Application of Non-singular Kernel in a Tumor Model with Strong Allee Effect

We obtain the analytical solutions in implicit form of a tumor cell population differential equation with strong Allee effect. We consider the ordinary case and then a fractional version. Some particular cases are plottedThe research of Juan J. Nieto has been partially supported by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) of Spain under grant PID2020-113275GB-I00, and by Xunta de Galicia, grant ED431C 2019/02. Subhas Khajanchi acknowledges the financial support from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India, under the Scheme “Fund for Improvement of S &T Infrastructure (FIST)” [File No. SR/FST/MS-I/2019/41]. Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer NatureS

Covid-19 Dynamic Monitoring and Real-Time Spatio-Temporal Forecasting

Background: Periodically, humanity is often faced with new and emerging viruses that can be a significant global threat. It has already been over a century post—the Spanish Flu pandemic, and we are witnessing a new type of coronavirus, the SARS-CoV-2, which is responsible for Covid-19. It emerged from the city of Wuhan (China) in December 2019, and within a few months, the virus propagated itself globally now resulting more than 50 million cases with over 1 million deaths. The high infection rates coupled with dynamic population movement demands for tools, especially within a Brazilian context, that will support health managers to develop policies for controlling and combating the new virus. / Methods: In this work, we propose a tool for real-time spatio-temporal analysis using a machine learning approach. The COVID-SGIS system brings together routinely collected health data on Covid-19 distributed across public health systems in Brazil, as well as taking to under consideration the geographic and time-dependent features of Covid-19 so as to make spatio-temporal predictions. The data are sub-divided by federative unit and municipality. In our case study, we made spatio-temporal predictions of the distribution of cases and deaths in Brazil and in each federative unit. Four regression methods were investigated: linear regression, support vector machines (polynomial kernels and RBF), multilayer perceptrons, and random forests. We use the percentage RMSE and the correlation coefficient as quality metrics. / Results: For qualitative evaluation, we made spatio-temporal predictions for the period from 25 to 27 May 2020. Considering qualitatively and quantitatively the case of the State of Pernambuco and Brazil as a whole, linear regression presented the best prediction results (thematic maps with good data distribution, correlation coefficient >0.99 and RMSE (%) <4% for Pernambuco and around 5% for Brazil) with low training time: [0.00; 0.04 ms], CI 95%. / Conclusion: Spatio-temporal analysis provided a broader assessment of those in the regions where the accumulated confirmed cases of Covid-19 were concentrated. It was possible to differentiate in the thematic maps the regions with the highest concentration of cases from the regions with low concentration and regions in the transition range. This approach is fundamental to support health managers and epidemiologists to elaborate policies and plans to control the Covid-19 pandemics

Dobroćudni multicistični peritonejski mezoteliom s oponašanjem ginekološke patologije

Benign multicystic peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare pathology that arises from the abdominal peritoneum. It has an affinity to develop on the surfaces of pelvic viscera. It predominantly occurs in women of reproductive age. The most used form of treatment is complete surgical removal. We report a case of a a 21-year-old female patient who presented with unclear diffuse abdominal pain. Transvaginal ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging of the abdomen and pelvis revealed multiple functional cysts in the projection of the right and left ovary and free fluid in the pouch of Douglas. Laparoscopy was performed and multicystic tumor with thin, smooth walls, filled with clear serous content was found in lesser pelvis spreading to the left paracolic region and under the spleen. The multicystic mass was removed. Histologic examination revealed cystic formations filled with mucous content and formed from connective tissue outside and single row epithelium-mesothelium inside. Definitive diagnosis was benign multicystic mesothelioma of the abdominal peritoneum. The patient was well at one year follow-up.Dobroćudni multicistični peritonejski mezoteliom je rijetka bolest koja nastaje iz abdominalnog peritoneja. Obično se razvija na zdjeličnom peritoneju, najčešće u žena generativne dobi. Najuobičajeniji način liječenja je potpuno kirurško uklanjanje. Prikazujemo slučaj 21-godišnje djevojke koja nam se javila s nejasnom difuznom boli. Transvaginalni ultrazvuk i magnetna rezonanca trbuha i zdjelice otkrili su višestruke funkcionalne ciste u projekciji desnog i lijevog jajnika i u Douglasovu prostoru. Učinjena je laparoskopija i nađen je multicistični tumor s tankim glatkim zidovima ispunjenim bistrom seroznom tekućinom u maloj zdjelici, koji se širio u lijevu parakoličnu regiju i ispod slezene. Multicistična masa je uklonjena. Patohistološka analiza je otkrila cistične formacije ispunjene sluzi i građene od vezivnog tkiva izvana i jednorednim epitelmezotelom iznutra. Konačna dijagnoza je bila dobroćudni multicistični mezoteliom abdominalnog peritoneja. Bolesnica se redovito kontrolira bez znakova bolesti

