Standardized Training Research Articles

Implementing an evidence-based behavioral weight-loss program in community mental health centers: A randomized pilot study.

Obesity is a leading cause of preventable death among individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). A prior randomized controlled trial demonstrated the efficacy of a lifestyle style intervention tailored to this population; however, such interventions need to be adapted and tested for real-world settings. This study evaluated implementation interventions to support community mental health program staff to deliver an evidence-based lifestyle intervention to clients with obesity and SMI. In this cluster-randomized pilot trial, the standard arm combined multimodal training with organizational strategy meetings and the enhanced arm included all standard strategies plus performance coaching. Staff-coaches delivered a 6-month group-based lifestyle intervention to clients with SMI. Primary outcomes were changes in staff knowledge, self-efficacy, and fidelity scores for lifestyle intervention delivery. Linear mixed-effects modeling was used to analyze outcomes, addressing within-site clustering and within-participant longitudinal correlation of outcomes. Three sites were in the standard arm (7 staff-coaches); 5 sites in the enhanced arm (11 staff-coaches). All sites delivered all 26 modules of the lifestyle intervention. Staff-coaches highly rated the training strategy's acceptability, feasibility and appropriateness. Overall, mean knowledge score significantly increased pre-post by 5.5 (95% CI: 3.9, 7.1) and self-efficacy was unchanged; neither significantly differed between arms. Fidelity ratings remained stable over time and did not differ between arms. Clients with SMI achieved a mean 6-month weight loss of 3.8 kg (95% CI: 1.6, 6.1). Mental health staff delivering a lifestyle intervention was feasible using multicomponent implementation interventions, and preliminary results show weight reduction among clients with SMI. The addition of performance coaching did not significantly change outcomes. Future studies are needed to definitively determine the effect on client health outcomes.

Time to reset our training and certification standards

Time to reset our training and certification standards

Identification of Bioactive Compounds of Streptomyces spp. Isolated from Qom Lake Sediments and Evaluation of its Antimicrobial Activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Background: Marine sediments are rich sources for isolating active secondary metabolites from microorganisms. Among the microorganisms, Actinomycetes are highly important due to the production of various chemical compounds in a wide range of biological activities, such as antibacterial activity. Streptomyces is the most important genera in the family of Actinomycetes. As a member of this group, it has great potential in the production of secondary metabolites such as antibiotics, enzymes, herbicides, anti-carcinogenic, and other useful compounds. Objective: This study aims to identify bioactive compounds of Streptomyces isolated from sediments of the Salt Lake of Qom and to study their antimicrobial properties against standard strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Methods: In this study, 20 samples were collected from a depth of 5 to 15-20 cm of sediment in the Salt Lake of Qom. Pure cultivations were then provided from these samples. This study used starch casein agar (SCA) to isolate streptomyces, and 35 Streptomyces were isolated. The disc diffusion method was used to explore the antimicrobial properties of Streptomyces against clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and strains standard of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PTCC 1310. Results: Seven strains, including SCA3 SCB1, SCB4, SCB8, SCC15, SCC18, and SCC28 strains, had antimicrobial properties. In this study, the results show that SCC15 with the halo diameter of 17, 17, 15, and 19 contains the best antibacterial properties against clinical strains 1, 2 and 3 of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Pseudomonas aeruginosa PTCC 1310. among the 16 peaks observed by GC/MS to identify bioactive compounds of Streptomyces, it was found that Bis (2-ethyl hexyl) phthalate, with 69.06 percent, had the highest peak production, which reflects the importance of phthalates in microbial activities. Conclusion: According to the results, the Salt Lake of Qom was one of the sources of Streptomyces. In addition, the isolated Streptomyces had antimicrobial properties against Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates. It was also found that phthalate was the most bioactive substance of Streptomyces isolated.

How to integrate robotic training in surgical residency? An example of a 2-week robotic rotation.

