Alpha variant coronavirus outbreak in a nursing home despite high vaccination coverage: molecular, epidemiological and immunological studies

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Alpha variant coronavirus outbreak in a nursing home despite high vaccination coverage: molecular, epidemiological and immunological studies Via Clinical Infectious Diseases Advance Access Abstract Background Vaccination may control the COVID-19 pandemic, including in nursing homes where many high-risk people live. We conducted extensive outbreak investigations. Methods We studied an outbreak at a nursing home in Switzerland where vaccination uptake of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 was 82% among residents as of Jan 21/2021. After a vaccinated symptomatic HCW was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Feb 22, we did an outbreak investigations in house A (47 residents, 37 HCWs) using SARS-CoV-2-specific PCR in nasopharyngeal swabs. We performed whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 and serological analyses. Results We identified 17 individuals with positive PCR tests; ten residents (five vaccinated) and seven HCWs (three vaccinated). Median age among residents was 86 years (interquartile range [IQR] 70-90) and 49 years (IQR 29-59) among HCWs. Among the five vaccinated residents, 60% had mild disease and had 40% no symptoms, whereas all five unvaccinated residents had mild to severe disease and two died. The vaccine effectiveness for the prevention of infection among the residents was 73.0% (95% Cl 24.7-90.1). The 12 available genomes were all alpha variants. Neutralizing titers were significantly higher in vaccinated individuals upon re-exposure (>1 week after diagnosis) than in vaccinated, unexposed HCWs (p=0.012). Transmission networks indicated four likely or possible transmissions from vaccinated to other individuals, and 12 transmission events from unvaccinated individuals. Conclusions COVID-19 outbreaks can occur in nursing homes, including transmission from vaccinated persons to others. Outbreaks might occur silently, underlining the need for continued testing and basic infection control measures in these high-risk settings. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Competing responses to global inequalities in access to COVID vaccines: Vaccine Diplomacy and Vaccine Charity Versus Vaccine Liberty

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Competing responses to global inequalities in access to COVID vaccines: Vaccine Diplomacy and Vaccine Charity Versus Vaccine Liberty Via Clinical Infectious Diseases Advance Access Abstract Global access to COVID vaccines has been extraordinarily unequal and remains an ongoing source of global health insecurities due to the evolution of viral variants in the bodies of the unvaccinated. There have nevertheless been at least three significant alternatives developed to this disastrous bioethical failure. These alternatives are reviewed in this article in the terms of 'vaccine diplomacy', 'vaccine charity', and 'vaccine liberty'. Vaccine diplomacy includes the diverse bilateral deliveries of vaccines organized by the geopolitical considerations of countries strategically seeking various kinds of global and regional advantages in international relations. Vaccine charity centrally involves the humanitarian work of the global health agencies and donor governments that have organized the COVAX program as an antidote to unequal access. Despite their many promises, however, both vaccine diplomacy and vaccine charity have failed to deliver the doses needed to overcome the global vaccination gap. Instead, they have unfortunately served to immunize the global vaccine supply system from more radical demands for a 'People's Vaccine', technological transfer and compulsory licensing of vaccine intellectual property (IP). These more radical demands represent the third alternative to vaccine access inequalities. As a mix of NGO-led and politician-led social justice demands, they are diverse and multifaceted, but together they have been articulated as calls for vaccine liberty. After first describing the realities of vaccine access inequalities, this article compares and contrasts the effectiveness thus far of the three alternatives. In doing so, it also provides a critical bioethical framework for reflecting on how the alternatives have come to compete with one another in the context of the vaccine property norms and market structures entrenched in global IP law. The uneven and limited successes of vaccine dipl omacy and vaccine charity in delivering vaccines in underserved countries can be re-considered in this way as compromised successes that not only compete with one another, but which have also worked together to undermine the promise of universal access through vaccine liberty. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Does a combination of self‐reported signs related to central sensitization and pressure pain threshold allow for a more detailed classification of pain‐related characteristics in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain?: A cross‐sectional study

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Does a combination of self‐reported signs related to central sensitization and pressure pain threshold allow for a more detailed classification of pain‐related characteristics in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain?: A cross‐sectional study Via Pain Practice Abstract Objectives The clinical utility of combining the central sensitization (CS) inventory (CSI) with the pressure pain threshold (PPT) in assessing the effect of central sensitization on pain is unknown. This study aimed to investigate (1) the effects of CSI, PPT, and their interaction on pain and (2) the characteristics of clinical symptoms in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain grouped according to the CSI score and PPT value. Method A total of 187 participants with chronic musculoskeletal pain were recruited. PPT, brief pain inventory, widespread pain index, pain-catastrophizing scale, EuroQol-5 dimension, and CSI were assessed. Multiple regression analyses were performed using pain intensity and interference scores as dependent variables and the CSI score and PPT value as independent variables. Hierarchical cluster analysis was also performed to classify the participants into subgroups according to the CSI score and PPT value. Following the classification, pain-related characteristics and health-related QOL were compared among the subgroups. Results Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that only the CSI score significantly affected pain intensity and interference. As a result of the cluster analysis, three groups were identified: cluster 1 (n = 61, CSI low/PPT low group), cluster 2 (n = 78, CSI low/PPT high group), and cluster 3 (n = 48, CSI high/PPT low group). The CSI high/PPT low group had higher incidence of pain-related symptoms than the CSI low groups regardless of the PPT value. Conclusions Combined CSI and PPT may not fully allow a detailed classification of pain-related characteristics. The CSI may be clinically more useful for assessing the effect of CS on pain-related symptoms. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Influence of lingual plate fracture pattern on remodelling site during the healing process of sagittal split ramus osteotomy

