The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Removal of Congo red and malachite green from aqueous solution using heterogeneous Ag/ZnCo-ZIF catalyst in the presence of hydrogen peroxide

The bimetallic Zn/Co zeolitic imidazole frameworks (ZnCo-ZIFs) were successfully synthesized by a simple solvothermal method at room temperature. Silver elements were afterward doped onto the bimetallic frameworks to form Ag/ZnCo-ZIFs via a facile impregnation method in acetone solvent. The as-synthesized material was used as a heterogeneous catalyst for the removal reaction of Congo red (CR) and malachite green (MG) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Effects of catalyst dosage, H2O2 concentration, initial concentration of the contaminants, reaction temperature, and reaction time were conducted in this work. The results showed that more than 94% and 98% removal of CR and MG were, respectively, achieved within 45 and 30 min. The presence of Ag also enhanced the removal efficiency of CR and MG. The main mechanism of removal reaction of the organic contaminants could be oxidation via hydroxyl radicals. Moreover, the catalytic activity of the material remained over 90% after four recycling cycles. Due to the efficient reactivity as well as high stability, Ag/ZnCo-ZIFs can be a potential heterogeneous catalyst to remove hazardous dyes from aqueous solution

Validation and utilization of an internally controlled multiplex Real-time RT-PCR assay for simultaneous detection of enteroviruses and enterovirus A71 associated with hand foot and mouth disease

Background: Hand foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a disease of public health importance across the Asia-Pacific region. The disease is caused by enteroviruses (EVs), in particular enterovirus A71 (EV-A71). In EV-A71-associated HFMD, the infection is sometimes associated with severe manifestations including neurological involvement and fatal outcome. The availability of a robust diagnostic assay to distinguish EV-A71 from other EVs is important for patient management and outbreak response. Methods: We developed and validated an internally controlled one-step single-tube real-time RT-PCR in terms of sensitivity, linearity, precision, and specificity for simultaneous detection of EVs and EV-A71. Subsequently, the assay was then applied on throat and rectal swabs sampled from 434 HFMD patients. Results: The assay was evaluated using both plasmid DNA and viral RNA and has shown to be reproducible with a maximum assay variation of 4.41 % and sensitive with a limit of detection less than 10 copies of target template per reaction, while cross-reactivity with other EV serotypes was not observed. When compared against a published VP1 nested RT-PCR using 112 diagnostic throat and rectal swabs from 112 children with a clinical diagnosis of HFMD during 2014, the multiplex assay had a higher sensitivity and 100 % concordance with sequencing results which showed EVs in 77/112 (68.8 %) and EV-A71 in 7/112 (6.3 %). When applied to clinical diagnostics for 322 children, the assay detected EVs in throat swabs of 257/322 (79.8 %) of which EV-A71 was detected in 36/322 (11.2 %) children. The detection rate increased to 93.5 % (301/322) and 13.4 % (43/322) for EVs and EV-A71, respectively, when rectal swabs from 65 throat-negative children were further analyzed. Conclusion: We have successfully developed and validated a sensitive internally controlled multiplex assay for rapid detection of EVs and EV-A71, which is useful for clinical management and outbreak control of HFMD

