Dynamics of information diffusion and disease transmission in time-varying multiplex networks with asymmetric activity levels

While the interaction between information and disease in static networks has been extensively investigated,many studies have ignored the characteristics of network evolution.In this study,we construct a new two-layer coupling model to explore the interactions between information and disease.The upper layer describes the diffusion of disease-related information,and the lower layer represents the disease transmission.We then use power-law distributions to examine the influence of asymmetric activity levels on dynamic propagation,revealing a mapping relationship characterizing the interconnected propagation of information and diseases among partial nodes within the network.Subsequently,we derive the disease outbreak threshold by using the microscopic Markov-chain approach(MMCA).Finally,we perform extensive Monte Carlo(MC)numerical simulations to verify the accuracy of our theoretical results.Our findings indicate that the activity levels of individuals in the disease transmission layer have a more significant influence on disease transmission compared with the individual activity levels in the information diffusion layer.Moreover,reducing the damping factor can delay disease outbreaks and suppress disease transmission,while improving individual quarantine measures can contribute positively to disease control.This study provides valuable insights into policymakers for developing outbreak prevention and control strategies.

Studying the co-evolution of information diffusion,vaccination behavior and disease transmission in multilayer networks with local and global effects

Today,with the rapid development of the internet,a large amount of information often accompanies the rapid transmission of disease outbreaks,and increasing numbers of scholars are studying the relationship between information and the disease transmission process using complex networks.In fact,the disease transmission process is very complex.Besides this information,there will often be individual behavioral measures and other factors to consider.Most of the previous research has aimed to establish a two-layer network model to consider the impact of information on the transmission process of disease,rarely divided into information and behavior,respectively.To carry out a more in-depth analysis of the disease transmission process and the intrinsic influencing mechanism,this paper divides information and behavior into two layers and proposes the establishment of a complex network to study the dynamic co-evolution of information diffusion,vaccination behavior,and disease transmission.This is achieved by considering four influential relationships between adjacent layers in multilayer networks.In the information layer,the diffusion process of negative information is described,and the feedback effects of local and global vaccination are considered.In the behavioral layer,an individual's vaccination behavior is described,and the probability of an individual receiving a vaccination is influenced by two factors:the influence of negative information,and the influence of local and global disease severity.In the disease layer,individual susceptibility is considered to be influenced by vaccination behavior.The state transition equations are derived using the micro Markov chain approach(MMCA),and disease prevalence thresholds are obtained.It is demonstrated through simulation experiments that the negative information diffusion is less influenced by local vaccination behavior,and is mainly influenced by global vaccination behavior;vaccination behavior is mainly influenced by local disease conditions,and is less influenced by global disease conditions;the disease transmission threshold increases with the increasing vaccination rate;and the scale of disease transmission increases with the increasing negative information diffusion rate and decreases with the increasing vaccination rate.Finally,it is found that when individual vaccination behavior considers both the influence of negative information and disease,it can increase the disease transmission threshold and reduce the scale of disease transmission.Therefore,we should resist the diffusion of negative information,increase vaccination proportions,and take appropriate protective measures in time.

Transmission Dynamics and Optimal Control Strategies of a Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease Model with Treatment and Vaccination Interventions

In this article, the transmission dynamics of a Hand-Foot-Mouth disease model with treatment and vaccination interventions are studied. We calculated the basic reproduction number and proved the global stability of disease-free equilibrium when R0 R0 > 1. Meanwhile, we obtained the optimal control strategies minimizing the cost of intervention and minimizing the infected person. We also give some numerical simulations to verify our theoretical results.

Morphological and biochemical characteristics associated with autophagy in gastrointestinal diseases

Autophagy is a cellular catabolic process characterized by the formation of double-membrane autophagosomes.Transmission electron microscopy is the most rigorous method to clearly visualize autophagic engulfment and degradation.A large number of studies have shown that autophagy is closely related to the digestion,secretion,and regeneration of gastrointestinal(GI)cells.However,the role of autophagy in GI diseases remains controversial.This article focuses on the morphological and biochemical characteristics of autophagy in GI diseases,in order to provide new ideas for their diagnosis and treatment.

