Positive Rate Research Articles

High-risk histopathologic features in local advanced conjunctival melanoma.

To identify high-risk histopathologic and molecular features of local recurrence, nodal metastasis, distant metastasis (DM) and disease-specific death (DSD) in conjunctival melanoma (CoM). Ninety patients with pathologically diagnosed CoM between 2008 and 2023 were enrolled. Immunohistochemistry staining of BRAFV600E, NRASQ61R, CD117, PD-1 and PD-L1 was performed in 65 and 45 patients, respectively. Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were conducted to identify risk factors for local recurrence, nodal metastasis, DM and DSD. Pathologically, ulceration (hazard ratio [HR]: 3.170; 95% CI: 1.312-7.659; p = 0.01) and regression (HR: 3.196; 95% CI: 1.094-9.335; p = 0.034) were risk factors for DM. Tumour thickness ≥ 4 mm (HR: 4.889; 95% CI: 1.846-12.946; p = 0.001) and regression (HR: 4.011; 95% CI: 1.464-10.991; p = 0.007) were risk factors for DSD. For patients with tumour thickness < 4 mm, the presence of ulceration indicated a higher risk of nodal metastasis (log-rank p = 0.0011), DM (log-rank p = 0.00051) and DSD (log-rank p = 0.02). Patients with regression (+)/tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) (+) had a higher risk for DM (log-rank p = 0.011) and DSD (log-rank p = 0.0032). Molecularly, the positive rate of BRAFV600E, NRASQ61R, CD117, PD-1 and PD-L1 was 40.00% (26/65), 43.08% (28/65), 70.77% (46/65), 46.67% (21/45) and 28.89% (13/45), respectively. Positive BRAFV600E was identified as an independent risk factor for DM (HR: 2.533; 95% CI: 1.046-6.136, p = 0.039). The expression level of BRAFV600E was positively correlated with vascular invasion (p = 0.01), as well as the expression levels of PD-1 (p = 0.038) and PD-L1 (p = 0.049). Tumour thickness ≥ 4 mm, ulceration, the coexistence of regression and TILs, and positive BRAFV600E were risk factors for poor prognosis of CoM patients. Besides, expression level of BRAFV600E was positively correlated with the expression levels of PD-1 and PD-L1.

Examining the Seroprevalance and Antiviral Prophylaxis Rate of Hepatitis B and C Virus in Rheumatic Patients Treated with Biological and Targeted Synthetic Disease Modifying Anti-rheumatic Drugs: Results from a Tertiary Center in Central Anatolia

Objective: To evaluate the epidemiological characteristics of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) in rheumatic patients treated with biological and targeted synthetic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out between September 2021 and April 2022 at the Rheumatology Outpatient Clinic of Erciyes University Faculty of Medicine, and it included 200 patients [113 with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), 18 with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and 69 with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)]. The demographic and clinical characteristics, treatment details and viral hepatitis serology of the patients were recorded. Those not receiving biological and/or targeted synthetic DMARDs (b/tsDMARDs) were excluded. Results: The median age of the patients was 47 (39-58) years, and the median disease duration was 10 (7-15) years. 117 (58.5%) of the patients were female, and 83 (41.5%) were male. The median duration of treatment with b/tsDMARDs was 6 (2-9) years. In the viral serological examinations, 1.5% of the patients were positive for HBsAg, 64.5% for anti-HBs, 23.5% for anti-HBc IgG, and 0.5% for anti-HCV. The anti-HBc IgG positivity rate was significantly higher in RA (34.8%) than axSpA patients (16.8%) and was similar to PsA patients (22.2%) (p = 0.023). Yet HBsAg, anti-HBs, and anti-HCV serologies were similar across patient subgroups (p &amp;gt; 0.05). A total of 44 (22%) patients were undergoing oral antiviral prophylaxis. Three (1.5%) patients who were anti-HBc positive and HBV DNA negative were followed without antiviral treatment. There was no viral reactivation in any patient. Conclusion: Approximately one in four patients in our cohort showed anti-Hbc positivity, and almost all of them were using antiviral prophylaxis. Anti-HCV prevalence was much lower. Studies addressing viral hepatitis in rheumatic patients and/or patient subgroups, both at the national and local level, will enable rheumatologists to be more effective in managing HBV and HCV.