Plans for nationwide serosurveillance network in Vietnam

10.3201/eid2601.190641Emerging Infectious Diseases261E1-E

Southern Hemisphere Additional Ozonesondes (SHADOZ) ozone climatology (2005–2009): Tropospheric and tropical tropopause layer (TTL) profiles with comparisons to OMI-based ozone products

We present a regional and seasonal climatology of SHADOZ ozone profiles in the troposphere and tropical tropopause layer (TTL) based on measurements taken during the first five years of Aura, 2005–2009, when new stations joined the network at Hanoi, Vietnam; Hilo, Hawaii; Alajuela/Heredia, Costa Rica; Cotonou, Benin. In all, 15 stations operated during that period. A west-to-east progression of decreasing convective influence and increasing pollution leads to distinct tropospheric ozone profiles in three regions: (1) western Pacific/eastern Indian Ocean; (2) equatorial Americas (San Cristóbal, Alajuela, Paramaribo); (3) Atlantic and Africa. Comparisons in total ozone column from soundings, the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI, on Aura, 2004-) satellite and ground-based instrumentation are presented. Most stations show better agreement with OMI than they did for EP/TOMS comparisons (1998–2004; Earth-Probe/Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer), partly due to a revised above-burst ozone climatology. Possible station biases in the stratospheric segment of the ozone measurement noted in the first 7 years of SHADOZ ozone profiles are re-examined. High stratospheric bias observed during the TOMS period appears to persist at one station. Comparisons of SHADOZ tropospheric ozone and the daily Trajectory-enhanced Tropospheric Ozone Residual (TTOR) product (based on OMI/MLS) show that the satellite-derived column amount averages 25% low. Correlations between TTOR and the SHADOZ sondes are quite good (typical r2= 0.5–0.8), however, which may account for why some published residual-based OMI products capture tropospheric interannual variability fairly realistically. On the other hand, no clear explanations emerge for why TTOR-sonde discrepancies vary over a wide range at most SHADOZ sites

Longitudinal sampling is required to maximize detection of intrahost A/H3N2 virus variants

10.1093/ve/veaa088Virus Evolution62veaa08

Global perspective of familial hypercholesterolaemia: a cross-sectional study from the EAS Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC)

none724siBackground The European Atherosclerosis Society Familial Hypercholesterolaemia Studies Collaboration (FHSC) global registry provides a platform for the global surveillance of familial hypercholesterolaemia through harmonisation and pooling of multinational data. In this study, we aimed to characterise the adult population with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia and described how it is detected and managed globally.Methods Using FHSC global registry data, we did a cross-sectional assessment of adults (aged 18 years or older) with a clinical or genetic diagnosis of probable or definite heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia at the time they were entered into the registries. Data were assessed overall and by WHO regions, sex, and index versus non-index cases.Findings Of the 61 612 individuals in the registry, 42 167 adults (21 999 [53.6%] women) from 56 countries were included in the study. Of these, 31 798 (75.4%) were diagnosed with the Dutch Lipid Clinic Network criteria, and 35 490 (84.2%) were from the WHO region of Europe. Median age of participants at entry in the registry was 46.2 years (IQR 34.3-58.0); median age at diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia was 44.4 years (32.5-56.5), with 40.2% of participants younger than 40 years when diagnosed. Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors increased progressively with age and varied by WHO region. Prevalence of coronary disease was 17.4% (2.1% for stroke and 5.2% for peripheral artery disease), increasing with concentrations of untreated LDL cholesterol, and was about two times lower in women than in men. Among patients receiving lipid-lowering medications, 16 803 (81.1%) were receiving statins and 3691 (21.2%) were on combination therapy, with greater use of more potent lipid-lowering medication in men than in women. Median LDL cholesterol was 5.43 mmol/L (IQR 4.32-6.72) among patients not taking lipid-lowering medications and 4.23 mmol/L (3.20-5.66) among those taking them. Among patients taking lipid-lowering medications, 2.7% had LDL cholesterol lower than 1.8 mmol/L; the use of combination therapy, particularly with three drugs and with proprotein convertase subtilisin-kexin type 9 inhibitors, was associated with a higher proportion and greater odds of having LDL cholesterol lower than 1.8 mmol/L. Compared with index cases, patients who were non-index cases were younger, with lower LDL cholesterol and lower prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular diseases (all p<0.001).Interpretation Familial hypercholesterolaemia is diagnosed late. Guideline-recommended LDL cholesterol concentrations are infrequently achieved with single-drug therapy. Cardiovascular risk factors and presence of coronary disease were lower among non-index cases, who were diagnosed earlier. Earlier detection and greater use of combination therapies are required to reduce the global burden of familial hypercholesterolaemia. Copyright (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.mixedVallejo-Vaz, Antonio J.; Stevens, Christophe A.T.; Lyons, Alexander R.M.; Dharmayat, Kanika I.; Freiberger, Tomas; Hovingh, G. Kees; Mata, Pedro; Raal, Frederick J.; Santos, Raul D.; Soran, Handrean; Watts, Gerald F.; Abifadel, Marianne; Aguilar-Salinas, Carlos A.; Alhabib, Khalid F.; Alkhnifsawi, Mutaz; Almahmeed, Wael; Alnouri, Fahad; Alonso, Rodrigo; Al-Rasadi, Khalid; Al-Sarraf, Ahmad; Al-Sayed, Nasreen; Araujo, Francisco; Ashavaid, Tester F.; Banach, Maciej; Béliard, Sophie; Benn, Marianne; Binder, Christoph J.; Bogsrud, Martin P.; Bourbon, Mafalda; Chlebus, Krzysztof; Corral, Pablo; Davletov, Kairat; Descamps, Olivier S.; Durst, Ronen; Ezhov, Marat; Gaita, Dan; Genest, Jacques; Groselj, Urh; Harada-Shiba, Mariko; Holven, Kirsten B.; Kayikcioglu, Meral; Khovidhunkit, Weerapan; Lalic, Katarina; Latkovskis, Gustavs; Laufs, Ulrich; Liberopoulos, Evangelos; Lima-Martinez, Marcos M.; Lin, Jie; Maher, Vincent; Marais, A. David; März, Winfried; Mirrakhimov, Erkin; Miserez, André R.; Mitchenko, Olena; Nawawi, Hapizah; Nordestgaard, Børge G.; Panayiotou, Andrie G.; Paragh, György; Petrulioniene, Zaneta; Pojskic, Belma; Postadzhiyan, Arman; Raslova, Katarina; Reda, Ashraf; Reiner, Željko; Sadiq, Fouzia; Sadoh, Wilson Ehidiamen; Schunkert, Heribert; Shek, Aleksandr B.; Stoll, Mario; Stroes, Erik; Su, Ta-Chen; Subramaniam, Tavintharan; Susekov, Andrey