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Sameem Abedin, Mehdi Hamadani Blood & Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Program, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USACorrespondence: Mehdi HamadaniDivision of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USATel +1 414-805-4600Fax +1 414-805-4700Email mhamadani@mcw.eduAbstract: Acute GVHD (aGVHD) is a significant complication after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), occurring in up to 70% of HCT recipients. Steroid-refractory aGVHD represents a subset of patients failing initial therapy and is particularly morbid, with only 30% of patients surviving long term. Better therapies are urgently required for these patients. Here, we discuss recent advancements in the management of SR-aGVHD. We review the currently available therapies for SR-aGVHD including the results of the REACH1 and REACH2 trials, which provide the basis for the use of ruxolitinib for the treatment of SR-aGVHD. We additionally discuss newer agents under clinical investigation and will highlight the niche these agents may fill to further improve outcomes in aGVHD patient care.Keywords: stem cell transplantation, hematopoietic, graft-vs-host disease, ruxolitinib, steroid refractory

Background: Livestock productivity and health are adversely affected by heat stress (HS). The aim of this study was to determine the effects of HS on the thermoregulation and hormonal profile in Assam Hill Goats reared in the subtropical hilly regions of Meghalaya so as to arrive at a conclusion on its heat adaptation abilities. Methods: An experiment was conducted during the year 2022 for 120 days with twelve (12) Assam Hill Goats, aged between 3-5 months, randomly divided into 2 groups (n= 6 per group). The goats in group I were exposed to HS through natural exposure to sunlight during the extreme summer months (May to August) for 07 hours (8 AM to 3 PM) during grazing. The control animals (CON, group II) were maintained under shade with no exposure to sunlight. Thermoregulatory responses viz., rectal temperature, respiratory rate and pulse rate and body weight data were recorded every 15 days interval of the sampling period. The hormonal profile viz., serum T3 (nmol/L), T4 (nmol/L) and Cortisol (ng/mL) were also determined. Result: Results revealed a significant (p<0.05) increase in rectal temperature, pulse rate (day 45 onwards to day 120) and respiratory rate in HS group in comparison to CON. A significantly (p<0.05) lower average daily gain was recorded in HS group. Serum T3 and T4 concentrations were significantly (p<0.05) reduced and cortisol concentration was significantly (p<0.05) elevated in HS group in comparison to CON. In conclusion, Assam Hill Goats exposed to environmental HS shows elevated thermoregulatory responses, decreased thyroid hormone activity and increased cortisol activity to reduce production to support life sustaining activities in the hilly regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The usage of banana waste pseudostems has drawn more attention in recent years. Additionally, it is said that these banana waste components are rich in vitamins and minerals, notably dietary fibre. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of substituting dietary maize with sun dried banana pseudostem (BP) in their feed on performances of crossbred grower pigs. Methods: The current study was carried out between 2020-2021 on forty eight (48) Hampshire crossbred grower pigs, that were randomly divided and allotted to 4 compounded dietary treatments by replacing dietary maize with sun dried BP by 0% (T0), 10% (T1), 20% (T2) and 30% (T3) in their ration. By modifying the amounts of maize with BP, all compounded diets were rendered isonitrogenous and isocaloric. Result: Results indicated significant (p<0.05) improvement in the total body weight gain and average daily gain (ADG) in both male and female crossbred pigs fed ration T2 in comparison to the other groups. The performances of the both female and male pigs were significantly (p<0.05) lower when dietary levels of BP were increased up to 30% (T3). The feed cost/kg live weight gain in group T2 was significantly (p<0.05) lower than the control group in both the sexes. In conclusion, crossbred grower pigs can tolerate up to 20% dietary substitution of maize with BP in the ration without compromising their growth, blood biochemical parameters, reproductive performances and carcass quality. Incorporation of 20% sun dried BP resulted in lowered feed cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dear Editor, The education systems became virtual during Covid-19. This problem increased students’ access to mobile phones, media and caused Internet addiction. Media also caused many health problems in teenagers. Media literacy is defined as the ability to access, analyze, evaluate and create messages in different contexts. Media literacy can deal with the potential negative effects of media. Thus, considering the importance of media literacy, it is necessary to teach children the knowledge and skills of the media literacy from childhood. .

