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The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), involves severe acute respiratory syndrome and poses unprecedented challenges to global health. Structure-based drug design techniques have been developed targeting the main protease of the SARS-CoV-2, responsible for viral replication and transcription, to rapidly identify effective inhibitors and therapeutic targets. Herein, we constructed a phytochemical dataset of 1154 compounds using deep literature mining and explored their potential to bind with and inhibit the main protease of SARS-CoV-2. The three most effective phytochemicals Cosmosiine, Pelargonidin-3-O-glucoside, and Cleomiscosin A had binding energies of -8.4, -8.4, and -8.2 kcal/mol, respectively, in the docking analysis. These molecules could bind to Gln189, Glu166, Cys145, His41, and Met165 residues on the active site of the targeted protein, leading to specific inhibition. The pharmacological characteristics and toxicity of these compounds, examined using absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) analyses, revealed no carcinogenicity or toxicity. Furthermore, the complexes were simulated with molecular dynamics for 100 ns to calculate the root mean square deviation (RMSD), root mean square fluctuation (RMSF), radius of gyration (Rg), solvent-accessible surface area (SASA), and hydrogen profiles from the simulation trajectories. Our analysis validated the rigidity of the docked protein-ligand. Taken together, our computational study findings might help develop potential drugs to combat the main protease of the SARS-CoV-2 and help alleviate the severity of the pandemic., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

There is significant genetic distance between SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant BA.1 and BA.2 sub-lineages. This study investigates immune protection of infection with one sub-lineage against reinfection with the other sub-lineage in Qatar during a large BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron wave, from December 19, 2021 to March 21, 2022. Two national matched, retrospective cohort studies are conducted to estimate effectiveness of BA.1 infection against reinfection with BA.2 (N = 20,994; BA.1-against-BA.2 study), and effectiveness of BA.2 infection against reinfection with BA.1 (N = 110,315; BA.2-against-BA.1 study). Associations are estimated using Cox proportional-hazards regression models after multiple imputation to assign a sub-lineage status for cases with no sub-lineage status (using probabilities based on the test date). Effectiveness of BA.1 infection against reinfection with BA.2 is estimated at 94.2% (95% CI: 89.2-96.9%). Effectiveness of BA.2 infection against reinfection with BA.1 is estimated at 80.9% (95% CI: 73.1-86.4%). Infection with the BA.1 sub-lineage appears to induce strong, but not full immune protection against reinfection with the BA.2 sub-lineage, and vice versa, for at least several weeks after the initial infection., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Objectives: Serum salmonellacidal (bactericidal) antibody could be used to detect functional capacity of antibody in patients with enteric fever and after typhoid vaccination., Methods: Salmonellacidal antibody response was measured by colorimetric serum salmonellacidal assay from 70 acute and 11 convalescence sera of patients infected with Salmonella Typhi and Paratyphi A and also from 15 control and 6 Vi capsular polysaccharide vaccinated volunteer's sera., Results: Sera from patients with typhoid and paratyphoid A showed significant (p < 0.05) levels of salmonellacidal antibody titer (549.9 ± 108.5 and 528.7 ± 187.3) compared with control (0.133 ± 0.1). Moreover, this titer increased significantly (p <0.05) in sera collected between 7 and 10 days and between 11 and 25 days of fever (titer 535.7 ± 119.2 and 794.6 ± 235.6) compared with sera collected from patients with fever for less than 7 days (136.4 ± 52.7). The mean titer significantly (p < 0.05) decreased to 5.5 ± 2.1 after 6-8 weeks onset of illness. Although, very low salmonellacidal titers (2.5 ± 1.5 and 2.3 ± 1.5) were detected after Vi CPS vaccine among the human volunteers, but mean titer was raised 15-fold from pre- to postvaccinated sera (0.166-2.5)., Conclusion: The serum salmonellacidal antibody by colorimetric salmonellacidal assay could be used to detect acute typhoidal cases and also to monitor immune response of typhoid vaccine., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors have no conflict of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Most maternal deaths occur during childbirth and after childbirth. This study was aimed at determining the trends of health facilities during delivery in Bangladesh, as well as their influencing factors., Methods: This study used secondary data from three Bangladesh Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICSs) in 2006, 2012-13, and 2019. The study's target sample was those women who gave birth in the last two years of the survey. A two-level logistic regression was applied to determine the effects on health facility delivery separately in these two survey points (MICSs 2012-13 and 2019)., Results: The results show that the delivery of health facilities has increased by almost 37.4% in Bangladesh, from 16% in 2006 to 53.4% in 2019. The results of two-level logistic regression show that the total variation in health facility delivery across the community has decreased over recent years. After adding community variables, various individual-level factors such as women with secondary education (OR = 0.55 in 2012-13 vs. OR =0.60 in 2019), women from middle wealth status (OR = 0.49 in 2012-13 vs. OR = 0.65 in 2019), religion, and child ever born showed a strong relationship with health facility delivery in both survey years. At the community level, residents showed significant association only in the 2012-13 survey and indicated a 43% (OR = 1.43 for 2012-13) greater availability of health facilities in urban residences than in rural residences. Using media showed a highly significant connection with health facility delivery in both years as well as an increasing trend over the years in Bangladesh (OR = 1.19 in 2012-13 vs. OR = 1.38 in 2019). However, division, prenatal care, and skilled services all contribute greatly to increasing the delivery of health facilities in Bangladesh., Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that policymakers need to pay attention to individual and community-level factors, especially women's education, poverty reduction, and adequate prenatal care provided by well-trained caregivers., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Samia Kabir et al.)

Many emerging technologies have the potential to improve health care by providing more personalized approaches or early diagnostic methods. In this review, we cover smartphone-based multiplexed sensors as affordable and portable sensing platforms for point-of-care devices. Multiplexing has been gaining attention recently for clinical diagnosis considering certain diseases require analysis of complex biological networks instead of single-marker analysis. Smartphones offer tremendous possibilities for on-site detection analysis due to their portability, high accessibility, fast sample processing, and robust imaging capabilities. Straightforward digital analysis and convenient user interfaces support networked health care systems and individualized health monitoring. Detailed biomarker profiling provides fast and accurate analysis for disease diagnosis for limited sample volume collection. Here, multiplexed smartphone-based assays with optical and electrochemical components are covered. Possible wireless or wired communication actuators and portable and wearable sensing integration for various sensing applications are discussed. The crucial features and the weaknesses of these devices are critically evaluated., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Background: The protection conferred by natural immunity, vaccination, and both against symptomatic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection with the BA.1 or BA.2 sublineages of the omicron (B.1.1.529) variant is unclear., Methods: We conducted a national, matched, test-negative, case-control study in Qatar from December 23, 2021, through February 21, 2022, to evaluate the effectiveness of vaccination with BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) or mRNA-1273 (Moderna), natural immunity due to previous infection with variants other than omicron, and hybrid immunity (previous infection and vaccination) against symptomatic omicron infection and against severe, critical, or fatal coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19)., Results: The effectiveness of previous infection alone against symptomatic BA.2 infection was 46.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 39.5 to 51.9). The effectiveness of vaccination with two doses of BNT162b2 and no previous infection was negligible (-1.1%; 95% CI, -7.1 to 4.6), but nearly all persons had received their second dose more than 6 months earlier. The effectiveness of three doses of BNT162b2 and no previous infection was 52.2% (95% CI, 48.1 to 55.9). The effectiveness of previous infection and two doses of BNT162b2 was 55.1% (95% CI, 50.9 to 58.9), and the effectiveness of previous infection and three doses of BNT162b2 was 77.3% (95% CI, 72.4 to 81.4). Previous infection alone, BNT162b2 vaccination alone, and hybrid immunity all showed strong effectiveness (>70%) against severe, critical, or fatal Covid-19 due to BA.2 infection. Similar results were observed in analyses of effectiveness against BA.1 infection and of vaccination with mRNA-1273., Conclusions: No discernable differences in protection against symptomatic BA.1 and BA.2 infection were seen with previous infection, vaccination, and hybrid immunity. Vaccination enhanced protection among persons who had had a previous infection. Hybrid immunity resulting from previous infection and recent booster vaccination conferred the strongest protection. (Funded by Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar and others.)., (Copyright © 2022 Massachusetts Medical Society.)

