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Mental health worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among racially minoritized adults. Population-level racial attitudes, or area racism, may be associated with mental health, particularly during this historical moment, but this possibility has not been tested in prior research. In the present study, we use nationally representative data from the Household Pulse Survey (April-October 2020) to document associations between area racism and depression/anxiety in the United States among non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic Asian, Hispanic, non-Hispanic White, and other racial/ethnic minority adults. We further consider the national COVID-19 case rate to examine an additional macro-level stressor. Findings indicate that area racism was positively associated with depression and/or anxiety for Black, Hispanic, White, and other racial/ethnic minority adults. Moreover, COVID-19 cases posed an additional, independent mental health threat for most groups. This study points to area racism as a macro-level stressor and an antecedent of mental health for racially diverse groups of Americans.

Traditional photoreceptors utilize the chromophore retinal to absorb light coupled with a unique opsin protein to specify receptor spectral sensitivity. Light absorption triggers a cascade of events transducing light energy to neural signals beginning with graded potentials in receptors (rods and cones) and bipolar cells in outer and middle retina eventuating in action potentials at the inner retinal amacrine and ganglion cell levels. Unlike traditional photoreceptors, ganglion cells in the inner retina (intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, ipRGCs) absorb short wavelength, blue light utilizing their photopigment melanopsin. Assessment across multiple species show that the ipRGCs mediate myriad visual and non-visual functions including photo-entrainment and circadian rhythms, the pupillary light reflex, sleep, alertness, cognition, mood, and even conscious visual perception. Some ipRGC functions can persist despite blindness in animal models and humans exemplifying their multidisciplinary control of visual and non-visual functions. In previous research we used selective chromatic adaptation (blue stimulus on a bright amber field) to suppress input from rods, red and green sensitive cones to identify retinal and cortical responses from ipRGCs. Herein we used a similar approach, coupled with a filter to block input from blue sensitive cones, to develop a clinically expedient method to measure the full-field, putative visual threshold from human ipRGCs. This metric may expand our ability to detect, diagnose and monitor ocular and neurologic disease and provide a global retinal metric of ipRGCs as a potential outcome measure for studies using gene therapy to arrest and/or improve vision in hereditary retinal diseases.

Greg Marchand,1 Kelly Ware,1,2 Malini Govindan,1 Ahmed T Masoud,1,3 Alexa King,1,2 Stacy Ruther,1 Giovanna Brazil,1 Kaitlynne Cieminski,1 Nicolas Calteux,1 Catherine Coriell,1 Hollie Ulibarri,1 Julia Parise,1 Amanda Arroyo,1 Diana Chen,4 Maria Pierson,4 Rasa Rafie,5 Katelyn Sainz1 1Marchand Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery, Mesa, AZ, USA; 2International University of Health Sciences, Basseterre, St. Kitts; 3Fayoum University Faculty of Medicine, Fayoum, Egypt; 4Midwestern University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Glendale, AZ, USA; 5Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Parker, CO, USACorrespondence: Greg MarchandMarchand Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery, 10238 E. Hampton, Ste. 212, Mesa, AZ, 85209, USATel +1 4809990905Fax +1 4809990801Email gm@marchandinstitute.orgObjective: We set out to evaluate whether the instillation of bupivacaine versus a saline solution into the peritoneal cavity at time of laparoscopic gynecologic surgery will reduce postoperative pain and postoperative opioid consumption.Data Sources: We searched six databases: Web of Science, SCOPUS, Cochrane CENTRAL, ClinicalTrials.Gov, MEDLINE and PubMed. Our search strategy had no restriction on time or languages and included all studies that met our search algorithm up to March of 2021.Methods of Study Selection: We included only randomized trials that met our search strategy for the outcomes of 1) pain intensity 24 hours after surgery, 2) pain intensity 6 hours after surgery, and 3) length of hospital stay.Tabulation, Integration, and Results: We analyzed continuous data using mean difference (MD) with relative 95% confidence interval (CI). We included 8 randomized clinical trials. We found that intraperitoneal bupivacaine showed significant difference from the saline group regarding pain intensity 24 hours after surgery (MD= − 0.73 [− 1.10, − 0.36]) (P = 0.01) and pain intensity 6 hours after surgery (MD= − 1.12 [− 2.22, − 0.02]) (P = 0.05). Overall, patients allocated to the placebo group seemed to need other analgesics earlier than patients allocated to the bupivacaine group (MD=145.08 [51.37, 238.79] (P = 0.02)). There was no significant difference regarding the length of hospital stay (MD= − 0.44 [− 1.44, 0.56]) (P = 0.39).Conclusion: Bupivacaine significantly reduced the visual analog pain score for pain compared with that of the placebo at 6 and 24 hours postoperatively. There was no significant difference in hospital stay.Prospero Registration: CRD42021254268.Keywords: ERAS, marcaine, bupivacaine, enhanced recovery after surgery, intra-abdominal anesthetic

