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Uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC) poses significant clinical challenges due to its high incidence and poor prognosis, exacerbated by the lack of effective screening methods. The standard treatment for UCEC typically involves surgical intervention, with radiation and chemotherapy as potential adjuvant therapies. In recent years, immunotherapy has emerged as a promising avenue for the advanced treatment of UCEC. This study employs a multi-omics approach, analyzing RNA-sequencing data and clinical information from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA), and GeneMANIA databases to investigate the prognostic value of MutL Homolog 1 (MLH1) gene expression in UCEC. The dysregulation of MLH1 in UCEC is linked to adverse prognostic outcomes and suppressed immune cell infiltration. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) data reveal MLH1’s involvement in immune-related processes, while its expression correlates with tumor mutational burden (TMB) and microsatellite instability (MSI). Lower MLH1 expression is associated with poorer prognosis, reduced responsiveness to Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1)/Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors, and heightened sensitivity to anti-cancer agents. This comprehensive analysis establishes MLH1 as a potential biomarker for predicting prognosis, immunotherapy response, and drug sensitivity in UCEC, offering crucial insights for the clinical management of patients.

Maize is the staple food crop for millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa. Iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) deficiency is a significant health risk that mainly affects low-income populations who rely solely on maize-based diets. This problem can be alleviated by developing micronutrient-rich maize grain. The aim of this study was to determine the adaptation and performance of hybrids for Fe and Zn concentration and grain yield under low soil nitrogen (N) and optimal conditions. Eighteen hybrids derived from lines and testers with low, medium, and high Fe and Zn concentration were grown during the summer rainy seasons of 2017 and 2018 at three locations under low and optimal N conditions. There were significant genotype and environment effects for grain yield, and Fe and Zn concentration, but the genotype by environment interaction effects were the largest, accounting for between 36% and 56% of variation under low N conditions. Low N levels significantly reduced grain yield, and Fe and Zn concentration. Hybrids G1, G2, G4, G7, G10, G11, and G16 were relatively stable, with relatively high mean Fe and Zn concentrations, and low additive main effects and multiplicative interaction (AMMI) stability values and iron stability index (FSI) and zinc stability index (ZSI) under low N conditions. These genotypes can be considered for production under low N stress conditions. Two environments (E4 and E3) were identified for good discriminatory power for genotype performance in terms of Fe and Zn content, respectively. Stable and high-yielding genotypes with high Fe and Zn concentration can be used as biofortified hybrids, which can contribute to a sustainable solution to malnutrition in the region, especially under low N conditions.

Opencast limestone mines or limestone quarries are considered challenging ecosystems for soil fungi as they are highly degraded land with specific conditions, including high temperature, prolonged sunlight exposure, and a lack of organic matter, moisture, and nutrients in soil. In such ecosystems, certain fungi can survive and have a crucial function in maintaining soil ecosystem functions. Unfortunately, we know very little about taxonomic diversity, potential functions, and the ecology of such fungi, especially for a limestone quarry in a tropical region. Here, we characterized and compared the living soil fungal communities in an opencast limestone mine, including mining site and its associated rehabilitation site (9 months post-rehabilitation), with the soil fungal community in a reference forest, using the amplicon sequencing of enrichment culture. Our results showed that living fungal richness in the quarry areas was significantly lower than that in the reference forest, and their community compositions were also significantly different. Living fungi in the mining sites mostly comprised of Ascomycota (Eurotiomycetes and Sordariomycetes) with strongly declined abundance or absence of Basidiomycota and Mucoromycota. After nine months of rehabilitation, certain taxa were introduced, such as Hypoxylon spp. and Phellinus noxius, though this change did not significantly differentiate fungal community composition between the mining and rehabilitation plots. The majority of fungi in these plots are classified as saprotrophs, which potentially produce all fifteen soil enzymes used as soil health indicators. Network analysis, which was analyzed to show insight into complex structures of living fungal community in the limestone quarry, showed a clear modular structure that was significantly impacted by different soil properties. Furthermore, this study suggests potential taxa that could be useful for future rehabilitation.

