Screening Step Research Articles

Stakeholder engagement in participatory research in French marine and freshwater social‐ecological systems: A systematic map protocol

Abstract Stakeholder engagement (SkE) in research is currently experiencing significant growth within the fields of environmental and sustainability sciences. Stakeholder engagement ensures the relevance of research questions to societal expectations and the uptake and salience of the co‐produced knowledge and results for their use in the decision‐making process. In a context of societal challenges regarding biodiversity conservation and the sustainability of marine and freshwater social‐ecological systems (SESs), participatory approaches constitute key methods in applied research involving actions and decision‐making. There are, however, many gaps in the practical, conceptual and ethical ways stakeholders have been involved in research. We propose here a systematic map of the literature on SkE in research on marine and aquatic SESs carried out on French European and overseas territories, in order to draw up the first comprehensive overview of how SkE has developed and changed since 1945. This systematic map will identify a representative list of scientific articles on SkE in French marine and freshwater social‐ecological research. The literature search will include both academic literature (e.g. peer‐reviewed articles, reviews, meta‐analyses) and grey literature (e.g. reports, working papers) using the most relevant search engines for the scientific literature published between 1945 and 2023. Retrieved publications will be reviewed for relevance according to a predefined set of eligibility/ineligibility criteria by a group of trained reviewers. The eligibility check will be done in two successive screening steps: (1) title and abstract and (2) full text, each independently performed by two reviewers. All retained literature will be subjected to coding and metadata extraction using the Sysrev platform. No validity assessment will be undertaken. A database of the metadata extracted will be provided, along with a narrative description of the evidence base, and a set of figures and tables summarizing the relevant characteristics of the studies. This systematic map will provide a reliable overview of SkE conducted in research projects on French aquatic social‐ecological systems to strengthen the science–society relationship and help future research projects implement efficient and sustainable SkE processes in France and elsewhere.

Identification of the critical factors in flood vulnerability assessment based on an improved DEMATEL method under uncertain environments

With accelerated urbanization, the expansion of urban construction land and the increase in concrete pavement have led to a continuous decline in the natural permeability of the urban surface. This makes it difficult for rainwater in urban areas to infiltrate quickly into the ground, which may lead to urban flooding disasters in cases of heavy rainfall. In recent years, the frequency of urban flooding disasters has been increasing, posing a great safety threat to communities and residents as well as property damage. Therefore, it is important to build a scientific and reasonable community flooding vulnerability assessment system to improve the community emergency response capacity and reduce the losses caused by flooding disasters. In this paper, 94 indicators for community flooding vulnerability assessment are collected by combining literature research and field surveys. The newly proposed fuzzy language expression method based on pentagonal fuzzy numbers (PFN) and the proportional two-tuple linguistic representation (P2TLR) are used as the first step of indicator evaluation and screening, and PFN-P2TLR with the two-step DEMATEL method are combined as the second step of indicator screening. Finally, 23 representative evaluation indicators belonging to the dependent variable are selected. Following a thorough investigation, it was found that “resident characteristics”, “regional economic strength”, “community precipitation status” and “institutional soundness” are the four most influential factors for community resilience to flooding, and these indicators have a significant impact on other indicators. The research results provide a reliable basis and specific guidance suggestions for community flooding vulnerability assessment, which is crucial for further reducing the occurrence of flooding disasters and mitigating the social and economic losses caused by them.

Neutron irradiation effects on the low cycle thermal fatigue performance of first wall mock-ups

For the first wall (FW) of ITER, beryllium will be the plasma facing material and has to sustain high thermal, particle and neutron loads. In order to assess the synergistic effects of thermal and neutron loads in total ten Be-armored FW normal heat flux (NHF) mock-ups were produced consisting of two Be flat tiles each joined via hot isostatic pressing (HIP) to a CuCrZr heat sink and a steel support structure by different manufacturing routes to assess the most promising ones. Five of them were neutron irradiated, two at Centrum Výzkumu Řež in Czech Republic and three in the High Flux Reactor at NRG in the Netherlands. The remaining mock-ups were kept as reference. All flat-tile mock-ups had two Be-tiles and were exposed to cyclic steady state heat loads in the electron beam facilities JUDITH 1 and 2 up to a maximum power density of 3.75 MW/m2, in order to find the damaging threshold. A screening step using 1 MW/m2 was performed after finishing each loading step and after failure for direct comparison and detection of any deterioration caused by the cycling. Despite being still in the early development phase of Be joining, all mock-ups sustained the cycling up to at least 2.75 MW/m2 and clear differences in the performance of irradiated vs. non-irradiated mock-ups were observed.

