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Objectives: Children with medical complexity experienced health disparities during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Language may compound these disparities since people speaking languages other than English (LOE) also experienced worse COVID-19 outcomes. Our objective was to investigate associations between household language for children with medical complexity and caregiver COVID-19 vaccine intentions, testing knowledge, and trusted sources of information. Methods: This cross-sectional survey of caregivers of children with medical complexity ages 5 to 17 years was conducted from April-June 2022. Children with medical complexity had at least 1 Complex Chronic Condition. Households were considered LOE if they reported speaking any language other than English. Multivariable logistic regression examined associations between LOE and COVID-19 vaccine intentions, interpretation of COVID-19 test results, and trusted sources of information. Results: We included 1,338 caregivers of children with medical complexity (49% response rate), of which 133 (10%) had household LOE (31 total languages, 58% being Spanish). There was no association between household LOE and caregiver COVID-19 vaccine intentions. Caregivers in households with LOE had similar interpretations of positive COVID-19 test results, but significantly different interpretations of negative results. Odds of interpreting a negative test as expected (meaning the child does not have COVID-19 now or can still get the virus from others) were lower in LOE households (aOR [95% CI]: 0.56 [0.34–0.95]). Households with LOE were more likely to report trusting the US government to provide COVID-19 information (aOR [95% CI]: 1.86 [1.24–2.81]). Conclusion: Differences in COVID-19 test interpretations based on household language for children with medical complexity were observed and could contribute to disparities in outcomes. Opportunities for more inclusive public health messaging likely exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The unprecedented coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused millions of infections worldwide and represents a significant challenge facing modern health care systems. This study was conducted to investigate the impact of lockdown measures in a tertiary Children's Hospital in southwest China, which might be used to predict long-term effects related to health-seeking behavior of parents/caregivers. Methods: This study included newborns enrolled over a span of 86 weeks between January 4, 2019, and August 27, 2020. We designated two time periods for analysis purposes: a stable pre-COVID period(55 weeks between January 4, 2019, and January 23, 2020) and a COVID-impacted period (31 weeks between January 24, 2020, and August 27, 2020). An interrupted time-series analysis was employed to compare changes and trends in hospital admissions and disease spectra before and after the period of nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). Furthermore, this study was conducted to evaluate whether the health-seeking behavior of parents/caregivers was influenced by pandemic factors. Results: Overall, 16,640 infants were admitted to the neonatology department during the pre-COVID period (n = 12,082) and the COVID-impacted period (n = 4,558). The per week neonatal admissions consistently decreased following the first days of NPIs (January 24, 2020). The average weekly admission rates of 220/week pre-COVID period and 147/week COVID-impacted period. There was an evident decrease in the volume of admissions for all disease spectra after the intervention, whereas the decrease of patients complaining about pathological jaundice-related conditions was statistically significant (p<0.05). In the COVID-impacted period, the percentage of patients who suffered from respiratory system diseases, neonatal encephalopathy, and infectious diseases decreased, while the percentage of pathological jaundice-related conditions and gastrointestinal system diseases increased. The neonatal mortality rates (NMRs) increased by 8.7% during the COVID-impacted period compared with the pre-COVID period. Conclusions: In summary, there was a significant decline in neonatal admissions in a tertiary care hospital during the COVID-19 Pandemic and the associated NPIs. Additionally, this situation had a remarkable impact on disease spectra and health-seeking behavior of parents/caregivers. We, therefore, advise continuing follow-ups and monitoring the main health indicators in vulnerable populations affected by this Pandemic over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The early detection and differential diagnosis of respiratory infections increase the chances for successful control of COVID-19 disease. The nucleic acid RT-PCR test is regarded as the current standard for molecular diagnosis. However, the maximal specificity confirmation target ORF1ab gene is considered to be less sensitive than other targets in clinical application. In addition, recent evidence indicated that the initial missed diagnosis of asymptomatic patients with SARS-CoV-2 and discharged patients with "re-examination positive" might be due to low viral load, and the ability of rapid mutation of SARS-CoV-2 also increases the rate of false-negative results. Moreover, the mixed sample nucleic acid detection is helpful in seeking out the early community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 rapidly, but the detection kit needs ultra-high detection sensitivity. Herein, the lowest detection concentration of different nucleic acid detection kits was evaluated and compared to provide direct evidence for the selection