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Neuropsychologia Jun 2024The developmental trajectory of emotion recognition (ER) skills is thought to vary by nonverbal modality, with vocal ER becoming mature later than facial ER. To...
The developmental trajectory of emotion recognition (ER) skills is thought to vary by nonverbal modality, with vocal ER becoming mature later than facial ER. To investigate potential neural mechanisms contributing to this dissociation at a behavioural level, the current study examined whether youth's neural functional connectivity during vocal and facial ER tasks showed differential developmental change across time. Youth ages 8-19 (n = 41) completed facial and vocal ER tasks while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging, at two timepoints (1 year apart; n = 36 for behavioural data, n = 28 for neural data). Partial least squares analyses revealed that functional connectivity during ER is both distinguishable by modality (with different patterns of connectivity for facial vs. vocal ER) and across time-with changes in connectivity being particularly pronounced for vocal ER. ER accuracy was greater for faces than voices, and positively associated with age; although task performance did not change appreciably across a 1-year period, changes in latent functional connectivity patterns across time predicted participants' ER accuracy at Time 2. Taken together, these results suggest that vocal and facial ER are supported by distinguishable neural correlates that may undergo different developmental trajectories. Our findings are also preliminary evidence that changes in network integration may support the development of ER skills in childhood and adolescence.
PubMed: 38945440
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2024.108946 -
International Journal of Infectious... Jun 2024This study sought to detect and characterize influenza A (IAV) and influenza D (IDV) viruses circulating among commercial birds and shop owners in Pakistan's live bird...
OBJECTIVE
This study sought to detect and characterize influenza A (IAV) and influenza D (IDV) viruses circulating among commercial birds and shop owners in Pakistan's live bird markets.
METHODS
Oropharyngeal swabs (n=600; n=300 pools) collected from poultry and nasopharyngeal swabs (n=240) collected from poultry workers were studied for molecular evidence of IAV and IDV using real-time and conventional RT-PCR protocols.
RESULTS
Nineteen (6.3%) poultry pools were positive for IAV and 73.9% of these were positive for H9N2 subtypes. Two (0.83%) poultry workers had evidence of IAV, and both were also H9N2 subtypes. The poultry and human influenza A-positive specimens all clustered phylogenetically by Sanger and next-generation sequencing with previously detected H9N2 poultry isolates. No field specimens were positive for IDV.
CONCLUSION
H9N2 IAV is likely enzootic in Punjab Province Pakistan's live bird markets and may be colonizing the noses of workers and market visitors. Regular monitoring for avian influenza-associated human illness in Punjab seems to be a needed public measure.
PubMed: 38945434
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107146 -
International Journal of Infectious... Jun 2024The emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants has led to the development of Omicron-targeting bivalent mRNA vaccines. It is crucial to understand how bivalent vaccines may...
OBJECTIVES
The emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants has led to the development of Omicron-targeting bivalent mRNA vaccines. It is crucial to understand how bivalent vaccines may improve antibody responses against new variants.
METHODS
A total of 107 participants, who had three COVID-19 WT mRNA vaccine doses, were recruited, and given either a monovalent (WT) or a bivalent mRNA vaccination (Pfizer/BioNTech Bivalent (WT and BA.4/BA.5) or Moderna Bivalent (WT and BA.1)). Blood samples were taken before booster and at 28 days post-booster.
RESULTS
We found significantly lower fold change in serum binding IgA responses against BA.1, BA.5 and EG.5.1 spike in the bivalent booster group, compared with the monovalent (WT) booster group, following vaccination. However, this was only observed in individuals with prior infection. The relative fold change in serum binding IgA response was more skewed towards WT over variant (BA.1, BA.5 or EG.5.1) spike in previously infected bivalent-booster-vaccinees, as compared with previously infected monovalent-(WT)-booster-vaccinees.
CONCLUSION
The findings suggest imprinting of antibody responses that is shaped by the first vaccination (WT spike). Previous infection also affects the boosting effect of follow-up vaccination. Studies are needed to understand how to induce a robust and long-lasting IgA immunity for protection against COVID-19 infection.
PubMed: 38945433
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107147 -
International Journal of Infectious... Jun 2024Hospitalised neonates are vulnerable to infection and have high rates of antibiotic utilisation.
Prospective antimicrobial stewardship interventions by multidisciplinary teams to reduce neonatal antibiotic use in South Africa: the Neonatal Antimicrobial Stewardship (NeoAMS) study.
BACKGROUND
Hospitalised neonates are vulnerable to infection and have high rates of antibiotic utilisation.
METHODS
Fourteen South African neonatal units (seven public, seven private sector) assembled multidisciplinary teams involving neonatologists, microbiologists, pharmacists, and nurses to implement prospective audit and feedback neonatal antimicrobial stewardship (NeoAMS) interventions. The teams attended seven online training sessions. Pharmacists conducted weekday antibiotic prescription reviews in the neonatal intensive care unit and/or neonatal wards providing feedback to the clinical teams. Anonymised demographic and NeoAMS interventions data were aggregated for descriptive purposes and statistical analysis.
