The effects of a dialogue-based intervention to promote psychosocial well-being after stroke: a randomized controlled trial

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a dialogue-based intervention targeting psychosocial well-being at 12 months post-stroke. Design: Multicenter, prospective, randomized, assessor-blinded, controlled trial with two parallel groups. Setting: Community. Subjects: Three-hundred and twenty-two adults (⩾18 years) with stroke within the last four weeks were randomly allocated into intervention group (n = 166) or control group (n = 156). Interventions: The intervention group received a dialogue-based intervention to promote psychosocial well-being, comprising eight individual 1–1½ hour sessions delivered during the first six months post-stroke. Main measures: The primary outcome measure was the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28). Secondary outcome measures included the Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale-39g, the Sense of Coherence scale, and the Yale Brown single-item questionnaire. Results: The mean (SD) age of the participants was 66.8 (12.1) years in the intervention group and 65.7 (13.3) years in the control group. At 12 months post-stroke, the mean (SE) GHQ-28 score was 20.6 (0.84) in the intervention group and 19.9 (0.85) in the control group. There were no between-group differences in psychosocial well-being at 12 months post-stroke (mean difference: −0.74, 95% confidence interval (CI): −3.08, 1.60). The secondary outcomes showed no statistically significant between-group difference in health-related quality of life, sense of coherence, or depression at 12 months. Conclusion: The results of this trial did not demonstrate lower levels of emotional distress and anxiety or higher levels of health-related quality of life in the intervention group (dialogue-based intervention) as compared to the control group (usual care) at 12 months post-stroke

A Human IgSF Cell-Surface Interactome Reveals a Complex Network of Protein-Protein Interactions

Cell-surface protein-protein interactions (PPIs) mediate cell-cell communication, recognition, and responses. We executed an interactome screen of 564 human cell-surface and secreted proteins, most of which are immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) proteins, using a high-throughput, automated ELISA-based screening platform employing a pooled-protein strategy to test all 318,096 PPI combinations. Screen results, augmented by phylogenetic homology analysis, revealed ∼380 previously unreported PPIs. We validated a subset using surface plasmon resonance and cell binding assays. Observed PPIs reveal a large and complex network of interactions both within and across biological systems. We identified new PPIs for receptors with well-characterized ligands and binding partners for “orphan” receptors. New PPIs include proteins expressed on multiple cell types and involved in diverse processes including immune and nervous system development and function, differentiation/proliferation, metabolism, vascularization, and reproduction. These PPIs provide a resource for further biological investigation into their functional relevance and may offer new therapeutic drug targets

A Human IgSF Cell-Surface Interactome Reveals a Complex Network of Protein-Protein Interactions

Cell-surface protein-protein interactions (PPIs) mediate cell-cell communication, recognition, and responses. We executed an interactome screen of 564 human cell-surface and secreted proteins, most of which are immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) proteins, using a high-throughput, automated ELISA-based screening platform employing a pooled-protein strategy to test all 318,096 PPI combinations. Screen results, augmented by phylogenetic homology analysis, revealed ∼380 previously unreported PPIs. We validated a subset using surface plasmon resonance and cell binding assays. Observed PPIs reveal a large and complex network of interactions both within and across biological systems. We identified new PPIs for receptors with well-characterized ligands and binding partners for “orphan” receptors. New PPIs include proteins expressed on multiple cell types and involved in diverse processes including immune and nervous system development and function, differentiation/proliferation, metabolism, vascularization, and reproduction. These PPIs provide a resource for further biological investigation into their functional relevance and may offer new therapeutic drug targets

Whole-Genome Analysis of Human Influenza A Virus Reveals Multiple Persistent Lineages and Reassortment among Recent H3N2 Viruses

Understanding the evolution of influenza A viruses in humans is important for surveillance and vaccine strain selection. We performed a phylogenetic analysis of 156 complete genomes of human H3N2 influenza A viruses collected between 1999 and 2004 from New York State, United States, and observed multiple co-circulating clades with different population frequencies. Strikingly, phylogenies inferred for individual gene segments revealed that multiple reassortment events had occurred among these clades, such that one clade of H3N2 viruses present at least since 2000 had provided the hemagglutinin gene for all those H3N2 viruses sampled after the 2002–2003 influenza season. This reassortment event was the likely progenitor of the antigenically variant influenza strains that caused the A/Fujian/411/2002-like epidemic of the 2003–2004 influenza season. However, despite sharing the same hemagglutinin, these phylogenetically distinct lineages of viruses continue to co-circulate in the same population. These data, derived from the first large-scale analysis of H3N2 viruses, convincingly demonstrate that multiple lineages can co-circulate, persist, and reassort in epidemiologically significant ways, and underscore the importance of genomic analyses for future influenza surveillance

