We report detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) in an asymptomatic, fully vaccinated traveler in a quarantine hotel in Hong Kong, China. The Omicron ...variant was also detected in a fully vaccinated traveler staying in a room across the corridor from the index patient, suggesting transmission despite strict quarantine precautions.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from humans to other mammals, including pet animals, has been reported. However, with the exception of farmed mink, there is no previous evidence that these infected ...animals can infect humans, resulting in sustained human-to-human transmission. Following a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection of a pet shop worker, animals in the shop and the warehouse supplying it were tested for evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
In this case study, viral swabs and blood samples were collected from animals in a pet shop and its corresponding warehouse in Hong Kong. Nasal swab or saliva samples from human COVID-19 patients epidemiologically linked to the pet shop and from subsequent local cases confirmed to be infected by SARS-CoV-2 delta variant were collected. Oral swabs were tested by quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) for SARS-CoV-2 and blood samples were serologically tested by a surrogate virus neutralisation test and plaque reduction neutralisation test. The SARS-CoV-2 RT-qPCR positive samples were sequenced by next generation viral full genome sequencing using the ISeq sequencing platform (Illumina), and the viral genomes were phylogenetically analysed.
Eight (50%) of 16 individually tested Syrian hamsters in the pet shop and seven (58%) of 12 Syrian hamsters in the corresponding warehouse were positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection in RT-qPCR or serological tests. None of the dwarf hamsters (n=75), rabbits (n=246), guinea pigs (n=66), chinchillas (n=116), and mice (n=2) were confirmed positive for SARS-CoV-2 in RT-qPCR tests. SARS-CoV-2 viral genomes deduced from human and hamster cases in this incident all belong to the delta variant of concern (AY.127) that had not been circulating locally before this outbreak. The viral genomes obtained from hamsters were phylogenetically related with some sequence heterogeneity. Phylogenetic dating suggests infection in these hamsters occurred around Oct 14, 2021 (95% CI Sept 15 to Nov 9, 2021). Multiple zoonotic transmission events to humans were detected, leading to onward human-to-human transmission.
Pet hamsters can be naturally infected with SARS-CoV-2. The virus can circulate among hamsters and lead to human infections. Both genetic and epidemiological results strongly suggest that there was more than one hamster-to-human transmission event in this study. This incident also led to onward human transmission. Importation of SARS-CoV-2-infected hamsters was a likely source of this outbreak.
US National Institutes of Health, Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, Food and Health Bureau, and InnoHK.
We studied SARS-CoV-2 genomes from travelers arriving in Hong Kong during November 2021-February 2022. In addition to Omicron and Delta variants, we detected a BA.1/BA.2 recombinant with a breakpoint ...near the 5' end of the spike gene in 2 epidemiologically linked case-patients. Continued surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 recombinants is needed.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
We sequenced ≈50% of coronavirus disease cases imported to Hong Kong during March-July 2021 and identified 70 cases caused by Delta variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The ...genomic diversity detected in Hong Kong was similar to global diversity, suggesting travel hubs can play a substantial role in surveillance.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Tenofovir alafenamide is a novel prodrug formulated to deliver the active metabolite to target cells more efficiently than tenofovir disoproxil fumarate at a lower dose, thereby reducing systemic ...exposure. In patients with HIV, tenofovir alafenamide was as efficacious as tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, with reduced bone and renal toxic effects. We compared the efficacy and safety of the two drugs in patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in a non-inferiority study.
We did this ongoing double-blind, non-inferiority study in 161 outpatient centres in 19 countries. Patients with chronic HBV infection who were positive for the hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) were randomly assigned (2:1) to receive either 25 mg tenofovir alafenamide or 300 mg tenofovir disoproxil fumarate with matching placebo. Randomisation was done by a computer-generated allocation sequence (block size six) stratified by plasma HBV DNA concentration and previous treatment experience. The primary efficacy endpoint was the proportion of patients with HBV DNA less than 29 IU/mL at week 48 in all patients who were randomly assigned and received at least one dose of study drug using a missing-equals-failed approach. The pre-specified non-inferiority margin was 10%. Key prespecified safety endpoints were bone and renal parameters at week 48. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01940471.
