Frequent Infectious Diseases Research Articles

Wideband tympanometry in otitis Media

BackgroundOtitis media with effusion (OME) is one of the most frequent infectious diseases in children and is the most common cause of acquired hearing loss in childhood. Diagnosis of OME is mainly dependent on the single-frequency tympanometry. Wideband tympanometry (WBT) is an emerging technology that has been utilized to overcome the limitations of conventional tympanometric procedures. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of wideband acoustic absorbance in children suffering from otitis media.MethodsThis study included a control group of 50 children with 100 ears with bilateral normal peripheral hearing and bilateral normal middle ear function and a study group which included 100 children with 176 ears complaining of otitis media. Measures included subjects history, basic audiological evaluation and wideband tympanometry. Resonant frequency, tympanometric peak pressure and middle ear absorbance were measured from wideband tympanometry and compared in both groups.ResultsThere was a statistically significant reduction of resonsnce frequency in the study group in comparison to the control group. Also, there was a statistically significant reduction of tympanometric peak pressure in the study group in comparison to the control group. As regards the absorbance, there was a statistically significant reduction of absorbance in the study group in comparison to the control group at all tested frequencies (250Hz- 8000Hz). The best area under the receiver operating characteristic curve values for diagnosing OM were obtained at all tested frequencies. Data of this work showed that higher values were mainly at 250Hz, 500Hz and 1kHz (0.84, 0.88 and 0.93 respectively).ConclusionFindings of this study suggested that wide band tympanometry can be used efficiently in various degrees of OM.

Hypogammaglobulinemia in a child with atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome

We present a unique clinical case of an atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome in a child. The mutation in exon 6 of the CD46 gene (chr1:207940532G>C) leads to a homozygous or hemizygous missense substitution. An 8-year-old girl was urgently hospitalized with symptoms of hemorrhagic syndrome and acute kidney injury. The child from the second pregnancy with an aggravated obstetric anamnesis, the first operative labor at the 38th week, who has an aggravated genealogical anamnesis. Initially, the disease developed in the guise of gastroenterological pathology: the girl had dyspeptic disorders, most likely associated with pathology of carbohydrate metabolism, also frequent infectious diseases and a lag in physical development. From the age of 4 years, the girl suffered from persistent hypoalbuminemia, hypoproteinemia and hypogammaglobulinemia, requiring replacement therapy with intravenous immunoglobulins. She was repeatedly examined in gastroenterological departments in Yekaterinburg and Moscow in 2021-2023, but no data concerning protein-losing enteropathies or primary immunodeficiency was obtained. Also, the whole-exome sequencing with result validation hasn’t confirmed an inherited etiology of the presumed congenital immune error. However, a CD46 gene mutation, associated with the development of hemolytic-uremic syndrome in some publications, was identified in the study. The signs of thrombotic microangiopathy were preceded by fever of unspecified etiology: microangiopathic hemolysis, thrombocytopenia, hyperazotemia, C3 consumption, proteinuria, and macrohematuria; hypercholesterolemia, protein metabolism disorder, increased transaminases, ferritin were also noted. According to the ultrasound of the kidneys there were diffuse changes in the parenchyma, decreased velocity indices of blood flow in both renal arteries at all levels. Differential diagnosis was carried out with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, antinuclear form of atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome, viral and bacterial infections, systemic pathology, antiphospholipid syndrome, and hemoblastosis. The girl didn’t need a renal replacement therapy. When complement-blocking therapy with eculizumab was initiated on vital indications, the signs of the disease were gradually eliminated. The prolonged absence of nephropathy in the child may indicate the diversity of the CD46 gene’s functions and different phenotypic manifestation of its mutations. Analysis of literature sources and detection of CD46 “environment” genes (CYBA, LYST, ARPCIB) by full-exome sequencing suggest ambiguity and polymorphism of phenotypic manifestations of complement-mediated mutation.

