Epidemiology of herpes simplex virus type 2 in the Middle East and North Africa: Systematic review, meta-analyses, and meta-regressions

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection is a prevalent, sexually transmitted infection with poorly characterized prevalence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This study characterized HSV-2 epidemiology in MENA. HSV-2 reports were systematically reviewed as guided by the Cochrane Collaboration Handbook and findings were reported following PRISMA guidelines. Random-effects meta-analyses and meta-regressions were performed to estimate pooled mean outcome measures and to assess predictors of HSV-2 antibody prevalence (seroprevalence), trends in seroprevalence, and between-study heterogeneity. In total, sixty-one overall (133 stratified) HSV-2 seroprevalence measures and two overall (four stratified) proportion measures of HSV-2 detection in laboratory-confirmed genital herpes were extracted from 37 relevant publications. Pooled mean seroprevalence was 5.1% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.6%–6.8%) among general populations, 13.3% (95% CI: 8.6%–18.7%) among intermediate-risk populations, 20.6% (95% CI: 5.3%–42.3%) among female sex workers, and 18.3% (95% CI: 3.9%–39.4%) among male sex workers. Compared to Fertile Crescent countries, seroprevalence was 3.39-fold (95% CI: 1.86–6.20) and 3.90-fold (95% CI: 1.78–8.57) higher in Maghreb and Horn of Africa countries, respectively. Compared to studies published before 2010, seroprevalence was 1.73-fold (95% CI: 1.00–2.99) higher in studies published after 2015. Pooled mean proportion of HSV-2 detection in genital herpes was 73.8% (95% CI: 42.2%–95.9%). In conclusion, MENA has a lower HSV-2 seroprevalence than other world regions. Yet, 1 in 20 adults is chronically infected, despite conservative prevailing sexual norms. Seroprevalence may also be increasing, unlike other world regions. Findings support the need for expansion of surveillance and monitoring of HSV-2 infection in MENA.This work was supported by the Qatar National Research Fund [NPRP 9-040-3-008] and by pilot funding from the Biomedical Research Program at Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar

Down-Regulation of the Canonical Wnt β-Catenin Pathway in the Airway Epithelium of Healthy Smokers and Smokers with COPD

Background: The Wnt pathway mediates differentiation of epithelial tissues; depending on the tissue types, Wnt can either drive or inhibit the differentiation process. We hypothesized that key genes in the Wnt pathway are suppressed in the human airway epithelium under the stress of cigarette smoking, a stress associated with dysregulation of the epithelial differentiated state. Methodology/Principal Findings: Microarrays were used to assess the expression of Wnt-related genes in the small airway epithelium (SAE) obtained via bronchoscopy and brushing of healthy nonsmokers, healthy smokers, and smokers with COPD. Thirty-three of 56 known Wnt-related genes were expressed in the SAE. Wnt pathway downstream mediators b-catenin and the transcription factor 7-like 1 were down-regulated in healthy smokers and smokers with COPD, as were many Wnt target genes. Among the extracellular regulators that suppress the Wnt pathway, secreted frizzled-related protein 2 (SFRP2), was up-regulated 4.3-fold in healthy smokers and 4.9-fold in COPD smokers, an observation confirmed by TaqMan Real-time PCR, Western analysis and immunohistochemistry. Finally, cigarette smoke extract mediated up-regulation of SFRP2 and down-regulation of Wnt target genes in airway epithelial cells in vitro. Conclusions/Significance: Smoking down-regulates the Wnt pathway in the human airway epithelium. In the context that Wnt pathway plays an important role in differentiation of epithelial tissues, the down-regulation of Wnt pathway ma

Availability of HIV surveillance data in key populations in the countries of the World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Region

Objectives: To present an assessment of key components and results of HIV surveillance activities relevant for understanding HIV epidemics in the countries of the World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region among key populations (KPs), which include men who have sex with men (MSM), sex workers, people who inject drugs and transgender people. ----- Methods: We examined HIV surveillance data submitted by the National AIDS Programmes of all 22 countries of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region via an online database hosted by the WHO since 2011. We also examined journal articles available on PubMed and technical reports on surveillance activities. ----- Results: Recent (i.e., since 2017) estimates of HIV indicators from integrated bio-behavioral surveys (IBBS) were available from only four countries (Lebanon, Morocco, Somalia, and Tunisia) and population size estimates from two (Afghanistan and Morocco). IBBS indicated an increase in HIV prevalence among KPs in Pakistan, among people who inject drugs and female sex workers in Tunisia, and among MSM in Lebanon. Information on size estimations of KPs was available from 11 countries, and population size estimation data since 2017 had been collected in only Afghanistan and Morocco. ----- Conclusion: Although some countries have been able to progressively expand HIV strategic information systems, there were still few or no HIV data on KPs in almost a third of the countries

Contact Resistivity of Laser Annealed SiGe for MEMS Structural Layers Deposited at 210°C

[abstract not available

Selective laser annealing for improved sige MEMS structural layers at 210°C

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Contact resistivity of laser annealed SiGe for MEMS structural layers deposited at 210°C

