tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Factors Associated With General Surgery Residents’ Operative Experience During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Amanda C. Purdy, Christian de Virgilio, Amy H. Kaji, Edgar Shields Frey, Steven Lee-Kong, Kenji Inaba, Jeffrey M. Gauvin, Angela L. Neville, Timothy R. Donahue, Brian R. Smith, Edgardo S. Salcedo, Kristine E. Calhoun, V. Prasad Poola, Jukes P. Namm, David A. Spain, Karen J. Dickinson, Tiffany Tanner, Mary Wolfe, Farin Amersi
Journal: JAMA Surgery (2021)

The suspension of elective operations in March 2020 to prepare for the COVID-19 surge posed significant challenges to resident education. To mitigate the potential negative effects of COVID-19 on surgical education, it is important to quantify how the pandemic influenced resident operative volume.To examine the association of the pandemic with general surgical residents' operative experience by postgraduate year (PGY) and case type and to evaluate if certain institutional characteristics were associated with a greater decline in surgical volume.This retrospective review included residents' operative logs from 3 consecutive academic years (2017-2018, 2018-2019, and 2019-2020) from 16 general surgery programs. Data collected included total major cases, case type, and PGY. Faculty completed a survey about program demographics and COVID-19 response. Data on race were not collected. Operative volumes from March to June 2020 were compared with the same period during 2018 and 2019. Data were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis test adjusted for within-program correlations.Total major cases performed by each resident during the first 4 months of the pandemic.A total of 1368 case logs were analyzed. There was a 33.5% reduction in total major cases performed in March to June 2020 compared with 2018 and 2019 (45.0 [95% CI, 36.1-53.9] vs 67.7 [95% CI, 62.0-72.2]; P < .001), which significantly affected every PGY. All case types were significantly reduced in 2020 except liver, pancreas, small intestine, and trauma cases. There was a 10.2% reduction in operative volume during the 2019-2020 academic year compared with the 2 previous years (192.3 [95% CI, 178.5-206.1] vs 213.8 [95% CI, 203.6-223.9]; P < .001). Level 1 trauma centers (49.5 vs 68.5; 27.7%) had a significantly lower reduction in case volume than non-level 1 trauma centers (33.9 vs 63.0; 46%) (P = .03).In this study of operative logs of general surgery residents in 16 US programs from 2017 to 2020, the first 4 months of the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with a significant reduction in operative experience, which affected every PGY and most case types. Level 1 trauma centers were less affected than non-level 1 centers. If this trend continues, the effect on surgical training may be even more detrimental.
Intravial or In Vivo Production of 99mTc-Dextrose Complexes May Play a Role in Altering Biodistribution of 99mTc-HYNIC-Octreotide Scan
Authors: Mohsen Qutbi, Babak Shafiei, Isa Neshandar Asli
Journal: Clinical Nuclear Medicine (2021)

Department of Nuclear Medicine, Taleghani Educational Hospital, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran [email protected], [email protected] Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: none declared.
Covid-19: Most people admitted to hospital after vaccination were infected before immunity could develop, research shows
Authors: Elisabeth Mahase
Journal: BMJ (2021)

Covid-19: Most people admitted to hospital after vaccination were infected before immunity could develop, research shows Elisabeth MahaseThe majority of vaccinated people who were admitted to hospital for covid-19 were probably infected shortly before or around the time of their vaccination, highlighting the importance of maintaining social distancing and understanding that immunity develops over time, researchers have said. 1 The International Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Consortium Clinical Characterisation Protocol (ISARIC4C), which is funded by UK Research and Innovation and the National Institute for Health Research, analysed UK hospital admissions after the start of the covid-19 vaccination rollout.As of 10 April 2021, 3842 of the 99 445 inpatients enrolled in the study had been vaccinated.Looking at symptomatic patients (1823), the researchers found that 40% (729) developed covid-19 symptoms 0-7 days post-vaccination.A further 19% (352) developed symptoms 8-14 days post-vaccination.The median incubation period for SARS-CoV-2 is around five days, meaning it is likely that many of these patients were infected before immunity developed.
Mitochondria Targeted O<sub>2</sub> Economizer to Alleviate Tumor Hypoxia for Enhanced Photodynamic Therapy
Authors: Ping Yuan, Fu‐An Deng, Yi‐Bin Liu, Rong‐Rong Zheng, Xiao‐Na Rao, Xiao‐Zhong Qiu, Da‐Wei Zhang, Xi‐Yong Yu, Hong Cheng, Shi‐Ying Li
Journal: Advanced Healthcare Materials (2021)