The origin, transmission and clinical therapies on coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) outbreak——an update on the status

An acute respiratory disease,caused by a novel coronavirus(SARS-CoV-2,previously known as 2019-nCoV),the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)has spread throughout China and received worldwide attention.On 30 January 2020,World Health Organization(WHO)officially declared the COVID-19 epidemic as a public health emergency of international concern.The emergence of SARS-CoV-2,since the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus(SARSCoV)in 2002 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus(MERS-CoV)in 2012,marked the third introduction of a highly pathogenic and large-scale epidemic coronavirus into the human population in the twenty-first century.As of 1 March 2020,a total of 87,137 confirmed cases globally,79,968 confirmed in China and 7169 outside of China,with 2977 deaths(3.4%)had been reported by WHO.Meanwhile,several independent research groups have identified that SARS-CoV-2 belongs toβ-coronavirus,with highly identical genome to bat coronavirus,pointing to bat as the natural host.The novel coronavirus uses the same receptor,angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2)as that for SARS-CoV,and mainly spreads through the respiratory tract.Importantly,increasingly evidence showed sustained human-tohuman transmission,along with many exported cases across the globe.The clinical symptoms of COVID-19 patients include fever,cough,fatigue and a small population of patients appeared gastrointestinal infection symptoms.The elderly and people with underlying diseases are susceptible to infection and prone to serious outcomes,which may be associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS)and cytokine storm.Currently,there are few specific antiviral strategies,but several potent candidates of antivirals and repurposed drugs are under urgent investigation.In this review,we summarized the latest research progress of the epidemiology,pathogenesis,and clinical characteristics of COVID-19,and discussed the current treatment and scientific advancements to combat the epidemic novel coronavirus.

Vertically acquired hepatitis C virus infection:Correlates oftransmission and disease progression

The worldwide prevalence of hepatitis C virus(HCV)infection in children is 0.05%-0.4% in developed countries and 2%-5% in resource-limited settings, where inadequately tested blood products or un-sterile medical injections still remain important routes of infection. After the screening of blood donors, motherto-child transmission(MTCT) of HCV has become the leading cause of pediatric infection, at a rate of 5%. Maternal HIV co-infection is a significant risk factor for MTCT and anti-HIV therapy during pregnancy seemingly can reduce the transmission rate of both viruses. Conversely, a high maternal viral load is an important, but not preventable risk factor, because at present no anti-HCV treatment can be administered to pregnant women to block viral replication. Caution is needed in adopting obstetric procedures, such as amniocentesis or internal fetal monitoring, that can favor fetal exposure to HCV contaminated maternal blood, though evidence is lacking on the real risk of single obstetric practices. Mode of delivery and type of feeding do not represent significant risk factors for MTCT. Therefore, there is no reason to offer elective caesarean section or discourage breast-feeding to HCV infected parturients. Information on the natural history of vertical HCV infection is limited. The primary infection is asymptomatic in infants. At least one quarter of infected children shows a spontaneous viral clearance(SVC) that usually occurs within 6 years of life. IL-28 B polymorphims and genotype 3 infection have been associated with greater chances of SVC. In general, HCV progression is mild or moderate in children with chronic infection who grow regularly, though cases with marked liver fibrosis or hepatic failure have been described. Non-organ specific autoantibodies and cryoglobulins are frequently found in children with chronic infection, but autoimmune diseases or HCV associated extrahepatic manifestations are rare.

Classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy and chronic wasting disease:two sides of the prion coin

Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies(TSEs)are a group of progressive and ultimately fatal neurologic diseases of man and animals,all resulting from the propagated misfolding of the host's normal cellular prion protein.These diseases can be spontaneous,heritable,anthropogenic/iatrogenic,or in some cases horizontally transmissible,and include such notable TSEs as bovine spongiform encephalopathy(BSE)of cattle and chronic wasting disease(CWD)of cervids.Although they are both unequivocally protein misfolding disorders,they differ markedly in their pathogenesis,transmissibility,and zoonotic potential.While the BSE epidemic has largely abated over the past three decades following global feed bans on ruminant meat and bone meal,CWD,which is readily transmitted through various forms of excreta,has rapidly expanded from its original endemic zone to encompass much of North America,along with recently identified foci in Scandinavia.Most importantly,although the classical form of BSE has proven transmissible to humans consuming contaminated beef or beef products,so far there have been no conclusive reports on the zoonotic transmission of cWD to humans.The underlying basis for these differences-whether host or agent directed-are not well understood,though may be due to inherent differences in the three-dimensional structure of the misfolded BSE or CWD prion proteins or the expression levels and tissue distribution of respective cellular prion proteins.With the uncontrolled geographic spread of CWD,it is imperative that we improve our understanding of the factors governing prion disease pathogenesis,transmission,and zoonotic potential.

