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Approximately 50,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported worldwide, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO).

According to the WHO, transmission of monkeypox is slowing down in Europe and the US, which are viral hotspots.

50,496 cases and 16 fatalities were recorded to the World Health Organization this year, and the epidemic was deemed a worldwide public health emergency in July.

Also Read: Researchers shed light on OCD cycle for better understanding of mental behaviour

Monkeypox outbreak can be stopped

The decrease in new monkeypox cases, according to WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, demonstrated that the monkeypox outbreak might be stopped.

The countries which have reported more than a thousand cases to the WHO in total are the United States (17,994), Spain (6,543), Brazil (4,693), France (3,547), Germany (3,467), Britain (3,413), Peru (1,463), Canada (1,228) and the Netherlands (1,160).

In order to better understand the causes of obsessive-compulsive disorder, researchers constructed a model of behaviour. They demonstrated how the cycle between obsession and compulsion may be intensified when learning parameters for reinforcement and punishment are severely unbalanced. This research may enhance therapies for mental illness.

Researchers from Tamagawa University, the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, and the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST) have shown that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) can be understood as the result of unequal learning between reinforcement and punishment.

They demonstrated that disparities in brain computations that relate present outcomes to prior actions might result in disordered behaviour based on actual testing of their theoretical model. This can occur specifically when the memory trace signal for previous acts degrades differentially for successful and unsuccessful results. In this instance, “good” indicates the outcome was better than anticipated, whereas “poor” means the outcome was subpar. The development of OCD is explained in this study. OCD is a mental condition that causes anxiety and is defined by intrusive, repetitive thoughts called obsessions and specific repetitive behaviours called compulsions.

How OCD affects mental health

Even though OCD patients are aware that their obsessions or compulsions are unreasonable, they frequently feel powerless to alter their behaviour. In extreme circumstances, this may prevent the person from being able to lead a regular life. Compulsive actions are attempts to momentarily relieve tension brought on by obsessions. Examples include obsessive hand washing or continually verifying that doors are closed before leaving the house. But until recently, it was unclear how the cycle of obsessions and compulsions came to be intensified.

Also Read: Covid case update: India records 7,946 new cases

Now, a team led by researchers at NAIST has used reinforcement learning theory to model the disordered cycle associated with OCD. In this framework, an outcome that is better than predicted becomes more likely (positive prediction error), while a result that is worse than expected is suppressed (negative prediction error). In implementation of reinforcement learning, it is also important to consider delays, as well as positive/negative prediction errors. In general, the outcome of a certain choice is available after a certain delay.

Therefore, reinforcement and punishment should be assigned to recent choices within a certain time frame. This is called credit assignment, which is implemented as a memory trace in reinforcement learning theory. Ideally, memory trace signals for past actions decay at equal speed for both positive and negative prediction errors. However, this cannot be completely realized in discrete neural systems. Using simulations, NAIST scientists found that agents implicitly learn obsessive-compulsive behavior when the trace decay factor for memory traces of past actions related to negative prediction errors (n-) is much smaller than that related to positive prediction errors (n+).

This means that, from the opposite perspective, the view of past actions is much narrower for negative prediction errors than for positive prediction errors. “Our model, with imbalanced trace decay factors (n+ > n-) successfully represents the vicious circle of obsession and compulsion characteristic of OCD,” say co-first authors Yuki Sakai and Yutaka Sakai.

To test this prediction, the researchers had 45 patients with OCD and 168 healthy control subjects play a computer-based game with monetary rewards and penalties. Patients with OCD showed much smaller n- compared with n+, as predicted by computational characteristics of OCD. In addition, this imbalanced setting of trace decay factors (n+ > n-) was normalized by serotonin enhancers, which are first-line medications for treatment of OCD. “Although we think that we always make rational decisions, our computational model proves that we sometimes implicitly reinforce maladaptive behaviors,” says corresponding author, Saori C. Tanaka.

This computational model implies that patients with severely unbalanced trace decay factors may not respond to behavioural therapy alone, even if it is currently challenging to identify treatment-resistant individuals solely on their clinical symptoms. One day, it may be possible to utilise these data to identify which patients are most likely to reject behavioural therapy before starting treatment.

India reported 7,946 COVID cases in the last 24 hours, an increase of 715 infections since yesterday, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday.

