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The retromer is a cellular structure that recruits and recycles proteins inside the cell. In mammalian and yeast, the retromer components have been widely studied, but very little in parasites. In yeast, it is formed by a SNX-BAR membrane remodeling heterodimer and the cargo selecting complex (CSC), composed by three proteins. One of them, the Vps26 protein, possesses a flexible and intrinsically disordered region (IDR), that facilitates interactions with other proteins and contributes to the retromer binding to the endosomal membrane. In Entamoeba histolytica, the protozoan parasite responsible for human amoebiasis, the retromer actively participates during the high mobility and phagocytosis of trophozoites, but the molecular details in these events, are almost unknown. Here, we studied the EhVps26 role in phagocytosis. Bioinformatic analyses of EhVps26 revealed a typical arrestin folding structure of the protein, and a long and charged IDR, as described in other systems. EhVps26 molecular dynamics simulations (MDS) allowed us to predict binding pockets for EhVps35, EhSNX3, and a PX domain-containing protein; these pockets were disorganized in a EhVps26 truncated version lacking the IDR. The AlphaFold2 software predicted the interaction of EhVps26 with EhVps35, EhVps29 and EhSNX3, in a model similar to the reported mammalian crystals. By confocal and transmission electron microscopy, EhVps26 was found in the trophozoites plasma membrane, cytosol, endosomes, and Golgi-like apparatus. During phagocytosis, it followed the erythrocytes pathway, probably participating in cargoes selection and recycling. Ehvps26 gene knocking down evidenced that the EhVps26 protein is necessary for efficient phagocytosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Acceptability of a new safety-engineered peripherally inserted intravenous catheter (PIVC) with multiple access blood control (MBC) was evaluated in this observational study by experienced volunteer clinicians on healthy volunteers. Methods: Clinicians and healthy volunteers were recruited for this study. Observers documented study procedures, including if there was any blood leakage from the catheter hub at various times during hub connections and disconnections and how many attempts it took a clinician to get a successful stick. Clinicians responded to yes-or-no and Likert-scale questionnaires describing their experiences with PIVC with MBC after each procedure. Questionnaire data were summarized by frequency and percent of responses; analyses were conducted using binomial statistics. Results: Overall, clinicians considered PIVC with MBC to be acceptable (93.6% agreement). Clinicians were able to easily remove the catheter protective cap, insert the catheter, visualize primary and secondary flashbacks, easily remove the needle from the catheter hub and determine if the safety clip was activated after withdrawing the needle. In addition, they were able to connect or disconnect and flush extension sets. Clinicians did not have to change their insertion technique, found the catheter easy to insert, and believed the catheter would protect them from blood exposure during insertion of the catheter and subsequent hub accesses (agreement ranged from 82.3% to 98.9%). Conclusions: No blood leakage was observed from the catheter hub at any time during the procedures. Overall, clinicians found the new PIVC with MBC to be acceptable, easy to use, and functioned properly. HIGHLIGHTS: Acceptability, usability, and ease of use of a new safety-engineered PIVC with MBC was evaluated. PIVC with MBC was >93% acceptable: prevented blood exposure after multiple insertions/removals. Most clinicians (96%) achieved first stick success when using their product. PIVC with MBC was easy to use, worked properly and allowed clinicians to keep their PIVC technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flatworms are known for their remarkable regenerative ability, one which depends on totipotent cells known as germinative cells in cestodes. Depletion of germinative cells with hydroxyurea (HU) affects the regeneration of the parasite. Here, we studied the reduction and recovery of germinative cells in T. crassiceps cysticerci after HU treatment (25 mM and 40 mM of HU for 6 days) through in vitro assays. Viability and morphological changes were evaluated. The recovery of cysticerci's mobility and morphology was evaluated at 3 and 6 days, after 6 days of treatment. The number of proliferative cells was evaluated using EdU. Our results show morphological changes in the size, shape, and number of evaginated cysticerci at the 40 mM dose. The mobility of cysticerci was lower after 6 days of HU treatment at both concentrations. On days 3 and 6 of recovery after 25 mM of HU treatment, a partial recovery of the proliferative cells was observed. Proteomic and Gene Ontology analyses identified modifications in protein groups related to DNA binding, DNA damage, glycolytic enzymes, cytoskeleton, skeletal muscle, and RNA binding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this study is to estimate the safety factors and the probability of planar failure in the slopes of the Comuna Universitaria of the city of Manizales (Colombia). Geotechnical data gathered over a period of 14 years is processed statistically. The infinite slope equation is applied through Monte Carlo simulations to assess typical input scenarios including cohesion, friction angle, groundwater level, and inclination of layers with the presence of ash and anthropogenic fills. The simulation involved 5000 iterations for each variable, resulting in a tool for detecting conditions causing instability in the slopes of the Comuna Universitaria. It is concluded that for acceptable safety factors calculated deterministically, it is possible to obtain high risk levels with relation to failure probability function, making probabilistic analyses conservative and useful for early warning detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining compositions of low-mass exoplanets is essential in understanding their origins. The certainty by which masses and radius are measured affects our ability to discern planets that are rocky or volatile rich. In this study, we aim to determine sound observational strategies to avoid diminishing returns. We quantify how uncertainties in mass, radius, and model assumptions propagate into errors in inferred compositions of rocky and water planets. For a target error in a planet's iron-mass fraction or water content, we calculate the corresponding required accuracies in radius and mass. For instance, a rocky planet with a known radius error of 2 per cent (corresponding to TESS detection best errors) demands mass precision to be at 5–11 per cent to attain an 8 wt% precision in iron-mass fraction, regardless of mass. Similarly, a water world of equal radius precision requires 9–20 per cent mass precision to confine the water content within a 10 wt% margin. Lighter planets are more difficult to constrain, especially water-rich versus water-poor worlds. Studying Earth as an exoplanet, we find an ∼±5 point 'error floor' in iron-mass fraction and ∼±7 in core-mass fraction from our lack of knowledge on mineralogy. The results presented here can quickly guide observing strategies to maximize insights into small exoplanet compositions while avoiding overobserving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mercury is notoriously difficult to form in Solar System simulations, due to its small mass and iron-rich composition. Smooth particle hydrodynamics simulations of collisions have found that a Mercury-like body could be formed by one or multiple giant impacts, but due to the chaotic nature of collisions, it is difficult to create a scenario where such impacts will take place. Recent work has found more success forming Mercury analogues by adding additional embryos near Mercury's orbit. In this work, we aim to form Mercury by simulating the formation of the Solar System in the presence of the giant planets Jupiter and Saturn. We test out the effect of an inner disk of embryos added on to the commonly used narrow annulus of initial material. We form Mercury analogues with core-mass fractions (CMFs) > 0.4 in ∼10% of our simulations, and twice that number of Mercury analogues form during the formation process but are unstable and do not last to the end of the simulations. Mercury analogues form at similar rates for both disks with and without an inner component, and most of our Mercury analogues have lower CMFs than that of Mercury, ∼0.7, due to significant accretion of debris material. We suggest that a more in-depth understanding of the fraction of debris mass that is lost to collisional grinding is necessary to understand Mercury's formation, or some additional mechanism is required to stop this debris from accreting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the expansion of wastewater surveillance (WWS) from 20 to 53 jurisdictions in the U.S., emphasizing its role in monitoring SARS-CoV-2 and testing for various respiratory pathogens. Topics include the utilization of wastewater data by the National Wastewater Surveillance System's Centers of Excellence, public health actions during the 2022–23 respiratory disease season, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data.

