A THEORETICAL STUDY ON FRACTIONAL EBOLA HEMORRHAGIC FEVER MODEL

The Ebola virus infection (EVI), generally known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a major health concern. The occasional outbreaks of virus occur primarily in certain parts of Africa. Many researches have been devoted to the study of the Ebola virus disease. In this paper, we have taken susceptible-infected-recovered-deceased-environment (SIRDP) system to investigate the dynamics of Ebola virus infection. We adopted fractional operators for a better illustration of model dynamics and memory effects. Initially, the Ebola disease model is modified with Caputo–Fabrizio arbitrary operator in Caputo sense (CFC) and we employed the fixed-point results for the existence and uniqueness of the solution of the fractional system. Further, we adopted the arbitrary fractional conformable and [Formula: see text]-conformable derivatives to the alternative representation of the model. For the numerical approximation of the system, we show a numerical technique based on the fundamental theorem of fractional calculus for CFC derivative and a numerical scheme called the Adams–Moulton for conformable derivatives. Finally, for the validation of theoretical results, the numerical simulations are displayed.

A New Approach to Surgical Gowns

Emerging diseases such as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, SARS, and most recently the Covid 19 epidemic have increased the importance of hygiene in the world, bringing the need for personal protective equipment (PPE) to the forefront. An important part of PPE in healthcare is surgical gowns, which are worn by doctors and nurses in the operating room to serve a dual function of preventing the transmission of microorganisms and body fluids from surgical staff to patients and from patients to staff. This chapter presents the history and importance of surgical gowns. The factors to be considered in the selection of surgical gowns are discussed. The model characteristics and fabric properties of surgical gowns currently on the market and the environmental impact of reusable and disposable gowns are outlined. Finally, shortcomings in available gowns are discussed, a new knitted surgical gown design is introduced, and recommendations are given in the final section. The chapter provides broad coverage of surgical gowns for both experienced readers and those new to the field.

Introduction

In 2014, a deadly epidemic of Ebola hemorrhagic fever ravaged three countries in West Africa. While the disease barely hit the United States, it caused widespread panic that sometimes threatened the safety of African immigrants in the United States. Five years later, a global pandemic of a novel coronavirus, later named COVID-19, quickly picked up speed around the world. In the face of a serious and very real threat, many Americans ignored the warnings and a vocal minority even insisted that the pandemic was not real. While the particulars of each of these examples might be quite different, they have something very important in common: science denial. This introductory chapter provides an overview of how such widespread science denialist views come into existence and how they spread. The authors outline the eight chapters of this book, which go into depth on different psychological mechanisms behind this phenomenon. Finally, they provide a preview of some of the solutions we have devised in response to this grave problem.

Ebola Virus VP35 Hijacks PKA-CREB1 Pathway for Replication and Pathogenesis by AKIP1 Association

Ebola virus (EBOV), one of the deadliest viruses, is the cause of fatal Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF)1,2. The underlying mechanism of viral replication and EBOV-related hemorrhage is not fully understood. Here, we show that EBOV VP35, a cofactor of viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, binds human A kinase interacting protein (AKIP1), which consequently activates protein kinase A (PKA) and PKA-downstream transcription factor CREB1. During EBOV infection, CREB1 is recruited into EBOV ribonucleoprotein complexes in viral inclusion bodies (VIBs) and employed for viral replication. AKIP1 depletion or PKA-CREB1 inhibition dramatically impairs EBOV replication. Meanwhile, the transcription of several coagulation-related genes, including THBD and SERPINB2, is substantially upregulated by VP35-dependent CREB1 activation, which may contribute to EBOV-related hemorrhage. The finding that EBOV VP35 hijacks the host PKA-CREB1 signal axis for viral replication and pathogenesis provides novel potential therapeutic approaches against Ebola virus disease.

Superspreaders: A Lurking Danger in the Community

A “superspreader” refers to an unusually contagious organism infected with a disease. With respect to a human borne illnesses, a superspreader is someone who is more likely to infect other humans when compared to a typically infected person. The existence of human superspreaders is deeply entrenched in history; the most famous case being that of Typhoid Mary. Through contact tracing, epidemiologists have identified human superspreaders in measles, tuberculosis, rubella, monkeypox, smallpox, Ebola hemorrhagic fever, and SARS. The recent outbreak of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has shifted the focus back on the superspreaders. We herein present a case report of a COVID-19 superspreader with a hitherto unusually high number of infected contacts. The index case was a 33 year old male who resided in a low income settlement comprising of rehabilitated slum dwellers and worked as a healthcare worker (HCW) in a tertiary care hospital and had tested positive for COVID-19.On contact tracing, he had a total of 125 contacts, of which 49 COVID-19 infections had direct or indirect contact with the index case, qualifying him as a “superspreader.” This propagated infection led to an outbreak in the community. Contact tracing, testing and isolation of such superspreaders from the other members of the community is essential to stop the spread of this disease and contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

PENYAKIT VIRUS EBOLA

Ebola virus disease has known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever (EHF) is an acute viral syndrome characterized by fever and bleeding witha high mortality rate in humans and non human (primates). The current outbreak inWestern Africa is the largest ebola outbreak since theebola virus was first discovered in 1976. The first EHF case that reemerged back in Africa occurred in March 2014 and in Desember 29th2014 had been revealed 20,153 cases and 7,883 deaths. The virus is transmitted from wild animals and spread in the human populationthrough human –to -human transmission. Ebola virus infection is characterized by immunosuppression and systemic inflammatoryresponse. Both condition cause the damage of blood vessels, coagulation and disorders of the immune system, leading to multiple organfailure and shock. Until now there are no ebola standards treatment guidelines. However, the life survival increased with early supportivecare such as rehydration and symptomatic treatment.

Recombinant Antibodies to the Ebola Virus Glycoprotein

Currently, there are no approved therapies for targeted prevention and treatment of Ebola hemorrhagic fever. In the present work, we describe the development of a eukaryotic expression system for the production of three full-length chimeric antibodies (IgG1-kappa isotypes) GPE118, GPE325, and GPE534 to the recombinant glycoprotein of the Ebola virus (EBOV GP), which is a key factor in the pathogenicity of the disease. The immunochemical properties of the obtained antibodies were studied by immunoblotting and indirect, direct, and competitive ELISA using the recombinant EBOV proteins rGPdTM, NP, and VP40. The authenticity of the antibodies and the absence of cross-specificity with respect to the structural proteins NP and VP40 of the Ebola virus were proved. The epitope specificity of the resulting recombinant antibodies was studied using commercial neutralizing antibodies against the viral glycoprotein. The recombinant antibodies GPE118, GPE325, and GPE534 were shown to recognize glycoprotein epitopes that coincide or overlap with the epitopes of three well-studied neutralizing anti-Ebola virus antibodies.