Verification of Real-Time PCR Methods for Qualitative and Quantitative Testing of Genetically Modified Organisms

A multicenter study investigating SARS-CoV-2 in tertiary-care hospital wastewater. viral burden correlates with increasing hospitalized cases as well as hospital-associated transmissions and outbreaks

SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in wastewater and its abundance correlated with community COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths. We sought to use wastewater-based detection of SARS-CoV-2 to assess the epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 in hospitals. Between August and December 2020, twice-weekly wastewater samples from three tertiary-care hospitals (totaling > 2100 dedicated inpatient beds) were collected. Hospital-1 and Hospital-2 could be captured with a single sampling point whereas Hospital-3 required three separate monitoring sites. Wastewater samples were concentrated and cleaned using the 4S-silica column method and assessed for SARS-CoV-2 gene-targets (N1, N2 and E) and controls using RT-qPCR. Wastewater SARS-CoV-2 as measured by quantification cycle (Cq), genome copies and genomes normalized to the fecal biomarker PMMoV were compared to the total daily number of patients hospitalized with active COVID-19, confirmed cases of hospital-acquired infection, and the occurrence of unit-specific outbreaks. Of 165 wastewater samples collected, 159 (96%) were assayable. The N1-gene from SARS-CoV-2 was detected in 64.1% of samples, N2 in 49.7% and E in 10%. N1 and N2 in wastewater increased over time both in terms of the amount of detectable virus and the proportion of samples that were positive, consistent with increasing hospitalizations at those sites with single monitoring points (Pearson's r = 0.679, P < 0.0001, Pearson's r = 0.799, P < 0.0001, respectively). Despite increasing hospitalizations through the study period, nosocomial-acquired cases of COVID-19 (Pearson's r = 0.389, P < 0.001) and unit-specific outbreaks were discernable with significant increases in detectable SARS-CoV-2 N1-RNA (median 112 copies/ml) versus outbreak-free periods (0 copies/ml; P < 0.0001). Wastewater-based monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 represents a promising tool for SARS-CoV-2 passive surveillance and case identification, containment, and mitigation in acute- care medical facilities.

Evaluation of Browning Agents on the White Adipogenesis of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: A Contribution to Fighting Obesity

Brown-like adipocytes can be induced in white fat depots by a different environmental or drug stimuli, known as "browning" or "beiging". These brite adipocytes express thermogenin UCP1 protein and show different metabolic advantages, such as the ability to acquire a thermogenic phenotype corresponding to standard brown adipocytes that counteracts obesity. In this research, we evaluated the effects of several browning agents during white adipocyte differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). Our in vitro findings identified two compounds that may warrant further in vivo investigation as possible anti-obesity drugs. We found that rosiglitazone and sildenafil are the most promising drug candidates for a browning treatment of obesity. These drugs are already available on the market for treating diabetes and erectile dysfunction, respectively. Thus, their off-label use may be contemplated, but it must be emphasized that some severe side effects are associated with use of these drugs.

Sera of overweight people promote in vitro adipocyte differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells

Introduction

Overweight status should not be considered merely an aesthetic concern; rather, it can incur health risks since it may trigger a cascade of events that produce further fat tissue through altered levels of circulating signaling molecules.

There have been few studies addressing the effect of overweight status on the physiological functions of stem cells, including mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which are the progenitors of adipocytes and osteocytes and are a subset of the bone marrow stromal cell population.

Methods

We decided to investigate the influence of overweight individuals’ sera on in vitro MSC proliferation and differentiation.

Results

We observed that in vitro incubation of bone marrow stromal cells with the sera of overweight individuals promotes the adipogenic differentiation of MSCs while partially impairing proper osteogenesis.

Conclusions

These results, which represent a pilot study, might suggest that becoming overweight triggers further weight gains by promoting a bias in the differentiation potential of MSCs toward adipogenesis. The circulating factors involved in this phenomenon remain to be determined, since the great majority of the well known pro-inflammatory cytokines and adipocyte-secreted factors we investigated did not show relevant modifications in overweight serum samples compared with controls.