Exposure Interval Research Articles

Prescription Sequence Symmetry Analysis (PSSA) to assess prescribing cascades: a step-by-step guide

Prescribing cascades occur when patients are prescribed medication to treat the adverse drug reaction of previously prescribed medication. Prescription sequence symmetry analysis (PSSA) can be used to assess the association between two medications in prescription or dispensing databases and thus the potential occurrence of prescribing cascades. In this article, a step-by-step guide is presented for conducting PSSA to assess prescribing cascades. We describe considerations for medication data collection and setting time periods for relevant parameters, including washout window, exposure window, continued exposure interval and blackout period. With two examples, we illustrate the impact of changes in these parameters on the strengths of associations observed. Given the impact seen, we recommend that researchers clearly specify and explain all considerations regarding medication included and time windows set when studying prescribing cascades with PSSA, and conduct subgroup and sensitivity analyses.

Impact Analysis of Satellite Geometry Variation on ARAIM Integrity Risk over Exposure Interval

Accurate integrity risk evaluation is of significance in ensuring that aviation navigation applications satisfy the predefined integrity requirement. The integrity risk evaluation method over a specified exposure interval has been proposed in previous works for the development of advanced receiver autonomous integrity monitoring (ARAIM) (ARAIM technical subgroup reference airborne algorithm description document v4.1, 2022). However, this method typically relies on an underlying optimistic assumption that the satellite geometry remains constant throughout the exposure interval. The variation in satellite geometry due to potential satellite outages undermines the widely-used geometry constant assumption. Thus, we investigate the influence of satellite geometry variations throughout the exposure interval on the integrity performance by introducing a geometry-sensitive risk-evaluation model. The findings demonstrate that, under the nominal situation, the region where the ARAIM fails to meet predefined integrity requirement could expand by a maximum of 2.93% when accounting for satellite geometry variations. Furthermore, in the situation of a single satellite outage, this hazardous region has significantly expanded from 13.12% of the global coverage to 66.82%. Based on these findings, we recommend that the ARAIM should consider satellite outages as a critical factor in real-time integrity risk evaluation.

The impact of ozone pollution on stroke hospitalization

ABSTRACT This study is one of the first to examine the causal impact of ozone pollution on stroke hospitalization in a developing country, using individual-level inpatient medical records from a major Chinese city. Employing an instrumental variable (IV) approach with thermal inversion to address potential endogeneity in air pollution, our findings reveal ozone pollution has statistically significant effect on total health expenses across all exposure intervals, spanning from 1 day to 14 days. The impact of exposure to ozone pollution for less than 7 days on total expenses can be primarily attributed to changes in daily expenses, while the impact of exposure for more than 7 days is associated with an increase in the length of hospital stay. This effect, largely driven by out-of-pocket spending on medication and examination costs, is more salient for females and ischemic stroke patients.

Haematological, biochemical, enzymological changes and mitochondrial dysfunction of liver in freshwater climbing perch Anabas testudineus during their acute and chronic exposure to sodium fluoride

Anthropogenic activities are increasing fluoride concentration in watercourses. The present study focuses on the sublethal toxicity of sodium fluoride during sub-chronic and chronic time periods in the freshwater fish Anabas testudineus. The 96-hour LC50 value for fluoride was found to be 616.50 mg/L. Excessive mucous production and hyper excitability, followed by loss of balance, were seen in fish under acute fluoride exposure. Significant reduction in yield and specific growth rate of fish were assessed at 15, 30 and 45-days exposure intervals. Different bio-indicators like Hepatosomatic-index, Gonadosomatic-index and fecundity were reduced significantly in fish exposed to 10% (61.6 mg/L) and 20% (123.2 mg/L) of 96 h of LC50 values of fluoride in comparison to control. Toxicant concentrations directly correlated with parameter lowering. Fluoride exposure increased plasma glucose, creatinine, AST, and ALT and reduced total RBC, haemoglobin content, Hct (%), plasma protein, and cholesterol. Moreover, fluoride exposure significantly reduces the mitochondrial membrane potential in liver. This may result in metabolic depression, haematological, biochemical, and enzymological stress. The in-silico structural analysis predicts that fluoride may impede cytochrome c oxidase of the electron transport system, hence inhibiting mitochondrial functionality. These findings collectively highlight the urgent need for stringent regulation and monitoring of fluoride levels in freshwater ecosystems, as the subchronic and chronic effects observed in A. testudineus may have broader implications for aquatic ecosystems.

