J Trauma Nurs. 2024 Jul-Aug 01;31(4):E7. doi: 10.1097/JTN.0000000000000804. Epub 2024 Jul 4.
NO ABSTRACT
PMID:39013142 | DOI:10.1097/JTN.0000000000000804
Tag: pubmed
JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2024 Jun 13. doi: 10.2196/53331. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: This study updates the COVID-19 pandemic surveillance in South Asia we first conducted in 2020 with two additional years of data for the region. We assess whether COVID-19 had transitioned from pandemic to endemic at the point the World Health Organization (WHO) ended the publication health emergency status for COVID-19 on May 5, 2023.
OBJECTIVE: First, we aim to measure whether there was an expansion or contraction in the pandemic in South Asia around the WHO declaration. Second, we use dynamic and genomic surveillance methods to describe the history of the pandemic in the region and situate the window of the WHO declaration within the broader history. Third, we aim to provide historical context for the course of the pandemic in South Asia.
METHODS: In addition to updates of traditional surveillance data and dynamic panel estimates from the original study Welch et al. (2021), this study used data on sequenced SARS-CoV-2 variants from the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) to identify the appearance and duration of variants of concern. We used Nextclade nomenclature to collect clade designations from sequences and Pangolin nomenclature for lineage designations of SARS-CoV-2. Finally, we conducted a one-sided t-test for whether regional weekly speed or transmission rate per 100,000 population was greater than an outbreak threshold of ten. We ran the test iteratively with six months of data across the sample period.
RESULTS: Speed for the region remained below the outbreak threshold for over a year by the time of the WHO declaration. Acceleration and jerk were also low and stable. While the 1-day persistence coefficients remained statistically significant and positive (1.168), the 7-day persistence coefficient was negative (-0.185), suggesting limited cluster effects in which cases on a given day predict cases seven days forward. Furthermore, the shift parameters for either of the two most recent weeks around May 5, 2023, did not indicate any overall change in the persistence measure around the time of WHO declaration. From December of 2021 onward, Omicron was the predominant variant of concern in sequenced viral samples. The rolling t-test of speed equal to ten was statistically insignificant across the entire pandemic.
CONCLUSIONS: While COVID-19 continues to circulate in South Asia, the rate of transmission had remained below the outbreak threshold for well over a year ahead of the WHO declaration. COVID-19 is endemic in the region and no longer reaches the threshold of the pandemic definition. Both standard and enhanced surveillance metrics confirm that the pandemic had ended by the time of the WHO declaration. Prevention policies should be a focus ahead of future pandemics. On that point, policy should emphasize an epidemiological task force with widespread testing and a contact-tracing system.
PMID:39013116 | DOI:10.2196/53331
JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2024 Apr 29. doi: 10.2196/52318. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: This study updates the COVID-19 pandemic surveillance in Central Asia we first conducted in 2020 by providing two additional years of data for the region. The historical context provided through additional data can inform regional preparedness and early responses to infectious outbreaks of either the SARS-CoV-2 virus or future pathogens in Central Asia.
OBJECTIVE: First, we aim to measure whether there was an expansion or contraction in the pandemic in Central Asia when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the end of the public health emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic on May 5, 2023. Second, we use dynamic and genomic surveillance methods to describe the history of the pandemic in the region and situate the window of the WHO declaration within the broader history. Third, we aim to provide historical context for the course of the pandemic in Central Asia.
METHODS: Traditional surveillance metrics, including counts and rates of COVID-19 transmissions and deaths, and enhanced surveillance indicators, including speed, acceleration, jerk, and persistence, were used to measure shifts in the pandemic. To identify the appearance and duration of variants of concern, we used data on sequenced SARS-CoV-2 variants from the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID). We used Nextclade nomenclature to collect clade designations from sequences and Pangolin nomenclature for lineage designations of SARS-CoV-2. Finally, we conducted a one-sided t-test for whether regional speed was greater than an outbreak threshold of ten. We ran the test iteratively with six months of data across the sample period.
RESULTS: Speed for the region had remained below the outbreak threshold for seven months by the time of the WHO declaration. Acceleration and jerk were also low and stable. While the 1- and 7-day persistence coefficients remained statistically significant, the coefficients were relatively small in magnitude (0.125 and 0.347, respectively). Furthermore, the shift parameters for either of the two most recent weeks around May 5, 2023, were both significant and negative, meaning the clustering effect of new COVID-19 cases became even smaller in the two weeks around the WHO declaration. From December 2021 onward, Omicron was the predominant variant of concern in sequenced viral samples. The rolling t-test of speed equal to ten became entirely insignificant for the first time in March of 2023.
CONCLUSIONS: While COVID-19 continues to circulate in Central Asia, the rate of transmission remained well below the threshold of an outbreak for seven months ahead of the WHO declaration. COVID-19 appeared to be endemic in the region and no longer reached the threshold of pandemic. Both standard and enhanced surveillance metrics suggest the pandemic had ended by the time of the WHO declaration.
PMID:39013115 | DOI:10.2196/52318
JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2024 Jun 13. doi: 10.2196/53409. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: This study updates the COVID-19 pandemic surveillance in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) we first conducted in 2020 by providing two additional years of data for the region.
