COVID-19 Transmission in US Child Care Programs.

Objectives: Central to the debate over school and child care reopening is whether children are efficient coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmitters and are likely to increase community spread when programs reopen. We compared COVID-19 outcomes in child care providers who continued to provide direct in-person child care during the first 3 months of the US COVID-19 pandemic with outcomes in those who did not.

Methods: Data were obtained from US child care providers ( = 57 335) reporting whether they had ever tested positive or been hospitalized for COVID-19 ( = 427 cases) along with their degree of exposure to child care.

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA by multiplex RT-qPCR.

The current quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) assay recommended for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) testing in the United States requires analysis of 3 genomic targets per sample: 2 viral and 1 host. To simplify testing and reduce the volume of required reagents, we devised a multiplex RT-qPCR assay to detect SARS-CoV-2 in a single reaction. We used existing N1, N2, and RP primer and probe sets by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but substituted fluorophores to allow multiplexing of the assay.

Pregnant women's perspectives about maternal immunization in Latin America.

Background: Maternal immunization rates and vaccine uptake in Latin America vary from country to country. This variability stems from factors related to pregnant women, vaccine recommendations from healthcare providers and the health system. The aim of this paper is to describe women's knowledge and attitudes to maternal immunziation, and barriers to access and vaccination related decision-making processes in Latin American countries.

Measurement of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater tracks community infection dynamics.

We measured severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA concentrations in primary sewage sludge in the New Haven, Connecticut, USA, metropolitan area during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in Spring 2020. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected throughout the more than 10-week study and, when adjusted for time lags, tracked the rise and fall of cases seen in SARS-CoV-2 clinical test results and local COVID-19 hospital admissions. Relative to these indicators, SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentrations in sludge were 0-2 d ahead of SARS-CoV-2 positive test results by date of specimen collection, 0-2 d ahead of the percentage of positive tests by date of specimen collection, 1-4 d ahead of local hospital admissions and 6-8 d ahead of SARS-CoV-2 positive test results by reporting date.

Long-distance regulation of shoot gravitropism by Cyclophilin 1 in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) plants.

The phloem-mobile protein SlCyp1 traffics to distant parts of the shoot to regulate its gravitropic response. In addition, SlCyp1 targets specific cells in the root to promote lateral root development. The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Cyclophilin 1 (SlCyp1) gene encodes a peptidyl-prolyl isomerase required for auxin response, lateral root development and gravitropic growth.

Overexpression of Mdm36 reveals Num1 foci that mediate dynein-dependent microtubule sliding in budding yeast.

The current model for spindle positioning requires attachment of the microtubule (MT) motor cytoplasmic dynein to the cell cortex, where it generates pulling force on astral MTs to effect spindle displacement. How dynein is anchored by cortical attachment machinery to generate large spindle-pulling forces remains unclear. Here, we show that cortical clustering of Num1, the yeast dynein attachment molecule, is limited by its assembly factor Mdm36.

Dynamic Network Strategies for SARS-CoV-2 Control on a Cruise Ship.

SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks have occurred on several nautical vessels, driven by the high-density contact networks on these ships. Optimal strategies for prevention and control that account for realistic contact networks are needed. We developed a network-based transmission model for SARS-CoV-2 on the Diamond Princess outbreak to characterize transmission dynamics and to estimate the epidemiological impact of outbreak control and prevention measures.

Sociodemographic Disparities in Influenza Vaccination Among Adults With Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease in the United States.

Importance: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) remains a leading cause of death and disability in the US and worldwide. Influenza vaccination has shown to decrease overall morbidity, mortality, severity of infection, and hospital readmissions among these individuals. However, national estimates of influenza vaccination among individuals with ASCVD in the US are not well studied.

Knowledge and attitudes towards influenza and influenza vaccination among pregnant women in Kenya.

Background: Influenza vaccination during pregnancy benefits mothers and children. Kenya and other low- and middle-income countries have no official influenza vaccination policies to date but are moving towards issuing such policies. Understanding determinants of influenza vaccine uptake during pregnancy in these settings is important to inform policy decisions and vaccination rollout.

Influenza-negative influenza-like illness (fnILI) Z-score as a proxy for incidence and mortality of COVID-19.

Although direct detection of SARS-CoV2 in symptomatic or asymptomatic individuals is the ideal epidemiological tool for determining the burden of disease, the lack of availability of testing can preclude its wider implementation as a robust surveillance system. We correlated the use of the derivative influenza-negative influenza-like illness (fnILI) z-score from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a proxy for incident cases and disease-specific deaths. For every unit increase of fnILI z-score, the number of cases increased by 376.

