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Orthohantavirus is a genus of globally distributed RNA viruses in the family Hantaviridae. In the Americas, the viruses are hosted by native rodent species within the Cricetidae family (2). Although [...]

Recently there has been a surge of interest in technology-aided teaching strategies such as the flipped classroom. Given the growing interest in these techniques, it is important to critically evaluate their effectiveness and to begin to examine factors that might shape how effective the flipped classroom will be in a given educational setting. Although most existing research on the flipped classroom suggests an advantage of the flipped approach over a more traditional lecture approach, most of this research has been conducted in a single educational setting at a time and in ways that preclude definitive conclusions about the relative effectiveness of the flipped approach. We present the results of a study that addressed many of these methodological limitations and compared the effectiveness of the flipped approach to a traditional lecture approach across two semesters in courses from two different disciplines, finance and psychology. We found that the effectiveness of the flipped versus the traditional approach varied across the two courses. In particular, in the psychology courses the flipped approach resulted in superior performance on quizzes administered immediately after exposure to course material, but resulted in similar performance on exams administered some time after initial exposure. In contrast, in the finance courses the flipped approach resulted in similar performance on immediately administered quizzes, but superior performance on later administered exams. These results contribute to the burgeoning literature on the flipped classroom both by addressing methodological limitations found in previous work and by identifying some of the specific conditions under which the flipped approach may be a good pedagogical choice.

Background: Little is known about postdischarge healthcare resource use (HCU) among patients hospitalized for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The objective was to identify distinct profiles of patients based on postdischarge cares. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study using the French National Health System claims database. We followed up all patients hospitalized for COVID-19 between 2020/02/01 and 2020/06/30 for 6 months; the discharge date was the index date. We excluded patients who died during the index stay or within 30 days after discharge. We described patients’ HCU over 5 months from day 31 after the index date to the end of follow-up, i.e., the post-COVID-19 period. We described the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the participants and 44 selected types of HCU, including medical and emergency room visits, medications, medical and biological tests, oxygen therapy, rehabilitation, rehospitalization, nurse visits, and sick leave. We performed Ward’s ascendant hierarchical clustering (AHC) analysis to identify groups of patients with similar post-COVID-19 HCU and described HCU and clinical characteristics by cluster. Results: The study population included 68,822 patients (median age: 64.8 years, 47% women). Eight clusters of patients were identified, each comprising between 1,163 and 35,501 patients. Four clusters were characterized by older patients and high proportions of comorbidities, i.e. cancer (cluster 3), mental disorders (cluster 4), cardiac insufficiency (cluster 5) and respiratory failure (cluster 6). Cluster 8 was characterized by younger patients, often obese and with low mortality. Another cluster was characterized by complex index stays (cluster 7) and a last cluster (cluster 2) by specific medical contacts and therapy. The main cluster (cluster 1, n = 35,501) was similar to the overall study population. The duration and complexity of the index stay also varied across clusters. Conclusions: Based on HCU data, AHC identified 8 clinically relevant profiles of patients surviving the acute episode of COVID-19 hospitalization. The clusters illustrate the many impacts of COVID on the health status of infected patients and may help anticipate future needs of care in a similar context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deregulation of micro-RNAs (miRNAs) may contribute to mechanisms of injury in the bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). Our objective was to investigate the expression of miRNAs in aortic tissue from patients who underwent aortic valve replacement for aortic stenosis and its relationship with aortic dilatation. The study included 78 patients, 40 with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) and 38 with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV). The expression of miRNA-17-5p, hsa-let-7e, and miRNA-196a-5p in human aortic tissue was evaluated by a reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Comparative analysis between patients with BAV and controls with TAV explored the association between the miRNAs and aortic dilatation (AD), calcification, valve dysfunction, and stenosis. The results showed that the expression levels of miRNA-Let-7e-5p and miRNA-196-5p were mostly increased in patients with BAV and aortic dilatation (p = 0.01 and p = 0.01), respectively. In contrast, the levels of miRNA-17a-5p (p < 0.20) were lower but without a statistically significant difference. The downregulation of miRNA-17a-5p and the upregulation of miR-Let-7e-5p and miR-196-5p were related to an increased risk of AD risk. Subjects with BAVs with or without double aortic lesions had higher expression levels of Let-7e-5p and miRNA-17a-5p vs. TAV. In all patients, we found an inverse correlation of MiRNA-196-5p with High-Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol (HDL-C) and indexed valvular area. In subjects with a higher expression of miRNA196, lower levels of HDL-C correlation (r2) [r2 0.27 (p = 0.02)] and a lower indexed valvular area [r2 0.28 (p = 0.05)] were observed. In the specific analysis for each patient group, it was found that in control subjects with tricuspid aortic valve (TAV), miRNA-196-5p had a positive correlation with valvular calcification (r2 = 0.60, p = 0.02). Deregulation of miRNAs in the aortic tissue of a BAV may influence valvular stenosis, dysfunction, and concomitant aortic dilation. This information could help to define potential therapeutic target strategies to improve the prognosis and treatment of BAV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hereditary angioedema type 1 (HAE1) is a rare, genetically heterogeneous, and autosomal dominant disease. It is a highly variable, insidious, and potentially life-threatening condition, characterized by sudden local, often asymmetric, and episodic subcutaneous and submucosal swelling, caused by pathogenic molecular variants in the SERPING1 gene, which codes for C1-Inhibitor protein. This study performed the phenotypic and molecular characterization of a HAE1 cluster that includes the largest number of affected worldwide. A geographically HAE1 cluster was found in the northeast Colombian department of Boyaca, which accounts for four unrelated families, with 79 suspected to be affected members. Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) was performed in 2 out of 4 families (Family 1 and Family 4), identifying the variants c.1420C>T and c.1238T>G, respectively. The latter corresponds to a novel mutation. For Families 2 and 3, the c.1417G>A variant was confirmed by Sanger sequencing. This variant had been previously reported to the patient prior to the beginning of this study. Using deep-learning methods, the structure of the C1-Inhibitor protein, p.Gln474* and p.Met413Arg was predicted, and we propose the molecular mechanism related to the etiology of the disease. Using Sanger sequencing, family segregation analysis was performed on 44 individuals belonging to the families analyzed. The identification of this cluster and its molecular analysis will allow the timely identification of new cases and the establishment of adequate treatment strategies. Our results establish the importance of performing population genetic studies in a multi-cluster region for genetic diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Chronic pain is a common symptom in Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome (PACS), affecting 11–60% of patients, but the link between COVID-19 and chronic pain remains unclear. This study assesses healthcare resource utilization (HRU) for pain management among French COVID-19 survivors, using the National French Claims Database (SNDS). We analyzed medical consultations, rehabilitation services, diagnostic procedures, and medication dispensing to identify PACS-related pain patterns and their impact on the healthcare system. Methods: The cohort included 68,822 patients hospitalized during the first COVID-19 wave (March–June 2020), with 13,939 ICU survivors. HRU was assessed for six months pre- and post-hospitalization in four areas: (1) medical consultations and rehabilitation; (2) pain-related medication dispensing; (3) neuropathic diagnostic procedures; (4) hospital admissions for chronic pain. A post–pre ratio (PP-Ratio) compared post-COVID to pre-COVID HRU. Results: Significant changes in HRU were observed, particularly for ICU survivors. Neurology consultations (PP-Ratio 1.41) and outpatient physical therapy (PP-Ratio 1.69) increased. Dispensing of strong opioids, antiepileptics, anxiolytics, and hypnotics rose, while NSAID use decreased. Hospitalizations for chronic pain also increased (PP-Ratio 1.52). Similar trends were seen among ICU survivors, with notable increases in opioid and antiepileptic use. No distinct PACS-related pain patterns emerged. Conclusions: Non-specific increases in HRU for pain management were found following COVID-19 hospitalization, likely due to disease severity and ICU care rather than PACS-related chronic pain. Further research is needed to explore long-term pain outcomes in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS), characterized by its high fatality rate, poses a significant public health concern in Argentina due to the increasing evidence of person-to-person transmission of Andes virus. Several orthohantaviruses were described in the country, but their phylogenetic relationships were inferred from partial genomic sequences. The objectives of this work were to assess the viral diversity of the most prevalent orthohantaviruses associated with HPS cases in the Central-East (CE) region of Argentina, elucidate the geographic