Outbreak of perichondritis associated with ear piercings and a contaminated water system.

In September 2023, the UK Health Security Agency's (UKHSA) South West Health Protection Team received notification of patients with perichondritis. All five cases had attended the same cosmetic piercing studio and a multi-disciplinary outbreak control investigation was subsequently initiated. An additional five cases attending the same studio were found.

A case of penicillin-resistant group B Streptococcus isolated from a patient in the UK.

Objectives: In England, group B streptococci (GBS; Streptococcus agalactiae) are considered universally susceptible to penicillin. Reports from Africa, Asia, North America and a few European countries have described GBS isolates with penicillin MICs above the epidemiological cut-off (0.125 mg/L).

Two-step or one-step - are all methods for neonatal incubator decontamination equal?

Healthcare-associated pathogens, including Staphylococcus capitis, can contaminate incubator surfaces and are of significant concern in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Effective incubator decontamination is essential for infection prevention and control, with submersion decontamination often recommended. This may not always be achievable, with wipe decontamination seen as an alternative.

A pragmatic cluster randomised controlled trial of air filtration to prevent symptomatic winter respiratory infections (including COVID-19) in care homes (AFRI-c) in England: Trial protocol.

Background: Respiratory tract infections are readily transmitted in care homes. Airborne transmission of pathogens causing respiratory tract illness is largely unmitigated. Portable high-efficiency-particulate-air (HEPA) filtration units capture microbial particles from the air, but it is unclear whether this is sufficient to reduce infections in care home residents.

Environmental sampling for SARS-CoV-2 in long term care facilities: lessons from a pilot study.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the risk of infection in long-term care facilities (LTCF) and the vulnerability of residents to severe outcomes. Environmental surveillance may help detect pathogens early and inform Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) measures in these settings. Upon notification of SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks, LTCF within a local authority in South West England were approached to take part in this pilot study.

On the promise of personalized learning for educational equity.

Students enter school with a vast range of individual differences, resulting from the complex interplay between genetic dispositions and unequal environmental conditions. Schools thus face the challenge of organizing instruction and providing equal opportunities for students with diverse needs. Schools have traditionally managed student heterogeneity by sorting students both within and between schools according to their academic ability.

Detection, survival, and persistence of Staphylococcus capitis NRCS-A in neonatal units in England.

Background: The multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus capitis clone, NRCS-A, is increasingly associated with late-onset sepsis in low birthweight newborns in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) in England and globally. Understanding where this bacterium survives and persists within the NICU environment is key to developing and implementing effective control measures.

Aim: To investigate the potential for S.

Whole-genome sequencing reveals widespread presence of Staphylococcus capitis NRCS-A clone in neonatal units across the United Kingdom.

Objective: Increased incidence of neonatal Staphylococcus capitis bacteraemia in summer 2020, London, raised suspicion of widespread multidrug-resistant clone NRCS-A. We set out to investigate the molecular epidemiology of this clone in neonatal units (NNUs) across the UK.

Methods: We conducted whole-genome sequencing (WGS) on presumptive S.

Interommatidial cells build a tensile collagen network during Drosophila retinal morphogenesis.

Drosophila compound eye morphogenesis transforms a simple epithelium into an approximate hollow hemisphere comprised of ∼700 ommatidia, packed as tapering hexagonal prisms between a rigid external array of cuticular lenses and a parallel, rigid internal floor, the fenestrated membrane (FM). Critical to vision, photosensory rhabdomeres are sprung between these two surfaces, grading their length and shape accurately across the eye and aligning them to the optical axis. Using fluorescently tagged collagen and laminin, we show that that the FM assembles sequentially, emerging in the larval eye disc in the wake of the morphogenetic furrow as the original collagen-containing basement membrane (BM) separates from the epithelial floor and is replaced by a new, laminin-rich BM, which advances around axon bundles of newly differentiated photoreceptors as they exit the retina, forming fenestrae in this new, laminin-rich BM.

: Review of Its Role in Infections and Outbreaks.

In June 2021, a national incident team was formed due to an increased detection of in samples from hospitalised infants. has been known to cause outbreaks in neonatal units across the globe, but the extent of the UK spread was unclear. A literature review was undertaken to support case identification, clinical management and environmental infection control.

Cluster detection with random neighbourhood covering: Application to invasive Group A Streptococcal disease.

The rapid detection of outbreaks is a key step in the effective control and containment of infectious diseases. In particular, the identification of cases which might be epidemiologically linked is crucial in directing outbreak-containment efforts and shaping the intervention of public health authorities. Often this requires the detection of clusters of cases whose numbers exceed those expected by a background of sporadic cases.

The role of E-leadership in ICT utilization: a project management perspective.

Unlabelled: Covid 19 presents a great challenge and opportunity for remote working, highlighting the need for electronically-mediated leadership in team tasks and performance. What is the role of leadership in improving utilization of information communication technologies (ICTs) in teamwork? Framed within the e-leadership and project management literature and employing a longitudinal field observation method over 8 months that involves 52 subjects and 172 observations, this study finds that (1) first, strong leaders employ a consistent and high-level use of ICTs throughout the whole process of group work, especially at the planning and closing stages of a project. (2) Second, strong leaders alternate the use of various ICTs to match specific tasks at different phases of the project.

Daily use of lateral flow devices by contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases to enable exemption from isolation compared with standard self-isolation to reduce onward transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in England: a randomised, controlled, non-inferiority trial.