Real-world safety and efficacy of biologics in elderly patients with psoriasis: A multicenter observational study.

Clinical trials of biologics have frequently excluded elderly patients, resulting in inadequate data on their safety and efficacy. Additionally, evidence of their safety and efficacy remains limited, despite some real-world studies. To assess the safety and efficacy of biologics in elderly patients with psoriasis, we compared these outcomes in younger patients using data from the West Japan Psoriasis Registry (WJPR). The WJPR consists of approximately 30 facilities in Western Japan, including various healthcare settings. This study enrolled 1395 patients who participated in the 2022 follow-up survey of the WJPR and were either using or had used biologics during the survey. These included 456 patients in the elderly group (≥65 years) and 939 patients in the younger group (<65 years). Treatment-ending adverse events (TEAEs) occurred in 15.8% and 11.3% of elderly and younger patients, respectively. The incidence rate per 1000 patient-years (PY) for TEAEs was significantly higher in elderly patients than in younger patients (32.9 vs 23.2, p = 0.0234). Infectious diseases were more prevalent in the elderly group than the younger group; however, no significant difference in the frequency of infectious diseases was found between the two groups (p = 0.0807). Malignant neoplasms occurred significantly more frequently in the elderly group than in the younger group (p = 0.0169). Our results indicate a few concerns about infection when prescribing biologics to elderly patients. Biologics were effective for both elderly and younger patients. We found no significant differences in the proportion of patients with a body surface area score ≤3%, Physician's Global Assessment score 0/1, or Patient's Global Assessment score 0/1, as well as in the mean Dermatology Life Quality Index and the Itch Numerical Rating Scale between the younger and the elderly groups. Overall, our results confirm the appropriateness of using biologics in elderly patients with regard to safety and efficacy.

Evaluation of the Variability and Frequency of Infectious Diseases in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Ngorongoro District in Arusha Region, Tanzania

Evaluation of the Variability and Frequency of Infectious Diseases in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Ngorongoro District in Arusha Region, Tanzania

Levels of IL-6 and IL-8 in Complicated versus Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infection

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the world's most frequent infectious diseases, affecting 150 million people each year and resulting in severe morbidity and high medical expenditures. UTIs can be clinically defined as uncomplicated UTIs (uUTIs) or complicated UTIs (cUTIs) to differentiate infections of benign origin from those with a higher risk of recurrence or progression to severe pathology. The aim of this study was to evaluate interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-8 as potential biomarkers in differentiating complicated and uncomplicated. Ninety samples of urine were collected. There were 43 samples from healthy controls and 47 samples from UTI patients—those who have been clinically diagnosed with UTIs by the urologist. The serum IL-6 and IL-8 were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and commercially available kits. The levels of both IL-6 and IL-8 were significantly higher in UTI patient then in control subjects (p=0.001, p=0.001). A significant difference was observed in the mean of level IL-6 between culture positive UTI patients and culture negative UTI patients (p=0.014). In addition, the type of bacterial growth, a significant difference was observed in the mean of serum IL-6 and IL-8 level in UTI caused by gram negative bacteria in comparison with UTI caused by gram positive bacteria. High levels of IL-6 are associated with the growth of gram-negative bacteria, and this indicates that gram-negative bacteria could induce stronger inflammatory responses than gram-positive bacteria. IL-8 levels are higher in UTIs caused by gram-negative bacteria. This result further supported the evidence that gram-negative bacteria are potent inducers of inflammatory responses.

The burden of infectious diseases throughout and after the COVID-19 pandemic (2020-2023) and Russo-Ukrainian war migration.

