Longitudinal assessment of nonavalent vaccine HPV types in a sample of sexually active African American women from ten U.S. Cities.

BACKGROUND: Chronic infection with high-risk human papillomavirus is a necessary cause for cervical carcinogenesis. This study examined prevalence of nonavalent vaccine preventable HPV types over four months among sexually active women in the United States. METHODS: This sub-study obtained meta-data for 80 of the 1,365 women (18-25 years), enrolled in the BRAVO study, a randomized, open-label trial of home screening and treatment of asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis at high-risk for sexually transmitted infections conducted between 2008 and 2013. Participants were randomized to treatment or standard-of-care, and followed every 2-months for 12 months. Stored vaginal swabs from the first three visits were tested for the nine vaccine preventable HPV types using quantitative PCR. Prevalence and associated 95% confidence intervals for the HPV types were assessed using R (version 3.6.1). RESULTS: The average age of the participants was 21.5 (SD ± 2.11) years, with 60% having ever been pregnant and all were African-American. Majority (71%) reported ≥ two sex partners in the prior year with 89% having unprotected vaginal sex and 45% having a new sex partner in the prior year. About 30% had ≥ one of the nine nonavalent vaccine HPV types at all three time points over a period of four months, 15% at two of any three visits, 19% at one of the three visits and 36% were negative for all nine vaccine HPV types at all time points. The most frequently detected HPV vaccine types were 52, 58, 16, and 18. The prevalence of any vaccine HPV types, and high-risk HPV types was 63.8% and 58.8%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that HPV vaccination which is currently recommended for all unvaccinated persons through age 26 years, is likely to be more beneficial than previously thought as nonavalent HPV vaccine was not available during the time these data were collected.

The impact of COVID-19 on African American communities in the United States.

IMPORTANCE: The novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), declared a pandemic in March 2020, may present with disproportionately higher rates in underrepresented racial/ethnic minority populations in the United States, including African American communities who have traditionally been over-represented in negative health outcomes. STUDY OBJECTIVE: To understand the impact of the density of African American communities (defined as the percentage of African Americans in a county) on COVID-19 prevalence and death rate within the three most populous counties in each U.S. state and territory (n=152). Design: An ecological study using linear regression was employed for the study. SETTING: The top three most populous counties of each U.S. state and territory were included in analyses for a final sample size of n=152 counties. PARTICIPANTS: Confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths that were accumulated between January 22, 2020 and April 12, 2020 in each of the three most populous counties in each U.S. state and territory were included. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Linear regression was used to determine the association between African American density and COVID-19 prevalence (defined as the percentage of cases for the county population), and death rate (defined as number of deaths per 100,000 population). The models were adjusted for median age and poverty. RESULTS: There was a direct association between African American density and COVID-19 prevalence; COVID-19 prevalence increased 5% for every 1% increase in county AA density (p<.01). There was also an association between county AA density and COVID-19 deaths, such; the death rate increased 2 per 100,000 for every percentage increase in county AA density (p=.02). CONCLUSION: These study findings indicate that communities with a high African American density have been disproportionately burdened with COVID-19. Further study is needed to indicate if this burden is related to environmental factors or individual factors such as types of employment or comorbidities that members of these community have.

[Ambulatory surgery in ophthalmology: an experience in the private sector]. / Chirurgie ambulatoire en ophtalmologie: une expérience en secteur libéral.

Outpatient surgery requires different criteria: short duration, non painful and non hemorrhagic postoperative follow up, a trained surgical and anesthesiological team. Many common ophthalmological surgical procedures meet these criteria. For a safe outpatient surgery, one must be careful for the patient selection and for the quality of the anesthesiology and the surgery. Outpatient surgery is common in other countries. In France, various centers are developing this approach. Many factors may explain why it seems easier to organize outpatient surgery in the private practice than in the public Hospital.

Characterization of a cellobiose dehydrogenase in the cellulolytic fungus Sporotrichum (Chrysosporium) thermophile.

An extracellular enzyme from culture filtrates of Sporotrichum (Chrysosporium) thermophile (A.T.C.C. 42 464) after growth on cellulose or cellobiose was shown to oxidize cellobiose to cellobionic acid in vitro. Lactose and cellodextrins were also efficiently oxidized, but the enzyme was not active against most mono- and di-saccharides. Several redox substances could act as electron acceptors, but molecular oxygen, tetrazolium salts and NAD(P) were not reduced. Activity was stimulated up to 2-fold in the presence of 0.05 M-Mg2+. The pH optimum of the enzymic reaction was acidic when the activity was tested with dichlorophenol-indophenol or Methylene Blue, but was neutral to alkaline for 3,5-di-t-butyl-1,2-benzoquinone or phenazine methosulphate as electron acceptors. As the enzyme was formed inductively in parallel with the endocellulase, its possible function in relation to cellulolysis is discussed.