenerational effects of ethnic violence as a global problem. Okorafor employs Africanjujuism to describe the protagonist’s shapeshifting as a means of healing, empowerment, and knowledge. In contrast, she uses Gothic tropes to depict extreme violence. Representing a girl born of wartime rape as the trickster god Eshu, who adds hope to a dark moment in history, constitutes a strong critique of a society in which women victims of war rape are often ignored and their children stigmatized.

An enhanced sparrow search swarm optimizer via multi-strategies for high-dimensional optimization problems

With the development of science and technology, high-dimensional global optimization problems have become increasingly prevalent for scientific research and engineering, such as gene recognition, vehicle routing, job scheduling, and network topology. These problems are typically characterized by enormous and complex search spaces and numerous local minima, making it challenging to find the global optimal solution with limited computing resources. This paper introduces an enhanced sparrow search swarm optimizer (ESSSO) based on a bio-mimetic method. The ESSSO employs an adaptive sinusoidal walk strategy based on the von Mises distribution, a learning strategy utilizing roulette wheel selection, a two-stage evolution strategy, and a selection mutation strategy to address these issues. The proposed sinusoidal walk strategy, grounded in the von Mises distribution, supports a balanced evolutionary search. This mechanism disperses the individuals in a swarm in various directions based on a circular normal distribution. It then leads the search and adaptively adjusts their step sizes according to the size of the search domain during each generation of evolution. The learning strategy, based on roulette wheel selection, enhances the diversity of the population and improves the global search capability of the algorithm during the initial iterations. The two-stage evolution strategy involves a sine-learning mechanism based on the von Mises distribution and an adaptive mutation mechanism. The former is designed to boost the convergence speed of ESSSO, while the latter prevents ESSSO from getting trapped in a local optimum. Additionally, the selection mutation strategy further enhances convergence speed while maintaining population diversity. These strategies promote exploration in the early stages of evolution and exploitation in the later stages, enabling a well-balanced search for optimal solutions. We conducted comprehensive experiments two standard benchmark sets (i.e., CEC2010 and CEC2013), antenna array optimization, feature selection, and four engineering design problems. The results indicate that ESSSO outperforms ten comparison algorithms, especially in scenarios with smaller population sizes. This confirms its effectiveness in high-dimensional global optimization tasks and demonstrates that it can achieve better results with less computational resource consumption.

Radiomic profiles improve prognostication and reveal targets for therapy in cervical cancer.

Cervical cancer (CC) is a major global health problem with 570,000 new cases and 266,000 deaths annually. Prognosis is poor for advanced stage disease, and few effective treatments exist. Preoperative diagnostic imaging is common in high-income countries and MRI measured tumor size routinely guides treatment allocation of cervical cancer patients. Recently, the role of MRI radiomics has been recognized. However, its potential to independently predict survival and treatment response requires further clarification. This retrospective cohort study demonstrates how non-invasive, preoperative, MRI radiomic profiling may improve prognostication and tailoring of treatments and follow-ups for cervical cancer patients. By unsupervised clustering based on 293 radiomic features from 132 patients, we identify three distinct clusters comprising patients with significantly different risk profiles, also when adjusting for FIGO stage and age. By linking their radiomic profiles to genomic alterations, we identify putative treatment targets for the different patient clusters (e.g., immunotherapy, CDK4/6 and YAP-TEAD inhibitors and p53 pathway targeting treatments).

Trends in the global, regional, and national burden of testicular cancer from 1990 to 2019: an observational study with 30-year global data.

Testicular cancer (TC) is currently the most common malignancy in young and middle-aged men. A comprehensive assessment of TC burden is in lack. Global incidence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) of TC from 1990 to 2019 were obtained. Estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) was calculated to quantify trends in TC changes during the period. Relationships between disease burden and age, sociodemographic index (SDI) levels, human development index (HDI) were further analyzed. Globally, incident cases of TC more than doubled from 1990 to 2019, together with an increasing of global age-standardized incidence rates (ASIR) of TC from 1.9 to 2.8. The age-standardized deaths rates (ASDR) remained stable from 0.31 to 0.28. The similar results were reflected in the disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). In 2019, the highest ASIR were found in Southern Latin America, Central Europe and Western Europe. Analogously, the highest ASDR were found in Southern Latin America followed by Central Latin America and Central Europe. The burden of incidence increased with SDI, appropriately reached a peak at about 0.78, and then declined. Similarly, the burden of deaths increased with SDI, met a maximum at about 0.7. From 1990 to 2019, the ASIR of TC has increased significantly, while the ASDR has been relatively stable and slightly decreased. The disease burden of TC is shifting to regions and countries with moderate to high levels of development. TC remains a rapidly growing global health problem, and new changes in TC burden should be considered when formulating new TC control policies.

