Passing-by 'Ca va?' checks in clinic corridors

We have conducted a video-based field study on work interactions between staff members in the corridors of a hospital outpatient clinic in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. In this paper, we examine a specific mobile interactional configuration: passing-by interactions in which staff members get involved as they walk following close and parallel trajectories going in opposite directions. We also examine a specific conversational activity performed in the corridors: checks – introduced by the French expression “Ça va?” (Going okay?) – with which one staff member verifies that the situation of a colleague conforms to a routine state of affairs. Adopting the approaches of multimodal and conversation analysis, we point out features of the interactional configuration and the conversational activity under consideration that participants combine in some excerpts analyzed in the paper. Passing-by checks are practically accomplished, on the spot, through the sequential, embodied and embedded conduct of the staff members. We identify resources involved in building close but non- convergent trajectories, limiting interactional involvement, and coordinating talk and walk for a fleeting co-presence. The article contributes to the study of “on-the-move” contingent interactions as they happen in hospital corridors

Patient-Reported Experiences of Supportive Cancer Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background. During the COVID-19 pandemic, people affected by cancer were in need of information about the virus and about the (self-) management of cancer symptoms and treatment. It is important to understand how patients with cancer navigated through the pandemic and to explore their experience relating to their supportive care needs. Aim. This study aimed to describe the experience of Swiss oncological patients during the COVID-19 pandemic with additional supportive cancer care. Methods. A single-center study was conducted in 2021. Patients with melanoma, breast, lung, or colon cancer who received active systemic anticancer treatment at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic and who were additionally seeing either oncology clinical nurse specialists, integrative medicine physicians, or both were included. We conducted semistructured interviews alongside the patient-reported quantitative assessment of distress and resilience. Thematic analysis was performed for the qualitative data and descriptive statistics for the quantitative data. Results. Eighteen patients with cancer were interviewed. Patients seeing an integrative medicine physician highlighted that they positively felt being addressed as a whole person during the consultations. The oncology clinical nurse specialists were perceived as the first point of contact for the patients and had more time during the pandemic compared to what the patients normally received. In general, patients did not experience delays or disruptions in their cancer treatment. As immunosuppressed and fatigued patients with cancer, they felt supported by the restrictions and hygienic measures. Access to vaccination reassured patients against the risk of infection. These results were reflected in the quantitative data, as we found moderate distress levels (M = 4.1; SD = 2.5) and high resilience scores (M = 7.5; SD = 0.9) in this patient population. Conclusion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients with cancer felt particularly supported by integrative medicine and cancer nurse consultations. Secured resources for nursing consultations and integrative medicine services can help to address the supportive care needs of patients with cancer

Integrative mixture of experts to combine clinical factors and gene markers

Motivation: Microarrays are being increasingly used in cancer research to better characterize and classify tumors by selecting marker genes. However, as very few of these genes have been validated as predictive biomarkers so far, it is mostly conventional clinical and pathological factors that are being used as prognostic indicators of clinical course. Combining clinical data with gene expression data may add valuable information, but it is a challenging task due to their categorical versus continuous characteristics. We have further developed the mixture of experts (ME) methodology, a promising approach to tackle complex non-linear problems. Several variants are proposed in integrative ME as well as the inclusion of various gene selection methods to select a hybrid signature

Patient-reported experiences of cancer care related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland

Purpose This study aims to describe the experience of Swiss oncological patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A national multi-center study including five hospitals covering the three main language regions of Switzerland was conducted between March and July 2021. Patients with melanoma, breast, lung, or colon cancer receiving active systemic anti-cancer treatment at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic were included. We conducted semi-structured telephone or onsite interviews alongside the administration of distress and resilience-validated questionnaires. Thematic analysis was performed for the qualitative data and descriptive statistics for the quantitative data. Results Sixty-two cancer patients with a mean age of 61 (SD=14) (58% female) were interviewed. Based on the interviews, we identified that the experience of having cancer during the COVID-19 pandemic was related to five dimensions: psychological, social, support, healthcare, and vaccination. Three themes transverse the five dimensions: (a) needs, (b) positive changes, and (c) phases of the pandemic. In general, patients did not experience delays or disruptions in their cancer treatment nor felt additionally burdened by the pandemic. Lockdown and isolation were reported as mixed experiences (positive and negative), and access to vaccination reassured patients against the risk of infection and instilled hope to return to normalcy. Additionally, we found low distress levels (M=2.9; SD=2.5) and high resilience scores (M=7; SD=1.3) in these patients. Conclusion Swiss patients with cancer did not express major needs or disruptions in their care during this period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results identify the mixed experiences of patients and highlight the high resilience levels

Identifying Live Bird Markets with the Potential to Act as Reservoirs of Avian Influenza A (H5N1) Virus: A Survey in Northern Viet Nam and Cambodia

Wet markets are common in many parts of the world and may promote the emergence, spread and maintenance of livestock pathogens, including zoonoses. A survey was conducted in order to assess the potential of Vietnamese and Cambodian live bird markets (LBMs) to sustain circulation of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus subtype H5N1 (HPAIV H5N1). Thirty Vietnamese and 8 Cambodian LBMs were visited, and structured interviews were conducted with the market managers and 561 Vietnamese and 84 Cambodian traders. Multivariate and cluster analysis were used to construct a typology of traders based on their poultry management practices. As a result of those practices and large poultry surplus (unsold poultry reoffered for sale the following day), some poultry traders were shown to promote conditions favorable for perpetuating HPAIV H5N1 in LBMs. More than 80% of these traders operated in LBMs located in the most densely populated areas, Ha Noi and Phnom Penh. The profiles of sellers operating at a given LBM could be reliably predicted using basic information about the location and type of market. Consequently, LBMs with the largest combination of risk factors for becoming virus reservoirs could be easily identified, potentially allowing control strategies to be appropriately targeted. These findings are of particular relevance to resource-scarce settings with extensively developed LBM systems, commonly found in South-East Asia