General surgery residents should be proficiently trained in robotic surgery. However, there is currently no standardized robotic training curriculum. We aimed to evaluate two approaches to a robotic curriculum and how implementing a virtual reality (VR) simulation curriculum improves trainee robotic performance. From 2019 to 2022, two models of a robotic training curriculum were examined: an in-unit rotation (IUR) and a 2-week curriculum (2WR). The VR curriculum was completed using the da Vinci® Skill Simulator. The curriculum used a pre/post-test design. Residents completed a pre-test that consisted of 4 VR exercises (graded 0-100%) and 3 inanimate box trainer exercises (graded using modified Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills). Then, residents completed a VR curriculum of 23 modules. Following the curriculum, residents were given a post-test with the same pre-test exercises. Time necessary to complete the curriculum and compliance were recorded. Of the 11 residents who participated in the IUR, 4 completed the VR curriculum. Comparatively, 100% (n = 23) of residents in the 2WR completed the curriculum. Average time to complete the VR curriculum was 3.8h. After completion of the 2WR curriculum, resident performance improved from pre-test to post-test: VR test scores increased (160% vs 223%, p < 0.001), OSATS scores increased (15.0 vs 21.0, p < 0.001), and time to complete inanimate exercises decreased (1083 vs 756s, p = 0.001). Residents who mastered all modules had higher post-test VR scores (241% vs 214%, p = 0.024). General surgery residents demonstrated improved compliance with the 2WR. The VR curriculum improved resident robotic performance in both virtual and inanimate domains.

Measuring myofascial shear strain in chronic shoulder pain with ultrasound shear strain imaging: a case report.

Dysfunctional gliding of deep fascia and muscle layers forms the basis of myofascial pain and dysfunction, which can cause chronic shoulder pain. Ultrasound shear strain imaging may offer a non-invasive tool to quantitatively evaluate the extent of muscular dysfunctional gliding and its correlation with pain. This case study is the first to use ultrasound shear strain imaging to report the shear strain between the pectoralis major and minor muscles in shoulders with and without chronic pain. The shear strain between the pectoralis major and minor muscles during shoulder rotation in a volunteer with chronic shoulder pain was measured with ultrasound shear strain imaging. The results show that the mean ± standard deviation shear strain was 0.40 ± 0.09 on the affected side, compared to 1.09 ± 0.18 on the unaffected side (p<0.05). The results suggest that myofascial dysfunction may cause the muscles to adhere together thereby reducing shear strain on the affected side. Our findings elucidate a potential pathophysiology of myofascial dysfunction in chronic shoulder pain and reveal the potential utility of ultrasound imaging to provide a useful biomarker for shear strain evaluation between the pectoralis major and minor muscles.

Traditional healers’ knowledge and infection control practices related to HIV in Bukavu City, Democratic Republic of the Congo

BackgroundPatients with HIV consult traditional healers (THs). These THs can both delay care for people living with HIV (PLHIV) and transmit HIV through poor infection control practices. The main objective of this study was to evaluate knowledge and practices of THs regarding HIV in Bukavu.MethodsA cross-sectional study using quantitative approach was carried out among 71 THs in Bukavu City. The collected data included the following topics: personal and socio-demographic characteristics, HIV knowledge, and infection control practices. Descriptive statistics, independent-samples T-test or F-test, and multiple linear regression were used to analyze the data with a p-value < 0.05.ResultsThe THs’ mean age was 49.2 ± 11.2 years, and the majority were aged 40 to < 60 years. Males constituted 88.7% of THs with a male-to-female ratio of 7.9. In general, 47.9% of study participants had poor knowledge about HIV/AIDS infection, 45.1% of them had fair knowledge, and only 7.0% had good knowledge. Overall, 43.7% of THs had poor infection control practices, 52.1% of THs had fair practices, and only 4.2% of participants had good practices. Results of multiple linear regression analysis revealed that none of the personal and demographic variables studied were significant predictors of their knowledge about HIV/AIDS (p > 0.05). In terms of practices, two variables were significant predictors of infection control practices: living in Ibanda and receiving training in taking care of HIV/AIDS.Conclusion and recommendations: The study revealed that THs’ knowledge about HIV infection was insufficient and that they had poor infection control practices. Formal standardized training on HIV infection should be organized for all THs so that they can always refer their patients to modern, reliable antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinics and reduce the risk of occupational exposure in their practices. Although PPE’s assistance for THs is required in terms of protective measures, the province health authority must also oversee infection control procedures at THs’ offices.

