Origin and spread of leprosy in Suriname. A historical and biomedical study.

The new world was considered free of leprosy before the arrival of Europeans. In Suriname, historical migration routes suggest that leprosy could have been introduced from West Africa by the slave trade, from Asia by indentured workers, from Europe by the colonizers, and more recently by Brazilian gold miners. Previous molecular studies on environmental and ancient samples suggested a high variability of the strains circulating in the country, possibly resulting from the various migration waves.

Lepra Bubalorum, a Potential Reservoir of .

In 1926, a mycobacterial skin disease was observed in water buffaloes by researchers in Indonesia. The disease was designated as skin tuberculosis, though it was hypothesized that it might be a form of leprosy or a leprosy-like disease. In a follow-up study (Ph.

SARS-CoV-2 infection: molecular mechanisms of severe outcomes to suggest therapeutics.

The year 2020 was defined by the 29,903 base pairs of RNA that codes for the SARS-CoV-2 genome. SARS-CoV-2 infects humans to cause COVID-19, spreading from patient-to-patient yet impacts patients very divergently. Within this review, we address the known molecular mechanisms and supporting data for COVID-19 clinical course and pathology, clinical risk factors and molecular signatures, therapeutics of severe COVID-19, and reinfection/vaccination.

SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) structural and evolutionary dynamicome: Insights into functional evolution and human genomics.

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has challenged the speed at which laboratories can discover the viral composition and study health outcomes. The small ∼30-kb ssRNA genome of coronaviruses makes them adept at cross-species spread while enabling a robust understanding of all of the proteins the viral genome encodes. We have employed protein modeling, molecular dynamics simulations, evolutionary mapping, and 3D printing to gain a full proteome- and dynamicome-level understanding of SARS-CoV-2.

SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) Structural/Evolution Dynamicome: Insights into functional evolution and human genomics.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, starting in 2019, has challenged the speed at which labs perform science, ranging from discoveries of the viral composition to handling health outcomes in humans. The small ~30kb single-stranded RNA genome of Coronaviruses makes them adept at cross species spread and drift, increasing their probability to cause pandemics. However, this small genome also allows for a robust understanding of all proteins coded by the virus.

Reservoirs and transmission routes of leprosy; A systematic review.

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae) and the more recently discovered Mycobacterium lepromatosis (M. lepromatosis).

Biologics in Leprosy: A Systematic Review and Case Report.

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α inhibitors increase susceptibility to tuberculosis, but the effect of biologics on susceptibility to leprosy has not been described. Moreover, biologics may play a role in treating erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL). The objectives of this systematic review were to determine whether the development of clinical leprosy is increased in patients being treated with biologics and to assess the use of biologics in treating leprosy reactions.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Clinical and Microbiological Signs in Patients With Skin Lesions Resembling Buruli Ulcer in an Endemic Region.

Background: The diagnosis of the neglected tropical skin and soft tissue disease Buruli ulcer (BU) is made on clinical and epidemiological grounds, after which treatment with BU-specific antibiotics is initiated empirically. Given the current decline in BU incidence, clinical expertise in the recognition of BU is likely to wane and laboratory confirmation of BU becomes increasingly important. We therefore aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of clinical signs and microbiological tests in patients presenting with lesions clinically compatible with BU.

Patient access innovations: integrating patients within the system of care.

Clinically integrated networks seeking to ensure in-network access and strengthen patient engagement should adopt five strategic areas of focus: Extend access beyond traditional models. Manage out-migration. Make it easy for patients to stay in the network.

Buruli ulcer in traveler from Suriname, South America, to the Netherlands.

We report Buruli ulcer in a man in the Netherlands. Phenotyping of samples indicate the Buruli pathogen was acquired in Suriname and activated by trauma on return to the Netherlands. Awareness of this disease by clinicians in non-Buruli ulcer-endemic areas is critical for identification.

