Fatal tick-borne encephalitis virus infection in Dalmatian puppy-dogs after putative vector independent transmission.

In a retrospective metatranscriptomics study, we identified tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) to be the causative agent for a fatal non-suppurative meningoencephalitis in a three-week-old Dalmatian puppy in Switzerland. Further investigations showed that the two other littermates with similar signs and pathological lesions were also positive for TBEV. By using an unbiased approach of combining high-throughput sequencing (HTS) and bioinformatics we were able to solve the etiology and discover an unusual case of TBEV in three young puppies. Based on our findings, we suggest that a vector-independent transmission of TBEV occurred and that most likely an intrauterine infection led to the severe and fulminant disease of the entire litter. We were able to demonstrate the presence of TBEV RNA by in situ hybridization (ISH) in the brain of all three puppies. Furthermore, we were able to detect TBEV by RT-qPCR in total RNA extracted from formalin-fixed and paraffin embedded (FFPE) blocks containing multiple peripheral organs. Overall, our findings shed light on alternative vector-independent transmission routes of TBEV infections in dogs and encourage veterinary practitioners to consider TBEV as an important differential diagnosis in neurological cases in dogs.

Feline morbillivirus infection associated with fatal encephalitis in a Bengal cat.

Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) is a recently discovered morbillivirus of the family Paramyxoviridae, which include several highly contagious viruses with zoonotic potential. In this case report we describe the detection of FeMV in archived brain tissue of a 2-month-old Bengal cat with nonsuppurative encephalitis from the year 2011 in Switzerland by high-throughput sequencing (HTS). Our metagenomics approach was able to obtain a full-length sequence covering the entire FeMV genome. Phylogenetic analysis showed that our FeMV strain clustered within FeMV genotype 1. We were able to detect FeMV RNA by in situ hybridization (ISH) in brain sections with inflammatory lesions and demonstrated its potential neurotropism and association with encephalitis. Our results provide further insight into this recently discovered morbillivirus and encourage further investigations into the pathogenesis and epidemiology of associated diseases in cats and potentially other species.

Detection of novel RNA viruses in wild noble crayfish (Astacus astacus): A virome analysis in Swiss water bodies.

European native crayfish populations are undergoing a strong decline due to environmental factors and the introduction of highly competitive non-native species. Pathogens are an additional threat to native crayfish. However, aside from the crayfish plague, other infectious diseases are still widely unknown. This study aimed to investigate viruses present in seven populations of wild noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) in Switzerland, through high-throughput sequencing. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of 11 novel RNA viruses (one bunya-like, four hepe-like, two dicistro-like, three picorna-like, and one permutotetra-like) in the samples. The discovery of a novel bunya-like virus in noble crayfish without associated mortality or macroscopical alterations is of particular interest since it is closely related to the bunya-like brown spot virus, a virus described in 2019 from diseased native white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) during a mass mortality event in France. It seems that these two closely related viruses have very different impacts on their respective hosts, raising the need for further investigations on virulence factors and host susceptibility towards these viruses. This study provides a basis for future investigations, permitting to gradually fill the knowledge gap in crayfish viral diseases.

Prefrontal microglia deficiency during adolescence disrupts adult cognitive functions and synaptic structures: A follow-up study in female mice.

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) provides executive top-down control of a variety of cognitive processes. A distinctive feature of the PFC is its protracted structural and functional maturation throughout adolescence to early adulthood, which is necessary for acquiring mature cognitive abilities. Using a mouse model of cell-specific, transient and local depletion of microglia, which is based on intracerebral injection of clodronate disodium salt (CDS) into the PFC of adolescent male mice, we recently demonstrated that microglia contribute to the functional and structural maturation of the PFC in males. Because microglia biology and cortical maturation are partly sexually dimorphic, the main objective of the present study was to examine whether microglia similarly regulate this maturational process in female mice as well. Here, we show that a single, bilateral intra-PFC injection of CDS in adolescent (6-week-old) female mice induces a local and transient depletion (70 to 80% decrease from controls) of prefrontal microglia during a restricted window of adolescence without affecting neuronal or astrocytic cell populations. This transient microglia deficiency was sufficient to disrupt PFC-associated cognitive functions and synaptic structures at adult age. Inducing transient prefrontal microglia depletion in adult female mice did not cause these deficits, demonstrating that the adult PFC, unlike the adolescent PFC, is resilient to transient microglia deficiency in terms of lasting cognitive and synaptic maladaptations. Together with our previous findings in males, the present findings suggest that microglia contribute to the maturation of the female PFC in a similar way as to the prefrontal maturation occurring in males.

Adolescence is a sensitive period for prefrontal microglia to act on cognitive development.

