ABSTRACT: Backgr ound : Vaccination is an important method for the prevention of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission. There is currently a lack of real-world clinical data regarding the safety and efficacy of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID- 19) vaccines with respect to plaque psoriasis treatment involving tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)- 17A inhibitors. Method s: We longitudinally analyzed 152 patients with plaque psoriasis, 86 of whom received two doses of inactivated COVID- 19 vaccine (either BBIBP-CorV or CoronaVac). Comparisons were made between patients undergoing treatment with biologics (TNF- α inhibitors or IL- 17A inhibitors) or acitretin. Routine blood tests were used to assess safety; the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) and dermatology life quality index (DLQI) were used to assess efficacy. Results: After inactivated COVID- 19 vaccination, biologics retained considerable advantages in terms of improving skin lesions (measured by PASI) and quality of life (measured by DLQI), compared with conventional treatment (p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively). Routine blood tests and hepatorenal function analyses suggested that inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines did not alter the safety of biologics treatment (p>0.05). Conclusions: Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines do not have significant impacts on the safety and efficacy of biologics (TNF-α inhibitors or IL- 17A inhibitors) in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

The adaptation of marine sponges to their environment is often attributed to the specific composition of their bacterial communities. In this study, we assessed the bacterial microbiome of two dominant sponges, Rhabdastrella globostellata and Hyrtios erectus, living in the Bouraké lagoon (New Caledonia), where abiotic conditions reach extreme values of temperature, pH, and oxygen during low tide. Scuba divers collected sponge specimens and sediment and seawater samples at 2-3m depth. The bacterial communities were studied using 16S rRNA metabarcoding, and variations between the two sponges were compared using Principal Component Analyses (PCA) biplots. The phylum Chloroflexi and clade SAR202 appeared dominant in both sponge species reaching an average relative abundance of 41.2% and 53.2% in H. erectus and 53.2% and 78.7% in R. globostellata, respectively, while they were absent in sediments and seawater. Principal Component Analyses (PCA) explained 70.9% (phyla) and 86.6% (clade) showing that the bacterial community’s structure in both sponges is driven by Chloroflexi. This study is the first report of such a noteworthy relative abundance of Chloroflexi and SAR202 has been described in the microbiome of marine sponges. As these bacteria are known to play key roles in sponge nutrition and fitness, their high abundance strongly suggests an adaptive response to the extreme environmental conditions of the Bouraké lagoon.

Abstract: A systemic and local inflammatory immune imbalance is thought to be the cause of traumatic tracheal stenosis (TS). However, with CD4+ T lymphocytes being the predominant immune cells in TS, the mechanism of action and recruitment has not been described. In our research, using flow cytometry, ELISA, immunofluorescence, and Transwell chamber assays, the expression, distribution, and potential chemotactic function of CD4+ T cells in TS patients were examined before and after treatment. The results showed that the untreated group had significantly more CD4+ T cells and their secreted TGF-β1 than the treated group. Additionally, the untreated group’s CD4+ T cells showed a significant rise in CCL22 and CCL1, as well as a larger proportion of CCR4 and CCR8. CD4+ T cells and CD68+ macrophages located in TS also expressed CCL1 and CCL22. In vitro, anti-CCL1 and anti-CCL22 can partially block the chemoattractant effect of TS bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) on purified CD4+ T cells. The findings of this study indicated that TS contained unbalanced CD4 immune cells that were actively recruited locally by CCR4/CCL22 and CCR8/CCL1. As a result, it is anticipated that CD4 immune rebalancing can serve as a novel treatment for TS.

Recent studies have shown that exosomes are involved in pathogenesis and in the treatment of various tumors and inflammatory diseases. We examined the impacts of exosomes released from Talaromyces marneffei (T. marneffei)-infected macrophages on human macrophages to determine whether they play a role in the pathogenesis of T. marneffei infection. Exosomes derived from macrophages were extracted using commercial kits and characterized by transmission electron microscopy and western blot. Further, we examine exosomes that regulate IL-10 and TNF-α production and activation of p42 and p44 extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) and activation of autophagy. We found that exosomes induced activation of ERK1/2 and autophagy, IL-10 and TNF-α production in human macrophages. Furthermore, exosomes decreased the replication of T. marneffei in T. marneffei-infected human macrophages. Interestingly, exosomes isolated from T. marneffei-infected but not from uninfected macrophages can stimulate a proinflammtory response in resting macrophages. Our studies are the first to demonstrate that exosomes isolated from T. marneffei-infected macrophages can induce a proinflammatory response, and we hypothesize that exosomes play significant roles in activation of ERK1/2 and autophagy, the replication of T. marneffei and cytokine release during T. marneffei infection.

