Gut microbiome and metabolome profiling in Framingham heart study reveals cholesterol-metabolizing bacteria.

Accumulating evidence suggests that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is associated with an altered gut microbiome. Our understanding of the underlying mechanisms has been hindered by lack of matched multi-omic data with diagnostic biomarkers. To comprehensively profile gut microbiome contributions to CVD, we generated stool metagenomics and metabolomics from 1,429 Framingham Heart Study participants. We identified blood lipids and cardiovascular health measurements associated with microbiome and metabolome composition. Integrated analysis revealed microbial pathways implicated in CVD, including flavonoid, γ-butyrobetaine, and cholesterol metabolism. Species from the Oscillibacter genus were associated with decreased fecal and plasma cholesterol levels. Using functional prediction and in vitro characterization of multiple representative human gut Oscillibacter isolates, we uncovered conserved cholesterol-metabolizing capabilities, including glycosylation and dehydrogenation. These findings suggest that cholesterol metabolism is a broad property of phylogenetically diverse Oscillibacter spp., with potential benefits for lipid homeostasis and cardiovascular health.

Protein Language Models Uncover Carbohydrate-Active Enzyme Function in Metagenomics.

In metagenomics, the pool of uncharacterized microbial enzymes presents a challenge for functional annotation. Among these, carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) stand out due to their pivotal roles in various biological processes related to host health and nutrition. Here, we present CAZyLingua, the first tool that harnesses protein language model embeddings to build a deep learning framework that facilitates the annotation of CAZymes in metagenomic datasets. Our benchmarking results showed on average a higher F1 score (reflecting an average of precision and recall) on the annotated genomes of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Eggerthella lenta and Ruminococcus gnavus compared to the traditional sequence homology-based method in dbCAN2. We applied our tool to a paired mother/infant longitudinal dataset and revealed unannotated CAZymes linked to microbial development during infancy. When applied to metagenomic datasets derived from patients affected by fibrosis-prone diseases such as Crohn's disease and IgG4-related disease, CAZyLingua uncovered CAZymes associated with disease and healthy states. In each of these metagenomic catalogs, CAZyLingua discovered new annotations that were previously overlooked by traditional sequence homology tools. Overall, the deep learning model CAZyLingua can be applied in combination with existing tools to unravel intricate CAZyme evolutionary profiles and patterns, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of microbial metabolic dynamics.

Value of stent boost imaging in decision making after coronary stenting.

BACKGROUND: Several studies reported the comparability of digital stent enhancement techniques (including stent boost imaging) in detecting suboptimal results of coronary stenting with Intra Vascular Ultrasound and optical coherence tomography. AIMS: to assess results of stent deployment and determine the incidence of suboptimal results requiring changing final decision using stent boost imaging. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 120 patients eligible for PCI were recruited during a period of one year (January 2021 to 2022) using DES. RESULTS: Suboptimal results were found in 38% of the PCI cases with stents (angiography guided). Importantly it was found that improper lesion preparation in our practice could not help improving stent optimization. Also, angiography guided PCI has significant incidence of suboptimal results. Digital stent enhancement techniques like stent boost have significant and important value in better decision making. After adjusting for age and sex, six factors were identified as independent predictors for final decision change (stent length, LAD/RCA affection, proximal segment affection, calcification, and optical coherence tomography. CONCLUSION: This study has confirmed the utility of stent boost for the optimization of PCI in daily practice. Stent Boost is a simple and costless technique that provides an accurate assessment of a deployed stent without extending the procedure time and without more risk. It appears to be useful for the immediate evaluation of stent expansion and optimization of PCI by additional post-dilatation, when appropriate. Future studies are needed to determine whether Stent Boost data will correlate with adverse long-term clinical outcomes in patients undergoing PCI.

Biocatalysis of triglycerides transesterification using fungal biomass: a biorefinery approach.

