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BackgroundAs the number of COVID-19 cases in the US continues to increase and hospitals experience shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), health care workers have been disproportionately affected. However, since COVID-19 testing is now easily available, there is a need to evaluate whether routine testing should be performed for asymptomatic health care workers. ObjectiveThis study aimed to provide a quantitative analysis of the predicted impact that regular testing of health care workers for COVID-19 may have on the prevention of the disease among emergency department patients and staff. MethodsUsing publicly available data on COVID-19 cases and emergency department visits, as well as internal hospital staffing information, we developed a mathematical model to predict the impact of periodic COVID-19 testing of asymptomatic staff members of the emergency department in COVID-19–affected regions. We calculated various transmission constants based on the Diamond Princess cruise ship data, used a logistic model to calculate new infections, and developed a Markov model based on the average incubation period for COVID-19. ResultsOur model predicts that after 180 days, with a transmission constant of 1.219e-4 new infections/person2, weekly COVID-19 testing of health care workers would reduce new health care worker and patient infections by approximately 3%-5.9%, and biweekly testing would reduce infections in both by 1%-2.1%. At a transmission constant of 3.660e-4 new infections/person2, weekly testing would reduce infections by 11%-23% and biweekly testing would reduce infections by 5.5%-13%. At a lower transmission constant of 4.067e-5 new infections/person2, weekly and biweekly COVID-19 testing for health care workers would result in an approximately 1% and 0.5%-0.8% reduction in infections, respectively. ConclusionsPeriodic COVID-19 testing for emergency department staff in regions that are heavily affected by COVID-19 or are facing resource constraints may significantly reduce COVID-19 transmission among health care workers and previously uninfected patients.

Background: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common medical complications of pregnancy, which increases the risk of other pregnant complications and adverse perinatal outcomes. Thyroid dysfunction is closely with the risk of diabetes mellitus. However, the relationship between euthyroid function in early pregnancy and GDM is still controversial. Aims: This study was to find the relationship between thyroid function within normal range during early pregnancy as well as glucose and lipids metabolisms as well as the risk of subsequent GDM. Methods: A total of 1486 pregnant women were included in this prospective double-center cohort study. Free thyroxine (FT4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and antithyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPOAb) were tested during 6-12 weeks of gestation and oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was conducted during 24-28 weeks to screen GDM. Relative risks (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for subsequent risk of GDM by thyroid function quartiles were assessed adjusting for major risk factors. Results: The incidence of GDM was 23.0% (342/1486). TSH, FT4 and the percentage of positive TPOAb were no significant difference between women with and without GDM, but FT4/TSH ratio was significantly higher in GDM group compared with NGT group [6.97(0.84,10.61) vs. 4.88(0.66,12.44), P =0.025)]. The linear trends of TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C, fasting glucose in the first trimester, insulin, C-peptide, HOMA-IR, fasting glucose during OGTT and incidence of GDM according to FT4/TSH ratio were all statistically significant. Further analysis based on fetal sex presented only the third quartile of FT4/TSH ratio in women carrying male fetus was associated with higher incidence of GDM statistically significant [RR (95% CI), 1.917 (1.143,3.216)], rather than in women carrying female fetus. Conclusions: Thyroid function even in normal range is closely related to glucose and lipids metabolisms during the first trimester. Unappropriated FT4/TSH ratio in the first trimester is an independent risk factor of GDM in women carrying male fetus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tomato is a widely grown horticultural crop, and its growth process is often affected by high temperatures. Caseinolytic Protease B (ClpB), a homologous protein to heat shock protein 101 (HSP101), plays a vital role in plant heat adaptation and development. In this study, we identified six SlClpB genes in tomatoes, distributed across four chromosomes. Collinearity analysis revealed that the gene pairs SlClpB-2 and SlClpB-3A, as well as SlClpB-3C and SlClpB-12, resulted from segmental duplication events. Phylogenetic and motif analyses showed that ClpB proteins possess highly conserved domains across different species. We used RNA-seq data to analyze the expression patterns of the ClpB family. Among them, SlClpB-3A and SlClpB-12 exhibited increased expression in multiple tissues under heat stress. Specifically, SlClpB-2, SlClpB-3A, and SlClpB-3C were highly expressed in the fruit orange stage and in flower buds under heat treatment, while in seedlings, SlClpB-2 and SlClpB-3A exhibited heat-induced expression. Real-time quantitative fluorescent PCR (qRT-PCR) results showed that the expression of SlClpB-2 and SlClpB-3A was significantly increased under heat stress in the leaves and buds of Ailsa Craig, Micro-Tom, and M82. Overall, our findings provide valuable insights into the regulatory mechanisms of SlClpB genes in response to heat stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Litter decomposition is a crucial biochemical process regulated by microbial activities in the forest ecosystem. However, the dynamic response of the fungal community during litter decomposition to vegetation changes is not well understood. Here, we investigated the litter decomposition rate, extracellular enzyme activities, fungal community, and nutrient cycling-related genes in leaf and twig litters over a three-year decomposition period in a pure Liquidamabar formosana forest and a mixed L. formosana/Pinus thunbergii forest. The result showed that during the three-year decomposition, twig litter in the mixed forest decomposed faster than that in the pure forest. In both leaf litter and twig litter, β-cellobiosidase and N-acetyl-glucosamidase exhibited higher activities in the mixed forest, whereas phosphatase, β-glucosidase, and β-xylosidase were higher in the pure forest. The fungal α-diversity were higher in both litters in the pure forest compared to the mixed forest, with leaf litter