Category: Nevin Manimala

Viruses. 2023 Jan 3;15(1):150. doi: 10.3390/v15010150.

ABSTRACT

Domestic cat hepadnavirus (DCH) is an emerging virus related to the hepatitis B virus (HBV). The pathogenic potential of DCH in cats remains to be established. The molecular prevalence of DCH varies widely in the regions investigated so far. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, load, and risk factors for DCH detection among cats in Hong Kong, and to generate molecular and epidemiological data on the DCH strains circulating in cats in Hong Kong. DCH DNA was detected using DCH-specific qPCR in 57/513 (11.1%) residual diagnostic blood samples from owned cats. The median viral load was 8.85 × 10³ copies/mL of whole blood (range for the 5th to the 95th percentile, 3.33 × 10³ to 2.2 × 10⁵ copies per mL). Two outliers had higher viral loads of 1.88 × 10⁷ copies/mL and 4.90 × 10⁹ copies/mL. DCH was detected in cats from 3 months to 19 years of age. Sex, age, neuter status, breed, or elevated serum alanine aminotransferase were not statistically associated with DCH DNA detection. On phylogenetic analysis based on 12 complete genome sequences, the Hong Kong DCH viruses clustered in Genotype A with viruses from Australia and Asia (clade A1), distinct from viruses from Europe (clade A2). Sequence analysis found that DCH has similar epsilon and direct repeat regions to human HBV, suggesting a conserved method of replication. Based on our findings, the DCH strains circulating in Hong Kong are a continuum of the Asiatic strains.

PMID:36680190 | DOI:10.3390/v15010150

Viruses. 2022 Dec 31;15(1):134. doi: 10.3390/v15010134.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Studies have documented the role of the “neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio” (NLR) in influenza virus infection. In addition, morphometric parameters derived from automated analyzers on the volume, scatter and conductivity of monocytes, neutrophils and lymphocytes in many viral etiologies have helped with their early differentiation. With this background, we aimed to characterize the hematological changes of coronavirus-positive cases and also compare them with the healthy controls and patients affected by non-COVID Influenza-like illnesses so that early isolation could be considered.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional analytical study carried out in the years 2020-2022. All cases with COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 Influenza-like illnesses and healthy controls above 18 years were included. Cases were diagnosed according to the WHO guidelines. All samples were processed on a Unicel DxH 800 (Beckman Coulter, California, USA) automated hematology analyzer. The demographic, clinical and regular hematological parameters along with additional parameters such as volume, conductivity and scatter (VCS) of the three groups were compared.

RESULTS: The 169 COVID-19 cases were in the moderate to severe category. Compared with 140 healthy controls, the majority of the routine hematological values including the NLR (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio) and PLR (platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio) showed statistically significant differences. A cutoff of an absolute neutrophil count of 4350 cell/cumm was found to have a sensitivity of 76% and specificity of 70% in differentiating moderate and severe COVID-19 cases from healthy controls. COVID-19 and the non-COVID-19 Influenza-like illnesses were similar statistically in all parameters except the PLR, mean neutrophilic and monocytic volume, scatter parameters in neutrophils, axial light loss in monocytes and NLR. Interestingly, there was a trend of higher mean volumes and scatter in neutrophils and monocytes in COVID-19 cases as compared to non-COVID-19 Influenza-like illnesses.

CONCLUSION: We demonstrated morphological changes in neutrophils, monocytes and lymphocytes in COVID-19 infection and also non-COVID-19 Influenza-like illnesses with the help of VCS parameters. A cutoff for the absolute neutrophils count was able to differentiate COVID-19 infection requiring hospitalization from healthy controls and eosinopenia was a characteristic finding in cases with COVID-19 infection.

PMID:36680172 | DOI:10.3390/v15010134

Viruses. 2022 Dec 31;15(1):133. doi: 10.3390/v15010133.

