End Of May Research Articles

Mental Health: Potential Bipartisan Oasis in a Partisan Congress

Mental Health: Potential Bipartisan Oasis in a Partisan Congress

Severity Status of COVID-19 and Its Associated Factors at the Nyarugenge Treatment Center in Rwanda.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to be a public health emergency currently; on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a global pandemic. Despite the Rwanda National Health Measures that have been put in place to protect the public including lockdowns, curfew, face mask mandate, handwashing sensitization, etc., severe morbidity and mortality cases of COVID-19 are continued to be seen. Some studies have linked COVID-19 complications to its direct chain of mechanism; however, other studies have linked comorbidity or underlying disease conditions to its poor prognosis. Studies have not yet been conducted in Rwanda on the severe status of COVID-19 and its associated factors among patients. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the severe status of COVID-19 and its associated factors at the Nyarugenge Treatment Center. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was done. All patients admitted to the Nyarugenge Treatment Center from January 8, 2021, when the hospital opened, until the end of May 2021 were recruited in the study. The eligible participants were all patients who were admittedand tested positive for COVID-19 by RT-PCR method according to the Rwanda Ministry of Health criteria. Results All data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software, version 25 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). The number of patients admitted during the study period was 648, with a median age of 53; 45.2% of them were females, and 54.2% were males. Of these, 81.2% (526) were discharged from the hospital, while 18.8% (122) died. The proportion of severe status of COVID-19 was 42.1%. The factors that showed a risk of severe COVID-19 status were age and the number of comorbidities. Patients aged above 60 years(OR = 11.7, 95% CI:5.35-25.67, p-value < 0.001) and those between the age of 51 and 60 (OR = 6.86, 95% CI:2.96-15.93, p-value < 0.001) were 12 and seven times more likely to have severe COVID-19 statuscompared to those aged below 30 years. Having two comorbidities had twice the risk of developing a severe COVID-19 status compared to those with no comorbidity (OR = 2.13, 95% CI:1.20-3.77, p-value < 0.001). Conclusion Elderly people and those with comorbidities are encouraged to obtain all standard operating proceduresand comply with the vaccination program.

The effects of vitamin C on respiratory, allergic and immunological diseases: an experimental and clinical-based review.

Vitamin C is used in modern medicine supplements for treatment of various disorders associated with oxidative stress, inflammation and immune dysregulation. In this review article, experimental and clinical results regarding the effects of vitamin C on respiratory immunologic, and allergic diseases are reviewed. Various databases and appropriate keywords are used to search the effect of vitamin C on respiratory diseases until the end of May 2022. Books, theses and articles were included. These studies assessed the effects of vitamin C on respiratory disorders including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung infection and lung cancer. Vitamin C showed relaxant effect on tracheal smooth muscle via various mechanisms. The preventive effects of vitamin C were mediated by antioxidant, immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory mechanisms in the experimental animal models of different respiratory diseases. Some clinical studies also indicated the effect of vitamin C on lung cancer and lung infections. Therefore, vitamin C could be used a preventive and/or relieving therapy in respiratory diseases.

THELAZIOSIS IN WISENTS OF THE SHAHDAG NATIONAL PARK (AZERBAIJAN)