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is a cortical brain region that regulates various cognitive functions. One distinctive feature of the PFC is its protracted adolescent maturation, which is necessary for acquiring mature cognitive abilities in adulthood. Here, we show that microglia, the brain's resident immune cells, contribute to this maturational process. We find that transient and cell-specific deficiency of prefrontal microglia in adolescence is sufficient to induce an adult emergence of PFC-associated impairments in cognitive functions, dendritic complexity, and synaptic structures. While prefrontal microglia deficiency in adolescence also altered the excitatory-inhibitory balance in adult prefrontal circuits, there were no cognitive sequelae when prefrontal microglia were depleted in adulthood. Thus, our findings identify adolescence as a sensitive period for prefrontal microglia to act on cognitive development.

Predict or describe? How learning analytics dashboard design influences motivation and statistics anxiety in an online statistics course.

Based on the achievement goal theory, this experimental study explored the influence of predictive and descriptive learning analytics dashboards on graduate students' motivation and statistics anxiety in an online graduate-level statistics course. Participants were randomly assigned into one of three groups: (a) predictive dashboard, (b) descriptive dashboard, or (c) control (i.e., no dashboard). Measures of motivation and statistical anxiety were collected in the beginning and the end of the semester via the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire and Statistical Anxiety Rating Scale. Individual semi-structured interviews were used to understand learners' perceptions of the course and whether the use of the dashboards influenced the meaning of their learning experiences. Results indicate that, compared to the control group, the predictive dashboard significantly reduced learners' interpretation anxiety and had an effect on intrinsic goal orientation that depended on learners' lower or higher initial levels of intrinsic goal orientation. In comparison to the control group, both predictive and descriptive dashboards reduced worth of anxiety (negative attitudes towards statistics) for learners who started the course with higher levels of worth anxiety. Thematic analysis revealed that learners who adopted a more performance-avoidance goal orientation approach demonstrated higher levels of anxiety regardless of the dashboard used. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11423-021-09998-z.

The influence of the multimedia and modality principles on the learning outcomes, satisfaction, and mental effort of college students with and without dyslexia.

The purpose of this study was to examine the application of the multimedia and modality principles on cued-recall, recognition, and mental effort of college students with and without dyslexia. The study used a Multimedia (Image Present vs. Image Absent) × Modality (Narration vs. Onscreen Text) × Dyslexia (Dyslexia vs. Non-Dyslexia) 3-way factorial design with each independent variable serving as a between-subject condition. A total of N = 148 participants (73 with dyslexia and 75 without dyslexia) were recruited from five different institutions of higher education in the Southeastern United States and systematically assigned to one of four multimedia learning conditions. After assessing our data for statistical assumptions, we employed factorial Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) models on each dependent measure. Our findings show a reverse modality effect for students with dyslexia who performed better than their peers without dyslexia in Onscreen Text conditions. Although performance was better across groups and conditions when images were present, there were no significant interactions related to the multimedia condition. Similarly, there were no significant interactions related to mental effort even though learners with dyslexia exhibited high instructional efficiency in the Onscreen Text-Image Present condition while learners without dyslexia exhibited low task involvement in the Onscreen Text-Image Absent condition. Our results provide theoretical implications and important avenues for future research and practice as related to how multimedia learning influences students with dyslexia. We also suggest studies that could inform the eventual design of adaptive and personalized multimedia learning solutions for learners with dyslexia.

Teaching Students How to Improve Safety and Quality in Two Children's Hospitals: Building a Pediatric Clerkship Patient Safety and Quality Experience.

This report describes a novel method to enhance medical student understanding of systems-based practice and patient safety through experiential learning, assessing the perceived value of student-identified patient safety and systems vulnerabilities, and their proposed interventions at academic children's hospitals.

Transmission of Mycobacterium orygis (M. tuberculosis complex species) from a tuberculosis patient to a dairy cow in New Zealand.

Mycobacterium orygis, previously called the oryx bacillus, is a member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and has been reported only recently as a cause of human tuberculosis in patients of South Asian origin. We present the first case documenting the transmission of this organism from a human to a cow.

Protected health information on social networking sites: ethical and legal considerations.

