Department Of Preventive Medicine Research Articles

Near complete genome sequences from Southern Vietnam revealed local features of genetic diversity and intergenerational changes in SARS- CoV-2 variants in 2020–2021

BackgroundSince its beginnings in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic is still a problem of global medical concern. Southern Vietnam is one of the country's vast regions, including 20 provinces and the densely populated metropolis Ho Chi Minh City. A randomized retrospective study was performed to investigate the epidemiology and genetic diversity of COVID-19. Whole-genome sequencing of 126 SARS-CoV-2 samples collected from Southern Vietnam between January 2020 and December 2021 revealed the main circulating variants and their distribution.MethodsEpidemiological data were obtained from the Department of Preventive Medicine of the Vietnamese Ministry of Health. To identify circulating variants, RNA, extracted from 126 nasopharyngeal swabs of patients with suspected COVID-19 were sequenced on Illunina MiSeq to obtain near complete genomes SARS-CoV-2.ResultsDue to the effectiveness of restrictive measures in Vietnam, it was possible to keep incidence at a low level. The partial relaxation of restrictive measures, and the spread of Delta lineages, contributed to the beginning of a logarithmic increase in incidence. Lineages 20A-H circulated in Southern Vietnam during 2020. Spread of the Delta lineage in Southern Vietnam began in March 2021, causing a logarithmic rise in the number of COVID-19 cases.ConclusionsPandemic dynamics in Southern Vietnam feature specific variations in incidence, and these reflect the success of the restrictive measures put in place during the early stages of the pandemic.

The Cardiovascular Therapy and Prevention journal’s top contributing institutions: Department of Therapy and Preventive Medicine of the A. I. Evdokimov Moscow State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of Russia (Moscow, Russia)

Interview with Dzhioeva O. N.

Editorial introductions.

Editorial introductions.

Postmarket Surveillance for Effective Regulation of Digital Mental Health Treatments.

Postmarket Surveillance for Effective Regulation of Digital Mental Health Treatments.

Introduction to the Compendium on Early Cardiovascular Disease.

Introduction to the Compendium on Early Cardiovascular Disease.

Features of the system of epidemiological surveillance of infectious diseases in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam

The results of the analysis of the system of epidemiological surveillance of infectious diseases in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the assessment of the possibilities of its improvement are presented . The levels of organization of epidemiological surveillance in Vietnam , their compliance with the administrative division of the country ( state , provincial , district and commune levels ) are shown . It is noted that epidemiological surveillance has a passive nature and is based on the online reporting system of the Department of Preventive Medicine , which has been the official notification channel for 42 infectious diseases since 2016. For the purposes of epidemiological surveillance , all registered infectious diseases are divided into 3 groups according to the potential for epidemic spread (A, B and C), on which strategies for carrying out sanitary and anti-epidemic ( preventive ) measures depend . It has been established that modern computer technologies , including geoinformation systems , in Vietnam have found their application in certain areas of epidemiological surveillance of current infectious diseases , but further i mprovement o f t he m ethods o f t heir u se f or t hese p urposes i s r equired .

Reply.

*Department of Ophthalmology, Myongji Hospital, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Goyang, South Korea; †Department of Preventive Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea; ‡Integrated Major in Innovative Medical Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea; and §Department of Ophthalmology, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea. This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF) grant funded by the Korea government(MSIT) (2020R1F1A1072264). None of the authors has any financial/conflicting interests to disclose.

Abstract P2-17-04: Pharmacological inhibition of LY6K induced cell cycle arrest and DNA damage by disrupting the LY6K-Histone-Aurora B signaling axis

