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Background> 94% of new annual leprosy cases are diagnosed in populations co-endemic for soil-transmitted helminths (STH). STH can profoundly dysregulate host immune responses towards Th2 bias, which can be restored over time after deworming. We hypothesize that STH co-infection is associated with leprosy reaction (denoted as simply “reaction” herein) occurrence within a co-endemic population.MethodsA cohort study was performed on a cohort of Nepalese leprosy patients across treatment and diagnostic classifications who were screened by routine fecal smear microscopy and multiplex quantitative PCR (qPCR) for Ascaris lumbricoides (Al), Strongyloides stercoralis (Ss), Ancyclostoma duodenale (Ad) and Necator americanus (Na).ResultsAmong 145 patients, 55% were positive for ≥ 1 STH (STH +): 34% Al +, 18% Ss +, 17% Ad + and 5% Na +. Significant inverse STH and reaction relationships were evidenced by the bulk of cases: 63% reaction-negative were STH + of total cases (p = 0.030) while 65% reaction-positive were STH − in new cases (96; p = 0.023). Strikingly, the majority of STH + were reaction-negative, even when considering each species: 59% Al +, 60% Ss +, 62% Ad + and 67% Na + of new leprosy cases.ConclusionsAbsence of STH co-infection is associated with leprosy reaction at diagnosis within a co-endemic population. This is likely due to immune reconstitution effects after deworming or interruption of chronic STH-mediated immune dysregulation.

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The corona virus disease -2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a massive global public health havoc. Recent published clinical trials show conflicting data for use of chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19. This study meticulously evaluated the various dosages of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine utilized in clinical trials registered in Chinese and US clinical trial registries for the treatment of pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2. Moreover, the results of published clinical trials and in vitro studies using chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine relevant to the disease are discussed.

Various reports of decreased analytical sensitivities of real-time PCR-based detection of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been associated with occurrence of mutations in the target area of primer/probe binding. Knowledge about propensities of different genes to undergo mutation can inform researchers to select optimal genes to target for the qPCR design. We analyzed supplementary data from over 45 thousand SARS-CoV-2 genomes provided by Mercatelli et al to calculate the unique and prevalent mutations in different genes of SARS-CoV-2. We found that non-structural proteins in the ORF1ab region were more conserved compared to structural genes. Further factors which need to be relied upon for proper selection of genes for qPCR design are discussed.

This meta-analysis was designed to assess the effect of the addition of a bead-beating (BB) step during DNA extraction to effectively isolate Trichuris trichiura DNA from stool samples for quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR)-based diagnosis. qPCR-based molecular studies comparing the inclusion of a bead-beating step during the DNA extraction from stool samples with extraction without the step were included in the analysis. Studies using real patient samples in community settings were included. The PubMed database and Google search engine were searched in December 2019. Risk of bias and applicability were assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 checklist. Odds ratios (ORs) for individual studies were combined to estimate the random effects model OR. A total of six independent sub-studies were gathered from two published original articles. The division of the two major studies into six sub-studies was indispensable due to the nature of the study carried out. 128 of the total 192 samples (in all studies) were positive for T. trichiura when BB was used during DNA extraction compared to 108/192 when BB was excluded. The combined OR was 1.66 (95% confidence interval: 1.059 to 2.602). Though only two articles were included in the study, six exclusive individual sub-studies were analyzed. Inherent differences in the background prevalence of helminths in the study population could impact the sensitivity of qPCR. It was found that the inclusion of the BB step during DNA extraction significantly increased the sensitivity of the test. This study was not registered in any database.

Ovarian cancer is a gynecological cancer of high mortality rate. Most of the ovarian cancer origin from the surface epithelium of the ovaries. Ovarian cancers gain metastatic and

Extensive discussions about the applicability of rapid diagnostics kits/tests for corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) detection has taken place in Nepal. A critical, and authentic information about the kit is necessary in order to fight the COVID-19 infection. Online news portal eKantipur 12 April, 2020 reported that "Wondfo" kit made by the Guangzhou Wondfo Biotechnology company was bought by Nepal Government. 1 The National Medical Product Association of China, until 16 March 2020, has given emergency approval to 19 SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona virus-2) detection kits among which 8 are based on immunological assay. 2 The Wondfo kit is a lateral flowbased assay utilizing colloidal gold for visualization as reported in Chinese science news portal ScienceNet.cn on 24 February 2020. 3 This science new portal, a part of China Science Daily Media Group, is claimed to be a Chinese language virtual community of Chinese scientists, co-sponsored by Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Engineering, National Natural Science Foundation of China and China Association for Science and Technology. 4 It reported that National Medical Product Association gave emergency permission for the use of the kit to diagnose COVID-19 and has mentioned that it was the first kit of its kind to detect COVID-19 infection and to be granted approval for use. The official China medical equipment government validation number of the kit is 20203400176. The news said that the kit doesn't differentiate between IgG or IgM antibodies but detects both, increasing the chance of detection of serological conversion of COVID-19 patients. The news reported that Dr. Zhong Nan Shan, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, 5 said the kit was able to detect infection on the 7 th day of infection and 3 rd day of onset of symptoms. Scientifically, this means the kit can't detect infection before 7 th day of being infected or before 3 rd day of start of symptoms. The news clearly mentions the kit would help "supplement or synergize" i.e. "buchong or xietong" in Chinese (Youdao translation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youdao), the results of PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests.