Clinical validation of automated and rapid mariPOC SARS-CoV-2 antigen test

Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s).COVID-19 diagnostics was quickly ramped up worldwide early 2020 based on the detection of viral RNA. However, based on the scientific knowledge for pre-existing coronaviruses, it was expected that the SARS-CoV-2 RNA will be detected from symptomatic and at significant rates also from asymptomatic individuals due to persistence of non-infectious RNA. To increase the efficacy of diagnostics, surveillance, screening and pandemic control, rapid methods, such as antigen tests, are needed for decentralized testing and to assess infectiousness. A novel automated mariPOC SARS-CoV-2 test was developed for the detection of conserved structural viral nucleocapsid proteins. The test utilizes sophisticated optical laser technology for two-photon excitation and individual detection of immunoassay solid-phase particles. We validated the new method against qRT-PCR. Sensitivity of the test was 100.0% (13/13) directly from nasopharyngeal swab specimens and 84.4% (38/45) from swab specimens in undefined transport mediums. Specificity of the test was 100.0% (201/201). The test's limit of detection was 2.7 TCID50/test. It showed no cross-reactions. Our study shows that the new test can detect infectious individuals already in 20 min with clinical sensitivity close to qRT-PCR. The mariPOC is a versatile platform for syndromic testing and for high capacity infection control screening of infectious individuals.Peer reviewe

Increased tooth brushing frequency is associated with reduced gingival pocket bacterial diversity in patients with intracranial aneurysms

Objectives The objective of this study was to investigate the association of tooth brushing frequency and bacterial communities of gingival crevicular fluid in patients subjected to preoperative dental examination prior to operative treatment for unruptured intracranial aneurysms. Methods Gingival crevicular fluid samples were taken from their deepest gingival pocket from a series of hospitalized neurosurgical patients undergoing preoperative dental screening (n = 60). The patients were asked whether they brushed their teeth two times a day, once a day, or less than every day. Total bacterial DNA was isolated and the V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplificated. Sequencing was performed with Illumina’s 16S metagenomic sequencing library preparation protocol and data were analyzed with QIIME (1.9.1) and R statistical software (3.3.2). Results Bacterial diversity (Chao1 index) in the crevicular fluid reduced along with reported tooth brushing frequency (p = 0.0002; R2 = 34%; p (adjusted with age and sex) = 0.09; R2 = 11%) showing that patients who reported brushing their teeth twice a day had the lowest bacterial diversity. According to the differential abundant analysis between the tooth brushing groups, tooth brushing associated with two phyla of fusobacteria [p = 0.0001; p = 0.0007], and one bacteroidetes (p = 0.004) by reducing their amounts. Conclusions Tooth brushing may reduce the gingival bacterial diversity and the abundance of periodontal bacteria maintaining oral health and preventing periodontitis, and thus it is highly recommended for neurosurgical patients

Clinical validation of automated and rapid mariPOC SARS-CoV-2 antigen test

COVID-19 diagnostics was quickly ramped up worldwide early 2020 based on the detection of viral RNA. However, based on the scientific knowledge for pre-existing coronaviruses, it was expected that the SARS-CoV-2 RNA will be detected from symptomatic and at significant rates also from asymptomatic individuals due to persistence of non-infectious RNA. To increase the efficacy of diagnostics, surveillance, screening and pandemic control, rapid methods, such as antigen tests, are needed for decentralized testing and to assess infectiousness. A novel automated mariPOC SARS-CoV-2 test was developed for the detection of conserved structural viral nucleocapsid proteins. The test utilizes sophisticated optical laser technology for two-photon excitation and individual detection of immunoassay solid-phase particles. We validated the new method against qRT-PCR. Sensitivity of the test was 100.0% (13/13) directly from nasopharyngeal swab specimens and 84.4% (38/45) from swab specimens in undefined transport mediums. Specificity of the test was 100.0% (201/201). The test's limit of detection was 2.7 TCID50/test. It showed no cross-reactions. Our study shows that the new test can detect infectious individuals already in 20 min with clinical sensitivity close to qRT-PCR. The mariPOC is a versatile platform for syndromic testing and for high capacity infection control screening of infectious individuals.</p

Genome-Wide Analysis in Over 1 Million Individuals of European Ancestry Yields Improved Polygenic Risk Scores for Blood Pressure Traits

Hypertension affects more than one billion people worldwide. Here we identify 113 novel loci, reporting a total of 2,103 independent genetic signals (P \u3c 5 × 10-8) from the largest single-stage blood pressure (BP) genome-wide association study to date (n = 1,028,980 European individuals). These associations explain more than 60% of single nucleotide polymorphism-based BP heritability. Comparing top versus bottom deciles of polygenic risk scores (PRSs) reveals clinically meaningful differences in BP (16.9 mmHg systolic BP, 95% CI, 15.5-18.2 mmHg, P = 2.22 × 10-126) and more than a sevenfold higher odds of hypertension risk (odds ratio, 7.33; 95% CI, 5.54-9.70; P = 4.13 × 10-44) in an independent dataset. Adding PRS into hypertension-prediction models increased the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) from 0.791 (95% CI, 0.781-0.801) to 0.826 (95% CI, 0.817-0.836, ∆AUROC, 0.035, P = 1.98 × 10-34). We compare the 2,103 loci results in non-European ancestries and show significant PRS associations in a large African-American sample. Secondary analyses implicate 500 genes previously unreported for BP. Our study highlights the role of increasingly large genomic studies for precision health research

