The world is turning to renewable energy sources to combat environmental degradation. This is part of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-7, which envisions affordable and clean energy. However, achieving the SDG-7 targets and spreading clean energy requires extracting and utilizing various minerals. Russia is one of the leading countries in the world in terms of cobalt, graphite, and rare elements used for renewable energy production. Russia must increase the production of minerals for renewable energy production to achieve SDG-7. In this context, the study aims to investigate the impact of energy policy uncertainty (ENPU), environmental policy stringency (EPS), environmental patents (ETEC), and information and communication technologies (ICT) on renewable energy minerals in Russia. To this end, the study uses novel multivariate quantile-on-quantile regression (M-QQR) and cross-quantilogram (CQ) approaches for the period from 2002m9-2020m12. The M-QQR results show that EPS, ICT, and ETEC increase the extraction of renewable energy minerals, while ENPU inhibits the extraction of cobalt, graphite, and rare elements. The main results indicate that technological progress supports the extraction of renewable energy minerals in Russia and that a strict environmental fiscal policy contributes to the achievement of SDG-7. Based on the findings, Russia needs to support technological progress in the ecological field, implement strict environmental policies, and reduce uncertainties related to energy policies to extract renewable energy minerals and advance the achievement of SDG-7.

2024-01-01·Frontiers in Immunology

Berberine alleviates ETEC-induced intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress damage by optimizing intestinal microbial composition in a weaned piglet model.

Article

作者: Pang, Xunsheng ; Ji, Xu ; Liu, Xiaodan ; Du, Min ; Zhang, Feng ; Li, Shenghe ; Zhao, Chunfang ; Wen, Aiyou ; Wang, Yue ; Zhang, Ziting ; Jin, Erhui

Introduction:

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is the main diarrhea-causing pathogen in children and young animals and has become a global health concern. Berberine is a type of "medicine and food homology" and has a long history of use in China, particularly in treating gastrointestinal disorders and bacterial diarrhea.

Methods:

In this study, we explored the effects of berberine on growth performance, intestinal inflammation, oxidative damage, and intestinal microbiota in a weaned piglet model of ETEC infection. Twenty-four piglets were randomly divided into four groups-a control group (fed a basal diet [BD] and infused with saline), a BD+ETEC group (fed a basal diet and infused with ETEC), a LB+ETEC group (fed a basal diet with 0.05% berberine and infused with ETEC infection), and a HB+ETEC group (fed a basal diet with 0.1% berberine and infused with ETEC).

Results:

Berberine significantly improved the final body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), and average daily feed intake (ADFI) (P<0.05) of piglets, and effectively decreased the incidence of diarrhea among the animals (P<0.05). Additionally, berberine significantly downregulated the expression levels of the genes encoding TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB, IKKα, and IKKβ in the small intestine of piglets (P<0.05). ETEC infection significantly upregulated the expression of genes coding for Nrf2, CAT, SOD1, GPX1, GST, NQO1, HO-1, GCLC, and GCLM in the small intestine of the animals (P<0.05). Berberine significantly upregulated 12 functional COG categories and 7 KEGG signaling pathways. A correlation analysis showed that berberine significantly increased the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria (Gemmiger, Pediococcus, Levilactobacillus, Clostridium, Lactiplantibacillus, Weissella, Enterococcus, Blautia, and Butyricicoccus) and decreased that of pathogenic bacteria (Prevotella, Streptococcus, Parabacteroides, Flavonifractor, Alloprevotella) known to be closely related to intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress in piglets. In conclusion, ETEC infection disrupted the intestinal microbiota in weaned piglets, upregulating the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and Nrf2 signaling pathways, and consequently leading to intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress-induced damage.

Discussion:

Our data indicated that berberine can optimize intestinal microbiota balance and modulate the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and Nrf2 signaling pathways, thus helping to alleviate intestinal inflammation and oxidative damage caused by ETEC infection in weaned piglets.

2019-12-10·Vaccine: X

Heterogeneity in potential impact and cost-effectiveness of ETEC and Shigella vaccination in four sub-Saharan African countries.