Understanding how the infectious disease burden was affected throughout the COVID-19 pandemic is pivotal to identifying potential hot spots and guiding future mitigation measures. Therefore, our study aimed to analyze the changes in the rate of new cases of Poland's most frequent infectious diseases during the entire COVID-19 pandemic and after the influx of war refugees from Ukraine. We performed a registry-based population-wide study in Poland to analyze the changes in the rate of 24 infectious disease cases from 2020 to 2023 and compared them to the prepandemic period (2016-2019). Data were collected from publicly archived datasets of the Epimeld database published by national epidemiological authority institutions. The rate of most of the studied diseases (66.6%) revealed significantly negative correlations with the rate of SARS-CoV-2 infections. For the majority of infectious diseases, it substantially decreased in 2020 (in case of 83%) and 2021 (63%), following which it mostly rebounded to the prepandemic levels and, in some cases, exceeded them in 2023 when the exceptionally high annual rates of new cases of scarlet fever, Streptococcus pneumoniae infections, HIV infections, syphilis, gonococcal infections, and tick-borne encephalitis were noted. The rate of Clostridioides difficile enterocolitis was two-fold higher than before the pandemic from 2021 onward. The rate of Legionnaires' disease in 2023 also exceeded the prepandemic threshold, although this was due to a local outbreak unrelated to lifted COVID-19 pandemic restrictions or migration of war refugees. The influx of war migrants from Ukraine could impact the epidemiology of sexually transmitted diseases. The present analysis indicates that continued efforts are needed to prevent COVID-19 from overwhelming healthcare systems again and decreasing the control over the burden of other infectious diseases. It also identifies the potential tipping points that require additional mitigation measures, which are also discussed in the paper, to avoid escalation in the future.

Environmental factors associated with cleft lip and palate in children treated at the William Soler Hospital

Introduction: Cleft lip and palate is the most prevalent craniofacial congenital defect worldwide. It consists of a labial or palatal cleft, even a combination of both. It is currently known that cleft lip and palate have multifactorial causes, which include both genetic and environmental factors, which influence the first trimester of pregnancy. Objective: To describe environmental factors in patients with cleft lip and palate treated at the William Soler Pediatric Hospital, in the period between 2021 and 2022. Methodological design: Descriptive, cross-sectional and retrospective study in patients with a diagnosis of cleft lip and palate. The sample was characterized taking into account sex, type of fissure, maternal toxic habits, exposure to radiation, mechanical injuries and environmental toxins, drug consumption, as well as acute and chronic maternal diseases. Data collected during interrogation and physical examination were used. Results: isolated palatal clefts represented 50,5 %. 13,7 % of mothers smoked during the first trimester of pregnancy, while 10,5 % consumed alcohol. High blood pressure (25 %) was the most common maternal chronic disease while 41 % were diagnosed with vaginal moniliasis. Conclusions: Isolated cleft palate and considerable tobacco and alcohol consumption among pregnant women predominated. Among the chronic diseases, there was a predominance of high blood pressure, the most frequent infectious diseases were vaginal moniliasis and urinary tract infections, and there was a high frequency of the consumption of clotrimazole and oral contraceptives

Analysis of Prevention, Detection, and Response Measures of Major Infectious Diseases by Modern Chinese Seaport Quarantine Institutions: A Case Study of Modern Tianjin Seaport Quarantine

During the late Qing Dynasty, Tianjin Customs gradually established the seaport quarantine system to prevent the spread of epidemics from Japan, Hong Kong, and the Northeast. The major infectious diseases inspected by the quarantine institution of Tianjin Port include cholera, plague, smallpox, typhus and yellow fever, of which cholera is the most frequent and influential infectious disease in modern Tianjin, followed by plague and smallpox, and no large-scale epidemics of typhus and yellow fever have been found.In the process of preventing the spreading of foreign infectious diseases, the quarantine institution of Tianjin Port has gradually developing. A set of business system has been established, which is based on ship inspection and takes preventive injection, rat flea research and disease diagnosis and treatment as the core.In conclusion,the seaport quarantine institutions in Tianjin played an active role in the prevention, detection, and response to major infectious diseases ,opened up a precedent for Chinese people to independently handle border health quarantine.Its historical practice and quarantine mode are a window for understanding the development history of quarantine infectious diseases in modern China, which has very important reference value.