Background: Understanding the disease severity associated with the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is important in determining appropriate management strategies at the individual and population levels. We determined the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection in persons infected with the Omicron vs the Delta variant., Methods: We identified individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection with Delta and propensity-score matched controls with Omicron variant infection from the National COVID-19 Database in Qatar. We excluded temporary visitors to Qatar, those with a prior documented infection, those ≤18 years old, and those with <14 days of follow up after the index test positive date. We determined the rates of admission to the hospital, admission to intensive care unit, mechanical ventilation, or death among those infected with the Delta or Omicron variants., Results: Among 9763 cases infected with the Delta variant and 11 310 cases infected with the Omicron variant, we identified 3926 propensity-score matched pairs. Among 3926 Delta infected, 3259 (83.0%) had mild, 633 (16.1%) had moderate and 34 (0.9%) had severe/critical disease. Among 3926 Omicron infected, 3866 (98.5%) had mild, 59 (1.5%) had moderate, and only 1 had severe/critical disease (overall P < 0.001). Factors associated with less moderate or severe/critical disease included infection with Omicron variant (aOR = 0.06; confidence interval (CI) = 0.05-0.09) and vaccination including a booster (aOR = 0.30; 95% CI = 0.09-0.99)., Conclusions: Omicron variant infection is associated with significantly lower severity of disease compared with the Delta variant. Vaccination continues to offer strong protection against severe/critical disease., Competing Interests: Competing interests: Dr Butt has received investigator-initiated grant funding from Gilead Sciences (to the institution, Veterans Health Foundation of Pittsburgh) which is unrelated to the work presented here. The other authors completed the ICMJE Declaration of Interest Form (available upon request from the corresponding author), and declare no further conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 by the Journal of Global Health. All rights reserved.)

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia globally, with a growing morbidity burden that may exceed diagnosis and management capabilities. The situation worsens when AD patient fatalities are exposed to COVID-19. Because of differences in clinical features and patient condition, a patient's recovery from COVID-19 with or without AD varies greatly. Thus, this situation stimulates a spectrum of imbalanced data. The inclusion of different features in the class imbalance offers substantial problems for developing of a classification framework. This study proposes a framework to handle class imbalance and select the most suitable and representative datasets for the hybrid model. Under this framework, various state-of-the-art resample techniques were utilized to balance the datasets, and three sets of data were finally selected. We developed a novel hybrid deep learning model AD-CovNet using Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) and Multi-layer Perceptron (MLP) algorithms that delineate three unique datasets of COVID-19 and AD-COVID-19 patient fatality predictions. This proposed model achieved 97% accuracy, 97% precision, 97% recall, and 97% F1-score for Dataset I; 97% accuracy, 97% precision, 96% recall, and 96% F1-score for Dataset II; and 86% accuracy, 88% precision, 88% recall, and 86% F1-score for Dataset III. In addition, AdaBoost, XGBoost, and Random Forest models were utilized to evaluate the risk factors associated with AD-COVID-19 patients, and the outcome outperformed diagnostic performance. The risk factors predicted by the models showed significant clinical importance and relevance to mortality. Furthermore, the proposed hybrid model's performance was evaluated using a statistical significance test and compared to previously published works. Overall, the uniqueness of the large dataset, the effectiveness of the deep learning architecture, and the accuracy and performance of the hybrid model showcase the first cohesive work that can formulate better predictions and help in clinical decision-making., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The conventional drug discovery approach is an expensive and time-consuming process, but its limitations have been overcome with the help of mathematical modeling and computational drug design approaches. Previously, finding a small molecular candidate as a drug against a disease was very costly and required a long time to screen a compound against a specific target. The development of novel targets and small molecular candidates against different diseases including emerging and reemerging diseases remains a major concern and necessitates the development of novel therapeutic targets as well as drug candidates as early as possible. In this regard, computational and mathematical modeling approaches for drug development are advantageous due to their fastest predictive ability and cost-effectiveness features. Computer-aided drug design (CADD) techniques utilize different computer programs as well as mathematics formulas to comprehend the interaction of a target and drugs. Traditional methods to determine small-molecule candidates as a drug have several limitations, but CADD utilizes novel methods that require little time and accurately predict a compound against a specific disease with minimal cost. Therefore, this review aims to provide a brief insight into the mathematical modeling and computational approaches for identifying a novel target and small molecular candidates for curing a specific disease. The comprehensive review mainly focuses on biological target prediction, structure-based and ligand-based drug design methods, molecular docking, virtual screening, pharmacophore modeling, quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models, molecular dynamics simulation, and MM-GBSA/MM-PBSA approaches along with valuable database resources and tools for identifying novel targets and therapeutics against a disease. This review will help researchers in a way that may open the road for the development of effective drugs and preventative measures against a disease in the future as early as possible.

SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 subvariants are genetically divergent. We conducted a matched, test-negative, case-control study to estimate duration of protection of the second and third/booster doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines against BA.1 and BA.2 infections in Qatar. BNT162b2 effectiveness was highest at 46.6% (95% CI: 33.4-57.2%) against symptomatic BA.1 and at 51.7% (95% CI: 43.2-58.9%) against symptomatic BA.2 infections in the first three months after the second dose, but declined to ~10% or below thereafter. Effectiveness rebounded to 59.9% (95% CI: 51.2-67.0%) and 43.7% (95% CI: 36.5-50.0%), respectively, in the first month after the booster dose, before declining again. Effectiveness against COVID-19 hospitalization and death was 70-80% after the second dose and >90% after the booster dose. mRNA-1273 vaccine protection showed similar patterns. mRNA vaccines provide comparable, moderate, and short-lived protection against symptomatic BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron infections, but strong and durable protection against COVID-19 hospitalization and death., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

This study explored the structural, electrical, and magnetic properties of diamagnetic aluminium (Al 3+ ) substituted nickel-zinc-cobalt (Ni-Zn-Co) mixed spinel ferrites, though the research on this area is in the infancy stage. Single-phase cubic spinel structures with the Fd 3̄ m space group of the synthesized Ni 0.4 Zn 0.35 Co 0.25 Fe (2- x ) Al x O 4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.12) ferrite samples were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The average particle size ranged from 0.67 to 0.39 μm. Selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns were indexed according to the space group Fd 3 m , representing the particle's crystallinity. The optical band gaps ranged from 4.784 eV to 4.766 eV. Frequency-dependent dielectric constants and ac conductivity measurement suggested that the prepared ferrites were highly resistive. Relaxation times were reduced to a low value from 45.45 μs to 1.54 μs with the composition x . The Curie temperatures ( T c ) were 615-623 K for all samples. Real part permeabilities ( μ / ) were relatively stable up to an extended frequency range of 10 6 Hz with relative quality factors (RQF) of around 10 3 . Tuning of the properties indicates that the fabricated ferrites may be promising for high-frequency electronic devices., Competing Interests: The authors announce that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Background: Waning of vaccine protection against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and the emergence of the omicron (or B.1.1.529) variant of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have led to expedited efforts to scale up booster vaccination. Protection conferred by booster doses of the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccines in Qatar, as compared with protection conferred by the two-dose primary series, is unclear., Methods: We conducted two matched retrospective cohort studies to assess the effectiveness of booster vaccination, as compared with that of a two-dose primary series alone, against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection and Covid-19-related hospitalization and death during a large wave of omicron infections from December 19, 2021, through January 26, 2022. The association of booster status with infection was estimated with the use of Cox proportional-hazards regression models., Results: In a population of 2,239,193 persons who had received at least two doses of BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273 vaccine, those who had also received a booster were matched with persons who had not received a booster. Among the BNT162b2-vaccinated persons, the cumulative incidence of symptomatic omicron infection was 2.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.3 to 2.5) in the booster cohort and 4.5% (95% CI, 4.3 to 4.6) in the nonbooster cohort after 35 days of follow-up. Booster effectiveness against symptomatic omicron infection, as compared with that of the primary series, was 49.4% (95% CI, 47.1 to 51.6). Booster effectiveness against Covid-19-related hospitalization and death due to omicron infection, as compared with the primary series, was 76.5% (95% CI, 55.9 to 87.5). BNT162b2 booster effectiveness against symptomatic infection with the delta (or B.1.617.2) variant, as compared with the primary series, was 86.1% (95% CI, 67.3 to 94.1). Among the mRNA-1273-vaccinated persons, the cumulative incidence of symptomatic omicron infection was 1.0% (95% CI, 0.9 to 1.2) in the booster cohort and 1.9% (95% CI, 1.8 to 2.1) in the nonbooster cohort after 35 days; booster effectiveness against symptomatic omicron infection, as compared with the primary series, was 47.3% (95% CI, 40.7 to 53.3). Few severe Covid-19 cases were noted in the mRNA-1273-vaccinated cohorts., Conclusions: The messenger RNA (mRNA) boosters were highly effective against symptomatic delta infection, but they were less effective against symptomatic omicron infection. However, with both variants, mRNA boosters led to strong protection against Covid-19-related hospitalization and death. (Funded by Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar and others.)., (Copyright © 2022 Massachusetts Medical Society.)

Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) is a conventional material used to construct rigid pavement that emits large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) during its manufacturing process, which is bad for the environment. It is also claimed that OPC is susceptible to acid attack, which increases the maintenance cost of rigid pavement. Therefore, a fly ash based geopolymer is proposed as a material for rigid pavement application as it releases lesser amounts of CO 2 during the synthesis process and has higher acid resistance compared to OPC. This current study optimizes the formulation to produce fly ash based geopolymer with the highest compressive strength. In addition, the durability of fly ash based geopolymer concrete and OPC concrete in an acidic environment is also determined and compared. The results show that the optimum value of sodium hydroxide concentration, the ratio of sodium silicate to sodium hydroxide, and the ratio of solid-to-liquid for fly ash based geopolymer are 10 M, 2.0, and 2.5, respectively, with a maximum compressive strength of 47 MPa. The results also highlight that the durability of fly ash based geopolymer is higher than that of OPC concrete, indicating that fly ash based geopolymer is a better material for rigid pavement applications, with a percentage of compressive strength loss of 7.38% to 21.94% for OPC concrete. This current study contributes to the field of knowledge by providing a reference for future development of fly ash based geopolymer for rigid pavement applications.

The emergence of several novel SARS-CoV-2 variants regarded as variants of concern (VOCs) has exacerbated pathogenic and immunologic prominences, as well as reduced diagnostic sensitivity due to phenotype modification-capable mutations. Furthermore, latent and more virulent strains that have arisen as a result of unique mutations with increased evolutionary potential represent a threat to vaccine effectiveness in terms of incoming and existing variants. As a result, resisting natural immunity, which leads to higher reinfection rates, and avoiding vaccination-induced immunization, which leads to a lack of vaccine effectiveness, has become a crucial problem for public health around the world. This study attempts to review the genomic variation and pandemic impact of emerging variations of concern based on clinical characteristics management and immunization effectiveness. The goal of this study is to gain a better understanding of the link between genome level polymorphism, clinical symptom manifestation, and current vaccination in the instance of VOCs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Biswas, Mahmud, Mita, Afrose, Hasan, Paul, Shimu, Uddin, Zaman, Park, Siyadatpanah, Obaidullah, Saleh, Simal-Gandara and Kim.)

Background: Autotransplantation is the surgical repositioning of a tooth within the same patient. It can be thought of as the controlled avulsion and re-implantation of a tooth and can be a viable alternative to other dental rehabilitation options. This review aimed to evaluate the survival rate (SR), major complications such as ankylosis rate (AR) and infection-related root resorption (RR), and overall success and failure rate (FR) in autotransplanted teeth., Methods: Six databases were accessed up to January 2021 to obtain all systematic reviews and meta-analyses (SRs and MAs)., Study Selection: After title and abstract reading, data extraction was performed from eligible SRs. The methodological quality was calculated for the included SRs using the risk of bias in systematic reviews (ROBIS) tool., Results: Six SRs were included in this review. The overall failure rate ranged from as low as 2.0% to 10.32%. The 1-year survival was very high (97.4-98.0%). The 5-year survival rate ranged from 81 to 98.2%. Major complications of AR ranged from 1.2 to 6.2%, and RR ranged from 2.1 to 10.4%., Conclusion: The overall findings from these SR and MA are promising; however, all the SRs include only single-arm prospective or retrospective studies, the SRs are of overall low methodological quality, and for the heterogeneity of the included SRs, well-designed comparative studies with a long-term follow-up are recommended.

Freshwater catfishes are regarded primarily as a source of food and sport, so they are highly valuable economically. We comprehensively studied life history features of Mystus vittatus, including sex ratio (SR), population structure, growth pattern, condition, form factor (a 3.0 ), sexual maturity (L m ), spawning season, fecundity, mortality (i.e., total mortality (Z), natural-mortality (M W ), and fishing mortality (F)), optimum catchable length (L opt ), length at first capture (L c ), and environmental factors (temperature and rainfall) with management policies from the Ganges River during July 2017 to June 2018. SR (1:1.48) differed noticeably from the expected 1:1 ratio (p < 0.05). Total length (TL) ranged from 6.80-16.00 cm for males and 6.53-18.80 cm for females. The growth was negative allometric for both sexes. Fulton's condition factor was the best one and mean relative weight showed no significant difference from 100 for both sexes that indicates balanced population. L m was 9.60, 9.70, and 8.80 cm based on the gonadosomatic index (GSI), logistic, and maximum length (L max ), respectively. Spawning season was April to September and the peak was May to July. Fecundity varied from 5942 to 49,852 (mean ± SD, 11,898 ± 5028) and a positively correlated with TL and BW. Z was 1.80 year -1 , M w was 0.97 year -1 , and F was 0.83 year -1 . L opt was 11.14 cm (TL) and L c was ~ 8.47 cm (TL). Temperature and rainfall both were significantly related with GSI and suitable range of temperature and rainfall for spawning of M. vittatus was 28-34 °C and 200-390 mm, respectively. Long data series pointed that average air temperature was increasing and rainfall was decreasing. By considering all of the above parameters, we can take the proper management actions for M. vittatus and other freshwater catfishes on the Indian sub-continent, to ensure long-term self-sustainability and sustainable harvest for the benefit of fishers and communities., (© 2022. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to International Society of Biometeorology.)

Menopause is one of the natural parts of women's life when menstrual cycle stops due to lack of estrogen, which occurs in middle age. Various health problems occur in this period which hampers quality of life. This study was done to evaluate the changes of body mass index and serum calcium level in post-menopausal women in comparison to reproductive women. This cross-sectional analytical type of study was done in the Department of Physiology, Mymensingh Medical College, Mymensingh, Bangladesh from January 2021 to December 2021. A total number of 140 female subjects age ranged from 25-65 years were included in this study. Among them 70 (seventy) postmenopausal woman (45-65 years) were taken as study group (Group II) and 70 (seventy) reproductive women (25-45 years) were taken as control group (Group I). Body mass index was measured by Anthropometric measurements such as height and weight taken in meter and kilogram respectively and Serum calcium level was measured by colorimetric method with O-Cresolftalein-complexone (OCC). Data were expressed as mean (±SD) and statistical significance of difference among the group was calculated by unpaired Student's 't' test. The mean±SD of BMI of Group I and Group II were 23.05±4.43 kg/m² and 29.01±3.12 kg/m² respectively. The mean±SD of body mass index is significantly higher in study group in comparison with control group. Serum calcium of Group I and Group II were 10.95±0.77 mg/dl and 7.99±0.55 mg/dl respectively. The mean±SD of serum calcium level was significantly lower in study group in comparison with control group. Post-menopausal women with low serum calcium level have a chance of development of osteoporosis. So, assessment of this parameter is important for early detection and prevention of complication related to low serum calcium level for leading a sound life.

Surface-functionalized Mg 1- x Co x Fe 2 O 4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1; Δ x = 0.1) can be an exciting candidate as an MRI contrast agent and for thermotherapeutic applications. The figure-of-merit, T 2 , relaxivity, r 2 , of MRI and specific loss power, SLP, of hyperthermia depend on the structural and magnetic properties of the nanoparticles. We synthesized cobalt-substituted magnesium ferrite Mg 1- x Co x Fe 2 O 4 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1 with Δ x = 0.1) nanoparticles using a chemical co-precipitation method. The lattice parameter and average crystallite size increase with the increase in cobalt content. The force-constant of FTIR of the tetrahedral sites increases, and that of the octahedral sites decreases with an increase in cobalt content. The room temperature Mössbauer spectra of Mg 1- x Co x Fe 2 O 4 show that the Mössbauer absorption area of the A site decreases, and the Mössbauer absorption area of the B site increases with x . The Mössbauer spectra and M - H hysteresis loops at room temperature confirmed that a transition from fast relaxation (superparamagnetic) to mixed slow/fast (superparamagnetic/ferrimagnetic) relaxation occurs with changing cobalt content. The cobalt ion tends to occupy the octahedral B site, which makes the A-B interaction stronger; therefore, we see the above transition. Cytotoxicity experiments on HeLa cells revealed that both chitosan and chitosan-coated magnesium cobalt ferrite nanoparticles are biocompatible. In the Mg 1- x Co x Fe 2 O 4 series, both r 2 and SLP increase with x because of the increase in magnetization and anisotropy., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Mitochondria are major contributors to ATP synthesis, generating more than 90% of the total cellular energy production through oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS): metabolite oxidation, such as the β-oxidation of fatty acids, and the Krebs's cycle. OXPHOS inadequacy due to large genetic lesions in mitochondrial as well as nuclear genes and homo- or heteroplasmic point mutations in mitochondrially encoded genes is a characteristic of heterogeneous, maternally inherited genetic disorders known as mitochondrial disorders that affect multisystemic tissues and organs with high energy requirements, resulting in various signs and symptoms. Several traditional diagnostic approaches, including magnetic resonance imaging of the brain, cardiac testing, biochemical screening, variable heteroplasmy genetic testing, identifying clinical features, and skeletal muscle biopsies, are associated with increased risks, high costs, a high degree of false-positive or false-negative results, or a lack of precision, which limits their diagnostic abilities for mitochondrial disorders. Variable heteroplasmy levels, mtDNA depletion, and the identification of pathogenic variants can be detected through genetic sequencing, including the gold standard Sanger sequencing. However, sequencing can be time consuming, and Sanger sequencing can result in the missed recognition of larger structural variations such as CNVs or copy-number variations. Although each sequencing method has its own limitations, genetic sequencing can be an alternative to traditional diagnostic methods. The ever-growing roster of possible mutations has led to the development of next-generation sequencing (NGS). The enhancement of NGS methods can offer a precise diagnosis of the mitochondrial disorder within a short period at a reasonable expense for both research and clinical applications.