Abstract Pharmacological inhibition of LY6K induced cell cycle arrest and DNA damage by disrupting the LY6K-Histone-Aurora B signaling axis Benson C. Selvanesan1,2, Sheelu Varghese1,2, Justyna Andrys5, Ricardo H. Arriaza6, Rahul Prakash6, Purushottam B Tiwari7, Cara Olsen8, Daniel Hupalo2,4, Yuriy Gusev5, Megha N. Patel6, Sara Contente1, Miloslav Sanda9, Aykut Uren7, Matthew D. Wilkerson3,4, Clifton L. Dalgard3,4, Linda S. Shimizu6, Maksymilian Chruszcz6, Tomasz Borowski5, Geeta Upadhyay 1,3,7. Affiliations 1 Department of Pathology, 2 Henry M. Jackson Foundation, 3 Murtha Cancer Center, 4 Department of Anatomy, Physiology, and Genetics 8 Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA. 5 Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry Polish Academy of Sciences, Cracow, Poland. 6 Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA. 7 Department of Oncology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA. 9 Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Ludwigstrasse, 43, 61231 Bad Nauheim, Germany. Correspond Disclaimer The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and are not necessarily representative of the official policies of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), the Department of Defense (DOD), the United States Army/Navy/Air Force, the U.S. Government, or any other funding agencies Conflict of Interest None Acknowledgments NIH, NCI, R01 CA227694. NIH, NCI, R21CA256424. DOD, USUHS, VPR-NFP-74-9824. Biomedical Instrumentation Center, USUHS. The American Genome Center, USUHS. Antibody Characterization Program, Clinical Proteomics Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC), National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health. The Polish Grid Infrastructure, Cracow, Poland. NIH P30CA51008 and 1S10OD019982-01 to Biacore Molecular Interaction Shared Resource (BMISR), Georgetown University. ABSTRACT Increased expression of LY6K is significantly associated with poor survival outcomes in many solid cancers, including triple-negative and estrogen receptor-positive breast, ovarian, gastric, head and neck, neuroblastoma, bladder, and lung cancers. Inhibition of LY6K signaling is an ideal therapeutic approach for cancer, since the LY6K protein is not involved in vital organ function. Previously, we identified the small molecule NSC243928 as a binder of LY6K using surface plasmon resonance screening and showed that its activity was dependent on LY6K expression in triple-negative breast cancer cells. Here, we demonstrate the structural basis of the molecular interaction of NSC243928 with LY6K protein and the subsequent inhibition of LY6K function in mitosis and cell division via Aurora B-histone pathway. We observed that LY6K interacts with phosphorylated histones and Aurora B kinases during mitosis and that this interaction was disrupted in the presence of NSC243928. Disruption of LY6K function in mitosis/cytokinesis leads to DNA damage, senescence, and apoptosis of cancer cells. We observed that NSC243928 led to increased binding of LY6K to phosphorylated gammaH2X at S139, which was dependent on NSC243928 interaction with LY6K on phenylalanine 79. Furthermore, we observed increased levels of phosphorylated gammaH2X at S139 and increased caspase-3 activation in the tumor isografts of 4T1 and E0771 mammary tumors treated with NSC243928. These data reveal that LY6K is a novel cell cycle target for therapeutic development in triple-negative breast cancer and other solid cancers with high expression of LY6K, such as bladder cancer, head and neck, and lung cancer. Citation Format: Benson Selvanesan, Sheelu Varghese, Justyna Andrys, Ricardo Arriaza, Rahul Prakash, Purushottam Tiwari, Cara Olsen, Daniel Huplo, yuriy Gusev, Megha Patel, Sara Contente, Miloslav Sanda, Matthew Wilkerson, Clifton Dalgard, Linda S. Shimizu, Maksymilian Chruszcz, Tomasz Borowski, Geeta Upadhyay. Pharmacological inhibition of LY6K induced cell cycle arrest and DNA damage by disrupting the LY6K-Histone-Aurora B signaling axis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr P2-17-04.

Abstracts Teaching Kitchen Research Conference Los Angeles, California October 18–19, 2022

Abstracts Teaching Kitchen Research Conference Los Angeles, California <i>October 18–19, 2022</i>