BACKGROUND: The use of microbial biomasses, such as fungal biomass, to catalyze the transesterification of triglycerides (TG) for biodiesel production provides a sustainable, economical alternative while still having the main advantages of expensive immobilized enzymes. RESULTS: Biomasses of Aspergillus flavus and Rhizopus stolonifera were used to catalyze the transesterification of TG in waste frying oil (WFO). Isopropanol as an acyl-acceptor reduced the catalytic capability of the biomasses, while methanol was the most potent acyl-acceptor with a final fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) concentration of 85.5 and 89.7%, w/w, for R. stolonifer and A. flavus, respectively. Different mixtures of the fungal biomasses were tested, and higher proportions of A. flavus biomass improved the mixture's catalytic capability. C. sorokiniana cultivated in synthetic wastewater was used as feedstock to cultivate A. flavus. The biomass produced had the same catalytic capability as the biomass produced in the control culture medium. Response surface methodology (RSM) was adopted using central composite design (CCD) to optimize the A. flavus biomass catalytic transesterification reaction, where temperature, methanol concentration, and biomass concentration were selected for optimization. The significance of the model was verified, and the suggested optimum reaction conditions were 25.5 °C, 250 RPM agitation with 14%, w/w, biomass, 3 mol/L methanol, and a reaction duration of 24 h. The suggested optimum conditions were tested to validate the model and a final FAME concentration of 95.53%. w/w was detected. CONCLUSION: Biomasses cocktails might be a legitimate possibility to provide a cheaper technical solution for industrial applications than immobilized enzymes. The use of fungal biomass cultivated on the microalgae recovered from wastewater treatment for the catalysis of transesterification reaction provides an additional piece of the puzzle of biorefinery. Optimizing the transesterification reaction led to a valid prediction model with a final FAME concentration of 95.53%, w/w.

Performance aware shared memory hierarchy model for multicore processors.

Despite the fact that multicore processors have a better instruction execution speed and lower power consumption, they also encounter a set of design challenges. The appearance of multicore and many core architectures has raised the problem of managing shared hierarchical memory systems. The main focus of this paper is to evaluate the behavior of shared hierarchical memory systems by modeling their response time analytically. Since the gap between the memory and processor speed increases rapidly, it gets more crucial to find an analytical model that includes the significant factors that affect the performance of hierarchical memory systems. The proposed model considers the interdependence between different memory layers and differentiates between the memory response time and memory system time. Moreover, the model evaluates the effect of memory hierarchy on the variance of the memory access time. The existence of a large variance can lead to extremely long wait queues which can dramatically affect the performance of multicore processors.

Differences in Mechanical and Physicochemical Properties of Several PTFE Membranes Used in Guided Bone Regeneration.

Non-resorbable PTFE membranes are frequently used in dental-guided bone regeneration (GBR). However, there is a lack of detailed comparative studies that define variations among commonly used PTFE membranes in daily dental clinical practice. The aim of this study was to examine differences in physicochemical and mechanical properties of several recent commercial PTFE membranes for dental GBR (CytoplastTM TXT-200, permamem®, NeoGen®, Surgitime, OsseoGuard®-TXT, OsseoGuard®-NTXT). Such differences have been rarely recorded so far, which might be a reason for the varied clinical results. For that reason, we analyzed their surface architecture, chemical composition, tensile strength, Young's modulus, wettability, roughness, density, thickness and porosity. SEM revealed different microarchitectures among the non-textured membranes; the textured ones had hexagonal indentations and XPS indicated an identical spectral portfolio in all membranes. NeoGen® was determined to be the strongest and OsseoGuard®-TXT was the most elastic. Wettability and roughness were highest for Surgitime but lowest for OsseoGuard®-NTXT. Furthermore, permamem® was the thinnest and NeoGen® was identified as the thickest investigated GBR membrane. The defect volumes and defect volume ratio (%) varied significantly, indicating that permamem® had the least imperfect structure, followed by NeoGen® and then Cytoplast TM TXT-200. These differences may potentially affect the clinical outcomes of dental GBR procedures.

