Assessing Immunity by Quantitative Measurement of SARS-CoV-2 IgG Antibodies in Fingerstick Samples.

COVID-19 has affected billions of people around the world directly or indirectly. The response to the pandemic has focused on preventing the spread of the disease and improving treatment options. Diagnostic technologies have played a key role in this response since the beginning of the pandemic.

Immune mechanisms of Texel sheep to adult and egg stages of Haemonchus contortus.

Experimental Haemonchus contortus (Hc) infections revealed that Texel sheep have faecal egg counts (FEC) comparable to parasite-resistant St. Croix but adult worm burden comparable to parasite-susceptible Suffolk sheep. The aim of these studies was to further investigate the mechanism causing this disparity.

Back from the past: Molecular and morphological support for Simulium mutucuna Nunes de Mello & Vieira da Silva, 1974 (Diptera: Simuliidae) as a valid species.

Simulium mutucuna, a species described based on a single female from Roraima state, was previously synonymized with Simulium paynei and currently is considered a synonym of Simulium rubrithorax. In the present paper we present morphological and molecular evidence supporting the validity of S. mutucuna based on analysis of specimens from Brazil, Venezuela and Mexico.

Salivary anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgA as an accessible biomarker of mucosal immunity against COVID-19.

Background: Mucosal immunity, including secretory IgA (sIgA), plays an important role in early defenses against respiratory pathogens. Salivary testing, the most convenient way to measure sIgA, has been used to characterize mucosal immune responses to many viral infections including SARS, MERS, influenza, HIV, and RSV. However, its role has not yet been characterized in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biology, Epidemiology, and Control of Gastrointestinal Nematodes of Small Ruminants.

Strongylid gastrointestinal nematodes are an important cause of disease and economic loss in small ruminants. These parasites are important in most of the United States, with the bloodsucking parasite Haemonchus contortus being the predominant species of concern. Sheep and goats are infected while grazing, and the biology of infective larvae on pastures is important in the design of parasite management programs.

Heller myotomy versus endoscopic balloon dilatation for achalasia: A single center experience.

This study aimed to compare clinical results, symptom relief, quality of life and patient satisfaction after the 2 most common procedures for achalasia treatment: laparoscopic Heller myotomy (LHM) and endoscopic balloon dilatation (EBD).Patients treated at University Hospital of Heidelberg with LHM or EBD were included. A retrospective chart review of perioperative data and a prospective follow-up of therapeutic efficiency, Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI) and patient satisfaction was conducted.

A SERS aptasensor for sensitive and selective detection of bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate.

Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is an endocrine disruptor commonly present in plastic products, such as PVC tubes and water bottles. In this work, a surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) based aptasensor was developed and utilized for rapid, easy, sensitive, and specific detection of trace DEHP. A DEHP aptamer was immobilized on magnetic particles.

Neutrophils rapidly produce Th2 cytokines in response to larval but not adult helminth antigen.

Host protective immunity to Haemonchus contortus (Hc) infection in parasite-resistant St. Croix (STC) sheep is initiated early and characterized by an influx of innate cells and robust interleukin-4 (IL-4) production, resulting in T-helper type 2 immune (Th2) responses. The purpose of these studies was to elucidate the source of early IL-4 production.

Predictors of Risk and Success of Obesity Surgery.

Background: Obesity surgery has proven successful for weight loss and the resolution of comorbidities. There is, however, little evidence on its success and the risk of complications when considering age of onset of obesity (AOO), years of obesity (YOO), preoperative body mass index (BMI), Edmonton obesity staging system (EOSS) score, and age as possible predictors of weight loss, the resolution of comorbidities, and the risk of complications.

Methods: Patients who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) from a prospective database were analyzed.

Does rating with a checklist improve the effect of E-learning for cognitive and practical skills in bariatric surgery? A rater-blinded, randomized-controlled trial.

Background: Mental training of laparoscopic procedures with E-learning has been shown to translate to the operating room. The present study aims to explore whether the use of checklists during E-learning improves transfer of skills to the simulated OR on a Virtual Reality (VR) trainer for Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB).

Methods: Laparoscopy naive medical students (n = 80) were randomized in two groups.

Ovine vital neutrophil extracellular traps bind and impair Haemonchus contortus L3 in a breed-dependent manner.

This study aimed to characterize neutrophil response to Haemonchus contortus (Hc) in vitro using cells from parasite-resistant St. Croix (STC) and parasite-susceptible Suffolk (SUF) sheep. Neutrophils from Hc-primed and naive STC and SUF sheep were incubated with Hc larval antigen (HcLA), Hc worm antigen (HcWA) or complete media (CM).

Collection Method of SERS Active Nanoparticles for Sensitive and Precise Measurements.

Developing surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) based biosensors requires not only synthesizing SERS active nanoparticles or nanoprobes that produce intense signal but also collecting them in a consistent manner to obtain sensitive and precise measurements. Nanoprobes are commonly measured in solution; however, this approach has several disadvantages that can reduce sensitivity, such as probing only a small percentage of the nanoprobes present in the sample. In this work, a novel collection device was designed, built, and tested which consistently concentrates nanoprobes in a specific area to yield highly sensitive (femtomolar) and repeatable measurements.