V.; Tilney, Myra; Tomlinson, Brian; Truong, Thanh Huong; Tselepis, Alexandros D.; Tybjærg-Hansen, Anne; Vázquez Cárdenas, Alejandra; Viigimaa, Margus; Wang, Luya; Yamashita, Shizuya; Kastelein, John J.P.; Bruckert, Eric; Vohnout, Branislav; Schreier, Laura; Pang, Jing; Ebenbichler, Christoph; Dieplinger, Hans; Innerhofer, Reinhold; Winhofer-Stöckl, Yvonne; Greber-Platzer, Susanne; Krychtiuk, Konstantin; Speidl, Walter; Toplak, Hermann; Widhalm, Kurt; Stulnig, Thomas; Huber, Kurt; Höllerl, Florian; Rega-Kaun, Gersina; Kleemann, Lucas; Mäser, Martin; Scholl-Bürgi, Sabine; Säly, Christoph; Mayer, Florian J.; Sablon, Gaelle; Tarantino, Eric; Nzeyimana, Charlotte; Pojskic, Lamija; Sisic, Ibrahim; Nalbantic, Azra D.; Jannes, Cinthia E.; Pereira, Alexandre C.; Krieger, Jose E.; Petrov, Ivo; Goudev, Assen; Nikolov, Fedya; Tisheva, Snejana; Yotov, Yoto; Tzvetkov, Ivajlo; Baass, Alexis; Bergeron, Jean; Bernard, Sophie; Brisson, Diane; Brunham, Liam R.; Cermakova, Lubomira; Couture, Patrick; Francis, Gordon A.; Gaudet, Daniel; Hegele, Robert A.; Khoury, Etienne; Mancini, G.B. John; McCrindle, Brian W.; Paquette, Martine; Ruel, Isabelle; Cuevas, Ada; Asenjo, Sylvia; Wang, Xumin; Meng, Kang; Song, Xiantao; Yong, Qiang; Jiang, Tao; Liu, Ziyou; Duan, Yanyu; Hong, Jing; Ye, Pucong; Chen, Yan; Qi, Jianguang; Liu, Zesen; Li, Yuntao; Zhang, Chaoyi; Peng, Jie; Yang, Ya; Yu, Wei; Wang, Qian; Yuan, Hui; Cheng, Shitong; Jiang, Long; Chong, Mei; Jiao, Jian; Wu, Yue; Wen, Wenhui; Xu, Liyuan; Zhang, Ruiying; Qu, Yichen; He, Jianxun; Fan, Xuesong; Wang, Zhenjia; Chow, Elaine; Pećin, Ivan; Perica, Dražen; Symeonides, Phivos; Vrablik, Michal; Ceska, Richard; Soska, Vladimir; Tichy, Lukas; Adamkova, Vera; Franekova, Jana; Cifkova, Renata; Kraml, Pavel; Vonaskova, Katerina; Cepova, Jana; Dusejovska, Magdalena; Pavlickova, Lenka; Blaha, Vladimir; Rosolova, Hana; Nussbaumerova, Barbora; Cibulka, Roman; Vaverkova, Helena; Cibickova, Lubica; Krejsova, Zdenka; Rehouskova, Katerina; Malina, Pavel; Budikova, Milena; Palanova, Vaclava; Solcova, Lucie; Lubasova, Alena; Podzimkova, Helena; Bujdak, Juraj; Vesely, Jiri; Jordanova, Marta; Salek, Tomas; Urbanek, Robin; Zemek, Stanislav; Lacko, Jan; Halamkova, Hana; Machacova, Sona; Mala, Sarka; Cubova, Eva; Valoskova, Katerina; Burda, Lukas; Bendary, Ahmed; Daoud, Ihab; Emil, Sameh; Elbahry, Atef; Rafla, Samir; Sanad, Osama; Kazamel, Ghada; Ashraf, Mohamed; Sobhy, Mohamed; El-Hadidy, Amro; Shafy, Mohamed A.; Kamal, Saif; Bendary, Mohamed; Talviste, Grete; Angoulvant, Denis; Boccara, Franck; Cariou, Bertrand; Carreau, Valérie; Carrie, Alain; Charrieres, Sybil; Cottin, Yves; Di-Fillipo, Mathilde; Ducluzeau, Pierre H.; Dulong, Sonia; Durlach, Vincent; Farnier, Michel; Ferrari, Emile; Ferrieres, Dorota; Ferrieres, Jean; Gallo, Antonio; hankard, Regis; Inamo, Jocelyne; Lemale, Julie; Moulin, Philippe; Paillard, François; Peretti, Noel; Perrin, Agnès; Pradignac, Alain; Rabes, Jean P.; Rigalleau, Vincent; Sultan, Ariane; Schiele, François; Tounian, Patrick; Valero, René; Verges, Bruno; Yelnik, Cécile; Ziegler, Olivier; Haack, Ira A.; Schmidt, Nina; Dressel, Alexander; Klein, Isabel; Christmann, Jutta; Sonntag, Antonia; Stumpp, Christine; Boger, Diana; Biedermann, Dana; Usme, Monica