SARS-CoV-2 introductions to the island of Ireland: a phylogenetic and geospatiotemporal study of infection dynamics.

Background: Ireland's COVID-19 response combined extensive SARS-CoV-2 testing to estimate incidence, with whole genome sequencing (WGS) for genome surveillance. As an island with two political jurisdictions-Northern Ireland (NI) and Republic of Ireland (RoI)-and access to detailed passenger travel data, Ireland provides a unique setting to study virus introductions and evaluate public health measures. Using a substantial Irish genomic dataset alongside global data from GISAID, this study aimed to trace the introduction and spread of SARS-CoV-2 across the island.

Rosin as a Natural Alternative for the effective disinfection of ESKAPE Pathogens and Clostridioides difficile spores.

Aim: Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) caused by antimicrobial-resistant ESKAPE pathogens are a significant concern for the healthcare industry, with an estimated cost of up to ${\$}$45 billion per year in the US alone. Clostridioides difficile is an additional opportunistic pathogen that also poses a serious threat to immunocompromised patients in hospitals. Infections caused by these pathogens lead to increased hospital stays and repeated readmission, resulting in a significant economic burden.

Valaciclovir for Epstein-Barr Virus Suppression in Moderate-to-Severe COPD: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Background: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) frequently is measured at high levels in COPD using sputum quantitative polymerase chain reaction, whereas airway immunohistochemistry analysis has shown EBV detection to be common in severe disease.

Research Question: Is valaciclovir safe and effective for EBV suppression in COPD?

Study Design And Methods: The Epstein-Barr Virus Suppression in COPD (EViSCO) trial was a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial conducted at the Mater Hospital Belfast, Northern Ireland. Eligible patients had stable moderate-to-severe COPD and sputum EBV (measured using quantitative polymerase chain reaction) and were assigned randomly (1:1) to valaciclovir (1 g tid) or matching placebo for 8 weeks.

'If I am on ART, my new-born baby should be put on treatment immediately': Exploring the acceptability, and appropriateness of Cepheid Xpert HIV-1 Qual assay for early infant diagnosis of HIV in Malawi.

Early infant diagnosis of HIV (EID-HIV) is key to reducing paediatric HIV mortality. Traditional approaches for diagnosing HIV in exposed infants are usually unable to optimally contribute to EID. Point-of-care testing such as Cepheid Xpert HIV-1 Qual assay-1 (XPertHIV) are available and could improve EID-HIV in resource constrained and high HIV burden contexts.

sp. nov., isolated from bovine faeces in Northern Ireland.

A new species of , a Gram-positive, spore-forming anaerobic group, proposed name sp. nov., was isolated in Northern Ireland from bovine faeces collected in 2016.

Evolutionary remodelling of N-terminal domain loops fine-tunes SARS-CoV-2 spike.

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants has exacerbated the COVID-19 global health crisis. Thus far, all variants carry mutations in the spike glycoprotein, which is a critical determinant of viral transmission being responsible for attachment, receptor engagement and membrane fusion, and an important target of immunity. Variants frequently bear truncations of flexible loops in the N-terminal domain (NTD) of spike; the functional importance of these modifications has remained poorly characterised.

Diagnostic value of mid-regional pro-Adrenomedullin as a biomarker of invasive bacterial infection in children: a systematic review.

Background: Invasive bacterial infections (IBI) in children present a difficult clinical challenge. They are often life-threatening, however in the early stages they can be hard to differentiate from benign viral infections. This leaves clinicians with the risk of missing a serious IBI diagnosis or inappropriately using antimicrobials in a child with a viral infection- contributing to the ongoing development of increased antimicrobial resistance.

Mini-XT, a miniaturized tagmentation-based protocol for efficient sequencing of SARS-CoV-2.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of whole genome sequencing (WGS) of SARS-CoV-2 to inform public health policy. By enabling definition of lineages it facilitates tracking of the global spread of the virus. The evolution of new variants can be monitored and knowledge of specific mutations provides insights into the mechanisms through which the virus increases transmissibility or evades immunity.

Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 Evolution in Paediatric Primary Airway Epithelial Cell Cultures Compared with Vero-Derived Cell Lines.

SARS-CoV-2 can efficiently infect both children and adults, albeit with morbidity and mortality positively associated with increasing host age and presence of co-morbidities. SARS-CoV-2 continues to adapt to the human population, resulting in several variants of concern (VOC) with novel properties, such as Alpha and Delta. However, factors driving SARS-CoV-2 fitness and evolution in paediatric cohorts remain poorly explored.

Clinical Isolates of spp. Are Highly Serum Resistant Despite Efficient Recognition by the Complement System.

Gram-negative bacteria from the genus are responsible for life-threating hospital-related infections such as pneumonia, septicemia, and meningitis, especially in immunocompromised patients. Worryingly, have become multi- and extensively drug resistant (MDR/XDR) over the last few decades. The complement system is the first line of defense against microbes, thus it is highly important to increase our understanding of evasion mechanisms used by spp.

Examining fine particulate matter and cause-specific morbidity during the 2017 North San Francisco Bay wildfires.

Background: Recent increases in wildfire frequency and severity necessitate better understanding of health effects of wildfire smoke to protect affected populations.

Objectives: We examined relationships between fine particulate matter (PM) and morbidity during wildfires in California, and whether those relationships differed during the fire compared to a similar non-fire period.

