The burden of healthcare-associated infection in Moroccan hospitals: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI), also referred to as nosocomial infections, is defined as an infection acquired in a hospital setting. This infection is considered a HAI if it was not present or incubating at the time of admission. This includes infections acquired in the hospital but appearing after discharge, and also occupational infections among staff of the facility.

Portable X-ray fluorescence of zinc and selenium with nail clippings-Mother and Infant Nutrition Investigation (MINI).

Zinc and selenium are essential minerals for human nutrition. Reliable biomarkers of zinc status and selenium status in humans are therefore important. This work investigates a novel portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) method with the ability to rapidly assess zinc and selenium in nail clippings.

Altered anthropometrics and HA1c levels, but not dyslipidemia, are associated with elevated hs-CRP levels in middle-aged adults: A population-based analysis.

Population-based studies of cardiovascular disease markers, such as hs-CRP, are crucial. However, studies exploring the effect of metabolic indices on hs-CRP while controlling for confounding variables adequately in middle-aged adults are limited. Using Wave 5 data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), we examined the impact of various metabolic indices on hs-CRP in adults aged 32-42, controlling for eight allergic and infectious factors that may elevate hs-CRP levels.

Who supports Bernie? Analyzing identity and ideological variation on Twitter during the 2020 democratic primaries.

Using a novel dataset of 590M messages by 21M users, we present the first large-scale examination of the behavior of likely Bernie supporters on Twitter during the 2020 U.S. Democratic primaries and presidential election.

Psychological Distress Associated with Enforced Hospital Isolation Due to COVID-19 during the "Flatten the Curve" Phase in Morocco: A Single-Center Cross-Sectional Study.

(1) Background: although much research has highlighted the mental health challenges faced by patients in hospital isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, data from low-middle-income countries, including Morocco, are lacking. The main objective of this study was to assess the psychological distress of patients undergoing enforced hospital isolation during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Morocco. (2) Methods: we conducted a cross-sectional study between 1 April and 1 May 2020, among patients hospitalized in isolation for suspected or confirmed COVID-19 at the Ibn Sina University Hospital of Rabat, Morocco.

V3 tip determinants of susceptibility to inhibition by CD4-mimetic compounds in natural clade A human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) envelope glycoproteins.

CD4-mimetic compounds (CD4mcs) are small-molecule inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) entry into host cells. CD4mcs target a pocket on the viral envelope glycoprotein (Env) spike that is used for binding to the receptor, CD4, and is highly conserved among HIV-1 strains. Nonetheless, naturally occurring HIV-1 strains exhibit a wide range of sensitivities to CD4mcs.

Different volatile organic compounds in local point source air pollution pose distinctive elevated risks for respiratory disease-associated emergency room visits.

Air pollution increases risk of respiratory disease but prior research has focused on particulate matter and criteria air pollutants, and there are few studies on respiratory effects of volatile organic compounds (VOC). We examined zip code level relationships between emergency room (ER) visits for respiratory illness and VOC pollution in New York State from 2010 to 2018. Detailed information on VOC pollution was derived from the National Emissions Inventory, which provides point source information on VOC emissions at the zip code level.

Indoline CD4-mimetic compounds mediate potent and broad HIV-1 inhibition and sensitization to antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity.

Binding to the host cell receptors, CD4 and CCR5/CXCR4, triggers large-scale conformational changes in the HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimer [(gp120/gp41)] that promote virus entry into the cell. CD4-mimetic compounds (CD4mcs) comprise small organic molecules that bind in the highly conserved CD4-binding site of gp120 and prematurely induce inactivating Env conformational changes, including shedding of gp120 from the Env trimer. By inducing more "open," antibody-susceptible Env conformations, CD4mcs also sensitize HIV-1 virions to neutralization by antibodies and infected cells to antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC).

Patterns of Emergency Room Visits for Respiratory Diseases in New York State in Relation to Air Pollution, Poverty and Smoking.

We have explored differences in rates of emergency room (ER) visits for respiratory diseases in the counties of New York State (NYS) in relation to levels of air pollution, poverty, and smoking. Air pollution information was derived from the National Emissions Inventory, which provides information on road, non-road, point, and non-point sources of 12 different air pollutants. This information is only available at the county level.

Does COVID-19 Escalate Aging Process? A Possible Concern.