Background: The effective reproduction number, R t , is a tool to track and understand pandemic dynamics. This investigation of R t estimations was conducted to guide the national COVID-19 response in Qatar, from the onset of the pandemic until August 18, 2021., Methods: Real-time "empirical" R t Empirical was estimated using five methods, including the Robert Koch Institute, Cislaghi, Systrom-Bettencourt and Ribeiro, Wallinga and Teunis, and Cori et al. methods. R t was also estimated using a transmission dynamics model ( R t Model-based ). Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses were conducted. Correlations between different R t estimates were assessed by calculating correlation coefficients, and agreements between these estimates were assessed through Bland-Altman plots., Results: R t Empirical captured the evolution of the pandemic through three waves, public health response landmarks, effects of major social events, transient fluctuations coinciding with significant clusters of infection, and introduction and expansion of the Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant. The various estimation methods produced consistent and overall comparable R t Empirical estimates with generally large correlation coefficients. The Wallinga and Teunis method was the fastest at detecting changes in pandemic dynamics. R t Empirical estimates were consistent whether using time series of symptomatic PCR-confirmed cases, all PCR-confirmed cases, acute-care hospital admissions, or ICU-care hospital admissions, to proxy trends in true infection incidence. R t Model-based correlated strongly with R t Empirical and provided an average R t Empirical ., Conclusions: R t estimations were robust and generated consistent results regardless of the data source or the method of estimation. Findings affirmed an influential role for R t estimations in guiding national responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, even in resource-limited settings., Competing Interests: Competing interests: Dr Butt has received institutional grant funding from Gilead Sciences unrelated to the work presented in this paper. The authors have completed the ICMJE Declaration of Interest Form (available upon request from the corresponding author), and declare no further conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 by the Journal of Global Health. All rights reserved.)

Importance: The Delta variant is now the predominant circulating SARS-CoV-2 strain worldwide. Severity of illness in persons infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant compared with the Beta variant is not known., Objective: To directly compare clinical outcomes in persons infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant vs those infected with the Beta variant in Qatar., Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study used data from the national COVID-19 database in Qatar, which includes information on all individuals who were ever tested for SARS-CoV-2 using a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction test and all individuals who received any SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in Qatar. Among persons with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between March 22 and July 7, 2021, those infected with the Delta variant were identified and were propensity score matched with control individuals infected with the Beta variant. The variants were ascertained by variant genotyping of the positive samples., Exposures: SARS-CoV-2 infection with the Delta or Beta variant., Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcomes were admission to the hospital, admission to the intensive care unit, use of supplemental oxygen, use of high-flow oxygen, receipt of mechanical ventilation, or death among those infected with the Delta or Beta variant overall and stratified by vaccination status., Results: Among 1427 persons infected with the Delta variant (252 [55.9%] male; median age, 34 years [IQR, 17-43 years]) and 5353 persons infected with the Beta variant (233 [51.7%] male; median age, 34 years [IQR, 17-45 years]), 451 propensity score-matched pairs were identified. Persons infected with the Delta variant were more likely to be hospitalized (27.3% [95% CI, 23.2%-31.6%] vs 20.0% [95% CI, 16.4-24.0]; P = .01) or to have mild-moderate or severe-critical disease outcomes (27.9% [95% CI, 23.8%-32.3%] vs 20.2% [95% CI, 16.6%-24.2%]; P = .01) compared with persons infected with the Beta variant. Infection with the Delta variant was independently associated with higher odds of experiencing any adverse outcome (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.53; 95% CI, 1.72-3.72). Compared with being unvaccinated, being vaccinated with a second dose more than 3 months before infection was associated with lower odds of any adverse outcome among persons infected with the Delta variant (aOR, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.04-0.26) and among those infected with the Beta variant (aOR, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.05-0.98). Protection was similar among those who received a second vaccine dose less than 3 months before infection, but having received only a single dose was not associated with a lower odds of any severe outcome among those infected with the Delta variant (aOR, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.41-3.06) or those infected with the Beta variant (aOR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.20-2.72)., Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of persons with COVID-19 in Qatar, infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant was associated with more severe disease than was infection with the Beta variant. Being unvaccinated was associated with greater odds of severe-critical disease.

The stinging catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch, 1974) is a commercially important fish species in Asia. This is an important food fish as is enriched with high amounts of protein, iron and calcium. The current research demonstrates the population structure, size at sexual maturity, spawning- and peak-spawning season and fecundity of H. fossilis in an important wetland ecosystem - Gajner Beel in northwestern Bangladesh with an aim of its sustainable conservation through induced breeding and aquaculture practices. A total of 426 stinging catfish captured from the Gajner Beel through monthly sampling from January to December 2019 used in the study. Total length (TL), standard length (SL) and body weight (BW) of individual fishes were measured. The size ranges were with 6.70-24.10 cm TL, 1.37-83.94 g BW. Gonads were removed carefully through ventral dissection and weighted. L m was 14.02, 13.5, 13.0 and 15.0 cm based on maximum length ( L max ), TL vs. GSI (%), TL vs. SL and logistic model, respectively. Monthly variations of GSI and maturation stages were confirmed in April to August as spawning season and June as peak spawning month. Fulton's condition factor ( K F ) was found to be with significant relations with GSI values. Fecundity was 1,730 to 23,870 and significantly correlated with both TL and BW. Temperature has been increasing 0.029 °C/year with the falling of rainfall at 2.96 mm/year in the study area. Environmental factors -Temperature, rainfall, dissolved oxygen and pH were found to be significantly correlated with GSI. We found the optimal range of temperature (29-31 °C), rainfall (350-380 mm), dissolved oxygen (5.0-6.0 mg/l) and pH (7.1-7.5) for spawning of H. fossilis . The paper recommended the policy guidelines to pave the ways of the aquaculture, conservation and management of H. fossilis in the changing eco-climatic events through specific management measures., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

This systematic review and meta-analysis studied the clinical outcomes with physics forceps compared to those with conventional forceps for closed dental extraction. A systematic literature search was performed to identify all the published randomized clinical trials that compared the relevant clinical outcomes with physics forceps to those with conventional forceps for closed dental extraction. A total of 11 studies were included. The adverse events were significantly lower with physics forceps ( n = 48) compared to with conventional forceps ( n = 120), with an odds ratio of 0.42 [0.25, 0.70], Z = 3.78 ( p = 0.0002), and I 2 = 21%. There were statistically significant differences in the incidence of GL ( p = 0.04), and tooth or root fracture ( p = 0.0009). Operating time was significantly lower in physics forceps than that of conventional forceps, mean difference (-20.13 (-30.11, -10.15)), Z = 3.78 ( p = 0.0001), I 2 = 79%. The available evidence is limited by a high risk of bias and low evidence certainty. Based on the current evidence, physics forceps might be better than the conventional extraction forceps in terms of the extraction duration, pain after extraction, trauma to both hard and soft tissue, and complications. Physics forceps are newer instruments that have not yet been introduced in the teaching of dental graduates. The introduction of physics forceps can be time saving, less invasive and reduce post-extraction complications.

