From HIV to COVID-19, Molecular mechanisms of pathogens' trade-off and persistence in the community, potential targets for new drug development.

Background: On the staggering emergence of the Omicron variant, numerous questions arose about the evolution of virulence and transmissibility in microbes. Main body of the abstract: The trade-off hypothesis has long speculated the exchange of virulence for the sake of superior transmissibility in a wide array of pathogens. While this certainly applies to the case of the Omicron variant, along with influenza virus, various reports have been allocated for an array of pathogens such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), malaria, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and tuberculosis (TB). The latter abide to another form of trade-off, the invasion-persistence trade-off. In this study, we aim to explore the molecular mechanisms and mutations of different obligate intracellular pathogens that attenuated their more morbid characters, virulence in acute infections and invasion in chronic infections. Short conclusion: Recognizing the mutations that attenuate the most morbid characters of pathogens such as virulence or persistence can help in tailoring new therapies for such pathogens. Targeting macrophage tropism of HIV by carbohydrate-binding agents, or targeting the TMPRSS2 receptors to prevent pulmonary infiltrates of COVID-19 is an example of how important is to recognize such genetic mechanisms.

Are Filipino students ready to collaborate? Comparing the readiness of healthcare students for interprofessional education in the Philippines.

The inclusion of interprofessional education in healthcare curricula in the Philippines has paved the way for the researchers to examine students' readiness to learn with, about, and from one another to foster collaboration in providing quality patient care. In view of this, we examined the differential attitude of 423 Filipino students to get involved in interprofessional learning using the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale. Using multivariate analysis of variance, we found differences across gender, program, and year level among students from medical technology, pharmacy, physical therapy and occupational therapy in terms of teamwork and collaboration, negative professional identity, positive professional identity, and roles and responsibilities. These differences can inform the development of an intervention program to elicit a favorable attitude toward interprofessional collaboration. Theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Porcine Hemagglutinating Encephalomyelitis Virus and Respiratory Disease in Exhibition Swine, Michigan, USA, 2015.

Acute outbreaks of respiratory disease in swine at agricultural fairs in Michigan, USA, in 2015 raised concern for potential human exposure to influenza A virus. Testing ruled out influenza A virus and identified porcine hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus as the cause of influenza-like illness in the affected swine.

Assessment of the effect of cyclosporine-A 0.05% emulsion on the ocular surface and corneal sensation following cataract surgery.

AIM: To assess the effect of cyclosporine-A (CsA) 0.05% ophthalmic emulsion on corneal sensation and ocular surface problems following cataract surgery. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, double masked clinical trial. METHODS: Consecutive case series of patients attending for bilateral cataract surgery. Subject's eyes were randomized to receive either topical CsA or carboxymethylcellulose 0.5% (CMC) eye drops twice daily for one month following routine cataract surgery. Subjective and objective assessments were performed pre-operatively, one week, and one month after surgery. Primary safety parameters included best spectacle-corrected visual acuity and incidence of adverse events. Objective assessments included tests of tear film (osmolarity, tear break-up time, and Schirmer's type-I test), ocular surface staining, corneal sensitivity and a subjective assessment: ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaire. RESULTS: 30 subjects (60 eyes) were recruited. At one month following cataract surgery, osmolarity, ocular surface staining, TBUT, Schirmer's results showed a greater improvement after CsA drops compared to CMC and this was statistically significant for all measures (p<0.05). All corneal sensation measurements were reduced after one week and one month. Eyes receiving CsA had higher recovery of corneal sensation at both time points post operatively and this was statistically significant at one month. OSDI questionnaire results did not show a statistically significant difference between the two eyes. CONCLUSIONS: CsA is effective and safe in the management of ocular surface problems after cataract surgery and allows faster recovery of corneal sensation. This recovery of sensation may be relevant to the improvement in ocular surface problems in all patients.

Artisan iris-fixated toric phakic intraocular lens for the correction of high astigmatism after deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty.

