Virus Attacks Research Articles

Bacterial cGAS senses a viral RNA to initiate immunity

Cyclic oligonucleotide-based antiphage signalling systems (CBASS) protect prokaryotes from viral (phage) attack through the production of cyclic oligonucleotides, which activate effector proteins that trigger the death of the infected host1,2. How bacterial cyclases recognize phage infection is not known. Here we show that staphylococcal phages produce a structured RNA transcribed from the terminase subunit genes, termed CBASS-activating bacteriophage RNA (cabRNA), which binds to a positively charged surface of the CdnE03 cyclase and promotes the synthesis of the cyclic dinucleotide cGAMP to activate the CBASS immune response. Phages that escape the CBASS defence harbour mutations that lead to the generation of a longer form of the cabRNA that cannot activate CdnE03. Since mammalian oligoadenylate synthetases also bind viral double-stranded RNA during the interferon response, our results reveal a conserved mechanism for the activation of innate antiviral defence pathways.

Perlindungan Hukum Terhadap Warga Negara Indonesia Atas Tuduhan Penyebar Hoax Covid-19 Ditinjau Dari Perspektif Hak Asasi Manusia

Information technology plays a crucial role in the modern era. The rapid advancement of information technology has various complex implications for daily human activities. However, despite the positive impact of the increasing number of internet users on human life, there are also negative consequences that can harm individuals, society, and the country. Currently, Indonesia is facing the widespread coronavirus outbreak, with its origin still unknown. This new disease, known as Covid-19, is highly dangerous as it can quickly transmit from one human to another and even through environmental objects. Regarding the dissemination of false information or hoaxes, it is important to address statements made by government officials and elites that tend to downplay or suggest that Indonesia is immune to virus attacks, or the dissemination of baseless information. Such statements contradict the obligation to provide accurate information as stipulated in various regulations, such as Article 154 Jo. 155 of Law no. 36 of 2009 concerning Health. Regrettably, in light of the events observed in this study, concerns about the spread of hoaxes are not accompanied by efforts to establish reliable and comprehensive communication and public information channels from the government.

The life of the cell membrane: A paradigmatic reading from Deleuze and Guattari

While the Fluid Mosaic model (FMM) is widely accepted as an account of the cell membrane's structure-function, its inability to explain certain phenomena has led to the lipid rafts hypothesis (nanodomains) that spontaneous spatiotemporal enriched zones of sphingolipids-cholesterol-protein exist within the membrane. In this text, we propose a novel approach that conceives the cell membrane as a living entity. The questions regarding the FMM revolve around the fact that, although these molecular components are present in many cell types, the membrane does not react in the same way to every external agent; for example, a virus evokes a particular response: why is there some marked specificity of virus (or toxin) attack on one (or some) of these cell types and not to other cell types that nevertheless have a similar membrane protein constitution? The crucial question, to explain this selectivity, would be what determines the specificity of attack on some cells and not others? While FMN assumes a dynamism between macrostates at the intramolecular, intermolecular, and/or collective levels in the membrane, the approach of the lipid raft model presupposes a much greater and more complex dynamics of microstates (even nano-states) of these molecular components. In other words, it implies higher and instantaneous mobility as assemblages ("intentional") and thus, of the membrane itself (as a collective), in response to changes in the internal and external physicochemical environment over a broad spatiotemporal scale. This suggests a mechanism of membrane adaptation in the face of evolutionary constraints. In this text, we propose a paradigmatic approach, from Deleuze-Guattari's philosophy: to conceive the cell membrane as living and not as a mere molecular conglomerate with particular functions and mechanical processes between molecules. For this, we employ the functional concepts of territory and machinic assemblage, whence the vitality of the membrane would allow us to postulate instantaneous updates, within wider spatiotemporal scales in its composition in contrast with the model that dominates as a more plausible explanation nowadays, that does not include smaller spatiotemporal events. If we resort to the concept of territory and its different media components, we could offer a more plausible explanation of the vigorous dynamism in the composition of the cell membrane since it would allow more subtle and complex differentiations between media and thus make visible the constant and instant changes. We propose that the model of nanodomains, understood as a process of dynamic territorialization, offers a more complex and subtle explanation of the instantaneous changes in the cell membrane's composition. This approach expands the explanatory framework for cellular phenomena and reveals their spatiotemporal complexity in accordance with other research.

