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Urban afforestation is increasingly regarded as a key strategy for fostering biodiversity to restore and enhance the ecosystem services needed to counteract the effects of climate change in built-up areas. In Italy, several experimental afforestation projects have been launched as part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), focusing on cities or metropolitan areas such as Milan, Rome, Pistoia and Campobasso. These projects follow a multidisciplinary approach, integrating botanists, foresters, urban planners, landscape architects and remote sensing specialists. The goal is to address the challenging complexity of urban forest restoration through reforestation and afforestation actions. Key innovations include the integration of transdisciplinary methodologies (landscape analysis, landscape design, forest and plant ecology) with the application of advanced remote sensing technologies and participatory community engagement frameworks to address ecological and social challenges. Experimental plots have been set up across various urban areas, testing a range of planting schemes to maximise climate change resilience and ensure long-term ecological sustainability. Emphasis has been placed on selecting drought-tolerant and thermophilic species that are better adapted to widespread warming and local urban heat islands. ‘Biodiversity strips’ with perennial flowers for insects, shrubs with berries for birds and nests for wild bees and vertebrates have been set up to enhance biodiversity in new afforestation areas. Advanced monitoring tools, such as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and multi-sensor drones, have been employed alongside field observations to assess forest growth, species survival, structural complexity and biodiversity enhancement over time. Historical analyses of landscape patterns and ecological connectivity over the past 200 years, along with evaluations of afforestation projects from the last 70 years, have provided critical insights into the successes and challenges of previous interventions, serving as a guide for future efforts. By focusing on ecological connectivity, the integration of afforested areas into the urban matrix, and citizen engagement, the current project aims to align urban forestry efforts with sustainable development goals. This comprehensive project framework addresses environmental restoration and the social and aesthetic impacts on local communities, contributing to the overall resilience and well-being of urban and peri-urban ecosystems.

In this study, we analyzed the phytosociological data from four sample sites located in the Pannonian region. The study areas, ranging from 2.4 to 2.5 hectares, have been subjected to goat grazing and mowing for 24 years. N1: Nagyréde, an overgrazed pasture with 24 goats; N2: Nagyréde, a mown field; C1: Csokvaomány, a lightly grazed pasture with 12 goats; and meadow C2: Csokvaomány, a site that is both mown and grazed. Six phytosociological surveys were conducted randomly in each area. We also considered the conservation value, biomass production, and forage values. Phytosociological data were processed using hierarchical cluster analysis and the non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis test. The overgrazed pasture (N1) exhibited the most degraded vegetation community, dominated by weeds and disturbance-tolerant species. The overgrazed (N1) pasture had a low forage value because of the different timing of treatments. Even in the lightly grazed pasture (C1), the proportion of species indicative of degradation was significant. The species composition of the areas indicated that the mown and subsequently grazed area (C2) had outstanding values. The species richness of C2 was twice that of the mown field (N2). Based on the present study, a combination of light grazing pressure and mowing is the most suitable approach for managing and economically utilizing these grasslands.

Climate change has increased the frequency of extreme weather events, challenging traditional flood risk assessments. New methods, like InVEST’s urban flood risk mitigation model (UFRM), are crucial for assessing flood-prone areas, especially those vulnerable to pluvial flooding. This systematic review examines the utilization and limitations of the UFRM model for identifying flood-prone areas and designing adaptation plans in response to climate change, based on research articles published between 2019 and 2024. The articles were identified through Scinapse and Google Scholar using predefined criteria, including relevance to UFRM applications and publication within the specified timeframe. An analysis of the 21 selected papers using bibliometric techniques reveals geographic concentrations of the case studies that utilized the UFRM model primarily in Italy, Turkey, China, and the United States, with notable research gaps in Central Europe. The journal publication trends highlight the prominence of certain journals, such as the Journal of Land. A network analysis using VOSviewer identifies thematic clusters aligned with the UFRM research areas, including Urban Planning and Nature-Based Solutions (NBSs), Urbanization and Sustainable Development, the Economic and Social Effects of Flood Mitigation, Adaptation and Risk Management, and Resilience and Vulnerability. This review contributes to gaining a deeper understanding of the research landscape regarding the utilization of the UFRM model and provides recommendations for advancing sustainable and resilient urban development practices. The review was not preregistered in a formal registry. The finding reveals that integrating automation and optimization tools to suggest different solutions for problematic nodes in urban areas is crucial for addressing multiple issues simultaneously and optimizing adaptation plans effectively.

