Occult Serologically Confirmed Cases of SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus among the General Population in the Era of the Fourth Vaccination.

Background: Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection can significantly increase the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to investigate the epidemiological and clinical predictors of occult serologically confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases among the general population during the fourth vaccination era in Israel. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among individuals aged ≥18 years who had not been tested for COVID-19 in the preceding 5 months. Occult serologically confirmed cases were based on the presence of anti-N IgG antibodies. Potential risk factors were examined. Multivariable regression analysis identified independent predictors of subclinical SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results: This study included 504 participants. The prevalence of occult serologically confirmed SARS-CoV-2 was 12.5%. Chronic disease was found to be an independent predictor for the absence of occult disease (aOR) 0.4 [95% (CI): 0.18-0.87], p-value = 0.02). No significant differences were observed in age, sex, marital status, number of children, vaccination status, or exposure to COVID-19 infection between participants with and without SARS-CoV-2 sub-infection. Conclusions: We found a lower prevalence of occult serologically confirmed SARS-CoV-2 cases, compared to previous reports, and a negative correlation between chronic disease and occult SARS-CoV-2. Continued research, surveillance, and intervention strategies are needed to optimize long-term health outcomes and provide valuable insights for public health policymakers and clinicians.

Relationship among sleep, work features, and SARS-cov-2 vaccine antibody response in hospital workers.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Immunity is influenced by sleep and the circadian rhythm. Healthcare workers are predisposed to both insufficient sleep and circadian disruption. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between sleep and work characteristics and the antibody response to the mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccine BNT162b2. METHODS: The authors' prospective cohort study ("COVI3") evaluated the effect of a third (booster) dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine. A subset of participants provided information on anthropometric measures, sleep, stress and work characteristics including shift work and number of work hours per week. Blood samples for anti-S1-RBD IgG antibody levels were obtained 21 weeks following receipt of the third dose of the vaccine. RESULTS: In total, 201 healthcare workers (73% women) were included. After adjustment for age, body mass index (BMI), shift work, smoking status, and perceived stress, short sleep duration (<7 h per night) was associated with lower anti-S1-RBD IgG levels (Odds ratio 2.36 [95% confidence interval 1.08-5.13]). Participants who performed shift work had higher odds of lower anti-S1-RBD IgG levels compared to those who did not work in shifts [odds ratio = 2.99 (95% confidence interval 1.40, 6.39)] after accounting for age, short sleep duration, BMI, smoking status and perceived stress. CONCLUSIONS: Shift work and self-reported short sleep duration were associated with a lower antibody response following a booster dose of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. These findings suggest that the efficacy of vaccination, particularly among healthcare workers, may be augmented by addressing both sleep and circadian alignment.

Nosocomial transmission of MPOX virus to health care workers -an emerging occupational hazard: A case report and review of the literature.

We present an unusual case of monkeypox (MPOX) virus transmission to a dermatology resident during examination of affected patients. Viral DNA sequencing led to the identification of the most likely contact. This case, along with a review of all published cases so far, emphasizes the possible hazard of MPOX transmission to health care personnel, even when wearing personal protective equipment. It also emphasizes the need for maintaining high index of suspicion when examining patients with new dermatological lesions and strict compliance with the revised Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations for specimen collection from such patients.

Refining triage practices by predicting the need for emergent care following major trauma: the experience of a level 1 adult trauma center.