Systematic Study of Computer Virus using Virus Definition and Scanning Techniques

Background: Computer virus pose increased risk to computer data integrity, they cause loss of important information and data and cost a huge enormous amount in wasted effort in restoration or duplication of lost and damaged data. Everyday new viruses are discovered, and as the problem increases, there is the need to employ modern tools to identify them and to eliminate them from the devices.
 Objective: This study will examine computer viruses and their impact to computer system.
 Methodology: The study adopted the mixed research method of quantitative and qualitative techniques. In this study data was collected using both interview and observation methods, as well as comprehensive search of the literature review of various scholars from relevant databases such as Research Gate, Google Scholar, and dimension.
 Results: This study identified how devices are vulnerable to computer virus attack and how modern technologies can actually increase the propagation of computer viruses. It also describes the technologies that are available to identify and eliminate the computer viruses, hence, propound probable good uses of virus technology.

“It’s a Vibe”: Belonging, Healing, and Liberation in Community Spaces By Us and For Us

ABSTRACT Through conceptual framing of “a vibe” and abolitionist teaching, our study explored the self-determining work of Black and other People of the Global Majority (PGM) who have curated “by us, for us” (BUFU) community spaces of belonging, healing, and liberation. We asked where PGM community members were finding refuge and what healing and abolition-centered work looked like in BUFU spaces during a spring and summer of viral and violent attacks and disproportionate deaths of Black folks and other PGM. Through engagement with two Black-led organizations, a community survey, and interviews, we identified three interrelated themes that characterized these community spaces. First, the spaces had soulful vibes cultivated through food, music, artwork, and the PGM folks who frequented them. Second, they offered healing vibes that allowed participants to exhale and find refuge from white supremacy and surveillance. Lastly, they were spaces that embodied abolitionist vibes evident in knowledge sharing, freedom dreaming, and calls for collective action.

Comprehensive Analysis of Advanced Techniques and Vital Tools for Detecting Malware Intrusion

In this paper, we explore how incident handling procedures are currently being implemented to efficiently mitigate malicious software. Additionally, it aims to provide a contextual understanding of diverse malcodes and their operational processes. This study also compares various ways of detecting adware against a selection of anti-virus software. Moreover, this paper meticulously examines the evolution of hacking, covering the methods employed and the actors involved. A comparative analysis of three prominent malware detection tools, Google Rapid Response (GRR), Wireshark, and VirusTotal, is also conducted, aiding in informed decision-making for enhancing application security. This paper reaches its conclusion by conducting an exhaustive analysis of two case studies, offering valuable insights into a diverse range of potential leaks and virus attacks that may pose threats to various conglomerates. In essence, this article provides a comprehensive overview that spans incident handling procedures, the historical development of hacking, and the diverse spectrum of tools accessible for achieving effective malware detection.

Distribution of Opportunistic Pathogens in People Living with HIV at a University Hospital in Istanbul over a One-Year Treatment Period and Its Association with CD4 T Cell Counts.

