Recurring patterns in stationary intervals of abdominal uterine electromyograms during gestation

Abdominal uterine electromyograms (uEMG) studies have focused on uterine contractions to describe the evolution of uterine activity and preterm birth (PTB) prediction. Stationary, non-contracting uEMG has not been studied. The aim of the study was to investigate the recurring patterns in stationary uEMG, their relationship with gestation age and PTB, and PTB predictivity. A public database of 300 (38 PTB) three-channel (S1-S3) uEMG recordings of 30 min, collected between 22 and 35 weeks' gestation, was used. Motion and labour contraction-free intervals in uEMG were identified as 5-min weak-sense stationarity intervals in 268 (34 PTB) recordings. Sample entropy (SampEn), percentage recurrence (PR), percentage determinism (PD), entropy (ER), and maximum length (L MAX) of recurrence were calculated and analysed according to the time to delivery and PTB. Random time series were generated by random shuffle (RS) of actual data. Recurrence was present in actual data (p<0.001) but not RS. In S3, PR (p<0.005), PD (p<0.01), ER (p<0.005), and L MAX (p<0.05) were higher, and SampEn lower (p<0.005) in PTB. Recurrence indices increased (all p<0.001) and SampEn decreased (p<0.01) with decreasing time to delivery, suggesting increasingly regular and recurring patterns with gestation progression. All indices predicted PTB with AUC≥0.62 (p<0.05). Recurring patterns in stationary non-contracting uEMG were associated with time to delivery but were relatively poor predictors of PTB

2011-2012 Master Class - Phillip Evans (Piano)

https://spiral.lynn.edu/conservatory_masterclasses/1065/thumbnail.jp

Surname lists to identify South Asian and Chinese ethnicity from secondary data in Ontario, Canada: a validation study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Surname lists are useful for identifying cohorts of ethnic minority patients from secondary data sources. This study sought to develop and validate lists to identify people of South Asian and Chinese origin.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Comprehensive lists of South Asian and Chinese surnames were reviewed to identify those that uniquely belonged to the ethnic minority group. Surnames that were common in other populations, communities or ethnic groups were specifically excluded. These surname lists were applied to the Registered Persons Database, a registry of the health card numbers assigned to all residents of the Canadian province of Ontario, so that all residents were assigned to South Asian ethnicity, Chinese ethnicity or the General Population. Ethnic assignment was validated against self-identified ethnicity through linkage with responses to the Canadian Community Health Survey.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The final surname lists included 9,950 South Asian surnames and 1,133 Chinese surnames. All 16,688,384 current and former residents of Ontario were assigned to South Asian ethnicity, Chinese ethnicity or the General Population based on their surnames. Among 69,859 respondents to the Canadian Community Health Survey, both lists performed extremely well when compared against self-identified ethnicity: positive predictive value was 89.3% for the South Asian list, and 91.9% for the Chinese list. Because surnames shared with other ethnic groups were deliberately excluded from the lists, sensitivity was lower (50.4% and 80.2%, respectively).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>These surname lists can be used to identify cohorts of people with South Asian and Chinese origins from secondary data sources with a high degree of accuracy. These cohorts could then be used in epidemiologic and health service research studies of populations with South Asian and Chinese origins.</p

Vaccine potential and diversity of the putative cell binding factor (CBF, NMB0345/NEIS1825) protein of Neisseria meningitidis

