Protective Efficacy of a Borrelia burghdorferi BB0172 Derived-Peptide Based Vaccine Formulation in the Murine Model Against Lyme Disease

Lyme disease (LD) is the most prevalent tick-borne disease in the US. The disease in humans is characterized by the development of a characteristic skin rash (erythema migrans), arthritis, cardiac and neurological signs. Vaccination is the most efficient preventive measure that could be taken to reduce the incidence of the LD around the globe; however at present no vaccine is available for human use. To date, extensive research has been devoted to develop a protective vaccine for use in humans. Nonetheless, it is challenging to find a conserved antigen to combat the heterogeneity within the Lyme spirochetes. Also, the complex biology of Borrelia species and alterations in the expression of outer surface membranes, put another burden to generate effective LD vaccines. In this work, PepB, a BB0172-derived peptide was evaluated in scaffolded and conjugated formulations as a vaccine candidate in murine model of LD. Overall, we observed that, when animals are immunized with pepB conjugated to the tetanus toxoid, they develop high antibody titers that induce protection when animals are infected by needle inoculation. Furthermore, sera from immunized individuals showed bactericidal properties. Finally, the peptide conjugations tested did not protect against the tick infection by clearing infection, but a significant reduction in bacterial burden was observed in immunized groups compared to control groups. Therefore, we conclude that PepB conjugated antigens can serve as an alternative to prevent Lyme disease; nevertheless further studies will be needed to evaluate further delivery methods as well as antigen presentations (polyvalent vaccines, microencapsulation, etc.)

Participatory Leadership Style and its Role in Enhancing Organizational Loyalty through Positive Psychological Capital as a Mediating Variable Analytical study in the General Secretariat of the Al-Abbas's (p) Holy Shrine - Holy Karbala

The research shows the role of the participatory leadership style in enhancing organizational loyalty through positive psychological capital as a mediating variable. In order to achieve this, the research questions centered on the nature of the correlation and influence relationships between the research variables. For this reason, the research relied on the dimensions of each variable separately to demonstrate the role of participatory leadership in improving And reaching the best solutions and decisions for the employees of the organization by taking into account the opinions of the employees, freedom of expression, and their sense of responsibility in order to achieve the required level, which creates confidence among the employees and gives them their importance at work, which leads to the availability of a positive psychological climate for the employees that makes the work environment more lively and positive and reduces stress. The work enhances the employees’ adherence to the organization under study and enhances their organizational loyalty. The General Secretariat of the Abbasid Holy Shrine was chosen to test the research hypotheses. The researcher used the questionnaire as a research tool and a means of obtaining data. He conducted some interviews for clarification and clarification. The research relied on the descriptive analytical approach. The research community was represented by workers in the secretariat. The general survey of the Holy Abbasid Shrine, and the research sample amounted to (425) respondents. (403) questionnaires were retrieved valid for statistical analysis and through the statistical package for the (Spss V.26) The General Assembly of the Holy Abbasid Shrine is concerned with applying the participatory leadership style, through which a participatory organizational climate is created in which all meanings of cooperation, morale, social spirit, and collective responsibility are embodied in the work relationship between employees and management, which would create a stable work environment free of organizational problems and disagreements, which... It leads to enhancing levels of organizational loyalty, and there is an indirect effect of positive psychological capital if it mediates between participatory leadership style and organizational loyalty, which indicates that the research sample’s connection to the workplace is a religious-ideological, psychological, and spiritual connection, before it is primarily a professional commitment. Therefore, we find the research sample harnessing all its capabilities and energies to promote and raise the style of participatory leadership to ensure the strengthening of organizational loyalty for workers in the General Secretariat of the Abbasid Shrine

Design and Fabrication of an Electromechanical Tester to Perform Two-dimensional Tensile Testing for Flexible Materials

