Background: Due to the recency of the postbiotic field, there are no head-to-head postbiotic studies investigating its biotherapeutic potential for atopic dermatitis (AD). No network meta-analysis (NMA) has yet been conducted to synthesize relevant studies to compare postbiotic interventions for AD. Objective: To assess the comparative efficacy and safety of postbiotic strains for treating pediatric AD. Methodology: This is an NMA of randomized controlled studies that evaluate postbiotics in treating pediatric AD. Systematic search of databases and registers from inception to November 30, 2022. Three authors independently performed the search, screening, appraisal using the Cochrane risk of bias tool version 2 and data extraction. Data analysis was done using STATA14 software. Results: There were 9 studies that evaluated 8 postbiotic preparations. Lactobacillus rhamnosus IDCC 3201 (LR) ranked highest in the efficacy outcome. Compared to placebo, LR may be effective in reducing symptoms of atopic dermatitis both in the main analysis (SMD -0.53, 95%CI -1.02 to -0.04) and sensitivity analysis involving studies that used SCORAD (MD -5.52, 95% CI -10.46 to -0.58), based on low-certainty evidence. Based on moderate-certainty evidence, LR probably does not increase the risk of adverse events (RR 0.97, 95% CI 0.79 to 1.21). Although Lactobacillus paracasei GM080 (LP2) ranked highest in the safety outcome, it may not reduce AD symptoms compared to placebo (SMD -0.03, 95% CI -0.37 to 0.32) based on low-certainty evidence. Conclusion: LR showed significant benefits for children with AD, based on low-certainty evidence. Further investigation on LR is recommended.

The Ocean covers two-third of our planet and has great biological heterogeneity. Marine organisms like algae, vertebrates, invertebrates, and microbes are known to provide many natural products with biological activities as well potent sources of biomaterials for therapeutic, biomedical, biosensors, and climate stabilization. Over the years, the field of biosensors have gained huge attention due to their extraordinary ability in providing early diseases diagnosis and treatment as well as environmental pollutants. This review focuses on various biomaterials (Carbohydrtae polymers, proteins, polyacids etc) of marine origin such as Alginate, Chitin, Chitosan, Fucoidan, Carrageenan, Chondroitin Sulfate (CS), Hyaluronic acid (HA), Collagen, marine pigments, marine nanoparticles, Hydroxyapatite (HAp), Biosilica, lectins, and marine whole cell. Further, it mentions the source of such marine biomaterials and their promising evolution for the development of biosensors that are potent to be employed in the biomedical, environmental science and agricultural sciences domains.

Axonal transport plays a significant role in the establishment of neuronal polarity, axon growth, and synapse formation during neuronal development. The axon of a naturally growing neuron is a highly complex and multifurcated structure with a large number of bends and branches. Nowadays, the study of dynamic axonal transport in morphologically complex neurons is greatly limited by the technological barrier. Here, a sparse gene transfection strategy was developed to locate fluorescent mCherry in the lysosome of primary neurons, thus enabling us to track the lysosome-based axonal transport with a single-particle resolution. Thereby, several axonal transport models were observed, including forward or backward transport model, stop-and-go model, repeated back-and-forth transport model, and cross-branch transport model. Then, the accurate single-particle velocity quantification by TrackMate revealed a highly heterogeneous and discontinuous transportation process of lysosome-based axonal transport in freely orientated axons. And, multiple physical factors, such as the axonal structure and the size of particles, were disclosed to affect the velocity of particle transporting in freely orientated axons. The combined single-particle fluorescence tracking and TrackMate assay can be served as a facile tool for evaluating axonal transport in neuronal development and axonal transport-related diseases.