Ixodes ricinus ticks are ubiquitous in Europe, including in North-East Italy. These ticks are important vectors of several zoonotic pathogens of public health relevance. In this study, the habitat suitability range of I. ricinus ticks infected with zoonotic pathogens was predicted in North-East Italy, and relevant spatial predictors were identified. In 2015–2021, ticks were collected at 26 sampling sites in the study area. The collected ticks were screened for the presence of pathogens using PCR assays. For Borrelia, Rickettsia and Anaplasma/Ehrlichia species, data allowed for ecological niche modelling using Maxent. Environmental determinants potentially related to tick habitat suitability were used as model inputs. Predicted suitable habitat distributions revealed hotspots of the probability of pathogen presence in I. ricinus ticks mainly in the central and upper parts of the study area. Key environmental predictors were temperature, rainfall and altitude, and vegetation index for specific pathogens (Rickettsia and Anaplasma/Ehrlichia species). Increased risk of exposure to tick-borne pathogens upon tick bites in the predicted hotspot areas can, therefore, be expected. This provides useful information for public health risk managers in this and other similar regions.

Monitoring changing environmental conditions for short-term periods is a key aspect of adaptive urban planning. Unfortunately, the official environmental datasets are often produced at too large time intervals, and sometimes the speed of urban transformation requires real-time monitoring data. In this work we employed ESRI ArcGIS (ver. 10.8.1) to process two normalized difference vegetation indices for the campus area of the Izmir Institute of Technology (Turkey). The area of this campus constitutes an optimal site for testing whether alterations to the soil due to excavation and new construction can be monitored in small areas of land. We downloaded two different Sentinel acquisitions from the Copernicus ONDA DİAS platform: one taken on 28 March 2021 and the second taken on 13 March 2022. We processed the images while elaborating the normalized difference vegetation index for both years and compared them. Results demonstrate that all major and minor soil degradations on the campus during the intervening year were detected and empirically quantified in terms of NDVİ reduction (abrupt changes). These findings confirm that detailed seasonal environmental monitoring of every part of the world is now possible using semi-automatic procedures to process original Sentinel data and recommend site-specific ecological compensation measures.

In light of the current International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) guidelines, the topic of cannabinoids in relation to pain remains controversial, with insufficient research presently available. Cannabinoids are an attractive pain management option due to their synergistic effects when administered with opioids, thereby also limiting the extent of respiratory depression. On their own, however, cannabinoids have been shown to have the potential to relieve specific subtypes of chronic pain in adults, although controversies remain. Among these subtypes are neuropathic, musculoskeletal, cancer, and geriatric pain. Another interesting feature is their effectiveness in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Analgesic benefits are hypothesized to extend to HIV-associated neuropathic pain, as well as to lower back pain in the elderly. The aim of this article is to provide an up-to-date review of the existing preclinical as well as clinical studies, along with relevant systematic reviews addressing the roles of various types of cannabinoids in neuropathic pain settings. The impact of cannabinoids in chronic cancer pain and in non-cancer conditions, such as multiple sclerosis and headaches, are all discussed, as well as novel techniques of administration and relevant mechanisms of action.

People with HIV (PWH) incur a higher risk of COVID-19-related morbidity and mortality rates, yet less is known about COVID-19 vaccine uptake and hesitancy in this group. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Freetown, Sierra Leone, from April to June 2022, using the VAX scale, a validated instrument, to assess attitudes towards COVID-19 vaccination and calculate the hesitancy (VAX) scores. We used generalized linear models to identify the factors associated with vaccine hesitancy. Overall, 490 PWH were enrolled (71.4% female, median age: 38 years, median CD4 count: 412 cells/mm3). About 17.3% received ≥1 dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The mean VAX score was 43.14 ± 7.05, corresponding to 59.9% participants being vaccine-hesitant. A preference for natural immunity (65.8%) and concerns about profiteering (64.4%) were the commonest reasons for hesitancy, followed by a mistrust of vaccine benefits (61.4%) and worries about future effects (48.0%). In the adjusted regression analysis, being a Muslim (β = 2.563, p < 0.001) and having an urban residence (β = 1.709, p = 0.010) were associated with greater vaccine hesitancy, while testing for COVID-19 was associated with reduced vaccine hesitancy (β = −3.417, p = 0.027). These findings underscore the importance of addressing vaccine hesitancy as a critical element boosting COVID-19 vaccine uptake among PWH.

