Addressing pandemic-wide systematic errors in the SARS-CoV-2 phylogeny.

The SARS-CoV-2 genome occupies a unique place in infection biology - it is the most highly sequenced genome on earth (making up over 20% of public sequencing datasets) with fine scale information on sampling date and geography, and has been subject to unprecedented intense analysis. As a result, these phylogenetic data are an incredibly valuable resource for science and public health. However, the vast majority of the data was sequenced by tiling amplicons across the full genome, with amplicon schemes that changed over the pandemic as mutations in the viral genome interacted with primer binding sites.

Surgery, Needle Fasciotomy, or Collagenase Injection for Dupuytren Contracture : A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Surgery, needle fasciotomy, and collagenase injection are used to treat Dupuytren contracture. The treatment decision requires balancing initial morbidity and costs of surgery against its potential long-term benefits over needle fasciotomy and collagenase.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of surgery, needle fasciotomy, and collagenase injection at 3 months and 2 years (secondary time points of the trial).

Effectiveness of Providing Information on Antipsychotic Medication to Patients with Psychotic Disorders: An Integrative Review.

The aim of this integrative literature review is to describe the information provided to patients with psychotic disorders regarding their medication and to consider the effectiveness of providing such information. Searches of four databases identified 16 articles that met inclusion criteria. Results indicated that patients had relatively poor knowledge about their medications overall.

Intrahost Monkeypox Virus Genome Variation in Patient with Early Infection, Finland, 2022.

Monkeypox virus was imported into Finland during late May-early June 2022. Intrahost viral genome variation in a sample from 1 patient comprised a major variant with 3 lineage B.1.

Long-term outcome of vestibular function and hearing in children with congenital cytomegalovirus infection: a prospective cohort study.

Purpose: Congenital cytomegalovirus infection (cCMV) is the most frequent nonhereditary cause for sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in children. Data on vestibular function in children with cCMV are, however, scarce, although some evidence for cCMV-associated vestibular dysfunction exists. In this prospective cohort study, we evaluated long-term vestibular function and hearing outcomes in a cohort of children with cCMV.

Low incidence of severe bacterial infections in hospitalised patients with COVID-19: A population-based registry study.

Background: Bacterial infections complicating COVID-19 are rare but present a challenging clinical entity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence, aetiology and outcome of severe laboratory-verified bacterial infections in hospitalised patients with COVID-19.

Methods: All laboratory-confirmed patients with COVID-19 admitted to specialised healthcare hospitals in the Capital Province of Finland during the first wave of COVID-19 between 27 February and 21 June 2020 were retrospectively studied.

Synonymous Codons and Hydrophobicity Optimization of Post-translational Signal Peptide PelB Increase Phage Display Efficiency of DARPins.

DsbA leader peptide targets proteins for cotranslational translocation by signal recognition particle (SRP) pathway and has been the standard signal sequence for filamentous phage display of fast-folding Designed Ankyrin Repeat Proteins (DARPins). In contrast, translocation of DARPins via the post-translational pathway, for example, with the commonly used PelB leader, has been reported to be highly inefficient. In this study, two PelB signal sequence libraries were screened covering different regions of the leader peptide for identifying mutants with improved display of DARPins on phage.

Comparative evaluation of four commercial analyzers for the serological screening of hepatitis A, B, C and HIV.

Background: Independent evaluations that deploy clinical patient samples are important in assessing the performance of commercial tests used for serological screening of viral hepatitis and HIV in clinical laboratories.

Objectives: We compared the analytical performance of Abbott Architect i2000SR, Abbott Alinity i, DiaSorin Liaison XL, and Siemens Atellica for the following analytes: anti-HAV IgG/anti-HAV total, anti-HAV IgM, HBsAg, anti-HBc IgM, Anti-HBc, HBeAg, anti-HBe, anti-HBs, anti-HCV, and HIV Ag/Ab. In addition, anti-HBc IgM, HBeAg, and anti-HBe were evaluated for Abbott Architect, Abbott Alinity and DiaSorin Liaison.