From January 2021 to June 2022, CDC required pre-departure SARS-CoV-2 testing for all air passengers arriving into the United States. Using data collected during a pilot surveillance program, this manuscript describes pre-departure testing behavior among a convenience sample of international air passengers entering the United States from July to September 2021 at six US ports of entry. We analyzed pairwise relationships between self-reported test type, test timing, demographic and travel characteristics, and COVID-19 vaccination status. We found that test type was significantly associated with departure region, likely reflecting the regional disparities in the availability of tests at the time of the activity.

Background: Rhinitis, allergic rhinitis in particular, and urticaria are both common atopic problems globally. However, there is controversy regarding the correlation between rhinits and urticaria. Objectives: To examine the accurate association between rhinitis and urticaria. Methods: Three medical databases (PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science) were searched from database inception until January 11, 2022. The prevalence and association between rhinitis and urticaria were estimated by meta-analysis. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines were followed, and quality assessment was performed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Pooled odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) and pooled prevalence were calculated using random-effects models. Results: Urticaria prevalence in patients with rhinitis was 17.6% (95% CI, 13.2%–21.9%). The pooled prevalence of rhinitis was 31.3% (95% CI, 24.2%–38.4%) in patients with urticaria, and rhinitis prevalence in patients with acute urticaria and chronic urticaria was 31.6% (95% CI, 7.4%–55.8%) and 28.7% (95% CI, 20.4%–36.9%), respectively. Rhinitis occurence was significantly associated with urticaria (OR, 2.67; 95% CI, 2.625–2.715). Limitations: Urticaria and rhinitis were diagnosed based on different criteria possibly resulting in a potential misclassification of these two diseases. Conclusion: Rhinitis and urticaria were significantly correlated. Physicians should be cognizant regarding this relationship and address nasal or skin symptoms in patients.

Heat stroke is a life-threatening disease with high mortality rate and unexpected complications. Vascular endothelial glycocalyx is essential for maintaining endothelial cell structure and function as well as preventing adhesion of inflammatory cells. Potential relationship that underlays the imbalance in inflammation and coagulation remains elusive. Moreover, the role of endothelial glycocalyx in heat stroke-induced organ injury remained unclear. Heat stress and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are employed to construct in vitro models to study the change of glycocalyx structure and function in human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (HPMEC), as well as levels of heparansulfate proteoglycan (HSPG), syndecans-1, heparansulfate, TNF-α, IL-6, vWF, ET-1, Occludin, E-selectin, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here, we showed that heat stress and LPS devastated endothelial glycocalyx structure, activated endothelial glycocalyx degradation, and triggered oxidative damage in addition to apoptosis in HPMEC. Stimulation of heat stress and LPS increased HSPG, syndecans-1 (SDC-1), and heparansulfate levels, and promoted the ability to produce and release pro-inflammation cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6,) and coagulative factor (vWF, ET-1) in HPMEC. Furthermore, E-selectin, VCAM-1, and ROS expression were upregulated in contrast to Occludin downregulation. These changes could be deteriorated by Heparanase, whereas could be ameliorated by unfractionated heparin. This study highlights that heat stroke-induced endothelial glycocalyx degradation can trigger oxidative and apoptosis in HPMEC, in addition to dysfunction of inhibition of inflammatory response and protection in vascular permeability.

All forms of data are meant to be secured. The rise in cyber-crime since beginning of the pandemic and the emergence of a variety of techniques and tactics utilized by malware authors has made identification and recovery difficult. LockBit ransom-ware has been in news in recent times. The APT behind deployment of this ransom-ware virus has compromised several organizations and the impacts are, worth more than millions, lives of people by stealing their personal identifiable information. It is important to understand the behavior of such malware, to block it and to identify the anti-analysis stuff it performs. The challenges here were a packed sample, a rebooting command-line trigger and encryption of several files that can possess high trouble to operations of any workplace.