Abstract Photodynamic therapy (PDT) often suffers from the exacerbated tumor hypoxia and the heterogeneous distribution of photosensitizers, leading to an inefficient ROS productivity and availability. In this work, a mitochondria targeted O 2 economizer (designated as Mito‐OxE) is developed to improve PDT efficiency by alleviating tumor hypoxia and enhancing the subcellular localization of photosensitizers. Specifically, the photosensitizer of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) is modified with the hydrophilic polyethylene glycol and the lipophilic cation of triphenylphosphine (TPP) to fabricate the biocompatible mitochondria targeted photosensitizers (designated as Mito‐PSs). And Mito‐OxE is prepared by using Mito‐PSs to load the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation inhibitors of atovaquone (ATO). Benefiting from the targeting capability of TPP, Mito‐OxE can selectively accumulate in mitochondria after cellular uptake. Subsequently, the mitochondrial respiration would be suppressed to with the participation of ATO, resulting in a local hypoxia mitigation for enhanced PDT. Compared with Mito‐PSs, Mito‐OxE maximizes the therapeutic effect against hypoxic tumors under light irradiation. This design of mitochondria targeted O 2 economizer would advance the development of targeted drug delivery system for effective PDT regardless of hypoxic microenvironment.
PERCEIVED VERSUS ESTIMATED RISK OF STROKE AND BLEEDING AMONG OLDER ADULTS WITH ATRIAL FIBRILLATION
Authors: Jordy Mehawej, Benita Bamgbade, Jane Saczynski, Jerry Gurwitz, Katherine Trymbulak, Connor Saleeba, Hawa Abu, Weijia Wang, Catarina Kiefe, Robert Goldberg, David McManus
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2021)
THROMBOSIS AND MAJOR BLEEDING RISK AFTER PRIMARY PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION AMONG PATIENTS WITH MULTI-VESSELS CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE
Authors: Xiaoxiao Zhao, Chen Liu, Peng Zhou, Sheng Zhaoxue, Jiannan Li, Jinying Zhou, Runzhen Chen, Ying Wang, Hongbing Yan
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2021)
Adaptive Evolution: How Bacteria and Cancer Cells Survive Stressful Conditions and Drug Treatment
Authors: Mariangela Russo, Alberto Sogari, Alberto Bardelli
Journal: Cancer Discovery (2021)