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on National Institutes of Health-Funded Researchers and Their Projects: The Role of Age, Sex, Experience, and Team Size.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the social life, work environment, and well-being of millions of people. We examined COVID-19's impact on National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded extramural principal investigators (PIs) affiliated with public health and preventive medicine departments across the country and their projects; assessed PIs' confidence in achieving project goals; and investigated the role of age, sex, experience, and team size on PIs' confidence in achieving project goals during the pandemic. We sent an anonymous online survey in January 2021 to 1076 extramural PIs affiliated with public health and preventive medicine departments at US institutions; 133 (12.4%) responded. We examined the impact of COVID-19 on the PIs, their project team operations, and their confidence that project objectives would be met, using Likert scales based on age, sex, team size, and PI experience. Of 126 PIs, 94 (74.6%) felt that their day-to-day professional life was impacted a lot or a great deal by COVID-19. More female PIs than male PIs reported that their level of stress changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of 125 PIs, 67 (53.6%) made major adjustments to research operations, 46 (36.8%) made minor adjustments, 5 (4.0%) halted research, and 7 (5.6%) reported not being affected. Of 123 PIs, 89 (72.4%) reported not using NIH COVID-19 accommodations. PIs who led projects 4 or 5 times felt more confident about meeting their research objectives than PIs who led projects 2 or 3 times. Future studies should investigate how to develop more engaging support and communication strategies to assist NIH researchers in mitigating the effects of pandemics or large-scale emergencies.

Insurance Payers Should Cover Selective Coronary Artery Calcium Testing in Intermediate Risk Primary Prevention Patients.

HomeCirculationVol. 146, No. 8Insurance Payers Should Cover Selective Coronary Artery Calcium Testing in Intermediate Risk Primary Prevention Patients No AccessArticle CommentaryRequest AccessFull TextAboutView Full TextView PDFView EPUBSections ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload citationsTrack citationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InMendeleyReddit Jump toNo AccessArticle CommentaryRequest AccessFull TextInsurance Payers Should Cover Selective Coronary Artery Calcium Testing in Intermediate Risk Primary Prevention Patients Philip Greenland, MD, David J. Maron, MD and Matthew J. Budoff, MD Philip GreenlandPhilip Greenland Correspondence to: Philip Greenland, MD, Department of Preventive Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, 680 North Lake Shore Dr, Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60611. Email E-mail Address: [email protected] https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6327-2439 Departments of Preventive Medicine and Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL (P.G.). Search for more papers by this author , David J. MaronDavid J. Maron https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4867-8588 Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA (D.J.M.). Search for more papers by this author and Matthew J. BudoffMatthew J. Budoff https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9616-1946 Lundquist Institute, Torrance, CA (M.J.B.). Search for more papers by this author Originally published22 Aug 2022https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.122.061193Circulation. 2022;146:585–586"Insurance Payers Should Cover Selective Coronary Artery Calcium Testing in Intermediate Risk Primary Prevention Patients." Circulation, 146(8), pp. 585–586FootnotesCirculation is available at www.ahajournals.org/journal/circThe opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those of the editors or of the American Heart Association.For Sources of Funding and Disclosures, see page 586.Correspondence to: Philip Greenland, MD, Department of Preventive Medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, 680 North Lake Shore Dr, Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60611. Email [email protected]edu

Exploration on teaching reform of cancer epidemiology course

This study aims to explore optimized teaching mode of cancer epidemiology for undergraduates, and provide scientific ideas and basis for improving teaching quality. Non-randomized concurrent control study was used. Undergraduates, enrolled in 2018, from the department of preventive medicine in A and B medical universities were selected as research objects. Traditional teaching mode was used for cancer epidemiology course in A medical university, and innovative teaching mode named "one core, four dimensions" was adopted in B medical university. After the course, questionnaire method was used to investigate self-cognition of students, teaching satisfaction and class preparation time of teachers in B Medical University. The post-class test method was used to compare the students' grades of cancer epidemiology in the two universities. The results indicated that among the 58 students of B medical university, 94.83% (55/58) students were familiar with common types of epidemiological studies and 86.21% (50/58) mastered the evaluation indicators of screening research. Among the nine teaching faculties from B medical university, seven reported that the new teaching plan helped students to learn frontier knowledge of cancer epidemiology, and eight reported the new teaching model was conducive to the interaction between teachers and students. The text score of students in B medical university was 50.34±4.90, significantly higher than that in A medical university (46.21±4.91, t=5.20, P<0.001). The optimized teaching mode of cancer epidemiology is highly praised by students and teachers, which has the potential to improve students' grasp of cancer epidemiology, the ability to combine theory with practice, and the teaching effect of cancer epidemiology.

Jeremiah Stamler, MD (1919-2022).

Jeremiah Stamler, MD (1919-2022).