In the Shahdag National Park (Azerbaijan) the natural grouping of wisents (European bisons) is being formed. The program should eventually result in obtaining the independent stable grouping of wisents, capable of existing and reproduction without human interference. In the course of work with the grouping such a disease as wisent thelaziosis was detected. The presence of the disease can negatively affect the efficiency of the wisents reintroduction program. The aim of the work was to identify the problem, describe the clinical cases of wisent thelaziosis and determine possible measures to minimize risks for animals health. The article presents the data collected throughout a three years period of wisent group formation. The diagnosis – thelaziosis – was confirmed by finding the mature thelazia specimens of Thelazia rhodesi species. Such clinical manifestations as photophobia, eyelid edema, pathological lacrimation, serous conjunctivitis, purulent-catarrhal keratoconjunctivitis, clouding and ulceration of the cornea up to perforating ulcers, iridocyclitis were observed in wisents. The clinical form of thelaziosis had been detected in a wisent herd at all seasons of the year, at maximum in the period from the end of May to the end of July, up to 18.8 % of animals in the herd. At the rest of the time, the percentage of animals with disease manifestation varied from 3.7 to 11 %; two years in a row the cases of disease manifestation in adult wisents were observed in February. One case of thelaziosis was registered in a 1.5-month-old calf, the disease evolved in a hyperacute form. For treatment against thelaziosis in wisents the single intramuscular injections of ivermectin at a dose of 200 μg/kg (Ivermec, 2 ml/100 kg) were used. Medical treatment was given frontally to the herd after each detected clinical case. In addition wisents with strongly expressed clinical signs received a single injection of tulathromycin at a dose of 2.5 mg/1 kg (Draxin, 2.5 ml/100 kg). Medications were injected by means of a remote gun Dan-Inject. In Azerbaijan thelaziosis is spread among productive animals, as evidenced by veterinary reports. However, systematic studies of thelaziosis were carried out only in the 70–80s. As follows from the studies the thelaziosis infection rate in Azerbaijan has clearly expressed zonal distribution: high infection rate in the plain and submontane zones and rare cases of disease occurrence in the mountain belt. It was concluded that when forming wisents population, it is necessary to take into account the factor of zonality and plan the populations’ release in the mountainous areas of the national park, as the safest from veterinary side. Also due to domestic animals being the main source of infection for wisents in Azerbaijan, it is necessary to conduct research on disease expansion and intensity of infection in domestic livestock in the areas bordering with the Shahdag National Park. Currently while wisents are kept at the quarantine and transfer place, given the proximity of the enzootic focus, it is recommended to conduct the systematic frontal preventive treatment with ivermectin.

Field-Layer Vegetation and Water Table Level as a Proxy of CO2 Exchange in the West Siberian Boreal Bog

The Mukhrino field station has participated in the national project on the inventory of carbon fluxes and pools in the terrestrial ecosystems of Russia since 2022. The development of a network of measurements of CO2 fluxes and phytomass covered six types of bog ecosystems typical to Western Siberia. The gross ecosystem exchange (GEE) of the field-layer vegetation (medians for the period from the end of May to the end of July, mgC m−2 h−1; see errors in Results section) decreased in series: Sphagnum bog with sparse low pine trees (“Open bog”), ridges in ridge-hollow patterned bogs (“Ridge”), pine-dwarf shrub-Sphagnum bog (“Tall ryam”), hollows in patterned bogs (“S.hollow”, “E.hollow”) and pine-dwarf shrub-Sphagnum bog (“Ryam”): −220, −200, −125, −120, −109 and −86, respectively. Ecosystem respiration (Reco) here was 106, 106, 182, 55, 97 and 136. The aboveground and belowground phytomass of mosses in this series varied between 368 ± 106–472 ± 184 and 2484 ± 517–6041 ± 2079 g/m2, respectively: the aboveground phytomass of vascular plants and plant litter—15 ± 7–128 ± 95 and 10 ± 6–128 ± 43, respectively. According to the results of mathematical modeling, the best proxy for GEE, in addition to photosynthetically active radiation and soil surface temperature, was the aboveground phytomass of vascular plants (PhV), and for Reco—PhV and the mass of the plant litter of vascular plants.

