Multidrug-resistant/Rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR TB) is a global concern, with 450,000 new cases and 191,000 deaths in 2021. Objectives: To evaluate the therapeutic outcome of multidrug-resistant TB of the lungs in patients who require hemodialysis in terms of successful treatment (cured and treatment completed) and the associated factors to a favourable outcome. To identify unfavorable treatment outcomes (treatment failed, died, or loss to follow-up) and the underlying associated factors. Scope: Adults (>19 years old) with chronic kidney disease who needed hemodialysis and had microbiologically confirmed multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods: Conformed to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and MetaAnalyses (PRISMA) 2020 Guidelines for this systematic review. Databases: PubMed, Medline, PubMed Central, Science Direct, Public Library of Science (PLOS), and Google Scholar. Results and Discussion: We gathered 21,570 studies from the databases between 2013 and 2023, with 30,062 total participants. Eight eligible studies for review. Diagnostic samples such as sputum and pleural fluid had lower sensitivity rates than tissue samples, leading to delays in diagnosis and treatment and drug resistance. Tuberculosis-infected patients with severe renal disease (eGFR <30 ml/min) had increased morbidity and mortality. DOTS strategy reduced morbidities such as hospitalization, pneumonia, and ICU stay > 7 days except for inotropic drug use, ventilator support > 21 days, and death. Renal-dose adjustment of anti-TB medications significantly reduced these risks. Conclusion: Controlling comorbidities, ensuring early tuberculosis detection and treatment, detecting drug resistance, and ensuring Directly Observed Treatment, Short Course (DOTS) adherence can reduce these risks. Due to their altered drug metabolism, therapeutic drug monitoring guideline is recommended to reduce adverse events and mortality. Additional research is necessary to determine the safety, efficacy, and outcomes of therapeutic regimens in this population with multidrug-resistant pulmonary tuberculosis.
Grethel conducted several medical missions in her hometown every summer and Christmas season from 2012 to 2015. She was driven by a desire to assist the underserved community in the Philippines. During her Internal Medicine residency, she continued her service by raising public awareness about smoking cessation and COPD. Grethel earned her medical degree from the Far Eastern University Dr. Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation in 2011. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology in 2007 as part of her Pre-Medicine program at the same university. She worked as a primary care physician for three years before completing her Internal Medicine residency training at Premiere Medical Center in Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija, Philippines. Grethel is a recent mother who enjoys cooking for her family.
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Introduction: Pathogens don't recognize global boundaries. Viral pathogens impact human and Wild animal population across the world. The mode of transmission of zoonotic viruses varies depending on the type of the pathogens. Viral pathogens like HIV-1, HIV-2 are transmitted through blood and homosexual or heterosexual routes in the human population. The route of transmission can be bidirectional when there is a close man-monkey interaction as seen in India. My research work on 'HIV-1-like' SIV infecting wild Indian primate species supports this phenomenon. Objectives: The aim was to explore if viral pathogens are transmitted from humans to wild Indian rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) and langurs (Semnopithecus entellus) in the natural habitat of forested regions of Rajasthan, given the close man-monkey interaction prevalent in India. Scope: Investigations of natural viral infection in wild animals are inherently difficult as opposed to research with captive bred animals, housed in the American National Primate Research Centers. Such investigations do not reflect the actual situation that occurs in the wild animal population. At times wild monkeys get aggressive and scratch and bite humans, making transmission of pathogens between men and monkeys by mixing of primate saliva and infected human blood. Methods Used: The investigation is based on field and laboratory-based studies, carried out in the natural habitat of wild monkeys in India and the laboratory studies in the USA. Results and Discussion: As shown in the Table and Figure, reverse transmission of HIV-1 from humans to wild Indian occurs in Indian natural habitat. Conclusion: Reverse transmission of HIV-1 like SIV from humans to wild monkeys is demonstrated.
