Bimandra A. Djaafara, Verry Adrian, Etrina Eriawati
et al.
Diphtheria has resurged globally, including in Indonesia, despite widespread vaccination since the 1970s. Knowledge gaps persist in understanding contemporary transmission drivers and effective outbreak control, especially in densely populated areas like Jakarta. We analyzed the 2017 Jakarta outbreak data and developed a compartmental model incorporating estimates of population susceptibility and asymptomatic carriers. Key epidemiological parameters were estimated, and various control measures were simulated. Our study found overall diphtheria susceptibility at 12.9 % (95 % CrI: 8.6 %–19.0 %) and 28.0 % (95 % CrI: 20.5 %–36.0 %) in children under 5 under different modeling scenarios, which were below the 'herd immunity threshold'. We estimated asymptomatic carriers to be highly prevalent, substantially contributing to the reproduction number. The model indicated that contact tracing and treating suspected cases and their contacts were more effective in preventing new cases than catch-up vaccination alone. These findings provide valuable insights for future outbreak management strategies in similar settings.
This study investigated the bioactivities of maca (Lepidium meyenii Walp.) leaf extract fractions obtained using deep eutectic solvent (DES)-based ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) followed by macroporous resin chromatography. Four fractions (Fr. 1 – Fr. 4) were obtained by elution with ethanol of varying concentrations (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, v/v ), and subsequently total phenolic content (TPC), total saponin content (TSC), and individual phenolic contents as well as their anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and antioxidant activity were determined. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that TSC and TPC were strongly associated with biological activities, including 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) cation radical scavenging activities, as well as α-glucosidase and nitric oxide (NO) inhibitory activities. Fr. 4, characterized by a high TSC (260.95 mg oleanolic acid equivalents (OAE)/g dry weight, DW), exhibited notable anti-inflammatory activity, inhibiting NO production by 36.30% at 60 μg/mL. Fr. 3, with TSC of 219.37 mg OAE/g DW and TPC of 53.45 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/g DW, showed strong antidiabetic activity with an IC50 value of 0.24 mg/mL for α-glucosidase inhibition. Fr. 2, enriched in phenolic compounds and with high TPC of 104.78 mg GAE/g DW, demonstrated potent antioxidant activity, with IC 50 values of 0.52 mg/mL and 0.38 mg/mL in DPPH and ABTS assays, respectively. These results indicate that macroporous resin chromatography is effective in obtaining fractions enriched in phenolic compounds and saponins from maca leaf extracts prepared by DES-based UAE, highlighting their potential application as functional food ingredients.
Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) is the most important economic freshwater fish species in China. The stable production of high-quality grass carp depends significantly on excellent germplasm. In recent years, the generation of new germplasm based on genome editing has been applied to various cultured fish species. However, until now, there has been very few reports on the application of genome editing technology in grass carp. In this study, one-cell-stage embryos of grass carp were acquired through hormone-induced artificial spawning, thereby enabling the performance of genome editing in this species. The tyrb gene was isolated and chosen as the target of CRISPR/Cas9, because of its easily observable phenotype in F0 mutants. RT-PCR results indicated a high expression level of the tyrb gene in both skin and fin tissues. Subsequently, after the microinjection of the guide RNA (gRNA) and Cas9 protein mixture, targeted mutations were successfully identified through Sanger sequencing. Phenotypic analysis of the F0 mutants revealed that the disruption of tyrb led to a distinct golden phenotype, accompanied by a reduction or even absence of melanophores. Moreover, our data demonstrated that the combined utilization of two or three gRNAs caused large DNA fragment loss and a higher mutation rate in the F0 generation. Overall, this represents an application of CRISPR/Cas9 genome-editing technology in grass carp and may hold great significance for the future generation of new golden grass carp germplasm.
This study aims to examine the plant stress responses induced by the water transport of matrix materials from the eroded and degraded asbestos cement materials. The paper includes a general assessment of the exposure and risk factors of the plant-water-soil system to asbestos cement products. Furthermore, the results of the experimental analysis provide empirical support for the plant stress response results according to the physiological and germination parameters of the tested plants. The background to the topic is that the contamination of irrigation water by asbestos cement raises serious environmental concerns, with toxicity to plants and soil contamination potentially having negative consequences for vegetation health and soil quality. In the presence of asbestos in water, plants are exposed to toxic stress, which can inhibit photosynthesis and nutrient uptake, but can also affect germination processes. The growth, reproduction and flourishing of plants also be at risk, as asbestos has adverse effects on cell division and metabolism. In addition, environmental stress can make plants more susceptible to disease and insect attack. This paper analysed the effects of pre-set dose concentrations of irrigation water containing asbestos cement matrix on the germination and physiological parameters of Trifolium pratense and Solanum lycopersicum in a germination experiment. The research area of the paper was influenced by the lack of minimum international practice, standards, and methodology. Therefore, the used methodology provides an opportunity for methodological development. The results can be used as a situation analysis for environmental plant protection and analytical professionals.