Dual antibacterial mechanism of [K4K15]CZS-1 against Salmonella Typhimurium: a membrane active and intracellular-targeting antimicrobial peptide.

Salmonella genus is a leading cause of food-borne infections with strong public health impact and economic ramifications. The development of antimicrobial resistance added complexity to this scenario and turned the antibiotic drug discovery into a highly important challenge. The screening of peptides has served as a successful discovery platform to design new antibiotic candidates. Motivated by this, the antimicrobial and cytotoxic properties of three cruzioseptins against Salmonella Typhimurium and RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells, respectively, were investigated. [K4K15]CZS-1 was the most potent antimicrobial peptide identified in the screening step with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 16 μg/mL (7.26 μM) and moderate cytotoxicity. From a structural point of view, in vitro and in silico techniques evidenced that [K4K15]CZS-1 is a α-helical cationic antimicrobial peptide. In order to capture mechanistic details and fully decipher their antibacterial action, we adopted a multidimensional approach, including spectroscopy, electron microscopy and omics analysis. In general lines, [K4K15]CZS-1 caused membrane damage, intracellular alterations in Salmonella and modulated metabolic pathways, such as the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, fatty acid biosynthesis, and lipid metabolism. Overall, these findings provide deeper insights into the antibacterial properties and multidimensional mode of action of [K4K15]CZS-1 against Salmonella Typhimurium. In summary, this study represents a first step toward the screening of membrane-acting and intracellular-targeting peptides as potential bio-preservatives to prevent foodborne outbreaks caused by Salmonella.

Implementation outcomes of the ACT Trial in older adults with amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

AbstractBackgroundPreventing Alzheimer’s disease is a public health priority to address its substantial social and healthcare impacts. Exercise and cognitive training interventions are promising but show mixed effects on cognition in older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which is at least partially attributable to varied quality in trial implementation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the implementation outcomes of the 3‐site Aerobic exercise and Cognitive training (ACT) trial that tests the cognitive effects and underlying mechanisms.MethodThe ACT Trial enrolled 146 older adults with amnestic MCI (aMCI). Participants were randomized equally to ACT, aerobic exercise only, cognitive training only, or attention control ed for six months and followed for another 12 months. Participants completed a 3‐step screening process that included a 30‐minute phone screen (step 1), a 120‐minute in‐person screening (step 2), medical clearance (step 3), and a 60‐minute graded exercise test and MRI (steps 4a & 4b). The implementation outcomes included durations between each screening step, from phone screen to enrollment, from enrollment to the first intervention section. Implementation outcomes were compared across sites using ANOVA.ResultThe mean age was 73.57±5.49 years, with 47.95% female, 91.78% white, 91.09% had a college degree or higher, and a mean Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score of 23.38±2.16. The duration from step 1 to step 2 was 20.23±31.21 days, step 2 to step 3 was 24.42±41.27 days, step 3 to step 4a was 36.84±76.86 days, step 4a to step 4b was 25.84±60.75 days, and the duration from step 4b to enrollment was 25.60±60.17 days. The duration from step 1 to enrollment is 121.16±109.16 days. ANOVA results indicate no significant differences in implementation outcomes across the three sites.ConclusionThe screening took longer than projected regarding completing a participant’s in‐person screening (step 2) and obtaining medical clearance from the participant’s provider (step 3). The major contributors to longer screen duration were delays in receiving faxed documentation from medical providers. Future trials need to build in adequate screening duration to ensure screening success.

Evaluaciones de Diseño y Experiencia de Usuario en Realidad Virtual: Una Revisión Bibliográfica Sistematizada Avaliações da Experiência do Usuário em Realidade Virtual: Uma Revisão Bibliográfica Sistematizada sob a ótica do Design

Virtual Reality (VR) technology provides the sensation of immersion in virtual digital spaces, through interactions that occur in different dimensions of perceptions. Considering the lack of research involving VR in evaluations of Human Computer Interaction (HCI), Emotional Design, and User Experience, the present study aimed to investigate the state-of-the-art in this subject. For this, a systematic literature review was carried out. The question to be answered is: How do users change behavior in visual interaction with different artifacts in real and virtual environments and how that influences the perception (emotional, semantic, and usability) of individuals? Structured analyzes were applied to scientific articles that address the experience of healthy adult participants and their interaction relationship with environments and artifacts immersed in VR. After screening and in-depth reading steps, 27 articles were selected for meta-analysis discussions. The results point to the existence of a scientific gap since the works found and analyzed only partially answered the research question, which, because of this, may indicate an open field for studies involving VR This technology can be a viable tool with potential of assisting and complementing the methodological processes already consolidated in the Design and Human Factors areas.

