Purpose: To investigate the effect of mirabegron 50 mg/daily for JJ stent-related symptoms after ureteroscopic stone surgery. Methods: Medical records of 145 patients who were given a single daily oral dose of 50 mg of mirabegron for relieving stent-related symptoms were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic and clinical data and stone parameters were recorded. All participants completed the Turkish version of the Ureter Symptom Score Questionnaire (USSQ-T) on the postoperative seventh day, and again after at least three weeks, before JJ stent removal. The severity of stent-related symptoms was statistically compared before and after the mirabegron treatment. Results: The mean urinary symptoms score decreased significantly from 30.87 ± 9.43 to 22.61 ± 6.78 (p < 0.0001), mean body pain score decreased significantly from 21.82 ± 11.22 to 14.03 ± 7.52 (p < 0.0001), mean work performance score decreased from 10.50 ± 8.61 to 7.02 ± 6.51 (p < 0.0001), and mean general health score decreased significantly from 15.43 ± 6.50 to 11.12 ± 3.70 (p < 0.0001). The mean sexual matters score significantly decreased from 3.88 ± 3.40 to 2.48 ± 2.03 (p < 0.0001), the additional problem score decreased from 9.31 ± 4.61 to 6.51 ± 2.83 (p < 0.0001), and the overall quality of life (QoL) score decreased from 5.18 ± 1.94 to 4.23 ± 1.71 after mirabegron use (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: Daily use of 50g of mirabegron significantly improved stent-related symptoms, sexual matters, and quality of life.

Introduction: Women with gestational diabetes (GDM) are at greatly increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). The UK guidance recommends screening for T2DM at around 6 weeks post-partum and annually thereafter. We evaluated conformity to this guidance in two separate time periods. Methods: The proportion of tests performed within guidance was assessed using longitudinal plasma glucose and glycated haemoglobin data in two cohorts (1999-2007, n=251; 2015-2016, n=260) from hospital records on women previously diagnosed with GDM. Results: In the 1999-2007 and 2015-2016 cohorts, 59.8% and 35.0% of women had the recommended post-partum testing, respectively (p<0.001); just 13.5% and 14.2%, respectively, underwent the first annual test on time. During long-term follow-up of the 1999-2007 cohort (median follow-up: 12.3 years), the proportion of women tested in any given year averaged 34.2% over a 17-year period; there was a progressive decline in the proportion of women receiving a yearly test with time since delivery (p=0.002). Over the follow-up period, 85 women from the 1999-2007 cohort developed blood test results in the diabetic range with a median time to presumed DM diagnosis of 5.2 years (range 0.11-15.95 years). Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that 18.8% of women had blood test results in the diabetes range by 5 years and 37.8% by 10 years post-partum. Conclusions: Despite high profile guidelines and a clear clinical rationale to screen women with a past diagnosis of GDM, many women did not receive adequate screening for T2DM, both in the short- and long-term. This suggests alternative approaches are needed to ensure effective follow-up of this high-risk group. To have an impact, interventions need to be tailored to a young, generally healthy group in which traditional approaches to follow-up may not be best suited.

Severe Aortic stenosis: Is urgent transcatheter aortic valve replacement better than Balloon aortic valvuloplasty better than?Wael Awad FRCS(C/Th)1, Mohammed Idhrees MS, MCh, FAIS2, Mohamad Bashir MD, PhD, MRCS 31. Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Barts Heart Centre, St. Bartholomew’s Hospital,West Smithfield, London, UK2. Institute of Cardiac and Aortic disorders, SRM Institues for Medical Science (SIMS Hospital), India3. Department of Vascular Surgery, Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital, Haslingden Road,Blackburn, UK