Dynamics of the postvaccinal humoral immune response in canids vaccinated against CDV

Canine distemper disease, a viral disease that affects canids, domestic and wild, regardless of age, race and sex, is one of the frequent infectious diseases in this species, evolving seriously, with a fatal outcome. Vaccination schemes practiced in companion canids also include vaccination against this infection produced by the canine distemper virus (CDV). This study aims to monitor the titer of anti-CDV antibodies after vaccination, in order to evaluate the efficiency of post-vaccination immune response.

A Cross-Sectional Survey of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Regarding Influenza Vaccination Among Jordanians Aged 18-64 Years with Chronic Diseases.

Influenza is a frequent infectious disease that can be prevented and is associated with significant mortality and morbidity. The most economical way to prevent influenza is through vaccination, although this method is not widely used. This study aimed to assess the seasonal influenza vaccination rates and the knowledge and attitudes of Jordanian adults with chronic illnesses toward the influenza vaccine. A cross-sectional design was employed. A 26-item online survey was used to gather data about patients' knowledge of and attitudes toward the influenza vaccine as well as their status as influenza vaccine recipients. A total of 19% of the 564 study participants received an influenza vaccination. Most (81%) of individuals reported inconsistent vaccination uptake. The most important factor affecting vaccination is the belief that the flu is not a threat (39%) and that their doctors did not advise them about the vaccination (32%). Participants with no health insurance and those with public insurance had a lower level of vaccination than those with private insurance (p= 0.008). The adult population of Jordan with chronic diseases has subpar immunization rates. What is also revealed is a blatant misunderstanding about the value of routine influenza vaccination. These findings emphasize how urgently the public needs to be made aware of the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine.

Multicenter evaluation of the Acaruiter Respiratory Panel for diagnosis of respiratory tract infections in Chinese children.

Respiratory tract infection represents the most frequent infectious disease afflicting children worldwide. This study was to evaluate the performance of Acaruiter Respiratory Panel (fluorescent PCR) in the detection of respiratory tract infection pathogens in children. Clinical trials were conducted in three representative pediatric hospitals in Shanghai, Chengdu, and Beijing. With reference to another widely used multiplex assay and first-generation sequencing, the sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and consistency coefficient kappa (κ) value of the assay were evaluated to verify the accuracy and effectiveness in the detection of clinical respiratory pathogens, so as to objectively evaluate the clinical performance and application value of Acaruiter Respiratory Panel (fluorescent PCR). A total of 1,540 samples were screened in this clinical trial project, of which 1,404 were valid samples. Based on the comprehensive analysis of the clinical trial data of 1,404 effective samples, the detection ability of Acaruiter Respiratory Panel (fluorescent PCR) for various pathogens compared with the results of clinical diagnosis, the positive percent agreement was 97.04%-100%, the negative percent agreement was 99.31%-100%, the total percent agreement was 99.36%-100%, and the kappa value was 0.982-1.000, which had good consistency and high accuracy.IMPORTANCECompared to multiplex PCR assays that are available in the Chinese market, the Acaruiter Respiratory Panel (fluorescent PCR) covers a wider range of pathogens including eight viruses, five bacteria, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydia pneumoniae, and has high accuracy and effectiveness in the detection of pathogens. This is the first study to evaluate the performance of the Acaruiter Respiratory Panel. This regent may be a promising assay for comprehensive testing for respiratory pathogens from nasopharyngeal swab specimens in Chinese children.

Verminous pneumonia in European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus).