Blunt dopamine transmission due to decreased GDNF in the PFC evokes cognitive impairment in Parkinson’s disease

Studies have found that the absence of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor may be the primary risk factor for Parkinson’s disease. However, there have not been any studies conducted on the potential relationship between glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor and cognitive performance in Parkinson’s disease. We first performed a retrospective case-control study at the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University between September 2018 and January 2020 and found that a decreased serum level of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor was a risk factor for cognitive disorders in patients with Parkinson’s disease. We then established a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine and analyzed the potential relationships among glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor in the prefrontal cortex, dopamine transmission, and cognitive function. Our results showed that decreased glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor in the prefrontal cortex weakened dopamine release and transmission by upregulating the presynaptic membrane expression of the dopamine transporter, which led to the loss and primitivization of dendritic spines of pyramidal neurons and cognitive impairment. In addition, magnetic resonance imaging data showed that the long-term lack of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor reduced the connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and other brain regions, and exogenous glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor significantly improved this connectivity. These findings suggested that decreased glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor in the prefrontal cortex leads to neuroplastic degeneration at the level of synaptic connections and circuits, which results in cognitive impairment in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

A General Model for Hepatitis B Disease with Age-Dependent Susceptibility and Transmission Probabilities

A SEI model for hepatitis B is constructed where the susceptibility and other crucial transmission probabilities depend on the chronological age and the basic reproduction rate R0 is derived. Under suitable (biological and mathematical) assumptions in a closed population, results of Houpa D. D. E. et al. [1] are extended from constant case of p and q to age-dependent case: the disease-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable (GAS) if R0 . On the other hand, R0 > 1 induces that endemic equilibrium is GAS and the system is uniformly persistent.

Mouth shield to minimize airborne transmission risk of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in the dental office

Transmission of coronavirus disease(COVID-19)and other infectious diseases is a significant risk during dental procedures because most dental interventions involve aerosols or droplets that could contaminate the surrounding environment.Current protection guidelines to address the high risk of droplets,aerosols,and airborne particle transmission of COVID-19 in the dental office recommend minimizing aerosol-generating procedures.In this paper,an innovative mouth shield is presented that should minimize water backsplash from the air-water syringe during dental treatment.The mouth shield can be added to the personal protective equipment to provide the dental team with extra protection.It can be made of different materials,is straightforward,inexpensive,and safe to fabricate,and is easy to use.

Addressing Chagas disease from a One Health perspective:risk factors,lessons learned and prevention of oral transmission outbreaks in Colombia

Background Chagas disease(CD)is transmitted by vectors but can also be transmitted orally through contaminated food,drinks,or meat.The One Health perspective aims to understand the complex interaction between human,animal,and environmental health in controlling disease.This study analyzed risk factors and drew lessons from past outbreaks of orally transmitted CD to develop effective preventive strategies.Methods A simultaneous mixed methods study was conducted.The study consisted of two phases:an ecological epidemiological analysis at the municipal level using secondary data spanning from 1992 to 2023,and semistructured interviews with health providers and policymakers at the national level in Colombia.The results from both phases were triangulated to gain a comprehensive understanding of the topic.Results A total of 64 outbreaks,infecting 302 individuals,were reported.Most of these outbreaks(89.2%)were classified as family-related,and they occurred most frequently during the months of April to June(46.6%).It is worth noting that a significant number of these outbreaks took place in municipalities that lacked vector control plans.Risk factors for oral transmission included the location of food preparation,poor housing quality,food preparation water source,the presence of vectors/marsupials,forest type,and climatic variables.Interviews conducted emphasized the importance of implementing outbreak plans and providing staff training to effectively address the issue.Conclusion A One Health approach strengthening prevention,surveillance,case management and cross-sectoral collaboration is needed to control outbreaks and reduce transmission in Colombia.Preparedness plans and education of health professionals are also important.This study identified modifiable risk factors to guide public health interventions.