M.N.; Beil, F. Ulrich; Klose, Gerald; König, Christel; Gouni-Berthold, Ioanna; Otte, Britta; Böll, Gereon; Kirschbaum, Anja; Merke, Jürgen; Scholl, Johannes; Segiet, Thomas; Gebauer, Marco; Predica, Florentina; Mayer, Manfred; Leistikow, Frank; Füllgraf-Horst, Sabine; Müller, Cornelius; Schüler, Melanie; Wiener, Judith; Hein, Konrad; Baumgartner, Peter; Kopf, Stefan; Busch, Reinhold; Schömig, Michael; Matthias, Stephan; Allendorf-Ostwald, Nicole; Fink, Bruno; Böhm, Dieter; Jäkel, Alexander; Koschker, Ann-Cathrin; Schweizer, Rüdiger; Vogt, Anja; Parhofer, Klaus; König, Wolfgang; Reinhard, Wibke; Bäßler, Andrea; Stadelmann, Alexander; Schrader, Volker; Katzmann, Julius; Tarr, Adrienne; Steinhagen-Thiessen, Elisabeth; Kassner, Ursula; Paulsen, Gerret; Homberger, Jürgen; Zemmrich, Claudia; Seeger, Wolfgang; Biolik, Kathrin; Deiss, Dorothee; Richter, Corinna; Pantchechnikova, Elina; Dorn, Elena; Schatz, Ulrike; Julius, Ulrich; Spens, Antje; Wiesner, Tobias; Scholl, Michael; Rizos, Christos V.; Sakkas, Nikolaos; Elisaf, Moses; Skoumas, Ioannis; Tziomalos, Konstantinos; Rallidis, Loukianos; Kotsis, Vasileios; Doumas, Michalis; Athyros, Vasileios; Skalidis, Emmanouil; Kolovou, Genovefa; Garoufi, Anastasia; Bilianou, Eleni; Koutagiar, Iosif; Agapakis, Dimitrios; Kiouri, Estela; Antza, Christina; Katsiki, Niki; Zacharis, Evangelos; Attilakos, Achilleas; Sfikas, George; Koumaras, Charalambos; Anagnostis, Panagiotis; Anastasiou, Georgia; Liamis, George; Koutsogianni, Amalia-Despoina; Karányi, Zsolt; Harangi, Mariann; Bajnok, László; Audikovszky, Mária; Márk, László; Benczúr, Béla; Reiber, István; Nagy, Gergely; Nagy, András; Reddy, Lakshmi L.; Shah, Swarup A.V.; Ponde, Chandrashekhar K.; Dalal, Jamshed J.; Sawhney, Jitendra P.S.; Verma, Ishwar C.; Altaey, Mays; Al-Jumaily, Khalid; Rasul, Dilshad; Abdalsahib, Ali F.; Jabbar, Amer A.; Al-ageedi, Mohanad; Agar, Ruth; Cohen, Hofit; Ellis, Avishay; Gavishv, Dov; Harats, Dror; Henkin, Yaacov; Knobler, Hila; Leavit, Leah; Leitersdorf, Eran; Rubinstein, Ardon; Schurr, Daniel; Shpitzen, Shoshi; Szalat, Auryan; Casula, Manuela; Zampoleri, Veronica; Gazzotti, Marta; Olmastroni, Elena; Sarzani, Riccardo; Ferri, Claudio; Repetti, Elena; Sabbà, Carlo; Bossi, Antonio Carlo; Borghi, Claudio; Muntoni, Sandro; Cipollone, Francesco; Purrello, Francesco; Pujia, Arturo; Passaro, Angelina; Marcucci, Rossella; Pecchioli, Valerio; Pisciotta, Livia; Mandraffino, Giuseppe; Pellegatta, Fabio; Mombelli, Giuliana; Branchi, Adriana; Fiorenza, Anna Maria; Pederiva, Cristina; Werba, Josè Pablo; Parati, Gianfranco; Carubbi, Francesca; Iughetti, Lorenzo; Iannuzzi, Arcangelo; Iannuzzo, Gabriella; Calabrò, Paolo; Averna, Maurizio; Biasucci, Giacomo; Zambon, Sabina; Roscini, Anna Rita; Trenti, Chiara; Arca, Marcello; Federici, Massimo; Del Ben, Maria; Bartuli, Andrea; Giaccari, Andrea; Pipolo, Antonio; Citroni, Nadia; Guardamagna, Ornella; Bonomo, Katia; Benso, Andrea; Biolo, Gianni; Maroni, Lorenzo; Lupi, Alessandro; Bonanni, Luca; Zenti, Maria Grazia; Matsuki, Kota; Hori, Mika; Ogura, Masatsune; Masuda, Daisaku; Kobayashi, Takuya; Nagahama, Kumiko; Al-Jarallah, Mohammed; Radovic, Mirjana; Lunegova, Olga; Bektasheva, Erkayim; Khodzhiboboev, Elyor; Erglis, Andrejs; Gilis, Dainus; Nesterovics, Georgijs; Saripo, Vita; Meiere, Ruta; Upena-RozeMicena, Arta; Terauda, Elizabete; Jambart, Selim; Khoury, Petra E.; Elbitar, Sandy; Ayoub, Carine; Ghaleb, Youmna; Aliosaitiene, Urte; Kutkiene, Sandra; Kasim, Noor A.M.; Nor, Noor S.M.; Ramli, Anis S.; Razak, Suraya A.; Al-Khateeb, Alyaa; Kadir, Siti H.S.A.; Muid, Suhaila A.; Rahman, Thuhairah A.; Kasim, Sazzli S.; Radzi, Ahmad B.M.; Ibrahim, Khairul S.; Razali, Salmi; Ismail, Zaliha; Ghani, Rohana A.; Hafidz, Muhammad I.A.; Chua, Ang L.; Rosli, Marshima