The Eruption of the Candidate Young Star ASASSN-15qi

Outbursts on young stars are usually interpreted as accretion bursts caused by instabilities in the disk or the star-disk connection. However, some protostellar outbursts may not fit into this framework. In this paper, we analyze optical and near-infrared spectra and photometry to characterize the 2015 outburst of the probable young star ASASSN-15qi. The $\sim 3.5$ mag brightening in the $V$ band was sudden, with an unresolved rise time of less than one day. The outburst decayed exponentially by 1 mag for 6 days and then gradually back to the pre-outburst level after 200 days. The outburst is dominated by emission from $\sim10,000$ K gas. An explosive release of energy accelerated matter from the star in all directions, seen in a spectacular cool, spherical wind with a maximum velocity of 1000 km/s. The wind and hot gas both disappeared as the outburst faded and the source the source returned to its quiescent F-star spectrum. Nebulosity near the star brightened with a delay of 10-20 days. Fluorescent excitation of H$_2$ is detected in emission from vibrational levels as high as $v=11$, also with a possible time delay in flux increase. The mid-infrared spectral energy distribution does not indicate the presence of warm dust emission, although the optical photospheric absorption and CO overtone emission could be related to a gaseous disk. Archival photometry reveals a prior outburst in 1976. Although we speculate about possible causes for this outburst, none of the explanations are compelling

Global overview of the management of acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic (CHOLECOVID study)

Background: This study provides a global overview of the management of patients with acute cholecystitis during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: CHOLECOVID is an international, multicentre, observational comparative study of patients admitted to hospital with acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on management were collected for a 2-month study interval coincident with the WHO declaration of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and compared with an equivalent pre-pandemic time interval. Mediation analysis examined the influence of SARS-COV-2 infection on 30-day mortality. Results: This study collected data on 9783 patients with acute cholecystitis admitted to 247 hospitals across the world. The pandemic was associated with reduced availability of surgical workforce and operating facilities globally, a significant shift to worse severity of disease, and increased use of conservative management. There was a reduction (both absolute and proportionate) in the number of patients undergoing cholecystectomy from 3095 patients (56.2 per cent) pre-pandemic to 1998 patients (46.2 per cent) during the pandemic but there was no difference in 30-day all-cause mortality after cholecystectomy comparing the pre-pandemic interval with the pandemic (13 patients (0.4 per cent) pre-pandemic to 13 patients (0.6 per cent) pandemic; P = 0.355). In mediation analysis, an admission with acute cholecystitis during the pandemic was associated with a non-significant increased risk of death (OR 1.29, 95 per cent c.i. 0.93 to 1.79, P = 0.121). Conclusion: CHOLECOVID provides a unique overview of the treatment of patients with cholecystitis across the globe during the first months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The study highlights the need for system resilience in retention of elective surgical activity. Cholecystectomy was associated with a low risk of mortality and deferral of treatment results in an increase in avoidable morbidity that represents the non-COVID cost of this pandemic

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Discovery of Novel Viruses in <i>Culicoides</i> Biting Midges in Chihuahua, Mexico

Biting midges (Culicoides) are vectors of many pathogens of medical and veterinary importance, but their viromes are poorly characterized compared to certain other hematophagous arthropods, e.g., mosquitoes and ticks. The goal of this study was to use metagenomics to identify viruses in Culicoides from Mexico. A total of 457 adult midges were collected in Chihuahua, northern Mexico, in 2020 and 2021, and all were identified as female Culicoides reevesi. The midges were sorted into five pools and homogenized. An aliquot of each homogenate was subjected to polyethylene glycol precipitation to enrich for virions, then total RNA was extracted and analyzed by unbiased high-throughput sequencing. We identified six novel viruses that are characteristic of viruses from five families (Nodaviridae, Partitiviridae, Solemoviridae, Tombusviridae, and Totiviridae) and one novel virus that is too divergent from all classified viruses to be assigned to an established family. The newly discovered viruses are phylogenetically distinct from their closest known relatives, and their minimal infection rates in female C. reevesi range from 0.22 to 1.09. No previously known viruses were detected, presumably because viral metagenomics had never before been used to study Culicoides from the Western Hemisphere. To conclude, we discovered multiple novel viruses in C. reevesi from Mexico, expanding our knowledge of arthropod viral diversity and evolution

Memoria general del primer curso-taller: "Enfoques biotecnológicos para abordar enfermedades emergentes y re-emergentes transmitidas por mosquitos y garrapatas en el Noroeste de México". Cd. Juárez, Chihuahua, 2019

