scholarly journals Transformative tools for tackling tuberculosis

2015 ◽  
Vol 212 (11) ◽  
pp. 1759-1769 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Gardiner ◽  
Christopher L. Karp

The world is in need of more effective approaches to controlling tuberculosis. The development of improved control strategies has been hampered by deficiencies in the tools available for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis and defining the dynamic consequences of the interaction of M. tuberculosis with its human host. Key needs include a highly sensitive, specific nonsputum diagnostic; biomarkers predictive of responses to therapy; correlates of risk for disease development; and host response–independent markers of M. tuberculosis infection. Tools able to sensitively detect and quantify total body M. tuberculosis burden might well be transformative across many needed use cases. Here, we review the current state of the field, paying particular attention to needed changes in experimental paradigms that would facilitate the discovery, validation, and development of such tools.

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo Cafiero ◽  
Marco Matarasso ◽  
Gaetano Marenzi ◽  
Vincenzo Iorio Siciliano ◽  
Loredana Bellia ◽  
...  

In the industrialized part of the world, an increasing number of people live the old age without too many restrictions due to illness or physiological impairment. This group is known asthe young elderly. On the contrary, a consistent part of seniors develops a greater number of medical conditions and become more and more dependent, these arethe old elderly. The first cause of tooth lost in industrialized word is periodontitis that generally strikes people older than 40 years and determines serious detriment of the stomatognatic organ. Smoking and stress are risk factors for periodontitis that are common and shared between young, adult, and older age. Diabetes mellitus, obesity, and osteoporosis are very frequent pathological situations in older age. They have been identified as cofactors in the progression of periodontitis. Many dental associations recognize the importance of continued research on oral fluids diagnostics and welcome the development of rapid point-of-care tests providing accurate measurements of clinically validated biomarkers. At present, well-studied molecules associated with host response factors and with derived tissue destruction mediators have been proposed as diagnostic biomarkers for periodontitis detected in the oral fluids.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
El Hadji Amadou Niang ◽  
Hubert Bassene ◽  
Florence Fenollar ◽  
Oleg Mediannikov

People living in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world face an enormous health burden due to mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, and filariasis. Historically and today, targeting mosquito vectors with, primarily, insecticide-based control strategies have been a key control strategy against major mosquito-borne diseases. However, the success to date of such approaches is under threat from multiple insecticide resistance mechanisms while vector control (VC) options are still limited. The situation therefore requires the development of innovative control measures against major mosquito-borne diseases. Transinfecting mosquitos with symbiotic bacteria that can compete with targeted pathogens or manipulate host biology to reduce their vectorial capacity are a promising and innovative biological control approach. In this review, we discuss the current state of knowledge about the association between mosquitoes andWolbachia, emphasizing the limitations of different mosquito control strategies and the use of mosquitoes’ commensal microbiota as innovative approaches to control mosquito-borne diseases.


Author(s):  
Larysa Nosach ◽  
◽  
Victoria Morgun ◽  

The author's research of the current state and features of the development of the world market for services in conditions of turbulence of world processes was carried; the world leaders of the service sector in the global dimension and leaders of the most dynamic articles of service categories were identified; the share of world exports of services by countries by the level of their economic development was justified; weaknesses in the assessment of indicators of international trade in services were identified; the research is based on UNCTAD statistics.


Author(s):  
Yu.I. Agirbov ◽  
◽  
R.R. Mukhametzyanov ◽  
D.V. Storozhev ◽  
◽  
...  

Author(s):  
N.R. Madhava Menon

The purpose of looking at Indian universities in a comparative perspective is obviously to locate it among higher education institutions across the world and to identify its strengths and weaknesses in the advancement of learning and research. In doing so, one can discern the directions for reform in order to put the university system in a competitive advantage for an emerging knowledge society. This chapter looks at the current state of universities in India and highlights the initiatives under way for change and proposes required policy changes.


2001 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 605-608
Author(s):  
Walter Rowe

At the beginning of a new millennium it seems a good idea to stop for a moment and take stock of the current state of forensic science. As a field of scientific research and scientific application, forensic science is a little more than a century old. Forensic science may be said to have begun in 1887 with the simultaneous publication of A. Conan Doyle’s A Study in Scarlet and Hans Gross’s Handbuch für Untersuchungsrichter. Conan Doyle’s novel introduced to the world the character of Sherlock Holmes, whose literary career would popularize the use of physical evidence in criminal investigations. Gross’s manual for examining magistrates suggests ways in which the expertise of chemists, biologists, geologists, and other natural scientists could contribute to investigations. Gross’s book was translated into a number of languages and went through various updated editions during the course of the century. The intervening century saw the development and application of fingerprinting, firearm and tool mark identification, forensic chemistry, forensic biology, forensic toxicology, forensic odontology, forensic pathology, and forensic engineering. Increasingly, the judicial systems of the industrial nations of the world have come to rely upon the expertise of scientists in a variety of disciplines. In most advanced countries, virtually all criminal prosecutions now involve the presentation of scientific testimony. This has had the beneficial effect of diminishing the reliance of courts on eyewitness testimony and defendant confessions.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 607
Author(s):  
Nadeem Ullah ◽  
Ling Hao ◽  
Jo-Lewis Banga Ndzouboukou ◽  
Shiyun Chen ◽  
Yaqi Wu ◽  
...  