Temperature fluctuation and acute myocardial infarction in Beijing: an extended analysis of temperature ranges and differences.

Few studies examined the relationship between temperature fluctuation metrics and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) hospitalizations within a single cohort. We aimed to expand knowledge on two basic measures: temperature range and difference. We conducted a time-series analysis on the correlations between temperature range (TR), daily mean temperature differences (DTDmean), and daily mean-maximum/minimum temperature differences (TDmax/min) and AMI hospitalizations, using data between 2013 and 2016 in Beijing, China. The effects of TRn and DTDmeann over n-day intervals were compared, respectively. Subgroup analysis by age and sex was performed. A total of 81,029 AMI hospitalizations were included. TR1, TDmax, and TDmin were associated with AMI in J-shaped patterns. DTDmean1 was related to AMI in a U-shaped pattern. These correlations weakened for TR and DTDmean with longer exposure intervals. Extremely low (1st percentile) and high (5°C) DTDmean1 generated cumulative relative risk (CRR) of 2.73 (95% CI: 1.56-4.79) and 2.15 (95% CI: 1.54-3.01). Extremely high TR1, TDmax, and TDmin (99th percentile) correlated with CRR of 2.00 (95% CI: 1.73-2.85), 1.71 (95% CI: 1.40-2.09), and 2.73 (95% CI: 2.04-3.66), respectively. Those aged 20-64 had higher risks with large TR1, TDmax, and TDmin, while older individuals were more affected by negative DTDmean1. DTDmean1 was associated with a higher AMI risk in females. Temperature fluctuations were linked to increased AMI hospitalizations, with low-temperature extremes having a more pronounced effect. Females and the older adult were more susceptible to daily mean temperature variations, while younger individuals were more affected by larger temperature ranges.

Abstract B105: Antineoplastic effects and expression modulations in proliferation/apoptosis related genes by riproximin in breast cancer cells

Abstract Background: Ribosomal inactivating proteins (RIPs) target the ribosomal machinery of target cells and stop the translational machinery irreversibly. Riproximin is a plant-based RIP which was extracted and purified from the plant “Ximenia americana”. Riproximin has demonstrated its anticancer effects against various in vitro and in vivo cancer models. In this study, the focus was to evaluate the effects of riproximin on proliferation and apoptosis of breast cancer cells at functional and molecular levels. Methods: MTT dye reduction assay and DAPI nuclear staining methodologies were used to highlight the riproximin mediated effects on proliferation and apoptosis in primary (MCF-7) and metastatic (MDA-MB-231) breast cancer cell lines. Afterwards, the two cell lines were used to investigate the expression modulations in genes related to PIK3/Akt and apoptosis pathways (84 genes/pathway) via real-time PCR methodology. The expression modulations were used to build the signalling pathways via Ingenuity Pathway Analysis supported by Qiagen software system. Results: Riproximin successfully halted the proliferation of the breast cancer cells with an average 50% inhibitory concentrations of 1.2 and 2.9 ng/ml after 72 hours exposure interval in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, respectively. The protein also induced apoptotic effects in the two cell lines as reflected by shrinkage, blebbing and fragmentation of the nucleus/DNA content in a concentration dependant format. Substantial alterations (≥2fold) were observed in PIK3/Akt pathway genes (MCF-7: 49/84, MDA-MB-231: 28/84) in response to riproximin exposure. Similarly, the protein induced de-regulation (≥2fold) of apoptosis related 44/84 and 34/84 genes in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines, respectively. The Ingenuity Pathway Analysis revealed involvement of these genes at distinct positions in cell survival and death mechanisms. Conclusion: Riproximin demonstrated the substantial potential to induce the cytotoxic effects in breast cancer cells. The protein also de-regulated a significant number of proliferation and apoptosis related genes in breast cancer primary and metastatic cells. Further in vitro investigations are required to understand the fine molecular tuning being operated by this natural plant protein in cancer cells. Citation Format: Asim Pervaiz, Asma Khan, Kiran Umer, Martin R. Berger. Antineoplastic effects and expression modulations in proliferation/apoptosis related genes by riproximin in breast cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC Virtual International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2023 Oct 11-15; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2023;22(12 Suppl):Abstract nr B105.

