Record of the marine cyanobacteria from the rocky shores of Bet-Dwarka and Okha, India

Citas de cianobacterias marinas dei litoral rocoso de Bet-Dwarka y Okha, IndiaKeywords. Cyanobacteria, Sea Shore, Flora, Bet-Dwarka, Okha, IndiaPalabras clave. Cianobacteria, litoral marino, flora, Bet-Dwarka, Okha, Indi

Prevalence of Portable Point of Care Tests Used on Medical Service Trips in Latin America and the Caribbean

Background: Short-term, primary care medical service trips (MSTs) frequently use inexpensive, portable point of care (POC) tests to guide diagnosis and treatment of patients in low-resource settings. However, the degree to which different POC tests are carried by organizations serving remote communities is currently unknown. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of various POC tests used by MST-sending organizations operating in Latin America. Methods: We surveyed 166 organizations operating mobile MSTs in Latin America and the Caribbean on the types of POC tests carried on their brigades. Findings: Forty-eight organizations responded (response rate: 28.9%). The most commonly carried tests were glucometers (40/48; 83.3%), urine dipsticks (31/48; 77.1%), and urine pregnancy tests (32/48; 66.7%). Fewer groups carried hemoglobinometers (16/48; 33.3%), malaria diagnostic tests (18/48; 37.5%), tests for sexually transmitted infection (8/48; 16.7%), or portable ultrasound (19/48; 40.0%). Conclusions: These tests may be useful for field diagnosis, but clinicians should understand the performance limitations of each test compared to its gold standard. When combined with knowledge of local epidemiology, these exploratory results will be useful in resource planning, guidelines development for MSTs, and in establishing minimum recommendations for diagnostic resources that should be available on MSTs

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

From research to practice: Lay adherence counsellors' fidelity to an evidence-based intervention for promoting adherence to antiretroviral treatment in the Western Cape, South Africa

In the Western Cape, lay counsellors are tasked with supporting antiretroviral (ARV) adherence in public healthcare clinics. Thirty-nine counsellors in 21 Cape Town clinics were trained in Options for Health (Options), an evidence-based intervention based on motivational interviewing (MI). We evaluated counsellors’ ability to deliver Options for addressing poor adherence following 5 days training. Audio-recordings of counselling sessions collected following training were transcribed and translated into English. Thirty-five transcripts of sessions conducted by 35 counsellors were analysed for fidelity to the Options protocol, and using the Motivational Interviewing Treatment and Integrity (MITI) code. Counsellors struggled with some of the strategies associated with MI, such as assessing readiness-to-change and facilitating change talk. Overall, counsellors failed to achieve proficiency in the approach of MI according to the MITI. Counsellors were able to negotiate realistic plans for addressing patients’ barriers to adherence. Further efforts aimed at strengthening the ARV adherence counselling programme are needed.Department of HE and Training approved lis

Evaluating the Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Mutation D614G on Transmissibility and Pathogenicity.

Global dispersal and increasing frequency of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variant D614G are suggestive of a selective advantage but may also be due to a random founder effect. We investigate the hypothesis for positive selection of spike D614G in the United Kingdom using more than 25,000 whole genome SARS-CoV-2 sequences. Despite the availability of a large dataset, well represented by both spike 614 variants, not all approaches showed a conclusive signal of positive selection. Population genetic analysis indicates that 614G increases in frequency relative to 614D in a manner consistent with a selective advantage. We do not find any indication that patients infected with the spike 614G variant have higher COVID-19 mortality or clinical severity, but 614G is associated with higher viral load and younger age of patients. Significant differences in growth and size of 614G phylogenetic clusters indicate a need for continued study of this variant

Procalcitonin Is Not a Reliable Biomarker of Bacterial Coinfection in People With Coronavirus Disease 2019 Undergoing Microbiological Investigation at the Time of Hospital Admission

Abstract Admission procalcitonin measurements and microbiology results were available for 1040 hospitalized adults with coronavirus disease 2019 (from 48 902 included in the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infections Consortium World Health Organization Clinical Characterisation Protocol UK study). Although procalcitonin was higher in bacterial coinfection, this was neither clinically significant (median [IQR], 0.33 [0.11–1.70] ng/mL vs 0.24 [0.10–0.90] ng/mL) nor diagnostically useful (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.56 [95% confidence interval, .51–.60]).</jats:p