Advantage of Natural Barrier in Locating Intake In River an Example Study

Source: ICHE Conference Archive - https://mdi-de.baw.de/icheArchiv

Zika Virus- Emergence, Evolution, Pathology, Diagnosis, and Control: Current Global Scenario and Future Perspectives- A Comprehensive Review

This review converses the Zika virus which has attained global concern due to its rapid pandemic potential and impact on humans. Though Zika virus was first isolated in 1947, till the recent large-scale outbreak which occurred in Micronesia, in 2007, the virus was placed into the innocuous pathogen category. The World Health Organization on 1 February 2016 declared it as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.\u27 Of the note, American as well as Pacific Island strains/isolates is relatively closer to Asian lineage strains. The African and American strains share more than 87.5% and 95% homologies with Asian strains/isolates, respectively. Asian strains form independent clusters, except those isolated from China, suggesting relatively more diversity than African strains. Prevention and control are mainly aimed at the vector population (mosquitoes) with Aedes aegypti being the main species. Surveys in Africa and Asia indicated seropositivity in various animal species. However, so far its natural reservoir is unknown. There is an urgent need to understand why Zika virus has shifted from being a virus that caused mild illness to unforeseen birth defects as well as autoimmune-neurological problems. Unfortunately, an effective vaccine is not available yet. Availability of cryo-electron microscopy based on 3.8 angstrom resolution revealing mature Zika virus structure and the probable virus attachment site to host cell would provide critical insights into the development of antiviral treatments and vaccines

Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak re-emergence regulation in East Africa: preparedness and vaccination perspective

Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV), Bundibugyo ebolavirus, Taï Forest ebolavirus, and Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV) are the most potentially life-threatening and grievous species reported among the Ebolavirus genus. Previously, the most common cases pointed to EBOV as the primary causative agent of Ebolavirus epidemics and fatalities. From 2013 to 2016, a devastating EBOV outbreak in West Africa resulted in 29,000 illness cases, prompting WHO global member countries to prioritise vaccine candidates in the early stages of development. The impending spread of EBOV in Guinea, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo highlighted the ongoing need for secure and effective vaccine programmes against emerging infections using the most secure deployment precautions and methodologies. The West Africa outbreak and all current outbreaks in other countries have been prevented through the effective immunisation of healthy individuals through vaccination and their interactions with identified patients, medical practitioners, and frontline emergency professionals. Despite the fact that EBOV outbreaks previously only infected a small percentage of the global population, they have occasionally caused widespread suffering and huge economic costs in endemic countries. Reported transmission of such viruses beyond nonendemic zones in conjunction with the bioweapon potentiality of ebolaviruses necessitates the discovery and production of EBOV vaccines globally.O

INAA of agate sources and artifacts from the Indus, Helmand, and Thailand regions

10 pages.Agate was one of the ancient world’s premier prestigevgoods, especially the red-orange variety known as carnelian. The stone was utilized by and traded between societies from Africa to eastern Asia (Inizan 1993; Insollet al. 2004; Theunissen et al. 2000). In this paper, we present the results of a series of instrumental neutron activation analyses (INAA) of agate samples and artifacts from sources and/or sites in the Indus, Helmand, and Thailand regions. This study represents the beginning of a broad-scale, long-term project aimed at identifying Old World agate sources and the regional and inter-regional trade networks through which this important stone was exchanged in both raw and finished form.The authors wish to thank Drs Richard Meadow and J. Mark Kenoyer – co-directors of the Harappa Archaeological Research Project, for providing us access to the agate artifacts from Harappa and to Dr. Fazal Dad Kakar – Director-General of Archaeology and Museums, Government of Pakistan, for allowing us to analyze those artifacts in the United States. In addition, we are deeply grateful to Professor Maurizio Tosi and Dr. Massimo Vidale for supplementing this study with agate fragments from the site of Shahr-i-Sokhta. Thanks also to Dr. Nigel Chang, Dr. Bill Boyd, and Sompong Paekosae. Special thanks to Robert Agasie and Kevin Austin at the University of Wisconsin’s Nuclear Reactor Laboratory. Support for this project was provided by the United States Department of Energy Reactor Sharing Program, the Wenner-Gren Foundation (Gr. 7066), the Bead Society of Greater Chicago, the Ruth Dickie Graduate Women in Science Grants-in-Aid program, and the National Science Foundation (BCS-0327246 & BCS0504015)