Abstract Summary: Cancer is characterized by loss of the regulatory mechanisms that preserve homeostasis in multicellular organisms, such as controlled proliferation, cell–cell adhesion, and tissue differentiation. The breakdown of multicellularity rules is accompanied by activation of “selfish,” unicellular-like life features, which are linked to the increased adaptability to environmental changes displayed by cancer cells. Mechanisms of stress response, resembling those observed in unicellular organisms, are actively exploited by mammalian cancer cells to boost genetic diversity and increase chances of survival under unfavorable conditions, such as lack of oxygen/nutrients or exposure to drugs. Unicellular organisms under stressful conditions (e.g., antibiotic treatment) stop replicating or slowly divide and transiently increase their mutation rates to foster diversity, a process known as adaptive mutability. Analogously, tumor cells exposed to drugs enter a persister phenotype and can reduce DNA replication fidelity, which in turn fosters genetic diversity. The implications of adaptive evolution are of relevance to understand resistance to anticancer therapies.
Methicillin‐resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (MRSA) nasal colonization predicts MRSA infection in inpatient paediatric cellulitis
Authors: R. Rrapi, S. Chand, S. Song, C.K Gabel, R. Shah, C. El Saleeby, D. Kroshinsky
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (2021)
PERICARDIAL EFFUSION REQUIRING CATHETER OR SURGICAL BASED INTERVENTION IN PATIENTS IMPLANTED WITH WATCHMAN PERCUTANEOUS LEFT ATRIAL APPENDAGE OCCLUSION IN THE UNITED STATES
Authors: Bilal Munir, Muhammad Zia Khan, Douglas Darden, Deepak Kumar Pasupula, Sudarshan Balla, Frederick Han, Ryan Reeves, Jonathan Hsu
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2021)
Impact and effectiveness of mRNA BNT162b2 vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19 cases, hospitalisations, and deaths following a nationwide vaccination campaign in Israel: an observational study using national surveillance data
Authors: Eric J Haas, Frederick J Angulo, John M McLaughlin, Emilia Anis, Shepherd R Singer, Farid Khan, Nati Brooks, Meir Smaja, Gabriel Mircus, Kaijie Pan, Jo Southern, David L Swerdlow, Luis Jodar, Yeheskel Levy, Sharon Alroy-Preis
Journal: The Lancet (2021)
HIGHER DOCOSAHEXAENOIC ACID LEVELS LOWER THE PROTECTIVE IMPACT OF EICOSAPENTAENOIC ACID ON LONG-TERM MACE IN THOSE WITH AND WITHOUT ANGIOGRAPHIC CAD
Authors: Viet T. Le, Stacey Knight, Kirk Knowlton, Raymond McCubrey, Jeramie D. Watrous, Mahan Najhawan, Khoi Dao, Tami Bair, Benjamin Horne, J. Muhlestein, Donald Lappe, Madisyn Taylor, John Nelson, John Carlquist, Mohit Jain, Jeffrey Anderson
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2021)
TRENDS, PREDICTORS, AND OUTCOMES OF PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION COMPLICATED BY IN-HOSPITAL CARDIAC ARREST
Authors: Temidayo Abe, Titilope Olanipekun, Valery S. Effoe, Joseph Igwe, Obiora Egbuche, Gbolahan Ogunbayo, Chidi Amah, Albert Chang, Prince Morkeh, Ky Huynh, Melvin Echols, Anekwe Onwuanyi
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2021)
Neurophysiology of Human Perceptual Decision-Making
Authors: Redmond G. O'Connell, Simon P. Kelly
Journal: Annual Review of Neuroscience (2021)

The discovery of neural signals that reflect the dynamics of perceptual decision formation has had a considerable impact. Not only do such signals enable detailed investigations of the neural implementation of the decision-making process but they also can expose key elements of the brain's decision algorithms. For a long time, such signals were only accessible through direct animal brain recordings, and progress in human neuroscience was hampered by the limitations of noninvasive recording techniques. However, recent methodological advances are increasingly enabling the study of human brain signals that finely trace the dynamics of the unfolding decision process. In this review, we highlight how human neurophysiological data are now being leveraged to furnish new insights into the multiple processing levels involved in forming decisions, to inform the construction and evaluation of mathematical models that can explain intra- and interindividual differences, and to examine how key ancillary processes interact with core decision circuits.
SCREENING OF PATIENTS AT RISK FOR WILD TYPE ATTR-CM USING A COMPUTATIONAL MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHM
Authors: Connor Willis, Kensaku Kawamoto, Alexandre Watanabe, Joseph Biskupiak, Kim Nolen, Lori Blackner, Marianna Bruno, Mohammad Ateya, Alexander Schepart, Jose Nativi-Nicolau
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2021)
ACUPUNCTURE TREATMENT FOR ATRIAL FIBRILLATION IN THE POST-OPERATIVE CARDIO-THORACIC SETTING- A FEASIBILITY PILOT STUDY
Authors: Chaim Locker, Molly J. Mallory, Brent A. Bauer, Paul A. Friedman, Joseph Dearani, Katherine S. King, Melissa Erdman, Abhishek Deshmukh, Erica D. Wittwer, Juan A. Crestanello, Hartzell Schaff
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2021)
Human endoglin-CD3 bispecific T cell engager antibody induces anti-tumor effect <i>in vivo</i>
Authors: Liping Zhong, Wei Shi, Lu Gan, Xiuli Liu, Yu Huo, Pan Wu, Zhikun Zhang, Tao Wu, Hongmei Peng, Yong Huang, Yongxiang Zhao, Yulin Yuan, Zhiming Deng, Hongliang Tang
Journal: Theranostics (2021)