The cbf gene from Neisseria meningitidis strain MC58 encoding the putative Cell Binding Factor (CBF, NMB0345/NEIS1825) protein was cloned into the pRSETA system and a ~36-kDa recombinant (r)CBF protein expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by metal affinity chromatography. High titres of rCBF antibodies were induced in mice following immunization with rCBF-saline, rCBF-Al(OH)3, rCBF-Liposomes or rCBF-Zwittergent (Zw) 3–14 micelles, both with and without incorporated monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA) adjuvant. Anti-rCBF sera reacted in western blots of meningococcal lysates with a single protein band of molecular mass ~29.5 kDa, indicative of mature CBF protein, but did not react with a lysate of a ?nmb0345 mutant (CBF-), demonstrating specificity of the murine immune responses. CBF protein was produced by all strains of meningococci studied thus far and the protein was present on the surface of MC58 (CBF+) bacteria, but absent on ?nmb0345 mutant (CBF-) bacteria, as judged by FACS reactivity of anti-rCBF sera. Analysis of the NEIS1825 amino acid sequences from 6644 N. meningitidis isolates with defined Alleles in the pubmlst.org/Neisseria database showed that there were 141 ST types represented and there were 136 different allelic loci encoding 49 non-redundant protein sequences. Only 6/6644 (&lt;0.1%) of N. meningitidis isolates lacked the nmb0345 gene. Amongst serogroup B isolates worldwide, ~68% and ~20% expressed CBF encoded by Allele 1 and 18 respectively, with the proteins sharing &gt;99% amino acid identity. Murine antisera to rCBF in Zw 3–14 micelles + MPLA induced significant serum bactericidal activity (SBA) against homologous Allele 1 and heterologous Allele 18 strains, using both baby rabbit serum complement and human serum complement (h)SBA assays, but did not kill strains expressing heterologous protein encoded by Alelle 2 or 3. Furthermore, variable bactericidal activity was induced by murine antisera against different meningococcal strains in the hSBA assay, which may correlate with variable surface exposure of CBF. Regardless, the attributes of amino acid sequence conservation and protein expression amongst different strains and the ability to induce cross-strain bactericidal antibodies indicates that rCBF could be a potential meningococcal vaccine antigen and merits further testin

Lower pretreatment HBV DNA levels are associated with better off-treatment outcomes after nucleo(s)tide analogue withdrawal in patients with HBeAg-neegative chronic hepatitis B: A multicentre cohort study

Entecavir; HBV DNA; TenofovirEntecavir; ADN del VHB; TenofovirEntecavir; ADN del VHB; TenofovirBackground & Aims Pretreatment predictors of finite nucleo(s)tide analogue (NUC) therapy remain elusive. We studied the association between pretreatment HBV DNA levels and outcomes after therapy cessation. Methods Patients with chronic hepatitis B who were HBeAg negative at the start of NUC treatment were enrolled from sites in Asia and Europe. We studied the association between pretreatment HBV DNA levels and (1) clinical relapse (defined as HBV DNA >2,000 IU/ml + alanine aminotransferase >2 × the upper limit of normal or retreatment) and (2) HBsAg loss after NUC withdrawal. Results We enrolled 757 patients, 88% Asian, 57% treated with entecavir, with a median duration of treatment of 159 (IQR 156–262) weeks. Mean pretreatment HBV DNA levels were 5.70 (SD 1.5) log IU/ml and were low (20,000 IU/ml) in 607 (80%). The cumulative risk of clinical relapse at 144 weeks after therapy cessation was 22% among patients with pretreatment HBV DNA levels 20,000 IU/ml, whereas the cumulative probabilities of HBsAg loss were 17.5% vs. 5% (p <0.001). In multivariable analysis, pretreatment HBV DNA levels <20,000 IU/ml were independently associated with a reduced likelihood of clinical relapse (adjusted hazard ratio 0.379, p <0.001) and with an increased chance of HBsAg loss (adjusted hazard ratio 2.872, p <0.001). Conclusions Lower pretreatment HBV DNA levels are associated with a lower risk of clinical relapse and a higher chance of HBsAg loss after cessation of NUC therapy, independent of end-of-treatment viral antigen levels. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings in non-Asian populations. Impact and Implications A subgroup of patients with chronic hepatitis B may not require retreatment after stopping antiviral therapy. In this study, comprising 757 patients with chronic hepatitis B from Europe and Asia, we found that higher viral load before initiation of treatment was a risk factor for relapse after stopping treatment. Patients with a low HBV DNA level before starting antiviral therapy had the lowest risk of relapse, and a high chance of HBsAg loss, after stopping treatment. These findings can help select patients for treatment withdrawal and guide intensity of off-treatment monitoring.The CREATE study was supported by Fujirebio. Materials for HBcrAg testing were provided free of charge to several participating centres. Fujirebio had no influence on CREATE study design, data collection, data analysis, writing of the current manuscript, or the decision to submit for publication

