Understanding covid-19 prevention behaviours: Implications for social and health marketers for the prevention of future pandemics.

From the integrative perspectives of the health belief model and social influence theories, the study sought to identify factors social and health marketers should focus on to elicit voluntary change in behavior toward the performance of COVID-19 infection prevention behaviors such as frequent handwashing with soap, social distancing, and avoidance of handshaking using mixed method approach. The quantitative data from 605 respondents through structured questionnaires were analyzed using PLS-SEM. The qualitative data through five focus group discussions were also analyzed using thematic analysis.

Multiplexed CRISPR-Cas9 protocol for large transgene integration into the Schistosoma mansoni genome.

Precise, on-target CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing has been shown in Schistosoma mansoni, involving both non-homology end joining and homology-directed repair pathways. Here, we present a multiplexed CRISPR-Cas9 protocol for large transgene integration into the S. mansoni genome.

The moderating influence of celebrity endorsement on intention to engage in infection prevention behaviours.

Although the use of celebrities for communication within social marketing to influence voluntary behaviour change has received significant attention, its application to promote infection preventive behaviours, such as frequent handwashing with soap, has received limited attention. Using the health belief model (HBM), the study examined the moderating effect of celebrity endorsement (CE) on the relationship between the predictors of HBM such as perceived severity, susceptibility, benefits, barriers, self-efficacy and target audiences' intention to avoid handshaking, frequently wash hands with soap and cover mouth with an elbow when coughing. Data from 562 respondents were analysed using PLS-SEM.

Targeted insertion and reporter transgene activity at a gene safe harbor of the human blood fluke, .

The identification and characterization of genomic safe harbor sites (GSHs) can facilitate consistent transgene activity with minimal disruption to the host cell genome. We combined computational genome annotation and chromatin structure analysis to predict the location of four GSHs in the human blood fluke, , a major infectious pathogen of the tropics. A transgene was introduced via CRISPR-Cas-assisted homology-directed repair into one of the GSHs in the egg of the parasite.

An Innovative Test for the Rapid Detection of Specific IgG Antibodies in Human Whole-Blood for the Diagnosis of Infection.

Chronic human liver fluke infections caused by and can last for decades and cause liver and biliary diseases, including life-threatening pathology prior to cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). CCA generally has a poor prognosis. Serological diagnosis can support parasitological examination in diagnosing disease and screening for the risk of CCA.

Knockout of liver fluke granulin, Ov-grn-1, impedes malignant transformation during chronic infection with Opisthorchis viverrini.

Infection with the food-borne liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini is the principal risk factor for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) in the Mekong Basin countries of Thailand, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Myanmar and Cambodia. Using a novel model of CCA, involving infection with gene-edited liver flukes in the hamster during concurrent exposure to dietary nitrosamine, we explored the role of the fluke granulin-like growth factor Ov-GRN-1 in malignancy. We derived RNA-guided gene knockout flukes (ΔOv-grn-1) using CRISPR/Cas9/gRNA materials delivered by electroporation.

Rapid assessment of Opisthorchis viverrini IgG antibody in serum: A potential diagnostic biomarker to predict risk of cholangiocarcinoma in regions endemic for opisthorchiasis.

Background: Opisthorchiasis is caused by an infection with fish-borne liver flukes of the genus Opisthorchis. Opisthorchiasis frequently leads to chronic inflammation in the biliary tract and is classified as a group 1 biological carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer: a definitive risk for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA).

Methods: We used the rapid immunochromatographic test (ICT) to detect anti-Opisthorchis viverrini IgG and IgG4 subclass antibodies in sera of patients with CCA.

PIWI silencing mechanism involving the retrotransposon nimbus orchestrates resistance to infection with Schistosoma mansoni in the snail vector, Biomphalaria glabrata.

Background: Schistosomiasis remains widespread in many regions despite efforts at its elimination. By examining changes in the transcriptome at the host-pathogen interface in the snail Biomphalaria glabrata and the blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni, we previously demonstrated that an early stress response in juvenile snails, manifested by induction of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp 70) and Hsp 90 and of the reverse transcriptase (RT) domain of the B. glabrata non-LTR- retrotransposon, nimbus, were critical for B.

Comparative assessment of immunochromatographic test kits using somatic antigens from adult Opisthorchis viverrini and IgG and IgG4 conjugates for serodiagnosis of human opisthorchiasis.

Chronic infections of humans with Opisthorchis viverrini and Clonorchis sinensis spanning decades may lead to life-threatening pathology prior to cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), which usually has a poor prognosis. Serological tools can support the parasitological examination in clinical diagnosis and support screening for risk of CCA. We developed novel immunochromatographic test kits using a soluble, somatic tissue extract of adult O.

Infection with Induces Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Human Cholangiocytes.

Recent reports suggest that the East Asian liver fluke infection, caused by , which is implicated in opisthorchiasis-associated cholangiocarcinoma, serves as a reservoir of . The opisthorchiasis-affected cholangiocytes that line the intrahepatic biliary tract are considered to be the cell of origin of this malignancy. Here, we investigated interactions in vitro among human cholangiocytes, strain NCTC 11637, and the congeneric bacillus, .