Genetic Screens Identify Additional Genes Implicated in Envelope Remodeling during the Engulfment Stage of Bacillus subtilis Sporulation.

During bacterial endospore formation, the developing spore is internalized into the mother cell through a phagocytic-like process called engulfment, which involves synthesis and hydrolysis of peptidoglycan. Engulfment peptidoglycan hydrolysis requires the widely conserved and well-characterized DMP complex, composed of SpoIID, SpoIIM, and SpoIIP. In contrast, although peptidoglycan synthesis has been implicated in engulfment, the protein players involved are less well defined. The widely conserved SpoIIIAH-SpoIIQ interaction is also required for engulfment efficiency, functioning like a ratchet to promote membrane migration around the forespore. Here, we screened for additional factors required for engulfment using transposon sequencing in Bacillus subtilis mutants with mild engulfment defects. We discovered that YrvJ, a peptidoglycan hydrolase, and the MurA paralog MurAB, involved in peptidoglycan precursor synthesis, are required for efficient engulfment. Cytological analyses suggest that both factors are important for engulfment when the DMP complex is compromised and that MurAB is additionally required when the SpoIIIAH-SpoIIQ ratchet is abolished. Interestingly, despite the importance of MurAB for sporulation in B. subtilis, phylogenetic analyses of MurA paralogs indicate that there is no correlation between sporulation and the number of MurA paralogs and further reveal the existence of a third MurA paralog, MurAC, within the Firmicutes. Collectively, our studies identify two new factors that are required for efficient envelop remodeling during sporulation and highlight the importance of peptidoglycan precursor synthesis for efficient engulfment in B. subtilis and likely other endospore-forming bacteria. IMPORTANCE In bacteria, cell envelope remodeling is critical for cell growth and division. This is also the case during the development of bacteria into highly resistant endospores (spores), known as sporulation. During sporulation, the developing spore becomes internalized inside the mother cell through a phagocytic-like process called engulfment, which is essential to form the cell envelope of the spore. Engulfment involves both the synthesis and hydrolysis of peptidoglycan and the stabilization of migrating membranes around the developing spore. Importantly, although peptidoglycan synthesis has been implicated during engulfment, the specific genes that contribute to this molecular element of engulfment have remained unclear. Our study identifies two new factors that are required for efficient envelope remodeling during engulfment and emphasizes the importance of peptidoglycan precursor synthesis for efficient engulfment in the model organism Bacillus subtilis and likely other endospore-forming bacteria. Finally, our work highlights the power of synthetic screens to reveal additional genes that contribute to essential processes during sporulation.

Inflammation-associated nitrate facilitates ectopic colonization of oral bacterium Veillonella parvula in the intestine.

Colonization of the intestine by oral microbes has been linked to multiple diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer, yet mechanisms allowing expansion in this niche remain largely unknown. Veillonella parvula, an asaccharolytic, anaerobic, oral microbe that derives energy from organic acids, increases in abundance in the intestine of patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Here we show that nitrate, a signature metabolite of inflammation, allows V. parvula to transition from fermentation to anaerobic respiration. Nitrate respiration, through the narGHJI operon, boosted Veillonella growth on organic acids and also modulated its metabolic repertoire, allowing it to use amino acids and peptides as carbon sources. This metabolic shift was accompanied by changes in carbon metabolism and ATP production pathways. Nitrate respiration was fundamental for ectopic colonization in a mouse model of colitis, because a V. parvula narG deletion mutant colonized significantly less than a wild-type strain during inflammation. These results suggest that V. parvula harness conditions present during inflammation to colonize in the intestine.

The impact of health status on attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination.