Plantar pressure and daily cumulative stress in persons affected by leprosy with current, previous and no previous foot ulceration.

Not only plantar pressure but also weight-bearing activity affects accumulated mechanical stress to the foot and may be related to foot ulceration. To date, activity has not been accounted for in leprosy. The purpose was to compare barefoot pressure, in-shoe pressure and daily cumulative stress between persons affected by leprosy with and without previous or current foot ulceration.

[A woman with periocular swelling].

We present a 37-year-old woman with an 8-year history of rosacea, who developed persistent swelling of the right lower eyelid, diagnosed as Morbihan's disease. Morbihan's disease is considered a rare complication of rosacea.

Increased plantar foot pressure in persons affected by leprosy.

Although foot pressure has been reported to be increased in people affected by leprosy, studies on foot pressure and its determinants are limited. Therefore, the aim was to assess barefoot plantar foot pressure and to identify clinical determinants of increased plantar foot pressure in leprosy affected persons. Plantar pressure in both feet was assessed using the Novel EMED-X platform in 39 persons affected by leprosy.

[A white woman with white skin spots].

A 26-year-old white woman came to the clinic because of white spots. The spots were confluent in the midline, non-scaly and localized on trunk and proximal parts of the arms. Biopsy showed loss of pigment in the epidermis.

Variation in clinical presentation and genotype of causative Leishmania major strain in cutaneous leishmaniasis in north and south Afghanistan.

A different clinical picture and therapeutic response were observed when data from Leishmania major-infected Dutch military personnel stationed in southern (N = 8) and northern (N = 169) Afghanistan were analyzed. Clinical presentation of cutaneous leishmaniasis in personnel in the south was milder and seemed to respond better to antileishmanial treatment; molecular analyses of parasite isolates seem to indicate that these differences may be genetic.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis (Leishmania major infection) in Dutch troops deployed in northern Afghanistan: epidemiology, clinical aspects, and treatment.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania major infection affected 172 (18.3%) of 938 Dutch military troops deployed in northern Afghanistan in 2005. The high attack rate was a result of initial insufficient availability of means of prevention and insufficient adherence to preventive measures.

Foot impairments and limitations in walking activities in people affected by leprosy.

Objective: To explore the relationships between perceived limitations in walking-related daily activities, walking ability (capacity), and the amount of daily walking (performance) in persons affected by leprosy and to identify their determinants.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Subjects: Thirty-nine persons affected by leprosy.

Effects of impairments on activities and participation in people affected by leprosy in The Netherlands.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of impairments and evaluate the relationships between impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions in people affected by leprosy living in The Netherlands.

Design: A cross-sectional study.

Subjects: Eighty-two people affected by leprosy living in The Netherlands.

The role of radiology in nerve function impairment and its musculoskeletal complications in leprosy.

Conventional techniques, such as plain radiography and bone-scintigraphy, were used in the past to evaluate skeletal changes in patients with leprosy. More recent publications focus on radiological imaging of affected nerves, and involve advanced modalities such as Computed Tomography (CT-scan), Ultrasonography (US), and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). US and MRI can play an especially important role in the evaluation of nerve involvement in newly diagnosed patients, and also during leprosy reactions.

['Rheumatoid arthritis' in a Surinamese man: leprosy].

Rheumatoid arthritis was diagnosed in a 65-year-old man from Suriname, on the basis of clinical and radiological findings. However, he was eventually diagnosed with leprosy. This emerged when the patient developed skin lesions and complained of increasing sensibility disorders during treatment for the alleged rheumatoid arthritis.

The potential role of magnetic resonance imaging in patients with Hansen's neuropathy of the feet: a preliminary communication.

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol was performed in leprosy patients with a neuropathic foot and superficial ulcers and/or localized cellulitis but no clinical suspicion of osteomyelitis. The aim of the study was to determine if unsuspected osteomyelitis was present in this defined group of leprosy patients. A total of 15 neuropathic feet from 9 patients were included.