The aim is to recommend a fast and cost-effective screening procedure for UK/SA SARS-CoV-2 variants in a routing diagnostic setting.
A rapid procedure using qPCR is described to provide clinicians ...with information about the two currently most prevalent variants (B1.1.7 and B1.351) that harbour receptor binding domain mutation N501Y. The N501Y specific assay only delivers an amplification signal if the Y501 variant is present.
436 samples initially screened positive for SARS-CoV-2 were randomly selected. Only one of these samples showed a fluorescence signal increase indicative for the Y501 variant. The remaining 435 samples had a melting peak at 54 °C indicating the N501 wildtype.
The screening of a broad population base can still be performed with the established test system. In case of a positive test for SARS-CoV-2 and corresponding clinical and anamnestic indications, a second qPCR for the mutation N501Y can follow and deliver the result to public health authorities and to the treating physician within a few hours.
Ecosystem function and resilience is determined by the interactions and independent contributions of individual species. Apex predators play a disproportionately determinant role through their ...influence and dependence on the dynamics of prey species. Their demographic fluctuations are thus likely to reflect changes in their respective ecological communities and habitat. Here, we investigate the historical population dynamics of the killer whale based on draft nuclear genome data for the Northern Hemisphere and mtDNA data worldwide. We infer a relatively stable population size throughout most of the Pleistocene, followed by an order of magnitude decline and bottleneck during the Weichselian glacial period. Global mtDNA data indicate that while most populations declined, at least one population retained diversity in a stable, productive ecosystem off southern Africa. We conclude that environmental changes during the last glacial period promoted the decline of a top ocean predator, that these events contributed to the pattern of diversity among extant populations, and that the relatively high diversity of a population currently in productive, stable habitat off South Africa suggests a role for ocean productivity in the widespread decline.
Highlights • Deep sequencing has potential as an improved adventitious virus screening method. • 15 laboratories sequenced a common reagent containing 25 target viruses. • 6 viruses were detected by ...all lab, the remainder were detected by 4–14 labs. • A wide range of sample preparation and bioinformatics methods is currently used. • A common reference material is essential to enable results to be compared.
Eight different subunits of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are known to date. mGluRs have been linked to an extensive list of neuromodulatory effects, depending on which intracellular or ...membrane-bound effector system is activated. Activation of mGluRs can influence neuronal activity and can result in changes of intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis-that is, changes in factors that are known to be crucial for cellular differentiation and cell death. Because mGluRs are known in modulating both intracellular and intercellular activities, this study was designed to determine which types of mGluRs are coexpressed in a neuron and whether distinct coexpression patterns can be found that reflect the different physiological requirements of a neuron at different stages of development and to learn whether neuronal injury results in adaptive changes of mGluR expression.
Juvenile and adult rat retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and adult RGCs after axotomy were analyzed for their gene expression pattern of mGluRs by single-cell reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
Adult RGCs predominantly expressed one or two different mGluR mRNAs, whereas juvenile RGCs coexpressed two and more. mGluR3, -5, and -7 mRNAs were found more frequently in juvenile than in adult RGCs. mGluR6 was detected in juvenile RGCs in low abundance but never in adult RGCs. However, mGluR6 was expressed in adult RGCs after axotomy. mGluR1 and -7 were also found more frequently in axotomized RGCs than in the adult control group.
All types of mGluR mRNAs are expressed in RGCs. This is in contrast with previous in situ hybridization and immunohistochemical studies in which expression of mGluR3, -5, and -6 was not reported. The expression of some mGluR mRNAs seems to be developmental, although no distinct copatterns were found.
Purpose:
Subacute thyroiditis (SAT) is a transient inflammatory disorder of the thyroid gland with a possible viral etiology. We conducted this study to estimate the pooled prevalence of thyroid ...autoantibodies in SAT patients. This question arose due to the varying reports on the positivity rates of thyroid autoantibodies among SAT patients.
