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127 results on '"Kathryn A Harris"'

1. Single base mutations in the nucleocapsid gene of SARS-CoV-2 affects amplification efficiency of sequence variants and may lead to assay failure

Author: Nathaniel Storey, Julianne R Brown, Rui P A Pereira, Denise M O'Sullivan, Jim F Huggett, Rachel Williams, Judith Breuer, and Kathryn A Harris
Subjects: SARS-CoV-2, Nucleocapsid, Mutations, PCR, Failure, Silico, Infectious and parasitic diseases, RC109-216
Abstract: Reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) is the main diagnostic assay used to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in respiratory samples. RT-qPCR is performed by specifically targeting the viral genome using complementary oligonucleotides called primers and probes. This approach relies on prior knowledge of the genetic sequence of the target. Viral genetic variants with changes to the primer/probe binding region may reduce the performance of PCR assays and have the potential to cause assay failure. In this work we demonstrate how two single nucleotide variants (SNVs) altered the amplification curve of a diagnostic PCR targeting the Nucleocapsid (N) gene and illustrate how threshold setting can lead to false-negative results even where the variant sequence is amplified. We also describe how in silico analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences available in the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium (COG-UK) and GISAID databases was performed to predict the impact of sequence variation on the performance of 22 published PCR assays. The vast majority of published primer and probe sequences contain sequence mismatches with at least one SARS-CoV-2 lineage. We recommend that visual observation of amplification curves is included as part of laboratory quality procedures, even in high throughput settings where thresholds are set automatically and that in silico analysis is used to monitor the potential impact of new variants on established assays. Ideally comprehensive in silico analysis should be applied to guide selection of highly conserved genomic regions to target with future SARS-CoV-2 PCR assays.
Published: 2021
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2. Perceptions of processed foods as unhealthy: Heuristic strength, prevalence, and potential implications for the protein shift

Author: Elizabeth S. Collier, Kathryn L. Harris, Marcus Bendtsen, Hanieh Moshtaghian, Susanne Bryngelsson, and Jun Niimi
Subjects: Sustainability, Heuristics, Plant-based analogues, Health perceptions, Individual differences, Food processing, Nutrition. Foods and food supply, TX341-641, Food processing and manufacture, TP368-456
Abstract: Plant-based analogues (PBAs) for meat and dairy are typically categorised as ultra-processed foods. However, current evidence that PBA consumption negatively impacts health is controversial. As such, these products may be inappropriately negatively coloured by the “processed foods are unhealthy” heuristic. We investigated the strength of this heuristic among Swedish consumers and explored its impact on perceived healthiness within different food categories (meat, dairy, seafood, vegetables/legumes, and PBAs). In an online experiment, participants (N=563) rated the healthiness and level of processing of 24 food products (presented as images), completed the food technology neophobia (FTN) scale, and reported consumption frequency of different foods. The results indicated that this heuristic, measured as Pearson's r between perceived healthiness and level of processing, was prevalent and robust (posterior mean = -0.58, probability of association>99 %) as well as stronger among women and individuals with higher FTN. Moreover, the impact of the heuristic differed across food categories: healthiness ratings for vegetable/legume and seafood products perceived as processed were more negatively impacted compared to those for meat products (probability of association>99 %). The potential implications of this for the protein shift and encouraging substituting red meat with products based on raw materials associated with health (i.e., plants and seafood) are discussed.
Published: 2024
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3. Prevalence of bloodstream pathogens is higher in neonatal encephalopathy cases vs. controls using a novel panel of real-time PCR assays.

Author: Cally J Tann, Peter Nkurunziza, Margaret Nakakeeto, James Oweka, Jennifer J Kurinczuk, Jackson Were, Natasha Nyombi, Peter Hughes, Barbara A Willey, Alison M Elliott, Nicola J Robertson, Nigel Klein, and Kathryn A Harris
Subjects: Medicine, Science
Abstract: In neonatal encephalopathy (NE), infectious co-morbidity is difficult to diagnose accurately, but may increase the vulnerability of the developing brain to hypoxia-ischemia. We developed a novel panel of species-specific real-time PCR assays to identify bloodstream pathogens amongst newborns with and without NE in Uganda.Multiplex real-time PCR assays for important neonatal bloodstream pathogens (gram positive and gram negative bacteria, cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus(HSV) and P. falciparum) were performed on whole blood taken from 202 encephalopathic and 101 control infants. Automated blood culture (BACTEC) was performed for all cases and unwell controls.Prevalence of pathogenic bacterial species amongst infants with NE was 3.6%, 6.9% and 8.9%, with culture, PCR and both tests in combination, respectively. More encephalopathic infants than controls had pathogenic bacterial species detected (8.9%vs2.0%, p = 0.028) using culture and PCR in combination. PCR detected bacteremia in 11 culture negative encephalopathic infants (3 Group B Streptococcus, 1 Group A Streptococcus, 1 Staphylococcus aureus and 6 Enterobacteriacae). Coagulase negative staphylococcus, frequently detected by PCR amongst case and control infants, was considered a contaminant. Prevalence of CMV, HSV and malaria amongst cases was low (1.5%, 0.5% and 0.5%, respectively).This real-time PCR panel detected more bacteremia than culture alone and provides a novel tool for detection of neonatal bloodstream pathogens that may be applied across a range of clinical situations and settings. Significantly more encephalopathic infants than controls had pathogenic bacterial species detected suggesting that infection may be an important risk factor for NE in this setting.
Published: 2014
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4. Differing prevalence and diversity of bacterial species in fetal membranes from very preterm and term labor.

Author: Hannah E Jones, Kathryn A Harris, Malika Azizia, Lindsay Bank, Bernadette Carpenter, John C Hartley, Nigel Klein, and Donald Peebles
Subjects: Medicine, Science
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Intrauterine infection may play a role in preterm delivery due to spontaneous preterm labor (PTL) and preterm prolonged rupture of membranes (PPROM). Because bacteria previously associated with preterm delivery are often difficult to culture, a molecular biology approach was used to identify bacterial DNA in placenta and fetal membranes. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:We used broad-range 16S rDNA PCR and species-specific, real-time assays to amplify bacterial DNA from fetal membranes and placenta. 74 women were recruited to the following groups: PPROM
Published: 2009
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5. Untargeted metagenomics protocol for the diagnosis of infection from CSF and tissue from sterile sites

Author: Laura Atkinson, Jack CD. Lee, Alexander Lennon, Divya Shah, Nathaniel Storey, Sofia Morfopoulou, Kathryn A. Harris, Judy Breuer, and Julianne R. Brown
Subjects: Science (General), Q1-390, Social sciences (General), H1-99
Abstract: Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is an untargeted technique capable of detecting all microbial nucleic acid within a sample. This protocol outlines our wet laboratory method for mNGS of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens and tissues from sterile sites. We use this method routinely in our clinical service, processing 178 specimens over the past 2.5 years in a laboratory that adheres to ISO:15189 standards. We have successfully used this protocol to diagnose multiple cases of encephalitis and hepatitis.
Published: 2023
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6. Evaluation of Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry for Molecular Typing of Acinetobacter baumannii in Comparison with Orthogonal Methods

Author: Eloise J. Busby, Ronan M. Doyle, Clara Leboreiro Babe, Kathryn A. Harris, Damien Mack, Gema Méndez-Cervantes, Denise M. O’Sullivan, Vicky Pang, Zahra Sadouki, Priya Solanki, Jim F. Huggett, Timothy D. McHugh, and Emmanuel Q. Wey
Subjects: Acinetobacter, MALDI-TOF MS, molecular subtyping, Microbiology, QR1-502
Abstract: ABSTRACT Colonization and subsequent health care-associated infection (HCAI) with Acinetobacter baumannii are a concern for vulnerable patient groups within the hospital setting. Outbreaks involving multidrug-resistant strains are associated with increased patient morbidity and mortality and poorer overall outcomes. Reliable molecular typing methods can help to trace transmission routes and manage outbreaks. In addition to methods deployed by reference laboratories, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) may assist by making initial in-house judgments on strain relatedness. However, limited studies on method reproducibility exist for this application. We applied MALDI-TOF MS typing to A. baumannii isolates associated with a nosocomial outbreak and evaluated different methods for data analysis. In addition, we compared MALDI-TOF MS with whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) as orthogonal methods to further explore their resolution for bacterial strain typing. A related subgroup of isolates consistently clustered separately from the main outbreak group by all investigated methods. This finding, combined with epidemiological data from the outbreak, indicates that these methods identified a separate transmission event unrelated to the main outbreak. However, the MALDI-TOF MS upstream approach introduced measurement variability impacting method reproducibility and limiting its reliability as a standalone typing method. Availability of in-house typing methods with well-characterized sources of measurement uncertainty could assist with rapid and dependable confirmation (or denial) of suspected transmission events. This work highlights some of the steps to be improved before such tools can be fully integrated into routine diagnostic service workflows for strain typing. IMPORTANCE Managing the transmission of antimicrobial resistance necessitates reliable methods for tracking outbreaks. We compared the performance of MALDI-TOF MS with orthogonal approaches for strain typing, including WGS and FTIR, for Acinetobacter baumannii isolates correlated with a health care-associated infection (HCAI) event. Combined with epidemiological data, all methods investigated identified a group of isolates that were temporally and spatially linked to the outbreak, yet potentially attributed to a separate transmission event. This may have implications for guiding infection control strategies during an outbreak. However, the technical reproducibility of MALDI-TOF MS needs to be improved for it to be employed as a standalone typing method, as different stages of the experimental workflow introduced bias influencing interpretation of biomarker peak data. Availability of in-house methods for strain typing of bacteria could improve infection control practices following increased reports of outbreaks of antimicrobial-resistant organisms during the COVID-19 pandemic, related to sessional usage of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Published: 2023
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7. Rational Design of AAV-rh74, AAV3B, and AAV8 with Limited Liver Targeting

Author: Christopher Chan, Kathryn K. Harris, Sergei Zolotukhin, and Geoffrey D. Keeler
Subjects: AAV, liver de-targeting, rational design, Microbiology, QR1-502
Abstract: Recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAVs) have become one of the leading gene therapies for treating a variety of diseases. One factor contributing to rAAVs’ success is the fact that a wide variety of tissue types can be transduced by different serotypes. However, one commonality amongst most serotypes is the high propensity for liver transduction when rAAVs are administered peripherally. One of the few exceptions is the naturally occurring clade F AAV hematopoietic stem cell 16 (AAVHSC16). AAVHSC16 represents an interesting capsid in that it shows minimal liver transduction when injected peripherally. For capsids other than AAVHSC16, targeting non-liver tissues via peripheral AAV injection represents a challenge due to the high liver transduction. Thus, there is a demand for liver-de-targeted rAAV vectors. The rational design of rAAV capsids relies on current knowledge to design improved capsids and represents one means of developing capsids with reduced liver transduction. Here, we utilized data from the AAVHSC16 capsid to rationally design four non-clade F rAAV capsids that result in reduced liver transduction following peripheral injection.
Published: 2023
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8. ESCRT disruption provides evidence against signaling functions for synaptic exosomes

Author: Erica C. Dresselhaus, Kathryn P. Harris, Kate Koles, Matthew F. Pescosolido, Biljana Ermanoska, Mark Rozencwaig, Rebecca C. Soslowsky, Bryan A. Stewart, and Avital A. Rodal
Abstract: Exosomes are membrane-bound vesicles released by many cells including neurons, carrying cargoes involved in signaling and disease. It has been unclear whether exosomes promote intercellular signalingin vivoor serve primarily to dispose of unwanted cargo. This is because manipulations of exosome cargo expression or traffic often result in their depletion from the donor cell, making it difficult to distinguish whether these cargoes act cell-autonomously or through transcellular transfer. Exosomes arise when multivesicular endosomes fuse with the plasma membrane, releasing their intralumenal vesicles outside the cell. We show that loss of multivesicular endosome-generating ESCRT (endosomal sorting complex required for transport) machinery disrupts release of exosome cargoes fromDrosophilamotor neurons, without depleting them from the donor presynaptic terminal. Cargoes and autophagic vacuoles accumulate in presynaptic terminals, suggesting that compensatory autophagy follows endosome dysfunction. Surprisingly, exosome cargoes Synaptotagmin-4 (Syt4) and Evenness Interrupted (Evi) retain many of their signaling activities upon ESCRT depletion, despite being trapped in presynaptic terminals. Thus, these cargoes may not require intercellular transfer, and instead are likely to function cell autonomously in the motor neuron. Our results indicate that synaptic exosome release depends on ESCRT, and serves primarily as a proteostatic mechanism for at least some cargoes.
Published: 2023
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9. Investigation of hospital discharge cases and SARS-CoV-2 introduction into Lothian care homes

Author: S. Cotton, M.P. McHugh, R. Dewar, J.G. Haas, K. Templeton, Samuel C. Robson, Thomas R. Connor, Nicholas J. Loman, Tanya Golubchik, Rocio T. Martinez Nunez, David Bonsall, Andrew Rambaut, Luke B. Snell, Rich Livett, Catherine Ludden, Sally Corden, Eleni Nastouli, Gaia Nebbia, Ian Johnston, Jacqui A. Prieto, Kordo Saeed, David K. Jackson, Catherine Houlihan, Dan Frampton, William L. Hamilton, Adam A. Witney, Giselda Bucca, Cassie F. Pope, Catherine Moore, Emma C. Thomson, Teresa Cutino-Moguel, Ewan M. Harrison, Colin P. Smith, Fiona Rogan, Shaun M. Beckwith, Abigail Murray, Dawn Singleton, Kirstine Eastick, Liz A. Sheridan, Paul Randell, Leigh M. Jackson, Cristina V. Ariani, Sónia Gonçalves, Derek J. Fairley, Matthew W. Loose, Joanne Watkins, Samuel Moses, Sam Nicholls, Matthew Bull, Roberto Amato, Darren L. Smith, David M. Aanensen, Jeffrey C. Barrett, Beatrix Kele, Dinesh Aggarwal, James G. Shepherd, Martin D. Curran, Surendra Parmar, Matthew D. Parker, Catryn Williams, Sharon Glaysher, Anthony P. Underwood, Matthew Bashton, Nicole Pacchiarini, Katie F. Loveson, Matthew Byott, Alessandro M. Carabelli, Kate E. Templeton, Sharon J. Peacock, Thushan I. de Silva, Dennis Wang, Cordelia F. Langford, John Sillitoe, Rory N. Gunson, Simon Cottrell, Justin O’Grady, Dominic Kwiatkowski, Patrick J. Lillie, Nicholas Cortes, Nathan Moore, Claire Thomas, Phillipa J. Burns, Tabitha W. Mahungu, Steven Liggett, Angela H. Beckett, Matthew TG. Holden, Lisa J. Levett, Husam Osman, Mohammed O. Hassan-Ibrahim, David A. Simpson, Meera Chand, Ravi K. Gupta, Alistair C. Darby, Steve Paterson, Oliver G. Pybus, Erik M. Volz, Daniela de Angelis, David L. Robertson, Andrew J. Page, Inigo Martincorena, Louise Aigrain, Andrew R. Bassett, Nick Wong, Yusri Taha, Michelle J. Erkiert, Michael H. Spencer Chapman, Rebecca Dewar, Martin P. McHugh, Siddharth Mookerjee, Stephen Aplin, Matthew Harvey, Thea Sass, Helen Umpleby, Helen Wheeler, James P. McKenna, Ben Warne, Joshua F. Taylor, Yasmin Chaudhry, Rhys Izuagbe, Aminu S. Jahun, Gregory R. Young, Claire McMurray, Clare M. McCann, Andrew Nelson, Scott Elliott, Hannah Lowe, Anna Price, Matthew R. Crown, Sara Rey, Sunando Roy, Ben Temperton, Sharif Shaaban, Andrew R. Hesketh, Kenneth G. Laing, Irene M. Monahan, Judith Heaney, Emanuela Pelosi, Siona Silviera, Eleri Wilson-Davies, Helen Fryer, Helen Adams, Louis du Plessis, Rob Johnson, William T. Harvey, Joseph Hughes, Richard J. Orton, Lewis G. Spurgin, Yann Bourgeois, Chris Ruis, Áine O'Toole, Marina Gourtovaia, Theo Sanderson, Christophe Fraser, Jonathan Edgeworth, Judith Breuer, Stephen L. Michell, John A. Todd, Michaela John, David Buck, Kavitha Gajee, Gemma L. Kay, David Heyburn, Themoula Charalampous, Adela Alcolea-Medina, Katie Kitchman, Alan McNal, David T. Pritch, Samir Dervisevic, Peter Muir, Esther Robinson, Barry B. Vipond, Newara A. Ramadan, Christopher Jeanes, Danni Weldon, Jana Catalan, Neil Jones, Ana da Silva Filipe, Chris Williams, Marc Fuchs, Julia Miskelly, Aaron R. Jeffries, Karen Oliver, Naomi R. Park, Amy Ash, Cherian Koshy, Magdalena Barrow, Sarah L. Buchan, Anna Mantzouratou, Gemma Clark, Christopher W. Holmes, Sharon Campbell, Thomas Davis, Ngee Keong Tan, Julianne R. Brown, Kathryn A. Harris, Stephen P. Kidd, Paul R. Grant, Li Xu-McCrae, Alison Cox, Pinglawathee Madona, Marcus Pond, Paul A. Randell, Karen T. Withell, Cheryl Williams, Clive Graham, Rebecca Denton-Smith, Emma Swindells, Robyn Turnbull, Tim J. Sloan, Andrew Bosworth, Stephanie Hutchings, Hannah M. Pymont, Anna Casey, Liz Ratcliffe, Christopher R. Jones, Bridget A. Knight, Tanzina Haque, Jennifer Hart, Dianne Irish-Tavares, Eric Witele, Craig Mower, Louisa K. Watson DipHE, Jennifer Collins, Gary Eltringham, Dorian Crudgington, Ben Macklin, Miren Iturriza-Gomara, Anita O. Lucaci, Patrick C. McClure, Matthew Carlile, Nadine Holmes, Christopher Moore, Nathaniel Storey, Stefan Rooke, Gonzalo Yebra, Noel Craine, Malorie Perry, Nabil-Fareed Alikhan, Stephen Bridgett, Kate F. Cook, Christopher Fearn, Salman Goudarzi, Ronan A. Lyons, Thomas Williams, Sam T. Haldenby, Jillian Durham, Steven Leonard, Robert M. Davies, Rahul Batra, Beth Blane, Moira J. Spyer, Perminder Smith, Mehmet Yavus, Rachel J. Williams, Adhyana IK. Mahanama, Buddhini Samaraweera, Sophia T. Girgis, Samantha E. Hansford, Angie Green, Charlotte Beaver, Katherine L. Bellis, Matthew J. Dorman, Sally Kay, Liam Prestwood, Shavanthi Rajatileka, Joshua Quick, Radoslaw Poplawski, Nicola Reynolds, Andrew Mack, Arthur Morriss, Thomas Whalley, Bindi Patel, Iliana Georgana, Myra Hosmillo, Malte L. Pinckert, Joanne Stockton, John H. Henderson, Amy Hollis, William Stanley, Wen C. Yew, Richard Myers, Alicia Thornton, Alexander Adams, Tara Annett, Hibo Asad, Alec Birchley, Jason Coombes, Johnathan M. Evans, Laia Fina, Bree Gatica-Wilcox, Lauren Gilbert, Lee Graham, Jessica Hey, Ember Hilvers, Sophie Jones, Hannah Jones, Sara Kumziene-Summerhayes, Caoimhe McKerr, Jessica Powell, Georgia Pugh, Sarah Taylor, Alexander J. Trotter, Charlotte A. Williams, Leanne M. Kermack, Benjamin H. Foulkes, Marta Gallis, Hailey R. Hornsby, Stavroula F. Louka, Manoj Pohare, Paige Wolverson, Peijun Zhang, George MacIntyre-Cockett, Amy Trebes, Robin J. Moll, Lynne Ferguson, Emily J. Goldstein, Alasdair Maclean, Rachael Tomb, Igor Starinskij, Laura Thomson, Joel Southgate, Moritz UG. Kraemer, Jayna Raghwani, Alex E. Zarebski, Olivia Boyd, Lily Geidelberg, Chris J. Illingworth, Chris Jackson, David Pascall, Sreenu Vattipally, Timothy M. Freeman, Sharon N. Hsu, Benjamin B. Lindsey, Keith James, Kevin Lewis, Gerry Tonkin-Hill, Jaime M. Tovar-Corona, MacGregor Cox, Khalil Abudahab, Mirko Menegazzo, Ben EW. Taylor, Corin A. Yeats, Afrida Mukaddas, Derek W. Wright, Leonardo de Oliveira Martins, Rachel Colquhoun, Verity Hill, Ben Jackson, J.T. McCrone, Nathan Medd, Emily Scher, Jon-Paul Keatley, Tanya Curran, Sian Morgan, Patrick Maxwell, Ken Smith, Sahar Eldirdiri, Anita Kenyon, Alison H. Holmes, James R. Price, Tim Wyatt, Alison E. Mather, Timofey Skvortsov, John A. Hartley, Martyn Guest, Christine Kitchen, Ian Merrick, Robert Munn, Beatrice Bertolusso, Jessica Lynch, Gabrielle Vernet, Stuart Kirk, Elizabeth Wastnedge, Rachael Stanley, Giles Idle, Declan T. Bradley, Nicholas F. Killough, Jennifer Poyner, Matilde Mori, Owen Jones, Victoria Wright, Ellena Brooks, Carol M. Churcher, Laia Delgado Callico, Mireille Fragakis, Katerina Galai, Andrew Jermy, Sarah Judges, Anna Markov, Georgina M. McManus, Kim S. Smith, Peter MD. Thomas-McEwen, Elaine Westwick, Stephen W. Attwood, Frances Bolt, Alisha Davies, Elen De Lacy, Fatima Downing, Sue Edwards, Lizzie Meadows, Sarah Jeremiah, Nikki Smith, Luke Foulser, Amita Patel, Louise Berry, Tim Boswell, Vicki M. Fleming, Hannah C. Howson-Wells, Amelia Joseph, Manjinder Khakh, Michelle M. Lister, Paul W. Bird, Karlie Fallon, Thomas Helmer, Claire L. McMurray, Mina Odedra, Jessica Shaw, Julian W. Tang, Nicholas J. Willford, Victoria Blakey, Veena Raviprakash, Nicola Sheriff, Lesley-Anne Williams, Theresa Feltwell, Luke Bedford, James S. Cargill, Warwick Hughes, Jonathan Moore, Susanne Stonehouse, Laura Atkinson, Jack CD. Lee, Divya Shah, Natasha Ohemeng-Kumi, John Ramble, Jasveen Sehmi, Rebecca Williams, Wendy Chatterton, Monika Pusok, William Everson, Anibolina Castigador, Emily Macnaughton, Kate El Bouzidi, Temi Lampejo, Malur Sudhanva, Cassie Breen, Graciela Sluga, Shazaad SY. Ahmad, Ryan P. George, Nicholas W. Machin, Debbie Binns, Victoria James, Rachel Blacow, Lindsay Coupland, Louise Smith, Edward Barton, Debra Padgett, Garren Scott, Aidan Cross, Mariyam Mirfenderesky, Jane Greenaway, Kevin Cole, Phillip Clarke, Nichola Duckworth, Sarah Walsh, Kelly Bicknell, Robert Impey, Sarah Wyllie, Richard Hopes, Chloe Bishop, Vicki Chalker, Ian Harrison, Laura Gifford, Zoltan Molnar, Cressida Auckland, Cariad Evans, Kate Johnson, David G. Partridge, Mohammad Raza, Paul Baker, Stephen Bonner, Sarah Essex, Leanne J. Murray, Andrew I. Lawton, Shirelle Burton-Fanning, Brendan AI. Payne, Sheila Waugh, Andrea N. Gomes, Maimuna Kimuli, Darren R. Murray, Paula Ashfield, Donald Dobie, Fiona Ashford, Angus Best, Liam Crawford, Nicola Cumley, Megan Mayhew, Oliver Megram, Jeremy Mirza, Emma Moles-Garcia, Benita Percival, Megan Driscoll, Leah Ensell, Helen L. Lowe, Laurentiu Maftei, Matteo Mondani, Nicola J. Chaloner, Benjamin J. Cogger, Lisa J. Easton, Hannah Huckson, Jonathan Lewis, Sarah Lowdon, Cassandra S. Malone, Florence Munemo, Manasa Mutingwende, Roberto Nicodemi, Olga Podplomyk FD, Thomas Somassa, Andrew Beggs, Alex Richter, Claire Cormie, Joana Dias, Sally Forrest, Ellen E. Higginson, Mailis Maes, Jamie Young, Rose K. Davidson, Kathryn A. Jackson, Alexander J. Keeley, Jonathan Ball, Timothy Byaruhanga, Joseph G. Chappell, Jayasree Dey, Jack D. Hill, Emily J. Park, Arezou Fanaie, Rachel A. Hilson, Geraldine Yaze, Stephanie Lo, Safiah Afifi, Robert Beer, Joshua Maksimovic, Kathryn McCluggage, Karla Spellman, Catherine Bresner, William Fuller, Angela Marchbank, Trudy Workma, Ekaterina Shelest, Johnny Debebe, Fei Sang, Sarah Francois, Bernardo Gutierrez, Tetyana I. Vasylyeva, Flavia Flaviani, Manon Ragonnet-Cronin, Katherine L. Smollett, Alice Broos, Daniel Mair, Jenna Nichols, Kyriaki Nomikou, Lily Tong, Ioulia Tsatsani, Sarah O'Brien, Steven Rushton, Roy Sanderson, Jon Perkins, Seb Cotton, Abbie Gallagher, Elias Allara, Clare Pearson, David Bibby, Gavin Dabrer, Nicholas Ellaby, Eileen Gallagher, Jonathan Hubb, Angie Lackenby, David Lee, Nikos Manesis, Tamyo Mbisa, Steven Platt, Katherine A. Twohig, Mari Morgan, Alp Aydin, David J. Baker, Ebenezer Foster-Nyarko, Sophie J. Prosolek, Steven Rudder, Chris Baxter, Sílvia F. Carvalho, Deborah Lavin, Arun Mariappan, Clara Radulescu, Aditi Singh, Miao Tang, Helen Morcrette, Nadua Bayzid, Marius Cotic, Carlos E. Balcazar, Michael D. Gallagher, Daniel Maloney, Thomas D. Stanton, Kathleen A. Williamson, Robin Manley, Michelle L. Michelsen, Christine M. Sambles, David J. Studholme, Joanna Warwick-Dugdale, Richard Eccles, Matthew Gemmell, Richard Gregory, Margaret Hughes, Charlotte Nelson, Lucille Rainbow, Edith E. Vamos, Hermione J. Webster, Mark Whitehead, Claudia Wierzbicki, Adrienn Angyal, Luke R. Green, Max Whiteley, Emma Betteridge, Iraad F. Bronner, Ben W. Farr, Scott Goodwin, Stefanie V. Lensing, Shane A. McCarthy, Michael A. Quail, Diana Rajan, Nicholas M. Redshaw, Carol Scott, Lesley Shirley, Scott AJ. Thurston, Will Rowe, Amy Gaskin, Thanh Le-Viet, James Bonfield, Jennifier Liddle, Andrew Whitwham, University of St Andrews. School of Medicine, University of St Andrews. Infection and Global Health Division, and Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository
Subjects: Microbiology (medical), MCC, Introduction, SARS-CoV-2, NDAS, COVID-19, Care homes, General Medicine, NIS, Patient Discharge, Hospitals, Hospitalization, Infectious Diseases, SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being, RA0421, RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine, Humans, Hospital discharge
Abstract: COG-UK is supported by funding from the MRC part of UK Research & Innovation, the National Institute of Health Research (Grant code MC_PC_19027), and Genome Research Limited, operating as the Welcome Sanger Institute. Background The first epidemic wave of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Scotland resulted in high case numbers and mortality in care homes. In Lothian, over one-third of care homes reported an outbreak, while there was limited testing of hospital patients discharged to care homes. Aim To investigate patients discharged from hospitals as a source of SARS-CoV-2 introduction into care homes during the first epidemic wave. Methods A clinical review was performed for all patients discharges from hospitals to care homes from 1st March 2020 to 31st May 2020. Episodes were ruled out based on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) test history, clinical assessment at discharge, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data and an infectious period of 14 days. Clinical samples were processed for WGS, and consensus genomes generated were used for analysis using Cluster Investigation and Virus Epidemiological Tool software. Patient timelines were obtained using electronic hospital records. Findings In total, 787 patients discharged from hospitals to care homes were identified. Of these, 776 (99%) were ruled out for subsequent introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into care homes. However, for 10 episodes, the results were inconclusive as there was low genomic diversity in consensus genomes or no sequencing data were available. Only one discharge episode had a genomic, time and location link to positive cases during hospital admission, leading to 10 positive cases in their care home. Conclusion The majority of patients discharged from hospitals were ruled out for introduction of SARS-CoV-2 into care homes, highlighting the importance of screening all new admissions when faced with a novel emerging virus and no available vaccine. Publisher PDF
Published: 2023

