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Zoonoses, to be distinguished here from human diseases with an animal origin, represent a large quantity of pathological entities the corresponding pathogens of which are regularly shared between human beings and many different vertebrates species. Working on selected examples and situations, whatever the contamination routes and the facilitating reasons, puts into light a real rarity of a direct transmission from the animal reservoir to human beings. On the opposite, the diversity and the possible severity of some of the sanitary consequences, quite often in relation to human behaviours, must be stressed. On a practical point of view, it seems more adapted to try first to improve the control of pathogens diffusion within human populations after a contamination than to try to start to work first on the reservoir, be it domestic or wild, the potential source of these pathogens, but following routes quite difficult to anticipate. The relationship between biodiversity and health is discussed.
R?le des animaux vertbrs dans lpidmiologie des zoonoses
Cyclodialysis causes intraocular lens (IOL) pupillary capture. It requires surgical repair to prevent this risk of IOL pupillary capture. However, since repairing cyclodialysis is often technically difficult, other methods such as barricading by suturing, pupilloplasty, and pars plana fixation of the IOL were preferred. We applied a double-flanged (riveting) technique for repairing cyclodialysis to prevent IOL pupillary capture following intrascleral fixation of the IOL. Cyclodialysis was surgically repaired by riveting with double-flanged 6-0 polypropylene sutures in 3 cases with no recurrence of pupillary capture during at least 12 months of follow-up. When pupillary capture is related to cyclodialysis, repairing cyclodialysis may help prevent pupillary capture after intrascleral fixation of the IOL. Riveting using a double-flanged 6-0 polypropylene suture could possibly make the procedure simpler and more efficient.
Repairing Cyclodialysis by Riveting: A Flanged Polypropylene Suture
BACKGROUND: Since the beginning of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic, Germany never formulated an explicit strategy so far. Topics continuously become disconnected from their origin and the justification for the lockdown gets out of focus, i.e. the reduction of mortality in the vulnerable population and age-groups, and the risk of an increased case fatality when the healthcare systemprimarily intensive care capacitywould become overwhelmed. METHODS: On the basis of knowledge which was already available before the current pandemic and knowledge which has been accumulated so far, refocusing and developing of an exit strategy for Germany is attempted. RESULTS: The central goal in pandemics is to overcome the primary infection of the population by wild type infection or vaccination as quickly as possible and to achieve the herd immunity threshold. Only in this way can the virus lose its dangerous potential and a new endemic equilibrium can be achieved. The Russian Flu Pandemic from 1889C1892 by CoV OC43, today a pandemic scar from that time, can function as a role model. The successful vaccine development in unprecedented speed is a grace of historic dimension. CONCLUSIONS: The Russian Flu Pandemic was the most recent and largest coronavirus pandemic. After offering vaccination to all vulnerable groups (target population), the lockdown has to be ended as soon as possible. Vaccinations should continue to be offered to adults without established risk factors and the remaining population should be primed by infection with the wild virus. In spite of the rapid, successful development of a vaccine, time to avoid further disruptions is running out.
Lehren aus der Russischen Grippe fr das Endspiel der derzeitigen Pandemie C die Exitstrategie fr Deutschland: Eine Streitschrift
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and was declared a pandemic in March 2020. A plethora of respiratory sampling methods for SARS-CoV-2 viral detection has been used and in the current evolving situation, there is no international consensus on the recommended method of respiratory sampling for diagnosis. Otolaryngologists deal intimately with the upper respiratory tract and a clear understanding of the respiratory sampling methods is of paramount importance. This article aims to provide an overview of the various methods and their evidence till date.