Methods:
We searched PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science from their inception until March 25th, 2023. Observational studies reporting the positivity rate of thyroid autoantibodies for more than ten patients were included. We used the Joanna Briggs Institute’s (JBI) critical appraisal checklist to assess the quality of the included studies. Pooled prevalence estimates with 95% confidence intervals were calculated using the random effects model. Subgroup analyses were performed to find sources of heterogeneity.
Results:
Out of 1373 identified records, 32 studies involving 2348 SAT patients were included in our study. Thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) and thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) were positive in 22.8% and 12.2% of patients, respectively. The Study design, mean erythrocyte sedimentation rate and mean thyroid-stimulating hormone of patients were identified as sources of heterogeneity. As our secondary objectives, we found a recurrence rate of 14.7% and permanent hypothyroidism in 11.6% of patients.
Conclusion:
The results of our study revealed a low TPOAb positivity rate in SAT patients, consistent with its non-autoimmune etiology. The TgAb positivity rate in SAT patients was higher than that of the general population, possibly explained by the transient release of thyroglobulin into the bloodstream during the thyrotoxic phase, leading to subsequent TgAb production. Furthermore, our findings demonstrate a notable recurrence rate and permanent hypothyroidism among SAT patients, highlighting the importance of ongoing follow-up care.
Neurological disorders are increasingly recognised as major causes of death and disability worldwide. The aim of this analysis from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study ...(GBD) 2016 is to provide the most comprehensive and up-to-date estimates of the global, regional, and national burden from neurological disorders.
We estimated prevalence, incidence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs; the sum of years of life lost YLLs and years lived with disability YLDs) by age and sex for 15 neurological disorder categories (tetanus, meningitis, encephalitis, stroke, brain and other CNS cancers, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, motor neuron diseases, idiopathic epilepsy, migraine, tension-type headache, and a residual category for other less common neurological disorders) in 195 countries from 1990 to 2016. DisMod-MR 2.1, a Bayesian meta-regression tool, was the main method of estimation of prevalence and incidence, and the Cause of Death Ensemble model (CODEm) was used for mortality estimation. We quantified the contribution of 84 risks and combinations of risk to the disease estimates for the 15 neurological disorder categories using the GBD comparative risk assessment approach.
Globally, in 2016, neurological disorders were the leading cause of DALYs (276 million 95% UI 247–308) and second leading cause of deaths (9·0 million 8·8–9·4). The absolute number of deaths and DALYs from all neurological disorders combined increased (deaths by 39% 34–44 and DALYs by 15% 9–21) whereas their age-standardised rates decreased (deaths by 28% 26–30 and DALYs by 27% 24–31) between 1990 and 2016. The only neurological disorders that had a decrease in rates and absolute numbers of deaths and DALYs were tetanus, meningitis, and encephalitis. The four largest contributors of neurological DALYs were stroke (42·2% 38·6–46·1), migraine (16·3% 11·7–20·8), Alzheimer's and other dementias (10·4% 9·0–12·1), and meningitis (7·9% 6·6–10·4). For the combined neurological disorders, age-standardised DALY rates were significantly higher in males than in females (male-to-female ratio 1·12 1·05–1·20), but migraine, multiple sclerosis, and tension-type headache were more common and caused more burden in females, with male-to-female ratios of less than 0·7. The 84 risks quantified in GBD explain less than 10% of neurological disorder DALY burdens, except stroke, for which 88·8% (86·5–90·9) of DALYs are attributable to risk factors, and to a lesser extent Alzheimer's disease and other dementias (22·3% 11·8–35·1 of DALYs are risk attributable) and idiopathic epilepsy (14·1% 10·8–17·5 of DALYs are risk attributable).
Globally, the burden of neurological disorders, as measured by the absolute number of DALYs, continues to increase. As populations are growing and ageing, and the prevalence of major disabling neurological disorders steeply increases with age, governments will face increasing demand for treatment, rehabilitation, and support services for neurological disorders. The scarcity of established modifiable risks for most of the neurological burden demonstrates that new knowledge is required to develop effective prevention and treatment strategies.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Abstract
Context
Several meta-analyses have been conducted on the effect of nutritional interventions on various factors related to muscle damage. However, the strength of the evidence and its ...clinical significance are unclear.