ABSTRACT

The circulation of SARS-CoV-2 omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants with enhanced transmissibility and capacity for immune evasion resulted in a recent pandemic wave that began in April-May of 2022. We performed a statistical phylogeographic study that aimed to define the cross-border transmission patterns of BA.4 and BA.5 at the earliest stages of virus dispersal. Our sample included all BA.4 and BA.5 sequences that were publicly available in the GISAID database through mid-May 2022. Viral dispersal patterns were inferred using maximum likelihood phylogenetic trees with bootstrap support. We identified South Africa as the major source of both BA.4 and BA.5 that migrated to other continents. By contrast, we detected no significant export of these subvariants from Europe. Belgium was identified as a major hub for BA.4 transmission within Europe, while Portugal and Israel were identified as major sources of BA.5. Western and Northern European countries exhibited the highest rates of cross-border transmission, as did several popular tourist destinations in Southern and Central/Western Europe. Our study provides a detailed map of the early dispersal patterns of two highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 omicron subvariants at a time when there was an overall relaxation of public health measures in Europe.

PMID:36680171 | DOI:10.3390/v15010133

Viruses. 2022 Dec 30;15(1):116. doi: 10.3390/v15010116.

ABSTRACT

Influenza viruses usually cause seasonal influenza epidemics and influenza pandemics, resulting in acute respiratory illness and, in severe cases, multiple organ complications and even death, posing a serious global and human health burden. Compared with other countries, China has a large population base and a large number of influenza cases and deaths. Currently, influenza vaccination remains the most cost-effective and efficient way to prevent and control influenza, which can significantly reduce the risk of influenza virus infection and serious complications. The antigenicity of the influenza vaccine exhibits good protective efficacy when matched to the seasonal epidemic strain. However, when influenza viruses undergo rapid and sustained antigenic drift resulting in a mismatch between the vaccine strain and the epidemic strain, the protective effect is greatly reduced. As a result, the flu vaccine must be reformulated and readministered annually, causing a significant drain on human and financial resources. Therefore, the development of a universal influenza vaccine is necessary for the complete fight against the influenza virus. By statistically analyzing cases related to influenza virus infection and death in China in recent years, this paper describes the existing marketed vaccines, vaccine distribution and vaccination in China and summarizes the candidate immunogens designed based on the structure of influenza virus, hoping to provide ideas for the design and development of new influenza vaccines in the future.

PMID:36680158 | DOI:10.3390/v15010116

Shock. 2023 Jan 23. doi: 10.1097/SHK.0000000000002085. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The assessment of cardiac output (CO) is a major challenge during shock. The gold standard for CO evaluation is transpulmonary thermodilution, which is an invasive technique. Speckle tracking is an automatized method of analyzing tissue motion using echography. This tool can be used to monitor pulsed arterial diameter variations with low interobserver variability. An experimental model of controlled hemorrhagic shock allows for multiple CO variations. The main aim of this study was to show the correlation between the femoral arterial diameter variations (fADV) and the stroke volume (SV) measured by thermodilution during hemorrhagic shock management and the resuscitation of anesthetized piglets. The secondary objective was to explore the respective correlations between SV and sub-aortic time-velocity index (aoVTI), abdominal aorta ADV (aoADV), carotid ADV (cADV), and subclavian ADV (sclADV).

METHODS: Piglets were bled until mean arterial pressure reached 40 mmHg. Controlled hemorrhage was maintained for thirty minutes before randomizing the piglets to three resuscitation groups-the fluid-filling group (reanimated with saline solution only), NEph group (norepinephrine + saline solution), and Eph group (epinephrin + saline solution). Speckle tracking, echocardiographic, and hemodynamic measures were performed at different stages of the protocol.

RESULTS: Thirteen piglets were recruited and included for statistical analysis. Of all the piglets, 164 fADV measures were attempted, and 160 were successful (98%). The correlation coefficient between fADV and SV was 0.71 (CI95% [0.62; 0.78]; p < 0.01). The correlation coefficient between SV and aoADV, sclADV, and cADV was 0.30 (CI95 % [0.13; 0.46]; p < 0.01), 0.56 (CI95 % [0.45; 0.66], p < 0.01), and 0.15 (CI95 % [-0.01; 0.30], p = 0.06), respectively.