Respiratory sampling for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2: An Overview
BACKGROUND: In women, metabolic health deteriorates after menopause, and the role of physical activity (PA) in mitigating the change is not completely understood. This study investigates the changes in indicators of metabolic health around menopause and evaluates whether PA modulates these changes. METHODS: Longitudinal data of 298 women aged 48C55 years at baseline participating in the ERMA and EsmiRs studies was used. Mean follow-up time was 3.8 (SD 0.1) years. Studied indicators of metabolic health were total and android fat mass, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, blood glucose, triglycerides, serum total cholesterol, and high- (HDL-C) and low-density (LDL-C) lipoprotein cholesterol. PA was assessed by accelerometers and questionnaires. The participants were categorized into three menopausal groups: PRE-PRE (pre- or perimenopausal at both timepoints, n = 56), PRE-POST (pre- or perimenopausal at baseline, postmenopausal at follow-up, n = 149), and POST-POST (postmenopausal at both timepoints, n = 93). Analyses were carried out using linear and Poisson mixed-effect models. RESULTS: At baseline, PA associated directly with HDL-C and inversely with LDL-C and all body adiposity variables. An increase was observed in total (B = 1.72, 95% CI [0.16, 3.28]) and android fat mass (0.26, [0.06, 0.46]), SBP (9.37, [3.34, 15.39]), and in all blood-based biomarkers in the PRE-POST group during the follow-up. The increase tended to be smaller in the PRE-PRE and POST-POST groups compared to the PRE-POST group, except for SBP. The change in PA associated inversely with the change in SBP (?2.40, [?4.34, ?0.46]) and directly with the change in WHR (0.72, [0.05, 1.38]). CONCLUSIONS: In middle-aged women, menopause may accelerate the changes in multiple indicators of metabolic health. PA associates with healthier blood lipid profile and body composition in middle-aged women but does not seem to modulate the changes in most of the studied metabolic health indicators during the menopausal transition.
Metabolic health, menopause, and physical activitya 4-year follow-up study
BACKGROUND: Leronlimab, a monoclonal antibody blocker of CCR5 originally developed to treat HIV-1 infection, was administered as an open label compassionate use therapeutic for COVID-19. METHODS: 23 hospitalized severe/critical COVID-19 patients received 700mg leronlimab subcutaneously, repeated after seven days in 17/23 patients still hospitalized. 18/23 received other experimental treatments, including convalescent plasma, hydroxychloroquine, steroids, and/or tocilizumab. 5/23 received leronlimab after blinded placebo-controlled trials of remdesivir, sarilumab, selinexor, or tocilizumab. Outcomes and results were extracted from medical records. RESULTS: Mean age was 69.514.9 years. 20/23 had significant co-morbidities. At baseline, 22/23 were receiving supplemental oxygen (3/23 high flow, 7/23 mechanical ventilation). Blood showed markedly elevated inflammatory markers (ferritin, D-dimer, C-reactive protein) and elevated neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio. By day 30 after initial dosing, 17/23 were recovered, 2/23 were still hospitalized, and 4/23 had died. Of the 7 intubated at baseline, 4/7 were fully recovered off oxygen, 2/7 were still hospitalized, and 1/7 had died. CONCLUSIONS: Leronlimab appeared safe and well tolerated. The high recovery rate suggested benefit, and those with lower inflammatory markers had better outcomes. Some but not all patients appeared to have dramatic clinical responses, indicating that unknown factors may determine responsiveness to leronlimab. Routine inflammatory and cell prognostic markers did not markedly change immediately after treatment, although IL-6 tended to fall. In some persons C-reactive protein clearly dropped only after the second leronlimab dose, suggesting that a higher loading dose might be more effective. Future controlled trials will be informative.
Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of COVID-19 Patients Receiving Compassionate Use Leronlimab
[ ]pegfilgrastim accounts for more than 5% of the total cost of cancer care in the OCM - a remarkable figure for a supportive drug The authors estimated that this resulted in a potential cost savings of between $500,000 and $1 7 million per 100 patients treated, with reductions in out-of-pocket costs for women, especially for those without commercial insurance, compared with the previously accepted standard of care Since biosimilar introduction, the reimbursement rate has fallen by $93 per year
Bringing drug costs down a 'peg' or two
The use of lateral flow immunoassays (LFIAs) for rapid on-site testing is restricted by their relatively high limit of detection (LoD). One possible way to decrease the LoD is to optimize nanoparticle properties that are used as labels. We compare two types of Au nanoparticles: usual quasispherical gold nanoparticles (C-GNPs), obtained by the Turkevich-Frens method, and superspherical gold nanoparticles (S-GNPs), obtained by a progressive overgrowth technique. Average diameters were 18.6-47.5 nm for C-GNPs and 20.2-90.4 nm for S-GNPs. Cardiomarker troponin I was considered as the target analyte. Adsorption and covalent conjugation with antibodies were tested for both GNP types. For C-GNPs, the minimal LoD was obtained with 33.7 nm nanoparticles, reaching 12.7 ng/mL for covalent immobilization and 9.9 ng/mL for adsorption. The average diameter of S-GNPs varied from 20.2 to 64.5 nm, which resulted in a decrease in LoD for an LFIA of troponin I from 3.4 to 1.2 ng/mL for covalent immobilization and from 2.9 to 2.0 ng/mL for adsorption. Thus, we obtained an 8-fold decrease in LoD (9.9 to 1.2 ng/mL) by using S-GNPs. This effect can be related to more effective antibody immobilization and improved S-GNP optical properties. The obtained results can improve LFIAs for various practically significant analytes.
Advantages of Highly Spherical Gold Nanoparticles as Labels for Lateral Flow Immunoassay.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, countries have sought to control SARS-CoV-2 transmission by restricting population movement through social distancing interventions, thus reducing the number of contacts. Mobility data represent an important proxy measure of social distancing, and here, we characterise the relationship between transmission and mobility for 52 countries around the world. Transmission significantly decreased with the initial reduction in mobility in 73% of the countries analysed, but we found evidence of decoupling of transmission and mobility following the relaxation of strict control measures for 80% of countries. For the majority of countries, mobility explained a substantial proportion of the variation in transmissibility (median adjusted R-squared: 48%, interquartile range - IQR - across countries [27C77%]). Where a change in the relationship occurred, predictive ability decreased after the relaxation; from a median adjusted R-squared of 74% (IQR across countries [49C91%]) pre-relaxation, to a median adjusted R-squared of 30% (IQR across countries [12C48%]) post-relaxation. In countries with a clear relationship between mobility and transmission both before and after strict control measures were relaxed, mobility was associated with lower transmission rates after control measures were relaxed indicating that the beneficial effects of ongoing social distancing behaviours were substantial.
Reduction in mobility and COVID-19 transmission
In recent years, several research articles have been published in the field of corona-virus caused diseases like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), middle east respiratory syndrome (MERS) and COVID-19. In the presence of numerous research articles, extracting best-suited articles is time-consuming and manually impractical. The objective of this paper is to extract the activity and trends of corona-virus related research articles using machine learning approaches. The COVID-19 open research dataset (CORD-19) is used for experiments, whereas several target-tasks along with explanations are defined for classification, based on domain knowledge. Clustering techniques are used to create the different clusters of available articles, and later the task assignment is performed using parallel one-class support vector machines (OCSVMs). Experiments with original and reduced features validate the performance of the approach. It is evident that the k-means clustering algorithm, followed by parallel OCSVMs, outperforms other methods for both original and reduced feature space.
Target specific mining of COVID-19 scholarly articles using one-class approach
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Appendix E Precautions and breastfeeding recommendations for selected maternal infections
Rambo, Adele, and a religion professor walk into a coffee shop. What in the world do they have in common? This essay integrates Lewis Rambo's scholarship on conversion with pop singer Adele's popular song "Send My Love to Your Lover" to understand and redress inequity in individual risk within processes of institutional conversion. The author focuses on practices of inclusion in institutions of higher education using the specific example of theological schools with aspirational school mission statements that embrace equity and diversities. She argues that bringing Rambo and Adele into conversation with anecdotal and published research on institutional (in)justice illuminates four practices that institutions could adopt to better align practice with promise and thereby promote wellness for all who are impacted by institutional health.
