Reproductive phenology and behaviour of endangered redside dace (Clinostomus elongatus) in urban streams.

Investigation of the reproductive phenology and spawning behaviour of imperilled species in relation to environmental variability is needed to understand a critical component of species life history. In this study, we used redside dace (Clinostomus elongatus), a freshwater leuciscid listed as Endangered under Canada's Species at Risk Act, to model spawning phenology and make predictions about spawning initiation using historical and climate change projected thermal cues (measured as cumulative growing degree days), and provide an ethological description of spawning behaviour. Logistic regression models applied to 4 years of average daily stream water temperature data and field behavioural observations of the onset of spawning activity indicated a 50% probability of spawning initiation when cumulative growing degree days reached 214°C days and a 95% probability of spawning initiation at 288°C days.

Dorsal Wrist Ganglion: Pilot for Randomized Control Trial Comparing Aspiration Alone or Combined with Injection of Platelet-Rich Plasma.

This pilot study assessed the feasibility of performing a randomized control trial (RCT) investigating injection with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for dorsal wrist ganglion (DWG). Aspiration alone was compared with aspiration plus injection of PRP. Seventeen patients were enrolled.

The prognostic impact of monocyte fluorescence, immunosuppressive monocytes and peripheral blood immune cell numbers in HIV-associated Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma.

Introduction: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a high grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma which is common among immunodeficient people. Derangements of peripheral blood immune cells have been described to have a prognostic impact in DLBCL in high income countries, including a monocytosis, the ratios of lymphocytes to both monocytes (L:M) and neutrophils (N:L), as well as the numbers of regulatory T-cells (Tregs) and immunosuppressive monocytes (HLA-DRlow monos). To date, the impact of these variables has not been assessed in the setting of HIV-associated DLBCL (HIV-DLBCL), which is among the most common malignancies seen in people living with HIV.

Commercial DURAClone panels for extending the repertoire of multicolour immunophenotypic panels in an academic flow cytometry laboratory in South Africa.

Background: Commercial multicolour fixed immunophenotyping panels can improve flow cytometric diagnostic immunophenotyping repertoire.

Objective: This study validated the commercially available, standardised Beckman Coulter lyophilised DURAClone RE panels to discriminate specific haematolymphoid subtypes.

Methods: We compared the diagnostic capability of the DURAClone acute leukaemia B (ALB), chronic leukaemia B (CLB), and plasma cells (PC) panels to the predicate second-line panels in Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa, from April to August 2020.

Evaluation of fixed-panel, multicolour ClearLLab 10C at an academic flow cytometry laboratory in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Background: Flow cytometric immunophenotyping is well established for the diagnosis of haematological neoplasms. New commercially available systems offer fixed, pre-aliquoted multi-parameter analysis to simplify sample preparation and standardise data analysis.

Objective: The Beckman Coulter (BC) ClearLLab™ 10C (4-tube) system was evaluated against an existing laboratory developed test (LDT).

The utility of extended differential parameters as a biomarker of bacteremia at a tertiary academic hospital in persons with and without HIV infection in South Africa.

Introduction: Extended differential parameters (EDPs) are generated with the automated differential count by Sysmex XN-series automated hematology analysers, and include the immature granulocyte count (IG%), the neutrophil fluorescent light intensity (NE-SFL) and the neutrophil fluorescent light distribution width (NE-WY). These have been proposed as early biomarkers of bacteremia. This study aimed to evaluate the NE-SFL, NE-WY and IG% in comparison to neutrophil CD64 (nCD64) expression (as a high quality sepsis biomarker) among patients with suspected bacterial sepsis at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Orf virus infection of the hand in a Scottish sheep farmer. A case report to increase awareness to avoid misdiagnosis.

Awareness of infections which are transmitted between animals and humans have been given prominence following the (COVID-19) pandemic. The Orf infection in humans is rare. Recognition of Orf lesions avoids misdiagnosing and incorrect treatment.

Evaluation of a Multidisciplinary Immunotherapy Toxicity Monitoring Program for Patients Receiving Ipilimumab for Metastatic Melanoma.

Purpose: Ipilimumab is an effective treatment for melanoma; however, toxicity rates remain high. The objective of this study was to describe the rates of adverse events (AEs), emergency room (ER) visits, hospitalizations, and nursing resource utilization for patients enrolled in a nurse-led telephone toxicity monitoring program.

Methods: Patients received weekly telephone calls from nursing to review a toxicity checklist during ipilimumab treatment and for 8 weeks after completion.

The influence of haemodialysis on CD4+ T-cell counts in people living with human immunodeficiency virus with end-stage kidney disease.

Background: In South Africa it is estimated that 7.9 million people are living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV is associated with an increased risk of kidney disease.

Comparison of Lymphocyte Subset Populations in Children From South Africa, US and Europe.

Typically, African healthcare providers use immunological reference intervals adopted from Europe and the United States (US). This may be inappropriate in a setting with many differences including exposure to different environmental stimuli and pathogens. We compared immunological reference intervals for children from Europe and the US with South African children to explore whether healthy children living in settings with high rates of infectious diseases have different baseline immunological parameters.

Pervasive Strong Selection at the Level of Codon Usage Bias in .

Codon usage bias (CUB), where certain codons are used more frequently than expected by chance, is a ubiquitous phenomenon and occurs across the tree of life. The dominant paradigm is that the proportion of preferred codons is set by weak selection. While experimental changes in codon usage have at times shown large phenotypic effects in contrast to this paradigm, genome-wide population genetic estimates have supported the weak selection model.

