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Scientific Reports Dec 2023A lack of methods to identify individual animals can be a barrier to zoonoses control. We developed and field-tested facial recognition technology for a mobile phone...
A lack of methods to identify individual animals can be a barrier to zoonoses control. We developed and field-tested facial recognition technology for a mobile phone application to identify dogs, which we used to assess vaccination coverage against rabies in rural Tanzania. Dogs were vaccinated, registered using the application, and microchipped. During subsequent household visits to validate vaccination, dogs were registered using the application and their vaccination status determined by operators using the application to classify dogs as vaccinated (matched) or unvaccinated (unmatched), with microchips validating classifications. From 534 classified dogs (251 vaccinated, 283 unvaccinated), the application specificity was 98.9% and sensitivity 76.2%, with positive and negative predictive values of 98.4% and 82.8% respectively. The facial recognition algorithm correctly matched 249 (99.2%) vaccinated and microchipped dogs (true positives) and failed to match two (0.8%) vaccinated dogs (false negatives). Operators correctly identified 186 (74.1%) vaccinated dogs (true positives), and 280 (98.9%) unvaccinated dogs (true negatives), but incorrectly classified 58 (23.1%) vaccinated dogs as unmatched (false negatives). Reduced application sensitivity resulted from poor quality photos and light-associated color distortion. With development and operator training, this technology has potential to be a useful tool to identify dogs and support research and intervention programs.
Topics: Animals; Dogs; Automated Facial Recognition; Dog Diseases; Zoonoses; Vaccination; Immunization Programs; Rabies; Rabies Vaccines
PubMed: 38086911
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49522-2 -
Open Veterinary Journal Sep 2023Neurotropic viruses in the family Rhabdoviridae, genus , are what cause rabies, an acute, progressive, and highly lethal encephalomyelitis.
BACKGROUND
Neurotropic viruses in the family Rhabdoviridae, genus , are what cause rabies, an acute, progressive, and highly lethal encephalomyelitis.
AIM
Evaluation of the used diagnostic techniques to determine the most simple; rapid and accurate test for rabies virus (RABV) recognition in different specimens aiming to reach a rapid diagnosis as a step aid in the disease control and to prevent or even minimize the suspected hazard.
METHOD
The used techniques included an infection trial of Swiss mice with the mice-adapted challenge rabies virus followed by the detection of the virus in the infected mices' brains. Virus detection was carried out through the application BHK21 cell line infection; fluorescent antibody technique; latex agglutination test (LAT); direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); rabies antigen detection kit ELISA; conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
RESULTS
It was found that virus inoculation in mice and BHK21 cell lines needs 5-7 days with positivity of 90% and 100%, respectively. Rapid antigen kit was able to detect rabies antigen in mice brains suspension and BHK21 infected fluid within 3-5 minutes with percentages of 60% and 55.5%, respectively. In 1-1.5 hours, the direct fluorescent antibody method (DFAT) detected 90% and 100% of the rabies antigen in BHK21 cell line infection and brain impressions, respectively. Latex agglutination showed clear results with 88.8% with BHK21 infected fluid within 3-5 minutes while it did not carry out on brain emulsions to prevent falsely positive results brought on by the presence of tissue fragments. Conventional one-step PCR revealed 100% positivity with either brain or cell culture preparations within 2 days. Direct ELISA showed 88.8% positivity with BHK21 infected fluid with 1 day of work.
CONCLUSION
Mice inoculation test, cell culture infection; DFAT and PCR are the most accurate techniques for the detection of RABV with a positivity of 90%-100% followed by LAT and ELISA with a positivity of 88.8%, and lastly, rabies antigen ELISA kit (RAK) with a positivity of 55.5%-60% taking in consideration the required time for each. In addition, the positivity % of the applied tests revealed their sensitivity and specificity.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Rabies virus; Rabies; Lyssavirus; Sensitivity and Specificity; Cell Culture Techniques
PubMed: 37842113
DOI: 10.5455/OVJ.2023.v13.i9.13 -
Perspectives on Psychological Science :... Jan 2024Interparental interactions have an important influence on child well-being and development. Yet prior theory and research have primarily focused on interparental...