The country had logged 7,231 cases yesterday at a case positivity rate of 2.05 per cent. The case positivity rate reported today increased to 2.98 per cent.

The active cases in the country fell from 64,667 yesterday to 62,748 today.

Also Read: Stressed mitochondria help cells to withstand lung infections, study suggests

According to the Ministry, 9,828 Covid patients recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours taking the total number of recoveries in the country to 4,38,45,680. The recovery rate currently stands at 98.67 per cent.

As many as 2,66,477 Coronavirus samples were tested in the last 24 hours. The weekly case positivity rate came out to be 2.57 per cent. A total of 88.61 crore samples have been tested in the country so far.

Covid vaccines

Under the nationwide vaccination drive, 12,90,443 doses of COVID vaccines were administered during this period taking the total number of vaccine doses jabbed so far to 2,12,52,83,259.

Mitohormesis describes the fact that mild stress to a cell’s mitochondria can induce a series of responses that actually increase the cell’s health and viability. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which can finally result in fatality in old or susceptible persons, is brought on by several respiratory infections, such as influenza or COVID-19, which severely stress cells and organs.

“Novel therapeutic strategies to address ARDS, instead of fighting the infectious agent, could try to elicit the tolerance of the host organism towards the inflammatory challenge by boosting its natural adaptive stress responses,” says Professor Johan Auwerx at EPFL’s School of Life Sciences. In a new study, Adrienne Mottis at EPFL and her colleagues have shown that one such strategy can exploit a biological phenomenon known as “mitohormesis”.

The primary energy-harvesting organelles of the cell, mitochondria, are continually watched by the cell’s “surveillance” systems. This ongoing quality monitoring can trigger adaptive compensating reactions referred to as “mitochondrial stress responses” if the mitochondria malfunction or are under stress.

“A mild level of mitochondrial stress can therefore be beneficial overall for the cell and the organism since the positive effect of these stress responses can overcome the negative effect of the initial stressor,” says Mottis who led the study. This idea is borne by previous studies showing that eliciting mitohormesis can extend lifespan by counteracting the effects of age-related or metabolic disorders.

Also Read: Portugal Health Minister resigns after pregnant Indian tourist dies during transfer

Because mitochondria are descended from bacteria, antibiotics may be used on them. To combat a variety of infections, including acne, cholera, plague, malaria, and syphilis, the researchers examined various antibiotics that could stress mitochondria and discovered novel molecules in the tetracycline family. Tetracyclines are a class of antibiotics that blocks the synthesis of mitochondrial proteins.

52 tetracyclines were examined by the researchers, and they chose unique compounds like 9-test-butyldoxycycline (9-TB) because they are very effective at inducing mitohormesis even at low dosages and have no antibiotic action, meaning they do not affect the host’s microbiota. When tested on mice, the chemicals led to moderate mitochondrial stress and advantageous mitohormetic responses that increased the mice’s tolerance to influenza virus infection.

The research demonstrates that 9-TB, without changing the microbiota, can help mice develop a resistance to influenza infection by lessening the degree of tissue damage and inflammation. The scientists add, “These results provide novel therapeutic options by targeting mitochondria and mitohormesis to combat inflammatory challenges and infections.”

After receiving harsh criticism for her decision to forcefully transport an Indian pregnant lady between hospitals and temporarily suspend emergency obstetric services, Portugal Health Minister Marta Temido resigned on Tuesday.

The prime minister approved Temido’s claim that she “no longer had the prerequisites” to perform the duties of the office, according to Portugal’s National Public Broadcaster, RTP News. Five hours after learning of the death of a pregnant lady in Lisbon, she announced her resignation.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa already presumptively believed that he was expecting the resignation request from the Minister of Health, Marta Temido, and the suggestion to name his replacement in a message that was posted on the Presidency of the Republic’s official website.

“The President of the Republic was informed by the Prime Minister, (…) of the intention of the Minister of Health, Marta Temido, to cease her duties, a position she accepted”, reads a text posted on the Presidency’s page in internet with the title “Note on the Minister of Health’s intention to cease her duties”.

Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa already presumptively believed that he was expecting the resignation request from the Health Minister, Marta Temido, and the suggestion to name his replacement in a message that was posted on the Presidency of the Republic’s official website.

