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Objective: This study aimed at determining the various types of home-based remedies, mode of administration, prevalence of use, and their relevance in reducing the risk of infection, hospital admission, severe disease, and death., Methods: The study design is an open cohort of all participants who presented for testing for COVID-19 at the Infectious Disease Treatment Centre (Tamale) and were followed up for a period of six weeks. A nested case-control study was designed. Numerical data were analysed using STATA version 14, and qualitative data were thematically analysed., Results: A total of 882 participants made up of 358 (40.6%) cases and 524 (59.4%) unmatched controls took part in the study. The prevalence of usage of home-based remedies to prevent COVID-19 was 29.6% ( n  = 261). These include drinks (34.1% ( n  = 100)), changes in eating habits/food (33.8% ( n  = 99)), physical exercise (18.8% ( n  = 55)), steam inhalation (9.9% ( n  = 29)), herbal baths (2.7% ( n  = 8)), and gurgle (0.7 ( n  = 2)). Participants who practiced any form of home-based therapy were protected from SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR = 0.28 (0.20-0.39)), severe/critical COVID-19 (OR = 0.15 (0.05-0.48)), hospital admission (OR = 0.15 (0.06-0.38)), and death (OR = 0.31 (0.07-1.38)). Analysis of the various subgroups of the home-based therapies, however, demonstrated that not all the home-based remedies were effective. Steam inhalation and herbal baths were associated with 26.6 (95% CI = 6.10-116.24) and 2.7 (95% CI = 0.49-14.78) times increased risk of infection, respectively. However, change in diet (AOR = 0.01 (0.00-0.13)) and physical exercise (AOR = 0.02 (0.00-0.26)) remained significantly associated with a reduced risk of infection. We described results of thematic content analysis regarding the common ingredients in the drinks, diets, and other home-based methods administered., Conclusion: Almost a third of persons presenting for COVID-19 test were involved in some form of home-based remedy to prevent COVID-19. Steam inhalation and herbal baths increased risk of COVID-19 infection, while physical exercise and dietary changes were protective against COVID-19 infection and hospital admission. Future protocols might consider inclusion of physical activity and dietary changes based on demonstrated health gains., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Benjamin Demah Nuertey et al.)

HIV-1 Envelope (Env) mediates viral-host membrane fusion after binding host-receptor CD4 and coreceptor. Soluble envelopes (SOSIPs), designed to mimic prefusion conformational states of virion-bound envelopes, are proposed immunogens for eliciting neutralizing antibodies, yet only static structures are available. To evaluate conformational landscapes of ligand-free, CD4-bound, inhibitor-bound, and antibody-bound SOSIPs, we measured inter-subunit distances throughout spin-labeled SOSIPs using double electron-electron resonance (DEER) spectroscopy and compared results to soluble and virion-bound Env structures, and single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET)-derived dynamics of virion-bound Envs. Unliganded SOSIP measurements were consistent with closed, neutralizing antibody-bound structures and shielding of non-neutralizing epitopes, demonstrating homogeneity at Env apex, increased flexibility near Env base, and no evidence for the intra-subunit flexibility near Env apex suggested by smFRET. CD4 binding increased inter-subunit distances and heterogeneity, consistent with rearrangements required for coreceptor binding. Results suggest similarities between SOSIPs and virion-bound Envs and demonstrate DEER's relevance for immunogen design., (Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Because loss of teeth many people have a reduced maxillary and mandibular dentition. The appropriate prosthetic rehabilitation is dependent on whether or not a standard mutilation of the dentition can be achieved. In this article, the focus is on treatment of a remaining mandibular dentition combined with an edentulous maxilla, whether or not with a reduced residual alveolar ridge. In the literature, there is no consensus on the appropriate prosthetic treatment if implant-supported overdentures are not applicable. The amount of bone loss in already during some time edentulous maxillary and mandibular alveolar ridge segments as well as the available vertical space for the removable (partial) denture are important decision-making factors.