The European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is a common wildlife species in European countries. Populations are declining due to anthropogenic factors and natural diseases. Verminous pneumonia has been observed as a frequent infectious disease in hedgehogs submitted for diagnostic postmortem examination. This prompted the present in-depth investigation on the lungs of 27 necropsied hedgehogs with confirmed lungworm infections, with or without antiparasitic treatment prior to death. The histological and/or parasitic (fecal samples) examination identified Capillaria aerophila infection in most animals (82%). The parasites were found free in the airway lumen and/or within the airway epithelium, from the larynx to bronchioles. Embedded worms and eggs were associated with epithelial hyperplasia or metaplasia, and long-term inflammation. More than half of the animals (59%) carried Crenosoma striatum, and 41% had a coinfection. C striatum adults were predominantly found free in the lumen of bronchi and bronchioles, and larvae were occasionally seen in granulomas in the pulmonary interstitium, the liver, and the intestine. Independent of the parasite species, a lymphoplasmacytic peribronchitis and, less frequently, interstitial infiltration of eosinophils, neutrophils, and macrophages as well as pneumocyte type II hyperplasia was seen. Interestingly, the extent of pneumonia was not correlated with age, respiratory clinical signs, antiparasitic treatment, or single or coinfection. Verminous pneumonia appeared to be the cause of death in over 25% of the animals, indicating that these parasites not only coexist with hedgehogs but can also be a primary pathogen in this species.

Label-Free Analysis of Urine Samples with In-Flow Digital Holographic Microscopy.

Urinary tract infections are among the most frequent infectious diseases and require screening a great amount of urine samples from patients. However, a high percentage of samples result as negative after urine culture plate tests (CPTs), demanding a simple and fast preliminary technique to screen out the negative samples. We propose a digital holographic microscopy (DHM) method to inspect fresh urine samples flowing in a glass capillary for 3 min, recording holograms at 2 frames per second. After digital reconstruction, bacteria, white and red blood cells, epithelial cells and crystals were identified and counted, and the samples were classified as negative or positive according to clinical cutoff values. Taking the CPT as reference, we processed 180 urine samples and compared the results with those of urine flow cytometry (UFC). Using standard evaluation metrics for our screening test, we found a similar performance for DHM and UFC, indicating DHM as a suitable and fast screening technique retaining several advantages. As a benefit of DHM, the technique is label-free and does not require sample preparation. Moreover, the phase and amplitude images of the cells and other particles present in urine are digitally recorded and can serve for further investigation afterwards.

Co-Occurrence of G6PD Deficiency and SCT among Pregnant Women Exposed to Infectious Diseases.

During pregnancy, women have an increased relative risk of exposure to infectious diseases. This study was designed to assess the prevalence of the co-occurrence of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PDd) and sickle cell trait (SCT) and the impact on anemia outcomes among pregnant women exposed to frequent infectious diseases. Over a six-year period (March 2013 to October 2019), 8473 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics (ANCs) at major referral hospitals in Northern Ghana were recruited and diagnosed for common infectious diseases (malaria, syphilis, hepatitis B, and HIV), G6PDd, and SCT. The prevalence of all the infections and anemia did not differ between women with and without G6PDd (χ2 < 3.6, p > 0.05 for all comparisons). Regression analysis revealed a significantly higher proportion of SCT in pregnant women with G6PDd than those without G6PDd (AOR = 1.58; p < 0.011). The interaction between malaria and SCT was observed to be associated with anemia outcomes among the G6PDd women (F-statistic = 10.9, p < 0.001). Our findings show that anemia is a common condition among G6PDd women attending ANCs in northern Ghana, and its outcome is impacted by malaria and SCT. This warrants further studies to understand the impact of antimalarial treatment and the blood transfusion outcomes in G6PDd/SCT pregnant women.

