Antibody-dependent enhancement of SARS-CoV-2, the impact of variants and vaccination.

This study characterized antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) in serum samples from individuals exposed to SARS-CoV-2 via infection or vaccination and evaluated its association with SARS-CoV-2 variants (Wuhan and Omicron), MERS-CoV, and NL63. ADE assays were performed on sera from SARS-CoV-2-infected patients ( = 210) with varying disease severity and vaccinated individuals ( = 225) who received adenovirus vector, inactivated virus or mRNA vaccines. ADE was assessed using pseudoviruses (PVs) in BHK cells expressing FcgRIIa.

A PSO weighted ensemble framework with SMOTE balancing for student dropout prediction in smart education systems.

Student dropout is a critical issue that affects not only educational institutions but also students' mental well-being, career prospects, and long-term quality of life. The ability to predict dropout rates accurately enables timely interventions that can support students' academic success and psychological resilience. However, the imbalanced nature of student dropout datasets often results in biased and less effective predictive models.

Harmonized Integration of GWO and J-SLnO for Optimized Asset Management and Predictive Maintenance in Industry 4.0.

The study encompasses the application of two different advanced optimization algorithms on asset management and predictive maintenance in Industry 4.0-Grey Wolf Optimization and Jaya-based Sea Lion Optimization (J-SLnO). Using this derivative, the authors showed how these techniques could be combined through resource scheduling techniques to demonstrate drastic improvement in the level of efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and energy consumption, as opposed to the standard MinMin, MaxMin, FCFS, and Round Robin.

Knowledge, attitudes, practices, and barriers of artificial intelligence as predictors of intent to stay among nurses: A cross-sectional study.

Objective: Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare presents significant opportunities and challenges for nurses and other healthcare professionals. AI adoption may influence nurses' work environment and overall healthcare. This study aimed to describe the level of knowledge, attitudes, practices, and barriers of AI among nurses in Jordan and describe their influence on nurses' intent to stay in their job positions.

Recurrent Early Pregnancy Loss and Congenital Thrombophilia: A Prospective Study.

: This study aims to investigate the role of congenital single nucleotide thrombophilia in young females with early recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL). : We studied 120 pregnant females with RPL and 80 matched females as a control with no RPL. Females were aged ≤ 35 years, had at least two consecutive first-trimester RPLs, and the acquired cause of RPL was excluded.

Kinetics of hepatitis B virus replication in anti-HBc positive/HBsAg-negative people with HIV switching to tenofovir sparing therapy.

Objectives: To unravel the still unexplored HBV-replicative kinetics in anti-HBc-positive/HBsAg-negative people-with-HIV (PWH) suspending tenofovir disoproxil-fumarate/tenofovir-alafenamide (TDF/TAF).

Methods: A total of 101 anti-HBc-positive/HBsAg-negative PWH switching to TDF/TAF-sparing therapy were included. Serum HBV-DNA and HBV-RNA were quantified by droplet-digital-PCR at switching (T0), within 12 months (T1) and 12-24 months postswitch (T2).

Spectroscopic and nonlinear optical investigations of biscinnamyl-sulfone derivatives: Computational and experimental insights.

Novel geometrically asymmetric biscinnamyl-sulfone compounds (6a-c) with donor-π-conjugated spacer-acceptor functionality were successfully synthesized. This was achieved by coupling cinnamaldehyde precursors with 3,3'-diaminodiphenyl sulfone in dry organic solvents, resulting in high yields. Several spectroscopic techniques were employed to identify the derivatives.

LARLUS: laparoscopic augmented reality from laparoscopic ultrasound.

Purpose: This research endeavors to improve tumor localization in minimally invasive surgeries, a challenging task primarily attributable to the absence of tactile feedback and limited visibility. The conventional solution uses laparoscopic ultrasound (LUS) which has a long learning curve and is operator-dependent.

Methods: The proposed approach involves augmenting LUS images onto laparoscopic images to improve the surgeon's ability to estimate tumor and internal organ anatomy.