Screening of Natural Compounds for CYP11A1 Stimulation Against Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

BackgroundRenal cancer therapies are challenging owing to the extensive spreading of this cancer to other organs and its ability to pose resistance to current medications. Therefore, drugs targeting novel targets are urgently required to overcome these challenges. The cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme (CYP11A1) is closely associated with steroidogenesis, and its downregulation is linked to adrenal dysfunction and several types of carcinoma. We previously found that overexpression of CYP11A1 inhibited epithelial-mesenchymal transition and induced G2/M arrest in the kidney cancer Caki-1 cell line. In this context, natural compounds that exhibit potent CYP11A1 stimulation activity can be promising therpaeutic agents for kidney cancer.MethodsWe screened a panel of 1374 natural compounds in a wound-healing assay using CYP11A1-transfected Caki-1 cells. Of these, 167 promising biologically active compounds that inhibited cancer cell migration by more than 75% were selected, and their half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) were determined. The IC50 of 159 compounds was determined and 38 compounds with IC50 values less than 50 µM were selected for further analysis. Steroid hormones (cholesterol and pregnenolone) levels in cells treated with the selected compounds were quantitated using LC–MS/MS to determine their effect on CYP11A1 activity. Western blotting for CYP11A1, autophagy signaling proteins, and ferroptosis regulators were performed to ivestigate the mechanisms underlying the action of the selected compounds.ResultsWe screened five promising natural lead compounds that inhibited cancer cell proliferation after three screening steps. The IC50 of these compounds was determined to be between 5.9 and 14.6 μM. These candidate compounds increased the expression of CYP11A1 and suppressed cholesterol levels while increasing pregnenolone levels, which is consistent with the activation of CYP11A1. Our results showed that CYP11A1 activation inhibited the migration of cancer cells, promoted ferroptosis, and triggered autophagy signaling.ConclusionsThis study indicates that the CYP11A1-overexpressing Caki-1 cell line is useful for screening drugs against kidney cancer. The two selected compounds could be utilized as lead compounds for anticancer drug discovery, and specifically for the development of antirenal cancer medication.

“Go ahead and screen” - advice to healthcare systems for routine lynch syndrome screening from interviews with newly diagnosed colorectal cancer patients

BackgroundLynch syndrome (LS) is the most common cause of inherited colorectal cancer (CRC). Universal tumor screening (UTS) of newly diagnosed CRC cases is recommended to aid in diagnosis of LS and reduce cancer-related morbidity and mortality. However, not all health systems have adopted UTS processes and implementation may be inconsistent due to system and patient-level complexities.MethodsTo identify barriers, facilitators, and suggestions for improvements of the UTS process from the patient perspective, we conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with patients recently diagnosed with CRC, but not screened for or aware of LS. Patients were recruited from eight regionally diverse US health systems. Interviews were conducted by telephone, 60-minutes, audio-recorded, and transcribed. An inductive, constant comparative analysis approach was employed. ResultsWe completed 75 interviews across the eight systems. Most participants were white (79%), about half (52%) were men, and the mean age was 60 years. Most self-reported either no (60%) or minimal (40%) prior awareness of LS. Overall, 96% of patients stated UTS should be a routine standard of care for CRC tumors, consistently citing four primary motivations for wanting to know their LS status and engage in the process for LS identification: “knowledge is power”; “family knowledge”; “prevention and detection”; and “treatment and surveillance.” Common concerns pertaining to the process of screening for and identifying LS included: creating anticipatory worry for patients, the potential cost and the accuracy of the genetic test, and possibly having one’s health insurance coverage impacted by the LS diagnosis. Patients suggested health systems communicate LS results in-person or by phone from a trained expert in LS; offer proactive verbal and written education about LS, the screening steps, and any follow-up surveillance recommendations; and support patients in communicating their LS screening to any of their blood relatives.ConclusionOur qualitative findings demonstrate patients with CRC have a strong desire for healthcare systems to regularly implement and offer UTS. Patients offer key insights for health systems to guide future implementation and optimization of UTS and other LS screening programs and maximize diagnosis of individuals with LS and improve cancer-related surveillance and outcomes.Trial registrationNot available: not a clinical trial.