Among sexually transmitted diseases, HIV causes very serious clinical manifestations that can lead to death. As a result, millions of people have to live with this problem that threatens their health. The virus attacks the immune system of the host, especially CD4+ T lymphocytes, causing the suppression of the immune system. CD4, CD8 counts, and HIV RNA viral loads are monitored in HIV-infected patients with antiretroviral treatment, and CD4 counts play an important role in determining the effectiveness of the treatment. Despite the advances in treatment in the present day, opportunistic infections are the main cause of morbidity and mortality in these patients, and the evaluation of immunological parameters is valuable for the prognosis of the disease in this process. In the present study, the purpose was to investigate the opportunistic infections faced by naive HIV-positive patients who applied to our laboratory and were diagnosed between 2019 and 2022 during their one-year treatment period, and the correlation of the immunological parameters was also evaluated retrospectively using the hospital automation system and laboratory data. A total of 107 opportunistic causative microorganisms were identified in 87 of the 230 HIV-positive patients over one year. T. pallidum was detected in 43 (18.6%) of these patients, Cytomegalovirus (CMV) in 32 (13.9%), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in 9 (3.9%), Hepatitis B virus (HBV) in 10 (4.3%), C. albicans in 7 (3%), M. tuberculosis in 3 (1.3%), Hepatitis C virus (HCV) in 2 (0.8%), and C. glabrata in 1 (0.4%) patient. Although mono-agent co-infections were determined in 69 of 87 people living with HIV, two-agent co-infections were detected in 16 HIV patients, and three-agent co-infections were identified in two HIV patients. Considering the correlation between the CD4/CD8 ratio and infection positivity, a moderate negative correlation was determined with HIV RNA viral load and CMV infection. The CD4/CD8 ratio had a low negative correlation with EBV and C. albicans infections. It was also found that the follow-up of HIV RNA load in the diagnosis of T. pallidum, CMV, EBV, and C. albicans may be meaningful. Opportunistic infections mainly affect immunosuppressed patients and can be prevented with effective treatment. Although it is already known that HIV patients may face different infections during their treatment, it was concluded that more attention should be paid to T. pallidum, CMV, EBV, and C. albicans agents. These infections should be routinely monitored with HIV viral load and the CD4/CD8 ratio.

First Report of Tomato spotted wilt virus infecting Helichrysum bracteatum in China.

Strawflower (Helichrysum bracteatum, Asteraceae) , an annual or biennial herb, is one of the most popular flowers in the world because of the colorful flowers and the long flowering period. However, the ornamental plants belonging to Asteraceae are susceptible to numerous viruses such as cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) (Cucumovirus, Bromoviridae) , potato virus Y (Potyvirus, Potyviridae), tomato mosaic virus (ToMV) (Tobamovirus, Virgaviridae), tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) (Tobamovirus, Virgaviridae), chrysanthemum virus B (CVB) (Carlavirus, Betaflexiviridae), tomato aspermy virus (TAV) (Cucumovirus, Bromoviridae), tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) (Orthotospovirus tomatomaculae, Tospoviridae), and impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV) (Orthotospovirus impatiensnecromaculae, Orthotospovirus) resulting in severe yield loss (Verma et al. 2003; Raj et al. 2007; Kondo et al. 2011; Liu et al. 2014; Marys et al. 2014; Min et al. 2020; Gautam et al. 2021; Read et al. 2022; Supakitthanakorn et al. 2022). Among these viruses, the TSWV, a thrips-transmitted negative-stranded RNA virus, is well known to cause viral disease in several plant species while is less reported in Helichrysum, especially in China. In April 2021, viral attack symptoms were detected on the leaves of H. bracteatum during our routine checks in the greenhouse located at Shunyi District, Beijing, China, such as wilting, shrinking, chlorotic blotches, chlorotic ring spots. To investigate the virus infecting H. bracteatum, in total of 25 symptomatic and 5 asymptomatic leaves were sampled and tested by the effective double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA) using antisera against CMV, PVY/PVX, ToMV, TMV, CVB, TAV, TSWV, INSV, separately (Agdia, USA). Only the TSWV showed positive in symptomatic samples, and asymptomatic samples were all negative, which implied TSWV infection. To further confirm the virus type of TSWV isolated from H. bracteatum samples, the genomic RNA of the virus was isolated using reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and then was cloned, sequenced and analyzed. Total RNA of five symptomatic leaves (ELISA-positive) were extracted using the FastPure Plant Total RNA Isolation Kit (Vazyme, China), and then were reverse transcribed by HiScript II Reverse Transcriptase (Vazyme, China). Each genome segments were amplified using Phanta Max Super-Fidelity DNA Polymerase (Vazyme, China) with TSWV-specific primers newly designed and listed in Table S1. The PCR setup was as follow: 95°C for 30 s, followed by 35 cycles at 95°C for 30 s, 55°C for 30 s, and 72°C for 1.5 min, with a final extension at 72°C for 10 min. All PCR products were cloned into the TA/Blunt-Zero vector (Vazyme, China) and sequenced (GENEWIZ, Inc.). We assembled and then analyzed the evolutionary relationship of three genomic fragments, that is, TSWV-BJFC-Hb S (2923 bp), M (4785 bp) and L (8971 bp) using the BLAST tools. The results showed high similarity with TSWV-henan isolated from pepper in China (99.6% to TSWV-S (MT799179.1), 99.8 % to TSWV-M (MT799178.1) and 99.8 % TSWV-L (MT799177.1)). These sequences have been submitted to the GenBank (OM982910, OM982911 and OM937131). Taking all of these evidences together, the viral disease observed in H. bracteatum was closely associated with TSWV. TSWV is currently widespread in China, infecting Nasturtium, Chrysanthemum and cowpea (Xiao et al. 2015; Hu et al. 2018; Yu et al. 2021). Epidemics of TSWV have also been reported in several other countries such as Korea, North Carolina, Turkey and India (Renukadevi et al. 2015; Koehler et al. 2016; Kwak et al. 2021; Erilmez, S. 2022). This is the first report of TSWV infection on H. bracteatum in China. Due to the fast spread and serious economic losses of TSWV, the rapid detection may be the essential way to prevent this viral disease among crops (Macharia et al. 2014).

