Incidence and risk factors for Malaria, pneumonia and diarrhea in children under 5 in UNHCR refugee camps: A retrospective study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) refugee camps are located predominantly in rural areas of Africa and Asia in protracted or post-emergency contexts. Recognizing the importance of malaria, pneumonia and diarrheal diseases as major causes of child morbidity and mortality in refugee camps, we analyzed data from the UNHCR Health Information System (HIS) to estimate incidence and risk factors for these diseases in refugee children younger than five years of age.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data from 90 UNHCR camps in 16 countries, including morbidity, mortality, health services and refugee health status, were obtained from the UNHCR HIS for the period January 2006 to February 2010. Monthly camp-level data were aggregated to yearly estimates for analysis and stratified by location in Africa (including Yemen) or Asia. Poisson regression models with random effects were constructed to identify factors associated with malaria, pneumonia and diarrheal diseases. Spatial patterns in the incidence of malaria, pneumonia and diarrheal diseases were mapped to identify regional heterogeneities.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Malaria and pneumonia were the two most common causes of mortality, with confirmed malaria and pneumonia each accounting for 20% of child deaths. Suspected and confirmed malaria accounted for 23% of child morbidity and pneumonia accounted for 17% of child morbidity. Diarrheal diseases were the cause of 7% of deaths and 10% of morbidity in children under five. Mean under-five incidence rates across all refugee camps by region were: malaria [Africa 84.7 cases/1000 U5 population/month (95% CI 67.5-102.0), Asia 2.2/1000/month (95% CI 1.4-3.0)]; pneumonia [Africa 59.2/1000/month (95% CI 49.8-68.7), Asia 254.5/1000/month (95% CI 207.1-301.8)]; and diarrheal disease [Africa 35.5/1000/month (95% CI 28.7-42.4), Asia 69.2/1000/month (95% CI 61.0-77.5)]. Measles was infrequent and accounted for a small proportion of child morbidity (503 cases, < 1%) and mortality (6 deaths, < 1%).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>As in stable settings, pneumonia and diarrhea are important causes of mortality among refugee children. Malaria remains a significant cause of child mortality in refugee camps in Africa and will need to be addressed as part of regional malaria control and elimination efforts. Little is known of neonatal morbidity and mortality in refugee settings, and neonatal deaths are likely to be under-reported. Global measles control efforts have reduced the incidence of measles among refugee children.</p

Self-injurious behaviour in individuals with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability

Background  Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been identified as a risk marker for self-injurious behaviour. In this study we aimed to describe the prevalence, topography and correlates of self-injury in individuals with ASD in contrast to individuals with Fragile X and Down syndromes and examine person characteristics associated with self-injury across and within these groups. Method  Carers of individuals with ASD (n = 149; mean age = 9.98, SD = 4.86), Fragile X syndrome (n = 123; mean age = 15.32, SD = 8.74) and Down syndrome (n = 49; mean age = 15.84, SD = 12.59) completed questionnaires relating to the presence and topography of self-injury. Information was also gathered regarding demographic characteristics, affect, autistic behaviour, hyperactivity, impulsivity and repetitive behaviour. Results  Self-injurious behaviour was displayed by 50% of the ASD sample: a significantly higher prevalence than in the Down syndrome group (18.4%) but broadly similar to the prevalence in Fragile X syndrome (54.5%). Self-injury was associated with significantly higher levels of autistic behaviour within the Down and Fragile X syndrome groups. Within the ASD group, the presence of self-injury was associated with significantly higher levels of impulsivity and hyperactivity, negative affect and significantly lower levels of ability and speech. Conclusions  Self-injurious behaviour is prevalent in individuals with ASD and the presence of ASD phenomenology increases the risk of self-injury in individuals with known genetic disorders but without a diagnosis of idiopathic autism. Person characteristics associated with self-injury in ASD indicate a role for impaired behavioural inhibition, low levels of ability and negative affect in the development of self-injurious behaviour

Dynamic Proteomic Analysis of Pancreatic Mesenchyme Reveals Novel Factors That Enhance Human Embryonic Stem Cell to Pancreatic Cell Differentiation