Pharmacology and Therapeutic Potential of Benzothiazole Analogues for Cocaine Use Disorder.

Pharmacological targeting of the dopamine D receptor (DR)─expressed in brain regions that control cognition, attention, and decision-making─could be useful for several neuropsychiatric disorders including substance use disorders (SUDs). This study focused on the synthesis and evaluation of a novel series of benzothiazole analogues designed to target DR. We identified several compounds with high DR binding affinity ( ≤ 6.

Unexpected rise in the circulation of complex HBV variants enriched of HBsAg vaccine-escape mutations in HBV genotype-D: potential impact on HBsAg detection/quantification and vaccination strategies.

Specific HBsAg mutations are known to hamper HBsAg recognition by neutralizing antibodies thus challenging HBV-vaccination efficacy. Nevertheless, information on their impact and spreading over time is limited. Here, we characterize the circulation of vaccine-escape mutations from 2005 to 2019 and their correlation with virological parameters in a large cohort of patients infected with HBV genotype-D ( = 947), dominant in Europe.

Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease: A Successful Story Guided by an Drug Repurposing Approach.

The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M) is a crucial enzyme for viral replication and has been considered an attractive drug target for the treatment of COVID-19. In this study, virtual screening techniques and assays were combined to identify novel M inhibitors starting from around 8000 FDA-approved drugs. The docking analysis highlighted 17 promising best , biologically characterized in terms of their M inhibitory activity.

Asthma-COPD Overlap in Clinical Practice (ACO_CP 2023): Toward Precision Medicine.

Asthma and COPD have characteristic symptoms, yet patients with both are prevalent. Despite this, there is currently no globally accepted definition for the overlap between asthma and COPD, commonly referred to as asthma-COPD overlap (ACO). Generally, ACO is not considered a distinct disease or symptom from either clinical or mechanistic perspectives.

Molecular Accounting and Profiling of Human Respiratory Microbial Communities: Toward Precision Medicine by Targeting the Respiratory Microbiome for Disease Diagnosis and Treatment.

The wide diversity of microbiota at the genera and species levels across sites and individuals is related to various causes and the observed differences between individuals. Efforts are underway to further understand and characterize the human-associated microbiota and its microbiome. Using 16S rDNA as a genetic marker for bacterial identification improved the detection and profiling of qualitative and quantitative changes within a bacterial population.

Focal myositis in the foot: one unique case in the plantar aspect.

We present a case of an acquired deformity of the toes of a young patient with no previous pathologic or traumatic history. Later, it emerged that it was 'Focal Myositis' at the Flexor Digitorum Brevis muscle of the right foot. The clinical course of the case involved a hard painless mass at the muscle belly that increased in size very slowly over several years, causing flexion contracture of the third toe without an accompanying skin lesion.

A comprehensive clinical guide for pneumonia: a missing therapeutic target in HIV-uninfected patients.

Introduction: is an opportunistic, human-specific fungus that causes pneumonia (PCP). PCP symptoms are nonspecific. A patient with and another lung infection faces a diagnostic challenge.

Targeting SARS-CoV-2 nsp13 Helicase and Assessment of Druggability Pockets: Identification of Two Potent Inhibitors by a Multi-Site In Silico Drug Repurposing Approach.

The SARS-CoV-2 non-structural protein 13 (nsp13) helicase is an essential enzyme for viral replication and has been identified as an attractive target for the development of new antiviral drugs. In detail, the helicase catalyzes the unwinding of double-stranded DNA or RNA in a 5' to 3' direction and acts in concert with the replication-transcription complex (nsp7/nsp8/nsp12). In this work, bioinformatics and computational tools allowed us to perform a detailed conservation analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 helicase genome and to further predict the druggable enzyme's binding pockets.

On graded classical B-2-absorbing submodules.

In this paper, we introduce the concept of graded classical -2-absorbing submodule as a generalization of graded classical 2-absorbing submodule and we give a number of results concerning such graded modules.