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) is a newly emerging Lagovirus belonging to the family Caliciviridae. After its first discovery in 2010 in France, this highly pathogenic virus rapidly spread to neighboring countries and has become the dominant strain, replacing the classical RHDV1 strains. RHDV2 was first reported in North America in 2016 in Mont-Joli, Quebec, Canada and it was reported again in 2018 and 2019 on Vancouver, Island and the southeast mainland of British Columbia (BC). The whole genome sequence of the RHDV2 Quebec isolate resembled the RHDV-N11 isolate from Navarra, Spain identified in 2011 with 97% identity. The epidemiological investigation involved three hobby farms and one personal residence. In December and February 2018, high mortality was reported in first a private feral rabbit refuge and then, a large colony of feral rabbits on the Vancouver Island University Campus, Nanaimo, BC. The virus responsible showed only 93% identity to the Quebec RHDV2 isolate at the nucleotide level. Additional cases of RHDV2 on Vancouver Island and on the BC mainland affecting feral, captive domestic and commercial rabbits were reported subsequently. Vaccination was recommended to control the outbreak and an inactivated bivalent vaccine was made available to the private veterinary practices. In June 2019 an isolated RHDV2 outbreak was reported in an apartment building in Vancouver, BC. This virus showed only 97% identity to the RHDV2 isolate responsible for the BC outbreak in 2018 at the nucleotide level suggesting that it was an independent incursion. In October 2020, there are reports of partial recovery of the feral population in Nanaimo and to date there are no confirmed deaths of native rabbit species in BC.

To the Editor,We appreciate the interest and comments of Soriano and Ancochea1 regarding our papers 2. Further to the suggestion that “it would be of interest to repeat their statistics conducted during the first wave of COVID-19, again with the current estimates during the ongoing second wave, or later ones”, we would like to emphasize that our geographical observation was a type of anecdotal evidence that contributed to formulating a hypothesis. In a previous paper, we found that after adjusting for potentially relevant country-level confounders, there was a negative ecological association between COVID-19 mortality and the consumption of cabbage and cucumber in European countries 3. In this study, we acknowledged that “As in any ecological study, any inference from the observed association should be made at the country level, as the possibility of ecological fallacy precludes inferences at the individual level; and that further testing in properly designed individual studies would be of interest”. Indeed, what would be useful is testing the hypothesis in robust observational studies and/or clinical trials.Regarding our observation that COVID-19 could be considered as a disease of the Anthropocene 4 , other authors have recently provided a more complete description of the links between the disruption of the natural ecosystems that characterize the Anthropocene and the occurrence of zoonosis 5 6.1. Soriano J and Ancochea J. Saved by cabbage, killed by cabbage, and COVID-19. Allergy 2020; in press.2. Bousquet J, Anto JM, Czarlewski W, et al. Cabbage and fermented vegetables: from death rate heterogeneity in countries to candidates for mitigation strategies of severe COVID-19. Allergy 2020. DOI: 10.1111/all.14549.3. Fonseca S, Rivas I, Romaguera D, et al. Association between consumption of vegetables and COVID-19 mortality at a country level in Europe. MedRix 2020; 10.1101/2020.07.17.201558464. O’Callaghan C and Anto J. COVID-19: The Disease of the Anthropocene.Env Res 2020; 187: 109683.doi: 109610.101016/j.envres.102020.109683. Epub 102020 May 109615.5. Morens DM and Fauci AS. Emerging Pandemic Diseases: How We Got to COVID-19. Cell 2020; 182: 1077-1092. 2020/08/28. DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.08.021.6. Roche B, Garchitorena A, Guegan JF, et al. Was the COVID-19 pandemic avoidable? A call for a ”solution-oriented” approach in pathogen evolutionary ecology to prevent future outbreaks. Ecol Lett 2020 2020/09/02. DOI: 10.1111/ele.13586.JM AntoISGlobAL, Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain. IMIM (Hospital del Mar Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain. Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain. CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain.J BousquetCharité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Comprehensive Allergy Center, Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Berlin, Germany. MACVIA-France, Montpellier, France.