Edge-Enhanced TempoFuseNet: A Two-Stream Framework for Intelligent Multiclass Video Anomaly Recognition in 5G and IoT Environments

Surveillance video analytics encounters unprecedented challenges in 5G and IoT environments, including complex intra-class variations, short-term and long-term temporal dynamics, and variable video quality. This study introduces Edge-Enhanced TempoFuseNet, a cutting-edge framework that strategically reduces spatial resolution to allow the processing of low-resolution images. A dual upscaling methodology based on bicubic interpolation and an encoder–bank–decoder configuration is used for anomaly classification. The two-stream architecture combines the power of a pre-trained Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) for spatial feature extraction from RGB imagery in the spatial stream, while the temporal stream focuses on learning short-term temporal characteristics, reducing the computational burden of optical flow. To analyze long-term temporal patterns, the extracted features from both streams are combined and routed through a Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) layer. The proposed framework (TempoFuseNet) outperforms the encoder–bank–decoder model in terms of performance metrics, achieving a multiclass macro average accuracy of 92.28%, an F1-score of 69.29%, and a false positive rate of 4.41%. This study presents a significant advancement in the field of video anomaly recognition and provides a comprehensive solution to the complex challenges posed by real-world surveillance scenarios in the context of 5G and IoT.

Disappearing Negative Valence: A Content Analysis of HPV Vaccine Newspaper Coverage in China (2000–2018)

ABSTRACT News coverage of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine grew rapidly in China in 2016 when the vaccine was approved. Drawing upon framing theory, the present study analyzed the content of 491 Chinese newspaper reports on the HPV vaccine published between June 2000 and December 2018 to investigate what and how information and valence about the vaccine was relayed to the public. The results indicated that, while the Chinese media failed to provide comprehensive and accurate information about HPV and the HPV vaccine, they showed a positive evaluation of the HPV vaccine demand and market. In addition, there was a decline in negative coverage after the vaccine was approved. This study extended the literature on HPV vaccine coverage by combining issue-specific framing and valence framing, considering the Chinese-specific vaccine market for presentation and the value of such products, which is rare in previous studies. Practical implications of the findings for health promotion were also discussed.

Dukungan Sosial Penghargaan Teman Sebaya Dalam Mengatasi Fenomena Quarter Life Crisis Di Panti Sosial Bina Remaja Taruna Jaya 1

The phenomenon of quarter life crisis is a phase where teenagers feel a number of conditions, namely conditions of worry, confusion, fear, anxiety, to despair that appear in adolescents in navigating life and reaching for their future. There are 6 indicators in the quarter life crisis limitation area for adolescents, including hopes and dreams in which they have fear of their goals not being achieved, challenges in the academic aspect are a form of concern about the education they are currently achieving, religion and spirituality related to the lack of worship momentum which are still not consistent, Career talks about the anxiety of getting a decent job, Friendship, romance and family relations are fears about forms of community acceptance in the future and whether you can get married and support your family well in the future, as well as Self-identity which is concerned with finding identity and experienced identity crisis. This research used a descriptive qualitative method which was carried out at the Taruna Jaya 1 Youth Development Institution, East Jakarta. Informants in this study amounted to 9 people consisting of 1 companion with consideration of this companion who knows more about the character, behavior of the orphans, and sufficient emotional closeness. 6 orphans with the consideration that these six orphans feel the QLC phenomenon in 6 QLC indicators, and 2 peers with WBS status also with the consideration that the two orphans often provide social support to their peers in the orphanage during the coaching process. Fellow wbs here have an effort to overcome this QLC through a rewarding social support approach. Social support that is often carried out is in the form of positive evaluation, having a positive impact on others, giving positive influence, and positive views on others so that effective social functioning is created in the future.

