Influence of astigmatic aberration on partially coherent Gaussian-Schell vortex beam focused by lensacon (preprint)

We investigated the propagation properties of a partially coherent GaussianSchell model vortex (PCGSMV) beam in an astigmatically aberrated lensacon optical sys-tem. By applying the extended Huygens-Fresnel principle, we developed a cross-spectraldensity expression for PCGSMV beams passing through a lensacon with aberrant astigma-tism. Our numerical results demonstrated that astigmatic aberration significantl yinfluencesthe intensity distribution and depth of focus. Moreover, our study illustrates the impact ofthe spectral degree of coherence, propagation distance, axicon base angle, and astigmaticaberration coefficien to nth evorte xprofil e.O urresul tsreveal edtha t, atf ardistance s,awide-diameter dark spot size with oscillation was generated. These finding sar esignificantfor applications such as sensor technology, optical trapping, and micro-particle manipulation.

Causes of Death in Neonates, Infants, Children, and Adolescents at the University Children's Clinical Hospital of Bialystok Between 2018 and 2021.

BACKGROUND Monitoring of mortality rate and causes of death in pediatric hospitals is required in Poland. This study is aimed to evaluate the causes of death in neonates, infants, children, and adolescents obtained from the medical records of the University Children's Clinical Hospital (UCCH) of Bialystok between 2018 and 2021. MATERIAL AND METHODS This was an observational, cross-sectional study. Medical records of 59 patients (12 neonates, 17 infants, 14 children, 16 adolescents) who died in the UCCH of Bialystok in 2018-2021 were analyzed. The records included personal data, medical history, and causes of death. RESULTS Between 2018 and 2021, the leading death causes were congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities (25.42%, N=15) and conditions originating in the perinatal period (11.86%, N=7). The leading death causes in each age group were: in neonates - congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities (50%, N=6), in infants -conditions originating in the perinatal period (29.41%, N=5), in children - diseases of the respiratory system (30.77%, N=4), and in teenagers - external causes of morbidity (31%, N=5). Before the COVID-19 pandemic (2018-2019), the leading death causes were congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities (20.69%, N=6) and conditions originating in the perinatal period (20.69%, N=6). During the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2021), congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities (26.67%, N=8) and COVID-19 (10.00%, N=3) were the most common death causes. CONCLUSIONS Leading death causes varied among age groups. The COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on pediatric causes of death and changed their distribution. The results of this analysis should be discussed and conclusions should improve the quality of pediatric care.

Additional malignancies shorten overall survival in chronic lymphocytic leukemia irrespective of chromosomal aberrations: A retrospective cohort study.

The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of other malignancies (OMs) in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and to identify parameters associated with the occurrence of OMs in addition to CLL. This retrospective cohort study was conducted by examining the records of CLL patients who applied to a tertiary hospital between January 2013 and December 2021. The cases were divided into 2 groups, CLL (n = 107) and CLL + OM (n = 25), according to the presence of additional malignancy. Lymphocyte count (P = .014), white blood cell count (P = .006), and hemoglobin (P = .034) were significantly higher in the CLL group. Rai stage IV percentage (P = .015), Binet stage B percentage (P = .043), progression, and sepsis percentages (P = .008) were significantly higher in the CLL + OM group. Overall survival time was significantly lower in the CLL + OM group (P = .032). Most OMs had been diagnosed before CLL (63.64%) in the no-treatment group, while the majority of OMs were diagnosed after CLL (78.57%) in the treatment group (P = .032). CLL patients with OM had a more advanced CLL stage, and survival was significantly shorter in these patients. In addition, CLL-associated OM appears to occur more frequently in the post-treatment period.

A cross-sectional and histological analysis to understand the cytological effects of cell phone radiation on buccal mucosa of children.

