During the first wave of pandemic H1N1 influenza in 2009, most cases outside North America occurred in the UK. The clinical characteristics of UK patients hospitalised with pandemic H1N1 infection ...and risk factors for severe outcome are described.
A case note-based investigation was performed of patients admitted with confirmed pandemic H1N1 infection.
From 27 April to 30 September 2009, 631 cases from 55 hospitals were investigated. 13% were admitted to a high dependency or intensive care unit and 5% died; 36% were aged <16 years and 5% were aged > or = 65 years. Non-white and pregnant patients were over-represented. 45% of patients had at least one underlying condition, mainly asthma, and 13% received antiviral drugs before admission. Of 349 with documented chest x-rays on admission, 29% had evidence of pneumonia, but bacterial co-infection was uncommon. Multivariate analyses showed that physician-recorded obesity on admission and pulmonary conditions other than asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were associated with a severe outcome, as were radiologically-confirmed pneumonia and a raised C-reactive protein (CRP) level (> or = 100 mg/l). 59% of all in-hospital deaths occurred in previously healthy people.
Pandemic H1N1 infection causes disease requiring hospitalisation of previously fit individuals as well as those with underlying conditions. An abnormal chest x-ray or a raised CRP level, especially in patients who are recorded as obese or who have pulmonary conditions other than asthma or COPD, indicate a potentially serious outcome. These findings support the use of pandemic vaccine in pregnant women, children <5 years of age and those with chronic lung disease.
ABSTRACT
We present the results from the first two years of the Planet Hunters TESS (PHT) citizen science project, which identifies planet candidates in the TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey ...Satellite) data by engaging members of the general public. Over 22 000 citizen scientists from around the world visually inspected the first 26 sectors of TESS data in order to help identify transit-like signals. We use a clustering algorithm to combine these classifications into a ranked list of events for each sector, the top 500 of which are then visually vetted by the science team. We assess the detection efficiency of this methodology by comparing our results to the list of TESS Objects of Interest (TOIs) and show that we recover 85 per cent of the TOIs with radii greater than 4 R⊕ and 51 per cent of those with radii between 3 and 4 R⊕. Additionally, we present our 90 most promising planet candidates that had not previously been identified by other teams, 73 of which exhibit only a single-transit event in the TESS light curve, and outline our efforts to follow these candidates up using ground-based observatories. Finally, we present noteworthy stellar systems that were identified through the Planet Hunters TESS project.
We review our understanding of Saturn's rings after nearly 6 years of observations by the Cassini spacecraft. Saturn's rings are composed mostly of water ice but also contain an undetermined reddish ...contaminant. The rings exhibit a range of structure across many spatial scales; some of this involves the interplay of the fluid nature and the self-gravity of innumerable orbiting centimeter- to meter-sized particles, and the effects of several peripheral and embedded moonlets, but much remains unexplained. A few aspects of ring structure change on time scales as short as days. It remains unclear whether the vigorous evolutionary processes to which the rings are subject imply a much younger age than that of the solar system. Processes on view at Saturn have parallels in circumstellar disks.
•1H NMR Spectroscopy showed changes in the neurochemical profiles of regions of the brains of germ free and normal mice and rats.•1H NMR Spectroscopic analysis revealed microbiome-associated changes ...to be both species- and region-dependent.•For both rats and mice concentrations of hippocampal taurine were higher in the absence of an established microbiome.•The metabolites differentiating germ free and conventional revealed an effect of the microbiota on energy metabolism.
1H NMR Spectroscopy has been applied to determine the neurochemical profiles of brain extracts from the frontal cortex and hippocampal regions of germ free and normal mice and rats. The results revealed a number of differences between germ free (GF) and conventional (CV) rats or specific pathogen-free (SPF) mice with microbiome-associated metabolic variation found to be both species- and region-dependent. In the mouse, the GF frontal cortex contained lower amounts of creatine, N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), glycerophosphocholine and lactate, but greater amounts of choline compared to that of specific pathogen free (SPF) mice. In the hippocampus, the GF mice had greater creatine, NAA, lactate and taurine content compared to those of the SPF animals, but lower relative quantities of succinate and an unidentified lipid-related component. The GF rat frontal cortex contained higher relative quantities of lactate, creatine and NAA compared to the CV animals whilst the GF hippocampus was characterized by higher taurine and phosphocholine concentrations and lower quantities of NAA, N-acetylaspartylglutamate and choline compared to the CV animals. Of note is that, in both rat and mouse brain extracts, concentrations of hippocampal taurine were found to be greater in the absence of an established microbiome. The results provide further evidence that brain biochemistry can be influenced by gut microbial status, specifically metabolites involved in energy metabolism demonstrating biochemical dialogue between the microbiome and brain.