Relationship of market capitalization of the IBEX 35 to corporate social responsibility and transparency

AbstractThis paper seeks to determine whether the economic‐financial performance and value of the companies composing the IBEX 35 are related to the transparency with which these companies publish their economic and social data. Our goal is ultimately to establish the degree (if any) to which Spain's largest listed companies' commitments to transparency and CSR are related to their market capitalization volumes. We also evaluate the effectiveness—relative to the economic data and to each other—of the transparency and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) rankings prepared by Transparency International Spain and the Corporate Social Responsibility Observatory. The results indicate a high correlation of market capitalization to the transparency and CSR indexes, and a positive evaluation of using these tools for future lines of research in Spain.

Development of aGerman short version of the Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire

The Nijmegen Cochlear Implant Questionnaire (NCIQ) is aquestionnaire for assessing hearing-specific quality of life in the context of cochlear implantation. Its length (60items) makes it difficult to use in clinical practice, so ashort version is desirable. The question arises as to which items should be selected for the short version. The items were selected statistically using uncorrected item-total score correlation. Item selection was made based on datasets from three measurement points: before implantation and 3and 12months after processor activation. The items were selected according to the criterion that they were among the 40items with the highest item-total score correlation at each of the three measurement points. Of the 60items in the NCIQ, 25met the criterion and were hence included in the short version. The short version yields similar scores as the long version at the postoperative timepoints; however, at the preoperative timepoint, the agreement of the scores is suboptimal. Split-half reliability and internal homogeneity of the short version are very good. The present study constitutes an initial positive evaluation of ashort form of the NCIQ in terms of standard psychometric criteria. Application of the short form is associated with significantly reduced resources in terms of processing and evaluating.

Citizens’ perceptions of the quality of democracy in the American states

AbstractObjectiveWe examine the relationship between citizens’ evaluations of democratic performance in their state of residence and demographic, political, and institutional factors.MethodsWe fielded two original surveys (summer 2021 and summer 2022) that asked respondents to evaluate democratic performance in their state both in general and for specific metrics.ResultsCitizens who identify with the political party that controls state government have more positive evaluations of state democratic performance while Republicans (controlling for a litany of covariates) have more negative evaluations. Strikingly, citizens’ perceptions are not related to an objective measure of state democratic performance even when they are primed with information about where their state ranks in a survey experiment.ConclusionCitizens’ assessments of democratic quality appear to be yet another feature of American politics that has become politicized and polarized, with important implications for system support and legitimacy going forward.

Congenital Cytomegalovirus Testing Outcomes From the ValEAR Trial.

To determine the positivity rate of congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) testing among universal, hearing-targeted CMV testing (HT-cCMV) and delayed targeted dried blood spot (DBS) testingnewborn screening programs, and to examine the characteristics of successful HT-cCMV testing programs. Prospective survey of birth hospitals performing early CMV testing. Multiple institutions. Birth hospitals participating in the National Institutes of Health ValEAR clinical trial were surveyed to determine the rates of cCMV positivity associated with 3 different testing approaches: universal testing, HT-cCMV, and DBS testing. A mixed methods model was created to determine associations between successful HT-cCMV screening and specific screening protocols. Eighty-two birth hospitals were surveyed from February 2019 to December 2021. Seven thousand six hundred seventy infants underwent universal screening, 9017 infants HT-cCMV and 535 infants delayed DBS testing. The rates of cCMV positivity were 0.5%, 1.5%, and 7.3%, respectively. The positivity rate for universal CMV screening was less during the COVID-19 pandemic than that reported prior to the pandemic. There were no statistically significant drops in positivity for any approach during the pandemic. For HT-cCMV testing, unique order sets and rigorous posttesting protocols were associated with successful screening programs. Rates of cCMV positivity differed among the 3 approaches. The rates are comparable to cohort studies reported in the literature. Universal CMV prevalence decreased during the pandemic but not significantly. Institutions with specific order set for CMV testing where the primary care physician orders the test and the nurse facilitates the testing process exhibited higher rates of HT-cCMV testing.

