Narrow Results

The increasing incidence of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) as an important public health issue led to the investigation of novel approaches to disease control. In this study, we analyze Chikungunya epidemic model in the presence of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes, which is a promising biological approach for controlling vector-borne diseases. The basic reproduction number ($R_0$) of the proposed model is calculated using the next generation matrix approach. In this study, we utilize a hybrid methodology that combines the genetic algorithm (GA) and interior point algorithm (IPA) to numerically solve the proposed Chikungunya epidemic model. Our investigation examines the impact of key parameters, such as biting rate, reproduction rate, mortality rate, and transmission probability, on the complex dynamics of disease classes. This analysis provides valuable insights into the transmission dynamics of Chikungunya and highlights the potential effectiveness of interventions based on Wolbachia. We conclude that the numerical findings produced using the hybrid GA and IPA are in good agreement with those obtained using the traditional fourth-order Runge–Kutta (RK4) approach.

Aedes aegypti is the vector for numerous diseases in humans and other (reservoir) hosts, such as chikungunya, dengue fever and Zika virus. A new deterministic model is designed and used to assess the dynamics of the three diseases in a population where Aedes mosquitoes are abundant. The model to be designed incorporates the recently-released imperfect vaccine against dengue virus (Dengvaxia${}^{\circledR }$ vaccine by Sanofi Pasteur) as well as allow for sexual transmission of Zika. Further, the model allows for the assessment of the population-level impact of three biological hypotheses, namely a competitive dengue–chikungunya–Zika superinfection hierarchy, an antibody-dependent enhancement of dengue over Zika and that the Dengvaxia vaccine can induce reduced susceptibility to Zika infection in vaccinated individuals. After carrying out detailed theoretical analyses to gain insight into its qualitative features, the model is then fitted to the data recorded during the 2015–2016 outbreaks of the three diseases in Mexico. Simulations of the model show a reasonable fit to observed dynamics consistent with the competitive hierarchy assumed for the interactions of the viruses. Furthermore, Zika transmission dynamics is only mildly affected by changes in the parameter related to the infectiousness of Zika in relation to dengue, even in the region where antibody-dependent enhancement is assumed. The dengue vaccine has a very marginal impact on Zika transmission dynamics (and that the vaccine, no matter the coverage and efficacy levels, is unable to reduce the reproduction number for Zika transmission to a value less than unity). The model is extended to include the effect of seasonality and local weather variability (temperature and rainfall) on the dynamics of the three diseases. Simulations of the resulting non-autonomous model, using weather and demographic data for Mexico, show that for the current mean monthly rainfall value for Mexico, the burden of the three diseases increases with increasing mean monthly temperature in the range 16–29${}^{\circ }$C, and decreases with increasing mean monthly temperature thereafter. Additionally, for the current fixed mean monthly temperature and rainfall data for Mexico, simulations show maximum transmission activity of all three diseases if the temperature and rainfall values lie in the range 25–26.4${}^{\circ }$C and 90–128mm, respectively (these values are typically recorded in Mexico during the months of June, July and September). Simulations for two Mexican states (Oaxaca and Chiapas) where the three diseases are endemic show maximum transmission activity for all three diseases when temperature and rainfall lie in the ranges 20–25${}^{\circ }$C and 51–102mm for Oaxaca (these ranges are recorded during the months of May through September) and 19–21${}^{\circ }$C and 85–107mm for Chiapas (there ranges are recorded during the months of May, July, August and October), respectively. These simulations suggest suitable time when anti-mosquito control efforts should be intensified in Mexico (and the two selected states).

AUSTRALIA — Living Cell Technologies to Receive US$6.0 Million through Exercise of Option.

AUSTRALIA — Protein Discovery Offers Hope for Prostate Cancer Patients.

CHINA — FEI Opens China NanoPort.

CHINA — Knee Implant Market Booming in China.

INDIA — Bird Flu Spreading Throughout India.

INDIA — British Biologicals Offers Cholesterol-reducing Nutraceuticals in India.

INDONESIA — Bird Flu Kills and Spreads through Asian Poultry Stocks.

NEW ZEALAND — More Pain, Same Gain from Honey Treatment for Leg Ulcers.

SINGAPORE — Chikungunya Fever Detected, Believed to be Locally Transmitted.

SINGAPORE — St Luke's Hospital Launches Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy.

SINGAPORE — Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences Partners the Liggins Institute to Strengthen Research in Diabetes and Obesity in Singapore.

