First-dose ChAdOx1 and BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccines and thrombocytopenic, thromboembolic and hemorrhagic events in Scotland.

Reports of ChAdOx1 vaccine-associated thrombocytopenia and vascular adverse events have led to some countries restricting its use. Using a national prospective cohort, we estimated associations between exposure to first-dose ChAdOx1 or BNT162b2 vaccination and hematological and vascular adverse events using a nested incident-matched case-control study and a confirmatory self-controlled case series (SCCS) analysis. An association was found between ChAdOx1 vaccination and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) (0-27 d after vaccination; adjusted rate ratio (aRR) = 5.77, 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.41-13.83), with an estimated incidence of 1.13 (0.62-1.63) cases per 100,000 doses. An SCCS analysis confirmed that this was unlikely due to bias (RR = 1.98 (1.29-3.02)). There was also an increased risk for arterial thromboembolic events (aRR = 1.22, 1.12-1.34) 0-27 d after vaccination, with an SCCS RR of 0.97 (0.93-1.02). For hemorrhagic events 0-27 d after vaccination, the aRR was 1.48 (1.12-1.96), with an SCCS RR of 0.95 (0.82-1.11). A first dose of ChAdOx1 was found to be associated with small increased risks of ITP, with suggestive evidence of an increased risk of arterial thromboembolic and hemorrhagic events. The attenuation of effect found in the SCCS analysis means that there is the potential for overestimation of the reported results, which might indicate the presence of some residual confounding or confounding by indication. Public health authorities should inform their jurisdictions of these relatively small increased risks associated with ChAdOx1. No positive associations were seen between BNT162b2 and thrombocytopenic, thromboembolic and hemorrhagic events.

Informing the public health response to COVID-19: a systematic review of risk factors for disease, severity, and mortality.

BACKGROUND: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has challenged public health agencies globally. In order to effectively target government responses, it is critical to identify the individuals most at risk of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), developing severe clinical signs, and mortality. We undertook a systematic review of the literature to present the current status of scientific knowledge in these areas and describe the need for unified global approaches, moving forwards, as well as lessons learnt for future pandemics. METHODS: Medline, Embase and Global Health were searched to the end of April 2020, as well as the Web of Science. Search terms were specific to the SARS-CoV-2 virus and COVID-19. Comparative studies of risk factors from any setting, population group and in any language were included. Titles, abstracts and full texts were screened by two reviewers and extracted in duplicate into a standardised form. Data were extracted on risk factors for COVID-19 disease, severe disease, or death and were narratively and descriptively synthesised. RESULTS: One thousand two hundred and thirty-eight papers were identified post-deduplication. Thirty-three met our inclusion criteria, of which 26 were from China. Six assessed the risk of contracting the disease, 20 the risk of having severe disease and ten the risk of dying. Age, gender and co-morbidities were commonly assessed as risk factors. The weight of evidence showed increasing age to be associated with severe disease and mortality, and general comorbidities with mortality. Only seven studies presented multivariable analyses and power was generally limited. A wide range of definitions were used for disease severity. CONCLUSIONS: The volume of literature generated in the short time since the appearance of SARS-CoV-2 has been considerable. Many studies have sought to document the risk factors for COVID-19 disease, disease severity and mortality; age was the only risk factor based on robust studies and with a consistent body of evidence. Mechanistic studies are required to understand why age is such an important risk factor. At the start of pandemics, large, standardised, studies that use multivariable analyses are urgently needed so that the populations most at risk can be rapidly protected. REGISTRATION: This review was registered on PROSPERO as CRD42020177714 .

Effect of enzyme concentration, addition of water and incubation time on increase in yield of starch from potato.

Enzymatic treatment process for starch extraction from potato was investigated using cellulase enzyme and compared with conventional process. The effects of three parameters, cellulase enzyme concentration, incubation time and addition of water were evaluated for increase in starch yield as compared to the conventional process i.e., without using enzyme. A two-level full factorial design was used to study the process. The results indicated that all the main parameters and their interactions are statistically significant. Enzyme concentration and incubation time had a positive effect on the increase in starch yield while addition of water had a negative effect. The increase in starch yield ranged from 1.9% at low enzyme concentration and incubation time and high addition of water to a maximum of 70% increase from conventional process in starch yield was achieved when enzyme concentration and incubation time were high and addition of water was low suggesting water present in the ground potato meal is sufficient for access to the enzyme with in the slurry ensuring adequate contact with the substrate.