Urban flooding is one of the most recognized problems cities must tackle in the coming decades due to climate change conditions. Nevertheless, the empirical knowledge of the biophysical capacity of cities to absorb, store or retain and release water after rainfall events is limited, partly due to the gaps that modeling has in terms of representing the complexity of urban systems. This limit, in turn, affects the decision-making process related to the system’s adaptation. This work aims to integrate two types of alternative spatial ecosystem modeling and see how results can be combined, evaluated and used in view of a more holistic comprehension of flooding phenomena while reaching a deeper understanding of the vulnerability to multiple types of rain events: flash floods versus annual precipitation. The results of the two modeling sessions will be analyzed and compared. They will be further used to gather a greater understanding of the biophysical complexity of Izmir’s Metropolitan City in Turkey: one of the most dynamic but climatically threatened urban areas in the Mediterranean basin. The findings confirm the extent to which empirical knowledge of the urban system is partial and uncertain, thus requiring continuous progress through ecosystem modeling to support an evolutive interpretation of biophysical performances based on trial and error.

The rapid rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in 2021 sparked general optimism toward controlling the severe form of the disease, preventing hospitalizations and COVID-19-associated mortality, and the transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 infection [...]

In accordance with national regulations, the renovation of the residential sector is an urgent task for achieving significant reductions in energy consumption and CO2 emissions of the existing building stock. Social housing is particularly in need of such interventions, given the higher vulnerability of its inhabitants and its crucial role in furthering social welfare and environmental sustainability objectives. Both passive and active strategies have proved their efficacy in advancing towards these goals and also in mitigating increasing fuel poverty in low-income families. However, to optimize the best combination of such retrofit strategies, advanced optimization methodologies can be applied. Here, a multi-objective optimization methodology is implemented by a genetic algorithm (aNSGA-II) coupled to EnergyPlus dynamic energy simulations. Then, the energy consumption of the optimal solution is considered by means of EnergyPLAN simulations for the further application of active strategies. The two-step method is tested on a relevant case study, a social housing building in Rome, Italy. Results show that the applied method reduced the energy demand by 51% with passive strategies only. Active strategy implementation allowed for a further reduction of 69% in CO2 emissions and 51% in energy costs. The two-step method proved effective in mitigating fuel poverty and decarbonizing the residential sector.

It is well acknowledged that sustainable soil management can play a crucial role in reducing the vulnerability of urban areas, but are soil characteristics properly evaluated in the decision-making process concerning urbanization? Within this work, we conducted an analysis of the land-use change trends in the city of Izmir (Turkey). We made an extended and detailed analysis of the urbanization processes between 2012 and 2018 in a geographic information system environment (Esri ArcGIS 10.8.1 and ArcGIS Pro 3.0). Then, we superimposed by spatial overlay different soil characteristics: land capability, hydraulic conductibility, soil groups, and fault lines. We discovered that although there is a joint agreement on soil and its geological importance in reducing urban vulnerabilities to flooding, urban heat islands, agricultural production, or earthquakes, there is scarce knowledge of its characteristics to inform land-use planning. This work sheds some light on how newly developed areas are planned without proper consideration of soil properties, following a fuzzy and irrational logic in their distribution. Results encourage the utilization and inclusion of soil knowledge to support the decision-making process concerning urban transformation to achieve more resilient and less vulnerable urban systems.

A-type proanthocyanidins (PAC-As) are plant-derived natural polyphenols that occur as oligomers or polymers of flavan-3-ol monomers, such as (+)-catechin and (−)-epicatechin, connected through an unusual double A linkage. PAC-As are present in leaves, seeds, flowers, bark, and fruits of many plants, and are thought to exert protective natural roles against microbial pathogens, insects, and herbivores. Consequently, when tested in isolation, PAC-As have shown several biological effects, through antioxidant, antibacterial, immunomodulatory, and antiviral activities. PAC-As have been observed in fact to inhibit replication of many different human viruses, and both enveloped and non-enveloped DNA and RNA viruses proved sensible to their inhibitory effect. Mechanistic studies revealed that PAC-As cause reduction of infectivity of viral particles they come in contact with, as a result of their propensity to interact with virion surface capsid proteins or envelope glycoproteins essential for viral attachment and entry. As viral infections and new virus outbreaks are a major public health concern, development of effective Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Agents (BSAAs) that can be rapidly deployable even against future emerging viruses is an urgent priority. This review summarizes the antiviral activities and mechanism of action of PAC-As, and their potential to be deployed as BSAAs against present and future viral infections.