10. Meeting the Contact-Mechanics Challenge

Author: Alexander I. Bennett, Hossein Ashtari Esfahani, Daniele Dini, Francesco Bottiglione, Joseph Monti, Kathryn L. Harris, Luciano Afferrante, Yang Xu, G. Vorlaufer, Soheil Solhjoo, András Vernes, Amir Rostami, J. A. Greenwood, Saleh Akbarzadeh, W. Gregory Sawyer, Mahmoud Kadkhodaei, Kyle D. Schulze, Thomas E. Angelini, Lars Pastewka, Peter Ifju, Martin H. Müser, Mark O. Robbins, Jiunn-Jong Wu, Wolf B. Dapp, Sean Rohde, Romain Bugnicourt, Antonis I. Vakis, Giuseppe Carbone, Robert L. Jackson, Nicolas Lesaffre, Ton Lubrecht, Philippe Sainsot, Jeffrey L. Streator, Bo N. J. Persson, Simon Medina, Saarland University, John von Neumann Institüt für Computing (NIC), DESY ZEUTHEN-Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH | Centre de recherche de Juliers, Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft = Helmholtz Association-Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft = Helmholtz Association, John von Neumann Institute for Computing (NIC), Manufacture Française des Pneumatiques Michelin, Société Michelin, Laboratoire de Mécanique des Contacts et des Structures [Villeurbanne] (LaMCoS), Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon (INSA Lyon), Université de Lyon-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Université de Lyon-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Peter Grünberg Institute, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH | Centre de recherche de Juliers, University of Florida [Gainesville] (UF), Isfahan University of Technology, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), AC2T Res GmbH, Viktro Kaplan Str 2-C, A-2700 Wiener Neustadt, Austria, University of Groningen [Groningen], Auburn University (AU), Georgia Institute of Technology [Atlanta], Imperial College London, Polytechnic University of Bari, Johns Hopkins University (JHU), University of Freiburg [Freiburg], Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), University of Cambridge [UK] (CAM), Advanced Production Engineering, Engineering & Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC), Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft = Helmholtz Association-Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft = Helmholtz Association-DESY ZEUTHEN, and Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Université de Lyon-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Université de Lyon-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Subjects: Surface (mathematics), Technology, Engineering, Chemical, Materials science, Scale (ratio), SOLIDS, Mechanical engineering, 02 engineering and technology, FINITE, Coatings and Films, Engineering, ROUGH SURFACES, RUBBER-FRICTION, [PHYS.MECA.STRU]Physics [physics]/Mechanics [physics]/Structural mechanics [physics.class-ph], 0203 mechanical engineering, Mechanical Engineering & Transports, Nominally flat surfaces, 0912 Materials Engineering, ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS, ADHESIVE CONTACT, Science & Technology, RANGE, Mechanical Engineering, Modeling, Adhesion, Contact mechanics, Mechanics of Materials, Surfaces and Interfaces, Surfaces, Coatings and Films, Function (mathematics), Gauge (firearms), 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology, Strength of materials, Surfaces, Engineering, Mechanical, MODEL, 020303 mechanical engineering & transports, MOLECULAR-DYNAMICS, ELASTIC CONTACT, 0210 nano-technology, Algorithm, Distribution (differential geometry), Asperity (materials science), 0913 Mechanical Engineering
Abstract: This paper summarizes the submissions to a recently announced contact-mechanics modeling challenge. The task was to solve a typical, albeit mathematically fully defined problem on the adhesion between nominally flat surfaces. The surface topography of the rough, rigid substrate, the elastic properties of the indenter, as well as the short-range adhesion between indenter and substrate, were specified so that diverse quantities of interest, e.g., the distribution of interfacial stresses at a given load or the mean gap as a function of load, could be computed and compared to a reference solution. Many different solution strategies were pursued, ranging from traditional asperity-based models via Persson theory and brute-force computational approaches, to real-laboratory experiments and all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of a model, in which the original assignment was scaled down to the atomistic scale. While each submission contained satisfying answers for at least a subset of the posed questions, efficiency, versatility, and accuracy differed between methods, the more precise methods being, in general, computationally more complex. The aim of this paper is to provide both theorists and experimentalists with benchmarks to decide which method is the most appropriate for a particular application and to gauge the errors associated with each one.
Published: 2023
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11. Contact Measurements of Randomly Rough Surfaces

Author: Thomas E. Angelini, Kyle D. Schulze, Alexander I. Bennett, Angela A. Pitenis, Alexander J. McGhee, Juan Manuel Urueña, Kathryn L. Harris, W. Gregory Sawyer, and Martin H. Müser
Subjects: Total internal reflection, Materials science, Opacity, business.industry, Contact Mechanics Challenge, Contact of rough surfaces, Mechanical Engineering, 02 engineering and technology, Surfaces and Interfaces, Substrate (electronics), 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology, Light scattering, Surfaces, Coatings and Films, Measurements of real area of contact, 020303 mechanical engineering & transports, Contact mechanics, Optics, 0203 mechanical engineering, Mechanics of Materials, Deformation (engineering), 0210 nano-technology, Contact area, business, Elastic modulus
Abstract: This manuscript presents an experimental effort to directly measure contact areas and the details behind these scaled experiments on a randomly rough model surface used in the “Contact Mechanics Challenge” (2017). For these experiments, the randomly rough surface model was scaled up by a factor of 1000× to give a 100 mm square sample that was 3D printed from opaque polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). This sample was loaded against various optically smooth and transparent samples of PDMS that were approximately 15 mm thick and had a range in elastic modulus from 14 kPa to 2.1 MPa. During loading, a digital camera recorded contact locations by imaging the scattering of light that occurs off of the PMMA rough surface when it was in contact with the PDMS substrate. This method of illuminating contact areas is called frustrated total internal reflection and is performed by creating a condition of total internal reflection within the unperturbed PDMS samples. Contact or deformation of the surface results in light being diffusely transmitted from the PDMS and detected by the camera. For these experiments, a range of reduced pressure (nominal pressure/elastic modulus) from below 0.001 to over 1.0 was examined, and the resulting relative contact area (real area of contact/apparent area of contact) was found to increase from below 0.1% to over 60% at the highest pressures. The experimental uncertainties associated with experiments are discussed, and the results are compared to the numerical results from the simulation solution to the “Contact Mechanics Challenge.” The simulation results and experimental results of the relative contact areas as a function of reduced pressure are in agreement (within experimental uncertainties).
Published: 2023
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12. Contact and Deformation of Randomly Rough Surfaces with Varying Root-Mean-Square Gradient

Author: Angela A. Pitenis, Martin H. Müser, Alexander I. Bennett, Peter Ifju, Juan Manuel Urueña, Kathryn L. Harris, Kyle D. Schulze, Alexander J. McGhee, Thomas E. Angelini, and W. Gregory Sawyer
Subjects: Surface (mathematics), Root-mean-square gradient, Digital image correlation, Materials science, Geometry, Contact mechanics of rough surfaces, 02 engineering and technology, Surface finish, Root mean square, Optics, 0203 mechanical engineering, business.industry, Mechanical Engineering, Surfaces and Interfaces, Function (mathematics), 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology, Roughness, Surfaces, Coatings and Films, 020303 mechanical engineering & transports, Contact mechanics, Mechanics of Materials, 0210 nano-technology, business, Contact area, Real area of contact, Bar (unit)
Abstract: The “Contact Mechanics Challenge” posed to the tribology community by Muser and Dapp in 2015 detailed a 100 µm × 100 µm randomly rough surface with a root-mean-square gradient of unity, $${\bar{\text{g}}} = 1$$ . Many surfaces, both natural and synthetic, can be described as randomly rough, but rarely with a root-mean-square gradient as steep as $${\bar{\text{g}}} = 1$$ . The selection of such a challenging surface parameter was intentional, but potentially limiting for broad comparisons across existing models and theories which may be limited by small-slope approximations. In this manuscript, the root-mean-square gradients ( $${\bar{\text{g}}}$$ ) of the “Contact Mechanics Challenge” surface were produced on 1000 × scaled models such that there were three different surfaces for study with $${\bar{\text{g}}} = \, 0.2, \, 0.5$$ , and 1. In situ measurements of the real area of contact and contact area distributions were performed using frustrated total internal reflectance along with surface deformation measurements performed using digital image correlation. These optical in situ experiments used the scaled 3D-printed rough surfaces that were loaded into contact with smooth, flat, and elastic samples that were made from unfilled PDMS: (10:1) E* = 2.1 MPa Δγ = 4 mJ/m2; (20:1) E* = 0.75 MPa Δγ = 3 mJ/m2; (30:1) E* = 0.24 MPa Δγ = 2 mJ/m2. All of the loading was performed using a uniaxial load frame under force control. A Green’s function molecular dynamics simulation assuming the small-slope approximation was compared to all experimental data. These measurements reveal that decreasing root-mean-square gradient noticeably increases real area of contact area under conditions of “equal” applied load, but variations in the root-mean-square gradient did not significantly alter the contact patch geometry under conditions of nearly equal real area of contact. Including $${\bar{\text{g}}}$$ in the reduced pressure ( $$p = P /(E*{\bar{\text{g}}})$$ ) reduced the root-mean-square error between the simulation ( $${\bar{\text{g}}} = 1$$ ) and all experimental data for the relative area of contact as a function of reduced pressure over the entire range of surfaces, materials, and loads tested.
Published: 2023
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13. The Dangers of Using Cq to Quantify Nucleic Acid in Biological Samples: A Lesson From COVID-19

Author: Denise M. O'Sullivan, Ki Ho Hong, Kathryn A. Harris, Jacob Moran-Gilad, Daniel Evans, Jiwon In, Heinz Zeichhardt, Martin Kammel, Julian Braybrook, Suzie Hingley-Wilson, Ulf Dühring, Jo Vandesompele, Nathaniel Storey, Jim F. Huggett, Carole A. Foy, Simon Cowen, Graham R. Stewart, Young-Kyung Bae, Jasper Verwilt, and Hans-Peter Grunert
Subjects: 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak, medicine.medical_specialty, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Clinical Biochemistry, Sensitivity and Specificity, Belgium, Nucleic Acids, Internal medicine, Republic of Korea, Medicine and Health Sciences, Humans, Medicine, Reproducibility, Cycle threshold, SARS-CoV-2, business.industry, Biochemistry (medical), COVID-19, Reproducibility of Results, Diagnostic test, United Kingdom, COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Testing, RNA, Viral, business, Clinical risk factor
Abstract: Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA quantities, measured by reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), have been proposed to stratify clinical risk or determine analytical performance targets. We investigated reproducibility and how setting diagnostic cutoffs altered the clinical sensitivity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing. Methods Quantitative SARS-CoV-2 RNA distributions [quantification cycle (Cq) and copies/mL] from more than 6000 patients from 3 clinical laboratories in United Kingdom, Belgium, and the Republic of Korea were analyzed. Impact of Cq cutoffs on clinical sensitivity was assessed. The June/July 2020 INSTAND external quality assessment scheme SARS-CoV-2 materials were used to estimate laboratory reported copies/mL and to estimate the variation in copies/mL for a given Cq. Results When the WHO-suggested Cq cutoff of 25 was applied, the clinical sensitivity dropped to about 16%. Clinical sensitivity also dropped to about 27% when a simulated limit of detection of 106 copies/mL was applied. The interlaboratory variation for a given Cq value was >1000 fold in copies/mL (99% CI). Conclusion While RT-qPCR has been instrumental in the response to COVID-19, we recommend Cq (cycle threshold or crossing point) values not be used to set clinical cutoffs or diagnostic performance targets due to poor interlaboratory reproducibility; calibrated copy-based units (used elsewhere in virology) offer more reproducible alternatives. We also report a phenomenon where diagnostic performance may change relative to the effective reproduction number. Our findings indicate that the disparities between patient populations across time are an important consideration when evaluating or deploying diagnostic tests. This is especially relevant to the emergency situation of an evolving pandemic.
Published: 2021
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14. Contact pressure dependent mechanisms of ultralow wear PTFE composites

Author: Kylie E. Van Meter, Angela A. Pitenis, Kathryn L. Harris, W. Gregory Sawyer, and Brandon A. Krick
Subjects: Mechanics of Materials, Materials Chemistry, Surfaces and Interfaces, Condensed Matter Physics, Surfaces, Coatings and Films
Published: 2023
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15. Current and future challenges in quality assurance in molecular diagnostics

Author: Mark W. Linder, Katarina Baluchova, Deborah A. Payne, Aldo Vacaflores Salinas, Parviz Ahmad-Nejad, Jim F. Huggett, Werner Steimer, Tester F. Ashavaid, and Kathryn A. Harris
Subjects: Quality Control, 0301 basic medicine, Quality management, Quality Assurance, Health Care, Computer science, media_common.quotation_subject, Clinical Biochemistry, Biochemistry, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Humans, Quality (business), Pathology, Molecular, media_common, business.industry, Test procedures, Biochemistry (medical), General Medicine, Guideline, Molecular diagnostics, 030104 developmental biology, Risk analysis (engineering), 030220 oncology & carcinogenesis, Laboratories, business, Quality assurance
Abstract: The development and performance of molecular genetic assays has required increasingly complex quality assurance in recent years and continues to pose new challenges. Quality management officers, as well as academic and technical personnel are confronted with new molecular genetic parameters, methods, changing regulatory environments, questions regarding appropriate validation, and quality control for these innovative assays that are increasingly applying quantification and/or multiplex formats. Yet, quality assurance and quality control guidelines are still not widely available or in some circumstances have become outdated. For these reasons, the need for solutions to provide test confidence continues to grow. In order to integrate new test procedures into existing quality assurance measures, the ISO 15189 guideline can serve as an orientation. The ISO 15189 guideline describes requirements for medical laboratories and thus includes those performing molecular diagnostics. This article gives an overview of the possibilities and challenges in quality assurance of molecular parameters and shows possible solutions.
Published: 2021
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16. A Curly Q: Is Frizz a Matter of Friction?

Author: Lisa Skedung, Kathryn L. Harris, Elizabeth S. Collier, Gustavo S. Luengo, Mara Applebaum, Mark W. Rutland, and Andrew Greaves
Subjects: medicine.medical_specialty, Friction, 05 social sciences, Experimental and Cognitive Psychology, Hair care, Tactile perception, Audiology, 050105 experimental psychology, Sensory Systems, 03 medical and health sciences, Ophthalmology, 0302 clinical medicine, Touch Perception, Touch, Artificial Intelligence, medicine, Humans, 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences, Psychology, 030217 neurology & neurosurgery, Hair
Abstract: The oft discussed and fretted over environmental influences on hair have led to a popular consensus which suggests that elevated temperature and humidity lead to frizzier, wilder hair. However, few attempts at actually quantifying these effects have been made. Although frizziness is usually perceived visually, here the influence of variations in temperature and humidity on the tactile perception and friction of curly and straight hair were investigated. It is shown that changes in humidity may disproportionately affect perceived frizziness of curly hair by touch due to concurrent changes in the tactile friction.
Published: 2021
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17. Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex DNA in CD34-positive peripheral blood mononuclear cells of asymptomatic tuberculosis contacts: an observational study

Author: Sally Forrest, Julie Demaret, Tenagnework Abozen, Begna Tulu, Jonathan Mayito, Metasebia Tegegn, Stephen T Reece, Abraham Aseffa, Emawayish A. Tirfie, Hana Manwandu, Dawit Tayachew, Denise M. O'Sullivan, Adrian R. Martineau, Kathryn A. Harris, Aboma Zewude, Gobena Ameni, Martin Vordermeier, Jim F. Huggett, Gerwyn M. Jones, Taye Tolera Balcha, Stefan Berg, Mulugeta Belay, Aneesh Chandran, Markos Abebe, Sidra Younis, Vlad Nikolayevskyy, Henny M. Martineau, Mahdad Noursadeghi, and David A. Jolliffe
Subjects: Microbiology (medical), Tuberculosis, HIV Infections, Microbiology, Asymptomatic, Peripheral blood mononuclear cell, Latent Tuberculosis, Virology, Isoniazid, medicine, Humans, Digital polymerase chain reaction, Prospective Studies, Index case, biology, Latent tuberculosis, Tuberculin Test, business.industry, DNA, Articles, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, biology.organism_classification, medicine.disease, Cross-Sectional Studies, Infectious Diseases, Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, Immunology, Leukocytes, Mononuclear, Ethiopia, medicine.symptom, business, medicine.drug
Abstract: Summary Background Haematopoietic stem cells expressing the CD34 surface marker have been posited as a niche for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex bacilli during latent tuberculosis infection. Our aim was to determine whether M tuberculosis complex DNA is detectable in CD34-positive peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from asymptomatic adults living in a setting with a high tuberculosis burden. Methods We did a cross-sectional study in Ethiopia between Nov 22, 2017, and Jan 10, 2019. Digital PCR (dPCR) was used to determine whether M tuberculosis complex DNA was detectable in PBMCs isolated from 100 mL blood taken from asymptomatic adults with HIV infection or a history of recent household or occupational exposure to an index case of human or bovine tuberculosis. Participants were recruited from HIV clinics, tuberculosis clinics, and cattle farms in and around Addis Ababa. A nested prospective study was done in a subset of HIV-infected individuals to evaluate whether administration of isoniazid preventive therapy was effective in clearing M tuberculosis complex DNA from PBMCs. Follow-up was done between July 20, 2018, and Feb 13, 2019. QuantiFERON-TB Gold assays were also done on all baseline and follow-up samples. Findings Valid dPCR data (ie, droplet counts >10 000 per well) were available for paired CD34-positive and CD34-negative PBMC fractions from 197 (70%) of 284 participants who contributed data to cross-sectional analyses. M tuberculosis complex DNA was detected in PBMCs of 156 of 197 participants with valid dPCR data (79%, 95% CI 74–85). It was more commonly present in CD34-positive than in CD34-negative fractions (154 [73%] of 197 vs 46 [23%] of 197; p
Published: 2021
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18. An evaluation and shortening of the Cooking and Food Provisioning Action Scale (CAFPAS) using item response theory

Author: Simon Karlsson, Kathryn L. Harris, Jeanette Melin, Jacob Lahne, Julia A. Wolfson, and Elizabeth S. Collier
Subjects: Nutrition and Dietetics, Food Science
Published: 2023
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19. Just a matter of taste? Understanding rationalizations for dairy consumption and their associations with sensory expectations of plant-based milk alternatives

Author: Elizabeth S. Collier, Kathryn L. Harris, Marcus Bendtsen, Cecilia Norman, and Jun Niimi
Subjects: Nutrition and Dietetics, Sustainability, Consumer behavior, Rationalization, Plant-based alternatives, Dairy consumption, Livsmedelsvetenskap, Food Science
Abstract: Although knowledge surrounding the obstacles omnivorous consumers face when substituting meat products with plant-based alternatives has increased dramatically, less is known about their perspectives on plant-based alternatives to dairy products. Here, these perspectives are assessed in two survey-based studies. Study 1 (N = 175) adapts an existing scale (the 4Ns of meat consumption) to dairy products in an effort to identify similarities and differences between rationalizations for meat and dairy consumption. This 16-item scale quantifies four factors (Natural, Necessary, Normal, and Nice) describing common rationalizations for meat consumption. The results revealed that the 4Ns transfer well to the dairy category, and that endorsement of dairy products as Nice was the strongest predictor of dairy consumption, relative to the other 3Ns. This is further supported by evaluation of consumers own qualitative descriptions of why they do or do not consume meat/dairy products, where "taste" was the most frequently used word in both categories. Study 2 replicates the relationships between dairy 4Ns scores and reported dairy consumption found in Study 1 and builds upon these results by showing that 4N score could accurately categorize consumers as frequent (N = 192) or infrequent (N = 210) consumers of plant-based milk alternatives (PBMAs). Differences in consumers expectations for the sensory characteristics of cows milk and PBMAs are identified, and the impact of rationalization (total 4N score) on the likelihood of expected sensory attribute associations is described. The role of rationalization in shaping sensory expectations and impacting dietary choices, in particular resistance to adopting PBMAs, is discussed. Funding Agencies|FORMAS - Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences, and Spatial Planning [2020-02839]
Published: 2023
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20. Local regulation of extracellular vesicle traffic by the synaptic endocytic machinery

Author: Cassandra R. Blanchette, Amy L. Scalera, Kathryn P. Harris, Zechuan Zhao, Erica C. Dresselhaus, Kate Koles, Anna Yeh, Julia K. Apiki, Bryan A. Stewart, and Avital A. Rodal
Subjects: Extracellular Vesicles, Synapses, Presynaptic Terminals, Endosomes, Synaptic Vesicles, macromolecular substances, Cell Biology
Abstract: Neuronal extracellular vesicles (EVs) are locally released from presynaptic terminals, carrying cargoes critical for intercellular signaling and disease. EVs are derived from endosomes, but it is unknown how these cargoes are directed to the EV pathway rather than for conventional endolysosomal degradation. Here, we find that endocytic machinery plays an unexpected role in maintaining a release-competent pool of EV cargoes at synapses. Endocytic mutants, including nervous wreck (nwk), shibire/dynamin, and AP-2, unexpectedly exhibit local presynaptic depletion specifically of EV cargoes. Accordingly, nwk mutants phenocopy synaptic plasticity defects associated with loss of the EV cargo synaptotagmin-4 (Syt4) and suppress lethality upon overexpression of the EV cargo amyloid precursor protein (APP). These EV defects are genetically separable from canonical endocytic functions in synaptic vesicle recycling and synaptic growth. Endocytic machinery opposes the endosomal retromer complex to regulate EV cargo levels and acts upstream of synaptic cargo removal by retrograde axonal transport. Our data suggest a novel molecular mechanism that locally promotes cargo loading into synaptic EVs.
Published: 2022
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21. Making More Sustainable Food Choices One Meal at a Time: Psychological and Practical Aspects of Meat Reduction and Substitution

Author: Elizabeth S. Collier, Anne Normann, Kathryn L. Harris, Lisa-Maria Oberrauter, and Penny Bergman
Subjects: Health (social science), climate change, consumer behaviour, meat substitutes, meat paradox, cooking at home, food and beverages, Plant Science, Health Professions (miscellaneous), Microbiology, Food Science
Abstract: Switching out meat in favour of plant-based alternatives such as meat substitutes is an important step towards eating more sustainably. Here, the aim was to identify and explore the specific barriers experienced by Swedish consumers when replacing meat with more sustainable alternatives. All meat-eating participants in this study reported some interest in reducing their meat consumption. Aspects of home-use and central-location test methods were combined by using a digital conferencing system to host cooking sessions and focus group discussions online, which was shown to be a viable setup even in this hands-on setting. The discussions targeted participants’ experience preparing meals using meat substitutes as well as their perceived motivators and barriers to reducing meat consumption. Four themes identified through thematic analysis indicated that meat-eating participants, despite their desire or intent to reduce their meat consumption, experienced barriers relating to the following: internal conflict due to holding multiple positive and negative beliefs about meat simultaneously (ambivalence), justification of eating meat (rationalisation), a desire for variety in and control over their food choices (agency), and sensitivity to the views and expectations of other people and the situational context regarding meat (social and structuralfactors). Possible strategies to support ambivalent individuals in aligning their behaviour with their beliefs instead of vice versa are discussed in the context of the meat paradox. Agency and practical skills, including increasing knowledge in preparing meals with plant-based proteins, likely play a role in bridging this intention–behaviour gap.
Published: 2022

