Can We Bridge the Gap? Mathematics and the Life Sciences, Part 1–Calculus-Based Modules, Programs, Curricula

This editorial serves as an introduction to Part 1 of the Special Issue Mathematics and the Life Sciences–a collection of articles showcasing ideas, examples, pedagogical frameworks, and curricular materials aiming to bridge the stubbornly persistent gap at the undergraduate level between the mathematical and the life sciences. The special issue features authors from public and private institutions of diverse types, sizes, and geographic locations: community colleges, liberal arts colleges, and research-oriented universities. We hope this special issue will serve as a resource to faculty who seek to make changes to their own course(s) or initiate curriculum reforms at their own schools. Part 1 focuses on educational initiatives that are appropriate for Calculus classes or require calculus as a prerequisite. Part 2 of the special issue features course materials and programs based on discrete mathematics, computational approaches, and statistics. Part 2 also includes articles on internship programs and co-curricular opportunities

Can We Bridge the Gap? Mathematics and the Life Sciences: Part 2–Discrete Models, Statistics, Co-Curricular Opportunities

This editorial serves as an introduction to Part 2 of the Special Issue Mathematics and the Life Sciences–a collection of articles showcasing ideas, examples, pedagogical frameworks, and curricular materials aiming to bridge the stubbornly persistent gap at the undergraduate level between the mathematical and the life sciences. The special issue features authors from public and private institutions of diverse types, sizes, and geographic locations: community colleges, liberal arts colleges, and research-oriented universities. We hope this special issue will serve as a resource to faculty who seek to make changes to their own course(s) or initiate curriculum reforms at their own schools. This Part 2 special issue features course materials and programs based on discrete mathematics, computational approaches, and statistics. It also includes articles on internship programs and co-curricular opportunities. Part 1 focuses on educational initiatives that are appropriate for calculus classes or require calculus as a prerequisite

Age-Structured and Vaccination Models of Devil Facial Tumor Disease

Tasmanian devil populations have been devastated by devil facial tumor disease (DFTD) since its first appearance in 1996. The average lifespan of a devil has decreased from six years to three years. We present an age-structured model to represent how the disease has affected the age and breeding structures of the population. We show that with the recent increase in the breeding of juvenile devils, the overall devil population will increase but not nearly to pre-DFTD levels. The basic reproductive number may be increased with the influx of young breeding devils. In addition, our model shows that the release of nearly 100 captive-bred, vaccinated devils into infected, wild populations may help eliminate the disease and hence enable the population\u27s recovery. Specifically, we demonstrate that with this release of captive-bred, vaccinated devils the basic reproductive number is decreased to below one

Paying Our Dues: The Role of Professional Societies in the Evolution of Mathematical Biology Education.

Mathematical biology education provides key foundational underpinnings for the scholarly work of mathematical biology. Professional societies support such education efforts via funding, public speaking opportunities, Web presence, publishing, workshops, prizes, opportunities to discuss curriculum design, and support of mentorship and other means of sustained communication among communities of scholars. Such programs have been critical to the broad expansion of the range and visibility of research and educational activities in mathematical biology. We review these efforts, past and present, across multiple societies-the Society for Mathematical Biology (SMB), the Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research (BEER), the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM). We then proceed to suggest ways that professional societies can serve as advocates and community builders for mathematical biologists at all levels, noting that education continues throughout a career and also emphasizing the value of educating new generations of students. Our suggestions include collecting and disseminating data related to biomath education; developing and maintaining mentoring systems and research communities; and providing incentives and visibility for educational efforts within mathematical biology

Measles: An overview of a re-emerging disease in children and immunocompromised patients

Despite the availability of a safe and effective vaccine, in 2018, around 350,000 measles cases were reported worldwide, which resulted in an estimate of 142,300 deaths from measles. Additionally, in 2017, global measles cases spiked, causing the death of 110,000 people, mostly children under the age of 5 years and immunocompromised adults. The increase in measles incidence is caused by the ongoing reduction of vaccination coverage. This event has triggered public and scientific interest. For this reason, we reviewed the pathophysiology of measles infection, focusing on mechanisms by which the virus spreads systemically through the host organism. By reaching the lymphocytes from the airways through a \u201ctrojan horse\u201d strategy, measles induces an immunosuppression status. H and F glycoproteins, both expressed in the envelope, ensure attachment of the virus to host cells and spreading from one cell to another by binding to several receptors, as described in detail. The severity of the disease depends both on the age and underlying conditions of patients as well as the social and health context in which epidemics spread, and is often burdened by sequelae and complications that may occur several years after infection. Particular attention was paid to special groups that are more susceptible to severe or atypical measles. An overview of microbiology, symptoms, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment completes and enriches the review