Interparental interactions have an important influence on child well-being and development. Yet prior theory and research have primarily focused on interparental conflict as contributing to child maladjustment, which leaves out the critical question of how interparental positive interactions-such as expressed gratitude, capitalization, and shared laughter-may benefit child growth and development. In this article, we integrate theory and research in family, relationship, and affective science to propose a new framework for understanding how the heretofore underexamined positive interparental interactions influence children: interparental positivity spillover theory (IPST). IPST proposes that, distinct from the influence of conflict, interparental positive interactions spill over into children's experiences in the form of their (a) experience of positive emotions, (b) beneficially altered perceptions of their parents, and (c) emulation of their parents' positive interpersonal behaviors. This spillover is theorized to promote beneficial cognitive, behavioral, social, and physiological outcomes in children in the short term (i.e., immediately after a specific episode of interparental positivity, or on a given day) as well as cumulatively across time. As a framework, IPST generates a host of novel and testable predictions to guide future research, all of which have important implications for the mental health, well-being, and positive development of children and families.
PubMed: 38252555
DOI: 10.1177/17456916231220626 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2023
PubMed: 37593652
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1251909 -
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 2024While younger adults are more likely to attend to, process, and remember negative relative to positive information, healthy older adults show the opposite pattern. The...
BACKGROUND
While younger adults are more likely to attend to, process, and remember negative relative to positive information, healthy older adults show the opposite pattern. The current study evaluates when, exactly, this positivity shift begins, and how it influences memory performance for positive, negative, and neutral information.
METHODS
A total of 274 healthy early middle-aged (35-47), late middle-aged (48-59), and older adults (>59) viewed scenes consisting of a negative, positive, or a neutral object placed on a plausible neutral background, and rated each scene for its valence and arousal. After 12 h spanning a night of sleep ( = 137) or a day of wakefulness ( = 137), participants completed an unexpected memory test during which they were shown objects and backgrounds separately and indicated whether the scene component was the "same," "similar," or "new" to what they viewed during the study session.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS
We found that both late middle-aged and older adults rated positive and neutral scenes more positively compared to early middle-aged adults. However, only older adults showed better memory for positive objects relative to negative objects, and a greater positive memory trade-off magnitude (i.e., remembering positive objects at the cost of their associated neutral backgrounds) than negative memory trade-off magnitude (i.e., remembering negative objects at the cost of their associated neutral backgrounds). Our findings suggest that while the positivity bias may not emerge in memory until older adulthood, a shift toward positivity in terms of processing may begin in middle age.
PubMed: 38328467
DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2024.1342589 -
Annals of Epidemiology Nov 2023To assess the distribution and clustering of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing and incidence over space and time, U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs (VA)...
PURPOSE
To assess the distribution and clustering of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing and incidence over space and time, U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs (VA) data were used to describe where and when veterans experienced highest proportions of test positivity.
METHODS
Data for 6,342,455 veterans who utilized VA services between January 1, 2018, and September 30, 2021, were assessed for COVID-19 testing and test positivity. Testing and positivity proportions by county were mapped and focused-cluster tests identified significant clustering around VA facilities. Spatial cluster analysis also identified where and when veterans experienced highest proportions of test positivity.
RESULTS
Within the veterans study population and our time window, 21.3% received at least one COVID-19 test, and 20.4% of those tested had at least one positive test. There was statistically significant clustering of testing around VA facilities, revealing regional variation in testing practices. Veterans experienced highest test positivity proportions between November 2020 and January 2021 in a cluster of states in the Midwest, compared to those who received testing outside of the identified cluster (RR: 3.45).
CONCLUSIONS
Findings reflect broad regional trends in COVID-19 positivity which can inform VA policy and resource allocation. Additional analysis is needed to understand patterns during Delta and Omicron variant periods.
