Background Schistosomiasis japonica represents a significant public health concern in South Asia. There is an urgent need to optimize existing schistosomiasis diagnostic techniques. This study aims ...to develop models for the different stages of liver fibrosis caused by Schistosoma infection utilizing ultrasound radiomics and machine learning techniques. Methods From 2018 to 2022, we retrospectively collected data on 1,531 patients and 5,671 B-mode ultrasound images from the Second People's Hospital of Duchang City, Jiangxi Province, China. The datasets were screened based on inclusion and exclusion criteria suitable for radiomics models. Liver fibrosis due to Schistosoma infection (LFSI) was categorized into four stages: grade 0, grade 1, grade 2, and grade 3. The data were divided into six binary classification problems, such as group 1 (grade 0 vs. grade 1) and group 2 (grade 0 vs. grade 2). Key radiomic features were extracted using Pyradiomics, the Mann-Whitney U test, and the Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO). Machine learning models were constructed using Support Vector Machine (SVM), and the contribution of different features in the model was described by applying Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP). Results This study ultimately included 1,388 patients and their corresponding images. A total of 851 radiomics features were extracted for each binary classification problems. Following feature selection, 18 to 76 features were retained from each groups. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for the validation cohorts was 0.834 (95% CI: 0.779-0.885) for the LFSI grade 0 vs. LFSI grade 1, 0.771 (95% CI: 0.713-0.835) for LFSI grade 1 vs. LFSI grade 2, and 0.830 (95% CI: 0.762-0.885) for LFSI grade 2 vs. LFSI grade 3. Conclusion Machine learning models based on ultrasound radiomics are feasible for classifying different stages of liver fibrosis caused by Schistosoma infection.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Background: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a neglected tropical parasitic disease that poses huge disease, social and economic burdens worldwide; however, there has been little knowledge on the global ...morbidity, mortality and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of CE until now. This study aimed to collect the most up-to-date data about the global, regional and national disease burden due to CE from 1990 to 2019 and to project trends in the next 10 years. Methods: We measured the global, regional and national morbidity, mortality and DALYs of CE from 1990 to 2019 based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 (GBD 2019) data, and we examined the correlation between socioeconomic development levels and the disease burden of CE. In addition, the disease burden due to CE was projected from 2020 to 2030. Results: The age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of CE reduced from 2.65/105 95% UI: (1.87/105 to 3.7/105) in 1990 to 2.6/105 95% UI: (1.72/105 to 3.79/105) in 2019 (EAPC equivalent −0.18%). The number of deaths, DALYs, age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) and age-standardized DALY rate due to CE all showed a tendency to decline from 1990 to 2019. A higher disease burden of CE was measured in women than in men in 2019. There was a significant difference in the ASMR of CE by region according to the socio-demographic index (SDI), and lower burdens of CE were estimated in high-SDI regions. The global ASIR of CE is projected to decline from 2020 to 2030; however, the ASMR and age-standardized DALY rate are projected to rise.
Conclusions: The global burden of CE remains high, and it is recommended that more health resources are allocated to low-SDI regions, women and the elderly aged 55 to 65 years to reduce the disease burden of CE.
The One Health (OH) concept has been promoted widely around the globe. OH framework is expected to be applied as an integrated approach to support addressing zoonotic diseases as a significant global ...health issue and to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of zoonosis prevention and control. This review is intended to overview the social impact of the implementation of OH on zoonosis prevention and control.
A scoping review of studies in the past 10 years was performed to overview the integration feature of OH in zoonosis prevention and control and the social impacts of OH. PubMed and Web of Science were searched for studies published in English between January 2011 and June 2021. The included studies were selected based on predefined criteria.
Thirty-two studies were included in this review, and most of them adopted qualitative and semi-qualitative methods. More than 50% of the studies focused on zoonosis prevention and control. Most studies were conducted in low- and middle-income countries in Africa and Asia. Applying OH approach in diseases control integrates policymakers, stakeholders, and academics from various backgrounds. The impact of OH on economic is estimated that it may alleviate the burden of diseases and poverty in the long term, even though more financial support might be needed at the initial stage of OH implementation. OH implementation considers social and ecological factors related to zoonosis transmission and provides comprehensive strategies to assess and address related risks in different communities according to regions and customs.
Based on reviewed literature, although there seems to be a lack of guidelines for assessing and visualizing the outcomes of OH implementation, which may limit the large-scale adoption of it, evidence on the contributions of implementing OH concepts on zoonosis prevention and control indicates long-term benefits to society, including a better integration of politics, stakeholders and academics to improve their cooperation, a potential to address economic issues caused by zoonosis, and a comprehensive consideration on social determinants of health during zoonosis prevention and control.
China has been carrying out large-scale schistosomiasis control since the mid-1950s, but in the early 1990s, schistosomiasis was still endemic in eight provinces. A World Bank Loan Project enabled ...further significant progress to be made during the period 1992-2001. The control strategy was focused on the large-scale use of chemotherapy -- primarily to reinforce morbidity control -- while at the same time acting on transmission with the ultimate goal of interrupting it. Chemotherapy was complemented by health education, chemical control of snails and environmental modification where appropriate. A final evaluation in 2002 showed that infection rates in humans and livestock had decreased by 55% and 50%, respectively. The number of acute infections and of individuals with advanced disease had also significantly decreased. Although snail infection rates continued to fluctuate at a low level, the densities of infected snails had decreased by more than 75% in all endemic areas. The original objectives of the China World Bank Loan Project for schistosomiasis control had all been met. One province, Zhejiang, had already fulfilled the criteria for elimination of schistosomiasis by 1995. The project was therefore a success and has provided China with a sound basis for further control.
