A deep drug prediction framework for viral infectious diseases using an optimizer-based ensemble of convolutional neural network: COVID-19 as a case study.

The SARS-CoV-2 outbreak highlights the persistent vulnerability of humanity to epidemics and emerging microbial threats, emphasizing the lack of time to develop disease-specific treatments. Therefore, it appears beneficial to utilize existing resources and therapies. Computational drug repositioning is an effective strategy that redirects authorized drugs to new therapeutic purposes.

Assessment of the integrated disease surveillance and response system implementation in health zones at risk for viral hemorrhagic fever outbreaks in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, following a major Ebola outbreak, 2021.

Background: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) experienced its largest Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak in 2018-2020. As a result of the outbreak, significant funding and international support were provided to Eastern DRC to improve disease surveillance. The Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) strategy has been used in the DRC as a framework to strengthen public health surveillance, and full implementation could be critical as the DRC continues to face threats of various epidemic-prone diseases.

A Case of Vertigo with TORP in Inner Ear.

This is a case of a patient with history of ear surgery who visited ENT outdoor, for continuous vertigo which used to get aggravated with loud noise, associated with hearing loss, persistent sensations of right-sided aural fullness/pressure and otalgia for last 2 years. He had history of tympanoplasty with ossiculoplasty using a TORP. On exploration under local anesthesia there was a displaced prosthesis into inner ear, upon removal of which symptoms and severity subsided exponentially.

Exploration of fish gut-associated actinobacteria for its antifouling activity.

An attempt has been made to screen the fish gut-associated actinobacterial cultures for antifouling compounds. Fifteen morphologically distinct bacterial cultures were recovered from the biofouling samples scraped from the boat surfaces and other maritime structures in the Kovalam beach (Lat. 12.

Effects of Osmotic Stress on the mRNA Expression of , , , , and in the Pituitary and Osmoregulatory Organs of Black Porgy, .

In euryhaline teleost black porgy, , the glucocorticoid receptor (), growth hormone receptor (), prolactin ()-receptor (), and sodium-potassium ATPase alpha subunit () play essential physiological roles in the osmoregulatory organs, including the gill, kidney, and intestine, during osmotic stress. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of pituitary hormones and hormone receptors in the osmoregulatory organs during the transfer from freshwater (FW) to 4 ppt and seawater (SW) and vice versa in black porgy. Quantitative real-time PCR (Q-PCR) was carried out to analyze the transcript levels during salinity and osmoregulatory stress.

Expression and Transcript Localization of , and in the Early Brain of the Orange-Spotted Grouper .

We investigated the developmental expression and localization of and transcripts in the brain of the juvenile orange-spotted grouper in response to steroidogenic enzyme gene at various developmental ages in relation to gonadal sex differentiation. The transcripts were significantly higher from 110-dah (day after hatching) and gradually increased up to 150-dah. The mRNA, on the other hand, showed a decreased expression during this period, in contrast to expression.

Differential Expression of Hypothalamic and Gill- System With Osmotic Stress in the Euryhaline Black Porgy, .

The local gill production of corticotropin releasing hormone () and -receptor () is hypothesized to play important roles during seawater (SW) and freshwater (FW) acclimation in euryhaline black porgy (). The mRNA expression of , , and / () was examined in SW and FW diencephalon (Dien) and in the gills at different exposure time by Q-PCR analysis. The hybridization results indicate that mRNA hybridization signals were more abundant in FW fish in the gigantocellular (PMgc) and parvocellular (PMpc) part of the magnocellular preoptic nucleus versus SW fish.

Neurohypophysial Hormones Associated with Osmotic Challenges in the Brain and Pituitary of the Euryhaline Black Porgy, .

Our study showed differential expression of the ()/ () in the brain and pituitary gland of the euryhaline black porgy () during osmotic stress. A decrease in serum osmolality and increased cortisol levels were observed after acute transfer from seawater (SW) to freshwater (FW). The increased expressions of , (: ), and (: transcripts on day 1 and and transcripts on days 7 and 30 were found in the brains and pituitary glands of FW fish.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on surgical practice, training, and research in Nigeria.

Introduction: the rising rate of SARS-CoV-2 infections has caused perceptible strain on the global health system. Indeed, this disease is also a litmus test for the resilience of the structures in the African health system including surgery. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on surgical practice, training and research in Nigeria.

Malignant transformation rate based stratification model for oral potentially malignant disorders: A potential idea.

