HPR80 Assessing Performance of TB Management Through NTEP By 2025: An Initiative From the Indian Government a Roadmap Ahead of Sustainable Goal in India 2030

Objectives: There are studies highlighting TB trends in association with several factors like demographics, drug resistance, etc, but there is dearth of literature on performance of NTEP and its association with TB trends. Hence, present research aims at assessing the TB trend in association with NTEP from its inception, budget allocation, and expenditure. Further, study will highlight one of the best performing states in NTEP implementation strategies. Method(s): Its a retrospective study, data was extracted and analysed from official websites of the Central TB Division, National strategic plan reports, PubMed, and other grey literature. Study excluded literature on paediatric patients. Result(s): Study findings indicate trend of TB based on incidence, prevalence, and mortality rate for a period of 8 years starting from 2012 to 2020. From the trend, it's clear that mortality, incidence and prevalence rates are decreasing but impact of covid makes variations for the same. Looking at budget allocation, spending pattern, between 2012 to 2018 there was surplus of funds, whereas between 2019 to 2021 there is deficit. Trend analysis has revealed that the NTEP in India is performing well despite the pandemic effect. Conclusion(s): The study reported trends which shows mortality and incidence rates of tuberculosis in India are decreasing. But prevalence rate trend is increased in 2016 and 2017 due to the comorbidity condition like HIV and inaccuracy of data that is found in TB national report. The requested fund and approved budgeted fund differ significantly with actual fund released to the states. The budget and expenditure trend have revealed that allotted budget was underutilized in the early-stages and later expenditures exceed the budget, or the budget is overutilized. Finally, as per NTEP implementation among all the states, Assam is found to be one of the states that excels in outperforming on TB eradication in India with more data transparency.Copyright © 2022

Single nucleotide polymorphism in Angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 gene as a risk for COVID-19 among Iraqi people

Angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) is an essential element in the renin-angiotensin RAS system and plays a key role in coronavirus entrance to the human body and attachment to the cell. Variation in ACE-2 may increase the capability of coronavirus to binding with human tissues and lead to variation in disease severity among patients. For this reason, this study aimed to take some SNPs in different COVID-19 patient cases to show the possible role of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme-2 (ACE2) polymorphism in people that could have severe infections caused by SARS-CoV-2 by detecting different single nucleotide polymorphisms SNPs on this gene by PCR-sequencing. This cross-sectional study includes 100 diagnosed COVID-19 patients during a period between November and December 2021. The result revealed that three SNPs rs1463669655, rs746202722, and rs201035388 located on ACE-2 (GRCh38.p13) gene did not associate with the severity of COVID-19 disease because all patients have either the wildtype or the heteterotype allele as the following 0 % GG, 100 % AG, and 0% AA as the genotype distribution in severe cases, and the genotype distribution in non-severe cases was 0 % GG, 100 %AG, and 0 % AA and 100 % AA, 0 % AG, and 0% GG as the genotype distribution in severe cases, and the genotype distribution in non-severe cases was 100 % AA, 0 %AG, and 0 % GG and 100 % GG, 0 % GA, and 0% AA as the genotype distribution in severe cases, and the genotype distribution in non-severe cases was 100 % GG, 0 %GA, and 0 % AA for these three SNPs respectively. The ACE-2 angiotensin-converting enzyme gene was studied because of its active participation in the entry of the Coronavirus into the human body and its binding to alveolar cells and concluded that three SNPs rs1463669655, rs746202722, and rs201035388 located on ACE-2(GRCh38.p13) gene did not associate with the severity of COVID-19 disease. © Author (s). Publishing rights @ ANSF.

Using of Box and Jenkins and Artificial Neural Networks for Modeling The Covid-19 Epidemic in Iraq

We aim by this research to use mathematical methods to model the Coved-19 epidemic in Iraq by comparing time series by using box & Jenkins model and artificial neural networks. The infections, cures and deaths data were used for the period from 24/2/2020 to 30/11/2020. The study found a tendency in the numbers of infections and cures using the Box & Jenkins model to rise, while the numbers of deaths tended to stabilize. Artificial neural networks, using the MLP algorithm, have found a tendency to number of infections by decline and cures to rise, while deaths numbers tended to decrease and then to stability. In addition, the study found that the forecasting of the numbers of infections was more accurate using artificial networks, while the forecasting of the numbers of cures was more accurate in the Box Jenkins model and the forecasting of death numbers was at the same level of accuracy in the trade-off between the two methods. The study recommends to sue the artificial networks to forecast the number of infections and deaths and the use of the Box Jenkins model to forecast cures. In addition, the study recommends the use of these mathematical methods to help decision makers respond to the epidemic. And also recommends to conduct another study using other techniques for artificial networks as an algorithm extreme learning machines (ELM). The study also recommends a survey of habits associated with the spread of the epidemic, such as social distancing and other, linking them with the numbers of infections, cures and deaths to reach a protocol specific to Iraq based on accurate mathematical and scientific foundations. © 2022 American Institute of Physics Inc.. All rights reserved.

Comparison of storage method and packaging material on physicochemical properties of fresh-cut melons (Cucumis melo L.) during distribution

During the COVID-19 pandemic, customer awareness for food quality and safety is distinctly higher. Fresh-cut fruits in Indonesia are traditionally distributed using wheelbarrows. The increasing consumption of fruit in Indonesia must be accompanied by awareness of healthy lifestyles and the shift of consumer behavior to online stores. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of storage methods and packaging materials for fresh-cut melon on changes in physicochemical properties during the distribution process. Variation of packaging materials used were polypropylene, plastic wrap, and without packaging as control. The ice gel in cooled box delivery was used for storage method during distribution and compared to conventional methods (manual fruit carts). The physical parameters of melons fruit observed during distribution were weight loss, hardness level, pH value, and total soluble solids (TSS). The fresh-cut melons were stored in a distribution box which kept the temperature at +or- 18 degrees C for 6 h. The results showed that the storage method had a significant effect (p < 0.05) on all parameters of physical quality. While packaging material had a real effect (p < 0.05) on weight loss and TSS, but has no effect (p < 0.05) on hardness level and pH value. Packaging using plastic wrap can reduce the weight loss of fresh-cut melons, while polypropylene plastic can maintain the hardness level, pH value, and TSS of cut melons fruit.

Corona virus: Sars, mers and sars-cov-2 a real three threats of 21st century

Since the discovery to before the start of the 21st century, it was considered that coronaviruses (CoVs) are the pathogens of great relevance in veterinary medicine but with a reduced impact on human health. But with the beginning of 21st century CoVs emerged as the major global concern in human health with the epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002-2003 and later after few years Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) in 2012. Moreover, one of the major outbreaks of 21st century of CoVs took place in China in the end of December 2019 which becomes the global concern in human public health within few months. CoVs are the viruses belong to Coronaviridae family with single stranded positive sense approximately 30 kb in size RNA enveloped viruses. Alphacoronavirus, Betacoronavirus, Gammacoronavirus, and Deltacoronavirus are the medically important four genera of CoVs and it was investigated that SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV belong to the genus Betacoronavirus. Furthermore, genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis explored that novel SARS-CoV-2 previously known as 2019-nCoV or COVID-19 also belongs to the same genus. Currently coronaviruses attracted the attention of researchers, scientists and pharmaceutical industries worldwide due to major risk for global public health, so we compiled very recent data to summarize the historical aspects, epidemiological aspects as well as progress in the management of the three major coronaviruses related diseases in humans. © 2021, Universitatea de Vest Vasile Goldis din Arad. All rights reserved.