Background and Aims: The COVID-19 outbreak has had an overwhelming effect on societies' access to essential services. Human-to-human transmission facilitates the spread of the disease, as do other conditions, such as temperature. Individuals with underlying health conditions are at increased risk of acquiring and suffering the devastating effects of COVID-19. Consequently, vaccine manufacturing was envisaged as a milestone toward "normalizing" the world. While scholarly attention has focused on attitudes toward vaccination, the relationship between health status and attitudes toward vaccination is understudied. This study attempted to fill this knowledge gap by assessing the impact of health status on attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine. Methods: We developed a 26-item questionnaire titled "Attitudes toward COVID-19 Vaccination Scale" for data collection. A total of 1047 school or university staff members from 22 countries completed the questionnaire. The data were initially validated using exploratory factor analysis to determine its structure and subsequently analyzed using SPSS version 28. Two-way factorial analysis of variance and multiple regression analysis were performed to understand the influence of health status on attitudes toward vaccination. Results: The results showed a direct effect of health status on attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination, (Step 1; ß = 0.11, p = 0.001; Step 2: ß = 0.10, p = 0.001). In Step 2 also, vaccination status (ß = 0.22, p = 0.001) and place of residence (ß = -0.08, p = 0.04) also influenced attitudes towards vaccination. Health status also moderated the relation between attitude and education level (F[3, 1038] = 3.04) of participants. Conclusion: Results show possible fear and hesitancy toward COVID-19 vaccination among those with underlying health conditions. Therefore, expeditious sensitization programs may be needed to promote the importance of vaccination for developing resistance against COVID-19 and vaccine acceptance. However, such initiatives should target vulnerable groups in society. Policymakers could focus on improving sensitization toward COVID-19 vaccination among those living with underlying health conditions.

FtsK and SpoIIIE, coordinators of chromosome segregation and envelope remodeling in bacteria.

The translocation of DNA during bacterial cytokinesis is mediated by the SpoIIIE/FtsK family of proteins. These proteins ensure efficient chromosome segregation into sister cells by ATP-driven translocation of DNA and they control chromosome dimer resolution. How FtsK/SpoIIIE mediate chromosome translocation during cytokinesis in Gram-positive and Gram-negative organisms has been the subject of debate. Studies on FtsK in Escherichia coli, and recent work on SpoIIIE in Bacillus subtilis, have identified interactions between each translocase and the division machinery, supporting the idea that SpoIIIE and FtsK coordinate the final steps of cytokinesis with completion of chromosome segregation. Here we summarize and discuss the view that SpoIIIE and FtsK play similar roles in coordinating cytokinesis with chromosome segregation, during growth and differentiation.

Eco-friendly highly efficient BN/rGO/TiO2 nanocomposite visible-light photocatalyst for phenol mineralization.

Boron nitride (BN) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) of different loadings were composited with commercial P25 TiO2 (Ti) through the hydrothermal method. The as-prepared nanocomposites were characterized using various techniques: X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopies, and transmission and scanning electron microscopies. It was observed that 10% and 0.1% of BN and rGO, respectively, loaded on TiO2 (10BNr0.1GOTi) resulted in the best nanocomposite in terms of phenol degradation under simulated sunlight. A 93.4% degradation of phenol was obtained within 30 min in the presence of H2O2. Finally, to ensure the safe use of BNrGOTi nanoparticles in the aquatic environment, acute zebrafish toxicity (acutoxicity) assays were studied. The 96-h acute toxicity assays using the zebrafish embryo model revealed that the LC50 for the BNrGOTi nanoparticle was 677.8 mg L-1 and the no observed effect concentration (NOEC) was 150 mg L-1. Therefore, based on the LC50 value and according to the Fish and Wildlife Service Acute Toxicity Rating Scale, BNrGOTi is categorized as a "practically not toxic" photocatalyst for water treatment.

Correlation of echocardiographic parameters in prone and supine positions in normal adults using a novel approach.

