Prevalence of Undernutrition and Its Associated Factors in Tribal Population of Gadchiroli (Vidarbha Region)

Introduction: Under nutrition can be well defined as a result of insufficient food intake, living life with hunger and repeated infection. It comprises being underweight for one’s age, stunted growth where subjects are too short for one’s age, hazardously thin wasted body and deficient in vitamins and minerals also known as micronutrient malnutrition. Aim: Prevalence Of Under nutrition And Its Associated Factors In Tribal Population Of Gadchiroli at Aheri (Ct), Gadchiroli (Vidarbha Region)District, Maharashtra. Materials And Methods: Family must consists of 1 children between ages of 1-6 years and their mothers must be available and willing to be interviewed were incorporated in the sample. Unwilling mothers were excluded. Three hundred study participants were included in the study. Results: The response rate was 100%. Among all participants, 153 (51%) and 147 (49%) were females and males, respectively. Out Of the total parents, 173(57.66%) could not read, 56 (18.66%) can only read and write, 47(15.66%) of them has completed primary education and 24(8%) has completed secondary school. Out of 300 participants, 123 (41%) had monthly income of less than 750 rupeees. Conclusion: Under nutrition was high among children below six years of age in gadchiroli, Aheri CT, Gadchiroli. Overall under nutrition was high found to be high and proper management should be done.

Praziquantel Treatment of Schistosoma mansoni Infected Mice Renders Them Less Susceptible to Reinfection

Beyond transient control of the infection, additional benefits of mass drug administration of praziquantel in endemic communities have been suggested in communities but not mechanistically investigated experimentally. The present study sought to evaluate the additional and hitherto unreported benefits of repeated mass drug administration of praziquantel. We used a tractable mouse model of Schistosoma mansoni infection to assess the effects of repeated infection-treatment cycles on the host susceptibility to reinfection. Parasitaemia was assessed by quantification of Schistosoma egg burden in liver tissues and morbidity was followed up by histological observation of liver lesions by microscopy and using biochemical measurement of liver transaminases. Immune responses were further determined by serum probing of schistosoma-specific antibodies, cytokines and quantification of liver cellular and soluble mediator responses by flow cytometry and ELISA, respectively. At similar ages and comparable gender distribution, groups of mice undergoing higher number of infections treatment cycles over a longer period, remained susceptible to reinfection by the parasite, as judged by the presence of eggs and the associated increasing pathology in the liver tissues. However, notably, there was a clear and significantly higher propensity to lower egg burden upon reinfection when compared to counterparts undergoing a lower number of infection-treatment cycles. This relative reduction of susceptibility to infection was paralleled by a more robust humoral response against parasite antigens, elevated serum IL-4 and liver cytokines. Of note, praziquantel treatment of infected mice left them at a higher baseline of serum IL-4, IgE and liver cytokines but lower CD4+ T cell -derived cytokines when compared to infected non-treated mice supporting an immunological treatment-induced advantage of previously infected mice over naïve mice and infected/not treated mice. Notably, repeated infection-treatment cycles did not preclude the infection-driven aggravation of collagen deposition in the livers over time and was corroborated by a more robust local production of inflammatory cytokines in the most exposed livers. Taken together, our data reveal that treatment of S. mansoni-infected hosts with praziquantel rewires the immune system to a conformation less permissive to subsequent reinfection in mice. Provided the data are translatable from mouse to human, our findings may provide mechanistic support to the potential benefits of more frequent MDAs in high transmission areas to allow rapid acquisition of protective immunity against reinfection.