FINDINGS
During the 20-week NeoAMS intervention in 2022, 565 neonates were enrolled. Pharmacists evaluated seven hundred antibiotic prescription episodes; rule-out sepsis (180; 26%) and culture-negative sepsis (138; 20%) were the most frequent indications for antibiotic prescription. For infection episodes with an identified pathogen, only 51% (116/229) of empiric treatments provided adequate antimicrobial coverage. Pharmacists recommended 437 NeoAMS interventions (0·6 per antibiotic prescription episode), with antibiotic discontinuation (42%), therapeutic drug monitoring (17%), and dosing (15%) recommendations most frequent. Neonatal clinicians' acceptance rates for AMS recommendations were high (338; 77%). Mean antibiotic length of therapy decreased by 24% from 9·1 to 6·9 days (0·1 day decrease per intervention week; p=0·001), with the greatest decline in length of therapy for culture-negative sepsis (8·2 days (95%CI 5·7-11·7) to 5·9 days (95% CI 4·6-7·5); p=0·032).
INTERPRETATION
This neonatal AMS programme was successfully implemented in heterogenous and resource-limited settings. Pharmacist-recommended AMS interventions had high rates of clinician acceptance. The NeoAMS intervention significantly reduced neonatal antibiotic use, particularly for culture-negative sepsis.
FUNDING
A grant from Merck provided partial support.
PubMed: 38945432
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107158 -
International Journal of Infectious... Jun 2024
PubMed: 38945431
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107145 -
International Journal of Infectious... Jun 2024Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) in young children. With substantial advances in RSV research, we aimed...
OBJECTIVES
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) in young children. With substantial advances in RSV research, we aimed to conduct an updated systematic review of risk factors for RSV-ALRI in children under five years.
METHODS
We updated our previously published literature search to November 2022 among three English databases and additionally searched three Chinese databases (from January 1995) to identify all relevant publications. We performed random-effects meta-analyses to estimate the pooled odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) for each risk factor and each outcome (RSV-ALRI in the community and RSV-ALRI hospitalisation).
RESULTS
A total of 47 studies were included (26 from the updated search). Indoor air pollution was identified as a possible risk factor for RSV-ALRI in the community (OR 1.45, 95% CI: 1.10-1.90). The identified risk factors for RSV-ALRI hospitalisation fall into four categories: demographic (male sex, Māori and Pacific ethnicities vs European or other ethnicities), pre- and post- neonatal (prematurity, low birth weight, small for gestational age, maternal smoking during pregnancy or lactation, maternal age <30 years vs 30-34 years, multiparity, caesarean section vs vaginal), household and environmental (having siblings, passive smoking, maternal asthma, daycare centre attendance), and health and medical conditions (any chronic diseases, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, HIV infections, congenital heart disease, Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, previous asthma). The pooled ORs ranged from 1.14 to 4.55.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings on the risk factors for RSV-ALRI help identify RSV high-risk groups, which has important implications for RSV prevention at both individual and population levels.
PubMed: 38945430
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijid.2024.107125 -
Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular... Jun 2024Cerebral Vasomotor Reactivity (VMR) is a property of cerebral hemodynamics that protects from cerebrovascular disease. We aimed to explore the VMR longitudinal changes...
BACKGROUND AND AIM
Cerebral Vasomotor Reactivity (VMR) is a property of cerebral hemodynamics that protects from cerebrovascular disease. We aimed to explore the VMR longitudinal changes in patients with acute non-disabling stroke/Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) to understand its implication in stroke ethiopatogenesis.
METHODS
VMR by Transcranial Doppler Breath Holding test was performed at 48-72 h from stroke onset (T1) and after 6 months (T2) on MCA of the non-affected hemisphere and PCA of the affected hemisphere.
RESULTS
We consecutively enrolled 124 patients with a median age of 66.0 (IQR 54.75-74.25) years with a median NIHSS 2 (IQR 1-3). Both MCA (1.38 %/s SD 0.58) and PCA (1.35 %/s SD 0.75) BHI at T1 did not differ among different stroke subtypes (p=0.067 and p=0.350; N=124). MCA and PCA BHI decreased from T1 to T2 (respectively 1.39 %/s SD 0.56 vs 1.18%/s SD 0.44 and 1.30 %/s SD 0.69 vs 1.20 %/s SD 0.51; N=109) regardless of ethiopatogenesis (respectively p<0.0001 and p=0.111).
CONCLUSION
the VMR is higher in acute phase than at 6 months in patients with non-disabling stroke/TIA, regardless of etiopathogenesis. The higher VMR in acute phase could be sustained by an increased Cerebral Blood Flow due to collateral circulation activation supporting the ischemic zone.
PubMed: 38945417
DOI: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2024.107841 -
Journal of Affective Disorders Jun 2024The association of a single time-point measure of sleep duration with cardio-metabolic disease has been extensively studied, but few studies have focused on the impact...
