es of all the multidrug isolates were ≥0.2. The isolates harboured antibiotic resistance genes including tetA, tetB, tetC, sulI, sulII, aadA, aac(3)-IIa and ESBLs including blaTEM, blaCTX-M group 9, blaVEB as well as AmpC. None of the isolates harboured the carbapenemases. We conclude that irrigation water and agricultural soil collected from Chris Hani and Amathole District Municipalities (DMs) in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa are reservoirs and potential transmission routes of multidrug-resistant L. monocytogenes to the food web and consequently threat to public health.Although the beneficial effects of probiotics in the prevention or treatment of metabolic disorders have been extensively researched, the precise mechanisms by which probiotics improve metabolic homeostasis are still not clear. Given that probiotics usually exert a comprehensive effect on multiple metabolic disorders, defining a concurrent mechanism underlying the multiple effects is critical to understand the function of probiotics. In this study, we identified the SIRT1-dependent or independent PGC-1α pathways in multiple organs that mediate the protective effects of a strain of Lactobacillus plantarum against high-fat diet-induced adiposity, glucose intolerance, and dyslipidemia. L. plantarum treatment significantly enhanced the expression of SIRT1, PPARα, and PGC-1α in the liver and adipose tissues under HFD-fed condition. L. plantarum treated mice also exhibited significantly increased expressions of genes involved in bile acid synthesis and reverse cholesterol transport in the liver, browning and thermogenesis of adipose tissue, and fatty acid oxidation in the liver and adipose tissue. Additionally, L. plantarum treatment significantly upregulated the expressions of adiponectin in adipose tissue, irisin in skeletal muscle and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and FGF21 in SAT. These beneficial changes were associated with a significantly improved HFD-induced alteration of gut microbiota. Our findings suggest that the PGC-1α-mediated pathway could be regarded as a potential target in the development of probiotics-based therapies for the prevention and treatment of metabolic disorders.In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), acute exacerbation of COPD requiring hospital admission is associated with mortality and healthcare costs. The ERICA study assessed multiple clinical measures in people with COPD, including the short physical performance battery (SPPB), a simple test of physical function with 3 components (gait speed, balance and sit-to-stand). We tested the hypothesis that SPPB score would relate to risk of hospital admissions and length of hospital stay. Data were analysed from 714 of the total 729 participants (434 men and 280 women) with COPD. Data from this prospective observational longitudinal study were obtained from 4 secondary and 1 tertiary centres from England, Scotland, and Wales. The main outcome measures were to estimate the risk of hospitalisation with acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD and length of hospital stay derived from hospital episode statistics (HES). In total, 291 of 714 individuals experienced 762 hospitalised AECOPD during five-year follow up. Poorer performance of SPPB was associated with both higher rate (IRR 1.08 per 1 point decrease, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.14) and increased length of stay (IRR 1.18 per 1 point decrease, 95% CI 1.10 to 1.27) for hospitalised AECOPD. For the individual sit-to-stand component of the SPPB, the association was even stronger (IRR 1.14, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.26 for rate and IRR 1.32, 95% CI 1.16 to 1.49 for length of stay for hospitalised AECOPD). The SPPB, and in particular the sit-to-stand component can both evaluate the risk of H-AECOPD and length of hospital stay in COPD. The SPPB can aid in clinical decision making and when prioritising healthcare resources.BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer incidence in Spain increased considerably between the early nineties and 2010. To reverse this tendency, screenings were progressively implemented starting the year 2001, targeting the population aged 50 to 69 years. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to update colorectal cancer incidence and mortality trends in Spain and provide a detailed analysis of disease management and risk factors involved in in-hospital mortality. METHODS To this aim, anonymised primary and specialised care admission records from 2011 to 2016 were extracted from a Spanish claims database representative of all Spanish regions. RESULTS Primary care files from 37,317 patients and specialised care files from 192,048 patients were obtained, in which males represented the 56.17% and 60.70% of patients respectively. In-hospital mortality rate was 10.07% and remained stable during the study period, similarly to colorectal cancer incidence within the hospitalised population, which was 106 per 10,000 patients. Patients deceased during the hospitalisation presented an increased presence of metastatic tumours. selleck chemical Mean length of hospital stay decreased significantly over the study period from 13.43 days to 11.67 days (p less then 0.001), similarly to patients’ 30-day readmission rate, which registered a decrease from the 15.29% to 13.58% (p less then 0.001). In consequence, the direct medical cost measured per patient, of €10,992, decreased over time. The implementation of colorectal cancer screening programmes caused a significant decrease in the number of new diagnoses in patients aged 75 to 79 years that may be attributable to the implementation of colorectal cancer screening programmes; however, in-hospital mortality was not reduced. Metastatic tumours and other conditions as anaemia are associated with higher in-hospital mortality rates.Breast cancer is one of the commonest cancers among Algerian females. Compared to Western populations, the median age of diagnosis of breast cancer is much lower in Algeria. The objective of this study is to explore the expression of several miRNAs reported to be deregulated in breast cancer. The miRNAs miR-21, miR-125b, miR-100, miR-425-5p, miR-200c, miR-183 and miR-182 were studied on tumor and normal adjacent Algerian breast tissues using quantitative reverse transcription real time PCR, and the results were analyzed according to clinical characteristics. Compared to the normal adjacent tissues, miR-21, miR-183, miR-182, miR-425-5p and miR-200c were found to be upregulated while miR-100 and miR-125b were insignificantly deregulated. A positive correlation was noted among miR-183, miR-182 and miR-200c and among miR-425-5p, miR-183, miR-200c and miR-21. Further global miRNA microarray profiling studies can aid in finding ethnic specific miRNA biomarkers in the Algerian breast cancer population.