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Influence of lingual plate fracture pattern on remodelling site during the healing process of sagittal split ramus osteotomy Via International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery via MedWorm.com The purpose of this study was to investigate whether differences in the pattern of the lingual plate split in sagittal split ramus osteotomy (SSRO) affect the remodelling of the split site. Sixty-one patients with mandibular prognathism (122 sides) underwent SSRO. Computed tomography (CT) was performed at 1 week and 1 year after SSRO. Bone splits were classified according to the lingual split scale (LSS) and the lateral bone cut end (LBCE) by evaluating CT images at 1 week. The remodelling at the split sites was evaluated by superimposing the CT images obtained at 1 week and 1 year. (Source: International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery) View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

The Effect of Influenza Virus on The Metabolism of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells with Metabolomics Approach

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader The Effect of Influenza Virus on The Metabolism of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells with Metabolomics Approach Via Journal of Medical Virology Abstract Respiratory viruses led to many deaths and hospitalization per year in the world. Influenza virus is one of the most important respiratory viruses. Recently, the metabolic studies in viral infections have been widely considered by scientists. Metabolomics states the metabolites present in a living organism under certain conditions. In this study, peripheral blood mononuclear cells were spinoculated using virus produced by the Madin-Darby Canine Kidney cell culture system and cells were harvested following spinoculation by influenza virus. Isolation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells was performed by Ficoll-Paque density gradient centrifugation. Metabolites were extracted using organic and Water approaches. Metabolic profiling was performed by a non-targeted using LC-MS/MS technique. Multivariate analysis methods used to determine the main variables. the metabolic pathways involved were determined using databases. Results of present study showed change in biosynthesis pathways such as lipids, polyamines, catecholamines and vitamins. Findings also showed that it is possible to explain the process of inflammation caused by the influenza virus by studying the metabolism of immune cells. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Microbiota and HPV: the role of viral infection on vaginal microbiota

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Microbiota and HPV: the role of viral infection on vaginal microbiota Via Journal of Medical Virology Abstract The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the prevalence of Human papillomaviruses (HPV) infection is between 9 and 13 % of the world population and only in the United States (USA), more than 6.2 million are positive every year. There are more than 100 types of HPV, among them, two serotypes (16 and 18) are related to 70% of cervical cancers and pre-cancerous cervical lesions. The vaginal microbiota could play a considerable role in HPV infection and the genesis of cervical tumors caused by HPV. Moreover, bacteria are strongly associated with vaginal inflammation and oncogenic mutations in human cells. We aim to investigate if HPV infection could influence the bacterial microbiota composition in the uterine cervix. A total of 31 women were enrolled in this study. The vaginal swabs had been collected; the HPV-DNA was extracted with QIAamp DNA Microbiome. The V3-V4-V6 region of the 16S rDNA gene was amplified by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) followe d by sequencing with MiSeq Illumina. The main phylum identified in the vaginal microbiota were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. The phylum of Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Bacteroides was more represented in HPV positive patients. Lactobacilli represented the dominant genus, with a high percentage of L. iners, L. jensenii and L. crispatus as species. Gardnerella vaginalis, Enterococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., Proteus spp. and Atopobium were the most represented in HPV positive patients. An altered vaginal microbiota might play a functional role in HPV cervical infection, progression and clearance. The relationship between infection and microbiota could spur the development of new probiotic. However, further studies are needed to clarify the role of the vaginal microbiota in HPV infection. This article is protected by copyri ght. All rights reserved. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Persistent advanced periductal fibrosis is associated with cagA‐positive Helicobacter pylori infection in post‐praziquantel treatment of opisthorchiasis