Context: The ongoing pandemic has affected all the spheres of life and one of the severely affected avenues is the education of a child. The online education has seen an upward curve since the start of COVID-19 pandemic. Schools globally have adopted online class tutorials as the main method to impart education and directly increasing the screen time for a child. Aim: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the cytological effects of prolonged mobile phone usage on the buccal mucosa of children. Settings and Design: Stratified sampling was used for the selection of subjects for the study. After a questionnaire regarding the usage of a mobile phone was distributed among the parents of children. Among them, 90 children were selected on the basis of pattern and frequency of mobile phone usage in the child. Materials and Methodology: The children were divided into three groups based on the per day hours of viewing of mobile phone, i.e., Group 1: Usage of 1-2 h a day, Group 2: Usage of 3-6 h a day, and Group 3: Usage of >6 h a day. The time frame taken into consideration was 1 year after the pandemic started. This was specifically to understand the impact of the online education. Swab was obtained by using the conventional ice-cream stick method from the buccal mucosa. Statistical Analysis: The samples were subjected to histological and microscopical analysis to observe for cytological changes. One-way ANOVA was used to determine the statistical significance if any. Results: The results obtained clearly showed that Group 3 (>6 h usage per day) showed the highest number of cellular and chromosomal aberrations which was significant. Conclusion: The results indicated that impact due to the prolonged screen time on the buccal mucosa is significant. A direct proportionality was seen between the apoptotic changes and chromosomal aberrations and the number of daily hour usage.

Different CO2 settings (6.0% vs 7.0%) do have an impact on extracellular pH of culture medium (pHe) and euploidy rates rather than on blastocyst development: a sibling oocyte study.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether euploidy rates and blastocyst development differ in a continuous culture medium under different CO2 concentrations. DESIGN AND METHOD: A single-center retrospective study was performed from July 2018 to October 2019 including 44 fresh cycles with at least four fresh mature oocytes (MII) without severe male factor infertility. Sibling MII were injected and cultured in Global®Total®LP under 6.0% (pHe = 7.374 ± 0.014) or 7.0% (pHe = 7.300 ± 0.013) CO2, 5.0% O2, and 89.0% or 88.0% N2. Analyzed variables were normally fertilized oocytes (2PN), cleavage rate, blastulation rate on day 5/2PN, usable blastocyst (blastocysts biopsied/2PN), and euploidy rates. Blastocyst's trophectoderm biopsy was performed on day 5, 6, or 7 for genetic testing and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) quantification by next-generation sequencing. RESULTS: Women's mean age was 33.0 ± 6.6 years old. From a total of 604 MII, no differences were found in normal fertilization and cleavage rates on day 3 between 6.0 and 7.0% CO2 (72.3% vs 67.1%, p = 0.169 and 96.6% vs 96.3%, p = 0.897, respectively). Blastulation rate on day 5/2PN was comparable between 6.0 and 7.0% CO2 (68.1% vs 64.2%, p = 0.409). Although usable blastocyst rate was not different (54.3% vs 55.3%, p = 0.922), total euploidy rates differed significantly (58.7% vs 42.8%, p = 0.016) between 6.0% and 7.0% CO2, respectively. The mean blastocyst mtDNA content was significantly lower in 6.0% CO2 (30.4 ± 9.1 vs 32.9 ± 10.3, p = 0.037). CONCLUSION: Blastocyst development is not affected when embryos are cultured in vitro at 6.0% or 7.0% CO2, while euploidy rates are significantly decreased at a higher CO2 concentration, therefore at a lower pHe.

MOATAI-VIR - an AI algorithm that predicts severe adverse events and molecular features for COVID-19's complications (preprint)

Following SARS-CoV-2 infection, some COVID-19 patients experience severe adverse events caused by pathogenic host responses. To treat these complications, their underlying etiology must be identified. Thus, a novel AI-based methodology, MOATAI-VIR, which predicts disease-protein-pathway relationships for 22 clinical manifestations attributed to COVID-19 was developed. SARS-CoV-2 interacting human proteins and GWAS identified respiratory failure associated risk genes provide the input from which the mode-of-action (MOA) proteins/pathways of the resulting disease comorbidities are predicted. These comorbidities are then mapped to their clinical manifestations. Three uncharacterized manifestation categories are found: neoplasms, mental and behavioral disorders, and congenital malformations, deformations, and chromosomal abnormalities. The prevalence of neoplasms suggests a possible association between COVID-19 and cancer, whether by shared molecular mechanisms between oncogenesis and viral replication, or perhaps, SARS-CoV-2 is an oncovirus. To assess the molecular basis of each manifestation, the proteins shared across each group of comorbidities were prioritized and subject to global pathway analysis. From these most frequent pathways, the molecular features associated with hallmark COVID-19 phenotypes, such as loss of sense of smell/taste, unusual neurological symptoms, cytokine storm, and blood clots were explored. Results of MOATAI-VIR are available for academic users at: http://pwp.gatech.edu/cssb/MOATAI-VIR/.