Background: Association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) rs7756992 A/G and rs7754840 G/C of cyclin-dependent kinase 5 regulatory subunit-associated protein 1-like 1 (CDKAL1) gene with the susceptibility of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has been studied in a group of Bangladeshi women., Methods: In this case-control study, 212 GDM patients and 256 control subjects were genotyped for rs7756992 and rs7754840 by PCR-RFLP and TaqMan™ allelic discrimination assay method respectively. Genotyping results were confirmed by DNA sequencing and replicated TaqMan™ assay. The odds ratios and their 95% confidence interval were calculated by logistic regression to determine the associations between genotypes and GDM., Results: The genotype frequencies of rs7756992-AA/AG/GG in the GDM group and the control group were 37%/48%, 53%/45%, 10%/7% and those of rs7754840-CC/CG/GG were 51%/55%, 40.1%/39.8%, 9%/5% respectively. Under dominant and log additive models rs7756992 was revealed significantly associated with GDM after being adjusted for family history of diabetes (FHD) and gravidity. Conversely, rs7754840 was significantly associated (P = 0.047) with GDM only under the recessive model after the same adjustment. The risk allele frequency of both SNPs was higher in the GDM group but significantly (P = 0.029) increased prevalence was observed in the rs7756992 G allele. When positive FHD and risk alleles of these SNPs were synergistically present in any pregnant woman, the chance of developing GDM was augmented by many folds. The codominant model revealed 2.5 and 2.1 folds increase in odds by AG (rs7756992) and GC (rs7754840) genotypes and 3.7 and 4.5 folds by GG (rs7756992) and CC (rs7754840) genotypes respectively. A significant 2.7 folds (P = 0.038) increase in odds of GDM resulted from the interaction of rs7756992 and family history of diabetes under the dominant model. The cumulative effect of multigravidity and risk alleles of these SNPs increased the odds of GDM more than 1.5 folds in different genotypes., Conclusion: This study not only revealed a significant association between rs7756992 and rs7754840 with GDM but also provided the possibility as potential markers for foretelling about GDM and type 2 diabetes mellitus in Bangladeshi women., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has become a pandemic due to the high transmission and mortality rate of this virus. The world health and economic sectors have been severely affected by this deadly virus, exacerbated by the lack of sufficient efficient vaccines. The design of effective drug candidates and their rapid development is necessary to combat this virus. In this study, we selected 23 antimicrobial peptides from the literature and predicted their structure using PEP-FOLD 3.5. In addition, we docked them to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein receptor-binding domain (RBD) to study their capability to inhibit the RBD, which plays a significant role in virus binding, fusion and entry into the host cell. We used several docking programs including HDOCK, HPEPDOCK, ClusPro, and HawkDock to calculate the binding energy of the protein-peptide complexes. We identified four peptides with high binding free energy and docking scores. The docking results were further verified by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to characterize the protein-peptide complexes in terms of their root-mean-square fluctuation (RMSF), root-mean-square deviation (RMSD), radius of gyration (Rg), solvent-accessible surface area (SASA), and hydrogen bond formation. Allergenicity and toxicity predictions suggested that the peptides we identified were non-allergenic and non-toxic. This study suggests that these four antimicrobial peptides could inhibit the RBD of SARS-CoV-2. Future in vitro and in vivo studies are necessary to confirm this., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Biswas, Mahmud, Mita, Afrose, Hasan, Sultana Shimu, Saleh, Mostafa-Hedeab, Alqarni, Obaidullah and Batiha.)

SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections in vaccinated individuals and in those who had a prior infection have been observed globally, but the transmission potential of these infections is unknown. The RT-qPCR cycle threshold (Ct) value is inversely correlated with viral load and culturable virus. Here, we investigate differences in RT-qPCR Ct values across Qatar's national cohorts of primary infections, reinfections, BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) breakthrough infections, and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) breakthrough infections. Our matched-cohort analyses of the randomly diagnosed infections show higher mean Ct value in all cohorts of breakthrough infections compared to the cohort of primary infections in unvaccinated individuals. The Ct value is 1.3 (95% CI: 0.9-1.8) cycles higher for BNT162b2 breakthrough infections, 3.2 (95% CI: 1.9-4.5) cycles higher for mRNA-1273 breakthrough infections, and 4.0 (95% CI: 3.5-4.5) cycles higher for reinfections in unvaccinated individuals. Since Ct value correlates inversely with SARS-CoV-2 infectiousness, these differences imply that vaccine breakthrough infections and reinfections are less infectious than primary infections in unvaccinated individuals. Public health benefits of vaccination may have been underestimated, as COVID-19 vaccines not only protect against acquisition of infection, but also appear to protect against transmission of infection., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

The human intestine hosts diverse microbial communities that play a significant role in maintaining gut-skin homeostasis. When the relationship between gut microbiome and the immune system is impaired, subsequent effects can be triggered on the skin, potentially promoting the development of skin diseases. The mechanisms through which the gut microbiome affects skin health are still unclear. Enhancing our understanding on the connection between skin and gut microbiome is needed to find novel ways to treat human skin disorders. In this review, we systematically evaluate current data regarding microbial ecology of healthy skin and gut, diet, pre- and probiotics, and antibiotics, on gut microbiome and their effects on skin health. We discuss potential mechanisms of the gut-skin axis and the link between the gut and skin-associated diseases, such as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, acne vulgaris, rosacea, alopecia areata, and hidradenitis suppurativa. This review will increase our understanding of the impacts of gut microbiome on skin conditions to aid in finding new medications for skin-associated diseases.

Introduction: During the second wave of the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, Malaysia reported several COVID-19 clusters related to healthcare workers. Thus, addressing and understanding the risk of exposure in healthcare workers is important to prevent future infection and reduce secondary COVID-19 transmission within the healthcare settings. In this study, we aim to assess exposure and prevention practices against COVID-19 among healthcare workers at the Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, a university teaching hospital based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia., Methodology: A total of 571 healthcare workers at COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 wards as well as the emergency department and laboratory staff at COVID-19 testing labs were recruited. The presence of novel human coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and IgM/IgG antibodies were confirmed in all healthcare workers. The healthcare workers responded to an online Google Forms questionnaire that evaluates demographic information and comorbidities, exposure and adherence to infection prevention and control measures against COVID-19. Descriptive analysis was performed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 24.0., Results: Three healthcare workers (0.5%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, while the remaining 568 (99.5%) were negative. All were negative for IgM and IgG antibodies during recruitment (day 1) and follow-up (day 15). More than 90% of the healthcare workers followed infection prevention and control practices recommendations regardless of whether they have been exposed to occupational risk for COVID-19., Conclusions: The healthcare workers' high level of adherence to infection prevention practices at this hospital helped reduce and minimize their occupational exposure to COVID-19., Competing Interests: No Conflict of Interest is declared, (Copyright (c) 2021 Nor Azila Muhammad Azami, Nor Azian Abdul Murad, Azmawati Mohammed Nawi, Sharifah Azura Salleh, Petrick Periyasamy, Najma Kori, Mohd Rohaizat Hasan, Norfazilah Ahmad, Anita Sulong, Hanita Othman, Tuti Ningseh Mohd Don, Nurul Syakima Ab Mutalib, Ezanee Azlina Mohamad Hanif, Siti Aishah Sulaiman, Nurul Syeefa' Zulkiflee, Abdul Rashid Abdul Kader, Abdul Halim Abdul Gafor, Hanafiah Haruna Rashid, Rahman Jamal.)

Whole-genome sequencing was used to characterize carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) strains recovered from rectal screening swab samples obtained from children at a tertiary-care pediatric hospital in Qatar during a 3-year period. A total of 72 CPE isolates recovered from 61 fecal carriers were characterized. Escherichia coli (47 isolates [65.3%]) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (22 isolates [30.6%]) were the most common species identified. High levels of genetic diversity were observed for both species. These 72 isolates produced 78 carbapenemases, characterized as either NDM-type (41 enzymes [52.6%]) or OXA-48-type (37 enzymes [47.4%]). NDM-5 (24 enzymes [30.8%]), NDM-1 (15 enzymes [19.2%]), and OXA-181 (15 enzymes [19.2%]) were the most common variants detected within each type. Twenty-three NDM producers exhibited difficult-to-treat resistance, compared with only 2 of the OXA-48 producers. Multiple comorbidities were identified in 88.5% of the patients, whereas recent travel history to countries in which CPE are endemic was documented for 57.4% of the patients. All 9 bla OXA-48 -type-gene-containing E. coli sequence type 38 (ST38) strains were isolated from patients without international travel history. The mean quarterly incidence of fecal carriage decreased more than 6-fold after the implementation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related international travel restrictions in Qatar in mid-March 2020. Our data suggest that NDM-type and OXA-48-type carbapenemases expressed by a large diversity of E. coli and K. pneumoniae genotypes are largely dominant in the pediatric population of Qatar. Although our data indicate successful local expansion of E. coli ST38 strains harboring bla OXA-244 genes, at least within health care settings, bla OXA-48- type and bla NDM- type genes appear to have been mainly introduced sporadically by asymptomatic carriers who visited or received health care in some nearby countries in which the genes are endemic. IMPORTANCE To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study addressing the molecular characteristics of CPE in a pediatric population in Qatar using whole-genome sequencing. Since several countries in the Arabian Peninsula share relatively similar demographic patterns and international links, it is plausible that the molecular characteristics of CPE in children, at least in the middle and eastern parts of the region, are similar to those observed in our study.