22. The postsynaptic t-SNARE Syntaxin 4 controls traffic of Neuroligin 1 and Synaptotagmin 4 to regulate retrograde signaling

Author: Kathryn P Harris, Yao V Zhang, Zachary D Piccioli, Norbert Perrimon, and J Troy Littleton
Subjects: synapse, Syntaxin 4, Neuroligin, Synaptotagmin 4, synaptic plasticity, Medicine, Science, Biology (General), QH301-705.5
Abstract: Postsynaptic cells can induce synaptic plasticity through the release of activity-dependent retrograde signals. We previously described a Ca2+-dependent retrograde signaling pathway mediated by postsynaptic Synaptotagmin 4 (Syt4). To identify proteins involved in postsynaptic exocytosis, we conducted a screen for candidates that disrupted trafficking of a pHluorin-tagged Syt4 at Drosophila neuromuscular junctions (NMJs). Here we characterize one candidate, the postsynaptic t-SNARE Syntaxin 4 (Syx4). Analysis of Syx4 mutants reveals that Syx4 mediates retrograde signaling, modulating the membrane levels of Syt4 and the transsynaptic adhesion protein Neuroligin 1 (Nlg1). Syx4-dependent trafficking regulates synaptic development, including controlling synaptic bouton number and the ability to bud new varicosities in response to acute neuronal stimulation. Genetic interaction experiments demonstrate Syx4, Syt4, and Nlg1 regulate synaptic growth and plasticity through both shared and parallel signaling pathways. Our findings suggest a conserved postsynaptic SNARE machinery controls multiple aspects of retrograde signaling and cargo trafficking within the postsynaptic compartment.
Published: 2016
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23. The finishing touches: the role of friction and roughness in haptic perception of surface coatings

Author: Elizabeth S. Collier, Mark W. Rutland, Kathryn L. Harris, and Lisa Skedung
Subjects: Surface (mathematics), Adult, Male, Friction, Computer science, InformationSystems_INFORMATIONINTERFACESANDPRESENTATION(e.g.,HCI), Acoustics, 02 engineering and technology, Surface finish, Choice Behavior, Vibration, 050105 experimental psychology, Young Adult, 0203 mechanical engineering, Psychotribology, Psychophysics, Humans, 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences, Haptic technology, ComputingMethodologies_COMPUTERGRAPHICS, General Neuroscience, 05 social sciences, Tactile perception, Haptic perception, Roughness, 020303 mechanical engineering & transports, Touch Perception, Touch, Wood furniture surfaces, Female, Profilometer, Stylus, Research Article
Abstract: Humans are extraordinarily skilled in the tactile evaluation of, and differentiation between, surfaces. The chemical and mechanical properties of these surfaces are translated into tactile signals during haptic exploration by mechanoreceptors in our skin, which are specialized to respond to different types of temporal and mechanical stimulation. Describing the effects of measurable physical characteristics on the human response to tactile exploration of surfaces is of great interest to manufacturers of household materials so that the haptic experience can be considered during design, product development and quality control. In this study, methods from psychophysics and materials science are combined to advance current understanding of which physical properties affect tactile perception of a range of furniture surfaces, i.e., foils and coatings, thus creating a tactile map of the furniture product landscape. Participants’ responses in a similarity scaling task were analyzed using INDSCAL from which three haptic dimensions were identified. Results show that specific roughness parameters, tactile friction and vibrational information, as characterized by a stylus profilometer, a Forceboard, and a biomimetic synthetic finger, are important for tactile differentiation and preferences of these surface treatments. The obtained dimensions are described as distinct combinations of the surface properties characterized, rather than as ‘roughness’ or ‘friction’ independently. Preferences by touch were related to the roughness, friction and thermal properties of the surfaces. The results both complement and advance current understanding of how roughness and friction relate to tactile perception of surfaces.
Published: 2020

24. Hospital admission and emergency care attendance risk for SARS-CoV-2 delta (B.1.617.2) compared with alpha (B.1.1.7) variants of concern: a cohort study

Author: Harry D Wilson, Elaine O'Toole, Andrew Bassett, Moritz U. G. Kraemer, Beth Blane, Scott Goodwin, Giri Shankar, Joseph Hughes, Lucy R. Frost, Alicia Thornton, Scott Elliott, Tammy V Merrill, Sheila Waugh, Alexander Adams, Peter Muir, Graciela Sluga, Rebecca Williams, Hannah Dent, Christophe Fraser, Shavanthi Rajatileka, John C. Hartley, Luke B Snell, Benjamin J Cogger, Lance Turtle, Alex Makunin, John A. Todd, Victoria Wright, Daniela De Angelis, James McKenna, Dinesh Aggarwal, Jonathan K. Ball, Jillian Durham, Garren Scott, Thushan I de Silva, Veena Raviprakash, Hannah M Pymont, Jason Coombes, Anita Lucaci, Luke R. Green, Leigh M Jackson, Hermione J. Webster, Louis du Plessis, David A. Jackson, Minal Patel, Áine O'Toole, Ravi Gupta, Marc Niebel, Garry Scarlett, Rajiv Shah, Guy Mollett, Kathy Li, Rory Gunson, Matthew Bashton, Carl Jones, Sara Kumziene-Summerhayes, Zoltan Molnar, Siona Silveira, Malte L Pinckert, Catherine Ludden, Angeliki Karamani, Leanne Kane, Brendan A I Payne, Alan McNally, Clare M. McCann, Holli Carden, Mohammad Raza, Alison E. Mather, Kate B. Cook, Amy Gaskin, David J. Williams, Shaun R. Seaman, Christopher I. Jones, Gilberto Betancor, Matthew T. G. Holden, Jennifier Liddle, Meera Unnikrishnan, Angie Green, Ben Taylor, Kelly Bicknell, Alexander J. Trotter, Emma Meader, Leanne M Kermack, Nathaniel Storey, Michelle Cronin, Sally Forrest, Sarah Jeremiah, Asad Zaidi, M Morgan, Alasdair MacLean, Thomas R. Connor, Johnathan M Evans, Rachael Stanley, Ryan P George, Nadine Holmes, Richard H. Myers, Christine Sambles, Bernardo Gutierrez, Jeffrey K. J. Cheng, Tim Wyatt, Natasha Jesudason, Lindsay Coupland, Monika Pusok, Manon Ragonnet-Cronin, Jenifer Mason, Joshua Maksimovic, Russell Hope, Alison Holmes, David Simpson, Radoslaw Poplawski, Amelia Joseph, Erwan Acheson, James Bonfield, Mara K. N. Lawniczak, Sascha Ott, Lesley-Anne Williams, Jessica Lynch, Graham P. Taylor, Anita Kenyon, Elizabeth Wastenge, Megan Mayhew, Adhyana I K Mahanama, Stavroula F Louka, Chloe Bishop, Esther Robinson, Darren Smith, Anne M. Presanis, Matthew Carlile, Thomas D Stanton, Dennis Wang, Katerina Galai, Adam P Westhorpe, Flavia Flaviani, Michelle Wantoch, Max Whiteley, Yann Bourgeois, Matthew Gemmell, Mary Ramsay, A Lloyd, Simon Thelwall, Hannah C. Howson-Wells, Joseph G. Chappell, Steve Paterson, Gary Eltringham, Robert Impey, Siddharth Mookerjee, Steven Platt, Emma Swindells, Laura Letchford, Alex Alderton, Lee Graham, Safiah Afifi, David C. Lee, Cassie Breen, Melisa Louise Fenton, Benita Percival, Adrian W Signell, Tanya Golubchik, Ian B Vipond, Eleri Wilson-Davies, Angie Lackenby, Laura Atkinson, Sarojini Pandey, Nazreen F. Hadjirin, Michael A Chapman, Huw Gulliver, Joana Dias, Grant Hall, Antony D Hale, Hassan Hartman, Alp Aydin, Louise Smith, Ashok Dadrah, Johnny Debebe, Sarah Walsh, Stephanie W. Lo, Andrew Bosworth, Bridget Knight, Hannah E Bridgewater, Nadua Bayzid, Gemma L. Kay, Richard Gregory, Sally Kay, Ellena Brooks, Andre Charlett, Georgina M McManus, Riaz Jannoo, Victoria Blakey, Carol Scott, Rachel Nelson, Liz Ratcliffe, Gerry Tonkin-Hill, Verity Hill, Joanne D. Stockton, Danielle Leek, Steven Leonard, Stephanie Hutchings, Jonathan D. Moore, Kathryn Ann Harris, Sophie Jones, Venkat Sivaprakasam, Amy Plimmer, Tanzina Haque, Katherine L. Bellis, Khalil Abudahab, Dianne Irish-Tavares, Gaia Nebbia, Kathryn A Jackson, Stephen W Attwood, Daniel Mair, Sreenu Vattipally, Susanne Stonehouse, Ian Merrick, Lucille Rainbow, Mathew A. Beale, Angela Helen Beckett, Ember Hilvers, Thomas Helmer, Jenna Nichols, Giselda Bucca, Salman Goudarzi, Christopher Ruis, Surendra Parmar, Angela Cowell, Alberto C Cerda, Divya K. Shah, Judith Heaney, E. Thomson, Kyriaki Nomikou, Nicole Pacchiarini, Katherine L Harper, Fatima Downing, M. Estée Török, Michelle L Michelsen, Aaron R. Jeffries, Jennifer Collins, Christopher Williams, Katie F. Loveson, Steven Rudder, Theocharis Tsoleridis, Robert Davies, David Robertson, Katherine Smollett, Kathryn McCluggage, Liam Crawford, Inigo Martincorena, Charlotte Beaver, Oliver Megram, Karla Spellman, Sam Haldenby, Emma Betteridge, William D. Fuller, Will P. M. Rowe, Cherian Koshy, Tim E. A. Peto, Alison Cox, Natasha Johnson, Tanya Curran, Sharif Shaaban, Tamyo Mbisa, Cordelia Langford, Eric Witele, Andrew J. Page, Christoph Puethe, Nicola Reynolds, Paul W Bird, Louise Aigrain, Ronan Lyons, Amy Trebes, Sally Corden, Steven Rushton, Jack Cd Lee, Jane Greenaway, Hibo Asad, Amanda Bradley, Mohammed O Hassan-Ibrahim, Shane McCarthy, Fei Sang, Matthew Loose, Hannah Jones, Keith D. James, Chloe L Fisher, Chrystala Constantinidou, Alex G. Richter, Jane A. H. Masoli, Michael Gallagher, Vicki M. Fleming, Anna Price, Amy Ash, Michaela John, Alex Zarebski, Fenella D. Halstead, John Danesh, Christine Kitchen, Aminu S Jahun, Mark Whitehead, Julianne R Brown, Catherine Bresner, Marius Cotic, Stefanie V Lensing, Nick Levene, Louissa R Macfarlane-Smith, Wendy Hogsden, Cressida Auckland, Eleanor Drury, Richard Eccles, Jennifer Hart, Seema Nickbakhsh, Alisha Davies, David M. Aanensen, Shirelle Burton-Fanning, Ben Farr, Buddhini Samaraweera, Sarah Wyllie, Hannah Lowe, Richard J. Orton, Martin D. Curran, Carol Churcher, Karen Oliver, Elihu Aranday-Cortes, Wen Yew, Thanh Le-Viet, Matthew Parker, Katherine A Twohig, Shahjahan Miah, Samuel M. Nicholls, G MacIntyre-Cockett, Tranprit Saluja, Charlotte Nelson, Vicki Chalker, Roberto Amato, Ellen Higginson, Timothy M. Freeman, Christopher W Holmes, Yasmin Chaudhry, Elias Allara, Alec Birchley, Iraad Bronner, Emma Moles-Garcia, Angus I. Best, Anna L. Casey, Audrey Farbos, Nicholas W Machin, David W Eyre, Tim Boswell, Charlotte A Williams, Elen De Lacy, Matthew J. Bull, Matilde Mori, Carmen F. Manso, Peijun Zhang, Sahar Eldirdiri, Dimitris Grammatopoulos, Corin Yeats, Claudia Wierzbicki, David G Partridge, Kordo Saeed, Nichola Duckworth, David J. Studholme, Harmeet K Gill, Juan Ledesma, Thomas R. A. Davis, Sushmita Sridhar, Clive Graham, Husam Osman, Julian A. Hiscox, Helen Adams, Christopher Fearn, Fabrícia F. Nascimento, Ulf Schaefer, James W. Harrison, Andrew J. Nelson, Joshua Quick, Mohammad Tauqeer Alam, Liam Prestwood, Nikos Manesis, Julian Tang, Justin O'Grady, Sophia T Girgis, Louise Berry, Gemma Clark, Marina Escalera Zamudio, Karlie Fallon, Tim J Sloan, Joanne Watkins, Clare Pearson, Andrew D Beggs, Rachel Williams, Luke Bedford, Trevor Robinson, Nicholas M Redshaw, Richard Hopes, Mirko Menegazzo, Katherine Twohig, Gabrielle Vernet, Steven Liggett, Mariateresa de Cesare, Derrick W. Crook, Dominic P. Kwiatkowski, Mark Kristiansen, Miren Iturriza-Gomara, Christopher I. Moore, Claire Cormie, Olivia Boyd, Nikki Smith, Noel Craine, Kathleen A. Williamson, John Boyes, Sian Ellard, Cristina V. Ariani, Wendy Chatterton, David Bonsall, Kevin Lewis, David Jorgensen, Ian Harrison, Christopher Jackson, Martin P McHugh, Danni Weldon, Michael A. Quail, Amita Patel, Lily Geidelberg, Myra Hosmillo, Judith Breuer, Cariad Evans, Edward Barton, Trudy Workman, Derek Fairley, Vineet Patel, Daniel Bradshaw, Robin Manley, Scott Aj Thurston, John Sillitoe, Monique Andersson, Sharon J. Peacock, Jamie Lopez-Bernal, Thomas Thompson, Nabil-Fareed Alikhan, Ben Temperton, Paul Baker, Robin J Moll, Laura Gifford, Nicholas J. Loman, Jayna Raghwani, Jacqui Prieto, Andrew Hesketh, Oliver G. Pybus, Adela Alcolea-Medina, David Buck, Gregory R Young, Alistair C. Darby, Sónia Gonçalves, Aileen G. Rowan, Tabitha Mahungu, Nicholas Ellaby, Jon-Paul Keatley, Lily Tong, Robert Beer, Martyn Guest, Lisa J Levett, Ali R Awan, Iliana Georgana, Paul E Brown, Li Xu-McCrae, Stephen P. Kidd, Sara Rey, Shazaad Ahmad, Danielle C. Groves, Tetyana I. Vasylyeva, David F. Bibby, Nathan Moore, Fiona Ashcroft, Igor Starinskij, Hannah Paul, Claire McMurray, Michael Spencer Chapman, Carlos Balcazar, Joanna Warwick-Dugdale, Pinglawathee Madona, Edith Vamos, Lesley Shirley, Kate Templeton, Luke Foulser, Igor Siveroni, Ewan M. Harrison, Sian Morgan, Diana Rajan, S Taylor, Laia Fina, Naomi Park, Sarah J. O'Brien, Alessandro M Carabelli, Angela Marchbank, Sunando Roy, Leonardo de Oliveira Martins, Steve Palmer, Jonathan Hubb, Alexander J Keeley, Francesc Coll, Malorie Perry, Paul J. Parsons, Anthony Underwood, Patawee Asamaphan, William L Hamilton, Tommy Nyberg, Sophie Palmer, Amanda Symmonds, Anoop Chauhan, Robert Johnson, Christopher J. R. Illingworth, James Shepherd, Wendy Smith, Rich Livett, Rachel Blacow, Margaret Hughes, Jeremy Mirza, Joanne Watts, Jonathan D. Edgeworth, Sarah François, Sue Edwards, Adrienn Angyal, Thomas N. Williams, Marta Gallis, Lauren Gilbert, Paul Randell, Kate Johnson, Eileen Gallagher, Nick Cortes, Yusri Taha, Leah Ensell, Emanuela Pelosi, Stefan Rooke, Michelle Lister, Ana da Silva Filipe, Cassandra S Malone, Themoula Charalampous, Benjamin B Lindsey, Natalie Groves, Colin Smith, Ross J Harris, Rebekah E Wilson, Stephen Bonner, Richard Stark, Sharon Campbell, Nicola Sheriff, Helen L Lowe, Rachel Jones, Ben Warne, Rose K Davidson, Declan Bradley, Ian Johnston, Jeffrey C. Barrett, Joshua B Singer, Shirin Aliabadi, Andrew Whitwham, Patrick McClure, Samuel Robson, Sharon Glaysher, Robert J. Munn, Emma L. Wise, Laura Baxter, Kim S Smith, Catherine Moore, Bree Gatica-Wilcox, Alice Broos, Sarah Essex, David Baker, Manjinder Khakh, Dorota Jamrozy, Rachel Tucker, Ian Goodfellow, S.E. Moses, Nicola Cumley, Robin Howe, Meera Chand, James I. Price, Marina Gourtovaia, Debra Padgett, Jaime Tovar-Corona, Stephen L. Michell, Matthew J. Dorman, Lizzie Meadows, David Heyburn, Iona Willingham, Rocio Martinez Nunez, Grace Taylor-Joyce, Claire M Bewshea, Anita Justice, Simon Cottrell, Rebecca C H Brown, Jamie Young, Gavin Dabrera, Matthew Wyles, Stephen Carmichael, Lisa Berry, Frances Bolt, Andrew Rambaut, Samir Dervisevic, Erik M. Volz, Rahul Batra, Caoimhe McKerr, Samantha McGuigan, Katie Jones, Mailis Maes, Rebecca Dewar, Mary Sinnathamby, Joel Southgate, and Lynn Monaghan
Subjects: medicine.medical_specialty, business.industry, Proportional hazards model, Public health, Hazard ratio, Attendance, C500, Vaccination, Infectious Diseases, Relative risk, Internal medicine, Cohort, medicine, business, Cohort study
Abstract: Background: \ud The SARS-CoV-2 delta (B.1.617.2) variant was first detected in England in March, 2021. It has since rapidly become the predominant lineage, owing to high transmissibility. It is suspected that the delta variant is associated with more severe disease than the previously dominant alpha (B.1.1.7) variant. We aimed to characterise the severity of the delta variant compared with the alpha variant by determining the relative risk of hospital attendance outcomes.\ud \ud Methods: \ud This cohort study was done among all patients with COVID-19 in England between March 29 and May 23, 2021, who were identified as being infected with either the alpha or delta SARS-CoV-2 variant through whole-genome sequencing. Individual-level data on these patients were linked to routine health-care datasets on vaccination, emergency care attendance, hospital admission, and mortality (data from Public Health England's Second Generation Surveillance System and COVID-19-associated deaths dataset; the National Immunisation Management System; and NHS Digital Secondary Uses Services and Emergency Care Data Set). The risk for hospital admission and emergency care attendance were compared between patients with sequencing-confirmed delta and alpha variants for the whole cohort and by vaccination status subgroups. Stratified Cox regression was used to adjust for age, sex, ethnicity, deprivation, recent international travel, area of residence, calendar week, and vaccination status.\ud \ud Findings: \ud Individual-level data on 43 338 COVID-19-positive patients (8682 with the delta variant, 34 656 with the alpha variant; median age 31 years [IQR 17–43]) were included in our analysis. 196 (2·3%) patients with the delta variant versus 764 (2·2%) patients with the alpha variant were admitted to hospital within 14 days after the specimen was taken (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 2·26 [95% CI 1·32–3·89]). 498 (5·7%) patients with the delta variant versus 1448 (4·2%) patients with the alpha variant were admitted to hospital or attended emergency care within 14 days (adjusted HR 1·45 [1·08–1·95]). Most patients were unvaccinated (32 078 [74·0%] across both groups). The HRs for vaccinated patients with the delta variant versus the alpha variant (adjusted HR for hospital admission 1·94 [95% CI 0·47–8·05] and for hospital admission or emergency care attendance 1·58 [0·69–3·61]) were similar to the HRs for unvaccinated patients (2·32 [1·29–4·16] and 1·43 [1·04–1·97]; p=0·82 for both) but the precision for the vaccinated subgroup was low.\ud \ud Interpretation: \ud This large national study found a higher hospital admission or emergency care attendance risk for patients with COVID-19 infected with the delta variant compared with the alpha variant. Results suggest that outbreaks of the delta variant in unvaccinated populations might lead to a greater burden on health-care services than the alpha variant.\ud \ud Funding: \ud Medical Research Council; UK Research and Innovation; Department of Health and Social Care; and National Institute for Health Research.
Published: 2022