Problems of the transition of the Ukrainian economy to a “green economy” based on sustainable technological change

The article reveals the problems of the transition to a “green” economy based on sustainable technological changes, which are caused by global ecological pollution of the ecosystem, which leads to warming and ecological changes and the insufficiency of the natural resource potential to meet the needs of the population of the planet, which does not contribute to development. The essence of the study is to determine the impact of a green economy on economic growth and development, in which natural assets continue to provide resources and environmental services. It is shown that the green economy provides a practical and flexible approach to achieving concrete, measurable progress in all its economic and environmental principles, while at the same time fully taking into account the social consequences of greening the dynamics of economic growth. Green economy strategies aim to ensure that natural assets can fully realize their economic potential in a sustainable manner. This potential includes the provision of vital life support services—clean air and water, as well as the sustainable biodiversity needed to support food production and human health. Natural assets cannot be replaced indefinitely, so the policy of the green economy should take this into account. It is characterized that the green economy provides a practical and flexible approach to achieving concrete, measurable progress in all its economic and environmental principles, while at the same time fully taking into account the social consequences of greening the dynamics of economic growth. The problems of the post-war revival of Ukraine’s economy are systematized and proposals for their solution are substantiated, which is the scientific contribution of the authors to the coverage of this problem. The global problems of the transition to a green economy, which are closely related to Ukrainian realities, are revealed. The practical content is determined by the fact that the theoretical and methodological provisions, conclusions and scientific and practical recommendations constitute the scientific basis for the development of a new holistic concept of the development of the green economy of Ukraine. The conclusions that it is the “green” economy that is able to most closely link the ecological and economic aspects of the national economy, acting as a key direction for ensuring the sustainable “green” development of the region and the state as a whole, actualize the prospects of creating a green economy in Ukraine and become necessary and quite achievable in the post-war period.

Ameliorative Effect of Teucrium polium Extract against Nicotine Induced Liver Toxicity in Swiss Albino Mice

Background: Nicotine can be consumed in many forms, the most common of which is smoking tobacco. Tobacco smoking is a global problem that negatively affects human health. Natural plants are vital antioxidants that may antagonize the toxic effects of smoking. We designed the present study to assess the protective potential of Teucrium polium extract (TPE) on nicotine-induced liver toxicity in male mice. Methods: Twenty-four animals were allocated into four equal groups and daily treated for 21 constitutive days. Control group one received distilled water, group two orally received 100 mg/kg TPE, group three received subcutaneous injections of 2.5 mg/kg nicotine and group four received 100 mg/kg TPE orally then 2.5 mg/kg nicotine subcutaneously after one hour. Result: Nicotine exposure significantly elevated liver enzymes; alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST). The levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) were also elevated along with a reduction in glutathione reduced content (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity. Treatment with TPE considerably ameliorated the serum levels of liver enzymes, lowered MDA and NO levels, as well as elevated the antioxidant defense system. Also, TPE improved the histological structure and modulated apoptosis caused by nicotine. The current study proved the effectiveness of TPE as a natural antioxidant for the alleviation of nicotine-induced hepatic biochemical and histopathological alterations through attenuating oxidative stress, improving antioxidant systems and abrogating apoptosis.

