How productive are academic researchers in agriculture-related sciences? The Mexican case

This paper explores the effect of commercial farmers-academic researchers linkages on research productivity in fields related to agriculture. Using original data and econometric analysis, our findings show a positive and significant relationship between intensive linkages with a small number of commercial farmers and research productivity, when this is defined as publications in ISI journals. This evidence seems contrary to other contributions that argue that strong ties with the business sector reduce research productivity and distort the original purposes of university, i.e., conducting basic research and preparing highly-trained professionals. When research productivity is defined more broadly adding other types of research outputs, the relationship is also positive and significant confirming the argument that close ties between public research institutions and businesses foster the emergence of new ideas that can be translated into innovations with commercial and/or social value. Another important finding is that researchers in public institutions produce several types of research outputs; therefore, measuring research productivity only by published ISI papers misses important dimensions of research activities.agriculture sector, research productivity, university-business sector interaction, university-industry collaboration

RUSHing to the Diagnosis: Aortic Abdominal Aneurysm Detected Using the Rapid Ultrasound for Shock and Hypotension (RUSH) Protocol in the Wards

The rapid ultrasound for shock and hypotension (RUSH) protocol is a useful tool used in the emergency department (ED) when addressing the severity and etiology of shock. It was designed to be performed in under two minutes with evaluation of the pump (heart), tank (inferior vena cava, thoracic and abdominal compartments) and the pipes (large arteries and veins). However, its application or one similar should extend beyond the ED and into the hospital floor. Here we present an 80-year-old gentleman with a history of atrial fibrillation (A-Fib) on anticoagulation who arrived at the ED due to an episode of pre-syncope just prior to arrival. Initial EKG is concerning for A-Fib with rapid ventricular response (RVR) with a rate in the 130s. After fluid resuscitation patient improved and he was admitted to the telemetry floor for further cardiac workup and cardiology consultation. While waiting for a room in the ED, patient became hypotensive, diaphoretic and pale. After complaining of lower abdominal pain, the ED physician performed a RUSH which showed an abdominal aorta of 8 cm concerning for dissection. Diagnosis was confirmed with CT angiography of the abdomen and he was taken to the OR with successful repair of the abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Patient made meaningful recovery and was discharged to in-patient rehab. The patient described in this vignette was delayed in the ED due to lack of beds on the floor. This allowed for quick ultrasound work-up by the ED physician which led to immediate recognition of the AAA and immediate response by the vascular surgery team. Should this patient have been on the hospital floor, it is unclear if such prompt steps would have occurred prior to patient’s further hemodynamic demis

Acute Hypersensitivity Reaction After Casirivimab/Imdevimab Infusion in a COVID-19-Positive Young Male: Myopericarditis or Kounis Syndrome?

Myocarditis has been a rare, but well-documented side effect of the mRNA-based vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as well as a complication of viral infections including SARS-CoV-2. However, myopericarditis as a complication of monoclonal antibody infusion or as a complication of allergic reaction to antibody infusions might be underreported. We report the case of a 30-year-old man with a previous diagnosis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection one week prior to presentation, unvaccinated for SARS-CoV-2, who was referred from a monoclonal infusion center where he received casirivimab/imdevimab and 15 minutes after the infusion began to complain of chills, chest pain, shortness of breath, and was hypotensive. In the infusion center, the patient received epinephrine and diphenhydramine and was directed to the ER, where the patient was febrile, tachycardic, and hypotensive. Initial troponin was 1.91 which peaked at 11.73 and CK-MB which peaked at 21.2. EKG had no ischemic changes. A two-dimensional echocardiogram showed an ejection fraction (EF) of about 45%, with a left ventricular dysfunction and trivial posterior pericardial effusion, and it was diagnosed as myopericarditis. On admission, he was started on full-dose enoxaparin, aspirin, fluid resuscitation, steroids, remdesevir, and bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPap) due to his respiratory compromise. Three days later, with clinical improvement, a repeat echocardiogram showed EF of 65%, with normal ventricular contractility and no pericardial effusion. The patient was discharged home with close cardiology follow-up. Though this could be a simple case of viral myopericarditis with troponinemia secondary to demand-ischemia, the differential should be broadened to complication of monoclonal antibody, given the sudden symptom onset after infusion completion and/or a possible Kounis syndrome. Though there have not been any reported cases of casirivimab/imdevimab causing myopericarditis, adverse cardiac events after monoclonal therapy have been reported mainly in cancer patients receiving monoclonal infusions