Groundbreaking Discoveries in ImmunologyTitle : IgE sialylation: unravelling a key anaphylactic mediatorAuthors : Beatriz Moyaa, Chiara Tontinib and Alexandra Santosc, d, e, fa. Allergy Service. Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spainb. Lydia Becker Institute for Immunology and Inflammation, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UKc. Department of Women and Children’s Health (Paediatric Allergy), School of Life Course Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London, UKd. Peter Gorer Department of Immunobiology, School of Immunology and Microbial Sciences, King’s College London, London, UKe. Children’s Allergy Service, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, London, UKf. Asthma UK Centre of Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma, London, UKCorrespondence to : Beatriz Moya. Allergy Service. Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, SpainEmail: [email protected]: Ig, Immunoglobulin; Fab, antigen-binding fragments; Fc, fragment crystallizable region; FcεRI, Fc epsilon receptor I; MC, mast cells.Word count: 637/1000

Comparisons of 3D shapes have recently been applied to diverse anatomical structures using landmarking techniques. However discerning evolutionary patterns can be challenging for structures lacking homologous landmarks. We used alpha shape analyses to quantify vaginal shape complexity in 40 marine mammal specimens including cetaceans, pinnipeds, and sirenians. We explored phylogenetic signal and the potential roles of natural and sexual selection on vaginal shape evolution. Complexity scores were consistent with qualitative observations. Cetaceans had a broad range of alpha complexities, while pinnipeds were comparatively simple and sirenians were complex. Intraspecific variation was found. Three-dimensional surface heat maps revealed that shape complexity was driven by invaginations and protrusions of the vaginal wall. Phylogenetic signal was weak and metrics of natural selection (relative neonate size) and sexual selection (relative testes size, sexual size dimorphism, and penis morphology) did not explain vaginal complexity patterns. Additional metrics, such as penile shape complexity, may yield interesting insights into marine mammal genital coevolution. We advocate for the use of alpha shapes to discern patterns of evolution that would otherwise not be possible in 3D anatomical structures lacking homologous landmarks.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the ABO and Rh blood group distribution and clinical characteristics in patients with Covid-19. Materials and Methods: The clinical characteristics and blood groups of 1667 patients who were hospitalized due to Covid-19 (with a positive PCR test) between 16 March and 10 July were reviewed cross-sectionally.. Results: When blood groups of patients diagnosed with Covid-19 and control group were compared, it was observed that there was increase in the number of Covid-19 patients with blood groups A and AB, decrease in the number of Covid-19 patients with blood group O, a statistically significant increase in the number of individuals with blood group A in Covid-19 patients compared to healthy individuals, and almost significant increase in the number of Covid-19 patients with blood group AB and a very significant decrease in the number of Covid-19 patients with blood group O. Conclusion: Our study has found that having blood group O may be protective, that blood group A may have greater susceptibility to the disease, but this does not affect the course of the disease and is not associated with mortality.

A document by William Jones. Click on the document to view its contents.

The dynamical behavior of the rational vectorial operator associated with a multidimensional iterative method in polynomial systems, gives us interesting information about the stability of the iterative scheme. The stability of fixed points, dynamic planes, bifurcation diagrams, etc. are known tools that act in this sense. In this manuscript, we introduce a new tool, which we call isonormal surface, to complement the information about the stability of the iterative method provided by the dynamic elements mentioned above. These dynamical instruments are used for analyze the stability of a parametric family of multidimensional iterative schemes in terms of the value of the parameter. Some numerical tests confirm the obtained dynamical results.

Malnutrition and swallowing disorders are common in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients. We assessed, in adult DMD with HMV (home mechanical ventilation) and cough assist device, its prevalence and the relationships with respiratory muscle strength and long-term respiratory prognosis. We reviewed the patients (n=117, age 18 to 39 years (median 24)), followed in a reference center, from 2006 to 2015, to obtain clinical baseline, nutritional status, vital capacity (VC), maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP). Median body mass index was low (15.6). Prevalence of malnutrition, swallowing disorders and gastrostomy were respectively 62, 34 and 11%. BMI and serum albumin level were significantly associated with MIP, MEP and VC. The 1/5-years cumulative incidences of respiratory events (pulmonary sepsis and acute respiratory distress) were respectively 20.7/44.5%. Using univariate analysis, predictive factors for respiratory events were swallowing disorders (p=0.001), transthyretinemia (p=0.034), MIP (p=0.039) and MEP (p=0.03) but not BMI or albuminemia. Using multivariate analysis, only swallowing disorders remained significantly associated with respiratory events (OR=4.2, IC95% 1.31-12.2, p=0.01). If prevalence of malnutrition and swallowing disorders are high in adult DMD on HMV, and respiratory muscles strength associated with serum albumin level and BMI, respiratory prognosis is mainly related to swallowing disorders.