Background: In the UK, during the study period (April to July, 2021), all contacts of people with COVID-19 were required to self-isolate for 10 days, which had adverse impacts on individuals and society. Avoiding the need to self-isolate for those who remain uninfected would be beneficial. We investigated whether daily use of lateral flow devices (LFDs) to test for SARS-CoV-2, with removal of self-isolation for 24 h if negative, could be a safe alternative to self-isolation as a means to minimise onward transmission of the virus.

The acceptability of testing contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases using serial, self-administered lateral flow devices as an alternative to self-isolation.

Evidence suggests that although people modify their behaviours, full adherence to self-isolation guidance in England may be suboptimal, which may have a detrimental impact on COVID-19 transmission rates. Testing asymptomatic contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 could reduce onward transmission by improving case ascertainment and lessen the impact of self-isolation on un-infected individuals. This study investigated the feasibility and acceptability of implementing a 'test to enable approach' as part of England's tracing strategy.

A qualitative process analysis of daily contact testing as an alternative to self-isolation following close contact with a confirmed carrier of SARS-CoV-2.

Background: In July 2021, a randomised controlled trial was conducted to compare the effect on SARS-CoV-2 transmission of seven days of Daily Contact Testing (DCT) using Lateral Flow Test (LFT) and two Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests as an alternative to 10 days of standard self-isolation with one PCR, following close contact with a SARS-CoV-2 carrier. In this qualitative study, we used a nested process evaluation to aid interpretation of the trial and provide insight into factors influencing use of tests, understanding of test results, and how tests were used to inform behavioural decisions.

Methods: Interviews were conducted with 60 participants (42 randomised to DCT and 18 randomised to self-isolation) who had been in close contact with a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 carrier and had consented to take part in the trial.

Frequency of transmission, asymptomatic shedding, and airborne spread of Streptococcus pyogenes in schoolchildren exposed to scarlet fever: a prospective, longitudinal, multicohort, molecular epidemiological, contact-tracing study in England, UK.

Background: Despite recommendations regarding prompt treatment of cases and enhanced hygiene measures, scarlet fever outbreaks increased in England between 2014 and 2018. We aimed to assess the effects of standard interventions on transmission of Streptococcus pyogenes to classroom contacts, households, and classroom environments to inform future guidance.

Methods: We did a prospective, longitudinal, multicohort, molecular epidemiological, contact-tracing study in six settings across five schools in Greater London, UK.

Updates in Cancer-Related Symptom Management of Anorexia and Cachexia Syndrome.

Objective: To provide current evidence and updates in cancer-related symptom management of cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome (CACS).

Data Sources: Textbooks, journal articles, and the internet.

Conclusion: Nutrition and the treatment of CACS plays a pivotal role in multimodal cancer care.

Calcium waves facilitate and coordinate the contraction of endfeet actin stress fibers in Drosophila interommatidial cells.

Actomyosin contraction shapes the Drosophila eye's panoramic view. The convex curvature of the retinal epithelium, organized in ∼800 close-packed ommatidia, depends upon a fourfold condensation of the retinal floor mediated by contraction of actin stress fibers in the endfeet of interommatidial cells (IOCs). How these tensile forces are coordinated is not known.

Characterization of HLA-A*02:01 MHC Immunopeptide Antigens Enhanced by Ultraviolet Photodissociation Mass Spectrometry.

Identifying major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I immunopeptide antigens represents a key step in the development of immune-based targeted therapeutics and vaccines. However, the complete characterization of these antigens by tandem mass spectrometry remains challenging due to their short sequence length, high degree of hydrophobicity, and/or lack of sufficiently basic amino acids. This study seeks to address the potential for 193 nm ultraviolet photodissociation (UVPD) to improve the analysis of MHC class I immunopeptides by offering enhanced characterization of these sequences in lower charge states and differentiation of prominent isomeric leucine and isoleucine residues in the HLA-A*02:01 motif.

Engagement With Daily Testing Instead of Self-Isolating in Contacts of Confirmed Cases of SARS-CoV-2: A Qualitative Analysis.

In December 2020 and January 2021 Public Health England (PHE) with NHS Test and Trace conducted a study to explore the feasibility and acceptability of daily testing as an alternative to self-isolation following close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case. This qualitative paper aims to identify factors influencing uptake among those offered daily testing, and the subsequent impact on behaviour. We conducted in-depth interviews with 52 participants who had taken part in the feasibility study.

Engagement with daily testing instead of self-isolating in contacts of confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2.

Background: In December 2020, Public Health England with NHS Test and Trace initiated a pilot study in which close contacts of people with confirmed COVID-19 were given the option to carryout lateral flow device antigen tests at home, as an alternative to self-isolation for 10-14 days. In this study, we evaluated engagement with daily testing, and assessed levels of adherence to the rules relating to behaviour following positive or negative test results.

Methods: We conducted a service evaluation of the pilot study, examining survey responses from a subset of those who responded to an evaluation questionnaire.

Discovery of a Potent and Selective Covalent p300/CBP Inhibitor.

Aberrant gene activation driven by the histone acetyltransferases p300 and CREB binding protein (CBP) has been linked to several diseases, including cancers. Because of this, many efforts have been aimed toward the targeting of the closely related paralogues, p300 and CBP, but these endeavors have been exclusively directed toward noncovalent inhibitors. X-ray crystallography of revealed that both p300 and CBP possess a cysteine (C1450) near the active site, thus rendering covalent inhibition an attractive chemical approach.

Determining the acceptability of testing contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases to improve secondary case ascertainment.

Background: UK asymptomatic contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases are not routinely tested for SARS-CoV-2. Testing contacts may improve case ascertainment and reduce onward transmission. This study investigated the acceptability of SARS-CoV-2 testing among contacts of confirmed cases as an integral part of the contact-tracing process.