Late in 2020, two genetically-distinct clusters of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with mutations of biological concern were reported, one in the United Kingdom and one in South Africa. Using a combination of data from routine surveillance, genomic sequencing and international travel we track the international dispersal of lineages B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 (variant 501Y-V2). We account for potential biases in genomic surveillance efforts by including passenger volumes from location of where the lineage was first reported, London and South Africa respectively. Using the software tool grinch (global report investigating novel coronavirus haplotypes), we track the international spread of lineages of concern with automated daily reports, Further, we have built a custom tracking website (cov-lineages.org/global_report.html) which hosts this daily report and will continue to include novel SARS-CoV-2 lineages of concern as they are detected.

Late in 2020, two genetically-distinct clusters of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with mutations of biological concern were reported, one in the United Kingdom and one in South Africa. Using a combination of data from routine surveillance, genomic sequencing and international travel we track the international dispersal of lineages B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 (variant 501Y-V2). We account for potential biases in genomic surveillance efforts by including passenger volumes from location of where the lineage was first reported, London and South Africa respectively. Using the software tool grinch (global report investigating novel coronavirus haplotypes), we track the international spread of lineages of concern with automated daily reports, Further, we have built a custom tracking website (cov-lineages.org/global_report.html) which hosts this daily report and will continue to include novel SARS-CoV-2 lineages of concern as they are detected.

With the emergence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants that may increase transmissibility and/or cause escape from immune responses, there is an urgent need for the targeted surveillance of circulating lineages. It was found that the B.1.1.7 (also 501Y.V1) variant, first detected in the United Kingdom, could be serendipitously detected by the Thermo Fisher TaqPath COVID-19 PCR assay because a key deletion in these viruses, spike Δ69-70, would cause a "spike gene target failure" (SGTF) result. However, a SGTF result is not definitive for B.1.1.7, and this assay cannot detect other variants of concern (VOC) that lack spike Δ69-70, such as B.1.351 (also 501Y.V2), detected in South Africa, and P.1 (also 501Y.V3), recently detected in Brazil. We identified a deletion in the ORF1a gene (ORF1a Δ3675-3677) in all 3 variants, which has not yet been widely detected in other SARS-CoV-2 lineages. Using ORF1a Δ3675-3677 as the primary target and spike Δ69-70 to differentiate, we designed and validated an open-source PCR assay to detect SARS-CoV-2 VOC. Our assay can be rapidly deployed in laboratories around the world to enhance surveillance for the local emergence and spread of B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1.

Low-income Americans tend to have poor diet quality and disease prevalence overall. Mobile food pantries aim to improve these outcomes, and have rarely been studied. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the association between diet quality and health status in mobile food pantry users. Data were collected from two mobile food pantry sites in Northeastern Connecticut (n = 83). Sociodemographic food security and diet quality data were collected. Overall, diet quality was low among all participants with intakes of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains of concern. Participant adherence to the 2020–2025 US Dietary Guidelines were low, with no participants meeting recommendations for whole grains. Obesity, diabetes, and hypertension prevalence in this population exceeded national averages. After adjusting for covariates, hypertension was associated with higher dairy and added sugar intake, as well as a greater intake of added sugar from sugar-sweetened beverages (p < 0.05). Although results were not statistically significant, participants with obesity, diabetes, and hypertension showed a trend of having lower adherence to the guidelines than those without these chronic diseases. Questions assessing participant interest in changing their diets were also posed, indicating overall high interest in learning about current diet quality and weight improvement.