M.; Annamalai, Muthukkaruppan; Teh, Lay K.; Razali, Rafezah; Chua, Yung A.; Rosman, Azhari; Sanusi, Abdul R.; Murad, Nor A.A.; Jamal, A. Rahman A.; Nazli, Sukma A.; Razman, Aimi Z.; Rosman, Norhidayah; Rahmat, Radzi; Hamzan, Nur S.; Azzopardi, C.; Mehta, Roopa; Martagon, Alexandro J.; Ramirez, Gabriela A.G.; Villa, Neftali E.A.; Vazquez, Arsenio V.; Elias-Lopez, Daniel; Retana, Gustavo G.; Rodriguez, Betsabel; Macías, Jose J.C.; Zazueta, Alejandro R.; Alvarado, Rocio M.; Portano, Julieta D.M.; Lopez, Humberto A.; Sauque-Reyna, Leobardo; Herrera, Laura G.G.; Mendia, Luis E.S.; Aguilar, Humberto Garcia; Cooremans, Elizabeth R.; Aparicio, Berenice P.; Zubieta, Victoria M.; Gonzalez, Perla A.C.; Ferreira-Hermosillo, Aldo; Portilla, Nacu C.; Dominguez, Guadalupe J.; Garcia, Alinna Y.R.; Cazares, Hector E.A.; Gonzalez, Jesus R.; Valencia, Carla V.M.; Padilla, Francisco G.; Prado, Ramon M.; De los Rios Ibarra, Manuel O.; Villicaña, Ruy D.A.; Rivera, Karina J.A.; Carrera, Ricardo A.; Alvarez, Jose A.; Martinez, Jose C.A.; de los Reyes Barrera Bustillo, Manuel; Vargas, Gonzalo C.; Chacon, Roberto C.; Andrade, Mario H.F.; Ortega, Ashanty F.; Alcala, Hector G.; de Leon, Laura E.G.; Guzman, Berenice G.; Garcia, Jose J.G.; Cuellar, Juan C.G.; Cruz, Jose R.G.; Garcia, Anell Hernandez; Almada, Jesus R.H.; Herrera, Ursulo J.; Sobrevilla, Fabiola L.; Rodriguez, Eduardo M.; Sibaja, Cristina M.; Rodriguez, Alma B.M.; Oyervides, Jose C.M.; Vazquez, Daniel I.P.; Rodriguez, Eduardo A.R.; Osorio, Ma L.R.; Saucedo, Juan R.; Tamayo, Margarita T.; Talavera, Luis A.V.; Arroyo, Luis E.V.; Carrillo, Eloy A.Z.; Isara, Alphonsus; Obaseki, Darlington E.; Al-Waili, Khalid; Al-Zadjali, Fahad; Al-Zakwani, Ibrahim; Al-Kindi, Mohammed; Al-Mukhaini, Suad; Al-Barwani, Hamida; Rana, Asim; Shah, Lahore S.U.; Starostecka, Ewa; Konopka, Agnieszka; Lewek, Joanna; Bartłomiejczyk, Marcin; Gąsior, Mariusz; Dyrbuś, Krzysztof; Jóźwiak, Jacek; Gruchała, Marcin; Pajkowski, Marcin; Romanowska-Kocejko, Marzena; Żarczyńska-Buchowiecka, Marta; Chmara, Magdalena; Wasąg, Bartosz; Parczewska, Aleksandra; Gilis-Malinowska, Natasza; Borowiec-Wolna, Justyna; Stróżyk, Aneta; Woś, Marlena; Michalska-Grzonkowska, Aleksandra; Medeiros, Ana M.; Alves, Ana C.; Silva, Francisco; Lobarinhas, Goreti; Palma, Isabel; de Moura, Jose P.; Rico, Miguel T.; Rato, Quitéria; Pais, Patrícia; Correia, Susana; Moldovan, Oana; Virtuoso, Maria J.; Salgado, Jose M.; Colaço, Ines; Dumitrescu, Andreea; Lengher, Calin; Mosteoru, Svetlana; Meshkov, Alexey; Ershova, Alexandra; Rozkova, Tatiana; Korneva, Victoria; Yu, Kuznetsova T.; Zafiraki, Vitaliy; Voevoda, Mikhail; Gurevich, Victor; Duplyakov, Dmitry; Ragino, Yulia; Safarova, Maya; Shaposhnik, Igor; Alkaf, Fahmi; Khudari, Alia; Rwaili, Nawal; Al-Allaf, Faisal; Alghamdi, Mohammad; Batais, Mohammed A.; Almigbal, Turky H.; Kinsara, Abdulhalim; AlQudaimi, Ashraf H.A.; Awan, Zuhier; Elamin, Omer A.; Altaradi, Hani; Rajkovic, Natasa; Popovic, Ljiljana; Singh, Sandra; Stosic, Ljubica; Rasulic, Iva; Lalic, Nebojsa M.; Lam, Carolyn; Le, Tan J.; Siang, Eric L.T.; Dissanayake, Sanjaya; I-Shing, Justin T.; Shyong, Tai E.; Jin, Terrance C.S.; Balinth, Karin; Buganova, Ingrid; Fabryova, Lubomira; Kadurova, Michaela; Klabnik, Alexander; Kozárová, Miriam; Sirotiakova, Jana; Battelino, Tadej; Kovac, Jernej; Mlinaric, Matej; Sustar, Ursa; Podkrajsek, Katarina T.; Fras, Zlatko; Jug, Borut; Cevc, Matija; Pilcher, Gillian J.; Blom, D.J.; Wolmarans, K.H.; Brice, B.C.; Muñiz-Grijalvo, Ovidio; Díaz-Díaz, Jose