On the torsion part in the -theory of imaginary quadratic fields.

We obtain upper bounds for the torsion in the -groups of the ring of integers of imaginary quadratic number fields, in terms of their discriminants.

Motivators and mechanisms for an international rural health collaboration.

Collaborations are critical to address rural health challenges. We evaluated a new international collaboration between institutions in Georgia, the United States (US), and Scotland, United Kingdom (UK), to address rural health issues and to understand the barriers and facilitators to effective international collaboration efforts. A qualitative approach was used through in-depth interviews and focus groups with educators, researchers, and healthcare providers in the US and Scotland who were involved in the CONVERGE international rural health collaboration.

Use of technology in evidence-based programs for child maltreatment and its impact on parent and child outcomes.

Introduction: Technology has been used in evidence-based child maltreatment (CM) programs for over a decade. Although advancements have been made, the extent of the application of technology in these programs, and its influence on parental and child outcomes, remains unclear within the context of changes that emerged because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This scoping review provides a contextualized overview and summary of the use of technology in evidence-based parenting and child programs serving families impacted by child maltreatment and the effects of technology-enhanced programs on target outcomes.

Mapping Health Disparities in 11 High-Income Nations.

Importance: Health care delivery faces a myriad of challenges globally with well-documented health inequities based on geographic location. Yet, researchers and policy makers have a limited understanding of the frequency of geographic health disparities.

Objective: To describe geographic health disparities in 11 high-income countries.

COVID-19 and Caregiver Risk Factors for Child Maltreatment: The Pandemic in Review.

The COVID-19 pandemic has fostered an environment for increased risk of child maltreatment (CM) as families experience increased psychosocial and financial burdens and spend unprecedented amounts of time together in the home. This narrative review aimed to summarize empirical findings on existing or new pandemic-related risk factors among caregivers. A combination of search terms related to CM and COVID-19 were used to identify articles published within five databases between February 2020 and July 2022.

Inheritance of Two Traits With High Plasticity, Developmental Speed, and Body Size, in Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae).

The study of inheritance of quantitative traits of high plasticity in insects has been limited. The heritability of larval development time and body weight in Tenebrio molitor L. was determined using the method of parent-offspring regression.

Digital technologies in the public-health response to COVID-19.

Digital technologies are being harnessed to support the public-health response to COVID-19 worldwide, including population surveillance, case identification, contact tracing and evaluation of interventions on the basis of mobility data and communication with the public. These rapid responses leverage billions of mobile phones, large online datasets, connected devices, relatively low-cost computing resources and advances in machine learning and natural language processing. This Review aims to capture the breadth of digital innovations for the public-health response to COVID-19 worldwide and their limitations, and barriers to their implementation, including legal, ethical and privacy barriers, as well as organizational and workforce barriers.

Body Mass Increase Induced by Eight Years of Artificial Selection in the Yellow Mealworm (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) and Life History Trade-offs.

Efforts to improve rearing conditions of Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) for insect biomass production included selecting for larger size pupae. The effects of an 8-yr continuous selection of T.

Knowledge and use of sterile water injections amongst midwives in the United Kingdom: A cross-sectional study.

Background: The use of sterile water injections (SWI) for the relief of pain in labour is popular amongst midwives in countries such as Sweden and Australia. Anecdotal reports suggest the procedure is used less commonly in the United Kingdom (UK) and that a number of barriers to introducing the practice may exist.

Objective: The objective of this study was to explore the awareness and use of SWI amongst midwives in the UK.

Towards an ultra-rapid smartphone- connected test for infectious diseases.

The development is reported of an ultra-rapid, point-of-care diagnostic device which harnesses surface acoustic wave (SAW) biochips, to detect HIV in a finger prick of blood within 10 seconds (sample-in-result-out). The disposable quartz biochip, based on microelectronic components found in every consumer smartphone, is extremely fast because no complex labelling, amplification or wash steps are needed. A pocket-sized control box reads out the SAW signal and displays results electronically.

Correction: Novel decay dynamics revealed for virus-mediated drug activation in cytomegalovirus infection.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.

Novel decay dynamics revealed for virus-mediated drug activation in cytomegalovirus infection.

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a substantial cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised hosts and globally is one of the most important congenital infections. The nucleoside analogue ganciclovir (GCV), which requires initial phosphorylation by the viral UL97 kinase, is the mainstay for treatment. To date, CMV decay kinetics during GCV therapy have not been extensively investigated and its clinical implications not fully appreciated.

Skepticism toward Emerging Infectious Diseases and Influenza Vaccination Intentions in Nurses.

Nurses generally show low compliance with vaccination recommendations. We assessed whether low vaccine acceptance is due to skeptical attitudes toward emerging infectious diseases (EIDs). Skepticism toward EIDs manifests as doubts about the real threat of emerging diseases and as distrust in the motives and the competence of institutions that fight these diseases.

