bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
John Taylor Retailored
Authors: Ossa-Richardson Anthony
Published: May 2021

The works of John Taylor the Water Poet (1578–1653) have in recent years been reappraised by scholars of early modern material culture for their expression of a working-class voice, for their inventive manipulation of the print market, and above all for their embodiment, in contrast to dominant Renaissance paradigms of literary worth, of a poetics of physical labour. In this article I revisit the figure of the tailor in Taylor’s defences of his own literary practice, showing that he cleaved to a simplistic distinction between originality and theft, identifying tailoring with the latter. I then examine three examples of his reworkings of previous poems—a micro-drama about the Thirty Years War, an anti-Papist dialogue, and an extended piece of nonsense verse—in an attempt to demonstrate that, despite Taylor’s critical assertions, they can after all best be thought of retailorings, neither properly original nor stolen. This category, however, is a modern one, and I conclude that we have no choice but to appreciate Taylor’s poems, or those of any other early modern writer, on our own terms.
Evidence for vocal diversity during physical interference at the perch in sympatricCarolliaspecies (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae): a key to social organization and species coexistence?
Authors: Bosia Tania , Villalobos Federico , Schmidt Sabine
Published: May 2021

Vocal diversity might reflect the social organization and sustain the coexistence of cryptic species in sympatry. To test the extent to which vocal behaviour separates sympatric, cryptic species of a bat radiation, we compared vocalizations of genetically confirmed Carollia castanea, Carollia sowelli and Carollia perspicillata emitted by intraspecific dyads of identified individuals during corresponding physical interference interactions at the perch. Video analysis revealed a similar behaviour and interaction time across species. A sonagram-based visual classification of vocalization syllables of uninterrupted frequency–time contour discriminated 21 syllable classes. Class usage and distribution of the four shared classes differed across species. Carollia sowelli emitted the lowest number of classes in total and per interaction across species and displayed a limited number of syllable compositions in bouts. Discriminant analyses of syllables of a common, shared class provided evidence for species distinctiveness and individual-specific signatures. In general, sex did not account for data variability. The present vocalizations combine syllables reported from aggressive and submissive contexts in C. perspicillata and might express experienced ambivalence during interference at the perch. The diversity of vocal behaviour across congeners is discussed as arising from different ecological pressures during allopatric speciation and as an indicator of differences in species social organization.
16. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY EFFECT ON BLOOD PRESSURE OF HYPERTENSIVE PATIENTS IN KALIDERES, JAKARTA
Authors: Syauqi Khanza Rizqullah
Published: May 2021

Background:

Based on the World Health Organization (WHO) data, at least 45% of deaths from heart disease were caused by hypertension (total mortality from ischemic heart disease and 51% from stroke). From 50% of known hypertensive patients, only 25% received treatment and only 12.5% treated properly. Each year, 7 million people in worldwide died because of hypertension. The incidence of hypertension can be influenced by modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors. Lack of physical activity is one of a modifiable risk factor of hypertension. Physical activity or regular exercise is useful for managing body weight and strengthening the heart and blood vessel system. Regular exercise can reduce stiffness of blood vessels and increase the endurance of the heart and lungs so that it can lower blood pressure.

Objective:

To determine whether the physical activity can reduces blood pressure of hypertensive patients.

Method:

This research was conducted for 6 weeks since March-April 2019 at Integrated Development Post in Kalideres, Jakarta. Data were collected every week with a minimum sample size of 25. Data were then computed using analytical comparison formula with paired groups. The dependent variable was blood pressure and the independent variable was physical activity.

Result:

Systolic blood pressure reduction was found with a significance of 0.013. But, diastolic blood pressure reduction was found insignificancy with p-value was 0.810.

Conclusion:

Physical activity reduce blood pressure, mainly systolic blood pressure. To maintain normal blood pressure, the patients should not only focus on increasing physical activity but also change the dietary habit.
21. THE PROFILE OF COVID-19 PATIENTS WITH HYPERTENSION AT SILOAM DHIRGA SURYA HOSPITAL FROM MAY TO NOVEMBER 2020
Authors: Tanoto Epifanus Arie , Wahyuni Sri , Raynaldo Abdul Halim
Published: May 2021

The Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) is a highly transmissible and pathogenic viral infection caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which emerged in Wuhan, China then spread around the world. According to Huang et al, hypertension is one of the most common comorbid conditions among COVID-19 patients and was linked to more severe infection which requires intensive care monitoring. Hypertension associated with COVID-19, likely involves dysregulation of the RAS/ACE2 system due to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

This retrospective observational study describes demography of hypertension patient with COVID-19 using total sampling. Data were collected from patient's medical record from May 2020 until November 2020. From 386 COVID-19 patients who were admitted to hospital, there were 70 COVID-19 patients with hypertension (9 patients were excluded).

The prevalence of those patients in our study was 15.8% (male: 55.7%, female: 44.3%). According to age category in JNC VIII, our subjects were divided to 18–59 years (35 patients), 60–79 years (34 patients), and 80 years and over (2 patients). The highest systolic and diastolic BP were 213 (mean 148.54) mmHg and 123 (mean 82.75) mmHg. Drug of choice were CCB (35 patients), ARB (32 patients), and CCB/ARB combinations (21 patients). The average length of stay was 15 days. Among 61 patients were admitted, 51 patients were discharged from hospital and 10 patients died.