Pharmacist administered parenteral medications: A descriptive report of an inpatient training program

AbstractIntroductionParenteral medication administration is a crucial aspect of in‐hospital patient care and has been historically managed by nurses and physicians. Despite pharmacists' extensive training in the medication use process, their underutilization in medication administration stems from various factors, including the lack of formalized training, limited awareness by other healthcare professionals, and unclear legal guidance. This report discusses the implementation and outcomes of a pharmacist medication administration program at a large academic medical center.MethodsThe initiative began by revising hospital policies, enabling pharmacists to administer medications during emergencies. Documentation and communication protocols were established. Training included an online module and hands‐on sessions covering various topics with a focus on parenteral medication administration and medication safety. Following completion of the program, competency of pharmacists was assessed by pharmacists experienced in intravenous administration using simulated patient case scenarios. Following implementation, the frequency and characteristics of pharmacist administered medications were captured and described.ResultsThirty pharmacists, including 11 residents, participated. Seven pharmacists administered 349 doses of medications to 284 patients in emergency situations. Administrations by pharmacists included 227 titratable infusions, 72 intermittent or continuous infusions, 49 intravenous pushes, and 1 intranasal naloxone. Classes of medications included high risk products such as vasopressors, sedatives, antiarrhythmics, and thrombolytics. No extravasations or infiltrations were reported.ConclusionImplementation of the pharmacist medication administration program signifies significant progress in strengthening the pharmacists' role in patient care at the bedside specifically highlighting the competency of pharmacists to administer parenteral products during emergency situations. The absence of adverse events highlights the feasibility and safety of integrating pharmacists into the bedside team. As the landscape of health‐system pharmacy evolves, embracing standardized training programs like ours reemphasize pharmacists' essential contributions to the multidisciplinary healthcare teams, ultimately enhancing patient care and safety.

Assessment of the Educational and Training Modalities in Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS) for Anesthesiologists.

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has been developed as a critical tool for diagnostic patient evaluation and clinical management. Its transcendence into anesthesiology necessitates appropriate and effective educational strategies to assist in the development of anesthesia POCUS learners. Several professional societies, including the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), American Society of Regional Anesthesia (ASRA), and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) for anesthesiology have established minimum training standards for POCUS education for anesthesiologists, residents, and fellows.1,4 The article at hand aims to summarize and provide insight into the various educational modalities utilized in POCUS training, incorporate these strategies in the established "Indication, Acquisition, Interpretation, and Medical decision-making" (I-AIM) framework, and include recommendations on the minimum number of POCUS exams to aid in achieving competency.3.

#2857 Home hemodialysis training time: associated factors and impact on technique survival

Abstract Background and Aims The optimal training time for Home Hemodialysis (HHD), its related factors and its impact in the technique survival are not well established. Our objective was to analyze the risk factors associated with longer duration of HD training and to assess the impact of training time on the survival of the technique. Method Single-center observational study in which all patients seen in our HHD program from January 2013 to November 2023 were included. Training time was defined as the total number of dialysis treatments undertaken for instructional purposes, regardless of prior experience. Patients were divided into two groups, according to standard (≤31 days) or prolonged (&amp;gt;31 days) training duration. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were compared between the two groups, and the factors associated with prolonged training were analyzed using binary logistic regression. HDD failure was the composite of technique failure (defined as transfer to in-center HD for ≥ 30 consecutive days) and death. Results We analyzed 50 patients (women: 18, 36%) with a mean age of 55.1 ± 12.6 years and a median length of time on dialysis of 33 (IQR 3-369) months. The median training time was 31 (IQR 24-45) days. 14 (28%) patients were single, 22 (44%) were actively working and the percentage of primary, middle and university education was 20%, 56% and 24%, respectively. In the univariate analysis, a younger age, and the presence of a care partner were associated with a shorter HHD training time, whereas the type of vascular access, the educational level, the marital status, the gender, and the need for a care partner were similar in both standard and prolonged training duration groups. After a multivariate logistic regression analysis, the only factor independently associated to a longer training time was the age (OR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.02-1.14; p = 0.01). After a median follow-up of 27 (IQR: 15-50) months, HDD failure was observed in 12 (27%) of patients. Although in the crude analysis the technique survival tended to be lower in the prolonged training duration group (Fig. 1), this finding was not confirmed after adjusting for age. Conclusion In our experience, the older age was the only factor independently associated with longer HDD training time, whereas a longer training time did not impact in the HDD survival. These data suggest that HHD training should be especially careful in elderly patients, whose learning may require greater use of time and resources.

