Effect of Hypoxia on Levels of RNA Degradation Proteins in Mycobacterium smegmatis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis, can enter non-growing states in which it is phenotypically tolerant of antibiotics. These states are characterized by reduced metabolic activity, and occur in response to stressors encountered in the body, such as hypoxia and starvation. Both M. tuberculosis and its non-pathogenic relative M. smegmatis have been shown to stabilize their mRNA transcripts under growth-inhibiting conditions. One explanation for this phenomenon could be a decrease in the intracellular levels of mRNA degradation proteins. In the present research, several proteins fitting that description were epitope-tagged and their abundance measured under stress. Our results suggest that RNase E may be specifically downregulated in hypoxia

The State of Special Education in the United States

In the face of budget constraints, unsuccessful teaching strategies, and a variety of other challenges, special education programs in the United States are suffering. Through an analysis of several case studies, primary and secondary literature, and direct statements from special education teachers, recommendations for improving special education are made, intended for people involved in education at all levels

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Rates of Cyberbullying in a University Sample

Purpose and Originality Cyberbullying refers to when an individual or group harasses, mistreats, or mocks an individual or group using an electronic device in a way in which the victim(s) do not feel capable of responding or defending themselves (Whittaker & Kowalski, 2014). Cyberbullying is associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, substance use, delinquency, and poor academic performance (Zalaquett & Chatters, 2014). The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible impact the COVID-19 pandemic may have had on cyberbullying. This study not only adds to the limited information concerning cyberbullying among college students, but also whether cyberbullying may have been impacted by increased utilization of online learning platforms during the pandemic. Method Between March and April 2021, participants (n = 135) were recruited from a mid-sized public university in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States using the university’s research recruitment system (SONA). The 47-item survey was administered remotely using Qualtrics – an online survey platform – and included items inspired from previous works including the self-report Participant Role Questionnaire (PRQ; Bushard, 2013), the Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire (OBVQ; Olweus, 1996), and the Cyberbullying Experiences Survey (Doane et al., 2013). The survey took approximately 10 minutes to complete and asked participants about their age, race/ethnicity, gender, class standing, involvement in student groups, experiences with cyberbullying, perceived rates of cyberbullying since the pandemic, and their personal participation in cyberbullying. Results and Significance As expected, the sample endorsed much higher levels of overall online activity since university classes went to an online format in April 2020. However, on average, participants did not believe that changing to online platforms led to a general increase in cyberaggression, did not personally perceive an increase in cyberaggression during this period, nor was there an increase in endorsements of personal involvement in cyberbullying as either the aggressor or victim. The variable with the strongest relationship to cyberaggressing during the pandemic (since April 2020) was endorsement of being cybervictimized (r =.735, p = r = 0.373, p = n = 36, 28%), “Classmates who are not friends” (n = 32, 25%), and “I don’t know” (n = 27, 21%). In summary, our results suggest that most participants did not view increased online learning as a catalyst for cyberaggression, though participants with personal histories with cyberaggression appeared sensitized to, or further engaged in, the phenomena. Further research should seek to shed light on the actions and perceptions related to cyberbullying in this important subgroup

Organisation in crisis: Exploring the intensification of digital communication tools by hospital staff in a Belgian general hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic

peer reviewedThe complex and unprecedented circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic restructured communication practices in hospitals, since the customary communication practices and channels were either inadequate or not possible to utilise. This is noticeable in the intensification of digital communication tools. The aim of this paper is to assess how communication tools and practices evolved in a Belgian general hospital during a crisis, and specifically how digital communication tools shaped the organising processes. Both quantitative and qualitative data was collected through a questionnaire (N=901), diffused to the entirety of hospital staff, and six focus groups (N=53). The findings illustrate how communicational practices happened in the pre-COVID-19 hospital context, in the COVID-19 pandemic context, and in the post COVID-19 context. This study puts forth that in times of crisis the habitual organising in the general hospital is bracketed and a new form emerges, namely that of an ‘organisation in crisis’. In the general hospital, this form was constituted through the pre-existing communicational context and by a sense-making process done by managers and it was brought to life with and by digital communication tools. Nevertheless, this form is not sustained over time as it with the diminishing of the crisis so does the use of digital communication tools for organising

Visualising spatio-temporal health data: the importance of capturing the 4th dimension

Confronted by a rapidly evolving health threat, such as an infectious disease outbreak, it is essential that decision-makers are able to comprehend the complex dynamics not just in space but also in the 4th dimension, time. In this paper this is addressed by a novel visualisation tool, referred to as the Dynamic Health Atlas web app, which is designed specifically for displaying the spatial evolution of data over time while simultaneously acknowledging its uncertainty. It is an interactive and open-source web app, coded predominantly in JavaScript, in which the geospatial and temporal data are displayed side-by-side. The first of two case studies of this visualisation tool relates to an outbreak of canine gastroenteric disease in the United Kingdom, where many veterinary practices experienced an unusually high case incidence. The second study concerns the predicted COVID-19 reproduction number along with incidence and prevalence forecasts in each local authority district in the United Kingdom. These studies demonstrate the effectiveness of the Dynamic Health Atlas web app at conveying geospatial and temporal dynamics along with their corresponding uncertainties.Comment: 4 Figures, 27 page

