COVID-19 infection and nanomedicine applications for development of vaccines and therapeutics: An overview and future perspectives based on polymersomes

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), which emerged in December 2019 and caused the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, took the world by surprise with an unprecedented public health emergency. Since this pandemic began, extraordinary efforts have been made by scientists to understand the pathogenesis of COVID-19, and to fight the infection by providing various preventive, diagnostic and treatment opportunities based on either novel hypotheses or past experiences. Despite all the achievements, COVID-19 continues to be an accelerating health threat with no specifically approved vaccine or therapy. This review highlights the recent advances in COVID-19 infection, with a particular emphasis on nanomedicine applications that can help in the development of effective vaccines or therapeutics against COVID-19. A novel future perspective has been proposed in this review based on utilizing polymersome nano-objects for effectively suppressing the cytokine storm, which may reduce the severity of COVID-19 infection

Factor structure of the body appreciation scale among Indonesian women and men: further evidence of a two-factor solution in a non-Western population

While the Body Appreciation Scale (BAS) reduces to a single dimension among Western samples, a two-factor solution has been found among non-Western populations. The present study examined the factor structure of the BAS among Indonesian women and men, a previously neglected population. A total of 262 women and 278 men in Jakarta, Indonesia, completed an Indonesian version of the BAS. Factor analyses revealed the existence of two factors that were only moderately correlated: a dominant 10-item factor representing general body appreciation and a second 3-item factor representing adaptive body image investment. However, only general body appreciation met criteria for acceptable internal consistency; thus, additional analyses were conducted with this factor alone. There were no significant ethnic differences in general body appreciation, but men had significantly higher body appreciation than women. Suggestions for future research, particularly in terms of uncovering culture-specific factors that contribute to positive body image, are discussed

Nanostructuring of Fe films by oblique incidence deposition on a FeSi2 template onto Si(111): Growth, morphology, structure and faceting

International audienceThe growth of thin Fe films deposited at oblique incidence on an iron silicide template onto Si(111) single crystal has been investigated as a function of Fe thickness (0 < tFe 6 180 monolayers (MLs)) and incidence angle (0 6 h 6 80). The growth mode is determined in situ by means of scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and low energy electron diffraction (LEED). Stripes oriented perpendicularly to the incident atomic flux are formed for hP30. Self-correlation functions are used to extract characteristic lengths from STM images. The correlation lengths in the direction of the incident flux (nx) and perpendicular to the atomic flux (ny) grow with different powers versus time (nx / tr and ny / tq, with r = 0.34 ± 0.03 and q = 0.67 ± 0.03) following the exact solution of the (1 + 1) dimensional Kardar–Parisi–Zhang (KPZ) equation. The root mean square roughness follows also a scaling law for tFe < 120 ML leading to a growth exponent b = 0.73 ± 0.02. Shadowing and steering effects are discussed on the basis of our STM data

Nanostructuring of Fe films by oblique incidence deposition on a FeSi2 template onto Si(111): Growth, morphology, structure and faceting

International audienceThe growth of thin Fe films deposited at oblique incidence on an iron silicide template onto Si(111) single crystal has been investigated as a function of Fe thickness (0 < tFe 6 180 monolayers (MLs)) and incidence angle (0 6 h 6 80). The growth mode is determined in situ by means of scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) and low energy electron diffraction (LEED). Stripes oriented perpendicularly to the incident atomic flux are formed for hP30. Self-correlation functions are used to extract characteristic lengths from STM images. The correlation lengths in the direction of the incident flux (nx) and perpendicular to the atomic flux (ny) grow with different powers versus time (nx / tr and ny / tq, with r = 0.34 ± 0.03 and q = 0.67 ± 0.03) following the exact solution of the (1 + 1) dimensional Kardar–Parisi–Zhang (KPZ) equation. The root mean square roughness follows also a scaling law for tFe < 120 ML leading to a growth exponent b = 0.73 ± 0.02. Shadowing and steering effects are discussed on the basis of our STM data

Celebrity worship among university students in Malaysia: a methodological contribution to the Celebrity Attitude Scale

The present study examined conceptual issues surrounding celebrity worship in a Malay-speaking population. In total, 512 Malay and 269 Chinese participants from Malaysia indicated who their favorite celebrity was and completed the Celebrity Attitude Scale (CAS) as well as a range of demographic items. Results showed that the majority of Malay and Chinese participants selected pop stars and movie stars as their favourite celebrities, mirroring findings in Western settings. In addition, exploratory factor analysis revealed a three-factor solution of the CAS that was consistent with previous studies conducted in the West. Structural equation modeling further revealed that participant’s age was negatively associated with celebrity worship and that self-rated attractiveness was positively associated with celebrity worship. Overall, the present results suggest that celebrity worship in Malaysia may be driven by market and media forces, and future research may well be guided by use of the CAS

Inactivating Mutations in GT198 in Familial and Early-Onset Breast and Ovarian Cancers