Analysis of data from two influenza surveillance hospitals in Zhejiang province, China, for the period 2018-2022.

To assess the epidemiology of seasonal influenza in Huzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China, during 2018-2022 and provide insights for influenza prevention. Following the National Influenza Surveillance Program, we conducted pathogen surveillance by randomly sampling throat swabs from cases with influenza-like illness (ILI) at two sentinel hospitals. From 2018 to 2022, a total of 3,813,471 cases were treated at two hospitals in Huzhou, China. Among them, there were 112,385 cases of Influenza-Like Illness (ILI), accounting for 2.95% of the total number of cases. A total of 11,686 ILI throat swab samples were tested for influenza viruses, with 1,602 cases testing positive for influenza virus nucleic acid, resulting in a positivity rate of 13.71%. Among the positive strains, there were 677 strains of A(H3N2) virus, 301 strains of A(H1N1) virus, 570 strains of B/Victoria virus, and 54 strains of B/Yamagata virus. The ILI percentage (ILI%) and influenza nucleic acid positivity rate showed winter-spring peaks in the years 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022, with the peaks concentrated in January and February. Additionally, a small peak was observed in August 2022 during the summer season. No peak was observed during the winter-spring season of 2020. The highest proportion of ILI cases was observed in children aged 0-4 years, followed by school-age children aged 5-14 years. There was a positive correlation between ILI% and influenza virus nucleic acid positivity rate (r = 0.60, p < 0.05). The influenza outbreak in Huzhou from 2020 to 2022 was to some extent influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and public health measures. After the conclusion of the COVID-19 pandemic, the influenza outbreak in Huzhou may become more severe. Therefore, it is crucial to promptly assess the influenza outbreak trends based on the ILI% and the positivity rate of influenza virus nucleic acid tests.

Analysis of Factors Influencing Covid-19 Mortality Rate in Indonesia

Coronavirus disease 2019(Covid-19) which is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has a major impact on the high death rate. The positive confirmation rate is directly proportional to the Covid-19 death rate. The vaccination program is carried out to reduce the spread, reduce morbidity, mortality and achieve immunity from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The aim of the research is to determine the effect of positive confirmation rates and vaccination rates on the Covid-19 death rate in Indonesia.The research is an observational study with a cross sectional approach.The population in this study were all patients with confirmed Covid-19. The samples were patients who were confirmed to have Covid-19 from February 2021 to March 2022. The analysis technique used was multiple linear regression. The research results show that the positive confirmation rate (p = 0.000) has a positive effect on the Covid-19 death rate, while the vaccination rate (p =0.278) and the second vaccination rate (p = 0.8619) had no effect on the Covid-19 death rate. It can be concluded that there is a positive and significant relationship between the number of positive confirmations and the Covid-19 death rate. The number of first and second vaccinations is not related to the Covid-19 death rate

Prediagnostic evaluation of multicancer detection tests: Design and analysis considerations.

There is growing interest in multicancer detection (MCD) tests, which identify molecular signals in the blood indicating a potential preclinical cancer. A key stage in evaluating MCD tests is a prediagnostic performance study, in which investigators store specimens from asymptomatic persons and later test stored specimens from cancer cases and a random sample of controls to determine predictive performance. Performance metrics include cancer-specific true and false positive rates and a cancer-specific positive predictive value, with the latter compared to a decision-analytic threshold. The sample size tradeoff method, which trades imprecise targeting of the true positive rate for precise targeting of a zero false positive rate can substantially reduce sample size while increasing the lower bound of positive predictive value. For a 1-year follow-up, with ovarian cancer as the rarest cancer considered, the sample size tradeoff method yields a sample size of 163,000 compared with a sample size of 720,000 based on standard calculations. These design and analysis recommendations should be considered in planning a specimen repository and in the prediagnostic evaluation of MCD tests.