Rifampicin (RIF) is one of the most important first-line anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs, and more than 90% of RIF-resistant (RR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates belong to multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB. In order to identify specific candidate target proteins as diagnostic markers or drug targets, differential protein expression between drug-sensitive (DS) and drug-resistant (DR) strains remains to be investigated. In the present study, a label-free, quantitative proteomics technique was performed to compare the proteome of DS, RR, MDR, and XDR clinical strains. We found iniC, Rv2141c, folB, and Rv2561 were up-regulated in both RR and MDR strains, while fadE9, espB, espL, esxK, and Rv3175 were down-regulated in the three DR strains when compared to the DS strain. In addition, lprF, mce2R, mce2B, and Rv2627c were specifically expressed in the three DR strains, and 41 proteins were not detected in the DS strain. Functional category showed that these differentially expressed proteins were mainly involved in the cell wall and cell processes. When compared to the RR strain, Rv2272, smtB, lpqB, icd1, and folK were up-regulated, while esxK, PPE19, Rv1534, rpmI, ureA, tpx, mpt64, frr, Rv3678c, esxB, esxA, and espL were down-regulated in both MDR and XDR strains. Additionally, nrp, PPE3, mntH, Rv1188, Rv1473, nadB, PPE36, and sseA were specifically expressed in both MDR and XDR strains, whereas 292 proteins were not identified when compared to the RR strain. When compared between MDR and XDR strains, 52 proteins were up-regulated, while 45 proteins were down-regulated in the XDR strain. 316 proteins were especially expressed in the XDR strain, while 92 proteins were especially detected in the MDR strain. Protein interaction networks further revealed the mechanism of their involvement in virulence and drug resistance. Therefore, these differentially expressed proteins are of great significance for exploring effective control strategies of DR-TB.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 2068
Author(s):  
William Villegas-Ch. ◽  
Xavier Palacios-Pacheco ◽  
Milton Roman-Cañizares ◽  
Sergio Luján-Mora

Currently, the 2019 Coronavirus Disease pandemic has caused serious damage to health throughout the world. Its contagious capacity has forced the governments of the world to decree isolation and quarantine to try to control the pandemic. The consequences that it leaves in all sectors of society have been disastrous. However, technological advances have allowed people to continue their different activities to some extent while maintaining isolation. Universities have great penetration in the use of technology, but they have also been severely affected. To give continuity to education, universities have been forced to move to an educational model based on synchronous encounters, but they have maintained the methodology of a face-to-face educational model, what has caused several problems in the learning of students. This work proposes the transition to a hybrid educational model, provided that this transition is supported by data analysis to identify the new needs of students. The knowledge obtained is contrasted with the performance presented by the students in the face-to-face modality and the necessary parameters for the transition to this modality are clearly established. In addition, the guidelines and methodology of online education are considered in order to take advantage of the best of both modalities and guarantee learning.


NAR Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keisuke Katsushima ◽  
George Jallo ◽  
Charles G Eberhart ◽  
Ranjan J Perera

Abstract Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been found to be central players in the epigenetic, transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. There is an accumulation of evidence on newly discovered lncRNAs, their molecular interactions and their roles in the development and progression of human brain tumors. LncRNAs can have either tumor suppressive or oncogenic functions in different brain cancers, making them attractive therapeutic targets and biomarkers for personalized therapy and precision diagnostics. Here, we summarize the current state of knowledge of the lncRNAs that have been implicated in brain cancer pathogenesis, particularly in gliomas and medulloblastomas. We discuss their epigenetic regulation as well as the prospects of using lncRNAs as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets in patients with brain tumors.


2014 ◽  
Vol 672-674 ◽  
pp. 2195-2210
Author(s):  
Ang Li ◽  
Shu Bin Kan ◽  
Xin Zhang ◽  
Xin Yu Song ◽  
Shi Long Zhang

The region of Yushu has fragile natural environment. In 2010, it suffered severe damages caused by earthquakes. This paper subject, on the basis of status research of natural and cultural environment in Yushu area and urban public facilities across the world, is aiming at a design attempt of public facilities suitable for Yushu area under the guidance of sustainable-development design theory. After constructing computer models, we made physical models to further test the reliability of our scheme. The overall design acts according to circumstances, and makes it environmental friendly, developmental sustainable, economical, aesthetic, practical and reliable. We also added to our design some local characteristics to make it better integrate into the local natural environmental features so that it could be widely used. In the end, we summarized the pros and cons of the scheme through theoretical analysis of our design process, despite that, in June 2014, we had an on-the-spot investigation in Yushu, and according to its current state of development, we made outlooks of our further scheme practice.


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