Alkhumra Hemorrhagic Fever Virus (AHFV): A Concise Overview.

Alkhumra fever is a viral disease caused by the Alkhumra hemorrhagic fever virus (AHFV). It belongs to family , genus . AHFV is primarily transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ticks, for example, .

Monkeypox (Mpox): Diagnosis and Emerging Challenges.

Monkeypox (Mpox) has once again been designated a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) as of August, 2024. The severity of the disease is underscored by its significant mortality rate, and unfortunately, there are no targeted therapeutics currently available for this viral infection. Management relies on preventive measures and the use of existing smallpox vaccines due to their genetic similarity to the Mpox virus.

Exploration of the transfluthrin effects on fertility and pregnancy outcomes: An in-vivo study in rat.

Transfluthrin (TFL) is a rapid-acting pyrethroid insecticide, commonly used worldwide, however its overuse and or misuse has been associated with adverse effects on human health. This study was designed to investigate the impact of TFL on fertility and pregnancy in Sprague-Dawley rats exposed orally and by inhalation. In this study, 48 adult Sprague-Dawley rats of 6-8 months age group were randomly selected with equal numbers of males and females.

Insights into the emergence and evolution of monkeypox virus: Historical perspectives, epidemiology, genetic diversity, transmission, and preventative measures.

In 2022, just before the COVID-19 pandemic ended, many countries noticed a viral monkeypox outbreak. Monkeypox virus, a zoonotic pathogen, causes a febrile illness in humans and resembles smallpox. Prevention strategies encompass vaccination, strict infection control measures, and avoiding contact with infected persons.

Development and optimization of an in-house heterologous ELISA for detection of prednisolone drug in enzyme conjugates using spacers.

The introduction of spacers in coating steroid protein complexes and/or enzyme conjugates or immunogens is known to exert an influence on the sensitivity of steroid enzyme immunoassays. We investigated the impact of different homobifunctional spacers, ranging in atomic length from 3 to 10, on the sensitivity and specificity of prednisolone (PSL) enzyme immunoassays. In this study, four homo-bifunctional spacers, namely, carbohydrazide (CH), adipic acid dihydrazide (ADH), ethylene diamine (EDA), and urea (U), were incorporated between PSL and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) for preparing the enzyme conjugate with an aim to improve the sensitivity of the assay without compromising assay specificity.

Multiple sexually transmitted co-infections are associated with adverse reproductive outcomes in asymptomatic adolescent pregnant women; A Prospective cohort study.

Background: A prospective cohort was conducted to assess the prevalence of seven RTIs/STIs in adolescent asymptomatic pregnant women to find a significant correlation between infection and pregnancy.

Methods: The study was restricted to 18-19 years of asymptomatic adolescent pregnant women attending Ante-Natal Care and the health status of the pregnant women were followed up to parturition. The health status of the infant was followed till 6 months post-delivery.

SARS-CoV-2 variants: Impact on biological and clinical outcome.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) that was first identified in December 2019, in Wuhan, China was found to be the etiological agent for a novel respiratory infection that led to a Coronavirus Induced Disease named COVID-19. The disease spread to pandemic magnitudes within a few weeks and since then we have been dealing with several waves across the world, due to the emergence of variants and novel mutations in this RNA virus. A direct outcome of these variants apart from the spike of cases is the diverse disease presentation and difficulty in employing effective diagnostic tools apart from confusing disease outcomes.

Improved management can be achieved by introducing additional parameters in the syndromic diagnosis of nonviral sexually transmitted infections at low-resource settings.

Background: The syndromic approach is a simple and affordable strategy for the management of sexually transmitted infections in countries with low-resource settings. However, because of the lack of specificity and accuracy, the risk of overuse and misuse of antibiotics is very high. Here, we proposed a more specific and accurate algorithm compared with the current algorithm used for syndromic case management of 3 common sexually transmitted pathogens and compared its precision with laboratory-based tests.

Evaluation of Performance of Detection of Immunoglobulin G and Immunoglobulin M Antibody Against Spike Protein of SARS-CoV-2 by a Rapid Kit in a Real-Life Hospital Setting.

Background: Antibody testing is often used for serosurveillance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and chemiluminescence-based antibody tests are quite sensitive and specific for such serological testing. Rapid antibody tests against different antigens are developed and effectively used for this purpose.

Pattern of serum protein capillary electrophoretogram in SARS- CoV-2 infection.

Background And Aims: Monoclonal/biclonalgammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS/BGUS) is observed in COVID-19. This study was conducted to determine the changes in serum protein electrophoresis (SPEP) in COVID-19.

Materials And Methods: In this descriptive (cross-sectional) study, serum inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6 and ferritin) were measured and SPEP was carried out by capillary electrophoresis method in 35 controls and 30 moderate & 58 severe COVID-19 cases.

Evidence of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 virus in atmospheric air and surfaces of a dedicated COVID hospital.

The present study was conducted from July 1, 2020 to September 25, 2020 in a dedicated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hospital in Delhi, India to provide evidence for the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus in atmospheric air and surfaces of the hospital wards. Swabs from hospital surfaces (patient's bed, ward floor, and nursing stations area) and suspended particulate matter in ambient air were collected by a portable air sampler from the medicine ward, intensive care unit, and emergency ward admitting COVID-19 patients. By performing reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for E-gene and RdRp gene, SARS-CoV-2 virus was detected from hospital surfaces and particulate matters from the ambient air of various wards collected at 1 and 3-m distance from active COVID-19 patients.