Rocky planets both in and outside of our solar system are observed to have a range of core-mass fractions (CMFs). Imperfect collisions can preferentially strip mantle material from a planet, changing its CMF, and are therefore thought to be the most likely cause of this observed CMF variation. However, previous work that implements these collisions into N -body simulations of planet formation has struggled to reliably form high CMF super-Earths. In this work, we specify our initial conditions and simulation parameters to maximize the prevalence of high-energy, CMF-changing collisions in order to form planets with highly diverse CMFs. High-energy collisions have a large v imp/ v esc ratio, so we maximize this ratio by starting simulations with high eccentricity and inclination disks to increase the difference in their orbital velocities, maximizing v imp. Additionally, we minimize v esc by starting with small embryos. The final planets undergo more high-energy, debris-producing collisions, and experience significant CMF change over their formation. However, we find that a number of processes work together to average out the CMF of a planet over time; therefore, we do not consistently form high CMF, high-mass planets. We do form high CMF planets below 0.5 M ⊕. Additionally, we find, in these highly eccentric environments, loss of debris mass due to collisional grinding has a significant effect on final planet masses and CMFs, resulting in smaller planets and a higher average planet CMF. This work highlights the importance of improving measurements of high-density planets to better constrain their CMFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work is motivated by the need to accurately estimate genetic effects over time when analysing data from high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) experiments. The HTP data we deal with here are characterised by phenotypic traits measured multiple times in the presence of spatial and temporal noise and a hierarchical organisation at three levels (populations, genotypes within populations, and plants within genotypes). We propose a feasible one-stage spatio-temporal P-spline-based hierarchical approach to model the evolution of the genetic signal over time on a given phenotype while accounting for spatio-temporal noise and experimental design and/or post-blocking factors. We provide the user with appealing tools that take advantage of the sparse model matrices structure to reduce computational complexity. We illustrate the performance of our method using spatio-temporal simulated data and data from the PhenoArch greenhouse platform at INRAE Montpellier. In the plant breeding context, we show that information extracted for selection purposes from our fitted genotypic curves is similar to that obtained using a comparable two-stage P-spline-based approach.Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear on-line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Multiple studies have described increased risk of severe coronavirus disease (COVID‐19) among pregnant women compared to nonpregnant women. The risk in middle‐income countries where the distributions of age groups and preexisting conditions may differ is less known. Objectives: To determine whether pregnant women with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection are at increased risk for severe COVID‐19 compared to nonpregnant women in Colombia. Methods: We analysed national surveillance data from Colombia, of women aged 15–44 years with laboratory‐confirmed infection with SARS‐CoV‐2 by molecular or antigen testing, from 6 March 2020 to 12 December 2020. An enhanced follow‐up of pregnant women with COVID‐19 was established to monitor pregnancy and birth outcomes. Results: Of 371,363 women aged 15–44 years with laboratory‐confirmed SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, 1.5% (n = 5614) were reported as pregnant; among those, 2610 (46.5%) were considered a complete pregnancy for reporting purposes at the time of analysis. Hospitalisation (23.9%) and death (1.3%) occurred more frequently among pregnant symptomatic women compared to nonpregnant symptomatic women (2.9% and 0.3%, respectively). Compared to nonpregnant symptomatic women, pregnant symptomatic women were at increased risk of hospitalisation (adjusted risk ratio [RR] 2.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.07, 2.32) and death (RR 1.82, 95% CI 1.60, 2.07), after adjusting for age, type of health insurance and presence of certain underlying medical conditions. Among complete pregnancies, 55 (2.1%) were pregnancy losses, 72 (2.8%) resulted in term low birthweight infants and 375 (14.4%) were preterm deliveries. Conclusions: Although pregnant women were infrequently reported with laboratory‐confirmed SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, pregnant symptomatic women with COVID‐19 were at increased risk for hospitalisation and death compared to nonpregnant symptomatic women. Almost all infections we reported on were third‐trimester infections; ongoing follow‐up is needed to determine pregnancy outcomes among women infected earlier in pregnancy. Healthcare providers should counsel pregnant women about preventive measures to protect from SARS‐CoV‐2 infection and when to seek care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High throughput phenotyping (HTP) platforms and devices are increasingly used for the characterization of growth and developmental processes for large sets of plant genotypes. Such HTP data require challenging statistical analyses in which longitudinal genetic signals need to be estimated against a background of spatio-temporal noise processes. We propose a two-stage approach for the analysis of such longitudinal HTP data. In a first stage, we correct for design features and spatial trends per time point. In a second stage, we focus on the longitudinal modelling of the spatially corrected data, thereby taking advantage of shared longitudinal features between genotypes and plants within genotypes. We propose a flexible hierarchical three-level P-spline growth curve model, with plants/plots nested in genotypes, and genotypes nested in populations. For selection of genotypes in a plant breeding context, we show how to extract new phenotypes, like growth rates, from the estimated genotypic growth curves and their first-order derivatives. We illustrate our approach on HTP data from the PhenoArch greenhouse platform at INRAE Montpellier and the outdoor Field Phenotyping platform at ETH Zürich. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Using the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) classification guidelines, we characterized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)–associated confirmed and probable deaths in Puerto Rico during March–July 2020. We also estimated the total number of possible deaths due to COVID-19 in Puerto Rico during the same period. Methods: We described data on COVID-19–associated mortality, in which the lower bound was the sum of confirmed and probable COVID-19 deaths and the upper bound was excess mortality, estimated as the difference between observed deaths and average expected deaths. We obtained data from the Puerto Rico Department of Health COVID-19 Mortality Surveillance System, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Electronic Disease Surveillance System Base System, and the National Center for Health Statistics. Results: During March–July 2020, 225 COVID-19–associated deaths were identified in Puerto Rico (119 confirmed deaths and 106 probable deaths). The median age of decedents was 73 (interquartile range, 59-83); 60 (26.7%) deaths occurred in the Metropolitana region, and 140 (62.2%) deaths occurred among men. Of the 225 decedents, 180 (83.6%) had been hospitalized and 93 (41.3%) had required mechanical ventilation. Influenza and pneumonia (48.0%), sepsis (28.9%), and respiratory failure (27.1%) were the most common conditions contributing to COVID-19 deaths based on death certificates. Based on excess mortality calculations, as many as 638 COVID-19–associated deaths could have occurred during the study period, up to 413 more COVID-19–associated deaths than originally reported. Conclusions: Including probable deaths per the CSTE guidelines and monitoring all-cause excess mortality can lead to a better estimation of COVID-19–associated deaths and serve as a model to enhance mortality surveillance in other US jurisdictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The composition of rocky exoplanets in the context of stars' composition