Schistosomiasis japonica caused by the trematode flukes of
was one of the most grievous infectious diseases in China in the mid-20th century, while its elimination has been placed on the agenda of ...the national strategic plan of healthy China 2030 after 70 years of continuous control campaigns. Diagnostic tools play a pivotal role in warfare against schistosomiasis but must adapt to the endemic status and objectives of activities. With the decrease of prevalence and infection intensity of schistosomiasis in human beings and livestock, optimal methodologies with high sensitivity and absolute specificity are needed for the detection of asymptomatic cases or light infections, as well as disease surveillance to verify elimination. In comparison with the parasitological methods with relatively low sensitivity and serological techniques lacking specificity, which both had been widely used in previous control stages, the molecular detection methods based on the amplification of promising genes of the schistosome genome may pick up the baton to assist the eventual aim of elimination. In this article, we reviewed the developed molecular methods for detecting
infection and their application in schistosomiasis japonica diagnosis. Concurrently, we also analyzed the chances and challenges of molecular tools to the field application process in China.
Abstract
Background
Achatina fulica, the giant African snail, is the largest terrestrial mollusk species. Owing to its voracious appetite, wide environmental adaptability, high growth rate, and ...reproductive capacity, it has become an invasive species across the world, mainly in Southeast Asia, Japan, the western Pacific islands, and China. This pest can damage agricultural crops and is an intermediate host of many parasites that can threaten human health. However, genomic information of A. fulica remains limited, hindering genetic and genomic studies for invasion control and management of the species.
Findings
Using a k-mer–based method, we estimated the A. fulica genome size to be 2.12 Gb, with a high repeat content up to 71%. Roughly 101.6 Gb genomic long-read data of A. fulica were generated from the Pacific Biosciences sequencing platform and assembled to produce a first A. fulica genome of 1.85 Gb with a contig N50 length of 726 kb. Using contact information from the Hi-C sequencing data, we successfully anchored 99.32% contig sequences into 31 chromosomes, leading to the final contig and scaffold N50 length of 721 kb and 59.6 Mb, respectively. The continuity, completeness, and accuracy were evaluated by genome comparison with other mollusk genomes, BUSCO assessment, and genomic read mapping. A total of 23,726 protein-coding genes were predicted from the assembled genome, among which 96.34% of the genes were functionally annotated. The phylogenetic analysis using whole-genome protein-coding genes revealed that A. fulica separated from a common ancestor with Biomphalaria glabrata ∼182 million years ago.
Conclusion
To our knowledge, the A. fulica genome is the first terrestrial mollusk genome published to date. The chromosome sequence of A. fulica will provide the research community with a valuable resource for population genetics and environmental adaptation studies for the species, as well as investigations of the chromosome-level of evolution within mollusks.
In the tripartite project funded by the former UK Department for International Development (DFID) and later the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), China’s partners were expected to share the ...extensively parallel practices achieved from the control and elimination of malaria for over 70 years, UK’s partners were to deliver resources and design global health strategies, while Tanzanian local staff collaborated with triangular partners to ensure the project implementation 3. Achievements of the project tripartite partnership Impressive achievements were made through the pioneering efforts of triangular stakeholders of the project: (1) 1,7-malaria Reactive Community-based Testing and Response (1,7-mRCTR) was successfully derived from local context sharing Chinese 1-3-7 norm through the field implementation; (2) malaria prevalence in the intervention wards declined by 81% from 2015 to 2018 and further declined by 55% from 2018 to 2022 3; (3) a local team composed of 37 Tanzanian community health workers were built to be paired with Chinese on-site technical staff to ensure the project implementation and sustainability3; (4) the project’s effectiveness and achievements contributed to the scaling up of 1,7-mRCTR in three other African countries including Burkina Faso, Senegal, and Zambia for sustainable development 4. Challenges and recommendations The project also encountered some challenges in this trilateral partnership, (1) China’s immature systems for global health engagement with scarce resources allocated to this innovative partnership 5, e.g. the complicated procedures of funding transfer from China to Tanzania, the time-consuming visa application for Chinese staff’s field support, and the scarce resources. ...it is essential to mobilize resources for the trilateral collaboration with developing a solid system for China’s participation in global health.
During May-August 2013, a malaria outbreak comprising 874 persons in Shanglin County, China, was detected among 4,052 persons returning from overseas. Ghana was the predominant destination country, ...and 92.3% of malarial infections occurred in gold miners. Preventive measures should be enhanced for persons in high-risk occupations traveling to malaria-endemic countries.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Mitigating the spread of global infectious diseases requires rapid and accurate diagnostic tools. Conventional diagnostic techniques for infectious diseases typically require sophisticated equipment ...and are time consuming. Emerging clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR‐associated proteins (Cas) detection systems have shown remarkable potential as next‐generation diagnostic tools to achieve rapid, sensitive, specific, and field‐deployable diagnoses of infectious diseases, based on state‐of‐the‐art microfluidic platforms. Therefore, a review of recent advances in CRISPR‐based microfluidic systems for infectious diseases diagnosis is urgently required. This review highlights the mechanisms of CRISPR/Cas biosensing and cutting‐edge microfluidic devices including paper, digital, and integrated wearable platforms. Strategies to simplify sample pretreatment, improve diagnostic performance, and achieve integrated detection are discussed. Current challenges and future perspectives contributing to the development of more effective CRISPR‐based microfluidic diagnostic systems are also proposed.
The CRISPR/Cas detection systems that are armed with state‐of‐the‐art microfluidic platforms have shown remarkable potential as next‐generation diagnostic tools. In this review, CRISPR‐based microfluidic systems for infectious diseases diagnosis, including the mechanisms of CRISPR/Cas biosensing and the cutting‐edge microfluidic devices are systematically summarized. Additionally, current challenges and future perspectives are discussed to develop more effective CRISPR‐based microfluidic diagnostic systems.
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