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Evidence suggests that bats are important hosts of filoviruses, yet the specific species involved remain largely unidentified. Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1) is an essential entry receptor, with amino acid variations influencing viral susceptibility and species-specific tropism. Herein, we conducted combinatorial binding studies with seven filovirus glycoproteins (GPs) and NPC1 orthologs from 81 bat species. We found that GP-NPC1 binding correlated poorly with phylogeny. By integrating binding assays with machine learning, we identified genetic factors influencing virus-receptor-binding and predicted GP-NPC1-binding avidity for additional filoviruses and bats. Moreover, combining receptor-binding avidities with bat geographic distribution and the locations of previous Ebola outbreaks allowed us to rank bats by their potential as Ebola virus hosts. This study represents a comprehensive investigation of filovirus-receptor binding in bats (1,484 GP-NPC1 pairs, 11 filoviruses, and 135 bats) and describes a multidisciplinary approach to predict susceptible species and guide filovirus host surveillance., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests D.L. is employed by Schrodinger Inc. and holds company stocks. K.C. holds shares in Integrum Scientific, LLC, and Eitr Biologics Inc., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Bats are critical to maintaining healthy ecosystems and many species are threatened primarily due to global habitat loss. Bats are also important hosts of a range of viruses, several of which have had significant impacts on global public health. The emergence of these viruses has been associated with land-use change and decreased host species richness. Yet, few studies have assessed how bat communities and the viruses they host alter with land-use change, particularly in highly biodiverse sites., Methods: In this study, we investigate the effects of deforestation on bat host species richness and diversity, and viral prevalence and richness across five forested sites and three nearby deforested sites in the interior Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil. Nested-PCR and qPCR were used to amplify and detect viral genetic sequence from six viral families (corona-, adeno-, herpes-, hanta-, paramyxo-, and astro-viridae) in 944 blood, saliva and rectal samples collected from 335 bats., Results: We found that deforested sites had a less diverse bat community than forested sites, but higher viral prevalence and richness after controlling for confounding factors. Viral detection was more likely in juvenile males located in deforested sites. Interestingly, we also found a significant effect of host bat species on viral prevalence indicating that viral taxa were detected more frequently in some species than others. In particular, viruses from the Coronaviridae family were detected more frequently in generalist species compared to specialist species., Discussion: Our findings suggest that deforestation may drive changes in the ecosystem which reduce bat host diversity while increasing the abundance of generalist species which host a wider range of viruses., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Loh, Nava, Murray, Olival, Guimarães, Shimabukuro, Zambrana-Torrelio, Fonseca, de Oliveira, Campos, Durigon, Ferreira, Struebig and Daszak.)

BACKGROUND: Graves' Disease (GD) is a common cause of hyperthyroidism. Although definitive treatment with radioactive iodine (RAI) is preferred for military aircrew, there are cultural and individual differences in receptivity toward RAI, and clinical guidelines that recommend antithyroid drugs (ATD) as the first line therapy. We examined a case series of Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) aviators with GD treated with ATD and the impact of their condition on aeromedical disposition. CASE SERIES: All RSAF aircrew diagnosed with GD and treated with ATD over a 15-yr period were retrospectively identified and analyzed to determine the impact on their fitness for flying duties. The mean age of the 13 aircrew was 33 ± 7.1 yr (range, 25-47 yr), with 11 (84.6%) being males. There were 10 (76.9%) who had ATD as the only treatment while 3 (23.1%) were initially treated with ATD but subsequently underwent RAI or surgery. Of the 10 treated with only ATD, 3 (30.0%) were returned to restricted flying, 6 (60.0%) were returned to unrestricted flying, and 1 (10.0%) is still undergoing ATD titration. There were 10 (76.9%) aircrew who were returned to some form of flying duties while on low doses of ATD. DISCUSSION: This case series suggests that ATD is a viable treatment modality in the aeromedical management of military aviators with GD and it is possible to return military aircrew on a stable maintenance dose of ATD to flying duties. A framework is proposed to support the aeromedical decision-making process for military aircrew in the treatment of GD. Loh EH-T, Soh FW, See B, Tan BBC. Aeromedical decision making for military aircrew with Graves' disease . Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2021; 92(12):980-986.

Background: With increasing interest in determining if measurement of retinal neuronal structure with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) is useful in accessing neurodegenerative process in cognitive decline and development of dementia, it is important to evaluate whether the SD-OCT measurements are repeatable and reproducible in these patients., Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study. Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) with no change in global clinical dementia rating (CDR) score at 1-year follow-up were eligible to be included. Ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (GC-IPL) and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) parameters were measured with SD-OCT at baseline, 6-month, and 1-year follow-up visits. At baseline, SD-OCT scans were repeated to access intra-visit repeatability of the SD-OCT measurement. SD-OCT measurement over three visits was used to access inter-visit reproducibility. We calculated intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and coefficients of variation (CoVs)., Results: We included 32 patients with stable AD and 29 patients with stable MCI in the final analysis. For GC-IPL measures, the average intra-visit ICC was 0.969 (range: 0.948-0.985), and CoV was 1.81% (range: 1.14-2.40); while the average inter-visit ICC was 0.968 (0.941-0.985), and CoV was 1.91% (range: 1.24-2.32). The average ICC and CoV of intra-visit RNFL measured were 0.965 (range: 0.937-0.986) and 2.32% (range: 1.34-2.90%), respectively. The average ICC and CoV of inter-visit RNFL measures were 0.927 (range: 0.845-0.961) and 3.83% (range: 2.71-5.25%), respectively., Conclusion: Both GC-IPL and RNFL measurements had good intra-visit repeatability and inter-visit reproducibility over 1 year in elderly patients with no decline in cognitive function, suggesting that SD-OCT is a reliable tool to assess neurodegenerative process over time.

