Diphtheria transmission dynamics - Unveiling generation time and reproduction numbers from the 2022-2023 outbreak in Kano state, Nigeria.

Background: Diphtheria, caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae, remains a serious public health threat in areas with low vaccination coverage, despite global declines due to widespread immunization and improved clinical management. A major outbreak in Nigeria from 2022 to 2023 underscored the persistent risk in regions with inadequate vaccination. This study aims to assess the transmission dynamics of diphtheria in Kano State, the epicenter of the outbreak, by estimating key epidemiological parameters, including the generation time (GT), approximated in our study by serial interval, and effective reproduction number (Rₜ).

Characterization of RNA cargo from extracellular vesicles obtained from cerebrospinal fluid and plasma samples in schizophrenia participants and healthy volunteers.

Biomarkers that are clinically useful for the diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia are lacking. Biomarkers are critical tools that reduce the incidence of misdiagnosis, identify subgroups of patients, assist in the proper characterization of patient phenotypes, predict response to treatment or the development of side effects, and can serve as targets for novel therapeutic interventions. In this study, we evaluated small (< 200 nucleotide) and long (> 200 nucleotide) RNAs found in extracellular vesicles (EVs) isolated from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma of individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) and healthy volunteers (HV).

Electrode Setup for Electromyography-Based Silent Speech Interfaces: A Pilot Study.

This paper describes a series of pilot experiments developed to define the electrode setup in order to record a novel parallel electromyography (EMG)-audio database. The main purpose of the database is to provide data useful for the development of an EMG-based silent speech interface for Spanish laryngectomized speakers. Motivated by the scarcity of information in related studies regarding this important decision-making process, we decided to carry out a set of experiments with multiple recording sessions and different setups.

Trans-ancestry genome-wide association study of childhood body mass index identifies novel loci and age-specific effects.

Over the past 30 years, obesity prevalence has markedly increased globally, including among children. Although genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified over 1,000 genetic loci associated with obesity-related traits in adults, the genetic architecture of childhood obesity is less well characterized. Moreover, most childhood obesity GWASs have been restricted to severely obese children, in relatively small sample sizes, and in primarily European-ancestry populations.

Genetic Relationships and Molecular Signatures of Divergence in Traditional Landraces and Morphotypes of .

is a complex species incorporating a great variety of vegetable types, including cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kale, and others. Southern Italy, and especially the Puglia region, is rich in landraces. In this study, genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) was applied to a germplasm panel of 82 samples, mostly landraces and some commercial varieties, belonging to various morphotypes of .