Las enfermedades transmitidas por artrópodos son una preocupación creciente de salud pública a nivel mundial, ya que, por factores antropogénicos, cada año los casos aumentan con tendencia exponencial. Estas enfermedades son transmitidas a los vertebrados por artrópodos hematófagos, entre los que destacan los mosquitos y garrapatas. Algunas de estas enfermedades, son el dengue, Zika, paludismo, filariasis y rickettsiosis. Debido a las condiciones fisiográficas, económicas y demográficas, México, incluyendo su zona noroeste, es una región donde estas enfermedades presentan ciclos activos de transmisión, generando cada vez estadísticas mas altas de incidencia y prevalencia. En el estado de Chihuahua, la información de estas enfermedades es muy escasa, y aunque se han realizado pocos trabajos donde ha sido detectada la presencia de arbovirus y rickettsiosis, estos estudios no han sido sistemáticos y representativos. En este contexto, se planteo la idea de realizar por primera vez en la Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, un curso taller que tuviera como objetivo el dar a conocer, de manera teórica y practica, cuales son las herramientas biotecnológicas actuales y más precisas que se utilizan a nivel mundial en e diagnostico y para prevenir y anticipar la emergencia de mencionadas enfermedades. Este evento fue titulado “Enfoques biotecnológicos para abordar enfermedades emergentes y reemergentes transmitidas por mosquitos y garrapatas en el Noroeste de México”, y patrocinado por el Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (No. proyecto: 299242) en el marco de su convocatoria 2019 del Programa para Actividades Científicas, Tecnológicas y de Innovación (PACTI). Este curso taller se llevó a cabo los días 14, 15 y 22 de noviembre del 2019 en las instalaciones del Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas de la Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez (ICB-UACJ), en Cd. Juárez, Chihuahua, México

Miotomía endoscópica por vía oral de espesor total y parcial. Estudio de factibilidad en un modelo animal

Antecedentes: Recientemente la miotomía endoscópica por vía oral ha sido desarrollada y realizada en pacientes, con buenos resultados. Objetivo: Evaluar la factibilidad técnica de la miotomía endoscópica por vía oral de espesor total y parcial en un modelo porcino. Material y métodos: Dieciocho cerdos criollos se asignaron al azar a 2 grupos: grupo A (miotomía de espesor parcial) y grupo B (miotomía de espesor total). El defecto mucoso proximal al sitio de la miotomía se dejó abierto. Al séptimo día el cerdo fue sacrificado, realizándose exploración quirúrgica de seguimiento. Se registró el tiempo de cada procedimiento, la evolución del animal en el postoperatorio, la presencia de complicaciones y los hallazgos anatomopatológicos. Resultados: El procedimiento fue factible en todos los cerdos. El tiempo promedio fue de 81 ± 35.3 min (grupo A 51.11 ± 11.12, grupo B 111 ± 22.61; P < .05). La principal complicación transendoscópica fue el enfisema subcutáneo (16%). El reporte histopatológico de la pieza operatoria en el grupo A reportó miotomía circular completa en todos los casos, y el grupo B, miotomía circular y longitudinal completa en el 100% de la muestra. Conclusiones: La técnica de miotomía endoscópica es factible. La miotomía endoscópica de espesor parcial se asoció a un menor tiempo quirúrgico, con mejores resultados durante el periodo transoperatorio y el seguimiento a 7 días

Detection of Antibodies to Lokern, Main Drain, St. Louis Encephalitis, and West Nile Viruses in Vertebrate Animals in Chihuahua, Guerrero, and Michoacán, México

We conducted serologic surveillance for flaviviruses and orthobunyaviruses in vertebrate animals in Mexico in 2018–2019. Sera were collected from 856 vertebrate animals, including 323 dogs, 223 horses, and 121 cows, from 16 species. The animals were from 3 states: Chihuahua in northwest Mexico (704 animals) and Guerrero and Michoacan on the Pacific Coast (27 and 125 animals, respectively). Sera were assayed by plaque reduction neutralization test using four flaviviruses (dengue type 2, St. Louis encephalitis, West Nile, and Zika viruses) and six orthobunyaviruses from the Bunyamwera (BUN) serogroup (Cache Valley, Lokern, Main Drain, Northway, Potosi, and Tensaw viruses). Antibodies to West Nile virus (WNV) were detected in 154 animals of 9 species, including 89 (39.9%) horses, 3 (21.4%) Indian peafowl, and 41 (12.7%) dogs. Antibodies to St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) were detected in seven animals, including three (0.9%) dogs. Antibodies to Lokern virus (LOKV) were detected in 22 animals: 19 (8.5%) horses, 2 (1.7%) cows, and a dog (0.3%). Antibodies to Main Drain virus (MDV) were detected in three (1.3%) horses. WNV and LOKV activity was detected in all three states, SLEV activity was detected in Chihuahua and Michoacan, and MDV activity was detected in Chihuahua. None of the animals was seropositive for Cache Valley virus, the most common and widely distributed BUN serogroup virus in North America. In conclusion, we provide serologic evidence that select flaviviruses and BUN serogroup viruses infect vertebrate animals in Chihuahua, Guerrero, and Michoacan. We also provide the first evidence of LOKV and MDV activity in Mexico