Tiled Amplicon Sequencing Enables Culture-free Whole-Genome Sequencing of Pathogenic Bacteria From Clinical Specimens.

Pathogen sequencing is an important tool for disease surveillance and demonstrated its high value during the COVID-19 pandemic. Viral sequencing during the pandemic allowed us to track disease spread, quickly identify new variants, and guide the development of vaccines. Tiled amplicon sequencing, in which a panel of primers is used for multiplex amplification of fragments across an entire genome, was the cornerstone of SARS-CoV-2 sequencing.

Antimicrobial resistance-attributable mortality: a patient-level analysis.

Background: The impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on death at the patient level is challenging to estimate. We aimed to characterize AMR-attributable deaths in a large UK teaching hospital.

Methods: This retrospective study investigated all deceased patients in 2022.

Emotional processing as mechanism of change in brief good psychiatric management for borderline personality disorder: results of a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is one of the most frequent, severe, mental conditions and is associated with a serious burden of disease. Treatment for patients with BPD involves structured psychotherapy. In addition and in order to improve access to care, psychiatric treatments are available.

Quantitative MODS-Wayne assay for rapid detection of pyrazinamide resistance in from sputum samples.

Unlabelled: Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant global health challenge, exacerbated by the emergence of drug-resistant strains, such as those resistant to pyrazinamide (PZA). The current scarcity of affordable and precise quantitative diagnostic tests for PZA resistance underscores the urgent need for more accessible diagnostic tools. We evaluated PZA susceptibility in 264 TB-positive samples by quantifying pyrazinoic acid (POA) production, using both the MODS-Wayne qualitative assay and our newly developed quantitative approach (MODS-WQ).

Carbapenem-Resistant Infections in Neonates and Children in Latin America: A Literature Review.

Carbapenems are broad-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotics that are increasingly being used worldwide to treat multidrug-resistant infections, but since their introduction, carbapenem resistance has emerged. This phenomenon has been well documented in the adult population, but there is a paucity of evidence from the neonatal and pediatric populations. A literature search of carbapenem-resistant infections in Latin American neonates and children was conducted via PubMed/Medline and SCOPUS: 551 titles were screened, and 17 articles were included in the review.

Emotions observed during sessions of dialectical behavior therapy predict outcome for borderline personality disorder.

Objective: We examined whether the emotions that clients experience within session are associated with treatment outcome in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for borderline personality disorder (BPD).

Method: Participants were 52 adults who met criteria for BPD and were enrolled in a 12-month DBT treatment. The Classification of Affective-Meaning States, an observer-rated measure of discrete emotions, was used to code videos of individual DBT sessions.

Correction: The effect of M. tuberculosis lineage on clinical phenotype.

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

Phylogenetic Survival Analysis.

Going back in time through a phylogenetic tree makes it possible to evaluate ancestral genomes and assess their potential to acquire key polymorphisms of interest over evolutionary time. Knowledge of this kind may allow for the emergence of key traits to be predicted and pre-empted from currently circulating strains in the future. Here, we present a novel genome-wide survival analysis and use the emergence of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis as an example to demonstrate the potential and utility of the technique.

[Sexual health and oncology].

Over the past 20 years, the number of new cancer diagnoses has risen steadily, partly due to the aging of the population. In 2021, 74,998 new diagnoses were recorded in Belgium. At the same time, improved screening techniques and advances in oncology treatments have increased patient survival.

Detection of a historic reservoir of bedaquiline/clofazimine resistance-associated variants in Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Background: Drug resistance in tuberculosis (TB) poses a major ongoing challenge to public health. The recent inclusion of bedaquiline into TB drug regimens has improved treatment outcomes, but this advance is threatened by the emergence of strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) resistant to bedaquiline. Clinical bedaquiline resistance is most frequently conferred by off-target resistance-associated variants (RAVs) in the mmpR5 gene (Rv0678), the regulator of an efflux pump, which can also confer cross-resistance to clofazimine, another TB drug.

The effect of M. tuberculosis lineage on clinical phenotype.

Six lineages of Mycobacterium tuberculosis sensu stricto (which excludes M. africanum) are described. Single-country or small observational data suggest differences in clinical phenotype between lineages.

Predictors of Effects in Brief Psychiatric Treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder.

If evidence points to the equal efficacy of all treatments for borderline personality disorder (BPD) in general, it may not necessarily be true for a specific individual, nor do such general conclusions help in the triage of clients in clinical services. We investigated potential therapy outcome predictors for participants with a BPD diagnosis (N = 99). They were assessed on scales including the Outcome Questionnaire-45.

Salivary IgA and vimentin differentiate in vitro SARS-CoV-2 infection: A study of 290 convalescent COVID-19 patients.

SARS-CoV-2 initially infects cells in the nasopharynx and oral cavity. The immune system at these mucosal sites plays a crucial role in minimizing viral transmission and infection. To develop new strategies for preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection, this study aimed to identify proteins that protect against viral infection in saliva.

Prioritizing persons deprived of liberty in global guidelines for tuberculosis preventive treatment.

In this Policy Forum piece, Aditya Narayan and colleagues discuss the challenges and opportunities for tuberculosis preventive treatment in carceral settings.

Quantifying patient- and hospital-level antimicrobial resistance dynamics in from routinely collected data.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to all antibiotic classes has been found in the pathogen . The reported prevalence of these resistances varies, driven by within-host AMR evolution at the patient level, and between-host transmission at the hospital level. Without dense longitudinal sampling, pragmatic analysis of AMR dynamics at multiple levels using routine surveillance data is essential to inform control measures.

The effect of lineage on clinical phenotype.

Eight lineages of are described. Single-country or small observational data suggest differences in clinical phenotype between lineages. We present strain lineage and clinical phenotype data from 12,246 patients from 3 low-incidence and 5 high-incidence countries.

Aberrant olfactory network functional connectivity in people with olfactory dysfunction following COVID-19 infection: an exploratory, observational study.

Background: Olfactory impairments and anosmia from COVID-19 infection typically resolve within 2-4 weeks, although in some cases, symptoms persist longer. COVID-19-related anosmia is associated with olfactory bulb atrophy, however, the impact on cortical structures is relatively unknown, particularly in those with long-term symptoms.

Methods: In this exploratory, observational study, we studied individuals who experienced COVID-19-related anosmia, with or without recovered sense of smell, and compared against individuals with no prior COVID-19 infection (confirmed by antibody testing, all vaccine naïve).

Quantifying patient- and hospital-level antimicrobial resistance dynamics in from routinely collected data.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to all antibiotic classes has been found in the pathogen . The reported prevalence of these resistances vary, driven by within-host AMR evolution at the patient level, and between-host transmission at the hospital level. Without dense longitudinal sampling, pragmatic analysis of AMR dynamics at multiple levels using routine surveillance data is essential to inform control measures.

Scaling up evidence-based approaches to tuberculosis screening in prisons.

People deprived of liberty have among the highest rates of tuberculosis globally. The incidence of tuberculosis is ten times greater than the incidence of tuberculosis in the general population. In 2021, WHO updated its guidance to strongly recommend systematic screening for tuberculosis in prisons and penitentiary systems.

Evaluation of three alternatives cost-effective culture media for Mycobacterium tuberculosis detection and drug susceptibility determination using the microscopic observation drug susceptibility (MODS) assay.

Tuberculosis phenotypic detection assays are commonly used in low-resource countries. Therefore, reliable detection methods are crucial for early diagnosis and treatment. The microscopic observation drug susceptibility (MODS) assay is a culture-based test to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis and characterize drug resistance in 7-10 days directly from sputum.