Infectious Morbidity in Closed Long-Term Care Facilities in the «Pre-COVID Stage»

Relevance. Elderly people have become the fastest growing segment of the global population over the past few decades. The number of people over the working age in Russia, and with them citizens living in closed long-term care facilities (CLTFS), is growing. Residents of these organizations belong to the risk group, and CLTFS have a number of characteristics that turn these institutions into a unique environment for the spread of infectious diseases.Aims. To analyze the CLTFS residents infectious morbidity in the "pre-covid stage" (according to literature sources). A scientific review of research in Russian and English using information portals and platforms has been carried out eLIBRARY. ru , Web of Science, PubMed, Google Academy and Scopus for the period 1981-2022. The search was carried out by keywords. Information about the most frequent infectious diseases affecting residents of closed long-term care institutions was the criterion for inclusion in the sample of publications. Out of 16171 initially identified articles, 61 publications were selected after initial analysis.Conclusions. According to various estimates, the leading infectious diseases in CLTFS were: acute respiratory infections, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, skin and mucous infections, acute intestinal infections. The article describes pathogens and their prevalence in CLTFS including pathogens with multiple drug resistance (MDR), describes the resistance of bacteria to antimicrobial drugs formation problem in these organizations, as well as development of certain diseases risk factors. Studies conducted in various CLTFS in Europe, Russia, the USA, and Asia indicate a high prevalence of infectious diseases among their residents, high colonization of residents with antimicrobial-resistant pathogens, as well as the infection transmission probability from the CLTFS and its spread to other long-term care institutions and medical and preventive organizations.

Overview of Risk Factors for the Incidence of Malnutrition there are Toddlers in Tamalanrea District, Makassar City in 2019

Poor nutrition is the condition of a person with below-average nutrition. This is a form of the process of chronic malnutrition. The purpose of the study: to determine the description of risk factors for malnutrition in children under five, including socioeconomic status, maternal education, frequency of infectious diseases, maternal knowledge, birth weight, and exclusive breastfeeding. This study is a descriptive study with a cross sectional design. The sample of this study used purposive sampling method. Atotal of 70 samples in this study, including 45 malnourished children under five and 25 not malnourished in Tamalanrea sub-district, Makassar City. Results of the study: malnutrition group as much as 84.4% were in low socioeconomic status, 62.2% came from the lowest education level n 73.4% were not exclusively breastfed, 66.7% had a history of low birth weight, 66.7% were born to mothers with a low level of maternal knowledge, and 60% had a history of high infectious diseases. Conclusions: socioeconomic level, mother's education level, mother's knowledge, birth weight of malnourished children tend to be lower than children who are not malnourished. Children with poor nutrition tend not to get exclusive breastfeeding, and the frequency of suffering from infectious diseases is more frequent than children who are not malnourished

Adverse health events and recommended health research priorities in agility dogs as reported by dog owners.

To understand relative frequency of adverse health events, defined as injuries or infectious diseases, in dogs participating in agility and to determine health research priorities of agility dog owners. An internet-based questionnaire distributed to agility dog owners included items related to experiences with infectious diseases and injuries in agility dogs, reasons for retirement of dogs from competition, and ranking of health research priorities. Frequencies of infectious diseases in US geographic regions were compared with Chi-square tests. Research priority rankings were determined as median and interquartile range (IQR) for each topic. Rank-based tests (Kruskal Wallis and Mann-Whitney) compared rankings between participants in different agility organizations, between veterinarian and non-veterinarian competitors, and between respondents who had competed in national championship events and other respondents. There were 1,322 respondents who had competed in canine agility in the previous 6 months, with those respondents reporting a median time competing in the sport of 13 years (IQR = 8-20 years); 50% of respondents had competed in at least one national championship agility event in the preceding 5 years. Overall, 1,015 respondents (77%) indicated that one or more of their dogs had been injured and approximately one-third (n = 477, 36%) indicated that one or more dogs had likely acquired one or more infectious diseases as a result of agility activities. Specific types of infectious diseases acquired varied by geographic region in the US. Research priority rankings were similar regardless of preferred agility organization or respondent experience. The highest-ranking research topics were identification of risk factors for specific types of injuries, improvements in equipment and understanding of safe course design, and physical conditioning programs to prevent injury. Agility competitors prioritize research in areas that advance understanding of injury prevention in their dogs. Research priorities are nearly uniform among competitors regardless of their preferred agility organization or level of experience, providing a strong rationale for agility organizations to collaborate in research initiatives that improve safety and well-being for dogs competing in the sport. There has been little published research focusing on the high-priority research areas identified by competitors.