Bitten to the Bone: A Case of Anxiety-Induced Osteomyelitis

Onychophagia is a habitual nail-biting disorder, usually associated with mental or emotional diseases. It affects 20-30% of the population in all age groups. Human bites have the potential to become serious injuries due to high virulence in the human oral flora and may often require hospital admission, antibiotics and even debridement in the operating room. Thus, repetitive nail biting has the potential to be limb-threatening if not treated early and appropriately. We present a 49-year-old Spanish-speaking gentleman, with a past medical history of repetitive nail biting secondary to severe anxiety, major depression disorder, bilateral hand neuropathy secondary to diabetes mellitus (DM) type 2 who was initially admitted to the hospital due to cellulitis of the fingers with suspected osteomyelitis in the right hand. Anxiety was being treated by psychiatrist with paroxetine however, given no improvement and prolonged follow-ups, the primary care physician (PCP) added hydroxyzine and scheduled alprazolam in an attempt to minimize symptoms. Despite these efforts, patient continued with nail biting. On initial physical exam, the patient had a lack of fingernails and multiple wounds at various stages of healing across all digits. The distal and middle phalanges of the third right digit showed increased erythema and swelling and band tightening. Patient was started on broad-spectrum antibiotics. Initial radiography of the right hand was concerning for osteomyelitis which was later confirmed with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Infectious disease specialist agreed on a course of cefepime, vancomycin and metronidazole. On admission, hand surgeon did not see a need for amputation and patient was treated conservatively. Due to minimal improvement after six days on IV antibiotics, patient underwent fasciotomy of the flexor compartment of the right middle finger after patient rejected hand surgeon\u27s recommendation for amputation. He was discharged to a skilled nursing facility where he was to continue intravenous antibiotics for an additional four weeks. The vulnerable patient population of South Texas is predominately Hispanic, Spanish-speaking and uninsured. It is imperative to treat psychiatric disorders early to prevent complications, however, given the low numbers of psychiatrists in the Rio Grande Valley and even fewer who speak Spanish it is not unusual to find an appointment in more than six months. In this case, we observe how a trivial everyday behavior can lead to limb-threatening complications if not treated early and appropriately

Five-year (2015–2019) follow-up study of 6,526 cases of medical repatriation of Filipino seafarers

Background: There is a limited number of studies on the medical repatriation of seafarers. The aimof the study was to follow up on the previous 2010–2014 study using data from 2015–2019 to evaluatethe epidemiology of medical repatriation among Filipino seafarers.Materials and methods: Data from medical repatriation records of Filipino seafarers from January 2015 toDecember 2019 were collected from various claims departments of different manning agencies in Manila,Philippines.Results: Data from a total of 6,526 medical repatriation cases and 464,418 deployments in a 5-year periodresulted in a medical repatriation rate calculated at 1.4%. We used the 10th revision of the InternationalStatistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) to determine the most commoncauses of repatriation. We found that these were musculoskeletal disorders, gastrointestinal problems,and traumatic injuries. The distribution of the specific illnesses per organ system is presented.Conclusions: Filipinos continue to represent the most numerous group of seafarers in the world. The continuedprofiling of health issues should lead to better health protocols and controlling medical costs. Itshould also lead to better prioritisation of health protection and care on board ships. Within the present10-year database of medical repatriations coinciding with the implementation of Maritime ConventionLabour Convention 2006, there is a compelling need to compare the two data sets to have an objectiveevaluation of the convention’s projected goals

Range expansion and the origin of USA300 north american epidemic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

The USA300 North American epidemic (USA300-NAE) clone of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus has caused a wave of severe skin and soft tissue infections in the United States since it emerged in the early 2000s, but its geographic origin is obscure. Here we use the population genomic signatures expected from the serial founder effects of a geographic range expansion to infer the origin of USA300-NAE and identify polymorphisms associated with its spread. Genome sequences from 357 isolates from 22 U.S. states and territories and seven other countries are compared. We observe two significant signatures of range expansion, including decreases in genetic diversity and increases in derived allele frequency with geographic distance from the Pennsylvania region. These signatures account for approximately half of the core nucleotide variation of this clone, occur genome wide, and are robust to heterogeneity in temporal sampling of isolates, human population density, and recombination detection methods. The potential for positive selection of a gyrA fluoroquinolone resistance allele and several intergenic regions, along with a 2.4 times higher recombination rate in a resistant subclade, is noted. These results are the first to show a pattern of genetic variation that is consistent with a range expansion of an epidemic bacterial clone, and they highlight a rarely considered but potentially common mechanism by which genetic drift may profoundly influence bacterial genetic variation. IMPORTANCE The process of geographic spread of an origin population by a series of smaller populations can result in distinctive patterns of genetic variation. We detect these patterns for the first time with an epidemic bacterial clone and use them to uncover the clone’s geographic origin and variants associated with its spread. We study the USA300 clone of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which was first noticed in the early 2000s and subsequently became the leading cause of skin and soft tissue infections in the United States. The eastern United States is the most likely origin of epidemic USA300. Relatively few variants, which include an antibiotic resistance mutation, have persisted during this clone’s spread. Our study suggests that an early chapter in the genetic history of this epidemic bacterial clone was greatly influenced by random subsampling of isolates during the clone’s geographic spread