Poor diet quality among low-income populations is a major contributing factor to their poor health and wellbeing, and thus is a focus of many government aid programs. Mobile food pantries are an increasingly popular method of emergency food assistance, targeting the communities most affected by food insecurity; however, little is known about the dietary characteristics of mobile food pantry users. This study aims to characterize the diet quality and nutrient adequacy level and examine its association with sociodemographic characteristics among mobile food pantry users in Windham County, Connecticut. Surveys to assess food insecurity, diet composition, and sociodemographic characteristics were administered to 83 adult food pantry users. Participants (n = 40) completed a three-day dietary record for analysis of diet quality, and were found to have inadequate intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and dairy, as well as some related micronutrients. At least 30% of participants had intakes below the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for vitamins A, C, E, calcium, zinc, magnesium, and folate. Intakes of added sugar, sugar sweetened beverages, and saturated fat were also above recommendations according to the United States Dietary Guidelines. Certain sociodemographic factors affected diet quality among this sample. For example, being male was associated with increased sugar-sweetened beverage and added sugar intake. This characterization of mobile pantry users will serve as a reference for developing nutrition education and determining the effectiveness of future interventions.

This study retrospectively reviews the clinical results of a novel proximal neck-sparing cementless prosthesis for primary Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA). This neck-sparing prosthesis preserves the entire circumference of the femoral neck. The porous coated surface is located only within the femoral neck region. This study group included 338 primary THA’s from three institutions. All approaches and techniques were similar, using a postero-lateral approach in all cases. Average follow-up was 38 months (range 12-56 months). There were five stem revisions (1.5%) in this group. Two stems were revised for aseptic loosening, two were revised for recurrent dislocation, and one was revised for a chronic periprosthetic infection employing a two-stage protocol. We had 3 dislocations (0.88%) and all three had re-operations. The neck sparing prosthesis is alluring as it saves almost the entire femoral neck and requires minimal deep posterior soft tissue releases. Our dislocation rate in this series was low. Insertion of a neck sparing prosthesis requires fastidious preparation and gentle insertion, but we find this design to provide reliable clinical function at short-term follow-up.

We report herein an updated and commented list of scorpions occurring in state of Bahia, northeastern Brazil.Data comprising a period of 100 years (1908-2008) were obtained from seven major Brazilian collections. Twenty eight specieswere identified and grouped in seven genera (Bothriurus Peters, 1861, Ananteris Thorell, 1891, Isometrus Ehrenberg, 1828,Physoctonus Mello-Leitão, 1934, Rhopalurus Thorell, 1876, Tityus C.L.Koch, 1836 and Troglorhopalurus Lourenço, Baptista andGiupponi, 2004) and two families (Bothriuridae Simon, 1880 and Buthidae C.L. Koch, 1837). This new list increases in 50 % theknown scorpiofauna of Bahia, which now represents approximately 22 % of the Brazilian species, recorded in all biomes andphytophysiognomies from the coastal zone to high altitude areas (3-1,268 m). Seven species are endemic to Bahia and threeof them could be included in the Brazilian National Red List, which would promote action plans towards their conservation.

Phlebotominae sand fly specimens were prepared for histological and physiological studies. Different fixatives were tested on sectioned and whole bodied adult females in order to obtain good fixation and provide satisfactory penetration of the embedding media. All fixed specimens were infiltrated (up to seven days under 5ºC) and embedded in hydroxyethyl metacrylate. Two-three µm sections were stained, mounted in Canada balsam and observed by light microscopy. Best results were achieved when whole bodied insects were double fixed in Bouin's and Carnoy's fluids (4 h/2 h) and stained in Hematoxilin/Eosin or fixed in calcium formaldehyde and stained in mercury bromophenol blue.

