Rosetta Brains: A Strategy for Molecularly-Annotated Connectomics

We propose a neural connectomics strategy called Fluorescent In-Situ Sequencing of Barcoded Individual Neuronal Connections (FISSEQ-BOINC), leveraging fluorescent in situ nucleic acid sequencing in fixed tissue (FISSEQ). FISSEQ-BOINC exhibits different properties from BOINC, which relies on bulk nucleic acid sequencing. FISSEQ-BOINC could become a scalable approach for mapping whole-mammalian-brain connectomes with rich molecular annotations

The effects of combined low level laser therapy and mesenchymal stem cells on bone regeneration in rabbit calvarial defects

Abstract: This study evaluated the effect of Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) and Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) on bone regeneration. Background data: Although several studies evaluated the effects of MSCs and LLLT, there is little information available regarding in vivo application of LLLT in conjunction with MSCs. Methods: Forty-eight circular bone defects (6 mm in diameter) were prepared in the calvaria of 12 New- Zealand white rabbits. The defects of each animal were randomly assigned to 4 groups: (C) no treatment; (L) applying LLLT; (SC) filled with MSCs; (SCL) application of both MSCs and LLLT. LLL was applied on alternate days at wavelength of 810 nm, power density of 0.2 W/cm2 and a fluency of 4 J/cm2 using a Gallium–Aluminum–Arsenide (GaAlAs) diode laser. The animals were sacrificed after 3 weeks and then histological samples were evaluated to determine the amount of new bone formation and the remaining scaffold and inflammation. Results: The histological evaluation showed a statistically significant increase in new bone formation of LLLT group relative to the control and the other two experimental groups (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in bone formation of the control group compared to experimental groups filled with MSCs. Laser irradiation had no significant effect on resorption of the scaffold material. In addition, inflammation was significantly reduced in LLLT group compared to the control defects and the other two experimental groups. Conclusion: Low level laser therapy could be effective in bone regeneration but there is no evidence of a synergistic effect when applied in conjunction with MSCs

Nurses� perception of patient safety culture and its relationship with adverse events: a national questionnaire survey in Iran

Background: Patient safety culture is an important factor in determining hospitals� ability to address and reduce the occurrence of adverse events (AEs). However, few studies have reported on the impact of nurses� perceptions of patient safety culture on the occurrence of AEs. Our study aimed to assess the association between nurses� perception of patient safety culture and their perceived proportion of adverse events. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 2295 nurses employed in thirty-two teaching hospitals in Iran. Nurses completed the Persian version of the hospital survey of patients� safety culture between October 2018 and September 2019. Results: Positive Response Rates of overall patient safety culture was 34.1 and dimensions of patient safety culture varied from 20.9 to 43.8. Also, nurses estimated that the occurrence of six adverse events varied from 51.2�63.0 in the past year. The higher nurses� perceptions of �Staffing�, �Hospital handoffs and transitions�, �Frequency of event reporting�, �Non-punitive response to error�, �Supervisor expectation and actions promoting safety�, �Communication openness�, �Organizational learning continuous improvement�, �Teamwork within units�, and �Hospital management support patient safety� were significantly related to lower the perceived occurrence at least two out of six AEs (OR = 0.69 to 1.46). Conclusions: Our findings demonstrated that nurses� perception regarding patient safety culture was low and the perceived occurrence of adverse events was high. The research has also shown that the higher level of nurses� perception of patient safety culture was associated with lowered occurrence of AEs. Hence, managers could provide prerequisites to improve patient safety culture and reduce adverse events through different strategies, such as encouraging adverse events� reporting and holding training courses for nurses. However, further research is needed to assess how interventions addressing patient safety culture might reduce the occurrence of adverse events. © 2021, The Author(s)

Highly multiplexed subcellular RNA sequencing in situ

Understanding the spatial organization of gene expression with single-nucleotide resolution requires localizing the sequences of expressed RNA transcripts within a cell in situ. Here, we describe fluorescent in situ RNA sequencing (FISSEQ), in which stably cross-linked complementary DNA (cDNA) amplicons are sequenced within a biological sample. Using 30-base reads from 8102 genes in situ, we examined RNA expression and localization in human primary fibroblasts with a simulated wound-healing assay. FISSEQ is compatible with tissue sections and whole-mount embryos and reduces the limitations of optical resolution and noisy signals on single-molecule detection. Our platform enables massively parallel detection of genetic elements, including gene transcripts and molecular barcodes, and can be used to investigate cellular phenotype, gene regulation, and environment in situ

Pairing of Homologous Regions in the Mouse Genome Is Associated with Transcription but Not Imprinting Status

This work was funded by the BBSRC, grant BB/H088071/1 (www.bbsrc.ac.uk), MRC, grant G0700760 (www.mrc.ac.uk), Wellcome Trust, grant 095645/Z/11/Z (www.wellcome.ac.uk) and the EU through EpiGeneSys (www.epigenesys.eu) and Blueprint (www.blueprint-epigenome.eu). C.K. was funded by the DFG, personal fellowship KR 3317/2-1 (www.dfg.de) and CTR, personal short term fellowship (www.trophoblast.cam.ac.uk). M.J.H. received funding through grant NCI/NIH 2RO1 CA089426 (www.nih.gov)

Global, Regional, and National Levels and Trends in Burden of Oral Conditions from 1990 to 2017: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease 2017 Study