In this study, incorporation of the cytotoxic agent paclitaxel and the P-glycoprotein inhibitor elacridar in hyaluronic acid (HA)-modified nanoemulsions was studied for intraductal delivery and breast cancer localized treatment. To improve cytotoxicity, we investigated the incorporation of perillyl alcohol or tributyrin as components of the nanoemulsion oil phase. The nanoemulsions presented size 50 by 1.6 to 3-fold in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells compared to the nanoemulsion containing only paclitaxel (P-NE). This nanoemulsion also produced a 3.3-fold reduction in the viability of MDA-MB-231 spheroids. Elacridar incorporated in the nanoemulsion was capable of inhibiting P-glycoprotein in membranes. In vivo intraductal administration of the NE containing HA resulted in a three-fold higher retention of a fluorescent marker compared to a solution or nanoemulsion without HA, demonstrating the importance of HA. The nanoemulsion produced no histological changes in the mammary tissue. These results support the potential applicability of the nanoemulsion for local breast cancer management.

The current pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has encouraged the evaluation of novel instruments for disinfection and lowering infectious pressure. Ultraviolet subtype C (UVC) excimer lamps with 222 nm wavelength have been tested on airborne pathogens on surfaces and the exposure to this wavelength has been considered safer than conventional UVC. To test the efficacy of UVC excimer lamps on coronaviruses, an animal model mimicking the infection dynamics was implemented. An attenuated vaccine based on infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) was nebulized and irradiated by 222 nm UVC rays before the exposure of a group of day-old chicks to evaluate the virus inactivation. A control group of chicks was exposed to the nebulized vaccine produced in the same conditions but not irradiated by the lamps. The animals of both groups were sampled daily and individually by choanal cleft swabs and tested usign a strain specific real time RT-PCR to evaluate the vaccine replication. Only the birds in the control group were positive, showing an active replication of the vaccine, revealing the efficacy of the lamps in inactivating the vaccine below the infectious dose in the other group.

The thermo-hygrometric sensation of pedestrians in outdoor environments can be quantified by means of bioclimatic indices. In this work, the Mediterranean Outdoor Thermal Comfort Index (MOCI) is applied in the city of Rome (Italy) for the purpose of investigating the effect of local environmental conditions (urban, suburban, rural) on pedestrian thermal comfort. Hourly values of MOCI are calculated for the May–September period in the years 2015–2021 using weather quantities acquired by the four monitoring stations of the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection included in the metropolitan area of Rome. MOCI data are analyzed based on the comfort and (cold/hot) discomfort conditions during both daytime and nighttime. At the urban station, 26% of daily records exceed the comfort threshold revealing the effect of urban overheating, whereas only 0.1% of hot discomfort occurrences are recorded overnight. Here, greater nighttime thermal comfort is experienced than in non-urban locations suggesting that the nocturnal thermo-hygrometric conditions are satisfactory for inhabitants in downtown Rome, despite the urban heat island. It also suggests that other factors, such as orography and atmospheric circulation, influence outdoor thermal comfort. The development of this work will therefore include at least these two elements.

The city of Izmir (Turkey) has experienced one of the most rapid and fastest urbanization processes in the last thirty years; more than 33 thousand hectares of agricultural and seminatural land have been transformed into urban areas, leading to a drastic reduction of biodiversity and hard deployments of the ecosystem service supply. In this perspective, the potential definition of methodologies to design multifunctional green infrastructures is extremely important to challenge the effects of climate change. The aim of this study is to propose an easy and replicable methodology to design a Green Infrastructure at the neighbourhood level in one of the most important districts of Izmir: Çiğli. To this end, we combined historical land-use change analysis (based on Urban Atlas, Copernicus Land Monitoring Service) with environmental and ecosystem mapping in a Geographic Information System environment (ESRI ArcMap 10.8.1) while creating a composite layer based on unweighted overlays of Imperviousness, Tree Cover Density, and Habitat Quality. Results were used to design the Green Infrastructure of Çiğli and suggest context-based strategies for urban adaptation, including Nature-Based Solutions for core, edge, and urban links.