In summary, COVID-19 patients with hypertension need multidisciplinary management due to the high prevalence of hypertension in older individuals, preexisting other comorbidities, commonly used antihypertensive medications, and interactions between COVID-19.
26. PROGNOSTIC SIGNIFICANCE OF PRESENTING BLOOD PRESSURE AND HYPERTENSION HISTORY IN PATIENT WITH ST ELEVATION MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION ADMITTED TO BLAMBANGAN GENERAL HOSPITAL, BANYUWANGI
Authors: Susilowati Eliana , Mulyaningsih Nelly
Published: May 2021

Aim:

to investigate the survival significance of STEMI patients with high-presenting blood pressure and its relation to their hypertension history.

Methods:

This is a cohort study that followed STEMI patients during their in-hospital stay at ICCU in Blambangan General hospital throughout year 2019. The survival of STEMI patients who were admitted with high blood pressure (BP) (>140/90 mmHg) compared to normal BP (90/60mmHg-139/89 mmHg) were analysed, we also analysed the survival of STEMI patients presented with hypertensive crisis compared to the survival of hypertensive and non-hypertensive patients related with their history of hypertension. Survival model used Kaplan-Meier, p-value <0.005.

Results:

80 STEMI patients were analysed, of which 36% had a history of hypertension, 34.3% admitted with hypertension, 5% presented with hypertensive emergency, and 8% with cardiogenic shock. STEMI patients presented to emergency department with hypertension had poorer survival compared to those with normal BP (HR = 4.8, p = 0.026). STEMI patients admitted with hypertensive emergency had survival of <80% (HR = 9.5, p = 0.008). History of hypertension alone could not describe significant poorer prognosis (HR = 1.6, p = 0.208), but hypertension-presenting STEMI patients with hypertension history had a significant poorer survival compared to those with normal-presenting BP and without hypertension history (HR = 7.6, p = 0.022). Multivariate analysis showed that History of diabetes became a confounding factor with the increasing risk to 4.6 fold (p = 0.004), with adjusted OR of 1.95.

Conclusion:

STEMI patients with high-presenting BP had an increased risk of poorer in-hospital survival, moreover to those with hypertension history and the other related risk factors such as diabetes. In these patients, BP values should be carefully monitored.
55. PREVENTION OF LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE-INDUCED ENDOTHELIAL DYSFUNCTION IN HUVEC CELLS: COMPARISON BETWEEN DECAFFEINATED LIGHT ROASTED GREEN COFFEE EXTRACT AND GREEN TEA EXTRACT
Authors: Nugroho Dwi Adi , Lukitasari Mifetika , Marlita  , Rohman Mohammad Saifur
Published: May 2021

Background:

Endothelial dysfunction contributes to hypertension complications. Coffee consumption still gave rise to conflicting data regarding its preventive action on endothelial dysfunction.

Objective:

This study aimed to compare the effect of decaffeinated light roasted green coffee extract (GCE) and green tea extract (GTE) on endothelial dysfunction biomarkers in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treated HUVEC cells.

Methods:

The HUVEC cells were maintained in M200 medium containing 2% LSGS and 1% penicillin streptomycin. The cells were seeded in 6-well plate with 1 × 106 cells/well density. At 80% confluency, the cells were treated for 48 hours with either GCE or GTE at the dose of 125, 250, and 500 μg/mL and 1 mg/mL of Simvastatin. The cells were then treated with 1 mg/mL LPS for another 48 hours. Finally the cells were harvested and the gene expression of NOX-1, TNFα, ENOS, INOS, and MCP-1 were analysed by RT-PCR method

Results:

The gene expression of NOX-1, TNFα, INOS, and MCP-1 were significantly lower in all GCE, GTE, and simvastatin group (P < 0.000). The ENOS gene expression were significantly higher in all GCE and GTE group (P < 0.000) compared to LPS treated HUVEC. In general, the administration of GCE significantly improved the endothelial dysfunction biomarkers compared to that of GTE administration in the same doses. Administration of GCE 250 μg/mL resulted in significantly lower NOX-1, TNFα, INOS, and MCP-1 expression (P < 0.000) and significantly higher ENOS expression (P < 0.000) compared to those of GCE 250 μg/mL administration

Conclusion:

GCE administration significantly prevented endothelial dysfunction through improvement of NOX-1, TNFα, ENOS, INOS, and MCP-1 compared to that of GTE administration in LPS treated HUVEC cells.
58. EVALUATION OF NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASE INTEGRATED HEALTH POST CADRES PERFORMATION IN USING DIGITAL TENSIMETER IN CILAYUNG AND CIPACING VILLAGE
Authors: Permataningtyas Dian Elok , Heryaman Henhen , Tiksnadi Badai Bhatara
Published: May 2021