An Embedded Multiscale Modelling to Guide Control and Elimination of Paratuberculosis in Ruminants

In recent years, multiscale modelling approach has begun to receive an overwhelming appreciation as an appropriate technique to characterize the complexity of infectious disease systems. In this study, we develop an embedded multiscale model of paratuberculosis in ruminants at host level that integrates the within-host scale and the between-host. A key feature of embedded multiscale models developed at host level of organization of an infectious disease system is that the within-host scale and the between-host scale influence each other in a reciprocal (i.e., both) way through superinfection, that is, through repeated infection before the host recovers from the initial infectious episode. This key feature is demonstrated in this study through a multiscale model of paratuberculosis in ruminants. The results of this study, through numerical analysis of the multiscale model, show that superinfection influences the dynamics of paratuberculosis only at the start of the infection, while the MAP bacteria replication continuously influences paratuberculosis dynamics throughout the infection until the host recovers from the initial infectious episode. This is largely because the replication of MAP bacteria at the within-host scale sustains the dynamics of paratuberculosis at this scale domain. We further use the embedded multiscale model developed in this study to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of paratuberculosis health interventions that influence the disease dynamics at different scales from efficacy data.

COVID-19 variants, available treatments, and vaccinations: An overview study

SARS-CoV-2 is the recent variation of the corona virus which is infecting people around the world and has affected more than 258 million people worldwide. Upon observation, the virus is similar to the coronavirus which spread from the horseshoe bat or wild animals to human beings. Up to date, there have been three major variants of the coronavirus which have been identified in UK, South Africa, and India which are spreading to other countries. Based on the current data, it is suggested that the incidents of repeated infection with SARS-CoV-2 is related to the level of neutralizing antibodies and the retained memory response which follows infection. Moreover, recently, a critical issue arises in relation to the association of black fungus and COVID-19, and urgent investigation is required. As a treatment method of COVID-19, FDA has recently approved the feasibility of Remdesivir to treat COVID-19 as emergency use authorization (EUA). There are also various possible antivirals which are still undergoing clinical trial. After widespread of the vaccine, the results showed that EUA vaccines have been effective in controlling COVID-19 in patients. However, these licensed vaccines ought to be reviewed to ensure they are also effective in combating the rising variants of SARS-CoV-2.

Management of inferior vena cava injury and secondary thrombosis after percutaneous nephrolithotomy: a case report

Percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) remains an important method for treating upper urinary calculi. However, bleeding and peripheral vascular injury are serious complications of PCNL. Injury of the inferior vena cava accompanied by secondary thrombosis has rarely been reported clinically. We treated a patient who experienced bleeding during PCNL to establish a channel. A catheter was used to make a renal fistula, and the inferior vena cava was implanted. The wound was fixed and compressed by balloon injection, and secondary thrombosis and repeated infection occurred after the operation. A filter was then placed, the water balloon was released, and the fistula was removed. The anti-bacterial and anticoagulant filter was removed. This major complication was successfully managed. In our patient, during PCNL, the renal fistula entered the inferior vena cava by mistake. If this issue cannot be treated in time, it can easily lead to the formation of secondary thrombosis. A fistula can be extracted through an inferior vena cava filter, and anticoagulant treatment and other conservative treatment regimens can be used to treat patients in this situation. These treatments avoid the possibility of further damage from open surgery.

Modeling and analysis of COVID-19 infected persons during repeated waves in Japan

A model for estimating the number of COVID-19 infected persons (infecteds) is proposed based on the exponential function law of the SIR model. This model is composed of several equations expressing the number of infecteds, considering the onset after an incubation period, infectivity, wavy infection persistence with repeated infection spread and convergence with insufficient quarantine. This model is applied to the infection in Japan, which is currently suffering from the 5th wave, and the initial number of infecteds and various related parameters are calculated by curve fitting of the cumulative number of infecteds to the total cases in the database. As a minimum boundary of the number of infecteds for the infection continuation up to the 5th wave, the initial number of infecteds at the outbreak of infection is more than an order of magnitude higher than the actual initial cases. A convergence ratio (cumulative number of infecteds / total cases) at the end of the first wave is obtained as 1.5. The quarantine rate and social distancing ratio based on the SIQR model are evaluated, and the social distancing ratio increases sharply just after the government's declaration of emergency. The quarantine rate closely equals the positive rate by PCR tests, meaning that the number of infecteds, which had been unknown, is on the order of almost the same as the number of tests.