showing higher α-diversity than twig litter. Fungal species richness and α-diversity within leaf litter increased as decomposition progressed. Within leaf litter, Basidiomycota dominated in the mixed forest, while Ascomycota dominated in the pure forest. Funguild analysis revealed that Symbiotroph and ectomycorrhizal fungi were more abundant in the mixed forest compared to the pure forest. In the third-year decomposition, genes related to phosphorus cycling were most abundant in both forests, with the pure forest having a higher abundance of cex and gcd genes. Fungal community structure, predicted functional structure, and gene composition differed between the two forest types and between the two litter types. Notably, the fungal functional community structure during the first-year decomposition was distinct from that in the subsequent two years. These findings suggest that dominant tree species, litter quality, and decomposition time all significantly influence litter decomposition by attracting different fungal communities, thereby affecting the entire decomposition process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hemin, a heme-like compound with significant biological activity, shows promise as an iron supplement for humans. Nonetheless, its poor solubility in water greatly impedes its absorption and utilization. To surmount this obstacle, researchers have chosen various cyclodextrins with distinct cavity sizes and derivative groups to act as hosts, forming inclusion complexes with hemin chloride. Among these, γ-cyclodextrin has been identified as the optimal carrier, based on a thorough evaluation of its encapsulation efficiency, solubility, and molecular docking. Multiple characterization techniques further confirmed the formation of these inclusion complexes. Results from IEC-6 cell experiments indicated that the cytotoxicity of the inclusion complexes was lower than that of FeSO4. Static and dynamic gastrointestinal simulation digestion systems were established, and the results showed that the bioavailability of the inclusion complex was significantly higher than that of raw hemin. Additionally, only about 0.29% of hemin chloride is digested by gastric enzymes, whereas 9.52% is digested by pancreatic enzymes in the static gastrointestinal simulation digestion system, with similar outcomes observed in the dynamic system. These findings suggest that targeted digestion in the intestine significantly enhances the bioavailability of hemin chloride by forming inclusion complexes in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the effects of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus inoculation on flavor generation and lipolysis-oxidation in Coppa. Acid lipase, neutral lipase, phospholipase, and lipoxygenase (LOX) activities, as well as free fatty acids, volatile compounds, and sensory evaluation, were determined during the fermentation and air-drying processes of Coppa over 40 days. Staphylococcus carnosus and Staphylococcus xylosus or a combination of both strains were selected for this study, and natural fermentation was treated as a control. The results showed that Staphylococcus inoculation significantly enhanced lipase and LOX activities, and mixed strains had a superior effect. Palmitic acid, stearic acid, linoleic acid, and oleic acid were identified as the predominant free fatty acids in Coppa, with the mixed fermentation group exhibiting the highest contents. Acids, aldehydes, alcohols, ketones, esters, and phenols were found for the volatile compounds in Coppa. These findings thus suggested a positive role of Staphylococcus inoculation in activating lipolysis-oxidation and contributing to the flavor formation of Coppa during the air-drying stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following recent investigation in the ternary system Sr–Al–Pt led to the discovery of SrAl5Pt3 which crystallizes in the orthorhombic YNi5Si3 type (Pnma) structure. Interestingly, only two more aluminum representatives, CeAl5Pt3 and EuAl5Pt3, have been reported to adopt this structure type. Therefore, we decided to investigate the existence range of compounds adopting the YNi5Si3 type structure. Besides the already known Sr, Ce and Eu members, the series could be extended to Ca, Y and La–Nd as well as Sm–Er. All compounds were synthesized from the elements and characterized by powder X-ray diffraction. While for CaAl5Pt3 and LaAl5Pt3 also the respective M2Al16Pt9 members were observed, the other compounds could be obtained either as X-ray pure materials or with small amounts of Al3Pt2 as a side phase. The structure of ErAl5Pt3 could be refined from single crystal data, verifying that also the small rare-earth elements adopt the YNi5Si3 type structure. Selected members of the series were furthermore characterized by magnetization and susceptibility measurements. Since YAl5Pt3 could be obtained as a phase pure material and exhibits no paramagnetic behaviour it was investigated by 27Al MAS NMR investigations. Also, XPS measurements were conducted on this compound to gain an insight into the charge distribution. Finally, quantum-chemical calculations supported the NMR measurements and gave an insight into the chemical bonding and the charge distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding mechanisms of myofibrillar protein gelation is important for development of gel-type muscle foods. The protein-protein interactions are largely responsible for the heat-induced gelation. Exogenous additives have been extensively applied to improve gelling properties of myofibrillar proteins. Research has been carried out to investigate effects of different additives on protein gelation, among which low molecular substances as one of the most abundant additives have been recently implicated in the modifications of intermolecular interactions. In this review, the processes of myosin dissociation under salt and the subsequent interaction via intermolecular forces are elaborated. The underlying mechanisms focusing on the role of low molecular additives in myofibrillar protein interactions during gelation particularly in relation to modifications of the intermolecular forces are comprehensively discussed, and six different additives i.e. metal ions, phosphates, amino acids, hydrolysates, phenols and edible oils are involved. The promoting effect of low molecular additives on protein interactions is highly attributed to the strengthened hydrophobic interactions providing explanations for improved gelation. Other intermolecular forces i.e. covalent bonds, ionic and hydrogen bonds could also be influenced depending on varieties of additives. This review can hopefully be used as a reference for the development of gel-type muscle foods in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]