Seoul hantavirus as a cause of acute kidney injury in the United Kingdom

Hantaviruses are a group of rodent-borne viruses. Seoul hantavirus is considered to be the only global hantavirus, although reported human cases outside of Asia are rare. Human infection occurs when breathing in aerosols of excreta from infected rodents. Hantaviruses have been listed as a major impacting factor leading to a rise in acute kidney injury (AKI) throughout the Western world. In the UK, historically, there was evidence for human and animal exposure to hantaviruses demonstrated by the detection of specific antibodies and classic renal disease, however it is only during this study that existence of a UK hantavirus in wild rodent populations has been proven. Since 2012, several cases of acute AKI due to hantavirus infection in the UK have been confirmed. Two cases were from Yorkshire and had documented exposure to wild rats. Wild rodents were trapped from the farm belonging to one of the patient’s and a strain of Seoul virus, named Humber virus, was isolated from rats. Subsequent cases of AKI were in people with exposure to specially-bred pet fancy rats. Rats from one private breeding colony were tested and a second highly similar Seoul virus, named Cherwell virus, was described. Evidence for Cherwell virus was demonstrated in a human sample with genetic data of the virus recoverable from a serum sample. It was 100% identical to the pet rat strain, thus confirming SEOV as the causative agent of the patient’s AKI. These findings have implications for public health as Seoul virus is capable of causing moderate-severe human disease. The overarching aim of the thesis was to confirm hantaviruses cause human infection in the UK and raise clinical awareness; this was achieved

Influence of Fear of Pain and Coping Strategies on Health-Related Quality of Life and Patient-Anticipated Outcomes in Patients With Chronic Pain: Cross-Sectional Study Protocol

Background: Fear of pain and coping strategies are emotional-behavioral responses to pain and are known to play an important role in the development and maintenance of pain. It is highly likely that fear of pain and coping strategies influence each other, potentially affecting the course of chronic pain. To our knowledge, the relationship between pain, fear of pain and coping strategies, and how they influence patient-anticipated outcomes and health-related quality of life, have not been investigated. Objective: The aims of this study are to test (1) if both fear of pain and/or coping strategies are sufficient causes for maintaining pain; and (2) whether fear of pain influences coping strategies and pain intensity. The study will also examine the impact of fear of pain and coping strategies on health-related quality of life and patient-anticipated outcomes. Methods: The cross-sectional study will be conducted using an online survey. The Fear of Pain Questionnaire-III (FPQ-III), the Brief Coping Inventory (COPE), and EuroQoL-5d (EQ-5D) validated questionnaires will be used to collect data. Information pertaining to demographic factors, pain-related factors, and patient-anticipated outcomes will also be collected. The study has ethics approval from the Human Research Ethics Committee of the University of Adelaide. Study participants will be individuals aged 18 years and above who are experiencing chronic pain (ie, pain lasting more than 6 months). Effect measure modification technique (EMMM) will be used to examine if fear of pain acts as a moderator or mediator between coping strategies and pain. Simple and multinomial logistic regression analysis will be used to examine the effect of fear of pain and coping strategies on health-related quality of life and patient-anticipated outcomes. Results: Recruitment began July 2017 and it is anticipated that data collection will be completed by October 2017. Findings from this study will help to extend our understanding of fear of pain and coping strategies, their interaction, and their impact on health-related quality of life and patient-anticipated outcomes. Conclusions: Fear of pain and coping strategies have significant influence on the experience of chronic pain and its course. This study will help enhance our understanding of the relationship between fear of pain and coping strategies, which may help in developing patient-centered care practices

Prevalence of Antibodies against Hantaviruses in Serum and Saliva of Adults Living or Working on Farms in Yorkshire, United Kingdom

We acknowledge Clement and colleagues for their comments [1] on our paper [2]. We agree that many controversies are being discussed by the hantavirus community, particularly surrounding the interpretation of serological results and the designation of new species and strains. Within this setting, we are grateful for the opportunity to respond to the key factual and methodological points raised by Clements et al. [...

Successful Production and Ligninolytic Activity of a Bacterial Laccase, Lac51, Made in Nicotiana benthamiana via Transient Expression

Giant panda could have bamboo as their exclusive diet for about 2 million years because of the contribution of numerous enzymes produced by their gut bacteria, for instance laccases. Laccases are blue multi-copper oxidases that catalyze the oxidation of a broad spectrum of phenolic and aromatic compounds with water as the only byproduct. As a “green enzyme,” laccases have potential in industrial applications, for example, when dealing with degradation of recalcitrant biopolymers, such as lignin. In the current study, a bacterial laccase, Lac51, originating from Pseudomonas putida and identified in the gut microbiome of the giant panda’s gut was transiently expressed in the non-food plant Nicotiana benthamiana and characterized. Our results show that recombinant Lac51 exhibits bacterial laccase properties, with optimal pH and temperature at 7–8 and 40°C, respectively, when using syringaldazine as substrate. Moreover, we demonstrate the functional capability of the plant expressed Lac51 to oxidize lignin using selected lignin monomers that serve as substrates of Lac51. In summary, our study demonstrates the potential of green and non-food plants as a viable enzyme production platform for bacterial laccases. This result enriches our understanding of plant-made enzymes, as, to our knowledge, Lac51 is the first functional recombinant laccase produced in plants.publishedVersio