OBJECTIVE: First, we aim to measure whether there was an expansion or contraction in the pandemic in SSA when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the end of the public health emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic on May 5, 2023. Second, we use dynamic and genomic surveillance methods to describe the history of the pandemic in the region and situate the window of the WHO declaration within the broader history. Third, we aim to provide historical context for the course of the pandemic in SSA.
METHODS: In addition to updates of traditional surveillance data and dynamic panel estimates from the original study by Post et al. (2021), this study used data on sequenced SARS-CoV-2 variants from the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) to identify the appearance and duration of variants of concern. We used Nextclade nomenclature to collect clade designations from sequences and Pangolin nomenclature for lineage designations of SARS-CoV-2. Finally, we conducted a one-sided t-test for whether regional weekly speed was greater than an outbreak threshold of ten. We ran the test iteratively with a rolling, six month-window of data across the sample period.
RESULTS: Speed for the region remained well below the outbreak threshold before and after the WHO declaration. Acceleration and jerk were also low and stable. The 7-day persistence coefficient remained somewhat large (1.11) and statistically significant. However, both shift parameters for the weeks around the WHO declaration were negative, meaning the clustering effect of new COVID-19 cases had become recently smaller. From November 2021 onward, Omicron was the predominant variant of concern in sequenced viral samples. The rolling t-test of speed equal to ten was insignificant for the entire sample period.
CONCLUSIONS: While COVID-19 continues to circulate in SSA, the region never reached outbreak status, and the weekly transmission rate had remained below one case per 100,000 population for well over one year ahead of the WHO declaration. COVID-19 is endemic in the region and no longer reaches the threshold of a pandemic definition. Both standard and enhanced surveillance metrics confirm that the pandemic had ended in SSA by the time of the WHO declaration.
PMID:39013111 | DOI:10.2196/53409
Genetics. 2024 Jul 16:iyae100. doi: 10.1093/genetics/iyae100. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
As a result of recombination, adjacent nucleotides can have different paths of genetic inheritance and therefore the genealogical trees for a sample of DNA sequences vary along the genome. The structure capturing the details of these intricately interwoven paths of inheritance is referred to as an ancestral recombination graph (ARG). Classical formalisms have focused on mapping coalescence and recombination events to the nodes in an ARG. However, this approach is out of step with some modern developments, which do not represent genetic inheritance in terms of these events or explicitly infer them. We present a simple formalism that defines an ARG in terms of specific genomes and their intervals of genetic inheritance, and show how it generalizes these classical treatments and encompasses the outputs of recent methods. We discuss nuances arising from this more general structure, and argue that it forms an appropriate basis for a software standard in this rapidly growing field.
PMID:39013109 | DOI:10.1093/genetics/iyae100
S D Med. 2024 Jun;77(6):252-256.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Facial lacerations are a common reason for emergency department (ED) visits in the U.S. Proper laceration repair is imperative as poor wound management can lead to functional and aesthetic impairment and significantly impact patient quality of life. For the best outcomes and long-term scar reduction, treatment by and follow-up with a plastic surgeon or facial trauma specialist is recommended. The present study examines variations in facial trauma specialist consultation and referral by ED provider type for adult patients at hospitals within a large rural South Dakota health system.
METHODS: Records for patients above the age of 18 who received treatment for facial lacerations between January 1, 2017 and January 1, 2022 were retrospectively reviewed across multiple hospitals in South Dakota, spanning a large rural catchment area. Multivariable logistic regression and Fisher’s exact test were performed to examine the relationship between ED provider type and the probability of receiving specialty consult and/or referral.
RESULTS: One hundred fifty-four ED visits were included in the analysis. Among these patients, 53 received specialty consult and/or follow-up referral and 101 were treated without consult or referral. ED provider type was significantly associated with the probability of having a specialty consult (OR = 5.11, 95% CI [1.05, 24.96]). When the patients had a certified nurse practitioner (CNP) as their ED provider, they had a significantly higher chance (40%) of receiving specialist consultation.
CONCLUSION: For patients presenting to the ED with facial lacerations, facial trauma specialist consultation and referral for follow up varies based on provider type. CNPs placed specialist consultations more often than other ED provider types.
PMID:39013096
Magy Onkol. 2024 Jul 16;68(2):95-112. Epub 2024 Apr 30.
ABSTRACT
The objective of our study was to map county differences in incidence and mortality by cancers and examine their changes over time. Based on the database of National Cancer Registry and Central Statistical Office, age-standardized incidence and mortality rates per 100,000 person-years were calculated for each county for 15 cancer types and 3 time periods. East-West divide was apparent in incidence and mortality of lung cancer, with larger weight in East (Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Heves, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok, Békés counties). Concentration of lip and oral cavity malignancies was identified in the northeastern periphery (Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg counties). Breast cancer incidence was the highest in Budapest. As a conclusion, changes in cancer incidence and mortality over time were similar to developed countries; however, values were higher. Differences in spatial distribution follow territorial pattern of social deprivation, which correspond to higher prevalence of health risk factors. Our study contributes to planning of public health programs by pinpointing regional inequalities in different cancer types.
