Viral surface geometry shapes influenza and coronavirus spike evolution through antibody pressure

The evolution of circulating viruses is shaped by their need to evade antibody response, which mainly targets the viral spike. Because of the high density of spikes on the viral surface, not all antigenic sites are targeted equally by antibodies. We offer here a geometry-based approach to predict and rank the probability of surface residues of SARS spike (S protein) and influenza H1N1 spike (hemagglutinin) to acquire antibody-escaping mutations utilizing in-silico models of viral structure. We used coarse-grained MD simulations to estimate the on-rate (targeting) of an antibody model to surface residues of the spike protein. Analyzing publicly available sequences, we found that spike surface sequence diversity of the pre-pandemic seasonal influenza H1N1 and the sarbecovirus subgenus highly correlates with our model prediction of antibody targeting. In particular, we identified an antibody-targeting gradient, which matches a mutability gradient along the main axis of the spike. This identifies the role of viral surface geometry in shaping the evolution of circulating viruses. For the 2009 H1N1 and SARS-CoV-2 pandemics, a mutability gradient along the main axis of the spike was not observed. Our model further allowed us to identify key residues of the SARS-CoV-2 spike at which antibody escape mutations have now occurred. Therefore, it can inform of the likely functional role of observed mutations and predict at which residues antibody-escaping mutation might arise.

Analisis Perbandingan Lama Rawat Inap Pasien Terdiagnosis Covid-19 Antara Pemberian Terapi Oseltamivir Dengan Favipiravir di RSUD R.Syamsudin S.H Sukabumi Periode Mei s.d Juli 2021

Virus adalah mikroorganisme patogen yang hanya dapat bereplikasi di dalam sel makhluk hidup dan merupakan salah satu penyebab penyakit menular yang perlu diwaspadai. 20 tahun terakhir, beberapa penyakit virus menyebabkan epidemi seperti severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) pada tahun 2002-2003, influenza H1N1 pada tahun 2009 dan Middle East Respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) yang pertama kali teridentifikasi di Saudi Arabia pada tahun 2012. Perbedaan pemberian antivirus Favipravir dan Oseltamivir terhadap kesembuhan pasien dilihat dari lamanya perawatan dan usia pasien. Pendekatan penelitian ini menggunakan penelitian kuantitatif yaitu metode penelitian yang berlandaskan pada filsafat positivisme digunakan untuk meneliti pada populasi atau sampel tertentu, pengumpulan data menggunakan instrumen penelitian, analisis data bersifat kuantitatif atau statistik, dengan tujuan untuk menguji hipotesis yang telah ditetapkan. Hasil sampling untuk pemakaian terapi favipiravir terbanyak pada usia 50-59 tahun yaitu 25% dengan lama rawat 6 hari, terbanyak kedua di usia >60 tahun yaitu 22% dengan lama rawat 7 hari, tebanyak ketiga yaitu pada usia pada usia 40 -49 tahun dan 30 -39 tahun yaitu 21% dengan lama rawat 5-7 hari, dan terakhir pada usia termuda 0 – 29 tahun yaitu 11% dengan lama rawat 5 hari. Hasil penelitian yang dilakukan terhadap kedua obat tersebut terbukti bahwa penggunaan favipiravir memilii efektivitas yang lebih baik dibandingkan antivirus oseltamivir, dilihat dari lama perawatan pada pasien yang mendapatkan terapi favipiravir memiliki tingkat kesembuhan yang lebih cepat, dimana pasien yang mendapatkan terapi favipiravir memiliki re-rata lama perawatan lebih cepat yaitu 5 – 7 hari tergantung dari kategori usia.

Patience and Vaccination

Vaccination against COVID-19 and other diseases is a pressing public health issue. We hypothesize that a short-term orientation (impatience) – as it heavily discounts the future benefits of actions taken today – leads to lower rates of vaccination. Using a recently constructed, experimentally validated measure of patience, we document four results consistent with our hypothesis. First, patience alone explains a large share (21%) of the global variation in COVID-19 vaccinations across countries as of November 2021 (Study 1a; N = 76). An increase in patience of one S.D. is associated with 12 p.p. larger vaccination rates. Second, using duration models (Study 1b; 4,180 ≤ N ≤ 9,973), we demonstrate that more patient countries are quicker to reach high COVID-19 vaccination thresholds. Third, our results are not specific to the COVID-19 pandemic: in Study 2a, we show that beliefs regarding the safety and effectiveness of vaccination against swine influenza (H1N1) in 2009 are also well-explained by patience in a sample of sub-national regions of Europe (N regions = 138; N countries = 17). Fourth, in Study 2b, we show that our results are not specific to pandemics: patience also explains the global variation in infant vaccinations against 12 common diseases (N = 75).

Oseltamivir and acute hepatitis, reality association or coincidence?

