Phylogenic analysis of serotype Asia1 foot-and-mouth disease virus from Sulaimani/Iraq using VP1 protein: heterogeneity with vaccine strain As1/Shamir/89

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) serotypes O, A and Asia1 are responsible for a significant number of disease outbreaks in Iraq. The current study can be considered as the first molecular characterization of serotype Asia1 in Iraq. The present investigation reports the detection of serotype FMDV Asia1 from local farms in Sulaimani districts in 2012 and 2014 outbreaks. Phylogenetic analysis of the complete VP1 gene has shown that FMDV Asia1 field isolates were under genetic novel variant Sindh-08 (group VII) including PAK/iso/11 and TUR/13 strains. The VP1 protein sequence of circulatory FMDV Asia1 genotype showed heterogeneity of nine amino acid substitutions within the G-H loop with the vaccine strain As1/Shamir/89 (JF739177) that is currently used in vaccination program in Iraq. Our result indicated that differences in VP1 protein at G-H loop of the locally circulated FMDV serotype Asia1 strain may be a reason for current vaccination failure

Reliability of the tools used to examine psychological distress, fear of COVID-19 and coping amongst migrants and non-migrants in Australia

Study tools examining psychological distress, fear of COVID-19 and coping amongst migrants and non-migrants in Australia are very limited. The aim of this research was to assess the psychometric properties and correlation of the English version of Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10), Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCSV-19S), and Brief Resilient Coping Scale (BRCS) tools during the COVID-19 pandemic situation in Australia. Data from a cross-sectional survey (n = 516) were utilized to examine reliability; 299 (57.9%) were migrants. High internal consistency, as evidenced by Cronbach’s alpha, was found for the K-10 (0.92), FCV-19S (0.87) and BRCS (0.66) tools. The corresponding values for migrants and non-migrants were (0.92, 0.87, 0.67) and (0.92, 0.86, 0.63), respectively. Item-total correlations ranged 0.57-0.78 for K-10, 0.62–0.69 for FCV-19S, and 0.39–0.50 for BRCS tools. EFA retained a single factor for each tool with adequate factor loadings. The scoring of K-10 was significantly predicted by the scoring of FCV-19S (r = 0.284, P < 0.001) and BRCS tool (r = 0.132, P < 0.01). Therefore, these tools can be used reliably amongst both migrant and non-migrant population in Australia. © 2021 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd. **Please note that there are multiple authors for this article therefore only the name of the first 5 including Federation University Australia affiliate “Muhammad Aziz Rahman and Wendy Cross" is provided in this record*

Synthesis, Antimicrobial, and DFT Studies of Some Benzyl 4-O-Acyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosides

Application of carbohydrate fatty acid (CFA) esters in food and beverage industries has increased their interest in other fields. Especially rhamnopyranoside esters having both the hydrophilic and lipophilic nature had broader applications including anticancer activities. Benzyl α-L-rhamnopyranoside, prepared from L-rhamnose, on 2,3-O-isopropylidene protection with 2,2-dimethoxypropane followed by acylation at C-4 hydroxyl position with different acylating agents furnished the corresponding 4-O-acyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosides in good yields. All the compounds were well characterized by spectroscopic techniques.&nbsp;In vitro&nbsp;antimicrobial activities against eight bacterial and two fungal pathogens indicated that these 2,3-O-isopropylidene protected rhamnopyranosides had weak to moderate inhibitory properties. To rationalize such moderate activities structural (conformational) distortion of these monoacetonide protected CFA esters were studied from the density functional theory (DFT) optimized structures. In addition, thermodynamic properties including frontier molecular orbitals of the synthesized rhamnopyranosides were calculated and discussed. Corroboration of all the studies signifies that the moderate antimicrobial efficacy of the isopropylidene protected rhamnopyranosides might be due to their distorted conformations, lower softness and smaller dipole moments. DOI:&nbsp;http://dx.doi.org/10.17807/orbital.v13i3.161

Outcomes of synchronous and metachronous bilateral small renal masses (&lt; 4 cm):a population‑based cohort study