Brucella canis is pathogenic for dogs and humans. Serological diagnosis is a cost-effective approach for disease surveillance, but a major drawback of current serological tests is the cross-reactivity with other bacteria that results in false positive reactions, and development of indirect tests with improved sensitivity and specificity remain a priority. A western blotting assay was developed to define the serum antibody patterns associated to infection using a panel of positive and negative dog sera. B. canis positive sera recognized immunogenic bands ranging from 7 to 30 kDa that were then submitted to ESI–LC-MS/MS and analyzed by bioinformatics tools. A total of 398 B. canis proteins were identified.. Bioinformatics tools identified 16 non cytoplasmic immunogenic proteins predicted as non-homologous with the most important Brucella cross-reactive bacteria and 9 B. canis proteins non-homologous to B. ovis; among the latter, one resulted non-homologous to B. melitensis. The western blotting test developed was able to distinguish between infected and non-infected animals and may serve as confirmatory test for the serological diagnosis of B. canis. The mass spectrometry and in silico results lead to the identification of specific candidate antigens that pave the way for the development of more accurate indirect diagnostic tests.

Introduction: Vaccination plays a fundamental role in mastering the COVID-19 pandemic and protecting vulnerable groups. Persons with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIIRD), on immunosuppressive therapies, are prioritized for vaccination. However, data concerning immunogenicity and safety of the BBIBP-CorV vaccine in immunosuppressed patients are not found. This study presents data on the efficacy and safety of the BBIBP-CorV vaccine in immunosuppressed patients compared to healthy controls. Methods: Study population consisted of 100 healthy controls and 100 patients with AIIRD. Vaccination was performed according to national guidelines with the BBIBP-CorV vaccine. SARS-CoV2 neutralizing antibody titers were quantified by ELISA before initial vaccination and 1–3 months after secondary vaccination. Adverse events were assessed before study initiation and 7 days after the second dose. Disease activity was studied before entering the study and 3-8 weeks after the second dose. Results: Vaccination-induced positive immunogenic response rates and SARS-CoV2 neutralizing antibody titers were significantly lower in the AIIRD patients than healthy subjects (P<0.05). There are significant differences in neutralizing antibody titers among patients suffering from RA, SLE, SSc, and AS (P<0.01-0.05). The rates of seropositive vaccine responses were similarly distributed across all diseases. Healthy and AIIRD individuals had a similar profile in adverse events. No significant difference was observed in SARSCoV2 antibody titers between subjects suffering from side effects and those who did not have. SARS-CoV2 neutralizing antibody levels were significantly higher in SARS-CoV2-infected persons than noninfected subjects (P<0.01-0.05). Seropositive subjects had a significant increase in the percentage of vaccine-related adverse events compared to seronegative persons (P<0.05). Despite a minor change in the disease activity of patients with RA and SLE, disease activity indices were overall stable in the AIIRD patients. Conclusion: The BBIBP-CorV vaccine is effective in the development of neutralizing antibody in immunosuppressed patients without considerable reactogenicity or induction of disease flares.

Recently, blockchain-based IoT solutions have been proposed that address trust limitation by maintaining data consistency, immutability, and chronology in IoT environments. However, IoT ecosystems are resource-constrained and have low bandwidth and finite computing power of sensor nodes. Thus, the inclusion of blockchain requires an effective policy design regarding consensus and smart contract environments in heterogeneous IoT applications. Recent studies have presented blockchain as a potential solution in IoT, but an effective view of consensus and smart contract design to meet the end application requirements is an open problem. Motivated by the same, the survey presents the integration of suitable low-powered consensus protocols and smart contract design to assess and validate the blockchain-IoT ecosystems. We discuss the key blockchain concepts and present the scalability and performance issues of consensus protocols to support IoT. Further, we discuss smart contract vulnerabilities and blockchain attacks. Open issues and future directions are presented, supported through a case study of low-powered consensus protocol design in the blockchain- IoT ecosystem. The survey intends to drive novel solutions for future consensus and safe, smart contract designs to support applicative IoT ecosyst