Trends in STI testing and diagnosis rates during the COVID-19 pandemic at a large urban tertiary care center, and the role of the emergency department in STI care.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had profound effects on access to care, including outpatient sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and treatment. Many vulnerable populations already relied on the emergency department (ED) for much of their care prior to the pandemic. This study examines trends in STI testing and positivity before and during the pandemic at a large urban medical center and evaluates the role of the ED in providing STI care. This is a retrospective review of all gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomonas tests from November 1, 2018, through July 31, 2021. Demographic information and location and results of STI testing were extracted from the electronic medical record. Trends in STI testing and positivity were examined for 16 month periods before and after the COVID-19 pandemic started (March 15, 2020), with the latter divided into the early pandemic period (EPP: March 15 -July 31, 2020) and late pandemic period (LPP: August 1, 2020 - July 31, 2021). Tests per month decreased by 42.4% during the EPP, but rebounded by July 2020. During the EPP, the proportion of all STI testing originating in the ED increased from 21.4% pre-pandemic to 29.3%, and among pregnant women from 45.2% to 51.5%. Overall STI positivity rate increased from 4.4% pre-pandemic to 6.2% in the EPP. Parallel trends were observed for gonorrhea and chlamydia individually. The ED represented 50.5% of overall positive tests, and as much as 63.1% of positive testing during the EPP. The ED was the source of 73.4% of positive tests among pregnant women, which increased to 82.1% during the EPP. STI trends from this large urban medical center paralleled national trends, with an early decrease in positive cases followed by a rebound by the end of May 2020. The ED represented an important source of testing for all patients, and especially for pregnant patients, throughout the study period, but even more so early in the pandemic. This suggests that more resources should be directed towards STI testing, education, and prevention in the ED, as well as to support linkage to outpatient primary and obstetric care during the ED visit.

Accuracy of Gallium-68 Pentixafor Positron Emission Tomography–Computed Tomography for Subtyping Diagnosis of Primary Aldosteronism

Adrenal vein sampling (AVS) is the recommended procedure for subtyping primary aldosteronism (PA) as unilateral PA (UPA) or bilateral PA (BPA), with different treatment needed for each: adrenalectomy for UPA and medication for BPA. However, AVS is invasive and technically difficult, and how to subtype PA noninvasively is currently a great challenge. To evaluate the accuracy of gallium-68 pentixafor positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT) in subtyping PA using AVS as a reference standard. This diagnostic study was conducted at a tertiary hospital in China among patients diagnosed with PA. Enrollment was started in November 2021, with follow-up ending in May 2022. : Patients were recruited to undergo gallium-68 pentixafor PET-CT and AVS. Maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) of each adrenal gland during PET-CT was measured to calculate the lateralization index of SUVmax. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), specificity, and sensitivity were used to analyze the accuracy of the lateralization index based on SUVmax for subtyping PA. Among 100 patients with PA who completed the study (47 female [47.0%] and 53 male [53.0%]; median [IQR] age, 49 [38-56] years), 43 individuals had UPA and 57 individuals had BPA. Aldosterone-cortisol ratio (Spearman ρ = 0.26; P < .001) in adrenal veins was positively correlated with SUVmax of adrenal glands at 10 minutes during PET-CT. Using lateralization index based on SUVmax at 10 minutes to identify UPA, the AUROC was 0.90 (95% CI, 0.83-0.97). A cutoff value for lateralization index based on SUVmax at 10 minutes set at 1.65 conferred a specificity of 1.00 (95% CI, 0.94-1.00) and sensitivity of 0.77 (95% CI, 0.61-0.88). The diagnostic concordance rate of PET-CT and AVS was 90 patients (90.0%) compared with 54 patients (54.0%) between traditional CT and AVS. This study found good diagnostic accuracy of gallium-68 pentixafor PET-CT in differentiating UPA from BPA. These findings suggest that gallium-68 pentixafor PET-CT may be used to avoid invasive AVS in some patients with PA.

The dynamics of wild populations of Henosepilachna vigintioctomaculata Motch. (&lt;i&gt;Coleoptera:Coccinellidae&lt;/i&gt;) in Primorsky Krai

