MyMedR

Displaying all 6 publications

Abstract:

Sort:

Fulltext Role of electron microscopy in Nipah virus outbreak investigation and control

Chua KB, Wong EM, Cropp BC, Hyatt AD

Med J Malaysia, 2007 Jun;62(2):139-42.
PMID: 18705447 MyJurnal

In 1998, a novel paramyxovirus (order Mononegavirales, family Paramyxoviridae, subfamily Paramyxovirinae, genus Henipavirus) emerged in peninsular Malaysia causing fatal encephalitis in humans and severe respiratory illness with encephalitis in pigs. The virus was successfully isolated in cultured mammalian cells. Transmission electron microscopy of infected tissue culture cells played a crucial role in the early preliminary identification of the causative agent of the outbreak. This in turn was pivotal to determine the correct direction of control measures that subsequently brought the epidemic under control. In light of this investigation, and indeed identification of infectious agents associated with other disease episodes, electron microscopy will remain an important frontline method for rapid diagnostic virology and investigation of any future outbreak of new and unusual cases of illness suspected of an infectious aetiology.
Fulltext Recommendations for HLA-B*15:02 and HLA-A*31:01 genetic testing to reduce the risk of carbamazepine-induced hypersensitivity reactions

Amstutz U, Shear NH, Rieder MJ, Hwang S, Fung V, Nakamura H, et al.

Epilepsia, 2014 Apr;55(4):496-506.
PMID: 24597466 DOI: 10.1111/epi.12564

To systematically review evidence on genetic risk factors for carbamazepine (CBZ)-induced hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) and provide practice recommendations addressing the key questions: (1) Should genetic testing for HLA-B*15:02 and HLA-A*31:01 be performed in patients with an indication for CBZ therapy to reduce the occurrence of CBZ-induced HSRs? (2) Are there subgroups of patients who may benefit more from genetic testing for HLA-B*15:02 or HLA-A*31:01 compared to others? (3) How should patients with an indication for CBZ therapy be managed based on their genetic test results?
Fulltext Reliable, verifiable and efficient monitoring of biodiversity via metabarcoding

Ji Y, Ashton L, Pedley SM, Edwards DP, Tang Y, Nakamura A, et al.

Ecol Lett, 2013 Oct;16(10):1245-57.
PMID: 23910579 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12162

To manage and conserve biodiversity, one must know what is being lost, where, and why, as well as which remedies are likely to be most effective. Metabarcoding technology can characterise the species compositions of mass samples of eukaryotes or of environmental DNA. Here, we validate metabarcoding by testing it against three high-quality standard data sets that were collected in Malaysia (tropical), China (subtropical) and the United Kingdom (temperate) and that comprised 55,813 arthropod and bird specimens identified to species level with the expenditure of 2,505 person-hours of taxonomic expertise. The metabarcode and standard data sets exhibit statistically correlated alpha- and beta-diversities, and the two data sets produce similar policy conclusions for two conservation applications: restoration ecology and systematic conservation planning. Compared with standard biodiversity data sets, metabarcoded samples are taxonomically more comprehensive, many times quicker to produce, less reliant on taxonomic expertise and auditable by third parties, which is essential for dispute resolution.
Fulltext Author Correction: Dense sampling of bird diversity increases power of comparative genomics

Feng S, Stiller J, Deng Y, Armstrong J, Fang Q, Reeve AH, et al.

Nature, 2021 Apr;592(7856):E24.
PMID: 33833441 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03473-8
Fulltext Dense sampling of bird diversity increases power of comparative genomics

Feng S, Stiller J, Deng Y, Armstrong J, Fang Q, Reeve AH, et al.

Nature, 2020 11;587(7833):252-257.
PMID: 33177665 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2873-9

Whole-genome sequencing projects are increasingly populating the tree of life and characterizing biodiversity1-4. Sparse taxon sampling has previously been proposed to confound phylogenetic inference5, and captures only a fraction of the genomic diversity. Here we report a substantial step towards the dense representation of avian phylogenetic and molecular diversity, by analysing 363 genomes from 92.4% of bird families-including 267 newly sequenced genomes produced for phase II of the Bird 10,000 Genomes (B10K) Project. We use this comparative genome dataset in combination with a pipeline that leverages a reference-free whole-genome alignment to identify orthologous regions in greater numbers than has previously been possible and to recognize genomic novelties in particular bird lineages. The densely sampled alignment provides a single-base-pair map of selection, has more than doubled the fraction of bases that are confidently predicted to be under conservation and reveals extensive patterns of weak selection in predominantly non-coding DNA. Our results demonstrate that increasing the diversity of genomes used in comparative studies can reveal more shared and lineage-specific variation, and improve the investigation of genomic characteristics. We anticipate that this genomic resource will offer new perspectives on evolutionary processes in cross-species comparative analyses and assist in efforts to conserve species.
Fulltext Global Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Stroke Volumes and Cerebrovascular Events: A 1-Year Follow-up

Nguyen TN, Qureshi MM, Klein P, Yamagami H, Mikulik R, Czlonkowska A, et al.

Neurology, 2023 Jan 24;100(4):e408-e421.
PMID: 36257718 DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000201426

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Declines in stroke admission, IV thrombolysis (IVT), and mechanical thrombectomy volumes were reported during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a paucity of data on the longer-term effect of the pandemic on stroke volumes over the course of a year and through the second wave of the pandemic. We sought to measure the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the volumes of stroke admissions, intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), IVT, and mechanical thrombectomy over a 1-year period at the onset of the pandemic (March 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021) compared with the immediately preceding year (March 1, 2019, to February 29, 2020).
METHODS: We conducted a longitudinal retrospective study across 6 continents, 56 countries, and 275 stroke centers. We collected volume data for COVID-19 admissions and 4 stroke metrics: ischemic stroke admissions, ICH admissions, IVT treatments, and mechanical thrombectomy procedures. Diagnoses were identified by their ICD-10 codes or classifications in stroke databases.
RESULTS: There were 148,895 stroke admissions in the 1 year immediately before compared with 138,453 admissions during the 1-year pandemic, representing a 7% decline (95% CI [95% CI 7.1-6.9]; p < 0.0001). ICH volumes declined from 29,585 to 28,156 (4.8% [5.1-4.6]; p < 0.0001) and IVT volume from 24,584 to 23,077 (6.1% [6.4-5.8]; p < 0.0001). Larger declines were observed at high-volume compared with low-volume centers (all p < 0.0001). There was no significant change in mechanical thrombectomy volumes (0.7% [0.6-0.9]; p = 0.49). Stroke was diagnosed in 1.3% [1.31-1.38] of 406,792 COVID-19 hospitalizations. SARS-CoV-2 infection was present in 2.9% ([2.82-2.97], 5,656/195,539) of all stroke hospitalizations.
DISCUSSION: There was a global decline and shift to lower-volume centers of stroke admission volumes, ICH volumes, and IVT volumes during the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared with the prior year. Mechanical thrombectomy volumes were preserved. These results suggest preservation in the stroke care of higher severity of disease through the first pandemic year.
TRIAL REGISTRATION INFORMATION: This study is registered under NCT04934020.