The Open Infectious Diseases Journal

Dr. Muhammad Akram obtained his Ph.D. degree (Specialization: Eastern Medicine) in 2013 from Hamdard Al-Majeed College of Eastern Medicine (HACEM), Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan. Dr. Akram is currently Associate Professor, in the Department of Eastern Medicine, at Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan. His research interests are Hyperuricemia, Xanthine oxidase inhibition by some selected medicinal plants, Enzyme Inhibition, Study of traditional system medicine (Indusyunic Medicine) Phytochemistry, poisonous plants, Bioactivity, phytopharmaceutical evaluation of herb drugs and their natural products, Medicinal plants and Clinical trial, Biochemistry, and Bioinformatics. Dr. Akram, as an author/co-author, has published more than 200 articles in various journals.

Senior Researcher at the Instituto de Parasitología y Biomedicina López-Neyra” (IPBLNCSIC), Granada, Spain. 1990, Ph.D in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Autónoma University of Madrid, Spain). Postdoctoral (University of Vermont, USA) December 1993, Researcher at the IPBLN-CSIC. November 2005-March 2014 Director of the IPBLN Authored of more than 80 scientific publications. The scientific interest is the biological activity of the RNA, mainly focusing in the structure/function of conserved functional RNA domains in viral RNA genomes and design and characterization of RNA molecules with inhibitory activity (ribozymes, aptamers, antisense RNAs). November 2003-June 2014 Coordinator of the Spanish RNA Network.

Hadi Sedigh obtained his BSc degree in Microbiology in 2008, and his MSc degree in Medical Microbiology and Ph.D degree in Medical Bacteriology at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences during 2012-2018. His research interests are the study of antimicrobial resistance mechanisms in Gram-positive cocci, Enterobacteriaceae and non-fermentative Gram-negative Bacilli, the study of bacterial pathogenesis, epidemiology of nosocomial infections, and anaerobic bacteria, particularly Clostridium difficile infection.

Dr. med. KAHRAMAN Alisan is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Department of Gastroenterology & Hepatology in the University Hospital of Essen. He was declared as a Medical specialist for Internal Medicine in 2011 and as a Medical specialist for Gastroenterology & Hepatology in 2015. He is presently working as a Medical Director: G. Gerken, M. D. and a Senior Physician. He has contributed more than 40 publications in different journals and has also been cited more than 625 times.

Dr. Meraj Khan received his Master’s degree in Biotechnology from Hamdard University, New Delhi, India and his PhD in Cellular and Molecular Implantation Biology from the Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. Following the completion of his doctorate, he moved to Toronto, Canada and joined Dr. Palaniyar Lab at SickKids, University of Toronto. He has largely been focusing on the understanding of the molecular mechanism of the neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) and their role during pathological conditions. NET formation termed as NETosis and beneficial for combating infectious pathogen, while too much is deleterious for the surrounding tissues and associated with many inflammatory and autoimmune disease including CF. He has published many novel findings and mechanisms related to NETosis, Cystic Fibrosis and other lung complications. In one of his landmark paper that showed the mechanistic details of NADPH oxidase-independent NETosis, he assigned a novel role for mitochondria in neutrophils. Furthermore, the transcriptomics study of NETotic neutrophils reveals the need of transcription not the translation for the onset of NETosis. Dr Khan has screened large scale FDA-approved, as well as focused cancer drug libraries, and identified key classes of drugs that fully suppress NETosis. Currently, in the process of testing selected drugs in pre-clinical animal models and neutrophils derived from CF iPS cells, and hope to bring some of these drugs to clinics.

Dr. José Mengel earned his M.D. and Ph.D. from the Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Brazil. Following a postdoc at the University of Alabama at Birmingham with Prof. John F. Kearney. He is a senior researcher at the Laboratory of Clinical Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/FIOCRUZ), Brazil and Assistant Professor of Immunology at the Faculty of Medicine of Petrópolis, Brazil. His research interests are related to the immunology of host/parasite relationship with an emphasis on immune regulation. He has supervised many Ph.D. students and postdocs and has published 51 papers in international journals.

Dr. Antonello Nicolini received his medical degree from University of Genoa, Italy, and he is board certified in respiratory diseases, pulmonary pathophysiology and rehabilitation. Dr. Nicolini is currently Director of Respiratory Diseases Unit at Hospital of Sestri Levante, Italy, and he is Professor of Pulmonology at the School of Physiotherapy and Physical Medicine at University of Genoa. His research interests involve pulmonary diseases, COPD, immunological diseases and interstitial lung diseases, pneumonia and infectious lung diseases, respiratory critical care, bronchiectasis, asthma and allergic diseases, severe asthma, rehabilitation and chronic care, and non-invasive ventilation. Dr. Nicolini, as an author/co-author, has published more than 80 articles in various journals.

