When a biomaterial is inserted into the body, proteins rapidly adsorb onto its surface, creating a conditioning protein film that functions as a link between the implant and adhering cells. Depending on the nano-roughness of the surface, proteins will adsorb in different amounts, with different conformations and orientations, possibly affecting the subsequent attachment of cells to the surface. Thus, modifications of the surface nanotopography of an implant may prevent biomaterial-associated infections. Fibrinogen is of particular importance since it contains adhesion epitopes that are recognized by both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells, and can therefore influence the adhesion of bacteria. The aim of this study was to model adsorption of fibrinogen to smooth or nanostructured silica surfaces in an attempt to further understand how surface nanotopography may affect the orientation of the adsorbed fibrinogen molecule. We used a coarse-grained model, where the main body of fibrinogen (visible in the crystal structure) was modeled as rigid and the flexible α C-chains (not visible in the crystal structure) were modeled as completely disordered. We found that the elongated fibrinogen molecule preferably adsorbs in such a way that it protrudes further into solution on a nanostructured surface compared to a flat one. This implicates that the orientation on the flat surface increases its bio-availability.Arthropod-borne diseases (ABD) are of increasing interest in veterinary and public health. Eurasian badgers (Meles meles) are known to harbor a wide range of pathogens, but information on their role as ABD reservoirs and their potential epidemiological relevance is limited. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of arthropod-borne pathogens, specifically piroplasmids and the bacteria Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Ehrlichia canis, Coxiella burnetii, Francisella tularensis and Bartonella spp., in badgers from Great Britain (GB). Blood and heart samples from 18 badgers were examined using PCR and sequencing. A neighbour-joining (NJ) phylogram was also produced. Nine animals tested positive for Babesia sp., while none of the samples was positive for the investigated bacteria. 2-Deoxy-D-glucose The sequences obtained clustered with other sequences of Babesia sp. from badgers from GB and elsewhere, including China, Hungary, Spain and Italy, showing a widespread distribution of this parasite in badgers. Badger-associated Babesia DNA was also found recently in a wild cat in Bosnia Herzegovina, in a wolf in Italy and in dogs in Hungary. Further investigations are needed to understand the epidemiology of this putative pathogen and its impact on the health of wild and domestic carnivores.Biphasic dissolution systems achieved good predictability for the in vivo performance of several formulations of poorly water-soluble drugs by characterizing dissolution, precipitation, re-dissolution, and absorption. To achieve a high degree of predictive performance, acceptor media, aqueous phase composition, and the apparatus type have to be carefully selected. Hence, a combination of 1-decanol and an optimized buffer system are proposed as a new, one-vessel biphasic dissolution method (BiPHa+). The BiPHa+ was developed to combine the advantages of the well-described biorelevance of the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) apparatus II coupled with USP apparatus IV and a small-scale, one-vessel method. The BiPHa+ was designed for automated medium addition and pH control of the aqueous phase. In combination with the diode array UV-spectrophotometer, the system was able to determine the aqueous and the organic medium simultaneously, even if scattering or overlapping of spectra occurred. At controlled hydrodynamic conditions, the relative absorption area, the ratio between the organic and aqueous phase, and the selected drug concentrations were identified to be the discriminating factors. The performance of a hot-melt extruded ritonavir-containing amorphous solid dispersion (ritonavir-ASD) was compared in fasted-state dissolution media leading to different dissolution-partitioning profiles depending on the content of bile salts. An advanced kinetic model for ASD-based well described all phenomena from dispersing of the ASD to the partitioning of the dissolved ritonavir into the organic phase.Routine diagnostic methods for the aetiologic agents of diarrhoea in most developing countries are usually not sensitive enough, leading to under-diagnosis. Thus, this study investigated possible mixed diarrhoeal aetiology by using cultures and real-time polymerase chain reactions (PCR) in children younger than four years old in the Northwest Province, South Africa. In total, 505 stool samples were collected from symptomatic and asymptomatic children who were attending three clinics and the Brits hospital in Madibeng District, between September 2016 and December 2017. Rotavirus, norovirus, Campylobacter, Arcobacter, and diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) were targeted. Campylobacter spp. (24.6%), Arcobacter (15.8%) and DEC (19.6%) were detected using PCR; only Campylobacter spp. (29.7%) and DEC (26.9%) were detected through the culture. Campylobacter jejuni (36%), Campylobacter coli (28%), Campylobacter upsalensis (12%), and Arcobacter butzleri (15.8%) were the only spp. of Campylobacter and Arcobacter identified. The eaeA gene (31.4%) of enteropathogenic E. coli/enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EPEC/EHEC) was the most prevalent DEC virulence gene (VG) identified. Rotavirus and norovirus were detected at 23.4% and 20%, respectively. Mixed viral aetiology (7.3%) and the co-infection of A. butzleri and Campylobacter (49%) were recorded. A mixed bacterial-viral aetiology was observed in 0.6% of the specimens. Sensitive diagnostic procedures like PCR should be considered to provide the best treatment to children experiencing diarrhoea.In this review, we discuss gut microbial-derived metabolites involved with the origins and pathophysiology of asthma, a chronic respiratory disease that is influenced by the microbiome. Although both gut and airway microbiomes may be important in asthma development, we focus here on the gut microbiome and metabolomic pathways involved in immune system ontogeny. Metabolite classes with existing evidence that microbial-derived products influence asthma risk include short chain fatty acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids and bile acids. While tryptophan metabolites and sphingolipids have known associations with asthma, additional research is needed to clarify the extent to which the microbiome contributes to the effects of these metabolites on asthma. These metabolite classes can influence immune function in one of two ways (i) promoting growth or maturity of certain immune cell populations or (ii) influencing antigenic load by enhancing the number or species of specific bacteria. A more comprehensive understanding of how gut microbes and metabolites interact to modify asthma risk and morbidity will pave the way for targeted diagnostics and treatments.