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AbstractIn the spreading of infectious diseases, an important number to determine is how many other people will be infected on average by anyone who has become infected themselves. This is known as the reproduction number. This paper describes a non-parametric inverse method for extracting the full transfer function of infection, of which the reproduction number is the integral. The method is demonstrated by applying it to the timeline of hospitalisation admissions for covid-19 in the Netherlands up to May 20 2020, which is publicly available from the site of the Dutch National Institute of Public Health and the Environment (rivm.nl).

Abstract Objectives Disease burden has always been based on associated mortality. An accurate measurement of the burden of epilepsy should rely on both morbidity and mortality. This will close any existing gap in knowledge and provide useful information to aid evidence-based decision-making. In this study, burden of epilepsy was estimated, using disability-adjusted-life-years (DALYs), using disability weights for epilepsy that were part of the Global Burden of Disease 2010 work. Methods The study was conducted at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu. Interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect information from patients with epilepsy who presented to neurology clinic. The prevalence of epilepsy, and case-fatality were obtained from previous publications. The DALYs were estimated by adding together the years lost to disability (YLDs) and years lost to life (YLLs) to epilepsy (DALYs = YLD + YLL). DALYs were dis-aggregated by age group and by whether or not epilepsy was treated. Results A total of 134 children with epilepsy-interviews were conducted. Some 56% and 44% of the subjects had primary and secondary epilepsy, respectively. The childhood epilepsy caused 1.63 YLLs per 1000 population, 0.45 YLDs per 1000 population and 2.08 DALY per 1000 population. The highest burden was in children within the age group of 5–14 years at 2.18 DALY per 1000 people. The YLDs was higher (0.63/1000 population) among the untreated group, compared with the YLDs (0.27/1000 population) among the treated group. The YLLs lost for children with secondary epilepsy (2.23/1000 population) was higher than primary epilepsy YLLs of 1.07/1000 population. Significance The DALYs due to childhood epilepsy was high. The YLDs was high among children with epilepsy who were not on treatment. The YLLs were found to be the same in all children with epilepsy, irrespective of their treatment status. This imperatively necessitates the de-emphasis on just mortality as an indicator of the burden of childhood epilepsy but rather a holistic approach should be adopted in considering both the mortality and disability in monitoring the outcome of health interventions.

The dural venous sinuses are venous channels in the cranium that drain blood and cerebrospinal fluid circulating from the brain into the vascular system via the internal jugular veins. The transverse sinus is a dural venous sinus present in the posterior aspect of the cranium. We report an unusual variant of this sinus with the presence of a fenestration at its proximal segment. We will review and discuss the background and the potential clinical relevance of this anatomical variation.

AbstractCellulose synthase-like D (CSLD) family was characterized for their expression and functions in Populus trichocarpa. Ten members, PtrCslD1-10, were identified in the P. trichocarpa genome, and they belong to 4 clades by phylogenetic tree analysis. qRT-PCR and promoter:GUS assays in Arabidopsis and P. trichocarpa displayed divergent expression patterns of these 10 PtrCSLD genes in root hairs, root tips, leaves, vascular tissues, xylem and flowers. Among PtrCslD2, PtrCslD4, PtrCslD5, PtrCslD6, and PtrCslD8 that all exhibited expression in root hairs, only PtrCslD5 could restore the root hairless phenotype of the atcsld3 mutant, demonstrating that PtrCslD5 is the functional ortholog of AtCslD3 for root hair formation. Our results suggest more possible functions for other PtrCslD genes in poplar.

Introduction Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is an internationally recognized leading cause of disability and contributes to childhood morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of IDA is higher in developing countries, especially in Arab countries, compared to the west. Methods To assess the prevalence of IDA, we analyzed the data of children aged between one to five years seen at Dr. Sulaiman Al-Habib Medical Group's tertiary care hospital in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 2016 to 2018. Results We found a high occurrence of IDA in male children and non-Emirati children. Conclusion Appropriate screening and iron supplementation are required to see a decline in the rate of IDA. Further nationwide studies are required to identify the highly prevalent and high-risk areas of IDA in the UAE.