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Persistent advanced periductal fibrosis is associated with cagA‐positive Helicobacter pylori infection in post‐praziquantel treatment of opisthorchiasis Via Helicobacter Abstract Background Liver fluke infection caused by Opisthorchis viverrini is associated with several hepatobiliary diseases including advanced periductal fibrosis (APF) and cholangiocarcinoma. Recently, we demonstrated a persistent APF in over one-third of opisthorchiasis patients after worm removal by praziquantel (PZQ) treatment. However, the underlying mechanism(s) of this phenomena is unclear. Given a co-infection with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) especially cagA-positive strain enhances APF, we hypothesized that H. pylori with CagA virulent factor contributes to persistent APF. Materials and methods Seventy-five opisthorchiasis patients who underwent ultrasonography and treatment with PZQ were recruited in the 2-year follow-up study. Helicobacter and its cagA in the feces were examined by conventional and qPCR. Correlations between prevalence or bacterial loads of Helicobacter spp., H. pylori, and cagA-positive H. pylori before and after PZQ treatment were analyzed among resolved, slowly resolved, relapsed, and persistent APF groups. Results Overall, prevalence of Helicobacter spp., H. pylori, and cagA-positive H. pylori declined after PZQ treatment. However, only the prevalence and bacterial loads of cagA-positive H. pylori detected at 2-year post-treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment (p < .05). In addition, both prevalence and bacterial loads of cagA-positive H. pylori were significantly lower in the resolved APF group after PZQ treatment, while there were no significant changes in the slowly resolved, relapsed, and persistent APF groups. Among the APF subgroups, cagA-positive H. pylori prevalence in both relapsed and persistent APF groups were significantly higher than the resolved APF group. Conclusion The results support our hypothesis that H. pylori, especially cagA-positive strain, contributes to the relapsed and persistent APF. A supplementary antibiotic treatment for H. pylori to reduce persistent APF and eventually CCA is warranted. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Perceptions of NZ orthodontists and periodontists on the management of gingival recession in orthodontic patients

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Perceptions of NZ orthodontists and periodontists on the management of gingival recession in orthodontic patients Via Australian Dental Journal ABSTRACT Background This study aimed to investigate the perceptions and opinions of orthodontists and periodontists on the management of gingival recession in orthodontic patients. Methods An online survey was sent to 29 periodontists and 80 orthodontists registered and currently practising in New Zealand. All participants answered questions about the timing and clinical indications of mucogingival surgeries in orthodontic patients diagnosed with mucogingival deformities. Results Most periodontists and orthodontists believed that gingival grafts should ideally be performed after orthodontic treatment. In clinical practice, 40% of periodontists indicated that they would receive referrals after completion of orthodontic treatment. However, 29.6% of orthodontists indicated that they would refer to a periodontist before orthodontic treatment in clinical practice. The most crucial factor that affected periodontists' decision making was 'evidence-based guidelines' (35.0%), followed by 'clinical experience' (30.0%) and 'patient concerns' (15.0%). All four factors of 'gingival phenotype', 'presence of gingival recession', 'amount of keratinised tissue' and 'planning specific tooth movements' were equally considered by orthodontists regarding their decision-making. Conclusions The majority of the surveyed New Zealand periodontists and orthodontists expressed a belief that the ideal timing for the management of gingival recessions would be after the completion of orthodontic treatment. © 2022 Australian Dental Association. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Identification of non-synonymous variations in ROBO1 and GATA5 genes in a family with bicuspid aortic valve disease

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Identification of non-synonymous variations in <i>ROBO1</i> and <i>GATA5</i> genes in a family with bicuspid aortic valve disease Via Journal of Human Genetics - Issue - nature.com science feeds Journal of Human Genetics, Published online: 09 May 2022; doi:10.1038/s10038-022-01036-x Identification of non-synonymous variations in ROBO1 and GATA5 genes in a family with bicuspid aortic valve disease View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Avoidance of cutaneous adverse drug reactions induced by antiepileptic drugs based on pharmacogenomics

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Avoidance of cutaneous adverse drug reactions induced by antiepileptic drugs based on pharmacogenomics Via Journal of Human Genetics - Issue - nature.com science feeds Journal of Human Genetics, Published online: 09 May 2022; doi:10.1038/s10038-022-01040-1 Avoidance of cutaneous adverse drug reactions induced by antiepileptic drugs based on pharmacogenomics View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Synergistic antibacterial effects of low-intensity ultrasound and peptide LCMHC against Staphylococcus aureus

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Synergistic antibacterial effects of low-intensity ultrasound and peptide LCMHC against <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em> Via ScienceDirect Publication: International Journal of Food Microbiology Publication date: Available online 9 May 2022 Source: International Journal of Food Microbiology Author(s): Zijin Yuan, Jude Juventus Aweya, Jian Li, Zhongyan Wang, Shiying Huang, Mingjing Zheng, Linfan Shi, Shanggui Deng, Shen Yang View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Particulate matter (PM10) induces in vitro activation of human neutrophils, and lung histopathological alterations in a mouse model

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Particulate matter (PM10) induces in vitro activation of human neutrophils, and lung histopathological alterations in a mouse model Via Earth and environmental sciences : nature.com subject feeds View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.