Seasonal genetic variation in house fly populations, Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae).

Seasonal genetic variation was assessed in the common house fly Musca domestica. Allozymes at six gene enzyme system viz., ACPH, EST, G6PD, ME, AO and XDH were analyzed. Fourteen loci with twenty seven alleles were unraveled. The genetic variations were found to be affected to a great extent by environmental influence .F statistics has been used to calculate genetic variation which revealed that very little genetic variation has occurred among the house fly populations analyzed in the present study. Further, except ACPH-2, G6PD-2 and XDH-1 all the other loci show inbreeding (Fis>Fst). Thus it appears that the house fly populations analyzed are characterized by high level of inbreeding. Nei's genetic identity (I) and distance (D) values reveal a close similarity between summer and rainy season collections.

Thickness of glomerular and tubular basement membranes in preclinical and clinical stages of diabetic nephropathy.

AIMS: This study aimed to elucidate the early renal changes in diabetes mellitus (DM) with and without clinical symptoms related to renal damage. METHODS: Renal biopsy was studied in 25 patients (14 with microalbuminuria and 11 with albuminuria) both by light and electron microscopies (LM and EM, respectively) for renal changes and morphometry was performed to study glomerular and tubular basement membranes (GBM and TBM, respectively) width using a Soft Imaging System GmBH (analysis 3). RESULTS: A significant increase was noted in the mean GBM and TBM thickness in both the preclinical and clinical groups compared to the control group. The changes in the TBM were noted to be predominant in both preclinical and clinical patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates the importance of morphometric evaluation of the GBM and TBM width in the elucidation of early renal damage in diabetic nephropathy, especially in the absence of LM changes. The significance of identification of early renal changes using morphometric techniques for better management of these patients requires further studies.

Internal consistency reliability of the fractionated and whole University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test.

The internal consistency reliability (ICR) of the 40-item University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) and its 10-, 20-, and 30-item fractions was explored, as well as the relationships between the fractions and the entire 40-item test. Pearson correlation coefficients (rs) were computed among all independent combinations and permutations of the four 10-item UPSIT booklets using data from 774 subjects. The median r values of the 10- and 20-item combinations were used to establish the ICRs of the 10- and 20-item tests. The ICRs of the 30- and 40-item tests were estimated using the Spearman-Brown formula and the median rs of the 20-item combinations. Additional ICR estimates of the 40-item UPSIT were obtained from nonsymmetrical fractions using the Horst formula. The ICRs for the UPSIT and its 10-, 20-, and 30-item fractions were 0.922, 0.752, 0.855 and 0.898, respectively. No major sex differences emerged. Estimates of correlations between (1) single booklets and two-booklet combinations and (2) the 40-item UPSIT using Guilford's (1953) correction for nonindependence ranged from 0.812 to 0.871. Overall, these results indicate that (1) the UPSIT and its 10-, 20-, and 30-item fragments have very high ICRs and (2) individual UPSIT booklets or their combinations can be used to assess smell function in a reliable manner where extreme time constraints are present (e.g., in surveys and in brief neuropsychological test batteries).

The shelf life of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT).

The shelf life of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test was studied by comparing, using a within-subjects design, scores for tests manufactured within 2 months of the time of testing, 2 1/2 years before the time of testing, and 4 years before testing. A three-way analysis of variance (test age by gender by booklet presentation order) revealed no significant effects of test age, presentation order, or any of the interactions on the average test scores. However, a significant gender main effect was observed (the women outperformed the men). The number of persons who correctly identified each test item was examined using the Cochran Q test. A significant difference was found among the three groups for only one of the 40 items (lemon). The percentage of persons who correctly identified lemon was lowest with the 4-year-old tests (respective percentages of correct values for the recent, 2 1/2-year, and 4-year tests were 100%, 97%, and 67%). It is not clear, however, whether this variation is the result of test age, per se, or vagaries in the manufacturing process. Overall, the data indicate that tests stored in a dry place at room temperature have a long shelf life and can be validly used for assessing patient smell function.

Cold-shock induced changes in the interrenal tissue of a fresh water tropical teleost, Colisa fasciatus.