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF QUERCETIN &amp; LEMON PEEL EXTRACT ON MULTIPLE DRUG RESISTANT BACTERIA

The current investigation explores the antibacterial properties of Quercetin, a flavonoid found in plants, and lemon peel extract, renowned for its rich bioactive content, against multiple drug resistant bacteria. The study method involved the identification of multidrug-resistant bacteria through antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST). Nine standard bacterial strains exhibited resistance to different antibiotics, with a MAR index exceeding 0.10, including Ampicillin, Vancomycin, Polymyxin B, Nitrofurantoin, Trimethoprim, and penicillins.In the present study bioactive compounds from lemon peel were extracted using two solvents, methanol and water, and their efficacy was assessed against drug-resistant bacteria. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values, determined by using the well plate method, revealed lower MIC values for the water extract (LPWE) compared to the methanol extract (LPME) and quercetin. For instance, the MIC for LPWE against E. hermanniensis ATCC 700323 was 140 mg/ml, whereas it was 50 mg/ml for quercetin &amp; 1 mg/ml for LPME. From the results, it can be interpreted that Methanol extract was most effective against drug-resistant bacteria when compared to water extract and quercetin.Furthermore, GC-MS analysis was performed to analyze the chemical entities present in each extract. Given the activity of LPME, LPWE, and Quercetin against both Gram-negative bacteria and Gram-positive bacteria, these extracts hold promise as broad-spectrum antibacterial agents applicable in various fields such as medicine, food, and cosmetics.

Efficacy of neuromuscular exercises to promote movement quality and reduce musculoskeletal injury during initial military training in Royal Navy recruits

IntroductionMusculoskeletal injuries (MSKIs) are a significant problem in the Royal Navy, contributing to 48% of all medical discharges from service between 2019 and 2020. The objective of the study was...

First report of molecular epidemiology and phylogenetic characteristics of feline herpesvirus (FHV-1) from naturally infected cats in Kunshan, China

BackgroundFeline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1) is a life threatening highly contagious virus in cats and typically causes upper respiratory tract infections as well as conjunctival and corneal ulcers. Genetic variability could alter the severity of diseases and clinical signs. Despite regular vaccine practices against FHV-1 in China, new FHV-1 cases still commonly occur. The genetic and phylogenetic characteristics of FHV-1 in Kunshan city of China has not been studied yet. Therefore, this study was planned to investigate the prevalence, molecular characteristics of circulating strains, and phylogenetic analyses of FHV-1. This is the first report of molecular epidemiology and phylogenetic characteristics of FHV-1 from naturally infected cats in Kunshan, China.MethodsThe occulo-nasal swabs were collected from diseased cats showing respiratory distress, conjunctivitis, and corneal ulcers at different veterinary clinics in Kunshan from 2022 to 2023. Clinical data and general information were recorded. Swab samples were processed for preliminary detection of FHV-1. Thymidine kinase (TK), glycoprotein B (gB) and glycoprotein D (gD) genes were sequenced and analyzed to investigate genetic diversity and evolution of FHV-1.ResultsThe FHV-1 genome was detected in 43 (43/200, 21.5%) samples using RT-PCR targeting the TK gene. Statistical analysis showed a significant correlation between age, vaccination status and living environment (p < 0.05) with FHV-1 positivity, while a non-significant correlation was observed for FHV-1 positivity and sex of cats (p > 0.05). Additionally, eight FHV-1 positive cats were co-infected with feline calicivirus (8/43,18.6%). FHV-1 identified in the present study was confirmed as FHV-1 based on phylogenetic analyses. The sequence analyses revealed that 43 FHV-1 strains identified in the present study did not differ much with reference strains within China and worldwide. A nucleotide homology of 99-100% was determined among gB, TK and gD genes nucleotide sequences when compared with standard strain C-27 and vaccine strains. Amino acid analysis showed some amino acid substitutions in TK, gB and gD protein sequences. A potential N-linked glycosylation site was observed in all TK protein sequences. Phylogenetic analyses revealed minor variations and short evolutionary distance among FHV-1 strains detected in this study.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that genomes of 43 FHV-1 strains are highly homogenous and antigenically similar, and the degree of variation in major envelope proteins between strains is low. This study demonstrated some useful data about prevalence, genetic characteristics, and evolution of FHV-1 in Kunshan, which may aid in future vaccine development.