Despite having safe and efficacious vaccines against COVID-19, vaccine hesitancy is widespread. Although a trusted source of information, vaccine hesitancy has been reported among healthcare professionals, yet few studies have explored this phenomenon in sub-Saharan Africa. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of healthcare professionals in Sierra Leone from January to March 2022. Measures included sociodemographic/health-related information and COVID-19-related concerns. From the responses, we constructed a hesitancy (VAX) score, with higher scores implying negative attitudes or unwillingness to vaccinate. Multivariate linear regression was used to access factors associated with vaccine hesitancy. Overall, 592 participants submitted responses (67.2% female, mean age 29 years, 5.6% physicians/pharmacists, 44.3% medical students, 29.2% nurses, 20.9% nursing students). The mean VAX score was 43.27 ± 8.77, with 60.1% of respondents classified as vaccine hesitant (>50th percentile) and 13.8% as highly hesitant (>75th percentile). Worries about unforeseen future effects (76.3%), a preference for natural immunity (59.5%), and profiteering/mistrust of health authorities (53.1%) were the most common concerns. Being a medical student (β = 0.105, p = 0.011) and previously refusing a recommended vaccine (β = 0.177, p < 0.001) were predictors of COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Our findings call for addressing vaccine hesitancy among healthcare professionals as an essential component of strategies aimed at increasing COVID-19 vaccine uptake in this setting.

Despite its use for decades, pharmacokinetic (PK) and safety studies on colistin are limited. We conducted a phase l, open-label trial to evaluate the safety and PK of multiple doses of intravenous (IV) and aerosolized colistimethate sodium (CMS) administered separately and in combination. In total, 31 healthy adults were enrolled into three cohorts of 9, 10, and 12 participants, respectively. Each cohort received increasing doses of CMS over three dosing periods as follows: Period 1 (IV only), 2.5 mg/kg every 12 h (q12h) to 3.3 mg/kg every 8 h (q8h); Period 2 (aerosolized only), 75 mg 2–4 doses, and Period 3 (combined IV aerosolized), in which was Periods 1 and 2 combined. Safety assessments, serum and lung concentrations of colistin analytes (colistin A, colistin B, CMS A, and CMS B), and kidney biomarkers were measured at specified time points. Increasing the CMS dose from 2.5 mg/kg q12h to q8h resulted in a 33% increase in serum colistin A concentrations from 3.9 μg/mL to 5.3 μg/mL—well above the accepted target of 2 μg/mL for 6 h after dosing, without evidence of nephrotoxicity. However, there was an increase in neurotoxicity, primarily perioral and lingual paresthesias, and self-limited ataxia. IV administration did not increase the lung concentrations of colistin.

The grapevine, so-called Vitis vinifera L., is one of the most diffuse perennial crop plantations in the world due to a flourishing market that shaped the landscape and the societal values. Turkey has been a historical vine producer, counting on an overall vineyard extension of 550,000 hectares. Besides, Turkey has some favorable pre-requisites to be one of the most fertile lands for vineyard production: variegated topography, rich soil diversity, heterogeneous morphology, and several micro-climatic conditions. However, establishing a flourishing and fully productive vineyard requires many years, and therefore, the selection and management of sites should be considered with great attention. Within this work, a first land suitability analysis for vineyard production has been established for the entire metropolitan area of Izmir according to the most scientifically-agreed criteria: elevation, slope, aspect, land capability, and solar radiation. These criteria were superimposed through spatial overlay analysis using Esri ArcGIS (ver.10.8) and evaluated using the Principal Component Analysis technique. The first three bands were then extracted to define the most suitable areas for vineyard production in Izmir. The final layer has been used to define which areas can be considered for future strategic expansion and management. The discussion focuses on the Kozak plateau, where a new policy of vineyard plantation will be promoted with techniques that aim to maintain and revalorize the traditional vineyard landscapes and conserve traditional methods and practices that have evolved with the cultural values of the villagers and producers.

