An Sveir Model for Assessing Potential Impact of an Imperfect Anti-SARS Vaccine

The control of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a fatal contagious viral disease that spread to over 32 countries in 2003, was based on quarantine of latently infected individuals and isolation of individuals with clinical symptoms of SARS. Owing to the recent ongoing clinical trials of some candidate anti-SARS vaccines, this study aims to assess, via mathematical modelling, the potential impact of a SARS vaccine, assumed to be imperfect, in curtailing future outbreaks. A relatively simple deterministic model is designed for this purpose. It is shown, using Lyapunov function theory and the theory of compound matrices, that the dynamics of the model are determined by a certain threshold quantity known as the control reproduction number (Rv). If Rv ≤ 1, the disease will be eliminated from the community; whereas an epidemic occurs if Rv \u3e 1. This study further shows that an imperfect SARS vaccine with infection-blocking efficacy is always beneficial in reducing disease spread within the community, although its overall impact increases with increasing efficacy and coverage. In particular, it is shown that the fraction of individuals vaccinated at steady-state and vaccine efficacy play equal roles in reducing disease burden, and the vaccine must have efficacy of at least 75% to lead to effective control of SARS (assuming R0 = 4). Numerical simulations are used to explore the severity of outbreaks when Rv \u3e 1

B1 B cells acquire a proliferative and anti-inflammatory profile during pregnancy in mice

B1 B cells are a distinct subpopulation of B cells characterized by their unique capacity of self-renewal and the ability to secrete IgM without foreign antigen exposure (natural antibodies). In addition, upon activation, B1 B cells produce large quantities of the potent anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Though the mechanisms that control natural antibodies production are not fully elucidated, it was recently associated with a down-regulation of CD1d expression in B1 B cells. Taking into account that both, IL-10 and natural antibodies are known to be fundamental components in pregnancy wellbeing, the aim of this study was to evaluate proliferation status as well as CD1d expression and IL-10 production by B1 B cells during pregnancy. Flow cytometry analysis, on splenic B1 B cells from pregnant (P) and non-pregnant (NP) mice was performed to evaluate ki-67 (proliferation marker) and CD1d expression as well as IL-10 production upon LPS stimulation. We observed significantly higher expression levels of Ki-67 in splenic B1 B cells from P compared to NP (Unpaired t-test p<0,0001; n=3) mice which was mirrored by higher percentages of B1 B cells in the spleen of P mice (Unpaired t-test p=0,0095; n=11). In addition, B1 B cells from P mice expressed lower levels of CD1d as compared to NP mice (Unpaired t-test p<0,0001; n=3). Furthermore, LPS-stimulated B1 B cells from P mice produced significantly higher levels of IL-10 compared to NP mice in vitro (Unpaired t-test p=0,015; n=5).Overall, our results demonstrate that not only B1 B cells are expanded in the spleen during pregnancy but they also seem to acquire the capacity to produce higher levels of natural antibodies and IL-10 during this period, suggesting their critical role in the intricate process of pregnancy tolerance.Fil: Valeff, Natalin Jimena. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos; ArgentinaFil: Abba, Martin C.. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Centro de Investigaciones Inmunológicas Básicas y Aplicadas; ArgentinaFil: Jensen, Federico. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos; ArgentinaLXVI Reunión anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica; LXIX Reunión Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Inmunología; LIII Reunión Anual de la Asociación Argentina de Farmacología Experimental y XI Reunión Anual de la Asociación Argentina de NanomedicinasBuenos AiresArgentinaSociedad Argentina de Investigación ClínicaSociedad Argentina de InmunologíaAsociación Argentina de Farmacología ExperimentalAsociación Argentina de Nanomedicina

An Evidence-Based Survey on Full-Scale Membrane Biological Reactors: Main Technical Features and Operational Aspects

