Gut Homeostasis; Microbial Cross Talks in Health and Disease Management

The human gut is a densely populated region comprising a diverse collection of microorganisms. The number, type and function of the diverse gut microbiota vary at different sites along the entire gastrointestinal tract. Gut microbes regulate signaling and metabolic pathways through microbial cross talks. Host and microbial interactions mutually contribute for intestinal homeostasis. Rapid shift or imbalance in the microbial community disrupts the equilibrium or homeostatic state leading to dysbiosis and causes many gastrointestinal diseases viz., Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Obesity, Type 2 diabetes, Metabolic endotoxemia, Parkinson’s disease and Fatty liver disease etc. Intestinal homeostasis has been confounded by factors that disturb the balance between eubiosis and dysbiosis. This review correlates the consequences of dysbiosis with the incidence of various diseases. Impact of microbiome and its metabolites on various organs such as liver, brain, kidney, large intestine, pancreas etc are discussed. Furthermore, the role of therapeutic approaches such as ingestion of nutraceuticals (probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics), Fecal Microbial Treatment, Phage therapy and Bacterial consortium treatment in restoring the eubiotic state is elaborately reviewed.

Audiovisual Teleconsultation For Patients With Epilepsy In Primary Care In Rural Germany: A Pilot Study On Feasibility And Acceptance

Background: In rural areas, epilepsy patients have limited access to specialised care. They usually have to put up with travel and waiting times of several hours. In addition, often the communication between general practitioners (GP) and specialized epileptologists about diagnosis and treatment is complicated by the high workload on both sides and the different prioritization of treatment goals. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of an interprofessional audio-visual patient-doctor teleconsultation and its acceptance in clinical practice in patients with epilepsy in a rural region in Germany.Method: Ten patients participated in telemedicine consultations in their GP practice. The practice was located in a sparsely populated region of Mecklenburg- Western Pomerania and equipped with technical equipment specifically procured for project-related purposes. An explorative qualitative interview was conducted with all participants. We based this paper on the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ). Results: Despite initial uncertainties on the part of the patients regarding the consultation setting, all participants found the teleconsultation helpful. Some patients were initially intimidated and felt slightly overwhelmed by the attention provided and the technology used (multiple HD cameras, large high-resolution screens). However, during the consultation they felt supported by their GP and were satisfied that their needs were addressed in a satisfactory and timely manner. The hardware used was not felt to be a nuisance or to interfere with the conversation between doctor and patient. Patients also appreciated the time saved and the organisational convenience compared to a visit to a university outpatient clinic. Most consultations led to therapeutic consequences. Some patients seemed to benefit particularly, e.g. those who needed a change in their medication. Conclusion: This pilot study provides first evidence that teleconsultations between patients, specialists and GPs are possible in rural areas. Interprofessional collaboration between GPs and epileptologists can improve the care of patients with epilepsy. Further research should investigate the effectiveness and efficiency of interprofessional telemedicine consultations for epilepsy and other conditions.

Immunity acquired by a minority active fraction of the population could explain COVID-19 spread in Greater Buenos Aires (June-November 2020)

The COVID-19 pandemic had an uneven development in different countries. In Argentina, the pandemic began in march 2020 and, during the first 3 months, the vast majority of cases were concentrated in a densely populated region that includes the city of Buenos Aires (country capital) and the Greater Buenos Aires area that surrounds it. This work focuses on the spread of COVID-19 between June and November 2020 in Greater Buenos Aires. Within this period of time there was no vaccine, basically only the early wild strain of SARS-CoV-2 was present, and the official restriction and distancing measures in this region remained more or less constant. Under these particular conditions, the incidences show a sharp rise from June 2020 and begin to decrease towards the end of August until the end of November 2020. In this work we study, through mathematical modelling and available epidemiological information, the spread of COVID-19 in this region and period of time. We show that a coherent explanation of the evolution of incidences can be obtained assuming that only a minority fraction of the population got involved in the spread process, so that the incidences decreased as this group of people was becoming immune. The observed evolution of the incidences could then be a consequence at the population level of lasting immunity conferred by SARS-CoV-2.

