A one-step low-cost molecular test for SARS-CoV-2 detection suitable for community testing using minimally processed saliva.

The gold standard for coronavirus disease 2019 diagnostic testing relies on RNA extraction from naso/oropharyngeal swab followed by amplification through reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with fluorogenic probes. While the test is extremely sensitive and specific, its high cost and the potential discomfort associated with specimen collection made it suboptimal for public health screening purposes. In this study, we developed an equally reliable, but cheaper and less invasive alternative test based on a one-step RT-PCR with the DNA-intercalating dye SYBR Green, which enables the detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) directly from saliva samples or RNA isolated from nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs.

Symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with persistent asthma: a cross-sectional analysis of the INSPIRERS studies.

Objectives: Anxiety and depression are relevant comorbidities in asthma, but, in Portugal and Spain, data on this topic are scarce. We assessed, in patients with asthma, the frequency of anxiety and depression using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the European Quality of Life Five Dimension Questionnaire (EQ-5D); the level of agreement between these questionnaires, and the factors associated with these symptoms.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of the INSPIRERS studies.

Spontaneous retroperitoneal biloma in a patient with choledocholithiasis: Presentation of case.

Introduction And Importance: Spontaneous perforation of the biliary tree, resulting in retroperitoneal biloma in adults is an extremely rare condition, and may unfold to a potentially fatal outcome, particularly when the diagnosis and definitive treatment are delayed.

Case Presentation: We report a case of a 69-year-old male who presented to the emergency room with abdominal pain, localized to the right quadrants, associated with jaundice and dark-coloured urine. Abdominal imaging including CT scan, ultrasound and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) revealed a retroperitoneal fluid collection, a distended gallbladder with wall thickening and lithiasis, as well as a dilated common bile duct (CBD) with choledocholithiasis.

Prediction of Maize Phenotypic Traits With Genomic and Environmental Predictors Using Gradient Boosting Frameworks.

The development of crop varieties with stable performance in future environmental conditions represents a critical challenge in the context of climate change. Environmental data collected at the field level, such as soil and climatic information, can be relevant to improve predictive ability in genomic prediction models by describing more precisely genotype-by-environment interactions, which represent a key component of the phenotypic response for complex crop agronomic traits. Modern predictive modeling approaches can efficiently handle various data types and are able to capture complex nonlinear relationships in large datasets.

Determinants of the Use of Health and Fitness Mobile Apps by Patients With Asthma: Secondary Analysis of Observational Studies.

Background: Health and fitness apps have potential benefits to improve self-management and disease control among patients with asthma. However, inconsistent use rates have been reported across studies, regions, and health systems. A better understanding of the characteristics of users and nonusers is critical to design solutions that are effectively integrated in patients' daily lives, and to ensure that these equitably reach out to different groups of patients, thus improving rather than entrenching health inequities.

Calibration and validation of predicted genomic breeding values in an advanced cycle maize population.

Model training on data from all selection cycles yielded the highest prediction accuracy by attenuating specific effects of individual cycles. Expected reliability was a robust predictor of accuracies obtained with different calibration sets. The transition from phenotypic to genome-based selection requires a profound understanding of factors that determine genomic prediction accuracy.

Level of Medical Intervention in Geriatric Settings: Decision Factors and Correlation With Mortality.

Objectives: Level of medical intervention (LMI) has to be adapted to each patient in geriatric care. LMI scales intend to help nonintensive care (NIC) decisions, giving priority to patient choice and collegial discussion. In the present study, we aimed to assess the parameters associated with the NIC decision and whether these parameters differ from those associated with in-hospital mortality.

Profiling Persistent Asthma Phenotypes in Adolescents: A Longitudinal Diagnostic Evaluation from the INSPIRERS Studies.

We aimed to identify persistent asthma phenotypes among adolescents and to evaluate longitudinally asthma-related outcomes across phenotypes. Adolescents (13-17 years) from the prospective, observational, and multicenter INSPIRERS studies, conducted in Portugal and Spain, were included ( = 162). Latent class analysis was applied to demographic, environmental, and clinical variables, collected at a baseline medical visit.