Developing a Toolbox of Antibodies Validated for Array Tomography-Based Imaging of Brain Synapses.

Antibody (Ab)-based imaging techniques rely on reagents whose performance may be application specific. Because commercial antibodies are validated for only a few purposes, users interested in other applications may have to perform extensive in-house antibody testing. Here, we present a novel application-specific proxy screening step to efficiently identify candidate antibodies for array tomography (AT), a serial section volume microscopy technique for high-dimensional quantitative analysis of the cellular proteome. To identify antibodies suitable for AT-based analysis of synapses in mammalian brain, we introduce a heterologous cell-based assay that simulates characteristic features of AT, such as chemical fixation and resin embedding that are likely to influence antibody binding. The assay was included into an initial screening strategy to generate monoclonal antibodies that can be used for AT. This approach simplifies the screening of candidate antibodies and has high predictive value for identifying antibodies suitable for AT analyses. In addition, we have created a comprehensive database of AT-validated antibodies with a neuroscience focus and show that these antibodies have a high likelihood of success for postembedding applications in general, including immunogold electron microscopy. The generation of a large and growing toolbox of AT-compatible antibodies will further enhance the value of this imaging technique.

Sensitivity analysis of an automated fault detection algorithm for residential air-conditioning systems

The state of the art of fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) for residential air-conditioning systems is expensive and not yet amenable to widespread implementation. FDD for homes can significantly reduce utility costs, and increase the lifespan of the equipment. The cost barriers currently, however, make FDD for homes economically unviable for large scale implementation. In prior work, we offered a solution to reduce FDD costs by proposing an automated fault detection algorithm to serve as a screening step before more expensive FDD tests can be conducted. The algorithm uses only the home thermostat and local weather information to identify thermodynamic parameters and detect high-impact air-conditioning faults, including those that occur during equipment installation. We had tested the algorithm on a single EnergyPlusTM model of a home in Orlando, Florida. The thermodynamic parameter identification process is highly nonconvex involving several local optimal solutions. In this paper we propose a novel method to select the best model for fault detection from among the list of local optimal solutions to make the algorithm more robust to homes of different construction, without which the fault detection process would be infeasible. Another unique contribution of the paper is implementing the solution on real-world data. We also bring the algorithm closer to market by testing it on real-world data. We implement the algorithm on data obtained from experiments conducted by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) on a laboratory home equipped with a heat pump where faults were intentionally added for a period of seven months. The algorithm successfully detected an undercharge fault with 70.6% accuracy, concurrent duct leakage and undercharge faults with 85.2% accuracy, and duct leakage faults with 69.1% accuracy. A sensitivity analysis is also performed on EnergyPlus models of nine types of homes that vary in construction to demonstrate the robustness of the algorithm. The algorithm achieves an average accuracy of 71% for no-fault condition, 77% for 40% undercharge fault, and 76% for duct-leak fault.

Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Among Pregnant Women in Tabuk City, Saudi Arabia: An Exploratory Study.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) refers to any stage of glucose intolerance that begins or is first noticed during pregnancy. GDM has long been an issue in Saudi Arabia. When a pregnant woman who does not already have diabetes is unable to produce enough insulin, GDM develops. GDM patients not only run the danger of developing a number of health issues for themselves but also for the health of their developing fetus. The first step in GDM screening during pregnancy is raising awareness of the condition. This was a cross-sectional study conducted to assess knowledge and attitudes with regard to GDM among pregnant women in Tabuk City, Saudi Arabia. The sample size was 539 females from obstetrics and gynaecology clinics in civil and military hospitals. Data collection was done using a valid questionnaire. A total of 539 women were included in the study, spanning various age groups from under 20 to above 40 years, with pregnancy occurrences ranging from one to four times. Most participants exhibited strong understanding, with 410 (76.1%) demonstrating awareness of GDM, and 382 (70.9%) having a clear grasp of its definition. Additionally, a majority displayed positive attitudes toward managing GDM. The Saudi women who participated in this study showed good knowledge of GDM and its risk factors, as well as a good attitude regarding the management of GDM and lifestyle modification to reduce its complications. The participants gave adequately logical answers about the sources of information about GDM and about the barriers to effective GDM management. A highly significant association was noticed between knowledge and attitude regarding GDM among the participants (p = <0.001).