Interrelation of Military Professional Training and Physical Fitness of Servicemen

Topicality. The success of military professional activity depends on the soldiers` training and education peculiarities, which must be created using the certain methods of influence and characteristics of military personnel. The conditions of combat operations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine against the aggressor of the russian federation and the maintenance of an appropriate level of combat readiness of servicemen require new approaches to improving the means of training, education and formation of soldier`s physical and psychological readiness to act in difficult conditions in order to successfully perform military professional activities. Thus, the formation and interconnection of the military professional training tasks and servicemen`s physical fitness remains an urgent issue. The purpose to analyze and determine the impact of the development of physical qualities and military-applied skills of servicemen on the effectiveness of performing military and professional tasks. Methods. Analysis of scientific and methodological literature, testing, and methods of mathematical statistics have been used in the research. Results. It has been established that physically trained soldiers are more maneuverable on the battlefield (by 20-35%), successfully perform combat training tasks and standards (by 15-20% faster) than soldiers with a low level of physical fitness. The data obtained on the low level of combat preparedness indicate insufficient moral and psychological readiness to endure significant physical and psychological stress in a combat situation, both in combat and physical trainings. It has been found that the functional state of the body and the excellent development of basic physical qualities have a positive effect on the main indicators of combat readiness of personnel and significantly affect the results of the effective performance of military and professional activities. Conclusions. The research made it possible to find out that excellent physical condition is an integral part of the quality and successful performance of assigned tasks in accordance with the position held and the foundation of their combat readiness.

A survey on brachytherapy training of gynecological cancer focusing on the competence of residents in China.

The brachytherapy is an indispensable treatment for gynecological tumors, but the quality and efficiency of brachytherapy training for residents is still unclear. An anonymous questionnaire was designed to collect information on gynecological brachytherapy (GBT) training for radiation oncology residents from 28 training bases in China. The questionnaire content was designed based on the principle of competency based medical education (CBME). The Likert scale was employed to evaluate self-reported competence and comprehension regarding GBT. A total of 132 senior residents were included in the final analysis. 53.79% (71/132) of senior residents had experience in performing image-guided GBT, whereas 76.52% (101/132) had observed the procedure during their standardized residency training. The proportion of senior residents who reported having the self-reported competence to independently complete the GBT was 78.03% for intracavity GBT, 75.00% for vaginal stump GBT, and 50.03% for interstitial GBT, respectively. The number of successful completion of Interstitial, intracavity and vaginal GBT was correlated with the self- confidence of trainees after standardized training. In particular, the independent completion of interstitial GBT for more than 20 cases was an independent factor for the self-reported competence of senior residents. During the training period, 50.76% and 56.82% of the residents had not participated in the specialized examinations and professional GBT courses. The study revealed that the self-confidence of residents to independently complete brachytherapy was relatively high, and the specialized curriculum setting and training process assessment for brachytherapy training still need to be strengthened in the future.

Community Health Work and Social Work Collaboration: Integration in Health Care and Public Health Settings: A Conceptual Framework.

Community health worker (CHW) and social worker (SW) collaboration is crucial to illness prevention and intervention, yet systems often engage the 2 workforces in silos and miss opportunities for cross-sector alignment. In 2021, a national workgroup of over 2 dozen CHWs, SWs, and public health experts convened to improve CHW/SW collaboration and integration across the United States. The workgroup developed a conceptual framework that describes structural, systemic, and organizational factors that influence CHW/SW collaboration. Best practices include standardized training, delineated roles and scopes of practice, clear workflows, regular communication, a shared system for documentation, and ongoing support or supervision.

Transgender health objectives of training for adult Endocrinology and Metabolism programs: Outcomes of a modified-Delphi study.