Shaping the subway microbiome through probiotic-based sanitation during the COVID-19 emergency: a pre–post case–control study

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the extent to which the public transportation environment, such as in subways, may be important for the transmission of potential pathogenic microbes among humans, with the possibility of rapidly impacting large numbers of people. For these reasons, sanitation procedures, including massive use of chemical disinfection, were mandatorily introduced during the emergency and remain in place. However, most chemical disinfectants have temporary action and a high environmental impact, potentially enhancing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) of the treated microbes. By contrast, a biological and eco-sustainable probiotic-based sanitation (PBS) procedure was recently shown to stably shape the microbiome of treated environments, providing effective and long-term control of pathogens and AMR spread in addition to activity against SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19. Our study aims to assess the applicability and impact of PBS compared with chemical disinfectants based on their effects on the surface microbiome of a subway environment. Results: The train microbiome was characterized by both culture-based and culture-independent molecular methods, including 16S rRNA NGS and real-time qPCR microarray, for profiling the train bacteriome and its resistome and to identify and quantify specific human pathogens. SARS-CoV-2 presence was also assessed in parallel using digital droplet PCR. The results showed a clear and significant decrease in bacterial and fungal pathogens (p < 0.001) as well as of SARS-CoV-2 presence (p < 0.01), in the PBS-treated train compared with the chemically disinfected control train. In addition, NGS profiling evidenced diverse clusters in the population of air vs. surface while demonstrating the specific action of PBS against pathogens rather than the entire train bacteriome. Conclusions: The data presented here provide the first direct assessment of the impact of different sanitation procedures on the subway microbiome, allowing a better understanding of its composition and dynamics and showing that a biological sanitation approach may be highly effective in counteracting pathogens and AMR spread in our increasingly urbanized and interconnected environment. Video Abstract

Human Polyomaviruses in the Cerebrospinal Fluid of Neurological Patients.

BACKGROUND: Central nervous system (CNS) infections by human polyomaviruses (HPyVs), with the exception of JC (JCPyV), have been poorly studied. METHODS: In total, 234 cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were collected from patients affected with neurological disorders. DNA was isolated and subjected to quantitative real-time PCR (Q-PCR) for the detection of six HPyVs: JCPyV, BKPyV, Merkel cell PyV (MCPyV), HPyV6, HPyV7, and HPyV9. Where possible, the molecular characterization of the viral strains was carried out by nested PCR and automated sequencing. RESULTS: JCPyV was detected in 3/234 (1.3%), BKPyV in 15/234 (6.4%), MCPyV in 22/234 (9.4%), and HPyV6 in 1/234 (0.4%) CSF samples. JCPyV was detected at the highest (p < 0.05) mean load (3.7 7 107 copies/mL), followed by BKPyV (1.9 7 106 copies/mL), MCPyV (1.9 7 105 copies/mL), and HPyV6 (3.3 7 104 copies/mL). The noncoding control regions (NCCRs) of the sequenced viral strains were rearranged. CONCLUSIONS: HPyVs other than JCPyV were found in the CSF of patients affected with different neurological diseases, probably as bystanders, rather than etiological agents of the disease. However, the fact that they can be latent in the CNS should be considered, especially in immunosuppressed patients

Investigating the relationship between the immune response and the severity of COVID-19: a large-cohort retrospective study

The COVID-19 pandemic has left an indelible mark globally, presenting numerous challenges to public health. This crisis, while disruptive and impactful, has provided a unique opportunity to gather precious clinical data extensively. In this observational, case-control study, we utilized data collected at the Azienda Sanitaria Universitaria Friuli Centrale, Italy, to comprehensively characterize the immuno-inflammatory features in COVID-19 patients. Specifically, we employed multicolor flow cytometry, cytokine assays, and inflammatory biomarkers to elucidate the interplay between the infectious agent and the host’s immune status. We characterized immuno-inflammatory profiles within the first 72 hours of hospital admission, stratified by age, disease severity, and time elapsed since symptom onset. Our findings indicate that patients admitted to the hospital shortly after symptom onset exhibit a distinct pattern compared to those who arrive later, characterized by a more active immune response and heightened cytokine activity, but lower markers of tissue damage. We used univariate and multivariate logistic regression models to identify informative markers for outcome severity. Predictors incorporating the immuno-inflammatory features significantly outperformed standard baselines, identifying up to 59% of patients with positive outcomes while maintaining a false omission rate as low as 4%. Overall, our study sheds light on the immuno-inflammatory aspects observed in COVID-19 patients prior to vaccination, providing insights for guiding the clinical management of first-time infections by a novel virus