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SUMMARY Laboratory data are the cornerstone in surveillance of infectious disease. We investigated whether changes in reported incidence of Campylobacter and Salmonella infection might be explained by changes in stool sampling rates. Data were extracted from a national database on 585 843 patient stool samples tested by microbiology laboratories in Wales between 1998 and 2008. Salmonella incidence fell from 43 to 19 episodes/100 000 population but Campylobacter incidence after declining from 111/100 000 in 1998 to 84/100 000 in 2003 rose to 119/100 000 in 2008. The proportion of the population sampled rose from 2·0% in 1998 to 2·8% in 2008, mostly due to increases in samples from hospital patients and older adults. The proportion of positive samples declined for both Salmonella and Campylobacter from 3·1% to 1·1% and from 8·9% to 7·5%, respectively. The decline in Salmonella incidence is so substantial that it is not masked even by increased stool sampling, but the recent rise in Campylobacter incidence may be a surveillance artefact largely due to the increase in stool sampling in older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Metaverse has the potential to form the next pervasive computing archetype that can transform many aspects of work and life at a societal level. Despite the many forecasted benefits from the metaverse, its negative outcomes have remained relatively unexplored with the majority of views grounded on logical thoughts derived from prior data points linked with similar technologies, somewhat lacking academic and expert perspective. This study responds to the dark side perspectives through informed and multifaceted narratives provided by invited leading academics and experts from diverse disciplinary backgrounds. The metaverse dark side perspectives covered include: technological and consumer vulnerability, privacy, and diminished reality, human-computer interface, identity theft, invasive advertising, misinformation, propaganda, phishing, financial crimes, terrorist activities, abuse, pornography, social inclusion, mental health, sexual harassment and metaverse-triggered unintended consequences. The paper concludes with a synthesis of common themes, formulating propositions, and presenting implications for practice and policy., Competing Interests: Competing InterestsThe authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose., (© The Author(s) 2023.)

The azaborine motif provides a mimic of aromatic systems through replacement of a C═C bond with a B-N bond. In particular, 2,1-borazaronaphthalenes, accessible through robust methods of synthesis and subsequent functionalization, afford an ideal platform to use for a variety of applications. However, the scope of substructures for this archetype has been limited by the lack of nitrogen-containing heteroaryls that can be incorporated within them. In this study, modified reaction conditions were developed to provide access to a wider range of substructures.

The azaborine motif provides a unique opportunity to develop core isosteres by inserting B-N units in place of C═C bonds within aromatic scaffolds, creating new pseudoaromatic building blocks that retain comparable structural features. Previous synthetic routes to the 1,3,2-benzodiazaborole core have used organoboron dichlorides and boronic acids as the boron precursors. The transformation developed herein utilizes entirely bench stable starting materials, including organotrifluoroborates, enabling a wider array of substrate analogues under facile reaction conditions. Furthermore, physical, structural, and electronic properties of these compounds were explored computationally to understand the influence of the B-N replacement on the structure, aromaticity, and isosteric viability of these analogues.

A highly effective method for derivatizing 2,1-borazaronaphthalene cores using ammonium alkylbis(catecholato)silicates via photoredox/nickel dual catalysis is reported. By forging C(sp)(3)-C(sp)(2) bonds via this approach, alkyl fragments with various functional groups can be introduced to the azaborine core, affording previously inaccessible heterocyclic isosteres in good to excellent yields. The base-free, room-temperature conditions outlined allow sensitive functional group tolerance, even permitting the cross-coupling of unprotected primary and secondary amines.

Live yeast cell derivative is an alcoholic extract from yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) that has previously been shown by three groups of workers to stimulate wound healing. Live yeast cell derivative is a complex mixture, and it was not known which of its many components was responsible for the biological activity. This study describes the separation and analysis of the major components, one of which is a peptide fraction that stimulates wound healing. The fraction consists of a mixture of peptides from 6000 to 17,000 d. It causes angiogenesis in a chick embryo yolk sac membrane assay and in a rabbit cornea assay, and it dramatically stimulates wound healing in the "Schilling/Hunt" wire mesh cylinder model at concentrations 25-fold lower than those required for the intact live yeast cell derivative.

Extracts produced from the seeds of Ulex europeus (European gorse) were found to contain an inhibitor of human and murine lymphocyte growth. Interference with lymphocyte growth was demonstrated in three test systems. (1) Ulex seed extracts (USE) prevented the uptake of tritiated thymidine by stimulated human T and B lymphocytes. (2) The numbers of sensitized murine lymphocytes releasing antibody were diminished after incubation with USE. (3) Murine lymphoid tumour cells cultured in the presence of USE had a reduced growth potential. Growth inhibition occurred independently of the mode of lymphocyte stimulation. Increased metabolic activity induced by plant seed mitogens, alloantigens and direct immunization, as well as that endogenously present in rapidly growing tumour cells, was similarly restricted. The inhibition of lymphocyte growth was not the result of cytotoxicity and was easily reversible by washing lymphocytes free of USE. The USE growth inhibitor was found not to be anti-H and appeared to function as an antithesis of stimulators found in other plant seed extracts.