The human GT198 gene (gene symbol PSMC3IP) is located at chromosome 17q21, 470 kb proximal to BRCA1, a locus previously linked to breast and ovarian cancer predisposition. Its protein product (also known as TBPIP and Hop2) has been shown to regulate steroid hormone receptor–mediated gene activation and to stimulate homologous recombination in DNA repair. Here, we screened germline mutations in GT198 in familial and early-onset breast and ovarian cancer patients. We have identified 8 germline variants in a total of 212 index patients including reoccurring nonsense mutation c.310C>T (p.Q104X) and 5′ UTR mutation c.-37A>T, each found in 2 unrelated families. Most identified index patients from cancer families had early onsets with a median age of 35 years. c.310C>T was absent in a total of 564 control individuals analyzed. GT198 gene amplification with an imbalanced mutant copy gain was identified in the blood DNA of one of the patients carrying c.310C>T. When tested, this truncating mutation abolished DNA damage–induced Rad51 foci formation. In addition, we have identified 15 somatic mutations in 2 tumors from 1 patient carrying germline mutation c.-37A>T. The presence of a somatic mutation on the wild-type allele showed that GT198 was biallelically mutated in the tumor. The somatic mutations identified near a splicing junction site caused defective alternative splicing and truncated the open reading frame. Therefore, distinct mutations may cause a similar consequence by truncating the full-length protein and inducing a loss of the wild type. Our study provides the first evidence of the presence of inactivating mutations in GT198 in familial and early-onset breast and ovarian cancer patients. Mutations in GT198, a gene regulating DNA repair, potentially contribute to an increased risk in familial breast and ovarian cancers

Immunocompromised patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome : Secondary analysis of the LUNG SAFE database

The aim of this study was to describe data on epidemiology, ventilatory management, and outcome of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in immunocompromised patients. Methods: We performed a post hoc analysis on the cohort of immunocompromised patients enrolled in the Large Observational Study to Understand the Global Impact of Severe Acute Respiratory Failure (LUNG SAFE) study. The LUNG SAFE study was an international, prospective study including hypoxemic patients in 459 ICUs from 50 countries across 5 continents. Results: Of 2813 patients with ARDS, 584 (20.8%) were immunocompromised, 38.9% of whom had an unspecified cause. Pneumonia, nonpulmonary sepsis, and noncardiogenic shock were their most common risk factors for ARDS. Hospital mortality was higher in immunocompromised than in immunocompetent patients (52.4% vs 36.2%; p < 0.0001), despite similar severity of ARDS. Decisions regarding limiting life-sustaining measures were significantly more frequent in immunocompromised patients (27.1% vs 18.6%; p < 0.0001). Use of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) as first-line treatment was higher in immunocompromised patients (20.9% vs 15.9%; p = 0.0048), and immunodeficiency remained independently associated with the use of NIV after adjustment for confounders. Forty-eight percent of the patients treated with NIV were intubated, and their mortality was not different from that of the patients invasively ventilated ab initio. Conclusions: Immunosuppression is frequent in patients with ARDS, and infections are the main risk factors for ARDS in these immunocompromised patients. Their management differs from that of immunocompetent patients, particularly the greater use of NIV as first-line ventilation strategy. Compared with immunocompetent subjects, they have higher mortality regardless of ARDS severity as well as a higher frequency of limitation of life-sustaining measures. Nonetheless, nearly half of these patients survive to hospital discharge. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02010073. Registered on 12 December 2013

Top 100 research questions for biodiversity conservation in Southeast Asia

Southeast (SE) Asia holds high regional biodiversity and endemism levels but is also one of the world's most threatened regions. Local, regional and global threats could have severe consequences for the future survival of many species and the provision of ecosystem services. In the face of myriad pressing environmental problems, we carried out a research prioritisation exercise involving 64 experts whose research relates to conservation biology and sustainability in SE Asia. Experts proposed the most pressing research questions which, if answered, would advance the goals of biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in SE Asia. We received a total of 333 questions through three rounds of elicitation, ranked them (by votes) following a workshop and grouped them into themes. The top 100 questions depict SE Asia as a region where strong pressures on biodiversity interact in complex and poorly understood ways. They point to a lack of information about multiple facets of the environment, while exposing the many threats to biodiversity and human wellbeing. The themes that emerged indicate the need to evaluate specific drivers of biodiversity loss (wildlife harvesting, agricultural expansion, climate change, infrastructure development, pollution) and even to identify which species and habitats are most at risk. They also suggest the need to study the effectiveness of practice-based solutions (protected areas, ecological restoration), the human dimension (social interventions, organisational systems and processes and, the impacts of biodiversity loss and conservation interventions on people). Finally, they highlight gaps in fundamental knowledge of ecosystem function. These 100 questions should help prioritise and coordinate research, conservation, education and outreach activities and the distribution of scarce conservation resources in SE Asia