BACKGROUND
The association of a single time-point measure of sleep duration with cardio-metabolic disease has been extensively studied, but few studies have focused on the impact of sleep duration trajectory. This study aims to model the sleep duration trajectory as predictors for the subsequent development of cardio-metabolic disease.
METHODS
This study recruited a notably large population (n = 9883) of subjects aged at least 45 years from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), who participated in sequential surveys conducted in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2018. Sleep duration trajectories were plotted using data of night sleep duration recorded at intervals from 2011 to 2015 by latent class trajectory model. The onset of cardio-metabolic diseases from 2015 to 2018 were confirmed and then the risk of different sleep duration trajectories on incident cardio-metabolic disease was examined using cox proportional hazards regression model.
RESULTS
We identified four sleep duration trajectories. Compared to the normal-stable trajectory, the short-stable trajectory was significantly associated with higher risk of incident stroke (hazard ratio [HR], 1.32; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 1.02 to 1.70), dyslipidemia (HR, 1.22; 95%CI, 1.01 to 1.49), and diabetes (HR, 1.42; 95%CI, 1.13 to 1.78) within three years of follow-up, and the short-increasing trajectory predicted a higher risk of incident stroke (HR, 2.38; 95%CI, 1.25 to 4.55).
CONCLUSIONS
Short sleep trajectory could increase the risk of incident stroke, dyslipidemia, and diabetes, and an increasing sleep trajectory was associated with increased risk of incident stroke among middle-aged and older Chinese adults.
PubMed: 38945401
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.06.114 -
The Journal of Hospital Infection Jun 2024Continuous fluid infusions delivered between therapies by piggy-back systems avoid disconnection and reconnection of central venous catheters (CVC), thereby reducing...
BACKGROUND
Continuous fluid infusions delivered between therapies by piggy-back systems avoid disconnection and reconnection of central venous catheters (CVC), thereby reducing opportunities for line contamination. However, the impact of continuous versus intermittent infusions on central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) is unknown.
AIM
To investigate the effect of temporary infusion interruption and line disconnection, with or without use of a 70% isopropyl alcohol cap (IPA-C) use on CLABSI rates in haematology patients.
METHODS
Quasi-experimental study in two haemato-oncology units. At baseline (P1, September 2020 - August 2021), continuous intravenous piggy-back infusions were mandatory. In a first intervention phase (P2, September 2021 - August 2022), infusion disconnections were implemented with use of a 70% isopropyl alcohol cap (IPA-C) for passive decontamination. In a second intervention phase (P3, September 2022 - August 2023), infusion disconnections continued without the use of IPA-C. Rates of CLABSI were compared across the three intervention periods using segmented Poisson regression.
FINDINGS
A total of 11,039 catheter-days across 764 CVC and 16,226 patient-days were included. 21 CLABSI were recorded across all intervention periods. Compared with P1, incidence rate ratios (IRRs) for CLABSI did not significantly change in P2 (IRR 0.76 [95% CI 0.27-2.15]) and P3 (IRR 0.79 [CI 95% 0.28-2.22]). No CVCs were removed due to occlusion during the study period. Five of 21 CLABSI were polymicrobial, and coagulase-negative staphylococci were isolated in 19/21 cases (90%).
CONCLUSION
Interruption of continuous infusions in haemato-oncology patients with a CVC was not associated with a substantial change in CLABSI rates, whether or not an IPA-C was used.
PubMed: 38945400
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2024.05.021 -
Mucosal Immunology Jun 2024Intestinal stromal cells (SCs), which synthesize the extracellular matrix that gives the mucosa its structure, are newly appreciated to play a role in mucosal...
Intestinal stromal cells (SCs), which synthesize the extracellular matrix that gives the mucosa its structure, are newly appreciated to play a role in mucosal inflammation. Here we show that human intestinal vimentinCD90SMA SCs synthesize retinoic acid (RA) at levels equivalent to intestinal epithelial cells, a function in the human intestine previously attributed exclusively to epithelial cells. Crohn's disease SCs (Crohn's SCs), however, synthesized markedly less RA than SCs from healthy intestine (Normal SCs). We also show that microbe-stimulated Crohn's SCs, which are more inflammatory than stimulated Normal SCs, induced less RA-regulated differentiation of mucosal DCS (circulating pre-DCs and monocyte-derived DCs), leading to the generation of more potent inflammatory IFN-γ/IL-17 T cells than Normal SCs. Explaining these results, Crohn's SCs expressed more DHRS3, a retinaldehyde reductase that inhibits retinol conversion to retinal, and thus synthesized less RA than Normal SCs. These findings uncover a microbe-SC-DC crosstalk in which luminal microbes induce Crohn's disease SCs to initiate and perpetuate inflammation through impaired synthesis of RA.
PubMed: 38945396
DOI: 10.1016/j.mucimm.2024.06.009