Probability of HBsAg loss after nucleo(s)tide analogue withdrawal depends on HBV genotype and viral antigen levels

HBV genotype; Viral antigenGenotipo VHB; Antígeno viralGenotip del VHB; Antigen viralBackground & Aims Nucleo(s)tide analogue (NUC) withdrawal may result in HBsAg clearance in a subset of patients. However, predictors of HBsAg loss after NUC withdrawal remain ill-defined. Methods We studied predictors of HBsAg loss in a global cohort of HBeAg-negative patients with undetectable HBV DNA who discontinued long-term NUC therapy. Patients requiring retreatment after treatment cessation were considered non-responders. Results We enrolled 1,216 patients (991 with genotype data); 98 (8.1%) achieved HBsAg loss. The probability of HBsAg loss was higher in non-Asian patients (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 8.26, p 100 IU/ml) and HBcrAg (100 IU/ml with detectable HBcrAg. HBsAg loss rates also varied with HBV genotype; the highest rates were observed for genotypes A and D, and none of the patients with HBV genotype E experienced HBsAg loss (p <0.001 for the overall comparison across genotypes; p <0.001 for genotypes A/D vs. genotypes B/C). HBV genotype C was independently associated with a higher probability of HBsAg loss when compared to genotype B among Asian patients (aHR 2.494; 95% CI 1.490–4.174, p = 0.001). Conclusions The probability of HBsAg loss after NUC cessation varies according to patient ethnicity, HBV genotype and end-of-treatment viral antigen levels. Patients with low HBsAg (<100 IU/ml) and/or undetectable HBcrAg levels, particularly if non-Asian or infected with HBV genotype C, appear to be the best candidates for treatment withdrawal.The CREATE study was supported by Fujirebio. No additional funding was obtained for this follow-up analysis

Measuring temporal change in alpha diversity : a framework integrating taxonomic, phylogenetic and functional diversity and the iNEXT.3D standardization

Funding: This work is jointly supported by the Natural Environment Research Council, UK (NE/T004487/1 for AM and MD) and the Taiwan Ministry of Science and Technology under Contracts NERC-MOST 108-2923-M-007-003 (for AC and CC). AM and MD also acknowledge support from the Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2019-401).1. Biodiversity is a multifaceted concept covering different levels of organisation from genes to ecosystems. Biodiversity has at least three dimensions: (i) Taxonomic diversity (TD): a measure that is sensitive to the number and abundances of species. (ii) Phylogenetic diversity (PD): a measure that incorporates not only species abundances but also species evolutionary histories. (iii) Functional diversity (FD): a measure that considers not only species abundances but also species? traits. 2. We integrate the three dimensions of diversity under a unified framework of Hill numbers and their generalizations. Our TD quantifies the effective number of equally-abundant species, PD quantifies the effective total branch length, mean-PD (PD divided by tree depth) quantifies the effective number of equally-divergent lineages, and FD quantifies the effective number of equally-distinct virtual functional groups (or functional ?species?). Thus, TD, mean-PD and FD are all in the same units of species/lineage equivalents and can be meaningfully compared. 3. Like species richness, empirical TD, PD and FD based on sampling data, depend on sampling effort and sample completeness. For TD (Hill numbers), the iNEXT (interpolation and extrapolation) standardization was developed for standardizing sample size or sample completeness (as measured by sample coverage, the fraction of individuals that belong to the observed species) to make objective comparisons across studies. This paper extends the iNEXT method to the iNEXT.3D standardization to encompass all three dimensions of diversity via sample-size- and sample-coverage-based rarefaction and extrapolation under the unified framework. The asymptotic diversity estimates (i.e., sample size tends to infinity and sample coverage tends to unity) are also derived. In addition to individual-based abundance data, the proposed iNEXT.3D standardization is adapted to deal with incidence-based occurrence data. 4. We apply the integrative framework and the proposed iNEXT.3D standardization to measure temporal alpha-diversity changes for estuarine fish assemblage data spanning four decades. The influence of environmental drivers on diversity change are also assessed. Our analysis informs a mechanistic interpretation of biodiversity change in the three dimensions of diversity. The accompanying freeware, iNEXT.3D, developed during this project, facilitates all computation and graphics.PostprintPeer reviewe

