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Gitau JK, Macharia RW, Mwangi KW, Ongeso N, Murungi E. Gene co-expression network identifies critical genes, pathways and regulatory motifs mediating the progression of rift valley fever in Bostaurus. Heliyon 2023; 9:e18175. [PMID: 37519716 PMCID: PMC10375796 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Rift Valley Fever (RVF) is a mosquito-borne viral disease caused by the Rift Valley Fever Virus. The disease is a zoonosis that largely affects domestic animals, including sheep, goats, and cattle, resulting in severe morbidity and mortality marked by massive storm abortions. To halt human and livestock deaths due to RVF, the development of efficacious vaccines and therapeutics is a compelling and urgent priority. We sought to identify potential key modules (gene clusters), hub genes, and regulatory motifs involved in the pathogenesis of RVF in Bos taurus that are amenable to inhibition. We analyzed 39 Bos taurus RNA-Seq samples using the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) R package and uncovered significantly enriched modules containing genes with potential pivotal roles in RVF progression. Moreover, regulatory motif analysis conducted using the Multiple Expectation Maximization for Motif Elicitation (MEME) suite identified motifs that probably modulate vital biological processes. Gene ontology terms associated with identified motifs were inferred using the GoMo human database. The gene co-expression network constructed in WGCNA using 5000 genes contained seven (7) modules, out of which four were significantly enriched for terms associated with response to viruses, response to interferon-alpha, innate immune response, and viral defense. Additionally, several biological pathways implicated in developmental processes, anatomical structure development, and multicellular organism development were identified. Regulatory motifs analysis identified short, repeated motifs whose function(s) may be amenable to disruption by novel therapeutics. Predicted functions of identified motifs include tissue development, embryonic organ development, and organ morphogenesis. We have identified several hub genes in enriched co-expressed gene modules and regulatory motifs potentially involved in the pathogenesis of RVF in B. taurus that are likely viable targets for disruption by novel therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- John K. Gitau
- University of Nairobi, Biochemistry Department, P.O Box 30197, 00100, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Rosaline W. Macharia
- University of Nairobi, Biochemistry Department, P.O Box 30197, 00100, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Kennedy W. Mwangi
- Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, P.O Box 62000, 00200, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Nehemiah Ongeso
- University of Nairobi, Biochemistry Department, P.O Box 30197, 00100, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Edwin Murungi
- Kisii University, Department of Medical Biochemistry, P.O Box 408, 40200, Kisii, Kenya
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Shi H, Zhao H, Zhang W, Wang S. COVID-19 is not a causal risk for miscarriage: evidence from a Mendelian randomization study. J Assist Reprod Genet 2023; 40:333-341. [PMID: 36527564 PMCID: PMC9758471 DOI: 10.1007/s10815-022-02675-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a global pandemic in the last three years. The lack of reliable evidence on the risk of miscarriage due to COVID-19 has become a concern for patients and obstetricians. We sought to identify rigorous evidence using two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis. METHODS Seven single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with COVID-19 were used as instrumental variables to explore causality by two-sample MR. The summary data of genetic variants were obtained from the Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) among European populations in the UK Biobank and EBI database. Inverse variance weighting (IVW) method was taken as the gold standard for MR results, and other methods were taken as auxiliary. We also performed sensitivity analysis to evaluate the robustness of MR. RESULTS The MR analysis showed there was no clear causal association between COVID-19 and miscarriage in the genetic prediction [OR 0.9981 (95% CI, 0.9872-1.0091), p = 0.7336]. Sensitivity analysis suggested that the MR results were robust [horizontal pleiotropy (MR-Egger, intercept = 0.0001592; se = 0.0023; p = 0.9480)]. CONCLUSIONS The evidence from MR does not support COVID-19 as a causal risk factor for miscarriage in European populations. The small probability of direct placental infection, as well as the inability to stratify the data may explain the results of MR. These findings can be informative for obstetricians when managing women in labor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huangcong Shi
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, No.324, Jingwu Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250021, China
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China
| | - Hui Zhao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, No.324, Jingwu Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250021, China
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yinan People's Hospital, No.50, Lishan Road, Yinan, Linyi, 276300, Shandong, China
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, No.324, Jingwu Road, Jinan, 250021, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Orthopaedics, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, No.324, Jingwu Road, Jinan, 250021, China.
| | - Shan Wang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, No.324, Jingwu Road, Jinan, Shandong, 250021, China.