BACKGROUND: Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in prone position is challenging. Innovative use of transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) probe to perform TTE for such patients has been described; but reproducibility and correlation of the TTE measurements by this technique with those obtained by the standard supine TTE study are still unknown. METHODS: We enrolled 30 non-COVID-19 individuals, with a mean (SD) age 35 (10.9) years and 11 females, to study the agreement between the transthoracic measurements of the left ventricular (LV), left atrial (LA), aortic dimensions, and ejection fraction (EF) obtained in prone position using an external TEE probe versus the standard supine position using the conventional TTE probe. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between LV end-diastolic and end-systolic diameters, septal wall thickness, posterior wall thickness, and aortic root dimensions in the prone versus the supine positions, while the mean EF (60.3% vs 63.1%, P = .014) and mean LA dimensions (1.8 vs 1.9 cm/m2 , P < .001) were significantly lower in the prone position. The mean time of scans was significantly longer in the prone as compared to the supine position (12.5 vs 4.5 minutes, P < .001). All supine studies had good quality while in the prone position four studies were of poor quality, and one was nondiagnostic. CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of cardiac dimensions and systolic function in the prone position using transthoracic TEE probe was feasible. LV and aortic dimensions agreed well with the standard TTE in supine position; however, LA dimensions and EF were lower in the prone position.

Cognitive effects of the GSK-3 inhibitor "lithium" in LPS/chronic mild stress rat model of depression: Hippocampal and cortical neuroinflammation and tauopathy.

Low-dose repeated lipopolysaccharide pre-challenge followed by chronic mild stress (LPS/CMS) protocol has been introduced as a rodent model of depression combining the roles of immune activation and chronic psychological stress. However, the impact of this paradigm on cognitive functioning has not been investigated hitherto. METHODS: This study evaluated LPS/CMS-induced cognitive effects and the role of glycogen synthase kinase-3ß (GSK-3ß) activation with subsequent neuroinflammation and pathological tau deposition in the pathogenesis of these effects using lithium (Li) as a tool for GSK-3 inhibition. RESULTS: LPS pre-challenge reduced CMS-induced neuroinflammation, depressive-like behavior and cognitive inflexibility. It also improved spatial learning but increased GSK-3ß expression and exaggerated hyperphosphorylated tau accumulation in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Li ameliorated CMS and LPS/CMS-induced depressive and cognitive deficits, reduced GSK-3ß over-expression and tau hyperphosphorylation, impeded neuroinflammation and enhanced neuronal survival. CONCLUSION: This study draws attention to LPS/CMS-triggered cognitive changes and highlights how prior low-dose immune challenge could develop an adaptive capacity to buffer inflammatory damage and maintain the cognitive abilities necessary to withstand threats. This work also underscores the favorable effect of Li (as a GSK-3ß inhibitor) in impeding exaggerated tauopathy and neuroinflammation, rescuing neuronal survival and preserving cognitive functions. Yet, further in-depth studies utilizing different low-dose LPS challenge schedules are needed to elucidate the complex interactions between immune activation and chronic stress exposure.

Chromosome Segregation and Peptidoglycan Remodeling Are Coordinated at a Highly Stabilized Septal Pore to Maintain Bacterial Spore Development.

Asymmetric division, a hallmark of endospore development, generates two cells, a larger mother cell and a smaller forespore. Approximately 75% of the forespore chromosome must be translocated across the division septum into the forespore by the DNA translocase SpoIIIE. Asymmetric division also triggers cell-specific transcription, which initiates septal peptidoglycan remodeling involving synthetic and hydrolytic enzymes. How these processes are coordinated has remained a mystery. Using Bacillus subtilis, we identified factors that revealed the link between chromosome translocation and peptidoglycan remodeling. In cells lacking these factors, the asymmetric septum retracts, resulting in forespore cytoplasmic leakage and loss of DNA translocation. Importantly, these phenotypes depend on septal peptidoglycan hydrolysis. Our data support a model in which SpoIIIE is anchored at the edge of a septal pore, stabilized by newly synthesized peptidoglycan and protein-protein interactions across the septum. Together, these factors ensure coordination between chromosome translocation and septal peptidoglycan remodeling to maintain spore development.

