Global Stability of Generalized Within-host Chikungunya Virus Dynamics Models

This paper proposes two models of a general nonlinear within-host Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) dynamics. The production, incidence, proliferation and removal rates of all compartments are modeled by general nonlinear functions that satisfy a set of reasonable conditions. The second model takes into consideration two forms of infected host cells: (i) latently infected cells which do not produce the CHIKV, (ii) actively infected cells which generate the CHIKV particles. We show that all the solutions of the models are nonnegative and bounded. The global stability of the steady states of the models is proven by applying Lyapunov method and LaSalle’s invariance principle. We perform numerical simulations to complement the obtained theoretical results

Social sciences research in neglected tropical diseases 2: A bibliographic analysis

The official published version of the article can be found at the link below.Background There are strong arguments for social science and interdisciplinary research in the neglected tropical diseases. These diseases represent a rich and dynamic interplay between vector, host, and pathogen which occurs within social, physical and biological contexts. The overwhelming sense, however, is that neglected tropical diseases research is a biomedical endeavour largely excluding the social sciences. The purpose of this review is to provide a baseline for discussing the quantum and nature of the science that is being conducted, and the extent to which the social sciences are a part of that. Methods A bibliographic analysis was conducted of neglected tropical diseases related research papers published over the past 10 years in biomedical and social sciences. The analysis had textual and bibliometric facets, and focussed on chikungunya, dengue, visceral leishmaniasis, and onchocerciasis. Results There is substantial variation in the number of publications associated with each disease. The proportion of the research that is social science based appears remarkably consistent (<4%). A textual analysis, however, reveals a degree of misclassification by the abstracting service where a surprising proportion of the "social sciences" research was pure clinical research. Much of the social sciences research also tends to be "hand maiden" research focused on the implementation of biomedical solutions. Conclusion There is little evidence that scientists pay any attention to the complex social, cultural, biological, and environmental dynamic involved in human pathogenesis. There is little investigator driven social science and a poor presence of interdisciplinary science. The research needs more sophisticated funders and priority setters who are not beguiled by uncritical biomedical promises

Does Deep Tectonic Tremor Occur in the Central‐Eastern Mediterranean Basin?

Tectonic tremor has been observed at the roots of many fault systems around the Pacific rim, including convergent and transform plate boundaries. The extent to which deep tremor signals are prevalent along fault systems elsewhere, including the Mediterranean basin, has not yet been documented in detail. A body of evidence suggests that tremor triggered during the surface waves of teleseismic events may commonly occur where ambient tremor during episodic tremor and slip episodes occur, suggesting triggered tremor provides a useful tool to identify regions with ambient tremor. We perform a systematic search of triggered tremor associated with large teleseismic events between 2010 and 2020 at four major fault systems within the central-eastern Mediterranean basin, namely the Hellenic and Calabrian subduction zones, and the North Anatolian and Kefalonia transform faults. In addition, we search for ambient tremor during a slow slip event in the eastern Sea of Marmara along a secondary branch of the North Anatolian Fault, and two slow slip events beneath western Peloponnese (Hellenic Subduction Zone). We find no unambiguous evidence for deep triggered tremor, nor ambient tremor. The absence of triggered tremor at the Hellenic and Calabrian subduction zones supports an interpretation of less favorable conditions for tremorgenesis in the presence of old and cold slabs. The absence of tremor along the transform faults may be due to an absence of the conditions commonly promoting tremorgenesis in such settings, including high-fluid pressures and low-differential stresses between the down-dip limit of the seismogenic layer and the continental Moho

Cytogenetic study of recurrent miscarriages and their parents.

PubMedID: 17555132There are substantial evidences that genetic alterations are contributing factors to the risk for recurrent miscarriages. This study was conducted to determine the frequency and contribution of chromosomal abnormalities in miscarriages and in couples with recurrent miscarriages. We studied a total of 41 miscarriages and their parents with a history of 2-11 recurrent miscarriages. Chromosomal analysis from chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and fetal tissues were performed according to standard cytogenetic methods using G-banding technique. Major chromosomal aberrations and polymorphic variants were found in 51 and 4.8%, respectively. The chromosomal abnormalities were structural (34.4%) and numerical (65.1%) of which 26.1, 21.7, 8.7 and 8.7% were fetal sex aneuploid, triploid, mosaics and trisomic, respectively. Unbalanced and balanced rearrangements were found in 17.2% and 8.6% of all abnormalities, respectively. Major chromosomal abnormalities in couples were seen in 4.9%. The chromosomal abnormalities associated with pregnancy losses and recurrent miscarriages are mostly numerical ones. The incidence of balanced translocations found here is 4.9% which is near to the mode (about 3-6%) observed in the previous studies. Those frequencies are greater than in the general population (0.3%). This indicates that balanced translocations, seen in parents, have some importance in causing miscarriage. The major parental chromosomal aberrations are significantly associated with fetal wastage. Mosaicism should be taken into account for cytogenetic analyses of pregnancy losses. Thus, cytogenetic analyses should be recommended in couples with recurrent miscarriages, when clinical data fail to clarify the cause

Response to “letter to the editor regarding the effect of isolation on athletes’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic’’

[No Abstract Available]We have not used any copyrighted material from another source or had any funding from any company