Serological and molecular detection of dengue virus in animals: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: Dengue is a vector-borne disease, especially important in tropical and subtropical areas. The first presentation of many arboviral diseases occurred mainly in animals, including multiple Alphaviruses and Flaviviruses, such as dengue. Objective: To determine the serological and molecular frequency of the dengue virus in animals. Methods: A systematic literature review was carried out in five databases for the proportion of animals infected with dengue, defined by molecular and serological tests. A meta-analysis was performed using a randomeffects model to calculate the pooled prevalence and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Cochran?s Q test and the I2 statistic were used to assess the heterogeneity between the two studies. Results: The presence of dengue in bats, primates, birds, sheep, horses, cattle, pigs, rodents and buffaloes, according to serological methods, had a prevalence of 10%, 29%, 8%, 1%, 11%, 0%, 49%, 2%, 7%, respectively. According to molecular methods, the presence of dengue in bats had a seroprevalence of 6.0%. Conclusion: The present study confirms the presence of the Dengue virus in a large group of animal species, with potential implications as possible reservoirs of this virus, raising the possibility of zoonotic transmission.Revisión por pare

Acceptance towards Monkeypox Vaccination: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Vaccination it is considered a vital strategy in order to mitigate monkeypox by protecting from severe disease and helping in reduction of hospitalisations. In this sense, this study aims to estimate the global prevalence of vaccination acceptance against monkeypox. We conducted a systematic review with a comprehensive search strategy for the following databases: PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. A random-effect model meta-analysis was carried out using observational studies assessing the intention of vaccines against monkeypox from multiple continents. The quality assessment was developed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale adapted for cross-sectional studies. In addition, a subgroup analysis by study location and population and a sensitivity analysis was developed.Eleven cross-sectional studies were included. A total of 8045 participants were included. The pooled prevalence of monkeypox vaccination acceptance in all participants was 56.0% (95%CI: 42.0–70.0%). In the subgroup analysis of monkeypox vaccine acceptance according to continents, the prevalence of vaccine acceptance was 50.0% (95%CI: 24.0–76.0%) in Asian countries and 70.0% (95%CI: 55.0–84.0%) in European countries. The prevalence of vaccine acceptance was 43.0% (95%CI: 35.0–50.0%) in the general population, 63.0% (95%CI: 42.0–70.0%) in healthcare workers, and 84.0% (95%CI: 83.0–86.0%) in the LGBTI community. Despite the high prevalence of monkeypox vaccination acceptance in the LGBTI community found in our study, vaccination acceptance from healthcare workers and the general population are lower. Governments could use these results for planning, developing or promoting vaccination strategies and public health policies focused on these populations.Revisión por pare

Clinical features, hospitalisation and deaths associated with monkeypox: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: A multicountry monkeypox disease (MPX) outbreak began in May 2022 in Europe, leading to the assessment as a potential Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on June 23, 2022. Some observational studies have partially characterised clinical features, hospitalisations, and deaths. However, no systematic reviews of this MPX outbreak have been published. Methods: We performed a systematic review with meta-analysis, using five databases to assess clinical features, hospitalisations, complications and deaths of MPX confirmed or probable cases. Observational studies, case reports and case series, were included. We performed a random-effects model meta-analysis to calculate the pooled prevalence and 95% confidence interval (95% CI). In addition, we carried out a subgroup analysis according to the continents and a sensitivity analysis excluding studies classified as having a high risk of bias. Results: A total of 19 articles were included, using only 12 articles in the quantitative synthesis (meta-analysis). For 1958 patients, rash (93%, 95% CI 80–100%), fever (72%, 95% CI 30–99%), pruritus (65%, 95% CI 47–81%), and lymphadenopathy (62%, 47–76%), were the most prevalent manifestations. Among the patients, 35% (95% CI 14–59%) were hospitalised. Some 4% (95% CI 1–9%) of hospitalised patients had fatal outcomes (case fatality rate, CFR). Conclusion: MPX is spreading rapidly, with a third of hospitalised patients, but less than 5% with fatal outcomes. As this zoonotic virus spreads globally, countries must urgently prepare human resources, infrastructure and facilities to treat patients according to the emerging guidelines and the most reliable clinical information.Revisión por pare

Significant CD4, CD8, and CD19 Lymphopenia in Peripheral Blood of Sarcoidosis Patients Correlates with Severe Disease Manifestations

BACKGROUND: Sarcoidosis is a poorly understood chronic inflammatory condition. Infiltration of affected organs by lymphocytes is characteristic of sarcoidosis, however previous reports suggest that circulating lymphocyte counts are low in some patients with the disease. The goal of this study was to evaluate lymphocyte subsets in peripheral blood in a cohort of sarcoidosis patients to determine the prevalence, severity, and clinical features associated with lymphopenia in major lymphocyte subsets. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Lymphocyte subsets in 28 sarcoid patients were analyzed using flow cytometry to determine the percentage of CD4, CD8, and CD19 positive cells. Greater than 50% of patients had abnormally low CD4, CD8, or CD19 counts (p<4x10(-10)). Lymphopenia was profound in some cases, and five of the patients had absolute CD4 counts below 200. CD4, CD8, and CD19 lymphocyte subset counts were significantly correlated (Spearman's rho 0.57, p = 0.0017), and 10 patients had low counts in all three subsets. Patients with severe organ system involvement including neurologic, cardiac, ocular, and advanced pulmonary disease had lower lymphocyte subset counts as a group than those patients with less severe manifestations (CD4 p = 0.0043, CD8 p = 0.026, CD19 p = 0.033). No significant relationships were observed between various medical therapies and lymphocyte counts, and lymphopenia was present in patients who were not receiving any medical therapy. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Significant lymphopenia involving CD4, CD8, and CD19 positive cells was common in sarcoidosis patients and correlated with disease severity. Our findings suggest that lymphopenia relates more to disease pathology than medical treatment