Article

作者: Muhib, Farzana ; Wierzba, Thomas ; Rheingans, Richard ; Anderson, John D

Diarrheal disease burden has become more heterogenous in low- and lower middle-income countries as access to clean water, sanitation and health care has increased in wealthier urban populations. Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) and Shigella are among the top five causes of diarrheal mortality in children living in sub-Saharan Africa. Here, we explored how accounting for subnational and economic heterogeneity in ETEC and Shigella disease burden affects projected vaccine impact and cost-effectiveness of standalone ETEC and Shigella vaccines during the first decade after introduction in four sub-Saharan African countries. We developed dynamic models for provincial areas and socioeconomic subpopulations of children in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Kenya, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. We estimated deaths and morbidity due to ETEC and Shigella diarrhea plus additional deaths from other infectious diseases attributable to ETEC- and Shigella-induced stunting. We analyzed cost-effectiveness using Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratios (ICERs) with Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) and Moderate-and-Severe Diarrheal episodes (MSD) averted as denominators. Other infectious disease deaths due to induced stunting accounted for 9-28% and 9-32% of the total provincial level ETEC and Shigella disease burden, respectively, across these four countries from years 2025 to 2034. Our results indicated that the lowest and most cost-effective provincial DALYs averted ICERs were below $600 and $500/DALY averted for ETEC and Shigella vaccination, respectively in Zimbabwe. ICERs were the highest in Zambia and Kenya, where all provincial ICERs where above $2000/DALY. The highest national and provincial MSD averted ICERs were in DRC, while the lowest were in Kenya and Zimbabwe. Vaccinations were most cost-effective in averting DALYs in lower wealth subpopulations living in the highest burden provincial areas. Our approach focused on subnational heterogeneity in ETEC and Shigella burden and vaccination access found that impact and cost-effectiveness were more favorable if vaccinations reach the most vulnerable children in underserved provinces.

项与 ETEC(Abera) 相关的新闻（医药）

2024-08-19

·Pharmaceutical Technology

US DoD grants $2.3m to Immuron for military version of anti-diarrhoeal Travelan

The DoD states that infectious diarrhoea is the most common illness that US troops deployed overseas experience. Image credit: Shutterstock / Andrew Angelov. Immuron Limited has won an A$3.5m ($2.3m) grant to develop a version of its anti-diarrhoeal medication Travelan, following support from the US Department of Defense (DoD). The financing will fund a new agreement with the Naval Medical Research Command and Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, the latter being the largest biomedical research facility overseen by the DoD. The aim of the collaboration is to develop an enhanced formulation of Travelan for military use against pathogens that cause diarrhoea, according to a 16 August press release. The new version will target bacterial pathogens Campylobacter, Shigella and Enterotoxigenic E coli strains (ETEC) that are not present in the current product formulation. Travelan is an over-the-counter bovine colostrum product. Bovine colostrum is cow’s milk secreted during the first few days after calving and contains a range of immunoglobulins, growth factors, and cytokines that help with immune protection. Travelan is a highly purified tablet preparation that prevents bacteria colonisation in the digestive tract associated with travellers’ diarrhoea. See Also: Licensing agreements for innovator GLP1R drugs weigh in with over $6.2bn in 2024 Top 20 biopharmas’ market cap up 4.3% in Q2 2024 as GLP-1 drug innovators hold top spots The US DoD has already been working with Australia-based Immuron as it eyes wider effectiveness against diarrhoeal pathogens. The Naval Medical Research Command has ongoing ETEC and Campylobacter research programmes with the company while the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research is investigating the medication’s protection against Shigella. In the past, the DoD has provided $3.43m to perform a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled Phase II trial (NCT05933525) for ETEC infection testing a once-daily dosing schedule for the treatment. Immuron reported positive interim topline results from the study in March 2024, which showed that ETEC-induced moderate to severe diarrhoea was reduced by 36.4% following Travelan treatment compared to placebo. The protective efficacy of once-daily dosing was around 50% as effective as the currently recommended three times daily dosing regimen; Immuron stated this was a strong result given the lower-than-expected attack rate in the study. Based on the results, the company is proceeding to Phase III registration strategy with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Immuron said the new award aims to “identify and define pathways to formulate, characterise and perform preclinical testing of a military-relevant combined colostrum product”. Infectious diarrhoea is the most common illness that US troops deployed overseas experience, according to a 2019 DoD Infectious Disease Threats Prioritisation Panel. The government agency has also been funding a vaccine to immunise against ETEC. Scandinavian Biopharma is developing the lead candidate called ETVAX – an oral whole-cell vaccine – that demonstrated a positive safety and immunogenic profile in Phase IIb trial results published last year in The Lancet .