Investigating Airflow Patterns in the XYZ Passenger Ship’s Accommodation Room on the Potential for COVID-19 Exposure to Passengers

The pandemic condition due to the COVID-19 virus attack has affected all areas of life throughout the earth. Post-pandemic policies and new behaviors are one of the important efforts in getting life back to normal. The pandemic has triggered many technological innovations to be carried out as further mitigation and prevention efforts. In the shipping sector, the impact of shipping restrictions and the number of passengers is detrimental due to a decrease in productivity that affects the shipping and port business. Air exchange patterns and room design are important things to be conditioned to reduce the potential for virus exposure. This article presents an investigation of computational fluid dynamics in the accommodation space of the XYZ passenger ship and simulations of potential exposures in several scenarios of ventilation conditions. By simulating 12 models of ventilation conditions, two conditions of the ships being stationary and moving, and the influence of wind from outside. Layout redesign can be applied effectively in open ventilation conditions and has less exposed bench results compared to existing conditions with an effective percentage of 0.75% - 2.3%

Security System Exploitation on Domains and Subdomains of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta

A computer is a machine that can be used to process any information. In the computer world, crime often occurs. Thus security is needed, for computer systems to avoid various attacks. In the world of computers, especially on the Internet, virus attacks often occur, such as worms, trojans, software piracy and credit card theft problems. Despite the many offers of computer sophistication in processing information, there are still weaknesses that can be exploited by irresponsible parties. This can be detrimental to the rightful owner of the information. So that it can cause small-scale to large-scale damage. Therefore, it is very important for us to know about security exploits so that we can prevent such exploitation and avoid abuse from certain parties. although no system is completely secure. at least we have minimized the possibility by knowing security exploits. Forms of security exploitation generally use various techniques, therefore a security system is needed that is able to overcome these forms of exploitation. This study discusses how to exploit a system and its techniques with the object used is a security system in the domain and subdomain of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. It is hoped that with this research the reader can know and understand the exploitation techniques used so that they can prevent or treat when this exploitation technique is used. The research method used consists of several paths, namely foot printing, scanning, DOOS, Acess, Filtering, finally Covering tracks and creating a backdoor. The research output is the display of the University's network security and its exploitation process.

Optimal Control Strategy for SLBRS with Two Control Inputs

Computer virus attacks result in significant losses each year, drawing considerable attention from enterprises, governments, academic institutions, and various other sectors. Researchers have proposed various approaches to fight against computer viruses, including antivirus software and internet firewalls. In this paper, we focus on investigating computer virus transmission from the perspective of mathematical modeling. Our main contributions in this paper are threefold: (1) we improve the classical SLBRS model by incorporating cure rates, effectively capturing the dynamics of computer network maintenance; (2) we introduce an optimal control system within the SLBRS framework, with the dual objectives of minimizing network detoxification costs and reducing the proportion of broken-out nodes; and (3) by employing Pontryagin’s Maximum Principle, we establish the existence and uniqueness of an optimal control strategy for the proposed control system. Furthermore, we perform numerical simulations to demonstrate the effectiveness of our theoretical analyses.