Relevance. Population dynamics (population waves) is an intrinsic quality of population systems. These fluctuations can be induced by various factors, e.g. environmental conditions and resource availability, elements of a food chain from the same or a higher level (competitors, parasites, predators), and diseases. Few researchers have addressed the issue of the population dynamics of Henosepilachna vigintioctomaculata in the Russian Far East. This paper investigates the reasons why the potato ladybird beetle became a pest of introduced cultivated plants.Materials and methods. To collect data on imagines, all research sites were examined at intervals of eight days during the entire period of the study. The examination of the research sites was conducted within one day. All the imagines taken from host plants were marked at the first encounter by puncturing their elytra with a sewing needle (0.4 mm in diameter) according to Hirano. The next generation of beetles was marked with nail polish (in two-three days after emergence) to avoid traumatizing the insects. At the second encounter, these beetles were also marked by puncturing their elytra with a needle. The methods implemented did not have an adverse effect on the survivability of the studied imagines. The beetles were released to the same plants where they had been taken from. The research data were analyzed by Jolly’s method.Results. Overwintered imagines appeared in the fields and began ovipositing at the end of May. The first generation of imagines appeared at the end of June – the begging of July. The second generation of imagines could be observed at the end of July – the beginning of August. A part of the imagines migrated to overwintering sites without ovipositing approximately at the end of August. The overwintered beetles were observed to emerge on the Mongolian oak Q uercus mongolica, the greater celandine Chelidonium majus, and the bird cherry Prunus padus. A typical primary biotope of the potato ladybird beetle was a potato field at the stage of vegetative growth (5-7 leaves) surrounded by the couch grass Elymus repens, the common dandelion Taraxacum officinale, and the perennial sow-thistle Sonchus arvensis. Marking the overwintered and new generations of imagines showed that the presence of the potato ladybird beetle in an ecosystem depended on agricultural and agrometeorological conditions.

An mHealth Intervention to Reduce Gestational Obesity (mami-educ): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

The World Federation of Obesity warns that the main health problem of the next decade will be childhood obesity. It is known that factors such as gestational obesity produce profound effects on fetal programming and are strong predictors of overweight and obesity in children. Therefore, establishing healthy eating behaviors during pregnancy is the key to the primary prevention of the intergenerational transmission of obesity. Mobile health (mHealth) programs are potentially more effective than face-to-face interventions, especially during a public health emergency such as the COVID-19 outbreak. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an mHealth intervention to reduce excessive weight gain in pregnant women who attend family health care centers. The design of the intervention corresponds to a classic randomized clinical trial. The participants are pregnant women in the first trimester of pregnancy who live in urban and semiurban areas. Before starting the intervention, a survey will be applied to identify the barriers and facilitators perceived by pregnant women to adopt healthy eating behaviors. The dietary intake will be estimated in the same way. The intervention will last for 12 weeks and consists of sending messages through a multimedia messaging service with food education, addressing the 3 domains of learning (cognitive, affective, and psychomotor). Descriptive statistics will be used to analyze the demographic, socioeconomic, and obstetric characteristics of the respondents. The analysis strategy follows the intention-to-treat principle. Logistic regression analysis will be used to compare the intervention with routine care on maternal pregnancy outcome and perinatal outcome. The recruitment of study participants began in May 2022 and will end in May 2023. Results include the effectiveness of the intervention in reducing the incidence of excessive gestational weight gain. We also will examine the maternal-fetal outcome as well as the barriers and facilitators that influence the weight gain of pregnant women. Data from this effectiveness trial will determine whether mami-educ successfully reduces rates of excessive weight gain during pregnancy. If successful, the findings of this study will generate knowledge to design and implement personalized prevention strategies for gestational obesity that can be included in routine primary care. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05114174; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05114174. DERR1-10.2196/44456.

The Relationship Between Urinary Tract Infection And Hyperuricemia Among Children In Tikrit Teaching Hospital

The current study represents an observational, cross-sectional study by using a simple random sampling technique which included one hundred children patients with UTI from the age of 4-14 years old in Tikrit Teaching Hospital from the first of March 2014 to the end of May 2014 to find the relationship between UTI and Hyperuricemia in children. The study demonstrates that the prevalence of UTI was common in females (64%) than males (36%) with 2:1 ratio. Also high prevalence of UTI was common in rural area (78%) than urban area (22%) of the total cases, and UTI was common in the patients with low socio-economic state (69%). Prevalence of hyperuricemia among patients with UTI was (27%) of the total cases. The study concluded that the prevalence of UTI was high among children in Tikrit Teaching Hospital and there is a significant association between UTI and Hyperuricemia .

