Compulsory Licensing in TRIPS: Chinese and Indian Comparative Advantage in the Manufacture and Exportation of Green Technologies

Challengers to the United States’ global influence, such as Brazil, China, and India, have criticized heavy polluters like the United States and the United Kingdom for significantly contributing to the world’s total carbon emissions but failing to share its green technologies with the rest of the world. Utilizing Rio+20 to redefine Article 31(b) of the World Trade Organization’s Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement should create an international framework for transfer of green technology through a patent process called compulsory licensing. Compulsory licensing allows a country to bypass a patent and create a generic copy of a technology by licensing it within its borders

Clinical, hormonal and ovarian morphological correlation in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Background: Aim of the study was to study the correlation between clinical, ultrasonographical and hormonal features in women diagnosed as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and association with vitamin D levels.Methods: This prospective study was conducted among women attending gynecological outpatient department (OPD) of Subharti Medical College, Meerut over a period of two years among 100 patients with clinical diagnosis of PCOS/PCOD according to Rotterdam criteria (2013) were included in this study. All biochemical investigations to be carried out for levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), vitamin D levels, lipid profile to understand the endocrinal and metabolic derangements if any in the patient. Ultrasound pelvis for ovarian study was conducted to know the ovarian morphology, no of follicles if any and their size, which were helpful in the diagnosis of PCOS.Results: Nulliparity and multiparity was reported among 32% and 68% of the subjects respectively. Most common complaint was hirsuitism (43%). According to ultrasonography (USG), PCOS was found to be positive and negative among 87% and 13% of the subjects respectively. Most of the subjects had vitamin D level of 20-50 while <20 vitamin D level was found among 27% of the subjects. Vitamin D deficiency was found to be more in subjects having morphological presence of PCOS as compared to subjects with morphological absence of PCOS with statistically significant difference.Conclusions: On correlating ultrasonological findings with clinic hormonal changes in PCOS women we found that hirsuitism and vitamin d deficiency was significantly more common in women with sonological findings suggestive of PCOS

Tuberculosis infection and disease in people living with HIV in countries with low tuberculosis incidence

In countries with low tuberculosis (TB) incidence, TB is concentrated in vulnerable populations, including people living with the human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV), who have a substantially greater risk of TB than people without HIV. We searched PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science for studies evaluating the risk factors for latent tuberculous infection (LTBI) or active TB in PLHIV in countries with TB incidence 10 per 100 000 population. Due to the number of risk factors evaluated and heterogeneity in study designs, we present summary data and a narrative synthesis. We included 45 studies: 17 reported data on the risk factors for LTBI and 32 on active TB. Black, Asian or Hispanic ethnicity, birth or long-term residence in a country with high TB incidence, and HIV acquisition via injecting drug use (IDU) or heterosexual sex were strong predictors of both LTBI and active TB. History of contact, a greater degree of immunosuppression at diagnosis or higher viral load increased the TB risk. Early HIV diagnosis to allow timely initiation of antiretroviral therapy is essential for the prevention of TB in PLHIV. Screening and treating PLHIV for LTBI to reduce the risk of progression to active TB disease should also be considered to further reduce the burden of active TB in low TB incidence settings. Research to support the expansion of TB and HIV prevention and treatment globally is essential to eliminate TB in low-incidence settings

Rapid synchronous type 1 IFN and virus-specific T cell responses characterize first wave non-severe SARS-CoV-2 infections

Effective control of SARS-CoV-2 infection on primary exposure may reveal correlates of protective immunity to future variants, but we lack insights into immune responses before or at the time virus is first detected. We use blood transcriptomics, multiparameter flow cytometry, and T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing spanning the time of incident non-severe infection in unvaccinated virus-naive individuals to identify rapid type 1 interferon (IFN) responses common to other acute respiratory viruses and cell proliferation responses that discriminate SARS-CoV-2 from other viruses. These peak by the time the virus is first detected and sometimes precede virus detection. Cell proliferation is most evident in CD8 T cells and associated with specific expansion of SARS-CoV-2-reactive TCRs, in contrast to virus-specific antibodies, which lag by 1–2 weeks. Our data support a protective role for early type 1 IFN and CD8 T cell responses, with implications for development of universal T cell vaccines