Objectives
This umbrella review aimed to provide an evidence-based overview of nutritional interventions for exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD).
Data sources
PubMed, Scopus, and ISI Web of Science were systematically searched up to May 2022.
Data Extraction
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials investigating nutritional interventions' effects on recovery following EIMD were included. The certainty of the evidence was rated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE).
Results
Fifty-three randomized controlled trial meta-analyses were included, evaluating 24 nutritional interventions on 10 different outcomes. The results revealed a significant effect of hydroxymethylbutyrate (HMB) supplementation and l-carnitine supplementation for reducing postexercise creatine kinase; HMB supplementation for reducing lactate dehydrogenase; branched-chain amino acids and leaf extract supplementation for reducing the delayed onset of muscle soreness; and l-carnitine, curcumin, ginseng, polyphenols, and anthocyanins for reducing muscle soreness, all with moderate certainty of evidence.
Conclusions
Supplementation with HMB, l-carnitine, branched-chain amino acids, curcumin, ginseng, leaf extract, polyphenols, and anthocyanins showed favorable effects on some EIMD-related outcomes.
Protocol Registration
PROSPERO registration no. CRD42022352565.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is the second cause of complications and disability after brain injury. Although primary prevention is the best strategy, obtaining the necessary knowledge about the ...patient's condition and follow-up treatment can lead to the use of safety measures and appropriate healthcare planning. This is the basis of this study with the aim of a two-year follow-up of patients with traumatic SCI (TSCI) who underwent surgery.
This study was a descriptive and analytical type that examined 79 patients with TSCI who had undergone surgery two years ago. The data were collected by a standard questionnaire and analyzed in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24 software.
Among the patients in our study, 39.2% of them had the initial C American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) score followed by patients with grade D (31.6%), grade A (15.2%), and grade E (14%), respectively, and also, a most common type of vertebral column injuries is burst fractures with a prevalence of 62%, followed by fracture-dislocation injury (25.3%) and compressed fracture (12.7%). Regarding the improvement of patients according to ASIA grade, the highest percentage of improvement is seen in grad grades D (84% and 77%), and grade A patients have improved to grade B by about 33.3%. In the study conducted, 5% of patients died during 24 months of follow-up, which means 75% of the deceased patients were grade A patients at the time of admission.
As mentioned, the most important predictor of the patient's prognosis is the patient's initial condition.
•Influence of TiO2 with cubic shaped nanoparticles (CNPs) on the superconducting properties of Bi-2223.•Impact of TiO2-CNP on the AC susceptibility and DC magnetization of Bi-2223 ceramic ...superconductor.•Non-added and TiO2-CNPs added to Bi-2223 samples were synthesized using sol-gel method.•XRD patterns and MAUD analysis confirmed the successful formation of the Bi-2223 phase.•Flux pinning force and critical current densities were improved with TiO2-CNPs addition.
The titanium dioxide (TiO2) with cubic shaped nanoparticles (CNPs) have been used to prepare TiO2/(Bi,Pb)2Sr2Ca2Cu3O10+θ (Bi-2223) composites. We fully characterized the structural and morphological properties of the synthesized composites using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The existence of the secondary superconducting phases increased by an increase in the TiO2 content according to the XRD results. In addition, the morphological studies exhibited that the best alignment and inter-connectivity of grains were explored in the composite with 0.2 wt% of TiO2-CNPs. It can be suggested that the existence of TiO2-CNPs between grains improve the connectivity and alignments in the synthesized compounds. Further, the superconducting transition temperature and critical current densities, along with the pinning force density were determined based on the electrical and magnetic measurements. The results demonstrated that by adding 0.2 wt% of TiO2-CNPs, superconducting features improved in the Bi-2223 superconductor. Consequently, the presence of the optimal amount of TiO2-CNPs as artificial pinning centers had improved the superconducting properties of the Bi-2223 superconductor. This work opens interesting avenues for the application of Bismuth Strontium Calcium Copper Oxide (BSCCO) superconductors in many fields such as tapes, wires, energy storages, and high-current applications.
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