Standing Posture Modeling and Control for a Humanoid Robot

Master'sMASTER OF ENGINEERIN

Evaluation of a subunit H5 vaccine and an inactivated H5N2 avian influenza marker vaccine in ducks challenged with Vietnamese H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus

The protective efficacy of a subunit avian influenza virus H5 vaccine based on recombinant baculovirus expressed H5 haemagglutinin antigen and an inactivated H5N2 avian influenza vaccine combined with a marker antigen (tetanus toxoid) was compared with commercially available inactivated H5N2 avian influenza vaccine in young ducks. Antibody responses, morbidity, mortality, and virus shedding were evaluated after challenge with a Vietnamese clade 1 H5N1 HPAI virus [A/VN/1203/04 (H5N1)] that was known to cause a high mortality rate in ducks. All three vaccines, administered with water-in-oil adjuvant, provided significant protection and dramatically reduced the duration and titer of virus shedding in the vaccinated challenged ducks compared with unvaccinated controls. The H5 subunit vaccine was shown to provide equivalent protection to the other two vaccines despite the H5 antibody responses in subunit vaccinated ducks being significantly lower prior to challenge. Ducks vaccinated with the H5N2 marker vaccine consistently produced antitetanus toxoid antibody. The two novel vaccines have attributes that would enhance H5N1 avian influenza surveillance and control by vaccination in small scale and village poultry systems

Lack of Longitudinal Association Between Thiazolidinediones and Incidence and Progression of Diabetic Eye Disease: The ACCORD Eye Study

Purpose: To report the longitudinal association between use of thiazolidinediones (TZDs), visual acuity (VA) change, and diabetic eye disease incidence and progression. Design: Cohort study ancillary to a randomized clinical trial. Methods: We analyzed baseline and 4-year follow-up data of 2856 ACCORD trial participants with no history of proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Based on stereoscopic fundus photographs, we evaluated diabetic macular edema (DME) progression and DR progression. We also evaluated 10- and 15-letter change on the ETDRS visual acuity chart. Main outcome measures were incidence or progression of DME or DR and change in visual acuity. Results: TZD use was not associated with DME incidence in either the analysis of any use (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] [95% CI]: 1.22 [0.72–2.05]) or duration of use (aOR: 1.02 [0.99–1.04]). Diabetic retinopathy (DR) incidence/progression was more common in patients with no or mild DR at baseline who were ever treated with TZDs (aOR: 1.68 [1.11–2.55]), but this association disappeared when adjusting for the time on TZD (aOR: 1.02 [1.00–1.04]). DR progression among those with moderate or worse DR at baseline was no different between TZD users and non-users. TZD usage had no effect on the ultimate visual acuity outcome. Conclusion: In this longitudinal study of patients with type 2 diabetes, we found no association between TZD use and visual acuity outcomes or DME progression, and no consistent evidence of increased DR progression in patients ever treated with TZDs vs those never treated with TZDs

Predicting high-risk patients using the International IGA Nephropathy risk prediction tool: a preliminary single-centre analysis

Introduction The International IgA Nephropathy Risk Prediction Tool (IgAN- RPT) has been utilized to predict renal progression up to 5 or 7 years after biopsy via histological and clinical risk factors. We reported the preliminary analysis of the renal outcome of IgAN patients in relation to their predicted risk based on the IgAN-RPT at biopsy. Methods We included 29 biopsy-proven adult IgAN patients diagnosed between 2010 and 2017. The IgAN-RPT predicted risk score at 5 years was calculated for each patient. The primary outcome was the risk of developing a 50% decline in the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) or end stage renal disease (ESRD) at 5 years after biopsy. Independent Student T-test and chi-square analysis were used to compare the clinical data between groups, while Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was done to compare the predicted and observed outcomes within risk groups using SPSS 26 (2020; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results Our cohort consisted of 13 Chinese, 12 Malay and 4 Indian patients with a mean eGFR of 68.2 (±5.7) at biopsy. The median 5-year IgAN-RPT risk score was 13.12% (IQR: 6.02 to 28.00). 20.7% (n=6) reached the primary outcome. Statistically significant; lower mean serum albumin level [30.5 ± 3.3 versus 38.0 ± 6.9, t=2.571 (27), p= 0.016], higher proportion of not using RAS blocker [100.0% versus 11.5%, χ2 = 10.9 (2), p=0.004] and higher proportion of using immunosuppression at biopsy [36.4% versus 5.9%, χ2 =7.54 (2), p=0.023] were noted among these patients. At this preliminary point, none of the other clinical data was significant, thus no further multivariate analyses were performed. To compare the predicted and observed outcomes within the risk group, a cut-off point of 30% for the predicted risk was determined by calculating the Youden Index of a receiving operating curve plotted between the predicted outcome versus observed outcome at 5 years. Results showed well-separated curves between the two risk groups, indicating a good discriminant ability of the tool among our patients. Conclusions Our study demonstrated the median 5-year 1gAN-RPT risk score among our patients was 13.12% with 20.7% of them reaching the primary outcome. Moreover, a cut-off of 30% IgAN- RPT predicted score could discriminate between high-risk versus low-risk patients to develop ESRD or a 50% decline in eGFR in this population. No conflict of interes

Genome-wide meta-analysis of myopia and hyperopia provides evidence for replication of 11 loci