Currently, the world population is increasing, and humanity is facing food and nutritional scarcity. Climate change and variability are a major threat to global food and nutritional security, reducing crop productivity in the tropical and subtropical regions of the globe. Cowpea has the potential to make a significant contribution to global food and nutritional security. In addition, it can be part of a sustainable food system, being a genetic resource for future crop improvement, contributing to resilience and improving agricultural sustainability under climate change conditions. In malnutrition prone regions of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries, cowpea has become a strategic dryland legume crop for addressing food insecurity and malnutrition. Therefore, this review aims to assess the contribution of cowpea to SSA countries as a climate-resilient crop and the existing production challenges and perspectives. Cowpea leaves and immature pods are rich in diverse nutrients, with high levels of protein, vitamins, macro and micronutrients, minerals, fiber, and carbohydrates compared to its grain. In addition, cowpea is truly a multifunctional crop for maintaining good health and for reducing non-communicable human diseases. However, as a leafy vegetable, cowpea has not been researched and promoted sufficiently because it has not been promoted as a food security crop due to its low yield potential, susceptibility to biotic and abiotic stresses, quality assurance issues, policy regulation, and cultural beliefs (it is considered a livestock feed). The development of superior cowpea as a leafy vegetable can be approached in different ways, such as conventional breeding and gene stacking, speed breeding, mutation breeding, space breeding, demand-led breeding, a pan-omics approach, and local government policies. The successful breeding of cowpea genotypes that are high-yielding with a good nutritional value as well as having resistance to biotics and tolerant to abiotic stress could also be used to address food security and malnutrition-related challenges in sub-Saharan Africa.

Leaf fungal pathogens alter their host species’ performance and, thus, changes in fungal species composition can translate into effects at the tree community scale. Conversely, the functional diversity of tree species in a host tree’s local neighbourhood can affect the host’s foliar fungal infestation. Therefore, understanding the factors that affect fungal infestations is important to advance our understanding of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationships. Here we make use of the largest BEF tree experiment worldwide, the BEF-China experiment, where we selected tree host species with different neighbour species. Identifying fungal taxa by microscopy and by high-throughput DNA sequencing techniques based on the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rDNA region, we analysed the fungal richness and infestation rates of our target trees as a function of local species richness. Based on the visual microscopic assessment, we found that a higher tree diversity reduced fungal richness and host-specific fungal infestation in the host’s local neighbourhood, while molecular fungal richness was unaffected. This diversity effect was mainly explained by the decrease in host proportion. Thus, the dilution of host species in the local neighbourhood was the primary mechanism in reducing the fungal disease severity. Overall, our study suggests that diverse forests will suffer less from foliar fungal diseases compared to those with lower diversity.

FAPROTAX is a promising tool for predicting ecological relevant functions of bacterial and archaeal taxa derived from 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. The database was initially developed to predict the function of marine species using standard microbiological references. This study, however, has attempted to access the application of FAPROTAX in soil environments. We hypothesized that FAPROTAX was compatible with terrestrial ecosystems. The potential use of FAPROTAX to assign ecological functions of soil bacteria was investigated using meta-analysis and our newly designed experiments. Soil samples from two major terrestrial ecosystems, including agricultural land and forest, were collected. Bacterial taxonomy was analyzed using Illumina sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and ecological functions of the soil bacteria were assigned by FAPROTAX. The presence of all functionally assigned OTUs (Operation Taxonomic Units) in soil were manually checked using peer-reviewed articles as well as standard microbiology books. Overall, we showed that sample source was not a predominant factor that limited the application of FAPROTAX, but poor taxonomic identification was. The proportion of assigned taxa between aquatic and non-aquatic ecosystems was not significantly different (p > 0.05). There were strong and significant correlations (σ = 0.90–0.95, p < 0.01) between the number of OTUs assigned to genus or order level and the number of functionally assigned OTUs. After manual verification, we found that more than 97% of the FAPROTAX assigned OTUs have previously been detected and potentially performed functions in agricultural and forest soils. We further provided information regarding taxa capable of N-fixation, P and K solubilization, which are three main important elements in soil systems and can be integrated with FAPROTAX to increase the proportion of functionally assigned OTUs. Consequently, we concluded that FAPROTAX can be used for a fast-functional screening or grouping of 16S derived bacterial data from terrestrial ecosystems and its performance could be enhanced through improving the taxonomic and functional reference databases.

