Epidemiological waves - Types, drivers and modulators in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: A discussion of 'waves' of the COVID-19 epidemic in different countries is a part of the national conversation for many, but there is no hard and fast means of delineating these waves in the available data and their connection to waves in the sense of mathematical epidemiology is only tenuous.

Methods: We present an algorithm which processes a general time series to identify substantial, significant and sustained periods of increase in the value of the time series, which could reasonably be described as 'observed waves'. This provides an objective means of describing observed waves in time series.

OxCOVID19 Database, a multimodal data repository for better understanding the global impact of COVID-19.

Oxford COVID-19 Database (OxCOVID19 Database) is a comprehensive source of information related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This relational database contains time-series data on epidemiology, government responses, mobility, weather and more across time and space for all countries at the national level, and for more than 50 countries at the regional level. It is curated from a variety of (wherever available) official sources.

Oxidative damage DNA: 8-oxoGua and 8-oxodG as molecular markers of cancer.

Background: The broad spectrum of oxidative damage DNA biomarkers: urinary excretion of 8-oxodG (8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine), 8-oxoGua (8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine) as well as the level of oxidative damage DNA in leukocytes, was analyzed in cancer patients and healthy subjects.

Material/methods: 222 cancer patients and 134 healthy volunteers were included in the analysis, using methodologies which involve HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) prepurification followed by gas chromatography with isotope dilution mass spectrometry detection and HPLC/EC.

Results: For the whole patient population (n=222) the median values of 8-oxoGua and 8-oxodG in urine samples were 12.

Pregnancy detection in putatively unmated mink (Mustela vison) by serum progesterone level.

The aim of this study was to determine whether blood plasma progesterone is a reliable indicator of pregnancy in mink at an early stage of gestation. We also attempted to establish the threshold value of progesterone as a pregnancy indicator. The analysis was carried out at a production farm on 42 standard female mink aged 1 year, which were grouped both according to the observed success of mating ("mated" and "unmated") and the level of blood serum progesterone measured afterwards ("pregnant" and "nonpregnant").