1. Species distribution modelling, which allows users to predict the spatial distribution of species with the use of environmental covariates, has become increasingly popular, with many software platforms providing tools to fit species distribution models. However, the species observations used in species distribution models can have varying levels of quality and can have incomplete information, such as uncertain species identity. 2. In this paper, we develop two algorithms to reclassify observations with unknown species identities which simultaneously predict different species distributions using spatial point processes. We compare the performance of the different algorithms using different initializations and parameters with models fitted using only the observations with known species identity through simulations. 3. We show that performance varies with differences in correlation among species distributions, species abundance, and the proportion of observations with unknown species identities. Additionally, some of the methods developed here outperformed the models that didn't use the misspecified data. 4. These models represent an helpful and promising tool for opportunistic surveys where misidentification happens or for the distribution of species newly separated in their taxonomy.

1. Patterns in, and the underlying dynamics of, species cooccurrence is of interest in many ecological applications. Unaccounted for, imperfect detection of the species can lead to misleading inferences about the nature and magnitude of any interaction. A range of different parameterisations have been published that could be used with the same fundamental modelling framework that accounts for imperfect detection, although each parameterisation has different advantages and disadvantages. 2. We propose a parameterisation based on log-linear modelling that does not require a species hierarchy to be defined (in terms of dominance), and enables a numerically robust approach for estimating covariate effects. 3. Conceptually the parameterisation is equivalent to using the presence of species in the current, or a previous, time period as predictor variables for the current occurrence of other species. This leads to natural, ’symmetric’, interpretations of parameter estimates. 4. The parameterisation can be applied to many species, in either a maximum-likelihood or Bayesian estimation framework. We illustrate the method using camera trapping data collected on three mesocarnivore species in South Texas.

It is imperative to study the long term corrosion problems of nickel alloys in acidic medium due to breakdown of their passitive oxide. Focus of this work is to enhance the knowledge of adsorption of organic additives (OPD & PPD) onto the Ni-W alloy surface. Deducing the scenario of competitive adsorption of salen-type symmetrical Schiff bases (OPD, and PPD) as additive molecules on Ni-W alloy surface at molecular level was studied by Density Functional Theory (DFT), Monte Carlo simulation (MC), Molecular Dynamics simulation (MD) and Radial Distribution Function (RDF) analysis. Obtained intrinsic molecular parmaters from DFT shows a strong conformity to the corrosion effeciencies of experimental results. Higher polarization value of 650.707 a.u (PPD) explicates its electron donating ability onto the alloy surface. Higher binding energy (Ebinding=1132.241 kJ/mol) and spatial orientation of PPD molecule portrays the closest contacts between active atoms and alloy surface. Significant findings from DFT global descriptors, MC, MD and RDF analysis ratifies the corrosion effeciencies (PPD>OPD) of experimental outcomes, which correlates positively with the larger isomeric spacer. Overall, the present study, reports offers the corrosion inhibition resistance impact of OPD & PPD additives, revealing the fact of PPD as effective one and OPD as moderate ones for Ni-W alloys.

Fungi form diverse communities and play essential roles in many terrestrial ecosystems, yet there are methodological challenges in taxonomic and phylogenetic placement of fungi from environmental sequences. To address such challenges we investigated spatio-temporal structure of a fungal community using soil metabarcoding with four different sequencing strategies: short amplicon sequencing of the ITS2 region (300–400\ bp) with Illumina MiSeq, Ion Torrent Ion S5, and PacBio RS II, all from the same PCR library, as well as long amplicon sequencing of the full ITS and partial LSU regions (1200–1600\ bp) with PacBio RS II. Resulting community structure and diversity depended more on statistical method than sequencing technology. The use of long-amplicon sequencing enables construction of a phylogenetic tree from metabarcoding reads, which facilitates taxonomic identification of sequences. However, long reads present issues for denoising algorithms in diverse communities. We present a solution that splits the reads into shorter homologous regions prior to denoising, and then reconstructs the full denoised reads. In the choice between short and long amplicons, we suggest a hybrid approach using short amplicons for sampling breadth and depth, and long amplicons to characterize the local species pool for improved identification and phylogenetic analyses.

