84 research outputs found
Whole-genome characterization and resistance-associated substitutions in a new HCV genotype 1 subtype
No full textGeorg von Massow,1 Damir Garcia-Cehic,1,2 Josep Gregori,1–3 Francisco Rodriguez-Frias,2,4 María Dolores Macià,5 Ana Escarda,6 Juan Ignacio Esteban,1–2,7 Josep Quer1–2,71Liver Unit, Liver Diseases – Viral Hepatitis, Vall d’Hebron Institut of Research (VHIR) – Hospital Universitari Vall d’Hebron (HUVH), Barcelona, Spain; 2Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; 3Roche Diagnostics S.L., Sant Cugat del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; 4Biochemistry and Microbiology Department, VHIR-HUVH, Barcelona, Spain; 5Unidad de Microbiología Molecular, Servicio de Microbiología, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de les Illes Balears (IdISBa), Hospital Universitario Son Espases, Mallorca, Spain; 6Digestive Department, Hospital Universitario Son Espases, Mallorca, Spain; 7Medicine Department, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, SpainAbstract: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a highly variable infectious agent, classified into 8 genotypes and 86 subtypes. Our laboratory has implemented an in-house developed high-resolution HCV subtyping method based on next-generation sequencing (NGS) for error-free classification of the virus using phylogenetic analysis and analysis of genetic distances in sequences from patient samples compared to reference sequences. During routine diagnostic, a sample from an Equatorial Guinea patient could not be classified into any of the existing subtypes. The whole genome was analyzed to confirm that the new isolate could be classified as a new HCV subtype. In addition, naturally occurring resistance-associated substitutions (RAS) were analyzed by NGS. Whole-genome analysis based on p-distances suggests that the sample belongs to a new HCV genotype 1 subtype. Several RAS in the NS3 (S122T, D168E and I170V) and NS5A protein (Q(1b)24K, R(1b)30Q and Y93L+Y93F) were found, which could limit the use of some inhibitors for treating this subtype. RAS studies of new subtypes are of great interest for tailoring treatment, as no data on treatment efficacy are reported. In our case, the patient has not yet been treated, and the RAS report will be used to design the most effective treatment.Keywords: subtype, direct-acting antivirals, HCV, genotype
Feeling Rash?
No full textFeeling Rash?
Melanio Rodriguez, MD1, Erica Peiper, DO2, Ana Angeli3, Nisha Chachad3, Fernando Frias-Grishko1, MD, Jose Gonzalez-Pantaleon, MD1
1Internal Medicine, HCA Florida Kendall Hospital 2Anesthesiology, HCA Florida Kendall Hospital 3Class of 2026, Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine Introduction: Our objective is to discuss a diagnostic approach for a maculopapular rash in an adult male with no past medical history or recent history of infection. This was a case where a wide differential was key to the diagnosis of the patient, as IgA vasculitis is rare in the adult population. Case Presentation: A 36 year-old male presented to the ED with a chief complaint of a rash on bilateral lower extremities of 3 days duration. The patient recently traveled to Colombia, had dental work, and had an insect bite on his lower extremity. The rash was initially itchy, began burning, and became painful to touch. He had no other complaints. Vital signs were stable and physical exam was positive only for a maculopapular rash covering 6% TBSA. Discussion: His CBC showed a leukocytosis with a normal platelet count. His BMP showed normal kidney and liver function. ESR and CRP were elevated. Immunological testing was negative for pANCA, cANCA, and ANA. Hepatitis and treponema pallidum serologies were negative. Echocardiogram did not find any valvular vegetations. Full-thickness punch biopsies were taken of each lower extremity, which demonstrated leukocytoclastic vasculitis positive for IgA vasculitis. Deviation from the Expected: Incidence of IgA vasculitis in adults is 1/100,000. Conclusion: In this case, we discussed a thorough diagnostic approach for an adult with a maculopapular rash which led to the rare finding of IgA vasculitis. It is essential to identify these patients, as any renal involvement requires early intervention to improve outcomes
Sars-Cov 2 Infection Complicating ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction
No full textJoel Brooks Tamayo Joel, MD, Internal Medicine, Kendall Regional Medical Center. Fernando Frias, MD, Internal Medicine, Brandon Regional Medical Center. Daniel Gonzalez, MD, Internal Medicine, Kendall Regional Medical Center. Yoandy Rodriguez, MD, Faculaty MD, faculty. Jose Gascon, MD, Program Director Introduction The new coronavirus emerged in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, in a short period of time it became a pandemic with 5,551,793 cases in the United States and over 170,000 deaths. Patients with established cardiovascular disease represent a vulnerable population and cardiac injury in the context of Sars-Cov 2 infection increases the risk of death. Case report This is a 67 yo M with PMHx significant for T2DM who presents to ED c/o severe retrosternal pain, constant, radiated to the left arm. It was associated with diaphoresis. Absent fever, dyspnea, cough, diarrhea. Reports positive covid 19 PCR one week prior presentation. Labs: Elevated troponin I, CRP, and D-Dimer. Positive Sars-Cov 2 PCR EKG: NSR. 3 mm elevation of the J point in inferior and low lateral leads with reciprocal changes L1, AVL and V1-V3. Patient was transferred to the Cardiac suite. Left heart catheterization showed a thrombotic occlusion of the RCA. A stent was implanted in the proximal RCA. Discussion This patient presentation was consistent with Type 1 Myocardial Infection (MI), caused by plaque rupture with thrombus formation. The most accepted explanation is that circulating cytokines released during a severe systemic inflammatory state could lead to plaque instability and rupture. The fact a patient has Sars-Cov 2 infection should not compromise timely reperfusion. PCI should the primary reperfusion strategy. If the target time cannot be achieved, fibrinolysis should be started in absence of contraindications. Conclusion The incidence of STEMI in infected patients during the Sars-Cov 2 outbreak is unknown. There are very scarce data about symptoms and electrocardiographic changes related to STEMI in Sars-Cov 2 infection. PCI should be the primary reperfusion strategy. Key words: Sars-Cov 2, STEMI, M
PESI - a taxonomic backbone for Europe
No full textThis is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
The attached file is the published version of the article.NHM Repositor
Marine debris composition in Batu Pahat, Johor: a comparison between Sungai Lurus and Minyak Beku beaches
No full textThe increment of population growth and rapid economic development near the beaches area enhance the generation of marine debris annually thus has become an environmental concern. In BatuPahat, Johor, determination ofmarine debris compositions on the beach provide a preliminary caution on the level of contamination and also enable to identify the most abundant waste. For this study, a comparison between two beaches namely Sungai Lurus and Minyak Beku in Batu Pahat district and located in the same coastline, were carried out. The composition, density and moisture content of the marine debris collected were determined The results demonstrated that plastic waste was the most abundant item at 80% of the total amount of debris and represents 54% by weight of marine debris composition in Sungai Lurus beach. Meanwhile, glass waste predominates at 60% with 39% by weight of marine debris composition at MinyakBeku beach. The moisture content of debris composition at Minyak Beku beach represents up to 12.61% compared to 8.68% at Sungai Lurus beach. High density of debris composition was obtained at Minyak Beku beach with 94.56kg/m followed by 66.15kg/m3 at Sungai Lurus beach. As a conclusion, the economic activities and solid waste management along the beaches highly influence the amount of marine debris composition at Sungai Lurus and Minyak Beku beaches. Due to the number of marine debris that is still littered along the beaches has indicated that environmental concerns among Malaysian are still low
Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex DNA from an extinct bison dated 17,000 years before the present
No full textA size-adaptive time-step algorithm for accurate simulation of aging in analog ICs
No full textPaper presented at the 2017 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS), held in Baltimore, MD, USA, on 28-31 May 2017.Variability is one of the main and critical challenges introduced by the continuous scaling in integrated technologies and the need for reliable ICs. In this regard, it is necessary to take into account time-zero (i.e., spatial or process variability) and time-dependent variability (i.e., aging). While process variability has been extensively treated, considerable efforts are currently being made to develop new simulation tools to evaluate the impact of aging, but very few works have been focused on reliability simulation for analog ICs. The models for the wear-out phenomena typically use the stress conditions of the analog circuit during its normal operation. However, many of the available solutions often miss the bi-directional link between stress and biasing and their changes over time and, therefore, accuracy losses occur while evaluating the impact of aging in the circuit performance. This paper proposes a new size-adaptive time-step algorithm to efficiently update the stress conditions in the reliability simulation of analog ICs. Compared to similar solutions, the work presented here is able to attain similar accuracy levels with lower CPU times
Subclassificação e determinação de avidez de IgG anti-TPO e pesquisa de citocinas inflamatórias em soros de pacientes com hipotireoidismo subclínico: comparação com pacientes com hipotireoidismo estabelecido