Induced Seismicity and Acute Development of Anxiety and Stress-Related Mental Disorders: Findings from the 2017 Pohang Earthquake.

Induced Seismicity and Acute Development of Anxiety and Stress-Related Mental Disorders: Findings from the 2017 Pohang Earthquake.

Human brucellosis in the southern West Bank, 2015–17: a seroprevalence and molecular characterisation study

BackgroundBrucellosis is a global zoonotic disease ranked by WHO as being among the top seven neglected zoonoses. After implementing a livestock vaccination strategy in 1998, the incidence rate of human brucellosis in Palestine dropped significantly. However, in 2015 the disease re-emerged with alarming incidence rates similar to those in the period before 1998. The aim of this study was to characterise the strains associated with this episode using genetic and genomic tools. MethodsAll patients were referred to the department of preventive medicine from several public or private clinics in the southern West Bank due to undulant fever. After a careful analysis of a patients’ history to evaluate exposure to Brucella, blood samples from patients suspected of brucellosis were collected. Samples positive for the Rose Bengal test with an antibody titre of 1:80 IU/mL or more by Brucella standard agglutination test, and not under antibiotic treatment, were further cultured using the BACTEC 9240 blood culture system. DNA was extracted from the positive culture samples and analysed using three biomarkers to validate the presence of the Brucella genus, establish the species, and identify the Brucella melitensis Rev 1 vaccine strain. Nine randomly chosen isolates were sequenced using targeted next generation sequencing technology to screen for the rpoB gene mutations. Multiple-locus variable number of tandem repeats analysis (MLVA) with 16 variable number of tandem repeats markers was used to genotype the isolates and BioNumerics version 7.6 software was used to analyse the data using the categorical coefficient and unweighted pair group method using the arithmetic averages algorithm. FindingsBlood samples were obtained from a total of 1324 patients during 2015–17. 704 (53·2%) of 1324 serum samples showed agglutination in the Rose Bengal test and 559 (79·4%) of the 704 were considered seropositive based on a standard agglutination test titre of 1:80 IU/mL or more. Only 130 (23·3%) of the 559 seropositive samples were from patients not under antibiotic treatment. Upon culturing, only 72 (12·9%) of the seropositive samples showed growth signals and were positive by PCR for the Brucella genus marker, and all isolates were B melitensis. None of the samples were associated with the B melitensis Rev 1 vaccine strain. The results of sequencing the rpoB gene by next generation sequencing showed four different single nucleotide variations that were not located within the rifampicin resistance-determining region. Using MLVA-16 analysis and the MLVA bank benchmark, the studied isolates were divided into 22 unique genotypes. A hierarchical clustering analysis for the 72 isolates and 18 B melitensis global isolates representing four major regions in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and America, clustered the 73 isolates in the Middle East clade, providing a similarity cutoff value of more than 97% for genotype and more than 75% for clade. InterpretationThis study shows that the brucellosis episode of 2015–17 was due to B melitensis local isolates and was not associated with the Rev 1 vaccine stain. The results show that MLVA-16 is a useful tool for the public health surveillance of human brucellosis. The present study analysed samples from the Hebron governorate only. It is recommended to include more human and animal samples from different areas in Palestine to understand the molecular epidemiology of brucellosis in Palestine and to make more effective decisions regarding control and treatment programmes. FundingPalestine Polytechnic University.

Breaking the silos, stopping the spread: an interview with Jyoti Joshi.

Breaking the silos, stopping the spread: an interview with Jyoti Joshi.

International Natural Procreative Technology Evaluation and Surveillance of Treatment for Subfertility (iNEST): enrollment andmethods.

International Natural Procreative Technology Evaluation and Surveillance of Treatment for Subfertility (iNEST): enrollment andmethods.

Epidemiology and medical practice

In this unpublished work by Ricardo Bruno Mendes Gonçalves, a key figure in the field of collective health, the relationship between epidemiology and medical practice is considered. The text is based on an inaugural lecture delivered on December 16, 1988 as part of a seminar called "Clinical epidemiology: possible scientific field or new medical ideology?" organized by the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Federal University of Bahia School of Medicine, Brazil. This manually transcribed version of the lecture was prepared, revised, and in many cases rewritten by Naomar de Almeida Filho and Jose Ricardo Ayres, who always sought to preserve the original meaning and colloquial tone that was characteristic of his lectures.