Genome analysis of a halophilic Virgibacillus halodenitrificans ASH15 revealed salt adaptation, plant growth promotion, and isoprenoid biosynthetic machinery.

Globally, due to widespread dispersion, intraspecific diversity, and crucial ecological components of halophilic ecosystems, halophilic bacteria is considered one of the key models for ecological, adaptative, and biotechnological applications research in saline environments. With this aim, the present study was to enlighten the plant growth-promoting features and investigate the systematic genome of a halophilic bacteria, Virgibacillus halodenitrificans ASH15, through single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing technology. Results showed that strain ASH15 could survive in high salinity up to 25% (w/v) NaCl concentration and express plant growth-promoting traits such as nitrogen fixation, plant growth hormones, and hydrolytic enzymes, which sustain salt stress. The results of pot experiment revealed that strain ASH15 significantly enhanced sugarcane plant growth (root shoot length and weight) under salt stress conditions. Moreover, the sequencing analysis of the strain ASH15 genome exhibited that this strain contained a circular chromosome of 3,832,903 bp with an average G+C content of 37.54%: 3721 predicted protein-coding sequences (CDSs), 24 rRNA genes, and 62 tRNA genes. Genome analysis revealed that the genes related to the synthesis and transport of compatible solutes (glycine, betaine, ectoine, hydroxyectoine, and glutamate) confirm salt stress as well as heavy metal resistance. Furthermore, functional annotation showed that the strain ASH15 encodes genes for root colonization, biofilm formation, phytohormone IAA production, nitrogen fixation, phosphate metabolism, and siderophore production, which are beneficial for plant growth promotion. Strain ASH15 also has a gene resistance to antibiotics and pathogens. In addition, analysis also revealed that the genome strain ASH15 has insertion sequences and CRISPRs, which suggest its ability to acquire new genes through horizontal gene transfer and acquire immunity to the attack of viruses. This work provides knowledge of the mechanism through which V. halodenitrificans ASH15 tolerates salt stress. Deep genome analysis, identified MVA pathway involved in biosynthesis of isoprenoids, more precisely "Squalene." Squalene has various applications, such as an antioxidant, anti-cancer agent, anti-aging agent, hemopreventive agent, anti-bacterial agent, adjuvant for vaccines and drug carriers, and detoxifier. Our findings indicated that strain ASH15 has enormous potential in industries such as in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food.

Structural Intervention in Increasing Covid-19 Vaccination Achievements in the Elderly Group in Banaran Kulon Village, Bagor District, Nganjuk Regency

The Covid-19 virus attacks many vulnerable groups, one of which is the elderly group. The achievement of Covid-19 vaccination in the elderly group is still low. Of the 333 elderly people who have been successfully vaccinated, only 125 have been vaccinated. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of structural interventions given to the elderly group on increasing Covid-19 vaccination achievements.The method used is a quantitative method with Pre-experimental designs one-group pretest-posttest design. The data used is data from the Bagor Health Center as of December 30, 2021. The sampling technique uses Simple Random Sampling. The total sample of this study was 137 respondents. Based on the results of the mc nemar test, a significance value was obtained, namely, the value of 2obs = 125.008 and p-value of 0.000 with = 0.05. So there is a difference in willingness to be vaccinated between before the intervention and after the intervention. Structural interventions carried out in the elderly group who have not received the covid-19 vaccination can increase the achievement of the covid-19 vaccination in the elderly group so that it can accelerate the formation of herd immunity in the community.