A point prevalence survey, using a questionnaire, was performed in three general hospitals to investigate the problem of elderly patients blocking acute-hospital beds. A total of 1010 occupied general beds were surveyed and all patients, over the age of 60 years, who had been in hospital more than four weeks, and who, in the opinion of medical and nursing staff, were no longer in need of the facilities of a general hospital, were investigated. Forty-eight patients (4.8 per cent of the total) were found to be genuinely in bed inappropriate to their needs. Rehabilitation, together with assessment of these patients, appeared disorganized and lacked consistency, and decisions regarding suitable 'disposal' appeared to be made without sufficient consultation and conformed to no detectable pattern. The main reason for the continuing bed occupancy of the patients was the length of the waiting lists for alternative residential accommodation and the main single medical factor preventing discharge home or to a hostel was the problem of mobility. By interviewing staff and patients and scrutinizing the questionnaires, it was found that 23 patients (48 per cent) were only suitable for transfer to a long-stay hospital. Of these, however, 15 (31 per cent) could be placed in specialized accommodation if some degree of nursing care, at present not available, was provided.

Purified plasma cell suspensions were produced from 3 subjects with malignant plasma cell disease. Various physical, biological, and immunological properties of these cells were studied. Neoplastic human plasmablasts were found to be denser than their mature forms, in contrast to the usual relationship of the lymphoid, myeloid, and erythroid series. The human plasma cells did not respond to phytohemagglutinin stimulation and were found to be weakly reactive in mixed lymphocyte-plasma cell cultures. Potent antisera was produced against such cells, and the antisera demonstrated a broad cross reactivity with various human lymphocyte populations. The data suggest a lymphoid origin for human plasma cells and possibly a specific relationship to B-type lymphocytes.

Sodium salicylate inhibited generation of granulocyte and macrophage colonies when added to soft agar cultures of mouse or human bone marrow cells (CFUc) containing colony-stimulating factor (CSF). This effect was dose-dependent with over 90% inhibition at 48 mg%. The salicylate effect was not decreased with increasing concentrations of CSF, but inhibition was reversed when salicylate-treated CFUc were washed with drug-free medium before plating. CSF production was not inhibited by salicylate.

To determine the effects of phenytoin on serum immunoglobulins, complement, and antinuclear antibody conversion, a prospective, five-year longitudinal study was undertaken in 118 patients. Three major diagnostic groups were evaluated: 27 patients with idiopathic epilepsy, 50 with secondary epilepsy, and 41 with neuropathic syndromes without epilepsy. In addition, 83 normal volunteers were studied in a similar manner. Evaluations were performed prior to administration of phenytoin and at six-month intervals thereafter. Prior to treatment, patients with idiopathic epilepsy had a higher than expected incidence (13.5 percent, p less than 0.01) of low serum IgA (less than 61 mg/dl). Patients with secondary epilepsy and neuropathic disorders without epilepsy had a greater than expected incidence (9.2 percent, p less than 0.01; and 12 percent, p less than 0.01, respectively) of high serum IgA (greater than 417 mg/dl). Phenytoin treatment was associated with further decreases in serum IgA in patients with idiopathic epilepsy (p = 0.063) and secondary epilepsy (p = 0.008). Total serum IgE concentrations also decreased significantly in all patient categories during treatment with phenytoin. Minor decreases in serum IgG and IgM were noted, but serum IgD and complement remained unaffected. Antinuclear antibodies were observed with essentially the same frequency (10 percent) before and after phenytoin therapy.

The results of this prospective study fail to confirm previously reported phenytoin suppression of lymphocyte responsiveness to mitogens. Our data show a significantly greater than expected percentage (p less than 0.0001) of patients requiring phenytoin treatment have low lymphocyte responsiveness to mitogens prior to phenytoin therapy. Analysis of changes in each individual's response during phenytoin treatment as compared with their pre-phenytoin responses shows a consistent trend to increased responsiveness to concanavalin A, pokeweed mitogen, and to a suboptimal concentration of phytohemagglutinin. This trend was most pronounced for patients whose serum IgA concentration was decreased while taking phenytoin, whereas there was no such trend for individuals whose serum IgA levels were not decreased. This phenomenon was not related to neurological disease classification. Phenytoin added directly to lymphocyte cultures depressed lymphocyte responses to all mitogens in a small (less than 20%) but significant degree, confirming similar in vitro studies by other investigators. Because of limited serum proteins for phenytoin binding in culture medium, these in vitro studies have little application to possible phenytoin effects on lymphocytes of patients taking it to prevent seizures. Thus, the suggestion that phenytoin causes depressed lymphocyte responses to mitogens in epileptic patients appears unwarranted.