Government and nongovernmental organizations need national and global estimates on the descriptive epidemiology of common oral conditions for policy planning and evaluation. The aim of this component of the Global Burden of Disease study was to produce estimates on prevalence, incidence, and years lived with disability for oral conditions from 1990 to 2017 by sex, age, and countries. In addition, this study reports the global socioeconomic pattern in burden of oral conditions by the standard World Bank classification of economies as well as the Global Burden of Disease Socio-demographic Index. The findings show that oral conditions remain a substantial population health challenge. Globally, there were 3.5 billion cases (95% uncertainty interval [95% UI], 3.2 to 3.7 billion) of oral conditions, of which 2.3 billion (95% UI, 2.1 to 2.5 billion) had untreated caries in permanent teeth, 796 million (95% UI, 671 to 930 million) had severe periodontitis, 532 million (95% UI, 443 to 622 million) had untreated caries in deciduous teeth, 267 million (95% UI, 235 to 300 million) had total tooth loss, and 139 million (95% UI, 133 to 146 million) had other oral conditions in 2017. Several patterns emerged when the World Bank's classification of economies and the Socio-demographic Index were used as indicators of economic development. In general, more economically developed countries have the lowest burden of untreated dental caries and severe periodontitis and the highest burden of total tooth loss. The findings offer an opportunity for policy makers to identify successful oral health strategies and strengthen them; introduce and monitor different approaches where oral diseases are increasing; plan integration of oral health in the agenda for prevention of noncommunicable diseases; and estimate the cost of providing universal coverage for dental care

Single-cell Hi-C reveals cell-to-cell variability in chromosome structure.

Large-scale chromosome structure and spatial nuclear arrangement have been linked to control of gene expression and DNA replication and repair. Genomic techniques based on chromosome conformation capture (3C) assess contacts for millions of loci simultaneously, but do so by averaging chromosome conformations from millions of nuclei. Here we introduce single-cell Hi-C, combined with genome-wide statistical analysis and structural modelling of single-copy X chromosomes, to show that individual chromosomes maintain domain organization at the megabase scale, but show variable cell-to-cell chromosome structures at larger scales. Despite this structural stochasticity, localization of active gene domains to boundaries of chromosome territories is a hallmark of chromosomal conformation. Single-cell Hi-C data bridge current gaps between genomics and microscopy studies of chromosomes, demonstrating how modular organization underlies dynamic chromosome structure, and how this structure is probabilistically linked with genome activity patterns

Causes of blindness and vision impairment in 2020 and trends over 30 years, and prevalence of avoidable blindness in relation to VISION 2020 : the right to sight : an analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study

Background: Many causes of vision impairment can be prevented or treated. With an ageing global population, the demands for eye health services are increasing. We estimated the prevalence and relative contribution of avoidable causes of blindness and vision impairment globally from 1990 to 2020. We aimed to compare the results with the World Health Assembly Global Action Plan (WHA GAP) target of a 25% global reduction from 2010 to 2019 in avoidable vision impairment, defined as cataract and undercorrected refractive error.Methods: We did a systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based surveys of eye disease from January, 1980, to October, 2018. We fitted hierarchical models to estimate prevalence (with 95% uncertainty intervals [UIs]) of moderate and severe vision impairment (MSVI; presenting visual acuity from <6/18 to 3/60) and blindness (<3/60 or less than 10° visual field around central fixation) by cause, age, region, and year. Because of data sparsity at younger ages, our analysis focused on adults aged 50 years and older.Findings: Global crude prevalence of avoidable vision impairment and blindness in adults aged 50 years and older did not change between 2010 and 2019 (percentage change −0·2% [95% UI −1·5 to 1·0]; 2019 prevalence 9·58 cases per 1000 people [95% IU 8·51 to 10·8], 2010 prevalence 96·0 cases per 1000 people [86·0 to 107·0]). Age-standardised prevalence of avoidable blindness decreased by −15·4% [–16·8 to −14·3], while avoidable MSVI showed no change (0·5% [–0·8 to 1·6]). However, the number of cases increased for both avoidable blindness (10·8% [8·9 to 12·4]) and MSVI (31·5% [30·0 to 33·1]). The leading global causes of blindness in those aged 50 years and older in 2020 were cataract (15·2 million cases [9% IU 12·7–18·0]), followed by glaucoma (3·6 million cases [2·8–4·4]), undercorrected refractive error (2·3 million cases [1·8–2·8]), age-related macular degeneration (1·8 million cases [1·3–2·4]), and diabetic retinopathy (0·86 million cases [0·59–1·23]). Leading causes of MSVI were undercorrected refractive error (86·1 million cases [74·2–101·0]) and cataract (78·8 million cases [67·2–91·4]).Interpretation: Results suggest eye care services contributed to the observed reduction of age-standardised rates of avoidable blindness but not of MSVI, and that the target in an ageing global population was not reached

Use of green solvents as pre-treatment of dissolving pulp to decrease CS2 consumption from viscose production

Choline chloride-based deep eutectic solvents are widely used in biomass processing. In this work, four different green solvent mixtures were used as pre-treatment of acid sulphite dissolving pulp with the hypothesis of increasing the possibilities to produce viscose fibres and decreasing the use of the harmful and toxic carbon disulphide in the process. The experiments were performed at two different pulp to solvent mass ratios. Pulp quality parameters were also measured to determine the suitability of the pretreatment: a-cellulose, viscosity, lignin and pentosan content. In addition, X-ray diffraction analysis of pulps at the best solid to liquid ratio was performed to obtain the influence of the crystallinity index. Best results were obtained with the use of lactic acid, with reactivity values close to 94%, giving a reduction of CS2 usage of 15.83%. Furthermore, a linear relationship between the crystallinity index calculated by the XRD and reactivity with a regression factor of 0.87 was found