Scent dogs in detection of COVID-19: triple-blinded randomised trial and operational real-life screening in airport setting.

Objective: To estimate scent dogs' diagnostic accuracy in identification of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 in comparison with reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We conducted a randomised triple-blinded validation trial, and a real-life study at the Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport, Finland.

Methods: Four dogs were trained to detect COVID-19 using skin swabs from individuals tested for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-PCR.

COVID-19 cases in spectators returning to Finland from UEFA Euro 2020 matches in Saint Petersburg.

UEFA Euro 2020 tournament was scheduled to take place in 2020, but due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic was rescheduled to start on 11 June 2021. Approximately 4500 Finnish spectators participated, travelling between Finland and Russia during the period of 16 to 30 June to attend matches played on 16 and 21 June. A total of 419 persons returning from Russia or with a connection to Russia were detected positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Hearing outcome in congenitally CMV infected children in Finland - Results from follow-up after three years age.

Objectives: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common congenital infection affecting about 0.6% of all newborns in developed countries. Vertical transmission to fetus can take place either after maternal primary or non-primary CMV infection during pregnancy.

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antigen from serum can aid in timing of COVID-19 infection.

SARS-CoV-2 RNA can be detected in respiratory samples for weeks after onset of COVID-19 disease. Therefore, one of the diagnostic challenges of PCR positive cases is differentiating between acute COVID-19 disease and convalescent phase. The presence of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antigen in serum and plasma samples of COVID-19 patients has been demonstrated previously.

Incidence Trends for SARS-CoV-2 Alpha and Beta Variants, Finland, Spring 2021.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Alpha and Beta variants became dominant in Finland in spring 2021 but had diminished by summer. We used phylogenetic clustering to identify sources of spreading. We found that outbreaks were mostly seeded by a few introductions, highlighting the importance of surveillance and prevention policies.

Serum caspase-cleaved cytokeratin-18 fragment as a prognostic biomarker in hematological patients with febrile neutropenia.

The study aim was to determine the benefit of the measurement of serum caspase-cleaved cytokeratin-18 (CK-18) fragment as a prognostic marker of febrile neutropenia (FN) in hematological patients. The study population consisted of 86 consecutive patients with FN who received intensive chemotherapy for hematological malignancy at the adult hematology ward of Kuopio University Hospital. Twenty-three patients (27%) had acute myeloid leukemia, and 63 patients (73%) were autologous stem cell transplant recipients.

Real-life clinical sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test in symptomatic patients.

Background: Understanding the false negative rates of SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR testing is pivotal for the management of the COVID-19 pandemic and it has implications for patient management. Our aim was to determine the real-life clinical sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR.

Methods: This population-based retrospective study was conducted in March-April 2020 in the Helsinki Capital Region, Finland.

Sources of healthcare workers' COVID‑19 infections and related safety guidelines.

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of safety guidelines in the workplace, the authors analyzed the work-related exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and the source of COVID‑19 infections among healthcare workers (HCWs), together with the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Material And Methods: A cross-sectional prospective study was conducted in tertiary hospitals in the Uusimaa region, Finland, with 1072 volunteers being enrolled in the study from among the HCWs at the Helsinki University Hospital. Overall, 866 (80.

Evaluation of three rapid lateral flow antigen detection tests for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to high demand of diagnostic tools. Rapid antigen detection tests have been developed and many have received regulatory acceptance such as CE IVD or FDA markings. Their performance needs to be carefully assessed.

Comparison of Two Commercial Platforms and a Laboratory-Developed Test for Detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA.

Mitigation of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires reliable and accessible laboratory diagnostic services. In this study, the performance of one laboratory-developed test (LDT) and two commercial tests, cobas SARS-CoV-2 (Roche) and Amplidiag COVID-19 (Mobidiag), were evaluated for the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA in respiratory specimens. A total of 183 specimens collected from suspected COVID-19 patients were studied with all three methods to compare their performance.