Health-care workers are thought to be highly exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 ...in health-care workers and the proportion of seroconverted health-care workers with previous symptoms of COVID-19.
In this observational cohort study, screening was offered to health-care workers in the Capital Region of Denmark, including medical, nursing, and other students who were associated with hospitals in the region. Screening included point-of-care tests for IgM and IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Test results and participant characteristics were recorded. Results were compared with findings in blood donors in the Capital Region in the study period.
Between April 15 and April 23, 2020, we screened 29 295 health-care workers, of whom 28 792 (98·28%) provided their test results. We identified 1163 (4·04% 95% CI 3·82–4·27) seropositive health-care workers. Seroprevalence was higher in health-care workers than in blood donors (142 3·04% of 4672; risk ratio RR 1·33 95% CI 1·12–1·58; p<0·001). Seroprevalence was higher in male health-care workers (331 5·45% of 6077) than in female health-care workers (832 3·66% of 22 715; RR 1·49 1·31–1·68; p<0·001). Frontline health-care workers working in hospitals had a significantly higher seroprevalence (779 4·55% of 16 356) than health-care workers in other settings (384 3·29% of 11 657; RR 1·38 1·22–1·56; p<0·001). Health-care workers working on dedicated COVID-19 wards (95 7·19% of 1321) had a significantly higher seroprevalence than other frontline health-care workers working in hospitals (696 4·35% of 15 983; RR 1·65 1·34–2·03; p<0·001). 622 53·5% of 1163 seropositive participants reported symptoms attributable to SARS-CoV-2. Loss of taste or smell was the symptom that was most strongly associated with seropositivity (377 32·39% of 1164 participants with this symptom were seropositive vs 786 2·84% of 27 628 without this symptom; RR 11·38 10·22–12·68). The study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04346186.
The prevalence of health-care workers with antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 was low but higher than in blood donors. The risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in health-care workers was related to exposure to infected patients. More than half of seropositive health-care workers reported symptoms attributable to COVID-19.
Lundbeck Foundation.
Most individuals seroconvert after infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but being seronegative is observed in 1 to 9%. We aimed to investigate the risk factors ...associated with being seronegative following PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. In a prospective cohort study, we screened health care workers (HCW) in the Capital Region of Denmark for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. We performed three rounds of screening from April to October 2020 using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method targeting SARS-CoV-2 total antibodies. Data on all participants’ PCR for SARS-CoV-2 RNA were captured from national registries. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models were applied to investigate the probability of being seronegative and the related risk factors, respectively. Of 36,583 HCW, 866 (2.4%) had a positive PCR before or during the study period. The median (interquartile range IQR) age of 866 HCW was 42 (31 to 53) years, and 666 (77%) were female. After a median of 132 (range, 35 to 180) days, 21 (2.4%) of 866 were seronegative. In a multivariable model, independent risk factors for being seronegative were self-reported asymptomatic or mild infection hazard ratio (HR) of 6.6 (95% confidence interval CI, 2.6 to 17; P < 0.001) and body mass index (BMI) of ≥30, HR 3.1 (95% CI, 1.1 to 8.8; P = 0.039). Only a few (2.4%) HCW were not seropositive. Asymptomatic or mild infection as well as a BMI above 30 were associated with being seronegative. Since the presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 reduces the risk of reinfection, efforts to protect HCW with risk factors for being seronegative may be needed in future COVID-19 surges. IMPORTANCE Most individuals seroconvert after infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but negative serology is observed in 1 to 9%. We found that asymptomatic or mild infection as well as a BMI above 30 were associated with being seronegative. Since the presence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 reduces the risk of reinfection, efforts to protect HCW with risk factors for being seronegative may be needed in future COVID-19 surges.
Antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) are a key factor in protecting against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). We examined longitudinal changes in ...seroprevalence in healthcare workers (HCWs) in Copenhagen and the protective effect of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.
In this prospective study, screening for antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 (ELISA) was offered to HCWs three times over 6 months. HCW characteristics were obtained by questionnaires. The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04346186.