Topics: Humans; United States; Veterans; COVID-19; COVID-19 Testing; Space-Time Clustering; SARS-CoV-2; United States Department of Veterans Affairs
PubMed: 37742880
DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2023.09.006 -
Digestive Diseases and Sciences Aug 2023Streptococcus gallolyticus subspecies gallolyticus (SGG) and Fusobacterium (F.) nucleatum have been implicated in colorectal carcinogenesis. Here, the association of...
BACKGROUND
Streptococcus gallolyticus subspecies gallolyticus (SGG) and Fusobacterium (F.) nucleatum have been implicated in colorectal carcinogenesis. Here, the association of immune responses to bacterial exposure with advancing stages of colorectal neoplasia was assessed by multiplex serology.
METHODS
Immunoglobulin (Ig) A and G antibody responses to eleven proteins each of F. nucleatum and SGG were measured in plasma of controls (n = 100) and patients with colorectal cancer (CRC, n = 25), advanced adenoma (n = 82), or small polyps (n = 85). Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the association of bacterial sero-positivity with colorectal neoplasia. In a cohort subset with matched data (n = 45), F. nucleatum sero-positivity was correlated with bacterial abundance in both neoplastic and matched normal tissue.
RESULTS
IgG sero-positivity to Fn1426 of F. nucleatum was associated with an increased CRC risk (OR = 4.84; 95% CI 1.46-16.0), while IgA sero-positivity to any SGG protein or specifically Gallo0272 and Gallo1675 alone was associated with increased advanced adenoma occurrence (OR = 2.02, 95% CI 1.10-3.71; OR = 2.67, 95% CI 1.10-6.46; and OR = 6.17, 95% CI 1.61-23.5, respectively). Only F. nucleatum abundance in the normal mucosa positively correlated with the IgA response to the Fn1426 antigen (Correlation coefficient (r) = 0.38, p < 0.01).
CONCLUSION
Antibody responses to SGG and F. nucleatum were associated with occurrence of colorectal adenomas and CRC, respectively. Further studies are needed to clarify the role these microbes or the immune response to their antigens may have in colorectal carcinogenesis stages.
Topics: Humans; Fusobacterium nucleatum; Streptococcus gallolyticus; Antibody Formation; Colorectal Neoplasms; Bacteria; Adenoma; Carcinogenesis; Fusobacterium Infections
PubMed: 37338617
DOI: 10.1007/s10620-023-08001-4 -
Emerging Infectious Diseases Apr 2024We reviewed data obtained in October 2021-May 2023 from youth who reported a history of sexual activity upon admission to 1 of 12 juvenile justice facilities in Utah,... (Review)
Review
We reviewed data obtained in October 2021-May 2023 from youth who reported a history of sexual activity upon admission to 1 of 12 juvenile justice facilities in Utah, USA, that offered screening for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Urinalysis revealed C. trachomatis positivity of 10.77%, N. gonorrhoeae positivity of 1.08%, and coinfection C. trachomatis N. gonorrhoeae) of 0.90%. Prevalence of infection was similar for youths in rural and urban facilities. A total of 12.01% of those identifying as male and 14.01% of those identifying as female tested positive for C. trachomatis, N. gonorrhoeae, or coinfection. Of young adults who tested positive, 74.65% received their results while incarcerated, all of whom accepted treatment. Our research underscores the feasibility of providing prompt C. trachomatis/N. gonorrhoeae screening and treatment in juvenile correctional facilities. The pervasiveness of infection emphasizes the urgent need for early identification and treatment for C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae in incarcerated youth nationwide.
Topics: Young Adult; Adolescent; Male; Female; Humans; Gonorrhea; Chlamydia Infections; Utah; Coinfection; Neisseria gonorrhoeae; Chlamydia trachomatis; Correctional Facilities; Prevalence; Mass Screening
PubMed: 38561843
DOI: 10.3201/eid3013.230712 -
Archives of Pathology & Laboratory... Nov 2023Endometrial cancer is classified into 4 molecular subtypes: DNA polymerase epsilon ultramutated, mismatch repair deficient, p53 mutant, and nonspecific molecular profile...