provides important constraints to formation theories. In this study, we select a sample of exoplanets with mass and radius measurements with an uncertainty |$\lt 25{{\ \rm per\ cent}}$| and obtain their interior structure. We calculate compositional markers, ratios of iron to magnesium and silicon, as well as core mass fractions (CMFs) that fit the planetary parameters, and compare them to the stars. We find four key results that successful planet formation theories need to predict: (1) In a population sense, the composition of rocky planets spans a wider range than stars. The stars' Fe/Si distribution is close to a Gaussian distribution |$1.63^{+0.91}_{-0.85}$|⁠ , while the planets' distribution peaks at lower values and has a longer tail, |$1.15^{+1.43}_{-0.76}$|⁠. It is easier to see the discrepancy in CMF space, where primordial stellar composition is |$0.32^{+0.14}_{-0.12}$|⁠ , while rocky planets follow a broader distribution |$0.24^{+0.33}_{-0.18}$|⁠. (2) We introduce uncompressed density (⁠|$\overline{\rho _0}$| at reference pressure/temperature) as a metric to compare compositions. With this, we find what seems to be the maximum iron enrichment that rocky planets attain during formation (⁠|$\overline{\rho _0}\sim 6$| and CMF ∼0.8). (3) Highly irradiated planets exhibit a large range of compositions. If these planets are the result of atmospheric evaporation, iron enrichment and perhaps depletion must happen before gas dispersal. And, (4) We identify a group of highly irradiated planets that, if rocky, would be twofold depleted in Fe/Si with respect to the stars. Without a reliable theory for forming iron-depleted planets, these are interesting targets for follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Recent reports show that girls with higher body mass index (BMI) have an earlier puberty onset (thelarche). It has been suggested that earlier puberty is a consequence of higher levels of estrogen due to increased aromatization of androgens in adipose tissue. Thus, we aimed to assess the relation between serum levels of estrogen and excess weight (BMI ≥1SD) and central adiposity (>75th percentile for waist circumference) in prepubertal girls at age 7. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study within the Growth and Obesity Cohort Study of 1190 low-middle income children from Santiago, Chile. We selected a random sample of 107 prepubertal girls at age 7. A trained dietitian measured weight, height and waist circumference. Additionally, a fasting blood sample was collected to measure serum levels of estradiol equivalents (via ultrasensitive recombinant cell bioassay), dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), insulin, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and leptin. Results: Excess weight was observed in 40% of our sample; 11.2% had high central adiposity, and the mean level of estradiol equivalents was 3.6 ± 2.3 pg/ml. In the univariate and multivariate analyzes, we did not observe an association between excess weight, central adiposity and estradiol equivalent levels; however, insulin was inversely associated with the serum level of estradiol equivalents. Conclusions: Our participants had a mean level of estradiol equivalents of 3.6 pg/ml (±2.3 pg/ml) at the pre-pubertal stage. However, with the exception of insulin, we did not observe an association between estradiol equivalents and markers of adiposity and metabolic and hormonal factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent observations of rocky super-Earths have revealed an apparent wider distribution of Fe/Mg ratios, or core to mantle ratios, than the planets in our Solar system. This study aims to understand how much of the chemical diversity in the super-Earth population can arise from giant impacts during planetary formation. Planet formation simulations have only recently begun to treat collisions more realistically in an attempt to replicate the planets in our Solar system. We investigate planet formation more generally by simulating the formation of rocky super-Earths with varying initial conditions using a version of symb a , a gravitational N -body code, that incorporates realistic collisions. We track the maximum plausible change in composition after each impact. The final planets span a range of Fe/Mg ratios similar to the Solar system planets, but do not completely match the distribution in super-Earth data. We only form a few planets with minor iron-depletion, suggesting other mechanisms are at work. The most iron-rich planets have a lower Fe/Mg ratio than Mercury, and are less enriched than planets such as Kepler-100b. This indicates that further work on our understanding of planet formation and further improvement of precision of mass and radius measurements are required to explain planets at the extremes of this Fe/Mg distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cytokinin forchlorfenuron (FCF), a synthetic cytokinin, has been used specifically for the characterization of septins. In spite of genomic evidence of their existence, nothing is known about septin filaments in taeniid cestodes. The aim of this work was to determine the presence of a septin-like protein in cysticerci of Taenia crassiceps and Taenia solium using the deduced amino acid sequence of T. solium septin 4 (SEPT4_Tsm), to design and synthesize a derived immunogenic peptide (residues 88 to 103), to prepare a specific rabbit polyclonal antibody, and to examine the effects of FCF at different concentrations and exposure times on an in vitro culture of T. crassiceps cysticerci. In vitro, FCF altered the morphology and motility of T. crassiceps cysticerci, and its effects were reversible under specific concentrations. In addition, we observed by ultrastructural observation that FCF alters the cellular subunit of the protonephridial system of cestodes, where disruption of the axoneme pattern of flame cells was observed. The rabbit polyclonal antibody prepared against the synthetic peptide recognized a major band of 41 kDa in both parasites. Our results establish the importance of SEPT4_Tsm in the dynamics and survival of taeniid cysticerci, as well as their susceptibility to FCF. This is also the first report that a septin is present in the cytoskeleton of taeniids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social housing in Colombia does not include, as design parameters, environmental or social criteria, since financial closure is a priority. This is why the objective of this article is to propose guidelines for the design of prototypes of sustainable social housing (VIS), based on the application of the baseline matrix. With respect to the methodology used, this research is based on the matrix elaborated in the research project called Proposal for Guidelines for the Architectural Design and Construction of a VIS Prototype for Medellín, which includes sustainability criteria in its design based on the baseline elaborated in phase II and applicable to Medellín and the Metropolitan Area. This matrix is composed of four thematic axes: site selection, rational use of water, materials and habitability. Once applied, the results served to define guidelines for intervention at the different scales. The project resulted in intervention guidelines that can be applied in the design stage of this type of project or that can be used as a reference point to evaluate sustainability in VIS projects developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this piece of research aimed to identify causal factors of trade sexual exploitation on children and adolescents in Colombia. For this purpose, three case studies were analyzed: Medellín, Sincelejo, and Magangué. Workshops were conducted and surveys were implemented in each of the cities in both governmental institutions, in charge of intervening the phenomenon and in some educational institutions, with the participation of officials, professionals, teachers, directors, and students. As for the data analysis, an explanatory matrix was carried out, with the participation of 4 judges. The categories of analysis were those related to the environment, the family, and the individual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By their active movement and voraux phagocytosis, the trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica constitute an excellent system to investigate the dynamics of the Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport (ESCRT) protein interactions through phagocytosis. Here, we studied the proteins forming the E. histolytica ESCRT-II complex and their relationship with other phagocytosis-involved molecules. Bioinformatics analysis predicted that EhVps22, EhVps25, and EhVps36 are E. histolytica bona fide orthologues of the ESCRT-II protein families. Recombinant proteins and specific antibodies revealed that ESCRT-II proteins interact with each other, with other ESCRT proteins, and phagocytosis-involved molecules, such as the adhesin (EhADH). Laser