Tick-borne Diseases,Transmission,Host Immune Responses,Diagnosis and Control

Present review article explains tick-borne diseases,transmission,host immune responses,diagnosis and control in relation to climatic variations.Ticks are hematophagous ectoparasites which suck large volumes of blood from livestock and humans.They release large numbers of protozoans,bacteria,rickettsia and viral pathogens during blood feeding and transmit disease pathogens through saliva.Due to heavy blood sucking by ticks animals face significant blood and weight loss that affect their overall health.Due to more severe illness,high economic losses were noted in livestock.This article highlights medically important tick borne diseases in man and livestock,its pathogenesis,diagnosis and treatment methods.The present article emphasizes invasion of hosts,host-pathogen interactions,tick saliva toxin induced host immune responses and biological effects.This article highlighted various tick control methods i.e.physical killing,acaricidal,biological,hormonal,genetic and immunological methods such as administration of protective antibody and vaccines for disease control in human being and his livestock.The authors suggest non-chemical environmentally safe methods for successful control of tick borne diseases to kill cattle,bird and canine invading ticks.

Assessing the Role of Environmental Factors in the Transmission of Infectious Diseases in Communal Spaces

Communal spaces provide different facilities for users while they are the primary place for the spread of diseases,especially respiratory.Transmission is possible through human behaviors,the way they communicate with each other and breathe in an environment by airborne pathogenic particles.Experts from various fields have gained valuable experience and achievements regarding how to prevent these diseases by means of environmental factors.Due to the spread of the corona virus in the past years,environmental planners and designers seriously considered the need to review the design and use of spatial components.This study provides a framework for decision making and design of communal spaces based on how environmental components can be effective in preventing the spread of respiratory diseases such as coronavirus and influenza.The research method used in this article is logical reasoning combined with ANP method and focus group discussion.According to the results of this research,indoor air quality plays the most crucial role in preventing the transmission of viruses(contagious respiratory diseases)based on expert groups.

Vented Individual Patient(VIP)Hoods for the Control of Infectious Airborne Diseases in Healthcare Facilities

By providing a means of separating the airborne emissions of patients from the air breathed by healthcare workers(HCWs),vented individual patient(VIP)hoods,a form of local exhaust ventilation(LEV),offer a new approach to reduce hospital-acquired infection(HAI).Results from recent studies have demonstrated that,for typical patient-emitted aerosols,VIP hoods provide protection at least equivalent to that of an N95 mask.Unlike a mask,hood performance can be easily monitored and HCWs can be alerted to failure by alarms.The appropriate use of these relatively simple devices could both reduce the reliance on personal protective equipment(PPE)for infection control and provide a low-cost and energy-efficient form of protection for hospitals and clinics.Although the development and deployment of VIP hoods has been accelerated by the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic,these devices are currently an immature technology.In this review,we describe the state of the art of VIP hoods and identify aspects in need of further development,both in terms of device design and the protocols associated with their use.The broader concept of individual patient hoods has the potential to be expanded beyond ventilation to the provision of clean conditions for individual patients and personalized control over other environmental factors such as temperature and humidity.

Secured Framework for Assessment of Chronic Kidney Disease in Diabetic Patients

With the emergence of cloud technologies,the services of healthcare systems have grown.Simultaneously,machine learning systems have become important tools for developing matured and decision-making computer applications.Both cloud computing and machine learning technologies have contributed significantly to the success of healthcare services.However,in some areas,these technologies are needed to provide and decide the next course of action for patients suffering from diabetic kidney disease(DKD)while ensuring privacy preservation of the medical data.To address the cloud data privacy problem,we proposed a DKD prediction module in a framework using cloud computing services and a data control scheme.This framework can provide improved and early treatment before end-stage renal failure.For prediction purposes,we implemented the following machine learning algorithms:support vector machine(SVM),random forest(RF),decision tree(DT),naïve Bayes(NB),deep learning(DL),and k nearest neighbor(KNN).These classification techniques combined with the cloud computing services significantly improved the decision making in the progress of DKD patients.We applied these classifiers to the UCI Machine Learning Repository for chronic kidney disease using various clinical features,which are categorized as single,combination of selected features,and all features.During single clinical feature experiments,machine learning classifiers SVM,RF,and KNN outperformed the remaining classification techniques,whereas in combined clinical feature experiments,the maximum accuracy was achieved for the combination of DL and RF.All the feature experiments presented increased accuracy and increased F-measure metrics from SVM,DL,and RF.