The land-use regulatory framework in Turkey is composed of several hierarchical plans. The Environmental Regulation Plan pursues comprehensive planning management, which ranges between 1/100,000 and 1/25,000 and defines the framework for local master plans. Unfortunately, there is scarce knowledge of how these plans effectively protect the environment. Besides, these plans have poor consideration of socio-economic dynamics and the ecosystem vulnerability, while evaluating the actual conflicts or synergies within the localization of ecological conservation and settlement expansion areas. In this work, an ecosystem-based geodatabase was created for the western Izmir area (Turkey). The dataset has been created by employing a supervised classification sampling of Sentinel-2 images acquired on 28 March 2021, while accessing ONDA-DIAS services to L2C products. Then, the InVEST software was used to map the Habitat Quality and the Habitat Decay, while the ArcMap raster analysis tool was employed to generate the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. The results were used to classify the ecosystem vulnerability of the western metropolitan area of Izmir and then superimposed to the Environmental Regulation Plan of the city of Izmir (2021), thus evaluating synergies and conflicts. Although integration of the ecosystem services approach into spatial planning is lacking in the planning practice of Turkey, the paper provides an operative methodology to integrate ecosystem evaluation in environmental planning as a basic strategy to support sustainable development.

Hepatitis B (HBV) is a major public health threat in Sierra Leone. Pregnant women are disproportionately impacted, yet little is known about the epidemiology of HBV in this group. We conducted a cross-sectional study of pregnant women aged ≥16 years receiving antenatal care across 10 community health centers in Freetown from July to September 2021 to assess the prevalence and associated factors of HBsAg seropositivity. Logistic regression was used to identify the predictors of HBsAg seropositivity. In total, 394 pregnant women were screened. The mean age was 24.4 ± 4.9 years, 78.2% were married, and 47.2% were in the second trimester. Only 1% had received the HBV vaccine. The prevalence of HBsAg was 7.9%, while HIV was 5.8% and HIV/HBV co-infection was 0.3%. Regarding high-risk practices, 76.6% reported female genital circumcision, 41.9% ear piercing, 29.0% endorsed multiple sexual partners, and 23.6% reported sexually transmitted infections. In the logistic regression analysis, having a husband/partner with HBV (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 6.54; 95% CI: [1.72–24.86]; p = 0.006) and residing in Central Freetown (aOR: 4.00; 95% CI: [1.46–11.00]; p = 0.007) were independently associated with HBsAg seropositivity. Our findings support the scaling up of HBV services to target pregnant women and their partners for screening and vaccination to help reduce mother-to-child transmission rates in Sierra Leone.

Hazara virus (HAZV) belongs to the Nairoviridae family and is included in the same serogroup of the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV). CCHFV is the most widespread tick-borne arbovirus. It is responsible for a serious hemorrhagic disease, for which specific and effective treatment and preventive systems are missing. Bioactive compounds derived from several natural products may provide a natural source of broad-spectrum antiviral agents, characterized by good tolerability and minimal side effects. Previous in vitro studies have shown that a cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) extract containing a high content of A-type proanthocyanidins (PAC-A) inhibits the replication of herpes simplex and influenza viruses by hampering their attachment to target cells. Given the broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity of polyphenols and the urgency to develop therapies for the treatment of CCHF, we investigated the antiviral activity of cranberry extract against HAZV, a surrogate nairovirus model of CCHFV that can be handled in Level 2 Biosafety Laboratories (BSL-2). The results indicate that the cranberry extract exerts an antiviral activity against HAZV by targeting early stages of the viral replication cycle, including the initial adsorption to target cells. Although the details of the molecular mechanism of action remain to be clarified, the cranberry extract exerts a virucidal effect through a direct interaction with HAZV particles that leads to the subsequent impairment of virus attachment to cell-surface receptors. Finally, the antiviral activity of the cranberry extract was also confirmed for CCHFV. As a whole, the evidence obtained suggests that cranberry extract is a valuable candidate to be considered for the development of therapeutic strategies for CCHFV infections.

The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected tuberculosis (TB) care delivery in high burden countries. We therefore conducted a retrospective study to assess the impact of COVID-19 on TB case detection and treatment outcomes at the Chest Clinic at Connaught Hospital in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Overall, 2300 presumptive cases were tested during the first three quarters of 2020 (intra-COVID-19) versus 2636 in 2019 (baseline), representing a 12.7% decline. Testing declined by 25% in women, 20% in children and 81% in community-initiated referrals. Notwithstanding, laboratory-confirmed TB cases increased by 37.0% and treatment success rate was higher in 2020 (55.6% vs. 46.7%, p = 0.002). Multivariate logistic regression analysis found that age < 55 years (aOR 1.74, 95% CI (1.80, 2.56); p = 0.005), new diagnosis (aOR 1.69, 95% CI (1.16, 2.47); p = 0.007), pulmonary TB (aOR 3.17, 95% CI (1.67, 6.04); p < 0.001), HIV negative status (aOR 1.60, 95%CI (1.24, 2.06); p < 0.001) and self-administration of anti-TB drugs through monthly dispensing versus directly observed therapy (DOT) (aOR 1.56, 95% CI (1.21, 2.03); p = 0.001) independently predicted treatment success. These findings may have policy implications for DOTS in this setting and suggest that more resources are needed to reverse the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on TB program activities in Sierra Leone.

Precisely determining agricultural land abandonment (ALA) in an area is still difficult, even with recent progress in data collection and analysis. It is especially difficult in fragmented areas that need more tailor-made methods. The aim of this research was to determine ALA using airborne laser scanning (ALS) data, which are available in Poland with 4 to 6 points per square metre resolution. ALS data were processed into heat maps and modified with chosen kernel functions: triweight and Epanechnikov. The results of ALS data processing were compared to the control method, i.e., visual interpretation of an orthophotomap. This study shows that ALS data modelled with kernel functions allow for a good identification of ALA. The accuracy of results shows 82% concordance as compared to the control method. When comparing triweight and Epanechnikov functions, higher accuracy was achieved when using the triweight function. The research shows that ALS data processing is a promising method of detection of ALA and could provide an alternative to well-known methods such as the analysis of satellite images.

SARS-CoV-2 replicates efficiently in the upper airways during the prodromal stage, resulting in environmental viral shedding from patients with active COVID-19 as well as from asymptomatic individuals. There is a need to find pharmacological interventions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Hypothiocyanite and lactoferrin are molecules of the innate immune system with a large spectrum cidal activity. The Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency designated the hypothiocyanite and lactoferrin combination as an orphan drug. We report an in vitro study showing that micromolar concentrations of hypothiocyanite exhibit dose- and time-dependent virucidal activity against SARS-CoV-2 and that the latter is slightly enhanced by the simultaneous presence of lactoferrin.

Recent RNA virus outbreaks such as Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Ebola virus (EBOV) have caused worldwide health emergencies highlighting the urgent need for new antiviral strategies. Targeting host cell pathways supporting viral replication is an attractive approach for development of antiviral compounds, especially with new, unexplored viruses where knowledge of virus biology is limited. Here, we present a strategy to identify host-targeted small molecule inhibitors using an image-based phenotypic antiviral screening assay followed by extensive target identification efforts revealing altered cellular pathways upon antiviral compound treatment. The newly discovered antiviral compounds showed broad-range antiviral activity against pathogenic RNA viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, EBOV and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV). Target identification of the antiviral compounds by thermal protein profiling revealed major effects on proteostasis pathways and disturbance in interactions between cellular HSP70 complex and viral proteins, illustrating the supportive role of HSP70 on many RNA viruses across virus families. Collectively, this strategy identifies new small molecule inhibitors with broad antiviral activity against pathogenic RNA viruses, but also uncovers novel virus biology urgently needed for design of new antiviral therapies.

Despite the introduction of directly acting antivirals (DAAs), for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, their cost, patient compliance, and viral resistance are still important issues to be considered. Here, we describe the generation of a novel JFH1-based HCV subgenomic replicon double reporter cell line suitable for testing different antiviral drugs and therapeutic interventions. This cells line allowed a rapid and accurate quantification of cell growth/viability and HCV RNA replication, thus discriminating specific from unspecific antiviral effects caused by DAAs or cytotoxic compounds, respectively. By correlating cell number and virus replication, we could confirm the inhibitory effect on the latter of cell over confluency and characterize an array of lentiviral vectors expressing single, double, or triple cassettes containing different combinations of short hairpin (sh)RNAs, targeting both highly conserved viral genome sequences and cellular factors crucial for HCV replication. While all vectors were effective in reducing HCV replication, the ones targeting viral sequences displayed a stronger antiviral effect, without significant cytopathic effects. Such combinatorial platforms as well as the developed double reporter cell line might find application both in setting-up anti-HCV gene therapy approaches and in studies aimed at further dissecting the viral biology/pathogenesis of infection.

