The missing link: How is the phantom limb influenced by prosthesis wearing in people with lower-limb amputation?

Background: Recent therapeutic and technological solutions aim to improve the daily living of people with limb amputation by considering various aspects of the phantom limb, in particular painless phantom sensations (PS) and voluntary phantom movements (VPM).

Objective: Although previous research has explored these phenomena mostly without considering the prosthesis, this study investigates the influence of prosthesis wearing on painless PS, painful PS, and VPM, in people with lower-limb amputation.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study based on semi-directed interviews.

Metabolic status is a key factor influencing proteomic changes in ewe granulosa cells induced by chronic BPS exposure.

Background: Bisphenol S (BPS) is the main substitute for bisphenol A (BPA), a well-known plasticiser and endocrine disruptor. BPS disrupts ovarian function in several species. Moreover, a few studies have reported that the effects of BPS might be modulated by the metabolic status, and none have characterised the granulosa cell (GC) proteome after chronic BPS exposure.

Oviduct epithelial spheroids during in vitro culture of bovine embryos mitigate oxidative stress, improve blastocyst quality and change the embryonic transcriptome.

Background: In vitro embryo production is increasingly used for genetic improvement in cattle but bypasses the oviduct environment and exposes the embryos to oxidative stress with deleterious effects on further development. Here we aimed to examine the effect of oviduct epithelial spheroids (OES) on embryo development and quality in terms of morphology and gene expression during two co-culture times (4 days: up to embryonic genome activation at 8-16 cell stage vs. 7 days: up to blastocyst stage) and under two oxygen levels (5% vs.

Redefining pandemic preparedness: Multidisciplinary insights from the CERP modelling workshop in infectious diseases, workshop report.

In July 2023, the Center of Excellence in Respiratory Pathogens organized a two-day workshop on infectious diseases modelling and the lessons learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic. This report summarizes the rich discussions that occurred during the workshop. The workshop participants discussed multisource data integration and highlighted the benefits of combining traditional surveillance with more novel data sources like mobility data, social media, and wastewater monitoring.

Sperm-fluid-cell interplays in the bovine oviduct: glycosaminoglycans modulate sperm binding to the isthmic reservoir.

When entering the oviduct for fertilisation, spermatozoa come into contact with the oviduct fluid (OF) and can bind to luminal epithelial cells in the isthmus to form a sperm reservoir. The objective of this study was to examine how the OF modulates sperm adhesion to the oviduct reservoir using an in vitro model of oviduct epithelial spheroids (OES). Bovine oviducts from a local slaughterhouse were used to collect OF and isthmic fragments for the in vitro incubation of OES.

High-Dose Influenza Vaccine Is Associated With Reduced Mortality Among Older Adults With Breakthrough Influenza Even When There Is Poor Vaccine-Strain Match.

Background: High-dose (HD) influenza vaccine offers improved protection from influenza virus infection among older adults compared with standard-dose (SD) vaccine. Here, we explored whether HD vaccine attenuates disease severity among older adults with breakthrough influenza.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of US claims data for influenza seasons 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019, defined as 1 October through 30 April, among adults aged ≥65 years.

The sperm-interacting proteome in the bovine isthmus and ampulla during the periovulatory period.

Background: Spermatozoa interact with oviduct secretions before fertilization in vivo but the molecular players of this dialog and underlying dynamics remain largely unknown. Our objectives were to identify an exhaustive list of sperm-interacting proteins (SIPs) in the bovine oviduct fluid and to evaluate the impact of the oviduct anatomical region (isthmus vs. ampulla) and time relative to ovulation (pre-ovulatory vs.

Global and national influenza-associated hospitalisation rates: Estimates for 40 countries and administrative regions.

Background: WHO estimates that seasonal influenza epidemics result in three to five million cases of severe illness (hospitalisations) every year. We aimed to improve the understanding of influenza-associated hospitalisation estimates at a national and global level.

Methods: We performed a systematic literature review of English- and Chinese-language studies published between 1995 and 2020 estimating influenza-associated hospitalisation.

-Metallocenyl Ynamides: Preparation, Reactivity, and Synthesis of [3]-Ferrocenylamides.

The first synthesis of various -metallocenyl ynamides has been developed, and two strategies for the oxidative cyclization of -ferrocenyl ynamide into [3]-ferrocenylamide are also reported. The mechanism for the iodine(III)-triggered transformation has been studied by means of DFT calculations, showing that it proceeds through a concerted iodination deprotonation step.

Global, regional and national estimates of influenza-attributable ischemic heart disease mortality.

Background: Influenza virus infection is associated with incident ischemic heart disease (IHD) events. Here, we estimate the global, regional, and national IHD mortality burden attributable to influenza.