Linking stability with molecular geometries of perovskites and lanthanide richness using machine learning methods

Oxide perovskite materials of type ABO3 have a wide range of technological applications, such as catalysts in solid oxide fuel cells and as light-absorbing materials in solar photovoltaics. These materials often exhibit differential structural and electrostatic properties through their varied A-sites and B-sites especially if they are derived from lanthanides. Although, experimental and/or computational verification of these differences are often difficult and expensive. In this paper, we thus take a data-driven approach. Specifically, we run three analysis using the dataset by [1] applying advanced machine learning tools to perform nonparametric regressions and also to produce data visualizations using latent factor analysis (LFA) and principal component analysis (PCA). We also implement a nonparametric feature screening step while performing our high dimensional regression analysis, ensuring robustness in our results.

Prevalence of epilepsy in Morocco: A population-based study.

In Morocco, there was a lack of data related to the epidemiology of epilepsy. This data serves as a useful basis for the development of any national intervention or action program against epilepsy in Morocco. Through this study, we aimed to estimate the active and lifetime prevalence of epilepsy in Morocco. We collected data from eight out of 12 Moroccan regions in two steps: In the screening step, we first used a nationwide telephone diagnosis questionnaire and in the second stage, a team of physicians under the direction of an epileptologist conducted a confirmative survey for suspected cases. We fixed the confidence interval at α = 5% and the precision at 0.02. Up to 3184 responded positively to our invitation to participate in this study and were able to answer the questions of the first diagnostic questionnaire. In the diagnostic phase, physicians in neurology reinterviewed all 86 suspected cases using a confirmative diagnosis questionnaire, and 63 persons were confirmed as having lifetime epilepsy and 56 with active epilepsy. The mean age (Mean ± SD) of persons with epilepsy was 35.53 years (±21.36). The prevalence of lifetime and active epilepsy were 19.8 (19.6-20.0) and 17.6 (17.5-17.8) per 1000 (95% confidence interval), respectively. This is the first study to estimate the active and lifetime prevalence of epilepsy in Morocco according to the international recommendations of the ILAE. The prevalence of lifetime and active epilepsy were 19.8 (15-24.6) and 17.6 (13.3-22.8) per 1000, respectively. We included both children and elderly subjects. The rates of active and lifetime population epilepsy prevalence in Morocco ranged between Asian and sub-Saharan Africa low- and middle-income countries.

Gestational diabetes mellitus screening and diagnosis criteria before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a retrospective pre-post study.

To determine whether perinatal outcomes after excluding gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) on the basis of fasting venous plasma glucose (FVPG) assessment during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020 were similar to those during the preceding year after excluding GDM using the standard oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) procedure. Retrospective pre-post study. All women who gave birth in Queensland during 1 July - 31 December 2019 and 1 July - 31 December 2020. Perinatal (maternal and neonatal) outcomes for pregnant women assessed for GDM, by assessment method (2019: OGTT/glycated haemoglobin [HbA1c ] assessment; 2020: GDM could be excluded by an FVPG value below 4.7 mmol/L). 3968 of 29 113 pregnant women in Queensland during 1 July - 31 December 2019 (13.6%) were diagnosed with GDM, and 4029 of 28 778 during 1 July - 31 December 2020 (14.0%). In 2020, FVPG assessments established GDM in 216 women (1.1%) and excluded it in 1660 (5.8%). The frequencies of most perinatal outcomes were similar for women without GDM in 2019 and those for whom it was excluded in 2020 on the basis of FVPG values; the exception was caesarean delivery, for which the estimated probability increase in 2020 was 3.9 percentage points (95% credibility interval, 2.2-5.6 percentage points), corresponding to an extra 6.5 caesarean deliveries per 1000 births. The probabilities of several outcomes - respiratory distress, neonatal intensive care or special nursery admission, large for gestational age babies - were about one percentage point higher for women without GDM in 2020 (excluding those diagnosed on the basis of FVPG assessment alone) than for women without GDM in 2019. Identifying women at low absolute risk of gestational diabetes-related pregnancy complications on the basis of FVPG assessment as an initial step in GDM screening could reduce the burden for pregnant women and save the health system substantial costs.