Introduction: Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a severe disease of humans caused by CCHF orthonairovirus (CCHFV), a class 4 pathogen. Hyalomma ticks are the viral reservoir, and they represent the main vector. CCHFV can be transmitted to its hosts during tick blood feeding. We have previously shown that CCHFV can persistently infect Hyalomma-derived tick cell lines without any cytopathic effect. However, the mechanism allowing for the establishment of a persistent viral infection in ticks is still unknown. It has been recently reported that Hazara orthonairovirus (HAZV) can be used as a BSL-2 model virus instead of CCHFV to study viral/vector interaction. The aim of our study is to elucidate the mechanism that allows establishment of persistent CCHFV infection in ticks using HAZV as a model. Methods: We used classical and molecular methods applied to virology to characterize the establishment of persistent HAZV infection in two Hyalomma anatolicum-derived cell lines—HAE/CTVM8 and HAE/CTVM9. Results: As for CCHFV, we showed that HAZV persistently infects tick cells without any sign of cytopathic effect and that infected cells can be cultured for more than one year. The persistent infection is characterized by a low viral titer compared to the initial time points. Interestingly, short viral-derived DNA forms (vDNAs) start to be detected in parallel with the beginning of viral replication and are maintained in persistently-infected cells. Experiments with the antiretroviral drug AZT suggest that vDNAs are produced by retrotranscriptase activity. Furthermore, we collected evidence that vDNAs are not integrated and seem to be involved in the downregulation of viral replication by promoting cell survival. Conclusion: vDNA synthesis might represent a strategy to control the replication of RNA viruses in ticks, as recently demonstrated in insects, allowing for persistent infection of virus vectors.

The final decision of the owner of the plot who plans to build a house depends on many factors most of which are of legal and financial nature. The authors demonstrate that the decisions regarding specific location within the plot of land are influenced by intangible components as well, namely the intention to have the best view. The view is often related to the occurrence of landmarks with prominent visual impact in the landscape that determine visual connections. The rural landscape is determined by the spatial arrangement including the buildings, the shape of public spaces, ownership divisions, and the land distribution. Being an element of rural cultural heritage, the arrangement of buildings is influenced by a vast number of factors such as geographical, historical, physical, and socio-economic ones. This article focuses on determining the interaction between the settlement locations and zones with an excellent, unique view of characteristic, well-known architectural landmarks. Mapping of viewsheds of many features is a critical element of the landscape planning process and facilitates the protection of cultural heritage assets. The analysis involved LiDAR DTM (Digital Terrain Model created in Light Detection and Ranging technology), digital photographs, and historical maps. In terms of the administrative subdivision, the area comprises 20 localities. The landmark visibility analysis for locations of the buildings covered a 140 km2 area of Carpathian Foothills in southern Poland. The article combines experiences in the field of landscape architecture, spatial planning and the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. The examples show that the modern development layout refers to the historical structure and the development of a new settlement tissue has a cultural background and is influenced by spatial landmarks.

During a fire in enclosed spaces, having structures with a good level of resistance is very important. The post flashover fire time interval, during which rescue squads operate, is important to verify if the structure can still resist fire for an acceptable time interval. This can be determined through the REI value. Hence, the way the fire develops must be examined together with the trend of the temperature that might guarantee that the structure will resist the heat flux released during the combustion. This article examines and compares, through a case study, the most important methods for analysis of the fire risk: the prescriptive approach and the simplified performance-based approach. The performance-based method (more suitable for the actual planning demand with respect to the more cautious prescriptive approach) is affected by the parameters influencing its development. The goal of this article is to provide a graph (based on parameters like the type of building, opening factor “O„ and fire load “q„) that might be used by designers and architects to carry out the planning phase and adopt fire prevention systems before dealing with the assessments required by the engineering field for the fire risk analysis.