Classification of Resting-State Status Based on Sample Entropy and Power Spectrum of Electroencephalography (EEG).

An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a significant source of diagnosing brain issues. It is also a mediator between the external world and the brain, especially in the case of any mental illness; however, it has been widely used to monitor the dynamics of the brain in healthy subjects. This paper discusses the resting state of the brain with eyes open (EO) and eyes closed (EC) by using sixteen channels by the use of conventional frequency bands and entropy of the EEG signal. The Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and sample entropy (SE) of each sensor are computed as methods of feature extraction. Six classifiers, including logistic regression (LR), K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), linear discriminant (LD), decision tree (DT), support vector machine (SVM), and Gaussian Naive Bayes (GNB) are used to discriminate the resting states of the brain based on the extracted features. EEG data were epoched with one-second-length windows, and they were used to compute the features to classify EO and EC conditions. Results showed that the LR and SVM classifiers had the highest average classification accuracy (97%). Accuracies of LD, KNN, and DT were 95%, 93%, and 92%, respectively. GNB gained the least accuracy (86%) when conventional frequency bands were used. On the other hand, when SE was used, the average accuracies of SVM, LD, LR, GNB, KNN, and DT algorithms were 92% 90%, 89%, 89%, 86%, and 86%, respectively.

Giardiasis in symptomatic children from Sharkia, Egypt: genetic assemblages and associated risk factors.

Giardia intestinalis (G. intestinalis) is a common enteric protozoan parasite worldwide and in Egypt. Identification of true prevailing Giardia assemblages helps in identification of the sources of infection. The study's aim was to determine the true prevalence of Giardia assemblages in Egyptian children from Sharkia governorate presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms and to investigate their association with molecularly detected Giardia. A total of 617 stool specimens were collected from children presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms in Alquraeen, Sharkia governorate, Egypt for 17 months. All stool specimens were microscopically examined by wet mount smear before and after stool concentration to recover parasitic stages. Giardia copro-DNA was amplified from microscopically detected stool specimens using Copro-nPCR targeting the tpi gene for Giardia, followed by sequencing products of nPCR. The molecular prevalence of Giardia among symptomatic children was 9.88%, 83% of which were assemblage B and 17% were assemblages A. Giardia affected both sexes and all ages and was most prevalent in preschool children. Abdominal pain was the most common GIT symptom followed by diarrhoea. However, none of the patients' demographic variables (sex, age, weight and height) nor clinical symptoms showed significant association with molecular detection of Giardia. Giardia was common among symptomatic children from Sharkia, Egypt, with the predominance of assemblage B, which suggests the possibility of sharing common transmission source and route. Giardia had age, sex and clinical symptom distributions without statistical significance. The results necessitate further genomic studies targeting multiple gene targets for a better understanding of the ecology, dynamics of transmission, pathogenicity and clinical impact of Giardia infection, to improve its management and strategic control.

Comparative analysis of paediatric and adult surgically drained dental infections at a university teaching hospital.

In the United Kingdom (UK) the estimated prevalence of dental infection involving the supporting bone is 2%, and from 2014-2015 there were 2281 admissions in England alone due to dental abscess. We undertook an analysis of 184 dental abscesses that required surgical drainage, as there is surprisingly little in the literature on the subject. This was a retrospective study of 184 consecutive patients with dental abscesses who were admitted between January 2016 and September 2019. On admission, all patients had orthopantomograms (OPG) and baseline blood tests. Surgical drainage was performed under a general or local anaesthetic and a pus swab sent for culture and sensitivity. The submandibular space was the most commonly involved site and paediatric patients most often presented with buccal space abscesses. A lower molar tooth was the cause in 132 patients. White blood cells (WBC) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were both raised in 63.6% (n=117), but were normal in 4.9% (n=9). The remaining patients had either raised WBC (2.7%) or CRP (28.8%). Streptococcus milleri was the most common organism isolated in 66.6% (n=42). There was no association between CRP or WBC values and duration of hospital stay. Paediatric patients had a shorter duration of admission (1.96 days vs 2.81 days) and significantly lower CRP values (120.9 vs 45.7; p=0.001). The submandibular space was the commonest site involved and mandibular molars the most frequent source of infection. An elevated CRP value appeared to be a more sensitive indicator of infection in this study population. Adult and paediatric patients present in a different manner.