Dr. Jayashree Seema Nandi is an American Virologist of Indian origin. She has extensive international research experience, having worked in India, the UK and the USA. She studied at Pune University, India for Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry and subsequently went to UCL, London for postdoctoral research on Unintegrated HIV DNA. She has extensive expertise in basic science of Infectious viral diseases including HBV, HIV-1, SIVs and Type D simian retroviruses (SRVs), SFV and Influenza virus (IAV), Avian Influenza Virus (AIV) and Zoonotic viral infections of human and Wild animals. Her recent book on '' Global Perspectives of the Transmission of Zoonotic RNA Viruses from Wild Animal Species to Humans" ISBN: 9780443132674, was published by Elsevier as an invited book in June 2023. Despite several hurdles, she has continued with her interest in Virology and Immunology research. Apart from Science, she enjoys poetry, Indian classical music and plays the sitar
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Despite a widespread effort, the uptake of HPVV remained suboptimal in some Canadian jurisdictions. The rate of cervical cancer among Canadian women has not declined since 2005. The status quo of the cervical cancer incidence rate coupled with the suboptimal uptake of HPVV is in-part because HPVV's impact on cancer prevention has not been realized adequately by vaccine providers and receivers. HPV-related disease’s infectious nature, its widespread transmission, and the consequent development of cancer of a preventable origin have become common knowledge among scientists and public health professionals. Further exploration of determinants of HPVV uptake (barriers and facilitators) is required to situate contextually appropriate policies around enhancing its uptake. This study employed a qualitative sequential mixed method inquiry using an Interpretive Description approach grounded in pragmatism. In phase 1, a review1 was conducted using a systematic approach to establish HPVV uptake determinants and inform the questions on the interview guide used in phase 2. Phase 2 involved data collection by collecting responses to the short online surveys to all patient-level participants and one-on-one semi-structured interviews with the patient, provider and system-level participants. Phase 3 data collection was guided by findings from Phase 1+2 and involved collecting responses on a detailed online survey from the patient-level focus group participants; with the system and provider-level participants, followup interviews were conducted, followed by a document analysis of the provincial resources on HPVV. All data gathered was transcribed verbatim and analyzed using NVIVO 12. The study reinforced that it is crucial to understand HPV vaccine uptake factors to combat its suboptimal uptake, as this vaccine carries the potential to prevent HPV-linked cancers. The study identified two key themes as the most important factors in HPV vaccine uptake: 1. Information, awareness and education about HPV infection and vaccine, and 2. Vaccine-related logistics. The study also proposed a theoretical and analytical framework for future analysis of access to care and prevention. A multi-component intervention with a person-centred approach remains instrumental in enhancing HPV immunization rates, given the inconsistent uptake of HPVV by the population subgroups who voice unique barriers and facilitators. Interventions should target raising HPVV awareness, offering education, and tackling factors related to vaccine logistics. The analysis warrants sub-group analysis with the established immigrants and refugees.
Dr. Amal Khan is a Physician with a speciality in Population Health and Epidemiology. She has worked on a National Quality Improvement Project under Urban Public Health Network Canada to uncover high- resolution quality improvement targets of investment in under-immunized population groups. Amal is now working as a Manager on a large Quality improvement project with equity lense proposing Model of Care (MoC) for early detection of upper Gastrointestinal cancers on the cancer care continuum. Alongside, Amal, is working as an analyst to support virtual care and remote presence technology utilizing the CNDHE framework incorporating Artificial Intelligence under realm of digital medicine. Amal is passionate about further exploring population health dynamics as a functional proxy of equity in society. Being an elected director at Basic Income Canada Network is a testament to it.
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Objectives: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune disease caused by various pathogenic factors, including hypoxia. Hypoxia stimulates the production of the extracellular matrix to promote fibrosis. However, the integrated function and underlying mechanism of hypoxia in SSc is unclear. Methods: In the present study, we used Agilent SurePrint G3 Human Gene Expression v3 for the transcriptional sequencing of fibroblasts with and without hypoxia to detect differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in hypoxia. We analyzed the results with the transcriptome data of SSc lesions (GSE95065) to select the co-DEGs. Then, GO and KEGG enrichment analyses were performed based on the co-DEGs using the R package Cluster Profiler, which showed that hypoxia and crosstalk of hypoxia with other pathogenic factors are involved in the pathogenesis of SSc. Furthermore, we constructed a a (Protein–protein interaction) PPI network of co-DEGs and screened two significant functional expression modules. Results: We identified nine hub genes (ALDH1A1, EGF, NOX4, LYN, DNTT, PTGS2, TKT, ACAA2, and ALDH3A1). These genes affect the pentose phosphate pathway, oxidative stress, and lipolysis. Conclusion: Our study provides insights into the mechanisms underlying the effects of hypoxia on SSc pathogenesis, which will help to better understand SSc pathogenesis and develop new therapeutic strategies for SSc.
Deputy chief physician of dermatology department of Hunan Children's Hospital, Doctor of Medicine, has been selected as International Talent Young Eagle Program and 1233 Young and middle-aged talents of Hunan Children's Hospital. Young editorial member of JACI Special Issue on Skin Allergy, young member of Journal of Central South University (Medical Edition), member of Dermatologist Branch of Hunan Medical Doctor Association, member of Traditional Chinese Medicine Information Research Association and Medical Cosmetology Branch of Hunan Province, presided over one scientific research project of Hunan Natural Science Foundation and Hunan Health Commission, participated in many scientific research projects of National Natural Science Foundation and provincial level. She has published more than 20 academic papers.
