Search for gravitational waves associated with gamma-ray bursts detected by Fermi and Swift during the LIGO–Virgo run O3b

We search for gravitational-wave signals associated with gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) detected by the Fermi and Swift satellites during the second half of the third observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo (2019 November 1 15:00 UTC–2020 March 27 17:00 UTC). We conduct two independent searches: a generic gravitational-wave transients search to analyze 86 GRBs and an analysis to target binary mergers with at least one neutron star as short GRB progenitors for 17 events. We find no significant evidence for gravitational-wave signals associated with any of these GRBs. A weighted binomial test of the combined results finds no evidence for subthreshold gravitational-wave signals associated with this GRB ensemble either. We use several source types and signal morphologies during the searches, resulting in lower bounds on the estimated distance to each GRB. Finally, we constrain the population of low-luminosity short GRBs using results from the first to the third observing runs of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. The resulting population is in accordance with the local binary neutron star merger rate

Impact of vaccination on Haemophilus influenzae type b carriage in healthy children less than 5 years of age in an urban population in Nepal

Background Reduction in detection of asymptomatic carriage of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) can be used to assess vaccine impact. In Nepal, routine vaccination against Hib in children at 6, 10, and 14 weeks of age was introduced in 2009. Before vaccine introduction, Hib carriage was estimated at 5.0% among children aged <13 years in Nepal, with higher rates among children under 5. Large-scale evaluation of Hib carriage in children has not been investigated since the introduction of the pentavalent diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis/Hib/hepatitis B (DTP-Hib-HepB) vaccine in Nepal. Methods A total of 666 oropharyngeal swabs were collected between August and December 2018 from healthy children between 6 months and 5 years of age attending the vaccination clinic at Patan Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal. Of these 666 swabs, 528 (79.3%) were tested for Hib by culture. Demographic and vaccination data were collected. Results Among 528 swabs tested for Hib, 100% came from fully vaccinated children. No swabs were positive for Hib (95% confidence interval, .0–.7). The absence of Hib in 2018 suggests vaccine-induced protection against Hib carriage 9 years after vaccine introduction. Conclusions Following 3 doses of pentavalent DTP-Hib-HepB vaccine, Hib carriage in children under the age of 5 years in Nepal is no longer common. Ongoing high coverage with Hib vaccine in early childhood is expected to maintain protection against Hib disease in Nepal

Structural variants shape driver combinations and outcomes in pediatric high-grade glioma.

We analyzed the contributions of structural variants (SVs) to gliomagenesis across 179 pediatric high-grade gliomas (pHGGs). The most recurrent SVs targeted MYC isoforms and receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs), including an SV amplifying a MYC enhancer in 12% of diffuse midline gliomas (DMG), indicating an underappreciated role for MYC in pHGG. SV signature analysis revealed that tumors with simple signatures were TP53 wild type (TP53WT) but showed alterations in TP53 pathway members PPM1D and MDM4. Complex signatures were associated with direct aberrations in TP53, CDKN2A and RB1 early in tumor evolution and with later-occurring extrachromosomal amplicons. All pHGGs exhibited at least one simple-SV signature, but complex-SV signatures were primarily restricted to subsets of H3.3K27M DMGs and hemispheric pHGGs. Importantly, DMGs with complex-SV signatures were associated with shorter overall survival independent of histone mutation and TP53 status. These data provide insight into the impact of SVs on gliomagenesis and the mechanisms that shape them