Analysis of the real EADGENE data set: Comparison of methods and guidelines for data normalisation and selection of differentially expressed genes (Open Access publication)

A large variety of methods has been proposed in the literature for microarray data analysis. The aim of this paper was to present techniques used by the EADGENE (European Animal Disease Genomics Network of Excellence) WP1.4 participants for data quality control, normalisation and statistical methods for the detection of differentially expressed genes in order to provide some more general data analysis guidelines. All the workshop participants were given a real data set obtained in an EADGENE funded microarray study looking at the gene expression changes following artificial infection with two different mastitis causing bacteria: Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. It was reassuring to see that most of the teams found the same main biological results. In fact, most of the differentially expressed genes were found for infection by E. coli between uninfected and 24 h challenged udder quarters. Very little transcriptional variation was observed for the bacteria S. aureus. Lists of differentially expressed genes found by the different research teams were, however, quite dependent on the method used, especially concerning the data quality control step. These analyses also emphasised a biological problem of cross-talk between infected and uninfected quarters which will have to be dealt with for further microarray studies

Randomized phase I trial of antigen-specific tolerizing immunotherapy with peptide/calcitriol liposomes in ACPA+ rheumatoid arthritis

BACKGROUND. Antigen-specific regulation of autoimmune disease is a major goal. In seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (RA), T cell help to autoreactive B cells matures the citrullinated (Cit) antigen-specific immune response, generating RA-specific V domain glycosylated anti-Cit protein antibodies (ACPA VDG) before arthritis onset. Low or escalating antigen administration under “sub-immunogenic” conditions favors tolerance. We explored safety, pharmacokinetics, and immunological and clinical effects of s.c. DEN-181, comprising liposomes encapsulating self-peptide collagen II259-273 (CII) and NF-κB inhibitor 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol. METHODS. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, exploratory, single-ascending-dose, phase I trial assessed the impact of low, medium, and high DEN-181 doses on peripheral blood CII-specific and bystander Cit64vimentin59-71–specific (Cit-Vim–specific) autoreactive T cell responses, cytokines, and ACPA in 17 HLA-DRB1*04:01+ or *01:01+ ACPA+ RA patients on methotrexate. RESULTS. DEN-181 was well tolerated. Relative to placebo and normalized to baseline values, Cit-Vim–specific T cells decreased in patients administered medium and high doses of DEN-181. Relative to placebo, percentage of CII-specific programmed cell death 1+ T cells increased within 28 days of DEN-181. Exploratory analysis in DEN-181–treated patients suggested improved RA disease activity was associated with expansion of CII-specific and Cit-Vim–specific T cells; reduction in ACPA VDG, memory B cells, and inflammatory myeloid populations; and enrichment in CCR7+ and naive T cells. Single-cell sequencing identified T cell transcripts associated with tolerogenic TCR signaling and exhaustion after low or medium doses of DEN-181. CONCLUSION. The safety and immunomodulatory activity of low/medium DEN-181 doses provide rationale to further assess antigen-specific immunomodulatory therapy in ACPA+ RA

The phylogenetic landscape and nosocomial spread of the multidrug-resistant opportunist Stenotrophomonas maltophilia

yesRecent studies portend a rising global spread and adaptation of human- or healthcare- associated pathogens. Here, we analyse an international collection of the emerging, multi-drug-resistant, opportunistic pathogen Stenotrophomonas maltophilia from 22 countries to infer population structure and clonality at a global level. We show that the S. maltophilia complex is divided into 23 monophyletic lineages, most of which harbour strains of all degrees of human virulence. Lineage Sm6 comprises the highest rate of human-associated strains, linked to key virulence and resistance genes. Transmission analysis identifies potential outbreak events of genetically closely related strains isolated within days or weeks in the same hospitals

Uncoupled Embryonic and Extra-Embryonic Tissues Compromise Blastocyst Development after Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer

Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is the most efficient cell reprogramming technique available, especially when working with bovine species. Although SCNT blastocysts performed equally well or better than controls in the weeks following embryo transfer at Day 7, elongation and gastrulation defects were observed prior to implantation. To understand the developmental implications of embryonic/extra-embryonic interactions, the morphological and molecular features of elongating and gastrulating tissues were analysed. At Day 18, 30 SCNT conceptuses were compared to 20 controls (AI and IVP: 10 conceptuses each); one-half of the SCNT conceptuses appeared normal while the other half showed signs of atypical elongation and gastrulation. SCNT was also associated with a high incidence of discordance in embryonic and extra-embryonic patterns, as evidenced by morphological and molecular “uncoupling”. Elongation appeared to be secondarily affected; only 3 of 30 conceptuses had abnormally elongated shapes and there were very few differences in gene expression when they were compared to the controls. However, some of these differences could be linked to defects in microvilli formation or extracellular matrix composition and could thus impact extra-embryonic functions. In contrast to elongation, gastrulation stages included embryonic defects that likely affected the hypoblast, the epiblast, or the early stages of their differentiation. When taking into account SCNT conceptus somatic origin, i.e. the reprogramming efficiency of each bovine ear fibroblast (Low: 0029, Med: 7711, High: 5538), we found that embryonic abnormalities or severe embryonic/extra-embryonic uncoupling were more tightly correlated to embryo loss at implantation than were elongation defects. Alternatively, extra-embryonic differences between SCNT and control conceptuses at Day 18 were related to molecular plasticity (high efficiency/high plasticity) and subsequent pregnancy loss. Finally, because it alters re-differentiation processes in vivo, SCNT reprogramming highlights temporally and spatially restricted interactions among cells and tissues in a unique way