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Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) is the main complication and the cause of death after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Previous studies have shown that interference with autophagy may against aGVHD after bone marrow transplantation. Baicalin can protect the small intestinal epithelial cells of rats against TNF-α-induced injury and alleviate enteritis-related diarrhea. To verify whether baicalin can protect the small intestinal mucosal barrier by regulating abnormal autophagy, a mouse model of intestinal aGVHD was established. CB6F1 mice were intravenously injected with a suspension of mononuclear cells derived from BALB/c donor mice bone marrow and splenic tissue after treatment with 60Co X-rays. The survival time, TNF-α and IL-10 levels, and autophagy markers levels in the intestine were assessed after treatment with different doses of baicalin for 15 days. A cell model of intestinal barrier dysfunction was also constructed to verify the effect of baicalin in vitro. The results showed that baicalin significantly reduced the aGVHD pathology score and clinical score, and prolonged the survival time of aGVHD mice by decreasing the TNF-α level and increasing the IL10 level. Immunofluorescence staining, immunohistochemistry, western blot, and transmission electron microscopy examination showed that baicalin treatment increased the autophagy level and led to the recovery of mitochondrial structures in the intestinal mucosal epithelial cells of mice and Caco-2 cells. Western blotting results also showed that baicalin enhanced autophagy by regulating the AMPK/mTOR pathway, which were observed both in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, the effect of baicalin was reduced after combination treatment with the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine. In summary, baicalin can alleviate the severity of small intestinal aGVHD and intestinal mucosal barrier damage by regulating autophagy and inflammatory cytokine levels, thus may have the potential to be a new treatment for aGVHD.
Prof. Cui studied Clinical Discipline of Chinese and Western at Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and received his Ph.D. degree in 2011 at the same institution. After two years of postdoctoral fellowship supervised by Prof. Wang at Shandong University, focusing on the development of treatment for lymphoma and multiple myeloma, he obtained the position of an attending doctor. He then joined the research group of Prof. Janz at the Department of Pathology, University of Iowa (America). Now, he runs a department of Oncology and Hematology and has published about 20 research articles in SCI(E) journals.
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Subacute thyroiditis (SAT) is a thyroid inflammatory disease, which can be triggered by viral infection. The severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is considered to be a potent SAT-triggering factor in this COVID-19 pandemic. However, SAT occurring after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is rarely reported. Despite the high availability of diagnostic tools, the recurrence and steroid dependence as well as delayed diagnosis of SAT remain. This paper reports a rare case where a patient was diagnosed with SAT post receiving a recombinant novel coronavirus vaccine (Anhui Zhifei Longcom Biopharmaceutical Co.Ltd., China), and efficiently treated with traditional Chinese medicine rather than prednisone. We hope that this case report not only contributes to raising awareness of SAT related to the COVID-19 vaccine but also provides an effective remedy in addition to glucocorticoid (GC).
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Background: N1‑methyladenosine (m1A), a dynamic modification of RNA with strong enrichment in the 5′-UTR, is gaining attention for its role across diverse biological and pathological processes such as cell differentiation, stress response and tumorigenesis1,2.However, the m1A regulatormediated methylation modification in multiple myeloma (MM) remains unclear. Aims: To investigate the transcriptomic m1A landscape and identify potential prognostic regulators in MM progression. Methods: We analyzed the expression of 10 m1A regulators and evaluated their prognostic value in three GEO datasets. Then, unsupervised clustering analysis was performed to evaluate the m1A modification patterns in MM and the m1A score was constructed to quantify m1A modification patterns of individual tumors using the PCA algorithm. Additionally, the potential role of YTHDF2 in MM pathogenesis was investigated in U266 cells. Results: Compared with healthy donors, the expression of three m1A readers (YTHDF1, YTHDF2, YTHDF3) was significantly upregulated in MM patients (Figure A). Multivariate cox analysis revealed that YTHDF2, YTHDF3 and TRMT6 could be independent prognostic factors for MM (Figure B). Based on the expression of ten m1A regulators, three distinct modification patterns were identified in MM patients, which were termed by clusters A-C respectively. There was a worse outcome in cluster B than in luster A and C, characterized by the increased expression of four regulators (YTHDF2, TRMT6/10C/61B) and remarkably deficient in innate immune cell infiltration (Figure C-E). Then, the K-M survival curve revealed that patients with low m1Ascores had a prominent survival probability (Figure F). Coincidentally, cluster B with a worse outcome exhibited the highest median score (Figure G). The reader protein YTHDF2 is associated with poor survival of MM patients and showed great superiority as a prognostic factor. Subsequent cell experiments demonstrated that YTHDF2 could promote the proliferation and inhibit apoptosis of U266 cells (Figure H, I). Notably, an evidently increased m1A level was observed in m1A dot-blot assay when YTHDF2 was over-expressed (Figure J). Summary/conclusion: This study identified the modification patterns and their superior prognostic value of m1A regulators and demonstrated that the reader protein YTHDF2 is a potentially crucial target for MM.