Functional impact of allelic variations/haplotypes of TNF-α on reproductive tract infections in Indian women.

The aim of the present study is to investigate the functional role of TNF-α single-nucleotide polymorphisms/haplotypes in an association with reproductive tract infections (RTIs) in symptomatic and asymptomatic women. A total of 850 consecutive subjects consisting of 400 cases and 450 healthy controls, were screened for RTIs, along with their risk factors and associated symptoms. The propensity score matching was performed to reduce the confounding bias arise owing to covariates and to balance the data between two groups.

Curcumin, a traditional spice component, can hold the promise against COVID-19?

The severity of the recent pandemic and the absence of any specific medication impelled the identification of existing drugs with potential in the treatment of Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Curcumin, known for its pharmacological abilities especially as an anti-inflammatory agent, can be hypothesized as a potential candidate in the therapeutic regimen. COVID-19 has an assorted range of pathophysiological consequences, including pulmonary damage, elevated inflammatory response, coagulopathy, and multi-organ damage.

Understanding Calcium-Dependent Conformational Changes in S100A1 Protein: A Combination of Molecular Dynamics and Gene Expression Study in Skeletal Muscle.

The S100A1 protein, involved in various physiological activities through the binding of calcium ions (Ca), participates in several protein-protein interaction (PPI) events after Ca-dependent activation. The present work investigates Ca-dependent conformational changes in the helix-EF hand-helix using the molecular dynamics (MD) simulation approach that facilitates the understanding of Ca-dependent structural and dynamic distinctions between the apo and holo forms of the protein. Furthermore, the process of ion binding by inserting Ca into the bulk of the apo structure was simulated by molecular dynamics.

Multi-centric validation of an in-house-developed beacon-based PCR diagnostic assay kit for Chlamydia and Neisseria and portable fluorescence detector.

Objective: The development of an accurate, sensitive, specific, rapid, reproducible, stable-at-room-temperature and cost-effective diagnostic kit, and a low-cost portable fluorescence detector to fulfil the requirements of diagnostic facilities in developing countries.

Methods: We developed the 'Chlamy and Ness CT/NG kit' based on molecular beacons for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseriagonorrhoeae (NG). Multi-centric evaluation of the CT/NG kit was performed using the commercially available nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT)-based FTD Urethritis basic kit for comparison from December 2014 to November 2016.

Evaluating the utility of syndromic case management for three sexually transmitted infections in women visiting hospitals in Delhi, India.

Utility of syndromic case management (SCM) in women visiting obstetrics & gynecology department needs to be evaluated as it is subjective and imperfect. Consequently, antibiotic resistance has accelerated along with increased risk of infection to the partners. To understand the effectiveness and/or inadequacies of SCM, 11000 women were recruited and examined by clinicians for infection by Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG), Trichomonas vaginalis (TV), Bacterial vaginosis (BV) and others.

In-silico Hierarchical Approach for the Identification of Potential Universal Vaccine Candidates (PUVCs) from Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Objectives: Resistance to the currently recommended extended-spectrum cephalosporins, which is used to treat Gonorrhea, is increasing continuously and leading to a threat of untreatable infection. It is, therefore, becoming extremely essential to search for new therapeutic strategies to control Gonorrhea. Vaccination may be considered as an effective control measure to control this disease, which is caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

A molecular-beacon-based asymmetric PCR assay for easy visualization of amplicons in the diagnosis of trichomoniasis.

The currently available nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) for trichomoniasis are accurate, quick and confirmative with superior sensitivity than traditional culture-based microbiology assays. However, these assays are associated with problems of carry over contamination, false positive results, requirement of technical expertise for performance and detection of end product. Hence, a diagnostic assay with easy visualization of the amplified product will be profitable.

Comparative analysis of syndromic and PCR-based diagnostic assay reveals misdiagnosis/ overtreatment for trichomoniasis based on subjective judgment in symptomatic patients.

Background: Trichomoniasis, a sexually transmitted disease (STD), is caused by Trichomonas vaginalis in both men and women. Screening of trichomoniasis is problematic in resource challenged settings as currently available, inexpensive diagnostic methods are of low sensitivity and/or specificity. In India, National AIDS Control organization (NACO) recommended syndromic case management (SCM) for treatment.

Diagnosis of Neisseria gonorrhoeae using molecular beacon.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae is an important sexually transmitted diseases (STD) causing pathogen worldwide. Due to absence of an affordable diagnostic assay, routine screening of gonococcal infection becomes impossible in developing countries where infection rates are maximum. Treatment is given on the basis of symptoms alone which leads to spread of infection.

Prevalence of Chlamydia infection among women visiting a gynaecology outpatient department: evaluation of an in-house PCR assay for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis.

Background: Screening women for Chlamydia trachomatis infection in developing countries is highly desirable because of asymptomatic infection. The existing diagnostic methods in developing countries are not effective and their sensitivity fall below 45.0% which leads to further spread of infection.