patterns of distribution of each variant and reconstruct comprehensive phylogenetic relationships utilizing complete genomic sequencing. To accomplish this, a detailed analysis was conducted of the geographic distribution of reported cases within the most impacted province of the region. A representative sample of cases was then selected to generate a geographic map illustrating the distribution of viral variants. Complete viral genomes were obtained from HPS cases reported in the region, including some from epidemiologically linked cases. The phylogenetic analysis based on complete genomes defined two separate clades in Argentina: Andes virus in the Southwestern region and Andes-like viruses in other parts of the country. In the CE region, Buenos Aires virus and Lechiguanas virus clearly segregate in two subclades. Complete genomes were useful to distinguish person-to-person transmission from environmental co-exposure to rodent population. This study enhances the understanding of the genetic diversity, geographical spread, and transmission dynamics of orthohantaviruses in Central Argentina and prompt to consider the inclusion of Buenos Aires virus and Lechiguanas virus in the species Orthohantavirus andesense, as named viruses. Author summary: The discovery of hundreds of novel viruses assignable to the order Bunyavirales in recent years led to International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) to impose the requirement of complete or almost complete viral sequences in order to establish a correct taxonomic classification. As a large number of incomplete sequences has confounded the understanding of Hantavirus diversity, many viruses have been recently declassified including several variants circulating in Argentina. In this work, high quality and complete genomic sequences were obtained of Buenos Aires and Lechiguanas viruses, which are responsible for the majority of the HPS cases in the CE region of Argentina. The information provided in this work will help to consider the re-classification of Lechiguanas and the inclusion of Buenos Aires as named viruses within the species Orthohantavirus andesense. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By signing and ratifying the United Nations Protocol Against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, the United States promised to the international community and to its citizens that it would adhere to a legal criminal definition of migrant smuggling that protects migrant families by only targeting in its language the organized offenders that aim to benefit financially or materially. After it made this promise, the United States did not amend 8 U.S.C. § 1324 to conform fully with the protocol. Contrary to the demands of the protocol, the statute does not establish as an element of the base offense of migrant smuggling intent for financial or material benefit. Instead, a prosecutor can decide whether to charge as a migrant smuggler one family member who assists another in entering unlawfully to the United States. The repercussions of this overbroad understanding of migrant smuggling are felt most in the immigration context in which a mother entering unlawfully into the United States while holding her infant is barred from seeking legal admission to the United States. This Article analyzes the protocol and finds that the United States falls short of its promise. I argue for amending 8 U.S.C. § 1324 and I propose that the United States extend the protocol's targeted migrant smuggling definition to its immigration statutes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is an American emerging disease caused by the rodent-borne virus genus Orthohantavirus (Family: Hantaviridae: Order: Elliovirales Class: Bunyaviricetes). In Argentina, almost half of the HPS infections occur in the northwestern endemic region. In this study, we monitored rodent abundance during 2022 and 2023 in three sites with different sampling methods (removal trapping, live trapping and hunted rodents by domestic cats) to evaluate their relationship with human infections. We found a similar pattern of variation in rodent abundance across time, and particularly a synchronous rise of rodent abundance that anticipated an HPS outbreak in 2023. Our dynamic regression models revealed a positive relationship between HPS cases and rodent abundance with a three-month lag, as well as rainfall with an eight-month lag. Our results provide a framework for the planning and implementation of public health prevention campaigns based on climatology and rodent monitoring. Domestic cats bringing rodents into houses can be an overlooked risk factor, particularly if viral shedding of infected rodents is magnified by stress. HPS is a disease of public health concern due to its high mortality rate, the lack of a specific therapeutic treatment and no vaccine. Thus, prevention of infections is of the utmost importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has resulted in substantial illness and death rates worldwide. Orthohantaviruses are zoonotic viruses responsible for [...]

Pathogenic hantaviruses are members of the family Hantaviridae and genus Orthohantavirus. These viruses are responsible for hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in the Americas. In Argentina, HPS was first described in [...]