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Background: Utilizing population-based survey data in epidemiological research with a spatial perspective can integrate valuable context into the dynamics of HIV prevalence in West Africa. However, the situation in the Mano River Union (MRU) countries is largely unknown. This research aims to perform an ecological study to determine the HIV prevalence patterns in MRU. Methods: We analyzed the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) and the AIDS Indicator Survey (AIS) data on HIV prevalence in MRU from 2005–2020. We examined sex-specific ratios of respondents to profile the spatial distribution of HIV prevalence and HIV hot spots. We employed Geodetector to measure the risk of HIV incidence. We predicted the combinations of comprehensive correct knowledge (CCK) about HIV/AIDS that can scale up the ratio of HIV testing uptake employing the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression. Results: We leveraged data for 158,408 respondents from 11 surveys. From 2005–2015, Cote d'Ivoire was the hot spot for HIV prevalence with a Gi_Bin score of 3, Z-Score 8.0–10.1 and P<0.001. From 2016–2020, Guinea and Sierra Leone were hot spots for HIV prevalence with a Gi_Bin score of 2, Z-Score of 3.17 and P<0.01. Geodetector identifies Cote d'Ivoire as the risk point for HIV incidence for women and men with q-values of 0.61 and 0.40, respectively. Our LASSO model predicted different combinations of CCKs with sex-specific needs to improve HIV testing uptake. Conclusions: The CCK about HIV/AIDS and HIV testing uptake are below the threshold target set by UNAIDS for ending the epidemic. Our LASSO model predicted that different emphases should be implemented when popularizing the CCK about HIV/AIDS for adult women and men. The HIV epidemic in the MRU is far from near over.
Growing up in a developing nation, Idrissa Laybohr Kamara always understands the value of education and healthcare. He specialized in epidemiology and laboratory technology with a decade of successful leadership in clinical and public health laboratories including biosafety level 3 laboratories. He is the head of the Sierra Leone-China Friendship Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory. He was the leading scientist in the fight against the Ebola epidemic in Sierra Leone, and a microscopist during the 2013 and 2016 Sierra Leone malaria indicator survey (SLMIS). He has published papers on the molecular epidemiology of bacterial antibiotic resistance and HIV prevalence in the Mano River Union countries. He is a lecturer with advanced training in the genomics of infectious diseases in the United States of America and PR. China. He is the founder of the ‘Association of Global Public Health Research’ at startup school. Join me for better Public Health interventions in Africa.
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The chest X-ray images provide vital information about the congestion cost-effectively. We propose a novel Hybrid Deep Learning Algorithm (HDLA) framework for automatic lung disease classification from chest X-ray images. The model consists of steps including pre-processing of chest X-ray images, automatic feature extraction, and detection. In a pre-processing step, our goal is to improve the quality of raw chest X-ray images using the combination of optimal filtering without data loss. The robust Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) is proposed using the pre-trained model for automatic lung feature extraction. We employed the 2D CNN model for the optimum feature extraction in minimum time and space requirements. The proposed 2D CNN model ensures robust feature learning with highly efficient 1D feature estimation from the input pre-processed image. As the extracted 1D features have suffered from significant scale variations, we optimized them using min-max scaling. We classify the CNN features using the different machine learning classifiers such as AdaBoost, Support Vector Machine (SVM), Random Forest (RM), Backpropagation Neural Network (BNN), and Deep Neural Network (DNN). The experimental results claim that the proposed model improves the overall accuracy by 3.1% and reduces the computational complexity by 16.91% compared to state-of-the-art methods.
Farhan Abobaker is a software engineering PhD student currently enrolled at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. He graduated from Taiz University in Yemen in July 2014 with a Bachelor's degree and Yangzhou University in China in June 2020 with a Master's degree. Farhan is expected to graduate from his PhD program in December 2023.