25. Exponential growth, high prevalence of SARS-CoV-2, and vaccine effectiveness associated with the Delta variant

Author: Mohammad Raza, Alison E. Mather, Gilberto Betancor, Ian Merrick, Ben Taylor, Mathew A. Beale, Helen Ward, Samir Dervisevic, Michelle Cronin, Aaron R. Jeffries, Louise Smith, Steven Rudder, Mara K. N. Lawniczak, Sascha Ott, Ashok Dadrah, Luke Bedford, Gabrielle Vernet, Erik M. Volz, Rahul Batra, Johnny Debebe, Caoimhe McKerr, Samantha McGuigan, Oliver Megram, Katie Jones, Mailis Maes, Rebecca Dewar, Emma Swindells, Robert E. Johnson, Myra Hosmillo, Wen C Yew, Vineet Patel, Scott Aj Thurston, Matthew Bashton, Luke B Snell, Lynn Monaghan, David Buck, Gregory R Young, Garren Scott, Louis du Plessis, Sara Kumziene-Summerhayes, David M. Aanensen, Carl Jones, Nadine Holmes, Bernardo Gutierrez, Elizabeth Wastenge, Stavroula F Louka, Dennis Wang, Richard I. Gregory, M. Estée Török, Alistair C. Darby, Ulf Schaefer, Marc Niebel, David Robertson, E. Thomson, Carol Churcher, Patrick C McClure, Scott Elliott, Sarah Jeremiah, Katerina Galai, Matthew W. Loose, Megan Mayhew, Adhyana I K Mahanama, Angeliki Karamani, Naomi R Park, David J. Williams, Lance Turtle, Lucy R. Frost, Alicia Thornton, Jennifier Liddle, M Morgan, Tim Wyatt, Paul W Bird, Chloe Bishop, Esther Robinson, Alasdair MacLean, Inigo Martincorena, Bridget A. Knight, Emma Meader, Thomas R. Connor, Hermione J. Webster, Peter Muir, Sarah Walsh, Stephanie W. Lo, Andrew Bosworth, Hannah E Bridgewater, David Simpson, Radoslaw Poplawski, Angus I. Best, David Baker, Laura Letchford, Cassie Breen, Yann Bourgeois, Matthew Gemmell, Nikki Smith, Alison Holmes, Iliana Georgana, Christophe Fraser, Natasha Jesudason, Johnathan M Evans, Rachael Stanley, Lesley-Anne Williams, Jessica Lynch, Hannah Lowe, Eleri Wilson-Davies, Paul A. Baker, Alex Makunin, James Bonfield, Helen Adams, Christopher Fearn, Peter J. Diggle, Harry D Wilson, Carmen F. Manso, Nichola Duckworth, D Haw, Anna L. Casey, Audrey Farbos, Sam Haldenby, Vicki Chalker, Roberto Amato, Elen De Lacy, Ben Farr, Eric Witele, Buddhini Samaraweera, G MacIntyre-Cockett, Husam Osman, Jane Greenaway, Justin O'Grady, Sally Forrest, Andrew Nelson, Monika Pusok, A Lloyd, Edward Barton, James W. Harrison, Sophie Palmer, Amanda Symmonds, James Shepherd, Nazreen F. Hadjirin, Stephen L. Michell, Mohammed O Hassan-Ibrahim, Fiona Ashcroft, Daniel Mair, Richard H. Myers, Dianne Irish-Tavares, Hannah C. Howson-Wells, Jacqui Prieto, Christine Sambles, Andrew Hesketh, Alp Aydin, Sónia Gonçalves, Tabitha Mahungu, Tanzina Haque, Nicholas Ellaby, Karen Oliver, Hannah Paul, Joanne Watts, Claire McMurray, Lisa J Levett, Darren Smith, Simon Cottrell, Joanna Warwick-Dugdale, Pinglawathee Madona, Matthew J. Dorman, Lizzie Meadows, Ali R Awan, Leanne M Kermack, Jennifer Hart, Angie Lackenby, Carol Scott, Michael Spencer Chapman, Lucille Rainbow, Kyriaki Nomikou, Julianne R Brown, Juan Ledesma, Adam P Westhorpe, Giri Shankar, Karlie Fallon, Tim J Sloan, Joanne Watkins, Robert Impey, Sue Edwards, Rebecca C H Brown, Robin J Moll, Karla Spellman, Laura Gifford, Jamie Young, Adrienn Angyal, Graham Phillip Taylor, Robin Manley, Gavin Dabrera, Michelle Wantoch, Rachel Williams, David Heyburn, Mirko Menegazzo, Derrick W. Crook, Gaia Nebbia, Rachel Nelson, Elaine O'Toole, Luke Foulser, Katherine L Harper, Fatima Downing, Hassan Hartman, Nathan Moore, Gemma L. Kay, Matthew Wyles, Thanh Le-Viet, Edith Vamos, John Sillitoe, Lesley Shirley, Nicholas J. Loman, Iona Willingham, Elihu Aranday-Cortes, Ian B Vipond, Jeremy Mirza, Alberto C Cerda, Michelle L Michelsen, Steven Riley, Alison Cox, Igor Siveroni, Nadua Bayzid, Shavanthi Rajatileka, Giselda Bucca, Benjamin J Cogger, Tim Boswell, Matthew J. Bull, Stephen Carmichael, Lisa Berry, Frances Bolt, Kylie E. C. Ainslie, Martyn Guest, Sarojini Pandey, Katherine L. Bellis, Shane A. McCarthy, Christopher Ruis, Fei Sang, David Bonsall, Danni Weldon, Alex Alderton, Lee Graham, Amy Trebes, Sally Corden, Adrian W Signell, Tanya Golubchik, Huw Gulliver, Rocio Martinez Nunez, Dinesh Aggarwal, Tanya Curran, Jonathan K. Ball, Sharif Shaaban, Paul Randell, Jillian Durham, Alec Birchley, Matilde Mori, Joana Dias, Katherine A Twohig, Grant Hall, Antony D Hale, Alan McNally, Jonathan D. Edgeworth, Safiah Afifi, Andrew Rambaut, Katherine Smollett, David N. Lee, Tamyo Mbisa, Shahjahan Miah, Steven Rushton, Grace Taylor-Joyce, Hannah M Pymont, Chloe L Fisher, Cordelia Langford, Alex G. Richter, Jane A. H. Masoli, Michael Gallagher, Vicki M. Fleming, Kathleen A. Williamson, Anna Price, Holli Carden, Khalil Abudahab, Joanne D. Stockton, Meera Unnikrishnan, Jennifer Collins, Emma Moles-Garcia, Michaela John, Christine Kitchen, Tranprit Saluja, Ian Harrison, Lily Tong, Thomas G. Thompson, Thomas Helmer, Amita Patel, Siona Silveira, Deborah Ashby, Claire M Bewshea, Anita Justice, Brendan A I Payne, Alexander J. Trotter, Nikos Manesis, Katie F. Loveson, Cristina V. Ariani, Wendy Chatterton, Robert J. Munn, Julian A. Hiscox, Robert Beer, Judith Breuer, Caroline E. Walters, Liam Crawford, Ara Darzi, Will P. M. Rowe, Cariad Evans, Matthew Parker, Tammy V Merrill, Louise Aigrain, Joshua Quick, Leigh M Jackson, Samuel M. Nicholls, Jonathan W. Moore, John A Hartley, Graham P. Taylor, Cherian Koshy, Shirelle Burton-Fanning, Sheila Waugh, Catherine Moore, Danielle C. Groves, Peijun Zhang, Sahar Eldirdiri, Derek Fairley, Tim E. A. Peto, Jack Cd Lee, Sharon Glaysher, Liam Prestwood, Hannah Dent, Anita Kenyon, Stephen P. Kidd, Nick Levene, Igor Starinskij, Joseph G. Chappell, Steve Paterson, Gary Eltringham, Laia Fina, Angela Marchbank, Daniel Bradshaw, Marina Escalera Zamudio, Scott Goodwin, Andrew D Beggs, Seema Nickbakhsh, Trevor Robinson, Christina Atchison, David K. Jackson, Kathy Li, Rory Gunson, Sunando Roy, Graham S Cooke, Steven Liggett, Yasmin Chaudhry, Anoop Chauhan, Ben Temperton, Mariateresa de Cesare, Paul E Brown, Li Xu-McCrae, Martin P McHugh, Catherine Ludden, Wendy Smith, Danielle Leek, Divya K. Shah, Judith Heaney, Dominic P. Kwiatkowski, Kate M. Johnson, Robin Howe, Malorie Perry, Tetyana I. Vasylyeva, David F. Bibby, Haowei Wang, Steve Palmer, Nicholas W Machin, Charlotte A Williams, Bree Gatica-Wilcox, Angie Green, John A. Todd, Paul Elliott, Noel Craine, Jeffrey K. J. Cheng, Kate Templeton, Jonathan Hubb, Joshua Maksimovic, Christl A. Donnelly, Monique Andersson, Christopher Holmes, Dimitris Grammatopoulos, Christopher B. Williams, David G Partridge, Aminu S Jahun, Alexander Adams, Marius Cotic, Sarah Essex, Christopher J. Moore, Trudy Workman, Nicola Sheriff, Helen L Lowe, Ewan M. Harrison, Dorota Jamrozy, Rachel Jones, Ellen Higginson, Erwan Acheson, Christopher R. Jones, Oliver G. Pybus, Francesc Coll, Sian Morgan, Paul J. Parsons, Patawee Asamaphan, Veena Raviprakash, Andrew R. Bassett, Declan Bradley, Laura Atkinson, Anthony Underwood, Graciela Sluga, Sally Kay, Ellena Brooks, Oliver Eales, Andrew Whitwham, Surendra Parmar, Angela Cowell, Nicole Pacchiarini, Theocharis Tsoleridis, Jason Coombes, Robert Davies, Flavia Flaviani, Benita Percival, Jenna Nichols, Natasha M. Johnson, Salman Goudarzi, Hibo Asad, Amanda Bradley, Hannah Jones, Chrystala Constantinidou, Georgina M McManus, Minal Patel, Steven Leonard, Rebecca Williams Bmbs, Andrew J. Page, Christoph Puethe, Nicola Reynolds, Amy Ash, John Danesh, Corin Yeats, Claudia Wierzbicki, Kordo Saeed, John Boyes, Michael A. Quail, Sharon J. Peacock, Nabil-Fareed Alikhan, Jon-Paul Keatley, Claudio Fronterre, Garry Scarlett, James McKenna, Thushan I de Silva, Malte L Pinckert, Kate B. Cook, Amy Gaskin, Rajiv Shah, Matthew T. G. Holden, Sophie J Prosolek, Nathaniel Storey, Ryan P George, Lindsay Coupland, Jenifer Mason, Matthew Carlile, Thomas D Stanton, Guy Mollett, Siddharth Mookerjee, Mary Ramsay, Steven Platt, Stephen W Attwood, Susanne Stonehouse, Sophie Jones, Venkat Sivaprakasam, Amy Plimmer, Mark Whitehead, Catherine Bresner, Stefanie V Lensing, Louissa R Macfarlane-Smith, Colin P. Smith, Wendy Hogsden, Charlotte Nelson, Ian Johnston, Jeffrey C. Barrett, Joshua B Singer, Samuel Robson, Zoltán Molnár, Emma L. Wise, Sian Ellard, Kim S Smith, Alice Broos, Manjinder Khakh, Kathryn A Jackson, Claire Cormie, Rachel Tucker, Ian Goodfellow, S.E. Moses, Nicola Cumley, Meera Chand, Debra Padgett, Cassandra S Malone, James V. Price, Themoula Charalampous, Ronan A Lyons, Natalie Groves, Stefan Rooke, Rebekah E Wilson, Stephen Bonner, Richard Stark, Sharon Campbell, Michelle Lister, Carlos Balcazar, Ana da Silva Filipe, Ben Warne, Thomas N. Williams, Marta Gallis, Lauren Gilbert, Rose K Davidson, Angela Helen Beckett, Ember Hilvers, Kathryn McCluggage, Eileen Gallagher, Charlotte Beaver, Nick Cortes, Alisha Davies, Yusri Taha, Leah Ensell, Emanuela Pelosi, Elias Allara, Cressida Auckland, Eleanor Drury, Richard Eccles, Adela Alcolea-Medina, William L Hamilton, Rich Livett, Rachel Blacow, Margaret Hughes, Sarah François, Melisa Louise Fenton, Liz Ratcliffe, Verity Hill, Stephanie Hutchings, Kathryn Ann Harris, Emma Betteridge, William D. Fuller, Sophia T Girgis, Louise Berry, Gemma Clark, Nicholas M Redshaw, Richard Hopes, Leonardo de Oliveira Martins, Alexander J Keeley, Beth Blane, Wendy S. Barclay, Victoria Wright, Anita Lucaci, Luke R. Green, Fenella D. Halstead, Sarah Wyllie, Iraad F. Bronner, Áine O'Toole, Ravi Gupta, Leanne Kane, Clare M. McCann, Michael R Chapman, David W Eyre, Kelly Bicknell, Aileen G. Rowan, Sara Rey, Shazaad Ahmad, Diana Rajan, S Taylor, Sarah J. O'Brien, Alessandro M Carabelli, Amelia Joseph, Max Whiteley, Riaz Jannoo, Victoria Blakey, Martin D. Curran, David J. Studholme, Harmeet K Gill, Thomas R. A. Davis, Sushmita Sridhar, Clive Graham, Julian Tang, Clare Pearson, Mark Kristiansen, Miren Iturriza-Gomara, National Institute for Health Research, and UK Research and Innovation
Subjects: Delta, Adult, Male, 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak, COVID-19 Vaccines, Vaccination Coverage, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Adolescent, General Science & Technology, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Vaccine Efficacy, Biology, Young Adult, Exponential growth, Ethnicity, Prevalence, Humans, Child, Aged, Family Characteristics, Multidisciplinary, High prevalence, COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium11‡, SARS-CoV-2, Age Factors, COVID-19, Middle Aged, Virology, Hospitalization, England, Socioeconomic Factors, COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Testing, Child, Preschool, Female, Self Report
Abstract: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections were rising during early summer 2021 in many countries as a result of the Delta variant. We assessed reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction swab positivity in the Real-time Assessment of Community Transmission–1 (REACT-1) study in England. During June and July 2021, we observed sustained exponential growth with an average doubling time of 25 days, driven by complete replacement of the Alpha variant by Delta and by high prevalence at younger, less-vaccinated ages. Prevalence among unvaccinated people [1.21% (95% credible interval 1.03%, 1.41%)] was three times that among double-vaccinated people [0.40% (95% credible interval 0.34%, 0.48%)]. However, after adjusting for age and other variables, vaccine effectiveness for double-vaccinated people was estimated at between ~50% and ~60% during this period in England. Increased social mixing in the presence of Delta had the potential to generate sustained growth in infections, even at high levels of vaccination.
Published: 2021

26. The impact of viral mutations on recognition by SARS-CoV-2 specific T cells

Author: Thushan I. de Silva, Guihai Liu, Benjamin B. Lindsey, Danning Dong, Shona C. Moore, Nienyun Sharon Hsu, Dhruv Shah, Dannielle Wellington, Alexander J. Mentzer, Adrienn Angyal, Rebecca Brown, Matthew D. Parker, Zixi Ying, Xuan Yao, Lance Turtle, Susanna Dunachie, Mala K. Maini, Graham Ogg, Julian C. Knight, Yanchun Peng, Sarah L. Rowland-Jones, Tao Dong, David M. Aanensen, Khalil Abudahab, Helen Adams, Alexander Adams, Safiah Afifi, Dinesh Aggarwal, Shazaad S.Y. Ahmad, Louise Aigrain, Adela Alcolea-Medina, Nabil-Fareed Alikhan, Elias Allara, Roberto Amato, Tara Annett, Stephen Aplin, Cristina V. Ariani, Hibo Asad, Amy Ash, Paula Ashfield, Fiona Ashford, Laura Atkinson, Stephen W. Attwood, Cressida Auckland, Alp Aydin, David J. Baker, Paul Baker, Carlos E. Balcazar, Jonathan Ball, Jeffrey C. Barrett, Magdalena Barrow, Edward Barton, Matthew Bashton, Andrew R. Bassett, Rahul Batra, Chris Baxter, Nadua Bayzid, Charlotte Beaver, Angela H. Beckett, Shaun M. Beckwith, Luke Bedford, Robert Beer, Andrew Beggs, Katherine L. Bellis, Louise Berry, Beatrice Bertolusso, Angus Best, Emma Betteridge, David Bibby, Kelly Bicknell, Debbie Binns, Alec Birchley, Paul W. Bird, Chloe Bishop, Rachel Blacow, Victoria Blakey, Beth Blane, Frances Bolt, James Bonfield, Stephen Bonner, David Bonsall, Tim Boswell, Andrew Bosworth, Yann Bourgeois, Olivia Boyd, Declan T. Bradley, Cassie Breen, Catherine Bresner, Judith Breuer, Stephen Bridgett, Iraad F. Bronner, Ellena Brooks, Alice Broos, Julianne R. Brown, Giselda Bucca, Sarah L. Buchan, David Buck, Matthew Bull, Phillipa J. Burns, Shirelle Burton-Fanning, Timothy Byaruhanga, Matthew Byott, Sharon Campbell, Alessandro M. Carabelli, James S. Cargill, Matthew Carlile, Silvia F. Carvalho, Anna Casey, Anibolina Castigador, Jana Catalan, Vicki Chalker, Nicola J. Chaloner, Meera Chand, Joseph G. Chappell, Themoula Charalampous, Wendy Chatterton, Yasmin Chaudhry, Carol M. Churcher, Gemma Clark, Phillip Clarke, Benjamin J. Cogger, Kevin Cole, Jennifer Collins, Rachel Colquhoun, Thomas R. Connor, Kate F. Cook, Jason Coombes, Sally Corden, Claire Cormie, Nicholas Cortes, Marius Cotic, Seb Cotton, Simon Cottrell, Lindsay Coupland, MacGregor Cox, Alison Cox, Noel Craine, Liam Crawford, Aidan Cross, Matthew R. Crown, Dorian Crudgington, Nicola Cumley, Tanya Curran, Martin D. Curran, Ana da Silva Filipe, Gavin Dabrera, Alistair C. Darby, Rose K. Davidson, Alisha Davies, Robert M. Davies, Thomas Davis, Daniela de Angelis, Elen De Lacy, Leonardo de Oliveira Martins, Johnny Debebe, Rebecca Denton-Smith, Samir Dervisevic, Rebecca Dewar, Jayasree Dey, Joana Dias, Donald Dobie, Matthew J. Dorman, Fatima Downing, Megan Driscoll, Louis du Plessis, Nichola Duckworth, Jillian Durham, Kirstine Eastick, Lisa J. Easton, Richard Eccles, Jonathan Edgeworth, Sue Edwards, Kate El Bouzidi, Sahar Eldirdiri, Nicholas Ellaby, Scott Elliott, Gary Eltringham, Leah Ensell, Michelle J. Erkiert, Marina Escalera Zamudio, Sarah Essex, Johnathan M. Evans, Cariad Evans, William Everson, Derek J. Fairley, Karlie Fallon, Arezou Fanaie, Ben W. Farr, Christopher Fearn, Theresa Feltwell, Lynne Ferguson, Laia Fina, Flavia Flaviani, Vicki M. Fleming, Sally Forrest, Ebenezer Foster-Nyarko, Benjamin H. Foulkes, Luke Foulser, Mireille Fragakis, Dan Frampton, Sarah Francois, Christophe Fraser, Timothy M. Freeman, Helen Fryer, Marc Fuchs, William Fuller, Kavitha Gajee, Katerina Galai, Abbie Gallagher, Eileen Gallagher, Michael D. Gallagher, Marta Gallis, Amy Gaskin, Bree Gatica-Wilcox, Lily Geidelberg, Matthew Gemmell, Iliana Georgana, Ryan P. George, Laura Gifford, Lauren Gilbert, Sophia T. Girgis, Sharon Glaysher, Emily J. Goldstein, Tanya Golubchik, Andrea N. Gomes, Sónia Gonçalves, Ian G. Goodfellow, Scott Goodwin, Salman Goudarzi, Marina Gourtovaia, Clive Graham, Lee Graham, Paul R. Grant, Luke R. Green, Angie Green, Jane Greenaway, Richard Gregory, Martyn Guest, Rory N. Gunson, Ravi K. Gupta, Bernardo Gutierrez, Sam T. Haldenby, William L. Hamilton, Samantha E. Hansford, Tanzina Haque, Kathryn A. Harris, Ian Harrison, Ewan M. Harrison, Jennifer Hart, John A. Hartley, William T. Harvey, Matthew Harvey, Mohammed O. Hassan-Ibrahim, Judith Heaney, Thomas Helmer, John H. Henderson, Andrew R. Hesketh, Jessica Hey, David Heyburn, Ellen E. Higginson, Verity Hill, Jack D. Hill, Rachel A. Hilson, Ember Hilvers, Matthew T.G. Holden, Amy Hollis, Christopher W. Holmes, Nadine Holmes, Alison H. Holmes, Richard Hopes, Hailey R. Hornsby, Myra Hosmillo, Catherine Houlihan, Hannah C. Howson-Wells, Jonathan Hubb, Hannah Huckson, Warwick Hughes, Joseph Hughes, Margaret Hughes, Stephanie Hutchings, Giles Idle, Chris J. Illingworth, Robert Impey, Dianne Irish-Tavares, Miren Iturriza-Gomara, Rhys Izuagbe, Chris Jackson, Ben Jackson, Leigh M. Jackson, Kathryn A. Jackson, David K. Jackson, Aminu S. Jahun, Victoria James, Keith James, Christopher Jeanes, Aaron R. Jeffries, Sarah Jeremiah, Andrew Jermy, Michaela John, Rob Johnson, Kate Johnson, Ian Johnston, Owen Jones, Sophie Jones, Hannah Jones, Christopher R. Jones, Neil Jones, Amelia Joseph, Sarah Judges, Gemma L. Kay, Sally Kay, Jon-Paul Keatley, Alexander J. Keeley, Anita Kenyon, Leanne M. Kermack, Manjinder Khakh, Stephen P. Kidd, Maimuna Kimuli, Stuart Kirk, Christine Kitchen, Katie Kitchman, Bridget A. Knight, Cherian Koshy, Moritz U.G. Kraemer, Sara Kumziene-Summerhayes, Dominic Kwiatkowski, Angie Lackenby, Kenneth G. Laing, Temi Lampejo, Cordelia F. Langford, Deborah Lavin, Andrew I. Lawton, Jack Lee, David Lee, Stefanie V. Lensing, Steven Leonard, Lisa J. Levett, Thanh Le-Viet, Jonathan Lewis, Kevin Lewis, Jennifier Liddle, Steven Liggett, Patrick J. Lillie, Michelle M. Lister, Rich Livett, Stephanie Lo, Nicholas J. Loman, Matthew W. Loose, Stavroula F. Louka, Katie F. Loveson, Sarah Lowdon, Hannah Lowe, Helen L. Lowe, Anita O. Lucaci, Catherine Ludden, Jessica Lynch, Ronan A. Lyons, Katrina Lythgoe, Nicholas W. Machin, George MacIntyre-Cockett, Andrew Mack, Ben Macklin, Alasdair Maclean, Emily Macnaughton, Pinglawathee Madona, Mailis Maes, Laurentiu Maftei, Adhyana I.K. Mahanama, Tabitha W. Mahungu, Daniel Mair, Joshua Maksimovic, Cassandra S. Malone, Daniel Maloney, Nikos Manesis, Robin Manley, Anna Mantzouratou, Angela Marchbank, Arun Mariappan, Inigo Martincorena, Rocio T. Martinez Nunez, Alison E. Mather, Patrick Maxwell, Megan Mayhew, Tamyo Mbisa, Clare M. McCann, Shane A. McCarthy, Kathryn McCluggage, Patrick C. McClure, J.T. McCrone, Martin P. McHugh, James P. McKenna, Caoimhe McKerr, Georgina M. McManus, Claire L. McMurray, Claire McMurray, Alan McNally, Lizzie Meadows, Nathan Medd, Oliver Megram, Mirko Menegazzo, Ian Merrick, Stephen L. Michell, Michelle L. Michelsen, Mariyam Mirfenderesky, Jeremy Mirza, Julia Miskelly, Emma Moles-Garcia, Robin J. Moll, Zoltan Molnar, Irene M. Monahan, Matteo Mondani, Siddharth Mookerjee, Christopher Moore, Jonathan Moore, Nathan Moore, Catherine Moore, Helen Morcrette, Sian Morgan, Mari Morgan, Matilde Mori, Arthur Morriss, Samuel Moses, Craig Mower, Peter Muir, Afrida Mukaddas, Florence Munemo, Robert Munn, Abigail Murray, Leanne J. Murray, Darren R. Murray, Manasa Mutingwende, Richard Myers, Eleni Nastouli, Gaia Nebbia, Andrew Nelson, Charlotte Nelson, Sam Nicholls, Jenna Nichols, Roberto Nicodemi, Kyriaki Nomikou, Justin O’Grady, Sarah O'Brien, Mina Odedra, Natasha Ohemeng-Kumi, Karen Oliver, Richard J. Orton, Husam Osman, null xeine O'Toole, Nicole Pacchiarini, Debra Padgett, Andrew J. Page, Emily J. Park, Naomi R. Park, Surendra Parmar, David G. Partridge, David Pascall, Amita Patel, Bindi Patel, Steve Paterson, Brendan A.I. Payne, Sharon J. Peacock, Clare Pearson, Emanuela Pelosi, Benita Percival, Jon Perkins, Malorie Perry, Malte L. Pinckert, Steven Platt, Olga Podplomyk, Manoj Pohare, Marcus Pond, Cassie F. Pope, Radoslaw Poplawski, Jessica Powell, Jennifer Poyner, Liam Prestwood, Anna Price, James R. Price, Jacqui A. Prieto, David T. Pritchard, Sophie J. Prosolek, Georgia Pugh, Monika Pusok, Oliver G. Pybus, Hannah M. Pymont, Michael A. Quail, Joshua Quick, Clara Radulescu, Jayna Raghwani, Manon Ragonnet-Cronin, Lucille Rainbow, Diana Rajan, Shavanthi Rajatileka, Newara A. Ramadan, Andrew Rambaut, John Ramble, Paul A. Randell, Paul Randell, Liz Ratcliffe, Veena Raviprakash, Mohammad Raza, Nicholas M. Redshaw, Sara Rey, Nicola Reynolds, Alex Richter, David L. Robertson, Esther Robinson, Samuel C. Robson, Fiona Rogan, Stefan Rooke, Will Rowe, Sunando Roy, Steven Rudder, Chris Ruis, Steven Rushton, Felicity Ryan, Kordo Saeed, Buddhini Samaraweera, Christine M. Sambles, Roy Sanderson, Theo Sanderson, Fei Sang, Thea Sass, Emily Scher, Garren Scott, Carol Scott, Jasveen Sehmi, Sharif Shaaban, Divya Shah, Jessica Shaw, Ekaterina Shelest, James G. Shepherd, Liz A. Sheridan, Nicola Sheriff, Lesley Shirley, John Sillitoe, Siona Silviera, David A. Simpson, Aditi Singh, Dawn Singleton, Timofey Skvortsov, Tim J. Sloan, Graciela Sluga, Ken Smith, Kim S. Smith, Perminder Smith, Darren L. Smith, Louise Smith, Colin P. Smith, Nikki Smith, Katherine L. Smollett, Luke B. Snell, Thomas Somassa, Joel Southgate, Karla Spellman, Michael H. Spencer Chapman, Lewis G. Spurgin, Moira J. Spyer, Rachael Stanley, William Stanley, Thomas D. Stanton, Igor Starinskij, Joanne Stockton, Susanne Stonehouse, Nathaniel Storey, David J. Studholme, Malur Sudhanva, Emma Swindells, Yusri Taha, Ngee Keong Tan, Julian W. Tang, Miao Tang, Ben E.W. Taylor, Joshua F. Taylor, Sarah Taylor, Ben Temperton, Kate E. Templeton, Claire Thomas, Laura Thomson, Emma C. Thomson, Alicia Thornton, Scott A.J. Thurston, John A. Todd, Rachael Tomb, Lily Tong, Gerry Tonkin-Hill, M. Estee Torok, Jaime M. Tovar-Corona, Amy Trebes, Alexander J. Trotter, Ioulia Tsatsani, Robyn Turnbull, Katherine A. Twohig, Helen Umpleby, Anthony P. Underwood, Edith E. Vamos, Tetyana I. Vasylyeva, Sreenu Vattipally, Gabrielle Vernet, Barry B. Vipond, Erik M. Volz, Sarah Walsh, Dennis Wang, Ben Warne, Joanna Warwick-Dugdale, Elizabeth Wastnedge, Joanne Watkins, Louisa K. Watson, Sheila Waugh, Hermione J. Webster, Danni Weldon, Elaine Westwick, Thomas Whalley, Helen Wheeler, Mark Whitehead, Max Whiteley, Andrew Whitwham, Claudia Wierzbicki, Nicholas J. Willford, Lesley-Anne Williams, Rebecca Williams, Cheryl Williams, Chris Williams, Charlotte A. Williams, Rachel J. Williams, Thomas Williams, Catryn Williams, Kathleen A. Williamson, Eleri Wilson-Davies, Eric Witele, Karen T. Withell, Adam A. Witney, Paige Wolverson, Nick Wong, Trudy Workman, Victoria Wright, Derek W. Wright, Tim Wyatt, Sarah Wyllie, Li Xu-McCrae, Mehmet Yavus, Geraldine Yaze, Corin A. Yeats, Gonzalo Yebra, Wen C. Yew, Gregory R. Young, Jamie Young, Alex E. Zarebski, Peijun Zhang, J. Kenneth Baillie, Malcolm G. Semple, Peter J.M. Openshaw, Gail Carson, Beatrice Alex, Petros Andrikopoulos, Benjamin Bach, Wendy S. Barclay, Debby Bogaert, Kanta Chechi, Graham S. Cooke, Annemarie B. Docherty, Gonçalo dos Santos Correia, Marc-Emmanuel Dumas, Jake Dunning, Tom Fletcher, Christopher A. Green, William Greenhalf, Julian L. Griffin, Rishi K. Gupta, Ewen M. Harrison, Julian A. Hiscox, Antonia Ying Wai Ho, Peter W. Horby, Samreen Ijaz, Saye Khoo, Paul Klenerman, Andrew Law, Matthew R. Lewis, Sonia Liggi, Wei Shen Lim, Lynn Maslen, Laura Merson, Alison M. Meynert, Mahdad Noursadeghi, Michael Olanipekun, Anthonia Osagie, Massimo Palmarini, Carlo Palmieri, William A. Paxton, Georgios Pollakis, Nicholas Price, Clark D. Russell, Vanessa Sancho-Shimizu, Caroline J. Sands, Janet T. Scott, Louise Sigfrid, Tom Solomon, Shiranee Sriskandan, David Stuart, Charlotte Summers, Olivia V. Swann, Zoltan Takats, Panteleimon Takis, Richard S. Tedder, A.A. Roger Thompson, Ryan S. Thwaites, Maria Zambon, Hayley Hardwick, Chloe Donohue, Fiona Griffiths, Wilna Oosthuyzen, Cara Donegan, Rebecca G. Spencer, Jo Dalton, Michelle Girvan, Egle Saviciute, Stephanie Roberts, Janet Harrison, Laura Marsh, Marie Connor, Sophie Halpin, Clare Jackson, Carrol Gamble, Daniel Plotkin, James Lee, Gary Leeming, Murray Wham, Sara Clohisey, Ross Hendry, James Scott-Brown, Victoria Shaw, Sarah E. McDonald, Seán Keating, Katie A. Ahmed, Jane A. Armstrong, Milton Ashworth, Innocent G. Asiimwe, Siddharth Bakshi, Samantha L. Barlow, Laura Booth, Benjamin Brennan, Katie Bullock, Benjamin W.A. Catterall, Jordan J. Clark, Emily A. Clarke, Sarah Cole, Louise Cooper, Helen Cox, Christopher Davis, Oslem Dincarslan, Chris Dunn, Philip Dyer, Angela Elliott, Anthony Evans, Lorna Finch, Lewis W.S. Fisher, Terry Foster, Isabel Garcia-Dorival, Philip Gunning, Catherine Hartley, Rebecca L. Jensen, Christopher B. Jones, Trevor R. Jones, Shadia Khandaker, Katharine King, Robyn T. Kiy, Chrysa Koukorava, Annette Lake, Suzannah Lant, Diane Latawiec, Lara Lavelle-Langham, Daniella Lefteri, Lauren Lett, Lucia A. Livoti, Maria Mancini, Sarah McDonald, Laurence McEvoy, John McLauchlan, Soeren Metelmann, Nahida S. Miah, Joanna Middleton, Joyce Mitchell, Ellen G. Murphy, Rebekah Penrice-Randal, Jack Pilgrim, Tessa Prince, Will Reynolds, P. Matthew Ridley, Debby Sales, Victoria E. Shaw, Rebecca K. Shears, Benjamin Small, Krishanthi S. Subramaniam, Agnieska Szemiel, Aislynn Taggart, Jolanta Tanianis-Hughes, Jordan Thomas, Erwan Trochu, Libby van Tonder, Eve Wilcock, J. Eunice Zhang, Lisa Flaherty, Nicole Maziere, Emily Cass, Alejandra Doce Carracedo, Nicola Carlucci, Anthony Holmes, Hannah Massey, Lee Murphy, Nicola Wrobel, Sarah McCafferty, Kirstie Morrice, Alan MacLean, Kayode Adeniji, Daniel Agranoff, Ken Agwuh, Dhiraj Ail, Erin L. Aldera, Ana Alegria, Sam Allen, Brian Angus, Abdul Ashish, Dougal Atkinson, Shahedal Bari, Gavin Barlow, Stella Barnass, Nicholas Barrett, Christopher Bassford, Sneha Basude, David Baxter, Michael Beadsworth, Jolanta Bernatoniene, John Berridge, Colin Berry, Nicola Best, Pieter Bothma, David Chadwick, Robin Brittain-Long, Naomi Bulteel, Tom Burden, Andrew Burtenshaw, Vikki Caruth, Duncan Chambler, Nigel Chee, Jenny Child, Srikanth Chukkambotla, Tom Clark, Paul Collini, Catherine Cosgrove, Jason Cupitt, Maria-Teresa Cutino-Moguel, Paul Dark, Chris Dawson, Phil Donnison, Sam Douthwaite, Andrew Drummond, Ingrid DuRand, Ahilanadan Dushianthan, Tristan Dyer, Chi Eziefula, Chrisopher Fegan, Adam Finn, Duncan Fullerton, Sanjeev Garg, Atul Garg, Effrossyni Gkrania-Klotsas, Jo Godden, Arthur Goldsmith, Elaine Hardy, Stuart Hartshorn, Daniel Harvey, Peter Havalda, Daniel B. Hawcutt, Maria Hobrok, Luke Hodgson, Anil Hormis, Michael Jacobs, Susan Jain, Paul Jennings, Agilan Kaliappan, Vidya Kasipandian, Stephen Kegg, Michael Kelsey, Jason Kendall, Caroline Kerrison, Ian Kerslake, Oliver Koch, Gouri Koduri, George Koshy, Shondipon Laha, Steven Laird, Susan Larkin, Tamas Leiner, Patrick Lillie, James Limb, Vanessa Linnett, Jeff Little, Mark Lyttle, Michael MacMahon, Emily MacNaughton, Ravish Mankregod, Huw Masson, Elijah Matovu, Katherine McCullough, Ruth McEwen, Manjula Meda, Gary Mills, Jane Minton, Kavya Mohandas, Quen Mok, James Moon, Elinoor Moore, Patrick Morgan, Craig Morris, Katherine Mortimore, Mbiye Mpenge, Rohinton Mulla, Michael Murphy, Megan Nagel, Thapas Nagarajan, Mark Nelson, Lillian Norris, Matthew K. O'Shea, Igor Otahal, Marlies Ostermann, Mark Pais, Selva Panchatsharam, Danai Papakonstantinou, Hassan Paraiso, Brij Patel, Natalie Pattison, Justin Pepperell, Mark Peters, Mandeep Phull, Stefania Pintus, Jagtur Singh Pooni, Tim Planche, Frank Post, David Price, Rachel Prout, Nikolas Rae, Henrik Reschreiter, Tim Reynolds, Neil Richardson, Mark Roberts, Devender Roberts, Alistair Rose, Guy Rousseau, Bobby Ruge, Brendan Ryan, Taranprit Saluja, Matthias L. Schmid, Aarti Shah, Prad Shanmuga, Anil Sharma, Anna Shawcross, Jeremy Sizer, Manu Shankar-Hari, Richard Smith, Catherine Snelson, Nick Spittle, Nikki Staines, Tom Stambach, Richard Stewart, Pradeep Subudhi, Tamas Szakmany, Kate Tatham, Jo Thomas, Chris Thompson, Robert Thompson, Ascanio Tridente, Darell Tupper-Carey, Mary Twagira, Nick Vallotton, Rama Vancheeswaran, Lisa Vincent-Smith, Shico Visuvanathan, Alan Vuylsteke, Sam Waddy, Rachel Wake, Andrew Walden, Ingeborg Welters, Tony Whitehouse, Paul Whittaker, Ashley Whittington, Padmasayee Papineni, Meme Wijesinghe, Martin Williams, Lawrence Wilson, Stephen Winchester, Martin Wiselka, Adam Wolverson, Daniel G. Wootton, Andrew Workman, Bryan Yates, Peter Young, UK Research and Innovation, Division of Computational and Systems Medicine, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK, Imperial College London - National Heart and Lung Institute, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), and Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository
Subjects: Molecular biology, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Science, Immunology, Biology, Epitope, Article, A900, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Data sequences, Immune system, COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium, Virology, Cytotoxic T cell, [SDV.BBM.BC]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Biochemistry, Molecular Biology/Biochemistry [q-bio.BM], Immune response, Receptor, ISARIC4C Investigators, 030304 developmental biology, 0303 health sciences, Multidisciplinary, C100, A300, C900, 3. Good health, Phylogenetics, 030220 oncology & carcinogenesis, Humoral immunity, [SDV.IMM]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Immunology, CD8
Abstract: We identify amino acid variants within dominant SARS-CoV-2 T-cell epitopes by interrogating global sequence data. Several variants within nucleocapsid and ORF3a epitopes have arisen independently in multiple lineages and result in loss of recognition by epitope-specific T-cells assessed by IFN-γ and cytotoxic killing assays. Complete loss of T-cell responsiveness was seen due to Q213K in the A*01:01-restricted CD8+ ORF3a epitope FTSDYYQLY207-215, due to P13L, P13S and P13T in the B*27:05-restricted CD8+ nucleocapsid epitope QRNAPRITF9-17, and due to T362I and P365S in the A*03:01/A*11:01-restricted CD8+ nucleocapsid epitope KTFPPTEPK361-369. CD8+ T-cell lines unable to recognise variant epitopes have diverse T-cell receptor repertoires. These data demonstrate the potential for T-cell evasion and highlight the need for ongoing surveillance for variants capable of escaping T-cell as well as humoral immunity., Graphical Abstract
Published: 2021
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27. A Sticky Situation or Rough Going? Influencing Haptic Perception of Wood Coatings Through Frictional and Topographical Design