Objective Stroke is a major cause of death and disability. That three-quarters of stroke patients will never have previously manifested cerebrovascular symptoms demonstrates the unmet clinical need ...for new biomarkers able to stratify patient risk and elucidation of the biological dysregulations. In this study, the utility of comprehensive metabolic phenotyping is assessed to provide candidate biomarkers that relate to stroke risk in stenosing carotid plaque tissue samples. Method Carotid plaque tissue samples were obtained from patients with cerebrovascular symptoms of carotid origin ( n = 5), and from asymptomatic patients ( n = 5). Two adjacent biological replicates were obtained from each tissue. Organic and aqueous metabolite extracts were obtained separately and analysed using two ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry metabolic profiling methods. Multivariate and univariate tools were used for statistical analysis. Results The two study groups demonstrated distinct plaque phenotypes using multivariate data analysis. Univariate statistics also revealed metabolites that differentiated the two groups with a strong statistical significance ( p = 10−4 –10−5 ). Specifically, metabolites related to the eicosanoid pathway (arachidonic acid and arachidonic acid precursors), and three acylcarnitine species (butyrylcarnitine, hexanoylcarnitine, and palmitoylcarnitine), intermediates of the β-oxidation, were detected in higher intensities in symptomatic patients. However, metabolites implicated in the process of cell death, a process known to be upregulated in the formation of the vulnerable plaque, were unaffected. Conclusions Discrimination between symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid plaque tissue is demonstrated for the first time using metabolic profiling technologies. Two biological pathways (eicosanoid and β-oxidation) were implicated in differentiating symptomatic from asymptomatic patients and will be further investigated. These results indicate that metabolic phenotyping should be further explored to investigate the chemistry of the unstable plaque, in the pursuit of candidate biomarkers for risk-stratification and targets for pharmacotherapeutic intervention.
Summary A large population-based random sample of Australian white men was used to provide normative bone mineral density (BMD) data at multiple anatomical sites. The femoral neck BMD data are very ...similar to those obtained in USA non-Hispanic white males participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES III). The reference ranges will be suitable for similar populations. Introduction To provide normative BMD data for Australian men derived from a large population-based random sample. Methods An age-stratified random sample of men was recruited from the Australian electoral rolls (n = 1,467 aged 20-97 years). BMD was quantified at multiple sites using Lunar densitometers. Results Age-related differences in BMD were best predicted by linear relationships at the spine and hip and by quadratic functions at the whole body and forearm. At the spine, a small age-related increase in mean BMD was observed. Although in the subset with no spinal abnormalities, there was a decrease of 0.003 g/cm² per year from age 20. At the hip sites, mean BMD decreased at 0.001-0.006 g/cm² per year from age 20. At the forearm and whole body, BMD peaked at 41-47 years. Apart from a small difference in men greater than or equal to 80 years, the Australian femoral neck BMD data are not different to those obtained in USA non-Hispanic white males participating in NHANES III and were generally similar to those of large studies from Canada (CaMos) and Spain. Conclusions These data supply BMD reference ranges at multiple anatomical sites that will be applicable to white Australian men and similar populations such as USA non-Hispanic white men.
