Real-Time In Vivo Human Skin Testing Using a Handheld Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer with a Three-Bounce Two-Pass Attenuated Total Reflection Interface.

Attenuated total reflection (ATR) Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) is used to characterize a vast array of materials at the molecular level in various industry types. Here we compare the performance of a portable spectrometer with a novel three-bounce-two-pass (3B2P) ATR scanning interface to the same device with a standard one-bounce (1B) ATR, and to a benchtop spectrometer with a 10-bounce (10B) ATR, in ideal sample-interface conditions and an applied dermatological study setting. In both application settings, the benchtop 10B ATR interface showed the highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), however, the novel 3B2P produced a six-fold increase in the sensitivity of the portable spectrometer when analyzing isopropanol and showed the greatest consistency of SNR of all devices when analyzing isopropanol and in vivo skin samples.

Eosinophils in hidradenitis suppurativa patients exhibit pro-inflammatory traits, implicating a potential pathogenic role in the disease.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is an inflammatory skin disease characterized by painful nodules, abscesses and purulent secretions in intertriginous regions. Intense pruritus frequently accompanies HS lesions, adding further discomfort for patients. While Th17 pathway activation is implicated in HS pathogenesis, disease mechanisms are still not fully understood, and therapeutics are lacking.

Advanced HIV disease and associated factors among young people aged 15-24 years at a tertiary hospital in Sierra Leone: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Advanced HIV disease (AHD) in young people living with HIV (PLHIV) is an increasingly pressing public health issue in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite global progress in early HIV testing and reducing HIV-related deaths, many youths experience increased rates of HIV disease progression in sub-Saharan Africa. This study describes the burden, clinical manifestations, and factors for disease progression among young PLHIV aged 15 - 24 years seeking medical services at a major public hospital in Sierra Leone.

Gram-negative anaerobes elicit a robust keratinocytes immune response with potential insights into HS pathogenesis.

Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) is a chronic autoinflammatory skin disease with activated keratinocytes, tunnel formation and a complex immune infiltrate in tissue. The HS microbiome is polymicrobial with an abundance of commensal gram-positive facultative (GPs) Staphylococcus species and gram-negative anaerobic (GNA) bacteria like Prevotella, Fusobacterium and Porphyromonas with increasing predominance of GNAs with disease severity. We sought to define the keratinocyte response to bacteria commonly isolated from HS lesions to probe pathogenic relationships between HS and the microbiome.

From little things big things grow: enhancement of an acoustic telemetry network to monitor broad-scale movements of marine species along Australia's east coast.

Background: Acoustic telemetry has become a fundamental tool to monitor the movement of aquatic species. Advances in technology, in particular the development of batteries with lives of > 10 years, have increased our ability to track the long-term movement patterns of many species. However, logistics and financial constraints often dictate the locations and deployment duration of acoustic receivers.

Gelatin-containing porous polycaprolactone PolyHIPEs as substrates for 3D breast cancer cell culture and vascular infiltration.

Tumour survival and growth are reliant on angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, to facilitate nutrient and waste exchange and, importantly, provide a route for metastasis from a primary to a secondary site. Whilst current models can ensure the transport and exchange of nutrients and waste via diffusion over distances greater than 200 μm, many lack sufficient vasculature capable of recapitulating the tumour microenvironment and, thus, metastasis. In this study, we utilise gelatin-containing polymerised high internal phase emulsion (polyHIPE) templated polycaprolactone-methacrylate (PCL-M) scaffolds to fabricate a composite material to support the 3D culture of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells and vascular ingrowth.

International Dermatology Outcome Measures (IDEOM) - Report from the 2022 Annual Meeting.

Background: The International Dermatology Outcome Measures (IDEOM) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of evidence-based, consensus-driven outcome measures in dermatological diseases. Researchers and stakeholders from various backgrounds collaborate to develop these objective benchmark metrics to further advance treatment and management of dermatological conditions.

Summary: The 2022 IDEOM Annual Meeting was held on June 17-18, 2022.

Tape strips detect molecular alterations and cutaneous biomarkers in skin of patients with hidradenitis suppurativa.

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) has a high unmet need for better treatments. Biopsies are considered the gold standard for studying molecular alterations in skin. A reproducible, minimally invasive approach is needed for longitudinal monitoring in trials and in pediatric populations.

Characterization of skin barrier defects using infrared spectroscopy in patients with atopic dermatitis.

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is characterized by skin barrier defects that are often measured by biophysical tools that observe the functional properties of the stratum corneum (SC).

Objectives: To employ in vivo infrared spectroscopy alongside biophysical measurements to analyse changes in the chemical composition of the SC in relation to AD severity.

