Characteristics of Opioid Toxicity Deaths Among Adolescents and Young Adults in Ontario Prior To and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

PURPOSE: To characterize opioid toxicity deaths among adolescents and young adults in Ontario, Canada, prior to and during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional study of opioid toxicity deaths among individuals aged 15-24 in Ontario in the year prior to (March 17, 2019, to March 16, 2020) and the first year of the pandemic (March 17, 2020, to March 16, 2021) using administrative health databases. We analyzed circumstances surrounding death, substances contributing to death, and health-care encounters prior to death. RESULTS: We identified 284 deaths among Ontarians aged 15-24, including 115 in the year preceding and 169 in the first year of the pandemic. Fentanyl contributed to 84.3% of deaths in the prepandemic year, rising to 93.5% (p = .012) the following year. Stimulants contributed to approximately half of deaths in both periods (41.7% prepandemic and 49.1% during pandemic). In both periods, roughly one in 4 decedents had a health-care encounter in the week prior to death and less than 20% of those with an opioid use disorder received opioid agonist treatment in the 30 days prior to death. DISCUSSION: Among young Ontarians, the number of opioid-related deaths increased by 47% in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fentanyl contributed to the vast majority of deaths, with non-opioid substances (primarily stimulants) also contributing to approximately half of deaths. Patterns of health-care utilization prior to death suggest opportunities to better connect this population to services that address opioid use disorder needs and promote harm reduction.

Recyclable Cu-Ag bimetallic nanocatalyst for radical scavenging, dyes removal and antimicrobial applications.

An ecofriendly and cost effective green method has been used for the synthesis of recyclable, high functional nanoparticles. Bimetallic nanoparticles (BmNPs), Cu-Ag, have been synthesized using beetroot extract as reducing and capping agent. Formation of BmNPs was initially confirmed by UV-visible analysis, having distinct peaks of Ag at 429 nm and Cu at 628 nm. FTIR analysis also confirmed the association of bioactive phytochemicals with Cu-Ag nanoparticles. Crystallinity and morphology of BmNPs was determined through X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS) and energy dispersion X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX). The size of spherical shape Cu-Ag BmNPs was found to be 75.58 nm and EDAX studies confirmed the percent elemental composition of Cu and Ag in synthesized nanocatalyst. Results of different analysis provided supported evidences regarding the formation of BmNPs. Catalytic potential of BmNPs was tested for the degradation of rhodamine B (Rh-B), methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) dyes. Cu-Ag BmNPs exhibited outstanding catalytic activity for the degradation of selected organic dyes and percent degradation was recorded more than 90% for each dye. In addition, antiradical property of BmNPs was tested employing DPPH● and ABTS●+ assays and it was found to be promising. Synthesized BmNPs also exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against Salmonella typhimurium and Bacillus subtilis. Recyclability of nanoparticles was also evaluated and recovery from dye degradation reaction mixture was successfully achieved. The recovered nanoparticles exhibited same catalytic potential for the degradation of Rh-B. The objective of the current study was to synthesize BmNPs Cu-Ag employing a cost effective green method having promising catalytic, antiradical and antimicrobial potential. Further, BmNPs were reused after recovery from catalytic reactions, proving that BmNPs can be recycled having the same efficiency as that of a freshly prepared Cu-Ag BmNPs.

Age-related variations in the in vitro bactericidal activity of human sera against Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

The human serum is a vital component of the innate immunity of the host that acts as the first line of defence against invading pathogens. A key player in serum-mediated innate immune defence is a system of more than 35 proteins, collectively named as the complement system. After exposure of the pathogen, these proteins are activated in a cascade manner, ultimately forming a membrane attack complex (MAC) on the surface of the pathogen that directly lyses the bacterial cell. Formation of the MAC can be demonstrated in vitro by using serum bactericidal assay (SBA) that works in the absence of cellular components of blood after incubating the serum along with bacteria. Here, we describe the age-related differences in the bactericidal activity of human serum against Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an opportunistic human pathogen causing an array of hospital and community-acquired infections. We demonstrate that adult sera were highly effective in the in vitro killing of Pseudomonas aeruginosa as compared to children and the elderly (p < 0.0001). Sera from children were seriously compromised in the killing P. aeruginosa, whereas elderly sera showed a reduced level of killing. Data revealed a positive correlation between age and serum-killing with higher coefficient of determination values of 0.34, 0.27, and 0.58 and p values of < 0.0001, < 0.001, and < 0.0001, respectively, after 60, 90, and 120 minutes of incubation. Hence, our study highlights the age-related difference in the bactericidal activity of human sera. We conclude that sera of children are totally compromised, whereas elderly sera are only partially compromised, in the killing of P. aeruginosa.