Impact of Antenatal SARS-CoV-2 Exposure on SARS-CoV-2 Neutralization Potency.

A pregnancy booster dose significantly reduces the risk and severity of COVID-19, and it is widely recommended. A prospective cohort study was conducted to compare the transplacental passage of maternal antibodies from vaccination or infection during three trimesters against both the vaccine-targeted Wuhan strain and the Omicron strain of SARS-CoV-2. Maternal-infant dyads from vaccinated mothers were collected between 6 June 2022 and 20 September 2022. We analyzed 38 maternal-infant dyads from mothers who had been infected with COVID-19 and 37 from mothers without any previous infection. Pregnant women who received their last COVID-19 vaccine dose in the third trimester exhibited the highest anti-spike protein antibody levels and neutralizing potency against both the Wuhan strain and Omicron BA.2 variant in their maternal and cord plasma. Both second- and third-trimester vaccination could lead to a higher level of neutralization against the Wuhan and Omicron strains. COVID-19 infection had a negative effect on the transplacental transfer ratio of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. A booster dose during the second or third trimester is encouraged for the maximum transplacental transfer of humoral protection against COVID-19 for infants.

Development of cool and hot executive function deficit in children born very low birth weight with normal early development: A longitudinal cohort from aged 6 to 10.

BACKGROUND: Studies showed preterm children born with very low birth weight (VLBW, <1500 g) are at risk for poorer executive functions (EFs). However, very little research has been reported longitudinally on the development of both cool and hot EFs deficits in preschool to school-age VLBW preterm children with normal early development. AIMS: Present study aimed to investigate the development of cool and hot EFs in VLWB preterm children longitudinally. METHODS: Forty preterm children born VLBW were followed up at ages 6, 8, and 10. Fifty term-born controls were recruited at each age stage. Cool EFs was assessed using backward digit span subtest of WISC-IV, Knox's Cube Test, Comprehensive Non-verbal Attention Test Battery (CNAT), Tower of London (ToL), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), and hot EFs was assessed using Theory of Mind (ToM) and Delay of Gratification (GIFT) tasks. RESULTS: The six-year-old VLBW preterm group showed significantly lower scores of planning in ToL, inhibition control in CNAT, and in both ToM and GIFT tasks. There is no significant difference in average cool and hot EFs between the eight and ten-year-old preterm group and the control group. CONCLUSIONS: At six, VLBW preterm infants with normal early development have delayed cool and hot EFs development. Although the average performance of EFs can reach the level of the control group with age increasing to eight and ten years, there are still individual differences. It is recommended that more complete development indicators be established in the future, and early intervention should be made for VLBW premature children with delayed EFs.

Recurrent Fetal Anophthalmia Caused by retinoids acid gene 6 mutations: Correlation between prenatal ultrasonography, magnetic resonance imaging, and pathology.

OBJECTIVE: Anophthalmia is an extreme form on the spectrum of anophthalmia-microphthalmia (A/M) syndrome. Most articles define fetal microphthalmia by an ocular diameter (OD) less than fifth percentile. Diagnosis of fetal microphthalmia using only orbital measurements such as interocular distance (IOD), and OD may neglect the presence or morphology of the fetal lens, hence failing to identify abnormalities of the fetal globe. CASE REPORT: We hereby present a case of isolated fetal anophthalmia in two consecutive pregnancies from the same mother. Both fetuses presented as full-sized globes with absence or small size of lens under fetal ultrasound examination. Magnetic resonance imaging and pathology of the second fetus further revealed a thorough view of the underdeveloped globes. Whole exon sequencing (WES) analysis for the parents-fetus trio revealed compound heterozygous mutations of the retinoids acid gene 6 (STRA6). CONCLUSION: Detailed examination for intraocular structures including fetal lens, in addition to orbital measurements by ultrasound is crucial for diagnosis of diseases in the A/M spectrum.

Are the shareholding and trading behaviors of diverse investors affected by the relaxation of day trading?

