The Hexaemeron in Peter Comestor’s \u3cem\u3eHistoria Scholastica\u3c/em\u3e

As a part of the larger Historia Scholastica Project, we are transcribing and translating text from the “Genesis” chapter of the Historia Scholastica found in the Albertson’s Library. Our work began in fall of 2018. Our goal is to locate source material that informed Comestor’s understanding of the content of “Genesis” to better understand and therefore better translate Comestor. We are researching sources that possibly contributed to Comestor’s understanding of cosmology, philosophy, and the biblical creation account, in addition to transcribing and translating the text. Our methodology focuses on ten lines per week, applying textual criticism to identify textual differences and assist where our copy is damaged. We are using Patrologia Latinae 198, the Lugdunensis copy on Wiki, and the online Internet Archive of the Historia Scholastica located in Strasbourg, France. We then filter any possible translations through the lens of biblical studies taking place in medieval France in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Our goal is to produce 100 lines of quality Latin by the end of the semester; to date we have completed approximately 40%. This project will provide groundwork for future researchers in other portions of the Historia Scholastica

Who is accessing community lateral flow device testing and why:Characteristics and motivations of individuals participating in COVID-19 community testing in two English local authority areas

BACKGROUND: Antigen testing using lateral flow devices (LFDs) plays an important role in the management of the novel coronavirus pandemic of 2019 (COVID-19) by rapidly identifying individuals who are asymptomatically carrying high levels of the virus. By January 2021, LFD community testing sites were set up across English local authority areas to support the management and containment of regional COVID-19 cases, initially targeting essential workers unable to work from home during the national lockdown. This study aimed to examine the characteristics and motivations of individuals accessing community LFD testing across two local authority areas (LAAs) in the South West of England. METHODS: Data were collected as part of a service evaluation from December 22(nd) 2020 until March 15(th) 2021 for two LAAs. Demographic and postcode data were collected from an online test appointment booking platform and the National Health Service testing service online system, with data accessed from Public Health England. An online survey was sent to individuals who made a testing appointment at an LAA1 site using the online booking platform, consisting of 12 questions to collect data on individual’s motivations for and experiences of testing. RESULTS: Data were available for individuals who completed 12,516 tests in LAA1 and 12,327 tests in LAA2. Most individuals who engaged with testing were female, working age, white, and worked as early years or education staff, health and social care staff, and supermarket or food production staff. 1249 individuals completed the survey with 60% of respondents reported getting tested for work-related reasons. Individuals first heard about LFD testing through various channels including work, media, and word of mouth, and decided to get tested based on the ease and convenience of testing, workplace communications, and to identify asymptomatic cases to help stop the spread. Most tests were completed by individuals living in less deprived areas based on national deciles of deprivation. CONCLUSIONS: While national and local COVID-19 testing strategies have evolved, community and personal LFD testing remains a crucial pillar of the testing strategy. Future studies should collect quantitative and qualitative data from residents to most effectively shape testing offers based on the needs and preferences of their population. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-12986-4

The development and validation of a scoring tool to predict the operative duration of elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background: The ability to accurately predict operative duration has the potential to optimise theatre efficiency and utilisation, thus reducing costs and increasing staff and patient satisfaction. With laparoscopic cholecystectomy being one of the most commonly performed procedures worldwide, a tool to predict operative duration could be extremely beneficial to healthcare organisations. Methods: Data collected from the CholeS study on patients undergoing cholecystectomy in UK and Irish hospitals between 04/2014 and 05/2014 were used to study operative duration. A multivariable binary logistic regression model was produced in order to identify significant independent predictors of long (> 90 min) operations. The resulting model was converted to a risk score, which was subsequently validated on second cohort of patients using ROC curves. Results: After exclusions, data were available for 7227 patients in the derivation (CholeS) cohort. The median operative duration was 60 min (interquartile range 45–85), with 17.7% of operations lasting longer than 90 min. Ten factors were found to be significant independent predictors of operative durations > 90 min, including ASA, age, previous surgical admissions, BMI, gallbladder wall thickness and CBD diameter. A risk score was then produced from these factors, and applied to a cohort of 2405 patients from a tertiary centre for external validation. This returned an area under the ROC curve of 0.708 (SE = 0.013, p  90 min increasing more than eightfold from 5.1 to 41.8% in the extremes of the score. Conclusion: The scoring tool produced in this study was found to be significantly predictive of long operative durations on validation in an external cohort. As such, the tool may have the potential to enable organisations to better organise theatre lists and deliver greater efficiencies in care

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Frog Communities in Fire-Disturbed Forests of the Peruvian Amazon

Amphibian declines are a pressing global concern. The lowland rainforests of the southeastern Amazon harbour exceptionally high amphibian diversity, but also face a range of threats including habitat modification caused by forest fires. In this study, we sampled amphibians in areas of forest in Madre de Dios, Peru, that were affected by anthropogenic fires following severe drought in 2005. Two forest types, bamboo and terra-firme, were assessed. Forty-two anuran species were recorded in 22 survey nights. Amphibian diversity and abundance were not significantly different in burned areas of either forest type, and amphibian community composition did not change significantly between burned and unburned forests within any forest type, while bamboo forest was found to support a distinctly different amphibian assemblage to terra-firme forest. Our results suggest that further sampling over wider spatial and temporal scales to encompass a great range of fire impacts could consolidate insights into the effects of fire on anuran communities in this region, and help to highlight the conservation value of these disturbed forests. These preliminary results are novel and enhance our understanding of how tropical forest fires may affect amphibian communities. The data also highlight the conservation value of forests affected by a fire event, as they harboured large numbers of anuran species known in the region. This is of particular interest for those species that have so far only been recorded outside of protected areas in Madre de Dios, such as Ranitomeya cf. ventrimaculata and Osteocephalus buckleyi