We report the refractive correction of high astigmatism in one eye of a 23-year-old woman following deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK) using an Artisan iris-fixated, toric, phakic intraocular lens (IOL). One year after implantation, uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuities were both 20/25, refraction was -1.00 D cylinder, and the endothelial cell count was 1827 cells/mm(2). Iris-fixated phakic IOLs are not recommended for every postkeratoplasty patient with high refractive error; however, this procedure can offer good outcomes in carefully selected cases of previous DALK.

Perceived family conflict, parental attachment, and depression in African American female adolescents.

The purpose of this study was to test a hypothesized model that explored the degree to which parental attachment mediated the relationship between perceived family conflict and depression in a sample of 283 African American female adolescents. Results revealed that perceived family conflict had both a direct and an indirect effect on depression, with parental attachment mediating 28% of the effect of perceived family conflict on depression. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Sociocultural predictors of psychological help-seeking attitudes and behavior among Mexican American college students.

Sociocultural variables of acculturation, enculturation, cultural congruity, and perceived social support were used as predictors of psychological help-seeking attitudes and behaviors among 162 Mexican American college students. Multivariate multiple regression analyses indicated that higher cultural congruity, lower perceived social support from family, and higher perceived social support from significant others were significant predictors of positive help-seeking attitudes. In addition, higher acculturation into the dominant society, lower perceived social support from family, and lower perceived social support from friends were significantly predictive of greater help-seeking behavior. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Racism-related stress, Africultural coping, and religious problem-solving among African Americans.

This study explored the extent to which three types of racism-related stress (i.e., individual, institutional, and cultural) would predict the use of specific Africultural coping strategies (i.e., cognitive/emotional debriefing, spiritual-centered, collective, and ritual-centered coping) and religious problem-solving styles (i.e., self-directing, deferring, and collaborative) in a sample of 284 African American men and women. The authors found that higher institutional racism-related stress was associated with greater use of cognitive/emotional debriefing, spiritual-centered, and collective coping in African American women. Findings also indicated that higher cultural racism-related stress was predictive of lower use of self-directing religious problem-solving in African American women. Moreover, higher perceived cultural racism-related stress was related to greater use of collective coping strategies in African American men. Individual racism-related stress was not predictive of any forms of Africultural coping strategies or religious problem-solving. Implications of the findings are discussed.

A confirmatory test of the underlying factor structure of scores on the collective self-esteem scale in two independent samples of Black Americans.

In this study, we examined the factor structure of the Collective Self-Esteem Scale (CSES; Luhtanen & Crocker, 1992) across 2 separate samples of Black Americans. The CSES was administered to a sample of Black American adolescents (n = 538) and a community sample of Black American adults (n = 313). Results of confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs), however, did not support the original 4-factor model identified by Luhtanen and Crocker (1992) as providing an adequate fit to the data for these samples. Furthermore, an exploratory CFA procedure failed to find a CSES factor structure that could be replicated across the 2 samples of Black Americans. We present and discuss implications of the findings.

A qualitative investigation of the cultural adjustment experiences of Asian international college women.

This qualitative study explored the cultural adjustment experiences of 15 Asian Indian, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese international college women through semistructured interviews. By using consensual qualitative research methodology (C. E. Hill, B. J. Thompson, & E. N. Williams, 1997), 6 primary domains or themes related to these women's cultural adjustment experiences were identified via data analysis: their feelings and thoughts about living in the United States, perceived differences between their country of origin and the United States, their English language acquisition and use, their prejudicial or discriminatory experiences in the United States, their peer and family networks, and their strategies for coping with cultural adjustment problems. Implications of the findings for mental health practice are discussed.

Coping responses of Asian, Black, and Latino/Latina New York City residents following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States.

This study examined mechanisms for coping with adversity in a sample of 24 Asian, Black, and Latino/Latina residents of New York City following the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center (WTC) terrorist attacks. Using consensual qualitative research methodology (C. E. Hill, B. J. Thompson, & E. N. Williams, 1997), the authors identified 7 broad coping domains used by the participants: (a) sought additional information about the WTC tragedy, (b) expressed a range of emotions, (c) sought or gave support, (d) engaged in religious or spiritual activities, (e) avoidance, (f) forbearance, and (g) used indigenous healing techniques. Although there were similarities across racial or cultural groups and genders with regard to the coping responses used, there also were unique coping strategies by racial or cultural background and gender.