If You're Ready, I Am Ready (But the Wait Is Harming Us Both) Individual Risks in Institutional Conversions
Interferon was discovered by Alick Isaacs and Jean Lindenmann in 1957. It was originally thought that interferon could be used as a general anti-viral agent and in anti-cancer therapy. There are many different types of interferons, now known as interferons alpha, beta, gamma and lambda, with different cellular receptors and modes of action, and there are possibly 24 different types of alpha interferon. Independently and simultaneously, a group of Japanese scientists found an interfering factor, which upon subsequent analysis turned out to be interferon, probably of the alpha type. The interferon alpha gene was the first mammalian gene to be cloned in a bacterial system and became the prototype for gene cloning technology. Until the cloning of the interferons in Escherichia coli, and expression of the interferon genes in mammalian cells in culture, it was impossible to obtain enough material for clinical use. Interferon today is predominantly used in the treatment of hepatitis B and C, leukemia and Kaposis sarcoma. As an anti-viral agent, interferon has not lived up to its initial promise, since in vitro most viruses block the activity of interferon and clinical trials have given inconclusive results with severe side effects. Interferon induces hundreds of genes in vivo and in vitro, each interferon producing overlapping and distinct gene profiles. The mechanism of both interferon induction and anti-viral response is complicated and involves the interaction of many regulatory molecules. Interferon is now known to be a component of the large family of cytokines or interleukins.
Interferons
IMPORTANCE: The infection of medical personnel with COVID-19 was a disaster for both patients and doctors. However, some effective measures can prevent medical staff from becoming infected. This article introduces those measures and thus provides a reference for other hospitals. OBJECTIVE: In order to reduce the risk of occupational exposure and of the infection of medical staff, this article analyzed the factors, causes and experience of medical personnel on their occupational exposure to COVID-19. Some effective and targeted intervention measures can be implemented in order to avoid the occupational exposure of medical staff to COVID-19. EVIDENCE REVIEW: In this single-center case series involving 196 medical personnel, occupational exposure to COVID-19 was present. Nursing staff accounted for 67.35% of those cases. The relationships with an exposure source were found to be as follows: doctors and patients (87.24%), colleagues (10.20%), and roommates (2.55%). Occupational exposure was found to be present in the clinical department, radiology department, central sterile supply department, as well as in the outpatient clinics and operating rooms. The non-surgical departments accounted for 72.96% and direct contact accounted for 84.69% while failure to wear surgical masks (84.18%) and operating on the patient without wearing goggles/face shield (8.16%) were the main causes of occupational exposure. The occurrence of occupational exposure to COVID-19 declined to 0.19% after an extensive and comprehensive intervention program. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Some effective measures such as hand hygiene, wearing surgical masks in and around the hospital, reasonable use of goggles/face screens, raising awareness of protective measures, minimizing the number of elective operations, strengthening training as well as many other control measures were instrumental in reducing occupational exposure. For any medical institution there is room for improvement in terms of personal protection to reduce occupational exposure.