By the virtue of heterogeneous biological aggressiveness, oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) comprise the ideal group of disorders for biological behavior-based classification system. Concerning the exponentially increasing incidence and mortality of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), it has now become a need of the hour to formulate a classification system for OPMDs that even a general dental surgeon could apply in everyday clinical practice. With this view in mind, efforts have been made to stratify various OPMDs based on their malignant transformation rate (MTR).

Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Potential of Bioactive Molecules Ursolic Acid and Thujone Isolated from and and Their Inhibitory Effect on Topoisomerase II by Molecular Docking Approach.

The present study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and antiproliferative potential of ursolic acid and thujone isolated from leaves of and and their inhibitory effect on topoisomerase II using molecular docking study. The isolated ursolic acid and thujone were examined for different types of free radicals scavenging activity, the antiproliferative potential on U-937 and HT-60 cell lines by adopting standard methods. Further, these compounds were docked with the active site of the ATPase region of topoisomerase II.

Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak - Democratic Republic of the Congo, August 2018-November 2019.

On August 1, 2018, the Democratic Republic of the Congo Ministry of Health (DRC MoH) declared the tenth outbreak of Ebola virus disease (Ebola) in DRC, in the North Kivu province in eastern DRC on the border with Uganda, 8 days after another Ebola outbreak was declared over in northwest Équateur province. During mid- to late-July 2018, a cluster of 26 cases of acute hemorrhagic fever, including 20 deaths, was reported in North Kivu province.* Blood specimens from six patients hospitalized in the Mabalako health zone and sent to the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (National Biomedical Research Institute) in Kinshasa tested positive for Ebola virus.

Clinical Characteristics and Challenges of Management of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury in a Trauma Center of a Developing Country.

 Traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) is a major burden in trauma care worldwide. Most victims are young, and the injury results in economic loss and psychological and social burden on the individual and the society. The outcome depends on the severity of primary spinal cord injury, interventions to prevent secondary insults to the damaged cord, and access to a specialized care.

The impact of on IPC compliance during the Ebola virus outbreak in Mbandaka/Democratic Republic of the Congo: a before and after design.

Objectives: To assess the impact of refresher training of healthcare workers (HCWs) in infection prevention and control (IPC), ensuring consistent adequate supplies and availability of IPC kits and carrying out weekly monitoring of IPC performance in healthcare facilities (HCFs) DESIGN: This was a before and after comparison study SETTINGS: This study was conducted from June to July 2018 during an Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in Equateur Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Participants: 48 HCFs INTERVENTIONS: HCWs capacity building in basic IPC, IPC kit donation and IPC mentoring.

Primary Outcome Measures: IPC score RESULTS: 48 HCFs were evaluated and 878 HCWs were trained, of whom 437 were women and 441 were men.

2018 Ebola virus disease outbreak in Équateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo: a retrospective genomic characterisation.

Background: The 2018 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in Équateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, began on May 8, and was declared over on July 24; it resulted in 54 documented cases and 33 deaths. We did a retrospective genomic characterisation of the outbreak and assessed potential therapeutic agents and vaccine (medical countermeasures).

Methods: We used target-enrichment sequencing to produce Ebola virus genomes from samples obtained in the 2018 Équateur Province outbreak.

Medical countermeasures during the 2018 Ebola virus disease outbreak in the North Kivu and Ituri Provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo: a rapid genomic assessment.

Background: The real-time generation of information about pathogen genomes has become a vital goal for transmission analysis and characterisation in rapid outbreak responses. In response to the recently established genomic capacity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we explored the real-time generation of genomic information at the start of the 2018 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in North Kivu Province.

Methods: We used targeted-enrichment sequencing to produce two coding-complete Ebola virus genomes 5 days after declaration of the EVD outbreak in North Kivu.

Contribution of Environment Sample-Based Detection to Ebola Outbreak Management.

Detection of chains of transmission is critical to interrupt Ebola virus (EBOV) outbreaks. For >25 years, quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction performed on biological fluids has been the reference standard for EBOV detection and identification. In the current study, we investigated the use of environmental sampling to detect EBOV shed from probable case patients buried without the collection of bodily fluids.

Synthesis, Spectral Characterization, DNA/ Protein Binding, DNA Cleavage, Cytotoxicity, Antioxidative and Molecular Docking Studies of Cu(II)Complexes Containing Schiff Base-bpy/Phen Ligands.

Ternary Cu(II) complexes [Cu(II)(L)(bpy)Cl] 1, [Cu(II)(L)(Phen)Cl] 2 [L = 2,3-dimethyl-1-phenyl-4(2 hydroxy-5-methyl benzylideneamino)-pyrazol-5-one, bpy = 2,2 bipyridine, phen =1,10 phenanthroline) were synthesized and characterized by elemental analyses, UV-Visible, FT-IR, ESR, Mass, thermogravimetric and SEM EDAX techniques. The complexes exhibit octahedral geometry. The interaction of the Cu(II) with cailf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) was explored by using absorption and fluorescence spectroscopic methods.