Transgender people encounter significant barriers when seeking timely, high-quality healthcare, resulting in unmet medical needs with increased rates of diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and HIV. The paucity of postgraduate medical education to invest in standardization of transgender health training sustains these barriers, leaving physicians feeling unprepared and averse to provide transgender health care. Closing this education gap and improving transgender healthcare necessitates the development of consensus-built transgender health objectives of training (THOOT), particularly in Adult Endocrinology and Metabolism Residency programs. We conducted a two-round modified-Delphi process involving a nationally representative panel of experts, including Adult Endocrinology and Metabolism program directors, physician content experts, residents, and transgender community members, to identify THOOT for inclusion in Canadian Endocrinology and Metabolism Residency programs. Participants used a 5-point Likert scale to assess THOOT importance for curricular inclusion, with opportunities for written feedback. Data was collected through Qualtrics and analyzed after each round. In the first Delphi round, panelists reviewed and rated 81 literature extracted THOOT, achieving consensus on all objectives. Following panelists' feedback, 5 THOOT were added, 9 removed, 34 consolidated into 12 objectives, and 47 were rephrased or retained. In the second Delphi round, panelists assessed 55 THOOT. Consensus was established for 8 THOOT. Program directors' post-Delphi feedback further consolidated objectives to arrive at 4 THOOT for curriculum inclusion. To our knowledge, this is the first time a consensus-based approach has been used to establish THOOT for any subspecialty postgraduate medicine program across Canada or the United States. Our results lay the foundation towards health equity and social justice in transgender health medical education, offering a blueprint for future innovations.

You Can Have Your Cake and Eat It Too: Ensuring Practical Robustness and Privacy in Federated Learning

Inherently, federated learning (FL) robustness is very challenging to guarantee, especially when trying to maintain privacy. Compared to standard ML settings, FL's open training process allows for malicious clients to easily go under the radar. Alongside this, malicious clients can easily collude to attack the training process continuously, and without detection. FL models are also still susceptible to attacks on standard ML training procedures. This massive attack surface makes balancing the tradeoff between utility, practicality, robustness, and privacy extremely challenging. While there have been proposed defenses to attacks using popular privacy-preserving primitives, such as fully homomorphic encryption, they often face trouble balancing an all-important question that is present in all privacy-preserving systems: How much utility and practicality am I willing to give up to ensure privacy and robustness? In this work, we discuss a practical approach towards secure and robust FL and the challenges that face this field of emerging research.

Unveiling the Multifaceted Capabilities of Endophytic Aspergillus flavus Isolated from Annona squamosa Fruit Peels against Staphylococcus Isolates and HCoV 229E-In Vitro and In Silico Investigations.

Recently, there has been a surge towards searching for primitive treatment strategies to discover novel therapeutic approaches against multi-drug-resistant pathogens. Endophytes are considered unexplored yet perpetual sources of several secondary metabolites with therapeutic significance. This study aims to isolate and identify the endophytic fungi from Annona squamosa L. fruit peels using morphological, microscopical, and transcribed spacer (ITS-rDNA) sequence analysis; extract the fungus's secondary metabolites by ethyl acetate; investigate the chemical profile using UPLC/MS; and evaluate the potential antibacterial, antibiofilm, and antiviral activities. An endophytic fungus was isolated and identified as Aspergillus flavus L. from the fruit peels. The UPLC/MS revealed seven compounds with various chemical classes. The antimicrobial activity of the fungal ethyl acetate extract (FEA) was investigated against different Gram-positive and Gram-negative standard strains, in addition to resistant clinical isolates using the agar diffusion method. The CPE-inhibition assay was used to identify the potential antiviral activity of the crude fungal extract against low pathogenic human coronavirus (HCoV 229E). Selective Gram-positive antibacterial and antibiofilm activities were evident, demonstrating pronounced efficacy against both methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). However, the extract exhibited very weak activity against Gram-negative bacterial strains. The ethyl acetate extract of Aspergillus flavus L exhibited an interesting antiviral activity with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of 27.2 µg/mL against HCoV 229E. Furthermore, in silico virtual molecular docking-coupled dynamics simulation highlighted the promising affinity of the identified metabolite, orienting towards three MRSA biotargets and HCoV 229E main protease as compared to reported reference inhibitors/substrates. Finally, ADME analysis was conducted to evaluate the potential oral bioavailability of the identified metabolites.