PURPOSE To present a new automated image recognition software for the measurement of tear meniscus height (TMH) and investigate its correlation and efficacy compared with an open-source software (NIH ImageJ) and manual evaluation. METHODS A total of 520 slit lamp photographs, among which 276 were in ×16 magnification and 244 were ×40 magnified, captured from 138 eyes of 69 healthy subjects were assessed for TMH by the new automated Tear Meniscus Identification Software (TMIS), ImageJ and human graders. Images processing of TMIS included filtration, recognition and measurement of slit lamp photographs under certain algorithm, which output two measurement patterns, TMISMax and TMISMean . TMH measured by ImageJ software, considered as the reference value, was conducted by a masked observer while four masked ophthalmologists performed the manual evaluation. RESULTS In both magnifications, TMH measured by TMISMean showed similar values with ImageJ while manual evaluation demonstrated underestimated results, and a strong correlation was detected between TMIS and ImageJ. In ×16 magnified photographs, manually obtained TMH revealed a higher correlation with ImageJ, whereas a notably stronger correlation of TMIS with ImageJ was observed in ×40 photographs. Correspondingly, the accuracy for both TMISMax and TMISMean appeared to be lower than most doctors in ×16 slit lamp images, in contrast to a better precision of TMISMean in ×40 ones. CONCLUSION The new software displayed high accuracy and efficacy in ×40 magnification and TMISMean pattern, suggesting the possibility of this automated TMH measurement platform to be a valid tool in dry eye screening and follow-up practice.

Tropomodulin-1 (TMOD1) is a key regulator of actin dynamics, which caps the pointed end of actin filaments. TMOD1 has been reported to be involved in several cellular processes, including neurite outgrowth, spine formation and cell migration. Increasing evidence demonstrates that TMOD1 is implicated in several aspects of cancer development. The present study aimed to investigate the role of TMOD1 in cervical cancer. HeLa and CaSki cell lines, derived from human cervical cancer, were used to evaluate the function of TMOD1. Cell motility was measured via a wound-healing assay, with the TMOD1 short hairpin (sh)RNAs transfected cells. Subsequently, cell proliferation was assessed using low serum cell culture condition, while cell cycle distribution was analyzed via flow cytometry. The results demonstrated that downregulated TMOD1 promoted cell motility and proliferation, which is attributed to promotion of G(1)/S phase transition in HeLa and CaSki cells. Furthermore, it was indicated that co-expression of shRNA resistant TMOD1 rescued these phenomena. The clinical data demonstrated that high TMOD1 expression is associated with good pathological status in patients with cervical cancer. Overall, the results of the present study indicated that TMOD1 may act as a tumor suppressor in cervical cancer, whereby its downregulated expression was demonstrated to have direct effects on cell motility and cell proliferation. These results provide new evidence for the prognostic prediction of cervical cancer, which may serve as a promising therapeutic strategy for patients with cervical cancer.

Background Pre-eclampsia is a pregnancy-specific hypertensive disorder usually occurs after 20 weeks of gestation. It is one of the leading causes of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. In Ethiopia, the major direct obstetric complications including pre-eclampsia/eclampsia account for 85% of the maternal deaths. Unlike deaths due to other direct causes, pre-eclampsia/ eclampsia related deaths appear to be increasing and linked to multiple factors, making prevention of the disease a continuous challenge. The aim of this study is to assess determinants of pre-eclampsia/eclampsiaamong women attending delivery services in selected public hospitals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods Hospital based unmatched case control study design was employed. The study wasconducted in Addis Ababa among women attending delivery services in two public hospitals from December, 2015 G.C. to February, 2016 G.C. with sample size of 291 (97 cases and 194 controls). Women with pre-eclampsia/eclampsia were cases and women who had not diagnosed for pre-eclampsia/eclampsia were controls. Case-control incidence density sampling followed by interviewer administered was conducted using pretested questionnaire. The data was entered in Epi Info 7 software and exported to STATA 14 for cleaning and analysis. Descriptive statistics were used todisplay the data using tables compared between cases and controls. To compare categorical variables between cases and controls Chi-squared testwas used. Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were computed to identify the determinants of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia. Results Factors that were found to have statistically significant association with pre-eclampsia or eclampsia were primigravida (AOR: 2.68, 95% CI: 1.38, 5.22), history of preeclampsia on prior pregnancy (AOR: 4.28, 95% CI: 1.61, 11.43), multiple pregnancy (AOR: 8.22, 95% CI: 2.97, 22.78), receiving nutritional counseling during pregnancy (AOR: 0.22, 95% CI: 0.1, 0.48) and drinking alcohol during pregnancy (AOR: 3.97, 95% CI: 1.8, 8.75). Conclusions The study identified protective and risk factors for pre-eclampsia/eclampsia. To promptly diagnose and treat pre-eclampsia, health workers should give special attention to women with primigravida and multiple pregnancy. Besides, health care providers should provide nutritional counseling during ANC, including avoiding drinking alcohol during their pregnancy. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12884-017-1507-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.