Moorlands dominated by Calluna vulgaris (hereafter Calluna) are globally rare and under increasing threat of wildfires due to climate change. The soil seed bank is important for community resilience, but research on its contribution to regenerating vegetation after moorland fires has to date focused on prescribed fire or on the short-term (≤ 2 year) impacts of wildfire. To address the role of the seed bank in long-term vegetation regeneration, we studied a chronosequence of six wildfire sites within a Scottish moorland catchment, ranging from 2 to 64 years since burning. We recorded vegetation composition and sampled the seed bank. Calluna and Erica spp. comprised 66 % and 27 % of germinated seeds, respectively, and the majority of vegetation species were not represented in the seed bank. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) revealed that time since fire was a strong predictor of vegetation species composition, but it had no effect on seed bank composition, suggesting that the same species dominate the seed bank regardless of burning. Whilst total seed density was marginally reduced after wildfire and slightly increased with time, the non-Calluna seed bank was more notably affected. The proportion of non-Calluna species decreased with time in both vegetation and seed bank as Calluna cover was re-established and the seed bank of other species became gradually depleted. Whilst relative non-Calluna cover in the vegetation was at a maximum at the start of the chronosequence and then declined, the proportion of non-Calluna in the seed bank followed a unimodal pattern after fire and reached a peak after around 35 years. Our results contribute to the knowledge of how moorland ecosystems regenerate after severe disturbances, which are likely to become more common as the climate changes.

Behçet syndrome (BS) is a chronic, multisystemic inflammatory condition with unanswered questions regarding its pathogenesis and rational therapeutics. A microarray-based comparative transcriptomic analysis was performed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of BS and identify any potential therapeutic targets. Twenty-nine BS patients (B) and 15 age and sex-matched control subjects (C) were recruited. Patients were grouped as mucocutaneous (M), ocular (O), and vascular (V) according to their clinical phenotypes. GeneChip Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 arrays were used for expression profiling on peripheral blood samples of the patients and the control subjects. Following documentation of the differentially expressed gene (DEG) sets, the data were further evaluated with bioinformatics analysis, visualization, and enrichment tools. Validation of the microarray data was performed using qRT-PCR. When P ≤0.05 and fold change ≥2.0 were chosen, the following numbers of DEGs were obtained; B vs. C: 28, M vs. C: 20, O vs. C: 8, V vs. C: 555, M vs. O: 6, M vs. V: 324, O vs. V: 142. Venn diagram analysis indicated only two genes, CLEC12A and IFI27, in the intersection of M vs. C and O vs. C and V vs. C. Another noteworthy gene appeared as CLC in the DEG sets. Cluster analyses successfully clustered distinct clinical phenotypes of BS. While innate immunity-related processes were enriched in the M group, adaptive immunity-specific processes were significantly enriched in the O and V groups. Distinct clinical phenotypes of BS patients displayed distinct expression profiles. In Turkish BS patients, expression differences regarding the genes CLEC12A, IFI27, and CLC seemed to be operative in the disease pathogenesis. Based on these findings, future research should consider the immunogenetic heterogeneity of BS clinical phenotypes. Two anti-inflammatory genes, namely CLEC12A and CLC, may be valuable as therapeutic targets and may also help design an experimental model in BS.

The widespread use of networked, intelligent, and adaptable devices in various domains, such as smart cities and home automation, climate control, manufacturing and logistics, healthcare, education, and agriculture, has been hastened by recent developments in hardware and software technologies. In all these application domains, the concept of the Internet of Things ( helps to achieve process automation and decrease labor costs. One such subdomain is IoT Forensics which involves Digital Forensics concerning IoT devices, networks, or clouds. In this process of obtaining substantial evidence from the devices, networks, or cloud, a large amount of data and operations on said data are involved. Hence, looking through IoT Forensics through the methodology dealing with data, known as Data Analytics, is essential. This paper presents an interpretation of IoT Forensics from the standpoint of Data Analytics. To explain the same in detail, the paper focuses on IoT Forensics, its methodologies, and how they relate to data analytics stages. Towards the end, the paper discusses current developments in IoT forensics from the Data Analytics perspective, limitations observed in the existing technologies, adoption challenges, and possible future advancements.