PURPOSE: We examined the predictability of selected parameters for establishing the need for urgent care following multi-trauma as a means to warrant the highest level of trauma activation and potentially improve over- and under-triage rates. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study of multi-trauma patients aged ≥ 16 years performed at a level 1 trauma center, trauma activation criteria and additional characteristics were examined with respect to treatment urgency, defined as: a direct disposition to the operating room or intensive care unit, initiating acute intervention in the trauma room, and in-hospital death within 7 days of admission. RESULTS: We enrolled 1373 patients (median age 36.0 years). The following parameter were inserted into the final multivariable model: age > 75 years, male sex, Charlson comorbidity index, trauma circumstances and mechanism, signs of respiratory distress, systolic BP ≤ 110 and GCS ≤ 13. Adjusted independent predictors of acute care requirement were as follows: GCS ≤ 13 (aOR 5.27 [95% CI 3.45-8.05], p < 0.001), systolic BP ≤ 110 mmHg (aOR 2.15 [95% CI 1.45-3.21], p < 0 .001), respiratory distress (aOR 2.05 [95% CI 1.53-2.77], p < 0.001), and age ≥ 75 years (aOR 1.90 [95% CI 1.18-3.08], p = 0.008). CONCLUSION: A GCS ≤ 13, systolic BP < 110 mmHg, signs of respiratory distress, and age > 75 years best predicted the need for acute care following multisystem trauma. Prospective studies are warranted to confirm the predictability of these criteria and to assess the extent to which their implementation will refine over- and under-triage rates.

Association of a Third Dose of BNT162b2 Vaccine With Incidence of SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Health Care Workers in Israel.

Importance: Administration of a BNT162b2 booster dose (Pfizer-BioNTech) to fully vaccinated individuals aged 60 years and older was significantly associated with lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe illness. Data are lacking on the effectiveness of booster doses for younger individuals and health care workers. Objective: To estimate the association of a BNT162b2 booster dose with SARS-CoV-2 infections among health care workers who were previously vaccinated with a 2-dose series of BNT162b2. Design, Setting, and Participants: This was a prospective cohort study conducted at a tertiary medical center in Tel Aviv, Israel. The study cohort included 1928 immunocompetent health care workers who were previously vaccinated with a 2-dose series of BNT162b2, and had enrolled between August 8 and 19, 2021, with final follow-up reported through September 20, 2021. Screening for SARS-CoV-2 infection was performed every 14 days. Anti-spike protein receptor binding domain IgG titers were determined at baseline and 1 month after enrollment. Cox regression with time-dependent analysis was used to estimate hazard ratios of SARS-CoV-2 infection between booster-immunized status and 2-dose vaccinated (booster-nonimmunized) status. Exposures: Vaccination with a booster dose of BNT162b2 vaccine. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was SARS-CoV-2 infection, as confirmed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Results: Among 1928 participants, the median age was 44 years (IQR, 36-52 years) and 1381 were women (71.6%). Participants completed the 2-dose vaccination series a median of 210 days (IQR, 205-213 days) before study enrollment. A total of 1650 participants (85.6%) received the booster dose. During a median follow-up of 39 days (IQR, 35-41 days), SARS-CoV-2 infection occurred in 44 participants (incidence rate, 60.2 per 100 000 person-days); 31 (70.5%) were symptomatic. Five SARS-CoV-2 infections occurred in booster-immunized participants and 39 in booster-nonimmunized participants (incidence rate, 12.8 vs 116 per 100 000 person-days, respectively). In a time-dependent Cox regression analysis, the adjusted hazard ratio of SARS-CoV-2 infection for booster-immunized vs booster-nonimmunized participants was 0.07 (95% CI, 0.02-0.20). Conclusions and Relevance: Among health care workers at a single center in Israel who were previously vaccinated with a 2-dose series of BNT162b2, administration of a booster dose compared with not receiving one was associated with a significantly lower rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection over a median of 39 days of follow-up. Ongoing surveillance is required to assess durability of the findings.

Application of Molecular Catalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Alkaline Fuel Cells.

The development of precious group metal-free (PGM-free) catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction is considered as the main thrust for the cost reduction of fuel cell technologies and their mass production. Within the PGM-free category, molecular catalysts offer an advantage over other heat-treated PGM-free catalysts owing to their well-defined structure, which enables further design of more active, selective, and durable catalysts. Even though non-heat-treated molecular catalysts with exceptional performance have been reported in the past, they were rarely tested in a fuel cell. Herein, we report on a molecular catalyst under alkaline conditions: fluorinated iron phthalocyanine (FeFPc) supported on cheap and commercially available high-surface area carbon─BP2000 (FeFPc@BP2000). It exhibits the highest activity ever reported for molecular catalysts under alkaline conditions in half-cells and fuel cells.

