COVID-19 associated hospitalization in 571 patients with fibromyalgia—A population-based study

Objective To identify predicators of patients with fibromyalgia (FM) that are associated with a severe COVID-19 disease course. Methods We utilized the data base of the Clalit Health Services (CHS); the largest public organization in Israel, and extracted data concerning patients with FM. We matched two subjects without FM to each subject with FM by sex and age and geographic location. Baseline characteristics were evaluated by t-test for continuous variables and chi-square for categorical variables. Predictors of COVID-19 associated hospitalization were identified using univariable logistic regression model, significant variables were selected and analyzed by a multivariable logistic regression model. Results The initial cohort comprised 18,598 patients with FM and 36,985 matched controls. The mean age was 57.5± 14.5(SD), with a female dominance of 91%. Out of this cohort we extracted the study population, which included all patients contracted with COVID-19, and consisted of 571 patients with FM and 1008 controls. By multivariable analysis, the following variables were found to predict COVID-19 associated hospitalization in patients with FM: older age (OR, 1.25; CI, 1.13–1.39; p<0.001), male sex (OR, 2.63; CI, 1.18–5.88; p<0.05) and hypertension (OR, 1.75; CI, 1.04–2.95; p<0.05). Conclusion The current population-based study revealed that FM per se was not directly associated with COVID-19 hospitalization or related mortality. Yet classical risk factors endangering the general population were also relevant among patients with FM.

Carcinoma Showing Thymus-Like Differentiation (CASTLE): A Rare Tumor of the Thyroid

Carcinoma showing thymus-like differentiation (CASTLE) is a rare neoplasm of the thyroid or the adjacent tissues in the neck. It was first described by Miyauchi et al. in 1985 as an intrathyroidal epithelial thymoma. In 1991 Chan and Rosai classified these tumors into four types including CASTLE. World Health Organization (WHO) declared it as an independent clinicopathologic entity in 2004. The tumor arises from ectopic thymus tissue or remnants of branchial pouch. Both sexes are affected similarly with a slight female dominance. It is usually encountered in the fourth and fifth decades of life. It does not have specific symptoms or radiologic findings which makes preoperative diagnosis difficult. It has a higher tendency to be located in the lower poles of thyroid lobes. Immunohistochemistry helps differentiate it from other malignant neoplasms, CD5 being an important marker. The tumor is negative for thyroid specific markers as thyroglobulin, TTF-1 or calcitonin. Surgery is considered the mainstream therapy. Radiotherapy may be reserved for gross disease or recurrence. The role of chemotherapy is unclear. The prognosis of CASTLE is favourable.

E-learning in the era of Covid-19 Pandemic: the Challenges and Opportunities

Background: The current study aimed to determine the effectiveness of E-learning in Pakistan among the higher education students (both medical and non-medical) during the global pandemic. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a government university in Karachi, Pakistan between April 2020 to September 2021. All participants living in a region where COVID-19 is prevalent, having higher education status, who had access to the internet and were above 18 years of age were included in the study. All those who were younger than 18 years, those who were in primary and secondary education, and students who were already taking any online module before the Covid-19 pandemic were excluded. All findings were recorded in the semi – structured Proforma consisting of closed ended questions. Demographics of the study participant’s such as age, gender and occupation were recorded. Furthermore, information to assess the satisfaction towards the online learning were included. Results: Mean age of study participants was 21 years with female dominance. Overall mean scores for learning environment, face-to-face learning, and E-learning were 18.1 ± 4.6, 23.1 ± 6.5, and 15.4 ± 7.1, respectively. The scores for the learning environment were significantly higher for female students as compared to male counterparts (p<0.008). However, no statistical difference was observed between gender and scores on face-to face learning and E-learning. It was further indicated that face-to-face learning was significantly higher in medical students (p=0.0001) while non-medical students score significantly higher in E-learning with a p-value of 0.0002. Conclusion: The present study presented a comparison between modes of teaching (face-to-face learning versus E-learning) from the perspective of the students. The study indicated that medical students preferred face-to-face learning while other non-medical students preferred E-learning. If interactive classes are an option for students in which they can easily interact with the teacher and postulate questions, then E-learning could be as effective as face-to-face learning. However, this should be further explored using a larger sample population including remote areas of Pakistan as well. Keywords: E-LEARNING, COVID-19, PANDEMIC, LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