Neuropeptide Arginine Vasotocin Positively Affects Neurosteroidogenesis in the Early Brain of Grouper, Epinephelus coioides.

The neuropeptide arginine vasotocin (AVT) has versatile physiological functions in non-mammalian vertebrates. However, the functional association between AVT and neurosteroidogenesis in the early brain of teleosts remains elusive. We thus studied the developmental expression patterns of the avt gene and their V1 type receptor (avt-rv1 ) at various stages of development [90-150 days after hatching (dah)] in relation to neurosteroidogenesis and oestrogen signalling in the early brain of the orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides).

The acute salinity changes activate the dual pathways of endocrine responses in the brain and pituitary of tilapia.

To analyze and compare the stress and osmoregulatory hormones and receptors in pituitary during acute salinity changes, the expression patterns of corticotropin releasing hormone (crh) in hypothalamus, prolactin (prl) releasing peptide (pRrp) in telencephalon and diencephalon, glucocorticoid receptors 2 (gr2), and mineralocorticoid receptor (mr), crh-r, pro-opiomelanocorticotropin (pomc), pRrp, prl, dopamine 2 receptor (d2-r), growth hormone (gh), gh-receptor (gh-r) and insulin-like growth hormone (igf-1) transcripts in pituitary were characterized in euryhaline tilapia. The results indicate that the crh transcripts increased in the hypothalamus and rostral pars distalis of the pituitary after the transfer of fish to SW. Similarly, the pRrp transcripts were more abundant in SW acclimated tilapia forebrain and hypothalamus.

Direct bioethanol production by amylolytic yeast Candida albicans.

Unlabelled: An attempt was made to produce bioethanol using optimized fermentation parameters and mutationally improved strain of Candida albicans. The mutant strain OMC3E6 obtained by UV irradiation followed by ethidium bromide successive mutations showed 2.6 times more glucoamylase secretion and 1.

Pharmacological evaluation of methanolic leaf extract of Swietenia mahagoni on acrylamide-induced neuropathic pain in rats.

The present study was designed to investigate the antinociceptive effects of methanolic leaf extract of Swietenia mahagoni (MESM) on acrylamide-induced painful neuropathy in rats. The intraperitoneal administration of acrylamide (30 mg/kg; for 24 consecutive days) has been employed for the induction of painful neuropathy. Acrylamide induced nociceptive pain sensitive changes, which have been assessed by hot plate, Von Frey Hair, and tail immersion tests at different time intervals, that is, 0, 6, 12, 18, and 24th day.

Neurosteroidogenic enzymes and their regulation in the early brain of the protogynous grouper Epinephelus coioides during gonadal sex differentiation.

The regulatory role of neurosteroids in the early brain during gonadal sex differentiation is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and cellular localization of key steroidogenic enzymes in the early brain of the protogynous orange-spotted grouper Epinephelus coioides and the temporal expressions has been correlated with gonadal sex differentiation. In this study, we showed that peak neurosteroidogenesis occurs in the early brain during gonadal sex differentiation.

Differential expression patterns and localization of glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptor transcripts in the osmoregulatory organs of tilapia during salinity stress.

The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) plays an essential role during seawater (SW) acclimation. However, the regulation of GR isoforms 1 and 2 (GR1 and GR2) and the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) during SW acclimation is poorly understood. To address this, we localized and examined the GR1, GR2 and MR transcripts in the tilapia gill, kidney and intestine.

Increase in estrogen signaling in the early brain of orange-spotted grouper Epinephelus coioides: a mini-review.

Despite neurosteroidogenic enzymes are playing important roles in the regulation of brain development and function, the potential link between brain and gonad by the action of steroid hormones during gonadal sex differentiation is still not clear in teleosts. In this mini-review, we summarized our understanding on the early brain development related to the synthesis of neurosteroids and receptor signaling during gonadal sex differentiation in protogynous orange-spotted grouper, Epinephelus coioides (functional females for the first 6 years of life and start to sex change around the age of 7 years) and protandrous black porgy (functional males for the first 2 years of life but begin to change sex during the third year). We found a similar profile in the increased expression of brain aromatase gene (aromatatse B or cyp19a1b), aromatase activity, estradiol (E(2)), and estrogen signaling in the brain of both grouper and black porgy fish during gonadal sex differentiation.