Diminished adherence of Biomphalaria glabrata embryonic cell line to sporocysts of Schistosoma mansoni following programmed knockout of the allograft inflammatory factor.

Background: Larval development in an intermediate host gastropod snail of the genus Biomphalaria is an obligatory component of the life-cycle of Schistosoma mansoni. Understanding of the mechanism(s) of host defense may hasten the development of tools that block transmission of schistosomiasis. The allograft inflammatory factor 1, AIF, which is evolutionarily conserved and expressed in phagocytes, is a marker of macrophage activation in both mammals and invertebrates.

Liver fluke granulin promotes extracellular vesicle-mediated crosstalk and cellular microenvironment conducive to cholangiocarcinoma.

Crosstalk between malignant and neighboring cells contributes to tumor growth. In East Asia, infection with the liver fluke is a major risk factor for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA). The liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini secretes a growth factor termed liver fluke granulin, a homologue of the human progranulin, which contributes significantly to biliary tract fibrosis and morbidity.

Functional analysis of vasa/PL10-like genes in the ovary of Schistosoma mansoni.

The RNA helicase Vasa plays a pivotal role in the development of the germ line. To decipher the functional roles of vasa/PL10-like genes in the human blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni, we performed RNA interference followed by the analysis of the ovary in the adult female. Double-stranded RNA targeting the schistosome vasa-like gene Smvlg1 reduced the volume of the ovary.

Development of an Immunochromatographic Point-of-Care Test for Serodiagnosis of Opisthorchiasis and Clonorchiasis.

Chronic infections with the food-borne liver flukes, or , associate with cholangiocarcinoma, bile duct cancer, which generally has a poor prognosis. We have produced a rapid and simple immunochromatographic test (ICT) kit for the diagnosis of opisthorchiasis and clonorchiasis by the detection of IgG antibodies in human infection sera. Sera from volunteers with proven opisthorchiasis and several other parasitic diseases and from healthy controls were evaluated for the presence of liver fluke infection-specific antibodies using a preparation of excretory-secretory antigen from adult stage absorbed onto ICT strips.

Infection Augments the Severity of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in High-Fat/High-Fructose Diet-Fed Hamsters.

The prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing worldwide, including in regions where helminth infections such as the fish-borne liver fluke () also occur. We investigated the effects of a high-fat and high-fructose (HFF) diet on the development and progression of NAFLD in experimental opisthorchiasis. Two groups of hamsters were infected with for 4 months before the experiment to induce chronic inflammation.

Differential responses of epithelial cells from urinary and biliary tract to eggs of Schistosoma haematobium and S. mansoni.

Chronic urogenital schistosomiasis can lead to squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies the infection with S. haematobium as a group 1 carcinogen, a definitive cause of cancer.

Programmed knockout mutation of liver fluke granulin attenuates virulence of infection-induced hepatobiliary morbidity.

Infection with the food-borne liver fluke is the principal risk factor (IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, 2012) for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) in the Lower Mekong River Basin countries including Thailand, Lao PDR, Vietnam and Cambodia. We exploited this link to explore the role of the secreted growth factor termed liver fluke granulin (GRN-1) in pre-malignant lesions by undertaking programmed CRISPR/Cas9 knockout of the GRN-1 gene from the liver fluke genome. Deep sequencing of amplicon libraries from genomic DNA of gene-edited parasites revealed Cas9-catalyzed mutations within GRN-1.

Programmed genome editing of the omega-1 ribonuclease of the blood fluke, .

CRISPR/Cas9-based genome editing has yet to be reported in species of the Platyhelminthes. We tested this approach by targeting omega-1 (ω1) of as proof of principle. This secreted ribonuclease is crucial for Th2 polarization and granuloma formation.

Co-occurrence of opisthorchiasis and diabetes exacerbates morbidity of the hepatobiliary tract disease.

Complications arising from infection with the carcinogenic liver fluke Opisthorchis viverrini cause substantial morbidity and mortality in Thailand and adjacent lower Mekong countries. In parallel, the incidence rate of diabetes mellitus (DM) is increasing in this same region, and indeed worldwide. Many residents in opisthorchiasis-endemic regions also exhibit DM, but the hepatobiliary disease arising during the co-occurrence of these two conditions remains to be characterized.

Developmental Sensitivity in Schistosoma mansoni to Puromycin To Establish Drug Selection of Transgenic Schistosomes.

Schistosomiasis is considered the most important disease caused by helminth parasites, in terms of morbidity and mortality. Tools to facilitate gain- and loss-of-function approaches can be expected to precipitate the discovery of novel interventions, and drug selection of transgenic schistosomes would facilitate the establishment of stable lines of engineered parasites. Sensitivity of developmental stages of schistosomes to the aminonucleoside antibiotic puromycin was investigated.

Granulin Secreted by the Food-Borne Liver Fluke Promotes Angiogenesis in Human Endothelial Cells.

The liver fluke is a food-borne, zoonotic pathogen endemic to Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia. The adult developmental stage of the parasite excretes and secretes numerous proteins within the biliary tract including the gall bladder. Lesions caused by the feeding activities of the liver fluke represent wounds that undergo protracted cycles of healing and re-injury during chronic infection, which can last for decades.