The performance and early therapeutic impact of direct identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF; DIMT) on pediatric blood culture bottles using in-house-developed methods to obtain microbial pellets for spectrometric analysis have seldom been studied. During a 2-year period (June 2018 to May 2020), DIMT was performed on broths from positive pediatric blood culture bottles using an in-house-developed method. Organism identifications with a score of ≥1.6 were notified to treating clinicians. Therapeutic modifications that occurred after the communication of DIMT were reviewed through the electronic medical records. DIMT was performed on 530 pediatric positive blood culture bottles. Among 505 monomicrobial bottles, identifications from 298 (97.7%) deemed as bloodstream infections (BSI) and 189 (94.5%) as contaminations had DIMT notified to clinicians. All identifications were correct except for one Streptococcus mitis incorrectly reported as Streptococcus pneumoniae. Therapy modifications resulting from DIMT occurred in 27 (8.3%) patients with BSI. Deescalation from effective or ineffective broad-spectrum regimens occurred mainly in Enterococcus faecalis bacteremia, whereas appropriate escalation from an ineffective regimen with narrower spectrum occurred mainly in bacteremia caused by AmpC-β-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales . Escalation therapy was instituted significantly faster than deescalation therapy (median time, 0.75 versus 10.5 h [ P =  0.01]). DIMT also enabled clinicians to confirm contamination in nearly one-half of patients with contaminated blood cultures. Our DIMT method applied to positive pediatric blood culture bottles demonstrated reliable performance for the rapid identification of pathogens. Our DIMT approach allowed therapeutic optimization in BSI, especially involving microorganisms with intrinsic antibiotic resistance, and was helpful in the early identification of likely contaminants. IMPORTANCE We demonstrate the performance and early impact on the antimicrobial management of bloodstream infections of an inexpensive, in-house preparation method for direct identification of bloodstream pathogens in pediatric blood culture bottles by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

NG-Test CTX-M MULTI and NG-Test Carba 5 (NG Biotech) are two rapid in vitro immunochromatographic assays that are widely used for the detection of the most common extended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) and carbapenemases in Enterobacterales. ESBL and carbapenemases are leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide and their rapid detection from positive blood cultures is crucial for early initiation of effective antimicrobial therapy in bloodstream infections (BSI) involving antibiotic-resistant organisms. In this study, we developed a rapid workflow for positive blood cultures for direct identification of Enterobacterales by MALDI-TOF mass-spectrometry, followed by detection of ESBL and carbapenemases using NG-Test CTX-M MULTI and NG-Test Carba 5 (NG Biotech). The workflow was evaluated using Enterobacterales isolates ( n = 114), primarily Klebsiella species ( n  = 50) and Escherichia coli ( n  = 40). Compared to the standard testing approach in our institution using BD Phoenix, our new testing approach demonstrates 100% sensitivity and specificity for organism identification and detection of ESBL and carbapenemases. Implementation of a rapid workflow in diagnostic microbiology laboratories will enable more effective antimicrobial management of patients with BSI due to ESBL- and carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales. IMPORTANCE The incidence of bloodstream infections (BSI) with extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing and carbapenemase producing Enterobacterales (CPE) is increasing at an alarming rate, for which only limited therapeutic options remain available. Rapid identification of these bacteria along with their antibiotic resistance mechanisms in positive blood cultures with Gram-negative bacteria will allow for early initiation of effective therapy and limit the overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics in BSI (1). In this study we evaluated a combined approach of testing positive blood cultures directly, using MALDI-TOF MS followed by rapid immunochromatographic tests, for the detection of ESBLs and CPEs. Our approach demonstrates 100% sensitivity and specificity for the identification of Enterobacterales and detection of ESBLs and CPEs in positive blood culture with a turnaround time (TAT) of ≤60 min compared to a TAT of 48 h required by conventional culture and susceptibility testing methods.

Lower levels of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) in the nasal epithelium of children may be related to a lower incidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, compared to adults. However, no direct evidence is available to support this hypothesis. In this study, we compared the transcript levels of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in nasopharyngeal swab samples ( n  = 234) from children and adult family members within SARS-CoV-2-exposed families and assessed the association with SARS-CoV-2 infection status. Transcript levels for ACE2, but not TMPRSS2, were higher in adults than in children ( n  = 129 adults and 105 children; P <  0.05). The expression of the two genes was not significantly different between SARS-CoV-2 positive and SARS-CoV-2 negative patients within the same age groups. However, in families with one or more SARS-CoV-2 positive adult family members, expression of both genes was significantly higher in SARS-CoV-2 positive children than in SARS-CoV-2 negative children ( P <  0.05). By multivariate analysis, ACE2 expression adjusted for age and sex was significantly associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in the overall population (odds ratio [OR], 1.112 [95% confidence interval [CI], 1.012 to 1.229]; P <  0.05). The degree of this association was higher (OR, 1.172 [95% CI, 1.034 to 1.347]; P <  0.05) in the subgroup of families with only SARS-CoV-2 positive adult family members. Our results suggest that children with lower levels of nasal ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are more likely to remain SARS-CoV-2 negative despite being exposed to a SARS-CoV-2 positive adult family member. IMPORTANCE ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are well established in the literature as SARS-CoV-2 entry factors. Recent data suggest that lower levels of nasal ACE2 in children may be associated with their lower incidence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this study, using data from nasopharyngeal swab specimens from adult and pediatric members of families in which one or more members of the family had laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, we show that children with lower levels of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are more likely to remain SARS-CoV-2 negative despite being exposed to a SARS-CoV-2 positive adult family member. These results provide new insights into the roles of nasopharyngeal ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in acquiring SARS-CoV-2 infection, and they show that the differential expression of these genes in adults versus children may contribute to differential rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection in these populations.

We live in a world where people are suffering from many diseases. Cancer is the most threatening of them all. Among all the variants of cancer, skin cancer is spreading rapidly. It happens because of the abnormal growth of skin cells. The increase in ultraviolet radiation on the Earth's surface is also helping skin cancer spread in every corner of the world. Benign and malignant types are the most common skin cancers people suffer from. People go through expensive and time-consuming treatments to cure skin cancer but yet fail to lower the mortality rate. To reduce the mortality rate, early detection of skin cancer in its incipient phase is helpful. In today's world, deep learning is being used to detect diseases. The convolutional neural network (CNN) helps to find skin cancer through image classification more accurately. This research contains information about many CNN models and a comparison of their working processes for finding the best results. Pretrained models like VGG16, Support Vector Machine (SVM), ResNet50, and self-built models (sequential) are used to analyze the process of CNN models. These models work differently as there are variations in their layer numbers. Depending on their layers and work processes, some models work better than others. An image dataset of benign and malignant data has been taken from Kaggle. In this dataset, there are 6594 images of benign and malignant skin cancer. Using different approaches, we have gained accurate results for VGG16 (93.18%), SVM (83.48%), ResNet50 (84.39%), Sequential&#95;Model&#95;1 (74.24%), Sequential&#95;Model&#95;2 (77.00%), and Sequential&#95;Model&#95;3 (84.09%). This research compares these outcomes based on the model's work process. Our comparison includes model layer numbers, working process, and precision. The VGG16 model has given us the highest accuracy of 93.18%., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest to report regarding the present study., (Copyright © 2021 Mohammed Rakeibul Hasan et al.)