of kits for mixed sample detection or make recommendations for the selection of validation kit, which is of great significance for the prevention and control of the current epidemic and the discharge criteria of low viral load patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this study were to assess gastrointestinal transit times, sedation, and signs of nausea associated with intravenous lidocaine infusions in dogs following targeted acupuncture at Pericardium-6 (PC6) and Stomach-36 (ST36). In a randomized, blind crossover design, 6 healthy, adult Beagles were fed thirty 1.5 mm barium-impregnated polyethylene spheres (BIPS), then were subject to 30 minutes of: 1) no acupuncture, 2) bilateral targeted acupuncture at PC6 and ST36, or 3) bilateral non-target acupuncture at Lung-5 (LU5) and Bladder-55 (BL55). Lidocaine was immediately administered at 1 mg/kg intravenously followed by 50 μg/kg/min. BIPS were tracked radiographically; sedation and nausea were scored at baseline (Time 0) and for 11 hours during lidocaine infusions. Transit times and sedation and nausea scores were analyzed with a linear mixed-effects model; the number of BIPS at defined time points was analyzed with a piecewise linear mixed-effects model. All P values were two-sided and P < 0.05 was considered significant. Sedation and nausea scores did not differ between treatments at any time point (all P > 0.05). However, nausea scores in all groups were significantly greater at Times 5 through 7 and at Time 11 compared to Time 0 whereas sedation scores in all groups were significantly greater at Times 2 through 11 compared to Time 0 (all P < 0.05). The number of BIPs found out of the stomach, the number found in the large intestine, gastric emptying and gastrointestinal transit times did not differ between treatments (all P > 0.05). Acupuncture at PC6 and ST36 did not alleviate nausea and sedation associated with lidocaine infusions in clinically normal animals or affect gastric emptying and gastrointestinal transit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is currently no detailed evidence for the long-term effects of bariatric surgery on severely obese with type 2 diabetes, such as the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke. In order to provide evidence on the risks of macrovascular diseases and metabolic indicators of bariatric surgery follow-up for more than five years, we searched in the Cochrane library, Pubmed, and EMBASE databases from the earliest studies to January 31, 2019. Randomized clinical trials or cohort studies compared bariatric surgery and conventional medical therapy for long-term incidence of macrovascular events and metabolic outcomes in severely obese patients with T2DM. Fixed-effects and random-effects meta-analyses were performed to pool the relative risks (RRs), hazard ratios (HRs) and weighted mean difference (WMD). Publication bias and heterogeneity were examined. Four RCTs and six cohort studies were finally involved in this review. Patients in the bariatric surgery group as compared to the conventional treatment group had lower incidence of macrovascular complications (RR = 0.43, 95%CI = 0.27~0.70), cardiovascular events (CVEs) (HR = 0.52, 95%CI = 0.39~0.71), and myocardial infarction (MI) (RR = 0.40, 95%CI = 0.26~0.61). At the same time, the results demonstrate that bariatric surgery is associated with better weight and better glycemic control over the long-term than non-surgical therapies, and reveal that different surgical methods have different effects on various metabolic indicators. Bariatric surgery significantly decreases macrovascular complications over the long term and is associated with greater weight loss and better intermediate glucose outcomes among T2DM patients with severe obesity as compared to patients receiving only conservative medical measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jasmonate (JA) is an important signaling molecule involved in the regulation of many physiological and stress-related processes in plants. Jasmonate ZIM-domain (JAZ) proteins have been implicated in regulating JA signaling pathways and the cross talk between various phytohormones. Maize is not only an important cereal crop, but also a model plant for monocotyledon studies. Although many JAZ proteins have been characterized in Arabidopsis and rice, few reports have examined the function of JAZ proteins in maize. In this report, we examined the phylogenetic relationship and expression pattern of JAZ family genes in maize. In addition, a tassel and endosperm-specific JAZ gene, ZmJAZ14, was identified using microarray data analysis and real-time RT-PCR, and its expression was induced by polyethylene glycol (PEG), jasmonate (JA), abscisic acid (ABA), and gibberellins (GAs). ZmJAZ14 was shown to be localized in the nucleus and possessed no transcriptional activating activity, suggesting that it functions as a transcriptional regulator. We found that overexpression of ZmJAZ14 in Arabidopsis enhanced plant tolerance to JA and ABA treatment, as well as PEG stress, while it promoted growth under GA stimulus. Moreover, ZmJAZ14 interacted with a subset of transcription factors in Arabidopsis, and the accumulation of several marker genes involved in JA, ABA, and GA signaling pathways were altered in the overexpression lines. These results suggest that ZmJAZ14 may serve as a hub for the cross talk among the JA, ABA, and GA signaling pathways. Our results can be used to further characterize the function of JAZ family proteins in maize, and the gene cloned in this study may serve as a candidate for drought tolerance and growth promotion regulation in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]