Article
Microbiology
Sandra Perez-Recio, Natalia Pallares, Maria D. Grijota-Camino, Adrian Sanchez-Montalva, Laura Barcia, Silvia Campos-Gutierrez, Virginia Pomar, Ramon Rabunal-Rey, Maria Elvira Balcells, Deniz Gazel, Natalia Montiel, Diego Vicente, Ivana Goic-Barisic, Thomas Schon, Jakob Paues, Ivana Marekovic, Juana Cacho-Calvo, Aleksandra Barac, Delia Goletti, Mercedes Garcia-Gasalla, Jose Maria Barcala, Maria Teresa Tortola, Luis Anibarro, Isabel Suarez-Toste, Esther Moga, Maria J. Gude-Gonzalez, Rodrigo Naves, Tekin Karsligil, Tania Martin-Penaranda, Goran Stevanovic, Matilde Trigo, Veronica Rubio, Ilkay Karaoglan, Nazan Bayram, Fernando Alcaide, Cristian Tebe, Miguel Santin
Summary: The study investigated the use of the difference between TB2 and TB1 values in the QuantiFERON-TB gold plus test as a surrogate marker for recent tuberculosis exposure. The results showed that a TB2-TB1 value of >0.6 IU.ml(-1) was not associated with an increased risk of recent TB exposure. This questions the clinical potential of using this marker for identifying recently acquired TB infection.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yasuko Tsunetsugu-Yokota, Sayaka Ito, Yu Adachi, Taishi Onodera, Tsutomu Kageyama, Yoshimasa Takahashi
Summary: Mucosal immunity is crucial for controlling upper respiratory infections, including influenza. A study established a quantitative ELISA method to measure the levels of influenza virus-specific salivary IgA (sIgA) and salivary IgG (sIgG) antibodies. The study analyzed samples from individuals infected with the A(H1N1)pdm09 influenza virus and found an early increase of sIgA and a later increase of sIgG in saliva. Interestingly, individuals with a history of influenza infection and vaccination had higher levels of sIgA in their saliva. The study suggests that the saliva test system is useful for analyzing upper mucosal immunity in influenza, despite the small sample size.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Stefano Piotto, Luigi Di Biasi, Francesco Marrafino, Simona Concilio
Summary: This study analyzed real CT experiment data in Italy, finding a correlation between contact frequency and new SARS-CoV-2 positive cases, paving the way for more accurate data analysis and spread predictions. The data can be further used to determine epidemiological parameters, develop agent-based systems for simulating the effects of restrictions and vaccinations, and identify physical locations with the highest probability of infection.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Florentina Dumitrescu, Catalina-Gabriela Pisoschi, Vlad Padureanu, Andreea Cristina Stoian, Livia Dragonu, Lucian Giubelan
Summary: A 31-year-old HIV-infected patient was hospitalized for dyspnea, cough with mucopurulent sputum, and asthenia in July 2021. He was diagnosed with Serratia liquefaciens pneumonia and acute respiratory failure. Despite initial unfavorable outcomes, initiation of antituberculosis therapy led to significant improvement and discharge.
Article
Biology
Qiwei Li, Tejasv Bedi, Christoph U. Lehmann, Guanghua Xiao, Yang Xie
Summary: The study compared the performance of stochastic epidemiological models and autoregressive moving average models in short-term forecasting of COVID-19 cases in 20 countries globally. It was found that no model emerged as a gold standard across all regions, but all models outperformed the autoregressive moving average model in terms of forecast accuracy and interpretability.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Maria Noel Maidana-Kulesza, Hugo Ramiro Poma, Diego Gaston Sanguino-Jorquera, Sarita Isabel Reyes, Maria del Milagro Said-Adamo, Juan Martin Mainardi-Remis, Dolores Gutierrez-Cacciabue, Hector Antonio Cristobal, Mercedes Cecilia Cruz, Monica Aparicio Gonzalez, Veronica Beatriz Rajal
Summary: The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of rivers for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance. Monitoring was conducted in five sampling points from three rivers in Salta, Argentina, and the correlation between SARS-CoV-2 and fecal indicator bacteria concentration was verified. The results showed that La Caldera River had the best water quality, while Arenales River had the poorest water quality. The experimental and normalized viral concentrations were strongly correlated with reported COVID-19 cases.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pasquale Rombola, Giulia Barlozzari, Andrea Carvelli, Manuela Scarpulla, Francesca Iacoponi, Gladia Macri
Summary: Canine leishmaniasis is a zoonotic parasitic disease endemic in the Mediterranean area, with domestic dogs as the main reservoir host. This study in the Lazio region of central Italy assessed the seroprevalence and identified factors influencing the exposure of dogs to Leishmania infantum.