Posyandu cadres in Cilayung and Cipacing villages have received training in early detection of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), namely blood pressure measurements using digital tensimeter in the last two years. This study aims to determine the cadres performation in measuring blood pressure. This research was conducted at the NCDs Integrated Health Post in Cilayung and Cipacing villages with a total sample of 15 posyandu cadres determined by convenience sampling method. Cadres performance was measured by matching the training procedures with the stages carried out by the cadres in the field in measuring blood pressure using digital tensimeter. Measurements were taken blindly ten times (unknown to the cadre), then randomization was carried out and taken three times with simple random method with the provision that seven initial procedures must be carried out in all three measurements because the seven initial procedures affected the measurement results. Frequency is used to describe the cadres performation in using digital tensimeter. The results of the data analysis showed that all units did not take blood pressure measurements according to the procedure. This is mainly due to no a single cadre being able to perform the third procedure, which is to rest for ten minutes and not smoking or consuming tea and coffee in the last thirty minutes. The results of this study show how important this evaluation process is and it is necessary to conduct an in-depth evaluation of the cadre's reasons and the provision of retraining especially in the step that often passed by cadres.
Back Pain in Outer Space
Authors: Penchev Radostin , Scheuring Richard A. , Soto Adam T. , Miletich Derek M. , Kerstman Eric , Cohen Steven P.
Published: May 2021

Space travel has grown during the past 2 decades, and is expected to surge in the future with the establishment of an American Space Force, businesses specializing in commercial space travel, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s planned sustained presence on the moon. Accompanying this rise, treating physicians are bracing for a concomitant increase in space-related medical problems, including back pain. Back pain is highly prevalent in astronauts and space travelers, with most cases being transient and self-limiting (space adaptation back pain). Pathophysiologic changes that affect the spine occur during space travel and may be attributed to microgravity, rapid acceleration and deceleration, and increased radiation. These include a loss of spinal curvature, spinal muscle atrophy, a higher rate of disc herniation, decreased proteoglycan and collagen content in intervertebral discs, and a reduction in bone density that may predispose people to vertebral endplate fractures. In this article, the authors discuss epidemiology, pathophysiology, prevention, treatment, and future research.
The Impact of Community Care Referral on Time to Surgery for Veterans With Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Authors: Billig Jessica I. , Evans Richard R. , Kerr Eve A. , Hayward Rodney A. , Sears Erika D.
Published: May 2021

Background:

The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) enacted policies offering Veterans care in the community, aiming to improve access challenges. However, the impact of receipt of community care on wait times for Veterans receiving surgical care is poorly understood.

Objectives:

To compare wait times for surgery for Veterans with carpal tunnel syndrome who receive VA care plus community care (mixed care) and those who receive care solely within the VA (VA-only).

Research Design:

Retrospective cohort study.

Subjects:

Veterans undergoing carpal tunnel release (CTR) between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2016.

Measures:

Our primary outcome was time from primary care physician (PCP) referral to CTR.

Results:

Of the 29,242 Veterans undergoing CTR, 23,330 (79.8%) received VA-only care and 5912 (20.1%) received mixed care. Veterans receiving mixed care had significantly longer time from PCP referral to CTR (median mixed care: 378 days; median VA-only care: 176 days, P<0.001). After controlling for patient and facility covariates, mixed care was associated with a 37% increased time from PCP referral to CTR (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.63; 95% confidence interval, 0.61–0.65). Each additional service provided in the community was associated with a 23% increase in time to surgery (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.77; 95% confidence interval, 0.76–0.78).

Conclusions:

VA-only care was associated with a shorter time to surgery compared with mixed care. Moreover, there were additional delays for each service received in the community. With likely increases in Veterans seeking community care, strategies must be used to identify and mitigate sources of delay through the spectrum of care between referral and definitive treatment.
Comparing Driving Miles for Department of Veterans Affairs–delivered Versus Department of Veterans Affairs–purchased Cataract Surgery
Authors: Pettey Warren B.P. , Wagner Todd H. , Rosen Amy K. , Beilstein-Wedel Erin , Shwartz Michael , Vanneman Megan E.
Published: May 2021

Background:

The Veterans Choice Act of 2014 increased the number of Veterans eligible for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)-purchased care delivered in non-VA community care (CC) facilities. Driving >40 miles from home to a VA facility is a key eligibility criterion for CC. It remains unclear whether this policy change improved geographical access by reducing drive distance for Veterans.

Objectives:

Describe the driving distance for Veterans receiving cataract surgery in VA and CC facilities, and if they visited the closest-to-home facility or if they drove to farther facilities.

Subjects:

Veterans who had cataract surgery in federal fiscal year 2015.

Measures:

We calculated driving miles to the Closest VA and CC facilities that performed cataract surgeries, and to the location where Veterans received care.

Results:

A total of 61,746 Veterans received 83,875 cataract surgeries. More than 50% of CC surgeries occurred farther than the Closest CC facility providing cataract surgery (median Closest CC facility 8.7 miles vs. Actual CC facility, 19.7 miles). Most (57%) Veterans receiving cataract surgery at a VA facility used the Closest VA facility (median Closest VA facility 28.1 miles vs. Actual VA facility at 31.2 miles). In all, 26.1% of CC procedures occurred in facilities farther away than the Closest VA facility.