Bagana is a remote, highly active volcano, located on Bougainville Island in southeastern Papua New Guinea. The volcano has exhibited sustained and prodigious sulfur dioxide gas emissions in recent ...decades, accompanied by frequent episodes of lava extrusion. The remote location of Bagana and its persistent activity have made it a valuable case study for satellite observations of active volcanism. This remoteness has also left many features of Bagana relatively unexplored. Here, we present the first measurements of volcanic gas composition, achieved by unoccupied aerial system (UAS) flights through the volcano's summit plume, and a payload comprising a miniaturized MultiGAS. We combine our measurements of the molar CO2/SO2 ratio in the plume with coincident remote sensing measurements (ground‐ and satellite‐based) of SO2 emission rate to compute the first estimate of CO2 flux at Bagana. We report low SO2 and CO2 fluxes at Bagana from our fieldwork in September 2019, ∼320 ± 76 td−1 and ∼320 ± 84 td−1, respectively, which we attribute to the volcano's low level of activity at the time of our visit. We use satellite observations to demonstrate that Bagana's activity and emissions behavior are highly variable and advance the argument that such variability is likely an inherent feature of many volcanoes worldwide and yet is inadequately captured by our extant volcanic gas inventories, which are often biased to sporadic measurements. We argue that there is great value in the use of UAS combined with MultiGAS‐type instruments for remote monitoring of gas emissions from other inaccessible volcanoes.
Plain Language Summary
Bagana is a remote and highly active volcano in southeastern Papua New Guinea (PNG). Historically, it has been among the most active volcanoes in PNG, notable for its long‐lived eruptions and sustained gas emissions. Bagana has only been infrequently studied before now. We use unoccupied aerial systems (drones) along with ground‐ and satellite‐based remote sensing data to characterize the chemical composition and flux of Bagana's gas emissions and place these in the context of global volcanic emissions. Owing to low activity during the time of our fieldwork, we report lower than anticipated emissions of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide from Bagana. We argue that characterizing highly variable volcanic emissions is challenging without long‐term continuous observations and that, for remote volcanoes like Bagana, both drones and satellite observations are powerful tools to undertake these observations.
Key Points
We present the first measurements of volcanic gas composition at Bagana volcano
CO2 and SO2 fluxes at Bagana vary widely with levels of unrest, from ∼102 to ∼104 td−1
Unoccupied aerial systems (drones) are of great value in monitoring emissions from inaccessible volcanic summits
In 1953, investigators at the Rocky Mountain Laboratories in Hamilton, MT, described the isolation of a spotted fever group
(SFGR) species from
ticks collected from black-tailed jackrabbits (
) in ...northern Nevada. Several decades later, investigators characterized this SFGR (designated the parumapertus agent) by using mouse serotyping methods and determined that it represented a distinct rickettsial serotype closely related to
; nonetheless, the parumapertus agent was not further characterized or studied. To our knowledge, no isolates of the parumapertus agent remain in any rickettsial culture collection, which precludes contemporary phylogenetic placement of this enigmatic SFGR. To rediscover the parumapertus agent, adult-stage
ticks were collected from black-tailed jackrabbits shot or encountered as roadkills in Arizona, Utah, or Texas from 2011 to 2016. A total of 339 ticks were collected and evaluated for infection with
species. Of 112
ticks collected in south Texas, 16 (14.3%) contained partial
sequences with the closest identity (99.6%) to
sp. strain Atlantic rainforest Aa46, an SFGR that is closely related or identical to an SFGR species that causes a mild rickettsiosis in several states of Brazil. A pure isolate, designated strain Black Gap, was cultivated in Vero E6 cells, and sequence analysis of the
,
,
,
, and
genes also revealed the closest genetic identity to
sp. Atlantic rainforest Aa46. Phylogenetic analysis of the five concatenated rickettsial genes place
sp. strain Black Gap and
sp. Atlantic rainforest Aa46 with
in a distinct and well-supported clade.
We suggest that
sp. Black Gap and
sp. Atlantic rainforest Aa46 represent nearly identical strains of
and that
sp. Black Gap or a very similar strain of
represents the parumapertus agent. The close genetic relatedness among these taxa, as well as the response of guinea pigs infected with the Black Gap strain, suggests that
Black Gap could cause disease in humans. The identification of this organism could also account, at least in part, for the remarkable differences in severity ascribed to Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) among various regions of the American West during the early 20th century. We suggest that the wide variation in case fatality rates attributed to RMSF could have occurred by the inadvertent inclusion of cases of milder disease caused by
Black Gap.