Author: Kathryn L. Harris, Lisa Skedung, Elizabeth S. Collier, and Mark W. Rutland
Subjects: Materials science, Mechanical Engineering, Acoustics, Surfaces and Interfaces, Surface finish, Systematic variation, Tactile perception, engineering.material, Surfaces, Coatings and Films, Naturalness, Coating, Mechanics of Materials, engineering, Haptic perception, Material properties, Haptic technology
Abstract: Improving the tactile aesthetics of products that can be described as touch intensive is an increasing priority within many sectors, including the furniture industry. Understanding which physical characteristics contribute to the haptic experience of a surface, and how, is therefore highly topical. It has earlier been shown that both friction and topography affect tactile perception. Thus, two series of stimuli have been produced using standard coating techniques, with systematic variation in (physical) friction and roughness properties. This was achieved through appropriate selection of matting agents and resins. The stimuli sets were then evaluated perceptually to determine the extent to which discrimination between pairs of surfaces followed the systematic materials variation. In addition to investigating the role of the physical properties in discrimination of the surfaces, their influence on perceived pleasantness and naturalness was also studied. The results indicate that changes in tactile perception can be understood in terms of friction and roughness, and that varying the matting agents (topography) and resins (material properties) in the coatings provide the controlling factors for furniture applications. Perceived pleasantness is associated with low friction and smoother topography, whilst perceived naturalness is found to be described by an interaction between tactile friction and the average maximum peak height of the surface features. Graphic Abstract
Published: 2021
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28. Local regulation of extracellular vesicle traffic by the synaptic endocytic machinery

Author: Kathryn P. Harris, Anna Yeh, Julia K. Apiki, Zechuan Zhao, Amy L. Scalera, Kate Koles, Cassandra R Blanchette, Avital A. Rodal, and Bryan A. Stewart
Subjects: Retromer complex, Endosome, Chemistry, Endocytic cycle, Synaptic plasticity, Endosomal transport, Synaptic vesicle recycling, Extracellular vesicle, Dynamin, Cell biology
Abstract: Neuronal extracellular vesicles (EVs) can be locally released from presynaptic terminals, carrying cargoes that are important in intercellular signaling and disease. EVs are derived from endosomes, but it remains unclear how synaptic cargoes are directed to the EV pathway, rather than undergoing conventional retrograde endosomal transport and degradation. Here, we find that the clathrin-mediated endocytic machinery plays an unexpected role in maintaining a release-competent pool of synaptic EV cargoes. Endocytic mutants, including nervous wreck (nwk), Shibire/Dynamin, and AP-2, exhibit local depletion of multiple cargoes in EV donor terminals. Accordingly, nwk mutants phenocopy synaptic plasticity defects associated with loss of the EV cargo Synaptotagmin-4, and suppress lethality upon overexpression of the EV cargo Amyloid Precursor Protein. These EV defects are genetically separable from canonical functions of endocytic proteins in synaptic vesicle recycling and synaptic growth. This endocytic pathway opposes the endosomal retromer complex to regulate EV cargo levels, and acts upstream of synaptic cargo removal by retrograde axonal transport. Our data suggest a novel molecular mechanism that protects EV cargoes from local depletion at synapses.
Published: 2021
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29. Recurrent emergence of SARS-CoV-2 spike deletion H69/V70 and its role in the Alpha variant B.1.1.7

Author: Bo Meng, Steven A. Kemp, Guido Papa, Rawlings Datir, Isabella A.T.M. Ferreira, Sara Marelli, William T. Harvey, Spyros Lytras, Ahmed Mohamed, Giulia Gallo, Nazia Thakur, Dami A. Collier, Petra Mlcochova, Lidia M. Duncan, Alessandro M. Carabelli, Julia C. Kenyon, Andrew M. Lever, Anna De Marco, Christian Saliba, Katja Culap, Elisabetta Cameroni, Nicholas J. Matheson, Luca Piccoli, Davide Corti, Leo C. James, David L. Robertson, Dalan Bailey, Ravindra K. Gupta, Samuel C. Robson, Nicholas J. Loman, Thomas R. Connor, Tanya Golubchik, Rocio T. Martinez Nunez, Catherine Ludden, Sally Corden, Ian Johnston, David Bonsall, Colin P. Smith, Ali R. Awan, Giselda Bucca, M. Estee Torok, Kordo Saeed, Jacqui A. Prieto, David K. Jackson, William L. Hamilton, Luke B. Snell, Catherine Moore, Ewan M. Harrison, Sonia Goncalves, Derek J. Fairley, Matthew W. Loose, Joanne Watkins, Rich Livett, Samuel Moses, Roberto Amato, Sam Nicholls, Matthew Bull, Darren L. Smith, Jeff Barrett, David M. Aanensen, Martin D. Curran, Surendra Parmar, Dinesh Aggarwal, James G. Shepherd, Matthew D. Parker, Sharon Glaysher, Matthew Bashton, Anthony P. Underwood, Nicole Pacchiarini, Katie F. Loveson, Kate E. Templeton, Cordelia F. Langford, John Sillitoe, Thushan I. de Silva, Dennis Wang, Dominic Kwiatkowski, Andrew Rambaut, Justin O’Grady, Simon Cottrell, Matthew T.G. Holden, Emma C. Thomson, Husam Osman, Monique Andersson, Anoop J. Chauhan, Mohammed O. Hassan-Ibrahim, Mara Lawniczak, Alex Alderton, Meera Chand, Chrystala Constantinidou, Meera Unnikrishnan, Alistair C. Darby, Julian A. Hiscox, Steve Paterson, Inigo Martincorena, Erik M. Volz, Andrew J. Page, Oliver G. Pybus, Andrew R. Bassett, Cristina V. Ariani, Michael H. Spencer Chapman, Kathy K. Li, Rajiv N. Shah, Natasha G. Jesudason, Yusri Taha, Martin P. McHugh, Rebecca Dewar, Aminu S. Jahun, Claire McMurray, Sarojini Pandey, James P. McKenna, Andrew Nelson, Gregory R. Young, Clare M. McCann, Scott Elliott, Hannah Lowe, Ben Temperton, Sunando Roy, Anna Price, Sara Rey, Matthew Wyles, Stefan Rooke, Sharif Shaaban, Mariateresa de Cesare, Laura Letchford, Siona Silveira, Emanuela Pelosi, Eleri Wilson-Davies, Myra Hosmillo, Áine O’Toole, Andrew R. Hesketh, Richard Stark, Louis du Plessis, Chris Ruis, Helen Adams, Yann Bourgeois, Stephen L. Michell, Dimitris Grammatopoulos, Jonathan Edgeworth, Judith Breuer, John A. Todd, Christophe Fraser, David Buck, Michaela John, Gemma L. Kay, Steve Palmer, Sharon J. Peacock, David Heyburn, Danni Weldon, Esther Robinson, Alan McNally, Peter Muir, Ian B. Vipond, John Boyes, Venkat Sivaprakasam, Tranprit Salluja, Samir Dervisevic, Emma J. Meader, Naomi R. Park, Karen Oliver, Aaron R. Jeffries, Sascha Ott, Ana da Silva Filipe, David A. Simpson, Chris Williams, Jane A.H. Masoli, Bridget A. Knight, Christopher R. Jones, Cherian Koshy, Amy Ash, Anna Casey, Andrew Bosworth, Liz Ratcliffe, Li Xu-McCrae, Hannah M. Pymont, Stephanie Hutchings, Lisa Berry, Katie Jones, Fenella Halstead, Thomas Davis, Christopher Holmes, Miren Iturriza-Gomara, Anita O. Lucaci, Paul Anthony Randell, Alison Cox, Pinglawathee Madona, Kathryn Ann Harris, Julianne Rose Brown, Tabitha W. Mahungu, Dianne Irish-Tavares, Tanzina Haque, Jennifer Hart, Eric Witele, Melisa Louise Fenton, Steven Liggett, Clive Graham, Emma Swindells, Jennifer Collins, Gary Eltringham, Sharon Campbell, Patrick C. McClure, Gemma Clark, Tim J. Sloan, Carl Jones, Jessica Lynch, Ben Warne, Steven Leonard, Jillian Durham, Thomas Williams, Sam T. Haldenby, Nathaniel Storey, Nabil-Fareed Alikhan, Nadine Holmes, Christopher Moore, Matthew Carlile, Malorie Perry, Noel Craine, Ronan A. Lyons, Angela H. Beckett, Salman Goudarzi, Christopher Fearn, Kate Cook, Hannah Dent, Hannah Paul, Robert Davies, Beth Blane, Sophia T. Girgis, Mathew A. Beale, Katherine L. Bellis, Matthew J. Dorman, Eleanor Drury, Leanne Kane, Sally Kay, Samantha McGuigan, Rachel Nelson, Liam Prestwood, Shavanthi Rajatileka, Rahul Batra, Rachel J. Williams, Mark Kristiansen, Angie Green, Anita Justice, Adhyana I.K. Mahanama, Buddhini Samaraweera, Nazreen F. Hadjirin, Joshua Quick, Radoslaw Poplawski, Leanne M. Kermack, Nicola Reynolds, Grant Hall, Yasmin Chaudhry, Malte L. Pinckert, Iliana Georgana, Robin J. Moll, Alicia Thornton, Richard Myers, Joanne Stockton, Charlotte A. Williams, Wen C. Yew, Alexander J. Trotter, Amy Trebes, George MacIntyre-Cockett, Alec Birchley, Alexander Adams, Amy Plimmer, Bree Gatica-Wilcox, Caoimhe McKerr, Ember Hilvers, Hannah Jones, Hibo Asad, Jason Coombes, Johnathan M. Evans, Laia Fina, Lauren Gilbert, Lee Graham, Michelle Cronin, Sara Kumziene-Summerhayes, Sarah Taylor, Sophie Jones, Danielle C. Groves, Peijun Zhang, Marta Gallis, Stavroula F. Louka, Igor Starinskij, Chris Jackson, Marina Gourtovaia, Gerry Tonkin-Hill, Kevin Lewis, Jaime M. Tovar-Corona, Keith James, Laura Baxter, Mohammad T. Alam, Richard J. Orton, Joseph Hughes, Sreenu Vattipally, Manon Ragonnet-Cronin, Fabricia F. Nascimento, David Jorgensen, Olivia Boyd, Lily Geidelberg, Alex E. Zarebski, Jayna Raghwani, Moritz U.G. Kraemer, Joel Southgate, Benjamin B. Lindsey, Timothy M. Freeman, Jon-Paul Keatley, Joshua B. Singer, Leonardo de Oliveira Martins, Corin A. Yeats, Khalil Abudahab, Ben E.W. Taylor, Mirko Menegazzo, John Danesh, Wendy Hogsden, Sahar Eldirdiri, Anita Kenyon, Jenifer Mason, Trevor I. Robinson, Alison Holmes, James Price, John A. Hartley, Tanya Curran, Alison E. Mather, Giri Shankar, Rachel Jones, Robin Howe, Sian Morgan, Elizabeth Wastenge, Michael R. Chapman, Siddharth Mookerjee, Rachael Stanley, Wendy Smith, Timothy Peto, David Eyre, Derrick Crook, Gabrielle Vernet, Christine Kitchen, Huw Gulliver, Ian Merrick, Martyn Guest, Robert Munn, Declan T. Bradley, Tim Wyatt, Charlotte Beaver, Luke Foulser, Sophie Palmer, Carol M. Churcher, Ellena Brooks, Kim S. Smith, Katerina Galai, Georgina M. McManus, Frances Bolt, Francesc Coll, Lizzie Meadows, Stephen W. Attwood, Alisha Davies, Elen De Lacy, Fatima Downing, Sue Edwards, Garry P. Scarlett, Sarah Jeremiah, Nikki Smith, Danielle Leek, Sushmita Sridhar, Sally Forrest, Claire Cormie, Harmeet K. Gill, Joana Dias, Ellen E. Higginson, Mailis Maes, Jamie Young, Michelle Wantoch, Dorota Jamrozy, Stephanie Lo, Minal Patel, Verity Hill, Claire M. Bewshea, Sian Ellard, Cressida Auckland, Ian Harrison, Chloe Bishop, Vicki Chalker, Alex Richter, Andrew Beggs, Angus Best, Benita Percival, Jeremy Mirza, Oliver Megram, Megan Mayhew, Liam Crawford, Fiona Ashcroft, Emma Moles-Garcia, Nicola Cumley, Richard Hopes, Patawee Asamaphan, Marc O. Niebel, Rory N. Gunson, Amanda Bradley, Alasdair Maclean, Guy Mollett, Rachel Blacow, Paul Bird, Thomas Helmer, Karlie Fallon, Julian Tang, Antony D. Hale, Louissa R. Macfarlane-Smith, Katherine L. Harper, Holli Carden, Nicholas W. Machin, Kathryn A. Jackson, Shazaad S.Y. Ahmad, Ryan P. George, Lance Turtle, Elaine O’Toole, Joanne Watts, Cassie Breen, Angela Cowell, Adela Alcolea-Medina, Themoula Charalampous, Amita Patel, Lisa J. Levett, Judith Heaney, Aileen Rowan, Graham P. Taylor, Divya Shah, Laura Atkinson, Jack C.D. Lee, Adam P. Westhorpe, Riaz Jannoo, Helen L. Lowe, Angeliki Karamani, Leah Ensell, Wendy Chatterton, Monika Pusok, Ashok Dadrah, Amanda Symmonds, Graciela Sluga, Zoltan Molnar, Paul Baker, Stephen Bonner, Sarah Essex, Edward Barton, Debra Padgett, Garren Scott, Jane Greenaway, Brendan A.I. Payne, Shirelle Burton-Fanning, Sheila Waugh, Veena Raviprakash, Nicola Sheriff, Victoria Blakey, Lesley-Anne Williams, Jonathan Moore, Susanne Stonehouse, Louise Smith, Rose K. Davidson, Luke Bedford, Lindsay Coupland, Victoria Wright, Joseph G. Chappell, Theocharis Tsoleridis, Jonathan Ball, Manjinder Khakh, Vicki M. Fleming, Michelle M. Lister, Hannah C. Howson-Wells, Louise Berry, Tim Boswell, Amelia Joseph, Iona Willingham, Nichola Duckworth, Sarah Walsh, Emma Wise, Nathan Moore, Matilde Mori, Nick Cortes, Stephen Kidd, Rebecca Williams, Laura Gifford, Kelly Bicknell, Sarah Wyllie, Allyson Lloyd, Robert Impey, Cassandra S. Malone, Benjamin J. Cogger, Nick Levene, Lynn Monaghan, Alexander J. Keeley, David G. Partridge, Mohammad Raza, Cariad Evans, Kate Johnson, Emma Betteridge, Ben W. Farr, Scott Goodwin, Michael A. Quail, Carol Scott, Lesley Shirley, Scott A.J. Thurston, Diana Rajan, Iraad F. Bronner, Louise Aigrain, Nicholas M. Redshaw, Stefanie V. Lensing, Shane McCarthy, Alex Makunin, Carlos E. Balcazar, Michael D. Gallagher, Kathleen A. Williamson, Thomas D. Stanton, Michelle L. Michelsen, Joanna Warwick-Dugdale, Robin Manley, Audrey Farbos, James W. Harrison, Christine M. Sambles, David J. Studholme, Angie Lackenby, Tamyo Mbisa, Steven Platt, Shahjahan Miah, David Bibby, Carmen Manso, Jonathan Hubb, Gavin Dabrera, Mary Ramsay, Daniel Bradshaw, Ulf Schaefer, Natalie Groves, Eileen Gallagher, David Lee, David Williams, Nicholas Ellaby, Hassan Hartman, Nikos Manesis, Vineet Patel, Juan Ledesma, Katherine A. Twohig, Elias Allara, Clare Pearson, Jeffrey K.J. Cheng, Hannah E. Bridgewater, Lucy R. Frost, Grace Taylor-Joyce, Paul E. Brown, Lily Tong, Alice Broos, Daniel Mair, Jenna Nichols, Stephen N. Carmichael, Katherine L. Smollett, Kyriaki Nomikou, Elihu Aranday-Cortes, Natasha Johnson, Seema Nickbakhsh, Edith E. Vamos, Margaret Hughes, Lucille Rainbow, Richard Eccles, Charlotte Nelson, Mark Whitehead, Richard Gregory, Matthew Gemmell, Claudia Wierzbicki, Hermione J. Webster, Chloe L. Fisher, Adrian W. Signell, Gilberto Betancor, Harry D. Wilson, Gaia Nebbia, Flavia Flaviani, Alberto C. Cerda, Tammy V. Merrill, Rebekah E. Wilson, Marius Cotic, Nadua Bayzid, Thomas Thompson, Erwan Acheson, Steven Rushton, Sarah O’Brien, David J. Baker, Steven Rudder, Alp Aydin, Fei Sang, Johnny Debebe, Sarah Francois, Tetyana I. Vasylyeva, Marina Escalera Zamudio, Bernardo Gutierrez, Angela Marchbank, Joshua Maksimovic, Karla Spellman, Kathryn McCluggage, Mari Morgan, Robert Beer, Safiah Afifi, Trudy Workman, William Fuller, Catherine Bresner, Adrienn Angyal, Luke R. Green, Paul J. Parsons, Rachel M. Tucker, Rebecca Brown, Max Whiteley, James Bonfield, Christoph Puethe, Andrew Whitwham, Jennifier Liddle, Will Rowe, Igor Siveroni, Thanh Le-Viet, Amy Gaskin, Rob Johnson, Irina Abnizova, Mozam Ali, Laura Allen, Ralph Anderson, Cristina Ariani, Siobhan Austin-Guest, Sendu Bala, Jeffrey Barrett, Andrew Bassett, Kristina Battleday, James Beal, Mathew Beale, Sam Bellany, Tristram Bellerby, Katie Bellis, Duncan Berger, Matt Berriman, Paul Bevan, Simon Binley, Jason Bishop, Kirsty Blackburn, Nick Boughton, Sam Bowker, Timothy Brendler-Spaeth, Iraad Bronner, Tanya Brooklyn, Sarah Kay Buddenborg, Robert Bush, Catarina Caetano, Alex Cagan, Nicola Carter, Joanna Cartwright, Tiago Carvalho Monteiro, Liz Chapman, Tracey-Jane Chillingworth, Peter Clapham, Richard Clark, Adrian Clarke, Catriona Clarke, Daryl Cole, Elizabeth Cook, Maria Coppola, Linda Cornell, Clare Cornwell, Craig Corton, Abby Crackett, Alison Cranage, Harriet Craven, Sarah Craw, Mark Crawford, Tim Cutts, Monika Dabrowska, Matt Davies, Joseph Dawson, Callum Day, Aiden Densem, Thomas Dibling, Cat Dockree, David Dodd, Sunil Dogga, Matthew Dorman, Gordon Dougan, Martin Dougherty, Alexander Dove, Lucy Drummond, Monika Dudek, Laura Durrant, Elizabeth Easthope, Sabine Eckert, Pete Ellis, Ben Farr, Michael Fenton, Marcella Ferrero, Neil Flack, Howerd Fordham, Grace Forsythe, Matt Francis, Audrey Fraser, Adam Freeman, Anastasia Galvin, Maria Garcia-Casado, Alex Gedny, Sophia Girgis, James Glover, Oliver Gould, Andy Gray, Emma Gray, Coline Griffiths, Yong Gu, Florence Guerin, Will Hamilton, Hannah Hanks, Ewan Harrison, Alexandria Harrott, Edward Harry, Julia Harvison, Paul Heath, Anastasia Hernandez-Koutoucheva, Rhiannon Hobbs, Dave Holland, Sarah Holmes, Gary Hornett, Nicholas Hough, Liz Huckle, Lena Hughes-Hallet, Adam Hunter, Stephen Inglis, Sameena Iqbal, Adam Jackson, David Jackson, Carlos Jimenez Verdejo, Matthew Jones, Kalyan Kallepally, Keely Kay, Jon Keatley, Alan Keith, Alison King, Lucy Kitchin, Matt Kleanthous, Martina Klimekova, Petra Korlevic, Ksenia Krasheninnkova, Greg Lane, Cordelia Langford, Adam Laverack, Katharine Law, Stefanie Lensing, Amanah Lewis-Wade, Jennifer Liddle, Quan Lin, Sarah Lindsay, Sally Linsdell, Rhona Long, Jamie Lovell, Jon Lovell, James Mack, Mark Maddison, Aleksei Makunin, Irfan Mamun, Jenny Mansfield, Neil Marriott, Matt Martin, Matthew Mayho, Jo McClintock, Sandra McHugh, Liz MapcMinn, Carl Meadows, Emily Mobley, Robin Moll, Maria Morra, Leanne Morrow, Kathryn Murie, Sian Nash, Claire Nathwani, Plamena Naydenova, Alexandra Neaverson, Ed Nerou, Jon Nicholson, Tabea Nimz, Guillaume G. Noell, Sarah O’Meara, Valeriu Ohan, Charles Olney, Doug Ormond, Agnes Oszlanczi, Yoke Fei Pang, Barbora Pardubska, Naomi Park, Aaron Parmar, Gaurang Patel, Maggie Payne, Sharon Peacock, Arabella Petersen, Deborah Plowman, Tom Preston, Michael Quail, Richard Rance, Suzannah Rawlings, Nicholas Redshaw, Joe Reynolds, Mark Reynolds, Simon Rice, Matt Richardson, Connor Roberts, Katrina Robinson, Melanie Robinson, David Robinson, Hazel Rogers, Eduardo Martin Rojo, Daljit Roopra, Mark Rose, Luke Rudd, Ramin Sadri, Nicholas Salmon, David Saul, Frank Schwach, Phil Seekings, Alison Simms, Matt Sinnott, Shanthi Sivadasan, Bart Siwek, Dale Sizer, Kenneth Skeldon, Jason Skelton, Joanna Slater-Tunstill, Lisa Sloper, Nathalie Smerdon, Chris Smith, Christen Smith, James Smith, Katie Smith, Michelle Smith, Sean Smith, Tina Smith, Leighton Sneade, Carmen Diaz Soria, Catarina Sousa, Emily Souster, Andrew Sparkes, Michael Spencer-Chapman, Janet Squares, Robert Stanley, Claire Steed, Tim Stickland, Ian Still, Mike Stratton, Michelle Strickland, Allen Swann, Agnieszka Swiatkowska, Neil Sycamore, Emma Swift, Edward Symons, Suzanne Szluha, Emma Taluy, Nunu Tao, Katy Taylor, Sam Taylor, Stacey Thompson, Mark Thompson, Mark Thomson, Nicholas Thomson, Scott Thurston, Dee Toombs, Benjamin Topping, Jaime Tovar-Corona, Daniel Ungureanu, James Uphill, Jana Urbanova, Philip Jansen Van, Valerie Vancollie, Paul Voak, Danielle Walker, Matthew Walker, Matt Waller, Gary Ward, Charlie Weatherhogg, Niki Webb, Alan Wells, Eloise Wells, Luke Westwood, Theo Whipp, Thomas Whiteley, Georgia Whitton, Sara Widaa, Mia Williams, Mark Wilson, Sean Wright, and Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository
Subjects: 0301 basic medicine, Resistance, MC UU 1201412, Plasma protein binding, Antibodies, Viral, medicine.disease_cause, MR/R024758/1, 0302 clinical medicine, Recurrence, Chlorocebus aethiops, deletion, Biology (General), Receptor, Phylogeny, Infectivity, Mutation, biology, infectivity, MC_UU_12014/12, C500, C700, UKRI, MRC, Antibody Escape, Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus, antibody escape, Antibody, Protein Binding, QH301-705.5, Sars-cov-2, Alpha (ethology), Article, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Virus, Cell Line, resistance, Deletion, 03 medical and health sciences, spike mutation, medicine, Alpha Variant, Animals, Humans, neutralizing antibodies, B.1.1.7, Vero Cells, Pandemics, Immune Evasion, SARS-CoV-2, Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all), COVID-19, MR/P008801/1, Antibodies, Neutralizing, Virology, body regions, HEK293 Cells, 030104 developmental biology, Alpha variant, Spike Mutation, biology.protein, Vero cell, Neutralizing Antibodies, 030217 neurology & neurosurgery
Abstract: We report severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike ΔH69/V70 in multiple independent lineages, often occurring after acquisition of receptor binding motif replacements such as N439K and Y453F, known to increase binding affinity to the ACE2 receptor and confer antibody escape. In vitro, we show that, although ΔH69/V70 itself is not an antibody evasion mechanism, it increases infectivity associated with enhanced incorporation of cleaved spike into virions. ΔH69/V70 is able to partially rescue infectivity of spike proteins that have acquired N439K and Y453F escape mutations by increased spike incorporation. In addition, replacement of the H69 and V70 residues in the Alpha variant B.1.1.7 spike (where ΔH69/V70 occurs naturally) impairs spike incorporation and entry efficiency of the B.1.1.7 spike pseudotyped virus. Alpha variant B.1.1.7 spike mediates faster kinetics of cell-cell fusion than wild-type Wuhan-1 D614G, dependent on ΔH69/V70. Therefore, as ΔH69/V70 compensates for immune escape mutations that impair infectivity, continued surveillance for deletions with functional effects is warranted., Graphical abstract, Meng et al. report that the SARS-CoV-2 spike ΔH69/V70 has arisen multiple times. The deletion increases entry efficiency associated with increased cleaved spike in virions and can compensate for loss of infectivity. The B.1.1.7 spike requires ΔH69/V70 for efficient cell entry and cell-cell fusion activity.
Published: 2021
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30. The Effect of Glutamine Supplementation on Microbial Invasion in Surgical Infants Requiring Parenteral Nutrition: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial

Author: Paolo De Coppi, Kathryn A. Harris, Simon Eaton, Agostino Pierro, Mark Bishay, S Macdonald, Venetia Simchowitz, and Nigel Klein
Subjects: Parenteral Nutrition, medicine.medical_specialty, 030309 nutrition & dietetics, Glutamine, Medicine (miscellaneous), Bacteremia, Enteral administration, Gastroenterology, law.invention, 03 medical and health sciences, Enteral Nutrition, 0302 clinical medicine, Double-Blind Method, Randomized controlled trial, law, Internal medicine, medicine, Humans, Blood culture, Prospective Studies, Digestive System Surgical Procedures, 0303 health sciences, Nutrition and Dietetics, medicine.diagnostic_test, Gastroschisis, business.industry, Infant, Newborn, Infant, Odds ratio, medicine.disease, Parenteral nutrition, Dietary Supplements, Necrotizing enterocolitis, 030211 gastroenterology & hepatology, business
Abstract: Background To determine whether parenteral plus enteral glutamine supplementation influences microbial invasion in surgical infants who require parenteral nutrition (PN). Methods An prospective double-blind randomized controlled trial studying surgical infants receiving PN for at least 5 days for congenital or acquired intestinal anomalies (2009-2012) was used. Infants were randomized to receive either glutamine supplementation (parenteral plus enteral; total 400 mg/kg/d) or isonitrogenous control. The primary end point was microbial invasion evaluated after 5 days of supplementation and defined as: (i) positive conventional blood culture, (ii) evidence of microbial DNA in blood (polymerase chain reaction), (iii) plasma endotoxin level ≥50 pg/mL, or (iv) plasma level of lipopolysaccharide binding protein ≥50 ng/mL. Data are given as median (range) and compared by logistic regression. Results Sixty infants were randomized and reached the primary end point. Twenty-five patients had intestinal obstruction, 19 had abdominal wall defects, and 13 had necrotizing enterocolitis. Thirty-six infants showed evidence of microbial invasion during the study, and 17 of these were not detected by conventional blood culture. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in the primary outcome; evidence of microbial invasion after 5 days was found in 9/31 (control group) and 8/29 (glutamine group) (odds ratio 0.83 [0.24-2.86; P = 0.77]). Conclusion More than half of surgical infants requiring PN showed evidence of microbial invasion. Approximately half of this was not detectable by conventional blood cultures. Parenteral plus enteral glutamine supplementation had no effect on incidence of microbial invasion.
Published: 2019
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31. Drought alters the spatial distribution, grazing patterns, and radula morphology of a fungal-farming salt marsh snail

Author: Kathryn L. Harris, J.R.H. Hoogveld, J.M. Uruena, Marlous Derksen-Hooijberg, Christine Angelini, T. van der Heide, W.G. Sawyer, B. Chalifour, and Van der Heide group
Subjects: 0106 biological sciences, SPARTINA-ALTERNIFLORA, Snail, Aquatic Science, Spartina alterniflora, 01 natural sciences, Coastal wetland, ECOPHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY, GASTROPODA, MECHANISMS, POLYPLACOPHORA, FOOD, biology.animal, PHENOTYPIC PLASTICITY, parasitic diseases, Gastropoda, Climate change, Ecosystem, Herbivory, TEMPERATURE, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Herbivore, geography, geography.geographical_feature_category, Ecology, biology, 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology, fungi, Littoraria irrorata, Aquatic Ecology, food and beverages, biology.organism_classification, ORGANIC-MATTER, Salt marsh, Littoraria, TOP-DOWN
Abstract: Climate change is altering consumer-plant interactions in ecosystems worldwide. How consumers alter their spatial distribution, grazing activities, and functional morphology in response to climate stress can determine whether their effects on plants intensify or relax. Few studies have considered multiple consumer response metrics to elucidate the mechanisms underpinning the resulting changes in consumer-plant interactions. Here, we tested how drought stress influences the interaction between the dominant consumer, the fungal-farming periwinkle snail Littoraria irrorate/i>, and a foundational plant, cordgrass Spartina alterniflora, in a southeastern US salt marsh. In a 4 mo field experiment, we maintained moderate snail densities in mesh control chambers and clear plastic climate chambers that simulated drought by elevating temperatures and drying soils. Monitoring revealed that snails more often congregated on cordgrass stems than leaves in climate chambers than in controls. Image analyses indicated that this behavioral shift corresponded to snails inflicting shorter, but more numerous, fungal-infested scars on cordgrass leaves, and causing less plant damage in climate chambers than controls. Coincident with their net reduction in grazing, snails maintained longer radulae, whose central teeth were blunter and lateral teeth were sharper, in climate chambers compared to controls. These results suggest that under drought, snail radulae may experience less frictional wear and that, at intermediate densities, snail-cordgrass interactions relax. Together with prior research showing that at high densities, snails can denude cordgrass during drought, we conclude that consumer density, behavior, and morphological responses must be integrated in predictions of how climate change will affect the direction, strength, and stability of consumer-plant interactions.
Published: 2019
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32. Engineered bacteriophages for treatment of a patient with a disseminated drug resistant Mycobacterium abscessus

Author: Carlos A Guerrero-Bustamante, Katrina Ford, James Soothill, Kimberly Gilmour, Kathryn A. Harris, Daniel A. Russell, Rebekah M. Dedrick, Deborah Jacobs-Sera, Helen Spencer, Robert T. Schooley, Rebecca A. Garlena, and Graham F. Hatfull
Subjects: 0301 basic medicine, Adolescent, Cystic Fibrosis, Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous, Drug resistance, Mycobacterium abscessus, Cystic fibrosis, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Article, Microbiology, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Drug Resistance, Bacterial, medicine, Humans, Phage Therapy, Disseminated mycobacterium abscessus infection, biology, business.industry, Bilateral lung transplantation, General Medicine, biology.organism_classification, medicine.disease, Forward genetics, 3. Good health, 030104 developmental biology, Lytic cycle, 030220 oncology & carcinogenesis, Female, Liver function, business, Genetic Engineering
Abstract: A 15-year-old patient with cystic fibrosis with a disseminated Mycobacterium abscessus infection was treated with a three-phage cocktail following bilateral lung transplantation. Effective lytic phage derivatives that efficiently kill the infectious M. abscessus strain were developed by genome engineering and forward genetics. Intravenous phage treatment was well tolerated and associated with objective clinical improvement, including sternal wound closure, improved liver function, and substantial resolution of infected skin nodules. Clinical use of engineered bacteriophages for the treatment of disseminated mycobacterial infection.
Published: 2019

33. The role of real-time PCR testing in the investigation of paediatric patients with community-onset osteomyelitis and septic arthritis

Author: Sadhbh O’Rourke, Kathryn A. Harris, Patrick J. Gavin, Richard J. Drew, Stephanie Ryan, Désirée Bennett, Noelle Cassidy, Robert Cunney, R McNamara, Nicola O'Sullivan, and Mary Meehan
Subjects: Male, Fastidious organism, Staphylococcus aureus, medicine.medical_specialty, Adolescent, Kingella kingae, 030204 cardiovascular system & hematology, Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction, medicine.disease_cause, Group A, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Internal medicine, Humans, Medicine, Blood culture, 030212 general & internal medicine, Child, Retrospective Studies, Arthritis, Infectious, Bacteria, medicine.diagnostic_test, business.industry, Streptococcus, Osteomyelitis, Infant, General Medicine, medicine.disease, Real-time polymerase chain reaction, Blood Culture, Child, Preschool, Female, Septic arthritis, business, Staphylococcus
Abstract: Culture yield in osteomyelitis and septic arthritis is low, emphasising the role for molecular techniques. The purpose of this study was to review the laboratory investigation of childhood osteomyelitis and septic arthritis. A retrospective review was undertaken in an acute tertiary referral paediatric hospital from January 2010 to December 2016. Cases were only included if they had a positive culture or bacterial PCR result from a bone/joint specimen or blood culture, or had radiographic evidence of osteomyelitis. Seventy-eight patients met the case definition; 52 (66%) were male. The median age was 4.8 years. Blood cultures were positive in 16 of 56 cases (29%), with 11 deemed clinically significant (Staphylococcus aureus = 8, group A Streptococcus = 3). Thirty-seven of 78 (47%) bone/joint samples were positive by culture with S. aureus (n = 16), coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (n = 9) and group A Streptococcus (n = 4), being the most common organisms. Sixteen culture-negative samples were sent for bacterial PCR, and four were positive (Kingella kingae = 2, Streptococcus pneumoniae = 1, group A Streptococcus = 1). Sequential culture and PCR testing can improve the detection rate of causative organisms in paediatric bone and joint infections, particularly for fastidious microorganisms such as K. kingae. PCR testing can be reserved for cases where culture is negative after 48 h. These results have been used to develop a standardised diagnostic test panel for bone and joint infections at our institution.
Published: 2019
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34. An inter-laboratory study to investigate the impact of the bioinformatics component on microbiome analysis using mock communities

Author: Grace Logan, Kathryn A. Harris, Josef Wagner, Jiabin Huang, Justin O'Grady, Julian R. Marchesi, Robert D. Finn, Sasithon Temisak, Huihai Wu, Nicole Fischer, Julian Parkhill, Ronan Doyle, Gregory C. A. Amos, Mark D. Preston, Denise M. O'Sullivan, Jacob Moran-Gilad, Nicholas Redshaw, Hubert Denise, Jim F. Huggett, Yair Motro, Jody Phelan, Alexandra S. Whale, Taane G. Clark, Emma Ransom-Jones, Ernest Diez Benavente, David J. Studholme, Emma Laing, Gemma L. Kay, Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository, and Parkhill, Julian [0000-0002-7069-5958]
Subjects: 0301 basic medicine, FASTQ format, Operational taxonomic unit, Science, 030106 microbiology, Computational biology, Biology, Genome, 03 medical and health sciences, RNA, Ribosomal, 16S, Sequencing, Digital polymerase chain reaction, Microbiome, 631/326/2565/2142, Multidisciplinary, Microbiota, 631/1647/514, article, Computational Biology, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Amplicon, 16S ribosomal RNA, 030104 developmental biology, Metagenomics, Medicine
Abstract: Funder: UK National Measurement System, Funder: NIHR BRC and NIHR Policy Research Programme (NIBSC Regulatory Science Research Unit), Funder: National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Imperial Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), Funder: EMBL core funds, Funder: Quadram Institute Bioscience BBSRC Strategic Programme: Microbes in the Food Chain; Grant(s): BB/R012504/1) and its constituent projects BBS/E/F/000PR10348 and BBS/E/F/000PR10349, Despite the advent of whole genome metagenomics, targeted approaches (such as 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing) continue to be valuable for determining the microbial composition of samples. Amplicon microbiome sequencing can be performed on clinical samples from a normally sterile site to determine the aetiology of an infection (usually single pathogen identification) or samples from more complex niches such as human mucosa or environmental samples where multiple microorganisms need to be identified. The methodologies are frequently applied to determine both presence of micro-organisms and their quantity or relative abundance. There are a number of technical steps required to perform microbial community profiling, many of which may have appreciable precision and bias that impacts final results. In order for these methods to be applied with the greatest accuracy, comparative studies across different laboratories are warranted. In this study we explored the impact of the bioinformatic approaches taken in different laboratories on microbiome assessment using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing results. Data were generated from two mock microbial community samples which were amplified using primer sets spanning five different variable regions of 16S rRNA genes. The PCR-sequencing analysis included three technical repeats of the process to determine the repeatability of their methods. Thirteen laboratories participated in the study, and each analysed the same FASTQ files using their choice of pipeline. This study captured the methods used and the resulting sequence annotation and relative abundance output from bioinformatic analyses. Results were compared to digital PCR assessment of the absolute abundance of each target representing each organism in the mock microbial community samples and also to analyses of shotgun metagenome sequence data. This ring trial demonstrates that the choice of bioinformatic analysis pipeline alone can result in different estimations of the composition of the microbiome when using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing data. The study observed differences in terms of both presence and abundance of organisms and provides a resource for ensuring reproducible pipeline development and application. The observed differences were especially prevalent when using custom databases and applying high stringency operational taxonomic unit (OTU) cut-off limits. In order to apply sequencing approaches with greater accuracy, the impact of different analytical steps needs to be clearly delineated and solutions devised to harmonise microbiome analysis results.
Published: 2021

35. Changes in symptomatology, reinfection, and transmissibility associated with the SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7: an ecological study