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Characterizing trends and associations for hepatitis C virus antibody prevalence in the Middle East and North Africa: meta-regression analyses

Abstract This study characterized population-level trends and associations with hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody (Ab) prevalence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Data source was the standardized and systematically gathered MENA HCV Epidemiology Synthesis Project Database. Random-effects univariable and multivariable meta-regressions were conducted. 2,621 HCV Ab prevalence measures on 49,824,108 individuals were analyzed. In the analysis including all populations, 71% of the variation in prevalence was explained, mostly by at-risk population type. Compared to the general population, prevalence was 23-fold higher among people who inject drugs, and 14-fold higher among high-risk clinical populations. In the analysis including only the general population, 67% of the variation in prevalence was explained, mostly by country/subregion. Compared to Afghanistan, prevalence was highest in Egypt and Pakistan. Prevalence in the general population was declining at a rate of 4% per year, but outside the general population, the decline was at only 1% per year. HCV Ab prevalence in MENA is declining rapidly, but this decline is largely occurring in the general population following introduction of blood and injection safety measures. The decline in populations at higher risk of exposure is slow and below the level needed to achieve HCV elimination by 2030

Colorimetric sensing of dopamine in beef meat using copper sulfide encapsulated within bovine serum albumin functionalized with copper phosphate (CuS-BSA-Cu₃(PO₄)₂) nanoparticles

International audienceA novel nanosensor with peroxidase enzyme-mimetic activity, based on CuS-BSA-Cu3(PO4)2 nanoparticles, was developed. CuS-BSA nanoparticles were first synthesized using a facile bio-mineralization assay. Conjugation of Cu3(PO4)2 with CuS-BSA generates CuS-BSA-Cu3(PO4)2 nanoparticles (NPs) of 10 nm in size with high catalytic activity against a peroxidase substrate, 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB). The catalytic action was based on a remarkable color change from colorless TMB into blue oxidized product (oxTMB) with absorption maximum at 654 nm. The enzyme-mimetic activity of CuS-BSA-Cu3(PO4)2 nanoparticles was believed to occur through hydroxyl radical (HOradical dot) generation in presence of H2O2, which was inhibited upon addition of dopamine. Increasing concentrations of dopamine induced a gradual decrease of the nanoparticles' catalytic activity. The developed colorimetric sensor displayed a limit of detection of 0.13 µM for dopamine over 0.05-100 µM linear range and high specificity. The performance of the nanosensor for sensing dopamine in beef meat and blood samples was evaluated and proved to be promising for diagnostic applications without the requirement of complex and expensive instrumentation

Ultrasmall CuS-BSA-Cu3(PO4)2 nanozyme for highly efficient colorimetric sensing of H2O2 and glucose in contact lens care solutions and human serum

International audienceThis work reports on the synthesis of organic-inorganic hybrid nanoscale materials, CuS-BSA-Cu3(PO4)2. The developed nanoparticles were characterized by various techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV–vis absorption spectrophotometry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The CuS-BSA-Cu3(PO4)2 were successfully applied as artificial colorimetric probes in sensing H2O2, the final outcome of glucose oxidation, and proved to be efficient peroxidase mimics for the catalytic conversion of a chromogenic substrate, 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), into a blue colored oxidized product (oxTMB) which can be easily visualized by the naked eye and monitored by a great absorption peak at 654 nm in the UV–vis spectrophotometry. A highly efficient, rapid, sensitive, and selective determination of H2O2 and glucose have been achieved with very low detection limits of 22 nM, and 27.6 nM over 0–8 μM and 0–1000 μM linear ranges, respectively. Compared to CuS-BSA, CuS-BSA-Cu3(PO4)2 exhibited improved peroxidase-like catalytic activity. Based on these observations, the performance of this approach was successfully validated in contact lens care solutions and human serum samples

Comparative Study of Polyethylene Films Embedded with Oxide Nanoparticles of Granulated and Free-Standing Nature

Nanocomposite polymer films are a very diverse research field due to their many applications. The search for low-cost, versatile methods, producing regulated properties of the final products, has thus become extremely relevant. We have previously reported a bulk-scale process, dispersing granulated metal oxide nanoparticles, of both unary and multi-component nature, in a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) polymer matrix, establishing a reference in the produced films’ optical properties, due to the high degree of homogeneity and preservation of the primary particle size allowed by this method. In this work, unmodified, free-standing particles, namely zinc oxide (ZnO) , titanium dioxide (TiO2), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), and silicon dioxide (SiO2) are blended directly with LDPE, and the optical properties of the fabricated films are compared to those of films made using the granulation process. The direct blending process evidently allows for control of the secondary particle size and ensures a homogeneous dispersion of the particles, albeit to a lesser extent than the granulation process. Despite the secondary particle size being comparatively larger than its granulated counterpart, the process still provides a regulated degree of deagglomeration of the free-standing oxide particles, so it can be used as a low-cost alternative. The regulation of the secondary particle size tunes the transmission and reflection spectra, in both unary and mixed oxide compositions. Finally, the direct blending process exhibits a clear ability to tune the energy band gap in mixed oxides