confocal microscopy, pull-down assays, and mass spectrometry analysis disclosed that during phagocytosis, ESCRT-II accompanies the red blood cells (RBCs) from their attachment to the trophozoites until their arrival to multivesicular bodies (MVBs), changing their interactive patterns according to the time and place of the process. Knocked-down trophozoites in the Ehvps25 gene presented a 50% lower rate of phagocytosis than the controls and lower efficiency to adhere RBCs. In conclusion, ESCRT-II interacts with other molecules during prey contact and conduction throughout the phagocytic channel and trophozoites membranous system. ESCRT-II proteins are members of the protein chain during vesicle trafficking and are fundamental for the continuity and efficiency of phagocytosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The neck has always been one of the most difficult areas to manage in rejuvenation surgery. Even patients with adequate results after a facelift may be dissatisfied because of the appearance of the neck. Moreover, not all neck problems are the same in all patients. Some cases only require fat removal to obtain good results, whereas others require complete neck- and facelift to achieve the desired results. This article offers a detailed step-by-step description of the approach to aesthetic pathologies of the neck, tailored to the needs of each individual patient. The article also includes a discussion of topics such as double chin liposuction, platysma plication, corset platysmaplasty, platysmal suspension to the mastoid, mentoplasty, and neck- and facelift. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have shown that hybrid fermentation–pervaporationsystems can be attractive for ethanol production. Simultaneous removalof the ethanol produced promises to improve yield and to reduce operationtime and the energy required for ethanol purification. This paperexperimentally explores the effect of pH (3–5.7), CO2(at saturated conditions), and high glucose concentrations (50–400g/L) on the flux and selectivity of PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane) pervaporationmembranes at several ethanol concentrations (50–100 g/L) andtemperatures (278–313 K). Membrane performance has been simulatedusing a Henry solution model combined with a Maxwell–Stefandescription of mass transport through the membrane. By adjusting themodel to the water–ethanol experimental data, it was possibleto calculate the relative solubility and diffusion between ethanoland water in the polymeric membrane. Experimental results showed thatthe higher the glucose concentration is, the higher the membrane selectivityto ethanol will be due to a reduction on water flux. However, at aglucose concentration of 400 g/L a strong drop of total flux was measured.CO2permeates through the PDMS membrane, but it does nothave any effect on ethanol or water flux and, consequently, on selectivity.On the contrary, as pH is reduced so does selectivity while the totalflux increases. Low pH values produce a decrease in membrane hydrophobicity,increasing water transport. The results presented in this paper contributeto the design of hybrid fermentation and pervaporation units, especiallythose that can operate at high glucose concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. The selection assisted by molecular markers allows the modification of the genes' frequency within a population, favoring the variables responsible for zoo technical interest characters. The gene of the growth hormone is important for the characteristics related to the animal's development and can be associated to the linear characteristics of the bovine cattle. Objective. To determine the effect of a polymorphism of the bovine's growth hormone's gene on conformation characteristics in Holstein cows from the Antioquia province. Materials and methods. The research work was performed in eight dairy herds from Antioquia, with 359 records, with 313 Holstein bovines. The DNA extraction was performed with the salting out method and the genotyping was made by means of PCR-RFLP. To evaluate the association between the polymorphism and the linear characteristics, a general linear model was adjusted and the Kruskal Wallis test was used. Finally, a linear regression was performed in order to evaluate the allelic substitution effect by the use of the SAS V.9.0 statistical software. Results. The polymorphism of the growth hormone's gene had a significant effect (P<0.05) on the location of the teat, central ligament of the udder and the width and the depth of the udder. No effect was found (P>0.05) for the other characteristics analyzed. Conclusion. The polymorphism of the growth hormone's gene is associated to some characteristics that are important in dairy production, and therefore it is a gene that can be a candidate to be used in programs of assisted selection with molecular markers oriented to improve the linear characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Super-Earths are the smallest class of discovered extra-solar planets. Owing to their relatively small mass, some might resemble Earth and perhaps be habitable. Because of the connection to habitability through thermal evolution, we investigate the tectonic regime of massive terrestrial planets. Two independent studies [O''Neill, C., Lenardic, A., Oct 2007. Geological consequences of super-sized earths. GRL 34, L19204, Valencia, D., O''Connell, R.J., Sasselov, D. D., Nov 2007a. Inevitability of plate tectonics on super-earths. ApJL 670, L45–L48.] have reached opposing conclusions about the likelihood of plate tectonics. Here, we offer possible reasons for the discordant findings and address three key aspects of sustaining plate tectonics: deformation on faults, negative buoyancy and energy dissipation during subduction. We show that in general, the ratio of driving force to plate resistance increases with planetary mass. This is a consequence of increasing convective stresses, thinning plates and similar plate structure. We conclude that even though the strength of dry and wet of faults increases for massive terrestrial planets, the convective stress increases even more allowing deformation to take place. Also, despite shorter timescales for plate cooling, rocky super-Earths achieve negative buoyancy at subduction zones. Finally, by investigating the effects of energy dissipation during subduction we find that massive terrestrial planets dissipate less energy during subduction and hence provide a positive feedback to sustain active-lid tectonics. In conclusion, rocky super-Earths have more favorable conditions than Earth for the subduction of plates, and hence, for sustaining plate tectonics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Super-Earths are the newest class of extra-solar planets with a mass range between about 1–10 M ⊕. With their large masses, they experience very large internal pressures. The central pressure scales proportionately with mass, reaching values that require us to extend our understanding of rock and H2O behavior to such extreme conditions. Pressure also constrains the power law relationship between mass and radius of solid planets R∼ M β. The value for the exponent is 0.262≤ β≤0.274 as constrained by the different internal structure models for super-Earths, while it is 0.3 for planets between 5–50% the mass of Earth. Despite uncertainties in planetary composition, temperature structure and equation of state, the mass-radius relationship is robust, and thus, useful for inferring the expected signal in transit searches. In the next few years many super-Earths will be discovered and their masses and radii will be known with some uncertainty. Even without errors in both the data and structure models, a large number of compositions can fit the same average density. However, the follow-up observations with space telescopes will yield very precise radius measurements and even probe the atmospheres of super-Earths. This radius uncertainty will then be comparable to the current error derived from the equation of state used by the structure models. Thus, there is a need for accurate equations of state of solid planetary materials. Furthermore, information on the structure, such as the size and state of the core, crucially depends on the exact behavior of super-Earth materials (i.e. silicates, iron, iron alloy and ices) at high pressures and temperatures. In addition, information about the atmospheric composition of these planets may prove useful in constraining their interiors. Ultimately any inference on the structure of super-Earths, including information from atmospheres, depends on the precision of interior models, which in turn require accurate equations of state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Planetary formation models predict the existence of massive terrestrial planets and experiments are now being designed that should succeed in discovering them and measuring their masses and radii. We calculate