Mycetoma of the Foot Caused by Madurella Mycetomatis in Immigrants from Sudan.

BACKGROUND: Mycetoma is a chronic and destructive infection caused by either fungus or bacteria. Mycetoma has a characteristic clinical presentation of a triad of tumor-like swelling, draining sinuses, and macroscopic grains. Mycetoma infection is extremely rare in Israel; however, in view of the recent immigration from mycetoma-hyperendemic regions of Africa to Israel, physicians in Israel may encounter this infection. OBJECTIVES: To present two cases of mycetoma caused by Madurella mycatomatis in immigrants from endemic regions in Sudan treated at our hospital, and review the current literature. CONCLUSIONS: Health care professionals in Israel should suspect mycetoma in patients from endemic countries who present with tumor-like swelling especially in the lower extremity. Health care workers should be able to recognize mycetoma and provide the optimal treatment before the lesion progresses to an advanced and disabling disease.

Pomegranate seed oil nanoemulsions for the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases: the case of genetic CJD.

Neurodegenerative diseases generate the accumulation of specific misfolded proteins, such as PrP(Sc) prions or A-beta in Alzheimer's diseases, and share common pathological features, like neuronal death and oxidative damage. To test whether reduced oxidation alters disease manifestation, we treated TgMHu2ME199K mice, modeling for genetic prion disease, with Nano-PSO, a nanodroplet formulation of pomegranate seed oil (PSO). PSO comprises large concentrations of a unique polyunsaturated fatty acid, Punicic acid, among the strongest natural antioxidants. Nano-PSO significantly delayed disease presentation when administered to asymptomatic TgMHu2ME199K mice and postponed disease aggravation in already sick mice. Analysis of brain samples revealed that Nano-PSO treatment did not decrease PrP(Sc) accumulation, but rather reduced lipid oxidation and neuronal loss, indicating a strong neuroprotective effect. We propose that Nano-PSO and alike formulations may be both beneficial and safe enough to be administered for long years to subjects at risk or to those already affected by neurodegenerative conditions. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR: This team of authors report that a nanoformulation of pomegranade seed oil, containing high levels of a strong antioxidant, can delay disease onset in a mouse model of genetic prion diseases, and the formulation also indicates a direct neuroprotective effect.

PrP(ST), a soluble, protease resistant and truncated PrP form features in the pathogenesis of a genetic prion disease.

While the conversion of PrP(C) into PrP(Sc) in the transmissible form of prion disease requires a preexisting PrP(Sc) seed, in genetic prion disease accumulation of disease related PrP could be associated with biochemical and metabolic modifications resulting from the designated PrP mutation. To investigate this possibility, we looked into the time related changes of PrP proteins in the brains of TgMHu2ME199K/wt mice, a line modeling for heterozygous genetic prion disease linked to the E200K PrP mutation. We found that while oligomeric entities of mutant E199KPrP exist at all ages, aggregates of wt PrP in the same brains presented only in advanced disease, indicating a late onset conversion process. We also show that most PK resistant PrP in TgMHu2ME199K mice is soluble and truncated (PrP(ST)), a pathogenic form never before associated with prion disease. We next looked into brain samples from E200K patients and found that both PK resistant PrPs, PrP(ST) as in TgMHu2ME199K mice, and "classical" PrP(Sc) as in infectious prion diseases, coincide in the patient's post mortem brains. We hypothesize that aberrant metabolism of mutant PrPs may result in the formation of previously unknown forms of the prion protein and that these may be central for the fatal outcome of the genetic prion condition.

Copper is toxic to PrP-ablated mice and exacerbates disease in a mouse model of E200K genetic prion disease.