Current approaches in human embryonic stem cell (hESC) to pancreatic beta cell differentiation have largely been based on knowledge gained from developmental studies of the epithelial pancreas, while the potential roles of other supporting tissue compartments have not been fully explored. One such tissue is the pancreatic mesenchyme that supports epithelial organogenesis throughout embryogenesis. We hypothesized that detailed characterization of the pancreatic mesenchyme might result in the identification of novel factors not used in current differentiation protocols. Supplementing existing hESC differentiation conditions with such factors might create a more comprehensive simulation of normal development in cell culture. To validate our hypothesis, we took advantage of a novel transgenic mouse model to isolate the pancreatic mesenchyme at distinct embryonic and postnatal stages for subsequent proteomic analysis. Refined sample preparation and analysis conditions across four embryonic and prenatal time points resulted in the identification of 21,498 peptides with high-confidence mapping to 1,502 proteins. Expression analysis of pancreata confirmed the presence of three potentially important factors in cell differentiation: Galectin-1 (LGALS1), Neuroplastin (NPTN), and the Laminin α-2 subunit (LAMA2). Two of the three factors (LGALS1 and LAMA2) increased expression of pancreatic progenitor transcript levels in a published hESC to beta cell differentiation protocol. In addition, LAMA2 partially blocks cell culture induced beta cell dedifferentiation. Summarily, we provide evidence that proteomic analysis of supporting tissues such as the pancreatic mesenchyme allows for the identification of potentially important factors guiding hESC to pancreas differentiation

Large-scale phenotyping of patients with long COVID post-hospitalization reveals mechanistic subtypes of disease

One in ten severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections result in prolonged symptoms termed long coronavirus disease (COVID), yet disease phenotypes and mechanisms are poorly understood1. Here we profiled 368 plasma proteins in 657 participants ≥3 months following hospitalization. Of these, 426 had at least one long COVID symptom and 233 had fully recovered. Elevated markers of myeloid inflammation and complement activation were associated with long COVID. IL-1R2, MATN2 and COLEC12 were associated with cardiorespiratory symptoms, fatigue and anxiety/depression; MATN2, CSF3 and C1QA were elevated in gastrointestinal symptoms and C1QA was elevated in cognitive impairment. Additional markers of alterations in nerve tissue repair (SPON-1 and NFASC) were elevated in those with cognitive impairment and SCG3, suggestive of brain–gut axis disturbance, was elevated in gastrointestinal symptoms. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) was persistently elevated in some individuals with long COVID, but virus was not detected in sputum. Analysis of inflammatory markers in nasal fluids showed no association with symptoms. Our study aimed to understand inflammatory processes that underlie long COVID and was not designed for biomarker discovery. Our findings suggest that specific inflammatory pathways related to tissue damage are implicated in subtypes of long COVID, which might be targeted in future therapeutic trials.</p

Carbon isotope alteration during the thermal maturation of non-flowering plant species representative of those found within the geological record

Rationale The carbon isotope (δ13C value) composition of fossil plant material is routinely used as a proxy of past climate and environment change. However, palaeoclimate interpretation requires assumptions about the stability of δ13C values in plant material during its decomposition and incorporation into sediments. Previous work on modern angiosperm species shows δ13C changes of several per mille during simulated decomposition experiments. However, no such tests have been undertaken on non-flowering plants, which are found extensively within the geological record. These plants have distinctly different cellulose-to-lignin ratios from those of their angiosperm counterparts, potentially creating hitherto unknown variations in the original to fossil δ13C signatures. Methods To test the extent of δ13C change during decomposition we have subjected a number of plants, representing more basal, non-flowering plant lineages (cycads, ferns, horsetails and dawn redwood), to artificial decay using a hydrothermal maturation technique at two temperatures over periods of up to 273 hours. Subsamples were extracted every 12–16 hours and analysed for their δ13C and %C values using a Carlo Erba 1500 elemental analyser, and VG TripleTrap and Optima mass spectrometers. Results The %C values increased for all samples through the maturation process at both temperatures with the largest increases observed within the first 24 hours. Decreases in δ13C values were observed for all plants at 300°C and for two of the species at the lower temperature (200°C). The maximum shift in the δ13C value related to experimental decomposition was −0.90‰ (horsetail), indicating a preferential loss of 13C during thermal maturation. Conclusions The reduction in the δ13C value potentially suggests a preferential loss of isotopically heavier cellulose in relation to the isotopically lighter lignin component during maturation. The isotopic offset observed here (<0.9‰) means that palaeoclimatic interpretation of δ13C values from non-flowering plant material within the geological record remains robust, but only where interpretations are based on variations in δ13C values greater than 1

Pa jel ’ baš moraš studirat na privatnom sveučilištu : privatno sveučilište – bezrazložni trošak ili investicija u budućnost

U radu su prikazani podaci anketiranja studenata Libertas međunarodnog sveučilišta u Zagrebu, jedinog privatnog sveučilišta u Republici Hrvatskoj. Na poziv za sudjelovanje u anketi odazvalo se samo 349 studenata, tako da uzorak nije reprezentativan, nego predstavlja tek informaciju o onima koji su se odlučili u ispitivanju sudjelovati. Ispitanicima su postavljena 44 pitanja koja su obuhvatila čak 126 varijabli. Međutim, rezultati analize prikupljenih podataka ukazuju na to da se ispitanici uglavnom ne razlikuju od neke opće studentske populacije u Republici Hrvatskoj, da su prije svega pokretani istim motivima, motivima osobnog napretka, a ne „mogućnostima” koje bi im prema nekim poznatim stereotipima pružala „posebna” okolina privatnog sveučilišta

