Prevalence of active HCV infection and genotypic distribution among the general population of district Mardan, Pakistan

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is the serious global public health burden of liver disease. Approximately 170 million people in the world are infected with (HCV). In Pakistan, where the disease has high occurrence rate. The present study envisages an up-to-date prevalence of HCV and genotypic distribution in the general population of Mardan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. The blood samples from 6,538 individuals including 3,263 males and 3,275 females were analyzed for hepatitis C surface antigen by Immuno-chromatographic test (ICT), Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR). It was found that 396 (12.13%) out of 3263 individuals contained antibodies in their blood against HCV, while among the different age groups, the highest incidences of HCV antibodies were found in the 31-40 age group (11.01%). The ICT positive samples were further screened by nested PCR to determine the existence of active HCV-RNA. It was identified that 7.11% (3263) of the total population (6538) tested was positive, among which the 461 (14.07%) females possessed antibodies in their blood against HCV. Our data showed total HCV infection in the investigated population was 5.78%. Higher percentage of HCV prevalence was detected in males than females in the age group 31-40 and 41-50. To compare the prevalence of HCV genotypes age-wise in male and female genotype 3a was found most prevalent genotype followed by 1a, 2a and 3b, respectively.

Emerging Role of LncRNA Regulation for NLRP3 Inflammasome in Diabetes Complications

Diabetes is a widespread metabolic disease with various complications, including diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy, cardiomyopathy, and other cardiovascular or cerebrovascular diseases. As the prevalence of diabetes increases in all age groups worldwide, diabetes and its complications cause an emerging public health burden. NLRP3 inflammasome is a complex of several proteins that play a critical role in inflammatory response and various diseases, including diabetes and its complications. Accumulating evidences indicate that NLRP3 inflammasome contributes to the development of diabetes and diabetic complications and that NLRP3 inflammation inactivation is beneficial in treating these illnesses. Emerging evidences suggest the critical role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in regulating NLRP3 inflammasome activity in various diseases. LncRNAs are non-coding RNAs exceeding 200 nucleotides in length. Its dysregulation has been linked to the development of diseases, including diabetes. Recently, growing evidences hint that regulating lncRNAs on NLRP3 inflammasome is critical in developing and progressing diabetes and diabetic complications. Here, we discuss the role of lncRNAs in regulating NLRP3 inflammasome as well as its participation in diabetes and diabetic complications, providing novel insights into developing future therapeutic approaches for diabetes.

Transcriptional response of Wolbachia-transinfected Aedes aegypti mosquito cells to dengue virus at early stages of infection

Mosquito-borne flaviviruses are responsible for viral infections and represent a considerable public health burden. Aedes aegypti is the principal vector of dengue virus (DENV), therefore understanding the intrinsic virus–host interactions is vital, particularly in the presence of the endosymbiont Wolbachia, which blocks virus replication in mosquitoes. Here, we examined the transcriptional response of Wolbachia -transinfected Ae. aegypti Aag2 cells to DENV infection. We identified differentially expressed immune genes that play a key role in the activation of anti-viral defence such as the Toll and immune deficiency pathways. Further, genes encoding cytosine and N6-adenosine methyltransferases and SUMOylation, involved in post-transcriptional modifications, an antioxidant enzyme, and heat-shock response were up-regulated at the early stages of DENV infection and are reported here for the first time. Additionally, several long non-coding RNAs were among the differentially regulated genes. Our results provide insight into Wolbachia -transinfected Ae. aegypti’s initial virus recognition and transcriptional response to DENV infection.

Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Level among Renal Transplant Recipients: A Case Report from Nepal

Globally, SARS-CoV-2 has caused significant public health burden, mainly in patients with underlying comorbidities including both communicable and noncommunicable diseases. Solid organ transplant recipients under immunesupressive medication are also amongst the high risk group. There is only sparse data on immunity against SARS-CoV-2 infection among renal transplant recipients. In this case report, we present the level of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody of three kidney transplant recipients after vaccination against COVID-19 virus. All three cases had received two doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine AZD1222 (ChAdOx1). Serological analysis showed protective level of circulating antibodies in the blood of all three cases. Although two out of three patients in the study acquired COVID-19 infection after immunization, they recovered with mild clinical course. Hence, we conclude that despite immune-suppressed status of transplant recipients, COVID-19 vaccination could protect them against severe illness.