Balkan lowlands bordering with the Pannonia region are inhabited by diverse riparian forests that support production of different truffle species, predominantly the most prized white truffle of Piedmont (Tuber magnatum Pico), but also other commercial species (T.macrosporum Vitt., T. aestivum Vitt.). Surprisingly, little is known about the native root-associated mycobiome (RAM) of these lowland truffle-producing forests. Therefore, in this study we aim at exploring and comparing the RAMs of three different truffle-producing forests from Kolubara river plane in Serbia. Molecular methods based on next generation sequencing (NGS) were used to evaluate the diversity of root-associated fungal communities and to elucidate the influence of environmental factors on their differentiation. To our knowledge, this is the first study from such habitats with a particular focus on comparative analysis of the RAM in different truffle-producing habitats using a high-throughput sequencing approach. Our results indicated that the alpha diversity of investigated fungal communities was not significantly different between different truffle-producing forests and within a specific forest type, while the seasonal differences in the alpha diversity were only observed in the white truffle-producing forests. Taxonomic profiling at phylum level indicated the dominance of fungal OTUs belonging to phylum Ascomycota and Basidiomycota, with very minor presence of other phyla. Distinct community structures of root-associated mycobiomes were observed for white, mixed, and black truffle-producing forests. The core mycobiome analysis indicated a fair share of fungal genera present exclusively in white and black truffle-producing forest, while the core genera of mixed truffle-producing forests were shared with both white and black truffle-producing forests. The majority of detected fungal OTUs in all three forest types were symbiotrophs, with ectomycorrhizal fungi being a dominant functional guild. Apart from assumed vegetation factor, differentiation of fungal communities was driven by factors connected to the distance from the river and exposure to fluvial activities, soil age, structure, and pH. Overall, Pannonian riparian forests appear to host diverse root-associated fungal communities that are strongly shaped by variation in soil conditions.

A novel dendritic star-copolymer, generation 3 poly(propylene thiophenoimine) (G3PPT)-co-poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) star co-polymer on gold electrode (i.e., Au|G3PPT-co-P3HT) was used as a sensor system for the determination of phenanthrene (PHE). The G3PPT-co-P3HT star co-polymer was synthesized via in situ electrochemical co-polymerization of generation 3 poly (propylene thiophenoimine) and poly (3-hexylthiophene) on gold electrode. 1HNMR spectroscopy was used to determine the regioregularity of the polymer composites, whereas Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to study their structural and morphological properties. Au|G3PPT-co-P3HT in the absence of PHE, exhibited reversible electrochemistry attributable to the oligo (thiophene) ‘pendants’ of the dendrimer. PHE produced an increase in the voltammetric signals (anodic currents) due to its oxidation on the dendritic material to produce catalytic current, thereby suggesting the suitability of the Au|G3PPT-co-P3HT electrode as a PHE sensor. The electrocatalysis of PHE was made possible by the rigid and planar oligo-P3HT species (formed upon the oxidation of the oligo (thiophene) pendants of the star-copolymer), which allowed the efficient capture (binding) and detection (electrocatalytic oxidation) of PHE molecules.

In this paper, we report a new concept to construct a label-free electrochemical inhibition-based immunosensor for the detection of the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) in cereal samples. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of tris(bipyridine) ruthenium (II) chloride was used as a marker enhanced with gold nanoparticles-dotted 4-nitrophenylazo functionalized graphene (AuNp/G/PhNO2) nanocatalyst mediated in Nafion on a glassy carbon electrode. Under the optimized conditions, the formation of immunocomplexes inhibited electron flow and increased the charge transfer resistance of the sensing interface linearly. The change in impedance was proportional to DON concentrations in the range of 6–30 ng/mL with a sensitivity and detection limit of 32.14 ΩL/ng and 0.3 µg/mL, respectively, which compares favorably with the ELISA result. The proposed sensor had a stability of 80.3%, good precision and selectivity in DON standard solution containing different interfering agents, indicating promising application prospect for this strategy in designing impedimetric, electrochemiluminescent, voltammetric or amperometric sensors.