Interrenal tissue of Colisa is present in the head kidney as a collar around the right posterior cardinal vein. In the latter, a sphincter-like structure was observed. The adrenocortical cells are organized in irregularly grouped lobules, each lobule having a small lumen at its centre. There are usually 1-3 layers of such lobules around the vein. The chromaffin cells are interspersed between the adrenocortical cells and are readily identified because of their large size and almost transparent cytoplasm. Both the adrenocortical and chromaffin cells are irregular in shape with a single nucleus. Distinct hypertrophy of the adrenal cortical cells and their nuclei is observed at 171 minutes and 267 to 363 minutes following cold-shock (about +2 degrees C). Extrusion of the nucleoli through the nuclear membrane is noticed at 315 minutes. These changes indicate activation of the pituitary-interrenal axis subsequent to the stress of cold-shock. Size of the chromaffin cells and of their nuclei decreased at 75, 123 and 315 minutes post shock, suggesting release of catecholamines leading to the activation of the pituitary-interrenal axis.

Susceptibility of volume stress in Colisa fasciatus.

Intraperitoneal injections of 0.6% NaC1, commonly used as injection vehicle, at 10 mul/g, but not at 5 mul/g. elicit significant (p less than .05) transitory erythropenia, leucopenia, and thrombopenia at selected post-injection time intervals in female Colisa fasciatus, a fresh water teleost. It is suggested that administration of large volumes of injection fluid per gram body weight of experimental animals should be avoided lest it might distort physiological parameters, particularly those relating to blood components, under study.

Catecholamines and the abundance of blood cells in a fresh water tropical teleost (Colisa fasciatus) in relation to cold-shock.

Intraperitoneal injections of epinephrine (0.05 microng/g) elicited characteristic changes in the abundance of circulating leucocytes at selected time intervals (viz., 3, 15 and 27 min. and, later, at intervals of 48 minutes up to 363 min. and at 12 and 24 h) post-injection in Colisa. Leucocytosis was evident as 15, 27 and 75 min, and tendency towards leucocytosis was observed at 123 and 267 min.; at 3, 171, 219, 315 and 363 min. and at 12 and 24 h, the total leucocyte counts for the experimentals and controls were not significantly different. No such corresponding significant changes were observed in the abundance of circulating erythrocytes or thrombocytes. Leucocyte sequence elicited by epinephrine was also apparent in Colisa which had been exposed to a temperature of 2 degrees C for one minute. Pretreatment with phenoxybenzamine (3.0 mg/l aquarium water), an alpha-adrenergic antagonist, abolished the cold-shock leucocytic phases, except 27 min. leucocytosis which emerged unaffected. Exogenous norepinephrine (2 microng/g) and isoproterenol (0.1 microng/g) failed to elicit any significant change in the number of circulating leucocytes, erythrocytes, or thrombocytes. Clearly adrenergic mechanisms are involved in the cold-shock leucocyte stress sequence. The results suggest alpha-activating role of epinephrine during the leucocyte stress syndrome in Colisa and, apparently, epinephrine is leucocytic.

Effects of cold-shock on blood cells in a fresh water tropical teleost, Colisa fasciatus.

Immersion of the adult female fresh water tropical teleost, Colisa fasciatus, in ice water at c. 2 degrees C for one minute immobilizes the fish. It, however, recovers within two minutes when returned to warm temperature. Hematological studies at recovery time intervals, viz., 3, 15 and 27 min and, later, at intervals of 48 min up to 363 min, and at 12 and 24 h, revealed significant changes in the abundance of leucocytes and thrombocytes: an increase in the number of leucocytes (leucocytosis) was evident from 15 through 123 min and at 267 min; normal leucocyte counts, were observed at 3, 171, 219, 315 and 363 min, and at 12 h and 24 h. Lymphocytes are the major leucocyte cell type in the blood. Thrombocytopenia occurred at 15 and 27 min, and thrombocyte counts were held at normal levels at other recovery time intervals. There was no change in the abundance of erythrocytes in response to the imposed stress. Shock susceptibility of the fish for variables measured was similar in experiments performed during six different months of one calendar year. In addition, no significant seasonal or diurnal changes were recorded in the abundance of circulating blood cells. The results reported here, for the first time on a tropical teleost, do not agree with previous results obtained from temperate teleosts by other workers.