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"Martin, C M"
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Plastic pollution in freshwater ecosystems: macro-, meso-, and microplastic debris in a floodplain lake
Plastic pollution is considered an important environmental problem by the United Nations Environment Programme, and it is identified, alongside climate change, as an emerging issue that might affect biological diversity and human health. However, despite research efforts investigating plastics in oceans, relatively little studies have focused on freshwater systems. The aim of this study was to estimate the spatial distribution, types, and characteristics of macro-, meso-, and microplastic fragments in shoreline sediments of a freshwater lake. Food wrappers (mainly polypropylene and polystyrene), bags (high- and low-density polyethylene), bottles (polyethylene terephthalate), and disposable Styrofoam food containers (expanded polystyrene) were the dominant macroplastics recorded in this study. Contrary to other studies, herein macroplastic item surveys would not serve as surrogates for microplastic items. This is disadvantageous since macroplastic surveys are relatively easier to conduct. Otherwise, an average of 25 mesoplastics (mainly expanded polystyrene) and 704 microplastic particles (diverse resins) were recorded per square meter in sandy sediments. Comparisons with other studies from freshwater and marine beaches indicated similar relevance of plastic contamination, demonstrating for the first time that plastic pollution is a serious problem in the Paraná floodplain lakes. This study is also valuable from a social/educational point of view, since plastic waste has been ignored in the Paraná catchment as a pollutant problem, and therefore, the outcome of the current study is a relevant contribution for decision makers.
Journal Article
In vivo CRISPR/Cas9 targeting of fusion oncogenes for selective elimination of cancer cells
Fusion oncogenes (FOs) are common in many cancer types and are powerful drivers of tumor development. Because their expression is exclusive to cancer cells and their elimination induces cell apoptosis in FO-driven cancers, FOs are attractive therapeutic targets. However, specifically targeting the resulting chimeric products is challenging. Based on CRISPR/Cas9 technology, here we devise a simple, efficient and non-patient-specific gene-editing strategy through targeting of two introns of the genes involved in the rearrangement, allowing for robust disruption of the FO specifically in cancer cells. As a proof-of-concept of its potential, we demonstrate the efficacy of intron-based targeting of transcription factors or tyrosine kinase FOs in reducing tumor burden/mortality in in vivo models. The FO targeting approach presented here might open new horizons for the selective elimination of cancer cells.
Fusion oncogenes (FO) are common in cancers, but specific targeting of these chimeric genes are challenging. Here the authors report a CRISPR/Cas9 strategy that targets two intronic regions to disrupt the FOs in cancer cells and show that this approach reduces tumour growth and prolongs survival in animal models of cancer.
Journal Article
Prospectively defined indicators to improve the safety and quality of care for critically ill patients: a report from the Task Force on Safety and Quality of the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM)
Objectives
To define a set of indicators that could be used to improve quality in intensive care medicine.
Methodology
An European Society of Intensive Care Medicine Task Force on Quality and Safety identified all commonly used key quality indicators. This international Task Force consisted of 18 experts, all with a self-proclaimed interest in the area. Through a modified Delphi process seeking greater than 90% consensual agreement from this nominal group, the indicators were then refined through a series of iterative processes.
Results
A total of 111 indicators of quality were initially found, and these were consolidated into 102 separate items. After five discrete rounds of debate, these indicators were reduced to a subset of nine that all had greater than 90% agreement from the nominal group. These indicators can be used to describe the structures (3), processes (2) and outcomes (4) of intensive care. Across this international group, it was much more difficult to obtain consensual agreement on the indicators describing processes of care than on the structures and outcomes.
Conclusion
This document contains nine indicators, all of which have a high level of consensual agreement from an international Task Force, which could be used to improve quality in routine intensive care practice.
Journal Article
Burials, migration and identity in the ancient Sahara and beyond
\"This ground-breaking volume explores a series of inter-related key themes in Saharan archaeology and history. Migration and identity formation can both be approached from the perspective of funerary archaeology, using the combined evidence of burial structures, specific rites and funerary material culture, and integrated methods of skeletal analysis including morphometrics, palaeopathology and isotopes. Burial traditions from various parts of the Sahara are compared and contrasted with those of the Nile Valley, the Maghreb and West Africa. Several chapters deal with the related evidence of human migration derived from linguistic study. The volume presents the state of the field of funerary archaeology in the Sahara and its neighbouring regions and sets the agenda for future research on mobility, migration and identity. It will be a seminal reference point for Mediterranean and African archaeologists, historians and anthropologists as well as archaeologists interested in burial and migration more broadly\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Microplastic pollution in two remote rivers of Türkiye
Microplastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems presents an emerging environmental threat that can have adverse effects on ecology, endanger aquatic species, and result in economic damage. Despite the numerous studies reporting the presence of microplastics in marine environments, research into their presence in freshwater systems or inland waters remains limited. This study aimed to assess the level of microplastic pollution transported by the Munzur and Pülümür Rivers and some small rivers that flow into the Uzunçayır dam lake, which is the confluence of the Munzur and Pülümür Rivers in Türkiye. Samples were collected from 23 stations, with the concentration of microplastics ranging from 0.01 MP/m
3
at P-4 station to 28.21 MP/m
3
at P-10, a station located near a city. Microplastics comprise four types: fiber, film, fragment, and glitter. The average size of microplastics was 1.46 ± 0.05 mm, with the average size of fibers, films, fragments, and glitter-type microplastics being 1.58 ± 0.07 mm, 1.23 ± 0.10 mm, 1.21 ± 0.11 mm, and 0.78 ± 0.16 mm, respectively. The most frequent polymers were polyethylene (31.8%), polystyrene (21.1%), and polypropylene (10.5%). Despite being considered remote and less populated rivers compared to other river systems in Türkiye, all sampling sites showed varying concentrations of microplastics.
Journal Article
Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra CT value provides a rapid measure of sputum bacillary burden and predicts smear status in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis
Traditionally, smear microscopy has been used to estimate bacillary burden in order to assess infectiousness in tuberculosis (TB) patients. Since Xpert MTB assays might replace smear microscopy as the first-line diagnostic test for pulmonary tuberculosis, an alternative measure of bacillary load that correlates with smear positivity is needed. This study assessed the correlation between C
T
(with and without normalization), smear status, culture time-to-positivity (TTP), and clinical factors in patients with Xpert ultra positive sputum during a four-year period. A cut-off C
T
value for smear positivity was also estimated. 204 samples were included. Strong correlation between both Xpert Ultra C
T
values (raw and normalized) and smear status was obtained (r = 0.78 and − 0.79, respectively). The association between Raw-C
T
and TTP was weaker than normalized-C
T
(N-C
T
) and TTP (r = 0.50 and r = − 0.70, respectively). A Raw-C
T
cut-off value of 21.4 was identified with 85.7% (95% CI 65.4–95) sensitivity and 92.9% (95% CI 84.3–96.9) specificity. A N-C
T
cut-off value of 5.2 yielded a sensitivity of 94.3% (95% CI 86.2–97.8) and specificity of 85.7% (95% CI 65.4–95). Our study demonstrates that Xpert Ultra C
T
value correlates well with other measures of bacillary load such as smear status or TTP. The correlation with TTP is stronger when the C
T
value is normalized using the internal control. The proposed N-C
T
cut-off value of 5.2 shows a better sensitivity than the Raw-CT when predicting smear positive status.
Journal Article