- Shandong Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, China.
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, No.324, Jingwu Road, Jinan, 250021, China.
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Magnus MC, Oakley LL, Hansen AV, Örtqvist AK, Petersen TG, Mortensen LH, Bliddal M, Andersen AMN, Stephansson O, Håberg SE. Fetal death after the introduction of COVID-19 mitigation measures in Sweden, Denmark and Norway: a registry-based study. Sci Rep 2022; 12:20625. [PMID: 36450919 PMCID: PMC9709372 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-25036-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
It remains unclear whether the rate of fetal death has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. We assessed the impact of COVID-19 mitigation measures on fetal death in Sweden (449,347 births), Denmark (290,857 pregnancies) and Norway (261,057 pregnancies) using robust population-based registry data. We used Cox regression to assess the impact of the implementation of pandemic mitigation measures on March 12th, 2020, on miscarriage (fetal loss before gestational week 22) and stillbirth (fetal loss after gestational week 22). A total of 11% of 551,914 pregnancies in Denmark and Norway ended in miscarriage, while the proportion of stillbirths among 937,174 births across the three countries was 0.3%. There was no difference in the risk of fetal death during the year following pandemic mitigation measures. For miscarriage, the combined hazard ratio (HR) for Norway and Denmark was 1.01 (95% CI 0.98, 1.03), and for stillbirth, the combined HR for all three countries was 0.99 (95% CI 0.89, 1.09). We observed a slightly decreased risk of miscarriage during the first 4 months, with an HR of 0.94 (95% CI 0.90, 0.99) after lockdown. In conclusion, the risk of fetal death did not change after the implementation of COVID-19 pandemic mitigation measures in the three Scandinavian countries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria C. Magnus
- grid.418193.60000 0001 1541 4204Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, P.O. Box 222 Skøyen, 0213 Oslo, Norway
| | - Laura L. Oakley
- grid.418193.60000 0001 1541 4204Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, P.O. Box 222 Skøyen, 0213 Oslo, Norway ,grid.8991.90000 0004 0425 469XDepartment of Non-Communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Anne V. Hansen
- grid.5254.60000 0001 0674 042XDepartment of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark ,grid.437930.a0000 0001 2248 6353Statistics Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anne K. Örtqvist
- grid.4714.60000 0004 1937 0626Clinical Epidemiology Division, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden ,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Visby County Hospital, Visby, Sweden
| | - Tanja G. Petersen
- grid.7143.10000 0004 0512 5013Open, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark
| | - Laust H. Mortensen
- grid.5254.60000 0001 0674 042XDepartment of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark ,grid.437930.a0000 0001 2248 6353Statistics Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mette Bliddal
- grid.10825.3e0000 0001 0728 0170OPEN, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark ,grid.10825.3e0000 0001 0728 0170Clinical Pharmacology, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Anne-Marie Nybo Andersen
- grid.5254.60000 0001 0674 042XDepartment of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Olof Stephansson
- grid.4714.60000 0004 1937 0626Clinical Epidemiology Division, Department of Medicine, Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden ,grid.24381.3c0000 0000 9241 5705Department of Women’s Health, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Siri E. Håberg
- grid.418193.60000 0001 1541 4204Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, P.O. Box 222 Skøyen, 0213 Oslo, Norway
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Bias in the association between advanced maternal age and stillbirth using left truncated data. Sci Rep 2022; 12:19214. [PMID: 36357770 PMCID: PMC9649623 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23719-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Restriction to analysis of births that survive past a specified gestational age (typically 20 weeks gestation) leads to biased exposure-outcome associations. This bias occurs when the cause of restriction (early pregnancy loss) is influenced by both the exposure and unmeasured factors that also affect the outcome. The aim of this study is to estimate the magnitude of bias resulting from left truncated data in the association between advanced maternal age and stillbirth. We simulated data for the causal pathway under a collider-stratification mechanism. Simulation parameters were based on an observed birth cohort from Western Australia and a range of plausible values for the prevalence of early pregnancy loss, unmeasured factor U and the odds ratios for the selection effects. Selection effects included the effects of maternal age on early pregnancy loss, U on early pregnancy loss, and U on stillbirth. We compared the simulation scenarios to the observed birth cohort that was truncated to pregnancies that survived beyond 20 gestational weeks. We found evidence of marginal downward bias, which was most prominent for women aged 40 + years. Overall, we conclude that the magnitude of bias due to left truncation is minimal in the association between advanced maternal age and stillbirth.