A Leslie-Gower Holling Type-II Predator-Prey Mathematical Model with Disease in Prey Population Incorporating a Prey Refuge

We formulate and analyze a predator-prey model followed by Leslie-Gower model in which the prey population is infected by disease. We assume that the disease can only spread over prey population. As a result prey population has been classified into two categories, namely susceptible prey, infected prey where as the predator population remains free from infection. To investigate the behaviour of prey population we incorporate prey refuge in this model. Since the prey refuge decreases the predation rate then it has an important effect in our predator-prey interaction model. We have discussed the existence of various equilibrium points and local stability analysis at those equilibrium points. We investigate the Hopf-bifurcation analysis about the interior equilibrium point by taking the rate of infection parameter and the prey refuge parameter as bifurcation parameters. The numerical analysis is carried out to support the analytical results and to discuss some interesting results that our model exhibits.

Transplacental transmission of dengue infection

We specifically addressed the persistent challenge of dengue in endemic regions,highlighting the potential seriousness of dengue infection through vertical trans-mission.Vertical dengue transmission has been well documented,particularly in hyper-endemic regions,including Ecuador.Herein,we present a neonate diagno-sed with congenital dengue and review similar cases from previously published reports.Although congenital dengue is commonly infected with severe serotypes of DENV(DENV-1 and DENV-2)infections,favorable outcomes are generally observed.

Towards unfolding the prion misfolding mystery: Protein free radical chemistry in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies

Owing to the high oxygen-respiration in the brain of mammals, oxidative damage to prion protein hasbeen suggested to be an additional factor. A large body of intriguing features of scrapie and prion diseases haveprovided multiple lines of indirect chemistry evidence, suggesting that the infectious agents may be putative forms ofsequence-specific prion radicals (SSPR) and/or their immediate precursors in the transmissible spongiform encepha-lopathies (TSE). Here a molecular mechanism corresponding to the self-replication of scrapie protein mediated byprion free-radical processes, consonant with "protein-only" hypotheses is proposed. This new theory may not onlyaid our understanding of the occurrence of prions, but also provides new insight into the possible chemistry principlesunderlying the neurodegenerative disorders. It is anticipated that future studies based on this suggestion and chem-istry principles of genetic diseases may allow us to determine an effective approach to stop mad cow disease and itshuman version, new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (v CJD).

Addressing Chagas disease from a One Health perspective:risk factors,lessons learned and prevention of oral transmission outbreaks in Colombia

Background:Chagas disease(CD)is transmitted by vectors but can also be transmitted orally through contaminated food,drinks,or meat.The One Health perspective aims to understand the complex interaction between human,animal,and environmental health in controlling disease.This study analyzed risk factors and drew lessons from past outbreaks of orally transmitted CD to develop effective preventive strategies.Methods:A simultaneous mixed methods study was conducted.The study consisted of two phases:an ecological epidemiological analysis at the municipal level using secondary data spanning from 1992 to 2023,and semistructured interviews with health providers and policymakers at the national level in Colombia.The results from both phases were triangulated to gain a comprehensive understanding of the topic.Results:A total of 64 outbreaks,infecting 302 individuals,were reported.Most of these outbreaks(89.2%)were classified as family-related,and they occurred most frequently during the months of April to June(46.6%).It is worth noting that a significant number of these outbreaks took place in municipalities that lacked vector control plans.Risk factors for oral transmission included the location of food preparation,poor housing quality,food preparation water source,the presence of vectors/marsupials,forest type,and climatic variables.Interviews conducted emphasized the importance of implementing outbreak plans and providing staff training to effectively address the issue.Conclusion:A One Health approach strengthening prevention,surveillance,case management and cross-sectoral collaboration is needed to control outbreaks and reduce transmission in Colombia.Preparedness plans and education of health professionals are also important.This study identified modifiable risk factors to guide public health interventions.