In this systematic review, we will discuss the evidence on the occurrence of central nervous system (CNS) involvement and neurological manifestations in patients with COVID-19.
MEDLINE (accessed from ...PubMed) and Scopus from December 01, 2019 to March 26, 2020 were systematically searched for related published articles. In both electronic databases, the following search strategy was implemented and these key words (in the title/abstract) were used: “COVID 19” OR “coronavirus” AND “brain” OR “CNS” OR “neurologic”.
Through the search strategy, we could identify two articles about neurological involvement by COVID-19. One of these publications was a narrative review and the other one was a viewpoint. However, the authors scanned the reference lists of the included studies and could identify multiple references. One study, specifically investigated the neurological manifestations of COVID-19 and could document CNS manifestations in 25% of the patients. Most of the studies investigated the manifestations of COVID-19 in general.
While neurological manifestations of COVID-19 have not been studied appropriately, it is highly likely that some of these patients, particularly those who suffer from a severe illness, have CNS involvement and neurological manifestations. Precise and targeted documentation of neurological symptoms, detailed clinical, neurological, and electrophysiological investigations of the patients, attempts to isolate SARS-CoV-2 from cerebrospinal fluid, and autopsies of the COVID-19 victims may clarify the role played by this virus in causing neurological manifestations.
•Some patients with COVID-19 may show nonspecific neurological symptoms, such as confusion and headache.•A few patients with COVID-19 showed more specific neurological manifestations, such as seizure or cerebrovascular problems.•Neuroinvasion of SARS-CoV2 may partially explain why some patients develop respiratory failure.
The ability to execute skilled movement patterns efficiently and effectively is the most important aspect of soccer performance and players must apply cognitive, perceptual and motor skills to ...rapidly changing situations. There have been attempts to measure these parameters for talent identification (or development) purposes and skill acquisition and intervention research; the aim of this review is to examine the strengths and limitations of these tests. High levels of perceptual and cognitive skill are characteristics of those players who are able look in the right places for information and process this information efficiently before deciding on a suitable course of action. The motor skills required to successfully control, pass, dribble and shoot the ball at goal are fundamental skills of the soccer player and a variety of methods have been used to measure these aspects. The tests mentioned in this review vary in their complexity and the type of skill(s) they purport to measure. The assessment of choice must come down to a number of factors including cost, available time and space, number of athletes in the cohort and experience of researchers. Furthermore, consideration must be given to the aim(s) of the research/assessment and issues relating to validity and reliability.
Membrane proteins play critical physiological roles in all organisms, from ion transport and signal transduction to multidrug resistance. Elucidating their 3D structures is essential for ...understanding their functions, and this information can also be exploited for structure‐aided drug discovery efforts. In this regard, X‐ray crystallography has been the most widely used technique for determining the high‐resolution 3D structures of membrane proteins. However, the success of this technique is dependent on efficient protein extraction, solubilization, stabilization, and generating diffracting crystals. Each of these steps can impose great challenges for membrane protein crystallographers. In this review, the process of generating membrane protein crystals from protein extraction and solubilization to structure determination is discussed. In addition, the current methods for precrystallization screening and a few strategies to increase the chance of crystallizing challenging membrane proteins are introduced.
X‐ray crystallography is a powerful technique for determining the 3D structure of membrane proteins; however, practitioners face a variety of unique challenges, including expression difficulties, the instability of membrane proteins upon detergent extraction, and a lower probability of crystallization. This review provides a guide to membrane protein X‐ray crystallography with an eye to the difficulties faced and covers novel techniques to overcome them, including crystallization chaperones and in meso crystallography.
Involved for over thirty years in the politics of Iraq, Ali A. Allawi was a long-time opposition leader against the Baathist regime. In the post-Saddam years he has held important government ...positions and participated in crucial national decisions and events. In this book, the former Minister of Defense and Finance draws on his unique personal experience, extensive relationships with members of the main political groups and parties in Iraq, and deep understanding of the history and society of his country to answer the baffling questions that persist about its current crises. What really led the United States to invade Iraq, and why have events failed to unfold as planned?
The Occupation of Iraqexamines what the United States did and didn't know at the time of the invasion, the reasons for the confused and contradictory policies that were enacted, and the emergence of the Iraqi political class during the difficult transition process. The book tracks the growth of the insurgency and illuminates the complex relationships among Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds. Bringing the discussion forward to the reconfiguration of political forces in 2006, Allawi provides in these pages the clearest view to date of the modern history of Iraq and the invasion that changed its course in unpredicted ways.
Over the recent years, the growth of online social media has greatly facilitated the way people communicate with each other. Users of online social media share information, connect with other people ...and stay informed about trending events. However, much recent information appearing on social media is dubious and, in some cases, intended to mislead. Such content is often called fake news. Large amounts of online fake news has the potential to cause serious problems in society. Many point to the 2016 U.S. presidential election campaign as having been influenced by fake news. Subsequent to this election, the term has entered the mainstream vernacular. Moreover it has drawn the attention of industry and academia, seeking to understand its origins, distribution and effects.
