The growing threat of gonococcal blindness

Antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea is now a reality, as well as the consequences of untreatable infections. Gonococcal eye infections result in blindness if not properly treated; they accounted for the vast majority of infections in children in homes for the blind in the pre-antibiotic era. Neisseria gonorrhoeae infects the eyes of infants born to mothers with gonorrhea and can also infect the eyes of adults. Changes in sexual practices may account for the rise in adult gonococcal eye infections, although some cases seem to have occurred with no associated genital infection. As gonorrhea becomes increasingly difficult to treat, the consequences for the treatment of gonococcal blindness must be considered as well. Monocaprin was shown to be effective in rapidly killing N. gonorrhoeae, and is non-irritating in ocular models. Repeated passage in sub-lethal monocaprin induces neither resistance in gonococci nor genomic mutations that are suggestive of resistance. Here, we show that 1mMmonocaprin kills 100% of N. gonorrhoeae in 2 min, and is equally effective against N. meningitidis, a rare cause of ophthalmia neonatorum that is potentially lethal. Monocaprin at 1mMalso completely kills Staphylococcus aureus after 60 min, and 25 mM kills 80% of Pseudomonas aeruginosa after 360 min. Previously, 1 mM monocaprin was shown to eliminate Chlamydia trachomatis in 5 min. Monocaprin is, therefore, a promising active ingredient in the treatment and prophylaxis of keratitis, especially considering the growing threat of gonococcal blindness due to antimicrobial resistance

Fatty acid based microemulsions to combat ophthalmia neonatorum caused by 'Neisseria gonorrhoeae' and 'Staphylococcus aureus'

The bacterial species Neisseria gonorrhoeae (N. gonorrhoeae) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) are amongst the main microorganisms that cause ophthalmia neonatorum. The current treatment involves the use of various antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, cephalosporin, ceftriaxone and cefotaxime. However, this treatment strategy is becoming more ineffective due to the antibiotic resistance in N. gonorrhoeae. The current study explores the potential use of fatty acid based microemulsions (ME) to prevent N. gonorrhoeae and S. aureus infections in new-borns’ eyes without harmful side effects such as corneal or conjunctiva irritation. Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were constructed to evaluate microemulsion regions and six different α-linolenic acid based microemulsions were prepared. The prepared formulations were characterized for α-linolenic acid content, size, transparency, zeta potential, Polarized light Microscopy, antimicrobial activity and ex vivo ocular toxicity. The mean droplet size of the ME formulations was in the range of 190.4 to 350.5 nm and polydispersity index (PDI) values were in the range of 0.102 to 0.561. All formulations were found stable upon storage for at least 8 weeks. In addition, self-diffusion coefficients determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) reflected that the diffusability of water increased at higher than 30% w/w water, while that of fatty acids and surfactants was in reverse. The antimicrobial efficacy of microemulsions was determined against N. gonorrhoeae and S. aureus. It was concluded that all microemulsions have strong antimicrobial effects against N. gonorrhoeae and S. aureus. Finally, bovine corneal opacity permeability (BCOP) and hen’s egg chorioallantoic (HET-CAM) tests results showed that all microemulsion formulations were not strong ocular irritants

Situació actual del galgo a Espanya

Treball presentat a l'assignatura de Deontologia i Veterinària Legal (21223

Post Pandemic Shopping

Shopping malls were originally designed to give people the opportunity to socialize and shop within the same environment. The shopping mall concept is extremely important within the urban spacial system, as it connects both leisure activities and commercial businesses into one environment for pedestrians to enjoy. Retail consumers and visitors are able to fulfill their need for visual stimulation from their surrounding environment as well as the ability to enjoy various relaxing activities in this area. The concept of the retail experience was to bring people together and provide many opportunities for social exchange in one setting. How will this spatial organization change after a pandemic that requires social distancing? What factors will need to be considered to design a safe environment during and after a pandemic? A look into these questions will occur throughout the semester by researching case studies that provide a background to how malls are oriented to attract potential shoppers, as well as researching the current pandemic and what safety precautions can be made to new designs to support a safe shopping experience

Influence: Art, Activism, and Identity as Seen Through a Neurodivergent Lens

My world has no separation between art, activism, and identity. As a neurodivergent individual, I experience life through hyperactive senses. It is an intense reality; however, it is the force that drives me to create, explore, discover and learn. My mind works like a kaleidoscope, always awash in colorful abstract images, each twist or turn reveals a new perspective. For my MFA visual art thesis, I used my neurodivergent brain as the foundation of my study. The concept formed in my mind first as blurry shapes and colors, and then came into focus as I began the process of gathering and testing materials. Eventually, I was able to replicate the images in my mind, converting them into actuality with yarns, fibers, plastics, latex, and light. The physical results of this process are six lopsided, vibrant, soft sculptures based on neurons. They hang suspended and interwoven, interacting with one another in the gallery space as an installation, similar to the way neural networks connect. By sharing my divergent artistic perspective and backing up my narrative artwork with scientific data and medical research, I hope to dispel harmful myths and foster a better understanding of the challenges that neurodivergent individuals experience. I want my art to spark productive conversations about ways we can reform our educational and societal systems to be more inclusive and open to all people. Ultimately, I would love to see my work widen the way, so that anyone who follows the divergent path after me will encounter less resistance

Lightweight Thermal Management Strategies for the Silicon Detectors of CBM at FAIR

Lightweight thermal management is central to the design of the all-silicon Inner Tracker of the Compressed Baryonic Matter Experiment (CBM) at the Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR). This experiment aims to study strongly interacting matter at neutron star core densities through fixed-target Au-Au collisions ($\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 2.9 - 4.9\,$GeV; up to 10$^7$ beam-target interactions per second; polar angular acceptance of $2.5^{\circ} \leq \Theta \leq 25^{\circ}$). Studies with thermal demonstrators for both the pixel-based Micro Vertex Detector and the strip-based Silicon Tracking System have validated their thermal management strategies, preparing them for series production now and global commissioning in 2028.Comment: 2 pages, 4 figures, Proceedings for 16th Pisa Meeting on Advanced Detectors Submitted to NIM

Applying Social Work Values to the Care and Treatment of Intersex People

The problem of intersex conditions is not due to intersex variations themselves, rather contemporary society\u27s binary understanding of sex. The term “intersex” refers to individuals born with “anatomies that are considered ‘atypical’ for either male or female bodies.” There are over 40 variations of sex development that can be referred to as “intersex”, which makes conforming to the binary (i.e. male/female) system of gender problematic. The United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner affirms that, being intersex relates to biological sex characteristics, and is distinct from a person\u27s sexual orientation or gender identity. Dominant medical procedure throughout the past 60 years has been to perform genital “normalization” surgery on infants to make them conform to a strict male/female binary. Due to a lack of policy regarding the treatment of intersex infants, many hospitals continue to perform early surgical intervention on infants, which fails to consider the future quality of life and well being of intersex people. The practice of early surgical interventions ignores the agency of individuals. It is a blatant disregard of one\u27s capacity to be free to make a choice, which contradicts social work values