The relationship between trees and root-associated fungal communities is complex. By specific root deposits and other signal cues, different tree species are able to attract divergent sets of fungal species. Plant intraspecific differences can lead to variable fungal patterns in the root’s proximity. Therefore, within the Beech Transplant Experiment, we analyzed the impact of three different European beech ecotypes on the fungal communities in roots and the surrounding rhizosphere soil at two time points. Beech nuts were collected in three German sites in 2011. After one year, seedlings of the different progenies were out-planted on one site and eventually re-sampled in 2014 and 2017. We applied high-throughput sequencing of the fungal ITS2 to determine the correlation between tree progeny, a possible home-field advantage, plant development and root-associated fungal guilds under field conditions. Our result showed no effect of beech progeny on either fungal OTU richness or fungal community structure. However, over time the fungal OTU richness in roots increased and the fungal communities changed significantly, also in rhizosphere. In both plant compartments, the fungal communities displayed a high temporal turnover, indicating a permanent development and functional adaption of the root mycobiome of young beeches.

Soil fungi are a highly diverse group of microorganisms that provide many ecosystem services. The mechanisms of soil fungal community assembly must therefore be understood to reliably predict how global changes such as climate warming and biodiversity loss will affect ecosystem functioning. To this end, we assessed fungal communities in experimental subtropical forests by pyrosequencing of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region, and constructed tree-fungal bipartite networks based on the co-occurrence of fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and tree species. The characteristics of the networks and the observed degree of fungal specialization were then analyzed in relation to the level of tree species diversity. Unexpectedly, plots containing two tree species had higher network connectance and fungal generality values than those with higher tree diversity. Most of the frequent fungal OTUs were saprotrophs. The degree of fungal specialization was highest in tree monocultures. Ectomycorrhizal fungi had higher specialization coefficients than saprotrophic, arbuscular mycorrhizal, and plant pathogenic fungi. High tree species diversity plots with 4 to 16 different tree species sustained the greatest number of fungal species, which is assumed to be beneficial for ecosystem services because it leads to more effective resource exploitation and greater resilience due to functional redundancy.

Recent advances in high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies have revolutionized our understanding of microbial diversity and composition in relation to their environment. HTS-based characterization of metabolically active (RNA-derived) and total (DNA-derived) fungal communities in different terrestrial habitats has revealed profound differences in both richness and community compositions. However, such DNA- and RNA-based HTS comparisons are widely missing for fungal communities of groundwater aquifers in the terrestrial biogeosphere. Therefore, in this study, we extracted DNA and RNA from groundwater samples of two pristine aquifers in the Hainich CZE and employed paired-end Illumina sequencing of the fungal nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region to comprehensively test difference/similarities in the “total” and “active” fungal communities. We found no significant differences in the species richness between the DNA- and RNA-derived fungal communities, but the relative abundances of various fungal operational taxonomic units (OTUs) appeared to differ. We also found the same set of environmental parameters to shape the “total” and “active” fungal communities in the targeted aquifers. Furthermore, our comparison also underlined that about 30%−40% of the fungal OTUs were only detected in RNA-derived communities. This implies that the active fungal communities analyzed by HTS methods in the subsurface aquifers are actually not a subset of supposedly total fungal communities. In general, our study highlights the importance of differentiating the potential (DNA-derived) and expressed (RNA-derived) members of the fungal communities in aquatic ecosystems.

South Africa is a country with a wide variety of plants that may contain excellent anti-tyrosinase inhibitors. With wide applications in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and food products, tyrosinase inhibitors have received very special attention in the recent past as a way of preventing the overproduction of melanin in epidermal layers which often over time brings detrimental effects on human skin. In this present study, a fast screening method using a cyclic voltammetry technique was applied in the evaluation of methanolic extracts of twenty-five species of plants from the Lamiaceae family for anti-tyrosinase activity. Among these plants, those that showed a fast current inhibition rate at a minimum concentration when compared to a kojic acid standard were classified as having the greatest anti-tyrosinase activity. These include Salvia chamelaeagnea, S. dolomitica, Plectranthus ecklonii, P. namaensis, and P. zuluensis. The results presented herein focused in particular on providng firsthand information for further extensive research and exploration of natural product materials with anti-tyrosinase activity from South African flora for use in cosmetics, skin care and medicinal treatments.

