A survey of the transmission of infectious diseases/infections between wild and domestic ungulates in Europe

The domestic animals/wildlife interface is becoming a global issue of growing interest. However, despite studies on wildlife diseases being in expansion, the epidemiological role of wild animals in the transmission of infectious diseases remains unclear most of the time. Multiple diseases affecting livestock have already been identified in wildlife, especially in wild ungulates. The first objective of this paper was to establish a list of infections already reported in European wild ungulates. For each disease/infection, three additional materials develop examples already published, specifying the epidemiological role of the species as assigned by the authors. Furthermore, risk factors associated with interactions between wild and domestic animals and regarding emerging infectious diseases are summarized. Finally, the wildlife surveillance measures implemented in different European countries are presented. New research areas are proposed in order to provide efficient tools to prevent the transmission of diseases between wild ungulates and livestock

Second-line antiretroviral therapy in resource-limited settings: the experience of Médecins Sans Frontières

OBJECTIVES: To describe the use of second-line protease-inhibitor regimens in Médecins Sans Frontières HIV programmes, and determine switch rates, clinical outcomes, and factors associated with survival. DESIGN/METHODS: We used patient data from 62 Médecins Sans Frontières programmes and included all antiretroviral therapy-naive adults (> 15 years) at the start of antiretroviral therapy and switched to a protease inhibitor-containing regimen with at least one nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor change after more than 6 months of nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor first-line use. Cumulative switch rates and survival curves were estimated using Kaplan-Meier methods, and mortality predictors were investigated using Poisson regression. RESULTS: Of 48,338 adults followed on antiretroviral therapy, 370 switched to a second-line regimen after a median of 20 months (switch rate 4.8/1000 person-years). Median CD4 cell count at switch was 99 cells/microl (interquartile ratio 39-200; n = 244). A lopinavir/ritonavir-based regimen was given to 51% of patients and nelfinavir-based regimen to 43%; 29% changed one nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor and 71% changed two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Median follow-up on second-line antiretroviral therapy was 8 months, and probability of remaining in care at 12 months was 0.86. Median CD4 gains were 90 at 6 months and 135 at 12 months. Death rates were higher in patients in World Health Organization stage 4 at antiretroviral therapy initiation and in those with CD4 nadir count less than 50 cells/microl. CONCLUSION: The rate of switch to second-line treatment in antiretroviral therapy-naive adults on non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-based first-line antiretroviral therapy was relatively low, with good early outcomes observed in protease inhibitor-based second-line regimens. Severe immunosuppression was associated with increased mortality on second-line treatment

UNE PLATEFORME RADIO LOGICIELLE OUVERTE POUR LES SYSTÈMES 3G+

This paper describes a software-radio architecture developed for providing real-time wide-band radio communication capabilities in a form attractive for advanced 3G systems research. It is currently being used to implement signaling methods and protocols similar, but not limited to, evolving 3G radio standards (e.g. umts, cdma2000). An overview of the hardware system is provided along with example software implementations on both high-perfo-mance DSP systems and conventional microprocessor

Increased IL-10-producing regulatory T cells are characteristic of severe cases of COVID-19.

OBJECTIVES: The pandemic spread of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is due, in part, to the immunological properties of the host-virus interaction. The clinical presentation varies from individual to individual, with asymptomatic carriers, mild-to-moderate-presenting patients and severely affected patients. Variation in immune response to SARS-CoV-2 may underlie this clinical variation. METHODS: Using a high-dimensional systems immunology platform, we have analysed the peripheral blood compartment of 6 healthy individuals, 23 mild-to-moderate and 20 severe COVID-19 patients. RESULTS: We identify distinct immunological signatures in the peripheral blood of the mild-to-moderate and severe COVID-19 patients, including T-cell lymphopenia, more consistent with peripheral hypo- than hyper-immune activation. Unique to the severe COVID-19 cases was a large increase in the proportion of IL-10-secreting regulatory T cells, a lineage known to possess anti-inflammatory properties in the lung. CONCLUSION: As IL-10-secreting regulatory T cells are known to possess anti-inflammatory properties in the lung, their proportional increase could contribute to a more severe COVID-19 phenotype. We openly provide annotated data (https://flowrepository.org/experiments/2713) with clinical correlates as a systems immunology resource for the COVID-19 research community

Mice Deficient in Nucleoporin Nup210 Develop Peripheral T Cell Alterations

The nucleopore is an essential structure of the eukaryotic cell, regulating passage between the nucleus and cytoplasm. While individual functions of core nucleopore proteins have been identified, the role of other components, such as Nup210, are poorly defined. Here, through the use of an unbiased ENU mutagenesis screen for mutations effecting the peripheral T cell compartment, we identified a Nup210 mutation in a mouse strain with altered CD4/CD8 T cell ratios. Through the generation of Nup210 knockout mice we identified Nup210 as having a T cell-intrinsic function in the peripheral homeostasis of T cells. Remarkably, despite the deep evolutionary conservation of this key nucleopore complex member, no other major phenotypes developed, with viable and healthy knockout mice. These results identify Nup210 as an important nucleopore complex component for peripheral T cells, and raise further questions of why this nucleopore component shows deep evolutionary conservation despite seemingly redundant functions in most cell types

On The Throughput Of Channel Access Algorithms With Limited Sensing

We consider some access protocols for Aloha type multiaccess channels. We argue, and show in an important case, that they can be modified to allow new transmitters to join the system at arbitrary times. This feature, known as "limited sensing" or "continuous entry" need NOT reduce throughput performances. In the case presented, the modified algorithm is also robust with respect to feedback errors. This research was conducted at the M.I.T. Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems with partial support provided by the National Science Foundation under Grant NSF-ECS-8310698 and by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency under Contract ONR/N00014-84-K-0357. 2 ON THE THROUGHPUT OF CHANNEL ACCESS ALGORITHMS WITH LIMITED SENSING Pierre A. Humblet Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems Massachussets Institute of Technology INTRODUCTION We consider the classical Aloha type multiaccess channel where packets are generated at a large number of sites and are eventually transm..