This paper presents the results of a survey on full-scale membrane biological reactors (MBRs) wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Italy. Alongside the main technical characteristics of the Italian MBR plants, the opinions of the plant managers on the operational advantages and disadvantages are described. As reported by the MBR technology suppliers, approximately 290 MBR municipal or industrial WWTPs are in operation in Italy, out of which 242 were studied in this survey. Data from more than one hundred municipal WWTPs were collected; these account for a total capacity of about 2,000,000 population equivalent (PE), which corresponds to 3% of the total organic load treated by the Italian WWTPs with secondary and advanced treatment. Usually, small installations adopt the flat-sheet rather than hollow-fiber membrane configuration. The main reasons why the MBR technology has been preferred to other options are its potential to be used for increasing the treatment capacity of existing plants and its compactness. Moreover, the followed operational advantages have been highlighted: easiness to comply with the discharge limits, removal of pathogens without specific disinfection units, possibility of internal reuse of the effluent, and process automation. Membrane fouling and plant shutdown have been recorded as the most relevant troubles, the last one indeed occurring only occasionally or rarely

WWOX at the crossroads of cancer, metabolic syndrome related traits and CNS pathologies

WWOX was cloned as a putative tumor suppressor gene mapping to chromosomal fragile site FRA16D. Deletions affecting WWOX accompanied by loss of expression are frequent in various epithelial cancers. Translocations and deletions affecting WWOX are also common in multiple myeloma and are associated with worse prognosis. Metanalysis of gene expression datasets demonstrates that low WWOX expression is significantly associated with shorter relapse-free survival in ovarian and breast cancer patients. Although somatic mutations affecting WWOX are not frequent, analysis of TCGA tumor datasets led to identifying 44 novel mutations in various tumor types. The highest frequencies of mutations were found in head and neck cancers and uterine and gastric adenocarcinomas. Mouse models of gene ablation led us to conclude that Wwox does not behave as a highly penetrant, classical tumor suppressor gene since its deletion is not tumorigenic in most models and its role is more likely to be of relevance in tumor progression rather than in initiation. Analysis of signaling pathways associated with WWOX expression confirmed previous in vivo and in vitro observations linking WWOX function with the TGFβ/SMAD and WNT signaling pathways and with specific metabolic processes. Supporting these conclusions recently we demonstrated that indeed WWOX behaves as a modulator of TGFβ/SMAD signaling by binding and sequestering SMAD3 in the cytoplasmic compartment. As a consequence progressive loss of WWOX expression in advanced breast cancer would contribute to the pro-metastatic effects resulting from TGFβ/SMAD3 hyperactive signaling in breast cancer.Recently, GWAS and resequencing studies have linked the WWOX locus with familial dyslipidemias and metabolic syndrome related traits. Indeed, gene expression studies in liver conditional KO mice confirmed an association between WWOX expression and lipid metabolism.Finally, very recently the first human pedigrees with probands carrying homozygous germline loss of function WWOX mutations have been identified. These patients are characterized by severe CNS related pathology that includes epilepsy, ataxia and mental retardation. In summary, WWOX is a highly conserved and tightly regulated gene throughout evolution and when defective or deregulated the consequences are important and deleterious as demonstrated by its association not only with poor prognosis in cancer but also with other important human pathologies such as metabolic syndrome and CNS related pathologic conditions.Centro de Investigaciones Inmunológicas Básicas y Aplicada

Social Network Analysis of Cryptocurrency using Business Intelligence Dashboard

There are currently more than 10.000 cryptocurrencies available to buy from the online market, with a vast range of prices for each coin it sells. The fluctuation of each coin is affected by any social events or by several important companies or people behind it. The aim of this research is to compare three cryptocurrencies, which are Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Binance Coin, using Social Network Analysis (SNA) by visualizing them using Business Intelligence (BI Dashboard). This study uses the SNA parameters of degree, diameter, modularity, centrality, and path length for each network and its actors and their actual market price by crawling(data collecting process) from Twitter as one of the social media platforms. From the research conducted, the popularity of cryptocurrencies is affected by their market price and the activeness of their actors on social media. These results are important because they could help in the decision-making to buy cryptocurrencies with high popularity on social media because they tend to retain their value over time and could benefit from price spikes from influential people. Doi: 10.28991/HIJ-2022-03-02-09 Full Text: PD