Methods: For nine San Francisco Bay Area counties, daily county-level diagnosis-specific counts of emergency department visits (EDVs) and hospitalizations were linked with county-level estimates of daily mean PM during the October 2017 Northern California wildfires and similar October days in 2015, 2016, and 2017.

Rosin Soap Exhibits Virucidal Activity.

Chemical methods of virus inactivation are used routinely to prevent viral transmission in both a personal hygiene capacity but also in at-risk environments like hospitals. Several virucidal products exist, including hand soaps, gels, and surface disinfectants. Resin acids, which can be derived from tall oil, produced from trees, have been shown to exhibit antibacterial activity.

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in children of United Kingdom healthcare workers: a prospective multicentre cohort study protocol.

Background: A novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has been responsible for a worldwide pandemic. Children typically have very mild, or no, symptoms of infection. This makes estimations of seroprevalence in children difficult.

Prospective Trial of CPAP in Community-Dwelling Adults with Down Syndrome and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome.

Adults with Down syndrome (DS) are predisposed to obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), but the effectiveness and acceptability of continuous positive airway pressure treatment (CPAP) in this group has rarely been formally assessed. This study was designed as a pilot randomised, parallel controlled trial for one month, continuing as an uncontrolled cohort study whereby the control group also received the intervention. Symptomatic, community-dwelling DS individuals exhibiting ≥10 apnoeas/hypopneas per hour in bed on a Type 3 home sleep study were invited to participate in this study, with follow-up at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months from baseline.

Validating clinical practice guidelines for the management of children with non-blanching rashes in the UK (PiC): a prospective, multicentre cohort study.

Background: No previous studies have validated current clinical practice guidelines for the management of non-blanching rashes in children who have received meningococcal B and C vaccinations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of existing clinical practice guidelines in the diagnosis of invasive meningococcal disease in children presenting with a fever and non-blanching rash in the UK.

Methods: The Petechiae in Children (PiC) study was a prospective, multicentre cohort study involving children (aged <18 years) presenting to 37 paediatric emergency departments in the UK with a fever (≥38°C) and a new-onset non-blanching rash or features suggestive of meningococcal infection.

Diagnostic test accuracy of point-of-care procalcitonin to diagnose serious bacterial infections in children.

Background: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have called for research into the role of biomarkers, and specifically procalcitonin (PCT), for the early diagnosis of serious bacterial infections (SBI) in children. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic test accuracy of C-reactive protein (CRP) and PCT for the diagnosis of SBI in children.

Methods: Data was collected prospectively from four UK emergency departments (ED) between November 2017 and June 2019.

Assessment of Regional Methane Emission Inventories through Airborne Quantification in the San Francisco Bay Area.

This study derives methane emission rates from 92 airborne observations collected over 23 facilities including 5 refineries, 10 landfills, 4 wastewater treatment plants (POTWs), 2 composting operations, and 2 dairies in the San Francisco Bay Area. Emission rates are measured using an airborne mass-balance technique from a low-flying aircraft. Annual measurement-based sectorwide methane emissions are 19,000 ± 2300 Mg for refineries, 136,700 ± 25,900 Mg for landfills, 11,900 ± 1,500 Mg for POTWs, and 11,100 ± 3,400 Mg for composting.

A Cross-Sectional Comparison of the Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Symptoms in Adults With Down Syndrome in Scotland and Japan.

Small studies in Western populations report a high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults with Down syndrome. To date, ethnic differences have not been explored. A questionnaire sent to 2,752 adults with Down syndrome aged ≥16 years in Scotland and Japan (789 valid responses) estimated OSA prevalence based on reported symptoms.

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification for the early diagnosis of invasive meningococcal disease in children.

Background: Rapid molecular diagnostic testing has the potential to improve the early recognition of meningococcal disease (MD). The aim of this study was to report on the diagnostic test accuracy of point-of-care loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) in the diagnosis of MD.

Design: Data were collected prospectively from three UK emergency departments (ED) between November 2017 and June 2019.

A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of the diagnostic accuracy of mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin in predicting invasive bacterial infection in children.

Background: The early recognition of invasive bacterial infections (IBI) in children can be difficult. Clinically it is often challenging to differentiate between the early stages of an IBI and a benign self-limiting viral infection. These challenges mandate a cautious approach resulting in the overuse of antimicrobial drugs with resultant antimicrobial resistance.

Utility of the pictorial Epworth sleepiness scale in the adult down syndrome population.

Objective/background: The utility of the pictorial Epworth sleepiness scale (pESS) has been assessed by only a few studies in a clinical population. Some of its questions may be inappropriate in certain patient groups. The aim of this study was to assess the utility of the pESS in the adult Down syndrome (DS) population in the United Kingdom (UK).

Emergence of a non-sporulating secondary phenotype in Clostridium (Clostridioides) difficile ribotype 078 isolated from humans and animals.

Clostridium (Clostridioides) difficile is a Gram positive, spore forming anaerobic bacterium that is a leading cause of antibiotic associated diarrhoea in the developed world. C. difficile is a genetically diverse species that can be divided into 8 phylogenetically distinct clades with clade 5 found to be genetically distant from all others.

Adaptation of host transmission cycle during Clostridium difficile speciation.

Bacterial speciation is a fundamental evolutionary process characterized by diverging genotypic and phenotypic properties. However, the selective forces that affect genetic adaptations and how they relate to the biological changes that underpin the formation of a new bacterial species remain poorly understood. Here, we show that the spore-forming, healthcare-associated enteropathogen Clostridium difficile is actively undergoing speciation.