The day trading in Taiwanese stock market expands considerably at the beginning of 2016, which increases the transactions of stocks consequently and sparks our interest in exploring the issue of day trading. In this study, we use the data of Taiwan Stock Exchange listed firms to investigate whether the day trading volume over total trading volume (hereinafter referred to as the day trading ratio) and the turnover ratio enhanced by the increase of day trading volume would affect the shareholding and trading behaviors of diverse institutional and individual investors. Unquestionably, we bring out several impressive findings. First, foreign institutional investors would not prefer holding or trading the stocks with high day trading ratios, whereas individual investors would prefer holding these kinds of stocks. We infer that this finding might result from the fundamental and the speculative concerns of these various investors. Second, domestic institutional investors and security dealers would prefer trading the stocks with high turnover ratios, but foreign institutional investors still lack of interest in trading these stocks, implying that the investment strategies would be dissimilar among various institutional investors. Since foreign institutional investors are regarded as the successful institutional investors in Taiwan, we argue that our revealed results may help market participants trace the behaviors of diverse investors, especially the foreign institutional investors, after day trading relaxation in Taiwan.

Mutations in gyrA and gyrB among Fluoroquinolone- and Multidrug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates.

In order to correlate the mutations inside the entiregyrAandgyrBgenes with the level of resistance to ofloxacin (OFX) and moxifloxacin (MFX) in isolates of multidrug-resistantMycobacterium tuberculosis(MDR-TB), a total of 111 isolates were categorized into OFX-susceptible (MIC, ≤2 µg/ml) and low-level (MIC, 4 to 8 µg/ml) and high-level (MIC, ≥16 µg/ml) OFX-resistant isolates and MFX-susceptible (MIC, ≤0.5 µg/ml) and low-level (MIC, 1 to 2 µg/ml) and high-level (MIC, ≥4 µg/ml) MFX-resistant isolates. Resistance-associated mutations inside thegyrAgene were found in 30.2% of OFX-susceptible and 72.5% and 72.2% of low-level and high-level OFX-resistant isolates and in 28.6% of MFX-susceptible and 58.1% and 83.9% of low-level and high-level MFX-resistant isolates. Compared with OFX-susceptible isolates, low-level and high-level OFX-resistant isolates had a significantly higher prevalence of mutations atgyrAcodons 88 to 94 (17.0%, 65.0%, and 72.2%, respectively;P< 0.001) and a higher prevalence of thegyrBG512R mutation (0.0%, 2.5%, and 16.7%, respectively;P= 0.006). Similarly, compared with MFX-susceptible isolates, low-level and high-level MFX-resistant isolates had a significantly higher prevalence of mutations atgyrAcodons 88 to 94 (14.3%, 51.6%, and 80.6%, respectively;P< 0.001) as well as a higher prevalence of thegyrBG512R mutation (0.0%, 0.0%, and 12.9%, respectively;P= 0.011). D94G and D94N mutations ingyrAand the G512R mutation ingyrBwere correlated with high-level MFX resistance, while the D94A mutation was associated with low-level MFX resistance. The prevalence of mutations atgyrAcodons 88 to 94 and thegyrBG512R mutation were higher among fluoroquinolone (FQ)-susceptible East Asian (Beijing) and Indo-Oceanic strains than they were among Euro-American strains, implying that molecular techniques to detect FQ resistance may be less specific in areas with a high prevalence of East Asian (Beijing) and Indo-Oceanic strains.

Transformation of cinnamic acid from trans- to cis-form raises a notable bactericidal and synergistic activity against multiple-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a contagious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The long course of treatments on TB with a combination of antibiotics leads unfavorable side effects and poor patient compliance which contributes to sustaining multiple-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Therefore, the development of a new effective drug or synergist to reduce the prevalence of MDR-TB is urgent to date. Cinnamic acid (CA) is a natural occurring phenolic compound with anti-microbial activity. Both trans- and cis-isoforms of CA exist in planta, and cis-cinnamic acid (c-CA) can be transformed from trans-cinnamic acid (t-CA) under sunlight. Due to the unavailability of c-CA, the literature regarding the biological functions of c-CA is still limited. We had previously developed a practicable method for the transformation of c-CA from t-CA and the isolation of c-CA. Using the techniques, sufficient c-CA was obtained to evaluate its antituberculosis activity against a MDR M. tuberculosis strain. Moreover, the synergistic effects of c-CA and t-CA with two first-line anti-TB antibiotics, isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIF), were also determined. Although both of c-CA and t-CA decreased the viability of MDR-TB bacilli in a dose-dependent manner, the antituberculosis activity of c-CA was approximately 120-fold of t-CA. Furthermore, the c-CA exhibited higher synergistic effect with INH or RIF against tuberculosis than t-CA. The micrographs of scanning electron microscope (SEM) display that c-CA caused an injury on the out-layer of MDR-TB bacilli. The c-CA might be a potential anti-mycobacterial or synergistic agent that can be developed to against tuberculosis.