An electrochemical DNA nanobiosensor was prepared by immobilization of a 20mer thiolated probe DNA on electro-deposited generation 4 (G4) poly(propyleneimine) dendrimer (PPI) doped with gold nanoparticles (AuNP) as platform, on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Field emission scanning electron microscopy results confirmed the codeposition of PPI (which was linked to the carbon electrode surface by C-N covalent bonds) and AuNP ca 60 nm. Voltammetric interrogations showed that the platform (GCE/PPI-AuNP) was conducting and exhibited reversible electrochemistry (E°′ = 235 mV) in pH 7.2 phosphate buffer saline solution (PBS) due to the PPI component. The redox chemistry of PPI was pH dependent and involves a two electron, one proton process, as interpreted from a 28 mV/pH value obtained from pH studies. The charge transfer resistance (Rct) from the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) profiles of GCE/PPI-AuNP monitored with ferro/ferricyanide (Fe(CN)63-/4-) redox probe, decreased by 81% compared to bare GCE. The conductivity (in PBS) and reduced Rct (in Fe(CN)63-/4-) values confirmed PPI-AuNP as a suitable electron transfer mediator platform for voltammetric and impedimetric DNA biosensor. The DNA probe was effectively wired onto the GCE/PPI-AuNP via Au-S linkage and electrostatic interactions. The nanobiosensor responses to target DNA which gave a dynamic linear range of 0.01 - 5 nM in PBS was based on the changes in Rct values using Fe(CN)63-/4- redox probe.

Background: Two major bacterial pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pyogenes , are becoming increasingly antibiotic-resistant. Despite the urgency, only a few new antibiotics have been approved to address these infections. Although cannabinoids have been noted for their antibacterial properties, a comprehensive review of their effects on these bacteria has been lacking., Objective: This systematic review examines the antibacterial activity of cannabinoids against S. aureus , including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA) strains, and S. pyogenes ., Methods: Databases, including CINAHL, Cochrane, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and LILACS, were searched. Of 3510 records, 24 studies met the inclusion criteria, reporting on the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration of cannabinoids., Results: Cannabidiol (CBD) emerged as the most effective cannabinoid, with MICs ranging from 0.65 to 32 mg/L against S. aureus , 0.5 to 4 mg/L for MRSA, and 1 to 2 mg/L for VRSA. Other cannabinoids, such as cannabichromene, cannabigerol (CBG), and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), also exhibited significant antistaphylococcal activity. CBD, CBG, and Δ9-THC also showed efficacy against S. pyogenes , with MICs between 0.6 and 50 mg/L. Synergistic effects were observed when CBD and essential oils from Cannabis sativa when combined with other antibacterial agents., Conclusion: Cannabinoids' antibacterial potency is closely linked to their structure-activity relationships, with features like the monoterpene region, aromatic alkyl side chain, and aromatic carboxylic groups enhancing efficacy, particularly in CBD and its cyclic forms. These results highlight the potential of cannabinoids in developing therapies for resistant strains, though further research is needed to confirm their clinical effectiveness.

Background: Although patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis (PD) typically have complex treatment needs, the effect of medication regimen complexity on patient outcomes has not been thoroughly evaluated. This study aims to quantify medication regimen complexity and evaluate patient-centred outcomes including medication adherence and its determinants in patients undergoing PD., Methods: This study combined a retrospective audit of baseline data with a prospective evaluation of patient-related outcomes among patients undergoing PD at a large metropolitan dialysis centre in Australia. Medication regimen complexity was assessed using the 65-item Medication Regimen Complexity Index (MRCI), while patient outcomes were evaluated with validated self-reported questionnaires, including the 4-item Morisky-Green-Levine Scale (MGLS), EQ-5D-5L and EQ VAS., Results: A total of 131 patients participated [median age 67 (IQR 57-74) years]. Patients on PD were found to have complex medication regimens with an average MRCI score of 28.6 ± 11.4. Over half of the participants were deemed to be adherent to their prescribed medications as measured by the MGLS ( n = 79; 60.3%). Male participants were more likely to be non-adherent to medications compared to female participants (OR 2.465; 95% CI 1.055-5.759). Participants with higher serum phosphate levels were 2.5 times more likely to report non-adherence to their medications (OR 2.523; 95% CI 1.247-5.104), while a higher health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was associated with medication adherence (OR 0.151, 95% CI 0.031-0.732)., Conclusions: Patients on PD are prescribed complex medication regimens in addition to PD treatments that they perform at home. Patients on PD who were adherent to their medications had significantly better outcomes in terms of HRQoL and serum phosphate levels compared to non-adherent patients.