Tapping into non-English-language science for the conservation of global biodiversity.

The widely held assumption that any important scientific information would be available in English underlies the underuse of non-English-language science across disciplines. However, non-English-language science is expected to bring unique and valuable scientific information, especially in disciplines where the evidence is patchy, and for emergent issues where synthesising available evidence is an urgent challenge. Yet such contribution of non-English-language science to scientific communities and the application of science is rarely quantified. Here, we show that non-English-language studies provide crucial evidence for informing global biodiversity conservation. By screening 419,679 peer-reviewed papers in 16 languages, we identified 1,234 non-English-language studies providing evidence on the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation interventions, compared to 4,412 English-language studies identified with the same criteria. Relevant non-English-language studies are being published at an increasing rate in 6 out of the 12 languages where there were a sufficient number of relevant studies. Incorporating non-English-language studies can expand the geographical coverage (i.e., the number of 2° × 2° grid cells with relevant studies) of English-language evidence by 12% to 25%, especially in biodiverse regions, and taxonomic coverage (i.e., the number of species covered by the relevant studies) by 5% to 32%, although they do tend to be based on less robust study designs. Our results show that synthesising non-English-language studies is key to overcoming the widespread lack of local, context-dependent evidence and facilitating evidence-based conservation globally. We urge wider disciplines to rigorously reassess the untapped potential of non-English-language science in informing decisions to address other global challenges. Please see the Supporting information files for Alternative Language Abstracts

Pan-Cancer Analysis of lncRNA Regulation Supports Their Targeting of Cancer Genes in Each Tumor Context

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are commonly dys-regulated in tumors, but only a handful are known toplay pathophysiological roles in cancer. We inferredlncRNAs that dysregulate cancer pathways, onco-genes, and tumor suppressors (cancer genes) bymodeling their effects on the activity of transcriptionfactors, RNA-binding proteins, and microRNAs in5,185 TCGA tumors and 1,019 ENCODE assays.Our predictions included hundreds of candidateonco- and tumor-suppressor lncRNAs (cancerlncRNAs) whose somatic alterations account for thedysregulation of dozens of cancer genes and path-ways in each of 14 tumor contexts. To demonstrateproof of concept, we showed that perturbations tar-geting OIP5-AS1 (an inferred tumor suppressor) andTUG1 and WT1-AS (inferred onco-lncRNAs) dysre-gulated cancer genes and altered proliferation ofbreast and gynecologic cancer cells. Our analysis in-dicates that, although most lncRNAs are dysregu-lated in a tumor-specific manner, some, includingOIP5-AS1, TUG1, NEAT1, MEG3, and TSIX, synergis-tically dysregulate cancer pathways in multiple tumorcontexts

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London

Pan-cancer Alterations of the MYC Oncogene and Its Proximal Network across the Cancer Genome Atlas

Although theMYConcogene has been implicated incancer, a systematic assessment of alterations ofMYC, related transcription factors, and co-regulatoryproteins, forming the proximal MYC network (PMN),across human cancers is lacking. Using computa-tional approaches, we define genomic and proteo-mic features associated with MYC and the PMNacross the 33 cancers of The Cancer Genome Atlas.Pan-cancer, 28% of all samples had at least one ofthe MYC paralogs amplified. In contrast, the MYCantagonists MGA and MNT were the most frequentlymutated or deleted members, proposing a roleas tumor suppressors.MYCalterations were mutu-ally exclusive withPIK3CA,PTEN,APC,orBRAFalterations, suggesting that MYC is a distinct onco-genic driver. Expression analysis revealed MYC-associated pathways in tumor subtypes, such asimmune response and growth factor signaling; chro-matin, translation, and DNA replication/repair wereconserved pan-cancer. This analysis reveals insightsinto MYC biology and is a reference for biomarkersand therapeutics for cancers with alterations ofMYC or the PMN