Due to a paucity of openings in the neonatology service, a pregnant Indian woman was transported from Hospital de Santa Maria to Hospital Sao Francisco Xavier on Tuesday. She passed away on Saturday.

RTP News stated that a cardiorespiratory arrest occurred during the journey and that resuscitation efforts were made aboard the transport.

Also Read: Microneedling improves appearance of surgical scars, especially when done early

At the Sao Francisco Xavier Hospital, the expectant lady was “subject to an immediate caesarean surgery, with the newborn, weighing 722 grammes, going to the neonatal critical care unit for preterm,” according to Centro Hospitalar Universitario Lisboa Norte (CHULN).

The CHULN stated, “The mother was hospitalised in critical care, and she passed away,” and offered the family its “deepest condolences.”

Marta Temido will continue serving as president until a replacement is selected. The Council of Ministers, which is due to meet on September 15, must endorse the replacement. However, the presentation can be foreseen.

The Ministry of Health also loses Secretaries of State Maria de Fatima Fonseca and Antonio Lacerda Sales.

The final look of surgical scars might be improved by a process called microneedling when done immediately after surgery. The best results are obtained when done within six to seven weeks.

In a study that was published in the September edition of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the advantages of micro-needling were investigated (ASPS). The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer as a part of the Lippincott catalogue.

This is in contrast to the “conventional wisdom” that treatments to improve the appearance of surgical scars should be delayed for up to a year, according to new research by Casey Gene Sheck, DO, and colleagues at Claytor/Noone Plastic Surgery in Bryn Mawr, Pa., led by R. Brannon Claytor, MD, Chief of Plastic Surgery at Main Line Health. “Our findings imply that restarting the healing process with micro needling 6 weeks after surgery is an option to enhance the final outcomes of postoperative scarring,” the researchers write.

‘Paradigm shift’ on preventive approaches to improve scarring

Microneedling is a minimally invasive procedure that can be used to treat persistent acne scars and other skin imperfections. A power handpiece with needles of various diameters is used to create tiny channels in the skin after the skin has been numbed.

Microneedling, commonly referred to as “minimally invasive percutaneous collagen induction,” stimulates the body’s own collagen and elastin production to promote healing. In order to enhance the look of surgical scars, microneedling or other treatments are often delayed until the scar has fully developed, which takes between 6 and 12 months. Dr. Sheck and associates looked into a different approach that reactivated the healing pathway via microneedling in the early phases of the healing process.

Microneedling results

Microneedling is a minimally invasive procedure that can be used to treat persistent acne scars and other skin imperfections. A power handpiece with needles of various diameters is used to create tiny channels in the skin after the skin has been numbed.

Microneedling, commonly referred to as “minimally invasive percutaneous collagen induction,” stimulates the body’s own collagen and elastin production to promote healing. In order to enhance the look of surgical scars, microneedling or other treatments are often delayed until the scar has fully developed, which takes between 6 and 12 months. Dr. Sheck and associates looked into a different approach that reactivated the healing pathway via microneedling in the early phases of the healing process.

Also Read: Shape of coronavirus affects its transmission: Study

The researchers also examined the outcomes of individuals who began micro needling sooner, 6 to 7 weeks following surgery, vs later, 13 to 16 weeks. The earlier therapy group improved its POSAS scores “much more”: from 16.8 to 8.1, compared to 26.1 to 14.2 in the latter treatment group. The outcomes were similar for patients of varied ages and with scars on the torso vs the face.

New advice improves outcomes

“While more study is needed to thoroughly analyse this finding,” Dr Sheck and colleagues write, “it undoubtedly constitutes a substantial paradigm shift in scar treatment.” “As a prophylactic measure, patients and surgeons interested in maximising scar management may elect for early intervention with micro needling prior to the development of undesired scars.”

Contrary to popular belief, the new research shows that early micro needling, which is applied at the late proliferation/early maturation phase of healing, can considerably enhance final scar appearance. The resumption of the healing process at a time when collagen synthesis has started to decline may be responsible for the improvement.

Associations of resident physicians have written to the Health Minister and the Director General of Health Services stating that they may be obliged to protest after the Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) postponed the counselling for NEET-PG 2022.

The National Medical Commission will be able to give Letters of Permission for additional post-graduate seats, the MCC stated in a message dated September 29. As a result, the counselling will be postponed.