Background: Waning of vaccine protection against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection or coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is a concern. The persistence of BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccine effectiveness against infection and disease in Qatar, where the B.1.351 (or beta) and B.1.617.2 (or delta) variants have dominated incidence and polymerase-chain-reaction testing is done on a mass scale, is unclear., Methods: We used a matched test-negative, case-control study design to estimate vaccine effectiveness against any SARS-CoV-2 infection and against any severe, critical, or fatal case of Covid-19, from January 1 to September 5, 2021., Results: Estimated BNT162b2 effectiveness against any SARS-CoV-2 infection was negligible in the first 2 weeks after the first dose. It increased to 36.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 33.2 to 40.2) in the third week after the first dose and reached its peak at 77.5% (95% CI, 76.4 to 78.6) in the first month after the second dose. Effectiveness declined gradually thereafter, with the decline accelerating after the fourth month to reach approximately 20% in months 5 through 7 after the second dose. Effectiveness against symptomatic infection was higher than effectiveness against asymptomatic infection but waned similarly. Variant-specific effectiveness waned in the same pattern. Effectiveness against any severe, critical, or fatal case of Covid-19 increased rapidly to 66.1% (95% CI, 56.8 to 73.5) by the third week after the first dose and reached 96% or higher in the first 2 months after the second dose; effectiveness persisted at approximately this level for 6 months., Conclusions: BNT162b2-induced protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection appeared to wane rapidly following its peak after the second dose, but protection against hospitalization and death persisted at a robust level for 6 months after the second dose. (Funded by Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar and others.)., (Copyright © 2021 Massachusetts Medical Society.)

With the global expansion of the highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 Delta (B.1.617.2) variant, we conducted a matched test-negative case-control study to assess the real-world effectiveness of COVID-19 messenger RNA vaccines against infection with Delta in Qatar's population. BNT162b2 effectiveness against any, symptomatic or asymptomatic, Delta infection was 45.3% (95% CI, 22.0-61.6%) ≥14 d after the first vaccine dose, but only 51.9% (95% CI, 47.0-56.4%) ≥14 d after the second dose, with 50% of fully vaccinated individuals receiving their second dose before 11 May 2021. Corresponding mRNA-1273 effectiveness ≥14 d after the first or second dose was 73.7% (95% CI, 58.1-83.5%) and 73.1% (95% CI, 67.5-77.8%), respectively. Notably, effectiveness against Delta-induced severe, critical or fatal disease was 93.4% (95% CI, 85.4-97.0%) for BNT162b2 and 96.1% (95% CI, 71.6-99.5%) for mRNA-1273 ≥ 14 d after the second dose. Our findings show robust effectiveness for both BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 in preventing Delta hospitalization and death in Qatar's population, despite lower effectiveness in preventing infection, particularly for the BNT162b2 vaccine., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.)

Background: Early child development is a crucial factor for children that controls health and well-being in later life., Aims: To determine the influence of sociodemographic factors on the Early Child Development Index (ECDI) among children aged < 5 years., Methods: The analysis was performed using cross-sectional survey data from 2019, 2017-2018 and 2018 Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys from Bangladesh, Ghana and Costa Rica, respectively. We used the χ 2 test for bivariate analysis and binary logistic regression model for multivariate analysis for all 3 countries. All the statistical analyses were performed with IBM SPSS version 25 and R version 4.0.0., Results: Child age and sex, followed by maternal education level, economic status, child nutritional status, reading children's books, and maternal functional difficulties had the greatest effect on ECDI. Children aged 36-47 months had lower odds of development than those aged 48-59 months, and boys had lower odds of development than girls in Bangladesh, Costa Rica and Ghana. Urban children had lower odds of development than rural children in Costa Rica but higher odds in Ghana., Conclusion: We recommend that governments should take the necessary steps to enhance children's early development and well-being in all 3 countries by raising education, improving economic conditions and providing balanced nutrition., (Copyright © World Health Organization (WHO) 2021. Open Access. Some rights reserved. This work is available under the CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo).)

Importance: The effect of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection on vaccine protection remains poorly understood., Objective: To assess protection from SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infection after mRNA vaccination among persons with vs without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection., Design, Setting, and Participants: Matched-cohort studies in Qatar for the BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech) and mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccines. A total of 1 531 736 individuals vaccinated with either vaccine between December 21, 2020, and September 19, 2021, were followed up beginning 14 days after receiving the second dose until September 19, 2021., Exposures: Prior SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination., Main Outcomes and Measures: Incident SARS-CoV-2 infection, defined as a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive nasopharyngeal swab regardless of reason for PCR testing or presence of symptoms. Cumulative incidence was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier estimator method., Results: The BNT162b2-vaccinated cohort comprised 99 226 individuals with and 290 432 matched individuals without prior PCR-confirmed infection (median age, 37 years; 68% male). The mRNA-1273-vaccinated cohort comprised 58 096 individuals with and 169 514 matched individuals without prior PCR-confirmed infection (median age, 36 years; 73% male). Among BNT162b2-vaccinated persons, 159 reinfections occurred in those with and 2509 in those without prior infection 14 days or more after dose 2. Among mRNA-1273-vaccinated persons, 43 reinfections occurred in those with and 368 infections in those without prior infection. Cumulative infection incidence among BNT162b2-vaccinated individuals was an estimated 0.15% (95% CI, 0.12%-0.18%) in those with and 0.83% (95% CI, 0.79%-0.87%) in those without prior infection at 120 days of follow-up (adjusted hazard ratio for breakthrough infection with prior infection, 0.18 [95% CI, 0.15-0.21]; P < .001). Cumulative infection incidence among mRNA-1273-vaccinated individuals was an estimated 0.11% (95% CI, 0.08%-0.15%) in those with and 0.35% (95% CI, 0.32%-0.40%) in those without prior infection at 120 days of follow-up (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.35 [95% CI, 0.25-0.48]; P < .001). Vaccinated individuals with prior infection 6 months or more before dose 1 had statistically significantly lower risk for breakthrough infection than those vaccinated less than 6 months before dose 1 (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.62 [95% CI, 0.42-0.92]; P = .02 for BNT162b2 and 0.40 [95% CI, 0.18-0.91]; P = .03 for mRNA-1273 vaccination)., Conclusions and Relevance: Prior SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with a statistically significantly lower risk for breakthrough infection among individuals receiving the BNT162b2 or mRNA-1273 vaccines in Qatar between December 21, 2020, and September 19, 2021. The observational study design precludes direct comparisons of infection risk between the 2 vaccines.

Complementing whole genome sequencing strategies with high-throughput multiplex RT-qPCR genotyping allows for more comprehensive and real-time tracking of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. During the second and third waves of COVID-19 in Qatar, PCR genotyping, combined with Sanger sequencing of un-typeable samples, was employed to describe the epidemiology of the Alpha, Beta and Delta variants. A total of 9792 nasopharyngeal PCR-positive samples collected between April-June 2021 were successfully genotyped, revealing the importation and transmission dynamics of these three variants in Qatar., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest/Disclosure The authors have declared no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Macrobrachium lamarrei (H. Milne-Edwards, 1837) is a well-known freshwater prawn species of Bangladesh. The aim of the research is to explore various reproductive aspects (size at sexual maturity, reproductive period and fecundity) of M. lamarrei in the Ganges River, Bangladesh through October 2012 to September 2013. We also study the environmental parameters and their impact on reproduction of M. lamarrei . A total 391 (ovigerous = 141, non-ovigerous = 250) female specimens were collected using Drag net. The TL 50 (the TL at which 50% of individuals become mature) was calculated by a logistic equation as 5.20 cm. Based on the availability of ovigerous females the spawning season was February-November with the peak June-July. Further, 50% and 90% ovigerous females were observed when Fulton's condition factor ( K F ) was 0.85 and 1.03, respectively. The total fecundity ( F T ) was ranged from 65 to 370 where TL was 4.20-6.40 cm and BW was 0.84-2.50 g. Fecundity was found to be highly correlated with TL ( r 2  ≥ 0.96, r s  = 0.96, p  < 0.0001) and BW ( r 2  ≥ 0.88, r s  = 0.93, p  < 0.0001). Temperature ( r p  = 0.82, p  = 0.009), dissolved oxygen (DO) ( r p  = -0.83, p  = 0.0007), pH ( r p  = 0.80, p  = 0.0014) and total alkalinity ( r p  = -0.87, p  = 0.0002), were highly correlated with ovigerous females. The average temperature on peak spawning season was 32 °C. Also, the spawning period connected with the peak rainfall and showed a notable relation between rainfall and ovigerous females. In addition, exploration of long data series pointed that yearly average air temperature is rising by 0.029 °C yr -1 , whereas yearly average rainfall is falling by 2.96 mm yr -1 . Therefore, the result will be helpful for the sustainable management and conservation of M. lamarrei through fixed permissible mesh size and establishment of a ban period in the Ganges River, Bangladesh and adjoining ecosystems., Competing Interests: The author declare that there is no conflict of interest., (© 2021 The Author(s).)