Perinatal and Postpartum Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Nationwide Cohort Study (preprint)

Background: The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic limited services during pregnancy, labour, and childbirth that affected families worldwide. However, data on the effects of limiting obstetrical care during the pandemic’s first wave are sparse.Methods: This nationwide cohort study analysed birth registry data from all obstetric departments in Austria. Women who delivered between January and June 2020 were classified as cases, whereas those who delivered between January and June 2015–2019 were classified as controls. We excluded data concerning preterm delivery, birthweight below 500 g, multiple fetuses, fetal malformations and chromosomal anomalies, intrauterine fetal death, maternal cancer, or HIV-infection, and inter-hospital transfers. Perinatal outcomes, postpartum hospitalisation and adverse events were assessed.Findings: Of 33.198 cases and 188.225 controls, data analysis showed significantly increased rates of labour induction, instrumental delivery, obstetric anaesthesia, NICU transfer, and 5-min Apgar score below 7 during the COVID-19 period. There was a significantly shorter length of postpartum hospitalisation during the COVID-19 period compared to the non-COVID-19 period (3·1 ± 1·4 vs. 3·5 ± 1·5 days p< 0·001). Significantly more women opted for outpatient delivery during the COVID-19 period (3·7% vs. 2·4% p < 0·001). Those who delivered during the COVID-19 period were also more likely to experience postpartum adverse events (3·0% vs. 2·6% p < 0·001), which was confirmed in the logistic regression model (odds ratio, 2·137; 95% confidence interval, 1·805–2·530 p < 0·001).Interpretation: Perinatal and postpartum care during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic differed significantly from that provided before. Increased rates of adverse events underline the need to ensure access to high-quality obstetrical care in order to prevent collateral damage.Funding Statement: None.Declaration of Interests: The authors report no conflict of interest in connection with this article.Ethics Approval Statement: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical University of Vienna (reference number 1637/2020). Due to the retrospective study design, patient informed consent was not required. All patient data were handled anonymously.

Implications of Engaging in Regular Exercise and Reducing Sedentary Behavior During a Global Pandemic: An Immuno-metabolic Perspective in Patients with Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes (preprint)

Many reports showed a dramatic decrease in the levels of physical activity during the current pandemic of SARS-COV-2. This has substantial immunometabolic implications, especially in those at risk or with metabolic diseases including individuals with obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Here we discuss the route from physical inactivity to immnometabolic aberrancies; focusing on how insulin resistance could represent an adaptive mechanism to the low physical activity levels and/or high energy intake and on how such an adaptive mechanism could derail to be a pathognomonic feature of metabolic diseases creating a vicious circle of immune and metabolic aberrancies. We provide a theoretical framework to the severe immunopathology of COVID-19 in patients with metabolic diseases. We finally discuss the idea of exercise as a potential adjuvant against COVID-19 and emphasize how even interrupting prolonged periods of sitting with short time breaks of very light activity could be a feasible strategy to limit the deleterious effects of sedentary behavior.

Evaluation of a genetic risk score for severity of COVID-19 using human chromosomal-scale length variation.

INTRODUCTION: The course of COVID-19 varies from asymptomatic to severe in patients. The basis for this range in symptoms is unknown. One possibility is that genetic variation is partly responsible for the highly variable response. We evaluated how well a genetic risk score based on chromosomal-scale length variation and machine learning classification algorithms could predict severity of response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. METHODS: We compared 981 patients from the UK Biobank dataset who had a severe reaction to SARS-CoV-2 infection before 27 April 2020 to a similar number of age-matched patients drawn for the general UK Biobank population. For each patient, we built a profile of 88 numbers characterizing the chromosomal-scale length variability of their germ line DNA. Each number represented one quarter of the 22 autosomes. We used the machine learning algorithm XGBoost to build a classifier that could predict whether a person would have a severe reaction to COVID-19 based only on their 88-number classification. RESULTS: We found that the XGBoost classifier could differentiate between the two classes at a significant level (p = 2 · 10-11) as measured against a randomized control and (p = 3 · 10-14) as measured against the expected value of a random guessing algorithm (AUC = 0.5). However, we found that the AUC of the classifier was only 0.51, too low for a clinically useful test. CONCLUSION: Genetics play a role in the severity of COVID-19, but we cannot yet develop a useful genetic test to predict severity.