Preparedness of Nursing Homes: A Typology and Analysis of Responses to the COVID-19 Crisis in a French Network.

Background: Preparing healthcare systems for emergencies is crucial to maintaining healthcare quality. Nursing homes (NHs) require tailored emergency plans. This article aims to develop a typology of French private NHs and study their early COVID-19 responses and mortality outcomes.

Impact of the first COVID-19 epidemic wave in a large French network of nursing homes: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Nursing homes (NHs) have been particularly affected by COVID-19. The aim of this study is to estimate the burden of COVID-19 and to investigate factors associated with mortality during the first epidemic wave in a large French NHs network.

Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in September-October 2020.

Susceptibility and Permissivity of Zebrafish () Larvae to Cypriniviruses.

The zebrafish () represents an increasingly important model organism in virology. We evaluated its utility in the study of economically important viruses from the genus (anguillid herpesvirus 1, cyprinid herpesvirus 2 and cyprinid herpesvirus 3 (CyHV-3)). This revealed that zebrafish larvae were not susceptible to these viruses after immersion in contaminated water, but that infections could be established using artificial infection models in vitro (zebrafish cell lines) and in vivo (microinjection of larvae).

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Responses in Nursing Homes: A Cross-Sectional Study in Four European Countries.

Background: Studies comparing how the European nursing homes (NHs) handled the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic remain scarce.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted during the first wave in a private NHs network in Belgium, France, Germany and Italy. Mortality rates were estimated, and prevention and control measures were described by country.

Open-access platform to synthesize knowledge of ape conservation across sites.

Despite the large body of literature on ape conservation, much of the data needed for evidence-based conservation decision-making is still not readily accessible and standardized, rendering cross-site comparison difficult. To support knowledge synthesis and to complement the IUCN SSC Ape Populations, Environments and Surveys database, we created the A.P.

First field evidence of the evolution from a non-virulent HPR0 to a virulent HPR-deleted infectious salmon anaemia virus.

The putatively non-virulent subtype of infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV), ISAV-HPR0, is proposed to act as a progenitor and reservoir for all virulent ISAVs and thus represent a potential risk factor for the emergence of infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) disease. Here, we provide the first evidence of genetic and functional evolution from an ISAV-HPR0 variant (FO/07/12) to a low-virulent ISAV virus (FO/121/14) in a Faroese Atlantic salmon marine farm. The FO/121/14 virus infection was not associated with specific clinical signs of ISA and was confined to a single net-pen, while various ISAV-HPR0 subtypes were found circulating in most epidemiologically linked marine and freshwater farms.

[Effectiveness of erlotinib in Critical Care Unit in patients with non-small cell lung cancer with EGFR mutation].

Introduction: The search for mutations epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has changed the therapeutic approach and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The effectiveness of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) has been demonstrated orally in patients with EGFR mutation. We report the case of a patient for whom treatment with TKI was started effectively in a Critical Care Unit.

Sexual maturation in Atlantic salmon induces a constitutive Mx protein production and influences the infectious pancreatic necrosis virus carrier-status.

The aim of this study was to demonstrate for the first time that sexual maturation induces a constitutive increase in Mx gene expression and protein production in Atlantic salmon. This could explain the reduction in IPNV prevalence previously observed in broodfish at the time of ova/milt stripping. For this purpose, Mx transcript and protein levels were analysed in different tissues/samples and compared between mature broodfish (female and male) and immature parr.

Production of infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) ribonucleoprotein complexes using a mammalian cell based minigenome system.

Developments in recombinant virus techniques have been crucial to understand the mechanisms of virulence acquisition and study the replication of many different negatively stranded RNA viruses. However, such technology has been lacking for infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) until recently. This was due in part to the lack of a Polymerase I promoter in Atlantic salmon to drive the production of recombinant vRNA.

Dual Mutation Events in the Haemagglutinin-Esterase and Fusion Protein from an Infectious Salmon Anaemia Virus HPR0 Genotype Promote Viral Fusion and Activation by an Ubiquitous Host Protease.

In Infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV), deletions in the highly polymorphic region (HPR) in the near membrane domain of the haemagglutinin-esterase (HE) stalk, influence viral fusion. It is suspected that selected mutations in the associated Fusion (F) protein may also be important in regulating fusion activity. To better understand the underlying mechanisms involved in ISAV fusion, several mutated F proteins were generated from the Scottish Nevis and Norwegian SK779/06 HPR0.

Male-driven grooming bouts in mixed-sex dyads of Kinda baboons (Papio kindae).

The behavior of the Central African Kinda baboon (Papio kindae) is not well documented. Having previously noted distinctive grooming behavior in several Kinda baboon populations, we investigated the topic more systematically in the Kafue National Park, Zambia. We recorded the duration and details of male-female dyadic interactions (approaches, withdrawals and time spent grooming) in the early morning and late afternoon.

Deletions in the highly polymorphic region (HPR) of infectious salmon anaemia virus HPR0 haemagglutinin-esterase enhance viral fusion and influence the interaction with the fusion protein.