The impact of bariatric surgery on the resolution of obstructive sleep apnoea

Abstract Objective Obesity is associated with a high incidence of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Bariatric surgery is postulated to lead to OSA resolution, but there is inconclusive evidence on its efficacy. We used objective measurements to determine the rate of resolution or improvement of OSA in patients who had bariatric procedures in our unit. Results Data was analysed on all patients with OSA who underwent bariatric procedures [laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (LRYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (LSG)] between June 2012 and September 2016 in our unit. 47 patients (26.7%) were diagnosed with OSA. Mean age was 48.5 years. 63.8% were female. 43 required nocturnal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) support. Procedures were LRYGB (n = 26) and LSG (n = 21). Mean excess weight loss was 56.1%. Mean start apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) on CPAP was 6.4 events/hr and end AHI was 1.4 events/h. 14 patients (32.6%) had complete OSA resolution and 12 (27.9%) showed improvement in pressure support requirements. We demonstrated that 55.3% of patients had resolution or improvement in OSA following bariatric surgery. However, there was a high rate of non-attendance of follow-up appointments. Future efforts will involve analysis of the reasons for this to ensure more robust monitoring

Acute Running and Coronary Heart Disease Risk Markers in Male Cigarette Smokers and Nonsmokers: A Randomized Crossover Trial.

Purpose Cigarette smoking is an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) and is associated with impaired postprandial metabolism. Acute exercise reduces postprandial lipemia and improves other CHD risk markers in non-smokers. Less is known about responses in cigarette smokers.Methods Twelve male cigarette smokers (mean(SD) age 23(4) years, BMI 24.9(3.0) kg/m2) and 12 male non-smokers (24(4) years, 24.1(2.0) kg/m2) completed two, 2-day conditions (control, exercise) in a randomised, crossover design. On day 1, participants rested for 9-hours (08:00-17:00) in both conditions except a 60-minute treadmill run (65(7)% peak oxygen uptake, 2.87(0.54) MJ) was completed between 6.5-7.5 h (14:30-15:30) in the exercise condition. On day 2 of both conditions, participants rested and consumed two high-fat meals over 8-hours (09:00-17:00) during which 13 venous blood samples and nine resting arterial blood pressure measurements were taken.Results Smokers exhibited higher postprandial triacylglycerol and C-reactive protein than non-smokers (main effect group effect size (Cohen’s d)≥0.94, P≤0.034). Previous day running reduced postprandial triacylglycerol, insulin and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (main effect condition d≥0.28, P≤0.044), and elevated postprandial non-esterified fatty acid and C-reactive protein (main effect condition d≥0.41, P≤0.044). Group-by-condition interactions were not apparent for any outcome across the total postprandial period (0-8 h; all P≥0.089), but the exercise-induced reduction in postprandial triacylglycerol in the early postprandial period (0-4 h) was greater in non-smokers than smokers (-21% (d=0.43) vs -5% (d=0.16), respectively; group-by-condition interaction P=0.061).Conclusions Acute moderate-intensity running reduced postprandial triacylglycerol, insulin and resting arterial blood pressure the day after exercise in male cigarette smokers and non-smokers. These findings highlight the ability of acute exercise to augment the postprandial metabolic health of cigarette smokers and non-smokers.</div

Effect of acute walking on endothelial function and postprandial lipaemia in South Asians and white Europeans

Introduction: South Asians (SAs) have an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) compared to white Europeans (WEs). Postprandial endothelial function (FMD%) in SA women, and SA men with central obesity, has not been investigated. Research in other populations has highlighted a 1% higher FMD% is associated with a ~ 13% lower risk of future CVD events. We investigated whether FMD% and lipaemia, two markers for CVD risk, were higher in SAs vs. WEs, whether walking improved FMD% and lipaemia, and if there were ethnic differences in the response. Methods: Lean premenopausal women (study one; 12 SA, 12 WE), and men with central obesity (study two; 15 SA, 15 WE) completed two 2-d trials. On day one, participants walked for 60-mins at 60% of their peak oxygen uptake or rested. On day two, participants rested and consumed two high-fat meals over 8-h. Repeated ultrasound assessments of endothelial function and venous blood samples for CVD risk markers were taken. Results: Compared to WEs, SAs had lower postprandial FMD% (study one: -1.32%; study two: -0.54%) and higher postprandial triacylglycerol concentrations (study one: 0.31 mmol/L h; study two: 0.55 mmol/L h). Walking improved postprandial FMD% (study one: 1.12%, study two: 0.94%) and resulted in no significant change or small reductions in postprandial triacylglycerol concentrations (study one: -0.01 mmol/L h; study two: -0.25 mmol/L h). Exercise-induced changes in FMD% and triacylglycerol were consistent between ethnic groups. Conclusions: Walking mitigated the adverse postprandial effect of a high-fat diet on FMD% to a similar extent in SA and WE women and men, even with no/small improvements in triacylglycerol. This study highlights the importance of exercise to clinically improve FMD% in SAs and WEs.</p