Author: Mark S Graham, Carole H Sudre, Anna May, Michela Antonelli, Benjamin Murray, Thomas Varsavsky, Kerstin Kläser, Liane S Canas, Erika Molteni, Marc Modat, David A Drew, Long H Nguyen, Lorenzo Polidori, Somesh Selvachandran, Christina Hu, Joan Capdevila, Alexander Hammers, Andrew T Chan, Jonathan Wolf, Tim D Spector, Claire J Steves, Sebastien Ourselin, Cherian Koshy, Amy Ash, Emma Wise, Nathan Moore, Matilde Mori, Nick Cortes, Jessica Lynch, Stephen Kidd, Derek J Fairley, Tanya Curran, James P McKenna, Helen Adams, Christophe Fraser, Tanya Golubchik, David Bonsall, Mohammed O Hassan-Ibrahim, Cassandra S Malone, Benjamin J Cogger, Michelle Wantoch, Nicola Reynolds, Ben Warne, Joshua Maksimovic, Karla Spellman, Kathryn McCluggage, Michaela John, Robert Beer, Safiah Afifi, Sian Morgan, Angela Marchbank, Anna Price, Christine Kitchen, Huw Gulliver, Ian Merrick, Joel Southgate, Martyn Guest, Robert Munn, Trudy Workman, Thomas R Connor, William Fuller, Catherine Bresner, Luke B Snell, Amita Patel, Themoula Charalampous, Gaia Nebbia, Rahul Batra, Jonathan Edgeworth, Samuel C Robson, Angela H Beckett, David M Aanensen, Anthony P Underwood, Corin A Yeats, Khalil Abudahab, Ben EW Taylor, Mirko Menegazzo, Gemma Clark, Wendy Smith, Manjinder Khakh, Vicki M Fleming, Michelle M Lister, Hannah C Howson-Wells, Louise Berry, Tim Boswell, Amelia Joseph, Iona Willingham, Carl Jones, Christopher Holmes, Paul Bird, Thomas Helmer, Karlie Fallon, Julian Tang, Veena Raviprakash, Sharon Campbell, Nicola Sheriff, Victoria Blakey, Lesley-Anne Williams, Matthew W Loose, Nadine Holmes, Christopher Moore, Matthew Carlile, Victoria Wright, Fei Sang, Johnny Debebe, Francesc Coll, Adrian W Signell, Gilberto Betancor, Harry D Wilson, Sahar Eldirdiri, Anita Kenyon, Thomas Davis, Oliver G Pybus, Louis du Plessis, Alex E Zarebski, Jayna Raghwani, Moritz UG Kraemer, Sarah Francois, Stephen W Attwood, Tetyana I Vasylyeva, Marina Escalera Zamudio, Bernardo Gutierrez, M. Estee Torok, William L Hamilton, Ian G Goodfellow, Grant Hall, Aminu S Jahun, Yasmin Chaudhry, Myra Hosmillo, Malte L Pinckert, Iliana Georgana, Samuel Moses, Hannah Lowe, Luke Bedford, Jonathan Moore, Susanne Stonehouse, Chloe L Fisher, Ali R Awan, John BoYes, Judith Breuer, Kathryn Ann Harris, Julianne Rose Brown, Divya Shah, Laura Atkinson, Jack CD Lee, Nathaniel Storey, Flavia Flaviani, Adela Alcolea-Medina, Rebecca Williams, Gabrielle Vernet, Michael R Chapman, Lisa J Levett, Judith Heaney, Wendy Chatterton, Monika Pusok, Li Xu-McCrae, Darren L Smith, Matthew Bashton, Gregory R Young, Alison Holmes, Paul Anthony Randell, Alison Cox, Pinglawathee Madona, Frances Bolt, James Price, Siddharth Mookerjee, Manon Ragonnet-Cronin, Fabricia F. Nascimento, David Jorgensen, Igor Siveroni, Rob Johnson, Olivia Boyd, Lily Geidelberg, Erik M Volz, Aileen Rowan, Graham P Taylor, Katherine L Smollett, Nicholas J Loman, Joshua Quick, Claire McMurray, Joanne Stockton, Sam Nicholls, Will Rowe, Radoslaw Poplawski, Alan McNally, Rocio T Martinez Nunez, Jenifer Mason, Trevor I Robinson, Elaine O'Toole, Joanne Watts, Cassie Breen, Angela Cowell, Graciela Sluga, Nicholas W Machin, Shazaad S Y Ahmad, Ryan P George, Fenella Halstead, Venkat Sivaprakasam, Wendy Hogsden, Chris J Illingworth, Chris Jackson, Emma C Thomson, James G Shepherd, Patawee Asamaphan, Marc O Niebel, Kathy K Li, Rajiv N Shah, Natasha G Jesudason, Lily Tong, Alice Broos, Daniel Mair, Jenna Nichols, Stephen N Carmichael, Kyriaki Nomikou, Elihu Aranday-Cortes, Natasha Johnson, Igor Starinskij, Ana da Silva Filipe, David L Robertson, Richard J Orton, Joseph Hughes, Sreenu Vattipally, Joshua B Singer, Seema Nickbakhsh, Antony D Hale, Louissa R Macfarlane-Smith, Katherine L Harper, Holli Carden, Yusri Taha, Brendan AI Payne, Shirelle Burton-Fanning, Sheila Waugh, Jennifer Collins, Gary Eltringham, Steven Rushton, Sarah O'Brien, Amanda Bradley, Alasdair Maclean, Guy Mollett, Rachel Blacow, Kate E Templeton, Martin P McHugh, Rebecca Dewar, Elizabeth Wastenge, Samir Dervisevic, Rachael Stanley, Emma J Meader, Lindsay Coupland, Louise Smith, Clive Graham, Edward Barton, Debra Padgett, Garren Scott, Emma Swindells, Jane Greenaway, Andrew Nelson, Clare M McCann, Wen C Yew, Monique Andersson, Timothy Peto, Anita Justice, David Eyre, Derrick Crook, Tim J Sloan, Nichola Duckworth, Sarah Walsh, Anoop J Chauhan, Sharon Glaysher, Kelly Bicknell, Sarah Wyllie, Scott Elliott, Allyson Lloyd, Robert Impey, Nick Levene, Lynn Monaghan, Declan T Bradley, Tim Wyatt, Elias Allara, Clare Pearson, Husam Osman, Andrew Bosworth, Esther Robinson, Peter Muir, Ian B Vipond, Richard Hopes, Hannah M Pymont, Stephanie Hutchings, Martin D Curran, Surendra Parmar, Angie Lackenby, Tamyo Mbisa, Steven Platt, Shahjahan Miah, David Bibby, Carmen Manso, Jonathan Hubb, Meera Chand, Gavin Dabrera, Mary Ramsay, Daniel Bradshaw, Alicia Thornton, Richard Myers, Ulf Schaefer, Natalie Groves, Eileen Gallagher, David Lee, David Williams, Nicholas Ellaby, Ian Harrison, Hassan Hartman, Nikos Manesis, Vineet Patel, Chloe Bishop, Vicki Chalker, Juan Ledesma, Katherine A Twohig, Matthew T.G. Holden, Sharif Shaaban, Alec Birchley, Alexander Adams, Alisha Davies, Amy Gaskin, Amy Plimmer, Bree Gatica-Wilcox, Caoimhe McKerr, Catherine Moore, Chris Williams, David Heyburn, Elen De Lacy, Ember Hilvers, Fatima Downing, Giri Shankar, Hannah Jones, Hibo Asad, Jason Coombes, Joanne Watkins, Johnathan M Evans, Laia Fina, Laura Gifford, Lauren Gilbert, Lee Graham, Malorie Perry, Mari Morgan, Matthew Bull, Michelle Cronin, Nicole Pacchiarini, Noel Craine, Rachel Jones, Robin Howe, Sally Corden, Sara Rey, Sara Kumziene-SummerhaYes, Sarah Taylor, Simon Cottrell, Sophie Jones, Sue Edwards, Justin O'Grady, Andrew J Page, Alison E Mather, David J Baker, Steven Rudder, Alp Aydin, Gemma L Kay, Alexander J Trotter, Nabil-Fareed Alikhan, Leonardo de Oliveira Martins, Thanh Le-Viet, Lizzie Meadows, Anna Casey, Liz Ratcliffe, David A Simpson, Zoltan Molnar, Thomas Thompson, Erwan Acheson, Jane AH Masoli, Bridget A Knight, Sian Ellard, Cressida Auckland, Christopher R Jones, Tabitha W Mahungu, Dianne Irish-Tavares, Tanzina Haque, Jennifer Hart, Eric Witele, Melisa Louise Fenton, Ashok Dadrah, Amanda Symmonds, Tranprit Saluja, Yann Bourgeois, Garry P Scarlett, Katie F Loveson, Salman Goudarzi, Christopher Fearn, Kate Cook, Hannah Dent, Hannah Paul, David G Partridge, Mohammad Raza, Cariad Evans, Kate Johnson, Steven Liggett, Paul Baker, Stephen Bonner, Sarah Essex, Ronan A Lyons, Kordo Saeed, Adhyana I.K Mahanama, Buddhini Samaraweera, Siona Silveira, Emanuela Pelosi, Eleri Wilson-Davies, Rachel J Williams, Mark Kristiansen, Sunando Roy, Charlotte A Williams, Marius Cotic, Nadua Bayzid, Adam P Westhorpe, John A Hartley, Riaz Jannoo, Helen L Lowe, Angeliki Karamani, Leah Ensell, Jacqui A Prieto, Sarah Jeremiah, Dimitris Grammatopoulos, Sarojini Pandey, Lisa Berry, Katie Jones, Alex Richter, Andrew Beggs, Angus Best, Benita Percival, Jeremy Mirza, Oliver Megram, Megan Mayhew, Liam Crawford, Fiona Ashcroft, Emma Moles-Garcia, Nicola Cumley, Colin P Smith, Giselda Bucca, Andrew R Hesketh, Beth Blane, Sophia T Girgis, Danielle Leek, Sushmita Sridhar, Sally Forrest, Claire Cormie, Harmeet K Gill, Joana Dias, Ellen E Higginson, Mailis Maes, Jamie Young, Leanne M Kermack, Ravi Kumar Gupta, Catherine Ludden, Sharon J Peacock, Sophie Palmer, Carol M Churcher, Nazreen F Hadjirin, Alessandro M Carabelli, Ellena Brooks, Kim S Smith, Katerina Galai, Georgina M McManus, Chris Ruis, Rose K Davidson, Andrew Rambaut, Thomas Williams, Carlos E Balcazar, Michael D Gallagher, Áine O'Toole, Stefan Rooke, Verity Hill, Kathleen A Williamson, Thomas D Stanton, Stephen L Michell, Claire M Bewshea, Ben Temperton, Michelle L Michelsen, Joanna Warwick-Dugdale, Robin Manley, Audrey Farbos, James W Harrison, Christine M Sambles, David J Studholme, Aaron R Jeffries, Alistair C Darby, Julian A Hiscox, Steve Paterson, Miren Iturriza-Gomara, Kathryn A Jackson, Anita O Lucaci, Edith E Vamos, Margaret Hughes, Lucille Rainbow, Richard Eccles, Charlotte Nelson, Mark Whitehead, Lance Turtle, Sam T Haldenby, Richard Gregory, Matthew Gemmell, Claudia Wierzbicki, Hermione J Webster, Thushan I de Silva, Nikki Smith, Adrienn Angyal, Benjamin B Lindsey, Danielle C Groves, Luke R Green, Dennis Wang, Timothy M Freeman, Matthew D Parker, Alexander J Keeley, Paul J Parsons, Rachel M Tucker, Rebecca Brown, Matthew Wyles, Max Whiteley, Peijun Zhang, Marta Gallis, Stavroula F Louka, Chrystala Constantinidou, Meera Unnikrishnan, Sascha Ott, Jeffrey K.J. Cheng, Hannah E. Bridgewater, Lucy R. Frost, Grace Taylor-Joyce, Richard Stark, Laura Baxter, Mohammad T. Alam, Paul E Brown, Dinesh Aggarwal, Alberto C Cerda, Tammy V Merrill, Rebekah E Wilson, Patrick C McClure, Joseph G Chappell, Theocharis Tsoleridis, Jonathan Ball, David Buck, John A Todd, Angie Green, Amy Trebes, George MacIntyre-Cockett, Mariateresa de Cesare, Alex Alderton, Roberto Amato, Cristina V Ariani, Mathew A Beale, Charlotte Beaver, Katherine L Bellis, Emma Betteridge, James Bonfield, John Danesh, Matthew J Dorman, Eleanor Drury, Ben W Farr, Luke Foulser, Sonia Goncalves, Scott Goodwin, Marina Gourtovaia, Ewan M Harrison, David K Jackson, Dorota Jamrozy, Ian Johnston, Leanne Kane, Sally Kay, Jon-Paul Keatley, Dominic Kwiatkowski, Cordelia F Langford, Mara Lawniczak, Laura Letchford, Rich Livett, Stephanie Lo, Inigo Martincorena, Samantha McGuigan, Rachel Nelson, Steve Palmer, Naomi R Park, Minal Patel, Liam Prestwood, Christoph Puethe, Michael A Quail, Shavanthi Rajatileka, Carol Scott, Lesley Shirley, John Sillitoe, Michael H Spencer Chapman, Scott AJ Thurston, Gerry Tonkin-Hill, Danni Weldon, Diana Rajan, Iraad F Bronner, Louise Aigrain, Nicholas M Redshaw, Stefanie V Lensing, Robert Davies, Andrew Whitwham, Jennifier Liddle, Kevin Lewis, Jaime M Tovar-Corona, Steven Leonard, Jillian Durham, Andrew R Bassett, Shane McCarthy, Robin J Moll, Keith James, Karen Oliver, Alex Makunin, Jeff Barrett, Rory N Gunson, Sudre, Carole H [0000-0001-5753-428X], Molteni, Erika [0000-0001-7773-8140], Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository, and Medical Research Council (MRC)
Subjects: Adult, Male, medicine.medical_specialty, Adolescent, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), B100, B200, 01 natural sciences, Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, 03 medical and health sciences, Young Adult, 0302 clinical medicine, COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium, Epidemiology, medicine, Humans, 030212 general & internal medicine, 0101 mathematics, Young adult, Aged, business.industry, SARS-CoV-2, Incidence (epidemiology), Public health, Comment, 010102 general mathematics, Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health, Ecological study, COVID-19, C500, Articles, Middle Aged, C700, Transmissibility (vibration), United Kingdom, Reinfection, Female, Public aspects of medicine, RA1-1270, business, Demography
Abstract: Background: The SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 was first identified in December, 2020, in England. We aimed to investigate whether increases in the proportion of infections with this variant are associated with differences in symptoms or disease course, reinfection rates, or transmissibility. Methods: We did an ecological study to examine the association between the regional proportion of infections with the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant and reported symptoms, disease course, rates of reinfection, and transmissibility. Data on types and duration of symptoms were obtained from longitudinal reports from users of the COVID Symptom Study app who reported a positive test for COVID-19 between Sept 28 and Dec 27, 2020 (during which the prevalence of B.1.1.7 increased most notably in parts of the UK). From this dataset, we also estimated the frequency of possible reinfection, defined as the presence of two reported positive tests separated by more than 90 days with a period of reporting no symptoms for more than 7 days before the second positive test. The proportion of SARS-CoV-2 infections with the B.1.1.7 variant across the UK was estimated with use of genomic data from the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium and data from Public Health England on spike-gene target failure (a non-specific indicator of the B.1.1.7 variant) in community cases in England. We used linear regression to examine the association between reported symptoms and proportion of B.1.1.7. We assessed the Spearman correlation between the proportion of B.1.1.7 cases and number of reinfections over time, and between the number of positive tests and reinfections. We estimated incidence for B.1.1.7 and previous variants, and compared the effective reproduction number, R t, for the two incidence estimates. Findings: From Sept 28 to Dec 27, 2020, positive COVID-19 tests were reported by 36 920 COVID Symptom Study app users whose region was known and who reported as healthy on app sign-up. We found no changes in reported symptoms or disease duration associated with B.1.1.7. For the same period, possible reinfections were identified in 249 (0·7% [95% CI 0·6–0·8]) of 36 509 app users who reported a positive swab test before Oct 1, 2020, but there was no evidence that the frequency of reinfections was higher for the B.1.1.7 variant than for pre-existing variants. Reinfection occurrences were more positively correlated with the overall regional rise in cases (Spearman correlation 0·56–0·69 for South East, London, and East of England) than with the regional increase in the proportion of infections with the B.1.1.7 variant (Spearman correlation 0·38–0·56 in the same regions), suggesting B.1.1.7 does not substantially alter the risk of reinfection. We found a multiplicative increase in the R t of B.1.1.7 by a factor of 1·35 (95% CI 1·02–1·69) relative to pre-existing variants. However, R t fell below 1 during regional and national lockdowns, even in regions with high proportions of infections with the B.1.1.7 variant. Interpretation: The lack of change in symptoms identified in this study indicates that existing testing and surveillance infrastructure do not need to change specifically for the B.1.1.7 variant. In addition, given that there was no apparent increase in the reinfection rate, vaccines are likely to remain effective against the B.1.1.7 variant. Funding: Zoe Global, Department of Health (UK), Wellcome Trust, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (UK), National Institute for Health Research (UK), Medical Research Council (UK), Alzheimer's Society.
Published: 2021

36. Stability of High Speed 3D Printing in Liquid-Like Solids

Author: Curtis R. Taylor, Kyle D. Schulze, Sean R. Niemi, W. Gregory Sawyer, Kyle J. LeBlanc, Alexander I. Bennett, Thomas E. Angelini, and Kathryn L. Harris
Subjects: Body force, Materials science, Inertial frame of reference, business.industry, Turbulence, Nozzle, Biomedical Engineering, 3D printing, Nanotechnology, 02 engineering and technology, Mechanics, 010402 general chemistry, 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology, 01 natural sciences, Instability, 0104 chemical sciences, Biomaterials, Surface tension, Experimental system, 0210 nano-technology, business
Abstract: Fluid instabilities limit the ability of features to hold their shape in many types of 3D printing as liquid inks solidify into written structures. By 3D printing directly into a continuum of jammed granular microgels, these instabilities are circumvented by eliminating surface tension and body forces. However, this type of 3D printing process is potentially limited by inertial instabilities if performed at high speeds where turbulence may destroy features as they are written. Here, we design and test a high-speed 3D printing experimental system to identify the instabilities that arise when an injection nozzle translates at 1 m/s. We find that the viscosity of the injected material can control the Reynold’s instability, and we discover an additional, unanticipated instability near the top surface of the granular microgel medium.
Published: 2021

37. Evaluating the effects of SARS-CoV-2 Spike mutation D614G on transmissibility and pathogenicity

Author: Erik Volz, Verity Hill, John T. McCrone, Anna Price, David Jorgensen, Áine O’Toole, Joel Southgate, Robert Johnson, Ben Jackson, Fabricia F. Nascimento, Sara M. Rey, Samuel M. Nicholls, Rachel M. Colquhoun, Ana da Silva Filipe, James Shepherd, David J. Pascall, Rajiv Shah, Natasha Jesudason, Kathy Li, Ruth Jarrett, Nicole Pacchiarini, Matthew Bull, Lily Geidelberg, Igor Siveroni, Ian Goodfellow, Nicholas J. Loman, Oliver G. Pybus, David L. Robertson, Emma C. Thomson, Andrew Rambaut, Thomas R. Connor, Cherian Koshy, Emma Wise, Nick Cortes, Jessica Lynch, Stephen Kidd, Matilde Mori, Derek J. Fairley, Tanya Curran, James P. McKenna, Helen Adams, Christophe Fraser, Tanya Golubchik, David Bonsall, Catrin Moore, Sarah L. Caddy, Fahad A. Khokhar, Michelle Wantoch, Nicola Reynolds, Ben Warne, Joshua Maksimovic, Karla Spellman, Kathryn McCluggage, Michaela John, Robert Beer, Safiah Afifi, Sian Morgan, Angela Marchbank, Christine Kitchen, Huw Gulliver, Ian Merrick, Martyn Guest, Robert Munn, Trudy Workman, William Fuller, Catherine Bresner, Luke B. Snell, Themoula Charalampous, Gaia Nebbia, Rahul Batra, Jonathan Edgeworth, Samuel C. Robson, Angela Beckett, Katie F. Loveson, David M. Aanensen, Anthony P. Underwood, Corin A. Yeats, Khalil Abudahab, Ben E.W. Taylor, Mirko Menegazzo, Gemma Clark, Wendy Smith, Manjinder Khakh, Vicki M. Fleming, Michelle M. Lister, Hannah C. Howson-Wells, Louise Berry, Tim Boswell, Amelia Joseph, Iona Willingham, Paul Bird, Thomas Helmer, Karlie Fallon, Christopher Holmes, Julian Tang, Veena Raviprakash, Sharon Campbell, Nicola Sheriff, Matthew W. Loose, Nadine Holmes, Christopher Moore, Matthew Carlile, Victoria Wright, Fei Sang, Johnny Debebe, Francesc Coll, Adrian W. Signell, Gilberto Betancor, Harry D. Wilson, Theresa Feltwell, Charlotte J. Houldcroft, Sahar Eldirdiri, Anita Kenyon, Thomas Davis, Oliver Pybus, Louis du Plessis, Alex Zarebski, Jayna Raghwani, Moritz Kraemer, Sarah Francois, Stephen Attwood, Tetyana Vasylyeva, M. Estee Torok, William L. Hamilton, Ian G. Goodfellow, Grant Hall, Aminu S. Jahun, Yasmin Chaudhry, Myra Hosmillo, Malte L. Pinckert, Iliana Georgana, Anna Yakovleva, Luke W. Meredith, Samuel Moses, Hannah Lowe, Felicity Ryan, Chloe L. Fisher, Ali R. Awan, John Boyes, Judith Breuer, Kathryn Ann Harris, Julianne Rose Brown, Divya Shah, Laura Atkinson, Jack C.D. Lee, Adela Alcolea-Medina, Nathan Moore, Nicholas Cortes, Rebecca Williams, Michael R. Chapman, Lisa J. Levett, Judith Heaney, Darren L. Smith, Matthew Bashton, Gregory R. Young, John Allan, Joshua Loh, Paul A. Randell, Alison Cox, Pinglawathee Madona, Alison Holmes, Frances Bolt, James Price, Siddharth Mookerjee, Aileen Rowan, Graham P. Taylor, Manon Ragonnet-Cronin, Rob Johnson, Olivia Boyd, Erik M. Volz, Kirstyn Brunker, Katherine L. Smollett, Joshua Quick, Claire McMurray, Joanne Stockton, Sam Nicholls, Will Rowe, Radoslaw Poplawski, Rocio T. Martinez-Nunez, Jenifer Mason, Trevor I. Robinson, Elaine O'Toole, Joanne Watts, Cassie Breen, Angela Cowell, Catherine Ludden, Graciela Sluga, Nicholas W. Machin, Shazaad S.Y. Ahmad, Ryan P. George, Fenella Halstead, Venkat Sivaprakasam, James G. Shepherd, Patawee Asamaphan, Marc O. Niebel, Kathy K. Li, Rajiv N. Shah, Natasha G. Jesudason, Yasmin A. Parr, Lily Tong, Alice Broos, Daniel Mair, Jenna Nichols, Stephen N. Carmichael, Kyriaki Nomikou, Elihu Aranday-Cortes, Natasha Johnson, Igor Starinskij, Richard J. Orton, Joseph Hughes, Sreenu Vattipally, Joshua B. Singer, Antony D. Hale, Louissa R. Macfarlane-Smith, Katherine L. Harper, Yusri Taha, Brendan A.I. Payne, Shirelle Burton-Fanning, Sheila Waugh, Jennifer Collins, Gary Eltringham, Kate E. Templeton, Martin P. McHugh, Rebecca Dewar, Elizabeth Wastenge, Samir Dervisevic, Rachael Stanley, Reenesh Prakash, Claire Stuart, Ngozi Elumogo, Dheeraj K. Sethi, Emma J. Meader, Lindsay J. Coupland, Will Potter, Clive Graham, Edward Barton, Debra Padgett, Garren Scott, Emma Swindells, Jane Greenaway, Andrew Nelson, Wen C. Yew, Paola C. Resende Silva, Monique Andersson, Robert Shaw, Timothy Peto, Anita Justice, David Eyre, Derrick Crooke, Sarah Hoosdally, Tim J. Sloan, Nichola Duckworth, Sarah Walsh, Anoop J. Chauhan, Sharon Glaysher, Kelly Bicknell, Sarah Wyllie, Ethan Butcher, Scott Elliott, Allyson Lloyd, Robert Impey, Nick Levene, Lynn Monaghan, Declan T. Bradley, Elias Allara, Clare Pearson, Peter Muir, Ian B. Vipond, Richard Hopes, Hannah M. Pymont, Stephanie Hutchings, Martin D. Curran, Surendra Parmar, Angie Lackenby, Tamyo Mbisa, Steven Platt, Shahjahan Miah, David Bibby, Carmen Manso, Jonathan Hubb, Meera Chand, Gavin Dabrera, Mary Ramsay, Daniel Bradshaw, Alicia Thornton, Richard Myers, Ulf Schaefer, Natalie Groves, Eileen Gallagher, David Lee, David Williams, Nicholas Ellaby, Ian Harrison, Hassan Hartman, Nikos Manesis, Vineet Patel, Chloe Bishop, Vicki Chalker, Husam Osman, Andrew Bosworth, Esther Robinson, Matthew T.G. Holden, Sharif Shaaban, Alec Birchley, Alexander Adams, Alisha Davies, Amy Gaskin, Amy Plimmer, Bree Gatica-Wilcox, Caoimhe McKerr, Catherine Moore, Chris Williams, David Heyburn, Elen De Lacy, Ember Hilvers, Fatima Downing, Giri Shankar, Hannah Jones, Hibo Asad, Jason Coombes, Joanne Watkins, Johnathan M. Evans, Laia Fina, Laura Gifford, Lauren Gilbert, Lee Graham, Malorie Perry, Mari Morgan, Michelle Cronin, Noel Craine, Rachel Jones, Robin Howe, Sally Corden, Sara Rey, Sara Kumziene-Summerhayes, Sarah Taylor, Simon Cottrell, Sophie Jones, Sue Edwards, Justin O’Grady, Andrew J. Page, John Wain, Mark A. Webber, Alison E. Mather, David J. Baker, Steven Rudder, Muhammad Yasir, Nicholas M. Thomson, Alp Aydin, Ana P. Tedim, Gemma L. Kay, Alexander J. Trotter, Rachel A.J. Gilroy, Nabil-Fareed Alikhan, Leonardo de Oliveira Martins, Thanh Le-Viet, Lizzie Meadows, Anastasia Kolyva, Maria Diaz, Andrew Bell, Ana Victoria Gutierrez, Ian G. Charles, Evelien M. Adriaenssens, Robert A. Kingsley, Anna Casey, David A. Simpson, Zoltan Molnar, Thomas Thompson, Erwan Acheson, Jane A.H. Masoli, Bridget A. Knight, Andrew Hattersley, Sian Ellard, Cressida Auckland, Tabitha W. Mahungu, Dianne Irish-Tavares, Tanzina Haque, Yann Bourgeois, Garry P. Scarlett, David G. Partridge, Mohammad Raza, Cariad Evans, Kate Johnson, Steven Liggett, Paul Baker, Sarah Essex, Ronan A. Lyons, Laura G. Caller, Sergi Castellano, Rachel J. Williams, Mark Kristiansen, Sunando Roy, Charlotte A. Williams, Patricia L. Dyal, Helena J. Tutill, Yasmin N. Panchbhaya, Leysa M. Forrest, Paola Niola, Jacqueline Findlay, Tony T. Brooks, Artemis Gavriil, Lamia Mestek-Boukhibar, Sam Weeks, Sarojini Pandey, Lisa Berry, Katie Jones, Alex Richter, Andrew Beggs, Colin P. Smith, Giselda Bucca, Andrew R. Hesketh, Ewan M. Harrison, Sharon J. Peacock, Sophie Palmer, Carol M. Churcher, Katherine L. Bellis, Sophia T. Girgis, Plamena Naydenova, Beth Blane, Sushmita Sridhar, Chris Ruis, Sally Forrest, Claire Cormie, Harmeet K. Gill, Joana Dias, Ellen E. Higginson, Mailis Maes, Jamie Young, Leanne M. Kermack, Nazreen F. Hadjirin, Dinesh Aggarwal, Luke Griffith, Tracey Swingler, Rose K. Davidson, Thomas Williams, Carlos E. Balcazar, Michael D. Gallagher, Áine O'Toole, Stefan Rooke, Rachel Colquhoun, Jordan Ashworth, J.T. McCrone, Emily Scher, Xiaoyu Yu, Kathleen A. Williamson, Thomas D. Stanton, Stephen L. Michell, Claire M. Bewshea, Ben Temperton, Michelle L. Michelsen, Joanna Warwick-Dugdale, Robin Manley, Audrey Farbos, James W. Harrison, Christine M. Sambles, David J. Studholme, Aaron R. Jeffries, Alistair C. Darby, Julian A. Hiscox, Steve Paterson, Miren Iturriza-Gomara, Kathryn A. Jackson, Anita O. Lucaci, Edith E. Vamos, Margaret Hughes, Lucille Rainbow, Richard Eccles, Charlotte Nelson, Mark Whitehead, Lance Turtle, Sam T. Haldenby, Richard Gregory, Matthew Gemmell, Dominic Kwiatkowski, Thushan I. de Silva, Nikki Smith, Adrienn Angyal, Benjamin B. Lindsey, Danielle C. Groves, Luke R. Green, Dennis Wang, Timothy M. Freeman, Matthew D. Parker, Alexander J. Keeley, Paul J. Parsons, Rachel M. Tucker, Rebecca Brown, Matthew Wyles, Chrystala Constantinidou, Meera Unnikrishnan, Sascha Ott, Jeffrey K.J. Cheng, Hannah E. Bridgewater, Lucy R. Frost, Grace Taylor-Joyce, Richard Stark, Laura Baxter, Mohammad T. Alam, Paul E. Brown, Patrick C. McClure, Joseph G. Chappell, Theocharis Tsoleridis, Jonathan Ball, Dimitris Grammatopoulos, David Buck, John A. Todd, Angie Green, Amy Trebes, George MacIntyre-Cockett, Mariateresa de Cesare, Cordelia Langford, Alex Alderton, Roberto Amato, Sonia Goncalves, David K. Jackson, Ian Johnston, John Sillitoe, Steve Palmer, Mara Lawniczak, Matt Berriman, John Danesh, Rich Livett, Lesley Shirley, Ben Farr, Mike Quail, Scott Thurston, Naomi Park, Emma Betteridge, Danni Weldon, Scott Goodwin, Rachel Nelson, Charlotte Beaver, Laura Letchford, David A. Jackson, Luke Foulser, Liz McMinn, Liam Prestwood, Sally Kay, Leanne Kane, Matthew J. Dorman, Inigo Martincorena, Christoph Puethe, Jon-Paul Keatley, Gerry Tonkin-Hill, Christen Smith, Dorota Jamrozy, Mathew A. Beale, Minal Patel, Cristina Ariani, Michael Spencer-Chapman, Eleanor Drury, Stephanie Lo, Shavanthi Rajatileka, Carol Scott, Keith James, Sarah K. Buddenborg, Duncan J. Berger, Gaurang Patel, Maria V. Garcia-Casado, Thomas Dibling, Samantha McGuigan, Hazel A. Rogers, Adam D. Hunter, Emily Souster, Alexandra S. Neaverson, Medical Research Council (MRC), Pascall, David [0000-0002-7543-0860], and Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository
Subjects: Genome, Genetic analysis, 0302 clinical medicine, Clade, 11 Medical and Health Sciences, Genetics, 0303 health sciences, education.field_of_study, Phylogenetic tree, Virulence, C500, COG-UK Consortium, C700, Transmissibility (vibration), 3. Good health, founder effect, Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus, epidemiology, Viral load, Population, Glycine, B100, Genomics, Genome, Viral, Biology, Article, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, 03 medical and health sciences, evolution, Humans, education, 030304 developmental biology, Aspartic Acid, Whole Genome Sequencing, Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all), SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, spike, The COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium, A300, 06 Biological Sciences, United Kingdom, Amino Acid Substitution, Evolutionary biology, Mutation, Biological dispersal, 030217 neurology & neurosurgery, Founder effect, Developmental Biology
Abstract: Global dispersal and increasing frequency of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variant D614G are suggestive of a selective advantage but may also be due to a random founder effect. We investigate the hypothesis for positive selection of spike D614G in the United Kingdom using more than 25,000 whole genome SARS-CoV-2 sequences. Despite the availability of a large dataset, well represented by both spike 614 variants, not all approaches showed a conclusive signal of positive selection. Population genetic analysis indicates that 614G increases in frequency relative to 614D in a manner consistent with a selective advantage. We do not find any indication that patients infected with the spike 614G variant have higher COVID-19 mortality or clinical severity, but 614G is associated with higher viral load and younger age of patients. Significant differences in growth and size of 614G phylogenetic clusters indicate a need for continued study of this variant., Graphical Abstract, Highlights • Increasing frequency of SARS-CoV-2 D614G is consistent with a selective advantage • Phylodynamic analyses do not show significantly different growth of D614G clusters • There is no association of D614G replacement with greater severity of infection • The D614G replacement is associated with higher viral loads and younger patient age, Analysis of the spread and frequency of SARS-CoV-2 D614G in the United Kingdom suggests a selective advantage for this strain that is associated with higher viral loads in younger patients but not higher COVID-19 clinical severity or mortality.
Published: 2021
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38. Lawsonella clevelandensis is a rare cause of infected chronic contained rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm

Author: Robin Williams, Kathryn A. Harris, Simon Dewar, Daniel Weiand, Gerard Stansby, and Wissam Ahmed
Subjects: 0301 basic medicine, Fastidious organism, medicine.medical_specialty, fastidious, intra-abdominal infection, 030106 microbiology, Case Report, co-amoxiclav, Gram-positive bacillus, 03 medical and health sciences, abdominal aortic aneurysm, Aneurysm, medicine, partially acid fast, General Materials Science, cardiovascular diseases, Abscess, business.industry, Left flank, medicine.disease, Lawsonella clevelandensis, Abdominal aortic aneurysm, Surgery, 030104 developmental biology, Infected haematoma, cardiovascular system, Abdominal computed tomography, 16S rRNA PCR, business
Abstract: Lawsonella clevelandensis is an anaerobic, partially acid-fast, Gram-positive bacillus associated with abscess formation. We present the case of a 70-year-old male with chronic contained rupture of abdominal aortic aneurysm (CCR-AAA) complicated by intra-abdominal abscess formation. An abdominal computed tomography scan revealed a rim-enhancing retroperitoneal collection tracking into the subcutaneous layer of the left flank and buttock, suggestive of CCR-AAA with infected haematoma. He underwent ultrasound-guided needle aspiration of the intra-abdominal collection. Conventional culture techniques failed to isolate L. clevelandensis , and the diagnosis was only confirmed by means of 16S rRNA PCR. The patient underwent branched endovascular repair of his aneurysm, and was commenced on treatment with co-amoxiclav, resulting in significant reduction in the size of the infected collection. This is only the second reported case of infection with L. clevelandensis in the UK, and the first reported case of this organism causing infected CCR-AAA.
Published: 2021
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39. Cautionary Note on Contamination of Reagents Used for Molecular Detection of SARS-CoV-2

Author: Jo Vandesompele, Jacob Moran-Gilad, Michael W. Pfaffl, Timothy D. McHugh, Heinz Zeichhardt, Gregory L. Shipley, Marc L. Salit, Jim F. Huggett, Vladimir Benes, Jeremy A. Garson, Peter M. Vallone, Carl T. Wittwer, Mikael Kubista, Kathryn A. Harris, Martin Kammel, Stephen A. Bustin, and Tania Nolan
Subjects: 0301 basic medicine, Opinion, Diagnostic methods, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Clinical Biochemistry, Computational biology, 030204 cardiovascular system & hematology, Biology, Genome, Specimen Handling, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, Contamination, Limit of Detection, Nasopharynx, Humans, False positive, Diagnostic Errors, Biochemistry, medical, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, SARS-CoV-2, Biochemistry (medical), RT-qPCR, COVID-19, Molecular Diagnosis, Reverse transcriptase, 030104 developmental biology, Nucleic acid, RNA, Viral, Indicators and Reagents
Abstract: Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR, the principal diagnostic method applied in the world-wide struggle against COVID-19, is capable of detecting a single molecule of a viral genome. Correctly designed and practiced RT-PCR assays for SARS-CoV-2 should not cross react with similar but distinct viral pathogens, such as the coronaviruses associated with the common cold, and should perform with very high analytical sensitivity. This analytical performance is predicated on the ability of the method to detect the presence of the selected nucleic acid target, without detection of a false positive signal.
Published: 2020
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40. SARS-CoV-2 genomes recovered by long amplicon tiling multiplex approach using nanopore sequencing and applicable to other sequencing platforms

Author: Maria Orgeswalska, Ministério da Saúde. Coordenação Nacional de Laboratórios. Brasília, Df, Brasil., Kathryn A. Harris, André Luiz de Abreu, Sunando Roy, Rachel Williams, Milene Miranda, Cristiana C. Garcia, Judith Breuer, Joilson Xavier, Marilda M. Siqueira, Braulia Costa Caetano, Fernando Couto Motta, Allison Fabri, Luciana Appolinario, Aline R. Matos, and Paola Cristina Resende
Subjects: Nanopore, Computer science, Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), Multiplex, Nanopore sequencing, Computational biology, Primer (molecular biology), Amplicon, Pathogenicity, Genome
Abstract: SummaryGenomic surveillance has become a useful tool for better understanding virus pathogenicity, origin and spread. Obtaining accurately assembled, complete viral genomes directly from clinical samples is still a challenging. Here, we describe three protocols using a unique primer set designed to recover long reads of SARS-CoV-2 directly from total RNA extracted from clinical samples. This protocol is useful, accessible and adaptable to laboratories with varying resources and access to distinct sequencing methods: Nanopore, Illumina and/or Sanger.
Published: 2020
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41. Comparison of SARS-CoV2 N gene real-time RT-PCR targets and commercially available mastermixes

Author: Eloise J. Busby, Rui P A Pereira, Jim F. Huggett, Kathryn A. Harris, Julianne R Brown, Alexandra S. Whale, and Denise M. O'Sullivan
Subjects: Detection limit, Improved performance, Real-time polymerase chain reaction, RNA, Biology, Primer (molecular biology), Molecular biology
Abstract: We aim to test four one-step RT real-time mastermix options for use in SARS-CoV2 real-time PCR, with three primer/probe assays targeting the N gene. The lower limit of detection is determined using a SARS CoV2 N gene RNA transcript dilution series (to 1 copy/µl) and verified using 74 nose and throat swabs.The N2 assay demonstrates the most sensitive detection of SARS-Cov-2 RNA. Three of the four mastermixes performed well, with the Takara One Step PrimeScript™ III RT-PCR Kit mastermix demonstrating improved performance at the lower limit of detection.
Published: 2020
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42. Colonic Basidiobolomycosis—An Unusual Presentation of Eosinophilic Intestinal Inflammation

Author: Kathryn A. Harris, Elizabeth M Johnson, Kate Cross, John C. Hartley, Catherine M. Owens, Keith J. Lindley, Samantha Levine, Elena Kurteva, Tom A. Watson, Jutta Köglmeier, Fanlek Cheng, and Alasdair Bamford
Subjects: medicine.medical_specialty, Case Report, 030204 cardiovascular system & hematology, Malignancy, Inflammatory bowel disease, Gastroenterology, Pediatrics, Basidiobolus ranarum, 03 medical and health sciences, 0302 clinical medicine, children, 030225 pediatrics, Internal medicine, Eosinophilic, eosinophilic inflammation, Medicine, Basidiobolomycosis, intestine, Gastrointestinal tract, basidiobolomycosis, biology, colon, business.industry, lcsh:RJ1-570, lcsh:Pediatrics, medicine.disease, biology.organism_classification, Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health, Primary immunodeficiency, Presentation (obstetrics), business
Abstract: Basidiobolomycosis is a rare fungal disease caused by Basidiobolus ranarum. Involvement of the gastrointestinal tract is unusual and poses both a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge, as clinical signs are non-specific and predisposing risk factors are lacking. It can mimick inflammatory bowel disease, primary immunodeficiency, or a malignancy and should be considered in patients who do not respond to standard therapy. We present the case of a 22 months old boy with confirmed colonic Basidiobolomycosis, who presented with severe eosinophilic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. Panfungal PCR performed on DNA extracted directly from a tissue sample confirmed the presence of Basidiobolus. He made a full recovery with a combination of surgery and prolonged targeted antifungal medication.
Published: 2020

43. Outcome according to subspecies following lung transplantation in cystic fibrosis pediatric patients infected with Mycobacterium abscessus

Author: Paul Aurora, Helen Spencer, Kathryn A. Harris, Nagarajan Muthialu, Garth Dixon, Ema Kavaliunaite, and Delane Shingadia
Subjects: DNA, Bacterial, Male, medicine.medical_specialty, Adolescent, Cystic Fibrosis, medicine.medical_treatment, Mycobacterium Infections, Nontuberculous, Microbial Sensitivity Tests, Mycobacterium abscessus, Subspecies, Single Center, Gastroenterology, Cystic fibrosis, law.invention, law, Internal medicine, medicine, Humans, Lung transplantation, Child, Phylogeny, Polymerase chain reaction, Retrospective Studies, Transplantation, Lung, Whole Genome Sequencing, biology, business.industry, Sequence Analysis, DNA, bacterial infections and mycoses, biology.organism_classification, medicine.disease, Variable number tandem repeat, Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care, Infectious Diseases, medicine.anatomical_structure, bacteria, Female, business, Lung Transplantation
Abstract: Background Mycobacterium abscessus infection has been associated with variable outcomes following lung transplantation. M abscessus comprises three subspecies (M abscessus subsp abscessus, M abscessus subsp massiliense, and M abscessus subsp bolletii). We investigated whether lung transplantation outcome in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients in a single center was related to the M abscessus subspecies and genetic cluster. Methods CF patients with chronic M abscessus infection transplanted at Great Ormond Street Hospital between 2004 and 2017 were retrospectively examined. All M abscessus isolates were identified to subspecies level by polymerase chain reaction and sequencing. Genetic cluster was determined by variable number tandem repeat profiling and whole-genome sequencing (WGS), and sequence type inferred from WGS. Results Thirteen patients with chronic M abscessus infection underwent heart/lung or lung transplantation. Subspecies identification showed n = 1 with M abscessus bolletii, n = 5 with M abscessus massiliense, and n = 7 with M abscessus abscessus infection. Eight (62%) patients (one with M abscessus massiliense and seven with M abscessus abscessus) died post-lung transplant. The patient with M abscessus bolletii and three patients with M abscessus massiliense did well post-transplant. One patient with M abscessus massiliense is receiving ongoing treatment. Conclusions Dramatically worse outcomes are observed in patients infected with M abscessus subspecies abscessus, the majority of whom were infected with ST-1 and ST-26 strains. Patients infected with other M abcsessus strains can have acceptable outcomes.
Published: 2020
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44. PCR for the detection of pathogens in neonatal early onset sepsis

Author: Paul T. Heath, Philip D. Butcher, Clarissa Oeser, Marcus Pond, Philipp Henneke, Tim Planche, Ken Laing, Alison Bedford Russell, and Kathryn A. Harris
Subjects: Physiology, Artificial Gene Amplification and Extension, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, medicine.disease_cause, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Ureaplasma, Mycoplasma, 0302 clinical medicine, Antibiotics, RNA, Ribosomal, 16S, Medicine and Health Sciences, 030212 general & internal medicine, Age of Onset, Candida, Multidisciplinary, Neonatal sepsis, Antimicrobials, Candidiasis, Drugs, Pneumococcus, Bacterial Infections, Bacterial Pathogens, Body Fluids, Blood, Medical Microbiology, Infant, Extremely Premature, Medicine, Pathogens, Neonatal Sepsis, Anatomy, Infant, Premature, Research Article, Staphylococcus aureus, Science, Mycoplasma hominis, Biology, Research and Analysis Methods, Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction, Microbiology, DNA, Ribosomal, Sensitivity and Specificity, 03 medical and health sciences, Signs and Symptoms, Enterobacteriaceae, Diagnostic Medicine, Sepsis, Microbial Control, 030225 pediatrics, Streptococcus pneumoniae, medicine, Humans, Molecular Biology Techniques, Microbial Pathogens, Molecular Biology, Pharmacology, Bacteria, Organisms, Infant, Newborn, Biology and Life Sciences, Neonates, Streptococcus, medicine.disease, biology.organism_classification, Early Diagnosis, Streptococcus agalactiae, Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction, Enterococcus, Developmental Biology, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Enterococcus faecium
Abstract: Background A large proportion of neonates are treated for presumed bacterial sepsis with broad spectrum antibiotics even though their blood cultures subsequently show no growth. This study aimed to investigate PCR-based methods to identify pathogens not detected by conventional culture. Methods Whole blood samples of 208 neonates with suspected early onset sepsis were tested using a panel of multiplexed bacterial PCRs targeting Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS), Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes (GAS), Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Ureaplasma parvum, Ureaplasma urealyticum, Mycoplasma hominis and Mycoplasma genitalium, a 16S rRNA gene broad-range PCR and a multiplexed PCR for Candida spp. Results Two-hundred and eight samples were processed. In five of those samples, organisms were detected by conventional culture; all of those were also identified by PCR. PCR detected bacteria in 91 (45%) of the 203 samples that did not show bacterial growth in culture. S. aureus, Enterobacteriaceae and S. pneumoniae were the most frequently detected pathogens. A higher bacterial load detected by PCR was correlated positively with the number of clinical signs at presentation. Conclusion Real-time PCR has the potential to be a valuable additional tool for the diagnosis of neonatal sepsis.
Published: 2020

45. Detection of M. tuberculosis DNA in CD34-Positive Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Asymptomatic TB Contacts

Author: Henny M. Martineau, Martin Vordermeier, Adrian R. Martineau, Julie Demaret, Sidra Younis, Tenagne Abozen, David A. Jolliffe, Kathryn A. Harris, Vlad Nikolayevskyy, Denise M. O'Sullivan, Stefan Berg, Sally Forrest, Dawit Tayachew, Jonathan Mayito, Mahdad Noursadeghi, Gobena Ameni, Markos Abebe, Taye Tolera Balcha, Mulugeta Belay, Abraham Aseffa, Emawayish A. Tirfie, Aboma Zewude, Stephen T Reece, Begna Tulu, Metasebia Tegegn, Jim F. Huggett, Gerwyn M. Jones, Aneesh Chandran, and Hana Manwandu
Subjects: medicine.medical_specialty, Tuberculosis, Latent tuberculosis, business.industry, Isoniazid, medicine.disease, Peripheral blood mononuclear cell, Asymptomatic, Clinical trial, Internal medicine, Chemoprophylaxis, medicine, medicine.symptom, Prospective cohort study, business, medicine.drug
Abstract: Background: Haematopoietic stem cells expressing the CD34 surface marker have been posited as a niche for M. tuberculosis complex (MTBC) bacilli during latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in Ethiopia to determine whether MTBC DNA was detectable in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated from 100 ml blood taken from 197 asymptomatic adults with a history of recent household TB contact and/or HIV infection, using digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR). A nested prospective study was conducted in a sub-set of 43 HIV-infected individuals to evaluate whether administration of isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) was effective in clearing MTBC DNA from PBMC. Results: MTBC DNA was detected in PBMC of 156/197 participants (79.2%; 95% CI 73.5% to 84.9%). Where present, it was found more frequently in CD34-positive vs. CD34-negative PBMC (154/155 [99.4%] vs. 46/155 [29.7%], P
Published: 2020
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46. Norovirus Transmission Dynamics in a Pediatric Hospital Using Full Genome Sequences

Author: Julianne R Brown, Sunando Roy, Rachel Williams, John C. Hartley, Divya Shah, Kathryn A. Harris, Helen Dunn, Charlotte A Williams, and Judy Breuer
Subjects: 0301 basic medicine, Microbiology (medical), medicine.medical_specialty, Genotype, 030106 microbiology, Genome, Viral, medicine.disease_cause, Tertiary referral hospital, molecular epidemiology, Disease Outbreaks, 03 medical and health sciences, fluids and secretions, 0302 clinical medicine, Epidemiology, medicine, Humans, Infection control, 030212 general & internal medicine, Child, Articles and Commentaries, Phylogeny, Caliciviridae Infections, Cross Infection, whole genome, Molecular epidemiology, business.industry, Transmission (medicine), Norovirus, virus diseases, Outbreak, sequencing, Hospitals, Pediatric, Virology, Gastroenteritis, 3. Good health, Infectious Diseases, epidemiology, business
Abstract: Norovirus genome sequencing identified 33% of patients whose sequences were linked phylogenetically to those of another patient in the study. An additional 24% of nosocomially infected patients had unlinked sequences, suggesting infection from unsampled sources. Genome sequencing identifies unsuspected nosocomial norovirus infection., Background Norovirus is a leading cause of worldwide and nosocomial gastroenteritis. The study aim was to assess the utility of molecular epidemiology using full genome sequences compared to routine infection prevention and control (IPC) investigations. Methods Norovirus genomes were generated from new episodes of norovirus at a pediatric tertiary referral hospital over a 19-month period (n = 182). Phylogeny identified clusters of related sequences that were verified using epidemiological and clinical data. Results Twenty-four clusters of related norovirus sequences (“sequence clusters”) were observed, including 8 previously identified by IPC investigations (“IPC outbreaks”). Seventeen sequence clusters (involving 77/182 patients) were corroborated by epidemiological data (“epidemiologically supported clusters”), suggesting transmission between patients. Linked infections were identified among 44 patients who were missed by IPC investigations. Thirty-three percent of norovirus sequences were linked, suggesting nosocomial transmission; 24% of patients had nosocomial infections from an unknown source; and 43% were norovirus positive on admission. Conclusions We show there are frequent introductions of multiple norovirus strains with extensive onward nosocomial transmission of norovirus in a pediatric hospital with a high proportion of immunosuppressed patients nursed in isolation. Phylogenetic analysis using full genome sequences is more sensitive than classic IPC investigations for identifying linked cases and should be considered when investigating norovirus nosocomial transmission. Sampling of staff, visitors, and the environment may be required for complete understanding of infection sources and transmission routes in patients with nosocomial infections not linked to other patients and among patients with phylogenetically linked cases but no evidence of direct contact.
Published: 2018
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47. Tribology of polypropylene and Li-complex greases with ZDDP and MoDTC additives

Author: Sergei Glavatskih, René Westbroek, Bulat Munavirov, Johan Leckner, Ju Shu, and Kathryn L. Harris
Subjects: Polypropylene, Materials science, Mechanical Engineering, chemistry.chemical_element, 02 engineering and technology, Surfaces and Interfaces, Tribology, 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology, Surfaces, Coatings and Films, chemistry.chemical_compound, 020303 mechanical engineering & transports, 0203 mechanical engineering, chemistry, Mechanics of Materials, Grease, Lithium, Composite material, 0210 nano-technology
Abstract: The influence of thickener and additive interactions on grease lubricating performance is examined. Polypropylene and lithium complex thickened (Li-complex) greases were tested both as neat greases ...
Published: 2018
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48. Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 N gene real-time RT-PCR targets and commercially available mastermixes

Author: Julianne R Brown, Denise M. O'Sullivan, Alexandra S. Whale, Divya Shah, Laura Atkinson, Jim F. Huggett, Rui P A Pereira, Kathryn A. Harris, and Eloise J. Busby
Subjects: 0301 basic medicine, Serial dilution, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), 030106 microbiology, Biology, Nose, Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction, Sensitivity and Specificity, Homology (biology), Article, Mastermix, 03 medical and health sciences, N gene, Virology, Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid, Coronavirus Nucleocapsid Proteins, Humans, SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR, DNA Primers, Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, SARS-CoV-2, RNA, COVID-19, Phosphoproteins, Molecular biology, Reverse transcriptase, 030104 developmental biology, Real-time polymerase chain reaction, COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Testing, Pharynx, RNA, Viral, Reagent Kits, Diagnostic, Primer (molecular biology)
Abstract: Background This study aimed to evaluate the impact of four different reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) master mixes on the performance of SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic PCRs using three primer/probe assays targeting the N gene (A, B and C). The dynamic range and lowest detected quantity was determined using a SARS-CoV-2 partial N gene RNA transcript dilution series (100,000–1 copy/μl) and verified using 72 nose and throat swabs, 29 of which tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Results Assay C consistently detected the lowest quantity of partial N gene RNA transcript with all mastermixes. The Takara One Step PrimeScript™ III RT-PCR Kit mastermix enabled all primer pairs to detect the entire dynamic range evaluated, with the Qiagen Quantifast and Thermofisher TaqPath 1-Step kits also performing well. Sequences from all three primer/probe sets tested in this study (assay A, B and C) have 100 % homology to ≥97 % of the of SARS-CoV-2 sequences available up to 31st December 2020 (n = 291,483 sequences). Conclusions This work demonstrates that specific assays (in this case assay C) can perform well in terms of dynamic range and lowest detected quantity regardless of the mastermix used. However we also show that, by choosing the most appropriate mastermix, poorer performing primer pairs are also able to detect all of the template dilutions investigated. This work increases the potential options when choosing assays for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis and provides solutions to enable them to work with optimal analytical sensitivity.
Published: 2021

49. Measuring Contact Mechanics Deformations Using DIC through a Transparent Medium

Author: Thomas E. Angelini, Kathryn L. Harris, Wallace Gregory Sawyer, Peter Ifju, Alexander I. Bennett, and Sean Rohde
Subjects: Surface (mathematics), Digital image correlation, Materials science, business.industry, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Modulus, 02 engineering and technology, Deformation (meteorology), 021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology, Silicone rubber, chemistry.chemical_compound, 020303 mechanical engineering & transports, Contact mechanics, Optics, 0203 mechanical engineering, chemistry, Mechanics of Materials, Solid mechanics, Composite material, 0210 nano-technology, Contact area, business
Abstract: This paper describes the experimental methodology used to study the contact mechanics of a rigid, rough surface and a compliant, nominally flat surface using digital image correlation (DIC). The rough surface was produced by 3-D printing PMMA and the flat surface was produced with transparent PDMS (silicone rubber). The deformation of the speckled top surface (contact) of the PDMS was measured via DIC viewed through the transparent media. Four different PDMS formulations with moduli ranging from 64 to 2120 kPa were used in the experiment program to cover a wide range of modulus normalized loads. The deformation of the contact surface and depth of penetration versus normalized load were measured. The results were overlaid with previous measurements of contact area and complemented them extremely well. Additionally, it was shown that scaling laws associated with such contact mechanics problems extend many length scales.
Published: 2017
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50. What is broad-range 16S rDNA PCR?

Author: Kathryn A. Harris, Felicity Fitzgerald, and Amani H. Patel
Subjects: 0301 basic medicine, Fastidious organism, Microbiological culture, 030106 microbiology, Cell Culture Techniques, Pediatrics, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Microbiology, molecular bacteriology, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, 03 medical and health sciences, Molecular microbiology, RNA, Ribosomal, 16S, Humans, Medicine, Microbiome, Bacterial diagnostics, Ribosomal DNA, Bacteria, biology, business.industry, PCRs, 16S ribosomal RNA, biology.organism_classification, broad-range 16S rDNA PCR, RNA, Bacterial, 030104 developmental biology, Real-time polymerase chain reaction, molecular microbiology, Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health, 1114 Paediatrics and Reproductive Medicine, business
Abstract: PCRs have revolutionised the detection of bacteria in clinical samples since their widespread introduction in the 1990s.1 Quantitative PCR (qPCR), also known as specific PCR, involves the targeting of particular bacterial species. The technique uses specific primers (short strands of nucleic acid needed to initiate DNA replication) and fluorescent probes to allow real-time quantification of target bacterial DNA during amplification. The qPCR assay is a mainstay of microbiological diagnostics within the National Health Service (NHS). At our hospital approximately 200 qPCRs are performed per week for the investigation of bacterial infections. Although qPCR is by far the most frequently used molecular technique in bacterial diagnostics, in certain scenarios a broad-range (non-specific) 16S rDNA (ribosomal DNA) PCR is increasingly being used. Broad-range 16S rDNA PCR is also more commonly used in research settings, originally for use in detecting and identifying unusual bacterial species but now more widely used in the rapidly expanding field of microbiome research. This technique provides the initial step in the process of analysing complex microbial communities in human, zoological and even geological settings. In the future, analysis of individualised microbial communities using broad-range 16S rDNA PCR may be a key component of personalised medicine. The two major benefits that qPCR offers over traditional culture methods are described below and in table 1. View this table: Table 1 Comparison of advantages and disadvantages of culture methods, qPCR and 16S rDNA PCR ### Speed Bacterial culture takes at least 24–48 hours for determina tion of a positive result, or longer for slow-growing organisms such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis .2 Furthermore, some fastidious organisms may commonly escape detection in routine cultures, for example, Kingella kingae .3 In qPCR, the use of fluorescent probes enables bacterial load to be detected and quantified in real time, hence reducing time to diagnosis and correct treatment initiation.4 The fluorescence is measured during the …
Published: 2017
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