The Argonautic Expedition: The First Worldwide Naval Epic

The Greek mythology is widely acclaimed as one of the richest treasures of universal epics; the myth of the Argonautic Expedition is one of the most interesting Greek myths. Some scientific authorities hold the opinion that the story of the Argonauts was no more than an inspiring fairy-tale, while others insist, it was a real historical event. They believe that it took place in 1225 BC, and Colchis was a country located in the Caucasus Mountains, near today’s country of Georgia. After a life-long study of more than thirty years using ancient texts and information coming from nautical maps and geography, oceanography and other fields of science, we propose that the real events were quite different from the currently proposed location. The Argonauts, and ancient Greeks at large, wanted to find a sea route to transport silk textiles and new species from the Far East countries to Greece or at least to open the Overland Route leading from the Black Sea to the Far East. In addition, they wanted to transport to Greece silkworm eggs to cultivate silkworms in Greece and produce silk. They started their journey from Iolcus and travelled around the Globe; they reached Colchis, Aeëtes' land that was actually China. They took from China eggs of the wild Silkworm instead of the real one and, sailing through the Indian Ocean, reached Suez, where they were forced to pull their ship across the land to reach Tritonis Lake. From there, they exited into the Mediterranean and arrived at Iolcus, the city from which they started their journey. That journey was made by the Argonauts around 1510 BC. Presently, giving a plethora of bibliographic references, we shall carefully attempt to expose the real events that happened during those ancient times under the mission code name "transporting the Golden Fleece to Greece". We shall say, who did this perilous feat, when and where it happened, what was the real purpose of the Argonauts’ journey, which were the correct routes followed carefully by the Argonauts, what were the countries they crossed or visited and finally what the Argonauts accomplished with that journey.

Marketing, Start-Ups and Innovation: A Framework for Understanding the Possibilities for Harnessing Technological Innovations in Tourism (Based on the Example of the Georgian Tourism Sector and Russian Start-Ups)

The travel and tourism industry is one of the largest and fastest-growing sectors in the world. In the case of countries like Georgia, where tourism is a priority sector of the economy, innovation is crucial for a tourism-based development strategy — and this has become particularly important in the post-pandemic realities. This paper proposes a certain framework for understanding the possibilities for harnessing technological innovations in the travel industry (particularly apps and websites). It then considers the specific example of the country of Georgia, outlining the state’s measures meant to foster IT innovation in tourism and also certain moderate successes to date in this respect. Next, the paper looks to Russian tourist-sector start-ups as models for operation that be successfully harnessed in the Georgian tourism industry, examining several such Russian start-ups in closer detail.

Genomic analyses of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from human lung resections reveal a high frequency of polyclonal infections

Polyclonal infections occur when at least two unrelated strains of the same pathogen are detected in an individual. This has been linked to worse clinical outcomes in tuberculosis, as undetected strains with different antibiotic resistance profiles can lead to treatment failure. Here, we examine the amount of polyclonal infections in sputum and surgical resections from patients with tuberculosis in the country of Georgia. For this purpose, we sequence and analyse the genomes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from the samples, acquired through an observational clinical study (NCT02715271). Access to the lung enhanced the detection of multiple strains (40% of surgery cases) as opposed to just using a sputum sample (0–5% in the general population). We show that polyclonal infections often involve genetically distant strains and can be associated with reversion of the patient’s drug susceptibility profile over time. In addition, we find different patterns of genetic diversity within lesions and across patients, including mutational signatures known to be associated with oxidative damage; this suggests that reactive oxygen species may be acting as a selective pressure in the granuloma environment. Our results support the idea that the magnitude of polyclonal infections in high-burden tuberculosis settings is underestimated when only testing sputum samples.