Refractive error (RE) is a complex, multifactorial disorder characterized by a mismatch between the optical power of the eye and its axial length that causes object images to be focused off the retina. The two major subtypes of RE are myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness), which represent opposite ends of the distribution of the quantitative measure of spherical refraction. We performed a fixed effects meta-analysis of genome-wide association results of myopia and hyperopia from 9 studies of European-derived populations: AREDS, KORA, FES, OGP-Talana, MESA, RSI, RSII, RSIII and ERF. One genome-wide significant region was observed for myopia, corresponding to a previously identified myopia locus on 8q12 (p = 1.25610-8), which has been reported by Kiefer et al. as significantly associated with myopia age at onset and Verhoeven et al. as significantly associated to mean spherical-equivalent (MSE) refractive error. We observed two genomewide significant association

Sex differences in cerebral venous sinus thrombosis after adenoviral vaccination against COVID-19

Introduction: Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis associated with vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (CVST-VITT) is a severe disease with high mortality. There are few data on sex differences in CVST-VITT. The aim of our study was to investigate the differences in presentation, treatment, clinical course, complications, and outcome of CVST-VITT between women and men. Patients and methods: We used data from an ongoing international registry on CVST-VITT. VITT was diagnosed according to the Pavord criteria. We compared the characteristics of CVST-VITT in women and men. Results: Of 133 patients with possible, probable, or definite CVST-VITT, 102 (77%) were women. Women were slightly younger [median age 42 (IQR 28–54) vs 45 (28–56)], presented more often with coma (26% vs 10%) and had a lower platelet count at presentation [median (IQR) 50x109/L (28–79) vs 68 (30–125)] than men. The nadir platelet count was lower in women [median (IQR) 34 (19–62) vs 53 (20–92)]. More women received endovascular treatment than men (15% vs 6%). Rates of treatment with intravenous immunoglobulins were similar (63% vs 66%), as were new venous thromboembolic events (14% vs 14%) and major bleeding complications (30% vs 20%). Rates of good functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale 0-2, 42% vs 45%) and in-hospital death (39% vs 41%) did not differ. Discussion and conclusions: Three quarters of CVST-VITT patients in this study were women. Women were more severely affected at presentation, but clinical course and outcome did not differ between women and men. VITT-specific treatments were overall similar, but more women received endovascular treatment.</p

Sex differences in cerebral venous sinus thrombosis after adenoviral vaccination against COVID-19

Introduction: Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis associated with vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (CVST-VITT) is a severe disease with high mortality. There are few data on sex differences in CVST-VITT. The aim of our study was to investigate the differences in presentation, treatment, clinical course, complications, and outcome of CVST-VITT between women and men. Patients and methods: We used data from an ongoing international registry on CVST-VITT. VITT was diagnosed according to the Pavord criteria. We compared the characteristics of CVST-VITT in women and men. Results: Of 133 patients with possible, probable, or definite CVST-VITT, 102 (77%) were women. Women were slightly younger [median age 42 (IQR 28–54) vs 45 (28–56)], presented more often with coma (26% vs 10%) and had a lower platelet count at presentation [median (IQR) 50x109/L (28–79) vs 68 (30–125)] than men. The nadir platelet count was lower in women [median (IQR) 34 (19–62) vs 53 (20–92)]. More women received endovascular treatment than men (15% vs 6%). Rates of treatment with intravenous immunoglobulins were similar (63% vs 66%), as were new venous thromboembolic events (14% vs 14%) and major bleeding complications (30% vs 20%). Rates of good functional outcome (modified Rankin Scale 0-2, 42% vs 45%) and in-hospital death (39% vs 41%) did not differ. Discussion and conclusions: Three quarters of CVST-VITT patients in this study were women. Women were more severely affected at presentation, but clinical course and outcome did not differ between women and men. VITT-specific treatments were overall similar, but more women received endovascular treatment.</p

Virtual Ontogeny of Cortical Growth Preceding Mental Illness

Background: Morphology of the human cerebral cortex differs across psychiatric disorders, with neurobiology and developmental origins mostly undetermined. Deviations in the tangential growth of the cerebral cortex during pre/perinatal periods may be reflected in individual variations in cortical surface area later in life. Methods: Interregional profiles of group differences in surface area between cases and controls were generated using T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging from 27,359 individuals including those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, and high general psychopathology (through the Child Behavior Checklist). Similarity of interregional profiles of group differences in surface area and prenatal cell-specific gene expression was assessed. Results: Across the 11 cortical regions, group differences in cortical area for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, and Child Behavior Checklist were dominant in multimodal association cortices. The same interregional profiles were also associated with interregional profiles of (prenatal) gene expression specific to proliferative cells, namely radial glia and intermediate progenitor cells (greater expression, larger difference), as well as differentiated cells, namely excitatory neurons and endothelial and mural cells (greater expression, smaller difference). Finally, these cell types were implicated in known pre/perinatal risk factors for psychosis. Genes coexpressed with radial glia were enriched with genes implicated in congenital abnormalities, birth weight, hypoxia, and starvation. Genes coexpressed with endothelial and mural genes were enriched with genes associated with maternal hypertension and preterm birth. Conclusions: Our findings support a neurodevelopmental model of vulnerability to mental illness whereby prenatal risk factors acting through cell-specific processes lead to deviations from typical brain development during pregnancy