Since the discovery of a non-virulent infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) HPR0 variant, many studies have speculated on the functional role of deletions within the highly polymorphic region (HPR) of genomic segment 6, which codes for the haemagglutinin-esterase (HE) protein. To address this issue, mutant HE proteins with deletions in their HPR were generated from the Scottish HPR0 template (NWM10) and fusion-inducing activity was measured using lipid (octadecyl rhodamine B) and content mixing assays (firefly luciferase). Segment six HPR was found to have a strong influence on ISAV fusion, and deletions in this near-membrane region predominantly increased the fusion-inducing ability of the resulting HE proteins.

A strand specific real-time RT-PCR method for the targeted detection of the three species (vRNA, cRNA and mRNA) of infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) replicative RNA.

Three species of viral-derived RNA (vRNA, cRNA and mRNA) are produced during an infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) infection. Conventional real-time RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) targeting ISAV segment 8 provides a very sensitive method for the detection of ISAV RNA, however it does not differentiate between these three individual RNA species. In this study, strand-specific tagged primers have been utilised in the RT reaction to specifically produce cDNA corresponding to each of the 3 viral RNA types produced from ISAV segment 8 for the subsequent detection by real-time PCR.

Presence of a full-length highly polymorphic region (HPR) in the ISAV haemagglutinin-esterase does not affect the primary functions of receptor binding and esterase activity.

The putatively avirulent infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) HPR0 variant has key phenotypic differences to isolates from disease outbreaks in Atlantic salmon farms. It appears to not cause disease, potentially displays a different tissue tropism and has yet to be isolated in conventional ISAV-permissive cell lines. This study focussed on identifying the biological basis for the observed differences by examining the properties of the haemagglutinin-esterase (HE) proteins derived from NWM10 (HPR0), Nevis 390/98 (HPR7 pathogenic strain) and mutant combinations of the two.

Characterization and comparison of the full 3' and 5' untranslated genomic regions of diverse isolates of infectious salmon anaemia virus by using a rapid and universal method.

The 3' and 5' untranslated regions (UTRs) of the gene segments of orthomyxoviruses interact closely with the polymerase complex and are important for viral replication and transcription regulation. Despite this, the 3' and 5' RNA UTRs of the infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) genome have only been partially characterized and little is known about the level of conservation between different virus subtypes. This report details for the first time, the adaptation of a rapid method for the simultaneous characterization of the 3' and 5' UTRs of each viral segment of ISAV.

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) serum vitellogenin neutralises infectivity of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV).

Vitellogenin is a phosphoglycoprotein which represents the main precursor of the egg yolk in teleost fish. This reproductive protein was also demonstrated to play an important role in innate immunity by acting as a pattern recognition molecule capable of binding to bacteria, fungi and enhancing macrophage phagocytosis. The presented results demonstrate that, egg homogenate, ovarian fluid and serum of mature female Atlantic salmon have high neutralising ability for infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV).

The effect of sub-culturing on the basal level of type I interferon (IFN) gene expression in the Salmon Head Kidney (SHK-1) cell line.

Over sub-culturing a cell line generates a selective pressure which can result in key cellular functions being altered such as gene and protein expression. The present study set out to determine whether serial sub-culturing affects the antiviral state of the Salmon Head Kidney (SHK-1) cell line. Cells were cultured under constant conditions and real-time PCR was performed to measure the level of interferon (IFN) and Mx gene expression over different passage numbers.

Expression of Mx protein in tissues of Atlantic salmon post-smolts--an immunohistochemical study.

A rabbit antiserum was produced from a 12-amino acid long peptide common to the 3 known isoforms of Atlantic salmon Mx proteins. The antibody stained ASK-1 cells 48h after stimulation with poly I:C. In Western blots of these cells, the antibody stained a doublet with MW about 75kDa and another band at about 65kDa, typical of the MW of Atlantic salmon Mx.

Validation of the COSTIM bioassay for dendritic cell potency.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are increasingly prepared in vitro for use in clinical trials of human disease. Their utility in experimental immunotherapy has driven significant advances in the manufacture of these cells. Thus it has become imperative that, in concert with other quality control measures, a potency test be utilized for the GMP/GLP lot-release of DC products for preclinical and clinical studies.

Far-infrared laser lines in vinyl fluoride optically pumped by a CO(2) laser near 10 microm.

Sixty-two new emission lines in the far infrared have been observed in vinyl fluoride optically pumped in a metallicwaveguide resonator by a CO(2) laser. The emission spectrum for this molecule now covers the 2.52-mm-142-microm wavelength range.

Continuous-wave Stark far-infrared lasing lines in (15)NH(3) optically pumped by a CO(2) or N(2)O laser.

We report preliminary results of a systematic research of far-infrared (FIR) emissions in (15)NH(3) by Stark-tuning the infrared-pumped transitions to the CO(2) or N(2)O laser lines; 28 new FIR lasing lines have been detected for static-electric fields up to 62 kV/cm.

20-40-GHz broadband frequency doubler with gallium aresenide varactor.

A crossed waveguide type varactor frequency doubler is described here which gives a conversion efficiency of 39% and a 4-GHz bandwith (-1 dB) around 40 GHz for 100-mW input power. Gallium arsenide varactor diodes in commerical packages are used, permitting great flexibility, in particular in molecular spectroscopy experiments.