SARS-CoV-2 Mutations and Variants May Muddle the Sensitivity of COVID-19 Diagnostic Assays.

The performance of diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays can be impacted by SARS-CoV-2 variability as this is dependent on the full complementarity between PCR primers/probes and viral target templates. Here, we investigate the genetic variability of SARS-CoV-2 regions recognized by primers/probes utilized by PCR diagnostic assays based on nucleotide mismatching analysis. We evaluated the genetic variation in the binding regions of 73 primers/probes targeting the Nucleocapsid (N, N = 36), Spike (S, N = 22), and RNA-dependent RNA-polymerase/Helicase (RdRp/Hel, N = 15) of the publicly available PCR-based assays.

Update on SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Variant of Concern and Its Peculiar Mutational Profile.

The process of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genetic diversification is still ongoing and has very recently led to the emergence of a new variant of concern (VOC), defined as Omicron or B.1.1.

The Role of Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography in Evaluation of High Troponin Patients with Narrow-Complex Supraventricular Tachycardia.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the relation of high-sensitive cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) elevation with characteristics of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) episode (duration and maximum heart rate) and coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) findings in patients with SVT who presented to the emergency room with palpitation.

Methods: This retrospective, single-center, noninvasive study included all patients aged between 18 years and 65 years who presented to the emergency department due to narrow-complex SVT and underwent CCTA to rule out coronary artery disease (CAD) due to elevation of hs-cTnT and reverted back to sinus rhythm after intravenous adenosine. The first, second, and the maximum hs-cTnT levels were obtained from the database.

First Case of a COVID-19 Patient Infected by Delta AY.4 with a Rare Deletion Leading to a N Gene Target Failure by a Specific Real Time PCR Assay: Novel Omicron VOC Might Be Doing Similar Scenario?

Herein, we report a case of an Italian male infected by Delta sublineage AY.4 harboring an atypical deletion, leading to a N gene target failure (NGTF) by a commercial molecular assay for SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis (Allplex SARS-CoV-2 Assay, Seegene). A 59-year-old unvaccinated patient was hospitalized for pulmonary embolism, with first negative results obtained by both molecular and antigen tests.

Highly Sensitive HBsAg, Anti-HBc and Anti HBsAg Titres in Early Diagnosis of HBV Reactivation in Anti-HBc-Positive Onco-Haematological Patients.

The role of novel HBV markers in predicting Hepatitis B virus reactivation (HBV-R) in HBsAg-negative/anti-HBc-positive oncohaematological patients was examined. One hundred and seven HBsAg-negative/anti-HBc-positive oncohaematological patients, receiving anti-HBV prophylaxis for >18 months, were included. At baseline, all patients had undetectable HBV DNA, and 67.

SARS-CoV-2 Variants and Their Relevant Mutational Profiles: Update Summer 2021.

Since the beginning of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by it, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been undergoing a genetic diversification leading to the emergence of new variants. Nevertheless, a clear definition of the genetic signatures underlying the circulating variants is still missing. Here, we provide a comprehensive insight into mutational profiles characterizing each SARS-CoV-2 variant, focusing on spike mutations known to modulate viral infectivity and/or antigenicity.

HBeAg Levels Vary across the Different Stages of HBV Infection According to the Extent of Immunological Pressure and Are Associated with Therapeutic Outcome in the Setting of Immunosuppression-Driven HBV Reactivation.

HBeAg is a marker of HBV-activity, and HBeAg-loss predicts a favorable clinical outcome. Here, we characterize HBeAg-levels across different phases of HBV infection, their correlation with virological/biochemical markers and the virological response to anti-HBV therapy. Quantitative HBeAg (qHBeAg, DiaSorin) is assessed in 101 HBeAg+ patients: 20 with acute-infection, 20 with chronic infection, 32 with chronic hepatitis and 29 with immunosuppression-driven HBV-reactivation (HBV-R).