Abstract Amphibians and reptiles, especially the critically endangered Chinese alligators, are vulnerable to climate change. Historically, the decline in suitable habitats and fragmentation has restricted the distribution of Chinese alligators to a small area in southeast Anhui Province in China. However, the effects of climate change on range‐restricted Chinese alligator habitats are largely unknown. We aimed to predict current and future (2050s and 2070s) Chinese alligator distribution and identify priority conservation areas under climate change. We employed species distribution models, barycenter migration analyses, and the Marxian model to assess current and future Chinese alligator distribution and identify priority conservation areas under climate change. The results showed that the lowest temperature and rainfall seasonality in the coldest month were the two most important factors affecting the distribution of Chinese alligators. Future predictions indicate a reduction (3.39%–98.41%) in suitable habitats and a westward shift in their distribution. Further, the study emphasizes that suitable habitats for Chinese alligators are threatened by climate change. Despite the impact of the Anhui Chinese Alligator National Nature Reserve, protection gaps persist, with 78.27% of the area lacking priority protected area. Our study provides crucial data for Chinese alligator adaptation to climate change and underscores the need for improved conservation strategies. Future research should refine conservation efforts, consider individual plasticity, and address identified limitations to enhance the resilience of Chinese alligator populations in the face of ongoing climate change.
Özge Tunçalp, Antoine Geissbuhler, María Barreix
et al.
Introduction Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are a leading cause of maternal deaths globally and require close monitoring of blood pressure (BP) to mitigate potential adverse effects. Despite the recognised need for research on self-monitoring of blood pressure (SMBP) among pregnant populations, there are very few studies focused on low and middle income contexts, which carry the greatest burden of HDPs. The study aims to understand the perceptions, barriers, and operational considerations for using a smartphone software application to perform SMBP by pregnant women in Lombok, Indonesia.Methods and analysis This study includes a combination of focus group discussions, in-depth interviews and workshop observations. Pregnant women will also be provided with a research version of the smartphone BP application to use in their home and subsequently provide feedback on their experiences. The study will include pregnant women with current or past HDP, their partners and the healthcare workers involved in the provision of antenatal care services within the catchment area of six primary healthcare centres. Data obtained from the interviews and observations will undergo thematic analyses using a combination of both inductive and deductive approaches.Ethics and dissemination The study was approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) and Human Reproduction Programme (HRP) Research Project Review Panel and WHO Ethical Review Committee (A65932) as well as the Health Research Ethics Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Mataram in Indonesia (004/UN18/F7/ETIK/2023).Findings will be disseminated through research publications and communicated to the Lombok district health offices. The analyses from this study will also inform the design of a subsequent impact evaluation.
This study evaluated the effect of intrauterine perfusion of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) on pregnancy outcomes in women with recurrent implantation failure (RIF). Key biomedical databases were searched to identify relevant clinical trials and observational studies. Outcomes included clinical pregnancy rate, chemical pregnancy rate, implantation rate, live birth rate, and abortion rate. Data was extracted from ten studies (six randomised controlled trials, four cohort studies) involving 1555 patients. Pregnancy outcomes were improved in women treated with PRP compared to controls: clinical pregnancy rate (RR = 1.96, 95% CI [1.67, 2.31], p < 0.00001, I2 = 46%), chemical pregnancy rate (RR = 1.79, 95% CI [1.54, 2.08], p < 0.00001, I2 = 29%), implantation rate (RR = 1.90, CI [1.50, 2.41], p < 0.00001, I2 = 0%), live birth rate (RR = 2.83, CI [1.45, 5.52], p = 0.0007, I2 = 83%), abortion rate (RR = 0.40, 95% CI [0.18, 0.90], p = 0.03, I2 = 59%). These data imply PRP has potential to improve pregnancy outcomes in women with RIF, suggesting a promising role in assisted reproductive technology.IMPACT STATEMENT What is already known on this subject? Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous blood product that contains platelets, various growth factors, and cytokines at concentrations above the normal baseline level. Recent studies have shown that intrauterine infusion of autologous PRP can improve pregnancy outcomes in infertile women. What do the results of this study add? This systematic review and meta-analysis of data from ten studies (n = 1555; 775 cases and 780 controls) investigated the effect of intrauterine perfusion of autologous PRP on pregnancy outcomes in women with recurrent implantation failure (RIF). Findings suggest that pregnancy outcomes, including clinical pregnancy rate, chemical pregnancy rate, implantation rate, live birth rate and abortion rate were improved in women treated with PRP compared to controls. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? RIF remains a challenge for researchers, clinicians, and patients. Our study identified PRP as a potential intervention in assisted reproduction. As an autologous blood preparation, PRP eliminates the risk of an immune response and transmission of disease. PRP is low cost and effective and may represent a new approach to the treatment of patients with RIF.