마음챙김(Mindfulness) 기반 치유문화의 비판적 고찰

Currently, the phenomenon that is attracting the most attention in the field of Korean Buddhism can be said to be a healing culture based on mindfulness.&#x0D; Inspired by the active application and use of mindfulness in Western psychology and psychiatry, the Buddhist community is almost uncritically accepting and popularizing various Western mind-body healing programs based on mindfulness. Furthermore, the Buddhist community shows great interest in research and program development that combines traditional Buddhist practice and healing.&#x0D; Jon Kabat-Zinn (1944~) created and successfully popularized MBSR (Mindfulness Based on Stress Reduction), a healing program to reduce stress in patients with chronic diseases or pain. Currently, MBSR is gaining popularity around the world, and is being actively used in psychological counseling and treatment in Korea as well, especially in the psychology community. Even the K-MBSR program has been developed and is being distributed. However, in the process of spreading MBSR in the West, there is positive evaluation that it is an expedient (upāya) use of Dharma, while negative criticism that it is a transformation and distortion of Buddhist practice and spiritual commercialization in neoliberal society is also significant.&#x0D; Accordingly, focusing on MBSR, which can be said to be the origin of mindfulness-based programs, we would like to critically examine the meaning of mindfulness, its correlation with sati of Vipassanā, a traditional Buddhist practice, and the phenomenon of mindfulness as a healing culture.&#x0D; The encounter between Eastern and Western cultures is having a lasting impact on Korean Buddhist practice. So far, Korean Buddhism has been dominated by a Zen-centered, masculine, elitist, monastic, and authoritarian ethos. In the era of spirituality in the 21st century, healing culture is emerging as an alternative as there is a need to remodel Buddhism into a feminine, accepting, empathetic, popular, and democratic Buddhism. However, as risk factors are detected, if we recognize the importance of not only internal and personal mindfulness, but also external and social participation mindfulness, and respond in a timely manner, we can realize the fundamental purpose of Buddhism, which is achieving success, leaving suffering, and gaining joy. I look forward to opening a new chapter.

Detection of activities in bathrooms through deep learning and environmental data graphics images

Automatic detection activities in indoor spaces has been and is a matter of great interest. Thus, in the field of health surveillance, one of the spaces frequently studied is the bathroom of homes and specifically the behaviour of users in the said space, since certain pathologies can sometimes be deduced from it. That is why, the objective of this study is to know if it is possible to automatically classify the main activities that occur within the bathroom, using an innovative methodology with respect to the methods used to date, based on environmental parameters and the application of machine learning algorithms, thus allowing privacy to be preserved, which is a notable improvement in relation to other methods. For this, the methodology followed is based on the novel application of a pre-trained convolutional network for classifying graphs resulting from the monitoring of the environmental parameters of a bathroom. The results obtained allow us to conclude that, in addition to being able to check whether environmental data are adequate for health, it is possible to detect a high rate of true positives (around 80%) in some of the most frequent and important activities, thus facilitating its automation in a very simple and economical way.

Tim4 deficiency reduces CD301b+ macrophage and aggravates periodontitis bone loss

Periodontitis is a common chronic inflammatory disease that causes the periodontal bone destruction and may ultimately result in tooth loss. With the progression of periodontitis, the osteoimmunology microenvironment in periodontitis is damaged and leads to the formation of pathological alveolar bone resorption. CD301b+ macrophages are specific to the osteoimmunology microenvironment, and are emerging as vital booster for conducting bone regeneration. However, the key upstream targets of CD301b+ macrophages and their potential mechanism in periodontitis remain elusive. In this study, we concentrated on the role of Tim4, a latent upstream regulator of CD301b+ macrophages. We first demonstrated that the transcription level of Timd4 (gene name of Tim4) in CD301b+ macrophages was significantly upregulated compared to CD301b− macrophages via high-throughput RNA sequencing. Moreover, several Tim4-related functions such as apoptotic cell clearance, phagocytosis and engulfment were positively regulated by CD301b+ macrophages. The single-cell RNA sequencing analysis subsequently discovered that Cd301b and Timd4 were specifically co-expressed in macrophages. The following flow cytometric analysis indicated that Tim4 positive expression rates in total macrophages shared highly synchronized dynamic changes with the proportions of CD301b+ macrophages as periodontitis progressed. Furthermore, the deficiency of Tim4 in mice decreased CD301b+ macrophages and eventually magnified alveolar bone resorption in periodontitis. Additionally, Tim4 controlled the p38 MAPK signaling pathway to ultimately mediate CD301b+ macrophages phenotype. In a word, Tim4 might regulate CD301b+ macrophages through p38 MAPK signaling pathway in periodontitis, which provided new insights into periodontitis immunoregulation as well as help to develop innovative therapeutic targets and treatment strategies for periodontitis.