Validity of the revised Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 cross-cutting symptom measure as implemented in community mental health settings

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to validate the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5) Cross-Cutting Symptom Measure (CCSM) as a screening tool for a wide variety of disorders within busy community outpatient mental health settings. MethodParticipants (N = 851) were referred for coordinated specialty care services (mean age = 20.26 years (SD = 2.97); 82.5 % Caucasian, 7.5 % African American, 0.7 % Native American, 0.7 % Pacific Islander, 0.8 % Asian, 7.8 % Multiracial; 15.1 % Latinx; 53.1 % female, 45.5 % male, 1.4 % other gender). ResultsAt optimal cut-score, specificity ranged from 57 to 77 % for depression, anxiety, substance use and psychosis domains; sensitivity ranged from 63 to 72 %. Scores for depression, anxiety, substance use and psychosis domains differed significantly by groups with and without diagnoses. Correlations among domains were larger where expected (r = 0.52, depression-suicidal ideation), and relatively smaller where expected (r = 0.28, suicidal ideation-inattention). Depression, anxiety, substance use and psychosis domains evidenced incremental validity for their respective diagnoses (change in explained variance, 3–15 %). Psychometric features of CCSM were broadly supported. LimitationsCriterion measures did not have inter-rater reliabilities as this is generally prohibitive in clinic settings. ConclusionThe CCSM could provide a first step in screening for multiple disorders; however, it cannot replace structured interviews for making diagnoses related to these conditions.

Effect of Solid-state Fermentation Parameters on Growth of Interest and Environmental Enzyme Production with Aspergillus niger

Using residual biomass in biological processes is increasingly promoted to alleviate environmental impacts. However, the focus is mainly based on emerging technologies and limited resources, and the conditions of the technologies remain unclear. The objective of this research is to establish the conditions of a solid-state fermentation system (SSF) for the growth of fungal biomass and the production of ligninolytic enzymes of environmental interest using Aspergillus niger. In a screening step, the biomass and lipase enzyme expression of three A. niger strains obtained from different screening sites will be extended. In the second stage, the effect of packing density (ρs) and airflow (vvm) was evaluated through a 23, on the growth of fungal biomass, fiber degradation, and CO2 generation in a lipid-contaminated SSF system. The generation of biomass and the concentration of specific enzymatic activity (U/L) of lipase present a correlation for all the strains evaluated. It was estimated that the A. niger strain AN19bc isolated from sugarcane bagasse presents the highest accumulation of biomass and concentration of specific enzyme activity of lipase (0.027 U/L) after nine days. The most appropriate conditions for the production of fungal biomass of the AN19bc strain in an SSF system are presented with an airflow of 33.33 vvm and packing density ρs = 360 kg Mss/m3, levels with which Yx/s= 0.91 is reached. After the process, the solid support used in the SSF presents a change in composition, with the fiber being the component that suffers a considerable degradation of 78.70%.

Design of experiment-oriented development of solvent-free mixed micellar chromatographic method for concomitant determination of metronidazole and ciprofloxacin hydrochloride

A green, fast and robust solvent-free chromatographic method has been developed for concomitant analysis of ciprofloxacin HCl and metronidazole in bulk powder as well as in dosage form using levofloxacin as internal standard (I.S.). Two different designs including fractional factorial (FFD) and Box–Behnken (BBD) designs were implemented for screening and optimization steps, respectively. The optimum chromatographic separation was accomplished using mobile phase composed of 0.13 M sodium dodecyl sulfate and 0.02 M Birij-35 solution adjusted to pH 2.5 using phosphoric acid at a flow rate of 1.3 mL/min and column oven temperature of 40 °C. Chromatographic analysis was performed on X-Bridge (150 mm × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) column with UV detection at 280 nm. A linear response was acquired over the range of 0.4–50 μg/mL for both drugs. The developed method was applied for quantitation of cited drugs in commercially available tablet with mean percent recovery ± SD of 99.45 ± 0.72 and 100.13 ± 0.81 for metronidazole and ciprofloxacin respectively. The method was proven to be green as evaluated by three greenness assessment tools. The run time was 8 min, thus saving time and reagent.

Healthcare provider-targeted mobile applications to diagnose, screen, or monitor communicable diseases of public health importance in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review.