internal structures of planets with one to ten times the mass of the Earth (Super-Earths) to obtain scaling laws for total radius, mantle thickness, core size and average density as a function of mass. We explore different compositions and obtain a scaling law of for Super-Earths. We also study a second family of planets, Super-Mercuries with masses ranging from one mercury-mass to ten mercury-masses with similar composition to the Earth''s but with a larger core mass fraction. We explore the effect of surface temperature and core mass fraction on the scaling laws for these planets. The scaling law obtained for the Super-Mercuries is . [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• The free-living amoebae of the Naegleria genus have a typical 20S proteasome. • The chymotrypsin-like activity is the most active in Naegleria spp. • The proteasomal activity participates in the proliferation of Naegleria species. • The 20S proteasome mediates the morphology of the cysts of Naegleria spp. The Naegleria are ubiquitous free-living amoebae and are characterized by the presence of three phases in their biological cycle: trophozoite, cyst and flagellate. Of this genus, only Naegleria fowleri has been reported as pathogenic to humans. The proteasome is a multi-catalytic complex and is considered to be the most important structure responsible for the degradation of intracellular proteins. This structure is related to the maintenance of cellular homeostasis and, in pathogenic microorganisms, to the modulation of their virulence. Until now, the proteasome and its function have not been described for the Naegleria genus. In the current study, using bioinformatic analysis, protein sequences homologous to those reported for the subunits of the 20S proteasome in other organisms were found, and virtual modelling was used to determine their three-dimensional structure. The presence of structural and catalytic subunits of the 20S proteasome was detected by Western and dot blot assays. Its localization was observed by immunofluorescence microscopy to be mainly in the cytoplasm, and a leading role of the chymotrypsin-like catalytic activity was determined using fluorogenic peptidase assays and specific proteasome inhibitors. Finally, the role of the 20S proteasome in the proliferation and differentiation of Naegleria genus trophozoites was demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During November 19-21, 2021, an indoor convention (event) in New York City (NYC), was attended by approximately 53,000 persons from 52 U.S. jurisdictions and 30 foreign countries. In-person registration for the event began on November 18, 2021. The venue was equipped with high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration, and attendees were required to wear a mask indoors and have documented receipt of at least 1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.* On December 2, 2021, the Minnesota Department of Health reported the first case of community-acquired COVID-19 in the United States caused by the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.529 (Omicron) variant in a person who had attended the event (1). CDC collaborated with state and local health departments to assess event-associated COVID-19 cases and potential exposures among U.S.-based attendees using data from COVID-19 surveillance systems and an anonymous online attendee survey. Among 34,541 attendees with available contact information, surveillance data identified test results for 4,560, including 119 (2.6%) persons from 16 jurisdictions with positive SARS-CoV-2 test results. Most (4,041 [95.2%]), survey respondents reported always wearing a mask while indoors at the event. Compared with test-negative respondents, test-positive respondents were more likely to report attending bars, karaoke, or nightclubs, and eating or drinking indoors near others for at least 15 minutes. Among 4,560 attendees who received testing, evidence of widespread transmission during the event was not identified. Genomic sequencing of 20 specimens identified the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant (AY.25 and AY.103 sublineages) in 15 (75%) cases, and the Omicron variant (BA.1 sublineage) in five (25%) cases. These findings reinforce the importance of implementing multiple, simultaneous prevention measures, such as ensuring up-to-date vaccination, mask use, physical distancing, and improved ventilation in limiting SARS-CoV-2 transmission, during large, indoor events.†. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in pregnancy can cause brain and eye abnormalities and neurodevelopmental sequelae. In the absence of medical countermeasures, behavioral interventions were recommended to prevent mosquito bites and sexual transmission of ZIKV. This report uses data from the Zika en Embarazadas y Niños (ZEN) prospective cohort study in Colombia to describe the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors (KAB) related to ZIKV prevention in male partners compared to those of their pregnant partners at study enrollment during February 2017–2018. Results: Most male partners reported wearing protective clothing such as long pants (97.6%) and long sleeves (72.8%), as well as covering ankles and feet (89.1%) to prevent ZIKV infection. When comparing the preventive behavior of condom use between male and pregnant partners, 26 pairs (10.0%) both responded that they performed the behavior. Overall, 25.1% of male partners and 18.9% of pregnant people reported any condom use during the three months before enrolling in ZEN. When comparing other preventive behaviors between male and pregnant partners, the behavior which was most frequently reported by both partners was wearing long pants (85.4%), and the least frequently reported by both partners was using condoms after finding out about a partner's pregnancy (3.4%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To retrospectively evaluate the accuracy of ultrasound as a diagnostic method for differentiating acute diverticulitis from colon cancer in patients with sigmoid colon stenosis.Materials and Methods: Ultrasound examinations of 91 consecutive patients with sigmoid stenosis (50 diverticulitis and 41 colon cancers) were reviewed by two trained radiologists. Sixty-five (71%) patients presented with acute abdominal symptoms. Thirteen sonographic criteria retrieved from the literature were evaluated to differentiate benign from malignant strictures. A score including all parameters which showed significant differences between benign vs. malignant was built. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and positive or negative predictive values of each sonographic sign, the overall diagnosis, and sonographic score were calculated.Results: Loss of the bowel wall stratification was the most reliable criteria for the diagnosis of malignancy (92% and 94% of sensitivity and specificity, respectively), and the best inter-radiologist agreement (κ = 0.848). Adjacent lymph nodes were the most specific feature (98%) for colon cancer, but its sensitivity was low. Global assessment could differentiate both diseases with high sensitivity (92-94.9%) and specificity (98-100%). Sonographic score >3 enabled differentiation of carcinoma from diverticulitis with 95% sensitivity and 92-94% specificity, with an area under the ROC curve of 0.98-0.987. There were no significant differences in the results between patients with acute and nonacute abdominal symptoms.Conclusion: The combination of several morphological sonographic findings using a score can differentiate most cases of diverticulitis from colon carcinoma in sigmoid strictures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Since the initial description of human T cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV-1), clusters of this infection have been detected globally. Unlike HIV infection, most patients infected with HTLV-1 remain asymptomatic throughout their lifetime.Case Report: We report the case of a 39-year-old Afro-Caribbean man with HTLV-1 infection presenting as hypercalcemia and granulomatous pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia.Results: Interestingly, the hypercalcemia presented with normal parathyroid hormone-related protein and low 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D levels, and the presence of pneumocystis jiroveci in the granulomas was diagnosed with transbronchial biopsy taken during bronchoscopy. HTLV-1-associated adult T cell leukemia lymphoma (ATLL) was diagnosed in this patient by bone marrow and lymph node biopsy.Conclusion: Increased bone resorption, likely cytokine-mediated, is the most likely mechanism of hypercalcemia in this patient. This is believed to be the first description of this type of reaction to pneumocystis jiroveci in a HTLV-1-infected ATLL patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, several outbreaks were linked with facilities employing essential workers, such as long-term care facilities and meat