Ebola virus - Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Control: Threat to Humans, Lessons Learnt, and Preparedness Plans - an Update on Its 40 Year\u27s Journey

Ebola virus (EBOV) is an extremely contagious pathogen and causes lethal hemorrhagic fever disease in man and animals. The recently occurred Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreaks in the West African countries have categorized it as an international health concern. For the virus maintenance and transmission, the non-human primates and reservoir hosts like fruit bats have played a vital role. For curbing the disease timely, we need effective therapeutics/prophylactics, however, in the absence of any approved vaccine, timely diagnosis and monitoring of EBOV remains of utmost importance. The technologically advanced vaccines like a viral-vectored vaccine, DNA vaccine and virus-like particles are underway for testing against EBOV. In the absence of any effective control measure, the adaptation of high standards of biosecurity measures, strict sanitary and hygienic practices, strengthening of surveillance and monitoring systems, imposing appropriate quarantine checks and vigilance on trade, transport, and movement of visitors from EVD endemic countries remains the answer of choice for tackling the EBOV spread. Herein, we converse with the current scenario of EBOV giving due emphasis on animal and veterinary perspectives along with advances in diagnosis and control strategies to be adopted, lessons learned from the recent outbreaks and the global preparedness plans. To retrieve the evolutionary information, we have analyzed a total of 56 genome sequences of various EBOV species submitted between 1976 and 2016 in public databases

Operational Challenges in Diagnosing Multi-Drug Resistant TB and Initiating Treatment in Andhra Pradesh, India

Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP), Andhra Pradesh, India. There is limited information on whether MDR-TB suspects are identified, undergo diagnostic assessment and are initiated on treatment according to the programme guidelines.To assess i) using the programme definition, the number and proportion of MDR-TB suspects in a large cohort of TB patients on first-line treatment under RNTCP ii) the proportion of these MDR-TB suspects who underwent diagnosis for MDR-TB and iii) the number and proportion of those diagnosed as MDR-TB who were successfully initiated on treatment.A retrospective cohort analysis, by reviewing RNTCP records and reports, was conducted in four districts of Andhra Pradesh, India, among patients registered for first line treatment during October 2008 to December 2009.Among 23,999 TB patients registered for treatment there were 559 (2%) MDR-TB suspects (according to programme definition) of which 307 (55%) underwent diagnosis and amongst these 169 (55%) were found to be MDR-TB. Of the MDR-TB patients, 112 (66%) were successfully initiated on treatment. Amongst those eligible for MDR-TB services, significant proportions are lost during the diagnostic and treatment initiation pathway due to a variety of operational challenges. The programme needs to urgently address these challenges for effective delivery and utilisation of the MDR-TB services

Advances in Developing Therapies to Combat Zika Virus: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives

Zika virus (ZIKV) remained largely quiescent for nearly six decades after its first appearance in 1947. ZIKV reappeared after 2007, resulting in a declaration of an international “public health emergency” in 2016 by the World Health Organization (WHO). Until this time, ZIKV was considered to induce only mild illness, but it has now been established as the cause of severe clinical manifestations, including fetal anomalies, neurological problems, and autoimmune disorders. Infection during pregnancy can cause congenital brain abnormalities, including microcephaly and neurological degeneration, and in other cases, Guillain-Barré syndrome, making infections with ZIKV a substantial public health concern. Genomic and molecular investigations are underway to investigate ZIKV pathology and its recent enhanced pathogenicity, as well as to design safe and potent vaccines, drugs, and therapeutics. This review describes progress in the design and development of various anti-ZIKV therapeutics, including drugs targeting virus entry into cells and the helicase protein, nucleosides, inhibitors of NS3 protein, small molecules, methyltransferase inhibitors, interferons, repurposed drugs, drugs designed with the aid of computers, neutralizing antibodies, convalescent serum, antibodies that limit antibody-dependent enhancement, and herbal medicines. Additionally, covalent inhibitors of viral protein expression and anti-Toll-like receptor molecules are discussed. To counter ZIKV-associated disease, we need to make rapid progress in developing novel therapies that work effectually to inhibit ZIKV

Određivanje i validacija novih početnica za učinkovitu genotipizaciju životinjskih rotavirusa G3.