We used literature searches and a database of all reported emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) to analyze the most important transmission pathways (e.g., vector-borne, aerosol droplet transmitted) for emerging zoonoses. Our results suggest that at the broad scale, the likelihood of transmission occurring through any one pathway is approximately equal. However, the major transmission pathways for zoonoses differ widely according to the specific underlying drivers of EID events (e.g., land-use change, agricultural intensification). These results can be used to develop better targeting of surveillance for, and more effective control of newly emerged zoonoses in regions under different underlying pressures that drive disease emergence.

The Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) is responsible for ecosystem services (pollination) worth US$215 billion annually worldwide and the number of managed colonies has increased 45% since 1961. However, in Europe and the U.S., two distinct phenomena; long-term declines in colony numbers and increasing annual colony losses, have led to significant interest in their causes and environmental implications. The most important drivers of a long-term decline in colony numbers appear to be socioeconomic and political pressure on honey production. In contrast, annual colony losses seem to be driven mainly by the spread of introduced pathogens and pests, and management problems due to a long-term intensification of production and the transition from large numbers of small apiaries to fewer, larger operations. We conclude that, while other causal hypotheses have received substantial interest, the role of pests, pathogens, and management issues requires increased attention.

Concern over emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) and a better understanding of their causes has resulted in increasing recognition of the linkages among human, animal, and ecosystem health. It is now well recognized that human activities can promote the emergence of infectious diseases through the large-scale modification of natural environments and inadvertent vectoring (e.g., international trade and travel). These perturbations can alter the ecological and evolutionary relationships among humans, wildlife, and the pathogens that move between them, resulting in disease emergence. In recent years, the rise in zoonotic EIDs has not only increased our awareness of the need for cross-sectoral collaborations, but has also highlighted the disconnect between current ecological theory and biological reality. As the One Health movement continues to gain steam, further integration of ecological approaches into the One Health framework will be required. We discuss the importance of ecological methods and theory to the study of zoonotic diseases by (i) discussing key ecological concepts and approaches, (ii) reviewing methods of studying wildlife diseases and their potential applications for zoonoses, and (iii) identifying future directions in the One Health movement.

Wildlife are frequently a neglected component of One Health; however, the linkages between the health of wildlife and human, domestic animal, and environmental health are clear. The majority of emerging zoonotic diseases are linked to wildlife, primarily driven by anthropogenic land changes. Despite this risk, wildlife have important links to people as environmental indicators, food security and safety, and through human livelihoods. This chapter will describe these linkages and demonstrate the need to understand these linkages through targeted surveillance and understanding the ecology of wildlife diseases. While the management of wildlife diseases presents a significant challenge, such practices will greatly improve the health of people, domestic animals, wildlife and the environment.

More than 60% of human infectious diseases are caused by pathogens shared with wild or domestic animals. Zoonotic disease organisms include those that are endemic in human populations or enzootic in animal populations with frequent cross-species transmission to people. Some of these diseases have only emerged recently. Together, these organisms are responsible for a substantial burden of disease, with endemic and enzootic zoonoses causing about a billion cases of illness in people and millions of deaths every year. Emerging zoonoses are a growing threat to global health and have caused hundreds of billions of US dollars of economic damage in the past 20 years. We aimed to review how zoonotic diseases result from natural pathogen ecology, and how other circumstances, such as animal production, extraction of natural resources, and antimicrobial application change the dynamics of disease exposure to human beings. In view of present anthropogenic trends, a more effective approach to zoonotic disease prevention and control will require a broad view of medicine that emphasises evidence-based decision making and integrates ecological and evolutionary principles of animal, human, and environmental factors. This broad view is essential for the successful development of policies and practices that reduce probability of future zoonotic emergence, targeted surveillance and strategic prevention, and engagement of partners outside the medical community to help improve health outcomes and reduce disease threats., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The count of blood cells and the morphology of red cells in urine has been widely used in adult medicine to aid in the diagnosis of the etiology of hematuria. The normal ranges for blood cells in the urine of children had not been established previously. The urine of 419 healthy children was studied. Urine of 95% of individuals contained less than 14 x 10(6) red cells per liter. The morphology of these red cells was of a glomerular pattern. Red cells of non-glomerular pattern were not seen in the urine of healthy children. Urine of 95% of children contained less than or equal to 4 x 10(6) leukocytes per liter.