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No full textThis thesis was scanned from the print manuscript for digital preservation and is copyright the author.
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Semi-conductive materials for engineered bioremediation: From surface properties to microbial diversity
No full textEngineered bioremediation has gained attention in recent years as a speedy and efficient option for environmental pollution control. Solid materials can speed up in situ bioremediation processes because they offer a platform for microbial attachment and immobilization, and serve as electron donor and energy source, acceptor, and/or redox mediator to promote biological reaction rates. These materials can impact microbial community composition, behavior, and growth. This work evaluates anaerobic bacterial responses to two different semi-conductive materials used in subsurface remediation, granular activated carbon (GAC) and zerovalent iron (ZVI), with the goal of elucidating relationships between material properties and microbial activity.
GAC studies investigate the influence of solution chemistry and surface oxidation treatments, mimicking natural weathering processes, on Geobacter sulfurreducens strain PCA’s ability to colonize GAC and utilize the material as a solid-phase electron acceptor. Results show that surface oxidation most significantly affects PCA catabolism at elevated pH, compared to neutral or acidic pH conditions. Effects of GAC oxidation are most pronounced for highly weathered GAC under growth conditions. However, similar improvements in respiration and biological growth rates are not observed using a freshwater sediment-derived enrichment consortia containing PCA and active sulfate reducers. These findings provide evidence that increased GAC oxidation promotes enrichment of Geobacter under unfavorable aqueous conditions (high pH) only if strong reductants (sulfide) are absent.
ZVI studies compare the impact of sulfidated and non-sulfidated ZVI particles on bacterial culture Desulfovibrio desulfuricans and sulfate-reducing enrichment culture AMR-1. Experiments with D. desulfuricans show that sulfidation of the particles can significantly (p < 0.05) decrease rates of sulfate reduction, but the extent to which respiration rates decline depends upon whether ZVI is pure and nanoscale (nZVI) or mesoscale with impurities (Peerless). When AMR-1 is present, non-sulfidated nZVI enriches Archaea, yet sulfidated nZVI does not promote methanogenic growth. Both sulfidated and non-sulfidated Peerless particles suppress methanogens and maintain the richness and diversity of the consortia. Our results indicate that ZVI source material may be more influential than surface sulfidation on the enrichment and behavior of sulfate-reducing bacteria.
Overall, this work shows that tailoring surface properties of semi-conductive materials can influence microbial enrichment and biotransformation reactions under appropriate environmental and microbial conditions. These findings address critical knowledge gaps related to microbial responses to material amendments, critical frontiers in establishing solid-phase amendments as an effective and reliable bioremediation strategy.Embargo status: Restricted until 01/2023. To request the author grant access, click on the PDF link to the left
Impact of short term endothelin A receptor blockade on plasma markers for remodeling and neutrophil activation in patients with ST elevation acute coronary syndrome
No full textNanomaterial-Driven Precision Immunomodulation: A New Paradigm in Therapeutic Interventions
No full textAuthor Contributions: A.A.A.A., conceptualization review writing, reviewing, and revising; M.A.O.,
O.G., M.E.-T., V.M., Y.M., S.K., S.S.P., S.S.H., D.N., K.L., A.H.-J., Á.S.-A., E.M.R., V.N.U. and M.M.T.,
review data gathering, writing, reviewing, and revising. All authors have read and agreed to the
published version of the manuscript.Immunotherapy is a rapidly advancing field of research in the treatment of conditions such as cancer and autoimmunity. Nanomaterials can be designed for immune system manipulation, with precise targeted delivery and improved immunomodulatory efficacy. Here, we elaborate on various strategies using nanomaterials, including liposomes, polymers, and inorganic NPs, and discuss their detailed design intricacies, mechanisms, and applications, including the current regulatory issues. This type of nanomaterial design for targeting specific immune cells or tissues and controlling release kinetics could push current technological frontiers and provide new and innovative solutions for immune-related disorders and diseases without off-target effects. These materials enable targeted interactions with immune cells, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of checkpoint inhibitors, cancer vaccines, and adoptive cell therapies. Moreover, they allow for fine-tuning of immune responses while minimizing side effects. At the intersection of nanotechnology and immunology, nanomaterial-based platforms have immense potential to revolutionize patient-centered immunotherapy and reshape disease management. By prioritizing safety, customization, and compliance with regulatory standards, these systems can make significant contributions to precision medicine, thereby significantly impacting the healthcare landscape.Biotecnologí
Characterising acute and chronic care needs: insights from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
No full textChronic care manages long-term, progressive conditions, while acute care addresses short-term conditions. Chronic conditions increasingly strain health systems, which are often unprepared for these demands. This study examines the burden of conditions requiring acute versus chronic care, including sequelae. Conditions and sequelae from the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019 were classified into acute or chronic care categories. Data were analysed by age, sex, and socio-demographic index, presenting total numbers and contributions to burden metrics such as Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs), Years Lived with Disability (YLD), and Years of Life Lost (YLL). Approximately 68% of DALYs were attributed to chronic care, while 27% were due to acute care. Chronic care needs increased with age, representing 86% of YLDs and 71% of YLLs, and accounting for 93% of YLDs from sequelae. These findings highlight that chronic care needs far exceed acute care needs globally, necessitating health systems to adapt accordingly.