Deep learning for COVID‐19 contamination analysis and prediction using ECG images on Raspberry Pi 4

AbstractThis paper's primary goal is to diagnose COVID‐19 contamination based on the artificial intelligence approach automatically. We used convolutional neural network deep learning algorithm for analyzing the ECG images to detect cardiac abnormalities, consequent of the contamination by the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus, responsible for the COVID‐19 epidemic. We designed, trained, and evaluated the performance of two deep learning models (MobileNetV2 and VGG16) in detecting and distinguishing between two different classes (healthy subjects and COVID‐19 positive cases). Indeed, this virus attacks the human respiratory system, which could affect the heart system. Thus, developing a deep learning model could help for a quick and efficient diagnosis, prediction, and physician decision‐making. The performed deep learning model will be used for predicting abnormal cardiac activities consequent to the contamination by the virus. The overall classification rate achieved by the models was 99.34% and 99.67% for MobileNetV2 and VGG16, respectively. Therefore, this approach can efficiently contribute to the diagnosis of COVID‐19 contamination.

Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Macrodomain-1 to Restore the Innate Immune Response Using In Silico Screening of Medicinal Compounds and Free Energy Calculation Approaches.

Among the different drug targets of SARS-CoV-2, a multi-domain protein known as NSP3 is a critical element of the translational and replication machinery. The macrodomain-I, in particular, has been reported to have an essential role in the viral attack on the innate immune response. In this study, we explore natural medicinal compounds and identify potential inhibitors to target the SARS-CoV-2-NSP3 macrodomain-I. Computational modeling and simulation tools were utilized to investigate the structural-dynamic properties using triplicates of 100 ns MD simulations. In addition, the MM/GBSA method was used to calculate the total binding free energy of each inhibitor bound to macrodomain-I. Two significant hits were identified: 3,5,7,4'-tetrahydroxyflavanone 3'-(4-hydroxybenzoic acid) and 2-hydroxy-3-O-beta-glucopyranosyl-benzoic acid. The structural-dynamic investigation of both compounds with macrodomain-I revealed stable dynamics and compact behavior. In addition, the total binding free energy for each complex demonstrated a robust binding affinity, of ΔG -61.98 ± 0.9 kcal/mol for Compound A, while for Compound B, the ΔG was -45.125 ± 2.8 kcal/mol, indicating the inhibitory potential of these compounds. In silico bioactivity and dissociation constant (KD) determination for both complexes further validated the inhibitory potency of each compound. In conclusion, the aforementioned natural products have the potential to inhibit NSP3, to directly rescue the host immune response. The current study provides the basis for novel drug development against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants.

Molecular consequences of peripheral Influenza A infection on cell populations in the murine hypothalamus

Infection with Influenza A virus (IAV) causes the well-known symptoms of the flu, including fever, loss of appetite, and excessive sleepiness. These responses, mediated by the brain, will normally disappear once the virus is cleared from the system, but a severe respiratory virus infection may cause long-lasting neurological disturbances. These include encephalitis lethargica and narcolepsy. The mechanisms behind such long lasting changes are unknown. The hypothalamus is a central regulator of the homeostatic response during a viral challenge. To gain insight into the neuronal and non-neuronal molecular changes during an IAV infection, we intranasally infected mice with an H1N1 virus and extracted the brain at different time points. Using single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) of the hypothalamus, we identify transcriptional effects in all identified cell populations. The snRNA-seq data showed the most pronounced transcriptional response at 3 days past infection, with a strong downregulation of genes across all cell types. General immune processes were mainly impacted in microglia, the brain resident immune cells, where we found increased numbers of cells expressing pro-inflammatory gene networks. In addition, we found that most neuronal cell populations downregulated genes contributing to the energy homeostasis in mitochondria and protein translation in the cytosol, indicating potential reduced cellular and neuronal activity. This might be a preventive mechanism in neuronal cells to avoid intracellular viral replication and attack by phagocytosing cells. The change of microglia gene activity suggest that this is complemented by a shift in microglia activity to provide increased surveillance of their surroundings.

Molecular consequences of peripheral Influenza A infection on cell populations in the murine hypothalamus.