Of critical interest is the ability to detect when online content is untrue and intended to mislead. This is technically challenging for several reasons. Using social media tools, content is easily generated and quickly spread, leading to a large volume of content to analyse. Online information is very diverse, covering a large number of subjects, which contributes complexity to this task. The truth and intent of any statement often cannot be assessed by computers alone, so efforts must depend on collaboration between humans and technology. For instance, some content that is deemed by experts of being false and intended to mislead are available. While these sources are in limited supply, they can form a basis for such a shared effort.
In this survey, we present a comprehensive overview of the finding to date relating to fake news. We characterize the negative impact of online fake news, and the state-of-the-art in detection methods. Many of these rely on identifying features of the users, content, and context that indicate misinformation. We also study existing datasets that have been used for classifying fake news. Finally, we propose promising research directions for online fake news analysis.
In December 2020, UNAIDS released a new set of ambitious targets calling for 95% of all people living with HIV to know their HIV status, 95% of all people with diagnosed HIV infection to receive ...sustained antiretroviral therapy, and 95% of all people receiving antiretroviral therapy to have viral suppression by 2025. Adopted by United Nations Member states in June 2021 as part of the new Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS, these targets, combined with ambitious primary prevention targets and focused attention to supporting enablers, aim to bridge inequalities in treatment coverage and outcomes and accelerate HIV incidence reductions by focusing on progress in all sub-populations, age groups and geographic settings. Here we summarise the evidence and decisions underpinning the new global targets.
Long COVID syndrome‐associated brain fog Asadi‐Pooya, Ali A.; Akbari, Ali; Emami, Amir ...
Journal of medical virology,
March 2022, Letnik:
94, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
We investigated the frequency of brain fog in a large cohort of patients with documented coronavirus disease‐2019 (COVID‐19) who have survived the illness. We also scrutinized the potential risk ...factors associated with the development of brain fog. Adult patients (18–55 years of age), who were referred to the healthcare facilities anywhere in Fars province from February 19, 2020 to November 20, 2020 were included. All patients had a confirmed COVID‐19 diagnosis. In a phone call, at least 3 months after their discharge from the hospital, we obtained their current information. A questionnaire was specifically designed for data collection. In total, 2696 patients had the inclusion criteria; 1680 (62.3%) people reported long COVID syndrome (LCS). LCS‐associated brain fog was reported by 194 (7.2%) patients. Female sex (odds ratio OR: 1.4), respiratory problems at the onset (OR: 1.9), and intensive care unit (ICU) admission (OR: 1.7) were significantly associated with reporting chronic post‐COVID “brain fog” by the patients. In this large population‐based study, we report that chronic post‐COVID “brain fog” has significant associations with sex (female), respiratory symptoms at the onset, and the severity of the illness (ICU admission).
•Melting and solidification of PCM inserted by metallic foam was simulated in MTHX.•Inserting metallic foam and increasing inner tubes expedite phase change process.•Use of metallic foam in ...solidification is more efficient than in melting.•Changing the tube arrangement inside PCM composite is more efficient than in pure PCM.
In this paper, melting and solidification processes of phase change material embedded in metallic porous foam in a multi-tube heat exchanger are investigated numerically under local non-equilibrium thermal condition. RT 35 is used as phase change material in middle shell of 3D multi-tube heat exchanger. Also, water flows across inner tube/tubes and outer tube as a heat transfer fluid (HTF). The effects of number of inner tubes, their arrangement as well as porosity of metallic foam on thermal characteristics of heat storage unit are studied. Results show that increasing number of inner tubes and adding metallic foam enhance melting and solidification rates significantly. A composite of phase change material/metallic foam with porosity of ε=0.7 engenders shorter melting and solidification time comparing to pure PCM. Arrangement of inner tubes has no effect on melting rate of metal foam/PCM composite. By inserting metallic foam with porosities ε=0.9and ε=0.7, melting time is decreased by 14% and 55%, respectively. Highest melting rate is for case with four inner tubes for all porosities of metallic foam. Regarding solidification process in pure PCM, case with four tubes shows shorter solidification time. Also, highest solidification rate amid composites of phase change material/metallic foam is seen for case with three tubes. Consequently, inserting metallic foam is more efficient in solidification process rather than the melting one. Moreover, increasing number of inner tubes has more influence on phase change rates in metal foam/PCM composites compared to pure PCM.
Type I and type II interferons (IFN) are central to both combating virus infection and modulating the antiviral immune response. Indeed, an absence of either the receptor for type I IFNs or IFN-y ...have resulted in increased susceptibility to virus infection, including increased virus replication and reduced survival. However, an emerging area of research has shown that there is a dual nature to these cytokines. Recent evidence has demonstrated that both type I and type II IFNs have immunoregulatory functions during infection and type II immune responses. In this review, we address the dual nature of type I and type II interferons and present evidence that both antiviral and immunomodulatory functions are critical during virus infection to not only limit virus replication and initiate an appropriate antiviral immune response, but to also negatively regulate this response to minimize tissue damage. Both the activating and negatively regulatory properties of type I and II IFNs work in concert with each other to create a balanced immune response that combats the infection while minimizing collateral damage.
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