© 2025. The Author(s)
[S] Mortality and disability-adjusted life years in North Africa and Middle East attributed to kidney dysfunction: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019
No full textBackground. The study aimed to estimate the attributable burden to kidney dysfunction as a metabolic risk factor in the North Africa and Middle East (NAME) region and its 21 countries in 1990-2019. Methods. The data used in this study were obtained from the Global Burden of Diseases (GBD) 2019 study, which provided estimated measures of deaths, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and other epidemiological indicators of burden. To provide a better insight into the differences in the level of social, cultural, and economic factors, the Socio-Demographic Index (SDI) was used. Results. In the NAME region in 2019, the number of deaths attributed to kidney dysfunction was 296 632 (95% uncertainty interval: 249 965-343 962), which was about 2.5 times higher than in the year 1990. Afghanistan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia had the highest, and Kuwait, Turkey, and Iran (Islamic Republic of) had the lowest age-standardized rate of DALYs attributed to kidney dysfunction in the region in 2019. Kidney dysfunction was accounted as a risk factor for ischemic heart disease, chronic kidney disease, stroke, and peripheral artery disease with 150 471, 111 812, 34 068, and 281 attributable deaths, respectively, in 2019 in the region. In 2019, both low-SDI and high-SDI countries in the region experienced higher burdens associated with kidney dysfunction compared to other countries. Conclusions. Kidney dysfunction increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases burden and accounted for more deaths attributable to cardiovascular diseases than chronic kidney disease in the region in 2019. Hence, policymakers in the NAME region should prioritize kidney disease prevention and control, recognizing that neglecting its impact on other diseases is a key limitation in its management. © The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the ERA. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.kz
Global, regional, and national burden of diabetes from 1990 to 2021, with projections of prevalence to 2050 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021
No full textFunding Information: This study is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. A Ahmad acknowledges support from the Deanship of Scientific Research at Shaqra University for supporting this work. S M Aljunid acknowledges support from the Department of Community Medicine, School of Medicine, International Medical University, Malaysia and Centre for Casemix and Clinical Coding, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Malaysia for the approval and support to participate in this research project. T Astell-Burt acknowledges support from an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellowship (FT220100857). A Badawi acknowledges support from the Public Health Agency of Canada. R Bai acknowledges support in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 72204112) and the Social Science Fund of Jiangsu Province (grant number 21GLD008). O C Baltatu acknowledges support by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, 304224/2022-7) and Anima Institute - AI (research professor fellowship). L Belo acknowledges support from from FCT in the scope of the project UIDP/04378/2020 and UIDB/04378/2020 of UCIBIO and the project LA/P/0140/2020 of i4HB. D A Bennett acknowledges support from the Medical Research Council Population Research Unit at the University of Oxford. A N Bhat acknowledges support from the Manipal Academy of Higher Education. M Carvalho acknowledges support from FCT in the scope of the project UIDP/04378/2020 and UIDB/04378/2020 of UCIBIO and the project LA/P/0140/2020 of i4HB. S B Chidambaram acknowledges the administrative support provided by JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Mysuru, India. S Cuschieri acknowledges support from the University of Malta. B B Duncan acknowledges support in part by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq, research fellowship), and the Institute for Health Technology Assessment (IATS; 465518/2014-1). H A Edinur acknowledges support from the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia (Fundamental Research Grant Scheme: FRGS/1/2020/STG03/USM/03/5). A Fatehizadeh acknowledges support from the Department of Environmental Health Engineering of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. S Gaihre acknowledges support from the Institute of Applied Health Sciences (IAHS), School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition (SMMSN), University of Aberdeen for providing time and necessary resources to work on this manuscript. R K Gautam acknowledges the work to their organization Department of Pharmacology, Indore Institute of Pharmacy, IIST Campus, Rau, Indore, 453331 (M.P.), India. V K Gupta acknowledges funding support from National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), Australia. S Haque acknowledges support from Jazan University, Saudi Arabia for providing the access of Saudi Digital Library for this study. J Haubold acknowledges support from The Clinician Scientist Program of the Clinician Scientist Academy (UMEA) of the University Hospital Essen, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) (FU 356/12-2), provided Johannes Haubold with financial support. B-F Hwang acknowledges support from China Medical University, Taiwan (province of China) (CMU111-MF-55). N