This condition was commonly associated with glaucoma (15). Glaucoma (25) and cataract (20) were the most prevalent secondary alterations in the evaluated cases. Keratitis (20) and corneal rupture (16) were among the most prevalent consequences of trauma. Information presented herein may guide clinicians and pathologists, contributing to the early diagnosis of potentially vision-impairing conditions and raising the chances of successful treatment and cure.Pseudoviruses are useful virological tools because of their safety and versatility, especially for emerging and re-emerging viruses. Due to its high pathogenicity and infectivity and the lack of effective vaccines and therapeutics, live SARS-CoV-2 has to be handled under biosafety level 3 conditions, which has hindered the development of vaccines and therapeutics. Based on a VSV pseudovirus production system, a pseudovirus-based neutralization assay has been developed for evaluating neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in biosafety level 2 facilities. The key parameters for this assay were optimized, including cell types, cell numbers, virus inoculum. When tested against the SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus, SARS-CoV-2 convalescent patient sera showed high neutralizing potency, which underscore its potential as therapeutics. The limit of detection for this assay was determined as 22.1 and 43.2 for human and mouse serum samples respectively using a panel of 120 negative samples. The cutoff values were set as 30 and 50 for human and mouse serum samples, respectively. This assay showed relatively low coefficient of variations with 15.9% and 16.2% for the intra- and inter-assay analyses respectively.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/ve-822.html  Taken together, we established a robust pseudovirus-based neutralization assay for SARS-CoV-2 and are glad to share pseudoviruses and related protocols with the developers of vaccines or therapeutics to fight against this lethal virus.Aim Therapeutically targeting cancer stem cells (CSCs), which play a role in tumor initiation and relapse, remains challenging. Materials & methods Novel-formulated platinum nanoparticles (Pt-NPs) supported on polybenzimidazole (PBI)-functionalized polymers and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were prepared and their effect on CSCs was evaluated. Results Pt-NPs showed homogenous distribution on the surface of MWCNT/PBI composites, with very narrow particle size. MWCNT/PBI/Pt-NPs resulted in a dramatic decrease in the proliferation rate of CSCs but not bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs). Quantitative gene expression analysis revealed that MWCNT/PBI/Pt had a significant inhibitory effect on the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and cell cycle markers of CSCs. Conclusion MWCNT/PBI/Pt exhibited a specific cytotoxic effect on breast CSCs but not on adult stem cells.Large population studies estimated that the frequency of food allergies is increasing worldwide. In the last two decades, a 'second wave' of the allergy epidemic has emerged as a growing public health problem. EU regulation strengthened information to consumers about allergens in pre-packed food, since December 2014 it has been extended to non-prepacked foods by the Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Commission. The present work aims to present a five-year survey on the presence of nine types of allergen in several foods, including food of animal origin and baby food. The concentration found for each irregular allergen is generally low, but some samples with no gluten indication contained a concentration above 10 mg kg-1 with the highest value of 138.5 mg kg-1 in a dietetic food, during the screening in 2017. These data underline the importance and the necessity of a complete food labelling to protect the majority of allergic individuals.Aim Magnetic particle imaging (MPI) is highly promising for biomedical applications, but optimal tracers for MPI, namely superparamagnetic iron oxide-based contrast agents, are still lacking. Materials & methods The encapsulation of commercially available nanoparticles, specifically synomag®-D and perimag®, into human red blood cells (RBCs) was performed by a hypotonic dialysis and isotonic resealing procedure. The amounts of superparamagnetic iron oxide incorporated into RBCs were determined by Fe quantification using nuclear magnetic resonance and magnetic particle spectroscopy. Results Perimag-COOH nanoparticles were identified as the best nanomaterial for encapsulation in RBCs. Perimag-COOH-loaded RBCs proved to be viable cells showing a good magnetic particle spectroscopy performance, while the magnetic signal of synomag-D-COOH-loaded RBCs dropped sharply. Conclusion Perimag-COOH-loaded RBCs could be a potential tool for MPI diagnostic applications.There is scarce data on the mycotoxin profile in retailed fruit juices in Nigeria. Thirty-five industrially-processed fruit juice samples randomly purchased from retailers in Ogun state, Nigeria, were analysed for the presence of > 650 toxic fungal and plant metabolites using a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometric method. Only 18 metabolites, including 3-nitropropionic acid, alternariol methylether and emodin, but excluding citrinin, fumonisin B2, ochratoxin A and patulin, were detected in trace levels in at least one juice sample. Amygdalin, a plant cyanogen, was quantified (2.05-359 µg/L) in 40% of the samples. Although the levels of mycotoxins and toxic plant metabolites found in the juice may be relatively low, daily consumption of juices containing such low levels may contribute to dietary exposures to these natural chemical contaminants in consumers. Fruit juice processors should be encouraged to adhere strictly to good manufacturing practices in order to keep mycotoxins away from the final products.The 2 predominant circulating subtypes of influenza A virus in the dog population, equine-origin H3N8 and avian-origin H3N2, constitute a potential zoonotic risk. We determined the prevalence of influenza A antibodies in 496 dogs in Poland and found 2.21% of sera positive by commercial ELISA. Hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assays indicated 7.25% of sera positive using equine H3N8, swine H3N2, and pandemic H1N1 antigens, with the most frequently detected immune response being to H3N2. Considering interspecies transfer, reassortment ability, and close contact between dogs and humans, infections of dogs with influenza A virus should be monitored.