and poultry processing facilities. However, timely national data on which workplace settings were experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks were unavailable through routine surveillance systems. We estimated the number of US workplace outbreaks of COVID-19 and identified the types of workplace settings in which they occurred during August–October 2021. Methods: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collected data from health departments on workplace COVID-19 outbreaks from August through October 2021: the number of workplace outbreaks, by workplace setting, and the total number of cases among workers linked to these outbreaks. Health departments also reported the number of workplaces they assisted for outbreak response, COVID-19 testing, vaccine distribution, or consultation on mitigation strategies. Results: Twenty-three health departments reported a total of 12 660 workplace COVID-19 outbreaks. Among the 12 470 workplace types that were documented, 35.9% (n = 4474) of outbreaks occurred in health care settings, 33.4% (n = 4170) in educational settings, and 30.7% (n = 3826) in other work settings, including non–food manufacturing, correctional facilities, social services, retail trade, and food and beverage stores. Eleven health departments that reported 3859 workplace outbreaks provided information about workplace assistance: 3090 (80.1%) instances of assistance involved consultation on COVID-19 mitigation strategies, 1912 (49.5%) involved outbreak response, 436 (11.3%) involved COVID-19 testing, and 185 (4.8%) involved COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Conclusions: These findings underscore the continued impact of COVID-19 among workers, the potential for work-related transmission, and the need to apply layered prevention strategies recommended by public health officials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: COVID-19 outbreak has been associated with a wide variety of psychiatric manifestations such as panic, anxiety, and depression. We aim to assess the impact of the COVID -19 pandemic on the levels of stress and depression of pregnant women in Mexico. Methods: A cross-sectional web survey was carried out in pregnant women in 10 states of the Mexican Republic during the COVID-19 pandemic among public and private hospitals. The perception of stress was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale, while depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Results: A total of 549 surveys were applied, of which 96.1% (n=503) were included in the data analysis. The mean participant's age was 28.1 years old. The mean perceived stress scale score was 24. 33.2% (n=167) of participants had a score equal to 27 points or more and were considered highly stressed. The mean depression score was 9. A total of 17.5% (n=88) participants had more than 14 points on the Edinburgh's depression scale, and were considered depressed. Stress levels were higher at later gestational ages (p=.008). Conclusions: COVID-19 pandemic has caused mental health issues in pregnant women reflected by high perceived stress levels and depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After more than two years, the COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing and evolving all over the world; human herd immunity against SARS-CoV-2 increases either by infection or by unprecedented mass vaccination. A substantial change in population immunity is expected to contribute to the control of transmission. It is essential to monitor the extension and duration of the population's immunity to support the decisions of health authorities in each region and country, directed to chart the progressive return to normality. For this purpose, the availability of simple and cheap methods to monitor the levels of relevant antibodies in the population is a widespread necessity. Here, we describe the development of an RBD-based ELISA for the detection of specific antibodies in large numbers of samples. The recombinant expression of an RBD-poly-His fragment was carried out using either bacterial or eukaryotic cells in in vitro culture. After affinity chromatography purification, the performance of both recombinant products was compared by ELISA in similar trials. Our results showed that eukaryotic RBD increased the sensitivity of the assay. Interestingly, our results also support a correlation of the eukaryotic RBD-based ELISA with other assays aimed to test for neutralizing antibodies, which suggests that it provides an indication of protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recently adopted Ariel ESA mission will measure the atmospheric composition of a large number of exoplanets. This information will then be used to better constrain planetary bulk compositions. While the connection between the composition of a planetary atmosphere and the bulk interior is still being investigated, the combination of the atmospheric composition with the measured mass and radius of exoplanets will push the field of exoplanet characterisation to the next level, and provide new insights of the nature of planets in our galaxy. In this white paper, we outline the ongoing activities of the interior working group of the Ariel mission, and list the desirable theoretical developments as well as the challenges in linking planetary atmospheres, bulk composition and interior structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Neural tube defects such as anencephaly, spina bifida, and encephalocele are congenital anomalies of the central nervous system. Data on the prevalence of neural tube defects in Kenya are limited. This study characterizes and estimates the prevalence of spina bifida and encephalocele reported in a referral hospital in Kenya from 2005-2010. Methods: Cases were defined as a diagnosis of spina bifida or encephalocele. Prevalence was calculated as the number of cases by year and province of residence divided by the total number of live-births per province. Results: From a total of 6,041 surgical records; 1,184 (93%) had reported diagnosis of spina bifida and 88 (7%) of encephalocele. Estimated prevalence of spina bifida and encephalocele from 2005-2010 was 3.3 [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 3.1-3.5] cases per 10,000 livebirths. The highest prevalence of cases were reported in 2007 with 4.4 (95% CI: 3.9-5.0) cases per 10,000 live-births. Rift Valley province had the highest prevalence of spina bifida and encephalocele at 6.9 (95% CI: 6.3-7.5) cases per 10,000 live-births from 2005-2010. Conclusion: Prevalence of spina bifida and encephalocele is likely underestimated, as only patients seeking care at the hospital were included. Variations in regional prevalence could be due to referral patterns and healthcare access. Implementation of a neural tube defects surveillance system would provide a more thorough assessment of the burden of neural tube defects in Kenya. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The risk for mpox virus (MPXV) transmission in most workplaces has not been thoroughly assessed in the context of the 2022 global mpox outbreak. Our objectives were to describe mpox case patients who worked while infectious and the subsequent workplace contact tracing efforts, risk assessments, and outcomes.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requested information from health departments in the United States in September 2022 to identify people with confirmed or probable mpox who worked outside the home while infectious, either before or after diagnosis, from June 1 through August 31, 2022. We collected and summarized data on demographic, clinical, and workplace characteristics of case patients and workplace contact investigations. We stratified data by industry and occupation categories.In total, 102 case patients were reported by 6 jurisdictions. The most common industries were accommodation and food services (19.8%) and professional business, management, and technical services (17.0%). Contact investigations identified 178 total contacts; 54 cases (52.9%) had no contacts identified. Of 178 contacts, 54 (30.3%) were recommended to receive postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) and 18 (10.1%) received PEP. None of the contacts developed a rash or were tested for orthopox or mpox, and none were reported to have confirmed or probable mpox.Data from 6 jurisdictions suggest that the risk of MPXV transmission from workers to others in workplace settings in many industries is low. These findings might support future updates to exposure risk classifications and work activity recommendations for patients. These findings also demonstrate the importance of collecting and analyzing occupation and industry data in case reports to better understand risks in workplaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Corn starch (CS) is indicated for the management of children with liver glucogenosis (LG). Objective: To describe the clinic outcome in 7 