Background: Medication use during acute illness increases the risk of experiencing drug related problems (DRPs), including acute kidney injuries. It is recommended that potentially nephrotoxic medications are withheld during acute illness, including sulfonylureas, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, diuretics, metformin, angiotensin receptor blockers, non-steroidal anti-inflammatories and sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SADMANS). It is unknown if Australian pharmacists currently provide sick day medication management advice regarding SADMANS medications. Hence, we aimed to identify current DRPs and the recommendations made during residential medication management reviews (RMMRs), especially with SADMANS medications., Methods: A retrospective review of 408 RMMRs was conducted. DRPs and pharmacist recommendations were classified according to a modified DOCUMENT system. General practitioners' (GP) recommendations were also categorised., Results: Over 97% of residents experienced at least one DRP. Common problems for non-SADMANS medications were "toxicity or adverse drug reaction", "drug selection" and "over/underdosing" and those for SADMANS medications included "toxicity or adverse drug reaction", "monitoring" and "drug selection". GPs agreed with pharmacist recommendations approximately 40% of the time. No pharmacists provided sick day medication management advice for SADMANS medications., Conclusion: DRPs remain highly prevalent in aged care facilities. Medication reviews effectively identify and resolve DRPs approximately 40% of the time, but do not currently minimise the risk associated with using SADMANS medications during sick days, which is a potential area of improvement.

The aim of this study is to assess the use of high-risk medications in patients with community-acquired acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) and the differences in the characteristics and outcomes of CA-AKI based on the use of these medications. This is a retrospective audit of adults (≥35 years) with CA-AKI admitted to a large tertiary care hospital over a two-year period. We investigated the prevalence of SADMANS (sulfonylureas; angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors; diuretics; metformin; angiotensin receptor blockers; nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; and sodium glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors) medications use in people with CA-AKI prior to hospitalisation. Outcomes including CA-AKI severity, kidney function recovery and in-hospital mortality were examined and stratified by use of SADMANS medications. The study included 329 patients, with a mean (SD) age of 75 (12) years and a 52% proportion of females, who were hospitalised with CA-AKI. Most patients (77.5%) were taking at least one regular SADMANS medication upon admission. Overall, 40% of patients (n = 132) and 41% of those on SADMANS (n = 104) had hypovolaemia or associated symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea during admission. Over two-thirds (68.1%) had mild AKI on admission and patients who were taking SADMANS medications were more likely to have mild AKI. Patients on SADMANS had more comorbidities and a higher medication burden, but there were no differences in AKI severity on admission or outcomes such as length of hospitalisation, ICU admission, need for dialysis, recovery rates and mortality between the two groups. However, the high prevalence of SADMANS medications use among patients with CA-AKI indicates a potential for preventability of CA-AKI-led hospitalisations. Future studies are needed to gain better insights into the role of withholding this group of medications, especially during an acute illness.

In late November 2021, a new SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern (VOC) named Omicron (initially named B.1.1.529) was first detected in South Africa. The rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant became globally dominant, and the currently available COVID-19 vaccines showed less protection against this variant. This study aimed to investigate healthcare workers' (HCWs) knowledge and perceptions about the novel SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant. A cross-sectional anonymous electronic survey concerning the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant was conducted among HCWs during the second week of January 2022. The survey instrument was distributed through social media among HCWs to explore awareness (2 items), knowledge (10 items), source of information (1 item), and perceptions (10 items). Respondents who answered ≥80% of the items correctly were considered as having good knowledge and perception. A total of 940 of the 1054 HCW participants completed the survey (response rate: 89.1%); they had a mean age of 31.2 ± 11.2 years, most were doctors (45.7%), and most were from Asia (64.3%). All the participants were aware of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (100%). Only 36.3% attended lectures/discussions about Omicron and used news media to obtain information. Only a quarter of the HCWs demonstrated good knowledge (24.3%, n = 228) and perception (20.6%) about Omicron. However, while significant differences were observed in the knowledge and perception among HCWs, only a small proportion of doctors exhibited good knowledge (13%) and perception (10%) about the Omicron variant. HCWs who had participated in training/discussion related to the Omicron variant were more likely to have higher knowledge and perception scores (odds ratio: 1.80; 95% confidence interval: 1.04-3.11). As the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant spreads rapidly across the globe, ongoing educational interventions are warranted to improve knowledge and perceptions of HCWs.