CONCLUSION: In this hemorrhagic shock model using piglets, fADV was strongly correlated with SV.

PMID:36669228 | DOI:10.1097/SHK.0000000000002085

Bioinspir Biomim. 2023 Jan 20. doi: 10.1088/1748-3190/acb520. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Ecosystem biomimicry is a promising pathway for sustainable development. However, while typical form- and process-level biomimicry is prevalent, system-level ecosystem biomimicry remains a nascent practice in numerous engineering fields. This critical review takes an interdisciplinary approach to synthesize trends across case studies, evaluate design methodologies, and identify future opportunities when applying ecosystem biomimicry to engineering practices, including cyber systems (CS), physical systems (PS), and cyber-physical systems (CPS). After systematically sourcing publications from major databases, the papers were first analyzed at a meta level for their bibliographic context and for statistical correlations among categorical variables. Then, we investigated deeper into the engineering applications and design methodologies. Results indicate that CPS most frequently mimic organisms and ecosystems, while CS and PS frequently mimic populations-communities and molecules-tissues-organ systems, respectively (statistically highly significant). An indirect approach is most often used for mimicry at organizational levels from populations to ecosystems, while a direct approach frequently suits levels from molecules to organisms (highly significant). Dominant themes across engineering applications include symbiotic organism search algorithms for CS and ecological network analysis for CPS, while PS applications are highly diverse. For design methodologies, this work summarizes and details ten well-documented biomimetic process models among literature, which addresses an outdated concern for a lack of systematic methods for ecosystem biomimicry. In addition to the Biomimetics Standard ISO 18458, these methods include the Natural Step and Techno-Ecological Synergy framework, among others. Further, the analyses revealed future opportunities from less utilized design methods (e.g., interdisciplinary teams tackling indirect, ecosystem-level projects) to well-established engineering concepts ready for technological advancement (e.g., implementing membrane computing for physical applications). For future studies, this review provides a comprehensive reference for ecosystem biomimetic design practices and application opportunities across multiple engineering domains.

PMID:36669206 | DOI:10.1088/1748-3190/acb520

Issues Ment Health Nurs. 2023 Jan 20:1-4. doi: 10.1080/01612840.2023.2164912. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Aim: There is a longstanding, popular belief that the lunar cycle has an impact on human behavior. The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in behavior amongst psychiatric patients at a mental health facility over a 7-year period in comparison to the lunar cycle. Method: A retrospective analysis was conducted using behavioral occurrence reports from a hospital database for a 252-bed adult psychiatric hospital in Canada. There were 7,153 behavioral occurrences during the study period across 627,763 patient days. Results: Occurrences varied greatly by lunar day, with peaks above the average for some days and dips below for others, while maintaining the average for the rest of the lunar days; however, no specific pattern was observed and the variation was not statistically significant. The popular notion that a full moon arouses behavioral disturbances was not supported in this analysis of psychiatric inpatients. Clinical Implications: The belief that the full moon causes escalating behaviors should be critically evaluated by healthcare providers as it may contribute to further stigmatization of individuals with mental illness.

PMID:36669165 | DOI:10.1080/01612840.2023.2164912

Compr Child Adolesc Nurs. 2023 Jan 20:1-15. doi: 10.1080/24694193.2023.2166159. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of an online Child Health and Diseases Nursing course emphasizing family-centered care upon the perceptions of nursing students toward family-centered care. A one-group pretest-posttest model was used in this study. The research participants consisted of 88 students studying at X University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Nursing. While 67.1% of the students stated that there were obstacles in implementing family-centered care, 73.9% stated that there were no facilitating elements in implementing of family-centered care. A statistically significant difference was found between the mean scores of the students’ posttest family-centered care attitude and parents’ attitude at the end of the training. This study provides insights into family-centered care, which could be used in crafting policies and interventions in nursing education in Turkey. Such insights could foster positive perceptions of family-centered care among student nurses.