Vitamin D and vitamin K1 as novel inhibitors of biofilm in Gram-negative bacteria

BackgroundThe persistent surge in antimicrobial resistance represents a global disaster. The initial attachment and maturation of microbial biofilms are intimately related to antimicrobial resistance, which in turn exacerbates the challenge of eradicating bacterial infections. Consequently, there is a pressing need for novel therapies to be employed either independently or as adjuvants to diminish bacterial virulence and pathogenicity. In this context, we propose a novel approach focusing on vitamin D and vitamin K1 as potential antibiofilm agents that target Gram-negative bacteria which are hazardous to human health.ResultsOut of 130 Gram-negative bacterial isolates, 117 were confirmed to be A. baumannii (21 isolates, 17.9%), K. pneumoniae (40 isolates, 34.2%) and P. aeruginosa (56 isolates, 47.9%). The majority of the isolates were obtained from blood and wound specimens (27.4% each). Most of the isolates exhibited high resistance rates to β-lactams (60.7–100%), ciprofloxacin (62.5–100%), amikacin (53.6–76.2%) and gentamicin (65-71.4%). Approximately 93.2% of the isolates were biofilm producers, with 6.8% categorized as weak, 42.7% as moderate, and 50.4% as strong biofilm producers. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of vitamin D and vitamin K1 were 625–1250 µg mL-1 and 2500–5000 µg mL-1, respectively, against A. baumannii (A5, A20 and A21), K. pneumoniae (K25, K27 and K28), and P. aeruginosa (P8, P16, P24 and P27) clinical isolates and standard strains A. baumannii (ATCC 19606 and ATCC 17978), K. pneumoniae (ATCC 51503) and P. aeruginosa PAO1 and PAO14. Both vitamins significantly decreased bacterial attachment and significantly eradicated mature biofilms developed by the selected standard and clinical Gram-negative isolates. The anti-biofilm effects of both supplements were confirmed by a notable decrease in the relative expression of the biofilm-encoding genes cusD, bssS and pelA in A. baumannii A5, K. pneumoniae K28 and P. aeruginosa P16, respectively.ConclusionThis study highlights the anti-biofilm activity of vitamins D and K1 against the tested Gram-negative strains, which emphasizes the potential of these vitamins for use as adjuvant therapies to increase the efficacy of treatment for infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains and biofilm-forming phenotypes. However, further validation through in vivo studies is needed to confirm these promising results.

Body mass assessment of male soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine

Body weight control of male soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is not only about ensuring their somatic (physical) health. It is also the choice of proper nutrition, neat appearance, successful passing physical training tests, high work capacity and timely performance of military duties. Moreover, it is also the presence of special criteria – norms (standards), the development of which has unreasonably little attention in the past in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but in the current conditions they are extremely relevant. Excessive body weight, and especially obesity, reduces a person’s work capacity, complicates intellectual and physical activity, causes disability, premature aging and shortened life expectancy. Body weight standards should be universal enough to take into account as much as possible departmental interests, in particular the military, and to cover individual characteristics of human development, such as height, age, and body constitution. The purpose of the study is to improve body weight assessment system of male servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with different height, age and body constitution. Methods of the study are as following: theoretical analysis and generalization; extrapolation; method of least squares; regression analysis. Material: according to the authors’ formula of optimal body weight for men of different height, age and different body constitution, the limits of body weight norms for nine age groups were obtained in accordance with the requirements of physical training standards. Results: a table of minimum and maximum body weight for servicemen of different heights depending on the age group was developed. A methodology for assessing the body weight of military personnel, taking into account their body constitution, has been developed. Conclusions. To estimate the body weight of male servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, a table has been developed within the height range from 1.50 to 2.06 m in nine age groups from 18 to 60 years and older for soldiers with different body constitutions. In the case when body weight of male servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine exceeds the table requirements, it is necessary to obtain the percentage of its deviation from the optimal body weight for men of different height, age and different body constitution, which is calculated according to the formula: Optimal body weight for men = (4.7619 × wrist circumference – 90.4762) × (0/08135×age+21.6916) × L2 / 100+(0.08135 × age + 21.6916) × L2 . If the body weight differs from the optimal body weight for men by no more than ±10%, then it meets the requirements of the norm.