Epidemiologic Factors Supporting Triage of Infected Dog Patients Admitted to a Veterinary Hospital Biological Isolation and Containment Unit.

The teaching hospital of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Lisbon hosts a Biological Isolation and Containment Unit (BICU) for the hospitalization of both confirmed and suspected animals of an infectious disease. This study targets the BICU dog population to identify and characterize the most frequent infectious diseases recorded in a 7-year period. Several epidemiologic factors were analyzed for their significance to triage infected cases. During the study period, 534 dogs were admitted, of which 263 (49.3%) had a confirmed infectious disease diagnosis: parvovirosis (49.4%; n = 130); leptospirosis (21.7%; n = 57); multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacterial infection; (10.6%; n = 28), and canine distemper (9.9%; n = 26). Several potential risk factors for these diseases were identified: age under 2 years old (p < 0.001), incomplete vaccination for parvovirosis (p < 0.001), age ≥ 10 years old (p < 0.001), and the presence of concomitant disorders for MDR-infected cases (p = 0.03). Logistic regression models were constructed to classify cases and controls. The sensitivity and specificity estimates were very high (>0.83) for parvovirosis, MDR, and distemper infections. A lower sensitivity (0.77) was obtained for identifying cases with leptospirosis. In conclusion, infectious diseases are frequent, hence, it is essential to decrease their occurrence through effective preventive measures such as vaccination. The constructed logistic models can also help in triaging admitted dogs with a potential infectious disease.

Clinical Features and Possible Origin of Preretinal Deposits in Different Ocular Diseases and Events: A Narrative Review.

Preretinal deposits (PDs) are a rare condition among fundus diseases. We found that preretinal deposits have some features in common that can provide clinical information. This review affords an overview of PDs in different but related ocular diseases and events, and summarizes the clinical features and possible origin of PDs in related conditions, providing diagnostic clues for ophthalmologists when facing PDs. A literature search was performed using three major electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar) to identify potentially relevant articles published on or before June 4, 2022. Most of the cases in the enrolled articles had optical coherence tomography (OCT) images to confirm the preretinal location of the deposits. Thirty-two publications reported PD-related conditions, including ocular toxoplasmosis (OT), syphilitic uveitis, vitreoretinal lymphoma, human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-I) associated uveitis or HTLV-I carriers, acute retinal necrosis, endogenous fungal endophthalmitis, idiopathic uveitis, and exogenous materials. Based on our review, OT is the most frequent infectious disease to exhibit PDs, and silicone oil tamponade is the most common exogenous cause of preretinal deposits. PDs in inflammatory diseases are highly suggestive of active infectious disease and are preferentially accompanied by a retinitis area. However, PDs will largely resolve after etiological treatment in either inflammatory or exogenous conditions.

Development of RT-qPCR for quantification of human enterovirus D68 in vitro

The common cold is the most frequent viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract with different intensities based on the serotype and the characteristics of the virus. Numerous human rhinoviruses have been identified and classified. Human rhinovirus 87 (HRV87), also known as enterovirus D68 (EV-D68), is one of the common viruses causing respiratory infections. In this study, a reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay was developed, optimized, and validated for the detection of EV-D68. Method development also covers specificity, sensitivity, efficiency, and inter-and-intra-assay variations. Overall, this one-step qPCR assay will permit quantitative assessments of human enterovirus D68 RNA.•Enterovirus D68 is a reemerging viral agent causing respiratory infection.•RT-qPCR assay developed for detection of human enterovirus D68.•In this article validation to secure reproducibility is done according to MIQE guidelines.