Ikeda acknowledges support from the National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Japan. I M Ilic acknowledges support from project No 175042 supported by Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia, 2011-2023. M D Ilic acknowledges support from the Ministry of Science, and Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia (no. 451-03-47/2023-01/200111). S M S Islam acknowledges support from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC) and has received funding from the National Heart Foundation of Australia. N E Ismail acknowledges AIMST University, Malaysia for institutional support. N Joseph acknowledges support from Department of Community Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India in this research work. H Kandel acknowledges support from a Kornhauser Research Fellowship at the University of Sydney. M Kivimäki acknowledges support from the Wellcome Trust (221854/Z/20/Z), Medical Research Council (R024227), National Institute on Aging (R01AG062553), and Academy of Finland, Finland (350426). K Krishan acknowledges non-financial support from UGC Centre of Advanced Study, Phase II, awarded to the Department of Anthropology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India, outside the submitted work. K Latief received funding from Taipei Medical University for Doctoral Education during the conduct of this review. M Lee acknowledges support from the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2021R1I1A4A01057428) and Bio-convergence Technology Education Program through the Korea Institute for Advancement Technology (KIAT) funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (No. P0017805). M-C Li acknowledges support from the National Science and Technology Council in Taiwan (province of China) (NSTC 111-2410-H-003-100-SSS). G Lopes acknowledges support from national funds through the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) under the Scientific Employment Stimulus - Individual Call (CEECIND/01768/2021). S Lorkowski acknowledges institutional support from the Competence Cluster for Nutrition and Cardiovascular Health (nutriCARD) Halle-Jena-Leipzig (Germany; German Federal Ministry of Education and Research; grant agreement number 01EA1808A). G Lucchetti is a Research Productivity Grantee of the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) - type 1C. M A Mahmoud acknowledges the support from Taibah University to participate in this research project. D C Malta acknowledges support from Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), FAPEMIG - Fundação de Amaparo a Pesquisa de Minas Gerais. H R Marateb acknowledges support from the Beatriu de Pinós post-doctoral programme from the Office of the Secretary of Universities and Research from the Ministry of Business and Knowledge of the Government of Catalonia program (#2020 BP 00261). E Mathews acknowledges support from the DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance Fellowship (grant number IA/CPHE/17/1/503345) and would like to thank Central University of Kerala, India. L Monasta acknowledges support from the Italian Ministry of Health (Ricerca Corrente 34/2017), payments made to the Institute for Maternal and Child Health IRCCS Burlo Garofolo. U Mons acknowledges support from Marga and Walter Boll Foundation, Kerpen, Germany. U O Mueller acknowledges funding by the German National Cohort Study. A Ortiz acknowledges Comunidad de Madrid en Biomedicina P2022/BMD-7223, CIFRA_COR-CM. Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) RICORS program to RICORS2040 (RD21/0005/0001) funded by European Union – NextGenerationEU, Mecanismo para la Recuperación y la Resiliencia (MRR). J R Padubidri acknowledges Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal and Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore for their support towards collaborative research. V C F Pepito acknowledges institutional support from the Ateneo de Manila University. I Qattea acknowledges support from Nassau University Medical Centers and Cleveland Clinic Foundation. E M M Redwan acknowledges support from King Abdulaziz University (DSR), Jeddah, and King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology (KACSAT), Saudi Arabia; and Science & Technology Development Fund (STDF), and US-Egypt Science & Technology joint Fund, The Academy of Scientific Research & Technology (ASRT), Egypt. L F Reyes acknowledges support from Universidad de La Sabana. M Rodrigues was supported by the Centre of Studies in Geography and Spatial Planning, funded by national funds through the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the reference UIDB/04084/2020. U Saeed acknowledges support from The International Center of Medical Sciences Research (ICMSR), Islamabad (44000), Pakistan. A Schuermans acknowledges support from the Belgian American Educational Foundation. N S Shah was supported by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute grant number K23HL157766. L M L R Silva was supported by the project code CENTRO-04-3559-FSE-000162, Fundo Social. M Tabish acknowledges support from the Deanship of Scientific Research at Shaqra University for this work. M Tonelli acknowledges support from the David Freeze Chair in Health Services Research. M R Tovani-Palone acknowledges Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences for supporting this study. Z Wang acknowledges financial support from Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé, China Scholarship Council, and McGill University Global Health Scholars Program. Mr Wang has also received consulting fees from the Fred Hollows Foundation. X Xu is supported by Heart Foundation Post-doctoral Fellowship funded by the Heart Foundation of Australia (Award No. 102597), and Scientia Program at the University of New South Wales, Australia. S B Zaman acknowledges receiving a scholarship from the Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) in support of his academic career. A Zumla acknowledges support from the Pan African Network for Rapid Research, Response, and Preparedness for Infectious Diseases Epidemics Consortium (PANDORA-ID-NET), European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership the EU Horizon 2020 Framework Programme (EDCTP-RIA2016E-1609). Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licensePeer reviewe