Communicable diseases remain a leading cause of death and disability in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). mHealth technologies carry considerable promise for managing these disorders within resource-poor settings, but many existing applications exclusively represent digital versions of existing guidelines or clinical calculators, communication facilitators, or patient self-management tools. We thus systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central for studies published between January 2007 and October 2019 involving technologies that were mobile phone- or tablet-based; able to screen for, diagnose, or monitor a communicable disease of importance in LMICs; and targeted health professionals as primary users. We excluded technologies that digitized existing paper-based tools or facilitated communication (i.e., knowledge-based algorithms). Extracted data included disease category, pathogen type, diagnostic method, intervention purpose, study/target population, sample size, study methodology, development stage, accessory requirement, country of development, operating system, and cost. Given the search timeline, studies involving COVID-19 were not included in the analysis. Of 13,262 studies identified by the screen, 33 met inclusion criteria. 12% were randomized clinical trials (RCTs), with 58% of publications representing technical descriptions. 62% of studies had 100 or fewer subjects. All studied technologies involved diagnosis or screening steps; none addressed the monitoring of infections. 52% focused on priority diseases (HIV, malaria, tuberculosis), but only 12% addressed a neglected tropical disease. Although most reported studies were priced under 20USD at time of publication, two thirds of the records did not yet specify a cost for the study technology. We conclude that there are only a small number of mHealth technologies focusing on innovative methods of screening and diagnosing communicable diseases potentially of use in LMICs. Rigorous RCTs, analyses with large sample size, and technologies assisting in the monitoring of diseases are needed.

Precision-SELEX aptamer screening for the colorimetric and fluorescent dual-readout aptasensing of AFB1 in food

As nucleic acid-based affinity elements, aptamers have attracted significant attention for a wide range of analytical applications. Although several aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) aptamers have been identified, they are unsuitable for overcoming the unavoidable cross-reactions from interferents in complex food matrices due to their poor binding affinities and specificities. Herein, a novel precision-systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (P-SELEX) strategy through introducing the counter (matrix without target AFB1) and positive (with AFB1) screening steps was implemented to accurately identify AFB1 aptamers. A DNA aptamer A-42-2 at a 24-nt length was selected finally, which possessed nanomolar-level affinity of 5.55 nM, high specificity to other interferents, and strong anti-cross-reactivity ability for matrix components. Then, an A-42-2 aptamer-based ultra-sensitive colorimetric and fluorescent dual-readout aptasensor was fabricated for AFB1 detection in three kinds of complex food samples rich in starch without cross-reactions. The aptasensor displayed outstanding detection capacity with a wide liner range of 0.25–30 nM (1.95–234.4 μg/kg), while the detection limit for colorimetric measurement as low as 0.22 nM (1.72 μg/kg) and 0.048 nM (0.20 μg/kg) for fluorescent determination. P-SELEX is ideal for screening and applying aptamers in complex food matrices, creating more opportunities for the efficient and cost-effective development of high-quality aptamers and aptasensors for other targets.

Layered Screening and Contact-Limiting Interventions Are Necessary to Reduce SARS-Cov-2 Outbreak Risks in Large Urban Jails.

Highly transmissible infections with short serial intervals, such as SARS-Cov-2 and influenza, can quickly overwhelm healthcare resources in institutional settings such as jails. We assessed the impact of intake screening measures on the risk of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks in this setting. We identified which elements of the intake process created the largest reductions in caseload. We implemented an individual-based simulation representative of SARS-Cov-2 transmission in a large urban jail utilizing testing at entry, quarantine, and post-quarantine testing to protect its general population from mass infection. We tracked the caseload under each scenario and quantified the impact of screening steps by varying quarantine duration, removing testing, and using a range of test sensitivities. We repeated the simulations under a range of transmissibility and community prevalence levels to evaluate the sensitivity of our results. We found that brief quarantine of newly incarcerated individuals separate from the existing population of the jail to permit pre-quarantine and end-of-quarantine tests reduced SARS-CoV-2 caseload 30-70% depending on test sensitivity. These results were robust to variation in the transmissibility. Further quarantine (up to 14 days) on average created only a 5% further reduction in caseload. A multilayered intake process is necessary to limit the spread of highly transmissible pathogens with short serial intervals. The pre-symptomatic phase means that no single strategy can be effective. We also show that shorter durations of quarantine combined with testing can be nearly as effective at preventing spread as longer-duration quarantine up to 14 days.