Comment on: Predicting In-Hospital Mortality in COVID-19 Older Patients with Specifically Developed Scores.

See the Reply by De Matteis et al.

Impact of a Diagnosis-Centered Antibiotic Stewardship on Incident Infections in Older Inpatients: An Observational Study.

In 2015, a major increase in incident hospital-onset Clostridioides difficile infections (HO-CDI) in a geriatric university hospital led to the implementation of a diagnosis-centered antibiotic stewardship program (ASP). We aimed to evaluate the impact of the ASP on antibiotic consumption and on HO-CDI incidence. The intervention was the arrival of a full-time infectiologist in the acute geriatric unit in May 2015, followed by the implementation of new diagnostic procedures for infections associated with an antibiotic withdrawal policy.

Yeast AP-1 like transcription factors (Yap) and stress response: a current overview.

Yeast adaptation to stress has been extensively studied. It involves large reprogramming of genome expression operated by many, more or less specific, transcription factors. Here, we review our current knowledge on the function of the eight Yap transcription factors (Yap1 to Yap8) in , which were shown to be involved in various stress responses.

[Quality and determinants of anticoagulation therapy by AVK in elderly subjects: study of a continuous series of 155 patients hospitalized in geriatric medicine].

AVK could be prescribed in elderly patients over 75 years for the prevention of thromboembolic complications of atrial fibrillation (AF). The objective of this study was to study the quality of the anticoagulation balance by AVK and its determinants. Inclusion of all patients ≥ 75 years of age treated with AVK for an AF hospitalized in the acute geriatric department of the University hospital of Dijon.

Transcriptional regulation of FeS biogenesis genes: A possible shield against arsenate toxicity activated by Yap1.

In the eukaryotic model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, arsenic (As) detoxification is regulated by two transcriptional factors, Yap8 and Yap1. Yap8 specifically controls As extrusion from the cell, whether Yap1 avoids arsenic-induced oxidative damages. Accordingly, cells lacking both Yap1 and Yap8 are more sensitive to arsenate than cells lacking each regulator individually.

Survey of the prescription of step-2 analgesics in persons aged 75 years and older in general practitioners.

Although step-2 analgesics (S2A) are recommended when step-1 analgesics (S1A) are ineffective or in cases of moderate to severe pain, their efficacy varies. This study evaluated the place attributed by general practitioners (GPs) to S2A in the treatment of nociceptive pain in elderly persons (EP). Descriptive, transversal and declarative study conducted among GPs in Burgundy.

A continuous system for biocatalytic hydrogenation of CO to formate.

In this work a novel bioprocess for hydrogenation of CO to formate was developed, using whole cell catalysis by a sulfate-reducing bacterium. Three Desulfovibrio species were tested (D. vulgaris Hildenborough, D.

Dietary interventions that reduce mTOR activity rescue autistic-like behavioral deficits in mice.

Enhanced mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling in the brain has been implicated in the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Inhibition of the mTOR pathway improves behavior and neuropathology in mouse models of ASD containing mTOR-associated single gene mutations. The current study demonstrated that the amino acids histidine, lysine, threonine inhibited mTOR signaling and IgE-mediated mast cell activation, while the amino acids leucine, isoleucine, valine had no effect on mTOR signaling in BMMCs.

Prolonged stays in hospital acute geriatric care units: identification and analysis of causes.

In France, the population of very old frail patients, who require appropriate high-quality care, is increasing. Given the current economic climate, the mean duration of hospitalization (MDH) needs to be optimized. This prospective study analyzed the causes of prolonged hospitalization in an acute geriatric care unit.

An HcpR paralog of Desulfovibrio gigas provides protection against nitrosative stress.

Desulfovibrio gigas belongs to the group of sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB). These ubiquitous and metabolically versatile microorganisms are often exposed to reactive nitrogen species (RNS). Nonetheless, the mechanisms and regulatory elements involved in nitrosative stress protection are still poorly understood.