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The ongoing monkeypox virus outbreak emerged in 2022 during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated a potential threat of this viral zoonosis to public health. To date no specific treatments either small molecule or vaccines against this infection are available except a supportive therapy. Considering the success of inhibitor discovery by targeting the viral proteases i.e., HIV, Hepatitis C, and SARS-CoV-2, we also targeted I7L protease from monkeypox virus (mpox) to design and develop of specific and compelling drugs from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) database against this emerging disease. Using molecular screening, only four hits TCM27763, TCM33057, TCM34450 and TCM31564 demonstrated better pharmacological potential than the TTP-6171, the only non-covalent I7L protease inhibitor taken as control. Binding mode of each of the top hit revealed that these compounds block the main active site residues i.e., Trp168, Asn171, Arg196, Cys237, Ser240, Trp242, Glu325, Ser326, and Cys328 and block the function of I7L protease. Moreover, molecular simulation revealed that the identified compounds exhibit stable dynamics and may induce stronger therapeutic effects in experimental setup. All the complexes reported tighter structural packing and less flexible behaviour. We found that the average hydrogen bonds in TCM27763, TCM33057, TCM34450 and TCM31564-I7L complexes remained higher than the control drug. Finally, the total binding free energy demonstrated the best hits among the all. The BF energy results revealed -62.60 ± 0.65 for the control-I7L complex, for the TCM27763-I7L complex -71.92 ± 0.70 kcal/mol, for the TCM33057-I7L complex the BF energy was -70.94 ± 0.70 kcal/mol, for the TCM34450-I7L the BF energy was -69.94 ± 0.85 kcal/mol while for the TCM31564-I7L complex the BF energy was calculated to be -69.16 ± 0.80 kcal/mol. Although, we used state-of-the-art computational methods but these are theoretical insights and need further experimental validation.
Dr. Abbas Khan is a graduate from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China and currently working as post-doctoral fellow in the same Lab. He has published ~170 publications during his career with 2500+ citations and also a winner of Super-postdoctoral funding. He has made a great contribution in scientific field particularly viral informatics. He has two drug Chinese patents that were developed during the pandemic during COVID-19 outbreak. He was the first to report the impact of different mutations on the binding of spike protein with hACE2. He is also an editor, guest editor and review editor with many well reputed journals. His current research work is focused on anti-viral drugs development for Monkeypox virus and structural insights into the mechanism of pathogenesis.
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Background: A 28-year-old male presented recurrent Posner-Schlossman syndrome in his left eye, leading to uncontrolled intraocular pressure (IOP) and thus glaucomatous optic neuropathy. Objective: To observe the curative effect of gonioscopy assisted transluminal trabeculotomy (GATT) in the treatment of Posner-Schlossman syndrome. Method: In this paper, GATT was used to make a 360 degrees incision into the inner wall of the Schlemm canal and the trabecular meshwork to reduce the resistance against the outflow of the aqueous humor at the inner wall of the Schlemm canal and the trabecular meshwork to a greater extent, thus lowering the IOP effectively. Result: This case was followed up for 1y postoperatively, during which the IOP was controlled well without using the ocular hypotensive agents, and fluctuated between 12 and 15 mmHg. The complications such as low IOP, shallow anterior chamber and choroidal detachment were not observed postoperatively either, and no transient IOP rise occurred. The patient’s aqueous humor test indicated HSV, cytomegalovirus and rotavirus antibodies were positive, and cytomegalovirus infection was considered to be the most possible cause of PSS. Local use of the ganciclovir eye drops is somewhat useful for controlling the recurrence of PSS and reducing the use of other drugs. Currently, ganciclovir is the clinically preferred anti-cytomegalovirus drug and can be administered in many ways, such as by oral administration, topical eye drop or intravitreal injection. It can inhibit the synthesis of the virus DNA and prevent the replication of the herpesvirus. Therefore, adding the ganciclovir ophthalmic gel postoperatively may reduce the recurrence of PSS. Conclusion: The treatment outcome of this case shows that GATT played a role in significantly lowering the IOP when used to treat this patient with the Posner-Schlossman syndrome.
Zeng Liuzhi, director of ophthalmology, chief physician and master tutor of Chengdu First People's Hospital, Affiliated to Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, member of Jiusan Society and member of Wuhou District CPPCC. Member of the Ophthalmology Committee of the Chinese Medical Association of Integrative Medicine Physicians Branch, deputy leader of the glaucoma Group of the Ophthalmology Committee of the Sichuan Medical Association, Chairman of the ophthalmology Committee of the Chengdu Rehabilitation Medical Association, etc. She has visited and studied at Wills Eye Hospital, Huntington Hospital, and Southern California Glaucoma Consultants. Specializes in minimally invasive glaucoma and cataract surgery and difficult disease diagnosis and treatment. It is the first to carry out minimally invasive glaucoma surgery in Sichuan and is in a leading position, making important contributions to the promotion and application of minimally invasive glaucoma surgery. Published 50 papers, wrote 3 books, 3 invention patents, invention patents "Zeng's trabecular cutting knife" has been transformed and widely used in clinical practice, presided over and participated in 20 scientific research, scientific research achievements won the provincial science and technology first prize, "domestic advanced" evaluation.