TAIWAN — Boy Saved by Taiwan's First Artificial Heart.

TAIWAN — Taiwan Doctors Complete Sequential Liver Transplants.

Surprising Discovery on Biodiversity and Biogeography May Lead to Discovery of Viruses

Scientists in Singapore Shed Light on the Molecular Alliance between Key Proteins that Play a Role in Sustaining the Embryonic Stem Cell State

Infant Brain Injury can be Caused by Chikungunya Virus if Mother Acquires Infection Near Time of Delivery

Australian Scientists Reach Breakthrough in Stem Cell Research.

Breakthrough in Disease Management of Chikungunya Fever by Singapore Researchers.

MicroRNAs Lead to Formation or Suppression of Tumors? Singapore and US Scientists Share Results.

Singapore and South Korea to Invent More New Materials.

Asian Blood Cancer Patients Respond Better with a Lower Drug Dosage.

Safer Ethical Way to Make Human Stem Cells.

"Blushing" Response from Alcohol Drinking Signals Increased Cancer Risk Among East Asians.

I²R Ties Up With French Counterparts to Develop Innovative Healthcare Tools.

The Medical Image Understanding (MIU) research.

The Pervasive Access & Wellbeing Management (PAWM) research.

Key Enterovirus Breakthrough in Taiwan.

Potential Treatment for Chikungunya.

Contending with the Financial Risks of REDD+.

AUSTRALIA – Degenerative Disease Breakthrough.

AUSTRALIA – New Genetic Cancer Risk Found.

AUSTRALIA – Experts Find Way to Make Mosquitoes Dengue-free.

CHINA – Virus May Cause High Blood Pressure.

CHINA – Eleven Die from Suspected Tainted Vinegar in China.

HONG KONG – HK Study Finds Molecule that Offers Fertility Hope.

INDIA – Hyderabad Hospital Performs Rare Kidney Transplant.

INDIA – 20-minute Treatment for Blood Pressure.

INDIA – New Experimental Vaccine against Chikungunya.

JAPAN – ES Cells Turn Into Sperm.

JAPAN – Leading Japanese Pharmaceutical Scientists Advance Drug Discovery & Development with Mass Spectrometry and Chip LC Technology from AB SCIEX.

SINGAPORE – One Hundred and Twenty Aspiring Scientists Awarded Scholarships.

SINGAPORE – Pacific Healthcare Launches Pacific Surgical and Colorectal Centre in Singapore.

SINGAPORE – NTU Achieves Bacterium Breakthrough.

OTHER REGIONS — Killer T-cells Wipe Out Leukemia.

Drug development companies in APAC need to raise their game to capitalise on the $33bn+ immuno-oncology treatment opportunity

Singapore’s pharmaceutical market value to reach $1.15 billion by 2021

Ryzodeg reduces hypoglycaemia in type 2 diabetic fasting patients

FDA approves Amgen’s Repatha (evolocumab) to prevent heart attack and stroke

FDA approves first drug for rare disease, eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis

FDA approves first biosimilar for the treatment of certain breast and stomach cancers

FDA approves novel gene therapy to treat patients with a rare form of inherited vision loss

Singapore institutes collaborate with Samsung Medical Center to improve treatment of liver cancer

Globavir announces partnership with Singhealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre to study dengue treatment

Mundipharma secures exclusive license for the development and commercialisation of PAION’s remimazolam in Japan

In our daily life problem we face uncertainties in making right decisions. In this study, we propose two different decision-making problems in medical field. The first problem is fever diagnosing and second problem is mouth cancer risk analysis. In the first problem, we use fuzzy soft similarity measures and fuzzy soft matrix operations to diagnose the type of fever. We consider a hypothetical case study and manipulate similarity measures on it. Our work diagnoses different patients having similar symptoms. We also develop a small application using JAVA. In the second problem, we perform risk analysis of mouth cancer. The proposed fuzzy soft expert system takes two biochemical parameters as inputs that is, serum total malondialdehyde (MDA), and serum proton donors capacity (donors_protons) and determines the risk of mouth cancer. Our study facilitates doctors by diagnosing mouth cancer at its earlier stages. There are four main components of our fuzzy soft expert system. The first component is named as fuzzification which converts crisp input into linguistic variables and formulates fuzzy sets. The second component transforms fuzzy sets into their respective fuzzy soft sets. The third component determines indispensable parameters and performs parameter reduction. The fourth component performs risk analysis by using algorithm. We use exemplary dataset and run all the components of fuzzy soft expert system to compute cancer risk.