Conclusions:

Although many Veterans drove farther than needed to get cataract surgery in CC, this was not true for obtaining care in the VA. Our findings suggest that there may be additional reasons, besides driving distance, that affect whether Veterans choose CC and, if they do, where they seek CC.
Interorganizational Care Coordination of Rural Veterans by Veterans Affairs and Community Care Programs
Authors: Garvin Lynn A. , Pugatch Marianne , Gurewich Deborah , Pendergast Jacquelyn N. , Miller Christopher J.
Published: May 2021

Background:

In the unique context of rural Veterans’ health care needs, expansion of US Department of Veterans Affairs and Community Care programs under the MISSION Act, and the uncertainties of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), it is critical to understand what may support effective interorganizational care coordination for increased access to high-quality care.

Objectives:

We conducted a systematic review to examine the interorganizational care coordination initiatives that Veterans Affairs (VA) and community partners have pursued in caring for rural Veterans, including challenges and opportunities, organizational domains shaping care coordination, and among these, initiatives that improve or impede health care outcomes.

Research Design:

We followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to search 2 electronic databases (PubMed and Embase) for peer-reviewed articles published between January 2009 and May 2020. Building on prior research, we conducted a systematic review.

Results:

Sixteen articles met our criteria. Each captured a unique health care focus while examining common challenges. Four organizational domains emerged: policy and administration, culture, mechanisms, and relational practices. Exemplars highlight how initiatives improve or impede rural health care delivery.

Conclusions:

This is the first systematic review, to our knowledge, examining interorganizational care coordination of rural Veterans by VA and Community Care programs. Results provide exemplars of interorganizational care coordination domains and program effectiveness. It suggests that partners’ efforts to align their coordination domains can improve health care, with rurality serving as a critical contextual factor. Findings are important for policies, practices, and research of VA and Community Care partners committed to improving access and health care for rural Veterans.
Brain and Myocardial Mitochondria Follow Different Patterns of Dysfunction After Cardiac Arrest
Authors: Kohlhauer Matthias , Panel Mathieu , Roches Marine Vermot des , Faucher Estelle , Abi Zeid Daou Yara , Boissady Emilie , Lidouren Fanny , Ghaleh Bijan , Morin Didier , Tissier Renaud
Published: May 2021

Mitochondria is often considered as the common nexus of cardiac and cerebral dysfunction after cardiac arrest. Here, our goal was to determine whether the time course of cardiac and cerebral mitochondrial dysfunction is similar after shockable versus non-shockable cardiac arrest in rabbits. Anesthetized rabbits were submitted to 10 min of no-flow by ventricular fibrillation (VF group) or asphyxia (non-shockable group). They were euthanized at the end of the no-flow period or 30 min, 120 min, or 24 h after resuscitation for in vitro evaluation of oxygen consumption and calcium retention capacity. In the brain (cortex and hippocampus), moderate mitochondrial dysfunction was evidenced at the end of the no-flow period after both causes of cardiac arrest versus baseline. It partly recovered at 30 and 120 min after cardiac arrest, with lower calcium retention capacity and higher substrate-dependant oxygen consumption after VF versus non-shockable cardiac arrest. However, after 24 h of follow-up, mitochondrial dysfunction dramatically increased after both VF and non-shockable cardiac arrest, despite greater neurological dysfunction after the latter one. In the heart, mitochondrial dysfunction was also maximal after 24 h following resuscitation, with no significant difference among the causes of the cardiac arrest. During the earlier timing of evaluation, calcium retention capacity and ADP-dependant oxygen consumption were lower and higher, respectively, after non-shockable cardiac arrest versus VF. In conclusion, the kinetics of cardiac and cerebral mitochondrial dysfunction suggests that mitochondrial function does not play a major role in the early phase of the post-resuscitation process but is only involved in the longer pathophysiological events.
Neutralizing response against E484K variant after original SARS-CoV-2 infection
Authors: Hayashi Takuma , Yaegashi Nobuo , Konishi Ikuo
Published: May 2021

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants, which are spreading in the United Kingdom (UK) and elsewhere, have been found in infected individuals in Japan. The virus mutates, to facilitate its life in the host, during the process of repeated proliferation in the body of the host, including humans. In other words, it is natural that a human-compatible mutant strain always predominates in infection and proliferation. As a result, the viral mutants acquire strong proliferative potential in the host and are highly pathogenic. The number of people infected with the mutated SARS-CoV-2 variant E484K, which is different from the SARS-CoV-2 variants that are spreading in the UK, South Africa, and Brazil, is increasing in Tokyo. It has been pointed out that the effects of immunity and vaccines may be reduced against the Tokyo-type SARS-CoV-2 variant E484K. We have investigated the neutralization response to various mutations in the spike glycoprotein using the serum of people already infected with the original SARS-CoV-2. The results showed that SARS-CoV-2 variants with Y543F or N501Y mutations in the spike glycoprotein affect the neutralization reaction. However, single E484K mutations within the spiked glycoprotein of the Tokyo-type SARS-CoV-2 variant are unlikely to have a significant effect on the affinity of the host antibody for the virus.
A model to analyze rideshare data to surveil novel strains of SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Safranek Conrad W. , Scheinker David
Published: May 2021

Background

The emergence of novel, potentially vaccine-resistant strains of SARS-CoV-2 poses a serious risk to public health. The interactions between passengers and drivers facilitated by rideshare platforms such as Uber are, essentially, a series of partially standardized, random experiments of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Rideshare companies share data with government health agencies, but no statistical method is available to aggregate these data for the systematic study of the transmission dynamics of COVID-19.