De fevereiro de 1999 a fevereiro de 2000, realizaram-se capturas semanais com armadilhas luminosas do tipo CDC em cinco regiões da zona urbana da Cidade de Campo Grande, Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil. As armadilhas foram colocadas em 11 ecótopos (copa, solo e margem nas matas) e nos peridomicílios (galinheiro e bananeiras). Foram capturados 1.245 flebotomíneos de 28 espécies, sendo 4 do gênero Brumptomyia França & Parrot, 1921 e 24 do gênero Lutzomyia França, 1924. São elas: B. avellari, B. brumpti, B. galindoi, B. pintoi, L. aragaoi, L. bourrouli, L. campograndensis, L. cerradincola, L. christenseni, L. claustrei, L. cortelezzii, L. corumbaensis, L. cruzi, L. damascenoi, L. flaviscutellata, L. hermanlenti, L. lenti, L. longipalpis, L. longipennis, L. migonei, L. punctigeniculata, L. quinquefer, L. renei, L. shannoni, L. sordellii, L. teratodes, L. termitophila e L. whitmani. Destaca-se a presença em área urbana de vetores da leishmaniose visceral (L. longipalpis e L. cruzi) e da leishmaniose tegumentar (L. whitmani, L. flaviscutellata e L. migonei). As cinco espécies mais freqüentes foram: L. termitophila, L. aragaoi, L. lenti, L. longipennis e L. longipalpis.

The current article reports the case of a 19-month-old-girl, from the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, with visceral leishmaniasis, by Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis, and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) co-infection. The child's mother and father, aged 22 and 27 years old, respectively, were both HIV positive. The child was admitted to the General Pediatric Center, in Belo Horizonte, presenting high fever, fatigue, weight loss and enlargement of liver and spleen. Indirect immunofluorescent test revealed a titer of 1:320 for Leishmania. Such result was confirmed by the presence of amastigotes in bone marrow aspirate samples and culture of promastigote forms. Parasites were identified as being Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis through PCR, using a L. braziliensis complex primer and a generic primer, followed by hibridization. Specific leishmaniasis therapy (GlucantimeÒ antimonial) was intravenously administered.

Há poucos estudos sobre a microbiota do trato digestivo de flebotomíneos, considerando-se que o sangue não é o único alimento ingerido. Os flebotomíneos, tanto os machos como as fêmeas, alimentam-se de açúcares, provenientes de várias fontes, possibilitando a ingestão de microrganismos. As chances de contaminação aumentam nos insetos criados em laboratório e pode interferir no desenvolvimento da Leishmania spp. Foi separado um total de 300 fêmeas, divididas em dois lotes, das quais extraímos o trato digestivo. No lote 1(fêmeas alimentadas com sangue e sacarose) das 10 espécies bacterianas isoladas, a família Enterobacteriaceae esteve representada pelos gêneros Serratia, Enterobacter e Yokenella, e o grupo dos não fermentadores pelos gêneros Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter e Stenotrophomonas. No lote 2 (fêmeas alimentadas apenas com sangue) das 8 espécies isoladas o grupo dos não fermentadores esteve representado pelos gêneros Acinetobacter, Stenotrophomonas, Burkolderia e Pseudomonas, e a família Enterobacteriaceae, pelos gêneros Enterobacter e Serratia.

No presente trabalho foram dissecados o trato digestivo de 245 fêmeas de Lutzomyia longipalpis originários da Gruta da Lapinha, Município de Lagoa Santa, MG, formando 7 grupos de 35 flebotomíneos. Das 8 espécies de bactérias isoladas houve uma predominância de bactérias Gram negativas (BGN) pertencentes ao grupo de não fermentadoras de açúcar das seguintes espécies: Acinetobacter lowffii, Stenotrophomonas maltophhilia, Pseudomonas putida e Flavimonas orizihabitans. No grupo das fermentadoras tivemos: Enterobacter cloacae e Klebsiella ozaenae. No grupo dos Gram positivos foram identificados Bacillus thuringiensis e Staphylococcus spp.

The influence of altitude and latitude on some structure sizes of Lutzomyia intermedia was noted; several structures of insects collected in higher localities were greater, according to Bergmann's rule. This influence was more remarkable in two localities of the State of Espírito Santo, probably due to greater differences in altitude. Comparing insects from different latitudes, more differences were noted in comparisons of insects from low altitude localities than in those of material from higher altitudes. The small number of differences between insects collected in July and in December does not indicate a defined influence of season and temperature on the size of adults. The possible epidemiological implications of these variations are discussed.