PMID:39013084
Syst Biol Reprod Med. 2024 Dec;70(1):218-227. doi: 10.1080/19396368.2024.2375710. Epub 2024 Jul 16.
ABSTRACT
Sperm-derived genetic material contributes half of the genome to the embryo, hence it’s crucial to investigate which sperm parameter influences blastocyst formation in the intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles with severe male infertility. The retrospective study analyzed 296 ICSI cycles with severe oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) and 99 ICSI cycles with preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A). Following the correlation analysis, data stratifications were performed in the OAT ICSI subgroup. The results showed that the matching blastocyst in the OAT ICSI cycles had inferior sperm parameters. DFI and sperm morphology had an influence on the blastocyst formation rate and the high-quality blastocysts formation rate on Day6, but no significant effect on the blastocyst development on Day 5. The high-quality blastocysts formation rate and ratio of high-quality blastocyst on Day 6 were demonstrably better in the subgroup of the teratozoospermic morphology when DFI was within the normal range. In the case of the normal sperm morphology, no statistically significant difference was found in blastocyst development, although there were numerical differences within different DFI subgroups. It was concluded that the blastocyst quality and development declined with the decreased sperm qualities.
PMID:39013025 | DOI:10.1080/19396368.2024.2375710
Sex Health. 2024 Jul;21:SH24049. doi: 10.1071/SH24049.
ABSTRACT
Background A growing number of men who have sex with men (MSM) utilise Grindr for seeking relationships and immediate/casual sexual encounters. Grindr and other mobile applications can be a valuable source of information on sociological predictors of health. One topic that is under reported is the use of Grindr by MSM with obesity. We described differences in Grindr use between MSM with and without obesity, and to use Grindr information to reveal trends which may serve as potential predictors of health. Methods Data was collected from 3744 Grindr users (mean age [s.d.], 32.3 years [9.1]) from the largest 50 metropolitan centres in the USA between February and May 2018. Users were divided into two cohorts based on BMI: (1) MSM with obesity (BMI>30), n =253; and (2) MSM without obesity, n =3491. Profile characteristics were compared. Results When evaluating potential predictors for obesity, we found that black/African-American and older MSM were significantly more likely to have obesity. Further, we found that obesity among MSM was significantly inversely associated with the population percent lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) within a city. Additionally, we found that MSM with obesity were significantly more likely to indicate interest in immediate sexual encounters. Conclusions These results highlight important trends that may serve as predictors of health in urban settings. Furthermore, our results suggest that MSM with obesity may be more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviours. These findings may be useful in informing providers and healthcare officials on when and how to provide outreach to this unique population.
PMID:39013024 | DOI:10.1071/SH24049
Brain. 2024 Jul 16:awae234. doi: 10.1093/brain/awae234. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Brain inflammation, with an increased density of microglia and macrophages, is an important component of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and a potential therapeutic target. However, it is incompletely characterized, particularly in patients whose disease begins before the age of 65 years and, thus, have few co-pathologies. Inflammation has been usefully imaged with translocator protein (TSPO) positron emission tomography (PET), but most inflammation PET tracers cannot image subjects with a low-binder TSPO rs6971 genotype. In an important development, participants with any TSPO genotype can be imaged with a novel tracer, [11C]ER176, that has a high binding potential and a more favorable metabolite profile than other TSPO tracers currently available. We applied [11C]ER176 to detect brain inflammation in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) caused by early-onset AD. Furthermore, we sought to correlate the brain localization of inflammation, volume loss, elevated Aβ and tau. We studied brain inflammation in 25 patients with early-onset amnestic MCI (average age 59 ± 4.5 years, 10 women) and 23 healthy controls (average age 65 ± 6.0 years, 12 women), both groups with a similar proportion of all three TSPO-binding affinities. [11C]ER176 total distribution volume (VT), obtained with an arterial input function, was compared across patients and controls using voxel-wise and region-wise analyses. In addition to inflammation PET, most MCI patients had Aβ (n=23), and tau PET (n=21). For Aβ and tau tracers, standard uptake value ratios (SUVRs) were calculated using cerebellar grey matter as region of reference. Regional correlations among the three tracers were determined. Data were corrected for partial volume effect. Cognitive performance was studied with standard neuropsychological tools. In MCI caused by early-onset AD, there was inflammation in the default network, reaching statistical significance in precuneus and lateral temporal and parietal association cortex bilaterally, and in the right amygdala. Topographically, inflammation co-localized most strongly with tau (r= 0.63 ± 0.24). This correlation was higher than the co-localization of Aβ with tau (r= 0.55±0.25) and of inflammation with Aβ (0.43±0.22). Inflammation co-localized least with atrophy (-0.29±0.26). These regional correlations could be detected in participants with any of the three rs6971 TSPO polymorphisms. Inflammation in AD-related regions correlated with impaired cognitive scores. Our data highlight the importance of inflammation, a potential therapeutic target, in the AD process. Furthermore, they support the notion that, as shown in experimental tissue and animal models, the propagation of tau in humans is associated with brain inflammation.
PMID:39013020 | DOI:10.1093/brain/awae234