The 2010 biodiversity target agreed by signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity directed the attention of conservation professionals toward the development of indicators with which to ...measure changes in biological diversity at the global scale. We considered why global biodiversity indicators are needed, what characteristics successful global indicators have, and how existing indicators perform. Because monitoring could absorb a large proportion of funds available for conservation, we believe indicators should be linked explicitly to monitoring objectives and decisions about which monitoring schemes deserve funding should be informed by predictions of the value of such schemes to decision making. We suggest that raising awareness among the public and policy makers, auditing management actions, and informing policy choices are the most important global monitoring objectives. Using four well-developed indicators of biological diversity (extent of forests, coverage of protected areas, Living Planet Index, Red List Index) as examples, we analyzed the characteristics needed for indicators to meet these objectives. We recommend that conservation professionals improve on existing indicators by eliminating spatial biases in data availability, fill gaps in information about ecosystems other than forests, and improve understanding of the way indicators respond to policy changes. Monitoring is not an end in itself, and we believe it is vital that the ultimate objectives of global monitoring of biological diversity inform development of new indicators. La meta 2010 de biodiversidad acordada por los signatarios de la Convención de Diversidad Biológica atrajo la atención de los profesionales de la conservación hacia el desarrollo de indicadores para medir los cambios en la diversidad biológica a escala global. Consideramos porqué se requieren indicadores globales de biodiversidad, qué características tienen los indicadores globales y cómo funcionan los indicadores existentes. Debido a que el monitoreo podría absorber una gran proporción de fondos disponibles para la conservación, consideramos que los indicadores deberían estar ligados explícitamente con los objetivos de monitoreo y que las decisiones sobre los planes de monitoreo merecedores de financiamiento deberían estar informadas por predicciones de tales planes para la toma de decisiones. Sugerimos que el incremento de la percepción del público y los tomadores de decisiones, la auditoría a las acciones de manejo y la notificación de las opciones de políticas son los objetivos más importantes del monitoreo global. Utilizando 4 indicadores de la diversidad biológica bien desarrollados (extensión de bosques, cobertura de áreas protegidas, Índice de la Lista Roja, Índice del Planeta Vivo) como ejemplos, analizamos las características que requieren los indicadores para cumplir con estos objetivos. Recomendamos que los profesionales de la conservación mejoren los indicadores existentes eliminando sesgos espaciales en la disponibilidad de datos, llenen huecos en la información sobre ecosistemas distintos a bosques y mejoren el conocimiento de la manera en que los indicadores responden a los cambios en las políticas. El monitoreo no es un fin en sí, y consideramos que es vital que los objetivos finales del monitoreo global de la biodiversidad biológica propicien el desarrollo de indicadores nuevos.
Abstract Experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU) is an animal model for human intraocular inflammatory disease. EAU is induced in B10.RIII mice by immunization with RBP-3 161–180 peptide and ...intraperitoneal pertussis toxin and is mediated by CD4+ T cells that generate a clinically monophasic disease peaking approximately 2 weeks post-immunization. Collagenase digestion of retinal tissue allowed the quantification and characterization of leukocytes in the inflamed retina during disease progression. Using this method we identified three stages of disease. Initially there is a prodromal phase where we found significant changes in the number of leukocytes in the eye as early as 5 days post-immunization. This effect was, in part, non-antigen specific as a small increase in retinal leukocytes was also observed following immunization with OVA peptide. Following the prodrome there is a primary peak of infiltration including both CD4+ T cells and CD11b+ cells. This coincides with an early influx of neutrophils and is associated with a peak in IL-17-producing T cells. The neutrophils in the eye are CD11b+ and Gr1+ but can be distinguished from other myeloid cells by their high expression of Ly6G. The remaining CD11b+ Gr1+ cells can suppress proliferation and are analogous to myeloid derived suppressor cells which are found in tumors. The inflamed eye also contains a considerable proportion of FoxP3+ regulatory cells. Following peak disease, the retina does not return to its pre-disease phenotype. Instead, fluctuations in infiltrating leukocyte numbers and changes to their relative composition continue, indicating that clinical recovery does not equate to the restoration of a normal retinal leukocyte population.