Antimicrobial drugs for persistent diarrhoea of unknown or non-specific cause in children under six in low and middle income countries: systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Background A high proportion of children with persistent diarrhoea in middle and low income countries die. The best treatment is not clear. We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the effectiveness of antimicrobial drug treatment for persistent diarrhoea of unknown or non-specific cause. Methods We included randomized comparisons of antimicrobial drugs for the treatment of persistent diarrhoea of unknown or non-specific cause in children under the age of six years in low and middle income countries. We searched the electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, LILACS, WEB OF SCIENCE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) to May 2008 for relevant randomized or quasi randomized controlled trials. We summarised the characteristics of the eligible trials, assessed their quality using standard criteria, and extracted relevant outcomes data. Where appropriate, we combined the results of different trials. Results Three trials from South East Asia and one from Guatemala were included, all were small, and three had adequate allocation concealment. Two were in patients with diarrhoea of unknown cause, and two were in patients in whom known bacterial or parasitological causes of diarrhoea had been excluded. No difference was demonstrated for oral gentamicin compared with placebo (presence of diarrhoea at 6 or 7 days; 2 trials, n = 151); and for metronidazole compared with placebo (presence of diarrhoea at 3, 5 and 7 days; 1 trial, n = 99). In one small trial, sulphamethoxazole-trimethoprim appeared better than placebo in relation to diarrhoea at seven days and total stool volume (n = 55). Conclusion There is little evidence as to whether or not antimicrobials help treat persistent diarrhoea in young children in low and middle income countries

Breast Cancer Biomarker Discovery in the Functional Genomic Age: A Systematic Review of 42 Gene Expression Signatures

In this review we provide a systematic analysis of transcriptomic signatures derived from 42 breast cancer gene expression studies, in an effort to identify the most relevant breast cancer biomarkers using a meta-analysis method. Meta-data revealed a set of 117 genes that were the most commonly affected ranging from 12% to 36% of overlap among breast cancer gene expression studies. Data mining analysis of transcripts and protein-protein interactions of these commonly modulated genes indicate three functional modules significantly affected among signatures, one module related with the response to steroid hormone stimulus, and two modules related to the cell cycle. Analysis of a publicly available gene expression data showed that the obtained meta-signature is capable of predicting overall survival (P &lt; 0.0001) and relapse-free survival (P &lt; 0.0001) in patients with early-stage breast carcinomas. In addition, the identified meta-signature improves breast cancer patient stratification independently of traditional prognostic factors in a multivariate Cox proportional-hazards analysis

Secure and Differentially Private Detection of Net Neutrality Violations by Means of Crowdsourced Measurements

Evaluating Network Neutrality requires comparing the quality of service experienced by multiple users served by different Internet Service Providers. Consequently, the issue of guaranteeing privacy-friendly network measurements has recently gained increasing interest. In this paper we propose a system which gathers throughput measurements from users of various applications and Internet services and stores it in a crowdsourced database, which can be queried by the users themselves to verify if their submitted measurements are compliant with the hypothesis of a neutral network. Since the crowdsourced data may disclose sensitive information about users and their habits, thus leading to potential privacy leakages, we adopt a privacy-preserving method based on randomized sampling and suppression of small clusters. Numerical results show that the proposed solution ensures a good trade-off between usefulness of the system, in terms of precision and recall of discriminated users, and privacy, in terms of differential privacy

Biosolids: What are the different types of reuse?

In recent years, rapid population growth and industrialization have increased the use of natural resources and the production of waste. To develop a circular economy, it is necessary to study and promote alternative long-term solutions for waste disposal, such as reuse and recovery. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) can be an important part of circular sustainability if re-oriented to function as a water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs). In this context, biological sewage sludge (SS) can be treated in order to produce more stabilized residues: biosolids (BS). This paper aims to review the possible alternatives to reuse the BS in order to increase matter recovery. Around 250 papers, reviews, books and conference proceedings have been examined. Authors explored the application of BS on land, such as soil amendment/fertilizer both in agriculture and for interventions on abandoned mine sites, and on engineering fields, in partial or total substitution of virgin materials. The reuse of BS as adsorbent materials and as a source of phosphorus is also discussed