Assessment of a Functional Electromagnetic Compatibility Analysis of Near-Body Medical Devices Subject to Electromagnetic Field Perturbation

This article aims to assess, discuss and analyze the disturbances caused by electromagnetic field (EMF) noise of medical devices used near living tissues, as well as the corresponding functional control via the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of these devices. These are minimally invasive and non-ionizing devices allowing various healthcare actions involving monitoring, assistance, diagnoses and image-guided medical interventions. Following an introduction of the main items of the paper, the different imaging methodologies are conferred, accounting for their nature, functioning, employment condition and patient comfort and safety. Then the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) components and their fields, the consequential MRI-compatibility concept and possible image artifacts are detailed and analyzed. Next, the MRI-assisted robotic treatments, the possible robotic external matter introductions in the MRI scaffold, the features of MRI-compatible materials and the conformity control of such compatibility are analyzed and conferred. Afterward, the embedded, wearable and detachable medical devices, their EMF perturbation control and their necessary protection via shielding technologies are presented and analyzed. Then, the EMC control procedure, the EMF governing equations and the body numerical virtual models are conferred and reviewed. A qualitative methodology, case study and simple example illustrating the mentioned methodology are presented. The last section of the paper discusses potential details and expansions of the different notions conferred in the paper, in the perspective of monitoring the disturbances due to EMF noise of medical devices working near living tissues. This contribution highlights the possibility of the proper functioning of medical instruments working close to the patient’s body tissues and their protection by monitoring possible disturbances. Thanks to these commitments, various health recommendations have been taken into account. This concerns piezoelectric actuated robotics, assisted with MRI and the possible use of conductive materials in this imager under certain conditions. The safe use of onboard devices with EMF-insensitive or intelligently shielded materials with short exposure intervals is also of concern. Additionally, the need to monitor body temperature in case of prolonged exposure of onboard devices to EMF is analyzed in the Discussion section. Moreover, the use of virtual tissue models in EMC testing to achieve more realistic evaluation capabilities also features in the Discussion section.

Sickness absence and/or disability pension and future work income after age 65 and 70 in Sweden

Abstract Background As retirement ages are increasing in Europe, more knowledge is needed on factors that are associated with extended working life. Our aim was to explore if prior sickness absence (SA) and/or disability pension (DP) due to mental and/or somatic diagnoses were associated with income from work after age 65 and 70, respectively. Methods A 4-year prospective population-based cohort study using microdata from nationwide registers. We included all who in 2014 were aged 65-69 (cohort A; n = 201,263) and ≥70 (cohort B; n = 93,751), respectively, had income from work in 2014 (baseline), and lived in Sweden in 2010-2015. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to calculate hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for associations between prior SA (in spells >14 days) and/or DP due to mental and/or somatic diagnoses, overall and stratified by the number of net days (2010-2014), and future years with income from work (2015-2018), censored for death and emigration, adjusted for sociodemographic and work-related factors, and stratified by sex. Results The majority had no SA or DP during the exposure interval (cohort A 66.3% women, 75.8% men; cohort B 96.8% women, 97% men). Many had income from work at some point during follow-up (cohort A 77.8% women, 81.6% men, cohort B 81.9% women, 83.4% men). Prior somatic SA/DP was associated with a marginally but significantly higher HR for earlier exit from paid work in cohort A (women 1.08; 95% CI: 1.06-1.10; men 1.10; 1.08-1.12), lower HR for men in cohort B (0.93; 0.86-0.99), and non-significant HR for women in cohort B. The corresponding association for mental SA/DP was significant only for women in cohort A (1.09; 1.06-1.13). Conclusions The likelihood of earlier exit from paid work was slightly higher for those aged 65-69 at baseline with prior somatic SA/DP, but lower for men aged ≥70 at baseline with prior somatic SA/DP. Prior mental SA/DP was associated with earlier exit only for women aged 65-69 at baseline. Key messages • Prior SA/DP was in many cases marginally but significantly associated with future income from work. The direction of association differed depending on the diagnosis of the spell, cohort and sex. • More knowledge is needed on how older workers with different types of morbidities and functional limitations can extend their working life in Sweden as well as in other European countries.

