Conectar
by Maria Cecilia Rasuk, Alfonsina Palladini, Andrea Moyano, Viviana Díaz, Antonella Giudice, Gisela Castillo, Solana Abraham, Juan Rull, Anja Poehlein, Rolf Daniel, Julian Rafael Dib
The Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata Wied.) is an agricultural pest of significant economic importance. This species has been globally managed using the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). Insects, including tephritid flies, harbor a diverse gut microbiota that plays critical roles in their physiology, behavior, and overall fitness, suggesting that microbial communities may profoundly influence the biology of this pest. The aim of this study was to characterize the fungal and bacterial gut microbial communities of C. capitata from Tucumán, Argentina, and to assess their response to antimicrobial treatment using amplicon-based 16S rRNA gene and ITS region sequencing. Both control and treated flies were dominated by Proteobacteria (bacteria) and Zygosaccharomyces (fungi). Antimicrobial treatment induced significant shifts in bacterial and fungal composition, reducing diversity and altering gut community structure. Untreated flies exhibited a diverse and structured bacterial gut community dominated by the family Enterobacteriaceae, while antibiotic-treated communities were dominated by Rhizobiaceae. Despite these shifts, fungal communities in both treated and untreated groups were consistently dominated by the genus Zygosaccharomyces. Functional predictions revealed notable changes in metabolic pathways following antibiotic treatment, including increased gene abundance for ABC transporters and the phosphotransferase system, and decreased representation of genes involved in antibiotic biosynthesis and two-component systems. These results indicate significant alterations in bacterial metabolism and stress response mechanisms induced by the treatment. Such changes may help explain the underperformance of irradiated, mass-reared males within the context of SIT. This study provides new insights into the structural and functional dynamics of the C. capitata gut microbiome under disturbance. These findings have implications for understanding the ecological roles of microbial communities in this pest and their potential impact on fly health and fitness. Identification of dominant gut bacterial and fungal groups may support the development of probiotic diets, enhancing the efficiency of SIT application.Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and osteoarthritis (OA) are globally prevalent chronic diseases that affect millions of individuals in ageing populations. Hip and knee replacements are well established and effective treatments in patients suffering from end-stage OA. Understanding how T2DM influences the outcomes of these surgeries is important for optimising patient care and improving surgical results. This study aimed to explore the association of T2DM with reoperation (regardless of the reason), adverse events (AEs) and mortality after primary hip and knee replacement surgery.
Observational study based on prospectively collected registry data analysed retrospectively.
Data from several Swedish national quality registers and health data registers were used to create a study database. 109 938 and 80 897 primary hip and knee replacements due to OA, performed between 2008 and 2019 (hip) and 2009 and 2018 (knee), were included in the study.
The risk of complications, such as reoperation, AEs and mortality, was investigated by estimating HRs using Cox regression, and OR using logistic regression, unadjusted and adjusted for confounding factors, such as patient characteristics, socioeconomic status and comorbidities, and mediators, such as surgical factors.
Adjusted multivariable Cox-regression analysis showed no T2DM-associated risk of reoperation after hip or knee replacement, adjusted HR 1.10 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.23) and 1.09 (95% CI 0.96 to 1.24), respectively, while T2DM was associated with increased risk of death after hip and knee replacement, adjusted HR 1.40 (95% CI 1.34 to 1.47) and 1.38 (95% CI 1.31 to 1.45). Adjusted logistic regression analysis showed T2DM-associated increase of reoperation within 90 days (OR 1.23 (95% CI 1.05 to 1.43)) and increased mortality within 90 days (OR 1.42 (95% CI 1.01 to 1.95)) following hip replacement; however, this was not the case after knee replacement, OR 1.08 (95% CI 0.85 to 1.36) for reoperation and OR 1.29 (95% CI 0.84 to 1.94) for mortality. Several factors closely linked with T2DM, such as body-mass index and comorbidities, were identified as important when assessing risk of reoperation and mortality. Regarding AEs within 30 and 90 days, very slight but not statistically significant T2DM-associated increases were seen after either hip replacement, OR 1.01 (95% CI 0.91 to 1.11) and 1.07 (95% CI 0.98 to 1.16) or after knee replacement, OR 1.05 (95% CI 0.93 to 1.17) and 1.08 (95% CI 0.98 to 1.19).
The observed risk of reoperation suggests that T2DM alone was not a strong justification to advise against hip or knee replacement in individuals with T2DM deemed eligible for joint replacement. The T2DM-associated increased mortality after hip and knee replacement is challenging to interpret, as T2DM itself without undergoing hip or knee replacement surgery is associated with increased mortality.
Risk perception is a key influencing factor on the adoption of preventative health behaviours. This study aimed to understand the role of health communication on how people perceived the risk of COVID-19 and influenced relevant health behaviours to minimise disease susceptibility during the COVID-19 pandemic among people with a chronic disease.
This qualitative study involved a semi-structured interview of participants diagnosed with a chronic disease. In analysing interview responses, the Health Belief Model was utilised as a sensitising framework to facilitate analysis and explore themes within the domains of the model.
Interviews were completed between August and December 2020 through online platforms with individual participants.
Participants were Australian residents aged ≥18 years with self-reported chronic disease(s). Ninety interviews were completed, and a sample of 33 participants were enrolled for analysis.
Two main themes were identified: cues to action and perception of the threat of infection. Many participants had implemented external cues to preventative behaviours, including, but not limited to, social distancing, hand hygiene and, in some cases, mask use, mirroring enforced government restrictions. Individuals also had several social motivators from family, particularly those working in the health field, and the wider community to employ the enforced preventative behaviours. However, despite having a chronic disease, many participants did not recognise themselves as being susceptible to COVID-19. Rather, they were more concerned for others that they characterised as being at high risk, including the elderly. Geographical location also played a role in risk prevention behaviour; owing to low case numbers in rural and remote areas, the risk of susceptibility was not perceived to be high.
These findings demonstrate the need to clearly communicate the risk of infection to allow individuals to make informed decisions on preventative behaviours. This has ongoing relevance to future emergencies, including future pandemics/epidemics, and highlights the greater challenge if similar public health measures are contemplated again.
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