Associate Professor Rajčáni Július MD, PhD, ScD, virologist and pathologist, graduated at Medical Faculty of Comenius University in Bratislava (1960), PhD (1970) and ScD (1985) at the Institute of Virology, Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), Bratislava. Associate Professor at the Department of Microbiology, Jessenius Medical Faculty, Comenius University, Martin (1998-2003). In 1981-1991 he was executive editor of the journal Acta virologica, in 1995-1998 member of the Presidium of SAS. Author of 6 books, of 20 chapters in books and handbooks, of over 170 original research papers published in international journals (about 1550 citations) and of 71 papers in domestic journals.

Prof. Selma Uzunović is a Chief (and founder) of Department for Clinical Microbiology at Institute for Health and Food Safety Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1988.The MD, MA and PhD degrees she obtained at School of Medicine University of Zagreb Croatia in 1980, 1988 and 1999, respectively. In the period between 1985-1998 she was the resident at Republic Health Institute Zagreb where obtained Medical microbiology and parasitology specialist diploma.She is professor (host-lecturer) at several undergraduate and master study courses. She is Editor-in-chief (and founder) of scientific journal Medicinski Glasnik.

He published nearly a 100 articles, abstracts, and letters, in such journals as, Science, Nature Medicine, Cancer Research among other biomedical journals and awarded several patents. He served on the editorial review board for ASM's Infection Immunity and as an ad hoc reviewer for a number of scientific journals. Dr. Green also served on various boards including the Virginia Biotechnology Industrial Organization and on the DOD Panel for immunomodulation strategies to treat infectious diseases. While serving in the Department of Immunology at Walter Reed Research Institute, he received various awards, including the U.S. Military’s Meritorious Service Medal for his work on host response to infectious diseases. While at Walter Reed, he published the first report and a series of follow-on observations characterizing inducible-nitric oxide synthase as an effector pathway in controlling the growth of intracellular pathogens (leishmania, malaria, tularemia, mycobacterium) in both immune and non-immune cells. He received his doctorate from Georgetown University and held academic appointments at Howard, Catholic, and Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Payam BEHZADI (BSC and MSC in Microbiology; PhD in Molecular Biology), the Assistant Professor of Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Sciences, Shahr-e-Qods Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran-Iran teaches students from undergraduate to PhD levels. He has been a faculty member of the above mentioned university since 2004 and he has led some graduate (Master of Science) students as supervisor and adviser. His primary research fields are: Infectious Diseases (in particular Urinary Tract Infections), Molecular biology, Gene profiling, Genetics and Bioinformatics. Dr. Payam Behzadi has authored, edited and refereed many books and papers. 60 papers and 20 books and chapters are the outcomes of his scientific activities.

Dr. Nicola Luigi Bragazzi obtained his Ph.D. degree (2014) in biophysics from Marburg University, Marburg, Germany. Since 2011, Dr. Bragazzi is Assistant Professor/Lecturer in biophysics and public health, in the Department of Health Sciences (DISSAL), at University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy. His research interests mainly lie in the areas of epidemiology, digital epidemiology and molecular epidemiology, advanced biostatistics, vaccination practices, infectious diseases (with a focus on influenza, human Papillomavirus, Varicella virus, zoster virus, and neglected tropical diseases, including Ebola and Zika viruses), organized cancer screening programs, cancer (oral cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer), and mathematical modeling for public health. Dr. Bragazzi, as an author/co-author, has published more than 145 articles in various journals, having over 550 total citations.

Dr.Sutep Jaruratanasirikul has his expertise in pharmacokinetic drug interaction, pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) and HIV research. He has an experience on study of antifungal pharmacokinetic drug interaction, study of PK/PD and Monte Carlo simulation of b-lactams. Moreover, he also has an experience on HIV research.

Dr. Ozgur Karcioglu has graduated from his residency in Dokuz Eylul University Medical School, Department of Emergency Medicine, Turkey in 1998. He has attended the “International Emergency Medicine” Fellowship in PSU (2005). He has served as a founder and board member of The Emergency Medical Association of Turkey after 1995. More than a hundred and thirty articles were published in scientific journals. He has contributed in four books as editor, and authored 33 chapters. Recently, Dr. Karcioglu has edited the book ‘Trauma Surgery’ with the collaboration of InTechOpen. He’s a member of The Editorial Board in a number of journals. He’s also an instructor of the Advanced Cardiac Life Support Course.

Dr. Wahib Mahana obtained a Ph.D. (Doctorat d'Etat ès-sciences) in Immunology from University Paris 7 (Paris Diderot University), France. Dr. Mahana is currently a Professor at the University of Western Brittany, Brest, France. Dr. Mahana, as an author/co-author, has published more than 35 articles in various journals, having over 500 total citations. Dr. Mahana has published mainly in the subject areas of Immunology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Environmental Science, etc. Since 2015, Dr. Mahana is a member of the French Consul of the universities for the 64 section (Biochemistry and molecular biology); and, since 2001, is a member of the scientific board of the French/Egyptian society of Immunology and Molecular Biology.

Dr. Suresh K. Mittal, M.V.Sc., Ph.D., obtained his Ph.D. degree in Virology from the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK. Dr. Mittal is a Professor of Comparative Pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA. His skills and expertise mainly lie in the subject areas of PCR, Cell Culture, DNA, Cloning, Flow Cytometry, Infection, Immunology of Infectious Diseases, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Virus, Viral Infection, Molecular Virology, Vaccination, etc. Dr. Mittal, as an author/co-author, has published more than 80 articles in various journals, having over 2,570 total citations.