Клинические аспекты неходжкинских лимфом с первичным поражением абдоминальных лимфатических узлов.

Clincal aspects of non-Hodgkin lymphoma with primary lymph nodes involvement.Au fost studiate aspectele clinice la 65 pacienţi cu limfom non-Hodgkin cu afectarea primară a ganglionilor limfatici abdominali &icirc;n v&acirc;rstă de la 2 p&acirc;nă la 73 de ani. Diagnosticul &icirc;n toate cazurile a fost confirmat morfologic. S-a constatat că LNH cu afectarea primară a ganglionilor limfatici abdominali, s-au dezvoltat mai frecvent la persoanele cu v&acirc;rsta de 40-59 de ani (58,8%), preponderent la bărbaţi (69,2%). La copii şi pacienţii cu v&acirc;rsta 19-39 de ani au fost diagnosticate doar LNH de tip agresiv, care au predominat şi &icirc;n grupul de 40-59 de ani. LNH indolente s-au dezvoltat doar la persoanele cu v&acirc;rsta de peste 40 de ani, preponderent de peste 60 de ani (53,3%) . La etapele iniţiale procesul tumoral s-a răsp&acirc;ndit &icirc;n ganglionii limfatici inghinali (50,0%), mediastinali (31,1%). Metastaze extranodale la copii au avut loc mai frecvent &icirc;n sistemul nervos central (100%), la adulţi &ndash; &icirc;n ficat (80,0%), splină (64,4%), iar la personele cu v&acirc;rsta de peste 60 de ani şi &icirc;n maduva oaselor (36,3%). La copii afectarea măduvei oaselor a avut loc numai &icirc;ntr-un caz. La adulţi interesarea măduvei oaselor a fost &icirc;nregistrată doar &icirc;n LNH indolente.Клинические аспекты неходжкинских лимфом с первичным поражением абдоминальных лимфатических узлов

The clinicomorphological features of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas in children

Catedra Hematologie şi Oncologie a USMF „N.Testemiţanu”,The clinicomorphological features of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas (NHL) have been studied in 106 children of 2-15 years old. We revealed that the children had only the high-grade NHL. The primary tumor focus was situated predominantly in the abdominal cavity (abdominal lymph nodes and ileocecal region of the intestine). Regardless the primary tumor focus NHL initially spread in regional lymph nodes. The central nervous system and the bone marrow was involved more after and during the disease dissemination in children. Au fost studiate particularităţile clinico-morfologice la 106 copii de limfom non-Hodgkin (LNH) în vârstă de la 2 până la 15 ani. S-a stabilit că la copii s-au dezvoltat numai LNH cu grad înalt de malignitate. Focarul primar tumoral a predominat în cavitatea abdominală (ganglionii limfatici intraabdominali şi regiunea ileocecală a intestinului). Indiferent de localizarea focarului primar al LNH, la etapele iniţiale procesul tumoral s-a răspândit în ganglionii limfatici regiunali. În procesul generalizării la copii frecvent au avut loc determinările în sistemul nervos central şi măduva osoasă