Self-concealment, social self-efficacy, acculturative stress, and depression in African, Asian, and Latin American international college students.

The primary purpose of this exploratory investigation was to examine self-concealment behaviors and social self-efficacy skills as potential mediators in the relationship between acculturative stress and depression in a sample of 320 African, Asian, and Latin American international college students. The authors found several differences by demography with regard to the study's variables. After controlling for regional group membership, sex, and English language fluency, they found that self-concealment and social self-efficacy did not serve as mediators in the relationship between African, Asian, and Latin American international students' acculturative stress experiences and depressive symptomatology. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Cross-cultural considerations of therapist self-disclosure.

Much of the existing literature on psychotherapist self-disclosure has been with White or European American individuals. This article discusses cross-cultural considerations related to therapist self-disclosure. We present a clinical example of how therapist self-disclosure might play an important role with regard to working with people of color.

The factor structure underlying three self-report multicultural counseling competence scales.

This study examined the extent to which 3 self-report multicultural scales were measuring the predominant 3-factor conceptualization of multicultural counseling competence as consisting of multicultural attitudes/beliefs, knowledge, and skills. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the 3-factor model was not fully supported. An exploratory factor analysis identified a 2-factor structure (i.e., self-perceived multicultural counseling skills and multicultural counseling attitudes/beliefs) underlying these instruments. Implications of the findings for clinical practice, training, and research are discussed.

Spectrum of beta-thalassemia mutations in Calabria: implications for prenatal diagnosis.

Using a combination of oligonucleotide probes and restriction endonuclease enzymes, we characterize beta-thalassemic mutations in 91 homozygous patients and 86 unrelated carriers. Overall, 268 beta-thalassemic genes were obtained. Eleven beta-globin mutations were identified, confirming the wide molecular heterogeneity of beta-thalassemia in Calabria. Information from the present study represents the mainstay for the development of a program of early prenatal diagnosis by direct detection of mutations in Calabria.

Gene expression of hematoregulatory cytokines is elevated endogenously after sublethal gamma irradiation and is differentially enhanced by therapeutic administration of biologic response modifiers.

Prompt, cytokine-mediated restoration of hematopoiesis is a prerequisite for survival after irradiation. Therapy with biologic response modifiers (BRMs), such as LPS, 3D monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL), and synthetic trehalose dicorynomycolate (S-TDCM) presumably accelerates hematopoietic recovery after irradiation by enhancing expression of cytokines. However, the kinetics of the cytokine gene response to BRMs and/or irradiation are poorly defined. One hour after sublethal (7.0 Gy) 60Cobalt gamma irradiation, B6D2F1/J female mice received a single i.p. injection of LPS, MPL, S-TDCM, an extract from Serratia marcescens (Sm-BRM), or Tween 80 in saline (TS). Five hours later, a quantitative reverse transcription-PCR assay demonstrated marked splenic gene expression for IL-1 beta, IL-3, IL-6, and granulocyte-CSF (G-CSF). Enhanced gene expression for TNF-alpha, macrophage-CSF (M-CSF), and stem cell factor (SCF) was not detected. Injection of any BRM further enhanced cytokine gene expression and plasma levels of CSF activity within 24 h after irradiation and hastened bone marrow recovery. Mice injected with S-TDCM or Sm-BRM sustained expression of the IL-6 gene for at least 24 h after irradiation. Sm-BRM-treated mice exhibited greater gene expression for IL-1 beta, IL-3, TNF-alpha, and G-CSF at day 1 than any other BRM. When challenged with 2 LD50/30 of Klebsiella pneumoniae 4 days after irradiation, 100% of Sm-BRM-treated mice and 70% of S-TDCM-treated mice survived, whereas < or = 30% of mice treated with LPS, MPL, or TS survived. Thus, sublethal irradiation induces transient, splenic cytokine gene expression that can be differentially amplified and prolonged by BRMs. BRMs that sustained and/or enhanced irradiation-induced expression of specific cytokine genes improved survival after experimental infection.

Differential myelopoietic responsiveness of BALB/c (Itys) and C.D2 (Ityr) mice to lipopolysaccharide administration and Salmonella typhimurium infection.