Effects of SETD2 on telomere length and malignant transformation property of Met-5A after one-month crocidolite exposure

Crocidolite is a carcinogen contributing to the pathogenesis of malignant mesothelioma. This study aimed to characterize the possible telomere-related events mediating the malignant transformation of mesothelial cells with and without SETD2 under crocidolite exposure. The crocidolite concentration resulting in 90% viable SETD2 knockout Met-5A (Met-5ASETD2-KO) and Met-5A were estimated to be 0.71 μg/cm2 and 1.8 μg/cm2, respectively, during 72 h of exposure, which was further employed in chronical crocidolite exposure during a 72 h exposure interval per time up to 1 month. Chronical crocidolite-exposed Met-5ASETD2-KO (chronical Cro-Met-5ASETD2-KO) had higher colony formation and increased telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) protein levels than chronical crocidolite-exposed Met-5A (chronical Cro-Met-5A) and Met-5ASETD2-KO. Chronical Cro-Met-5ASETD2-KO had longer telomere length (TL) than chronical Cro-Met-5A, although there were no changes in TL for either chronical Cro-Met-5A or chronical Cro-Met-5ASETD2-KO compared with their corresponding cells without crocidolite exposure. BIBR 1532, an inhibitor targeting TERT, partially reduced colony formation and TL for chronical Cro-Met-5ASETD2-KO, while BIBR 1532 reduced TL but had no effect on colony formation for chronical Cro-Met-5A. Therefore, SETD2 deficient mesothelial cells are susceptible to malignant transformation during chronical crocidolite exposure, and TERT-dependent TL modification likely partially drives SETD2 loss-mediated early onset of mesothelial malignant transformation.

Penggunaan teknologi sonic bloom untuk meningkatkan produktivitas beberapa varietas tanaman kedelai (Glycine max (L.) Merril)

Introduction: Soybean is one of the main sources of vegetable protein. Seventy percent of the soybean needs in Indonesia is still imported, due to the low crop productivity and the declining area of soybean planting. Sonic bloom technology is an alternative to increase soybean productivity. This study aims to determine the pattern of the relationship between foliar fertilization intervals in the use of sonic bloom technology with soybean varieties. Method: The research used a factorial experiment using a randomized block design (RBD). The first factor is the interval of using sonic bloom, I5: 5-day interval, I10: 10-day interval, and I15: once every 15 days. The second factor was soybean varieties, VA: Anjasmoro, VD: Dega-1, and VM: Mallika (black soybean). The data obtained were analyzed for Analysis of Variance with the Fα = 0.05 test followed by the 5% Honest Significant Difference (HSD) test and correlation regression analysis.The results showed that different soybean varieties have different responses to plant length, number of leaves and leaf area at different intervals of sonic bloom exposure. Result: Soybean plants with thicker hairs (trichomes) such as the Dega-1 variety require the use of sonic bloom technology with shorter intervals compared to varieties with sparse hairs such as Anjasmoro and Mallika black soybeans. Conclusion: The use of sonic bloom technology was able to increase the productivity of soybean varieties Anjasmoro, Mallika and Dega-1 each by 68.3%; 48.3% and 10.5%.

Generation of green electricity from sludge using photo-stimulated bacterial consortium as a sustainable technology

Microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a bio-electrical energy generator that uses respiring microbes to transform organic matter present in sludge into electrical energy. The primary goal of this work was to introduce a new approach to the green electricity generation technology. In this context a total of 6 bacterial isolates were recovered from sludge samples collected from El-Sheikh Zayed water purification plant, Egypt, and screened for their electrogenic potential. The most promising isolates were identified according to 16S rRNA sequencing as Escherichia coli and Enterobacter cloacae, promising results were achieved on using them in consortium at optimized values of pH (7.5), temperature (30°C) and substrate (glucose/pyruvate 1%). Low level red laser (λ = 632.8nm, 8mW) was utilized to promote the electrogenic efficiency of the bacterial consortium, maximum growth was attained at 210 sec exposure interval. In an application of adding standard inoculum (107 cfu/mL) of the photo-stimulated bacterial consortium to sludge based MFC a significant increase in the output potential difference values were recorded, the electricity generation was maintained by regular supply of external substrate. These results demonstrate the future development of the dual role of MFCs in renewable energy production and sludge recycling.

Cell Cycle Control by Optogenetically Regulated Cell Cycle Inhibitor Protein p21.

