Objective To examine the effect of ethnicity on the relation between tuberculosis and deprivation.

Trillions of microbes such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses exist in the healthy human gut microbiome. Although gut bacterial dysbiosis has been extensively studied in multiple sclerosis (MS), the significance of the fungal microbiome (mycobiome) is an understudied and neglected part of the intestinal microbiome in MS. The aim of this study was to characterize the gut mycobiome of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), compare it to healthy controls, and examine its association with changes in the bacterial microbiome. We characterized and compared the mycobiome of 20 RRMS patients and 33 healthy controls (HC) using Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2) and compared mycobiome interactions with the bacterial microbiome using 16S rRNA sequencing. Our results demonstrate an altered mycobiome in RRMS patients compared with HC. RRMS patients showed an increased abundance of Basidiomycota and decreased Ascomycota at the phylum level with an increased abundance of Candida and Epicoccum genera along with a decreased abundance of Saccharomyces compared to HC. We also observed an increased ITS2/16S ratio, altered fungal and bacterial associations, and altered fungal functional profiles in MS patients compared to HC. This study demonstrates that RRMS patients had a distinct mycobiome with associated changes in the bacterial microbiome compared to HC. There is an increased fungal to bacterial ratio as well as more diverse fungal-bacterial interactions in RRMS patients compared to HC. Our study is the first step towards future studies in delineating the mechanisms through which the fungal microbiome can influence MS disease.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the CNS in which the interaction between genetic and environmental factors plays an important role in disease pathogenesis. Although environmental factors account for 70% of disease risk, the exact environmental factors associated with MS are unknown. Recently, gut microbiota has emerged as a potential missing environmental factor linked with the pathobiology of MS. Yet, how genetic factors, such as HLA class II gene(s), interact with gut microbiota and influence MS is unclear. In the current study, we investigated whether HLA class II genes that regulate experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and MS susceptibility also influence gut microbiota. Previously, we have shown that HLA-DR3 transgenic mice lacking endogenous mouse class II genes (AE-KO) were susceptible to myelin proteolipid protein ( 91-110 )-induced EAE, an animal model of MS, whereas AE-KO.HLA-DQ8 transgenic mice were resistant. Surprisingly, HLA-DR3.DQ8 double transgenic mice showed higher disease prevalence and severity compared with HLA-DR3 mice. Gut microbiota analysis showed that HLA-DR3, HLA-DQ8, and HLA-DR3.DQ8 double transgenic mice microbiota are compositionally different from AE-KO mice. Within HLA class II transgenic mice, the microbiota of HLA-DQ8 mice were more similar to HLA-DR3.DQ8 than HLA-DR3. As the presence of DQ8 on an HLA-DR3 background increases disease severity, our data suggests that HLA-DQ8-specific microbiota may contribute to disease severity in HLA-DR3.DQ8 mice. Altogether, our study provides evidence that the HLA-DR and -DQ genes linked to specific gut microbiota contribute to EAE susceptibility or resistance in a transgenic animal model of MS. ImmunoHorizons, 2021, 5: 627-646.

Patients of African-Caribbean origin appear to be at greater risk of compulsory admission to psychiatric hospitals in the United Kingdom but it is not clear whether this is the case for patients of Asian origin. Case notes and original sections papers were retrospectively reviewed over a one-year period in a psychiatric unit serving a large city in the UK. Caucasian and Asian patients were compared in terms of their representation in the population at risk and rates of detention under mental health legislation. Asian patients were significantly overrepresented as in-patients, were more likely to be detained at admission and more likely to be detained under longer-term powers during their stay. Asian patients may be similarly over-represented in the psychiatric in-patient population and more likely to be detained under mental health legislation than African-Caribbean patients in the UK. Future studies and service providers may need to consider patients of Asian origin as having different mental health needs.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of sensorineural hearing loss in chronic suppurative otitis media. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross sectional descriptive study was done at department of ENT-B, Hayatabad Medical Complex (HMC), Peshawar, from March 2016 to September 2016. In this study a total of 174 patients were observed by using 95% confidence interval and 5% margin of error with expected frequency of sensorineural hearing loss 13% among cases with chronic suppurative otitis media with the help of WHO formula for sample size determination.  More over consecutive (non-probability) sampling technique was used for sample collection. RESULTS: In this study mean age was 26 years with standard deviation ± 11.62. Forty five percent patients were male while 55% patients were female. More over the incidence of sensorineural hearing loss was found to be 18% in patients with chronic suppurative otitis media. CONCLUSION: The incidence of sensorineural hearing loss was found to be 18% in patients with chronic suppurative otitis media.   KEY WORDS: Bacteriology, antibiotic sensitivity, chronic suppurative otitis media, sensory neural hearing loss

The spread of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) outbreak in all parts of the world is increasing, including in Indonesia, a virus that is easily transmitted and spreads through close contact and droplets by touching hands with other people or with objects that have been exposed to COVID-19, one of the reasons for this, reventing the spread of COVID 19 by washing hands frequently with soap. Hand washing tools have been developed, generally still using direct touch to the water tap and soap dish, the Touchless Hand Washer (THW) touchless hand washing tool is specially designed and manufactured in accordance with the COVID-19 pandemic conditions without touching with hands directly on the water tap and a soap holder with a footrest system, making it more practical, hygienic and not directly contaminated with previous Touchless Hand Washer users which could cause COVID-19 transmission from previous users. Touchless Hand Washer (THW) is designed with a pyramid-shaped frame that will support the water toren that does not harm or the water toren falls for Touchless Hand Washe users, with a THW tool height of 120 cm, top width 70 x 70 cm and bottom width of 90 x 90 cm. Keywords—Hand-washing tool, COVID-19, washing hands, touchless hand washer

Trillions of microbes such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses exist in the healthy human gut microbiome. Although gut bacterial dysbiosis has been extensively studied in multiple sclerosis (MS), the significance of the fungal microbiome (mycobiome) is an understudied and neglected part of the intestinal microbiome in MS. The aim of this study was to characterize the gut mycobiome of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), compare it to healthy controls, and examine its association with changes in the bacterial microbiome. We characterized and compared the mycobiome of 20 RRMS patients and 33 healthy controls (HC) using Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2) and compared mycobiome interactions with the bacterial microbiome using 16S rRNA sequencing. Our results demonstrate an altered mycobiome in RRMS patients compared with HC. RRMS patients showed an increased abundance of Basidiomycota and decreased Ascomycota at the phylum level with an increased abundance of Candida and Epicoccum genera along with a decreased abundance of Saccharomyces compared to HC. We also observed an increased ITS2/16S ratio, altered fungal and bacterial associations, and altered fungal functional profiles in MS patients compared to HC. This study demonstrates that RRMS patients had a distinct mycobiome with associated changes in the bacterial microbiome compared to HC. There is an increased fungal to bacterial ratio as well as more diverse fungal-bacterial interactions in RRMS patients compared to HC. Our study is the first step towards future studies in delineating the mechanisms through which the fungal microbiome can influence MS disease.

No abstract