Interdecadal Distribution of Persistent Organic Pollutants in Deep-Sea Chemosynthetic Bivalves

Marine ecosystems are continuously subjected to anthropogenic environmental pollution. Understanding the spread of pollution and the potential risks it poses to deep-sea ecosystems is important for developing better conservation measures. Here, we identified non-negligible levels of persistent organic pollutants in deep-sea chemosynthetic bivalves with limited or no filter feeding. The bivalves were collected from two sites: one located near a highly populated region and the other located relatively far from human activity. Analyses of samples collected nearly every decade in a period of 30 years suggested that environmental policy restrictions might be effective in reducing chemical pollution. However, the detection of contamination in deep-sea chemosynthetic animals suggests that the pollution could be spreading globally to chemosynthetic organisms with limited or no feeding. To protect these highly endemic and vulnerable deep-sea chemosynthetic ecosystems, our findings indicate that further research on chemical contamination and its effects on these ecosystems is required.

Optimizing one-dose and two-dose cholera vaccine allocation in outbreak settings: A modeling study

Background: A global stockpile of oral cholera vaccine (OCV) was established in 2013 for use in outbreak response and are licensed as two-dose regimens. Vaccine availability, however, remains limited. Previous studies have found that a single dose of OCV may provide substantial protection against cholera. Methods: Using a mathematical model with two age groups paired with optimization algorithms, we determine the optimal vaccination strategy with one and two doses of vaccine to minimize cumulative overall infections, symptomatic infections, and deaths. We explore counterfactual vaccination scenarios in three distinct settings: Maela, the largest refugee camp in Thailand, with high in- and out-migration; N'Djamena, Chad, a densely populated region; and Haiti, where departments are connected by rivers and roads. Results: Over the short term under limited vaccine supply, the optimal strategies for all objectives prioritize one dose to the older age group (over five years old), irrespective of setting and level of vaccination coverage. As more vaccine becomes available, it is optimal to administer a second dose for long-term protection. With enough vaccine to cover the whole population with one dose, the optimal strategies can avert up to 30% to 90% of deaths and 36% to 92% of symptomatic infections across the three settings over one year. The one-dose optimal strategies can avert 1.2 to 1.8 times as many cases and deaths as a two-dose pro-rata strategy. Conclusions: In an outbreak setting, speedy vaccination campaigns with a single dose of OCV may avert more cases and deaths than a two-dose pro-rata campaign under a limited vaccine supply.

2020 COVID-19 lockdown and the impacts on air quality with emphasis on urban, suburban and rural zones

Air quality improvements pollution changes due to COVID-19 restrictions have been reported for many urban developments and large metropolitan areas, but the respective impacts at rural and remote zones are less frequently analysed. This study evaluated air pollution changes across all Portugal (68 stations) considering all urban, suburban and rural zones. PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2, ozone was analysed in pre-, during, and post-lockdown period (January–May 2020) and for a comparison also in 2019. NO2 was the most reduced pollutant in 2020, which coincided with decreased traffic. Significant drop (15–71%) of traffic related NO2 was observed specifically during lockdown period, being 55% for the largest and most populated region in country. PM was affected to a lesser degree (with substantial differences found for largely populated areas (Lisbon region ~ 30%; North region, up to 49%); during lockdown traffic-related PM dropped 10–70%. PM10 daily limit was exceeded 50% less in 2020, with 80% of exceedances before lockdown period. SO2 decreased by 35%, due to suspended industrial productions, whereas ozone concentrations slightly (though not significantly) increased (83 vs. 80 µg m–3).