The progression through the cell cycle phases is driven by cyclin-dependent kinases and cyclins as their regulatory subunits. As nuclear protein, the cell cycle inhibitor p21/CDKN1A arrests the cell cycle at the growth phase G1 by inhibiting the activity of cyclin-dependent kinases. The G1 phase correlates with increased cell size and cellular productivity. Here, we applied an optogenetic approach to control the subcellular localization of p21 and its nuclear functions. To generate light-controllable p21, appropriate fusions with the blue light switch cryptochrome 2/CIBN and the AsLOV-based light-inducible nuclear localization signal, LINuS, were used. Both systems, p21-CRY2/CIB1 and p21-LINuS, increased the amounts of cells arrested in the G1 phase correlating with the increased cell-specific productivity of the reporter-protein-secreted alkaline phosphatase. Varying the intervals of blue LED light exposure and the light dose enable the fine-tuning of the systems. Light-controllable p21 implemented in producer cell lines could be applied to steer the uncoupling of cell proliferation and cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase optimizing the production of biotherapeutic proteins.

Unleashing the power of diatomaceous earths for sustainable management of Tribolium castaneum infestation in wheat

The utilization of diatomaceous earths (DEs) has been considered as a potential alternative to traditional insecticides for controlling grain storage insect pests. In this study, 19 different commercial DEs obtained from various regions of the world were evaluated for their effectiveness to manage Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), in vitro. Two different series of bioassays were carried out, with the first screening all 19 DEs and the second evaluating the eight most effective ones at different doses and exposure intervals for mortality assessment and progeny production. Four enhanced DEs, namely InertPMS, DEA, DiaHerb, and DEBBM were highly effective compared to other DEs tested. InertPMS exhibited complete adult mortality at 50 mg/kg, followed by DEA at 75 mg/kg, DiaHerb at 100 mg/kg, and DEBBM at 125 mg/kg, while GrainGuard exhibited 94.52 % at 125 mg/kg, 14 days post-exposure. Protect-It, SilicoSec, and DiaFil 610 were less effective at 400 mg/kg, causing 87.3 %, 84.4 %, and 79.2 % mortality after 14 days, respectively. The offspring was suppressed in wheat treated with InertPMS at 75 mg/kg, while DEA, DiaHerb, and DEBBM revealed no progeny emergence at 125 mg/kg. GrainGuard, Protect-It, SilicoSec, and DiaFil 610 were not successful at progeny suspension after 62 days. These findings suggest that the use of specific DEs at low doses could be a viable option to mitigate the use of conventional insecticides and diminish the residues of insecticides on stored grains, making them the most feasible components for integrated pest management (IPM) in stored grain systems.

Natural Warriors against Stored-Grain Pests: The Joint Action of Beauveria bassiana and Steinernema carpocapsae.

Tribolium castaneum, Trogoderma granarium, Oryzaephilus surinamensis, Sitophilus oryzae, Rhyzopertha dominica, and Cryptolestes ferrugineus are all major pests of stored grains. In this study, the efficiency of single and joint applications of the entomopathogenic nematode (EPN) Steinernema carpocapsae at two different doses (50 and 100 IJs cm-2) and the entomopathogenic fungus (EPF) Beauveria bassiana for the management of the aforementioned pests was estimated. At single treatments, both doses of S. carpocapsae caused higher mortality rates to all six pest species compared to B. bassiana. The combined treatment of EPF and EPN resulted in higher mortality compared to single treatments. Mortality was strongly influenced by the exposure interval and the application dose of the EPN at both single and combined treatments. Maximum mortality was observed for the application of the combined treatment at the high dose of S. carpocapsae and B. bassiana. Among the different insect species tested, the maximum mortality rate was observed for R. dominica (96.62%), followed by S. oryzae (90.48%), T. castaneum (87.23%), C. ferrugineus (76.05%), O. surinamensis (70.74%), and T. granarium (57.71%). The outcomes of this study demonstrate the potential of utilizing specific combinations of EPF and EPN as effective natural enemies against stored-grain pests.

Interplay of Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Autophagy in RAW 264.7 Murine Macrophage Cell Line Challenged with Si/SiO2 Quantum Dots.