BACKGROUND: Social networking site use is increasingly common among emerging medical professionals, with medical schools even reporting disciplinary student expulsion. Medical professionals who use social networking sites have unique responsibilities since their postings could violate patient privacy. However, it is unknown whether students and residents portray protected health information and under what circumstances or contexts. OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to document and describe online portrayals of potential patient privacy violations in the Facebook profiles of medical students and residents. METHODS: A multidisciplinary team performed two cross-sectional analyses at the University of Florida in 2007 and 2009 of all medical students and residents to see who had Facebook profiles. For each identified profile, we manually scanned the entire profile for any textual or photographic representations of protected health information, such as portrayals of people, names, dates, or descriptions of procedures. RESULTS: Almost half of all eligible students and residents had Facebook profiles (49.8%, or n=1023 out of 2053). There were 12 instances of potential patient violations, in which students and residents posted photographs of care they provided to individuals. No resident or student posted any identifiable patient information or likeness in text form. Each instance occurred in developing countries on apparent medical mission trips. These portrayals increased over time (1 in the 2007 cohort; 11 in 2009; P = .03). Medical students were more likely to have these potential violations on their profiles than residents (11 vs 1, P = .04), and there was no difference by gender. Photographs included trainees interacting with identifiable patients, all children, or performing medical examinations or procedures such as vaccinations of children. CONCLUSIONS: While students and residents in this study are posting photographs that are potentially violations of patient privacy, they only seem to make this lapse in the setting of medical mission trips. Trainees need to learn to equate standards of patient privacy in all medical contexts using both legal and ethical arguments to maintain the highest professional principles. We propose three practical guidelines. First, there should be a legal resource for physicians traveling on medical mission trips such as an online list of local laws, or a telephone legal contact. Second, institutions that organize medical mission trips should plan an ethics seminar prior the departure on any trip since the legal and ethical implications may not be intuitive. Finally, at minimum, traveling physicians should apply the strictest legal precedent to any situation.

Revisiting Social Network Utilization by Physicians-in-Training.

OBJECTIVE: To measure and compare the frequency and content of online social networking among 2 cohorts of medical students and residents (2007 and 2009). METHODS: Using the online social networking application Facebook, we evaluated social networking profiles for 2 cohorts of medical students (n  =  528) and residents (n  =  712) at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Objective measures included existence of a profile, whether it was made private, and whether any personally identifiable information was included. Subjective outcomes included photographic content, affiliated social groups, and personal information not generally disclosed in a doctor-patient encounter. We compared our results to our previously published and reported data from 2007. RESULTS: Social networking continues to be common amongst physicians-in-training, with 39.8% of residents and 69.5% of medical students maintaining Facebook accounts. Residents' participation significantly increased (P < .01) when compared to the 2007 data. Individuals in the 2009 cohort had significantly more "friends" (P < .01), belonged to more "groups" (P < .01), and were more likely to limit public access to their profiles through the use of privacy settings (P < .01) than the individuals in the 2007 cohort. DISCUSSION: Online social networking application use by physicians-in-training remains common. While most now limit access to their profiles, personal profiles that still allow public access exhibited a few instances of unprofessional behavior. Concerns remain related to the discovery of content in violation of patient privacy and the expansive and impersonal networks of online "friends" who may view profiles.

An analysis of healthcare providers' online ratings.

BACKGROUND: Many websites allow consumers to evaluate their healthcare experience yet scant data exist that explore the type and content of reviews. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and describe online healthcare provider reviews. METHODS: We analysed 16,703 ratings on 6101 providers from four US cities. Ratings spanned five categories and an overall provider score. We also performed text analyses of narrative commentary (n = 15,952). RESULTS: Providers had a high mean score for each category (3.7-4.0 out of 5). Higher overall scores were associated with higher staff (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 3.0, 95% CI 2.9-3.0, P < 0.01) and punctuality scores (aOR 2.1, 95% CI 2.05-2.15, P < 0.01). Review frequency was inversely associated with scores, (aOR 0.94, 95% CI 0.92-0.96, P < 0.01). Analyses of narrative commentaries revealed more positive than negative terms (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Online ratings were largely positive. Future research must discern how online surveys affect patient referrals, provider reputations and patients' perceptions of quality of care.

The intersection of online social networking with medical professionalism.

AIM: To measure the frequency and content of online social networking among medical students and residents. METHODS: Using the online network Facebook, we evaluated online profiles of all medical students (n = 501) and residents (n = 312) at the University of Florida, Gainesville. Objective measures included the existence of a profile, whether it was made private, and any personally identifiable information. Subjective outcomes included photographic content, affiliated social groups, and personal information not generally disclosed in a doctor-patient encounter. RESULTS: Social networking with Facebook is common among medical trainees, with 44.5% having an account. Medical students used it frequently (64.3%) and residents less frequently (12.8%, p < .0001). The majority of accounts (83.3%) listed at least 1 form of personally identifiable information, only a third (37.5%) were made private, and some accounts displayed potentially unprofessional material. There was a significant decline in utilization of Facebook as trainees approached medical or residency graduation (first year as referent, years 3 and 4, p < .05). DISCUSSION: While social networking in medical trainees is common in the current culture of emerging professionals, a majority of users allow anyone to view their profile. With a significant proportion having subjectively inappropriate content, ACGME competencies in professionalism must include instruction on the intersection of personal and professional identities.