When NEET-PG 2021 counselling only began in February of this year, resident physicians from medical college hospitals all over India went on strike in December to demand that the government speed up the process. MBBS students have requested that the PG test for 2022 be postponed by 8–10 weeks because it had been planned to take place right after the counselling for the previous year.

The Health ministry, however, did not agree to delay the exams, saying that authorities were trying to regularise the batches that were delayed because of the pandemic. The exams were conducted as scheduled on May 21 and the results were announced within 10 days, but the process of counselling went into an “indefinite halt for a long duration”, with the NMC releasing a tentative schedule in the first half of August.

The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA), which had organised the demonstrations in December, criticised the cancellation of the 2022 counselling and claimed it would be “unfavourable” for the healthcare system.

“We fail to understand the reasons of such procedural delays… The academic session is already delayed by almost 4-5 months, delaying it further is highly unfavourable not only for medical graduates but also for the health system of the nation,” wrote FORDA in the letter to the Health minister.

Also Read: Shape of coronavirus affects its transmission: Study

The association said, “In case there happens to be any further delay in the counselling process, then we will be forced to protest.”

The Federation of All India Medical Association, which was also a part of last year’s protest, said in a letter to the Director General of Health Services, “We urge the concerned officials to expedite the process of NEET-PG counselling 2022 without further delay and to release the official counselling schedule as soon as possible. The year 2021 saw a nationwide massive strike by resident doctors to expedite the process… And now, history is about to repeat itself… The concerned authorities are inciting students to repeat such actions by again delaying the counselling process.”

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 epidemic, images of the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, have been engraved in our minds. However, the conventional image of the virus as a spherical object with spikes is not totally accurate. Coronavirus particles are ellipsoidal, with a variety of squashed and elongated morphologies, according to microscopy photographs of infected tissues.

A worldwide research team led by Queen’s University in Canada and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) in Japan has now investigated how different elliptical shapes modify the way viral particles spin inside fluids, impacting how readily the virus may be transmitted.

The research was just published in the journal Physics of Fluids. “When coronavirus particles are breathed, they move around within the passages in the nose and lungs,” explained Professor Eliot Fried, head of OIST’s Mechanics and Materials Unit. “We’re interested in determining how mobile they are in these environments.”

The researchers created a model of rotational diffusivity, which governs the rate at which particles spin as they flow through fluid (in the case of the coronavirus, droplets of saliva). Smoother, more hydrodynamic particles encounter less drag resistance from the fluid and rotate faster. The rotational speed of coronavirus particles influences their ability to attach to and infect cells.

“If the particles rotate too quickly, they may not spend enough time interacting with the cell to infect it, and if they rotate too slowly, they may not be able to engage in the required way,” Prof. Fried explained.

Models of Coronavirus

In their research, the scientists used both prolate and oblate ellipsoids of revolution. Prolate shapes have one longer axis and oblate shapes have one shorter axis, as opposed to spheres, which have three equal length axes. Prolate forms expand into rod-like shapes when followed to their logical conclusion, whereas oblate shapes squash into coin-like shapes. Coronavirus particle differences, on the other hand, are more subtle.

The scientists made the model the most lifelike yet by attaching spike proteins to the surface of the ellipsoids.

Previous research from Queen’s University and OIST found that triangular-shaped spike proteins decrease the rotation of coronavirus particles, potentially increasing their ability to infect cells.

Also Read: SARS-CoV-2 antigen levels and clinical outcomes: Research

The scientists simplified their spike protein model by representing each spike protein with a single sphere on the surface of the ellipsoids.

“We then figured out the arrangement of the spikes on the surface of each ellipsoidal form by assuming they all have the same charge,” Dr Vikash Chaurasia, a postdoctoral researcher in the OIST Mechanics and Materials Unit, noted. “Identical charge spikes reject each other and prefer to remain as far apart as feasible.” As a result, they are equally distributed around the particle, minimising this repulsion.”

In their model, the researchers found that the more a particle differs from a spherical shape, the slower it rotates. This could imply that the particles are more capable of aligning and attaching to cells.

The model is still primitive, but it gets us one step closer to understanding the coronavirus’s transport properties and might help pinpoint one of the components necessary to its infective effectiveness, according to the researchers.

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