The impact of the covid-19 pandemic on diabetes care: the perspective of healthcare providers across Europe.

AIMS: Covid-19 caused changes on the delivery of diabetes care. This study aimed to explore perceptions of healthcare providers across Europe concerning 1) the impact of covid-19 on delivery of diabetes care; 2) impact of changes in diabetes care on experienced workload; 3) experiences with video consultation in diabetes care. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey among healthcare providers in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Turkey, Ukraine and Sweden, with a focus on primary care. RESULTS: The survey was completed by 180 healthcare providers. During the COVID-19 pandemic 57.1% of respondents provided less diabetes care and 72.8% observed a negative impact on people with diabetes. More than half of respondents (61.9%) expressed worries to some extent about getting overloaded by work. Although the vast majority considered their work meaningful (85.6%). Almost half of healthcare providers (49.4%) thought that after the pandemic video-consultation could be blended with face-to-face contact. CONCLUSIONS: Less diabetes care was delivered and a negative impact on people with diabetes was observed by healthcare providers. Despite healthcare providers' feeling overloaded, mental wellbeing seemed unaffected. Video consultations were seen as having potential. Given the remaining covid-19 risks and from the interest of proactive management of people with diabetes, these findings urge for further exploration of incorporating video consultation in diabetes care.

Structural analysis of the lipopolysaccharide from the nontypable Haemophilus influenzae strain SB 33.

The structure of the core region of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from the nontypable Haemophilus influenzae strain SB 33 was elucidated. The LPS was subjected to a variety of degradative procedures. The structures of the derived oligosaccharide products were established by monosaccharide and methylation analyses, NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. These analyses revealed a series of related phosphocholine (PCho) containing structures differing in the number of hexose residues. The results pointed to each species containing a conserved phosphoethanolamine (PEtn) substituted heptose-containing trisaccharide inner-core moiety. The major LPS glycoforms were identified as 2-Hex, 3-Hex and 4-Hex species according to the number of hexose residues present.

Structural analysis of the phase-variable lipooligosaccharide from Haemophilus somnus strain 738.

The structure of the phase variable lipooligosaccharide (LOS) from Haemophilus somnus strain 738 was elucidated. The LOS was subjected to a variety of degradative procedures. The structures of the purified products were established by monosaccharide and methylation analyses, NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The following structures for the two major components were determined on the basis of the combined data from these experiments. [structure in text]. In the structures Kdo is 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic acid, PEtn is phosphoethanolamine, PCho is phosphocholine, Hep is L-glycero-D-manno-heptose, and the remaining glucose units have the D configuration. The elucidation of these structures has increased our understanding of the relationship between the phase-variable LOS and the pathogenic potential of this organism.

NMR and molecular dynamics studies of the conformational epitope of the type III group B Streptococcus capsular polysaccharide and derivatives.

The conformational epitope of the type III group B Streptococcus capsular polysaccharide (GBSP III) exhibits unique properties which can be ascribed to the presence of sialic acid in its structure and the requirement for an extended binding site. By means of NMR and molecular dynamics studies on GBSP III and its fragments, the extended epitope of GBSP III was further defined. The influence of sialic acid on the conformational properties of GBSP III was examined by performing conformational analysis on desialylated GBSP III, which is identical to the polysaccharide of Streptococcus pneumoniae type 14, and also on oxidized and reduced GBSP III. Conformational changes were gauged by 1H and 13C chemical shift analysis, NOE, 1D selective TOCSY-NOESY experiments, J(HH) and J(CH) variations, and NOE of OH resonances. Changes in mobility were examined by 13C T1 and T2 measurements. Unrestrained molecular dynamics simulations with explicit water using the AMBER force field and the GLYCAM parameter set were used to assess static and dynamic conformational models, simulate the observable NMR parameters and calculate helical parameters. GBSP III was found to be capable of forming extended helices. Hence, the length dependence of the conformational epitope could be explained by its location on extended helices within the random coil structure of GBSP III. The interaction of sialic acid with the backbone of the PS was also found to be important in defining the conformational epitope of GBSP III.