Asynchrony of senescence among phenotypic traits in a wild mammal population

The degree to which changes in lifespan are coupled to changes insenescencein different physiological systems andphenotypictraits is a central question in biogerontology. It is underpinned by deeper biological questions about whether or not senescence is a synchronised process, or whether levels of synchrony depend on species or environmental context. Understanding how natural selection shapes patterns of synchrony in senescence across physiological systems and phenotypic traits demands thelongitudinal studyof manyphenotypesunder natural conditions. Here, we examine the patterns of age-related variation in late adulthood in a wild population of Soay sheep (Ovis aries) that have been the subject of individual-based monitoring for thirty years. We examined twenty different phenotypic traits in both males and females, encompassing vital rates (survival and fecundity), maternal reproductive performance (offspring birth weight, birth date and survival), male rutting behaviour, home range measures, parasite burdens, and body mass. We initially quantified age-related variation in each trait having controlled for annual variation in the environment, among-individual variationand selective disappearance effects. We then standardised our age-specific trait means and tested whether age trajectories could be meaningfully grouped according to sex or the type of trait. Whilst most traits showed age-related declines in later life, we found striking levels of asynchrony both within and between the sexes. Of particular note, female fecundity and reproductive performance declined with age, but male annual reproductive success did not. We also discovered that whilst home range size and quality decline with age in females, home range size increases with age in males. Our findings highlight the complexity of phenotypic ageing under natural conditions and, along with emerging data from other wild populations and laboratory models, suggest that the long-standing hypothesis withinevolutionary biologythat fitness-related traits should senesce in a synchronous manner is seriously flawed

Convalescent plasma in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised controlled, open-label, platform trial

SummaryBackground Azithromycin has been proposed as a treatment for COVID-19 on the basis of its immunomodulatoryactions. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of azithromycin in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19.Methods In this randomised, controlled, open-label, adaptive platform trial (Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19Therapy [RECOVERY]), several possible treatments were compared with usual care in patients admitted to hospitalwith COVID-19 in the UK. The trial is underway at 176 hospitals in the UK. Eligible and consenting patients wererandomly allocated to either usual standard of care alone or usual standard of care plus azithromycin 500 mg once perday by mouth or intravenously for 10 days or until discharge (or allocation to one of the other RECOVERY treatmentgroups). Patients were assigned via web-based simple (unstratified) randomisation with allocation concealment andwere twice as likely to be randomly assigned to usual care than to any of the active treatment groups. Participants andlocal study staff were not masked to the allocated treatment, but all others involved in the trial were masked to theoutcome data during the trial. The primary outcome was 28-day all-cause mortality, assessed in the intention-to-treatpopulation. The trial is registered with ISRCTN, 50189673, and ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04381936.Findings Between April 7 and Nov 27, 2020, of 16 442 patients enrolled in the RECOVERY trial, 9433 (57%) wereeligible and 7763 were included in the assessment of azithromycin. The mean age of these study participants was65·3 years (SD 15·7) and approximately a third were women (2944 [38%] of 7763). 2582 patients were randomlyallocated to receive azithromycin and 5181 patients were randomly allocated to usual care alone. Overall,561 (22%) patients allocated to azithromycin and 1162 (22%) patients allocated to usual care died within 28 days(rate ratio 0·97, 95% CI 0·87–1·07; p=0·50). No significant difference was seen in duration of hospital stay (median10 days [IQR 5 to >28] vs 11 days [5 to >28]) or the proportion of patients discharged from hospital alive within 28 days(rate ratio 1·04, 95% CI 0·98–1·10; p=0·19). Among those not on invasive mechanical ventilation at baseline, nosignificant difference was seen in the proportion meeting the composite endpoint of invasive mechanical ventilationor death (risk ratio 0·95, 95% CI 0·87–1·03; p=0·24).Interpretation In patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, azithromycin did not improve survival or otherprespecified clinical outcomes. Azithromycin use in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 should be restrictedto patients in whom there is a clear antimicrobial indication

Increasing frailty is associated with higher prevalence and reduced recognition of delirium in older hospitalised inpatients: results of a multi-centre study

Purpose: Delirium is a neuropsychiatric disorder delineated by an acute change in cognition, attention, and consciousness. It is common, particularly in older adults, but poorly recognised. Frailty is the accumulation of deficits conferring an increased risk of adverse outcomes. We set out to determine how severity of frailty, as measured using the CFS, affected delirium rates, and recognition in hospitalised older people in the United Kingdom. Methods: Adults over 65 years were included in an observational multi-centre audit across UK hospitals, two prospective rounds, and one retrospective note review. Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), delirium status, and 30-day outcomes were recorded. Results: The overall prevalence of delirium was 16.3% (483). Patients with delirium were more frail than patients without delirium (median CFS 6 vs 4). The risk of delirium was greater with increasing frailty [OR 2.9 (1.8–4.6) in CFS 4 vs 1–3; OR 12.4 (6.2–24.5) in CFS 8 vs 1–3]. Higher CFS was associated with reduced recognition of delirium (OR of 0.7 (0.3–1.9) in CFS 4 compared to 0.2 (0.1–0.7) in CFS 8). These risks were both independent of age and dementia. Conclusion: We have demonstrated an incremental increase in risk of delirium with increasing frailty. This has important clinical implications, suggesting that frailty may provide a more nuanced measure of vulnerability to delirium and poor outcomes. However, the most frail patients are least likely to have their delirium diagnosed and there is a significant lack of research into the underlying pathophysiology of both of these common geriatric syndromes