scholarly journals Serological Survey for Avian Influenza in Turkeys in Three States of Southwest Nigeria

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Oladimeji Oluwayelu ◽  
Comfort Oluladun Aiki-Raji ◽  
Oladunni Taiwo Adigun ◽  
Opeyemi Kazeem Olofintuyi ◽  
Adebowale Idris Adebiyi
Keyword(s):  
Avian Influenza ◽  
Continuous Monitoring ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Serological Survey ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Southwest Nigeria ◽  
Avian Origin ◽  
Specific Antigens

Since the first outbreak of avian influenza (AI) in Nigeria in 2006, there has been continuous monitoring of the disease in chickens with little attention given to turkeys. As part of on-going surveillance for AI in southwest Nigeria, we used a competitive ELISA to detect anti-AI virus antibodies in 520 turkey sera obtained from poultry farms in Oyo, Osun, and Ondo states while haemagglutination inhibiting antibodies against low pathogenic AI viruses (LPAIVs) were detected using H3N8 and H5N2 subtype-specific antigens. The overall seroprevalence obtained by ELISA was 4.4% (23/520). Of the 23 ELISA-positive samples, 18 were positive for anti-AIV H3N8 antibodies only and four were positive for both anti-AIV H3N8 and H5N2 antibodies indicating a mixed infection, while five were negative for antibodies to either of the two AIV subtypes. Considering that turkeys have been implicated as a mixing vessel for generating influenza virus reassortants of human and avian origin, the detection of antibodies to LPAIV H3N8 and H5N2 in these turkeys is of public health concern. We advocate further studies to determine the potential role of turkeys in the zoonotic transmission of AIVs in Nigeria. Additionally, the practice of rearing turkeys with chickens should be discouraged.

scholarly journals The Potential Role of Extracellular Vesicles in COVID-19 Treatment:Opportunity and Challenge

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan-yan Yan ◽  
Wen-min Zhou ◽  
Yu-qing Wang ◽  
Qiao-ru Guo ◽  
Fu-xi Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Extracellular Vesicles ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Targeted Drugs ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Current Prevalence ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
The World

SARS-CoV-2 infection has become an urgent public health concern worldwide, severely affecting our society and economy due to the long incubation time and high prevalence. People spare no effort on the rapid development of vaccine and treatment all over the world. Amongst the numerous ways of tackling this pandemic, some approaches using extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging. In this review, we summarize current prevalence and pathogenesis of COVID-19, involving the combination of SARS-CoV-2 and virus receptor ACE2, endothelial dysfunction and micro thrombosis, together with cytokine storm. We also discuss the ongoing EVs-based strategies for the treatment of COVID-19, including mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-EVs, drug-EVs, vaccine-EVs, platelet-EVs, and others. This manuscript provides the foundation for the development of targeted drugs and vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 infections.

scholarly journals Autophagy in Zika Virus Infection: A Possible Therapeutic Target to Counteract Viral Replication

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 1048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rossella Gratton ◽  
Almerinda Agrelli ◽  
Paola Tricarico ◽  
Lucas Brandão ◽  
Sergio Crovella
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Viral Replication ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Mtor Signaling Pathway ◽  
Catabolic Pathway ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
Fundamental Process

Zika virus (ZIKV) still constitutes a public health concern, however, no vaccines or therapies are currently approved for treatment. A fundamental process involved in ZIKV infection is autophagy, a cellular catabolic pathway delivering cytoplasmic cargo to the lysosome for degradation—considered as a primordial form of innate immunity against invading microorganisms. ZIKV is thought to inhibit the Akt-mTOR signaling pathway, which causes aberrant activation of autophagy promoting viral replication and propagation. It is therefore appealing to study the role of autophagic molecular effectors during viral infection to identify potential targets for anti-ZIKV therapeutic intervention.

scholarly journals Structural and Molecular Characterization of the Hemagglutinin from the Fifth-Epidemic-Wave A(H7N9) Influenza Viruses

2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hua Yang ◽  
Paul J. Carney ◽  
Jessie C. Chang ◽  
Zhu Guo ◽  
James Stevens
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Avian Influenza ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Human Infection ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
Surface Proteins ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
H7n9 Influenza ◽  
Epidemic Wave

ABSTRACTThe avian influenza A(H7N9) virus continues to cause human infections in China and is a major ongoing public health concern. Five epidemic waves of A(H7N9) infection have occurred since 2013, and the recent fifth epidemic wave saw the emergence of two distinct lineages with elevated numbers of human infection cases and broader geographic distribution of viral diseases compared to the first four epidemic waves. Moreover, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H7N9) viruses were also isolated during the fifth epidemic wave. Here, we present a detailed structural and biochemical analysis of the surface hemagglutinin (HA) antigen from viruses isolated during this recent epidemic wave. Results highlight that, compared to the 2013 virus HAs, the fifth-wave virus HAs remained a weak binder to human glycan receptor analogs. We also studied three mutations, V177K-K184T-G219S, that were recently reported to switch a 2013 A(H7N9) HA to human-type receptor specificity. Our results indicate that these mutations could also switch the H7 HA receptor preference to a predominantly human binding specificity for both fifth-wave H7 HAs analyzed in this study.IMPORTANCEThe A(H7N9) viruses circulating in China are of great public health concern. Here, we report a molecular and structural study of the major surface proteins from several recent A(H7N9) influenza viruses. Our results improve the understanding of these evolving viruses and provide important information on their receptor preference that is central to ongoing pandemic risk assessment.

scholarly journals A Review of Key Biological and Molecular Events Underpinning Transformation of Melanocytes to Primary and Metastatic Melanoma

Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2041 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise A. Jackett ◽  
Richard A. Scolyer
Keyword(s):  
Treatment Strategies ◽  
Genomic Analysis ◽  
Molecular Therapy ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Targeted Molecular Therapy ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Molecular Events ◽  
Key Events ◽  
Potential Tool

Melanoma is a major public health concern that is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in countries such as New Zealand and Australia where it is the commonest cause of cancer death in young adults. Until recently, there were no effective drug therapies for patients with advanced melanoma however significant advances in our understanding of the biological and molecular basis of melanoma in recent decades have led to the development of revolutionary treatments, including targeted molecular therapy and immunotherapy. This review summarizes our current understanding of the key events in the pathway of melanomagenesis and discusses the role of genomic analysis as a potential tool for improved diagnostic evaluation, prognostication and treatment strategies. Ultimately, it is hoped that a continued deeper understanding of the mechanisms of melanomagenesis will lead to the development of even more effective treatments that continue to provide better outcomes for patients with melanoma.

scholarly journals A Critical Prospect of Structural Designing of Avian Influenza A/H5N1 Neuraminidase Inhibitors That Evade Tamiflu Resistance

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Petar M. Mitrasinovic
Keyword(s):  
Avian Influenza ◽  
Influenza A ◽  
Rational Design ◽  
Influenza Pandemic ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Structural Basis ◽  
Neuraminidase Inhibitors ◽  
Virus Spread ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Flu Vaccine

The key public health concern is to define the way in which the next influenza pandemic will be controlled. At present, the question of vital importance is: in the absence of a specific avian flu vaccine, could antiviral drugs obstruct a pandemic should the virus spread from birds to humans? The answer to the issue is inevitably related to finding the ways to circumvent Tamiflu resistance that is well documented in the literature. Several remarkable but slightly mutually inconsistent contributions have been recently reported with the aim to facilitate the development of new inhibitors acting on the key target—neuraminidase of avian influenza A/H5N1 virus. Herein, the versatile arguments are critically analyzed and reconciled. Consequently, the most relevant structural basis for the rational design of novel antivirals is elaborated.

Impact of the Opioid/Fentanyl Epidemic on the Toxicology Laboratory’s Workload: The CMCVAMC Experience

2019 ◽  
Vol 152 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S90-S90
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Petersen ◽  
Thomas George ◽  
Darshana Jhala
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Clinical Care ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Opioid Epidemic ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Significant Public Health Concern ◽  
Significant Public Health ◽  
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy

Abstract Introduction Opiates have long been used by both the population at large and the veteran population as a drug of abuse. However, recently, fentanyl—a synthetic opioid—has risen in prominence in this opioid drug abuse epidemic as a drug used by suppliers to “cut” heroin, to masquerade for another opiate, or for direct usage. As this is a recent phenomenon, the new increasing need to test for fentanyl for clinical reasons has a major impact on the toxicology laboratory’s workload. Method Quality assurance/improvement data were obtained to determine the number of fentanyl tests by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC/MS) performed by the toxicology laboratory since quarter 1 of 2011 (October-December 2010) to quarter 1 of 2018 (October-December 2017). The numbers of tests required for clinical care in each quarter were tabulated and compared in a graph. Quarters for each year begin and end in October. Results The total number of GC/MS tests for fentanyl needed for clinical care has been drastically increasing recently. From 2011 to 2015, the yearly number of tests clinically needed has ranged from 83 to 92. In 2016, the total number of clinically needed tests for fentanyl spiked to 167 and by fiscal year 2017 included 1,108 fentanyl GC/MS tests. The last examined quarter (quarter 1 of fiscal year 2018) included 527 tests, which is more than the highest number from 2017 (377 in quarter 4 of 2017). Conclusion The increasing use of fentanyl in the opioid epidemic appears to have played a role in significantly increasing the clinical need to test for fentanyl by GC/MS, increasing the volume by over 10 to 15 times. The role of fentanyl in the opioid epidemic remains a significant public health concern.

Preserving Cognitive Vitality in Older Adults

2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-55
Author(s):  
Janet Simon Schreck
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Preventive Intervention ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Speech Language Pathologist ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
Screening And Prevention ◽  
Older Adult Population

As the population of older adults burgeons, preservation of cognitive vitality is quickly becoming a national public health concern. Speech-language pathologists are in a unique position to provide screening and prevention for cognitive-communication skills in the older adult population. In this article, I review medical and lifestyle factors currently associated with preservation of cognitive functioning. I also discuss the potential role of the speech-language pathologist with regard to screening, identification, and preventive intervention for this population.

Endothelial dysfunction induced by cadmium and mercury and its relationship to hypertension

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Airton Cunha Martins ◽  
Alessanda Antunes Dos Santos ◽  
Ana Carolina B. Almeida Lopes ◽  
Anatoly V. Skalny ◽  
Michael Aschner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Endothelial Dysfunction ◽  
Toxic Elements ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Important Public Health ◽  
Nitric Oxide Signaling

: Hypertension is an important public health concern that affects millions globally, leading to a large number of morbidities and fatalities. The etiology of hypertension is complex and multifactorial, and it involves environmental factors including heavy metals. Indeed, cadmium and mercury are toxic elements commonly distributed in the environment which contribute to hypertension. We aimed to assess the role of cadmium and mercury-induced endothelial dysfunction in the development of hypertension. A narrative review was carried out through database searches. In this review, we discussed the critical roles of cadmium and mercury in the etiology of hypertension and provide new insights into potential mechanisms of their effect, focusing primarily on endothelial dysfunction. Although, the mechanisms by which cadmium and mercury induce hypertension have yet to be completely elucidated, evidence for both implicates impaired nitric oxide signaling in their hypertensive etiology.

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