Prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Europe: The Past and the Future

Purpose Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a frequent, complex disorder in elderly of European ancestry. Risk profiles and treatment options have changed considerably over the years, which may have affected disease prevalence and outcome. We determined the prevalence of early and late AMD in Europe from 1990 to 2013 using the European Eye Epidemiology (E3) consortium, and made projections for the future. Design Meta-analysis of prevalence data. Participants A total of 42 080 individuals 40 years of age and older participating in 14 population-based cohorts from 10 countries in Europe. Methods AMD was diagnosed based on fundus photographs using the Rotterdam Classification. Prevalence of early and late AMD was calculated using random-effects meta-analysis stratified for age, birth cohort, gender, geographic region, and time period of the study. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was compared between late AMD subtypes; geographic atrophy (GA) and choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Main Outcome Measures Prevalence of early and late AMD, BCVA, and number of AMD cases. Results Prevalence of early AMD increased from 3.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.1%–5.0%) in those aged 55–59 years to 17.6% (95%

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Mutual relations between petrographical and petrophysical properties of Cretaceous rock samples for some wells in the North Western Desert, Egypt

The petrographical and petrophysical analyses are very important to understand the factors controlling the reservoir quality. So, these techniques have been applied on rock samples collected from the Cretaceous section for four wells drilled in the North Western Desert, Egypt. The wells are Gibb Afia-1, Betty-1, Salam-1X and Mersa Matruh-1. Lithostratigraphically, the studied rock samples are grouped into Lower Cretaceous sandstones, Upper Cretaceous sandstones and Upper Cretaceous carbonates. Petrographically, the Cretaceous rock samples can be differentiated into 14 microfacies, namely, chloritic ferrigenous quartz wacke, ferrigenous calcareous quartz wacke, laminated quartz wacke, calcareous glauconitic quartz arenite, laminated gypsiferous quartz arenite, fossiliferous glauconitic calcareous quartz arenite, clayey ferrigenous calcareous quartz arenite, ferrigenous calcareous glauconitic lithic arenite, feldspathic ferrigenous quartz arenite, fossiliferous biomicrite, glauconitic oolitic sandy biosparite, calcareous gypsiferous ferrigenous dolostone, calcareous algal siltstone and laminated sandstone and siltstone. Lower Cretaceous rocks have been deposited in a fluviatile in shallow marine environments, while the Upper Cretaceous rocks have been deposited in a fluviatile in marine environments. Diagenetic history has been controlled by diagenetic processes enhancing the porosity (dissolution of framework silicates, leaching and dolomitization) and diagenetic processes reducing porosity (mechanical infiltration of clays, formation of authigenic minerals, compaction and pressure solution, cementation and recrystallization). Porosity types are mainly interparticles, vugs and molds, in addition to fractures and channel porosities. The average porosity of the Lower Cretaceous sandstones, Upper Cretaceous sandstones and Upper Cretaceous carbonates are 16.6%, 16.7% and 22.0%, respectively, as depends mainly on the bulk density with average values of 2.22, 2.26 and 2.14 g/cm3, respectively. The permeability of both the Lower and Upper Cretaceous sandstones with average values of 114.14 and 50.40 mD, respectively, depends mainly on porosity with some other parameters, like pore throat sizes and it could be also related to the electrical tortuosity with average values of 2.27 and 2.40, respectively. The Upper Cretaceous carbonate rocks are characterized by high porosity (22.0%) and low permeability (3.91 mD), this could be attributed to the isolated pore space, and decreasing in pore throat sizes due the presence of significant amounts of fine particles (clay minerals having microporosity and reduce the pore throat radius). The reservoir quality index with average values of 0.43, 0.29 and 0.08 μm, depends mainly on permeability with average values of 114.14, 50.40 and 3.91 mD, of the Lower Cretaceous sandstones, Upper Cretaceous sandstones and the Upper Cretaceous carbonates, respectively. This indicates that, the sandstones of the Lower and Upper Cretaceous rocks are characterized by high to moderate reservoir quality, respectively, while the Upper Cretaceous carbonate rocks are characterized by low reservoir quality. This may be due to the combined effect of the porosity and permeability rather than the total porosity. The formation resistivity factor was measured at three consequent saline concentrations of 6, 30 and 60 kppm, it is controlled by the porosity and electrical tortuosity

Mineralogical, geochemical and hydrocarbon potential of subsurface Cretaceous shales, Northern Western Desert, Egypt

Twenty four Cretaceous shale core samples of Gibb Afia-1, Betty-1, Salam-1X and Mersa Matruh-1 wells were mineralogically and geochemically studied using XRD, XRF and Rock Eval Pyrolysis. Kaolinite, smectite and illite are the main clay minerals in addition to rare chlorite, while the non-clay minerals include quartz, calcite, dolomite and rare siderite. The shales were derived through intensive chemical weathering of mafic basement and older sedimentary rocks. These sediments were deposited in a near-shore shallow marine environment with some terrestrial material input. The shales have poor to fair organic content. It is marginally to rarely mature