PMID:36669153 | DOI:10.1080/24694193.2023.2166159

J Clin Oncol. 2023 Jan 20:JCO2201815. doi: 10.1200/JCO.22.01815. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Monoclonal antibodies directed against insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) have shown activity in patients with relapsed Ewing sarcoma. The primary objective of Children’s Oncology Group trial AEWS1221 was to determine if the addition of the IGF-1R monoclonal antibody ganitumab to interval-compressed chemotherapy improves event-free survival (EFS) in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic Ewing sarcoma.

METHODS: Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 at enrollment to standard arm (interval-compressed vincristine/doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide alternating once every 2 weeks with ifosfamide/etoposide = VDC/IE) or to experimental arm (VDC/IE with ganitumab at cycle starts and as monotherapy once every 3 weeks for 6 months after conventional therapy). A planned sample size of 300 patients was projected to provide 81% power to detect an EFS hazard ratio of 0.67 or smaller for the experimental arm compared with the standard arm with a one-sided α of .025.

RESULTS: Two hundred ninety-eight eligible patients enrolled (148 in standard arm; 150 in experimental arm). The 3-year EFS estimates were 37.4% (95% CI, 29.3 to 45.5) for the standard arm and 39.1% (95% CI, 31.3 to 46.7) for the experimental arm (stratified EFS-event hazard ratio for experimental arm 1.00; 95% CI, 0.76 to 1.33; 1-sided, P = .50). The 3-year overall survival estimates were 59.5% (95% CI, 50.8 to 67.3) for the standard arm and 56.7% (95% CI, 48.3 to 64.2) for the experimental arm. More cases of pneumonitis after radiation involving thoracic fields and nominally higher rates of febrile neutropenia and ALT elevation were reported on the experimental arm.

CONCLUSION: Ganitumab added to interval-compressed chemotherapy did not significantly reduce the risk of EFS event in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic Ewing sarcoma, with outcomes similar to prior trials without IGF-1R inhibition or interval compression. The addition of ganitumab may be associated with increased toxicity.

PMID:36669140 | DOI:10.1200/JCO.22.01815

Bioinformatics. 2023 Jan 1;39(1):btad016. doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btad016.

ABSTRACT

MOTIVATION: Binary (or Boolean) matrices provide a common effective data representation adopted in several domains of computational biology, especially for investigating cancer and other human diseases. For instance, they are used to summarize genetic aberrations-copy number alterations or mutations-observed in cancer patient cohorts, effectively highlighting combinatorial relations among them. One of these is the tendency for two or more genes not to be co-mutated in the same sample or patient, i.e. a mutual-exclusivity trend. Exploiting this principle has allowed identifying new cancer driver protein-interaction networks and has been proposed to design effective combinatorial anti-cancer therapies rationally. Several tools exist to identify and statistically assess mutual-exclusive cancer-driver genomic events. However, these tools need to be equipped with robust/efficient methods to sort rows and columns of a binary matrix to visually highlight possible mutual-exclusivity trends.

RESULTS: Here, we formalize the mutual-exclusivity-sorting problem and present MutExMatSorting: an R package implementing a computationally efficient algorithm able to sort rows and columns of a binary matrix to highlight mutual-exclusivity patterns. Particularly, our algorithm minimizes the extent of collective vertical overlap between consecutive non-zero entries across rows while maximizing the number of adjacent non-zero entries in the same row. Here, we demonstrate that existing tools for mutual-exclusivity analysis are suboptimal according to these criteria and are outperformed by MutExMatSorting.

AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: https://github.com/AleVin1995/MutExMatSorting.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

PMID:36669133 | DOI:10.1093/bioinformatics/btad016