The problem of domestic violence: issues of theory and practice

The article is devoted to the problem of understanding domestic violence in the legal system of the modern state. Risk factors for domestic and family violence are examined, including individual characteristics, relationship problems, and community and societal influences. Individual factors include the psychological and physical characteristics of victims and perpetrators, which may include problems with emotion regulation, low self-esteem, and childhood trauma. Also, sexual orientation and gender identity can influence the risk of becoming a victim or a perpetrator. It is reasoned that domestic violence has serious consequences for victims, their families and society as a whole. It can lead to injuries, psychological and emotional problems, destroy relationships, disrupt the development of children and reduce the productivity and efficiency of society. Domestic violence is becoming a global problem that crosses cultural and geographic boundaries, and the level of its prevalence can vary depending on the socio-cultural and economic context. Also important is the role of economic factors, such as unemployment and economic hardship, which can increase family tension and contribute to violence. It was also found that at the community level, lack of access to psychological and legal aid services, as well as lack of education about rights and opportunities to leave violent relationships can complicate the situation for victims. In addition, cultural stereotypes and norms that condone or normalize violence may also support this problematic pattern. At the same time, research must be carried out taking into account the diversity of cultural, social and economic contexts, since approaches to solving the problem may differ depending on specific conditions. Special attention should also be paid to the support of victims of domestic violence, their access to safe places of refuge, legal aid and psychological support. Increasing public awareness and educational initiatives about the issue can also help increase awareness and support in the fight against domestic violence.

THE IMPACT OF HEART FAILURE ON QUALITY OF LIFE: A MIXED METHOD STUDY

Abstract Introduction Heart failure (HF) is a significant global health problem, affecting over 64,000 people annually and resulting in high mortality rates (Savarese et al., 2023). However, for those receiving follow–up care, there is a 20% increase in 5–year survival (Braunwald, 2013). Globally, heart failure affects 1–3% of the population in developed countries, with 15 million patients in Europe and a 2% prevalence in Italy, accompanied by a 20% mortality rate (Heidenreich et al., 2022). Patients with heart failure often experience a reduction in quality of life (QoL), impacting their psychosocial well–being (Lupón, 2013). Indeed, those with lower QoL tend to experience more adverse events, such as rehospitalization and mortality (Ly et al., 2023). Therefore, it becomes crucial to assess QoL over time, utilizing new technologies for home monitoring. Continuous evaluation of QoL and the use of home monitoring technologies, such as telemedicine and telemonitoring, are essential and can have a positive impact on promoting QoL (Morken et al., 2022). OBJECTIVE: Investigate the perceived quality of life in geriatric patients with heart failure, describing the impact of the condition on QoL. Materials and Methods This mixed–methods study aims to explore QoL perception in a cohort of real–life outpatient geriatric patients with HF based on different stages of the disease. The study consists of two phases: a quantitative survey and a qualitative investigation. The KCCQ 23 scale was used to quantitatively assess self–reported QoL during in–person follow–up appointments and subsequently through phone follow–ups at 6 and/or 12 months. Additionally, the qualitative phase involved conducting semi–structured interviews via video calls. Results, Discussion and Conclusions The study involved 478 patients with heart failure, with women, who were underrepresented, reporting lower QoL than men. Analysis of interviews and subsequent triangulation of quantitative and qualitative data revealed that the QoL of HF patients is influenced by six identified themes: future perspectives, self–care, social interactions, emotional state, functional status, awareness of the disease, and awareness of one‘s health status. Furthermore, it was observed that deceased patients who received follow–up care reported significantly worse QoL scores compared to those who did not receive follow–up.

Analysis of Risk Factors that Influence Patient Compliance in Taking Antiretroviral Drugs for HIV/AIDS Treatment in Hanoi Hospital, Vietnam

Introduction: HIV/AIDS infection remains a global public health problem, with antiretroviral therapy (ARV) being key in its management. Patient adherence to ARV treatment is critical to achieving viral suppression and preventing drug resistance. This study aims to analyze the risk factors that influence patient compliance in taking ARV drugs at Hanoi Hospital, Vietnam. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional analytical observational design involving 300 HIV/AIDS patients undergoing ARV therapy at Hanoi Hospital. Data was collected through structured interviews and patient medical records. Data analysis used logistic regression to identify risk factors associated with patient compliance. Results: The research results showed that the level of patient compliance with ARV treatment was 72%. Risk factors that are significantly associated with patient compliance are: Low social support (OR=2.3; p=0.02), Limited knowledge about HIV/AIDS and ARV treatment (OR=1.8; p=0.04), Stigma and discrimination related to HIV/ AIDS (OR=1.7; p=0.03), Severe side effects of ARV drugs (OR=1.6; p=0.03), Complexity of ARV treatment regimens (OR=1.5; p=0.04). Conclusion: This study found that patient adherence to ARV treatment at Hanoi Hospital was influenced by various factors, including social support, knowledge about HIV/AIDS and ARVs, stigma and discrimination, drug side effects, and the complexity of the treatment regimen. Interventions targeting these risk factors may help improve patient compliance and achieve more optimal treatment outcomes.