Nuclear variants of bone morphogenetic proteins

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) contribute to many different aspects of development including mesoderm formation, heart development, neurogenesis, skeletal development, and axis formation. They have previously been recognized only as secreted growth factors, but the present study detected Bmp2, Bmp4, and Gdf5/CDMP1 in the nuclei of cultured cells using immunocytochemistry and immunoblotting of nuclear extracts.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In all three proteins, a bipartite nuclear localization signal (NLS) was found to overlap the site at which the proproteins are cleaved to release the mature growth factors from the propeptides. Mutational analyses indicated that the nuclear variants of these three proteins are produced by initiating translation from downstream alternative start codons. The resulting proteins lack N-terminal signal peptides and are therefore translated in the cytoplasm rather than the endoplasmic reticulum, thus avoiding proteolytic processing in the secretory pathway. Instead, the uncleaved proteins (designated nBmp2, nBmp4, and nGdf5) containing the intact NLSs are translocated to the nucleus. Immunostaining of endogenous nBmp2 in cultured cells demonstrated that the amount of nBmp2 as well as its nuclear/cytoplasmic distribution differs between cells that are in M-phase versus other phases of the cell cycle.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The observation that nBmp2 localization varies throughout the cell cycle, as well as the conservation of a nuclear localization mechanism among three different BMP family members, suggests that these novel nuclear variants of BMP family proteins play an important functional role in the cell.</p

Use of simplified claustrophobia questionnaire in predicting adherence to positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients

TITLE: Use of simplified claustrophobia questionnaire in predicting adherence to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. Introduction: Claustrophobia could affect adherence to CPAP in sleep apnea patients. High score in a claustrophobia questionnaire containing 12 restriction and 14 suffocation items was associated to poor CPAP adherence in previous research. The restriction and suffocation items were equivalent on predicting CPAP adherence which allowed to limit the survey to only the suffocation questionnaire. The goal of this study is to find the predictability of CPAP adherence for each question of the suffocation questionnaire. Methods: We performed a prospective chart review of 114 patients with newly diagnosed OSA using home sleep apnea testing (HSAT). On initial consultation, patients were provided with a suffocation claustrophobia questionnaire. Patients’ demographics, home sleep study data and objective adherence data were collected within the first 3 months of usage.Results: Items 2 (OR =1.67, p-value = 0.049), 3 (OR=1.60, p-value = 0.021), and 13 (OR= 1.52, p-value = 0.056) are most promising in association with non-adherence. Results indicate that higher scores on item 2 is associated with higher odds of non-adherence to CPAP. Specifically, each point increase on item 2 was associated with a 67% increase in odds of non-adherence. However, these items alone do not show a large effect in providing accurate classification of adherence. Of these items, item 3 had the lower rate of missing data, suggesting that it may be the most patient-friendly item. Conclusions: Based on these results, the 3 questions with highest predictability for CPAP adherence will be studied in the clinical arena to address feasibility and predictability.https://scholarlycommons.henryford.com/merf2019clinres/1013/thumbnail.jp

A wellness study of 108 individuals using personal, dense, dynamic data clouds.

Personal data for 108 individuals were collected during a 9-month period, including whole genome sequences; clinical tests, metabolomes, proteomes, and microbiomes at three time points; and daily activity tracking. Using all of these data, we generated a correlation network that revealed communities of related analytes associated with physiology and disease. Connectivity within analyte communities enabled the identification of known and candidate biomarkers (e.g., gamma-glutamyltyrosine was densely interconnected with clinical analytes for cardiometabolic disease). We calculated polygenic scores from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for 127 traits and diseases, and used these to discover molecular correlates of polygenic risk (e.g., genetic risk for inflammatory bowel disease was negatively correlated with plasma cystine). Finally, behavioral coaching informed by personal data helped participants to improve clinical biomarkers. Our results show that measurement of personal data clouds over time can improve our understanding of health and disease, including early transitions to disease states

Near infrared integrated photonic switches for portable quantum sensors

A novel integrated semiconductor photonic switch, based on carrier-induced refractive index changes, has been designed and fabricated for use at near infrared wavelengths (890-920 nm, 750-780 nm and 745-775 nm). These switches are intended for use in quantum sensors which rely on the spectroscopy of caesium, rubidium or potassium atoms respectively. The beam-steering properties of the 890-920 nm device are presented and its extinction ratio measured to be 13.4 dB. This measurement was limited by coupling efficiency. Subsequent changes made to the testing equipment include the implementation of an automated testing routine. This new experimental setup will facilitate the full characterisation of the 890-920 nm device and the newly fabricated optical switches, designed for operation in the wavelength ranges 750-780 nm and 745-775 nm respectively