Epidemiology of healthcare-associated SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks in Germany between March 2020 and May 2022

Outbreaks in healthcare facilities played a pivotal role in the course of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. To investigate severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreaks in hospitals, outpatient care, and rehabilitation facilities in Germany from March 2020 to May 2022. Data from the German mandatory notification system were used to describe outbreaks by number of cases and case fatality ratio (CFR), and outbreak cases by age and gender. Using Pearson correlation, the dynamics of cases in the general population were compared with cases in healthcare-associated infection (HAI) SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks before and after the start of the vaccination campaign. Additionally, a counterfactual scenario was used to estimate numbers of prevented HAI cases, using the phase before vaccination as baseline. By the end of May 2022, 8941 healthcare-associated outbreaks were observed with 73,626 cases: 51,504 in hospitals, 15,524 in outpatient care, and 6598 in rehabilitation facilities. Median number of cases per outbreak was 4 (range: 2-342) and cases were more frequently reported in women with 46,818 (63.6%). Overall CFR was 8.1%, higher in men (12.4%) than in women (5.7%). After the vaccination campaign was fully introduced, the association between increasing incidence in the general population and consecutive outbreak cases was decreased by a factor of 10. Furthermore, our counterfactual analysis suggests that more than 55,000 outbreak cases could have been prevented until the end of 2021. The vaccination campaign in combination with non-pharmaceutical measures was key to reduce number, size and CFR of healthcare-associated outbreaks.

COVID-19 Public Health Emergency to End in May

COVID-19 Public Health Emergency to End in May

Reduction of adverse outcome due to COVID-19 infection in a high-risk population: evaluation of an informative intervention through active call by General Practitioners

currently, individuals at risk of adverse outcomes for COVID-19 can access to vaccination and pharmacological interventions. But, during the first epidemic wave, there were no treatments or therapeutic strategies available to reduce adverse outcomes in patients at risk. to assess the impact of an intervention at 15-month follow-up developed by the Agency for Health Protection of the Metropolitan Area of Milan (ATS Milan) based on telephone triage and consultation by the General Practitioners (GPs) for patient with high-risk for adverse outcomes. intervention on population. a total of 127,292 patients in the ATS aged ≥70 years and with comorbidities associated with an increased risk of dying from COVID-19 infection were identified. Using a specific information system, patients were assigned to their GPs for telephone triage and consultation. GPs inform them about the risks of the disease, non-pharmacological prevention measures, and precautions in contacts with family members and other persons. No specific clinical intervention was carried out, only an information/training intervention was performed. by the end of May 2020, 48.613 patients had been contacted and 78.679 had not been contacted. Hazard Ratios (HRs) of infection hospitalisation and death at 3 and 15 months were estimated using Cox regression models adjusted by confounder. no differences in gender, age class distribution, prevalence of specific diseases, and Charlson Index were found between the two groups (treated such as called patients and not called). Called patients had a higher propensity for influenza and antipneumococcal vaccination and have more comorbidities and greater access to pharmacological therapies. Non-called patients have a greater risk for COVID-19 infection: HR was 3.88 (95%CI 3.48-4.33) at 3 months and 1.28 (95%CI 1.23-1.33) at 15 months; for COVID-19 hospitalization HR was 2.66 (95%CI 2.39-2,95) at 3 months and 1.31 (95%CI 1.25-1.37) at 15 months; for overall mortality HR was 2,52 (95%CI 2.35-2:72) at 3 months and 1.23 (95%CI 1.19-1.27) at 15 months. the results of this study show a reduction in hospitalization and deaths and support, in case of pandemic events, the implementation of new care strategies based on adapted stratification systems in order to protect the population's health. This study presents some limits: it is not randomized; a selection bias is present (called patients were those most in contact with the GPs); the intervention is indication-based (on march 2020, the actual benefit of protection and distancing for high-risk groups was unclear), and the adjustment is not able to fully control for confounding. However, this study points out the importance to develop information systems and improve methods to best protect the health of the population in setting of territorial epidemiology.