ALTERNATIVE NON-TRADITIONAL SOURCES OF FEED PROTEIN AND AMINO ACIDS

The article presents a literature review on the risks of the global problem of fodder protein and protein amino acids in the feeding of agricultural animals and poultry. Alternative ways of solving it are due to the production and use of non-traditional feed raw materials in feed diets. A number of scientists consider atypical agricultural biotechnological products obtained from insects to be one of the alternative sources of fodder protein and amino acids and see prospects in the development of their production. The most common subjects for study in this regard are crickets, locusts, silkworm larvae, flies, worms, etc. Their protein value, amino acid, fatty acid and mineral composition, the content of vitamins, and other biologically active substances are studied. The development of this direction is considered one of the ways to solve a number of urgent environmental and fodder problems on a biological basis. Рurpose of the research was to study the protein value and complete amino acid composition of flour from insects, namely flour from the larvae of the BSF fly, crickets and snails, and the methods of its determining: crude protein by the Kjeldahl method, digestible protein with the help of 0,2% pepsin, and the digestibility coefficient, and the principles of conducting researches, as well as the characteristics of methods for determining the content of replaceable and essential amino acids, including sulfur-containing, using the Kapel-105M capillary electrophoresis system. As a result of the research, it was found that cricket flour is the least valuable in terms of protein value (digestible protein and digestibility coefficient), and it is also poor in the content of nonessential and essential amino acids, compared to other studied types of insect flour. The best indicators of protein value were noted in the flour from BSF fly larvae in terms of the content of crude and digestible proteins, as well as the digestibility coefficient, which is 75.6%, which indicates its good digestibility by the bodies of animals and birds. The highest content of amino acids is contained in the flour from BSF fly larvae. Taking into account the above results of crude protein content, digestibility, and digestibility in this sample, amino acid digestibility will also be higher compared to other flour samples. In addition, flour from BSF fly larvae is rich in sulfur-containing amino acids. The content of tryptophan and histidine, compared to other types of raw materials, is the highest. The studied samples of insect flour contain a complete set of essential and nonessential amino acids, but BSF fly larvae flour and snail flour are more valuable for essential amino acids.

The Nexus of Knowledge, Action, and Values, and the Philosophical, Social, and Normative Foundations of Marketing

Pressing global problems place demands on scientific communities in terms of responsibility and accountability that require a discipline to make use of its capacity to act and the policies that can be developed on the basis of scientific knowledge. With a particular focus on values, the paper examines four areas or dimensions that determine the scope for action in the scientific context and thus influence the way in which scientific communities can assume responsibility. The analysis is based on a model rooted in the values-in-science literature, which specifies steering, doing, using, and managing science as the main scientific processes in which values can relate to science. Using the example of the intra-disciplinary division between macromarketing and micromarketing, the paper compares scientific processes in a world given by the nexus of knowledge, action, and values with a world in which values are primarily seen as a threat to science. Against this background, the preconditions for a proper positioning of the marketing discipline and marketing policy are explained.

Knowledge and Attitudes Toward Pressure Ulcer Prevention Evidence-based Guidelines among Nursing Students at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia

Abstract Background: Pressure ulcers (PUs) are a common global problem. They affect health-care costs and patient health because of increased morbidity and mortality rates. Critically ill patients are more prone to acquiring PUs than other patients. As the prevalence of PUs is high in Saudi Arabia, more attention is required for PU prevention. Nurses’ knowledge and attitudes toward PU prevention are crucial. Aims: This study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitudes of nursing students regarding PU prevention evidence-based guidelines. Setting and Design: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted among nursing students at Jazan University. Materials and Methods: Data were collected using an electronic questionnaire. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were entered, coded, and analyzed using the SPSS version 23. Results: A total of 378 participants were included. The mean age was 22.4 ± 3.4 years, and the mean knowledge score was 7.6 ± 2.64 (range = 0–16). Of the participants, 365 (96.6%) and 13 (3.4%) were considered to have poor and good knowledge about PUs, respectively. Only 72 (19%) correctly identified a lack of oxygen as the cause of PUs; other participants answered malnutrition and moisture. Conversely, 200 (52.9%) participants indicated that recent weight loss below patients’ ideal weight increases the risk for PUs. Concerning knowledge about preventive measures, 64 (16.9%) participants correctly answered that a backward sitting position, with both legs resting on a footrest, can reduce the amount of pressure. Meanwhile, 169 (44.7%) participants correctly selected thick air cushion as a means to reduce the magnitude of pressure when patients are sliding down on a chair. Some participants answered that PUs can be reduced if patients are mobilized. Seventy-two (19%) participants indicated that patients laying on a visco-elastic foam mattress should be repositioned every 2 h to reduce the duration of pressure. Age, year of education, training experience, and department were not significantly associated with knowledge about PUs (P = 0.333, P = 0.370, P = 0.700, and P = 0.810, respectively). Conclusions: The general knowledge and attitudes toward PUs of the nursing students at Jazan University were poor. Nevertheless, they had an average knowledge level regarding PU prevention. Age and training experience were not significantly associated with knowledge about PUs.