1. Plant-soil feedback (PSF) has gained attention as a mechanism promoting plant growth and coexistence. However, because most PSF research has measured monoculture growth in greenhouse conditions, field-based PSF experiments remain an important frontier for PSF research. 2. Using a four-year, factorial field experiment in Jena, Germany, we measured the growth of nine grassland species on soils conditioned by each of the target species (i.e., PSF). Plant community models were parameterized with or without these PSF effects, and model predictions were compared to plant biomass production in new and existing diversity-productivity experiments. 3. Plants created soils that changed subsequent plant biomass by 36%. However, because they were both positive and negative, the net PSF effect was 14% less growth on ‘home’ than ‘away’ soils. At the species level, seven of nine species realized non-neutral PSFs, but the two dominant species grew only 2% less on home than away soils. At the species*soil type level, 31 of 72 PSFs differed from zero. 4. In current and pre-existing diversity-productivity experiments, nine-species plant communities produced 37 to 29% more biomass than monocultures due primarily to selection effects. Null and PSF models predicted 29 to 28% more biomass for polycultures than monocultures, again due primarily to selection effects. 5. Synthesis: In field conditions, PSFs were large enough to be expected to cause roughly 14% overyielding due to complementarity, however, in plant communities overyielding was caused by selections effects, not complementarity effects. Further, large positive and large negative PSFs were associated with subdominant species, suggesting there may be selective pressure for plants to create neutral PSF. Broadly, results highlighted the importance of testing PSF effects in communities because there are several ways in which PSFs may be more or less important to plant growth in communities than suggested from simple PSF values.

Aim There is still only little knowledge about alterations of blood concentrations of psychotropic drugs during pregnancy, the transfer of psychotropic drugs into breast-milk and the effects on exposed children. Methods We investigated changes in concentrations of psychopharmacological medication during pregnancy and lactation in serum and breast milk at different time points in a naturalistic sample of 60 mothers and observed the development of the exposed children in the first 12 months. Results We found a decrease in serum concentrations from the first to the second trimester of amitriptyline, duloxetine, escitalopram, quetiapine and sertraline. Citalopram stayed rather stable during pregnancy, sertraline levels interestingly increased again from the second to the third trimester. Highest concentration-by-dose-ratios in breast milk were found for venlafaxine as well as lamotrigine, lowest for quetiapine and clomipramine. Similarly, clomipramine and quetiapine showed lowest milk/serum-penetration-ratios. Regarding the birth outcome measures in children we found no significant differences between in utero exposed compared to non-exposed new-borns. There were no significant differences in the development in the first 12 months. Conclusion Psychotropic medication in the peripartum needs a balancing of risks and benefits and a continuous therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) can be a guidance for clinicians to monitor drug alteration patterns, which are likely to occur due to physiological pregnancy-associated changes in pharmacokinetics. Accordingly, TDM can optimize a medication in pregnancy and lactation with the lowest but effective dose.

In bacteria, the chromosome is folded into a structure called the nucleoid. This compaction must facilitate and maintain key biological processes such as gene expression and DNA transactions (replication, recombination, repair, segregation). Chromosome and chromatin 3D-organization in bacteria has been a puzzle for decades. Chromosome conformation capture coupled to deep sequencing (HiC) in combination with other ‘omics’ approaches has allowed dissection of the structural layers that shape bacterial chromosome organization, from DNA topology to global chromosome architecture. Here we review the latest findings in the field and discuss the main features of bacterial genome folding.