The effect of dominance rank on female reproductive success in social mammals

Life in social groups, while potentially providing social benefits, inevitably leads to conflict among group members. In many social mammals, such conflicts lead to the formation of dominance hierarchies, where high-ranking individuals consistently outcompete other group members. Given that competition is a fundamental tenet of the theory of natural selection, it is generally assumed that high-ranking individuals have higher reproductive success than lower-ranking individuals. Previous reviews have indicated large variation across populations on the potential effect of dominance rank on reproductive success in female mammals. Here, we perform a meta-analysis based on 444 effect sizes from 187 studies on 86 mammal species to investigate how life-history, ecology and sociality modulate the relationship between female dominance rank and fitness. We show that (1) dominance rank is generally positively associated with reproductive success, independent of the approach different studies have taken to answer this question; (2) life-history mechanisms mediate the relationship between rank and reproductive success, with higher effects of dominance rank on reproductive output than on survival, particularly in species with high reproductive investment; (3) the fitness benefits to high-ranking females appear consistent across ecological conditions, and (4) instead the social environment consistently mitigates rank differences on reproductive success by modulating female competition.

The characteristics of COVID-19 vaccine-related headache: Clues gathered from the healthcare personnel in the pandemic

Introduction Headache is a frequent adverse event after viral vaccines. We aimed to investigate the frequency and clinical associations of COVID-19 vaccine-related headache. Methods The characteristics, associations of this headache, main comorbidities, headache history following the influenza vaccine and during COVID-19 were investigated using a web-based questionnaire. Results A total of 1819 healthcare personnel (mean age: 44.4 ± 13.4 years, 1222 females), vaccinated with inactivated virus, contributed to the survey; 209 (11.4%) had been infected with COVID-19. A total of 556 participants (30.6%) reported headache with significant female dominance (36.1% vs. 19.3%), 1.8 ± 3.5 (median: 1; IQR: 0–2) days following vaccination. One hundred and forty-four participants (25.9%) experienced headache lasting ≥3 days. Headache was mostly bilateral without accompanying phenomena, less severe, and shorter than COVID-19-related headache. The presence of primary headaches and migraine were significantly associated with COVID-19 vaccine-related headache (ORs = 2.16 [95% CI 1.74–2.68] and 1.65 [1.24–2.19], respectively). Headache during COVID-19 or following influenza vaccine also showed significant association with headache following COVID-19 vaccine (OR = 4.3 [95% CI 1.82–10.2] and OR = 4.84 [95% CI 2.84–8.23], respectively). Only thyroid diseases showed a significant association (OR = 1.54 [95% CI 1.15–2.08]) with vaccine-related headache among the common comorbidities. Conclusion Headache is observed in 30.6% of the healthcare workers following COVID-19 vaccine and mostly experienced by females with pre-existing primary headaches, thyroid disorders, headache during COVID-19, or headache related to the influenza vaccine.

Males are more sensitive to their audience than females when scent-marking in the redfronted lemur

Audience effects, i.e. changes in behaviour caused by the presence of conspecifics, have rarely been studied in the context of olfactory communication, even though they may provide important insights into the functions of olfactory signals. Functional sex differences in scent-marking behaviours are common and influenced by the social system. To date, patterns of functional sex differences in scent-marking behaviours remain unknown in species without overt dominance relationships. We investigated sex differences in intra-group audience effects on anogenital scent-marking in a wild population of redfronted lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons) by performing focal scent-marking observations. With a combination of generalised linear mixed models and exponential random graph models, we found different audience effects in both sexes. Males were overall more sensitive than females to their audience. Only males seemed to be sensitive to the presence of both members of the opposite sex and same-sex conspecifics in the audience. Females were only moderately sensitive to the presence of other females in the audience. This study offers a potential behavioural pattern associated with anogenital scent-marking that seem to differ from those described for species exhibiting female dominance, supporting the notion that the social systems co-varies with scent-marking behaviours and scent-complexity in strepsirrhines.

Social dominance and cooperation in female vampire bats

When group-living animals develop individualized social relationships, they often regulate cooperation and conflict through a dominance hierarchy. Female common vampire bats have been an experimental system for studying cooperative relationships, yet surprisingly little is known about female conflict. Here, we recorded the outcomes of 1023 competitive interactions over food provided ad libitum in a captive colony of 33 vampire bats (24 adult females and their young). We found a weakly linear dominance hierarchy using three common metrics (Landau's h ’ measure of linearity, triangle transitivity and directional consistency). However, patterns of female dominance were less structured than in many other group-living mammals. Female social rank was not clearly predicted by body size, age, nor reproductive status, and competitive interactions were not correlated with kinship, grooming nor food sharing. We therefore found no evidence that females groomed or shared food up a hierarchy or that differences in rank explained asymmetries in grooming or food sharing. A possible explanation for such apparently egalitarian relationships among female vampire bats is the scale of competition. Female vampire bats that are frequent roostmates might not often directly compete for food in the wild.