From April to October 2020 we screened 44 698 HCWs, of whom 2811 were seropositive at least once. The seroprevalence increased from 4.0% (1501/37 452) to 7.4% (2022/27 457) during the period (p < 0.001) and was significantly higher than in non-HCWs. Frontline HCWs had a significantly increased risk of seropositivity compared to non-frontline HCWs, with risk ratios (RRs) at the three rounds of 1.49 (95%CI 1.34–1.65, p < 0.001), 1.52 (1.39–1.68, p < 0.001) and 1.50 (1.38–1.64, p < 0.001). The seroprevalence was 1.42- to 2.25-fold higher (p < 0.001) in HCWs from dedicated COVID-19 wards than in other frontline HCWs. Seropositive HCWs had an RR of 0.35 (0.15–0.85, p 0.012) of reinfection during the following 6 months, and 2115 out of 2248 (95%) of those who were seropositive during rounds one or two remained seropositive after 4–6 months. The 133 of 2248 participants (5.0%) who seroreverted were slightly older and reported fewer symptoms than other seropositive participants.
HCWs remained at increased risk of infection with SARS-CoV-2 during the 6-month period. Seropositivity against SARS-CoV-2 persisted for at least 6 months in the vast majority of HCWs and was associated with a significantly lower risk of reinfection.
X-linked congenital stationary night blindness (XLCSNB) is characterized by impaired scotopic vision with associated ocular symptoms such as myopia, hyperopia, nystagmus and reduced visual acuity. ...Genetic mapping in families with XLCSNB revealed two different loci on the proximal short arm of the X chromosome. These two genetic subtypes can be distinguished on the basis of electroretinogram (ERG) responses and psychophysical testing as a complete (CSNB1) and an incomplete (CSNB2) form. The CSNB1 locus has been mapped to a 5-cM linkage interval in Xp11.4 (refs 2,5-7). Here we construct and analyse a contig between the markers DXS993 and DXS228, leading to the identification of a new gene mutated in CSNB1 patients. It is partially deleted in 3 families and mutation analysis in a further 21 families detected another 13 different mutations. This gene, designated NYX, encodes a protein of 481 amino acids (nyctalopin) and is expressed at low levels in tissues including retina, brain, testis and muscle. The predicted polypeptide is a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored extracellular protein with 11 typical and 2 cysteine-rich, leucine-rich repeats (LRRs). This motif is important for protein-protein interactions and members of the LRR superfamily are involved in cell adhesion and axon guidance. Future functional analysis of nyctalopin might therefore give insight into the fine-regulation of cell-cell contacts in the retina.
The merger of the head offices of two public service organizations in Sweden was used to examine differences in the meanings that employees attach to the organizations involved and their expectations ...of the new merged organization, nine months prior to the merger. A two-stage methodology was used, combining the repertory grid method with a survey questionnaire based on the elicited constructs. Predictions from a social constructivist perspective on culture and social identity theory were largely confirmed. The results showed that both groups expected one of them to be dominant after the merger. Members of this organization expected to change very little, while employees in the non-dominant group felt themselves to be threatened by the prospect of merger and this led them to emphasize their own distinctiveness. The findings suggest that the success of the integration process after a merger is critically dependent on how employees of merger partners perceive the culture of the organizations involved and the expectations they have of the new organization. The study has practical implications for how to manage the merger integration process.
ABSTRACT
In this paper we describe carbon‐rich filamentous structures observed in association with the zeolite mineral phillipsite from sub‐seafloor samples drilled and collected during the Ocean ...Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 197 at the Emperor Seamounts. The filamentous structures are ~5 µm thick and ~100–200 µm in length. They are found attached to phillipsite surfaces in veins and entombed in vein‐filling carbonates. The carbon content of the filaments ranges between ~10 wt% C and 55 wt% C. They further bind to propidium iodide (PI), which is a dye that binds to damaged cell membranes and remnants of DNA.
Carbon‐rich globular microstructures, 1–2 µm in diameter, are also found associated with the phillipsite surfaces as well as within wedge‐shaped cavities in phillipsite assemblages. The globules have a carbon content that range between ~5 wt% C and 55 wt% C and they bind to PI. Ordinary globular iron oxides found throughout the samples differ in that they contain no carbon and do not bind to the dye PI. The carbon‐rich globules are mostly concentrated to a film‐like structure that is attached to the phillipsite surfaces. This film has a carbon content that ranges between ~25 wt% C and 75 wt% C and partially binds to PI. EDS analyses show that the carbon in all structures described are not associated with calcium and therefore not bound in carbonates. The carbon content and the binding to PI may indicate that the filamentous structures could represent fossilized filamentous microorganisms, the globules could represent fossilized microbial cells and the film‐like structures could represent a microbially produced biofilm.