children with LG I and III, from Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe from Medellín, Colombia, to change food (F) CS by the pharmacological purity (PP) CS. Methods: Observational, retrospective, descriptive study performed in 51 months comparing biochemical and clinical course of 7 children outpatient with LG, those receiving FCS and were switched to PPCS by relapse in biochemical controls related to the change in the composition of the traditional commercial CS, which was added a mixture of vitamins and minerals. Results: Were included 3 girls and 4 boys between 13 and 148 months, 3 with LG I and 4 with LG III, receiving FCS, and after switching to PPCS, they improved the biochemical tests and clinical status. Conclusions: PPCS in children with LG I and III, showed better results than those obtained with FCS. The biochemical and clinical evidence both to recommend its use in the current treatment of patients with these types of LG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• NTZ isolated treatment induced an increase in α and β-tubulin. • FLB isolated treatment induced an increase in α-tubulin and a decrease in β-tubulin. • The drugs combination exposure induced an increase in actin and β-tubulin detection. • The drugs combination exposure resulted in morphological alterations of the parasite's tegument. Cysticercosis is the presence of Taenia solium larval stage in tissues such as central nervous system, skin, muscles and eye globe. The current treatment is based on albendazole and praziquantel which already present resistance reports. Therefore, the search for alternative treatments is paramount. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of flubendazole and nitazoxanide on cytoskeleton proteins from Taenia crassiceps cysticerci, an experimental model for cysticercosis. Cysticerci were cultured in RPMI supplemented medium containing nitazoxanide and/or flubendazole. 24 h after the exposure the cysticerci were processed for scanning and transmission electron microscopy and for protein analysis of the cytoskeleton. The proteins were detected through 1D electrophoresis and identified through Western Blot. Nitazoxanide exposure increased tubulin and actin quantifications in T. crassiceps cysticerci. While flubendazole alone and the drugs combinations induced an increase in α-tubulin and actin and decreased β-tubulin quantifications in the parasite. Morphological changes such as swelling and rupture of vesicle, stiff membrane, decrease in movements were observed when the cysticerci were incubated with the different compounds. In conclusion the drugs induced significative impact in the parasite's cytoskeleton and may be considered as alternative treatments for cysticercosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Uganda has one of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in sub-Saharan Africa. We compared the risk of adverse birth outcomes between adolescents (age 12–19 years) and mothers (age 20–34 years) in four urban hospitals. Methods: Maternal demographics, HIV status, and birth outcomes of all live births, stillbirths, and spontaneous abortions delivered from August 2015 to December 2018 were extracted from a hospital-based birth defects surveillance database. Differences in the distributions of maternal and infant characteristics by maternal age groups were tested with Pearson's chi-square. Adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using logistic regression to compare the prevalence of adverse birth outcomes among adolescents to mothers 20–34 years. Results: A total of 100,189 births were analyzed, with 11.1% among adolescent mothers and 89.0% among older mothers. Adolescent mothers had an increased risk of preterm delivery (aOR: 1.14; CI 1.06–1.23), low birth weight (aOR: 1.46; CI 1.34–1.59), and early neonatal deaths (aOR: 1.58; CI 1.23–2.02). Newborns of adolescent mothers had an increased risk of major external birth defects (aOR: 1.33; CI 1.02–1.76), specifically, gastroschisis (aOR: 3.20; CI 1.12–9.13) compared to mothers 20–34 years. The difference between the prevalence of gastroschisis among adolescent mothers (7.3 per 10,000 births; 95% CI 3.7–14.3) was statistically significant when compared to mothers 20–34 years (1.6 per 10,000 births; 95% CI 0.9–2.6). Conclusions: This study found that adolescent mothers had an increased risk for several adverse birth outcomes compared to mothers 20–34 years, similar to findings in the region and globally. Interventions are needed to improve birth outcomes in this vulnerable population. Plain English Summary: Adolescent pregnancies are a global problem occurring in high-, middle-, and low-income countries with Uganda having one of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in sub-Saharan Africa. We compared the risk of adverse birth outcomes, including major external birth defects, between adolescents, (age 12–19 years) and mothers (age 20–34 years) in four urban hospitals. All informative births, including live births, stillbirths, and spontaneous abortions; regardless of gestational age, delivered at four selected hospitals in Kampala from August 2015 to December 2018 were examined. Demographic data were obtained by midwives through maternal interviews and review of hospital patient notes. Of the 100,189 births, 11.0% were among adolescent mothers and 89.0% among mothers (20–34 years). Adolescent mothers were more likely than mothers (20–34 years) to have an infant with preterm delivery, low birth weight, early neonatal death, and major external birth defects. Adolescent pregnancies were also associated with an increased risk of gastroschisis when compared to mothers (20–34 years). In conclusion, this study found that adolescent mothers had an increased risk for several adverse birth outcomes compared to mothers 20–34 years. Research on the potential underlying causes or mechanisms for these adverse outcomes among adolescent births is necessary to identify possible interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After Zika virus (ZIKV) infection in Costa Rica was con- firmed in January 2016, the national surveillance system was enhanced to monitor associated birth defects. To characterize the ZIKV outbreak among live-born infants during March 2016-March 2018, we conducted a descriptive analysis. Prevalence of ZIKV-associated birth defects was 15.3 cases/100,000 live births. Among 22 infants with ZIKV-associated birth defects, 11 were designated as confirmed (positive for ZIKV) and 11 were designated as probable cases (negative for ZIKV or not tested, but mother was exposed to ZIKV during pregnancy). A total of 91% had microcephaly (head circumference >2 SDs below mean for age and sex), 64% severe microcephaly (head circumference >3 SDs below mean for age and sex), 95% neurodevelopmental abnormalities, 82% brain anomalies, 41% eye abnormalities, and 9% hearing loss. Monitoring children for >1 year can increase identification of ZIKV-associated abnormalities in addition to microcephaly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy can cause infant brain and eye abnormalities and has been associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in exposed infants. Evidence is limited on ZIKV's effects on children infected postnatally within the first year of life.Objective: To determine whether any adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes occurred in early childhood for children infected postnatally with ZIKV during infancy, given the neurotoxicity of ZIKV infection and the rapid brain development that occurs in infancy and early childhood.Methods: The Colombia Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS) conducted health and developmental screenings between September and November 2017 to evaluate 60 children at ages 20-30 months who had laboratory-confirmed symptomatic postnatal ZIKV infection at ages 1-12 months. We examined the frequency of adverse neurologic, hearing, eye, and developmental outcomes as well as the relationship between age at Zika symptom onset and developmental outcomes.Results: Nine of the 60 (15.0%) children had adverse outcomes on the neurologic, hearing, or eye examination. Six of the 47 (12.8%) children without these adverse findings, and who received a valid developmental screening, had an alert score in the hearing-language domain which signals the need for additional developmental evaluation.Conclusion: Neurologic, hearing, eye, and developmental findings suggest reassuring results. Since the full spectrum of neurodevelopmental outcomes in children postnatally infected with ZIKV remains unknown, routine paediatric care is advised to monitor the development of these children to ensure early identification of any adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In 2015 and 2016, Colombia had a widespread outbreak of Zika virus. Data from two national population-based surveillance systems for symptomatic Zika virus disease (ZVD) and birth defects provided