A key challenge after the COVID-19 pandemic will be managing the long-term sequelae for the millions of individuals who recover from the disease. Based on the available evidence, our hypothesis is that the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and its long-term complications will lead to premature aging (in terms of health) of many people in the world. Obviously, to maintain appropriate public health and prevent poor health-care services, countries should think and plan about the health problems and the long-term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 after controlling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Structural and Functional Characterization of Indane-Core CD4-Mimetic Compounds Substituted with Heterocyclic Amines.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimer on the virion surface interacts with the host receptors, CD4 and CCR5/CXCR4, to mediate virus entry into the target cell. CD4-mimetic compounds (CD4mcs) bind the gp120 Env, block CD4 binding, and inactivate Env. Previous studies suggested that a C(5)-methylamino methyl moiety on a lead CD4mc, BNM-III-170, contributed to its antiviral potency.

Carbon uptake in Eurasian boreal forests dominates the high-latitude net ecosystem carbon budget.

Arctic-boreal landscapes are experiencing profound warming, along with changes in ecosystem moisture status and disturbance from fire. This region is of global importance in terms of carbon feedbacks to climate, yet the sign (sink or source) and magnitude of the Arctic-boreal carbon budget within recent years remains highly uncertain. Here, we provide new estimates of recent (2003-2015) vegetation gross primary productivity (GPP), ecosystem respiration (R ), net ecosystem CO exchange (NEE; R  - GPP), and terrestrial methane (CH ) emissions for the Arctic-boreal zone using a satellite data-driven process-model for northern ecosystems (TCFM-Arctic), calibrated and evaluated using measurements from >60 tower eddy covariance (EC) sites.

Be the voice for scientists in Iran.

Iran's fundamentalist government has long feared students and academics, because independent thinking and inquiry are at odds with the extreme rhetoric of a repressive religious regime that discourages questioning or testing-especially when those asking questions are women. But when the Iranian "morality police" beat 22-year-old Mahsa Amini to death in September for wearing "un-Islamic clothing," they unintentionally restored the long-silent voices of Iranian students, scholars, and scientists.

Respiratory loss during late-growing season determines the net carbon dioxide sink in northern permafrost regions.

Warming of northern high latitude regions (NHL, > 50 °N) has increased both photosynthesis and respiration which results in considerable uncertainty regarding the net carbon dioxide (CO) balance of NHL ecosystems. Using estimates constrained from atmospheric observations from 1980 to 2017, we find that the increasing trends of net CO uptake in the early-growing season are of similar magnitude across the tree cover gradient in the NHL. However, the trend of respiratory CO loss during late-growing season increases significantly with increasing tree cover, offsetting a larger fraction of photosynthetic CO uptake, and thus resulting in a slower rate of increasing annual net CO uptake in areas with higher tree cover, especially in central and southern boreal forest regions.

Characterization of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV-1) Envelope Glycoprotein Variants Selected for Resistance to a CD4-Mimetic Compound.

Binding to the host cell receptors CD4 and CCR5/CXCR4 triggers conformational changes in the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) envelope glycoprotein (Env) trimer that promote virus entry. CD4 binding allows the gp120 exterior Env to bind CCR5/CXCR4 and induces a short-lived prehairpin intermediate conformation in the gp41 transmembrane Env. Small-molecule CD4-mimetic compounds (CD4mcs) bind within the conserved Phe-43 cavity of gp120, near the binding site for CD4.

Effects of glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides like Roundup™ on the mammalian nervous system: A review.

Glyphosate is the active ingredient in glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs), such as Roundup™, the most widely used herbicides in the world. Glyphosate targets an essential enzyme in plants that is not found in animals. However, both glyphosate and GBHs are rated as Group 2A, probable human carcinogens, and also have documented effects on reproduction, acting as endocrine disruptive chemicals.

Serum level of Vitamin D is associated with COVID-19 mortality rate in hospitalized patients.

Background: Due to widespread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection, identification of its risk factors and clinical characteristics are important. The aim of the present study was to assess Vitamin D levels in individuals with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-19 infection and to report on its potential as a predictive marker.

Materials And Methods: All patients, diagnosed with COVID-19 infection from February 16 to March 21, 2020, and referred to Firoozgar Hospital, Tehran, Iran, were enrolled in this study.