Methods

We develop a proof-of-concept model for the analysis of data from rideshare interactions merged with COVID-19 diagnosis records. Using simulated data with rideshare volumes, disease prevalence, and diagnosis rates based on a large US city, we use the model to test hypotheses about the emergence of viral strains and their transmission characteristics in the presence of non-pharmaceutical interventions and superspreaders.

Findings

Data from 10 simulated trials of SARS-CoV-2 propagation within the Los Angeles rideshare network resulted in an average of 190,387.1 potentially infectious rideshare interactions. Assuming access to data on 25% of the total estimated infections (Partial Reporting), these interactions resulted in an average of 409.0 diagnosed rideshare infections given our transmission model assumptions. For each of the 10 simulated trials, analysis given Partial Reporting could consistently differentiate between a baseline strain and an emergent, more infectious viral strain, enabling hypothesis testing about transmission characteristics.

Interpretation

Simulated evaluation of a novel statistical model suggests that rideshare data combined with COVID-19 diagnosis data have the potential to automate continued surveillance of emergent novel strains of SARS-CoV-2 and their transmission characteristics.
Antibody Responses After a Single Dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Vaccine in Healthcare Workers Previously Infected with SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Havervall Sebastian , Marking Ulrika , Greilert-Norin Nina , Ng Henry , Salomonsson Ann-Christin , Hellström Cecilia , Pin Elisa , Blom Kim , Mangsbo Sara , Phillipson Mia , Klingström Jonas , Åberg Mikael , Hober Sophia , Nilsson Peter , Thålin Charlotte
Published: May 2021

Background

Recent reports demonstrate robust serological responses to a single dose of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines in individuals previously infected with SARS-CoV-2. Data on immune responses following a single-dose adenovirus-vectored vaccine expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19) in individuals with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection are however limited, and current guidelines recommend a two-dose regime regardless of preexisting immunity.

Methods

We compared spike-specific IgG and pseudo-neutralizing spike-ACE2 blocking antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 wild type and variants B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P1 following two doses of the mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 and a single dose of the adenovector vaccine ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 in 232 healthcare workers with and without previous COVID-19.

Findings

The post-vaccine levels of spike-specific IgG and neutralizing antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 wild type and all three variants of concern were similar or higher in participants receiving a single dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine post SARS-CoV-2 infection (both < 11 months post infection (n=37) and ≥ 11 months infection (n=46)) compared to participants who received two doses of BNT162b2 vaccine (n=149).

Interpretation

Our data support that a single dose ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine serves as an effective immune booster after priming with natural SARS-CoV-2 infection up to at least 11 months post infection.
SARS-CoV-2 antibodies rapid tests: a valuable epidemiological tool in challenging settings
Authors: Saluzzo Francesca , Mantegani Paola , De Chaurand Valeria Poletti , Quaresima Virginia , Cugnata Federica , Di Serio Clelia , Macé Aurélien , De Vos Margaretha , Sacks Jilian A. , Cirillo Daniela Maria
Published: May 2021

Background

During the last year, mass screening campaigns have been carried out to identify immunological response to SARS-CoV-2 and establish a possible seroprevalence. The obtained results gained new importance with the beginning of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination campaign, as the lack of doses has persuaded several countries to introduce different policies for individuals who had a history of COVID 19.

LFAs may represent an affordable tool to support population screening in LMICs, where diagnostic tests are lacking, and epidemiology is still widely unknown. However, LFAs have demonstrated a wide range of performance and the question of which one could be more valuable in these settings still remains.

Methods

We evaluated the performance of 11 LFAs in detecting SARS-CoV-2 infection, analysing samples collected from 350 subjects. In addition, samples from 57 health care workers collected at 21-24 days after the first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were also evaluated.

Findings

LFAs demonstrated a wide range of specificity (92.31% to 100%) and sensitivity (50 to 100%). The analysis of serum samples post vaccination was used to describe the most suitable tests to detect IgG response against S protein RBD. History of TB therapy was identified as a potential factor affecting the specificity of LFAs.