Tuning Advanced LIGO to kilohertz signals from neutron-star collisions

Gravitational waves produced at kilohertz frequencies in the aftermath of a neutron star collision can shed light on the behavior of matter at extreme temperatures and densities that are inaccessible to laboratory experiments. Gravitational-wave interferometers are limited by quantum noise at these frequencies but can be tuned via their optical configuration to maximize the probability of postmerger signal detection. We compare two such tuning strategies to turn Advanced LIGO into a postmerger-focused instrument: first, a wideband tuning that enhances the instrument’s signal-to-noise ratio 40–80% broadly above 1 kHz relative to the baseline, with a modest sensitivity penalty at lower frequencies; second, a “detuned” configuration that provides even more enhancement than the wideband tuning, but over only a narrow frequency band and at the expense of substantially worse quantum noise performance elsewhere. With an optimistic accounting for instrument loss and uncertainty in postmerger parameters, the detuned instrument has a ≲ 40% sensitivity improvement compared to the wideband instrument

The Grizzly, March 26, 2009

Escape Velocity • Long-Term Effects of Binge Drinking • New Member Education: Where are We Now? • Dieting: Is It About Your Body or Your Brain? • SIFE: Organization for All UC Majors • Students Bring Awareness to Campus • SIFE Alumni Advice: Ara Brown in the Education Industry • Opinions: Magazines, Newspapers, Television: They\u27re Everywhere!; Adult Industry and Federal Government Have a Showdown • UC Men\u27s Golf Team Warms Up in La Republica Dominicana • Steve Kingsland Finishes His Ursinus Wrestling Career Stronghttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1783/thumbnail.jp

Concert recording 2018-10-29

[Track 1]. The wolf\u27s aria from Little red riding hood / Seymour Barab -- [Track 2]. Die beiden Grenadiene / Robert Schumann -- [Track 3]. Jeanie with the light brown hair / Stephen Foster -- [Track 4]. Verborgenheit / Hugo Wolf -- [Track 5]. Ridente la calma / Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart -- [Track 6]. Allerseelen / Richard Strauss -- [Track 7]. Laurie\u27s song from The tender land / Aaron Copland -- [Track 8]. Come raggio di sol / Antonio Caldara -- [Track 9]. Gretchen am Spinnrade / Franz Schubert -- [Track 10]. La Spectre de la Rose from Les Nuits d\u27Ete / Hector Berlioz -- [Track 11]. Lied der Mignon / Franz Schubert -- [Track 12]. This is my beloved from Kismet / Robert Wright George Forrest -- [Track 13]. Dein blaues Auge [Track 14]. Wie Melodien zieht es / Johannes Brahms -- [Track 15]. The infinite shining heavens from Songs of travel / Ralph Vaughan-Williams -- [Track 16]. O stay, my love / Sergei Rachmaninoff -- [Track 17]. Il lacerato spirito from Simon Boccanegra / Giuseppe Verdi -- [Track 18]. There but for you I go from Brigadoon / Lerner and Loewe

The Grizzly, April 2, 2009

Monologues Give Vaginas Voice • Smelly, Spicy, Stimulating Aphrodisiacs: Fact or Fiction? • 26th Annual Airband • Spring Break Fun in the Sun with Habitat for Humanity • TA Eliana Henriquez • Restaurant Reviews: Irish Joe\u27s Cafe; Rock Bottom Brewery • Opinions: George W. Bush Legacy; Letter from a Local Resident • Pre-Season Update: UC Men\u27s Golf Gears Up for a New Seasonhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1784/thumbnail.jp

Parasitic Disease Surveillance, Mississippi, USA

Surveillance for soil-transmitted helminths, strongyloidiasis, cryptosporidiosis, and giardiasis was conducted in Mississippi, USA. PCR performed on 224 fecal samples for all soil-transmitted helminths and on 370 samples for only Necator americanus and Strongyloides stercoralis identified 1 S. stercoralis infection. Seroprevalences were 8.8% for Toxocara, 27.4% for Cryptosporidium, 5.7% for Giardia, and 0.2% for Strongyloides parasites

Observation of Parametric Instability in Advanced LIGO

Parametric instabilities have long been studied as a potentially limiting effect in high-power interferometric gravitational wave detectors. Until now, however, these instabilities have never been observed in a kilometer-scale interferometer. In this work we describe the first observation of parametric instability in an Advanced LIGO detector, and the means by which it has been removed as a barrier to progress