Experimental study on the proliferating activity and differentiation of renal stem cells in superinvasive opisthorchiasis

AIM: This study aimed to identify the replication potential of the kidneys in different forms of opisthorchiasis in laboratory animals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An experiment was conducted on 60 Syrian male hamsters. The first group was set as the control (n = 10), the second group (n = 25) was infected with metacercariae (Opisthorchis felineus), and the third group (n = 25) was a model of a superinvasive form of opisthorchiasis infection with 50 O. felineus larvae and repeated infection with 50 metacercariae in 14 and 25 days. The hamsters were withdrawn from the experiment on days 7, 15, and 30 via an overdose of narcosis and decapitation. The kidneys were isolated and histologically examined through histochemical and immunohistochemical staining methods. Microscopy was conducted, and results were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The quantitative characteristics, proliferation tendencies, and differentiation of regional stem cells were identified. In the cortical and medullary substance of the kidneys, CD117, Oct4, and CD34 markers were expressed, and CD31-positive stem cells further differentiated to progenitor cells. Epithelial structures developed in the form of tubules. In the glomeruli, vasculogenesis occurred, and the number of vascular loops increased. CONCLUSION: O. felineus secretome initiated the activation of stem cells in the renal tubules and pericytes of a microcirculatory network. The transitional epithelium of the renal pelvis and the initial parts of the ureter proliferated. Under the action of the secretome of parasites, stem cells proliferated directly in glomerular loops.

Case Report: Reinfection of COVID-19, with second infection less severe

There is concern that an individual may contract COVID-19 twice, either as a result of being a viral carrier that was not entirely cleared from the body in the first instance or as a result of reinfection. The recurrent infection may be qRT-PCR positive, which must be distinguished from post-COVID-19 symptoms that are qRT-PCR negative. Although it is known that recovered patients of viral diseases can be immune for the next infection, recurrent infections of COVID-19 have been recorded in Brazilian healthcare workers. We report a case of recurrent COVID-19 infection in a 34-year-old man working in the Gynecology and Children Hospital in Al-Muthanna Province, south of Iraq. The patient suffered from a sharp and noticeable rise in the body temperature at 39 ºC and cough on the 16th of July 2020. Then, the patient was symptomized with another course of COVID-19 on the 27th of August 2020, which was contracted from the patient’s workmate. Nose swab PCR test and CT scan were performed to confirm the second infection. The clinical signs of repeated infection with coronavirus were obviously less than the first infection of the same patient. It is clear that the first infection symptoms of COVID-19 are more severe than the signs of recurrent disease.

Potent Neutralizing Humanized Antibody With Topical Therapeutic Potential Against HPV18-Related Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infections is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide. Current prophylactic HPV vaccines have achieved promising success in preventing HPV infection. However, still 570,000 new cases were reported in 2018. The current primary treatment for the patient with cervical cancer is either surgery or chemoradiotherapy. Cervical cancer still lacks standard medical therapy. HPV18 induced cervical cancer has the worst prognosis and high mortality compared to other HPV infections. The development of HPV18 related with cervical malignancy requires the persistent infection of cervical–vaginal epithelium by HPV18 subtype, which can take years to transform the epithelium. This period of repeated infection provides a window for therapeutic intervention. Neutralizing antibodies formulated as topical agents that inhibit HPV18 infection should reduce the chance of cervical malignancy. We previously demonstrated that potent neutralizing anti-sera against HPV18 infection were induced by HPV18 viral like particle (VLP) generated in mammalian cells. We, therefore, isolated two potent neutralizing antibodies, 2A12 and 8H4, from over 3,810 hybridomas prepared from mice immunized with HPV18 VLP. 2A12 and 8H4 exhibited excellent potency, with 50% virus-inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of 0.4 and 0.9 ng/ml, respectively. Furthermore, 2A12 and 8H4 recognized distinct and non-overlapping quaternary epitopes and bound specifically with HPV18. Humanized 2A12 (Hu2A12) retained comparable neutralizing activity against HPV18 infection in various acidic pH settings and in hydrogel formulation with IC50 values of 0.04 to 0.77 ng/ml, indicating that Hu2A12 will be a promising candidate for clinical development as a topical vaginal biopharmaceutical agent against HPV18 infection.