Infection with Influenza A virus (IAV) causes the well-known symptoms of the flu, including fever, loss of appetite, and excessive sleepiness. These responses, mediated by the brain, will normally disappear once the virus is cleared from the system, but a severe respiratory virus infection may cause long-lasting neurological disturbances. These include encephalitis lethargica and narcolepsy. The mechanisms behind such long lasting changes are unknown. The hypothalamus is a central regulator of the homeostatic response during a viral challenge. To gain insight into the neuronal and non-neuronal molecular changes during an IAV infection, we intranasally infected mice with an H1N1 virus and extracted the brain at different time points. Using single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) of the hypothalamus, we identify transcriptional effects in all identified cell populations. The snRNA-seq data showed the most pronounced transcriptional response at 3 days past infection, with a strong downregulation of genes across all cell types. General immune processes were mainly impacted in microglia, the brain resident immune cells, where we found increased numbers of cells expressing pro-inflammatory gene networks. In addition, we found that most neuronal cell populations downregulated genes contributing to the energy homeostasis in mitochondria and protein translation in the cytosol, indicating potential reduced cellular and neuronal activity. This might be a preventive mechanism in neuronal cells to avoid intracellular viral replication and attack by phagocytosing cells. The change of microglia gene activity suggest that this is complemented by a shift in microglia activity to provide increased surveillance of their surroundings.

The Effect of Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Duration on CD4 Counts in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Patients in dr. Doris Sylvanus Regional Hospital

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) attacks white blood cells, thereby reducing the immunity of infected patients. It attacks Cluster of Differentiation 4 (CD4) lymphocyte cells which have a role in the immune system. It has killed 36.3 million people worldwide. There were reported 222 cases in Central Kalimantan Province in 2019. The therapy given to suppress HIV is antiretroviral (ARV) which gradually recover CD4 cells of the patients. This study aims to determine the effect of duration of the antiretroviral therapy (ART) duration on CD4 counts in patients with HIV at the VCT (Voluntary, Counselling, and Test) Polyclinic, dr. Doris Sylvanus Hospital during 2019-2020. It is a descriptive retrospective study, extracting data from patients medical record data. Following total sampling and selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria i.e. aged ≥18 years and diagnosed with HIV during 2019-2020, with complete CD4 count records prior and after ART, there were 45 patients included. The results showed that CD4 counts increased in patients with fixed dose combination (FDC) Tenofovir, lamivudine and efavirenz, with average value of 190.36± 220.92 cells/mm3 prior ART, became 259.93± 203.74 cells/mm3 at 12 month ART, and 310.82± 22.,53 cells/mm3 at 24 month ART (p = 0.000). Thus, the longer ART duration the higher CD4 counts and recover the normal range.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and COVID-19: Prevention or Adjuvant Therapy?

The mechanisms of COVID-19 complications are multifactorial, including long-term tissue dam-ages from direct viral attack, dysregulation of both immunity and renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system and coagulation system, unresolved systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 or n-3 PUFAs) might have favorable effects on immunity, inflammation, oxidative stress at different stages of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Omega-3 and their metabolites including specialized proresolvin mediators, have shown effects in reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines, accelerating the resolution of chronic inflammation and restoring tissue homeostasis, and therefore offer a promising strategy against COVID-19. This article will discuss the inflammatory condition during COVID-19 pandemic, focus on the mechanisms that may contribute to the likely benefits of omega-3 and provide potential recommendations to pro-mote strategies for wellness.

Histological and molecular response of oral cavity tissues to Covid-19.

The world is still dealing with Covid-19 waves, and maintaining good oral health has systemic effects on overall health. This review's objective is to identify the main oral manifestations of this illness, its effects on oral tissues at their histological bases, their molecular cell mechanisms, and the relationship issues between Covid-19 outcomes and oral health conditions. The main sources of the review are research articles published from 2000 to 2023. The main used terms in search were Covid-19 oral manifestations, Corona virus and Taste, or Olfaction, Covid and periodontitis, or Oral cavity. the angiotensin-converting enzyme II receptor (ACE2), which serves as a cellular entry point for viral entry into the cell to cause Covid-19 infection, is the target of corona virus attacks on human cells. The destruction of keratinocytes and oral fibroblasts, which is an indication of the virus's direct impact on oral tissues, results in inflammatory reactions in the salivary glands, tongue, and gingiva, which may explain both the loss of taste and the mouth ulceration. Additionally, there is a significant correlation between Covid-19 outcome and periodontitis. This results from the connection between hyperinflammation and poor oral hygiene.