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a potentially lethal and devastating disease that has quickly become a public health threat worldwide. Due to its high transmission rate, many countries were forced to implement lockdown protocols, wreaking havoc on the global economy and the medical crisis. The main protease (M pro ) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative virus for COVID-19, represent an effective target for the development of a new drug/vaccine because it is well-conserved and plays a vital role in viral replication. M pro inhibition can stop the replication, transcription as well as recombination of SARS-CoV-2 after the infection and thus can halt the formation of virus particles, making M pro a viable therapeutic target. Here, we constructed a phytochemical dataset based on a rigorous literature review and explored the probability that various phytochemicals will bind with the main protease using a molecular docking approach. The top three hit compounds, medicagol, faradiol, and flavanthrin, had binding scores of -8.3, -8.6, and -8.8 kcal/mol, respectively, in the docking analysis. These three compounds bind to the active groove, consisting of His41, Cys45, Met165, Met49, Gln189, Thr24, and Thr190, resulting in main protease inhibition. Moreover, the multiple descriptors from the molecular dynamics simulation, including the root-mean-square deviation, root-mean-square fluctuation, solvent-accessible surface area, radius of gyration, and hydrogen bond analysis, confirmed the stable nature of the docked complexes. In addition, absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) analysis confirmed a lack of toxicity or carcinogenicity for the screened compounds. Our computational analysis may contribute toward the design of an effective drug against the main protease of SARS-CoV-2., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Mahmud, Hasan, Biswas, Paul, Afrose, Mita, Sultana Shimu, Promi, Hani, Rahamathulla, Khan, Zaman, Uddin, Rahmatullah, Jahan, Alqahtani, Saleh and Emran.)

The data presented here concerns the article entitled "Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health among general Bangladeshi population: a cross-sectional study" [1]. This article represents a unique dataset on the mental health status among the Bangladeshi population during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. We collected the data from April 15 to May 10, 2020, when the government of Bangladesh imposed lockdown and quarantine approaches. Total 672 (381 men, 291 women) responses were collected using Google survey tools (Google Forms) from the Bangladeshi population aged between 15-65 years. We obtained electronic consent from all participants to participate in this study and publish their anonymous data. We assessed people's sociodemographic profiles and different psychometric measures in this study. We used UCLA-8, PHQ-9, GAD-7, and PSQI scales to assess loneliness, depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance, respectively. This article provides a descriptive analysis of variables along with socioeconomic factors. The presented dataset gives a platform for future research for psychometric assessments of subjects using the above scales. We collected the survey data from the whole country regardless of socioeconomic factors. Therefore, policymakers of government and non-government organizations can use the data to develop different programs to promote the mental health of the Bangladeshi population., Competing Interests: None., (© 2021 The Authors.)

Background: Bangladesh is a densely populated country with a substandard healthcare system and a mediocre economic framework. Due to the enormous number of people who have been unaware until now, the development of COVID-19's second-wave infection has become a severe threat. The present investigation aimed to characterize the clinical and socio-demographic characteristics of COVID-19 in Bangladesh., Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was carried out from all the other COVID-19 patients and confirmed by RT-PCR undergoing a specialized COVID-19 hospital. From March 1 to April 15, 2021, a total of 1326 samples were collected. Samples were only obtained from non-critical COVID-19 patients as critically ill patients required emergency intensive care medications. Then, from April 17 to May 03, 2021, SARS-CoV-2 infection and clinical assessment was performed based on interim guidelines from the WHO. The diagnosis was conducted through RT-PCR. Later, identifying the symptomatic and asymptomatic patient based on checking the Clinical Observation Form (COF). The patients filled the COF form. Finally, statistical analyses were done using the SPSS 20 statistical program., Results: In this investigation, a total of 326 patients were diagnosed as COVID-19 positive. Among them, approximately 19.02% (n = 62) were asymptomatic, and 80.98% (n = 264) were symptomatic. Here, the finding shows that the occurrence of this infection was varied depending on age, sex, residence, occupation, smoking habit, comorbidities, etc. However, Males (60.12%) were more affected than females (39.88%), and, surprisingly, this pandemic infected both urban and rural residents almost equally (urban = 50.92%; rural = 49.08%). Approximately 19% of the asymptomatic and 62% of symptomatic cases had at least one comorbid disorder. Interestingly, an unexpected result was exhibited in the case of smokers, where non-smokers were more affected than smokers. The study indicates community transmission of COVID 19, where people were highly infected at their occupations (35.58%), at houses (23.93%) and by traveling (12.88%). Noteworthy, according to this report, a large number (19.33%) of individuals did not know exactly how they were contaminated with SARS-CoV-2. Patients were most commonly treated by an antibiotic 95.09%, followed in second by corticosteroid 46.01%. Anti-viral drugs, remdesivir, and oxygenation are also needed for other patients. Among those, who were being treated, approximately 69.33% were isolated at home, 27.91% were being treated at dedicated COVID-19 hospitals. Finally, 96.63% were discharged without complications, and 0.03% has died., Conclusion: This investigation concludes that males became more infected than females. Interestingly, both urban and rural people became nearly equally infected. It noticed community transmission of SARS-CoV-2, where people were highly infected at their workplaces. A higher rate of silent transmission indicates that more caution is needed to identify asymptomatic patients. Most of the infected people were isolated at home whereas nearly one-fourth were treated at hospitals. Clinically, antibiotics were the most widely used treatment. However, the majority of the patients were discharged without complications. The current investigation would be helpful to understand the clinical manifestations and socio-demographic situations during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on the global economy, with Bangladesh as a developing country exhibiting greater vulnerability. This pandemic has negatively affected the livelihoods and food security of the nation. Baor (oxbow lake) fisheries communities also were significantly affected during the pandemic, in terms of incomes, food security, health conditions, etc. Fishers have had to stop harvesting, or lower the quantity, of fishes, the sale of which was the main income source of the baor fishers' community because of reduced consumer demands during the lockdown conditions. The supply chains of fishes and fish culture inputs were also disrupted because of a lack of needed transportation, thereby hindering the availability of this convenient protein source from the fish. All these factors negatively impacted the incomes of the people dependent on this important fishery. If appropriate measures are applied to overcome these various difficulties, the baor fisheries may again contribute significantly to the livelihoods and food security of the population in the southwestern part of Bangladesh., Competing Interests: The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest regarding this publication., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Early child development has been influenced directly and indirectly by the COVID-19 pandemic, and these effects are exacerbated in contexts of poverty. This study estimates effects of the pandemic and subsequent population lockdowns on mental health, caregiving practices, and freedom of movement among female caregivers of children 6-27 months (50% female), in rural Bangladesh. A cohort (N = 517) was assessed before and during the pandemic (May-June, 2019 and July-September, 2020). Caregivers who experienced more food insecurity and financial loss during the pandemic reported larger increases in depressive symptoms (0.26 SD, 95% CI 0.08-0.44; 0.21 SD, 0.04-0.40) compared to less affected caregivers. Stimulating caregiving and freedom of movement results were inconsistent. Increases in depressive symptoms during the pandemic may have consequences for child development., (© 2021 The Authors. Child Development published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Research in Child Development.)

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic continues to be a global health concern. The mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccine was reported to have an efficacy of 94.1% at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 due to infection with 'wild-type' variants in a randomized clinical trial. Here, we assess the real-world effectiveness of this vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, specifically B.1.1.7 (Alpha) and B.1.351 (Beta), in Qatar, a population that comprises mainly working-age adults, using a matched test-negative, case-control study design. We show that vaccine effectiveness was negligible for 2 weeks after the first dose, but increased rapidly in the third and fourth weeks immediately before administration of a second dose. Effectiveness against B.1.1.7 infection was 88.1% (95% confidence interval (CI): 83.7-91.5%) ≥14 days after the first dose but before the second dose, and was 100% (95% CI: 91.8-100.0%) ≥14 days after the second dose. Analogous effectiveness against B.1.351 infection was 61.3% after the first dose (95% CI: 56.5-65.5%) and 96.4% after the second dose (95% CI: 91.9-98.7%). Effectiveness against any severe, critical or fatal COVID-19 disease due to any SARS-CoV-2 infection (predominantly B.1.1.7 and B.1.351) was 81.6% (95% CI: 71.0-88.8%) and 95.7% (95% CI: 73.4-99.9%) after the first and second dose, respectively. The mRNA-1273 vaccine is highly effective against B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 infections, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, and against any COVID-19 hospitalization and death, even after a single dose., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature America, Inc.)