Assessing the knowledge and attitude towards HIV/AIDS among the general population and health care professionals in MENA region.

Introduction: Human Immunodeficiency Virus infection continue to represent a global health concern influenced by various social, economic, and cultural factors. The MENA are among the top regions in the world with the fastest-growing HIV epidemic. Thus, adequate knowledge and a positive attitude of people toward HIV/AIDS are of utmost importance to prevent the spreading of the disease.

Evaluation of two molecular detection platforms for gastroenteritis pathogens in treated sewage water in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia.

The ability to screen environmental water samples for gastroenteritis pathogens, particularly viruses remains challenging. Here, we investigated the presence of enteric viruses in treated sewage effluent water samples collected from a cooling tower in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (SA) from 2018 to 2019. Our ultimate aim was to determine the optimal handling and processing conditions for the water samples and the most sensitive detection method for the assessment of viral contamination.

HIV-2 Vpx neutralizes host restriction factor SAMHD1 to promote viral pathogenesis.

SAMHD1, a human host factor found in myeloid cells which restricts HIV-1 replication. It depletes the dNTPs pool for viral cDNA syntheses, thus preventing the viral replication in the cells. The viral accessory protein, Vpx, exists only in SIVmac/HIV-2 particles.

Effect of gamma irradiation on filtering facepiece respirators and SARS-CoV-2 detection.

To cope with the shortage of filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, healthcare institutions were forced to reuse FFRs after applying different decontamination methods including gamma-irradiation (GIR). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of GIR on the filtration efficiency (FE) of FFRs and on SARS-CoV-2 detection. The FE of 2 FFRs types (KN95 and N95-3 M masks) was assessed at different particle sizes (0.

Alterations in the Plasma Proteome Induced by SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV Reveal Biomarkers for Disease Outcomes for COVID-19 Patients.

Purpose: This study aimed to understand the pathophysiology of host responses to infections caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)/(COVID-19) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and to identify proteins for patient stratification with different grades of illness severity.

Patients And Methods: Peripheral blood samples from 43 patients with different grades of COVID-19, 7 MERS-CoV patients admitted to the ICU, and 10 healthy subjects were analyzed using label-free quantitative liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS).

Results: We identified 193 and 91 proteins that differed significantly between COVID-19 and MERS-CoV sample groups, respectively, and 49 overlapped between datasets.

Quantitative proteomics analysis reveals unique but overlapping protein signatures in HIV infections.

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) exploits human host factors to complete its life cycle. Hence, discovery of HIV-regulated host proteins markers would better our understanding of the virus life-cycle and its contribution to pathogenesis and discovery of objective diagnostic and prognostic molecules.

Methods: We conducted holistic total proteomics analysis of three closely related study populations including patients with HIV type-1 (HIV-1) and HIV type-2 (HIV-2) as well as HIV-1 elite controllers (HIV-1-EC).

Longevity of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Antibody Responses in Humans, Saudi Arabia.

Understanding the immune response to Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is crucial for disease prevention and vaccine development. We studied the antibody responses in 48 human MERS-CoV infection survivors who had variable disease severity in Saudi Arabia. MERS-CoV-specific neutralizing antibodies were detected for 6 years postinfection.