In Southern Africa, the African Swine Fever (ASF) sylvatic cycle presents a permanent threat for the development of the pig farming industry. Warthogs (Phacochoerus africanus) and bushpigs (Potamochoerus larvatus), wild reservoirs of ASF are present in Ndumo Game Reserve (NGR), located in Northern KwaZulu Natal Province in South Africa and within 30 km of the locations of endemic ASF outbreaks in Mozambique where sylvatic disease transmission has been implicated. To assess if wild suids represent a risk of ASF virus spillover to domestic pigs in the neighbouring community, transect counts and fence patrols were conducted and camera traps were deployed in NGR to estimate wild suid abundance and incursions outside NGR boundaries. We searched for Ornithodoros ticks in 35 warthog burrows distributed across different NGR areas. Pig farmers (n=254) surrounding Mathenjwa Community were interviewed to gather information on interactions between domestic and wild suids and the occurrence of ASF. We conclude that NGR has established populations of bushpigs and warthogs, estimated at 5 and 3-5 individuals/km2 respectively. Both species move out of the reserve regularly (15.4 warthogs/day and 6.35 bushpigs/day), with a significant increase of movements during the dry season. Some farmers observed warthogs and bushpigs as far as 8 and 19 km from the reserve respectively, but no direct wild-domestic suids interactions nor any ASF outbreaks were reported. In addition, no soft ticks were found among the 35 warthog burrows. The absence of ticks in warthog burrows from NGR and the absence of reported outbreaks and familiarity with ASF in the surrounding farming area, suggest that a sylvatic cycle of ASF is at present unlikely in NGR. However, further research should be undertaken to confirm this by surveying a larger number of warthog burrows and monitoring potential antibodies in warthogs from NGR and domestic pigs in the neighbouring community.

Fatigue experiments and numerical simulations based on the Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) theory were conducted on the Even-Matched (EM) and Under-Matched (UM) 10CrNi3MoV Load-carrying Cruciform Welded Joints (LCWJs). The study firstly experimentally investigated the Fatigue Crack Growth Rate (FCGR) of base metal, EM, and UM weldments. The corresponding Paris parameters as essential input data are provided to assess the fatigue crack propagation behavior for weld toe and weld root failure of LCWJs. On the one hand, the Stress Intensity Factors (SIFs) at weld toe and weld root were calculated considering the effects of LCWJ specimen geometries, initial crack types, and sizes. The comparisons between simulated results and standards analytical solutions were executed, which exhibit good accordance. It proved that the fatigue fracture simulation procedure based on LEFM is appropriate for the fatigue assessment of LCWJs. Eventually, it conducted the parametric analysis by predicted S-N curves, which included in the weld length, initial crack shape, initial crack size, penetration length, and materials fracture parameter, to explore some safety assessment reference lines for both failure modes of LCWJ.

Delays in forest recovery from terrestrial acidification combined with climate change is leading Acadian Forest ecosystems into new territory. Kejimkujik Calibrated Catchments (KCC) Study Program was established in an around Kejimkujik National Park and Historic Site (KNPHS) in Southwest Nova Scotia (SWNS) in the late 1970s to increase our understanding of the impacts of acid precipitation on relatively pristine ecosystems. KCC now have one of the longest continuously monitored water chemistry records in North America, with data collection beginning in 1980. Its infrastructure includes three gauged streams, twelve forest inventory plots, an atmospheric deposition monitoring station, and three streams with continuous water quality monitoring and regular lab analysis of stream chemistry, and recent LiDAR coverage. The KCC fits into a wider network of monitored lakes. Data collected at the KCC form a key datapoint in comparisons of catchment response to terrestrial acidification in the context of a warming climate, due to their high and increasing DOC levels, highly dilute waters, lowland topography and extensive wetlands. KCC are also emerging as an important source of information for species at risk protection as SWNS was declared one of the 11 national priority places for biodiversity protection.