Rationale: Endoglin, also known as CD105, is a homo-dimeric membrane glycoprotein required for angiogenesis and serves as a marker for cancer vasculature. In this study, we constructed a bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) antibody that targets human endoglin and CD3 (hEND-CD3/BiTE). We examined BiTE binding to endoglin-expressing cells and its effects on the cytolytic activity of T cells and cancer development. Methods: The in vitro effects of hEND-CD3/BiTE, including binding to target cells, T-cell activation, proliferation, and cytotoxicity, were examined in endoglin-expressing 293T cells, human umbilical vascular endothelial cells, tumor-derived endothelial cells, and CD3+ T cells. An in vivo xenograft tumor model was established using A549 human lung cancer cells. The therapeutic efficacy of hEND-CD3/BiTE was assessed by monitoring tumor growth, angiogenesis, and mouse survival. Results: hEND-CD3/BiTE specifically bound to endoglin-expressing cells and CD3+ T cells in vitro and stimulated T-cell activation, proliferation, and Th1 cytokine secretion, and promoted T-cell-mediated cytolysis of endoglin-expressing cells. The hEND-CD3/BiTE in vivo caused minimal toxicity to major organs, reduced tumor neoangiogenesis, inhibited tumor growth, and significantly improved mouse survival. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated the therapeutic potential of hEND-CD3/BiTE and provided a novel approach to clinical cancer treatment.
STARTRAC analyses of scRNAseq data from tumor models reveal T cell dynamics and therapeutic targets
Authors: Dev Bhatt, Boxi Kang, Deepali Sawant, Liangtao Zheng, Kristy Perez, Zhiyu Huang, Laura Sekirov, Dan Wolak, Julie Y. Huang, Xian Liu, Jason DeVoss, Paolo S. Manzanillo, Nathan Pierce, Zemin Zhang, Antony Symons, Wenjun Ouyang
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (2021)

Single-cell RNA sequencing is a powerful tool to examine cellular heterogeneity, novel markers and target genes, and therapeutic mechanisms in human cancers and animal models. Here, we analyzed single-cell RNA sequencing data of T cells obtained from multiple mouse tumor models by PCA-based subclustering coupled with TCR tracking using the STARTRAC algorithm. This approach revealed various differentiated T cell subsets and activation states, and a correspondence of T cell subsets between human and mouse tumors. STARTRAC analyses demonstrated peripheral T cell subsets that were developmentally connected with tumor-infiltrating CD8+ cells, CD4+ Th1 cells, and T reg cells. In addition, large amounts of paired TCRα/β sequences enabled us to identify a specific enrichment of paired public TCR clones in tumor. Finally, we identified CCR8 as a tumor-associated T reg cell marker that could preferentially deplete tumor-associated T reg cells. We showed that CCR8-depleting antibody treatment provided therapeutic benefit in CT26 tumors and synergized with anti–PD-1 treatment in MC38 and B16F10 tumor models.
Melanoma dedifferentiation induced by IFN-γ epigenetic remodeling in response to anti–PD-1 therapy
Authors: Yeon Joo Kim, Katherine M. Sheu, Jennifer Tsoi, Gabriel Abril-Rodriguez, Egmidio Medina, Catherine S. Grasso, Davis Y. Torrejon, Ameya S. Champhekar, Kevin Litchfield, Charles Swanton, Daniel E. Speiser, Philip O. Scumpia, Alexander Hoffmann, Thomas G. Graeber, Cristina Puig-Saus, Antoni Ribas
Journal: Journal of Clinical Investigation (2021)