Cytomegalovirus in pregnancy and the neonate.

Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains a leading cause of disability in children. Understanding the pathogenesis of infection from the mother via the placenta to the neonate is crucial if we are to produce new interventions and provide supportive mechanisms to improve the outcome of congenitally infected children. In recent years, some major goals have been achieved, including the diagnosis of primary maternal CMV infection in pregnant women by using the anti-CMV IgG avidity test and the diagnosis and prognosis of foetal CMV infection by using polymerase chain reaction real-time tests to detect and quantify the virus in amniotic fluid.

Maternal Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Reduces Vertical Cytomegalovirus Transmission But Does Not Reduce Breast Milk Cytomegalovirus Levels.

Unlabelled: To evaluate the impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on CMV transmission and breast milk level in the context of maternal HIV. Specimens from a randomized trial conducted in Nairobi, Kenya between 2003-2005 were used to compare CMV transmission and breast milk levels between mother-infant pairs randomized to HAART versus short-course antenatal zidovudine plus single-dose nevirapine (ZDV/sdNVP) for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT). Fifty-one antiretroviral-naïve women ≤32 weeks gestation, and CD4 between 200-500 cells/mm were randomized at 34 weeks to begin either antenatal ZDV/sdNVP, or HAART through 6 months postpartum.

Randomized Controlled Trials to Define Viral Load Thresholds for Cytomegalovirus Pre-Emptive Therapy.

Background: To help decide when to start and when to stop pre-emptive therapy for cytomegalovirus infection, we conducted two open-label randomized controlled trials in renal, liver and bone marrow transplant recipients in a single centre where pre-emptive therapy is indicated if viraemia exceeds 3000 genomes/ml (2520 IU/ml) of whole blood.

Methods: Patients with two consecutive viraemia episodes each below 3000 genomes/ml were randomized to continue monitoring or to immediate treatment (Part A). A separate group of patients with viral load greater than 3000 genomes/ml was randomized to stop pre-emptive therapy when two consecutive levels less than 200 genomes/ml (168 IU/ml) or less than 3000 genomes/ml were obtained (Part B).

Compartmentalized dynamics of cytomegalovirus replication in treated congenital infection.

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most prevalent congenital infection in developed countries. A significant number of infected infants develop long-term neurodevelopmental and hearing impairment irrespective of whether disease is detectable at birth. Studies of viral load and replication dynamics have informed the treatment of CMV in adult populations but no similar data exist in neonates.

Differential Sharing of Chemical Cues by Social Parasites Versus Social Mutualists in a Three-Species Symbiosis.

Chemical recognition systems are crucial for maintaining the unity of social insect colonies. It has been proposed that colonies form a common chemical signature, called the gestalt odor, which is used to distinguish colony members and non-members. This chemical integration is achieved actively through social interactions such as trophallaxis and allogrooming, or passively such as through exposure to common nest material.

Vertical Cytomegalovirus Transmission From HIV-Infected Women Randomized to Formula-Feed or Breastfeed Their Infants.

Background: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is associated with morbidity and mortality in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-exposed infants. We assessed the effect of and relative contribution of breastfeeding to CMV acquisition among infants delivered by HIV-infected mothers.

Methods: Between 1993 and 1998 pregnant, HIV-infected women in Nairobi, Kenya, were randomly assigned to breastfeed or formula-feed their infants in an HIV transmission study.

Complexity of Host Micro-RNA Response to Cytomegalovirus Reactivation After Organ Transplantation.

Human (Homo sapiens) micro-RNAs (hsa-miRNAs) regulate virus and host-gene translation, but the biological impact in patients with human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) infection is not well defined in a clinically relevant model. First, we compared hsa-miRNA expression profiles in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 35 transplant recipients with and without CMV viremia by using a microarray chip covering 847 hsa-miRNAs. This approach demonstrated a set of 142 differentially expressed hsa-miRNAs.

EBV and vitamin D status in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients with a unique cytokine signature.

Multiple sclerosis, a debilitating autoimmune and inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, is associated with both infectious and non-infectious factors. We investigated the role of EBV infection, vitamin D level, and cytokine signature in MS patients. Molecular and serological assays were used to investigate immune biomarkers, vitamin D level, and EBV status in 83 patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and 62 healthy controls.

Effects of donor/recipient human leukocyte antigen mismatch on human cytomegalovirus replication following liver transplantation.

Background: Natural immunity against cytomegalovirus (CMV) can control virus replication after solid organ transplantation; however, it is not known which components of the adaptive immune system mediate this protection. We investigated whether this protection requires human leukocyte antigen (HLA) matching between donor and recipient by exploiting the fact that, unlike transplantation of other solid organs, liver transplantation does not require HLA matching, but some donor and recipient pairs may nevertheless be matched by chance.

Methods: To further investigate this immune control, we determined whether chance HLA matching between donor (D) and recipient (R) in liver transplants affected a range of viral replication parameters.