Quantum dots (QDs) with photostable fluorescence are recommended for imaging applications; however, their effect on living cells is incompletely understood. We aimed to elucidate the RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cell line's response to the Si/SiO2 QDs challenge. Cells were exposed to 5 and 15 μg/mL Si/SiO2 QDs for 6 h, 12 h, and 24 h. Cell metabolic activity and viability were assessed by MTT, live/dead, and dye-exclusion assays. Oxidative stress and membrane integrity were assessed by anion superoxide, malondialdehyde, and lactate dehydrogenase activity evaluations. Antioxidative enzyme activities were analyzed by kinetic spectrophotometric methods. Cytokines were analyzed with an antibody-based magnetic bead assay, PGE2 was assessed by ELISA, and Nrf-2, Bcl-2, Beclin 1, and the HSPs were analyzed by western blot. Autophagy levels were highlighted by fluorescence microscopy. The average IC50 dose for 6, 12, and 24 h was 16.1 ± 0.7 μg/mL. Although glutathione S-transferase and catalase were still upregulated after 24 h, superoxide dismutase was inhibited, which together allowed the gradual increase of malondialdehyde, anion superoxide, nitric oxide, and the loss of membrane integrity. G-CSF, IL-6, TNF-α, MIP-1β, MCP-1, Nrf-2, PGE2, and RANTES levels, as well as autophagy processes, were increased at all time intervals, as opposed to caspase 1 activity, COX-2, HSP60, and HSP70, which were only upregulated at the 6-h exposure interval. These results underscore that Si/SiO2 QDs possess significant immunotoxic effects on the RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line and stress the importance of developing effective strategies to mitigate their adverse impact.

High dynamic reflection surface 3D reconstruction with sharing phase demodulation mechanism and multi-indicators guided phase domain fusion.

Accurate and complete 3D measurement of complex high dynamic range (HDR) surfaces has been challenging for structured light projection technique. The behavior of spraying a layer of diffuse reflection material, which will inevitably incur additional thickness. Existing methods based on additional facilities will increase the cost of hardware system. The algorithms-based methods are cost-effective and nondestructive, but they generally require redundant patterns for image fusion and model training, which fail to be suitable for practicing automated 3D measurement for complex HDR surfaces. In this paper, a HDR surface 3D reconstruction method based on sharing demodulation phase unwrapping mechanism and multi-indicators guided phase fusion strategy is proposed. The division of the exposure interval is optimized via the image entropy to generate an optimal exposure sequence. The combination of temporal-spatial binary (TSB) encoding fringe patterns with time-integration strategy and the variable exposure mode of digital mirror device (DMD)-based projector with a minimum projection exposure time of 233μs enables the proposed approach to broadly adapt complex HDR surfaces. We propose an efficient phase analysis solution called sharing mechanism that wrapped phase sequences from captured different intensity fringe images are unwrapped through sharing the same group of misaligned Gray code (MGC) decoding result. Finally, a phase sequences fusion model guided by multi-indicators, including exposure quality, phase gradient smoothness and pixel effectiveness, is established to obtain an optimum phase map for final 3D reconstruction. Comparative experiments indicate that the proposed method can completely restore the 3D topography of HDR surfaces with the images reduction of at least 65% and the measurement integrity is maintained at over 98% while preserving the measurement accuracy and excluding the outliers.

Estimated incubation period distributions of mpox using cases from two international European festivals and outbreaks in a club in Berlin, May to June 2022.

BackgroundSince May 2022, an mpox outbreak affecting primarily men who have sex with men (MSM) has occurred in numerous non-endemic countries worldwide. As MSM frequently reported multiple sexual encounters in this outbreak, reliably determining the time of infection is difficult; consequently, estimation of the incubation period is challenging.AimWe aimed to provide valid and precise estimates of the incubation period distribution of mpox by using cases associated with early outbreak settings where infection likely occurred.MethodsColleagues in European countries were invited to provide information on exposure intervals and date of symptom onset for mpox cases who attended a fetish festival in Antwerp, Belgium, a gay pride festival in Gran Canaria, Spain or a particular club in Berlin, Germany, where early mpox outbreaks occurred. Cases of these outbreaks were pooled; doubly censored models using the log-normal, Weibull and Gamma distributions were fitted to estimate the incubation period distribution.ResultsWe included data on 122 laboratory-confirmed cases from 10 European countries. Depending on the distribution used, the median incubation period ranged between 8 and 9 days, with 5th and 95th percentiles ranging from 2 to 3 and from 20 to 23 days, respectively. The shortest interval that included 50% of incubation periods spanned 8 days (4-11 days).ConclusionCurrent public health management of close contacts should consider that in approximately 5% of cases, the incubation period exceeds the commonly used monitoring period of 21 days.