Melanoma dedifferentiation has been reported to be a state of cellular resistance to targeted therapies and immunotherapies as cancer cells revert to a more primitive cellular phenotype. Here, we show that, counterintuitively, the biopsies of patient tumors that responded to anti–programmed cell death 1 (anti–PD-1) therapy had decreased expression of melanocytic markers and increased neural crest markers, suggesting treatment-induced dedifferentiation. When modeling the effects in vitro, we documented that melanoma cell lines that were originally differentiated underwent a process of neural crest dedifferentiation when continuously exposed to IFN-γ, through global chromatin landscape changes that led to enrichment in specific hyperaccessible chromatin regions. The IFN-γ–induced dedifferentiation signature corresponded with improved outcomes in patients with melanoma, challenging the notion that neural crest dedifferentiation is entirely an adverse phenotype.
EPICARDIAL ADIPOSE TISSUE LEVELS OF PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES IN THE ONSET OF PERI-OPERATIVE ATRIAL FIBRILLATION/THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF INTERLEUKIN-6
Authors: Laura Petraglia, Maddalena Conte, Serena Cabaro, Pasquale Campana, Giuseppe Comentale, Emanuele Pilato, Dario Bruzzese, Dario Leosco, Valentina Parisi
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2021)
First Report on a Successful Screening Program for MYC Rearrangements and a Prospective Clinical Trial Based on MYC Rearrangement in Newly Diagnosed DLBCL Patients in the Netherlands
Authors: Martine Chamuleau, Marcel Nijland, Niek Lamers, Nathalie Hijmering, Dana Chitu, Josée Zijlstra, Otto Visser, Josephine M. Vos, Henriette Berenschot, Rinske Boersma, Marie Jose Kersten, Daphne de Jong
Journal: Blood (2017)
MACHINE-BASED LEARNING IN PREDICTING CHEMOTHERAPY-INDUCED CARDIOTOXICITY
Authors: Megan Meyer, Pradyumna Agasthi, Chieh Ju Chao, Marlene Girardo, Matthew Buras, Elisabeth Lim, Farouk Mookadam, Brian Hardaway, Shimoli Shah, Carolyn Larsen, Hemalatha Narayanasamy, Reza Arsanjani
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2021)
ESTIMATING THE EXTENT OF MYOCARDIAL DAMAGE IN STEMI PATIENTSUSING THE DETERMINE SCORE
Authors: Christina Tiller, Magdalena Holzknecht, Martin Reindl, Ivan Lechner, Verena Kalles, Felix Troger, Agnes Mayr, Gert Klug, Christoph Brenner, Axel Bauer, Bernhard Metzler, Sebastian Reinstadler
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2021)
IMPACT OF ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY AFTER SURGICAL AND TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT IN INTERMEDIATE-RISK PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE
Authors: Roberto J. Cubeddu, Santiago Garcia, Philippe Pibarot, Rebecca Hahn, Julien Ternacle, Craig Asher, Samir Kapadia, Susheel Kodali, Vinod Thourani, Wael Jaber, Mario Goessl, Sammy Elmariah, Raj Makkar, John Webb, Howard Herrmann, Michael Lu, Chandan Devireddy, S. Chris Malaisrie, Craig Smith, Michael Mack, Martin Leon
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2021)
ABDOMINAL AORTIC ANEURYSM RUPTURE INTO VENA CAVA DURING COVID-19 OUTBREAK. A FATAL COMBINATION
Authors: Eder Hans Cativo Calderon, Persio Lopez Loyo, Chandrashekar Bohra, Adrian Nugent, Anurag Gaddam, Steve Liao
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2021)
HOUSEHOLD ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF RHEUMATIC HEART DISEASE IN UGANDA
Authors: Chinonso Opara, Yuxian Du, Yoshito Kawakatsu, Jenifer Atala, Andrea Beaton, Rosemary Kansiime, Miriam Nakitto, Emma Ndagire, Haddy Nalubwama, Emmy Okello, David Watkins, Yanfang Su
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2021)
UTILITY OF AORTIC VALVE ACCELERATION TO EJECTION TIME RATIO IN PATIENTS WITH PROSTHESIS MISMATCH FOLLOWING TRANSCATHETER AORTIC VALVE REPLACEMENT
Authors: Andrew Peters, Fei Fei Gong, Ashvita Ramesh, Madeline Jankowski, Eric Cantey, Vincent Chen, James Thomas, James Flaherty, S. Chris Malaisrie, Kameswari Maganti
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2021)
ROBOTIC VS MANUAL PERCUTANEOUS CORONARY INTERVENTION - BOON OR A BANE?
Authors: Rahul Gupta, Aaqib Malik, Bilal Saqi, Umair Tariq, Nikhil Mehta, Wilbert Aronow, Apurva Vyas, Nainesh Patel
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2021)
EFFECTS OF LIFELONG LOW-LEVEL METHYLMERCURY EXPOSURE ON CARDIAC FUNCTION
Authors: Hiromitsu Tanaka, Michinari Hieda, Shutaro Futami, Shigeru Takaoka, Takenobu Tabata, Shohei Moriyama, Mitsuhiro Fukata, Toru Maruyama, Koichi Akashi
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2021)
DAPAGLIFLOZIN ATTENUATES ENDOTHELIAL LEAK VIA AN APOLIPOPROTEIN M-DEPENDENT PATHWAY
Authors: Carla Valenzuela Ripoll, Zhen Guo, Terrence Riehl, Amanda Girardi, Attila Kovacs, Jan Oscarsson, Russell Esterline, Mikhail Kosiborod, Ali Javaheri
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2021)
Hepatobiliary Adverse Drug Reactions Associated With Remdesivir: The WHO International Pharmacovigilance Study
Authors: Min Seo Kim, Se Yong Jung, Seung Won Lee, Han Li, Ai Koyanagi, Andreas Kronbichler, Elena Dragioti, Kalthoum Tizaoui, Paul Wasuwanich, Sung Hwi Hong, Ramy Abou Ghayda, Hae Won Yoo, Hanna Kim, Louis Jacob, Joe-Elie Salem, Karel Kostev, Youn Ho Shin, So Young Kim, Gabriele Gamerith, Dong Keon Yon, Jae Il Shin, Lee Smith
Journal: Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology (2021)
NEW ONSET VENTRICULAR ARRHYTHMIAS FOLLOWING TRANSCATHETER PULMONARY VALVE REPLACEMENT IN THE NATIVE RIGHT VENTRICULAR OUTFLOW TRACT
Authors: Spencer Barfuss, Juan Samayoa, Zhining Ou, Susan Etheridge, Thomas Pilcher, Yukiko Asaki, Mary Hunt Martin, Dana Boucek, Robert Gray, Mary Niu
Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology (2021)
Viral genomes reveal patterns of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Washington State
Authors: Nicola F. Müller, Cassia Wagner, Chris D. Frazar, Pavitra Roychoudhury, Jover Lee, Louise H. Moncla, Benjamin Pelle, Matthew Richardson, Erica Ryke, Hong Xie, Lasata Shrestha, Amin Addetia, Victoria M. Rachleff, Nicole A. P. Lieberman, Meei-Li Huang, Romesh Gautom, Geoff Melly, Brian Hiatt, Philip Dykema, Amanda Adler, Elisabeth Brandstetter, Peter D. Han, Kairsten Fay, Misja Ilcisin, Kirsten Lacombe, Thomas R. Sibley, Melissa Truong, Caitlin R. Wolf, Michael Boeckh, Janet A. Englund, Michael Famulare, Barry R. Lutz, Mark J. Rieder, Matthew Thompson, Jeffrey S. Duchin, Lea M. Starita, Helen Y. Chu, Jay Shendure, Keith R. Jerome, Scott Lindquist, Alexander L. Greninger, Deborah A. Nickerson, Trevor Bedford
Journal: Science Translational Medicine (2021)