Effect of fertilization on the accumulation and health risk for heavy metals in native Andean potatoes in the highlands of Perú

Soil infertility is a global problem, amendments such as organic fertilizers and mineral fertilizers are used to improve crop yields. However, these fertilizers contain heavy metals as well as essential mineral elements. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of organic and inorganic fertilizer on the accumulation and health risk of heavy metals in tubers. The plants were cultivated at an altitude of 3970 m using four treatments (poultry manure, alpaca manure, island guano and inorganic fertilizer) and a control group. Soil contamination levels and the degree of metal accumulation in the tubers were also determined. As a result, it was found that the use of inorganic fertilizer and poultry manure increased the values of Cu and Zn in soils, exceeding the recommended standards. The accumulation of heavy metals in potato tubers did not exceed the maximum recommended limits with the exception of Pb, which exceeded the limit allowed by the FAO/WHO (0.1 mg kg−1). Poultry manure contributed to the highest accumulation of Zn, Cu and Pb in tubers with 11.62±1.30, 3.48±0.20 and 0.12 ±0.02 mg kg-1 respectively. The transfer of metals from the soil to the tubers was less than 1. Individual and total non-carcinogenic risk values were less than 1, indicating a safe level of consumption for children and adults. The cancer risk was found to be within an acceptable range. However, poultry manure and inorganic fertilizer treatments had the highest total cancer risk values in both age groups, suggesting a long-term carcinogenic risk.

Education 4.0 framework for sustainable entrepreneurship through transdisciplinary and abductive thinking: a case study

The global challenges and problems that threaten sustainability and human well-being demand the provision of creative, innovative, and affordable solutions so that they are within the reach of different levels of society. From the point of view of Higher Education, this is a major challenge since it is responsible for training new generations with the competencies and knowledge that allow them to respond to contemporary challenges and problems. This study provides a framework to promote sustainable entrepreneurship through transdisciplinary and abductive thinking. This combination of approaches will allow students to identify, analyze, and understand contemporary problems and, through a systematized process based on the “design thinking” design model, propose creative, innovative, and affordable solutions that can be implemented through entrepreneurship mechanisms. The identified findings that will be presented in this work are (i) the relevance of the Education 4.0 model as a reference to promote transdisciplinarity in a current teaching-learning context, (ii) The relevance of “design for sustainable development” as a trigger for sustainable entrepreneurship, (iii) The formation of desirable competencies in the profile of the higher education student based on transdisciplinarity and abductive thinking within the active learning process, and (iv) quantitative and qualitative measurement that allows measuring acceptance and evaluation of the long-term sustainability of the solutions obtained. This work will present the implementation of the proposed framework through a case study. This case study allowed us to identify elements of the proposed reference framework. The case study will address the problem of water scarcity and pollution, describing initiatives to achieve ODS 6, where it explains how sustainable and visionary solutions can be forged through transdisciplinary collaboration and abductive thinking. The project named “STEAM-mural fountain” done by a transdisciplinary working team between academia-society-industry is described, which aims to make technological advances in water treatment and monitoring visible to society.

Role of protein arginine methyltransferase 1 in obesity-related metabolic disorders: Research progress and implications.