IAB Presidential Address: Bioethics, justice, and lessons from a global pandemic.

BioethicsVolume 36, Issue 5 p. 482-485 SPECIAL ISSUE: IAB 15TH WORLD CONGRESS IAB Presidential Address: Bioethics, justice, and lessons from a global pandemic Vardit Ravitsky, Corresponding Author Vardit Ravitsky vardit.ravitsky@umontreal.ca orcid.org/0000-0002-7080-8801 Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, University of Montreal, Montreal, C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-Ville, Quebec, Canada Correspondence Vardit Ravitsky, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, University of Montreal. C.P. 6128, succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3C 3J7. Email: vardit.ravitsky@umontreal.caSearch for more papers by this author Vardit Ravitsky, Corresponding Author Vardit Ravitsky vardit.ravitsky@umontreal.ca orcid.org/0000-0002-7080-8801 Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, University of Montreal, Montreal, C.P. 6128, Succ. Centre-Ville, Quebec, Canada Correspondence Vardit Ravitsky, Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, University of Montreal. C.P. 6128, succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3C 3J7. Email: vardit.ravitsky@umontreal.caSearch for more papers by this author First published: 30 April 2022 https://doi.org/10.1111/bioe.13037Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume36, Issue5Special Issue: IAB 15th World CongressJune 2022Pages 482-485 RelatedInformation

IDF21-0661 Addressing diabetes and hypertension through an innovative, community-based, and people centered model

Background: In Vietnam, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account for 77% of all deaths. Diabetes and hypertension (HTN) are leading contributors to the country’s NCD burden and many people remain undiagnosed. The 2015 WHO STEPS survey indicated that 18.9% of those surveyed had hypertension, but only 43.1% detected at screening were aware of their status. Of these, just 13.6% reported that their blood pressure (BP) was being managed at a health facility. The significant gaps in the treatment cascade are attributed to limited awareness, limited health care worker capacity at the primary health care (PHC) level, and lack of convenient access to screening, prevention, and adherence counselling. In 2016, PATH and the Novartis Foundation, collaborated with the Ho Chi Minh City Municipal Health Department and the General Department of Preventive Medicine (GDPM) to launch the Communities for Healthy Hearts program in Ho Chi Minh City. In 2019, with funding from Access Accelerated, the program expanded to three provinces and included diabetes screening and linkage to care. Aim: The project’s overarching goal is to improve diabetes and hypertension awareness, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and case management amongst adults over 40. Method: The project’s methodology is centered around increasing (1) diabetes and hypertension awareness and health seeking demand, (2) access to quality patient–centered services for diabetes and hypertension at the PHC level, and (3) retention in care. The model was designed in partnership with the Ministry of Health and local partners based on findings from a targeted audience assessment and informed by the global HEARTS technical package, the Expanded Chronic Care Model, and the Framework on Integrated People-Centered Health Services. Results: From 2016-2019 the program screened 121,273 people over 40. Of those screened, 24.7% were at risk for hypertension, 55% were diagnosed, 57% were treated, and 57% of those treated reached the target blood pressure. The number of people with hypertension listed at Commune Health Stations increased 20 times, from 800 people to 16,455 people. From October 2019 to March 2021, 93,425 adults over 40 were screened for diabetes and HTN. Of those screened, 32.7% had elevated blood pressure and/or were considered at risk for diabetes and were referred to health facilities. Of those referred, 51.3% were diagnosed with hypertension, and 0.6% with diabetes. Of those confirmed, 93.8% were treated. Of those treated, 80.5% achieved blood pressure control and 77.1% achieved blood glucose control, an improvement from past programs. Discussion: The program’s unique multi-pronged model that included public-sector health services as well as private partnerships, extension of services to convenient community locations, capacity building for health workers and community volunteers, and the use of digital technologies to raise awareness and ensure linkage to care, resulted in increased screening and retention rates as compared to national averages. The project found that early diagnosis, greater proportion of patients initiating treatment, and improved control were supported by system-level interventions. The combined interventions that made up the model were a first step in Vietnam towards a differentiated care approach for NCDs that is sustainable and scalable.