There are many diseases that affect the arteries, especially those related to their elasticity and stiffness, and they can be guessed by estimating and calculating the modulus of elasticity. Hence, the accurate calculation of the elastic modulus leads to an accurate assessment of these diseases, especially in their early stages, which can contribute to the treatment of these diseases early. Most of the calculations used the one-dimensional (1D) modulus of elasticity. From a mechanical point of view, the stresses to which the artery is subjected are not one-dimensional, but three-dimensional. Therefore, estimating at least a two-dimensional (2D) modulus of elasticity will necessarily be more accurate. To the knowledge of researchers, there is a lack of published research on this subject, as well as a paucity of research that designed and implemented a 2D tensile testing device (2DTTD). However, there is no inspection of arterial flexibility and elasticity using the 2DTTD adequately studied before. Therefore, the aim of this work is to design and implement the 2DTTD to scrutinize if there is a difference between the 1D and 2D tensile examination. Different sized rectangular silicone specimens were manually fabricated; they were tested individually using the fabricated 2DTTD, which mainly comprises four actuators synchronously working with the same velocity and axial load force, two at each axis. As expected using the 2DTTD, the dimensions of the specimen remarkably influence the tensile testing results; the strain and stress rates and the modulus of elasticity were influenced.  To validate the acquired 2D tensile testing results, the 1D tensile testing was performed using the same fabricated 2DTTD and compared to results gained using another tensile testing apparatus. During the verification process, the input data for models calibration were sufficiently and accurately provided. The results showed reasonable precision and reliability in calculations of the 2D stress and strain rates during the whole deformation process. Each mechanical device that has been used has the possibility to stretch and squeeze the sample and log the change in the specimen elongation. The authors thought that the present experimental methodology was applied to the linear mechanical device successfully, where the encoder that is attached to tested samples was in the principal direction. The present method is used to measure the deformation in a manner that differs from the traditional digital image correlation method, which required a toolset that is more expensive, where it incorporates high-accuracy optical equipment

The Outcome of Withholding Pharmacologic Treatment in Children with Acute ITP

Background: ITP is a nonthreatening disorder disturbing children at any age but mostly below 5 years. Objective: To evaluate the outcome of children with acute ITP who were not specified with any pharmacologic action and linked with those who were treated. Patients and Methods: A prospective case- control   study was done between Jan.2002 to May 2016 at Mukalla children and Maternity Hospital and University Hospital for Children and Mother Health in Mukalla/ Hadhramout /Yemen,  where 20 children with acute ITP. the control group was 18 children given the conventional therapy. The identification and grouping of ITP were made according to the 2009 International Working Group criteria. Results: In group A there were 11( 55%) boys and 9(45%) girls, while control group B there were 18 children 10 (55.5%) boys and 8 (44.5%) girls.   the ages were from 2 to 12 years. The mean age is 4.7 years with the median age at identification was 4r years. There was no statistical significant difference between both groups regarding outcome. Conclusion: The recovery percentage has some relation with age at appearance and preliminary platelet count where younger children and those with platelet amount of <20000 /µL have better recovery percentage. There was no statistical significant difference between both groups regarding outcome

Adenovirus-vectored novel African Swine Fever Virus antigens elicit robust immune responses in swine

<div><p>African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) is a high-consequence transboundary animal pathogen that often causes hemorrhagic disease in swine with a case fatality rate close to 100%. Lack of treatment or vaccine for the disease makes it imperative that safe and efficacious vaccines are developed to safeguard the swine industry. In this study, we evaluated the immunogenicity of seven adenovirus-vectored novel ASFV antigens, namely A151R, B119L, B602L, EP402RΔPRR, B438L, K205R and A104R. Immunization of commercial swine with a cocktail of the recombinant adenoviruses formulated in adjuvant primed strong ASFV antigen-specific IgG responses that underwent rapid recall upon boost. Notably, most vaccinees mounted robust IgG responses against all the antigens in the cocktail. Most importantly and relevant to vaccine development, the induced antibodies recognized viral proteins from Georgia 2007/1 ASFV-infected cells by IFA and by western blot analysis. The recombinant adenovirus cocktail also induced ASFV-specific IFN-γ-secreting cells that were recalled upon boosting. Evaluation of local and systemic effects of the recombinant adenovirus cocktail post-priming and post-boosting in the immunized animals showed that the immunogen was well tolerated and no serious negative effects were observed. Taken together, these outcomes showed that the adenovirus-vectored novel ASFV antigen cocktail was capable of safely inducing strong antibody and IFN-γ⁺ cell responses in commercial swine. The data will be used for selection of antigens for inclusion in a multi-antigen prototype vaccine to be evaluated for protective efficacy.</p></div

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Summary Background Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. Methods We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung’s disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. Findings We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung’s disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middleincome countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in lowincome countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. Interpretation Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between lowincome, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and angiotensin receptor blocker initiation on organ support-free days in patients hospitalized with COVID-19