Stroke as a presenting symptom of COVID-19; A study of risk factors, characteristics and outcomes in a sample of Egyptian patients

Background; It is not known whether COVID-19 associated stroke patients have worse functional and vital outcomes than those without infection. Aim and objectives; To compare between COVID-19 associated stroke and non-COVID-19 stroke patients as regard risk factors, characters and outcome. Patients and methods; In a prospective study, 297 patients diagnosed clinically and radiologically as stroke and admitted to emergency department and stroke unit of Al- Azhar University hospitals were recruited in the period from beginning of December, 2021 to the end of May, 2022. They were classified into ischemic stroke (IS), Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT), Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) groups. Workup for COVID-19 was done in each group followed by comparison between both groups. Results: We evaluated 297 patients and 46 (15.4%) had COVID-19 infection. In IS group, Age, HTN and previous cerebrovascular stroke were significantly lower, large vessel occlusion, Median baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (NIHSS) and serum ferritin were significantly higher, in COVID-19 associated IS group. Also, COVID-19 associated IS had a worse outcome regarding Median Modified Rankin Scale (MRS), hemorrhagic transformation and mortality rate. According to TOAST classification, cryptogenic subtype was significantly higher in COVID-19 associated IS group. Lymphocytes (%) was significantly lower, D-dimer was significantly higher, in COVID-19 patients in all stroke groups. Conclusion: Patients with COVID-19 associated ischemic stroke have more severe strokes, worse functional outcome and a higher mortality than those without infection.

Efficacy and safety of endovascular embolization of cerebral AVM

Background; Endovascular embolization of cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVM) has several benifits including AVM occlusion and flow reduction in preparation for other treatment techniques. Aim and objectives; To assess the efficacy and safety of endovascular embolization of cerebral AVM with different techniques and materials. Patients and methods; In a prospective and retrospective study, 22 patients diagnosed as AVM or arteriovenous fistula (AVF) and underwent endovascular embolization at Neurosurgical intervention Unit at Al Hussein University Hospital were recruited in the period from beginning of Jan, 2020 to the end of May, 2022. We included patients aged above one month, diagnosed to have cerebral AVM or AVF. Recent cerebral hemorrhage patients were delayed for at least two weeks. We excluded patients with vein of Galen malformation, neonatal AVM, patients underwent surgical excision, patients with contraindication to radiation or dye injection, and inaccessible endovascular techniques such as severely tortuous vessels. Results: In the current study, the mean age was 24.5 ± 14.7 years. Most cases were male (68.2%). Most cases (86.4% ) manifested headache, 40.9% had hemorrhage, 31.8% had side weakness and 27.3% had fits. Spetzler and Martin grade (SMG) of the cerebral AVMs was significantly improved after embolization compared to the initial grading score (P=0.002). Eight patients showed complete occlusion of nidus and 14 had partial occlusion according to SMG . After 3 months follow up, Modified Rankin scale, epilepsy, and headache were improved. No patient had procedure-related complications.

One by One, the Stars

One by One, the Stars

Protecting workers' well-being in times of crisis: the first wave of COVID-19 in an Australian healthcare setting in 2020

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic continues to challenge healthcare systems worldwide. The authors examined the lived experiences and perceptions of healthcare workers (HCWs) in managerial and senior positions to explore the pandemic's effects on well-being and valued organisational responses.Design/methodology/approachUsing purposive sampling, the authors conducted 39 semi-structured interviews with senior staff including health service administrators, heads of department and senior clinicians at a designated COVID-19 facility in New South Wales, Australia. Interviews were conducted from November 2020 to February 2021 to reflect on experiences during the height of the pandemic in 2020 (mid-March to the end of May 2020).FindingsWorkplace experiences affecting HCWs' well-being included being shunned by others, fear of infecting family, fear of the unknown, concerns about personal protective equipment, lack of direction from above and increased workload. Organisational interventions to protect the health and safety of HCWs and their patients included redeployment, improved communication, effective management committees, education and mental health supports.Practical implicationsOrganisations can minimise worker-identified factors threatening their well-being during a health crisis by applying broad-ranging initiatives including inclusive and open communication, promoting flexible work practices, providing up-to-date guidelines and policies and fostering camaraderie between workers.Originality/valueThe voices of senior clinical and managerial staff have been largely unheard during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors addressed this deficit by describing their experiences and insights regarding the pandemic's impact on well-being and the organisation's responses to simultaneously safeguarding its staff and providing quality patient care.