Aim: To describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of severe COVID-19 adult patients, with the exploration of risk factors for mortality in the hospital. Methods: This study included 20 adult patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in the ICU of DHQ Hospital Faisalabad (Pakistan) and were categorized into the survival group and death group according to the outcome. We retrieved demographics, clinical manifestations and signs, laboratory indicators, treatment measures, and clinical outcomes from the medical record, and summarized the clinical characteristics and outcomes of these patients. Results: The average age of patients was 70 ± 12 years, of which 40% were male. They were admitted to the ICU 11 days after the onset of symptoms. The most common symptoms on admission were cough (19 cases, 95%), fatigue or myalgia (18 cases, 90%), fever (17 cases, 85%), and dyspnea (16 cases, 80%). Eleven (55%) patients had underlying diseases, of which hypertension was the most common (11 cases, 55%), followed by cardiovascular disease (4 cases, 20%), and diabetes (3 cases, 15%). Six patients (30%) received invasive mechanical ventilation and continuous renal replacement therapy and eventually died. Acute heart injury was the most common complication (19 cases, 95%). Ten (50%) patients died between 2 and 19 days after admission to the ICU. Compared to dead patients, the average body weight of surviving patients was lower (61.70± 2.36 vs 68.60±7.15, P = 0.01), Glasgow Coma Scale score was higher (14.69±0.70 vs 12.70±2.45, P = 0.03), with fewer concurrent shocks (2 vs 10, P = 0.001) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (2 vs 10, P = 0.001). Conclusion: The mortality rate is high in patients with critical COVID-19 disease. Lower Glasgow Coma Scale, higher body weight, and decreased lymphocyte count appear to be potential risk factors for the death of COVID-19 patients in the ICU.

SARS-CoV-2 caused one of the most devastating pandemics in the recent history of mankind. Due to various countermeasures, including lock-downs, wearing masks and increased hygiene, the virus has been controlled in some parts of the world. More recently, the availability of vaccines, based on RNA or Adenoviruses, have greatly added to our ability to keep the virus at bay, again in some parts of the world only. While available vaccines are effective, it would be desirable to also have more classical vaccines at hand for the future. Key feature of vaccines for long-term control of SARS-CoV-2 would be inexpensive production at large scale, ability to make multiple booster injections and long-term stability at +4 oC. Here we describe such a vaccine candidate, consisting of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding motif grafted genetically onto the surface of the immunologically optimized cucumber mosaic virus, called CuMV TT-RBM. Using bacterial fermenter production and continuous flow centrifugation, the productivity of the production process is estimated to be >2.5 million doses per 1000 liter fermenter run and the vaccine candidate is stable for at least 14 months at 4°C. We further demonstrate that the candidate vaccine is highly immunogenic in mice and rabbits and induces more high avidity antibodies compared to convalescent human sera and antibodies induced are more cross-reactive to mutant RBDs for variants of concern (VoC). Furthermore, antibody responses are neutralizing and long-lived. This, the here presented VLP-based vaccine may be a good candidate for use as conventional vaccine in the long-term.

A new flow for Canadian young hydrologists: Key scientific challenges addressed by research cultural shiftsCaroline Aubry-Wake1, Lauren D. Somers2,3, Hayley Alcock4, Aspen M. Anderson5, Amin Azarkhish6, Samuel Bansah7, Nicole M. Bell8, Kelly Biagi9, Mariana Castaneda-Gonzalez10, Olivier Champagne9, Anna Chesnokova10, Devin Coone6, Tasha-Leigh J. Gauthier11, Uttam Ghimire6, Nathan Glas6, Dylan M. Hrach11, Oi Yin Lai14, Pierrick Lamontagne-Halle3, Nicolas R. Leroux1, Laura Lyon3, Sohom Mandal12, Bouchra R. Nasri13, Nataša Popović11, Tracy. E. Rankin14, Kabir Rasouli15, Alexis Robinson16, Palash Sanyal17, Nadine J. Shatilla9, 18, Brandon Van Huizen11, Sophie Wilkinson9, Jessica Williamson11, Majid Zaremehrjardy191 Centre for Hydrology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada2 Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MA, USA3 Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University, Montreal QC4 Department of Natural Resource Science, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada5 Department of Earth Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada6 School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Ontario, ON, Canada7 Department of Geological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada8 Centre for Water Resources Studies, Department of Civil & Resource Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada9 School of Geography and Earth Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.10 Department of Construction Engineering, École de technologie supérieure, Montreal, QC, Canada11 Department of Geography & Environmental Management, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada12 Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada13 Department of Mathematics and Statistics, McGill University, Montréal, Qc, Canada14 Geography Department, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada15 Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Dorval, QC, Canada16 Department of Geography and Planning, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON17 Global Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan.18 Lorax Environmental Services Ltd, Vancouver, BC, Canada.19 Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