Risk of Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma in Patients with Textured Tissue Expanders.

The association between textured implants and breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) is well established, but the risk of BIA-ALCL in patients with transient exposure to a textured tissue expander (TE) is not as well documented. The aim of this study was to assess the incidence and risk of BIA-ALCL in patients with temporary exposure to a textured TE with subsequent smooth implant placement. This single-institution retrospective cohort study included all female patients who underwent two-stage breast reconstruction with placement of a textured TE from 1995 to 2016 with subsequent exchange to a smooth permanent implant. Primary outcome of interest was development of BIA-ALCL. Patients with exposure to textured implants were excluded. Follow-up was determined by last documented visit. The authors calculated summary statistics for exposure time and follow-up intervals. Overall, 3310 patients had temporary exposure to a textured TE with exchange to a smooth implant, totaling 5201 textured TEs. Average textured TE exposure time was 6.7 months (median, 5.8 months). Average follow-up was 6.8 years (median, 6.3 years), ranging from 3.7 months to 18 years. No cases of BIA-ALCL were identified. As no cases of BIA-ALCL were identified, the risk of BIA-ALCL with short exposure to textured TEs is likely lower than the risk from exposure to permanent textured implants. Although longer follow-up is needed, these results can help counsel patients with previous exposure to textured TEs who are concerned about their risk of BIA-ALCL and can contribute to discussions on potential continued utility of textured TEs. Risk, IV.

Impact of insect growth regulators on reproduction and life stages of Tribolium Castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

Tribolium castaneum is devastating cosmopolitan insect pest of stored grain. The present study investigated the impact of three insect growth regulators on different life stages of T. castaneum. Percent mortality (%) induced was observed at 0.75. 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 ppm doses of each IGR after 7, 14 and 21 day exposure. In addition to larval and parental mortality, progeny suppression data was also recorded. The larvae of the 2nd instar were more susceptible to lufenuron, with mortality reaching 100% at 10ppm even after a 14-day interval. In the case of pyriproxifen, 2nd instar did not responded to all dose rates until 14 days however 21 days, statistically corresponding 2.5 to 10 ppm dose rates was detected. At 20 ppm, methoxy fenazide resulted in 92 percent mortality of 2nd larval instar mortality, and the larvae responded to all dose rates at all exposure intervals that varied significantly among themselves. The mean mortality of the 4th instar larvae at 20 ppm for lufenuron after a 21-day interval was 90%, which was not significantly different from the mortalities (62 and 80%) at the same dose rate after 7 and 14 days, respectively. All the IGRs were very effective in progeny suppression (>80%) and complete progeny suppression (100%) was observed in adults treated with methoxyfenazide and lufenuron at 2.5 and 10 ppm doses, respectively. It is concluded that all the screened IGRs were effective in progeny suppression and in some cases, complete progeny suppression was achieved

Graph-Based Reconstruction and Analysis of Disease Transmission Networks Using Viral Genomic Data.

Understanding the patterns of viral disease transmissions helps establish public health policies and aids in controlling and ending a disease outbreak. Classical methods for studying disease transmission dynamics that rely on epidemiological data, such as times of sample collection and duration of exposure intervals, struggle to provide desired insight due to limited informativeness of such data. A more precise characterization of disease transmissions may be acquired from sequencing data that reveal genetic distance between viral genomes in patient samples. Indeed, genetic distance between viral strains present in hosts contains valuable information about transmission history, thus motivating the design of methods that rely on genomic data to reconstruct a directed disease transmission network, detect transmission clusters, and identify significant network nodes (e.g., super-spreaders). In this article, we present a novel end-to-end framework for the analysis of viral transmissions utilizing viral genomic (sequencing) data. The proposed framework groups infected hosts into transmission clusters based on the reconstructed viral strains infecting them; the genetic distance between a pair of hosts is calculated using Earth Mover's Distance, and further used to infer transmission direction between the hosts. To quantify the significance of a host in the transmission network, the importance score is calculated by a graph convolutional autoencoder. The viral transmission network is represented by a directed minimum spanning tree utilizing the Edmond's algorithm modified to incorporate constraints on the importance scores of the hosts. The proposed framework outperforms state-of-the-art techniques for the analysis of viral transmission dynamics in several experiments on semiexperimental as well as experimental data.