Synthesis and NMR assignment of two repeating units (decasaccharide) of the type III group B Streptococcus capsular polysaccharide and its 13C-labeled and N-propionyl substituted sialic acid analogues.

For the purpose of carrying out a comprehensive investigation into the nature of the conformational epitope of the type III group B Streptococcus polysaccharide, combined chemical and enzymatic methods were applied to the synthesis of three decasaccharide probes, namely beta-D-Glc-(1-->6)[alpha-NeuR-(2-->3)-beta-D-Gal-(1-->4)] -beta-D-GlcNAc-(1-->3)-beta-D-Gal-(1-->4)-beta-D- Glc-(1-->6)[alpha-NeuR-(2-->3)-beta-D-Gal-(1-->4)]-beta-D-GlcNAc-( 1-->3) -beta-D-Gal-OMe (22 NeuR = NeuAc; 23 NeuR = NeuAc with 8% 13C-labeling; 24 NeuR = NeuPr). The precursor core octasaccharide 21 was chemically synthesized from trisaccharide donor 11 and pentasaccharide acceptor 19 by block condensation. Sialylation of 21 with alpha-(2-->3)-sialyltransferase and CMP-NeuAc afforded 22. In the presence of CMP-sialic acid synthetase and alpha-(2-->3)-sialyltransferase, 21 was sialylated with sialic acid derivatives (8% 13C-labeled, or N-propionyl substituted) to give 23 and 24, respectively. Complete assignments of the 1H and 13C NMR spectra of compounds 21, 22 (23), and 24 are also presented.

Image analysis combined with quantitative cytochemistry. Results and instrumental developments for cancer diagnosis.

This paper describes the application of image analysis combined with a quantitative staining method for the analysis of cervical specimens. The image analysis is carried out with the Leyden Television Analysis System, LEYTAS, of which two versions are described. LEYTAS-1 as well as LEYTAS-2 have both been designed with a high degree of flexibility and interaction facilities. A much wider range of image analysis programs is however, possible with LEYTAS-2, enabling many applications. LEYTAS-1, the earlier version, consists of a Leitz microscope with automated functions, a TV camera, the Texture Analysis System (TAS, Leitz), a four-bit grey value memory and a minicomputer (PDP 11/23). Using this instrumentation 1,500 cervical smears prepared from cell suspensions and stained with acriflavin-Feulgen-Sits have been analysed in a completely automated procedure. Image transformations working in parallel on entire fields, have been used for cell selection and artefact rejection. Resulting alarms, consisting of selected single cells and non-rejected artefacts are stored in the grey value memory, which is displayed on a TV monitor. This option allows visual interaction after the machine diagnosis has been made. The machine diagnosis was correct in 320 out 321 specimens with a severe dysplasia or more serious lesion. The false positive rate in 561 morphologically negative specimens (normal and inflammation) was 16% (machine diagnosis). Visual interaction by subtracting the visually recognized false alarms from the total number of alarms reduces the false positive rate to 11%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A preparation technique for exfoliated and aspirated cells allowing different staining procedures.

Quantitative cytology requires highly standardized preparation, fixation and staining techniques in order to obtain reproducible morphology (e.g., cell size, cell shape and chromatin distribution). We found centrifugal cytology best suited to this purpose. Therefore, we recently developed an improved bucket for centrifugation that permits sedimentation of cells in a fixative solution (2% polyethylene glycol in 50% ethanol) by using centrifugation at relatively high g forces. The cell quantity, the cell distribution and the flatness of the specimens thus prepared proved to be adequate for automated anlysis using the Leyden Television Analysis System (LEYTAS). Furthermore, different cytochemical and cytomorphologic staining procedures could be performed on different aliquots of the same cytologic sample without any change in the preparation or fixation technique.