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Abdo NM, Aslam I, Irfan S, George JA, Alsuwaidi AR, Ahmed LA, Al-Rifai RH. Herpes simplex virus type 2 seroprevalence and associated factors in fertility-treatment-seeking population: A cross-sectional survey in the United Arab Emirates. Front Public Health 2022; 10:991040. [PMID: 36420003 PMCID: PMC9677722 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.991040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is a common genitally-transmitted viral infection affecting more than 400 million individuals globally. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in specific at-risk population groups, the burden of HSV-2 has not been reported. This study investigated the prevalence of HSV-2 IgG antibodies in patients seeking fertility treatment and characterized patients with seropositivity to HSV-2 IgG antibodies. Methodology A cross-sectional sample of patients seeking fertility treatment in a major fertility clinic in Abu Dhabi, UAE was surveyed from April to May 2021. Patients were consecutively invited to complete self-administered questionnaires and provide blood for HSV-2 testing. Information on sociodemographics, medical history, and infertility was collected. Serum specimens were screened using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for HSV-2 IgG antibodies detection. Results Two hundred and ninety-nine patients were surveyed and provided blood samples. The mean age of the patients was 35.9 ± 6.8 [mean ± standard deviation (SD)] years with 89.3% being women. Sixty-six percent were overweight or obese, 25.0% had at least one chronic comorbidity, and 19.6% reported ever-had genital infection. More than two-thirds (68.3%) of the patients were infertile for ≥ 6 months. Of the 42 infertile males, 69.0% had an abnormal semen analysis. HSV-2 IgG antibodies was detected in 12.4% of patients. The HSV-2 IgG seropositive patients had a higher mean age (39.5 vs. 35.4 years; p < 0.001) compared to seronegative patients. HSV-2 IgG antibodies seropositivity was more common in males (15.6%) than females (12.0%), in patients with secondary (14.1%) vs. primary (9.2%) infertility, or in males with abnormal (10.3%) vs. normal (7.7%) semen. Conclusion Exposure to HSV-2 at any time in patients seeking fertility treatment in the UAE was found to be slightly common in more than one out of 10 patients. Tailored health campaigns on HSV-2 prevention are warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noor Motea Abdo
- Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Irfan Aslam
- HealthPlus Fertility and Genetics Center, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Shazia Irfan
- HealthPlus Fertility and Genetics Center, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Junu A. George
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Ahmed R. Alsuwaidi
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Luai A. Ahmed
- Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates,Zayed Center for Health Sciences, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
| | - Rami H. Al-Rifai
- Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates,Zayed Center for Health Sciences, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates,*Correspondence: Rami H. Al-Rifai
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COVID-19 Vaccination Status among Pregnant and Postpartum Women-A Cross-Sectional Study on More Than 1000 Individuals. Vaccines (Basel) 2022; 10:vaccines10081179. [PMID: 35893827 PMCID: PMC9330718 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines10081179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Pregnancy is a well-known factor for vaccine hesitancy and immunization remains the most effective form of prevention against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) related complications. The objective was to estimate vaccine uptake and hesitancy rate, characteristics, and factors contributing to a decision-making process among pregnant and postpartum individuals. This was a prospective cross-sectional study on 1033 pregnant (54.1%) and postpartum (45.9%) women conducted between December 2021 and March 2022 in a tertiary center for maternal−fetal medicine. Logistic regression was used to assess characteristics related to the vaccination decision process. Among responders, 74% were vaccinated and 26% were hesitant (9% planning to vaccinate and 17% totally opposed). Only 59.8% were offered a vaccine by healthcare professionals. Women with higher levels of education (OR 2.26, p < 0.0001), who received positive feedback about vaccination (OR 2.74, p = 0.0172), or were informed about COVID-19 complications in pregnancy (OR 2.6, p < 0.0001) were most likely to accept the vaccination. Hesitancy was associated with multiparity (≥3, OR 4.76, p = 0.006), worse educational status (OR 2.29, p < 0.0001), and lack of previous COVID-19 infection (OR 1.89, p < 0.0001). The most common reason for rejection was insufficient safety data (57%). Understanding factors behind vaccination status is crucial in lowering complications in mothers and newborns and targeted action may facilitate the uptake.
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