Of the 1473 patients screened from Sept 11, 2013, to Dec 20, 2014, 875 eligible patients were randomly assigned and 873 received treatment (581 with tenofovir alafenamide and 292 with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate). 371 (64%) patients receiving tenofovir alafenamide had HBV DNA less than 29 IU/mL at week 48, which was non-inferior to the 195 (67%) of patients receiving tenofovir disoproxil fumarate who had HBV DNA less than 29 IU/mL (adjusted difference -3·6% 95% CI -9·8 to 2·6; p=0·25). Patients given tenofovir alafenamide had a significantly smaller decrease in bone mineral density at hip (mean change -0·10% 95% CI -0·29 to 0·09 vs -1·72% -2·02 to -1·41; adjusted difference 1·62 1·27 to 1·96; p<0·0001) and at spine (mean change -0·42% -0·66 to -0·17 vs -2·29% -2·67 to -1·92; adjusted difference 1·88 1·44 to 2·31; p<0·0001) as well as smaller mean increases in serum creatinine at week 48 (0·01 mg/dL 0·00-0·02 vs 0·03 mg/dL 0·02-0·04; p=0·02). The most common adverse events overall were upper respiratory tract infection (51 9% of 581 patients receiving tenofovir alafenamide vs 22 8% of 292 patients receiving tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), nasopharyngitis (56 10% vs 16 5%), and headache (42 7% vs 22 8%). 22 (4%) patients receiving tenofovir alafenamide and 12 (4%) patients receiving tenofovir disoproxil fumarate experienced serious adverse events, none of which was deemed by the investigator to be related to study treatment. 187 (32%) of 581 patients in the tenofovir alafenamide group and 96 (33%) of 292 patients in the tenofovir disoproxil fumarate group had grade 3 or 4 laboratory abnormalities, the most common of which were elevations in ALT (62 11% of 577 patients receiving tenofovir alafenamide and 36 13% of 288 patients receiving tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) and AST (20 3% of 577 patients receiving tenofovir alafenamide and 19 7% of 288 patients receiving tenofovir disoproxil fumarate).
In patients with HBeAg-positive HBV infection, tenofovir alafenamide was non-inferior to tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, and had improved bone and renal effects. Longer term follow-up is needed to better understand the clinical impact of these changes.
Gilead Sciences.
We describe a method to identify repeatable liver computed tomography (CT) radiomic features, suitable for detection of steatosis, in nonhuman primates. Criteria used for feature selection exclude ...nonrepeatable features and may be useful to improve the performance and robustness of radiomics-based predictive models.
Six crab-eating macaques were equally assigned to two experimental groups, fed regular chow or an atherogenic diet. High-resolution CT images were acquired over several days for each macaque. First-order and second-order radiomic features were extracted from six regions in the liver parenchyma, either with or without liver-to-spleen intensity normalization from images reconstructed using either a standard (B-filter) or a bone-enhanced (D-filter) kernel. Intrasubject repeatability of each feature was assessed using a paired
-test for all scans and the minimum
-value was identified for each macaque. Repeatable features were defined as having a minimum
-value among all macaques above the significance level after Bonferroni's correction. Features showing a significant difference with respect to diet group were identified using a two-sample
-test.
A list of repeatable features was generated for each type of image. The largest number of repeatable features was achieved from spleen-normalized D-filtered images, which also produced the largest number of second-order radiomic features that were repeatable and different between diet groups.
Repeatability depends on reconstruction kernel and normalization. Features were quantified and ranked based on their repeatability. Features to be excluded for more robust models were identified. Features that were repeatable but different between diet groups were also identified.
PDF
