Migration and urbanization processes contribute to the dispersion of pathogens, especially those with possible epizootic cycles, gaining importance in new populated areas. This panorama gets worst in developing countries like Colombia that still has limited capacity in strong epidemiological surveillance for noncommon microbial agents. Aim: This study evaluated the presence of IgG antibodies against Mammarenavirus from Tacaribe complex, Hepatitis E virus and HTLV type I or II in patients who visited the health center of a Montelibano (Cordoba), a rural-urban municipality of Colombia. Methods: ELISA's test carried out on 182 patients from Montelibano, Colombia in order to detect IgG antibodies. The sero-epidemiological study for IgG detection was conducted using Junin virus antigen, a HEV and an indirect HTLV-I/II Enzime-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, respectively. Results: Serological analysis allowed the detection of IgG antibodies for all the agents evaluated. Seroprevalence of IgG was 1.64% for the Mammarenavirus, 0,61% for the Hepatitis E and 0.61% for HTLV type 1 or 2. Conclusions: The results indicate the circulation of Mammarenavirus, Hepatitis E and HTLV in Montelibano, a municipality in the northeast of Colombia. Current seropositive percentage is similar or lower in comparison to other studies nevertheless epidemiological conditions like the presence of rodents at home and poor garbage collection services underline the necessity of better surveillance of these neglected viruses of which sporadic outbreaks have been reported. *Correspondence to: María del Pilar Delgado, Department of Biological Sciences, University of the Andes, Carrera 1 #18A-12, Bogotá D.C, Colombia, Tel: +571 3394949; E-mail: mdelgado@uniandes.edu.co
The novel Corona virus disease (COVID-19) has escalated drastically to become a global pandemic.Here we review the impact of COVID-19 on the brain.The search string "coronavirus and brain" was typed in Google Scholar and PubMed to yield 31500 and 2044 results respectively.Based on these results the effects of COVID-19 on the brain are two-fold, both neuropathological and psychological in nature.SARS CoV-2 produces a range of non-specific neurological symptoms (headaches, nausea, vomiting, altered mental status, anosmia, neuropathy, delirium, cerebrovascular incidents, seizures, Guillain-Barré Syndrome, cranial nerve dysfunctions, viral and autoimmune encephalitis).Indirect effects of SARS CoV-2 on the brain reside in the practices imposed by lockdown regulations including quarantine and self-isolation.These practices have resulted in psychological manifestations including stress, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder-related symptoms in infected and uninfected individuals.While online counselling platforms, resilience-building programmes and cognitive behavioural therapy strategies have been established, more need to be implemented to reduce the impact of these practices.
Background: Cases of cervical cancer are increasing steadily in sub-Saharan Africa, with over 75,000 new cases and nearly 50,000 deaths a year.In Senegal, pathologies such as cervical cancer are one of the top causes of death and the Human papillomavirus (HPV) is its etiological agent. Methods:The study group was made up of Senegalese women with cervical cancer who came for consultation or hospitalized at the Juliot Curie Center in Le Dantec.Total DNA from the 120 cervical biopsies was extracted using the Qiagen method (Qiagen Tissue Kit).Three methods were used to detect HPV genotypes: SANGER sequencing genotyping (Applied Biosystems), the real-time PCR approach technique (HPV 16 & 18 Real Time PCR kit) and the Chippron genotyping approach (kit HPV) 3.5 LCDArray).Results: In this study, all cervical samples taken from women with histologically confirmed cervical cancer had at least one HPV genotype detected.The most common types of HPV detected in women with one or more HPV infections were HPV 16 (consistently detected in all of our 59 patients), 18 (83%), 45 (33%), 33 (31%), 59 (28%), 35 (12%), 31 (11%), 58 (8%), 39 and 73 (4%), 44, 54 and 68 (3%) and the rest less than 1%.It was also noted that most women were infected with two or more high-risk HPVs (75, 83%), and that the latter were particularly prevalent in patients aged 45 to 55 years. Conclusion:In view of the results obtained in the present study, the use of the new Gardasil-9® vaccine which operates against 9 HPV genotypes (6,11,16,18,31,33, 45, 52 and 58) could provide results effective prevention of cervical cancer in adolescent girls or young Senegalese.
It is common for trainees and craftsmen in the informal economy to not use protective equipment. With tinsmiths, exposure to toxic emissions such as fumes of molten metal that may contain metallic particles is likely to lead to uptake of toxic metals. Aims: The principal aim of this study was to evaluate the biological concentrations of toxic metals and essential trace elements in tinsmiths, craftsmen, and trainees working in the informal sector of Cotonou in Benin. Materials and Methods: Twenty metallic trace elements were measured in whole blood from 111 adult male tinsmith craftsmen, while only the blood lead level was measured in twenty-four trainees of less than 18 years of age. The blood samples were collected at the ERASME health center of Cotonou, using 6 ml EDTA-K2 trace element tubes. The analyses were performed by ICP-MS (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry) with a NexION 350 D (PerkinElmer) spectrometer. The results obtained were then compared to those obtained with a reference population that was not subject to professional exposure. Results: For three trace elements, more than 25% of the adult tinsmiths exhibited blood concentrations above the biological reference values. By increasing order of uptake, these were antimony (28.8%), tin (31.5%), and lead (71.2%). For trainees under 18year of age, the prevalence of workers with a blood lead level ≥ 100 µg/L was 83%. Conclusions : Exposure to lead was the greatest concern, and protection and awareness measures should be implemented so as to decrease the health risks linked to lead exposure, particularly among young workers.
Cell survival and cell death should be well regulated in an orchestrated way for cell proliferation, differentiation, and development in multicellular organism. A variety of physiological outcomes in vertebrate is dependent on cell death modality in response to infectious pathogens and functionally damaged cells. Physiological and pathological roles of cell death are often addressed to describe normal and disease state. Particularly, immune responses can be affected from cell death modes of host cells and various immune-associated cells. Immunogenic cell death occurs in either an accidental or a regulated way could elicit the immune responses. Representatively, apoptosis and necroptosis are involved in homeostasis of immune reaction. So far, apoptosis in immune system has been well defined, acting as deletion of self-recognizing immune cells and cytotoxic killing. However, it has been a growing body of evidence that alternative programmed cell death necroptosis could be involved in immune surveillance, although its underlying mechanism remains elusive. Therefore, necroptosis or programmed necrosis will be emphasized as a regulator of immunity. With immunological role of necroptosis, unmasking of necroptosis and its associated signaling pathway are also dealt in this review. complex II consisting of RIP1, RIP3, FADD, pro-caspase-8. Then, activated RIP3 recruits MLKL to induce the necrotic process. Based on necroptotic signaling pathway, some chemicals have been identified as pharmacological inhibitors of the necroptotic proteins. RIP1, RIP3 or MLKL can be specifically modulated by chemical inhibitors indicated.