Conclusions

This analysis identified which LFAs represent a valuable tool not only for the detection of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, but also to detect IgG elicited in response to vaccination. These results demonstrated that different LFAs may have different applications and the possible risks of their use in high TB burden settings.
Indexing Cerebrovascular Health Using Near-infrared Spectroscopy
Authors: Afkhami Rashid , Walker Frederick Rohan , Ramadan Saadallah , Wong Rachel , Johnson Sarah
Published: May 2021

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NiRS) is a relatively new technology of brain imaging with its potential in the assessment of cerebrovascular health only recently discovered. Encouraging early results suggest that NiRS can be used as an inexpensive and portable cerebrovascular health tracking device using a recently proposed pulse relaxation function (PReFx). In this paper, we propose a new NiRS timing index, TINiRS, of cerebrovascular health. TINiRS is a novel use of the NiRS technology. TINiRS is motivated by the previously proved relationship of the timing of the reflected wave with vascular resistance and compliance in the context of pressure waveforms. We correlated both TINiRS and PReFx against age, a non-exercise cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) index, and two existing indices of cerebrovascular health, namely Transcranial Doppler (TCD) augmentation index, AITCD, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) blood flow pulsatility index, PIMRI. The TINiRS correlations with Age, CRF, PIMRI and AITCD all are significant, i.e., r = 0.53 (p = 0.002), r = −0.44 (p = 0.011), r = 0.45 (p = 0.012) and r = 0.46 (p = 0.010), respectively. PReFx, however, did not have significant correlations with any of the vascular health factors. The proposed timing index is a reliable indicator of cerebrovascular aging factors in the NiRS waveform.
fNIRS-derived Neurocognitive Ratio as a Biomarker for Neuropsychiatric Diseases
Authors: Akın Ata
Published: May 2021

Significance

Clinical use of fNIRS derived features has always suffered low sensitivity and specificity due to signal contamination from background systemic physiological fluctuations. This article provides an algorithm to extract cognition related features by eliminating the effect of background signal contamination; hence, improves the classification accuracy.

Aim

The aim in this study is to investigate the classification accuracy of an fNIRS derived biomarker based on global efficiency. To this end, fNIRS data were collected during a computerized Stroop Task from healthy controls, and patients with migraine, obsessive compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia.

Approach

Functional connectivity (FC) maps were computed from [HbO] time series data for Neutral, Congruent and Incongruent stimuli using the partial correlation approach. Reconstruction of FC matrices with optimal choice of principal components yielded two independent networks: Cognitive Mode Network (CM) and Default Mode Network(DM).

Results

Global Efficiency (GE) values computed for each FC matrix after applying principal component analysis yielded strong statistical significance leading to a higher specificity and accuracy. A new index, Neurocognitive Ratio (NCR), was computed by multiplying the Cognitive Quotients (CQ) and ratio of GE of CM to GE of DM. When mean values of NCR over all stimuli were computed, they showed high sensitivity (100%), specificity (95.5%), and accuracy (96.3%) for all subjects groups.

Conclusions

can reliable be used as a biomarker to improve the classification of healthy to neuropsychiatric patients.
Systematic tissue annotations of –omics samples by modeling unstructured metadata
Authors: Hawkins Nathaniel T. , Maldaver Marc , Yannakopoulos Anna , Guare Lindsay A. , Krishnan Arjun
Published: May 2021

There are currently >1.3 million human –omics samples that are publicly available. This valuable resource remains acutely underused because discovering particular samples from this ever-growing data collection remains a significant challenge. The major impediment is that sample attributes are routinely described using varied terminologies written in unstructured natural language. We propose a natural-language-processing-based machine learning approach (NLP-ML) to infer tissue and cell-type annotations for –omics samples based only on their free-text metadata. NLP-ML works by creating numerical representations of sample descriptions and using these representations as features in a supervised learning classifier that predicts tissue/cell-type terms. Our approach significantly outperforms an advanced graph-based reasoning annotation method (MetaSRA) and a baseline exact string matching method (TAGGER). Model similarities between related tissues demonstrate that NLP-ML models capture biologically-meaningful signals in text. Additionally, these models correctly classify tissue-associated biological processes and diseases based on their text descriptions alone. NLP-ML models are nearly as accurate as models based on gene-expression profiles in predicting sample tissue annotations but have the distinct capability to classify samples irrespective of the –omics experiment type based on their text metadata. Python NLP-ML prediction code and trained tissue models are available at https://github.com/krishnanlab/txt2onto.
Reduction of susceptibility to azoles and 5-fluorocytosine and growth acceleration in Candida albicans by glucose in urine
Authors: Hiyama Yoshiki , Sato Toyotaka , Takahashi Satoshi , Yamamoto Soh , Ogasawara Noriko , Masumori Naoya , Yokota Shin-ichi
Published: May 2021

Candida species are causal pathogens for urinary tract infections, vulvovaginitis, and balanitis. Diabetes mellitus is a risk factor for Candida infection. To investigate the potential effects of glucosuria on Candida spp. (C. albicans, C. krusei, and C. glabrata), we investigated the influence of their growth and antifungal susceptibilities by glucose in urine.

Candida spp. exhibited greater growth in urine with glucose (300 and 3,000 mg/dL) than in plain urine taken from healthy volunteers. After 24 h incubation, the viable cell number was more than 10-fold higher in the urine added 3,000 mg/dL glucose than in plain urine.

In antifungal susceptibility, more than 80% of C. albicans clinical isolates increased minimum inhibitory concentrations of azoles (fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, and miconazole) and 5-fluorocytosine with the addition of glucose exceeding their breakpoints. This phenomenon was not observed in clinical isolates of C. krusei and C. glabrata. We observed the growth in the urine to which 3,000 mg/dL glucose was added even in the presence of a 128-fold higher minimum inhibitory concentration of fluconazole. In most of the C. albicans clinical isolates, the mRNA expression of the azole resistance genes ERG11, CDR1, CDR2, and MDR1 increased in glucose-added urine compared with plain urine.