L.; de Isla, Leopoldo P.; Fuentes, Francisco; Badimon, Lina; Martin, François; Lux, Angela; Chang, Nien-Tzu; Ganokroj, Poranee; Akbulut, Mehmet; Alici, Gökhan; Bayram, Fahri; Can, Levent H.; Celik, Ahmet; Ceyhan, Ceyhun; Coskun, Fatma Y.; Demir, Mesut; Demircan, Sabri; Dogan, Volkan; Durakoglugil, Emre; Dural, Ibrahim E.; Gedikli, Omer; Hacioglu, Aysa; Ildizli, Muge; Kilic, Salih; Kirilmaz, Bahadir; Kutlu, Merih; Oguz, Aytekin; Ozdogan, Oner; Onrat, Ersel; Ozer, Savas; Sabuncu, Tevfik; Sahin, Tayfun; Sivri, Fatih; Sonmez, Alper; Temizhan, Ahmet; Topcu, Selim; Tuncez, Abdullah; Vural, Mirac; Yenercag, Mustafa; Yesilbursa, Dilek; Yigit, Zerrin; Yildirim, Aytul B.; Yildirir, Aylin; Yilmaz, Mehmet B.; Atallah, Bassam; Traina, Mahmoud; Sabbour, Hani; Hay, Dana A.; Luqman, Neama; Elfatih, Abubaker; Abdulrasheed, Arshad; Kwok, See; Oca, Nicolas D.; Reyes, Ximena; Alieva, Rano B.; Kurbanov, Ravshanbek D.; Hoshimov, Shavkat U.; Nizamov, Ulugbek I.; Ziyaeva, Adolat V.; Abdullaeva, Guzal J.; Do, Doan L.; Nguyen, Mai N.T.; Kim, Ngoc T.; Le, Thanh T.; Le, Hong A.; Tokgozoglu, Lale; Catapano, Alberico L.; Ray, Kausik K.Vallejo-Vaz, Antonio J.; Stevens, Christophe A. T.; Lyons, Alexander R. M.; Dharmayat, Kanika I.; Freiberger, Tomas; Hovingh, G. Kees; Mata, Pedro; Raal, Frederick J.; Santos, Raul D.; Soran, Handrean; Watts, Gerald F.; Abifadel, Marianne; Aguilar-Salinas, Carlos A.; Alhabib, Khalid F.; Alkhnifsawi, Mutaz; Almahmeed, Wael; Alnouri, Fahad; Alonso, Rodrigo; Al-Rasadi, Khalid; Al-Sarraf, Ahmad; Al-Sayed, Nasreen; Araujo, Francisco; Ashavaid, Tester F.; Banach, Maciej; Béliard, Sophie; Benn, Marianne; Binder, Christoph J.; Bogsrud, Martin P.; Bourbon, Mafalda; Chlebus, Krzysztof; Corral, Pablo; Davletov, Kairat; Descamps, Olivier S.; Durst, Ronen; Ezhov, Marat; Gaita, Dan; Genest, Jacques; Groselj, Urh; Harada-Shiba, Mariko; Holven, Kirsten B.; Kayikcioglu, Meral; Khovidhunkit, Weerapan; Lalic, Katarina; Latkovskis, Gustavs; Laufs, Ulrich; Liberopoulos, Evangelos; Lima-Martinez, Marcos M.; Lin, Jie; Maher, Vincent; Marais, A. David; März, Winfried; Mirrakhimov, Erkin; Miserez, André R.; Mitchenko, Olena; Nawawi, Hapizah; Nordestgaard, Børge G.; Panayiotou, Andrie G.; Paragh, György; Petrulioniene, Zaneta; Pojskic, Belma; Postadzhiyan, Arman; Raslova, Katarina; Reda, Ashraf; Reiner, Željko; Sadiq, Fouzia; Sadoh, Wilson Ehidiamen; Schunkert, Heribert; Shek, Aleksandr B.; Stoll, Mario; Stroes, Erik; Su, Ta-Chen; Subramaniam, Tavintharan; Susekov, Andrey V.; Tilney, Myra; Tomlinson, Brian; Truong, Thanh Huong; Tselepis, Alexandros D.; Tybjærg-Hansen, Anne; Vázquez Cárdenas, Alejandra; Viigimaa, Margus; Wang, Luya; Yamashita, Shizuya; Kastelein, John J. P.; Bruckert, Eric; Vohnout, Branislav; Schreier, Laura; Pang, Jing; Ebenbichler, Christoph; Dieplinger, Hans; Innerhofer, Reinhold; Winhofer-Stöckl, Yvonne; Greber-Platzer, Susanne; Krychtiuk, Konstantin; Speidl, Walter; Toplak, Hermann; Widhalm, Kurt; Stulnig, Thomas; Huber, Kurt; Höllerl, Florian; Rega-Kaun, Gersina; Kleemann, Lucas; Mäser, Martin; Scholl-Bürgi, Sabine; Säly, Christoph; Mayer, Florian J.; Sablon, Gaelle; Tarantino, Eric; Nzeyimana, Charlotte; Pojskic, Lamija; Sisic, Ibrahim; Nalbantic, Azra D.; Jannes, Cinthia E.; Pereira, Alexandre C.; Krieger, Jose E.; Petrov, Ivo; Goudev, Assen; Nikolov, Fedya; Tisheva, Snejana; Yotov, Yoto; Tzvetkov, Ivajlo; Baass, Alexis; Bergeron, Jean; Bernard, Sophie; Brisson, Diane; Brunham, Liam