Objectives: To report longitudinal outcomes of a population based cohort of patients diagnosed with bilateral small renal masses from a period of over 11 years.Patients and Methods: Consecutive patients diagnosed with bilateral small renal masses (synchronous or metachronous) of a defined geographical area were recorded in a large database (TUCAN database) between January 2005 and December 2016. Patients had a unique identifier number and followed during this period using an agreed upon protocol. Clinicopathological characteristics and outcomes of bilateral small renal masses on active surveillance were analysed and compared to propensity score matched sporadic unilateral small renal masses. Data were analysed for renal mass growth rate, rate of intervention and development of metastatic disease and patient survival.Results: A total of 1060 patients were diagnosed with renal cancer, of which bilateral small renal masses accounted for 70 (6.6%) cases. Synchronous SRMs were observed in 63 patients, whereas metachronous lesions were found in seven patients during the study period. Metachronous lesion mean time to appearance was 62 ± 41 months (range, 9 to 149 months). While most cases were sporadic, four were found to be hereditary. Growth rate of bilateral small renal masses did not differ from that of unilateral sporadic small renal masses. Similarly, there were no differences between the groups for rate of interventions and survival.Conclusion: Progression, rate of metastases and survival for patients diagnosed with bilateral small renal masses is similar to those diagnosed with unilateral disease

Formulation, characterization and evaluation of morusin loaded niosomes for potentiation of anticancer therapy.

Morusin, a water-insoluble prenylated flavonoid is known for its numerous medicinal properties. It manifests its anticancer potential by suppression of genes involved in tumor progression. However, poor solubility of the drug results in low bioavailability and rapid degradation thus hindering its clinical utilization. In order to overcome this, we have synthesized a niosome system composed of non-ionic surfactant span 60 and cholesterol using a thin-layer evaporation technique to improve the aqueous-phase solubility of the drug. Highly cytocompatible niosomes of 479 nm average size with smooth and uniform spherical morphology were synthesized in a facile manner. Unlike free morusin, nanomorusin was found to be freely dispersible in aqueous media. Having an extremely high drug entrapment efficiency (97%), controlled and sustained release of morusin resulting in enhanced therapeutic efficacy was observed in cancer cell lines of 4 different lineages. The results demonstrate that the morusin-niosome system is a promising strategy for enhanced anti-cancer activity against multiple cancer types and could be an indispensable tool for future targeted chemotherapeutic strategies

Petrographic Study of Sedimentary Iron Ore in Shendi-Atbara Basin,River Nile State, Sudan

This paper presents the results of petrographic study of sedimentary iron ore from surface strata of the Shendi-Atbara Basin, River Nile State, Sudan. The aims of this study are to investigate the geological behavior and geological conditions affecting precipitation of sedimentary iron ore. The methodologies have been used to realize the objectives of this study include field work, office work and laboratory work including thin sections and polished sections analysis. According to field observation sedimentary iron ore can broadly be considered as occurring in three major classes:Ferribands iron, ferricrete iron and oolitic iron ores. The modes of occurrence of iron ore were described at the outcrops and vertical sedimentary profiles revealed that the iron occurred in the study area at different types in stratigraphic sequence such as cap, bedded and interbedded conformable with Shendi Formation. Petrographic study of iron ore in collected samples using polarized microscope and ore microscope includes study of the textures and structures of ores to obtain ore history. The main types of textures and structures in studied samples are oolitic, granular, lamellar and bands.According to these results the origin of iron ore is formed by chemical precipitation during chemical weathering of surrounding areas in continental lacustrine environment. The iron ore in study area is potential for future mining works and steel industr

The impact of type 2 diabetes on health related quality of life in Bangladesh: results from a matched study comparing treated cases with non-diabetic controls

Background Little is known about the association between diabetes and health related quality of life (HRQL) in lower-middle income countries. This study aimed to investigate HRQL among individuals with and without diabetes in Bangladesh. Methods The analysis is based on data of a case-control study, including 591 patients with type 2 diabetes (cases) who attended an outpatient unit of a hospital in Dhaka and 591 age -and sex-matched individuals without diabetes (controls). Information about socio-demographic characteristics, health conditions, and HRQL were assessed in a structured interview. HRQL was measured with the EuroQol (EQ) visual analogue scale (VAS) and the EQ five-dimensional (5D) descriptive system. The association between diabetes status and quality of life was examined using multiple linear and logistic regression models. Results Mean EQ-VAS score of patients with diabetes was 11.5 points lower (95 %-CI: −13.5, −9.6) compared to controls without diabetes. Patients with diabetes were more likely to report problems in all EQ-5D dimensions than controls, with the largest effect observed in the dimensions ‘self-care’ (OR = 5.9; 95 %-CI: 2.9, 11.8) and ‘mobility’ (OR = 4.5; 95 %-CI: 3.0, −6.6). In patients with diabetes, male gender, high education, and high-income were associated with higher VAS score and diabetes duration and foot ulcer associated with lower VAS scores. Other diabetes-related complications were not significantly associated with HRQL. Conclusions Our findings suggest that the impact of diabetes on HRQL in the Bangladeshi population is much higher than what is known from western populations and that unlike in western populations comorbidities/complications are not the driving factor for this effect