No full textDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Ciências da SaúdeO hipotireoidismo subclínico é definido pela presença de nível aumentado de TSH e níveis normais de hormônios tireoideanos. Podem ocorrer repercussões clínicas, com alterações cárdio-vasculares, músculo-esqueléticas, de perfil lipídico e estado de humor. É questionável ainda se este quadro corresponde a um hipotireoidismo "verdadeiro" em evolução, ou se é uma anormalidade bioquímica, sem disfunção de órgão alvo. Em 80% dos casos de hipotireoidismo subclínico, há alteração de função tireoideana por anticorpos IgG autoimunes, dirigidos principalmente contra a tireoperoxidase (TPO). O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a subclassificação de IgG anti-TPO, a medida da sua avidez (força de ligação entre anticorpos e seus epítopos específicos) e a detectabilidade e níveis de marcadores inflamatórios (IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, IFN-g, TNF-a e neopterina) em pacientes portadoras de hipotireoidismo subclínico (hs), comparando tais achados aos de pacientes portadoras de hipotireoidismo estabelecido (he) e grupo controle (c). Foram avaliadas amostras de soros de 95 pacientes do sexo feminino, 34 com hs, 33 com he e 28 pacientes com função tireoideana normal, de acordo com os níveis de TSH e T4 livre. As dosagens de TSH, T4 livre, a subclassificação de anti-TPO e as dosagens de marcadores inflamatórios foram realizadas por método imunoenzimático (ELISA), enquanto que a dosagem de anti-TPO foi feita por quimioluminescência. A comparação da distribuição das variáveis nos três grupos foi realizada através de testes não paramétricos e as análises de correlação pelo coeficiente de Spearman. Os níveis de TSH foram diferentes entre os pacientes com hs e he (p=0,03), apesar de ambos elevados. Os níveis de T4 livre foram diferentes entre os pacientes com hs e c (p<0,001), ainda que ambos dentro da faixa normal. Os níveis de anti-TPO e a medida da sua avidez não diferiram entre os grupos hs e he. A subclassificação de IgG anti-TPO nos grupos de pacientes portadores de hs e he mostrou maior percentual de positividade para IgG1 e IgG4, com positividade de IgG1 de 71% no grupo hs e 67% no grupo he, enquanto que a positividade de IgG4 foi de 97% no grupo hs e 79% no grupo he A relação IgG1/IgG4 foi significativamente maior no grupo de pacientes portadoras de he (p=0,008) IgG1 é capaz de fixar complemento levando a lesão tecidual, enquanto que IgG4 não o faz. Desta forma, o predomínio de IgG1 sobre IgG4 através da medida de sua relação, pode estar associado ao potencial de lesão tecidual em pacientes portadores de hs. A dosagem de marcadores inflamatórios mostrou-se positiva em pequeno número de pacientes, com detectabilidade de TNF-a em 8,8%, IL-6 em 14,7% e IL-10 em 3% dos pacientes com hs. O acompanhamento das pacientes portadoras de hs permitirá a correlação destes dados (positividade e níveis de IgG1 e IgG4, bem como a sua relação) com a evolução clínic
The use of physical punishment on children in Saudi Arabia. Perceptions and experiences of parents and young people
No full textViolence against children is a worldwide phenomenon. The use of physical punishment on children is a type of this violence. However, there is a significant lack of research on this social problem in Saudi Arabia. This study attempted to investigate parental physical punishment in Saudi Arabia. The study sample consisted of two groups of people, parents and young people. 530 persons who live in Riyadh city (285 parents and 245 young people) took part. Two questionnaires (one for each group of participants) were developed for this study purposes and SPSS was used to analysis the data. Parental use of physical punishment was common among the study sample members. Boys were more likely than girls, to have been physically punished. Similarly, young children were exposed to physical punishment more than older children. Frequency of use of physical punishment also varied according to parental age. No difference was found between fathers and mothers in regards to gender, education, and employment status but parents with childhood experience of physical punishment used physical punishment more than parents without such childhood experiences. The majority of participants supported parental use of physical punishment on children. Moreover, the majority of parents disagreed with preventing parents from using physical punishment by law. In contrast, the majority of the young people agreed with the prevention of parental use of physical punishment by law. Findings are discussed in light of the ecological model and an analysis is offered of the utility of this model in explaining the trends outlined
The role of signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT-3) in ischaemic and pharmacological postconditioning
No full textIncludes abstract.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 131-147)
- …