Halsted's "See One, Do One, and Teach One" versus Peyton's Four-Step Approach: A Randomized Trial for Training of Laparoscopic Suturing and Knot Tying.

Background: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Halsted's method "see one, do one, and teach one" with Peyton's Four-Step Approach for teaching intracorporal suturing and knot tying (ICKT).

Methods: Laparoscopically naïve medical students (n = 60) were randomized to teaching of ICKT with either Halsted's (n = 30) or Peyton's method (n = 30) for 60 minutes. Each student's first 3 and final sutures were evaluated using Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS), procedural implementation, knot quality, total time, and suture placement accuracy.

Does rating the operation videos with a checklist score improve the effect of E-learning for bariatric surgical training? Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Laparoscopic training has become an important part of surgical education. Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) is the most common bariatric procedure performed. Surgeons must be well trained prior to operating on a patient.

Learning from the surgeon's real perspective - First-person view versus laparoscopic view in e-learning for training of surgical skills? Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Surgical proficiency is highly dependent on continuous and efficient training. However, efficacy of training hinges on questions such as accessibility and how intuitively the training can be translated into reality. Minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in particular relies on adequate training modalities in order to compensate for its additional psychomotor and visuospatial challenges.

Biological effect on drug distribution and vascular healing via paclitaxel-coated balloon technology in drug eluting stent restenosis swine model.

Objectives: To evaluate the biological effect of a paclitaxel-coated balloon (PCB) technology on vascular drug distribution and healing in drug eluting stent restenosis (DES-ISR) swine model.

Background: The mechanism of action and healing response via PCB technology in DES-ISR is not completely understood.

Methods: A total of 27 bare metal stents were implanted in coronary arteries and 30 days later the in-stent restenosis was treated with PCB.

Safety and Clinical Outcome of the Delivery of Radiofrequency Nerve Ablation Therapy in a Renal Artery of Unusual Anatomy.

Introduction: Catheter-based renal sympathetic denervation is an emerging therapy for resistant hypertension (RHTN) patients, resulting in a significant blood pressure reduction. The presence of accessory renal arteries and anomalous branching patterns are reported in approximately 20-27 % of patients. However, accessory renal arteries, when smaller than 4 mm in diameter, they are out of the inclusion criteria for renal denervation therapy.

Neuromatous regeneration as a nerve response after catheter-based renal denervation therapy in a large animal model: immunohistochemical study.

Background: Renal denervation (RDN) emerged as a therapeutic option for resistant hypertension. Nerve regrowth after RDN has been questioned. We aimed to characterize the nerve response after RDN.

Implantable device to monitor cardiac activity with sternal wires.

Background: Sternal wires are used to close the thoracic cavity and facilitate healing after median sternotomy (MS). We invented an implantable device that uses these wires as sensors to monitor cardiac electrical activity and tested its utility in collecting electrocardiography (ECG) data in vivo.

Methods: The wafer-thin silicone device has grooves with embedded metal contacts that secure the sternal wires and connect them to an ECG sensor.

Peri-strut low-intensity areas in optical coherence tomography correlate with peri-strut inflammation and neointimal proliferation: an in-vivo correlation study in the familial hypercholesterolemic coronary swine model of in-stent restenosis.

Background: Peri-strut low-intensity area (PLI) is a common imaging finding during the evaluation of in-stent neointima using optical coherence tomography (OCT). We aimed to determine the biological significance of PLI by comparing in-vivo OCT images with the corresponding histological sections obtained from the familial hypercholesterolemic swine model of coronary stenosis.

Methods: A total of 26 coronary vessels of nine familial hypercholesterolemic swine were injured with 30% balloon overstretch and then immediately followed by everolimus eluting or bare metal stent placement at 20% overstretch.

Sleeve gastrectomy in the elderly: a safe and effective procedure with minimal morbidity and mortality.

Background: Previously, we demonstrated the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery in patients over 65 years of age. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of this procedure as a final step for treatment of morbid obesity in the same population.

Methods: A retrospective review of a prospectively collected database was performed.

Optimization of a Concanavalin A-based glucose sensor using fluorescence anisotropy.

To date, the dependent nature of the recognition and transduction mechanisms in optical glucose sensors based upon Concanavalin A (ConA) has tended to prevent the sensors' full potential from being realized. In this paper, these mechanisms are independently optimized for a given assay configuration in order to decrease the predictive error of a ConA-based glucose sensor and to give a more accurate demonstration of its potential. To this end, we used fluorescence anisotropy as the transduction mechanism to determine the binding of ConA to 4 kDa FITC-dextran by measuring the change in the rotational correlation lifetime between the bound and unbound populations.

Timing of the onset of acute respiratory distress syndrome: a population-based study.

Background: Many patients with acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) have had recent healthcare interventions prior to developing ALI/ARDS.

Objective: To determine the timing of ALI/ARDS onset in relation to hospital admission and other healthcare interventions.

Methods: We conducted a population-based observational cohort study with a validated electronic surveillance tool, and identified patients with possible ALI/ARDS among critically ill adults at Mayo Clinic hospitals that provide critical care services for Olmsted County, Minnesota, in 2006.