The Antimicrobial Resistance Plasmid Mobilome of Salmonella enterica and Related Enteric Species and Factors that Influence the Transfer Efficiency.

The dynamic distribution of antimicrobial resistance genes in Salmonella enterica is considered a public health risk. S. enterica is one of the most important etiological agents of foodborne illness and has a critical impact on global human health. In S. enterica and related species, mobile genetic elements (MGEs) serve as primary vehicles for the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes in the bacterial evolution. This dissemination can be impacted by different selective pressures that leads to diverse antibiotic response phenotypes. This project focusses on the dynamics of antimicrobial resistance genes, particularly exploring the transfer efficiency of multidrug resistance plasmids in S. enterica using a combination of in silico and in vitro techniques. Plasmid physiology is part of an essential genetic engineering tool has mediated the dynamic transfer and spread of antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella isolates. Several phenotypic and molecular techniques were selected in these studies to better understand the molecular biology and epidemiology of resistance plasmids. These methods included whole genome sequencing (WGS) analyses, replicon (incompatibility; Inc) typing and conjugation studies of plasmids from S. enterica and related species. Multiple in silico analyses were used to evaluate WGS and plasmid sequencing data to examine the distribution of MGEs, AMR, biocide, disinfectant, and heavy metal resistance genes across the different plasmid types and to develop a plasmid characterization database. The database supported the development of the computational algorithms to process the WGS data from S. enterica isolates and is very useful for identifying the plasmid Inc types and their specific conjugal transfer systems, which are valuable to study the diversity and dissemination of plasmids associated with AMR in S. enterica and other Enterobacteriaceae. In vitro studies explored the impact of different antimicrobial exposures on conjugal transfer potential of plasmids. For some S. enterica strains, exposure to different concentrations of tetracycline or chloramphenicol led to differences in the efficiency of AMR plasmid transfer. These data help to better understand the distribution of resistance genes and provide a useful method for a comprehensive molecular studies of plasmid transfer dynamics. The impact of these findings clarifies the role of the conjugation dynamics in the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in S. enterica and related species, which can potentially impact the transfer of resistance genes within the gastrointestinal microbiome. Further studies are required to identify the underlying genetic mechanisms for Salmonella resistance plasmid transfer using approaches like RNA-sequencing methods to extend the understanding of the regulation of genetic pathways during conjugal transfer. Overall, the research study expands our knowledge of plasmid transfer dynamic and the provides tools that can be used to better understand AMR gene transfer among Salmonella enterica isolates which can have an impact in clinical and diagnostic laboratories as well as in epidemiological surveillance

Molecular Characteristics and Zoonotic Potential of<i> Salmonella</i> Weltevreden From Cultured Shrimp and Tilapia in Vietnam and China