Prevalence of Toxocara eggs in Latin American parks: a systematic review and meta-analysis

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Snakebite-Associated Infections: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Snakebites still constitute a significant public health problem in developing countries and are considered a neglected tropical condition by the WHO. Snake accidents are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality and may produce secondary complications, such as severe infections. The objective of this systematic review was to determine the prevalence of snakebite infections and characterize the bacteria isolated from these infections. A systematic literature review in five databases was carried out to assess the prevalence of snakebite infection. A meta-analysis was performed using a random-effects model to calculate the pooled prevalence and 95% CIs. Cochran’s Q test and the I2 statistic were used to assess between-study heterogeneity. The pooled prevalence of infection due to snakebite was 27.0% (95% CI: 22.0–32.0%), with high heterogeneity among studies (I2 5 99.7%). The prevalence was higher in Asia (32%) than in the Americas (21%). Snakebite infections required surgical interventions in 68% (95% CI: 37.0–98.0%). The leading group of pathogens identified corresponded to Gram-negative bacteria (63%), particularly Morganella morganii (32%), but also, Gram-positive cocci (40%), especially Enterococcus spp. (23%) and Staphylococcus aureus (15%). However, multiple other pathogens, including anaerobes, were found. A high prevalence of snakebite-associated infection has been described, primarily due to M. morganii, with the corresponding implications for empirical therapy. Rational use of antimicrobials is recommended, and this should guide initial empirical treatment. Moreover, isolation and identification of the possible bacteria present in snakebite wounds is recommended in all cases to confirm or rule out associated infection.Universidad Científica del SurRevisión por pare

All-sky search for short gravitational-wave bursts in the second Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo run

We present the results of a search for short-duration gravitational-wave transients in the data from the second observing run of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. We search for gravitational-wave transients with a duration of milliseconds to approximately one second in the 32-4096 Hz frequency band with minimal assumptions about the signal properties, thus targeting a wide variety of sources. We also perform a matched-filter search for gravitational-wave transients from cosmic string cusps for which the waveform is well modeled. The unmodeled search detected gravitational waves from several binary black hole mergers which have been identified by previous analyses. No other significant events have been found by either the unmodeled search or the cosmic string search. We thus present the search sensitivities for a variety of signal waveforms and report upper limits on the source rate density as a function of the characteristic frequency of the signal. These upper limits are a factor of 3 lower than the first observing run, with a 50% detection probability for gravitational-wave emissions with energies of ∼10-9 Mc2 at 153 Hz. For the search dedicated to cosmic string cusps we consider several loop distribution models, and present updated constraints from the same search done in the first observing run

Search for intermediate mass black hole binaries in the first and second observing runs of the Advanced LIGO and Virgo network

Gravitational-wave astronomy has been firmly established with the detection of gravitational waves from the merger of ten stellar-mass binary black holes and a neutron star binary. This paper reports on the all-sky search for gravitational waves from intermediate mass black hole binaries in the first and second observing runs of the Advanced LIGO and Virgo network. The search uses three independent algorithms: two based on matched filtering of the data with waveform templates of gravitational-wave signals from compact binaries, and a third, model-independent algorithm that employs no signal model for the incoming signal. No intermediate mass black hole binary event is detected in this search. Consequently, we place upper limits on the merger rate density for a family of intermediate mass black hole binaries. In particular, we choose sources with total masses M=m1+m2ϵ[120,800] M and mass ratios q=m2/m1ϵ[0.1,1.0]. For the first time, this calculation is done using numerical relativity waveforms (which include higher modes) as models of the real emitted signal. We place a most stringent upper limit of 0.20 Gpc-3 yr-1 (in comoving units at the 90% confidence level) for equal-mass binaries with individual masses m1,2=100 M and dimensionless spins χ1,2=0.8 aligned with the orbital angular momentum of the binary. This improves by a factor of ∼5 that reported after Advanced LIGO's first observing run

Search for Eccentric Binary Black Hole Mergers with Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo during Their First and Second Observing Runs

When formed through dynamical interactions, stellar-mass binary black holes (BBHs) may retain eccentric orbits (e &gt; 0.1 at 10 Hz) detectable by ground-based gravitational-wave detectors. Eccentricity can therefore be used to differentiate dynamically formed binaries from isolated BBH mergers. Current template-based gravitational-wave searches do not use waveform models associated with eccentric orbits, rendering the search less efficient for eccentric binary systems. Here we present the results of a search for BBH mergers that inspiral in eccentric orbits using data from the first and second observing runs (O1 and O2) of Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo. We carried out the search with the coherent WaveBurst algorithm, which uses minimal assumptions on the signal morphology and does not rely on binary waveform templates. We show that it is sensitive to binary mergers with a detection range that is weakly dependent on eccentricity for all bound systems. Our search did not identify any new binary merger candidates. We interpret these results in light of eccentric binary formation models. We rule out formation channels with rates ⪆100 Gpc-3 yr-1 for e &gt; 0.1, assuming a black hole mass spectrum with a power-law index ≲2