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Global, regional, and national burden of chronic kidney disease, 1990–2017 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background Health system planning requires careful assessment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) epidemiology, but data for morbidity and mortality of this disease are scarce or non-existent in many countries. We estimated the global, regional, and national burden of CKD, as well as the burden of cardiovascular disease and gout attributable to impaired kidney function, for the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017. We use the term CKD to refer to the morbidity and mortality that can be directly attributed to all stages of CKD, and we use the term impaired kidney function to refer to the additional risk of CKD from cardiovascular disease and gout. Methods The main data sources we used were published literature, vital registration systems, end-stage kidney disease registries, and household surveys. Estimates of CKD burden were produced using a Cause of Death Ensemble model and a Bayesian meta-regression analytical tool, and included incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability, mortality, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). A comparative risk assessment approach was used to estimate the proportion of cardiovascular diseases and gout burden attributable to impaired kidney function. Findings Globally, in 2017, 1·2 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 1·2 to 1·3) people died from CKD. The global all-age mortality rate from CKD increased 41·5% (95% UI 35·2 to 46·5) between 1990 and 2017, although there was no significant change in the age-standardised mortality rate (2·8%, −1·5 to 6·3). In 2017, 697·5 million (95% UI 649·2 to 752·0) cases of all-stage CKD were recorded, for a global prevalence of 9·1% (8·5 to 9·8). The global all-age prevalence of CKD increased 29·3% (95% UI 26·4 to 32·6) since 1990, whereas the age-standardised prevalence remained stable (1·2%, −1·1 to 3·5). CKD resulted in 35·8 million (95% UI 33·7 to 38·0) DALYs in 2017, with diabetic nephropathy accounting for almost a third of DALYs. Most of the burden of CKD was concentrated in the three lowest quintiles of Socio-demographic Index (SDI). In several regions, particularly Oceania, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America, the burden of CKD was much higher than expected for the level of development, whereas the disease burden in western, eastern, and central sub-Saharan Africa, east Asia, south Asia, central and eastern Europe, Australasia, and western Europe was lower than expected. 1·4 million (95% UI 1·2 to 1·6) cardiovascular disease-related deaths and 25·3 million (22·2 to 28·9) cardiovascular disease DALYs were attributable to impaired kidney function. Interpretation Kidney disease has a major effect on global health, both as a direct cause of global morbidity and mortality and as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. CKD is largely preventable and treatable and deserves greater attention in global health policy decision making, particularly in locations with low and middle SDI

TPPSO: A Novel Two-Phase Particle Swarm Optimization

Particle swarm optimization (PSO) is a stout and rapid searching algorithm that has been used in various applications. Nevertheless, its major drawback is the stagnation problem that arises in the later phases of the search process. To solve this problem, a proper balance between investigation and manipulation throughout the search process should be maintained. This article proposes a new PSO variant named two-phases PSO (TPPSO). The concept of TPPSO is to split the search process into two phases. The first phase performs the original PSO operations with linearly decreasing inertia weight, and its objective is to focus on exploration. The second phase focuses on exploitation by generating two random positions in each iteration that are close to the global best position. The two generated positions are compared with the global best position sequentially. If a generated position performs better than the global best position, then it replaces the global best position. To prove the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, sixteen popular unimodal, multimodal, shifted, and rotated benchmarking functions have been used to compare its performance with other existing well-known PSO variants and non-PSO algorithms. Simulation results show that TPPSO outperforms the other modified and hybrid PSO variants regarding solution quality, convergence speed, and robustness. The convergence speed of TPPSO is extremely fast, making it a suitable optimizer for real-world optimization problems