Evolutionary Dynamics and Emergence of Panzootic H5N1 Influenza Viruses

The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus lineage has undergone extensive genetic reassortment with viruses from different sources to produce numerous H5N1 genotypes, and also developed into multiple genetically distinct sublineages in China. From there, the virus has spread to over 60 countries. The ecological success of this virus in diverse species of both poultry and wild birds with frequent introduction to humans suggests that it is a likely source of the next human pandemic. Therefore, the evolutionary and ecological characteristics of its emergence from wild birds into poultry are of considerable interest. Here, we apply the latest analytical techniques to infer the early evolutionary dynamics of H5N1 virus in the population from which it emerged (wild birds and domestic poultry). By estimating the time of most recent common ancestors of each gene segment, we show that the H5N1 prototype virus was likely introduced from wild birds into poultry as a non-reassortant low pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus and was not generated by reassortment in poultry. In contrast, more recent H5N1 genotypes were generated locally in aquatic poultry after the prototype virus (A/goose/Guangdong/1/96) introduction occurred, i.e., they were not a result of additional emergence from wild birds. We show that the H5N1 virus was introduced into Indonesia and Vietnam 3–6 months prior to detection of the first outbreaks in those countries. Population dynamics analyses revealed a rapid increase in the genetic diversity of A/goose/Guangdong/1/96 lineage viruses from mid-1999 to early 2000. Our results suggest that the transmission of reassortant viruses through the mixed poultry population in farms and markets in China has selected HPAI H5N1 viruses that are well adapted to multiple hosts and reduced the interspecies transmission barrier of those viruses

Extensive Geographic Mosaicism in Avian Influenza Viruses from Gulls in the Northern Hemisphere

Due to limited interaction of migratory birds between Eurasia and America, two independent avian influenza virus (AIV) gene pools have evolved. There is evidence of low frequency reassortment between these regions, which has major implications in global AIV dynamics. Indeed, all currently circulating lineages of the PB1 and PA segments in North America are of Eurasian origin. Large-scale analyses of intercontinental reassortment have shown that viruses isolated from Charadriiformes (gulls, terns, and shorebirds) are the major contributor of these outsider events. To clarify the role of gulls in AIV dynamics, specifically in movement of genes between geographic regions, we have sequenced six gull AIV isolated in Alaska and analyzed these along with 142 other available gull virus sequences. Basic investigations of host species and the locations and times of isolation reveal biases in the available sequence information. Despite these biases, our analyses reveal a high frequency of geographic reassortment in gull viruses isolated in America. This intercontinental gene mixing is not found in the viruses isolated from gulls in Eurasia. This study demonstrates that gulls are important as vectors for geographically reassorted viruses, particularly in America, and that more surveillance effort should be placed on this group of birds

The potential risks and impact of the start of the 2015–2016 influenza season in the WHO European Region: a rapid risk assessment

Background: Countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region are reporting more severe influenza activity in the 2015–2016 season compared to previous seasons. Objectives: To conduct a rapid risk assessment to provide interim information on the severity of the current influenza season. Methods: Using the WHO manual for rapid risk assessment of acute public health events and surveillance data available from Flu News Europe, an assessment of the current influenza season from 28 September 2015 (week 40/2015) up to 31 January 2016 (week 04/2016) was made compared with the four previous seasons. Results: The current influenza season started around week 51/2015 with higher influenza activity reported in Eastern Europe compared to Western Europe. There is a strong predominance of influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 compared to previous seasons, but the virus is antigenically similar to the strain included in the seasonal influenza vaccine. Compared to the 2014/2015 season, there was a rapid increase in the number of severe cases in Eastern European countries with the majority of such cases occurring among adults aged < 65 years. Conclusions: The current influenza season is characterized by an early start in Eastern European countries, with indications of a more severe season. Currently circulating influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 viruses are antigenically similar to those included in the seasonal influenza vaccine, and the vaccine is expected to be effective. Authorities should provide information to the public and health providers about the current influenza season, recommendations for the treatment of severe disease and effective public health measures to prevent influenza transmission

The Evolutionary Genetics and Emergence of Avian Influenza Viruses in Wild Birds

We surveyed the genetic diversity among avian influenza virus (AIV) in wild birds, comprising 167 complete viral genomes from 14 bird species sampled in four locations across the United States. These isolates represented 29 type A influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) subtype combinations, with up to 26% of isolates showing evidence of mixed subtype infection. Through a phylogenetic analysis of the largest data set of AIV genomes compiled to date, we were able to document a remarkably high rate of genome reassortment, with no clear pattern of gene segment association and occasional inter-hemisphere gene segment migration and reassortment. From this, we propose that AIV in wild birds forms transient “genome constellations,” continually reshuffled by reassortment, in contrast to the spread of a limited number of stable genome constellations that characterizes the evolution of mammalian-adapted influenza A viruses

Geographical and temporal distribution of SARS-CoV-2 clades in the WHO European Region, January to June 2020

We show the distribution of SARS-CoV-2 genetic clades over time and between countries and outline potential genomic surveillance objectives. We applied three available genomic nomenclature systems for SARS-CoV-2 to all sequence data from the WHO European Region available during the COVID-19 pandemic until 10 July 2020. We highlight the importance of real-time sequencing and data dissemination in a pandemic situation. We provide a comparison of the nomenclatures and lay a foundation for future European genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2.Peer reviewe