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Genome-wide analysis in over 1 million individuals of European ancestry yields improved polygenic risk scores for blood pressure traits

Hypertension affects more than one billion people worldwide. Here we identify 113 novel loci, reporting a total of 2,103 independent genetic signals (P &lt; 5 × 10−8) from the largest single-stage blood pressure (BP) genome-wide association study to date (n = 1,028,980 European individuals). These associations explain more than 60% of single nucleotide polymorphism-based BP heritability. Comparing top versus bottom deciles of polygenic risk scores (PRSs) reveals clinically meaningful differences in BP (16.9 mmHg systolic BP, 95% CI, 15.5–18.2 mmHg, P = 2.22 × 10−126) and more than a sevenfold higher odds of hypertension risk (odds ratio, 7.33; 95% CI, 5.54–9.70; P = 4.13 × 10−44) in an independent dataset. Adding PRS into hypertension-prediction models increased the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) from 0.791 (95% CI, 0.781–0.801) to 0.826 (95% CI, 0.817–0.836, ∆AUROC, 0.035, P = 1.98 × 10−34). We compare the 2,103 loci results in non-European ancestries and show significant PRS associations in a large African-American sample. Secondary analyses implicate 500 genes previously unreported for BP. Our study highlights the role of increasingly large genomic studies for precision health research

Opiskelijoiden terveyskäyttäytyminen - päihteiden käyttö ja mielenterveys

Tämän opinnäytetyön tarkoitus on kuvata opiskelijoiden päihteidenkäyttöä ja mielenter-veyttä terveyskäyttäytymistutkimusten valossa. Opinnäytetyö on osana Metropolian Ammattikorkeakoulun hanketta, joka toteutetaan yhdessä Kiinan, Japanin ja Sri Lankan hoitotyön opiskelijoiden kanssa. Opinnäytetyö tehdään kuvailevana kirjallisuuskatsauk-sena. Kirjallisuuskatsaukseen valitaan aineisto eri tietokannoista ja lähteinä käytetään 2010-2018 tehtyjä hankkeita opiskelijoiden terveyskäyttäytymisestä. Tutkimuksen tavoite on koota yhteen tietoa hoitotyön opiskelijoiden terveyskäyttäytymishankkeeseen, joka toteutetaan yhdessä Kiinan, Japanin ja Sri Lankan hoitotyön oppilaitosten kanssa. Tut-kimuskysymyksemme on, mitä on opiskelijoiden mielenterveys ja päihteidenkäyttö ter-veyskäyttäytymistutkimusten valossa

Työhyvinvoinnin kehittäminen monikulttuurisessa työyhteisössä

Tämän opinnäytetyön tavoitteena oli selvittää ja etsiä kehitysideoita työhyvinvoinnin parantamiseksi. Toimeksiantajana toimi lämpö-, vesi- ja ilmastointilaitteiden ja -tarvikkeiden tukkukaupan alalla toimiva yritys. Työhyvinvointia tutkittiin ja kehitysideoita kerättiin yrityksen sisämyyntitiimissä, jonka työntekijät tekevät työtään Suomessa, Virossa, Latviassa ja Liettuassa. Teoriaosuudessa tutkittiin työhyvinvoinnin elementtejä, hybridityön haasteita ja johtamista, monikulttuurisuuden vaikutusta työn tekemisen tapoihin ja johtamiseen. Monikulttuurisuutta tutkittiin Hofsteden ulottuvuuksien avulla. Työhyvinvoinnin tutkimisen apuna käytettiin työnantajayrityksen teettämien työtyytyväisyystutkimusten tuloksia vuosilta 2022 ja 2023. Aineistoa kerättiin myös laadullisilla teemahaastatteluilla. Haastatteluiden kysymykset pohjautuvat käsiteltyyn teoriaan. Haastatteluissa esiin nousseita kehitysehdotuksia käytiin läpi työpajatyöskentelyssä. Haastatteluiden perusteella selvisi, että työhyvinvointi tiimissä on jo nyt hyvällä tasolla, mutta kehittämisen varaa on. Haastatellut kokivat, että työ voidaan tehdä työajalla ja liiallista stressiä ei pääsääntöisesti ole. Ison konsernin kankeus ja hitaat prosessit aiheuttivat kuitenkin ajoittain turhautumista. Lähiesihenkilötyö koettiin hyväksi. Haastateltavat toivat esiin kehitysehdotuksia, jotka voitiin laittaa neljän eri kategorian alle. Kehitysehdotuksia olivat aikataulutettava työhyvinvointitunti, työhyvinvointitoiminnan järjestäminen kokonaisuudessaan työajan aikana, tiimihengen parantaminen ja esihenkilön tapaaminen useammin kasvokkain. Työpajassa valittiin haastatteluissa esiin tulleista kehitysehdotuksista ensisijaiseksi kehittämisehdotukseksi aikataulutettava työhyvinvointitunti. Sen koettiin olevan uusi tapa työhyvinvoinnin kehittämiseksi ja sen avulla työn ja vapaa-ajan yhdistäminen ja sujuvoittaminen on helpompaa

Similarity of salivary microbiome in parents and adult children

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