The ERα/KDM6B regulatory axis modulates osteogenic differentiation in human mesenchymal stem cells

Osteoporosis is a highly prevalent public health burden associated with an increased risk of bone fracture, particularly in aging women. Estrogen, an important medicinal component for the preventative and therapeutic treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis, induces osteogenesis by activating the estrogen receptor signaling pathway and upregulating the expression of osteogenic genes, such as bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs). The epigenetic regulation of estrogen-mediated osteogenesis, however, is still unclear. In this report, we found that estrogen significantly induced the expression of lysine-specific demethylase 6B (KDM6B) and that KDM6B depletion by shRNAs led to a significant reduction in the osteogenic potential of DMSCs. Mechanistically, upon estrogen stimulation, estrogen receptor-α (ERα) was recruited to the KDM6B promoter, directly enhancing KDM6B expression. Subsequently, KDM6B was recruited to the BMP2 and HOXC6 promoters, resulting in the removal of H3K27me3 marks and activating the transcription of BMP2 and HOXC6, the master genes of osteogenic differentiation. Furthermore, we found that estrogen enhanced DMSC osteogenesis during calvarial bone regeneration and that estrogen’s pro-osteogenic effect was dependent on KDM6B in vivo. Taken together, our results demonstrate the vital role of the ERα/KDM6B regulatory axis in the epigenetic regulation of the estrogen-dependent osteogenic response.

Circular RNAs in Intervertebral Disc Degeneration: An Updated Review

Low back pain, a common medical condition, could result in severe disability and inflict huge economical and public health burden. Its pathogenesis is attributed to multiple etiological factors, including intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD). Emerging evidence suggests that circular RNAs (circRNAs), a major type of regulatory non-coding RNA, play critical roles in cellular processes that are pertinent to IDD development, including nucleus pulposus cell proliferation and apoptosis as well as extracellular matrix deposition. Increasing number of translational studies also indicated that circRNAs could serve as novel biomarkers for the diagnosis of IDD and/or predicting its clinical outcomes. Our review aims to discuss the recent progress in the functions and mechanisms of newly discovered IDD-related circRNAs.

Perspectives of university health care students on mental health stigma in Nigeria: Qualitative analysis

Mental illness is a significant public health burden in low- and middle-income countries. A wide treatment gap in mental health care exists within the Nigerian health care system and this gap is worsened by the presence of stigma associated with mental illness, which leads to delay in treatment or acts as a barrier to any care. In this study, our aim was to understand the factors that underlie mental illness stigma in order to inform the design of effective stigma-reducing interventions among health care students in Nigeria. We conducted four focus groups among university health care students in March 2019 in Nigeria. The students included nursing, pharmacy, and medical trainees from a university teaching hospital. We used an inductive-driven thematic analysis to identify codes and themes related to mental health stigma and conceptualization of mental health within the study group. Among the 40 participants, we identified how specific interpretations of religious and spiritual beliefs may be associated with stigmatizing behaviors such as social distancing and discrimination. Conceptualization of mental illness as a communicable disease and the attribution of mental illness to a moral failing contributed to stigma mechanisms. Overall, eight themes associated with mental health stigma and mental health-related concepts were found: spirituality, discrimination and devaluation, conceptualization of mental health, attribution theories, methods to reduce stigma, shortage of resources, violence and dangerousness, and maltreatment. We found that the co-existence of spiritual beliefs and biomedical and psychological models of mental health is a key factor to consider in the design of effective stigma-reducing interventions among university health students in Nigeria.

Wider, faster, more: Re-envisioning the treatment and research of depression to address its public health burden in the United States

Depression and other internalizing disorder symptoms are leading causes of disability in theUnited States. Although there are effective interventions, the burden of disability attributableto internalizing disorder symptoms is not decreasing. I review clinical and epidemiological datato identify solutions to the public health burden of internalizing disorder symptoms. Contemporary research efforts have a focus on treatment development and the identification of biomarkers of response. However, these solutions are not scalable because internalizing disorders are much more common than usually appreciated and there are substantial disparities in access to mental health care. Improving the dissemination of individual interventions may also be of limited value given data suggesting that high rates of symptom remission can only be achieved with multiple (e.g., 4-10) treatment steps. The logic of stepped care approaches for internalizing disorders is well-supported by these data, but initial treatments likely should be low-intensity and “stepping up” should occur more quickly than usually done in most trials. Efforts that promise to make an impact in the public health burden of internalizing disorder symptoms need to consider their high prevalence and heterogeneity in the level of care as well as in the mechanisms that treatments may need to engage.

