Blood glucose as a predictor of diarrheal dehydration in children

Background: Diarrhea remains the second leading cause of death globally among under 5 children. Historical clinical characteristics may not correlate to dehydration severity. Objectives: This study was done to evaluate the glycemic status of children having acute diarrhea with dehydration, at presentation, and to analyze the blood glucose as a predictor of the severity of diarrheal dehydration. Materials and Methods: Blood glucose levels were assessed in 150 children with acute diarrhea with dehydration, on admission. Results: Blood glucose levels showed statistically significant association with the degree of dehydration (p<0.05). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that blood glucose was a poor predictor of the severity of dehydration (area under curve [AUC] 0.240, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.050-0.429, standard error [SE] = 0.097) for some dehydration; and (AUC = 0.760, 95% CI = 0.571-0.950, SE = 0.097) for severe dehydration. Conclusion: Blood glucose is a poor predictor of the severity of diarrheal dehydration

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 activity is required for T cell activation and induction of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 drives T cell activation and disease in EAE in part by regulating the actin binding protein coronin 1a

Factors influencing the higher incidence of tuberculosis among migrants and ethnic minorities in the UK.

Migrants and ethnic minorities in the UK have higher rates of tuberculosis (TB) compared with the general population. Historically, much of the disparity in incidence between UK-born and migrant populations has been attributed to differential pathogen exposure, due to migration from high-incidence regions and the transnational connections maintained with TB endemic countries of birth or ethnic origin. However, focusing solely on exposure fails to address the relatively high rates of progression to active disease observed in some populations of latently infected individuals. A range of factors that disproportionately affect migrants and ethnic minorities, including genetic susceptibility, vitamin D deficiency and co-morbidities such as diabetes mellitus and HIV, also increase vulnerability to infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) or reactivation of latent infection. Furthermore, ethnic socio-economic disparities and the experience of migration itself may contribute to differences in TB incidence, as well as cultural and structural barriers to accessing healthcare. In this review, we discuss both biological and anthropological influences relating to risk of pathogen exposure, vulnerability to infection or development of active disease, and access to treatment for migrant and ethnic minorities in the UK

SARS-CoV-2-specific nasal IgA wanes 9 months after hospitalisation with COVID-19 and is not induced by subsequent vaccination

BACKGROUND: Most studies of immunity to SARS-CoV-2 focus on circulating antibody, giving limited insights into mucosal defences that prevent viral replication and onward transmission. We studied nasal and plasma antibody responses one year after hospitalisation for COVID-19, including a period when SARS-CoV-2 vaccination was introduced. METHODS: In this follow up study, plasma and nasosorption samples were prospectively collected from 446 adults hospitalised for COVID-19 between February 2020 and March 2021 via the ISARIC4C and PHOSP-COVID consortia. IgA and IgG responses to NP and S of ancestral SARS-CoV-2, Delta and Omicron (BA.1) variants were measured by electrochemiluminescence and compared with plasma neutralisation data. FINDINGS: Strong and consistent nasal anti-NP and anti-S IgA responses were demonstrated, which remained elevated for nine months (p < 0.0001). Nasal and plasma anti-S IgG remained elevated for at least 12 months (p < 0.0001) with plasma neutralising titres that were raised against all variants compared to controls (p < 0.0001). Of 323 with complete data, 307 were vaccinated between 6 and 12 months; coinciding with rises in nasal and plasma IgA and IgG anti-S titres for all SARS-CoV-2 variants, although the change in nasal IgA was minimal (1.46-fold change after 10 months, p = 0.011) and the median remained below the positive threshold determined by pre-pandemic controls. Samples 12 months after admission showed no association between nasal IgA and plasma IgG anti-S responses (R = 0.05, p = 0.18), indicating that nasal IgA responses are distinct from those in plasma and minimally boosted by vaccination. INTERPRETATION: The decline in nasal IgA responses 9 months after infection and minimal impact of subsequent vaccination may explain the lack of long-lasting nasal defence against reinfection and the limited effects of vaccination on transmission. These findings highlight the need to develop vaccines that enhance nasal immunity. FUNDING: This study has been supported by ISARIC4C and PHOSP-COVID consortia. ISARIC4C is supported by grants from the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council. Liverpool Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre provided infrastructure support for this research. The PHOSP-COVD study is jointly funded by UK Research and Innovation and National Institute of Health and Care Research. The funders were not involved in the study design, interpretation of data or the writing of this manuscript

Large-scale phenotyping of patients with long COVID post-hospitalization reveals mechanistic subtypes of disease

One in ten severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections result in prolonged symptoms termed long coronavirus disease (COVID), yet disease phenotypes and mechanisms are poorly understood1. Here we profiled 368 plasma proteins in 657 participants ≥3 months following hospitalization. Of these, 426 had at least one long COVID symptom and 233 had fully recovered. Elevated markers of myeloid inflammation and complement activation were associated with long COVID. IL-1R2, MATN2 and COLEC12 were associated with cardiorespiratory symptoms, fatigue and anxiety/depression; MATN2, CSF3 and C1QA were elevated in gastrointestinal symptoms and C1QA was elevated in cognitive impairment. Additional markers of alterations in nerve tissue repair (SPON-1 and NFASC) were elevated in those with cognitive impairment and SCG3, suggestive of brain–gut axis disturbance, was elevated in gastrointestinal symptoms. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) was persistently elevated in some individuals with long COVID, but virus was not detected in sputum. Analysis of inflammatory markers in nasal fluids showed no association with symptoms. Our study aimed to understand inflammatory processes that underlie long COVID and was not designed for biomarker discovery. Our findings suggest that specific inflammatory pathways related to tissue damage are implicated in subtypes of long COVID, which might be targeted in future therapeutic trials

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Not AvailablePashmina fiber is one of major specialty animal fiber in India. The quality of Pashmina obtained from Changthangi and Chegu goats in India is very good. Due to restricted availability and high prices, adulteration of natural prized fibers is becoming a common practice by the manufacturers. Sheep wool is a cheap substi-tute, which is usually used for adulteration and false declaration of Pashmina-based products. Presently, there is lack of cost-effective and readily available methodology to identify the adulteration of Pashmina products from other similar looking substitutes like sheep wool. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based detection method can be used to identify origin of animal fiber. Extraction of quality DNA from dyed and processed an-imal fiber and textile materials is a limiting factor in the development of such detection methods. In the pre-sent study, quality DNA was extracted from textile materials, and PCR-based technique using mitochondrial gene (12S rRNA) specific primers was developed for detection of the Pashmina in textile blends. This tech-nique has been used for detection of the adulteration of the Pashmina products with sheep wool. The tech-nique can detect adulteration level up to 10 % of sheep/goat fibers in textile blends.Not Availabl