In conclusion, the growth of C. albicans is accelerated and azoles and 5-fluorocytosine become ineffective as a result of a high concentration of glucose in urine. These observations provide valuable information about the clinical course and therapeutic effects of azoles against C. albicans infections in patients with diabetes mellitus and hyperglucosuria.

IMPORTANCE

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia and glucosuria, with a high risk of Candida infection. The current study demonstrated the acceleration of Candida growth and ineffectiveness of azoles and 5-fluorocytosine against C. albicans in urine in the presence of glucose. These observations provide novel and valuable information about the clinical course and antifungal treatment of Candida spp. in urinary tract and genital infections of diabetes mellitus patients. For the treatment of urinary tract infections caused by Candida spp., the guidelines do not mention glucosuria. Thus, this study suggests the necessity to conduct clinical evaluations for glucosuria in patients with diabetes mellitus who have urinary tract and genital infections with Candida spp.
Live virus neutralisation testing in convalescent patients and subjects vaccinated against 19A, 20B, 20I/501Y.V1 and 20H/501Y.V2 isolates of SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Gonzalez Claudia , Saade Carla , Bal Antonin , Valette Martine , Saker Kahina , Lina Bruno , Josset Laurence , Trabaud Mary-Anne , Thiery Guillaume , Botelho-Nevers Elisabeth , Paul Stéphane , Verhoeven Paul , Bourlet Thomas , Pillet Sylvie , Morfin Florence , Trouillet-Assant Sophie , Pozzetto Bruno
Published: May 2021

Background

SARS-CoV-2 mutations appeared recently and can lead to conformational changes in the spike protein and probably induce modifications in antigenicity. In this study, we wanted to assess the neutralizing capacity of antibodies to prevent cell infection, using a live virus neutralisation test.

Methods

Sera samples were collected from different populations: two-dose vaccinated COVID-19-naïve healthcare workers (HCWs; Pfizer-BioNTech BNT161b2), 6-months post mild COVID-19 HCWs, and critical COVID-19 patients. We tested various clades such as 19A (initial one), 20B (B.1.1.241 lineage), 20I/501Y.V1 (B.1.1.7 lineage), and 20H/501Y.V2 (B.1.351 lineage).

Results

No significant difference was observed between the 20B and 19A isolates for HCWs with mild COVID-19 and critical patients. However, a significant decrease in neutralisation ability was found for 20I/501Y.V1 in comparison with 19A isolate for critical patients and HCWs 6-months post infection. Concerning 20H/501Y.V2, all populations had a significant reduction in neutralising antibody titres in comparison with the 19A isolate. Interestingly, a significant difference in neutralisation capacity was observed for vaccinated HCWs between the two variants whereas it was not significant for the convalescent groups.

Conclusion

Neutralisation capacity was slightly reduced for critical patients and HCWs 6-months post infection. No neutralisation escape could be feared concerning the two variants of concern in both populations. The reduced neutralising response observed towards the 20H/501Y.V2 in comparison with the 19A and 20I/501Y.V1 isolates in fully immunized subjects with the BNT162b2 vaccine is a striking finding of the study.
Prediction of blood Sugar Regulation based on Healthy Boundaries, Ego Boundary and Post-trauma Growth in Patients with Diabetes
Authors: Abrandabadi Masoumeh , Mashayekh Maryam
Published: May 2021

Aims

The aim of this study was prediction of blood sugar regulation based on ego boundary, healthy boundary and post trauma growth in patient with Diabetes.

Methods

For this purpose, 50 people with diabetes were selected by multistage cluster sampling. The questionnaires used in this study were the post trauma growth inventory (PGI), the ego strength (PIES), and Healthy Boundaries (HB) Questionnaire.

Results

Stepwise regression analysis showed that there were a significant positive relationship between blood sugar level (HbA1c) and ego strength, health boundaries and post-trauma growth (PTG).

Conclusion

The findings indicate a significant correlation between hyperglycemia and health boundaries, ego strength and post-traumatic growth. This means that controlling and recognizing the boundaries of mental health and post-traumatic emotions prevents high blood (HbA1c) sugar and Type 2 diabetes.
Comparative sensitivity evaluation for 122 CE-marked SARS-CoV-2 antigen rapid tests
Authors: Scheiblauer Heinrich , Filomena Angela , Nitsche Andreas , Puyskens Andreas , Corman Victor M , Drosten Christian , Zwirglmaier Katrin , Lange Constanze , Emmerich Petra , Müller Michael , Knauer Olivia , Nübling C Micha
Published: May 2021

Objective

Independent evaluation of the sensitivity of CE-marked SARS-CoV-2 antigen rapid diagnostic tests (Ag RDT) offered in Germany.

Method

The sensitivity of 122 Ag RDT was adressed using a common evaluation panel. Minimum sensitivity of 75% for panel members with CT<25 was used for differentiation of devices eligible for reimbursement in in the German healthcare system.