Introduction: Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when administered in appropriate colonies, can delay the destruction of the immune system and contribute to the maintenance of immunity in HIV patients. Probiotics play an important role in stimulating natural killer T cells, strengthening the functional gut barrier, and reducing systemic inflammation. Methods: This study was a randomized double blind clinical trial involving 30 patients treated with ART who had experienced immunological failure despite HIV viral suppression. Patients were divided into two equal groups of 15, the first group received 2 probiotic capsules daily with a colony count of 10⁹CFU per capsule containing seven strains ,after three months they were examined for CD4+ counts by flow cytometry, after a one month washout period the participants who had received probiotics were switched to placebo, and the participants who had received placebo were given probiotics for three months, and they were examined for CD4+ counts seven months after the start of the study. Results: In the first group, administration of the placebo resulted in a decrease in CD4 count in the first three months (from 202.21 to 181.79, p-value < 0.001),which may be due to the natural history of the disease. After probiotics administration, CD4 count increased significantly (from 181.79 to 243.86, p-value < 0.001). Overall, after 7 months of study, there was a significant increase in the mean CD count from 202.21 to 243.86 (p-value < 0.001). In the second group, administration of probiotics in the first three months of the study resulted in a significant increase in the mean CD4 count (from 126.45 to 175.73, p-value < 0.001).Termination of treatment with probiotics resulted in a significant decrease (from 175.73 to 138.9, p-value < 0.001)but overall the CD4 count at the end of the study was significantly higher than at baseline (p-value < 0.001).

Saxifraga cataphracta, a new species of Saxifragaceae from Southwest China, is described and illustrated. Morphological and molecular evidence (matK, psbA-trnH, psaJ-rpl33) indicate that S. cataphracta belongs to S. sect. Irregulares, and closely related to S. geifolia and S. mengtzeana. The new species can be diagnosed by its leaf blade abaxially with white or virescent interveinal streaks, involucre and bracts conspicuous, capsule beaks winged when mature.

During a cold La Niña period (August 2007-January 2008) in the central Galápagos archipelago, 70% of Pocillopora finger corals were bleached across three long-term monitoring sites, affording an opportunity to examine the impact of El Niño Southern Oscillation-related temperature anomalies on the persistence of these corals and their associated community of fish and mobile macroinvertebrates. Using a time series empirical approach, we tagged and tracked the fate of 96 coral heads and their associates. When surveyed in July 2008, live (recovered) and dead corals supported similar levels of randomized observed species richness and Chao 1 estimated species richness. Whereas richness on the surviving live corals remained fairly stable, Chao 1 estimated richness on dead corals underwent a nearly 50% increase between July and January 2009, thereafter declining to 50% of originally surveyed richness by February 2010. This nonlinear change in species richness was largely due to influx and decline in opportunistic generalists including pencil urchin bioeroders, gastropod snails, and hermit crabs that colonized dead corals and fed on sessile invertebrates and algae that had initially recruited to dead and undefended coral substrate. Thus, dead corals retained high overall species richness until live corals had recovered; after which richness declined as dead corals eroded and disappeared (July 2011). Live corals attracted a less speciose but stable assemblage of mutualistic xanthid crabs and fishes that increased in abundance over time with the recovery and growth of live coral tissue. Overall, three physical features of the finger coral habitats (coral vital status, total surface area, and maximum branch length) predicted the number of species associated with each colony. The delayed diversity loss of associated species following La Niña disturbance to a foundation species represents a local extinction debt of 32-49-month duration. A better understanding of the scale of extinction debt in foundational marine ecosystems is needed to quantify the breadth of impacts of climate oscillations on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

Two new species from Iran was described in this study. Fritillaria shehbazii from Western Azerbaijan province in northwest Iran and F. selenica from Kurdistan province in western Iran. F. shehbazii is similar to F. chlororhabdota, F. pinardii, F. kordestanica and F. assyriaca in the F. caucasica group in general facies but differs mainly by the color and size of its lowest leaves, shape and colour of perianth segments. F. selenica is similar to F. avromanica and F. assyriaca in general facies but differs mainly by narrower leaves and color of perianth segments. Detailed taxonomic descriptions, diagnostic characteristics, illustrations, original photographs, geographical distributions, habitat, phenology and ecology, etymology, conservation status, and identification key of the new and the related species are presented in this study.