Amisulpride alleviates chronic mild stress-induced cognitive deficits: Role of prefrontal cortex microglia and Wnt/ß-catenin pathway.

Accumulating evidence indicates the role of microglial activation and sustained neuroinflammation in the pathogenesis of cognitive dysfunction, a common feature associated with depressive disorders. It also indicates the role of Wnt/ß-catenin pathway in regulation of microglia-mediated neuroinflammation. Amisulpride exhibits antidepressant and pro-cognitive activities in several clinical and experimental studies. Hitherto, the direct effects of amisulpride on Wnt/ß-catenin signaling and microglial activity have not been thoroughly studied. This study aimed at investigating the effects of chronic amisulpride treatment on Wnt/ß-catenin signaling and pro-inflammatory microglial activation and its role in alleviation of depressive-like behavior and cognitive deficits elicited by unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS). The effects of amisulpride (3 mg/kg/day) were investigated on behavioral/cognitive deficits, expression of Wnt/ß-catenin pathway and microglial activation in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of UCMS-exposed male Wistar rats. UCMS induced depressive-like behavior with impairment of performance in novel object recognition test and attentional set-shifting task. These behavioral deficits were associated with decreased total ß-catenin and increased pro-inflammatory microglial activation. Amisulpride improved UCMS-induced behavioral/cognitive deficits, ameliorated Wnt/ß-catenin signaling dysregulation and pro-inflammatory microglial activation. This work highlights the antidepressant and pro-cognitive effects of amisulpride in UCMS-exposed rats that could be mediated by modulation of Wnt/ß-catenin pathway activity and amelioration of pro-inflammatory microglial activation in the prefrontal cortex. This could provide new insights into the putative mechanisms behind the antidepressant and pro-cognitive effects exerted by amisulpride.

Oral cholera vaccination coverage in an acute emergency setting in Somalia, 2017.

The first oral cholera vaccination (OCV) campaign in Somalia was implemented between March and October 2017. It was the first time the Ministry of Health had introduced and used OCV as part of the cholera prevention and control strategies. The Ministry of Health aimed to cover 1.1 million people ≥ 1 year with 2 doses of the OCV in 11 high-risk districts. Overall, 2-dose administrative OCV coverage in all targeted districts was 95.5%. Following the campaign, a random sample survey was conducted in 9 out of 11districts to evaluate coverage, awareness, reasons for non-vaccination, the water and sanitation status of households, and any resulting adverse events. The survey was conducted in 2 phases. Of the 3,715 eligible individuals in the first phase, 92.5% (95% CI 91.4-93.6%) received 2 doses of the OCV and 7.0% (95% CI 6.0-8.2%) 1 dose. In the second phase, of 1,926 individuals, 94.1% (95% CI 92.9-95.1%) received 2 doses and 2.6% (95% CI 2.0-3.4%) 1 dose. Despite challenges, this experience shows that OCV campaigns can be implemented in acute humanitarian settings through existing immunization structures.

MERS-CoV in Camels but Not Camel Handlers, Sudan, 2015 and 2017.

We tested samples collected from camels, camel workers, and other animals in Sudan and Qatar in 2015 and 2017 for evidence of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection. MERS-CoV antibodies were abundant in Sudan camels, but we found no evidence of MERS-CoV infection in camel workers, other livestock, or bats.