The rapid spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has gravely affected societies around the world. Outbreaks in different parts of the globe have been shaped by repeated introductions of new viral lineages and subsequent local transmission of those lineages. Here, we sequenced 3940 SARS-CoV-2 viral genomes from Washington State (USA) to characterize how the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Washington State in early 2020 was shaped by differences in timing of mitigation strategies across counties and by repeated introductions of viral lineages into the state. In addition, we show that the increase in frequency of a potentially more transmissible viral variant (614G) over time can potentially be explained by regional mobility differences and multiple introductions of 614G but not the other variant (614D) into the state. At an individual level, we observed evidence of higher viral loads in patients infected with the 614G variant. However, using clinical records data, we did not find any evidence that the 614G variant affects clinical severity or patient outcomes. Overall, this suggests that with regard to D614G, the behavior of individuals has been more important in shaping the course of the pandemic in Washington State than this variant of the virus.
Shortening the Short Course of Tuberculosis Treatment
Authors: Eric J. Rubin, Valerie Mizrahi
Journal: New England Journal of Medicine (2021)

One of the great satisfactions of managing infectious diseases is the remarkable and rapid efficacy of antibiotics. The first uses of penicillin in the treatment of pneumococcal pneumonia produced near miraculous results, and most bacterial infections can be cured with a few days of therapy. However, tuberculosis has been an outlier. A series of landmark studies performed over several decades showed that combination therapy could result in high rates of cure among patients with tuberculosis, but the best "short course" regimen — and the one that remains in use to this day — still requires 6 months of therapy with . . .