Globally insects are declining, but some guilds of pollinators are finding refuge in urban landscapes. The body of knowledge on urban pollinators is relatively mature, which means it is now possible to begin to make generalization. Unfortunately, studies do not represent climatic regions evenly and there is a gap in research from the African continent. This study aimed to address some of the gaps on urban pollination knowledge in South Africa and to identify opportunities to improve urban habitats for pollinators. We reviewed the international literature on urban pollinators and the South African literature on pollinators with a landscape ecology focus, drawing on literature with an emphasis on agricultural and ecosystem services. The findings show that some taxa (e.g. large-bodied, cavity nesting bees) will exploit urban environments increasing in abundance with urban intensity. Moderately sensitive taxa (such as small-bodied, ground-nesting bees) take advantage of urban environments only if local habitats are supportive of their needs for resource provision and habitat connectivity. The South African urban poor rely on pollination services for subsistence agriculture and the reproduction of wild-foraged medicines and food. Potential interventions to improve habitat quality include strategic mowing practices, conversion of turf-grass to floral rich habitats, scientific confirmation of lists of highly attractive flowers, and inclusion of small-scale flower patches throughout the urban matrix. Further research is needed to fill the Africa gap for both specialized and generalized pollinators (Diptera, Halictids, Lepidoptera and Hopliini) in urban areas where ornamental and indigenous flowering plants are valued.
The Harrison Horblit Collection at the Harvard University’s Houghton Library contains a remarkable daguerreotype plate by the Boston firm Southworth & Hawes. It reproduces an engraving after Raphael’s Transfiguration. Whereas reproductive printmaking normally seeks to produce multiples of a unique original, daguerreotype reproductions open a space of ambiguity between the categories of original and reproduction since daguerreotypes are unique objects. Much is lost in this translation, but what is gained? If reproduction of paintings normally renders the singular multiple, what happens when a painting is reproduced as a unique image? Why was this daguerreotype created? Southworth & Hawes specialized in portraits of celebrities and considered themselves artists. Why then did they make a daguerreotype of an engraving of a painting? And why this painting?Their image of an image of an image is at once simply duplicative and a meditation on photography itself – an expanded conception of photography that figures it as spiritual and conceptual practice, as is suggested in other conflations of image reproduction and transfiguration within Southworth & Hawes’ oeuvre as well. The logic of the Southworth & Hawes’ Transfiguration becomes less a conundrum when considered in relation to two of their other images, one of the branded hand of abolitionist Jonathan Walker, the other a self-portrait representing Southworth’s torso as a classical sculpture. Translation, transfiguration, body, soul and image are closely imbricated in all three of these daguerreotypes, each produced during the height of New England Transcendentalism. While Raphael’s Transfiguration epitomizes the intersection of the human and a divine being as Scriptural drama, The Branded Hand and Southworth as a Classical Bust allude to the spiritual realm through representation of the soul’s transcendence of the suffering body rather than direct reference to scripture. The Branded Hand detaches subject from the context of the body as a whole; Walker’s wound appears in the image as the silvery trace of the price paid for his abolitionist conviction. The portrait of Southworth separates an individual man’s identity from the more allegorical presence, while presenting suggestions of sorrow as emblems of spiritual elevation. But beyond this, the transmedial daguerreotype of the print of the Raphael announces itself as visual metonymy; the transfiguration of Christ in the painting also conveys the transfigurative power of the photographic medium itself.