COVID-19, chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease and anti-rheumatic treatments

Clinical Rheumatology - Since December 2019, the pandemic caused by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) raises a real public health problem. COVID-19 appeared in Wuhan (Hubei province) in China....     

Significant hybridization differences in comparative genomic hybridization due to nucleotides used for DNA labelling and to DNA chosen for cohybridization.

OBJECTIVE: Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) has been established as an informative technique in genetic analysis. However, differences in the ratio of hybridization intensities were reported for particular chromosomes, which may affect CGH results. The aim of this study was to define these differences in more detail. For this purpose, CGH results of 70 samples of bone marrow cells (BMC) with normal karyotype in conventional cytogenetics (CC) were evaluated using seven different reference DNAs and two different DNA labeling systems. METHODS AND RESULTS: CGH using fluorochrome-conjugated nucleotides for DNA labeling indicated signal deviations in 21/70 BMC samples. Deviations affected chromosomes 1 (n = 21), 2 (n = 11), 4 (n = 11), 5 (n = 9), 6 (n = 7), 7 (n = 2), 8 (n = 2), 12 (n = 5), 13 (n = 15), 14 (n = 1), 16 (n = 17), 17 (n = 11), 19 (n = 21), 20 (n = 12), and/or 22 (n = 17). None of the imbalances were confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Using digoxigenin and biotin-conjugated nucleotides in exemplary cases (n = 5) led to the disappearance of the signal deviations. Repeated CGH experiments using seven different reference DNAs showed remarkable variations in the signal deviations. CONCLUSION: Hybridization differences depend not only on the hapten or fluorochrome-labeled nucleotides used for DNA labeling, but also on the reference DNA chosen. Therefore, close control of CGH experiments is mandatory, and additional techniques such as FISH should be performed to confirm the results obtained by CGH.     

T cell activation correlates with an increased proportion of antigen among the materials acquired from target cells

We have investigated the density of peptides required to elicit different biological responses in cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), including trogocytosis (i.e., the phenomenon whereby the lymphocytes actively capture fragments of plasma membrane from those cells with which they establish an immune synapse). We have used two separate mouse models of CTL recognising defined peptides presented by MHC class I molecules. In both systems, triggering of cytotoxicity and capture of membrane components reached saturation with low densities of ligand. On the other hand, down-modulation of cell-surface levels of TCR, induction of IFN-gamma production and detection of peptide captured required much higher ligand densities. Interestingly, fratricide (i.e., killing between CTL sharing the same specificity), a mechanism proposed to account for CTL exhaustion, was detected only at antigen concentrations still well above that second threshold leading to full blown activation. Taken together, our results show that the different thresholds that govern the elicitation of different CTL functions correlate with different proportions of antigen among the target cell components being captured via trogocytosis.     

Acceptability of Potential Rectal Microbicide Delivery Systems for HIV Prevention: A Randomized Crossover Trial

We assessed the acceptability of three of over-the-counter products representative of potential rectal microbicide (RM) delivery systems. From 2009 to 2010, 117 HIV-uninfected males (79 %) and females (21 %) who engage in receptive anal intercourse participated in a 6-week randomized crossover acceptability trial. Participants received each of three products (enema, lubricant-filled applicator, suppository) every 2 weeks in a randomized sequence. CASI and T-ACASI scales assessed product acceptability via Likert responses. Factor analysis was used to identify underlying factors measured by each scale. Random effects models were fit to examine age and gender effects on product acceptability. Three underlying factors were identified: Satisfaction with Product Use, Sexual Pleasure, and Ease of Product Use. For acceptability, the applicator ranked highest; however, differences between product acceptability scores were greatest among females and younger participants. These findings indicate that RM delivery systems impact their acceptability and should be considered early in RM development to enhance potential use.     

A 13-Year National Monitoring Study to Assess Narcotic Prescriptions and Indications (2007–2019)

Drug Safety - Analgesics are among the most widely used drugs worldwide. This study describes the population treated with narcotic analgesics, their therapeutic indications and how the data have...     

Nurses’ stories from Beirut: The 2020 explosive disaster on top of a pandemic and economic crises

The World Health Organization designated last year as the International Year of the Nurse and the Midwife. And as we know worldwide, 2020 became an unforgettable year as nurses and midwives everywhere confronted the COVID‐19 pandemic. To be a nurse in 2020 was challenging and heroic, but being a nurse in 2020 in Beirut, Lebanon was so extraordinarily charged with adversity. The country witnessed in a one‐year series of tragedies of epic dimensions – laying a heavy toll on front‐line nurses. We present our stories as eight Lebanese nurses, giving voice to our incredible experiences and our ongoing resilience in the face of these adversities. We served in the emergency department of a Beirut city hospital after a catastrophic explosion occurred in the capital on the 4th of August 2020. We reported for duty during a disaster of immense magnitude and are now coping with the aftermath of trauma. As nurses, we have faced many traumas in our country that has experienced through war and terrorism for decades. Arising from this disaster and challenges of the pandemic, we give policy recommendations that deserve urgent attention in Lebanon and underscore the need for disaster preparation, funding, education and importantly mental health care for nurses and other health professionals with help and support of the international community.