An assessment of AcquireX and Compound Discoverer software 3.3 for non-targeted metabolomics

We used the Exploris 240 mass spectrometer for non-targeted metabolomics on Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain BY4741 and tested AcquireX software for increasing the number of detectable compounds and Compound Discoverer 3.3 software for identifying compounds by MS2 spectral library matching. AcquireX increased the number of potentially identifiable compounds by 50% through six iterations of MS2 acquisition. On the basis of high-scoring MS2 matches made by Compound Discoverer, there were 483 compounds putatively identified from nearly 8000 candidate spectra. Comparisons to 20 amino acid standards, however, revealed instances whereby compound matches could be incorrect despite strong scores. Situations included the candidate with the top score not being the correct compound, matching the same compound at two different chromatographic peaks, assigning the highest score to a library compound much heavier than the mass for the parent ion, and grouping MS2 isomers to a single parent ion. Because the software does not calculate false positive and false discovery rates at these multiple levels where such errors can propagate, we conclude that manual examination of findings will be required post software analysis. These results will interest scientists who may use this platform for metabolomics research in diverse disciplines including medical science, environmental science, and agriculture.

A combined amplicon approach to nematode polyparasitism occurring in captive wild animals in southern China

BackgroundGastrointestinal tract (GIT) nematodes prefer to live in the intestines of wild animals, causing damage and even death, and posing a zoonotic risk. The polyparasitism of GIT nematodes results in the complex dynamics of the nematode communities that occur naturally in wild animals. However, the nematode community in captive wild animals is poorly understood.MethodsWe combined microscopic examination and amplicon sequencing for community diversity.ResultsWe characterized GIT nematode assemblages to one order, one family, four genera, and ten species, in 512 fecal samples of 121 species from captive wild animals in southern China. The positive rate of GIT nematodes was 20.7% (106/512), including 42.3% (11/26) in reptiles, 26.5% (39/147) in herbivores, 25.0% (25/100) in non-human primates, 20.0% (5/25) in omnivores, 12.2% (9/74) in carnivores, and 12.1% (17/140) in avians. The dominant nematodes were Haemonchus contortus in herbivores and Trichuris species in primates. The nematode communities of arboreal primates differed from their terrestrial counterparts, reflecting both host phylogeny and ecological constraints. Soil-transmitted Strongyloides species were widespread throughout the herbivore, primate, avian, and carnivore communities, and tended to infect omnivorous primates and terrestrial herbivores. In addition, new Trichuris and Heterakis species were found in the nematode communities of captive porcupines and peafowls.ConclusionThis study highlights the variation in the composition of the GIT nematode community and strengthens the attention to the harms induced by zoonotic nematodes and co-infective nematodes with low species richness.Graphical

Cell division cycle 42 attenuates high glucose-treated renal tubular epithelial cell apoptosis, fibrosis, and inflammation, but activates the PAK1/AKT pathway.

