Notes

COVID-index: The texture-based way of classifying bronchi lesions determined by CT pictures.
Macrophage inflammatory protein 1α is a chemokine produced by various immune, epithelial, mesothelial, and fibroblast cells after exposure to bacterial lipopolysaccharide or pro-inflammatory molecules. The primary aim of this study was to determine MIP-1α concentrations in amniotic and cervical fluids from pregnancy with spontaneous preterm labor with intact membranes (PTL) with respect to the presence of intra-amniotic infection (both microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity and intra-amniotic inflammation) and sterile intra-amniotic inflammation (intra-amniotic inflammation alone). The secondary aim was to assess the diagnostic indices of MIP-1α in predicting intra-amniotic infection.

Seventy-four women with PTL were included in this study. Paired amniotic and cervical fluid samples were obtained using transabdominal amniocentesis and a Dacron polyester swab, respectively. Microbial invasion of the amniotic cavity was diagnosed based on a combination of culture and molecular biology methods. The concenteristic curve = 0.87).

In PTL pregnancies with the presence of intra-amniotic infection, the concentration of MIP-1α is elevated in amniotic fluid but not in cervical fluid. Amniotic fluid MIP-1α may provide a useful marker for intra-amniotic infection in women with PTL.
In PTL pregnancies with the presence of intra-amniotic infection, the concentration of MIP-1α is elevated in amniotic fluid but not in cervical fluid. Amniotic fluid MIP-1α may provide a useful marker for intra-amniotic infection in women with PTL.
To explore factors associated with a high vaginal GBS load during labor considering (1) the recto-vaginal GBS load at 35-37 weeks' gestation determined by culture and (2) the vaginal GBS colonization determined by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay during labor.

From an unselected cohort of 902 pregnant women, we obtained (1) recto-vaginal swabs for culture of GBS at 35-37 weeks' gestation (GBS
), (2) vaginal swabs for GBS PCR detection at labor (PCR
), and (3) vaginal swabs for culture of GBS at labor (GBS
). The GBS load was classified semi quantitatively according to a culture protocol without prior broth enrichment of the swab samples none (0), few (+), some (++), or many (+++) GBS colonies.

Among 902 unselected pregnant women, 859 (95%) had a vaginal swab culture taken at labor, which was classified semi quantitatively. High load GBS
(+++) were found in 31 participants. GBS
showed a sensitivity of 90% (28/31) and a PPV of 23% (28/121), whereas PCR
had a sensitivity of 98% (30/31, non-significant difference) and a PPV of 42% (30/71,
 < .01). PCR at labor had a lower sensitivity (78%) for detection of vaginal colonization with GBS at labor (any load) compared to recto/vaginal colonization with GBS at 36 weeks (92%). Vaginal colonization with GBS at 36 weeks seemed to have a lower sensitivity for detecting GBS in vagina at labor for high load (48%) and for any load (39%).

PCR at labor has higher detection rate (non-significant) and PPV in identification of laboring women with a high load of vaginal GBS compared with recto-vaginal culture at 36weeks' gestation.
PCR at labor has higher detection rate (non-significant) and PPV in identification of laboring women with a high load of vaginal GBS compared with recto-vaginal culture at 36 weeks' gestation.The past 50 years have seen heated debate in the reproductive sciences about global trends in human sperm count. Ginkgolic In 2017, Levine and colleagues published the largest and most methodologically rigorous meta-regression analysis to date and reported that average total sperm concentration among men from 'Western' countries has decreased by 59.3% since 1973, with no sign of halting. These results reverberated in the scientific community and in public discussions about men and masculinity in the modern world, in part because of scientists' public-facing claims about the societal implications of the decline of male fertility. We find that existing research follows a set of implicit and explicit assumptions about how to measure and interpret sperm counts, which collectively form what we term the Sperm Count Decline hypothesis (SCD). Using the study by Levine and colleagues, we identify weaknesses and inconsistencies in the SCD, and propose an alternative framework to guide research on sperm count trends the Sperm Count Biovariability hypothesis (SCB). SCB asserts that sperm count varies within a wide range, much of which can be considered non-pathological and species-typical. Knowledge about the relationship between individual and population sperm count and life-historical and ecological factors is critical to interpreting trends in average sperm counts and their relationships to health and fertility.
For people with post-stroke aphasia, "Will I get better?" is a question often asked, but one that is intellectually and emotionally demanding for speech pathologists to answer. Speech pathologists' formulation and delivery of aphasia prognoses is varied and there is limited evidence for optimising practice. We aimed to understand speech pathologists' clinical experiences, reasoning, and support needs in aphasia prognostication.

Twenty-five Australian speech pathologists working with people with aphasia participated in individual, semi-structured interviews. Their age, level of experience, work setting, and location were maximally varied. Interview responses were analysed qualitatively using thematic analysis.

Five themes were drawn from the interviews (1) prognostic challenges are shared but not voiced; (2) truth is there's no quick fix; (3) recovery is more than words; (4) the power of words; and, (5) prognostic competence is implicit.

Speech pathologists use implicit competencies to formulate and deach to reflective practice and experience-based training may be beneficial.Conversations about prognosis may have therapeutic value, but further research is needed to explore this potential.
Early human milk provides protection against viral infections due to its high nutritional value, abundance of maternal antibodies and the specific role of lactoferrin (Lf). Lf blocks the early interaction between SARS-CoV-2 and host cells by binding to specific cell receptors and has been proposed as a preventative and adjunct treatment for COVID-19. This preliminary report aimed to investigate concentrations of Lf in early milk of SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers versus non-infected controls.

In a cohort of 13 SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers and 15 controls, breast milk concentrations of Lf were determined by ELISA on day 3 postpartum. Additionally, colostrum samples of infected mothers were analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection and anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgA and IgG determination using RT-qPCR and ELISA, respectively.

No differences were found in breast milk Lf concentrations between SARS-CoV-2 positive mothers and controls. In a subgroup analysis, however, symptomatic mothers (
 = 7) presented with lower breast milk Lf concentrations, as compared to asymptomatic mothers (
 = .
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