The impact of Zika virus exposure on the placental proteomic profile

AbstractKoala populations in many areas of Australia have declined sharply in response to habitat loss, disease and the effects of climate change. Koalas may face further morbidity from endemic mosquito-borne viruses, but the impact of such viruses is currently unknown. Few seroprevalence studies in the wild exist and little is known of the determinants of exposure. Here, we exploited a large, spatially and temporally explicit koala survey to define the intensity of Ross River Virus (RRV) exposure in koalas residing in urban coastal environments in southeast Queensland, Australia. We demonstrate that RRV exposure in koalas is much higher (> 80%) than reported in other sero-surveys and that exposure is uniform across the urban coastal landscape. Uniformity in exposure is related to the presence of the major RRV mosquito vector, Culex annulirostris, and similarities in animal movement, tree use, and age-dependent increases in exposure risk. Elevated exposure ultimately appears to result from the confinement of remaining coastal koala habitat to the edges of permanent wetlands unsuitable for urban development and which produce large numbers of competent mosquito vectors. The results further illustrate that koalas and other RRV-susceptible vertebrates may serve as useful sentinels of human urban exposure in endemic areas.

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Threshold Dynamics in a Model for Zika Virus Disease with Seasonality

Bulletin of Mathematical Biology ◽

10.1007/s11538-020-00844-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 83 (4) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mahmoud A. Ibrahim ◽

Attila Dénes

Keyword(s):

Zika Virus ◽

Reproduction Number ◽

Virus Disease ◽

Threshold Dynamics ◽

Global Dynamics ◽

Threshold Parameter ◽

Globally Asymptotically Stable ◽

Linear Integral ◽

The Impact ◽

Disease Free

AbstractWe present a compartmental population model for the spread of Zika virus disease including sexual and vectorial transmission as well as asymptomatic carriers. We apply a non-autonomous model with time-dependent mosquito birth, death and biting rates to integrate the impact of the periodicity of weather on the spread of Zika. We define the basic reproduction number $${\mathscr {R}}_{0}$$ R 0 as the spectral radius of a linear integral operator and show that the global dynamics is determined by this threshold parameter: If $${\mathscr {R}}_0 < 1,$$ R 0 < 1 , then the disease-free periodic solution is globally asymptotically stable, while if $${\mathscr {R}}_0 > 1,$$ R 0 > 1 , then the disease persists. We show numerical examples to study what kind of parameter changes might lead to a periodic recurrence of Zika.

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Site-specific N-glycosylation analysis of animal cell culture-derived Zika virus proteins

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-84682-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Alexander Pralow ◽

Alexander Nikolay ◽

Arnaud Leon ◽

Yvonne Genzel ◽

Erdmann Rapp ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Zika Virus ◽

Animal Cell ◽

Gradient Centrifugation ◽

Viral Envelope ◽

Protein Glycosylation ◽

High Yield ◽

Structural Protein ◽

Site Specific ◽

E Protein ◽

The Impact

AbstractHere, we present for the first time, a site-specific N-glycosylation analysis of proteins from a Brazilian Zika virus (ZIKV) strain. The virus was propagated with high yield in an embryo-derived stem cell line (EB66, Valneva SE), and concentrated by g-force step-gradient centrifugation. Subsequently, the sample was proteolytically digested with different enzymes, measured via a LC–MS/MS-based workflow, and analyzed in a semi-automated way using the in-house developed glyXtoolMS software. The viral non-structural protein 1 (NS1) was glycosylated exclusively with high-mannose structures on both potential N-glycosylation sites. In case of the viral envelope (E) protein, no specific N-glycans could be identified with this method. Nevertheless, N-glycosylation could be proved by enzymatic de-N-glycosylation with PNGase F, resulting in a strong MS-signal of the former glycopeptide with deamidated asparagine at the potential N-glycosylation site N444. This confirmed that this site of the ZIKV E protein is highly N-glycosylated but with very high micro-heterogeneity. Our study clearly demonstrates the progress made towards site-specific N-glycosylation analysis of viral proteins, i.e. for Brazilian ZIKV. It allows to better characterize viral isolates, and to monitor glycosylation of major antigens. The method established can be applied for detailed studies regarding the impact of protein glycosylation on antigenicity and human pathogenicity of many viruses including influenza virus, HIV and corona virus.

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Neurodevelopment in Children Exposed to Zika Virus: What Are the Consequences for Children Who Do Not Present with Microcephaly at Birth?