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Being built on the ground of mutual effect, facing the current state-isolation, international law is losing its grip on efficiency. This makes some of us to question 1. If law is not working, do we still need law? If we would say no, the history shows that such is the path to the state-suicide. As Smithian mutual benefits is the assurance of the individual benefits, we need international relationships to create the benefits for the individual states, hence international law, Yet the current one is certainly not working, then, the question, 2. What should the international law be to? The enforcement of the international law could be accomplished through the blockchain. As blockchain “went bypass” the national law, and simply negated it, yet it is still not immune to the scope of international jurisdiction. We also argue that the blockchain’ smart contract is not sufficient enough to operate smoothly. Human brain is structured as the mirror rather than a glass and transferring the law interpretation to the machine would not work, hence, we designed the formula of langue and parole, blockchain multiseg operating under the semiotics of the international law. Here the language learning is modelled with the supervisory and reinforcing algorithms, with supervisory predetermined with bias X,Y towards the values of law. Sort of form of constant repetends of Heidegger’s hermeneutics circle. The most important part in this paper is written with the purpose to explain that international law is at the same struggle that Kafka had. Carrying the weight of both, the clothed façade and true self, first being the morality guide and later the states will, and not being neither, international law is self-isolated from the real world, as Gregor Samsa was. Hence, this is not the paper of secularization, no customs, no higher purpose, nothing except the will of states, that can be constantly renewed with the signifier and signified being linked and re-linked.
Associate Professor Dr. Koshzhanova Baktygul: PhD of International Law, Tsinghua University Research Direction: International Law, Law Logic, Jurisprudence, etc. Head of the Research Center of Carbon Neutrality Published in academic journals as “International Journal for the Semiotics of Law - Revue internationale de Sémiotique juridique” and etc.
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I dentification of early biomarkers in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is crucial for providing more individualized treatments. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) immunoglobulin (Ig) free light chains (FLC) are a quantitative, reliable, rater-independent measure of intrathecal immune reaction. In literature, CSF FLC showed a certain MS specificity and, more interesting, some predictive power for MS course, but the wide variability between methods and results and the use of different FLC indices complicate comparison between studies and the detection of quantitative prognostic cut-offs. The aim of our research is to evaluate the role of FLC in the initial assessment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients and to select the best index and cut-offs exportable in clinical practice. We analysed CSF/serum samples of 140 patients and followed-up the CIS/MS subgroup for 7 years. Our results suggest κ index as a quantitative diagnostic and prognostic biomarker in MS, significantly associated to baseline lesion load and to successive clinical course. We propose k index ≥ 106 as a prognostic cut-off to select patients at major risk of relapse, potentially influencing initial therapeutic decisions. Our initial evidence opens the discussion on hotly debated topics, such us the need/not need of CSF sample in suspected MS, the relative role of intrathecal B-cell immune response and of blood-brain barrier damage in MS, the reason of “kappa” versus “lambda” FLC prevalence in MS patients, the usefulness of quantitative biomarkers and specific cut-offs in MS clinical management.
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A key element of successful psychotherapy for the treatment of psychosomatic disorders is that patients recognize and change the meaning of their experiences. Such changes are brought about by appropriate verbal referencing of symptoms currently experienced within a given narrative. The present theoretical paper argues that changes are not based on better, more adaptive narratives per se, but on the transition (or linkage) process itself that is experienced between different narratives. This view is theoretically justified in various ways: first, it is accounted for through contemporary spatiotemporal neuroscience, which aims to connect mental and structural aspects via a common dynamic property or, according to Northoff, the “common currency” of a brain’s orientation along its embeddedness in its contextual world, i.e., body and environment. Second, it is justified through the physics concept of “spontaneous symmetry breaking,” which is used analogously to “suffering from symptoms.” If the sufferer is willing to experience a process of “going back,” that is, moving away from the previous narrative (or aspect) by verbally relating to the felt aspects of the symptom in question (i.e., approaching its meaning), they are moving toward symmetry or an underlying dynamic alignment with their world context. Clinical predictions are derived from the theoretical arguments.
Walter Tschugguel, M.D., Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, gynecologist, obstetrician and general practitioner; habilitation in Gynecology and Obstetrics at Medical University of Vienna; private practice in Vienna with focus on clinical hypnosis, teaching activities, research projects and publications as well as seminar and lecture activities on clinical hypnosis and philosophical principles underlying the processes in psychosomatic disorders, psychotherapeutic interaction and trance. Founder and co-founder of the university courses "Medical and Dental Hypnosis" at Medical University of Vienna.
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Excipients are considered inert substances, without an active role in treatment, added to drugs in order to change their solubility or their kinetics of absorption, increase the stability, influence palatability or create a distinctive appearance. The hypersensitivity reactions to excipients are rare, but they can be severe. An accurate diagnosis, even sometimes is a real challenge, is mandatory. In its absence, the imputability of the reaction can be inappropriately attributed to the active substance leading to the useless eviction of it and the persistence of the exposure to the culprit with risk of recurrence. Their clinical presentation is heterogenous, including immediate (from urticaria / angioedema to anaphylaxis) and delayed hypersensitivity reactions. A suspicion of hypersensitivity to excipients appears in case of multiple drug hypersensitivity. The diagnosis is based on clinical history and an allergy workup including skin tests (skin prick-tests, intradermal tests, patch-tests), biological tests when available (basophil activation tests, specific IgE) and, in selected cases, provocation tests. The list of excipients must be accessible for all drugs. The healthcare providers must be aware of the possibility of a hypersensitivity reaction to them.