Inheritance of the Ityr or the Itys allele of the Ity murine gene confers resistance or increased susceptibility, respectively, to Salmonella typhimurium infection. Recent studies have documented that Ity gene expression may determine net intracellular replication of S. typhimurium by modulating macrophage function. The purpose of this study was to determine if Ity gene expression modulated macrophage stem cell proliferation as well. To detect possible Ity-associated alterations in macrophage stem cell proliferation during endotoxin challenge or S. typhimurium infection, the congenic strain pair BALB/c (Itys) and C.D2-Idh-1, Pep-3 N20F8 (Ityr) were injected intraperitoneally with 25 micrograms of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or approximately 10(3) S. typhimurium, and myelopoiesis was evaluated. At 72 h after LPS injection, both BALB/c and C.D2 mice developed comparable degrees of bone marrow hypocellularity and splenomegaly, and cell sizing profiles indicated a normal response to a single injection of LPS in both strains of mice. Although an inhibitor to colony-stimulating factor activity was detected in the sera and plasma of C.D2 mice, the number of myeloid stem cells cultured from the bone marrow and spleen of each mouse strain were comparable. S. typhimurium infection resulted in earlier symptoms, a larger bacterial load, a higher mortality rate, and a greater bone marrow hypocellularity and splenomegaly in BALB/c mice compared with those in C.D2 mice. Despite a dramatic increase in bacterial load, a decrease in both bone marrow and splenic myeloid stem cell numbers was noted in BALB/c mice, while stem cell numbers remained constant in C.D2 mice between days 3 and 5 and increased dramatically at day 7 after infection. These data suggest that BALB/c and C.D2 mice may exhibit a divergent myelopoietic response to S. typhimurium infection. It appears that a paradoxical failure of myelopoiesis in Itys mice during S. typhimurium infection may contribute to the observed increase in mortality.

Therapies for radiation injuries: research perspectives.

Exposure to radiation damages the immune, hematopoietic, and gastrointestinal components of the host defense system. This may lead to serious endogenous or exogenous infections. When radiation injury is combined with other physical trauma, e.g., burn or wound, the resulting damage to these systems is synergistic, and treatment for infection requires multiple approaches. This paper reviews successful single and combined therapeutic modalities for infections in irradiated mice and irradiated mice inflicted with trauma that are currently conducted at the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute. The models of endogenous and exogenous infection and combined injury are described. The management of wounds infected with bacteria, exogenous systemic infection due to gram-negative enteric bacteria, and the chemoprophylaxis of enteric-derived systemic infection with quinolones is described. Infections can be treated successfully with proper antimicrobial therapy. In gamma- and neutron-irradiated mice, the immunomodulator trehalose dimycolate (TDM) was effective in treating endogenous infection. TDM with the antimicrobial ceftriaxone was effective in treating exogenous infection due to Klebsiella pneumoniae. Improvement in managing infection in irradiated and injured hosts will require further research using these diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. Accurate biological dosimetry is critical in determining if victims are at risk of developing infection. We found that radiation induced changes in plasma diamine oxidase activity; monitoring these changes was a useful indicator of the severity of radiation injury.

Synthetic trehalose dicorynomycolate and antimicrobials increase survival from sepsis in mice immunocompromised by radiation and trauma.

When mammalian antimicrobial defenses are compromised by radiation, death from sepsis may occur. Tissue trauma in irradiated hosts significantly increases mortality from bacterial infections and makes antimicrobial treatments more difficult than when individuals are subjected to trauma or radiation alone. We determined that postirradiation therapy with the immunomodulator synthetic trehalose dicorynomycolate (S-TDCM) and antimicrobials increases survival in mice after lethal irradiation and tissue trauma. Single agent therapy with systemic oxacillin, gentamicin, ofloxacin, and S-TDCM did not increase survival. Topical treatment of the injury with gentamicin cream in addition to systemic therapy with oxacillin or S-TDCM was necessary to enhance survival. Therapy with gentamicin and S-TDCM had a synergistic effect on survival. Therapies combining augmentation of non-specific host defense mechanisms with antimicrobials may be valuable in treating irradiated patients also sustaining tissue trauma.