Global, regional, and national incidence of six major immune-mediated inflammatory diseases: findings from the global burden of disease study 2019
No full textBackground: The causes for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) are diverse and the incidence trends of IMIDs from specific causes are rarely studied. The study aims to investigate the pattern and trend of IMIDs from 1990 to 2019. Methods: We collected detailed information on six major causes of IMIDs, including asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis, between 1990 and 2019, derived from the Global Burden of Disease study in 2019. The average annual percent change (AAPC) in number of incidents and age standardized incidence rate (ASR) on IMIDs, by sex, age, region, and causes, were calculated to quantify the temporal trends. Findings: In 2019, rheumatoid arthritis, atopic dermatitis, asthma, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease accounted 1.59%, 36.17%, 54.71%, 0.09%, 6.84%, 0.60% of overall new IMIDs cases, respectively. The ASR of IMIDs showed substantial regional and global variation with the highest in High SDI region, High-income North America, and United States of America. Throughout human lifespan, the age distribution of incident cases from six IMIDs was quite different. Globally, incident cases of IMIDs increased with an AAPC of 0.68 and the ASR decreased with an AAPC of −0.34 from 1990 to 2019. The incident cases increased across six IMIDs, the ASR of rheumatoid arthritis increased (0.21, 95% CI 0.18, 0.25), while the ASR of asthma (AAPC = −0.41), inflammatory bowel disease (AAPC = −0.72), multiple sclerosis (AAPC = −0.26), psoriasis (AAPC = −0.77), and atopic dermatitis (AAPC = −0.15) decreased. The ASR of overall and six individual IMID increased with SDI at regional and global level. Countries with higher ASR in 1990 experienced a more rapid decrease in ASR. Interpretation: The incidence patterns of IMIDs varied considerably across the world. Innovative prevention and integrative management strategy are urgently needed to mitigate the increasing ASR of rheumatoid arthritis and upsurging new cases of other five IMIDs, respectively. Funding: The Global Burden of Disease Study is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The project funded by Scientific Research Fund of Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences & Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital ( 2022QN38). © 2023 The Author(s
Prevalence, years lived with disability, and trends in anaemia burden by severity and cause, 1990–2021: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021
No full textBackground: Anaemia is a major health problem worldwide. Global estimates of anaemia burden are crucial for developing appropriate interventions to meet current international targets for disease mitigation. We describe the prevalence, years lived with disability, and trends of anaemia and its underlying causes in 204 countries and territories. Methods: We estimated population-level distributions of haemoglobin concentration by age and sex for each location from 1990 to 2021. We then calculated anaemia burden by severity and associated years lived with disability (YLDs). With data on prevalence of the causes of anaemia and associated cause-specific shifts in haemoglobin concentrations, we modelled the proportion of anaemia attributed to 37 underlying causes for all locations, years, and demographics in the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Findings: In 2021, the global prevalence of anaemia across all ages was 24·3% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 23·9–24·7), corresponding to 1·92 billion (1·89–1·95) prevalent cases, compared with a prevalence of 28·2% (27·8–28·5) and 1·50 billion (1·48–1·52) prevalent cases in 1990. Large variations were observed in anaemia burden by age, sex, and geography, with children younger than 5 years, women, and countries in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia being particularly affected. Anaemia caused 52·0 million (35·1–75·1) YLDs in 2021, and the YLD rate due to anaemia declined with increasing Socio-demographic Index. The most common causes of anaemia YLDs in 2021 were dietary iron deficiency (cause-specific anaemia YLD rate per 100 000 population: 422·4 [95% UI 286·1–612·9]), haemoglobinopathies and haemolytic anaemias (89·0 [58·2–123·7]), and other neglected tropical diseases (36·3 [24·4–52·8]), collectively accounting for 84·7% (84·1–85·2) of anaemia YLDs. Interpretation: Anaemia remains a substantial global health challenge, with persistent disparities according to age, sex, and geography. Estimates of cause-specific anaemia burden can be used to design locally relevant health interventions aimed at improving anaemia management and prevention. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 licens