Methods: We conducted an observational cross-sectional cohort study where attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy measurements were collected on the forearm alongside surface pH, capacitance, erythema and transepidermal water loss (TEWL), combined with tape stripping, in a cohort of 75 participants (55 patients with AD stratified by phenotypic severity and 20 healthy controls).

Laser capture microdissection provides a novel molecular profile of human primary cutaneous melanoma.

Melanoma accounts for the majority of skin cancer-related mortality, highlighting the need to better understand melanoma initiation and progression. In-depth molecular analysis of neoplastic melanocytes in whole tissue biopsies may be diluted by inflammatory infiltration, which may obscure gene signatures specific to neoplastic cells. Thus, a method is needed to precisely uncover molecular changes specific to tumor cells from a limited sample of primary melanomas.

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Assessment on Bat-Borne Zoonotic Diseases Among the People of Moyamba District, Sierra Leone.

Background: Bats are considered wildlife species of public health concern, as they are known to host various pathogenic agents, and their interactions with humans are potential routes of pathogen spillover. A high level of knowledge on Bat-borne Zoonotic Diseases (BZD), their causative agents, signs, symptoms, mode and pattern of transmission, health attitudes, and practices towards the disorders are vital parameters in handling them. This study aimed to look into BZD knowledge, public attitudes, and behaviour.

Detection & identification of hazardous narcotics and new psychoactive substances using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).

According to the latest World Drug Report, released by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), drug use is up 30% over the past decade and there are more drugs, and more types of drugs, than ever. Herein we use Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) for the rapid ID of narcotics in a range of concentrations - from pure forms (as it is likely to be smuggled & transported) to street forms, often mixed with conventional cutting agents. Using FTIR, 75% of "street sample" narcotics were rapidly identified, and the effects of cutting agents on identification (ID) were also investigated.

Challenges in Developing a Real-Time Bee-Counting Radar.

Detailed within is an attempt to implement a real-time radar signal classification system to monitor and count bee activity at the hive entry. There is interest in keeping records of the productivity of honeybees. Activity at the entrance can be a good measure of overall health and capacity, and a radar-based approach could be cheap, low power, and versatile, beyond other techniques.

A case of acute tubulointerstitial nephritis following administration of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine: a case report.

Background: More than 4 billion doses of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine have been administered worldwide but the relationship between the different vaccines and the development of renal disease is unknown. We present a case of tubulointerstitial nephritis following administration of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

Case Presentation: A previously fit and well 51-year-old female presented on 27th May 2021 with a one-month history of weight loss, fatigue, nausea, and a metallic taste.

Seascape Genomics and Phylogeography of the Sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus).

Permeable phylogeographic barriers characterize the vast open ocean, boosting gene flow and counteracting population differentiation and speciation of widely distributed and migratory species. However, many widely distributed species consists of distinct populations throughout their distribution, evidencing that our understanding of how the marine environment triggers population and species divergence are insufficient. The sailfish is a circumtropical and highly migratory billfish that inhabits warm and productive areas.

Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors and the risk of perioperative euglycaemic diabetic ketoacidosis.

Sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors are increasingly prescribed for patients with type 2 diabetes. Their use has been associated with life-threatening diabetic ketoacidosis. The risk is increased during times of fasting and intercurrent medical illness, which are common in the perioperative period.

Impact of Mobile COVID-19 Laboratory Testing on Readiness of US Army 1/34th Armored Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division Deployment to National Training Center, Fort Irwin, CA.

The emergence of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) rapidly evolved into a worldwide pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The pandemic had a major operational impact upon the US military, requiring interventions to mitigate transmission risk resulting in DoD-wide disruption of daily operations, restriction of movement, and delays in training. Development of a rapid mobile COVID-19 testing strategy was pursued as a means to allow service members to complete critical missions in select settings.

Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice on family planning among women of reproductive age at hospitals and clinic centers in the rural Western Sierra Leone.

Informed decisions about one's sexual and reproductive health can be made through family planning. Women of reproductive age in rural Sierra Leone's Western area were asked to participate in a survey to determine their attitudes and knowledge toward family planning and the use of contraceptives. A descriptive cross-sectional study survey was conducted in the Western Area Rural of Sierra Leone.

Characteristics of procalcitonin in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and clinical outcomes of antibiotic use stratified by procalcitonin levels.

We examined the characteristics of pro-calcitonin (PCT) in hospitalized COVID-19 patients (cohort 1) and clinical outcomes of antibiotic use stratified by PCT in non-critically ill patients without bacterial co-infection (cohort 2). Retrospective reviews were performed in adult, hospitalized COVID-19 patients during March-May 2020. For cohort 1, we excluded hospital transfers, renal disease and extra-pulmonary infection without isolated pathogen(s).