The pathogenesis of the diverse forms of prion disease was attributed solely to the accumulation of the misfolded PrP forms, and not to the potential loss of normal PrP(C) function during disease propagation. In this respect, it was also not established whether mutant PrPs linked to genetic prion diseases, as is the case for E200K PrP, preserve the function of PrP(C). We now show that fibroblasts generated from both PrP-ablated mice and TgMHu2ME199K, a transgenic mouse line mimicking E200KCJD, were significantly more sensitive to copper toxicity than wt fibroblasts. Long-term administration of copper significantly accelerated the onset and progression of spontaneous prion disease in TgMHu2ME199K mice and caused marked irritability and cerebellar associated tip-toe walking in PrP(0/0) mice, while wt mice were not affected. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that a functional PrP(C) is required to protect cells from high levels of copper, and that its substitution for a nonfunctional mutant PrP may accelerate the onset of genetic prion disease during oxidative insults.

C-reactive protein serum levels as an early predictor of outcome in patients with pandemic H1N1 influenza A virus infection.

BACKGROUND: Data for predicting which patients with pandemic influenza A (H1N1) infection are likely to run a complicated course are sparse. We retrospectively studied whether the admission serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels can serve as a predictor of illness severity. METHODS: Included were all consecutive adult patients who presented to the emergency department (ED) between May-December, 2009 with a flu-like illness, a confirmed diagnosis of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) infection and a serum CRP level measured within 24 hours of presentation. Patients with a proven additional concurrent acute illness (e.g., bacteremia) were excluded. We used the ROC curve analysis, Kaplan-Meier curves and the Cox proportional hazard model to evaluate the predictive ability of CRP as a prognostic factor. RESULTS: Seventeen (9%) of the 191 enrolled patients were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), of whom eight (4%) required mechanical ventilation and three (2%) died. The median admission serum CRP levels were significantly higher among patients who required subsequent ICU care and mechanical ventilation than among patients who did not (123 mg/L and 112 mg/L vs. 40 mg/L, p < .001 and 43 mg/L, p = .017, respectively). A Cox proportional hazard model identified admission serum CRP levels and auscultatory findings over the lungs as independent prognostic factors for ICU admission. Admission serum CRP levels were the only independent prognostic factor for mechanical ventilation. Thirty days after presenting to the ED, none of the patients with admission serum CRP level <28 mg/L (lower tertile) required either ICU admission or mechanical ventilation. At the same time point, 19% of the patients with admission serum CRP level ≥70 mg/L (upper tertile) needed to be admitted to the ICU and 8% of the same upper tertile group required mechanical ventilation. The differences in the rates between the lower vs. upper tertile groups were significant (Log-Rank p < .001 for ICU and p < .024 for mechanical ventilation). CONCLUSIONS: In our study group, serum CRP levels obtained in the early ED admission stage from patients presenting with pandemic H1N1 influenza A infection were found to serve as a useful gauge for predicting disease course and assisting in patient management.

A prospective study assessing the efficacy of abdominal computed tomography scan without bowel preparation in diagnosing intestinal wall and luminal lesions in patients presenting to the emergency room with abdominal complaints.

AIM: To evaluate the positive predictive value of abdominal non-prepared computed tomography (CT) for diagnosing intestinal lumen or wall lesions in patients presenting to the emergency room (ER) with abdominal complaints. METHODS: For 1-year we prospectively evaluated all ER patients hospitalized after abdominal CT scan detected either intraluminal or intestinal wall lesions. These patients underwent colonoscopy serving as gold standard. Patients with prior abdominal pathology or CT findings of appendicitis or diverticulitis were excluded. RESULTS: Five hundred and sixty-eight abdominopelvic CT scans were performed in the ER, 96 had positive colonic findings. Sixty-two patients were excluded, 46 because of diverticulitis or appendicitis, 16 because of prior abdominal pathology. Of the remaining 34 patients, 14 did not undergo colonoscopy during hospitalization. Twenty eligible patients were included in the study. The positive predictive value of the CT scans performed in the ER was calculated to be 45% (95% CI 25-67). CONCLUSION: CT findings correlated with colonoscopic findings only in approximately half of the cases. Relying on non-prepared CT scan findings in planning patient management and colonoscopy may lead to unnecessary diagnostic work-ups.