While species interactions are fundamental for linking biodiversity to ecosystem functioning and for conservation, large-scale empirical data are lacking for most species and ecosystems. Accumulating evidence suggests that trophic interactions are predictable from available functional trait information, but we have yet to understand how well we can predict interactions across large spatial scales and food webs. Here, we built a model predicting predator-prey interactions based on functional traits for European vertebrates. We found that even models calibrated with very few known interactions (100 out of 71k) estimated the entire food web reasonably well. However, predators were easier to predict than prey, with prey in some clades being particularly difficult to predict (e.g., fowls and storks). Local food web connectance was also consistently over-estimated. Our results demonstrate the potential for filling gaps in sparse food webs, an important step towards a better description of biodiversity with strong implications for conservation planning.

Most of our understanding of island diversity comes from the study of aboveground systems, while the patterns and processes of diversification and community assembly for belowground biotas remain poorly understood. Here we take advantage of a relatively young and dynamic oceanic island to advance our understanding of eco-evolutionary processes driving community assembly within soil mesofauna. Using whole organism community DNA (wocDNA) metabarcoding and the recently developed metaMATE pipeline, we have generated spatially explicit and reliable haplotype-level DNA sequence data for soil mesofaunal assemblages sampled across the four main habitats within the island of Tenerife. Community ecological and metaphylogeographic analyses have been performed at multiple levels of genetic similarity, from haplotypes to species and supraspecific groupings. Broadly consistent patterns of local-scale species richness across different insular habitats have been found, whereas local insular richness is lower than in continental settings. Our results reveal an important role for niche conservatism as a driver of insular community assembly of soil mesofauna, with only limited evidence for habitat shifts promoting diversification. Furthermore, support is found for a fundamental role of habitat in the assembly of soil mesofauna, where habitat specialism is mainly due to colonisation and the establishment of preadapted species. Hierarchical patterns of distance decay at the community level and metaphylogeographical analyses support a pattern of geographic structuring over limited spatial scales, from the level of haplotypes through to species and lineages, as expected for taxa with strong dispersal limitations. Our results demonstrate the potential for wocDNA metabarcoding to advance our understanding of biodiversity.

Paz-Vinas et al. (2021) comment on methodological and data-related limits of our paper (Millette et al. 2020), which affect a small proportion of our datasets and analyses. These points do not refute our conclusions. We address their comments and support the call for the development of best practices for future macrogenetics research.

Transient gene expression (TGE) using mammalian cells is an extensively used technology for production of antibodies and recombinant proteins and has been widely adapted by both academic and industrial labs. Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells have become one of the major work horses for TGE of recombinant antibodies due to their attractive features: post-translational modifications, adaptation to high cell densities, and use of serum-free media. In this study, we describe the optimization of parameters for TGE for antibodies from CHO cells. Through a matrix evaluation of multiple factors including inoculum, transfection conditions, amount and type of DNA used and post-transfection culture conditions, we arrived at an optimized process with higher titer and reduced costs and time, thus increasing the overall efficiency of early antibody material supply. We investigated the amount of coding DNA and the influence of size of the transfection complex on the in vitro efficiency of the transfection. Generation of the transfection complex in serum-free medium leads to the prompt formation of an optimal-sized polyplex, and is independent of the relative amount of coding DNA used for a successful transfection outcome.

Adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients need additional support while they experience the challenges associated with their age. They need specific training to learn the knowledge and skills required to confidently self-manage their allergies and/or asthma. Transitional care is a complex process which should address the psychological, medical, educational and vocational needs of AYA in the developmentally appropriate way. The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology has developed a clinical practice guideline to provide evidence-based recommendations for healthcare professionals to support the transitional care of AYA with allergy and/or asthma. This guideline was developed by a multi-disciplinary working panel of experts and patient representatives based on two recent systematic reviews. It sets out a series of general recommendations on operating a clinical service for AYA, which include: (i) starting transition early (11-13 years), (ii) using a structured, multidisciplinary approach, (iii) ensuring AYA fully understand their condition and have resources they can access, (iv) active monitoring of adherence and (v) discussing any implications for further education and work. Specific allergy and asthma transition recommendations include (i) simplifying medication regimes and using reminders; (ii) focusing on areas where AYA are not confident and involving peers in training AYA patients; (iii) identifying and managing psychological and socioeconomic issues impacting disease control and quality of life; (iv) enrolling the family in assisting AYA to undertake self-management and (v) encouraging AYA to let their friends know about their allergies and asthma. These recommendations may need to be adapted to fit into national healthcare systems.

Myositis ossificans (MO) is a rare disease in which ossification develops in the muscle or soft tissue. MO traumatica is recognized by ossification of the soft tissues after acute or repetitive trauma, burns, or surgical procedures. In the head and neck region, masseter is most commonly involved muscle.

Objective: Description of the use of corticosteroids for the management of parapneumonic pleural effusion in children. Methods: Retrospective monocenter cohort study of all children hospitalized with a discharge diagnosis of parapneumonic pleural effusion during a 15-year period. Results: We documented 97 cases of parapneumonic effusion during the study period, with a median age (interquartile range (IQR)) of 43 (33-61) months. Most of the children benefited from an evacuation of the pleural effusion (89/97, 91.8%): 21 patients (21.6%) were treated with needle thoracocentesis only, while a chest tube was inserted in 68 children (70.1%). Thirty-two patients (33%) were treated with intrapleural fibrinolysis. Fifty-five children (56.7%) received corticosteroids for persistent fever. The median time (IQR) between hospital admission and initiation of corticosteroids was 5.5 (4-7) days. When corticosteroids were initiated, children were febrile since 9 (IQR 8-11) days. The fever ceased in a median (IQR) of 0 (0-1) day after corticosteroids initiation. Only 1 patient required a video-assisted thoracoscopy that was provided because of morphological reasons (morbid obesity). No children treated with corticosteroids required surgery. All children were discharged alive from hospital. The median (IQR) hospital length of stay was 11 (8-14) days, with no difference between children with and without corticosteroids. Conclusion: Our results indicate that corticosteroids could be associated with a significant reduction in the use of surgical procedures and with a prompt clinical improvement. Corticosteroids could thus offer a non-invasive therapeutic alternative for children with parapnemonic effusions when antibiotics and pleural drainage are considered a failure.

Actinomycosis is a rare, indolent and invasive infection caused by Actinomyces species. Pulmonary actinomycosis is very rarely seen in the paediatric population. The classic radiological presentation of thoracic involvement of actinomycosis includes lower lobe consolidation, empyema and periostitis of the ribs. We report a case of endobronchial pulmonary actinomycosis in a child diagnosed on endobronchial biopsy and broncho-alveolar lavage taken during bronchoscopy. Bronchoscopy can be dangerous when performed on these cases, as there is a risk of severe bleeding and large airway obstruction, as was the case with this patient.

INTRODUCTIONAn unpleasant experience for both the patient and the anesthetist, post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is a complication of spinal anesthesia or lumbar puncture. It is believed to be caused by cerebral vasodilation, which is an indirect consequence of low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure, or meningeal traction linked to low CSF pressure.1 PDPH incidence varies, although it is generally thought to be 36% or more after lumbar puncture, 0%-10% after spinal anesthesia, and 81% after an unintentional dural puncture during epidural insertion.2, 3 Although PDPH typically resolves on its own, it can make it difficult for mothers to care for their infants and lengthen hospital stays. Serious side effects such as subdural hematoma, convulsions, sagittal sinus thrombosis, and cranial nerve palsies are more infrequently linked to PDPH.