Oseltamivir is an orally administered antiviral medication that selectively inhibits the influenza neuraminidase enzymes that are essential for viral replication and it is active against both influenza A and B viruses. Oseltamivir is indicated for therapy or post-exposure prevention of influenza A and B. Side effects are uncommon and include mild nausea, gastrointestinal upset, dizziness, and headache. Despite widespread use, oseltamivir has not been associated with clinically apparent liver injury; however, there is growing evidence of possible toxic liver involvement during oseltamivir therapy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case in Italy linking the development of acute hepatitis and oseltamivir therapy, in a patient suffering from influenza H1N1 infection. We also present a review of the literature on cases of oseltamivir hepatotoxicity, through the consultation of PubMed database, the bibliographical references of various articles and an extensive search using Google. In view of the analyzed results, we suggest that experts should carefully consider the need for inclusion of potential serious liver reactions be added to the oseltamivir product label.

O SILÊNCIO DA GRIPE ESPANHOLA NO BRASIL: uma história a ser recordada em tempos de Covid-19

Esta Resenha de A Bailarina da Morte: A gripe espanhola no Brasil (2020) analisa como a pesquisa desenvolvida por Lilia Moritz Schwarcz e Heloisa Murgel Starling questiona o enfrentamento da crise sanitária da influenza H1N1. As autoras narram o que aconteceu em capitais brasileiras nos anos de 1918 e 1919, quando houve, no Brasil e no mundo, uma epidemia que ficou conhecida como gripe espanhola. Vivenciando também um período de pandemia – Covid-19 –, as autoras nos propõem refletir sobre inúmeras atitudes, inclusive em relação aos métodos de pesquisa disponíveis nesse momento. Utilizando jornais como fontes e pesquisas acadêmicas, identificamos um panorama da crise enfrentada no início do século XX.

Illegal Wildlife Trade and Emerging Infectious Diseases: Pervasive Impacts to Species, Ecosystems and Human Health

Emerging infectious disease (EID) events can be traced to anthropogenic factors, including the movement of wildlife through legal and illegal trade. This paper focuses on the link between illegal wildlife trade (IWT) and infectious disease pathogens. A literature review through Web of Science and relevant conference proceedings from 1990 to 2020 resulted in documenting 82 papers and 240 identified pathogen cases. Over 60% of the findings referred to pathogens with known zoonotic potential and five cases directly referenced zoonotic spillover events. The diversity of pathogens by taxa included 44 different pathogens in birds, 47 in mammals, 16 in reptiles, two in amphibians, two in fish, and one in invertebrates. This is the highest diversity of pathogen types in reported literature related to IWT. However, it is likely not a fully representative sample due to needed augmentation of surveillance and monitoring of IWT and more frequent pathogen testing on recovered shipments. The emergence of infectious disease through human globalization has resulted in several pandemics in the last decade including SARS, MERS, avian influenza H1N1,and Ebola. We detailed the growing body of literature on this topic since 2008 and highlight the need to detect, document, and prevent spillovers from high-risk human activities, such as IWT.

COVID-19 E INFECÇÕES RELACIONADAS À ASSISTÊNCIA À SAÚDE

Introdução: As Infecções Relacionadas à Assistência à Saúde - IRAS - são caracterizadas como infecções relacionadas à internação ou a procedimentos cirúrgicos e que se manifestam durante internações ou após a alta. Elas são responsáveis pelo aumento da morbidade/mortalidade e apresentam grande impacto socioeconômico, nos Estados Unidos, anualmente, os gastos com IRAS chegam a 45 bilhões de dólares. No atual cenário pandêmico do Coronavírus da Síndrome Respiratória Aguda - SARS-CoV-2, responsável pela síndrome respiratória viral mais grave desde a pandemia de influenza H1N1, em 1918, grande parte dos leitos hospitalares são destinados a pacientes com COVID-19. Estes se mostraram mais susceptíveis às IRAS, o que leva à necessidade de investigar quais elementos estão envolvidos nesse processo. Objetivo: Analisar a susceptibilidade de pacientes com COVID-19 às IRAS e quais são os principais sítios e microrganismos relacionados. Material e métodos: Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa da literatura, mediante análise de artigos em português e inglês publicados no PubMed, no Scielo e no NCBI , utilizando-se dos descritores "COVID-19", "Infecções Relacionadas à Assistência à Saúde", “IRAS” e “SARS-CoV-2”. Resultados: As infecções mais frequentes foram as de corrente sanguínea, primárias ou secundárias ao cateter central - ocorreram em aproximadamente 57% dos casos - e apresentaram maior incidência em pacientes COVID-positivo, principalmente após o sétimo dia de infecção, quando comparado aos pacientes COVID-negativo. A evolução para choque séptico ocorreu em mais da metade dos pacientes avaliados. Os principais agentes foram Enterococcus faecalis, E. faecium e Estafilococos coagulase-negativos .Estudos relatam que o aumento da bacteremia em pacientes internados com COVID-19 pode estar relacionado à imunossupressão concomitante à linfopenia induzida pelo vírus e aos microinfartos intestinais que podem ocorrer devido à trombofilia característica da COVID-19. A infecção de vias aéreas inferiores é, também, associada, e Pseudomonas é relatado como o principal agente desta infecção. Conclusão: Torna-se necessário determinar a correlação entre a infecção por SARS-CoV-2 e o aumento da incidência de IRAS para o direcionamento de condutas e de terapêuticas adequadas a esses casos.