Our results extend the knowledge of possible habitable niches for a deep biosphere in sub‐seafloor environments and suggests, as phillipsite is one of the most common zeolite mineral in volcanic rocks of the oceanic crust, that it could be a common feature in the oceanic crust elsewhere.
We report the discovery of fossilized filamentous structures in samples of the lithified, volcaniclastic apron of Gran Canaria, which were obtained during Leg 157 of the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP). ...These filamentous structures are 2-15 μm in diameter and several hundred micrometers in length and are composed of Si, Al, Fe, Ca, Mg, Na, Ti, and C. Chitin was detected in the filamentous structures by staining with wheat germ agglutinin dye conjugated with fluorescein isothiocyanate (WGA-FITC), which suggests that they are fossilized fungal hyphae. The further elucidation of typical filamentous fungal morphological features, such as septa, hyphal bridges, and anastomosis and their respective sizes, support this interpretation. Characteristic structures that we interpreted as fossilized spores were also observed in association with the putative hyphae. The fungal hyphae were found in pyroxene phenocrysts and in siderite pseudomorphs of a basalt breccia. The fungal colonization of the basalt clasts occurred after the brecciation but prior to the final emplacement and lithification of the sediment at ∼16-14 Ma. The siderite appears to have been partially dissolved by the presence of fungal hyphae, and the fungi preferentially colonized Fe-rich carbonates over Fe-poor carbonates (aragonite). Our findings indicate that fungi may be an important geobiological agent in subseafloor environments and an important component of the deep subseafloor biosphere, and that hydrothermal environments associated with volcanism can support a diverse ecosystem, including eukaryotes.
The present study examines the team climate for innovation in work teams within a newly merged organization. Four teams working at a regional head office of a Social Insurance organization answered ...the Team Climate Inventory. The results were compared to those of a study by Agrell and Gustafson of more stable teams. The comparison showed that participative safety and support for innovation were rated lower and that vision was rated higher in the newly merged teams. The 38-item original inventory was used and based on the results, a 1999 proposed shortened version of 14 items by Kivimäki and Elovainio was compared with the original one. Analysis indicated that the short version can be a valid alternative to the original version but that further testing of the short version is needed.
Albite samples from Ontario, Canada, laboratory weathered in HCl solutions at pH 1 have been analysed and compared to unreacted mineral samples with the same crystal orientation using Raman ...microspectrometry. The study was focused on Raman bands reflecting Al-ordering because destabilisation of Al–O bonds with subsequent release of Al is well recognised to be a major factor in low pH dissolution of albite. Analyses of unweathered samples reveal that most bands in the albite spectra show variations in intensities for different crystal orientations in the wavenumber range 100 to 1200 cm
−1. A well-defined crystal orientation is therefore essential to a successful investigation of weathered samples. Unweathered albite has two bands; 455 and 976 cm
−1 in the spectrum normal to the (001) face, which have been related to Al-ordering in the structure. In spectra of weathered albite crystals, with the same orientation, the band most sensitive to alteration is 976 cm
−1. This band is very strong for unreacted albite, but diminishes in intensity relative to the other bands at the initial stage of weathering. When dissolution continued, the structural information in the range 700 to 1200 cm
−1 was completely lost, shown as a bandbroadening of a less organised structure, while the characteristic albite bands still could be observed in the range 100 to 600 cm
−1.
In 1996 a telemedicine link was established between two primary-care centres of Västerbotten county and the University Hospital. Specialties involved at the University Hospital were otoloaryngology, ...orthopaedics and dermatology. Videoconferencing used ISDN at 384 kbit/s. The primary-care centres were equipped with video-endoscopes. During the first 21 months, there were 32 otolaryngology consultation. The average time for each consultation was between 15 and 30 min. Patients, general practitioners and specialists were interviewed using questionnaires with answers on a six-point scale, in which a score of six was best. Patient satisfaction produced a mean score of 5.7. The specialist doctors rated the video-consultation satisfactory for diagnosis. Roughly 40% of the referrals could be avoided by telemedicine. The general practitioners rated the educational effect of the consultation very highly.
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