Obesity has become a major global problem that significantly confers an increased risk of developing life-threatening complications, including type 2 diabetes mellitus, fatty liver disease and cardiovascular diseases. Protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) are enzymes that catalyse the methylation of target proteins. They are ubiquitous in eukaryotes and regulate transcription, splicing, cell metabolism and RNA biology. As a key, epigenetically modified enzyme, protein arginine methyltransferase 1 (PRMT1) is involved in obesity-related metabolic processes, such as lipid metabolism, the insulin signalling pathway, energy balance and inflammation, and plays an important role in the pathology of obesity-related metabolic disorders. This review summarizes recent research on the role of PRMT1 in obesity-related metabolic disorders. The primary objective was to comprehensively elucidate the functional role and regulatory mechanisms of PRMT1. Moreover, this study attempts to review the pathogenesis of PRMT1-mediated obesity-related metabolic disorders, thereby offering pivotal information for further studies and clinical treatment.

Reasons for Nurses Leaving the Profession

Nurses are an important part of health systems worldwide, making up nearly 50% of the global health workforce. The world is currently facing a shortage of 5.9 million nurses and midwives, which is expected to increase to a global shortage of 9 million by 2030. The growing shortage of nurses is considered a critical global problem, which is exacerbated by the trend of nurses leaving the profession. Inadequate wages, described by nurses as a negative factor, reinforcing the intention to leave the profession. The desire to leave the profession arises among nurses not only around the world, but also in our republic. The reasons for leaving medical workers with secondary education from the profession working at the primary level, in particular in family medicine centers and at the secondary level, i.e. in a hospital, are considered. Among nurses in the hospital, the main reason for leaving the profession was often high workload, insufficient wages, high professional risks and an unsatisfactory psychological climate in the team. In the nurses of the Family Medicine Centers, the same reasons were also indicated as the main reasons, but with a significantly low frequency. To solve the problem of nurses leaving the profession, a targeted personnel policy is needed, including increasing motivation to work, in particular, raising wages, reducing professional risks, developing mentoring for young professionals, constantly improving working conditions, improving job descriptions, protecting the rights of nurses.

Correlations between soluble ST2 concentration and the nutritional status in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction - cross-sectional study.

Heart failure (HF) is a global problem that stimulates research on markers associated with the diagnosis and course of the disease. Soluble suppression of tumorigenicity-2 (sST2) is a receptor for interleukin-33 and is associated with increased mortality rates in HF patients. Malnutrition in HF is also connected with inflammation and is associated with worse prognosis. The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between sST2 concentration and the nutritional status of patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). 138 patients with HFrEF were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Nutritional status was assessed using Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) and Controlling Nutritional Status (CONUT). The mean age was 53.6 ± 10.8 years. In the group with sST2 > 32.9 ng/mL, the GNRI score was higher and the associated risk of malnutrition was more common (29% vs. 12%; p = 0.011). Coherently in the group with sST2 > 32.9 ng/mL the median CONUT score was worse (2 [IQR 1-3] vs. 1 [IQR 0-2]; p = 0.0016) and the risk of malnutrition defined by this tool was also more prevalent (p = 0.0079). This relationship was independent of the concentration of natriuretic peptides, age and sex. According to available research, this research is the first study showing that sST2 concentration is related with nutritional status in HFrEF patients. sST2 may help to evaluate the necessity for nutritional intervention in HFrEF patients.

Nanoplastic Size and Surface Chemistry Dictate Decoration by Human Saliva Proteins.

Environmental pollution with plastic polymers has become a global problem, leaving no continent and habitat unaffected. Plastic waste is broken down into smaller parts by environmental factors, which generate micro- and nanoplastic particles (MNPPs), ultimately ending up in the human food chain. Before entering the human body, MNPPs make their first contact with saliva in the human mouth. However, it is unknown what proteins attach to plastic particles and whether such protein corona formation is affected by the particle's biophysical properties. To this end, we employed polystyrene MNPPs of two different sizes and three different charges and incubated them individually with saliva donated by healthy human volunteers. Particle zeta potential and size analyses were performed using dynamic light scattering complemented by nanoliquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (nLC/HRMS) to qualitatively and quantitatively reveal the protein soft and hard corona for each particle type. Notably, protein profiles and relative quantities were dictated by plastic particle size and charge, which in turn affected their hydrodynamic size, polydispersity, and zeta potential. Strikingly, we provide evidence of the latter to be dynamic processes depending on exposure times. Smaller particles seemed to be more reactive with the surrounding proteins, and cultures of the particles with five different cell lines (HeLa, HEK293, A549, HepG2, and HaCaT) indicated protein corona effects on cellular metabolic activity and genotoxicity. In summary, our data suggest nanoplastic size and surface chemistry dictate the decoration by human saliva proteins, with important implications for MNPP uptake in humans.