Observations of bowhead whales along the Northern Chukotka peninsula 2010–2012 with comparisons to 1994–1996 and 2002–2005

This paper contains information on the seasonal distribution of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) in coastal waters of Chukotka (northeast Russia) in 2010–2012. Data from shore-based observation posts provides spatial and temporal information about whale distribution and migration in the coastal zones, as well as information about their relative numbers. The spring migration was observed only from Uelen, Russia (66°N, 149°W), near the northwestern entrance to the Bering Strait, and extended from the end of May through the first half of June. Some year-to-year differences in numbers and migration dynamics were observed. During summer, bowhead whales were sighted in the waters of the northern coast of Chukotka Peninsula in July and August. In 2010–2012, single whales and small groups of up to 4–8 whales were observed in the area for days making non-directed movements. Our observations in 2010–2012 demonstrated that many bowhead whales visited Chukotka coast in the autumn (September) before sea ice formation. From past observations, it appears that the autumn migration begins 2–3 weeks earlier on the northwestern coast of the Chukotka Peninsula than in the (northern) entry of the Bering Strait. The autumn migration of bowhead whales began with ice formation and ended with the complete freezing of the waters. Ice conditions appear to drive high variability in timing of the bowhead autumn migration. The northeastern Chukotka coast is one of the most important feeding areas for the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort (BCB) bowhead whale population.

Real time-PCR, ELISA, as an identification methods for Detection respiratory syncytial virus in children

The study have been done to detecting HRSV infections among hospitalized children under 10 years old in Salahaldin Governorate, in addition to compare different diagnostic methods for detection of this virus.&#x0D; Nasopharyngeal Swabs (NPS) and whole blood samples were taken from 400 hospitalized children between end of August 2013, to the end of May 2014, each sample was analyzed for HRSV by Real time –PCR, IgM and IgG specific to HRSV determining from blood specimens in serum using enzyme linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) technique.&#x0D; Nasopharyngeal Swab was more sensitive than the whole blood specimens for the detection of HRSV ,which is found in 1% by RT-PCR, in 81.9% by IgM –anti HRSV antibodies and in79.5% by IgG-HRSV antibodies. Autumn – winter periodwas considered as the most common time for HRSV infections with peak in September and February.

Comparison of STEMI Door-To-Device Time During the COVID-19 Crisis in a New Jersey Inner City Community Hospital.

As the novel COVID-19 pandemic was on the rise, its impact on the healthcare system was devastating. Patients became more reluctant to present to the hospital and elective procedures were being postponed for patient safety. We wanted to assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the door-to-device time in our small community hospital in the heart of Trenton, New Jersey. We created a retrospective study that evaluated all STEMI cases that presented to our institute from January 2018 until the end of May, 2021. Our primary outcome was the door-to-device time. Secondary outcomes were the length of hospital stay, ICU admission, length of ICU stay, cardiac arrest, and death during the hospitalization. We studied 114 patients that presented with STEMI to our emergency department, 77 of these patients presented pre-COVID-19, and 37 presented during the pandemic. Our median door-to-device for STEMI cases pre-COVID-19, and during the pandemic were 70 min (IQR 84-57) and 70 min (IQR 88-59) respectively with no significant difference found (P-value 0.55, Mann Whitney Test). It is, however, interesting to note that the number of STEMI admissions significantly decreased during the pandemic era. There are limitations to our study, most noticeably the number of STEMI cases at our small community hospital which limits its generalizability. Moreover, we did not assess other comorbidities which might have confounded our outcomes and we were also unable to follow patients post-discharge to assess the long-term sequela of their STEMI admission. Therefore, more dedicated studies of this clinical conundrum are required to further assess and implement guidelines for the future.