Quantitative serological assays detecting response to SARS-CoV-2 are needed to quantify immunity. This study analyzed the performance and correlation of two quantitative anti-S1 assays in oligo-/asymptomatic individuals from a population-based cohort.
 
  In total, 362 plasma samples (108 with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction [RT-PCR]-positive pharyngeal swabs, 111 negative controls, and 143 with positive serology without confirmation by RT-PCR) were tested with quantitative assays (Euroimmun Anti-SARS-CoV-2 QuantiVac enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [EI-S1-IgG-quant]) and Roche Elecsys
  Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S [Ro-RBD-Ig-quant]), which were compared with each other and confirmatory tests, including wild-type virus micro-neutralization (NT) and GenScript
  cPass™. Square roots R of coefficients of determination were calculated for continuous variables and non-parametric tests were used for paired comparisons.
 
  Quantitative anti-S1 serology correlated well with each other (true positives, 96%; true uant) may replace direct neutralization assays in quantitative measurement of immune protection against SARS-CoV-2 in certain circumstances. However, although the mean antibody titers for both assays tended to decrease over time, a higher proportion of Ro-RBD-Ig-quant values remained positive after 240 days.Myocarditis is a concerning potential consequence of COVID-19 infection, attributed to ventricular dysfunction, cardiac fibrosis, ventricular arrhythmias, cardiogenic shock, and sudden cardiac death.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/pexidartinib-plx3397.html  Recently, the Israeli Health Ministry announced that a small number of cases of myocarditis may be linked to second dose of Pfizer's BioNTech-partnered COVID-19 vaccine. The long-term impact of COVID-19 myocarditis and coronary microthrombosis which has also been described and the best therapies for these complications remain unknown. Indeed, monomorphic ventricular tachycardia and regular ventricular arrhythmias have previously been found to be more common in those recovered from myocarditis than in acute myocarditis itself. Follow-up assessment of cardiac function has been suggested for this cohort to detect and possibly prevent further cardiac events in the rehabilitation phase. Functional capacity has been shown to be a better determinant of long-term morbidity than diagnostic testing alone, but integrated approach is likely the way forward in clinical follow-up. Assessment of residual complications in the post-COVID-19 recovery phase may identify the population burden of long-term cardiac disease as a direct consequence of COVID-19.
  Real-world evidence for how US Crohn's disease (CD) patients use ustekinumab is limited.
 
  The aim of this study was to describe the persistence, maintenance dosing, and pre-post corticosteroid and opioid use for CD patients in the USA treated with ustekinumab and those treated with adalimumab as a commonly used descriptive reference product.
 
  CD patients aged ≥ 18years with ≥2 CD diagnoses between 1 October 2012 and 31 May 2018and ≥ 1 new (i.e., no claim for at least 1 year) outpatient pharmacy claim for ustekinumab or adalimumab (first claim date = index date) on or after 26 September 2016 were selected from Symphony Health database. McNemar's tests were used to derive the p-values for pre-post changes in corticosteroid and opioid use within each treatment cohort.
 
  A total of 1073 ustekinumab and 2904 adalimumab patients met analysis criteria. Using a 90-day rule for discontinuation, persistence at 1 year post-index was 69.8% for ustekinumab and 65.1% for adalimumab. The majority received doses within ±er 1 year were low for ustekinumab. Reductions in the proportion of patients with claims for corticosteroids or opioids were observed in patients using ustekinumab.
 In this real-world study, persistence for ustekinumab remained high at 1 year. The majority of the patients in the ustekinumab cohort followed US PI recommended dosing. The percentage of patients with average dose above PI recommendations over 1 year were low for ustekinumab. Reductions in the proportion of patients with claims for corticosteroids or opioids were observed in patients using ustekinumab.
  Real-world studies of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) in multiple sclerosis (MS) have reported suboptimal adherence.
 
  We aimed to describe treatment patterns, relapses, healthcare resource utilization, and costs in MS patients experiencing their first observed DMT switch.
 
  In this retrospective, claims database study, adult patients were selected if they had an MS diagnosis and DMT claim during the study period (1 January 2009-31 March 2019). Patients who switched to a new DMT between 1 January 2010 and 31 March 2018 were included. Adherence, persistence, relapses, and all-cause and MS-related healthcare utilization and costs were reported pre- and post-index.
 
  In total, 1554 MS patients were identified; the mean age was 46 years and most (74%) were female. The majority of patients switched from an injectable DMT (n=1116; 71.8%), and patients generally switched to an oral DMT (n=878; 57%). Among patients who switched DMTs, 46.0% (n=715) were nonadherent, 42% (n=645) were nonpersistent, and 21.5% (n=334) relapsed in the 12 months post-switch. An increase in all-cause and MS-related healthcare costs was observed pre- to post-index for all patients. Cost drivers included outpatient visit costs and pharmacy prescriptions. Compared with patients who switched to an injectable DMT, those who switched to an oral DMT had significantly higher persistence and adherence. No significant difference was observed in post-index relapse or all-cause and MS-related total cost of care.
 
  Low adherence and poor persistence remain following an initial DMT switch; however, patients who switched to oral DMTs had higher persistence and adherence.
 Low adherence and poor persistence remain following an initial DMT switch; however, patients who switched to oral DMTs had higher persistence and adherence.As interest in including local communities and their knowledge in biodiversity conservation increases, challenges to do so become clear. One of them is to harmonize local and academic assessments of conservation status. Here, we document the culturally valuable flora of two Amazigh communities in the Moroccan High Atlas Mountains and contrast local conservation observations with IUCN and other red-listing assessments. Our study reveals two levels of mismatch. Unsurprisingly, the species of interest of these two knowledge systems differ considerably. Moreover, species' availability and populations' trends of change and the conservation evaluations often diverge between local and academic assessments. Locally valuable species are rarely threatened, but a focus on locally prioritized species is essential to ensure the active participation of local communities in conservation initiatives. Given the salient role of IUCN Red Lists in guiding conservation action, a better understanding of the differences in plant value and conservation assessments between the two knowledge systems can help harmonize biodiversity conservation and community wellbeing goals.