Mapping Potential Timing of Ice Algal Blooms From Satellite

As Arctic sea ice and its overlying snow cover thin, more light penetrates into the ice and upper ocean, shifting the phenology of algal growth within the bottom of sea ice, with cascading impacts on higher trophic levels of the Arctic marine ecosystem. While field data or autonomous observatories provide direct measurements of the coupled sea ice-algal system, they are limited in space and time. Satellite observations of key sea ice variables that control the amount of light penetrating through sea ice offer the possibility to map the under-ice light field across the entire Arctic basin. This study provides the first satellite-based estimates of potential sea ice-associated algal bloom onset dates since the launch of CryoSat-2 and explores how a changing snowpack may have shifted bloom onset timings over the last four decades

The role of platelet rich plasma in musculoskeletal science

The idea of using platelet rich plasma (PRP) in medicine has been around since the 1970s. It is only more recently that its use has been employed in the area of musculoskeletal science. Platelet rich plasma in this area has received much media attention being used by many celebrity sports athletes for musculoskeletal injuries. Therefore it is important for the musculoskeletal practitioner to be aware of the concepts surrounding its use and application. In this article we cover what platelet rich plasma is, how it is prepared and administered, its potential clinical application, and what the current literature discusses in the various areas of musculoskeletal science

Comparative effectiveness of sotrovimab and molnupiravir for preventing severe COVID-19 outcomes in patients on kidney replacement therapy:observational study using OpenSAFELY-UKRR and SRR databases

Background: Due to limited inclusion of patients on kidney replacement therapy (KRT) in clinical trials, the effectiveness of COVID-19 therapies in this population remains unclear. We sought to address this by comparing the effectiveness of sotrovimab against molnupiravir, two commonly used treatments for non-hospitalised KRT patients with COVID-19 in the UK.Methods: With the approval of NHS England we used routine clinical data from 24 million patients in England within the OpenSAFELY-TPP platform linked to the UK Renal Registry (UKRR) to identify patients on KRT. Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate hazard ratios of sotrovimab vs. molnupiravir with regards to COVID-19 related hospitalisation or deaths in the subsequent 28 days. We also conducted a complementary analysis using data from the Scottish Renal Registry (SRR).Results: Among the 2367 kidney patients treated with sotrovimab (n=1852) or molnupiravir (n=515) between December 16, 2021 and August 1, 2022 in England, 38 cases (1.6%) of COVID-19 related hospitalisations/deaths were observed. Sotrovimab was associated with substantially lower outcome risk than molnupiravir (adjusted hazard ratio, HR=0.35, 95% CI: 0.17-0.71; P=0.004), with results remaining robust in multiple sensitivity analyses. In the SRR cohort, sotrovimab showed a trend toward lower outcome risk than molnupiravir (HR=0.39, 95% CI: 0.13-1.21; P=0.106). In both datasets, sotrovimab had no evidence of association with other hospitalisation/death compared with molnupiravir (HRs ranging from 0.73-1.29; P>0.05).Conclusions: In routine care of non-hospitalised patients with COVID-19 on KRT, sotrovimab was associated with lower risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes compared with molnupiravir during Omicron waves