CONTEXT.—
Endometrial cancer is classified into 4 molecular subtypes: DNA polymerase epsilon ultramutated, mismatch repair deficient, p53 mutant, and nonspecific molecular profile (NSMP). Additional biomarkers are urgently needed to better characterize the NSMP subtype, the largest group with heterogeneous pathologic features and prognoses.
OBJECTIVE.—
To investigate the expression of B7 homolog 3 (B7-H3), B7 homolog 4 (B7-H4), and V-set and immunoglobulin domain containing 3 (VSIG-3, a ligand for B7-H5) in 833 patients with endometrial cancer and determine their associations with clinicopathologic and molecular features as well as survival outcomes.
DESIGN.—
Molecular classification was determined by polymerase epsilon sequencing and immunohistochemical staining for p53 and mismatch repair proteins. B7-H3, B7-H4, VSIG-3, and programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) were detected via immunohistochemistry.
RESULTS.—
The positivity rates for B7-H3 in each of the tumor and immune cells, B7-H4 (exclusively in tumor cells), and VSIG-3 (exclusively in tumor cells) were 89.0%, 42.3%, 71.5%, and 99.8%, respectively. B7-H3 and B7-H4 positivity in tumor cells was associated with favorable pathologic features and prognosis. In contrast, B7-H3 expression in immune cells was frequent in samples with unfavorable pathologic features; those with p53-mutant subtype, PD-L1 positivity, and a high density of CD8+ T cells; and in patients with poor prognoses. Positive B7-H4 expression was a predictor of improved survival in patients with the NSMP subtype independent of tumor stage or pathologic features.
CONCLUSIONS.—
The NSMP subgroup of endometrial cancer can be further stratified by B7-H4 status. Incorporating B7-H4 status into the molecular classification of NSMP could improve the ability to predict disease relapse.
PubMed: 36669510
DOI: 10.5858/arpa.2022-0182-OA -
PloS One 2023PRAME (PReferentially expressed Antigen in MElanoma) is a biomarker studied in various human cancers. Little is known about the biological implications of PRAME in...
BACKGROUND
PRAME (PReferentially expressed Antigen in MElanoma) is a biomarker studied in various human cancers. Little is known about the biological implications of PRAME in glioma. We aimed to perform a comprehensive analysis to explore PRAME gene expression and its biological and clinicopathological significance in gliomas.
METHODS AND MATERIALS
We accessed the human cancer atlas (TCGA) database to collect glioma patients (n = 668) with primary tumors and gene expression data. Single nucleotide variants, copy number variation, DNA methylation data, and other clinicopathological factors were also extracted for the analysis.
RESULTS
Overall, 170, 484, and 14 tumors showed no expression, low expression (FPKM≤1), and overexpression (FPKM>1) of the PRAME gene, respectively. The principal component analysis and pathway analyses showed that PRAME-positive gliomas (n = 498), which consisted of tumors with PRAME low expression and overexpression, expressed different oncogenic profiles, possessing higher activity of Hedgehog, P3IK-AKT-mTOR, and Wnt/β-catenin pathways (p<0.001). DNA methylation analysis also illustrated that PRAME-positive tumors were distributed more densely within a grade 4-related cluster (p<0.001). PRAME positivity was an independent prognostic factor for poor outcomes in a multivariate cox analysis adjusted for clinical characteristics and genetic events. Kaplan-Meier analysis stratified by revised classification showed that PRAME positivity was solely associated with IDH-wildtype glioblastoma, grade 4. Finally, PRAME-overexpressing cases (n = 14) had the worst clinical outcome compared to the PRAME-negative and PRAME-low cohorts (adjusted p<0.001) in pairwise comparisons.
CONCLUSION
PRAME expression statuses may dictate different biological and clinicopathological profiles in IDH-wildtype glioblastoma.
Topics: Humans; Adult; Prognosis; DNA Copy Number Variations; Glioblastoma; Glioma; Kaplan-Meier Estimate; Antigens, Neoplasm
PubMed: 37796789
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0290542