Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne virus that was first isolated from Zika forest, Uganda, in 1947. Since its inception, major and minor outbreaks have been documented from several parts of world. Aedes spp. mosquitoes are the primary vectors of ZIKV, but the virus can also be transmitted through sexual practices, materno-fetal transmission, and blood transfusion. The clinical presentations of symptomatic ZIKV infections are similar to dengue and chikungunya, including fever, headache, arthralgia, retro-orbital pain, conjunctivitis, and rash. ZIKV often causes mild illness in the majority of cases, but in some instances, it is linked with congenital microcephaly and autoimmune disorders like Guillain–Barré syndrome. The recent Indian ZIKV outbreak suggests that the virus is circulating in the South East Asian region and may cause new outbreaks in future. At present, no specific vaccines or antivirals are available to treat ZIKV, so management and control of ZIKV infections rely mostly on preventive measures.

The emerging infection of COVID-19 was ini-

Chikungunya is a notorious viral infection, which affects a large segment of world populations in absence of vaccines and antivirals. The current study evaluates of anti-chikungunya activities of Psidium guajava leaves extract and their green synthesized silver nanoparticles. Green synthesized nanoparticles were well characterized for their size and stability by dynamic light scattering (DLS), zeta potential, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and their functional groups were analyzed by FTIR. Maximum non-toxic doses (MNTD) of extracts and nanoparticles were analysed by using Vero cell-lines. Anti-chikungunya activities of extracts and nano-particles were determined on Vero cells and their effects on cell viability were measured by MTT assay. The P. guajava nano-particles and extracts revealed the anti-chikungunya activities in the Vero cell. The cells viability was increased by 40% and 60% as compared to the virus control, when these cells were treated with MNTD of P. guajava nano-particles and extracts, respectively. To know the reason for antiviral activity, molecular docking of phytochemicals was done against a replication essential cysteine protease (nsP2) of Chikungunya. It was found that phytochemicals; Longifollen and Quercetin showed the minimum binding energy with nsP2. P. guajava extracts can be exploited to develop an effective anti-chikungunya agent. In the absence of CHIKV vaccines and antivirals, P. guajava may be used to develop rapid, responsive, specific, and cost-effective anti-chikungunya agents. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13337-021-00685-4.

Herpes simplex viruses (HSVs) cause a latent infection in humans which is mainly associated with characteristic cold sores or fever blisters and genital blisters. Large segments of the world population are suffering from the HSV infection and early diagnosis as well as treatments are needed to avoid further complications. HSV surveillance is very sparse, especially from developing countries including India. The aim of the present study is to develop and evaluate molecular assays for rapid detection and typing of HSV. In the present study, viral DNA was extracted from cerebro-spinal fluid from HSV suspected encephalitis patients. The conventional multiplex PCR for HSV-1 and HSV-2 was optimized and their comparative analysis was done with Real-Time qPCR for detection and typing of HSV. Out of 137 clinical samples, eleven samples (8.03%) were diagnosed as HSV positive by Real-Time qPCR while ten (7.3%) by conventional multiplex PCR which were further typed as subtyping HSV-1 (nine) and HSV-2 (two). Real-Time qPCR is highly sensitive and able to detect 9.4 9 10 1 to 3.1 9 10 6 copies/ml of HSV DNA. Conventional PCR was found to be having 99.21% specificity with 100% sensitivity. The positive predictive value was 90.91% whereas negative predictive value was 100%. Logistic regression indicates blisters with pain and skin rash as the most significant symptoms associated with HSV infection. The present study could be applied for rapid, specific, sensitive and cost-effective diagnosis of HSV-1 and HSV-2 thereby helpful in better patient management through early detection and treatment of HSV.

ImportanceResearch on the cardiovascular health (CVH) of sexual minority adults has primarily examined differences in the prevalence of individual CVH metrics rather than comprehensive measures, which has limited development of behavioral interventions.ObjectiveTo investigate sexual identity differences in CVH, measured using the American Heart Association’s revised measure of ideal CVH, among adults in the US.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis cross-sectional study analyzed population-based data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES; 2007-2016) in June 2022. Participants included noninstitutional adults aged 18 to 59 years. We excluded individuals who were pregnant at the time of their interview and those with a history of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or heart failure.ExposuresSelf-identified sexual identity categorized as heterosexual, gay/lesbian, bisexual, or something else.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe main outcome was ideal CVH (assessed using questionnaire, dietary, and physical examination data). Participants received a score from 0 to 100 for each CVH metric, with higher scores indicating a more favorable CVH profile. An unweighted average was calculated to determine cumulative CVH (range, 0-100), which was recoded as low, moderate, or high. Sex-stratified regression models were performed to examine sexual identity differences in CVH metrics, disease awareness, and medication use.ResultsThe sample included 12 180 participants (mean [SD] age, 39.6 [11.7] years; 6147 male individuals [50.5%]). Lesbian (B = −17.21; 95% CI, −31.98 to −2.44) and bisexual (B = −13.76; 95% CI, −20.54 to −6.99) female individuals had less favorable nicotine scores than heterosexual female individuals. Bisexual female individuals had less favorable body mass index scores (B = −7.47; 95% CI, −12.89 to −1.97) and lower cumulative ideal CVH scores (B = −2.59; 95% CI, −4.84 to −0.33) than heterosexual female individuals. Compared with heterosexual male individuals, gay male individuals had less favorable nicotine scores (B = −11.43; 95% CI, −21.87 to −0.99) but more favorable diet (B = 9.65; 95% CI, 2.38-16.92), body mass index (B = 9.75; 95% CI, 1.25-18.25), and glycemic status scores (B = 5.28; 95% CI, 0.59-9.97). Bisexual male individuals were twice as likely as heterosexual male individuals to report a diagnosis of hypertension (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.98; 95% CI, 1.10-3.56) and use of antihypertensive medication (aOR, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.12-4.32). No differences in CVH were found between participants who reported their sexual identity as something else and heterosexual participants.Conclusion and RelevanceResults of this cross-sectional study suggest that bisexual female individuals had worse cumulative CVH scores than heterosexual female individuals, whereas gay male individuals generally had better CVH than heterosexual male individuals. There is a need for tailored interventions to improve the CVH of sexual minority adults, particularly bisexual female individuals. Future longitudinal research is needed to examine factors that might contribute to CVH disparities among bisexual female individuals.