Results

The sensitivity of different SARS-CoV-2 Ag RDT varied over a wide range. The sensitivity limit of 75% for panel members with CT <25 was met by 96 of the 122 tests evaluated; 26 tests exhibited lower sensitivity, few of which were completely failing. Some devices exhibited high sensitivity, e.g. 100% for CT<30.

Conclusion

This comparative evaluation succeeded to distinguish less sensitive from better performing Ag RDT. Most of the Ag RDT evaluated appear to be suitable for fast identification of acute infections associated with high viral loads. Market access of SARS-CoV-2 Ag RDT should be based on minimal requirements for sensitivity and specificity.
Genetic Structure and Diversity of Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) in the Philippines
Authors: Mendoza Jay-Vee S. , dela Cueva Fe M. , Cortaga Cris Q. , Manohar Anand Noel C. , Gardoce Roanne R. , Lachica Grace C. , Gonzales Maricel C. , Thomas John E. , Lantican Darlon V.
Published: May 2021

Banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) is an important disease of banana in the Philippines and in other banana-producing countries. This study was conducted to investigate the genetic structure and diversity of Philippine BBTV isolates which remain unexplored in the country. BBTV-infected plant tissues were sampled from banana-growing provinces (i.e., Cagayan, Isabela, Quirino, Batangas, Laguna, Rizal, Quezon, Palawan, Cebu, Leyte, and Davao del Sur) and the partial DNA-R gene of BBTV was sequenced. Analysis of all local BBTV isolates showed a nucleotide diversity (π) of 0.00721, average number of nucleotide differences (k) of 5.51984, and haplotype diversity (hd) of 0.971. Neutrality tests using Fu’s Fs and Tajima’s D showed significant and highly negative values which suggest an excess number of rare alleles due to recent population expansion or from genetic hitchhiking. Haplotype network and phylogenetic analyses revealed that the local BBTV isolates were closely related to Southeast Asian (SEA) group and exhibited a monophyletic clade with distinct haplotype grouping from other SEA sequences. However, some Indonesian and Indian reference sequences were also clustered within the Philippine BBTV group suggesting sequence homology. Results also showed that the local BBTV isolates may be categorized into three major haplotype groups (HA, HB, and HC) but only the HC group remained distinct upon comparison with other Philippine and SEA reference sequences. BBTV isolates from Quezon were the most diverse while isolates from Palawan displayed low genetic diversity indices and belonged only in the HC group. The assessment of the degree of variability among Philippine BBTV isolates will provide a reference towards the development of high-throughput BBTV detection systems as well as enable to devise plant breeding strategies to manage the current BBTV spread and variations.
Simultaneous dimensionality reduction and integration for single-cell ATAC-seq data using deep learning
Authors: Kopp Wolfgang , Akalin Altuna , Ohler Uwe
Published: May 2021

Advances in single-cell technologies enable the routine interrogation of chromatin accessibility for tens of thousands of single cells, shedding light on gene regulatory processes at an unprecedented resolution. Meanwhile, size, sparsity and high dimensionality of the resulting data continue to pose challenges for its computational analysis, and specifically the integration of data from different sources. We have developed a dedicated computational approach, a variational auto-encoder using a noise model specifically designed for single-cell ATAC-seq data, which facilitates simultaneous dimensionality reduction and batch correction via an adversarial learning strategy. We showcase both its individual advantages on carefully chosen real and simulated data sets, as well as the benefits for detailed cell type characterization via integrating multiple complex datasets.
Prediction of gene expression from regulatory sequence composition enhances transcriptome-wide association studies
Authors: Marotta Federico , Mozafari Reza , Grassi Elena , Lussana Alessandro , Mariella Elisa , Provero Paolo
Published: May 2021

Transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) can prioritize trait-associated genes by finding correlations between a trait and the genetically regulated component of gene expression. A basic ingredient of a TWAS is a regression model, typically trained in an external reference data set, used to impute the genetically-regulated expression. We devised a model that improves the accuracy of the imputation by using, as predictors, not the genotypes directly but rather the sequence composition of the proximal gene regulatory region, expressed as its profile of affinities for a set of position weight matrices. When trained on 48 tissues from GTEx, the regression model showed improved performance compared with models regressing expression directly on the genotype. We imputed the expression levels in genotyped individuals from the ADNI data set, and used the imputed expression to perform a TWAS. We also developed a method to perform the TWAS based on summary statistics from genome-wide association studies, and applied it to 11 complex traits from the UK Biobank. The greater accuracy in the prediction of gene expression allowed us to report hundreds of new gene-phenotype association candidates.
No pervasive size trend in global community dynamics
Authors: Terry J. Christopher D. , O’Sullivan Jacob D. , Rossberg Axel G.
Published: May 2021

While recent meta-analyses have suggested that local taxonomic richness has on average remained invariant, potential shifts in functional traits remain underexplored at global scales. Here, by linking the largest cross-taxa community time series database to multiple trait databases, we show that within communities there is no clear trend between size traits and changes in abundance rank over time. This suggests that there is no pervasive tendency across biomes for larger species to be doing proportionally better or worse than smaller species.