During the last decade's increase of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in animals, animal-human transmission has become a major threat. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the genetic basis of AMR in Gram-negative bacteria recovered from sheep and goats with respiratory disease. Nasal and ocular swabs were collected from 69 diseased animals, and 76 Gram-negative bacterial isolates were identified from 59 animals. All isolates were checked phenotypically for resistance and genotypically for different resistance mechanisms, including β-lactam, quinolone, and aminoglycoside resistance. Our results demonstrated that 9.2% (95% CI 4.5-17.8%) of the isolates were multidrug-resistant, with high resistance rates to β-lactams and quinolones, and 11.8% (95% CI 6.4-21%) and 6.6% (95% CI 2.8-14.5%) of the isolates were phenotypically positive for AmpC and ESBL, respectively. Genotypically, was the most identified β-lactamase encoding gene in 29% (95% CI 20-40%) of the isolates, followed by (14.5%, 95% CI 8.3-24.1%) and (4%, 95% CI 1.4-11%). Furthermore, 7.9% (95% CI 3.7-16.2%) of the isolates harbored plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance gene . Our study revealed for the first time to our knowledge high β-lactam and quinolone resistance associated with the bacteria recovered from sheep and one goat with respiratory disease. Furthermore, different antimicrobial resistant determinants were identified for the first time from animals in Africa, such as , and . This study highlights the potential role of sheep and goats in disseminating AMR determinants and/or resistant bacteria to humans. The study regenerates interest for the development of a One Health approach to combat this formidable problem.

MR Imaging is regarded asthe gold standardfor Image Gudied Adaptive Brachytherapy (IGABT) for cervical cancer. However, its wide applicability is limited by its availability, logistics and financial implications. Use of alternative imaging like CTand Ultrasound (US) for IGABT has been attempted. In order to arrive at a systematic, uniform and international approach for CT based definition and contouring of target structures, GEC ESTRO, IBS and ABS agreed to jointly develop such recommendations based on the concepts and terms as published in the ICRU Report 89. The minimum requirements are clinical examination & documentation, CT or MR imaging at diagnosis and at a minimum, CT imaging with the applicator in place. The recommendations are based on (i) assessment of the GTV at diagnosis and at brachytherapy, (ii) categorizing the response to external radiation into different clinical remission patterns, (iii) defining various clinico-radiological environments and (iv) definition & delineation of a target on CT imaging at the time of brachytherapy with the applicator in situ. CT based target contouring recommendations based on 4 remission categories within 8 defined environments, aim at improving the contouring accuracy for IGABT using CT, US and MRI as available. For each clinico-radiological environment, there is an attempt to minimize the specific uncertainties in order to arrive at the best possible contouring accuracy. Evaluating feasibility & reproducibility, to achieve a benchmark towards a gold standard MR IGABT and further clinical research including outcomes with CT Based IGABT will become the next steps.

Global deployment of an effective and safe vaccine is necessary to curtail the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Here, we evaluated a Newcastle disease virus (NDV)-based vectored-vaccine in mice and hamsters for its immunogenicity, safety, and protective efficacy against SARS-CoV-2. Intranasal administration of recombinant (r)NDV-S vaccine expressing spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 to mice induced high levels of SARS-CoV-2-specific neutralizing immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgG2a antibodies and T-cell-mediated immunity. Hamsters immunized with two doses of vaccine showed complete protection from lung infection, inflammation, and pathological lesions following SARS-CoV-2 challenge. Importantly, administration of two doses of intranasal rNDV-S vaccine significantly reduced the SARS-CoV-2 shedding in nasal turbinate and lungs in hamsters. Collectively, intranasal vaccination has the potential to control infection at the site of inoculation, which should prevent both clinical disease and virus transmission to halt the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) appears effective for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Evaluation of prognostic factors is imperative for patient selection and improving treatment efficacy. This study aimed to assess sarcopenia as a predictor of the outcome of RFA in patients with HCC.

Methods: This prospective study included all patients with HCC on top of HCV-related cirrhosis who underwent RFA and followed up for a minimum of two years. CT scan was used to determine the skeletal muscle index at the psoas, erector spinae, quadratus lumborum, transversus abdominis, external and internal obliques, and rectus abdominis muscles. Cross-sectional areas were calculated to obtain a lumbar skeletal muscle index (L3-SMI).

Results: A total of 97 patients were enrolled in the study. The L3-SMI was 46.2±12.1 cm/m. Older age was the only risk factor associated with sarcopenia (p = 0.001). The overall survival at two years for the whole group was 65.2%. Sarcopenia and MELD score were independent predictors of OS at two years with HR of 7.6 (95% CI: 3.1-18.7) and 2.2 (95% CI: 1.0-4.8), respectively. Recurrence-free survival was 84.1% at two years. Recurrence was not affected by all factors, including sarcopenia.

Conclusion: Sarcopenia is a surrogate predictor of overall survival at two years in HCC patients after RFA. Sarcopenia assessment might be an additional prognostic indicator with conventional biomarkers to optimize the selection criteria for receiving RFA for early-stage HCC.

Introduction Childhood cancers are a leading cause of non-communicable disease deaths for children around the world. The COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted on global children’s cancer services, which can have consequences for childhood cancer outcomes. The Global Health Research Group on Children’s Non-Communicable Diseases is currently undertaking the first international cohort study to determine the variation in paediatric cancer management during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the short-term to medium-term impacts on childhood cancer outcomes.Methods and analysis This is a multicentre, international cohort study that will use routinely collected hospital data in a deidentified and anonymised form. Patients will be recruited consecutively into the study, with a 12-month follow-up period. Patients will be included if they are below the age of 18 years and undergoing anticancer treatment for the following cancers: acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, Burkitt lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, Wilms tumour, sarcoma, retinoblastoma, gliomas, medulloblastomas and neuroblastomas. Patients must be newly presented or must be undergoing active anticancer treatment from 12 March 2020 to 12 December 2020. The primary objective of the study was to determine all-cause mortality rates of 30 days, 90 days and 12 months. This study will examine the factors that influenced these outcomes. χ2 analysis will be used to compare mortality between low-income and middle-income countries and high-income countries. Multilevel, multivariable logistic regression analysis will be undertaken to identify patient-level and hospital-level factors affecting outcomes with adjustment for confounding factors.Ethics and dissemination At the host centre, this study was deemed to be exempt from ethical committee approval due to the use of anonymised registry data. At other centres, participating collaborators have gained local approvals in accordance with their institutional ethical regulations. Collaborators will be encouraged to present the results locally, nationally and internationally. The results will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.