The present study was conducted to ascertain the seroprevalence of Leptospira infection in cattle among certain districts of the lower Brahmaputra valley in the state of Assam from March 2017 to February 2018. Two serological tests viz. IgG ELISA and Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) were used to detect the leptospiral antibodies. The anti-leptospiral antibodies were detected by IgG ELISA and compared with MAT using antigens from 12 pathogenic serovars. Out of 380 sera samples, 68 (17.89 %, 95% CI: 6.89-27) and 44 (11.58%) were positive by IgG ELISA and MAT respectively. The circulating Leptospira serovars identified were Autumnalis (6.05%), Ballum (2.63%), Batavia (1.31%), Ichterohaemorrhagie (0.7%), Javanica (0.5%) and Sejroe (0.2%). The sensitivity and specificity of IgG ELISA in comparison to MAT were calculated and found to be 100% and 92.85% respectively with a concordance of 93.68%. An epidemiological investigation was carried out to find the association of various risk factors with Leptospira infection under this study in cattle using a pre-tested questionnaire. The present study will serve as baseline data for the prevention and control of Leptospira infection in cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Iran is a country with a high prevalence of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) and seven endemic provinces. In this study, we tried to identify unobserved classes of knowledge among Iranians toward VL and assess the predictors of each latent class. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted among randomly selected participants from endemic and non-endemic areas of VL in Iran in 2020 and 2021. The collected data included demographic characteristics and questions about knowledge, attitude, and practice toward VL. We performed latent class analysis using a procedure for latent class analysis (PROC LCA) in SAS to identify the class membership of knowledge of participants toward VL. Results Five latent classes were identified: very low (38.9%), low (15.5%), moderate (6.2%), high (14.1%), and very high (25.2%) knowledge about VL. Living in endemic areas significantly increased the odds of belonging to the low (adjusted OR (AOR = 7.23; 95% confidence interval (CI):4.52–11.58), high (AOR = 2.71; 95%CI: 1.73–4.23), and very high (AOR = 8.47; 95%CI: 5.78–12.41) classes compared to the very low class. Also, having academic education increased the odds of membership in the very high class (AOR = 2.36; 95%CI: 1.61–3.47) compared to the very low class. Conclusion This study revealed that more than 50% of the participants fell into the latent classes of very low and low knowledge toward VL. Some educational workshops in the endemic areas could be effective in enhancing knowledge about VL.

Abstract Background Head lice are a main public health problem and the most important human ectoparasites and the use of pediculicides is the most common way to control it. One of the possible causes of treatment failure is the lack of improper application of pediculicide. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of education on efficacy of 1% permethrin or 4% dimeticone lotion to treat head lice infestation. Methods This quasi-experimental study included 100 individuals with head lice infestation from comprehensive urban health centers in Ardabil as the intervention group, and 400 individuals from East Azerbaijan and West Azerbaijan provinces as the control group, from April to March 2019. The data collection tools included a demographic questionnaire and an examination recording sheet, which documented the presence of adult lice or nits. Due to the inability to perform random assignment and control for numerous observed covariates, propensity score matching (PSM) was used. Results The outcome of treatment included elimination of head lice infestation on is 7, and in the case of recurrence, it was considered on days 14 and 30 after treatment. The results showed that the educational intervention program had a significant positive effect on the efficacy of both treatments. The likelihood of improvement was approximately three times greater in the intervention group compared to the control group. Conclusion Participants who received the training intervention (OR = 3.29; CI 95%: 2.21–4.88) were more likely to have a successful treatment than control group. In the case of providing proper training on the use of pediculicides and observing hygiene tips to patients with pediculosis, could help to successful treatment of pediculosis.

A detailed in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) investigation of Au(111) in the pure ionic liquid 1-butyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide and of silicon electrodeposition from SiCI(sub 4) (0.1 M) in ionic liquid on Au(111) is presented. It is found that an electrode potential more negative than the open circuit potential (OCP), the Au(111) surface is subject to a restructuring/ reconstruction both in the case of the pure ionic liquid and in presence of SiCI(sub 4).