Long-term mortality and active TB disease among patients who were lost to follow-up during second line tuberculosis treatment in 2011-2014: population-based study in the country of Georgia

BACKGROUND High rates of loss to follow-up (LFU) exist among patients with multi-drug and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (M/XDR TB); We aimed to identify long-term clinical outcomes of patients who were LFU during second-line TB treatment. METHODS We conducted a follow-up study among adults who received second-line TB treatment in the country of Georgia during 2011-2014 with a final outcome of LFU. We attempted to interview all LFU patients, administered a structured questionnaire and obtained sputum samples. Active TB at follow-up was defined by positive sputum Xpert-TB/RIF or culture. RESULTS Follow-up information was obtained for 461 patients, among these patients, 107 (23%) died and 177 (38%) were contacted, of those contacted 123 (69%) consented to participate and 92 provided sputum samples. Thirteen (14%) had active TB with an estimated infectious time-period for transmitting drug-resistant TB in the community of 480 days (IQR=803). In multivariable analysis, positive culture at the time of LFU was associated with active TB at the time of our study (adjusted risk ratio=13.3, 95% CI: 4.2, 42.2) CONCLUSIONS Nearly one-quarter of patients on second-line TB treatment who were LFU died. Among those LFU evaluated in our study, one in seven remained in the community with positive sputum cultures. To reduce death and transmission of disease, additional strategies are needed to encourage patients to complete treatment.

Treatment Outcomes Among Pediatric Patients With Highly Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: The Role of New and Repurposed Second-Line Tuberculosis Drugs

Background Among pediatric patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), limited data exist regarding treatment outcomes in the context of the new and repurposed second-line TB drugs (SLDs). We aimed to describe the treatment outcomes among pediatric MDR-TB patients receiving new and repurposed SLDs including the proportion who achieved favorable outcomes. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study among pediatric patients (age ≤18 years) treated for MDR-TB in the country of Georgia from 2009 to 2016. A “new and repurposed” SLD regimen was defined as a regimen that included linezolid, bedaquiline, and/or delamanid. Favorable treatment outcome was defined by treatment completion or documented microbial “cure” status at the end of treatment. We assessed the association between the use of the new and repurposed SLDs with MDR-TB treatment outcomes using bivariate analyses and log-binomial regression. Results There were 124 pediatric MDR-TB patients (median age: 13.7; interquartile range: 4.6-16.0) initiating treatment; 119 (96.0%) had a treatment outcome recorded and were included in our analyses. Eighteen (15.1%) patients received new and repurposed SLDs from 2015 or later. After adjusting for potential confounders, the proportion achieving favorable MDR-TB treatment outcomes was higher among patients treated with SLD regimens that included new and/or repurposed drugs when compared with those treated without (adjusted risk ratio: 1.17; 95% confidence interval: 0.51-2.72). Conclusions We observed a high proportion of favorable treatment outcomes among pediatric patients with MDR-TB receiving the new and repurposed SLDs. Further studies to evaluate the efficacy and children’s tolerability of the new and repurposed SLDs are still warranted.

Laboratory Infection of Novel Akhmeta Virus in CAST/EiJ Mice

Akhmeta virus is a zoonotic Orthopoxvirus first identified in 2013 in the country of Georgia. Subsequent ecological investigations in Georgia have found evidence that this virus is widespread in its geographic distribution within the country and in its host-range, with rodents likely involved in its circulation in the wild. Yet, little is known about the pathogenicity of this virus in rodents. We conducted the first laboratory infection of Akhmeta virus in CAST/EiJ Mus musculus to further characterize this novel virus. We found a dose-dependent effect on mortality and weight loss (p < 0.05). Anti-orthopoxvirus antibodies were detected in the second- and third-highest dose groups (5 × 104 pfu and 3 × 102 pfu) at euthanasia by day 10, and day 14 post-infection, respectively. Anti-orthopoxvirus antibodies were not detected in the highest dose group (3 × 106 pfu), which were euthanized at day 7 post-infection and had high viral load in tissues, suggesting they succumbed to disease prior to mounting an effective immune response. In order of highest burden, viable virus was detected in the nostril, lung, tail, liver and spleen. All individuals tested in the highest dose groups were DNAemic. Akhmeta virus was highly pathogenic in CAST/EiJ Mus musculus, causing 100% mortality when ≥3 × 102 pfu was administered.