IMPORTANCE Overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) may contribute to poor clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Objective To determine whether angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) initiation improves outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In an ongoing, adaptive platform randomized clinical trial, 721 critically ill and 58 non–critically ill hospitalized adults were randomized to receive an RAS inhibitor or control between March 16, 2021, and February 25, 2022, at 69 sites in 7 countries (final follow-up on June 1, 2022). INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomized to receive open-label initiation of an ACE inhibitor (n = 257), ARB (n = 248), ARB in combination with DMX-200 (a chemokine receptor-2 inhibitor; n = 10), or no RAS inhibitor (control; n = 264) for up to 10 days. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was organ support–free days, a composite of hospital survival and days alive without cardiovascular or respiratory organ support through 21 days. The primary analysis was a bayesian cumulative logistic model. Odds ratios (ORs) greater than 1 represent improved outcomes. RESULTS On February 25, 2022, enrollment was discontinued due to safety concerns. Among 679 critically ill patients with available primary outcome data, the median age was 56 years and 239 participants (35.2%) were women. Median (IQR) organ support–free days among critically ill patients was 10 (–1 to 16) in the ACE inhibitor group (n = 231), 8 (–1 to 17) in the ARB group (n = 217), and 12 (0 to 17) in the control group (n = 231) (median adjusted odds ratios of 0.77 [95% bayesian credible interval, 0.58-1.06] for improvement for ACE inhibitor and 0.76 [95% credible interval, 0.56-1.05] for ARB compared with control). The posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitors and ARBs worsened organ support–free days compared with control were 94.9% and 95.4%, respectively. Hospital survival occurred in 166 of 231 critically ill participants (71.9%) in the ACE inhibitor group, 152 of 217 (70.0%) in the ARB group, and 182 of 231 (78.8%) in the control group (posterior probabilities that ACE inhibitor and ARB worsened hospital survival compared with control were 95.3% and 98.1%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this trial, among critically ill adults with COVID-19, initiation of an ACE inhibitor or ARB did not improve, and likely worsened, clinical outcomes. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0273570

Protective Efficacy of a Borrelia burghdorferi BB0172 Derived-Peptide Based Vaccine Formulation in the Murine Model Against Lyme Disease

Lyme disease (LD) is the most prevalent tick-borne disease in the US. The disease in humans is characterized by the development of a characteristic skin rash (erythema migrans), arthritis, cardiac and neurological signs. Vaccination is the most efficient preventive measure that could be taken to reduce the incidence of the LD around the globe; however at present no vaccine is available for human use. To date, extensive research has been devoted to develop a protective vaccine for use in humans. Nonetheless, it is challenging to find a conserved antigen to combat the heterogeneity within the Lyme spirochetes. Also, the complex biology of Borrelia species and alterations in the expression of outer surface membranes, put another burden to generate effective LD vaccines. In this work, PepB, a BB0172-derived peptide was evaluated in scaffolded and conjugated formulations as a vaccine candidate in murine model of LD. Overall, we observed that, when animals are immunized with pepB conjugated to the tetanus toxoid, they develop high antibody titers that induce protection when animals are infected by needle inoculation. Furthermore, sera from immunized individuals showed bactericidal properties. Finally, the peptide conjugations tested did not protect against the tick infection by clearing infection, but a significant reduction in bacterial burden was observed in immunized groups compared to control groups. Therefore, we conclude that PepB conjugated antigens can serve as an alternative to prevent Lyme disease; nevertheless further studies will be needed to evaluate further delivery methods as well as antigen presentations (polyvalent vaccines, microencapsulation, etc.)

The effectiveness of change and transformation of formal displacement in the internal space (historical passenger stations as a model)

Intellectual and material displacement is one of the design strategies through many mechanisms and means, and depends on the idea of changing the shape within the internal spaces at times and has concepts related to the transformation at other times. And represented by the boxes for travelers, the research problem emerged through the following question: (What is the effectiveness of displacement in the formal structures in the interior design of historical sites), and the aim of the study is to reveal the reality of the use of historical internal spaces and to determine the formal displacement that occurs as a result of change and transformation, and it included two topics, the first topic Transformation and the effectiveness of formal displacement in the interior spaces and the second topic: the transformation in the interior design of public buildings. And other moral ones are linked to the historical space and the partial or comprehensive effects that occur on them that affected them differently through the preservation or the dismantling of the design system. in a different format

Scientific practices of secondary school biology teachers

The aim of the current research is to identify the scientific practices of biology teachers at the secondary stage. To achieve this goal, the researcher used the descriptive approach, and built a scale for the scientific practices of biology teachers, where the scale consisted in its final form of (40) items, and the research applied the scale to a sample formed Out of (200) members of biology teachers for the secondary stage of schools affiliated with the General Directorate of Al-Qadisiyah Education. The results of the research showed that the study sample (teachers) utilize scientific practices, and a statistically significant difference was found between male and female teachers in scientific practices in favor of males who have experience ranging from ( 6-10) years. As for females the experience was ranging from (6-10)