First detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 Omicron BA.4 variant

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader First detection of SARS‐CoV‐2 Omicron BA.4 variant in Western Pennsylvania, United States Via Journal of Medical Virology Abstract At the time of writing, the world continues to witness the extraordinarily rapid evolution and selection of SARS-CoV-2, with the Omicron variants comprising five lineages known as BA.1, BA.2, BA.3, BA.4 and BA.5. In this study, there were 141 SARS-CoV-2 positive nasopharyngeal specimens tested using the RT-PCR BA.1 assay during January-April 2022. Of these, 83.0% specimens were BA.1. While the prevalence rate of BA.1 continued to decrease, BA.2 emerged. Interestingly, BA.4 was detected for the first time in Western Pennsylvania, United States. While the unexpected detection of BA.4 in our study is interesting, and even a single case, our finding underscores the importance of genomic surveillance as a critical tool for tracking emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

High-flow nasal cannula versus standard low-flow nasal cannula during deep sedation in patients undergoing radiofrequency atrial fibrillation catheter ablation: a single-centre randomised controlled trial

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader High-flow nasal cannula versus standard low-flow nasal cannula during deep sedation in patients undergoing radiofrequency atrial fibrillation catheter ablation: a single-centre randomised controlled trial Via Trials - Latest Articles To our knowledge, there are few trials studying the effect of high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) during deep sedation. Our hypothesis is that high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) will prevent hypoxemia and desaturation ... View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Alpha variant coronavirus outbreak in a nursing home despite high vaccination coverage: molecular, epidemiological and immunological studies

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Alpha variant coronavirus outbreak in a nursing home despite high vaccination coverage: molecular, epidemiological and immunological studies Via Clinical Infectious Diseases Advance Access Abstract Background Vaccination may control the COVID-19 pandemic, including in nursing homes where many high-risk people live. We conducted extensive outbreak investigations. Methods We studied an outbreak at a nursing home in Switzerland where vaccination uptake of mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 was 82% among residents as of Jan 21/2021. After a vaccinated symptomatic HCW was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Feb 22, we did an outbreak investigations in house A (47 residents, 37 HCWs) using SARS-CoV-2-specific PCR in nasopharyngeal swabs. We performed whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 and serological analyses. Results We identified 17 individuals with positive PCR tests; ten residents (five vaccinated) and seven HCWs (three vaccinated). Median age among residents was 86 years (interquartile range [IQR] 70-90) and 49 years (IQR 29-59) among HCWs. Among the five vaccinated residents, 60% had mild disease and had 40% no symptoms, whereas all five unvaccinated residents had mild to severe disease and two died. The vaccine effectiveness for the prevention of infection among the residents was 73.0% (95% Cl 24.7-90.1). The 12 available genomes were all alpha variants. Neutralizing titers were significantly higher in vaccinated individuals upon re-exposure (>1 week after diagnosis) than in vaccinated, unexposed HCWs (p=0.012). Transmission networks indicated four likely or possible transmissions from vaccinated to other individuals, and 12 transmission events from unvaccinated individuals. Conclusions COVID-19 outbreaks can occur in nursing homes, including transmission from vaccinated persons to others. Outbreaks might occur silently, underlining the need for continued testing and basic infection control measures in these high-risk settings. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Clinical Validation of a Novel T-cell Receptor Sequencing Assay for Identification of Recent or Prior SARS-CoV-2 Infection

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Clinical Validation of a Novel T-cell Receptor Sequencing Assay for Identification of Recent or Prior SARS-CoV-2 Infection Via Clinical Infectious Diseases Advance Access Abstract Background While diagnostic, therapeutic, and vaccine development in the COVID-19 pandemic has proceeded at unprecedented speed, critical gaps in our understanding of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 remain unaddressed by current diagnostic strategies. Methods A statistical classifier for identifying prior SARS-CoV-2 infection was trained using >4000 SARS-CoV-2–associated TCRβ sequences identified by comparing 784 cases and 2447 controls from 5 independent cohorts. The T-Detect™ COVID assay applies this classifier to TCR repertoires sequenced from blood samples to yield a binary assessment of past infection. Assay performance was assessed in 2 retrospective (n = 346; n = 69) and 1 prospective cohort (n = 87) to determine positive percent agreement (PPA) and negative percent agreement (NPA). PPA was compared to 2 commercial serology assays, and pathogen cross-reactivity was evaluated. Results T-Dete ct COVID demonstrated high PPA in individuals with prior RT-PCR–confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (97.1% 15 + days from diagnosis; 94.5% 15 + days from symptom onset), high NPA (∼100%) in presumed or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 negative cases, equivalent or higher PPA than 2 commercial serology tests, and no evidence of pathogen cross-reactivity. Conclusion T-Detect COVID is a novel T-cell immunosequencing assay demonstrating high clinical performance for identification of recent or prior SARS-CoV-2 infection from blood samples, with implications for clinical management, risk stratification, surveillance, and understanding protective immunity and long-term sequelae. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Does a combination of self‐reported signs related to central sensitization and pressure pain threshold allow for a more detailed classification of pain‐related characteristics in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain?: A cross‐sectional study

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Does a combination of self‐reported signs related to central sensitization and pressure pain threshold allow for a more detailed classification of pain‐related characteristics in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain?: A cross‐sectional study Via Pain Practice Abstract Objectives The clinical utility of combining the central sensitization (CS) inventory (CSI) with the pressure pain threshold (PPT) in assessing the effect of central sensitization on pain is unknown. This study aimed to investigate (1) the effects of CSI, PPT, and their interaction on pain and (2) the characteristics of clinical symptoms in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain grouped according to the CSI score and PPT value. Method A total of 187 participants with chronic musculoskeletal pain were recruited. PPT, brief pain inventory, widespread pain index, pain-catastrophizing scale, EuroQol-5 dimension, and CSI were assessed. Multiple regression analyses were performed using pain intensity and interference scores as dependent variables and the CSI score and PPT value as independent variables. Hierarchical cluster analysis was also performed to classify the participants into subgroups according to the CSI score and PPT value. Following the classification, pain-related characteristics and health-related QOL were compared among the subgroups. Results Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that only the CSI score significantly affected pain intensity and interference. As a result of the cluster analysis, three groups were identified: cluster 1 (n = 61, CSI low/PPT low group), cluster 2 (n = 78, CSI low/PPT high group), and cluster 3 (n = 48, CSI high/PPT low group). The CSI high/PPT low group had higher incidence of pain-related symptoms than the CSI low groups regardless of the PPT value. Conclusions Combined CSI and PPT may not fully allow a detailed classification of pain-related characteristics. The CSI may be clinically more useful for assessing the effect of CS on pain-related symptoms. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Influence of lingual plate fracture pattern on remodelling site during the healing process of sagittal split ramus osteotomy

alexandrossfakianakis shared this article with you from Inoreader Influence of lingual plate fracture pattern on remodelling site during the healing process of sagittal split ramus osteotomy Via International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery via MedWorm.com The purpose of this study was to investigate whether differences in the pattern of the lingual plate split in sagittal split ramus osteotomy (SSRO) affect the remodelling of the split site. Sixty-one patients with mandibular prognathism (122 sides) underwent SSRO. Computed tomography (CT) was performed at 1 week and 1 year after SSRO. Bone splits were classified according to the lingual split scale (LSS) and the lateral bone cut end (LBCE) by evaluating CT images at 1 week. The remodelling at the split sites was evaluated by superimposing the CT images obtained at 1 week and 1 year. (Source: International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery) View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.