Experience of comprehensive interventions in reducing occupational exposure to COVID-19
Aims This is a prospective observational web-based survey aimed to assess the impact of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic onGastroenterology Units in Italy. Methods All members of the Italian Society of Gastroenterology (SIGE) were invited to answer a 39-point multiple-choiceweb-based survey between March 30 thand April 7 th2020. Results Data of 121 hospitals from all 20 Italian regions were analyzed. Overall, 10.7 % of Gastroenterology divisions havebeen converted to COVID Units. Outpatients consultations, endoscopic and ultrasound procedures were limited to urgenciesand oncology indications in 85.1 %, 96.2 % and 72.2 % of Units, respectively, and 46.7 % of Units suspended the screeningfor colorectal cancer.In order to guarantee the ordinary follow-up of outpatients, 83/121 (68.6 %) divisions activated aremote consultancy service (63.9 % by phone, 31.3 % by email, 4.8 % by video). Overall, 112/121 (92.6 %) GI Units issued and followed a specific protocol for the management of patients with suspectedor confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. The 72.2 % of the staff received proper training for the use of personal protective equipment, although 45.5 % did not havesufficient devices for an adequate replacement. With regard to PPE availability, N95/FFP2-3 masks were available in 91/121 (75.2 %), surgical masks in 115/121 (95.0 %),gloves in 117/121 (96.7 %), disposable gown in 100/121 (82.6 %), hairnet in 104/121 (85.9 %), goggles in 78/121 (64.5 %)and boots in 57/121 (47.1 %) of divisions. Finally, in 41/121 GI divisions (33.9 %) there was at least one healthcare professional who got infected, in a total of 132subjects, of which 121/132 from divisions not-converted to COVID Units and 75/132 from high-prevalence areas. Conclusions Substantial changes of practice and reduction of procedures have been recorded in the entire country duringthe first wave of the pandemic. The long-term impact of such modifications is difficult to estimate but potentially very riskyfor many digestive diseases.
Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on gastroenterology units in Italy: A national survey
We examined the influence of racial/ethnic differences in socioeconomic position on COVID-19 seroconversion and hospitalization within a community-based prospective cohort enrolled in March 2020 and followed through October 2021 (N=6740). The ability to social distance as a measure of exposure to COVID-19, susceptibility to COVID-19 complications, and access to healthcare varied by race/ethnicity with non-white participants having more exposure risk and more difficulty with healthcare access than white participants. Participants with more (versus less) exposure had greater odds of seroconversion (aOR:1.64, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.18-2.29). Participants with more susceptibility and more barriers to healthcare had greater odds of hospitalization (respective aOR:2.36; 1.90-2.96 and 2.31; 1.69-2.68). Race/ethnicity positively modified the association between susceptibility and hospitalization (aORnon-White:2.79, 2.06-3.78). Findings may explain the disproportionate burden of COVID-19 infections and complications among Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black persons. Primary and secondary prevention efforts should address disparities in exposure, COVID-19 vaccination, and treatment.
Racial/ethnic disparities in exposure to COVID-19, susceptibility to COVID-19 and access to health care - findings from a U.S. national cohort
Introduction The current transformation of economic relations in the society caused by coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic poses a threat to national security of all countries However, the regulations of the Russian Federation on national security do not provide for such threats and measures to eliminate them, and the economic system has no reserves to provide social support to the bulk of the country's population The objective of the article is, based on the results of the study, to identify measures to create an effective national security system based on the rhizomatic logic, which allows the economic system to develop in the circumstances of constant bifurcations when a constant choice of the most effective attractor is required Materials and Methods Regulatory documents and publications by Russian and foreign scientists were used as the research materials The study employed general scientific methods of empirical research, as well as general logical methods and research techniques: analysis of regulatory documents and trends in national security indicators, generalization, induction and deduction, the systematic approach, which made it possible to propose the use of the rhizomatic logic for the formation of an integrated national security system and draw conclusions Results The Strategy for Ensuring the National Security of the Russian Federation has been studied, as well as the parameters of the state of national security;it has been concluded that it is necessary to refine the regulatory framework The study of the parameters of economic security as the basis of national security has shown that not all the approved indicators are calculated at the national level These trends are dangerous for economic and national security due to objective reasons;therefore the national security system is not effective Discussion and Conclusion The formation of an effective system of national security of a new type should take place in terms of the rhizomatic logic, which makes it possible to see higher-order systems from the perspective of an observer This is how effective recombination of security factors and rapid restructuring of economic relations becomes possible The article may be useful for researchers dealing with national security issues
