Longitudinal population-level HIV epidemiologic and genomic surveillance highlights growing gender disparity of HIV transmission in Uganda.

HIV incidence in eastern and southern Africa has historically been concentrated among girls and women aged 15-24 years. As new cases decline with HIV interventions, population-level infection dynamics may shift by age and gender. Here, we integrated population-based surveillance of 38,749 participants in the Rakai Community Cohort Study and longitudinal deep-sequence viral phylogenetics to assess how HIV incidence and population groups driving transmission have changed from 2003 to 2018 in Uganda.

Lineage replacement and evolution captured by 3 years of the United Kingdom Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey.

The Office for National Statistics Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey (ONS-CIS) is the largest surveillance study of SARS-CoV-2 positivity in the community, and collected data on the United Kingdom (UK) epidemic from April 2020 until March 2023 before being paused. Here, we report on the epidemiological and evolutionary dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 determined by analysing the sequenced samples collected by the ONS-CIS during this period. We observed a series of sweeps or partial sweeps, with each sweeping lineage having a distinct growth advantage compared to their predecessors, although this was also accompanied by a gradual fall in average viral burdens from June 2021 to March 2023.

Correction: Viral burden is associated with age, vaccination, and viral variant in a population-representative study of SARS-CoV-2 that accounts for time-since-infection-related sampling bias.

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

Viral burden is associated with age, vaccination, and viral variant in a population-representative study of SARS-CoV-2 that accounts for time-since-infection-related sampling bias.

In this study, we evaluated the impact of viral variant, in addition to other variables, on within-host viral burden, by analysing cycle threshold (Ct) values derived from nose and throat swabs, collected as part of the UK COVID-19 Infection Survey. Because viral burden distributions determined from community survey data can be biased due to the impact of variant epidemiology on the time-since-infection of samples, we developed a method to explicitly adjust observed Ct value distributions to account for the expected bias. By analysing the adjusted Ct values using partial least squares regression, we found that among unvaccinated individuals with no known prior exposure, viral burden was 44% lower among Alpha variant infections, compared to those with the predecessor strain, B.

Longitudinal population-level HIV epidemiologic and genomic surveillance highlights growing gender disparity of HIV transmission in Uganda.

HIV incidence in eastern and southern Africa has historically been concentrated among girls and women aged 15-24 years. As new cases decline with HIV interventions, population-level infection dynamics may shift by age and gender. Here, we integrated population-based surveillance of 38,749 participants in the Rakai Community Cohort Study and longitudinal deep sequence viral phylogenetics to assess how HIV incidence and population groups driving transmission have changed from 2003 to 2018 in Uganda.

Estimating deaths from foodborne disease in the UK for 11 key pathogens.

Objective: To estimate the number of deaths from foodborne disease in the UK from 11 key pathogens.

Design: Four different models were developed using data from a range of sources. These included enhanced surveillance, outbreaks, death certificates and hospital episode statistics data.

Diagnosing nephrogenic systemic fibrosis in the post-FDA restriction era.

The emergence of an association between gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCA) and the rare condition nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF) led to a warning in 2006 from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) restricting the use of the GBCAs to patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate of >30 mL/min/1.73m(2) . We discuss our experience with a post-FDA restriction presentation of NSF and subsequent patient death in which the prolonged lead-time of ∼5.

Oxidative deoxyribonucleic acid damage in sperm has a negative impact on clinical pregnancy rate in intrauterine insemination but not intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles.

Objective: To determine the level of DNA damage, both fragmentation and oxidative, in the sperm population used for intrauterine insemination (IUI) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and its impact on fertilization and clinical pregnancy rates.

Design: A prospective clinical study.

Setting: A tertiary care fertility clinic.

Acute portal vein thrombosis: an important mimic of malignancy on FDG PET/CT.

The authors report a case of portal vein thrombosis, with no underlying malignant cause identified, which was initially detected by fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/CT (FDG PET/CT) and subsequently confirmed by both contrast enhanced CT and MRI. The multimodality imaging findings are outlined, the potential clinical implications discussed and note made of the possible FDG PET/CT mimics of this disorder.

DNA damage in human spermatozoa is highly correlated with the efficiency of chromatin remodeling and the formation of 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, a marker of oxidative stress.

DNA damage in human spermatozoa has been associated with a range of adverse clinical outcomes, including infertility, abortion, and disease in the offspring. We have advanced a two-step hypothesis to explain this damage involving impaired chromatin remodeling during spermiogenesis followed by a free radical attack to induce DNA strand breakage. The objective of the present study was to test this hypothesis by determining whether impaired chromatin protamination is correlated with oxidative base damage and DNA fragmentation in human spermatozoa.

The effect of repeated freezing and thawing on human sperm DNA fragmentation.

Objective: To investigate the effects of repeated freezing and thawing on human sperm motility, vitality, and DNA integrity.

Design: A prospective clinical study.

Setting: Tertiary care fertility clinic.

The DNA integrity of cryopreserved spermatozoa separated for use in assisted reproductive technology is unaffected by the type of cryoprotectant used but is related to the DNA integrity of the fresh separated preparation.

Objective: To investigate and compare seven different commercially available cryoprotectant media in terms of the DNA integrity of spermatozoa recovered after cryopreservation and separation using density gradient centrifugation (DGC).

Design: A prospective clinical study.

Setting: Tertiary care fertility clinic.

Interactive approach to optical tweezers control.

We have developed software with an interactive user interface that can be used to generate phase holograms for use with spatial light modulators. The program utilizes different hologram design techniques, allowing the user to select an appropriate algorithm. The program can be used to generate multiple beams and can be used for beam steering.

Paracrine effects of PAMP and adrenomedullin on the human adrenal H295R cell line: PAMP but not adrenomedullin stimulates DHEA secretion.

It has previously been shown, by this laboratory and others, that adrenal cells actively secrete adrenomedullin. Here it is demonstrated that human adrenal cells also secrete the related peptide, proadrenomedullin N-terminal 20 peptide (PAMP). The actions of adrenomedullin and PAMP on adrenal steroid secretion were determined by measuring the aldosterone, cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) content of cell culture medium after exposure of the human adrenal H295R cells to either PAMP or adrenomedullin.

Pierre Robin sequence in a patient with ectrodactyly-ectodermal dysplasia-clefting syndrome: a case report and review of the literature.

Ectrodactyly-ectodermal dysplasia-clefting (EEC) syndrome is a rare condition first identified in 1970. The majority of cases are reported to be autosomal dominant with variable expression and penetrance. The most common clinical feature is ectodermal dysplasia.