Plant Virus and Virus-like Disease Threats to Australia’s North Targeted by the Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy

The Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy (NAQS) is a biosecurity initiative operated by the Australian federal government’s Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment (DAWE). It is unique worldwide because it deals specifically with the potential arrival via unregulated pathways of exotic threats from overseas in a vast and sparsely populated region. It aims to protect the nation’s animal- and plant-based production industries, as well as the environment, from incursions of organisms from countries that lie immediately to the north. These are diseases, pests, and weeds present in these countries that are currently either absent from, or under active containment in, Australia and may arrive by natural or human-assisted means. This review article focuses on the plant viruses and virus-like diseases that are most highly targeted by the NAQS program. It presents eight pathogen species/group entries in the NAQS A list of target pathogens, providing an overview of the historical and current situation, and collates some new data obtained from surveillance activities conducted in northern Australia and collaborative work overseas.

Sherman’s March to the Sea

Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s March to the Sea began at Atlanta, Georgia, on November 15, 1864, and ended thirty-seven days later in Savannah, Georgia. With roughly 60,000 infantry and 5,500 cavalry, Sherman cut a path often sixty miles wide across the state’s most fertile and populated region. He wanted to make war so harsh on civilians that they would demand that the Confederate government abandon the fight. Despite the folklore surrounding the March there was not widespread destruction, but Sherman did succeed in bringing the war to the state’s previously untouched plantation region and to the White population that had not felt any direct effects from the fighting. The March also forever changed the lives of slaves who abandoned their masters to follow Sherman’s soldiers. As a result, the March to the Sea ranks as one of the most significant Union campaigns despite the fact there were no major battles or heavy casualties.

Forecasts and demographic development of the population of Fergana Valley regions of Uzbekistan until 2040

The world's population is growing rapidly and today exceeds 7.8 billion people. World population growth is expected to slow down slowly in the future. A decade ago, the world's population increased by 1.24 percent; today it is 1.1 percent, an increase of 83 million a year. The world's population is expected to reach 8.6 billion by 2030. (UNFPA 2015). This creates a regional imbalance between population growth and the development of employment, production and social infrastructure. Information is needed on the creation of new jobs in the regions, for planning the construction of preschool institutions, schools, higher and secondary specialized educational institutions, how many children will be able to attend preschool institutions in the future, how many children will reach school age and how many children will be transfered to specialized secondary and higher education, how much the labor force will increase. The population of Uzbekistan is constantly growing. From 1991 to 2020, the country's population increased by 1.7 times. For comparison: during this period, the population of neighboring Kyrgyzstan increased by 1.3 times, the population of Kazakhstan – by 1.02 times, the population of Tajikistan – by 1.5 times, the population of Turkmenistan – by 1.4 times. During the years of independence in Uzbekistan, special attention was paid to demographic issues based on the population and the human factor, the principles of a healthy mother and a healthy child. The course of demographic processes changes in accordance with the natural, socio-economic geographical conditions of the regions (Tojieva Z. N. 2019). The Fergana Valley is the most densely populated region of Uzbekistan with a small territory, a large demographic load and the largest demographic potential (Abdullaev O. 2000). Land resources with limited, high demographic pressure require research aimed at identifying, predicting and preventing future adverse events specific to the development of demographic processes in the regions of the valley. The article makes a forecast for 2025–2040 and draws conclusions using the method of age shift of the population of regions, districts and cities of the Fergana Valley, demographic regions and gender and age composition.

Classification of Zagros earthquakes based on focal mechanism

The Zagros suture zone is seismically active region in Iranian plateau. This region is of high importance in terms of seismicity, since it is a vast and populated region and in recent years the earthquakes with high intensities have frequently occurred and have caused extensive destruction and heavy human loss. The study of the focal mechanism is very important in understanding the seismotectonic characteristics. Focal mechanisms of Zagros were collected over a period of 20 years and they were classified by FMC software. Seven groups were considered for the type of faulting and Zagros was divided into three zones. For each zone, the frequency percentage of each group of faults was determined. The most of faulting are of the reverse and compression type with the strike-slip component. Finally, the role of nodal plane selection in determining the type of faulting was discussed and it was found that the selection of each nodal plane in determining the type of faulting has the same result.