National Security and Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic: Challenges to the Economic System of the State and Prospects for Ensuring its Security
BACKGROUND: Since the novel coronavirus SARS-COV-2 was first identified to be circulating in the US on January 20, 2020, some of the worst outbreaks have occurred within state and federal prisons. The vulnerability of incarcerated populations, and the additional threats posed to the health of prison staff and the people they contact in surrounding communities underline the need to better understand the dynamics of transmission in the inter-linked incarcerated population/staff/community sub-populations to better inform optimal control of SARS-COV-2. METHODS: We examined SARS-CoV-2 case data from 101 non-administrative federal prisons between 5/18/2020 to 01/31/2021 and examined the per capita size of outbreaks in staff and the incarcerated population compared to outbreaks in the communities in the counties surrounding the prisons during the summer and winter waves of the SARS-COV-2 pandemic. We also examined the impact of decarceration on per capita rates in the staff/incarcerated/community populations. RESULTS: For both the summer and winter waves we found significant inter-correlations between per capita rates in the outbreaks among the incarcerated population, staff, and the community. Over-all during the pandemic, per capita rates were significantly higher in the incarcerated population than in both the staff and community (paired Students t-test p = 0.03 and p < 0.001, respectively). Average per capita rates of incarcerated population outbreaks were significantly associated with prison security level, ranked from lowest per capita rate to highest: High, Minimum, Medium, and Low security. Federal prisons decreased the incarcerated population by a relative factor of 96% comparing the winter to summer wave (one SD range [90%,102%]). We found no significant impact of decarceration on per capita rates of SARS-COV-2 infection in the staff community populations, but decarceration was significantly associated with a decrease in incarcerated per capita rates during the winter wave (Negative Binomial regression p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: We found significant evidence of community/staff/incarcerated population inter-linkage of SARS-COV-2 transmission. Further study is warranted to determine which control measures aimed at the incarcerated population and/or staff are most efficacious at preventing or controlling outbreaks. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-12813-w.
A study of SARS-COV-2 outbreaks in US federal prisons: the linkage between staff, incarcerated populations, and community transmission
During a pandemic, economic, technological, and health systems' vulnerability become even more evident A key challenge in Brazil is to control the trade deficit and difficulty in access to medicines and health products, even their development Brazil's heavy external dependency on health inputs and products is one of the negative factors in confronting the global health emergency caused by SARS-CoV-2 The article aimed to discuss the vulnerabilities of the domestic chemical and biotechnological subsystem in the face of the current pandemic, with a focus on the pharmaceutical and biotech industry and the linkage between the fields of health and political economics A qualitative study was performed with a literature review and analysis of secondary data as the methodological procedures The results revealed low investment in public health, low innovation capacity, the pharmaceutical industry's profile, external dependency, currency exchange policy, patents, and other factors, demonstrating the major vulnerability in innovation and technology in the domestic pharmaceutical and biotech industry and the essential nature of linkage between various fields, especially health and the economy, for the incorporation of a systemic vision that creates the conditions to reduce vulnerabilities in the response to the pandemic and promote a development project for the country
[Vulnerabilities of Brazil's domestic pharmaceutical and biotech industry in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic]
Many research teams all over the world focus their research on the SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus that causes the so-called COVID-19 disease. Most of the studies identify the main protease or 3C-like protease (M(pro)/3CL(pro)) as a valid target for large-spectrum inhibitors. Also, the interaction of the human receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) with the viral surface glycoprotein (S) is studied in depth. Structural studies tried to identify the residues responsible for enhancement/weaken virus-ACE2 interactions or the cross-reactivity of the neutralizing antibodies. Although the understanding of the immune system and the hyper-inflammatory process in COVID-19 are crucial for managing the immediate and the long-term consequences of the disease, not many X-ray/NMR/cryo-EM crystals are available. In addition to 3CL(pro), the crystal structures of other nonstructural proteins offer valuable information for elucidating some aspects of the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Thus, the structural analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 is currently mainly focused on three directionsfinding M(pro)/3CL(pro) inhibitors, the virus-host cell invasion, and the virus-neutralizing antibody interaction. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s10930-020-09933-w) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
An Overview of the Crystallized Structures of the SARS-CoV-2