The present study describes the problem of genotyping failures of animal rotaviruses with existing and in-use G3 genotyping primers. To overcome the problem, published and in-use G3 typing primers with sequences of VP7 genotyping regions from human and animal G3 rotavirus isolates were evaluated. The sequence alignment analysis showed that existing in-use G3 primers exhibit higher complementarities with rotavirus isolates of G6, G8 and G10 genotype specificities. The existing G3 primers showed up to 9 nucleotide mismatches with the animal origin rotavirus isolates of G3 genotype specificity. The modified G3 genotyping primers yielded positive amplification in all the G3 isolates of animal origin, with no incorrect amplification with any other group A rotavirus genotypes viz. G6 and G10. We advise the use of the proposed primers in molecular surveillance studies to discover the truly dominant genotypes of rotaviruses in animals.U radu je opisan problem neuspjeha genotipizacije životinjskih rotavirusa s dosadašnjim početnicama za genotipizaciju G3. Za rješavanje tog problema vrednovane su objavljene i rabljene početnice za G3 sa sekvencijama za VP7 područja genotipizacije izolata rotavirusa podrijetlom od ljudi i životinja. Analiza poravnanja sekvencije pokazala je da rabljene početnice G3 pokazuju veću komplementarnost s izolatima rotavirusa genotipa G6, G8 i G10. Postojeće početnice G3 bile su u devet nukleotida nepodudarne s rotavirusima G3 životinjskog podrijetla. Preinačene početnice za genotipizaciju G3 pokazale su se uspješnima za umnožavanje sva tri izolata G3 podrijetlom od životinja bez pogrješnog umnožavanja bilo kojeg genotipa skupine A rotavirusa odnosno G6 i G10. Preporučuje se upotreba predloženih početnica u molekularnim istraživanjima za dokaz uistinu dominantnih genotipova rotavirusa u životinja

Source of Previous Treatment for Re-Treatment TB Cases Registered under the National TB Control Programme, India, 2010

BACKGROUND: In 2009, nearly half (289,756) of global re-treatment TB notifications are from India; no nationally-representative data on the source of previous treatment was available to inform strategies for improvement of initial TB treatment outcome. OBJECTIVES: To assess the source of previous treatment for re-treatment TB patients registered under India's Revised National TB control Programme (RNTCP). METHODOLOGY: A nationally-representative cross sectional study was conducted in a sample of 36 randomly-selected districts. All consecutively registered retreatment TB patients during a defined 15-day period in these 36 districts were contacted and the information on the source of previous treatment sought. RESULTS: Data was collected from all 1712 retreatment TB patients registered in the identified districts during the study period. The data includes information on 595 'relapse' cases, 105 'failure' cases, 437 'treatment after default (TAD)' cases and 575 're-treatment others' cases. The source of most recent previous anti-tuberculosis therapy for 754 [44% (95% CI, 38.2%-49.9%)] of the re-treatment TB patients was from providers outside the TB control programme. A higher proportion of patients registered as TAD (64%) and 'retreatment others' (59%) were likely to be treated outside the National Programme, when compared to the proportion among 'relapse' (22%) or 'failure' (6%). Extrapolated to national registration, of the 292,972 re-treatment registrations in 2010, 128,907 patients would have been most recently treated outside the national programme. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly half of the re-treatment cases registered with the national programme were most recently treated outside the programme setting. Enhanced efforts towards extending treatment support and supervision to patients treated by private sector treatment providers are urgently required to improve the quality of treatment and reduce the numbers of patients with recurrent disease. In addition, reasons for the large number of recurrent TB cases from those already treated by the national programme require urgent detailed investigation