complementary information on the effect of the Zika virus outbreak on pregnancies and infant outcomes.Methods: We collected national surveillance data regarding cases of pregnant women with ZVD that were reported during the period from June 2015 through July 2016. The presence of Zika virus RNA was identified in a subgroup of these women on real-time reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction (rRT-PCR) assay. Brain or eye defects in infants and fetuses and other adverse pregnancy outcomes were identified among the women who had laboratory-confirmed ZVD and for whom data were available regarding pregnancy outcomes. We compared the nationwide prevalence of brain and eye defects during the outbreak with the prevalence both before and after the outbreak period.Results: Of 18,117 pregnant women with ZVD, the presence of Zika virus was confirmed in 5926 (33%) on rRT-PCR. Of the 5673 pregnancies with laboratory-confirmed ZVD for which outcomes had been reported, 93 infants or fetuses (2%) had brain or eye defects. The incidence of brain or eye defects was higher among pregnancies in which the mother had an onset of ZVD symptoms in the first trimester than in those with an onset during the second or third trimester (3% vs. 1%). A total of 172 of 5673 pregnancies (3%) resulted in pregnancy loss; after the exclusion of pregnancies affected by birth defects, 409 of 5426 (8%) resulted in preterm birth and 333 of 5426 (6%) in low birth weight. The prevalence of brain or eye defects during the outbreak was 13 per 10,000 live births, as compared with a prevalence of 8 per 10,000 live births before the outbreak and 11 per 10,000 live births after the outbreak.Conclusions: In pregnant women with laboratory-confirmed ZVD, brain or eye defects in infants or fetuses were more common during the Zika virus outbreak than during the periods immediately before and after the outbreak. The frequency of such defects was increased among women with a symptom onset early in pregnancy. (Funded by the Colombian Instituto Nacional de Salud and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Chronic right ventricular pacing may contribute to deterioration in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The aim of the study was to identify the prevalence of pacing-induced cardiomyopathy (PICM) in patients with chronic right ventricular pacing.Methods: Patients attending a pacemaker clinic were retrospectively identified as having had transthoracic echocardiographic LVEF measurement during the 12 months prior to device implantation. Those with cardioverter-defibrillators or biventricular devices were excluded. The remaining patients were invited back for a repeat echocardiogram. Three (3) different definitions of PICM were employed: 1) follow-up LVEF of ≤40% if baseline LVEF was ≥50%, or an absolute reduction in LVEF ≥5% if baseline LVEF was <50%; 2) follow-up LVEF of ≤40% if baseline LVEF was ≥50%, or an absolute reduction in LVEF ≥10% if baseline LVEF was ≤50%; 3) absolute reduction in LVEF ≥10% irrespective of baseline LVEF. Alternate causes of cardiomyopathy were excluded following a chart review.Results: The study cohort of 118 included 67 males (mean age 77.8±10.5years) and 51 females (mean age 76.8±11.2years). The mean time between baseline and follow-up echocardiograms was 3.5+1.4years (range 1.5-6.4 years). The prevalence of PICM ranged from 5.9 to 39.0% depending on PICM definition. Multivariate analysis found that PICM was significantly associated with ventricular pacing burden (p=0.013).Conclusions: The prevalence of pacing induced cardiomyopathy is dependent on current accepted clinical definitions. A clear definition of PICM is required for a better understanding of the clinical implications of right ventricular pacing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Trained a Deep learning model to automatically identify Lunar craters. • Reproduced a human-classified crater distribution on a Lunar test patch. • Used Moon-trained model to successfully recognize craters on Mercury. Abstract Crater counting on the Moon and other bodies is crucial to constrain the dynamical history of the Solar System. This has traditionally been done by visual inspection of images, thus limiting the scope, efficiency, and/or accuracy of retrieval. In this paper we demonstrate the viability of using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to determine the positions and sizes of craters from Lunar digital elevation maps (DEMs). We recover 92% of craters from the human-generated test set and almost double the total number of crater detections. Of these new craters, 15% are smaller in diameter than the minimum crater size in the ground-truth dataset. Our median fractional longitude, latitude and radius errors are 11% or less, representing good agreement with the human-generated datasets. From a manual inspection of 361 new craters we estimate the false positive rate of new craters to be 11%. Moreover, our Moon-trained CNN performs well when tested on DEM images of Mercury, detecting a large fraction of craters in each map. Our results suggest that deep learning will be a useful tool for rapidly and automatically extracting craters on various Solar System bodies. We make our code and data publicly available at https://github.com/silburt/DeepMoon.git and https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1133969. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Insulin resistance and defects in other related glycemic traits are common findings in the context of Metabolic Syndrome. Although genetic factors are clearly implied in susceptibility, and some gene variants have been identified mainly in populations of European ancestry, little is known about this aspect in admixed populations. The association of insulin resistance, β -cell function, fasting insulin and glucose levels with 48 gene variants, previously related to metabolic syndrome components, and with the ancestral genetic composition, estimated on 50 ancestry informative markers, was evaluated in 417 individuals from the Colombian admixed population. The Native American genetic ancestry was associated with a low β -cell function (odds ratio (OR) of 1.73 and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of 1.07–2.81, p = 0.026). Significant genotypic associations were obtained (q-value < 0.05) for gene variants in ACE (rs4340; OR (95% CI): 2.79 (1.58–4.91), insulin resistance; mean difference (95% CI): 0.273 (0.141; 0.406), fasting insulin), ADIPOR2 (rs11061971; OR (95% CI): 0.14 (0.04–0.48), low β -cell function), MTNR1B (rs10830963; mean difference (95% CI): 0.032 (0.013; 0.051), fasting glucose) and GCK (rs4607517; mean difference (95% CI): 0.038 (0.020;0.056) and rs1799884; mean difference (95% CI): 0.027 (0.013–0.041), fasting glucose). Also the well-known gene variants rs7903146 in TCF7L2, and rs17817449 in FTO , were nominally associated with hyperglycemia (rs7903146), as well as with higher fasting insulin levels (rs17817449). Our findings indicate that gene variants in ACE , ADIPOR2 , MTNR1B , GCK , TCF7L2 and FTO , are associated with glycemic traits in the admixed Colombian population, while a higher Native American genetic component is related to lower β -cell function. Highlights • Native American ancestry is a risk factor for low β -cell function. • Gene variant rs11061971 is associated with better β -cell function. • Gene variants in or near GCK , MTNR1B and TCF7L2 are associated with hyperglycemia. • Gene variant rs4340 of ACE is associated with Insulin resistance and higher insulin levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe fetal and neonatal mortality due to congenital anomalies in Colombia.Methods: We analyzed all fetal and neonatal deaths due to a congenital anomaly registered with the Colombian vital statistics system during 1999-2008.Results: The registry included 213,293 fetal deaths and 7,216,727 live births. Of the live births, 77,738 (1.08%) resulted in neonatal deaths. Congenital anomalies were responsible for 7321 fetal deaths (3.4% of all fetal deaths) and 15,040 neonatal deaths (19.3% of all neonatal deaths). The fetal mortality rate due to congenital anomalies was 9.9 per 10,000 live births and fetal deaths; the neonatal mortality rate due to congenital anomalies was 20.8 per 10,000 live births. Mortality rates due to congenital anomalies remained relatively stable during the study period. The most frequent fatal congenital anomalies were congenital heart defects (32.0%), central nervous system anomalies (15.8%), and chromosomal anomalies (8.0%). Risk factors for fetal and neonatal death included: male or undetermined sex, living in villages or rural areas, mother's age >35 years, low and very low birthweight, and <28 weeks gestation at birth.Conclusions: Congenital anomalies are an important cause of fetal and neonatal deaths in Colombia, but many of the anomalies may be preventable or treatable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]