R.; Cermakova, Lubomira; Couture, Patrick; Francis, Gordon A.; Gaudet, Daniel; Hegele, Robert A.; Khoury, Etienne; Mancini, G. B. John; Mccrindle, Brian W.; Paquette, Martine; Ruel, Isabelle; Cuevas, Ada; Asenjo, Sylvia; Wang, Xumin; Meng, Kang; Song, Xiantao; Yong, Qiang; Jiang, Tao; Liu, Ziyou; Duan, Yanyu; Hong, Jing; Ye, Pucong; Chen, Yan; Qi, Jianguang; Liu, Zesen; Li, Yuntao; Zhang, Chaoyi; Peng, Jie; Yang, Ya; Yu, Wei; Wang, Qian; Yuan, Hui; Cheng, Shitong; Jiang, Long; Chong, Mei; Jiao, Jian; Wu, Yue; Wen, Wenhui; Xu, Liyuan; Zhang, Ruiying; Qu, Yichen; He, Jianxun; Fan, Xuesong; Wang, Zhenjia; Chow, Elaine; Pećin, Ivan; Perica, Dražen; Symeonides, Phivos; Vrablik, Michal; Ceska, Richard; Soska, Vladimir; Tichy, Lukas; Adamkova, Vera; Franekova, Jana; Cifkova, Renata; Kraml, Pavel; Vonaskova, Katerina; Cepova, Jana; Dusejovska, Magdalena; Pavlickova, Lenka; Blaha, Vladimir; Rosolova, Hana; Nussbaumerova, Barbora; Cibulka, Roman; Vaverkova, Helena; Cibickova, Lubica; Krejsova, Zdenka; Rehouskova, Katerina; Malina, Pavel; Budikova, Milena; Palanova, Vaclava; Solcova, Lucie; Lubasova, Alena; Podzimkova, Helena; Bujdak, Juraj; Vesely, Jiri; Jordanova, Marta; Salek, Tomas; Urbanek, Robin; Zemek, Stanislav; Lacko, Jan; Halamkova, Hana; Machacova, Sona; Mala, Sarka; Cubova, Eva; Valoskova, Katerina; Burda, Lukas; Bendary, Ahmed; Daoud, Ihab; Emil, Sameh; Elbahry, Atef; Rafla, Samir; Sanad, Osama; Kazamel, Ghada; Ashraf, Mohamed; Sobhy, Mohamed; El-Hadidy, Amro; Shafy, Mohamed A.; Kamal, Saif; Bendary, Mohamed; Talviste, Grete; Angoulvant, Denis; Boccara, Franck; Cariou, Bertrand; Carreau, Valérie; Carrie, Alain; Charrieres, Sybil; Cottin, Yves; Di-Fillipo, Mathilde; Ducluzeau, Pierre H.; Dulong, Sonia; Durlach, Vincent; Farnier, Michel; Ferrari, Emile; Ferrieres, Dorota; Ferrieres, Jean; Gallo, Antonio; Hankard, Regis; Inamo, Jocelyne; Lemale, Julie; Moulin, Philippe; Paillard, François; Peretti, Noel; Perrin, Agnès; Pradignac, Alain; Rabes, Jean P.; Rigalleau, Vincent; Sultan, Ariane; Schiele, François; Tounian, Patrick; Valero, René; Verges, Bruno; Yelnik, Cécile; Ziegler, Olivier; Haack, Ira A.; Schmidt, Nina; Dressel, Alexander; Klein, Isabel; Christmann, Jutta; Sonntag, Antonia; Stumpp, Christine; Boger, Diana; Biedermann, Dana; Usme, Monica M. N.; Beil, F. Ulrich; Klose, Gerald; König, Christel; Gouni-Berthold, Ioanna; Otte, Britta; Böll, Gereon; Kirschbaum, Anja; Merke, Jürgen; Scholl, Johannes; Segiet, Thomas; Gebauer, Marco; Predica, Florentina; Mayer, Manfred; Leistikow, Frank; Füllgraf-Horst, Sabine; Müller, Cornelius; Schüler, Melanie; Wiener, Judith; Hein, Konrad; Baumgartner, Peter; Kopf, Stefan; Busch, Reinhold; Schömig, Michael; Matthias, Stephan; Allendorf-Ostwald, Nicole; Fink, Bruno; Böhm, Dieter; Jäkel, Alexander; Koschker, Ann-Cathrin; Schweizer, Rüdiger; Vogt, Anja; Parhofer, Klaus; König, Wolfgang; Reinhard, Wibke; Bäßler, Andrea; Stadelmann, Alexander; Schrader, Volker; Katzmann, Julius; Tarr, Adrienne; Steinhagen-Thiessen, Elisabeth; Kassner, Ursula; Paulsen, Gerret; Homberger, Jürgen; Zemmrich, Claudia; Seeger, Wolfgang; Biolik, Kathrin; Deiss, Dorothee; Richter, Corinna; Pantchechnikova, Elina; Dorn, Elena; Schatz, Ulrike; Julius, Ulrich; Spens, Antje; Wiesner, Tobias; Scholl, Michael; Rizos, Christos V.; Sakkas, Nikolaos; Elisaf, Moses; Skoumas, Ioannis; Tziomalos, Konstantinos; Rallidis, Loukianos; Kotsis, Vasileios; Doumas, Michalis; Athyros, Vasileios; Skalidis, Emmanouil; Kolovou, Genovefa; Garoufi, Anastasi