Assessment of the AQUIOS flow cytometer - An automated sample preparation system for CD4 lymphocyte PanLeucogating enumeration.

Background: Flow cytometry has been the approach of choice for enumerating and documenting CD4-cell decline in HIV monitoring. Beckman Coulter has developed a single platform test for CD4+ T-cell lymphocyte count and percentage using PanLeucogating (PLG) technology on the automated AQUIOS flow cytometer (AQUIOS PLG).

Objectives: This study compared the performance of AQUIOS PLG with the Flowcare PLG method and performed a reference interval for comparison with those previously published.

Radiation exposure of patients during mini C-arm use: an audit in 2032 procedures.

This study aimed to audit large quantities of mini C-arm data used in hand and wrist surgery and to analyse what effect the type and anatomical location of procedures had on screening time and dose area product. Of a total of 2032 procedures, the median screening time was 11 seconds and median dose area product was 0.75 cGycm.

The iron status of South African blood donors: balancing donor safety and blood demand.

Background: Several studies in developed countries have demonstrated high levels of iron deficiency (ID) among blood donors. There is a paucity of data for developing countries where blood shortages remain a major concern.

Study Design And Methods: A total of 4412 donors were enrolled in the study.

Translating natural genetic variation to gene expression in a computational model of the Drosophila gap gene regulatory network.

Annotating the genotype-phenotype relationship, and developing a proper quantitative description of the relationship, requires understanding the impact of natural genomic variation on gene expression. We apply a sequence-level model of gap gene expression in the early development of Drosophila to analyze single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a panel of natural sequenced D. melanogaster lines.

Accelerating Wright-Fisher Forward Simulations on the Graphics Processing Unit.

Forward Wright-Fisher simulations are powerful in their ability to model complex demography and selection scenarios, but suffer from slow execution on the Central Processor Unit (CPU), thus limiting their usefulness. However, the single-locus Wright-Fisher forward algorithm is exceedingly parallelizable, with many steps that are so-called "embarrassingly parallel," consisting of a vast number of individual computations that are all independent of each other and thus capable of being performed concurrently. The rise of modern Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) and programming languages designed to leverage the inherent parallel nature of these processors have allowed researchers to dramatically speed up many programs that have such high arithmetic intensity and intrinsic concurrency.

Collagenase clostridium histolyticum for the treatment of Dupuytren's contracture: systematic review and economic evaluation.

Background: Dupuytren's disease is a slowly progressive condition of the hand, characterised by the formation of nodules in the palm that gradually develop into fibrotic cords. Contracture of the cords produces deformities of the fingers. Surgery is recommended for moderate and severe contractures, but complications and/or recurrences are frequent.

Observed full blood count and lymphocyte subset values in a cohort of clinically healthy South African children from a semi-informal settlement in Cape Town.

Background: The paediatric full blood count and lymphocyte subset reference intervals used by the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), South Africa (SA), are taken from two international reference interval publications. Differences in reference intervals suggest that international data sets may not be appropriate for use in SA.

Objective: To study immunohaematological values of a group of clinically healthy children from an informal settlement in Cape Town, SA, to assess whether international paediatric reference intervals used by the NHLS are appropriate.

Comparative population genomics: power and principles for the inference of functionality.

The availability of sequenced genomes from multiple related organisms allows the detection and localization of functional genomic elements based on the idea that such elements evolve more slowly than neutral sequences. Although such comparative genomics methods have proven useful in discovering functional elements and ascertaining levels of functional constraint in the genome as a whole, here we outline limitations intrinsic to this approach that cannot be overcome by sequencing more species. We argue that it is essential to supplement comparative genomics with ultra-deep sampling of populations from closely related species to enable substantially more powerful genomic scans for functional elements.

Strong purifying selection at synonymous sites in D. melanogaster.

Synonymous sites are generally assumed to be subject to weak selective constraint. For this reason, they are often neglected as a possible source of important functional variation. We use site frequency spectra from deep population sequencing data to show that, contrary to this expectation, 22% of four-fold synonymous (4D) sites in Drosophila melanogaster evolve under very strong selective constraint while few, if any, appear to be under weak constraint.

Natural killer cell activation distinguishes Mycobacterium tuberculosis-mediated immune reconstitution syndrome from chronic HIV and HIV/MTB coinfection.

Background: With increased access to antiretroviral treatment (ART), immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB)-infected populations remains a clinical challenge. We studied a cross-sectional cohort of HIV-infected subjects in Johannesburg (South Africa) to help define the immune correlates that best distinguish IRIS from ongoing MTB cases.

Methods: We studied HIV+ subjects developing MTB-related unmasking tuberculosis-related immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (uTB-IRIS) after ART initiation; control groups were subjects with HIV and HIV/tuberculosis-coinfected subjects with comparable ART treatment.

Metabolic and anthropometric parameters contribute to ART-mediated CD4+ T cell recovery in HIV-1-infected individuals: an observational study.

Background: The degree of immune reconstitution achieved in response to suppressive ART is associated with baseline individual characteristics, such as pre-treatment CD4 count, levels of viral replication, cellular activation, choice of treatment regimen and gender. However, the combined effect of these variables on long-term CD4 recovery remains elusive, and no single variable predicts treatment response. We sought to determine if adiposity and molecules associated with lipid metabolism may affect the response to ART and the degree of subsequent immune reconstitution, and to assess their ability to predict CD4 recovery.