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Revealing hidden drivers of Lassa fever through a model-informed approach for reproducing and predicting disease dynamics and guiding control strategies
Abstract Lassa fever (LF), caused by the Lassa virus and transmitted primarily by Mastomys natalensis rodents, is a severe hemorrhagic disease endemic to West Africa, particularly Nigeria, with significant morbidity and mortality rates. This study develops dynamic models for LF, incorporating crucial but often overlooked factors such as vertical transmission (i.e., transmission from parents to their offsprings) in rodents, surface contamination, and asymptomatic human carriers. The persistence of the disease is shown analytically. Using data from Nigeria to train the models, the impact of various control and mitigation measures is assessed. The results of the study reveal that asymptomatic individuals are key drivers of LF and that including additional LF virus transmission pathways, e.g., vertical transmission and environmental contamination, increases the estimated reproduction number threefold compared to previous studies. Models incorporating rodent dynamics show the highest disease prevalence, highlighting the critical role of rodent control. Specifically, effective interventions using only rodent control measures require maintaining rodent populations below a specific threshold. In addition, a multifaceted approach, combining antiviral treatment, environmental disinfection, and personal protective equipment, significantly enhances disease control, while the introduction of a competitor rodent species can drastically reduce human and rodent infections. Ultimately, the study underscores the need for integrated, multifaceted strategies, including targeting rodents, asymptomatic cases, and comprehensive treatment and disinfection protocols, for effective LF management.
Chlorella-derived natural photosynthetic system for in situ energy metabolism enhancement in cardiomyocytes
In vitro activity of meropenem-vaborbactam combinations and eravacycline against carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii
Abstract Treatment of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) presents a growing clinical challenge. This study evaluated the in vitro efficacy of eravacycline and the potential synergistic activity of meropenem-vaborbactam in combination with either gentamicin or ceftazidime against carbapenemase-producing Acinetobacter baumannii isolates. A total of 25 CRAB isolates were collected from different clinical samples. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined via disc diffusion. Meropenem was tested by both disc diffusion and gradient strips. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to screen these isolates for the carbapenemase genes bla OXA-51, bla OXA-23, bla IMP , bla VIM , bla OXA-48 , bla NDM and bla KPC . Extensively drug-resistant (XDR) CRAB isolates were selected for evaluating colistin, eravacycline and the in vitro synergy of antimicrobial combinations via gradient strips for meropenem-vaborbactam, gentamicin, and ceftazidime. All CRAB isolates were sensitive to tigecycline and were either multidrug resistant or XDR. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC50s and MIC90s) of meropenem were 32 μg/mL and 256 μg/mL, respectively. Among these genes, bla OXA-23 was the most prevalent gene. The MIC50 and MIC90 of colistin were 1 and 2 μg/mL, respectively. The MIC50 and MIC90 of eravacycline were 0.125 μg/mL and 0.5 μg/mL, respectively. Meropenem-vaborbactam in combination with ceftazidime or gentamicin showed synergy in 45.5% and 36.4% of the XDR isolates and additivity/indifference in 54.5% and 63.6% of them, respectively, with no antagonism. Our findings suggest that eravacycline, as well as combination therapies involving meropenem-vaborbactam with either gentamicin or ceftazidime, may offer promising therapeutic potential for CRAB infections pending further clinical evaluation. These agents demonstrated notable in vitro activity, including potential synergistic effects, particularly against isolates harboring carbapenemase enzymes.
Identifying factors contributing to depression and anxiety among medical students: a multicenter cross-sectional study
Enhanced EfficientNet-Extended Multimodal Parkinson’s disease classification with Hybrid Particle Swarm and Grey Wolf Optimizer
Effects of ACOT7 gene variants on productive performance in Qiandongnan small Xiang goats
Seasonal variation in the phenolic compounds of Algerian Cistus creticus leaf extracts: an in silico and in vitro study
Spatiotemporal regulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress visualized by live imaging of bipA mRNA in Aspergillus oryzae
Engineering geogrid enabled low carbon and aggregate efficient flexible pavements
Investigation on operating parameters for efficient reduction of contaminants from wastewater utilizing a combined airlift, sono, and electrocoagulation techniques
A Fuzzy-Expert enhanced NSGA-II approach for sustainable agricultural systems
Author Correction: An investigation into the mechanism for Kaempferol improving melanocyte death based on network Pharmacology and experimental verification
Antimicrobial potential of actinomycetes from high altitude Nepalese soils
Prediction of CO2 concentration in mushroom greenhouse via optimized long and short term memory algorithm
Impact of epstein-barr virus reactivation on cytokine levels in pregnant women with malaria in the west region of cameroon
Comparison of geostatistical and response surface methodology for estimating soil saturated hydraulic conductivity
Physiological characteristics and green production NiO nanoparticle synthesis employing Moringa Oleifera lam extract to assess in vitro cytotoxicity, antibacterial
Abstract Moringa Oleifera is a medicinal plant that is used in the production of cytotoxic agents, which are used in cancer treatment to prevent the division and spread of cancer cells. The present study investigates the cytotoxic activity of NiO nanoparticles (NiONPs) produced by means of green synthesis using Moringa Oleifera on human cancer cell lines (HEP-G2). The antibacterial activity of these nanoparticles was also evaluated in relation to the carbapenem (CRO), chloramphenicol (C), ampicillin (AM), cephalothin (KF) and meropenem (MEM) antibiotics, as well as Gram-positive Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) (+) and Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) (-) bacteria. NiONPs demonstrated a high cytotoxic value of 91.05% against HEP-G2 cancer cells. The study established that 1 µg/ml resulted in 85.2% of HEP-G2 cancer cell death. The study demonstrated high levels of antibacterial resistance at low concentrations (0.0315 µg/mol). The high sensitivity of the bacteria was determined for Chloramphenicol (C) and Meropenem (MEM) for S. mutans and for all antibiotics for E. coli bacteria. It was demonstrated that S. mutans and E. coli bacteria exhibited high susceptibility to only chloramphenicol (C) and meropenem (MEM) antibiotics. The NiONPs demonstrated a spherical morphology, with grain sizes ranging from 24 to 40 nm, and a surface plasma resonance (SPR) peak at 356 nm. NiONPs prepared with Moringa oleifera plant are suitable for biomedical applications due to their very high level of toxicity against HEP-G2, strong antibiotic sensitivity and antimicrobial activity against S. mutans and E. coli.