Clinical laboratory techniques for detecting drugs of abuse: Feasibility in developing nations

Drugs of abuse are prescription, over-the-counter, or other forms of drugs that are often used for purposes other than those for which they are meant to be used, or in excessive amounts. The abuse of illicit drugs (for example cocaine, heroin, and codeine) poses a serious threat to public health, not to mention a great challenge to the health care system. It is important to review the techniques used in detecting these drugs of abuse to stay ahead of this growing global drug problem. This review aims to give an overview of known clinical laboratory techniques used in detecting some common drugs of abuse that could serve as an integral part of determining the presence of these drugs in bodily fluids and samples. Relevant literature was reviewed in various search engines (Google Scholar, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Bing). Findings showed that some of the current clinical laboratory techniques for detecting and quantifying drugs of abuse include Microcrystalline tests, thin-layer chromatography, colourimetric tests, immunoassays, urine dipstick tests, and ultraviolet spectroscopy. Apart from these known techniques, new and emerging techniques are being validated to serve as additions to these already existing techniques and be used in clinical settings. In conclusion, the burden of drug abuse is on the rise and becoming a public health concern. There should be an ever-increasing interest in developing new analytical methodologies not only to detect but also to quantify drugs of abuse which may be applied in a plethora of areas including clinical settings.Some of the outlined techniques are highly priced and for cost ineffectiveness, they may be difficult to afford and sustain in resource-restraint settings like developing nations. Hence, grants and laboratory infrastructural support may be needed from international donor agencies.

A shared group of bacterial taxa in the duodenal microbiota of undernourished Pakistani children with environmental enteric dysfunction.

Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) is a subclinical syndrome of altered small intestinal function postulated to be an important contributor to childhood undernutrition. The role of small intestinal bacterial communities in the pathophysiology of EED is poorly defined due to a paucity of studies where there has been a direct collection of small intestinal samples from undernourished children. Sixty-three members of a Pakistani cohort identified as being acutely malnourished between 3 and 6 months of age and whose wasting (weight-for-length Z-score [WLZ]) failed to improve after a 2-month nutritional intervention underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). Paired duodenal luminal aspirates and duodenal mucosal biopsies were obtained from 43 children. Duodenal microbiota composition was characterized by sequencing bacterial 16S rRNA gene amplicons. Levels of bacterial taxa (amplicon sequence variants [ASVs]) were referenced to anthropometric indices, histopathologic severity in biopsies, expression of selected genes in the duodenal mucosa, and fecal levels of an immunoinflammatory biomarker (lipocalin-2). A "core" group of eight bacterial ASVs was present in the duodenal samples of 69% of participants. Streptococcus anginosus was the most prevalent, followed by Streptococcus sp., Gemella haemolysans, Streptococcus australis, Granulicatella elegans, Granulicatella adiacens, and Abiotrophia defectiva. At the time of EGD, none of the core taxa were significantly correlated with WLZ. Statistically significant correlations were documented between the abundances of Granulicatella elegans and Granulicatella adiacens and the expression of duodenal mucosal genes involved in immune responses (dual oxidase maturation factor 2, serum amyloid A, and granzyme H). These results suggest that a potential role for members of the oral microbiota in pathogenesis, notably Streptococcus, Gemella, and Granulicatella species, warrants further investigation.IMPORTANCEUndernutrition among women and children is a pressing global health problem. Environmental enteric dysfunction (EED) is a disease of the small intestine (SI) associated with impaired gut mucosal barrier function and reduced capacity for nutrient absorption. The cause of EED is ill-defined. One emerging hypothesis is that alterations in the SI microbiota contribute to EED. We performed a culture-independent analysis of the SI microbiota of a cohort of Pakistani children with undernutrition who had failed a standard nutritional intervention, underwent upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy, and had histologic evidence of EED in their duodenal mucosal biopsies. The results revealed a shared group of bacterial taxa in their duodenums whose absolute abundances were correlated with levels of the expression of genes in the duodenal mucosa that are involved in inflammatory responses. A number of these bacterial taxa are more typically found in the oral microbiota, a finding that has potential physiologic and therapeutic implications.