Investigation of the relationships among respiratory syncytial virus infection, T cell immune response and intestinal flora.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the relationships among respiratory syncytial virus infection, T cell immune response and intestinal flora. Peer-reviewed papers published in English were collected through extensive searches performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases. The articles were reviewed to extract relevant information on the immune responses of Th1/Th2 and Treg/Th17 to respiratory syncytial virus infection in the body. RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus, RSV) infection leads to imbalance between Th1/Th2 and Treg/Th17 immune cells, resulting in Th2 or Th17 dominant immune responses, which can generate immune disorder and aggravate clinical symptoms. Intestinal micro-organisms play very important roles in maintaining stable immune environment, stimulating immune system maturation and balancing Th1/Th2 and Treg/Th17 immune systems in children. In our review of various papers from around the world, we speculated that the steady state of intestinal bacteria was disturbed after children got infected with RSV, resulting in intestinal flora disorder. Then, the imbalance between Th1/Th2 and Treg/Th17 immune cells was increased. Both intestinal flora disorder and RSV infection could cause cellular immunity imbalance of Th1/Th2 or Treg/Th17, eventually leading to disease deterioration and even a vicious cycle. Normal intestinal flora can maintain immune system stability, regulate the dynamic balance of Th1/Th2 and Treg/Th17 and prevent or mitigate adverse consequences of RSV infection. Because probiotics can improve intestinal barrier function and regulate immune response, they can effectively be used to treat children with recurrent respiratory tract infections. Using conventional antiviral therapy strategy supplemented with probiotics in the treatment of clinical RSV infection may be better for the body.

Multiplex RT-qPCR assay (N200) to detect and estimate prevalence of multiple SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern in wastewater

Wastewater-based surveillance (WBS) has become an effective tool around the globe for indirect monitoring of COVID-19 in communities. Quantities of viral fragments of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater are related to numbers of clinical cases of COVID-19 reported within the corresponding sewershed. Variants of Concern (VOCs) have been detected in wastewater by use of reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) or sequencing. A multiplex RT-qPCR assay to detect and estimate the prevalence of multiple VOCs, including Omicron/Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta, in wastewater RNA extracts was developed and validated. The probe-based multiplex assay, named "N200" focuses on amino acids 199-202, a region of the N gene that contains several mutations that are associated with variants of SARS- CoV-2 within a single amplicon. Each of the probes in the N200 assay are specific to the targeted mutations and worked equally well in single- and multi-plex modes. To estimate prevalence of each VOC, the abundance of the targeted mutation was compared with a non- mutated region within the same amplified region. The N200 assay was applied to monitor frequencies of VOCs in wastewater extracts from six sewersheds in Ontario, Canada collected between December 1, 2021, and January 4, 2022. Using the N200 assay, the replacement of the Delta variant along with the introduction and rapid dominance of the Omicron variant were monitored in near real-time, as they occurred nearly simultaneously at all six locations. The N200 assay is robust and efficient for wastewater surveillance can be adopted into VOC monitoring programs or replace more laborious assays currently being used to monitor SARS- CoV-2 and its VOCs.

Examining the gender composition of drug injecting initiation events: A mixed methods investigation of three North American contexts.

BACKGROUND: Gender influences the health and social risks faced by individuals initiating drug injecting. Using mixed methods across three settings in North America, we investigated the gender composition of injection initiation events and the gendered risk environments in which they occurred. METHODS: The PReventing Injecting by Modifying Existing Responses (PRIMER) study pooled data from three prospective community-recruited cohorts of people who inject drugs (PWID) in San Diego, USA, Vancouver, Canada, and Tijuana, Mexico. A qualitative subsample provided narrative data on their experiences of, and the contexts for, injection initiation events. Guided by Rhodes' risk environment framework, we examined the gender composition of initiation events stratified by city, and analyzed qualitative data using abductive thematic analyses. RESULTS: Among 2,622 PWID (Tijuana: n = 531; San Diego: n = 352; Vancouver: n = 1,739), 112 (4.3%) reported providing initiation assistance to injection-naïve individuals in the previous six months. The proportion of gender concordant (e.g., male-male) initiation pairs varied, (χ2 = 10.32, p <0.001) with greater than expected concordance among pairs in Tijuana compared with those in Vancouver or San Diego. Sixty-one interviews provided context for the discrepancy across sites by highlighting the gendered injection initiation risk environments of prison/jail detention in Tijuana, intimate partnerships in San Diego, and overdose risk in Vancouver. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight how gender influences injection initiation events within spatial, social, and economic risk environments, and how this influence varies across settings. These findings can inform interventions to reduce the risk of injection initiation and related harms.

Identification of early diagnostic antigens in soluble proteins of Trichinella spiralis adult worms by Western blot

Previous studies showed that crude antigens from Trichinella spiralis adult worms (AW) can be recognized by mouse infection sera at 8 days post infection. The aim of this study was to identify the early diagnostic antigenic bands in soluble proteins from T. spiralis AW by Western blot using early infection sera. The affecting factors of adult recovery were firstly observed in this study, and the results showed that the maximum number of adults was collected from small intestine when the female BALB/c mice were orally infected with 4000 ML and sacrificed at 3 days post infection. The results of Western blot analysis showed that seven protein bands (31, 35.1, 39, 40.6, 41.9, 47 and 50.6 kDa) could be recognized by early infection sera as early as at 8-10 days post infection, and were strongly reacted with mouse infection sera at 11-12 days post infection. Our results suggested that the seven protein bands of T. spiralis AW soluble proteins might be the early expressed antigens during the intestinal stage of Trichinella infection and therefore have potential value for the early diagnosis of trichinellosis.