Kazeem O. Okosun research focus area is applied mathematics. He graduated from the Faculty of Sciences, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria in 2003 for his Masters degree. He received his Ph. D degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of the Western Cape, South Africa in 2010. Presently, he is a Faculty member at Vaal University of Technology, South Africa. His research interest lies mainly in the area of infectious diseases modelling and analysis, optimal control analysis. He has authored more than 30 articles in various Journals.

Dr. Julia Uhanova obtained her Doctor of Philosophy degree from the Department of Community Health Sciences (Faculty of Medicine), University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada. Since 2011, Dr. Uhanova is an Assistant Professor in the Section of Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, at University of Manitoba. Her skills and expertise mainly lie in the subject areas of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Population Health Research, Health Services Research, Meta-analysis, Community Medicine, Public Health, Disease Surveillance, Infectious Diseases, Communicable Disease Control, Viral Hepatitis, etc. Dr. Uhanova, as an author/co-author, has published more than 50 articles in various journals, having over 745 total citations.

Prof. Stefan F.T. Weiss obtained his Ph.D. degree (1992) in Biology from Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg, Germany. Prof. Weiss is currently Professor of Biochemistry in the School of Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB) at University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. His research interests mainly lie in the areas of Cancer Biology, Neuroscience, Biomedical Science, Neurodegenerative Diseases, Cancer Research, Alzheimer's Disease, Prion Diseases, Anti-Aging, Telomere Biology, and Metastatic Carcinoma. Prof. Weiss, as an author/co-author, has published more than 65 articles in various journals, having a significant number of total citations, i.e. over 2,785.

Graduated in Pharmacy - Clinical Laboratory Science at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina-UFSC (1995), Master degree in Pharmacy (Clinical Laboratory Science) at the Universidade de São Paulo-USP (1999) and Ph.D. in Pharmacy (Clinical Laboratory Science) at the Universidade de São Paulo-USP (2002). Professor at the University of Blumenau (FURB), Coordinator of the Specialization Course in Infectious Diseases, professor of the Graduation Program in Chemistry (FURB). Technical Director at the Santa Isabel Clinical Laboratory, Blumenau, SC. Has experience in Clinical Chemistry, Molecular Diagnosis, Infectious Diseases, Mycoplasma, natural compounds and antimicrobial drugs.

Dr. Suresh Panthee received his undergraduate in Pharmacy in 2005 from Tribhuvan University in Nepal, and went on to complete Masters in Pharmacy in 2008 from Kathmandu University in Nepal. Then he moved on to Tokyo, Japan to receive a PhD in Functional Biology in 2011 working jointly under the supervision of Prof. Hiroyuki Osada in RIKEN and Prof. Hiroyuki Kagechika in Tokyo Medical and Dental University. During his PhD, he studied reveromycin biosynthesis, cloned the biosynthetic gene cluster, and developed methods to enhance the production of same in Streptomyces sp. SN-593. In recent years, Dr. Panthee has been working with Prof. Kazuhisa Sekimizu in Teikyo University Institute of Medical Mycology to discover novel therapeutic approaches against drug-resistant superbugs. His research interest includes genomics of microorganisms, discovery of novel antibiotics from microorganisms, identify their mode of action and elucidate the biosynthetic mechanisms through genetic and biochemical approach.

Dr. Elisabetta Schiaroli obtained her degree of Medical Specialty in Jul 2014 in Infectious Diseases from University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy. Since Apr 2016, Dr. Schiaroli is Research Fellow and Medical Doctor in the Department of Infectious Diseases at University of Perugia “Santa Maria della Misericordia” General Hospital, Perugia, Italy. Her skills and expertise mainly lie in the subject areas of Infection, Infectious Disease Epidemiology, HIV, Tuberculosis, HIV Prevention, Infectious Disease Medicine, HIV Immunology, Monocytes, etc. Dr. Schiaroli, as an author/co-author, has published more than 20 articles in various journals.

Dr. Min-Kyu Kwak, Ph.D., is a Professor at Division of Paideia in Sungkyul University, Anyang, South Korea. He is also serving as a visiting professor of Biotechnology programme at the faculty of Science and Natural Resources in the University Malaysia Sabah, Malaysia. He is also a Senior Researcher at the School of Biological Sciences and Institute of Microbiology in Seoul National University. His areas of study are Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Immunology and Microbiology, Medicine Agricultural and Biological Sciences. He has contributed more than 10 publications in various journals.

I have been working in the field of infectious diseases in both developing and developed countries for more than 16 years. I have wide expertise in the field of viral infectious diseases. I had been working in HIV/AIDS Programme of International Centre for Diarrhoal Diseases Researches, Bangladesh for 4 years. I then, joined to Department of Emerging Infectious Diseases and later, in the Department of Virology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan as a Research Fellow  from 2008 to 2016. Then, I joined to the University of Pittsburgh as a Research Fellow on 2016. I am currently affiliated with Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.