Article
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Ruiping Wang, Liangcai Zeng, Wei Cao, Kelvin K. L. Wong
Summary: In this paper, a novel evaluation method for feature detectors' illumination robustness is proposed, which can quantify the evaluation results effectively. By constructing a virtual photometer and finding the mapping relationship, the method has been proven to be successful in reflecting the illumination robustness of feature detectors.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Josiane Warszawski, Laurence Meyer, Jeanna-Eve Franck, Delphine Rahib, Nathalie Lydie, Anne Gosselin, Emilie Counil, Robin Kreling, Sophie Novelli, Remy Slama, Philippe Raynaud, Guillaume Bagein, Vianney Costemalle, Patrick Sillard, Toscane Fourie, Xavier de Lamballerie, Nathalie Bajos
Summary: In France, the risk of Covid-19 infection increased among young people and second-generation migrants after the easing of social contact restrictions, which seems to be associated with territorialized socialization among peers.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rafael J. Mendes, Joao Pedro Luz, Conceicao Santos, Fernando Tavares
Summary: This study characterized E. amylovora populations associated with outbreaks in Portugal between 2010 and 2017 through CRISPR genotyping and virulence assessment. The findings revealed a widely-distributed CRISPR genotype among most isolates, with one isolate showing a new CRISPR genotype. Despite the clonal population structure, different virulence phenotypes suggest multiple introductions of E. amylovora into Portugal.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nao Yamamoto, Yoshiki Koizumi, Shinya Tsuzuki, Keisuke Ejima, Misao Takano, Shingo Iwami, Daisuke Mizushima, Shinichi Oka
Summary: The introduction of PrEP into the HIV prevention program for MSM in Japan is cost-effective. Using a Markov model and sensitivity analysis, the study found that the PrEP program has advantages in controlling HIV transmission and reducing treatment costs, and cheaper PrEP drugs can improve the cost-effectiveness of the program.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Francisco Viana Machado, Clara Morais, Sofia Santos, Ricardo Reis
Summary: The study evaluated CD8+ T-cell response as a marker for recent TB infection, showing a significant increase in CD8+ T-cell activity in patients recently exposed to TB, especially those with longer exposure time. This suggests that CD8+ T-cell activity may be a useful tool in identifying patients with recent LTBI.
RESPIRATORY MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
E. J. Williams, L. Mair, T. de Silva, D. J. Green, P. House, K. Cawthron, C. Gillies, J. Wigfull, H. Parsons, D. G. Partridge
Summary: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a guideline recommending withholding antibiotics in coronavirus disease patients with low serum procalcitonin levels, showing reduced antibiotic consumption without increased mortality. Further research to determine the optimal cut-off value for procalcitonin is recommended.
JOURNAL OF HOSPITAL INFECTION
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gavrila A. Puspitarani, Reinhard Fuchs, Klemens Fuchs, Andrea Ladinig, Amelie Desvars-Larrive
Summary: This study used social network analysis to explore pig trades in Austria and found that the pig production in Austria is dominated by small-sized farms with heterogeneous spatial farm density. The pig trade network exhibited a scale-free topology but was sparse, with two regions potentially showing higher structural vulnerability. Dynamic community detection revealed stable behavior of the clusters, suggesting that trade communities could be an alternative zoning approach for managing infectious diseases.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gavrila A. Puspitarani, Reinhard Fuchs, Klemens Fuchs, Andrea Ladinig, Amelie Desvars-Larrive
Summary: This study applied social network analysis to examine pig trades in Austria. The findings showed that the pig production in Austria was dominated by small-sized farms with heterogeneous farm density. The network exhibited a scale-free topology that was sparse, indicating a moderate impact of infectious disease outbreaks. However, two regions, Upper Austria and Styria, may be more structurally vulnerable. Trade communities did not align with sub-national administrative divisions and could serve as an alternative zoning approach for disease management.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