Oct 2018 – June 2019: DIU Allergo-Anesthésie (Interuniversitary certificate Perioperative Hypersensitivity) University of Montpellier, France 2018: EAACI-UEMS Exam Oct 2016 – June 2017: DIU Poumon et maladies systémiques (Interuniversitary certificate Lung and systémic diseases) University of Lyon, France Oct 2013 – June 2016: Capacité d’Allergologie (university programme of education in Allergology in France) University of Strasbourg, France Oct 2013 – June 2015: Certificat d'Université en Immunoallergologie Clinique (university programme of education in Allergology in Belgium) Free University of Brussels, Belgium Jan 2008 – Dec 2012: Internship in pneumology, Ministry of Health, National Center of Health Education Bucharest, Romania 2001 – 2007: University of Medicine and Pharmacy „Carol Davila” Faculty of General Medicine, Bucharest, Romania.
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The novel coronavirus has rapidly impacted societies on a global scale, with older people among the most affected. To care for older people living in their own homes, female family caregivers play a pivotal role. The current study aimed to explore actions of female family caregivers and challenges they faced in taking care of older people living at homes during COVID-19 pandemic in Belu district, Indonesia. This qualitative study involved twenty female family caregivers, who were recruited using a combination of purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Findings were grouped into two main categories: (i) actions of female family caregivers in taking care of older adults during COVID-19 pandemic. These included limiting both visitation of extended family members and older adults’ activities outside homes; explaining about the virus to older adults and controlling news, social media and smart phones; providing nutrition, supplement and keeping daily diets; and (ii) challenges they faced in taking care of older adults included excessive fear of contracting COVID and possibility of infecting older people; feeling stressed; tired and overburdened. The study highlights the significant role family caregivers played to protect older people living at home. The findings provide can inform government intervention programs that address and support the needs of both family caregivers and older people living at home.
Gregorius Abanit Asa is currently a PhD student at Torrens University Australia. He has a Master’s Degree in International Development from Flinders University, South Australia and Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy from Widya Mandira Catholic University, Indonesia. He has published articles in peer review journals. His interest is in public health including HIV, disability, elderly care, mental health, circumcision, alcohol, and hepatitis. His PhD project is about traditional male circumcision and HIV risk factors and its impacts on men and their families in Indonesia.
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HIV-1 infection requires passage of the reverse transcribing viral core through the nuclear pore of the cell, a process that depends on activities of the viral capsid. Recent studies have challenged the idea that capsid disassembly is required for nuclear entry. Interactions with the nuclear pore complex are apparently necessary but not sufficient for nuclear entry, and the mechanism by which the viral core traverses the comparably sized nuclear pore is unknown. Here we show that the HIV 1 core is highly elastic and that this feature is linked to nuclear entry and infectivity. Using a novel atomic force microscopy-based approach, we found that purified wild type cores return to their normal conical morphology following a severe forced compression. Analysis of two HIV1 mutants that exhibit impaired nuclear entry revealed that the mutant viral cores are brittle. A suppressor mutation reduced brittleness and rescue infectivity. Core elasticity was also reduced by treatment with Lenacapavir, a clinically relevant antiviral drug. Our results indicate that capsid elasticity is a fundamental property of the HIV-1 core that enables its passage through the nuclear pore complex, thereby facilitating infection. These results provide new insights into the mechanisms of HIV-1 nuclear entry and the antiviral mechanisms of HIV-1 capsid inhibitors.
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HIV-1 infection requires passage of the reverse transcribing viral core through the nuclear pore of the cell, a process that depends on activities of the viral capsid. Recent studies have challenged the idea that capsid disassembly is required for nuclear entry. Interactions with the nuclear pore complex are apparently necessary but not sufficient for nuclear entry, and the mechanism by which the viral core traverses the comparably sized nuclear pore is unknown. Here we show that the HIV 1 core is highly elastic and that this feature is linked to nuclear entry and infectivity. Using a novel atomic force microscopy-based approach, we found that purified wild type cores return to their normal conical morphology following a severe forced compression. Analysis of two HIV1 mutants that exhibit impaired nuclear entry revealed that the mutant viral cores are brittle. A suppressor mutation reduced brittleness and rescue infectivity. Core elasticity was also reduced by treatment with Lenacapavir, a clinically relevant antiviral drug. Our results indicate that capsid elasticity is a fundamental property of the HIV-1 core that enables its passage through the nuclear pore complex, thereby facilitating infection. These results provide new insights into the mechanisms of HIV-1 nuclear entry and the antiviral mechanisms of HIV-1 capsid inhibitors.