Prevalence of Nosocomial Infection in Surgical Wounds among Postoperative Patients and their Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infections accounts for about 24% of all nosocomial infections among 16 million patients who undergo surgery every year. SSIs have a major impact on the patient’s quality of life since they are associated with considerable morbidity, occasional mortality, extended hospital stay and financial burden on the patient and the health care provider. The present cross sectional study was done to isolate and identify the aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms causing SSI and to evaluate the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of these pathogens, to assess the risk factors for SSI, to assess the microbial contamination levels in operating theatres and postoperative wards using both active and passive sampling methods and to assess any linkage between the environmental isolates and the isolates causing SSI. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The present study was done in the Institute of Microbiology, Madras Medical College, Chennai. The samples were collected from 200 postoperative inpatients with clinically diagnosed SSI in the department of General surgery, Cardio Thoracic surgery and Vascular Surgery, Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, Chennai. Infected wounds were studied bacteriologically. Samples such as wound swabs from the infected wound site, blood from peripheral vein were collected as indicated and processed as per standard operating procedure (SOP). Environmental sampling from operation theatres and postoperative wards, nasal swabs from anterior nares and hand imprint culture of hospital personnel were collected and processed as per SOP. The results were analyzed. Antibiotic resistance pattern of 2 MRSA strains from general surgical SSI patient were found to be similar to 1 MRSA strain from General surgery Operation theatre. These strains were subjected to 16S rRNA gene amplification and Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis (ARDRA) to identify the strain relatedness. RESULTS: The overall postoperative surgical site infection rate was 15.56%. Males (64.29%) had a higher SSI rate compared to females (35.71%). The rate of SSI was higher (10.22%) in clean contaminated surgeries (class II) compared to 5.3% in clean surgeries (class I). There was a significant increase in the rate of infection with the an increase in duration of the pre-operative hospitalization, ASA score > 2 and duration of surgery. In general surgery, the infection rate was highest in post appendicectomy wounds and lowest in wounds following thyroidectomy, adrenelectomy and hysterectomy. In Cardiothoracic surgery SSI rate was higher in patients who underwent lobectomy and least in valve replacement surgery. In Vascular surgery the SSI rate was higher in bypass graft wounds. The commonest aerobic isolate from the surgical wound infections was Escherichia coli, followed by Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonie and the least common was Proteus mirabilis. In general surgical patients anaerobes namely, Peptostreptococcus spp. and Bacteroides fragilis were isolated. Among all the wounds, isolation of monomicrobials predominated over polymicrobials. Majority of the Gram negative isolates were sensitive to Amikacin and Piperacillin Tazobactum but were resistant to commonly prescribed antimicrobial agents namely Cephalosporins, Gentamycin and Ciprofloxacin. Cefotaxime and Ceftriaxone, the commonly used third generation cephalosporins as surgical prophylaxis to prevent SSIs were found to be less effective against most of the gram negative organisms. The present study also observed an increase in SSIs caused by ESBL producing enteric Gram negative bacilli. Air sampler system was found to measure the microbial burden more accurately compared to settle plate method. Environmental sampling done in the operation theatres and postoperative wards revealed that the Index of microbial contamination of air were within acceptable limits. 16S rRNA gene amplification and Amplified Ribosomal DNA Restriction Analysis (ARDRA) performed on the MRSA isolates with similar antibiotic resistant pattern, revealed that the isolates from SSI were distinct from the one isolated from the OT. CONCLUSION: The conclusion drawn from the present study indicates the necessity for implementing routine wound culture and sensitivity and the test reports to guide the choice of antibiotics, periodic review and adherence to Hospital infection control policy and guidelines. The study also recommends consideration of anaerobic bacteria as a cause in all SSIs, identification of relevant gene responsible for antibiotic resistance of the pathogens by molecular methods as an epidemiologic measure, limiting the use of third generation cephalosporin in surgical prophylaxis to prevent development of further resistance to these antibiotics, performance of routine surveillance of all Operation Theatres once in every two months instead of once in four months done presently and strict adherence to the OT protocol on asepsis and to prefer newer less toxic disinfecting agents