Cell division cycle 42 (CDC42) modulates metabolism, inflammation, and fibrosis to engage in the pathology of diabetic complications. This study intended to further investigate the influence of CDC42 on viability, apoptosis, inflammation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and fibrosis in high glucose (HG)-treated renal tubular epithelial cells. HK-2 cells were exposed to HG medium (30mM) to establish the diabetic nephropathy (DN) cellular model, then the cells were transfected with scramble overexpression control (oeNC) or CDC42 overexpression (oeCDC42) vectors. Both the level of CDC42 mRNA and protein were decreased in HG-treated HK-2 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Then HG-treated HK-2 cells were proposed for the following experiments. It was found that CDC42 increased CCK-8 detected viability and EdU positive cells. On the contrary, CDC42 reduced cell apoptosis, which was reflected by decreased TUNEL positive rate, increased BCL2, and reduced BAX. Interestingly, CDC42 inhibited fibrosis, which was reflected by increased E-Cadherin, as well as decreased Vimentin, TGF-β1, Collagen1, and α-SMA. Apart from these, CDC42 also attenuated proinflammatory cytokine production, including TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6. Moreover, CDC42 activated the PAK1/AKT pathway, which was reflected by increased p-PAK1 and p-AKT. However, CDC42 did not affect p-ERK. CDC42 may retard DN progression via its regulation of renal tubular epithelial cell functions, which may be due to its stimulation of the PAK1/AKT pathway.

Tracing COVID-19 cluster during offline learning in the new era of pandemic

Since January 2022, offline learning in the COVID-19 pandemic era has been going on for nearly a year. The government is attempting to revive the education sector, including universities. Nonetheless, this policy may result in the formation of a new SARS-CoV-2 infection cluster on campuses. One of the prevention measurements is conducting COVID-19 examinations. To support this effort, the infectious disease research team at Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia (AJCUI) examined COVID-19 infection by saliva specimens using RT-qPCR method, along with the completion of related questionnaire and epidemiology investigation form. Throughout the first week of December 2022, community service was conducted at the Pluit campus of AJCUI with 749 participants (98.9% students). According to RT-qPCR results, only 12 participants (1.6%) were infected with SARS-CoV-2 virus. Most participants demonstrated positive compliance with health protocols, particularly, PeduliLindungi application scanning, hand washing, and mask usage. The implementation of health protocol resulted in a low positive rate compared to North Jakarta's statistics for the same week, preventing the formation of new COVID-19 clusters. The activity effectively controlled the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in AJCUI environment, continuing the postponed 2030 agenda of the third Sustainable Development Goal to ensure good health and well-being.

Improving the diagnosis of active tuberculosis: a novel approach using magnetic particle-based chemiluminescence LAM assay

ObjectivesTuberculosis (TB) is a significant global health concern, given its high rates of morbidity and mortality. The diagnosis using urine lipoarabinomannan (LAM) primarily benefits HIV co-infected TB patients with low CD4 counts. The focus of this study was to develop an ultra-sensitive LAM assay intended for diagnosing tuberculosis across a wider spectrum of TB patients.Design & MethodsTo heighten the sensitivity of the LAM assay, we employed high-affinity rabbit monoclonal antibodies and selected a highly sensitive chemiluminescence LAM assay (CLIA-LAM) for development. The clinical diagnostic criteria for active TB (ATB) were used as a control. A two-step sample collection process was implemented, with the cutoff determined initially through a ROC curve. Subsequently, additional clinical samples were utilized for the validation of the assay.ResultsIn the assay validation phase, a total of 87 confirmed active TB patients, 19 latent TB infection (LTBI) patients, and 104 healthy control samples were included. Applying a cutoff of 1.043 (pg/mL), the CLIA-LAM assay demonstrated a sensitivity of 55.2% [95%CI (44.13%~65.85%)], and a specificity of 100% [95%CI (96.52%~100.00%)], validated against clinical diagnostic results using the Mann-Whitney U test. Among 11 hematogenous disseminated TB patients, the positive rate was 81.8%. Importantly, the CLIA-LAM assay consistently yielded negative results in the 19 LTBI patients.ConclusionOverall, the combination of high-affinity antibodies and the CLIA method significantly improved the sensitivity and specificity of the LAM assay. It can be used for the diagnosis of active TB, particularly hematogenous disseminated TB.