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I n this research we used SERS with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as the active substrate to develop a, simple, quick, and accurate method for the detection and characterization SARS-CoV-2 without the need for RNA isolation and purification. Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 was used. The SERS signals were more than 105 times enhanced than the normal Raman (NR) spectra. The SERS spectra of SARS-CoV-2 fingerprint revealed pronounced intensity signals of nucleic acids; aromatic amino acid side chains: 1007 cm-1 (Phe marker), 1095 cm-1 (CN and PO2- markers), 1580 cm-1 (Tyr, Trp markers). Vibrations of the protein main chain: 1144 cm-1 (CN and NH2 markers), 1221 cm-1 (CN and NH markers), 1270 cm-1 (NH2 marker), 1453 cm-1 (CHCH2 marker). All of these biomolecules could be adsorbed on the AgNPs surface's dense hot patches. The intensity of the SERS band varied with the concentration of SARS-CoV-2, with a virus detection limit of less than 103 vp/mL and RSDs of 20%.
Javier Christian Ramirez-Perez is a visiting professor at the University of Sao Paulo's Institute of Physics. He received a BS in Chemical Engineering from UMSA-Bolivia, an MSc in Environmental Systems Engineering from Clemson University, SC-USA, an MA in Translation and a PhD in Environmental Sciences from Rutgers University, NJ-USA. Research areas include: Environmental biotechnology, which uses Raman, SERS, and FTIR spectroscopy to characterize and identify materials and microorganisms; Sustainable energy development: the manufacturing of dye-sensitized solar cells, fuel cells, and biofuels as; Pollution prevention: the biodegradation kinetics of solid organic wastes, biological wastewater treatment, and carbon sequestration.
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L eishmaniasis is a zoonotic disease with worldwide distribution. In the Americas, the causative agent of the visceral form is the protozoa Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum. Transmission to the host or vertebrate reservoir occurs through the bite of infected arthropod females like Lutzomyia longipalpis. The epidemiological connection between the infection in dogs and humans generate constant studies about the relationship between the parasite and the canine host, including the development of methods and tests for the detection and quantification of Leishmania (L.) infantum. Both conventional PCR (cPCR) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) can be used in the diagnosis of the parasite. Dropet Digital PCR (ddPCR) is another useful tool. Knowing the parasite load and its relationship with the clinical signs of naturally infected dogs is useful in research development and for establishing treatments that reduce the transmission of the disease. In this study, thirty-nine clinical samples of spleen from dogs naturaly infected by L. infantum were collected after necropsy. Two molecular tools were used to quantify the parasite load (qPCR and ddPCR) and there was 100% agreement in the results of the them. The tools developed in this work are important for the detection of L. infantum in dogs and humans. Droplet Digital PCR does not require a standard curve and is easy to standardize. In such manner, this new tool that can generate more in-depth information in the broad debate about parasitic loads and the pathogenesis of leishmaniasis.
He holds a Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (PUCMG) in 1994, a Master's degree in Sciences - Cellular and Molecular Biology from FIOCRUZ in 1998, and a Ph.D. in Sciences - Parasitic Biology from FIOCRUZ in 2001. He conducted postdoctoral research at UFMG from 2003 to 2005 and at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute from 2021 to 2022. He served as Director of UEMG from 2003 to 2006 and as Director of the Centro Oeste Dona Lindu Campus from 2008 to 2021. He is a Full Professor at the Federal University of São João del-Rei, teaching in the Nursing, Pharmacy, and Medicine programs, as well as in the Graduate Programs (Master's and Ph.D.) in Health Sciences and Biotechnology at UFSJ, and in the Graduate Program in Teaching of Biosciences and Health at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute - Fiocruz.
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Tuberculosis (TB), a disease of poverty and inequality, is a leading cause of severe illness and death among people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In South Africa, both TB and HIV epidemics have been closely related and persistent, posing a significant burden for healthcare provision. Studies have observed that TB-HIV integration reduces mortality. The operational implementation of integrated services is still challenging. This study aimed to describe patients’ perceptions on barriers to scaling up of TB-HIV integration services at selected health facilities (study sites) in Oliver Reginald (O.R) Tambo Municipality, Eastern Cape province, South Africa. We purposely recruited twenty-nine (29) patients accessing TB and HIV services at the study sites. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis and presented as emerging themes. Barriers identified included a lack of health education about TB and HIV; an inadequate counselling for HIV and the antiretroviral drugs (ARVs); and poor quality of services provided by the healthcare facilities. These findings suggest that the O.R Tambo district needs to strengthen its TB-HIV integration immediately.
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