Characterisation of the optical response to seismic waves of submarine telecommunications cables with distributed and integrated fibre-optic sensing.

We present the first controlled-environment measurements of the optical path-length change response of telecommunication submarine cables to active seismic and acoustic waves. We perform the comparison among integrated (optical interferometry) and distributed (distributed acoustic sensing, DAS) fibre measurements and ground truth data acquired by 58 geophones, 20 three-axis seismometers and 7 microphones. The comparison between different seismic acquisition methods is an essential step towards full validation and calibration of the data acquired using novel cable-based sensing techniques.

Sex differences in mitochondrial gene expression during viral myocarditis.

Background: Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle most often caused by viral infections. Sex differences in the immune response during myocarditis have been well described but upstream mechanisms in the heart that might influence sex differences in disease are not completely understood.

Methods: Male and female BALB/c wild type mice received an intraperitoneal injection of heart-passaged coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) or vehicle control.

Investigating the potential role of capsaicin in facilitating the spread of coxsackievirus B3 via extracellular vesicles.

Unlabelled: Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is a non-enveloped picornavirus that can cause systemic inflammatory diseases including myocarditis, pericarditis, pancreatitis, and meningoencephalitis. We have previously reported that following infection, CVB3 localizes to mitochondria, inducing mitochondrial fission and mitophagy, while inhibiting lysosomal degradation by blocking autophagosome-lysosome fusion. This results in the release of virus-laden mitophagosomes from the host cell as infectious extracellular vesicles (EVs) which allow non-lytic viral egress.

Estimation of prevalence of autoimmune diseases in the United States using electronic health record data.

Background: Previous epidemiologic studies of autoimmune diseases in the United States (US) have included a limited number of diseases or used meta-analyses that rely on different data collection methods and analyses for each disease.

Methods: To estimate the prevalence of autoimmune diseases in the US, we used electronic health record data from six large medical systems in the US. We developed a software program using common methodology to compute the estimated prevalence of autoimmune diseases alone and in aggregate that can be readily used by other investigators to replicate or modify the analysis over time.

Similarities and differences in self-reported symptoms and comorbidities between hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and hypermobility spectrum disorders.

Objectives: Patients with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) experience a wide array of symptoms and system disorders. This study aimed to identify whether differences occurred in 115 self-reported symptoms and comorbidities in patients diagnosed with hEDS or HSD.

Methods: In this study we analysed self-reported data from an EDS Clinic intake questionnaire in patients diagnosed with hEDS, HSD or no hypermobile conditions.