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v13081427 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (8) ◽

pp. 1427

Author(s):

Paula Sobral da Silva ◽

Sophie Eickmann ◽

Ricardo Ximenes ◽

Celina Martelli ◽

Elizabeth Brickley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Neurological Examination ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Control Group ◽

P Value ◽

Zikv Infection ◽

Clinical Neurological Examination ◽

Cognitive Delay ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Neurodevelopmental Impairment ◽

The Impact

The relation of Zika virus (ZIKV) with microcephaly is well established. However, knowledge is lacking on later developmental outcomes in children with evidence of maternal ZIKV infection during pregnancy born without microcephaly. The objective of this analysis is to investigate the impact of prenatal exposure to ZIKV on neuropsychomotor development in children without microcephaly. We evaluated 274 children including 235 ZIKV exposed and 39 controls using the Bayley-III Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (BSIDIII) and neurological examination. We observed a difference in cognition with a borderline p-value (p = 0.052): 9.4% of exposed children and none of the unexposed control group had mild to moderate delays. The prevalence of delays in the language and motor domains did not differ significantly between ZIKV-exposed and unexposed children (language: 12.3% versus 12.8%; motor: 4.7% versus 2.6%). Notably, neurological examination results were predictive of neurodevelopmental delays in the BSIDIII assessments for exposed children: 46.7% of children with abnormalities on clinical neurological examination presented with delay in contrast to 17.8% among exposed children without apparent neurological abnormalities (p = 0.001). Overall, our findings suggest that relative to their unexposed peers, ZIKV-exposed children without microcephaly are not at considerably increased risk of neurodevelopmental impairment in the first 42 months of life, although a small group of children demonstrated higher frequencies of cognitive delay. It is important to highlight that in the group of exposed children, an abnormal neuroclinical examination may be a predictor of developmental delay. The article contributes to practical guidance and advances our knowledge about congenital Zika.

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Management of colorectal cancer in the era of COVID-19: Challenges and suggestions

Science Progress ◽

10.1177/00368504211010626 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 104 (2) ◽

pp. 003685042110106

Author(s):

Walid Alam ◽

Youssef Bouferraa ◽

Yolla Haibe ◽

Deborah Mukherji ◽

Ali Shamseddine

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Treatment Protocols ◽

Cancer Management ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Huge Impact ◽

Treatment Plans ◽

Virus Exposure ◽

Risk Of Exposure ◽

Colorectal Cancer Patients ◽

The Impact

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic had a huge impact on all sectors around the world. In particular, the healthcare system has been subject to an enormous pressure that has surpassed its ability in many instances. Additionally, the pandemic has called for a review of our daily medical practices, including our approach to colorectal cancer management where treatment puts patients at high risk of virus exposure. Given their higher median age, patients are at an increased risk for severe symptoms and complications in cases of infection, especially in the setting of immunosuppression. Therefore, a review of the routine colorectal cancer practices is needed to minimize risk of exposure. Oncologists should weigh risk of exposure versus the patient’s oncologic benefits when approaching management. In addition, treatment protocols should be modified to minimize hospital visits and admissions while maintaining the same treatment efficacy. In this review, we will focus on challenges that colorectal cancer patients face during the pandemic, while highlighting the priority in each case. We will also discuss the evidence for potential modifications to existing treatment plans that could reduce infectious exposure without compromising care. Finally, we will discuss the impact of the socio-economic difficulties faced by Lebanese patients due to a poor economy toppled by an unexpected pandemic.

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Harnessing the power of telemedicine to accomplish international pediatric outcome research during the COVID-19 pandemic

Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare ◽

10.1177/1357633x211063166 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1357633X2110631

Author(s):

Sarah B Mulkey ◽

Margarita Arroyave-Wessel ◽

Colleen Peyton ◽

Emily Ansusinha ◽

Corina Gutierrez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Outcome Research ◽

Zika Virus ◽

Neurodevelopmental Outcome ◽

Child Outcome ◽

Simultaneous Evaluation ◽

Child Neurodevelopment ◽

International Pediatric ◽

Health Studies ◽

Virus Exposure

The COVID-19 pandemic occurred during planned neurodevelopmental follow-up of Colombian children with antenatal Zika-virus exposure. The objective of the study was to leverage the institution's telemedicine infrastructure to support international clinical child outcome research. In a prospective cohort study of child neurodevelopment (NCT04398901), we used synchronous telemedicine to remotely train a research team and perform live observational assessments of children in Sabanalarga, Colombia. An observational motor and conceptional standardized tool kit was mailed to Colombia; other materials were translated and emailed; team training was done virtually. Children were recruited by team on the ground. Synchronous activities were video-recorded directly to two laptops, each with a telehealth Zoom link to allow simultaneous evaluation of “table” and “standing” activities, and backup recordings were captured directly on the device in Colombia. The U.S. team attended live over Zoom from four states and five distinct locations, made observational notes, and provided real-time feedback. Fifty-seven, 3–4-year-old children with Zika-virus exposure and 70 non-exposed controls were studied during 10 daytrips. Direct laptop recording ensured complete record of child activities due to internet outages. Telemedicine can be used to successfully perform international neurodevelopmental outcome research in children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Telemedicine can benefit global health studies.

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