Methods: We used vital registration data from deaths in adults ≥50 years (13.

Phantom Sensations Influenced by Global and Local Modifications of the Prosthetic Socket as a Potential Solution for Natural Somatosensory Feedback During Walking: A Preliminary Study of a Single Case.

Following lower limb amputation, amputees are trained to walk with a prosthesis. The loss of a lower limb deprives them of essential somatosensory information, which is one of the causes of the difficulties of walking with a prosthesis. We here explored whether a solution to this lack of somatosensory feedback could come from natural sensations of the phantom limb, present in most amputees, instead of from substitutive technologies.

Predictors of influenza severity among hospitalized adults with laboratory confirmed influenza: Analysis of nine influenza seasons from the Valencia region, Spain.

Purpose: Influenza hospitalizations contribute substantially to healthcare disruption. We explored the impact of ageing, comorbidities and other risk factors to better understand associations with severe clinical outcomes in adults hospitalized with influenza.

Methods: We analysed multi-season data from adults ≥18 years, hospitalized with laboratory-confirmed influenza in Valencia, Spain.

Dynamic Changes in the Proteome of Early Bovine Embryos Developed .

Early embryo development is a dynamic process involving important molecular and structural changes leading to the embryonic genome activation (EGA) and early cell lineage differentiation. Our aim was to elucidate proteomic changes in bovine embryos developed . Eleven females were used as embryo donors and pools of embryos at the 4-6 cell, 8-12 cell, morula, compact morula and blastocyst stages were analyzed by nanoliquid chromatography coupled with label free quantitative mass spectrometry.

Spatiotemporal profiling of the bovine oviduct fluid proteome around the time of ovulation.

Understanding the composition of the oviduct fluid (OF) is crucial to better comprehend the microenvironment in which sperm capacitation, fertilization and early embryo development take place. Therefore, our aim was to determine the spatiotemporal changes in the OF proteome according to the anatomical region of the oviduct (ampulla vs. isthmus), the proximity of the ovulating ovary (ipsilateral vs.

Hospital utilization rates for influenza and RSV: a novel approach and critical assessment.

Background: Influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) contribute significantly to the burden of acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) inpatient care, but heterogeneous coding practices and availability of inpatient data make it difficult to estimate global hospital utilization for either disease based on coded diagnoses alone.

Methods: This study estimates rates of influenza and RSV hospitalization by calculating the proportion of ALRI due to influenza and RSV and applying this proportion to inpatient admissions with ALRI coded as primary diagnosis. Proportions of ALRI attributed to influenza and RSV were extracted from a meta-analysis of 360 total sources describing inpatient hospital admissions which were input to a Bayesian mixed effects model over age with random effects over location.

Sperm migration, selection, survival, and fertilizing ability in the mammalian oviduct†.

In vitro fertilization (IVF) gives rise to embryos in a number of mammalian species and is currently widely used for assisted reproduction in humans and for genetic purposes in cattle. However, the rate of polyspermy is generally higher in vitro than in vivo and IVF remains ineffective in some domestic species like pigs and horses, highlighting the importance of the female reproductive tract for gamete quality and fertilization. In this review, the way the female environment modulates sperm selective migration, survival, and acquisition of fertilizing ability in the oviduct is being considered under six aspects: (1) the utero-tubal junction that selects a sperm sub-population entering the oviduct; (2) the presence of sperm binding sites on luminal epithelial cells in the oviduct, which prolong sperm viability and plays a role in limiting polyspermic fertilization; (3) the contractions of the oviduct, which promote sperm migration toward the site of fertilization in the ampulla; (4) the regions of the oviduct, which play different roles in regulating sperm physiology and interactions with oviduct epithelial cells; (5) the time of ovulation, and (6) the steroid hormonal environment which regulates sperm release from the luminal epithelial cells and facilitates capacitation in a finely orchestrated manner.

Metabolomic analysis of oviduct fluid on day 3 post-estrus in Holstein heifers.

The metabolites in the oviduct fluid (OF) of both oviducts were analyzed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H-NMR) in Holstein heifers on day 3 after synchronized estrus. Twenty-six metabolites were quantified, among which lactate, glycine and myoinositol were the most abundant. Six metabolites including glycine and myoinositol varied in amount according to the proximity to the corpus luteum.

Potential impact of introducing vaccines against COVID-19 under supply and uptake constraints in France: A modelling study.

Background: The accelerated vaccine development in response to the COVID-19 pandemic should lead to a vaccine being available early 2021, albeit in limited supply and possibly without full vaccine acceptance. We assessed the short-term impact of a COVID-19 immunization program with varying constraints on population health and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) needs.

Methods: A SARS-CoV-2 transmission model was calibrated to French epidemiological data.