Immunogenicity of influenza vaccines administered to pregnant women in randomized clinical trials in Mali and South Africa.

Background: A key consideration for expanding recommendations for influenza vaccination is a robust assessment of immunogenicity and efficiency of transplacental antibody transfer after maternal vaccination.

Methods: We pooled data from two trials of maternal influenza vaccination to analyze vaccine immunogenicity with more power than either trial had alone. We compared hemagglutination-inhibition (HAI) titers and titer factor change for women and their infants between trial arms using t-tests; maternal and infant putative seroprotective titers (HAI ≥ 1:40) within each trial arm and maternal seroconversion between trial arms using exact tests; and transplacental antibody transfer between trial arms using t-tests.

Urological service provision during the COVID-19 period: the experience from an Irish tertiary centre.

Purpose: Urological service provision has changed dramatically with the advent of the SARS-CoV-2, necessitating restructuring and reorganization. The aim of this study was to review the reorganization of our unit, map the change in volume of departmental activities and discuss potential solutions.

Methods: Departmental activities over the months of April and May 2020 and 2019 were analysed.

Eco-corona formation lessens the toxic effects of polystyrene nanoplastics towards marine microalgae Chlorella sp.

Unabated use of nanoplastics (<1 μm) in the consumer products and their consequent release to the marine environment poses a substantial threat to the marine ecosystem. The toxic impact of the nanoplastics on marine microalgae is yet to be explored in detail, and the role of reactive oxygen species generation remains largely unclear. The algal exudates constitute a significant part of the natural organics present in the marine system that may readily adsorb over the nanoplastics to form eco-corona.

Sex differences in immune responses that underlie COVID-19 disease outcomes.

There is increasing evidence that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) produces more severe symptoms and higher mortality among men than among women. However, whether immune responses against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) differ between sexes, and whether such differences correlate with the sex difference in the disease course of COVID-19, is currently unknown. Here we examined sex differences in viral loads, SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody titres, plasma cytokines and blood-cell phenotyping in patients with moderate COVID-19 who had not received immunomodulatory medications.

Determinants of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in the US.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic continues to adversely affect the U.S., which leads globally in total cases and deaths.

Delayed Hemolytic Transfusion Reaction in a Patient with Sickle Cell Disease: Case Report.

Background: Blood transfusion is a key treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD) complications. Delayed hemolytic transfusion reaction (DHTR) is a delayed reaction, that occurs days to weeks following a transfusion, characterized by mild anemia and/or hyperbilirubinemia and is one of the serious complications of blood transfusion. The symptoms of DHTR resemble those of vaso-occlusive crisis secondary to SCD leading to difficulty or delaying in diagnosis of DHTR.

Adverse events following quadrivalent meningococcal diphtheria toxoid conjugate vaccine (Menactra®) reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), 2005-2016.

Background: Post marketing safety evaluations of quadrivalent meningococcal diphtheria-toxoid conjugate vaccine (MenACWY-D) have focused on post-vaccination risk of Guillain Barré syndrome (GBS), adverse events (AEs) after maternal vaccination, and comparative studies with the newer quadrivalent meningococcal CRM conjugate vaccine (MenACWY-CRM). To provide an updated general safety assessment, we reviewed reports of AEs following MenACWY-D submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).

Methods: VAERS is a national spontaneous reporting vaccine safety surveillance system co-administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.

Individual and Neighborhood Factors Associated With Failure to Vaccinate Against Influenza During Pregnancy.

Uptake of influenza vaccine among pregnant women remains low. We investigated whether unvaccinated pregnant women were clustered geographically and determined factors associated with failure to vaccinate using spatial and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Pregnant women who were members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California in 2015 or 2016 were included in the study.

Longitudinal analyses reveal immunological misfiring in severe COVID-19.

Recent studies have provided insights into the pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the longitudinal immunological correlates of disease outcome remain unclear. Here we serially analysed immune responses in 113 patients with moderate or severe COVID-19.

Global Perspectives on Immunization During Pregnancy and Priorities for Future Research and Development: An International Consensus Statement.

Immunization during pregnancy has been recommended in an increasing number of countries. The aim of this strategy is to protect pregnant women and infants from severe infectious disease, morbidity and mortality and is currently limited to tetanus, inactivated influenza, and pertussis-containing vaccines. There have been recent advancements in the development of vaccines designed primarily for use in pregnant women (respiratory syncytial virus and group B vaccines).

Latent Class Analysis of Maternal Vaccine Attitudes and Beliefs.

. Maternal vaccine coverage is suboptimal, and a substantial proportion of parents have concerns about vaccines. Most parents seek out vaccine information during and immediately after their first pregnancy.