alms1 mutant zebrafish do not show hair cell phenotypes seen in other cilia mutants

In vivo screening for toxicity-modulating drug interactions identifies antagonism that protects against ototoxicity in zebrafish

Introduction: Ototoxicity is a debilitating side effect of over 150 medications with diverse mechanisms of action, many of which could be taken concurrently to treat multiple conditions. Approaches for preclinical evaluation of drug-drug interactions that might impact ototoxicity would facilitate design of safer multi-drug regimens and mitigate unsafe polypharmacy by flagging combinations that potentially cause adverse interactions for monitoring. They may also identify protective agents that antagonize ototoxic injury. Methods: To address this need, we have developed a novel workflow that we call Parallelized Evaluation of Protection and Injury for Toxicity Assessment (PEPITA), which empowers high-throughput, semi-automated quantification of ototoxicity and otoprotection in zebrafish larvae via microscopy. We used PEPITA and confocal microscopy to characterize in vivo the consequences of drug-drug interactions on ototoxic drug uptake and cellular damage of zebrafish lateral line hair cells. Results and discussion: By applying PEPITA to measure ototoxic drug interaction outcomes, we discovered antagonistic interactions between macrolide and aminoglycoside antibiotics that confer protection against aminoglycoside-induced damage to lateral line hair cells in zebrafish larvae. Co-administration of either azithromycin or erythromycin in zebrafish protected against damage from a broad panel of aminoglycosides, at least in part via inhibiting drug uptake into hair cells via a mechanism independent from hair cell mechanotransduction. Conversely, combining macrolides with aminoglycosides in bacterial inhibition assays does not show antagonism of antimicrobial efficacy. The proof-of-concept otoprotective antagonism suggests that combinatorial interventions can potentially be developed to protect against other forms of toxicity without hindering on-target drug efficacy.

COVID-19 infections among Iraqi school students: Severity, types, and symptoms

The prevalence of COVID-19 infections among school students has become a significant and ongoing concern. This study aimed to assess the severity and types of COVID-19 cases and associated symptoms among school students in Iraq. A comprehensive study was conducted by the Public Health Directorate of AL-Muthanna Governorate from November 29, 2020, to February 12, 2021, utilizing RT-PCR-based COVID-19 surveys. The survey included 9,357 students (4,261 male and 5,096 female) and 83 schools. The retrospective analysis of the survey records indicated that male and female students had a mean age of 9.2±1.16 years with notably higher rates of asymptomatic infections than older students. Male students showed lower odds of asymptomatic infection but higher odds of symptomatic and pre-symptomatic infections compared to their female peers, particularly among elementary students. Fever, abdominal pain, diarrhea, loss of taste and smell, shortness of breath, and muscle pain were significantly associated with COVID-19 infection. Sneezing was significantly associated with a lack of infection. Home nursing by parents and self-care practices have proven to be highly effective in controlling COVID-19 infection among children. These findings highlight the need for age- and gender-specific considerations in COVID-19 prevention and management strategies in schools.