Pulsed light irradiation is a nonthermal technology currently used for the elimination of pathogens from a diverse range of food products. In the last two decades, the results obtained using PL at laboratory scale are encouraging wine experts to use it in the winemaking industry. PL can reduce native yeast counts significantly, which facilitates the use of starter cultures, reducing SO 2 requirements at the same time. In this experimental set up, Tempranillo grapes were subjected to pulsed light treatment, and the fermentative performance of non- Saccharomyces yeasts belonging to the species Schizosaccharomyces pombe , Lachancea thermotolerans , Torulaspora delbrueckii , Metschnikowia pulcherrima and Hanseniaspora vineae was monitored in sequential fermentations against spontaneous fermentation and pure culture fermentation with the species Saccharomyces cerevisiae . The experimental analyses comprised the determination of anthocyanin (High performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detector-HPLC-DAD), polyphenol index and colour (Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy-UV-Vis spectrophotometer), fermentation-derived volatiles (Gas chromatography with flame ionization detector-GC-FID), oenological parameters (Fourier transform Infrared spectroscopy-FT-IR) and structural damage of the skin (atomic force microscopy-AFM). The results showed a decrease of 1.2 log CFU/mL yeast counts after pulsed light treatment and more rapid and controlled fermentation kinetics in musts from treated grapes than in untreated samples. The fermentations done with treated grapes allowed starter cultures to better implant in the must, although a larger anthocyanin loss (up to 93%) and an increase in hue values (1 unit) towards more yellow hues were observed for treated grapes. The development of biomass was larger in musts from treated grapes. The profile of volatile compounds and oenological parameters reveals that fermentations carried out with untreated grapes are prone to deviations from native microbiota (e.g., production of lactic acid). Finally, no severe damage on the skin was observed with the AFM on treated grapes.

Impetigo (school sores) is a common superficial bacterial skin infection affecting around 162 million children worldwide, with the highest burden in Australian Aboriginal children. While impetigo itself is treatable, if left untreated, it can lead to life-threatening conditions, such as chronic heart and kidney diseases. Topical antibiotics are often considered the treatment of choice for impetigo, but the clinical efficacy of these treatments is declining at an alarming rate due to the rapid emergence and spread of resistant bacteria. In remote settings in Australia, topical antibiotics are no longer used for impetigo due to the troubling rise of antimicrobial resistance, demanding the use of oral and injectable antibiotic therapies. However, widespread use of these agents not only contributes to existing resistance, but also associated with adverse consequences for individuals and communities. These underscore the urgent need to reinvigorate the antibiotic discovery and alternative impetigo therapies in these settings. This review discusses the current impetigo treatment challenges in endemic settings in Australia and explores potential alternative antimicrobial therapies. The goals are to promote intensified research programs to facilitate effective use of currently available treatments, as well as developing new alternatives for impetigo.

Impetigo (school sores), a superficial skin infection commonly seen in children, is caused by the gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and/or Streptococcus pyogenes . Antibiotic treatments, often topical, are used as the first-line therapy for impetigo. The efficacy of potential new antimicrobial compounds is first tested in in vitro studies and, if effective, followed by in vivo studies using animal models and/or humans. Animal models are critical means for investigating potential therapeutics and characterizing their safety profile prior to human trials. Although several reviews of animal models for skin infections have been published, there is a lack of a comprehensive review of animal models simulating impetigo for the selection of therapeutic drug candidates. This review critically examines the existing animal models for impetigo and their feasibility for testing the in vivo efficacy of topical treatments for impetigo and other superficial bacterial skin infections.