Salmonella Weltevreden is increasingly reported from aquatic environments, seafood, and patients in several Southeast Asian countries. Using genome-wide analysis, we characterized S. Weltevreden isolated from cultured shrimp and tilapia from Vietnam and China to study their genetic characteristics and relatedness to clinical isolates of S. Weltevreden ST-365. The phylogenetic analysis revealed up to 312 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) difference between tilapia isolates, whereas isolates from shrimp were genetically more closely related. Epidemiologically unrelated isolates from Vietnam were closely related to isolates from China, e.g., 20 SNPs differences between strains 28V and 75C. In comparison with strains from other parts of the world, our environmental isolates predominantly clustered within the continental South Asia lineage, constituted mostly of strains from human stool with as low as seven SNPs difference, e.g., 30V versus Cont_ERR495254. All sequenced isolates were MLST type ST-365 and contained the major virulence-related genes encoded by the Salmonella Pathogenicity Islands 1-5. Ten of the isolates harbored the IncFII(S) plasmid similar to the virulence genes-mediated plasmid pSPCV of S. Paratyphi C, and one isolate had the IncQ1 plasmid on the same contig with strA/B, sul2, and tetA resistance genes similar to the IncQ1 type, pNUC of S. Typhimurium. A pangenomic analysis yielded 7891 genes including a core genome of 4892 genes, with a closely related accessory genome content between clinical and environmental isolates (Benjamini p > 0.05). In a search for differences that could explain the higher prevalence of S. Weltevreden in aquatic samples, genomes were compared with those of other Salmonella enterica serovars. S. Weltevreden revealed specific regions harboring glpX (Fructose-1;6-bisphosphatase; class II), rfbC (dTDP-4-dehydrorhamnose 3;5-epimerase), and cmtB (PTS Mannitol-specific cryptic phosphotransferase enzyme IIA component) involved in carbohydrate biosynthesis pathways. Our study builds grounds for future experiments to determine genes or pathways that are essential when S. Weltevreden are in aquatic environments and microbial interactions providing survival advantages to S. Weltevreden in such environments.Published versio

Short communication: Isolation and identification of bacterial pollutants from the Berg and Plankenburg Rivers in the Western Cape, South Africa

Bacterial species present in the Berg and Plankenburg Rivers (Western Cape, South Africa) were isolated from water and biofilm samples and population shifts between sampling sites were phylogenetically identified. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction of representative isolates was performed and amplified using 2 different primer sets. Various Enterobacteriaceae species were present at all of the sites, confirming faecal contamination. Phylogenetic analyses also showed that, in general, Gram-negative micro-organisms dominated at all of the sites sampled in both the Berg and Plankenburg river systems. Pathogens and opportunistic pathogens, such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus sp., and Bacillus cereus, were isolated from the Berg River. Similarly, in the Plankenburg River system, Aeromonas sp., Acinetobacter sp., Stenotrophomonas sp. and Yersinia enterocolitica were also isolated. This raises major health concerns as human population densities along both rivers are high, thus resulting in increased human exposure to these organisms

Fractional dynamics and recurrence analysis in cancer model

In this work, we analyze the effects of fractional derivatives in the chaotic dynamics of a cancer model. We begin by studying the dynamics of a standard model, {\it i.e.}, with integer derivatives. We study the dynamical behavior by means of the bifurcation diagram, Lyapunov exponents, and recurrence quantification analysis (RQA), such as the recurrence rate (RR), the determinism (DET), and the recurrence time entropy (RTE). We find a high correlation coefficient between the Lyapunov exponents and RTE. Our simulations suggest that the tumor growth parameter ($\rho_1$) is associated with a chaotic regime. Our results suggest a high correlation between the largest Lyapunov exponents and RTE. After understanding the dynamics of the model in the standard formulation, we extend our results by considering fractional operators. We fix the parameters in the chaotic regime and investigate the effects of the fractional order. We demonstrate how fractional dynamics can be properly characterized using RQA measures, which offer the advantage of not requiring knowledge of the fractional Jacobian matrix. We find that the chaotic motion is suppressed as $\alpha$ decreases, and the system becomes periodic for $\alpha \lessapprox 0.9966$. We observe limit cycles for $\alpha \in (0.9966,0.899)$ and fixed points for $\alpha<0.899$. The fixed point is determined analytically for the considered parameters. Finally, we discover that these dynamics are separated by an exponential relationship between $\alpha$ and $\rho_1$. Also, the transition depends on a supper transient which obeys the same relationship