Fixed point results for GP(Λ,Θ) -contractive mappings

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Detection of hepatitis G virus envelope protein E2 antibody in blood donors

SummaryObjectivesThe frequency of hepatitis G virus exposure in blood donors varies between 2.5% in Japan to 24.2% in Poland. Therefore there is a geographic difference in distribution of hepatitis G virus (HGV) in the world. We aimed to determine the frequency of HGV exposure in Iranian blood donors.MethodsBlood samples from 478 Iranian volunteer blood donors were tested. Positive anti-E2 samples were tested for HGV RNA by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) using primers derived from the NS5A region of the viral genome.ResultsOf the 478 donors enrolled in our study, five (1%) were positive for anti-E2. Only one donor out of a total of three HBsAg-positive donors was co-infected with HGV, but we did not find HGV and HCV co-infection in our subjects. HGV RNA was not observed in the five anti-E2-positive subjects. We did not find HGV viremia and antibody at the same time.ConclusionA low frequency of HGV exposure in blood donors was found in this study. We did not observe co-infection of HGV with HCV in our subjects, supporting the theory that although the parenteral route is the most effective means of transmission, other routes such as sexual contact and intra-familial contact may also play a role in HGV transmission

Intra-peritoneal and intra-rectal immunogenicity induced by rotavirus virus like particles 2/6/7 in mice

We previously developed virus like particles of rotavirus (RV) with VP2, VP6, and VP7 proteins (VLP2/6/7) using stable High-five cell line. To evaluate the immunogenicity of our construct, we assessed the humoral and cytokine responses induced by VLP2/6/7 in BALB/c mice immunized intra-peritoneally and intra-rectally. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Relative quantitative (RQ) Real-time PCR were used to evaluate the antibody (IgG and IgA) levels in serum and mRNA levels of IL-6, IL-10 and IFN-gamma in spleen cells, respectively. Our results showed that VLP2/6/7 is capable of intra-peritoneal (I.P.) and intra-rectal (I.R.) induction of serum IgG and IgA responses. IgA was detected in fecal samples of immunization groups by I.P. and I.R. routes. Interestingly, I.R. route induced higher IgA titer compared with I.P. route which was statistically significant. Moreover, mRNA levels of IL-6 and IFN-gamma were significantly elevated in mice immunized intra- peritoneally with VLP2/6/7 compared to control group. As such, the mean change was 7.4 (P < 0.05) and 14.8 (P < 0.001) for IFN-gamma and IL-6, respectively. Likewise, the same pattern was found when mice were immunized intra-rectally. Although elevated, the difference in the mean change for IL-10 was not statistically significant when compared to control group. Our findings indicated that VLPs constructed via a stable insect cell line are able to induce both humoral and cellular responses, a similar pattern as observed after immunization with live RVs. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Anti-Inflammatory MicroRNAs and Their Potential for Inflammatory Diseases Treatment

Inflammation is a complicated biological and pathophysiological cascade of responses to infections and injuries, and inflammatory mechanisms are closely related to many diseases. The magnitude, the complicated network of pro- and anti-inflammatory factors, and the direction of the inflammatory response can impact on the development and progression of various disorders. The currently available treatment strategies often target the symptoms and not the causes of inflammatory disease and may often be ineffective. Since the onset and termination of inflammation are crucial to prevent tissue damage, a range of mechanisms has evolved in nature to regulate the process including negative and positive feedback loops. In this regard, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as key gene regulators to control inflammation, and it is speculated that they are fine-tune signaling regulators to allow for proper resolution and prevent uncontrolled progress of inflammatory reactions. In this review, we discuss recent findings related to significant roles of miRNAs in immune regulation, especially the potential utility of these molecules as novel anti-inflammatory agents to treat inflammatory diseases. Furthermore, we discuss the possibilities of using miRNAs as drugs in the form of miRNA mimics or miRNA antagonists

The effect of carvacrol on respiratory syncytial virus infection in mice model: caution in the use of herbal medicines

Background and Objectives: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the most common viruses associated with acute lower respiratory tract infections in infants, young children, and the elderly. Due to a lack of effective anti-viral drugs or vaccines, using an immunomodulatory strategy is probably the best option to decrease the burden of RSV disease. Here, we studied carvacrol as a known immunomodulator on RSV infection outcome in a mice model. Materials and Methods: Balb/c mice were infected by intranasal inoculation of RSV-A2, and treatment started daily 24 h after infection. Mice were sacrificed on day five after infection and experimental analyses were performed to study airway immune cell influx, CD4 and CD8 subtypes, cytokine/chemokine secretion, lung histopathology, and viral load. Results: Results showed that using carvacrol enhanced immune cell influx, cytokine/chemokine production, and virus titer, and aggravated lung pathology. Our result showed that carvacrol administration increased viral titer compared to the RSV-PBS group. Also, carvacrol significantly induced IFN-γ production and did not induce IL-10 production. Besides, carvacrol non-significantly increased lymphocytes and monocytes count but did not affect the neutrophil count. Conclusion: Carvacrol at the concentration of 80 (mg/kg) did not show immunomodulatory activity to alleviate the RSV infection outcome. Further research is needed to uncover the effects of the carvacrol intervention on virus replication and immune responses following RSV infection. Many herbal remedies in use contain carvacrol. However, the use of herbal remedies to treat viral respiratory infections such as RSV has to be performed with caution