The role of exercise and physical activity on aging-related diseases and geriatric syndromes

Aging is a complex process of physiological and social changes that leads to various diseases. The number of elderly people in the world is increasing dramatically and it should be noted that rapid population aging represents a major public health burden. On the other hand, providing an appropriate and low-cost approach to control and prevent complications such as chronic diseases, physical dysfunction, and the geriatric syndrome is necessary. Also, numerous studies have shown that participation in physical activity and exercise training reduces the incidence of dysfunctional capacity, cardiovascular and metabolic disease, as well as the premature death rate in older adults. After plenty of precise observations about the role of exercise on aging-related diseases and geriatric syndromes articles, the benefits of exercise and physical activity in older adults will be more tangible. Therefore, the first purpose of the present review was to investigate the mechanisms of PA and exercises that are involved in the prevention of aging-related diseases and GS using current evidence (from 2015 onwards). Also, the purpose of this study was to provide an exercise guideline (aerobic and resistance training) based on recent evidence (from 2015 onwards). El envejecimiento es un proceso complejo de cambios fisiológicos y sociales que conduce a diversas enfermedades. El número de personas de edad avanzada en el mundo está aumentando drásticamente y cabe señalar que el rápido envejecimiento de la población representa una importante carga para la salud pública. Por otro lado, es necesario brindar un enfoque adecuado y de bajo costo para controlar y prevenir complicaciones como enfermedades crónicas, disfunción física y síndrome geriátrico. Además, numerosos estudios han demostrado que la participación en la actividad física y el entrenamiento físico reduce la incidencia de disfunciones, enfermedades cardiovasculares y metabólicas, así como la tasa de muerte prematura en los adultos mayores. Después de muchas observaciones precisas sobre el papel del ejercicio en los artículos sobre enfermedades relacionadas con el envejecimiento y síndromes geriátricos, los beneficios del ejercicio y la actividad física en los adultos mayores serán más tangibles. Por lo tanto, el primer propósito de la presente revisión fue investigar los mecanismos de actividad física y ejercicios que están involucrados en la prevención de enfermedades relacionadas con el envejecimiento y síndrome geriátrico utilizando la evidencia actual (de 2015 en adelante). Además, el propósito de este estudio fue proporcionar una guía de ejercicio (entrenamiento aeróbico y de resistencia) basada en evidencia reciente (de 2015 en adelante).

Determinants of undernutrition among older adults in South Gondar Zone, Ethiopia: a community-based study

ObjectivesThe objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence and determinants of undernutrition among older adults aged 65 years in the south Gondar Zone, Ethiopia, in 2020.DesignA community-based cross-sectional study.SettingThe study was conducted from 1 October to 15 December 2020, in the South Gondar Zone, Ethiopia. Study participants were selected by systematic random sampling. A pretested and structured questionnaire adapted from different literature was used to collect data. Anthropometric measurements were taken following the standard procedure.ParticipantsA total of 290 older adults aged greater than or equal to 65 years of age were included in the study.Data analysisDescriptive and summary statistics were employed. Multiple logistic regression was fitted to identify determinants of undernutrition. ORs and their 95% CIs were computed to determine the level of significance.Outcome measuresUndernutrition was assessed by using Body Mass Index and Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) tool.ResultsThe prevalence of undernutrition was 27.6% (95% CI 22.4 to 32.8), and 2.1% (95% CI 0.7 to 3.8) of the study participants were overweight. Based on the MNA tool, 29.7% (95% CI 24.5 to 35.2) of the study participants were undernourished and 61.7% (95% CI 55.5 to 67.2) were at risk of undernourishment. Rural residence adjusted OR (aOR)=10.3 (95% CI 3.6 to 29.4), inability to read and write aOR=3.5 (95% CI 1.6 to 7.6), decrease in food intake aOR=13.5 (95% CI 6.1 to 29.5) and household monthly income of less than US$35.6 aOR=4.3 (95% CI 1.9 to 9.4) were significantly and independently associated with undernutrition.ConclusionThe level of undernutrition among older adults in the study area was high, making it an important public health burden. The determinants of undernutrition were a place of residence, educational status, food intake and monthly income.