Some fixed point theorems for generalized contractive mappings in complete metric spaces

We introduce new concepts of generalized contractive and generalized alpha-Suzuki type contractive mappings. Then, we obtain sufficient conditions for the existence of a fixed point of these classes of mappings on complete metric spaces and b-complete b-metric spaces. Our results extend the theorems of Ciric, Chatterjea, Kannan and Reich

Mapping 123 million neonatal, infant and child deaths between 2000 and 2017

Since 2000, many countries have achieved considerable success in improving child survival, but localized progress remains unclear. To inform efforts towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.2—to end preventable child deaths by 2030—we need consistently estimated data at the subnational level regarding child mortality rates and trends. Here we quantified, for the period 2000–2017, the subnational variation in mortality rates and number of deaths of neonates, infants and children under 5 years of age within 99 low- and middle-income countries using a geostatistical survival model. We estimated that 32% of children under 5 in these countries lived in districts that had attained rates of 25 or fewer child deaths per 1,000 live births by 2017, and that 58% of child deaths between 2000 and 2017 in these countries could have been averted in the absence of geographical inequality. This study enables the identification of high-mortality clusters, patterns of progress and geographical inequalities to inform appropriate investments and implementations that will help to improve the health of all populations

Global, regional, and national burden of colorectal cancer and its risk factors, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Funding: F Carvalho and E Fernandes acknowledge support from Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (FCT), in the scope of the project UIDP/04378/2020 and UIDB/04378/2020 of the Research Unit on Applied Molecular Biosciences UCIBIO and the project LA/P/0140/2020 of the Associate Laboratory Institute for Health and Bioeconomy i4HB; FCT/MCTES through the project UIDB/50006/2020. J Conde acknowledges the European Research Council Starting Grant (ERC-StG-2019-848325). V M Costa acknowledges the grant SFRH/BHD/110001/2015, received by Portuguese national funds through Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), IP, under the Norma Transitória DL57/2016/CP1334/CT0006.proofepub_ahead_of_prin

Mapping child growth failure across low- and middle-income countries

Child growth failure (CGF), manifested as stunting, wasting, and underweight, is associated with high 5 mortality and increased risks of cognitive, physical, and metabolic impairments. Children in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face the highest levels of CGF globally. Here we illustrate national and subnational variation of under-5 CGF indicators across LMICs, providing 2000–2017 annual estimates mapped at a high spatial resolution and aggregated to policy-relevant administrative units and national levels. Despite remarkable declines over the study period, many LMICs remain far from the World Health 10 Organization’s ambitious Global Nutrition Targets to reduce stunting by 40% and wasting to less than 5% by 2025. Large disparities in prevalence and rates of progress exist across regions, countries, and within countries; our maps identify areas where high prevalence persists even within nations otherwise succeeding in reducing overall CGF prevalence. By highlighting where subnational disparities exist and the highest-need populations reside, these geospatial estimates can support policy-makers in planning locally 15 tailored interventions and efficient directing of resources to accelerate progress in reducing CGF and its health implications

Mapping disparities in education across low- and middle-income countries

Analyses of the proportions of individuals who have completed key levels of schooling across all low- and middle-income countries from 2000 to 2017 reveal inequalities across countries as well as within populations. Educational attainment is an important social determinant of maternal, newborn, and child health(1-3). As a tool for promoting gender equity, it has gained increasing traction in popular media, international aid strategies, and global agenda-setting(4-6). The global health agenda is increasingly focused on evidence of precision public health, which illustrates the subnational distribution of disease and illness(7,8); however, an agenda focused on future equity must integrate comparable evidence on the distribution of social determinants of health(9-11). Here we expand on the available precision SDG evidence by estimating the subnational distribution of educational attainment, including the proportions of individuals who have completed key levels of schooling, across all low- and middle-income countries from 2000 to 2017. Previous analyses have focused on geographical disparities in average attainment across Africa or for specific countries, but-to our knowledge-no analysis has examined the subnational proportions of individuals who completed specific levels of education across all low- and middle-income countries(12-14). By geolocating subnational data for more than 184 million person-years across 528 data sources, we precisely identify inequalities across geography as well as within populations.Peer reviewe