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Topic Review
A Defective Viral Particle Approach to COVID-19
Defective interfering particles, which arise naturally and interfere with viruses, have long inspired the idea that they might be adapted to treat viral diseases. Here, we explore how such defective interfering particles and other therapeutic nanoparticles might be designed and constructed to interfere with SARS-CoV-2.
  • 1.0K
  • 28 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Candidiasis
Candida spp. can be found colonizing the skin, oral mucosa, and/or the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts in healthy individuals. Most cases of subsequent disease usually emerge from this endogenous microbiota. Although there are now more than 200 species of Candida identified, only a relatively small and yet not clearly defined number (~10–20) have been reported in the context of disease in children and adults. Historically, C. albicans has been, by far, the most commonly isolated species, although the rates of non-albicans species have variably increased globally, probably due to modifications in prophylactic approaches as well as changes in the characteristics of the most vulnerable patient populations, such as preterm neonates and immunosuppressed children. Overall, Candida infections in children can be divided into two main disease presentations: chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis, which can manifest as oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC, also known as “thrush”), esophagitis, diaper dermatitis, onychomycosis, and/or vulvovaginitis, and invasive candidiasis (IC).
  • 1.0K
  • 02 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Echinacea as a Potential Force against Coronavirus Infections?
Echinacea purpurea has been shown to broadly inhibit coronaviruses and SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. Results from clinical studies confirm the antiviral activity found for Echinacea in vitro, embracing enveloped respiratory pathogens and therefore coronaviruses as well. Substantiating results from a new, completed study seem to extrapolate these effects to the prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infections. As hypothesized, the established broad antiviral activity of Echinacea extract appears to be inclusive for SARS-CoV-2.
  • 1.0K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
The COVID-19 Molecular Pathophysiology
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) induces immune-mediated type 1 interferon (IFN-1) production, the pathophysiology of which involves sterile alpha motif and histidine-aspartate domain-containing protein 1 (SAMHD1) tetramerization and the cytosolic DNA sensor cyclic-GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)–stimulator of interferon genes (STING) signaling pathway.
  • 1.0K
  • 17 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Applications of Carbon-Based Nanomaterials as Antimicrobials
Antimicrobial activities of various carbon-based nanomaterials against specific pathogens have become one of the most significant research interests in this field. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are promising multidisciplinary nanostructures in biomedicine, drug delivery, genetic engineering, biosensors, and artificial implants. However, the biomedical administration of CNTs is dependent on their solubility, toxicity, and biocompatibility, as well as novel drug-delivery applications through optimization of the drug’s loading capacity, cellular absorption, and continuous release within the target cell. The usage of CNTs and Graphene materials as antimicrobial agents and nanocarriers for antibiotics delivery would possibly improve their bioavailability and facilitate better anti-infective therapy.
  • 1.0K
  • 23 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Enterococcus and COVID-19
Based on the uncontrolled use of antibiotics and the lack of worldwide-accepted healthcare policies, the COVID-19 pandemic has provided the best premises for the emergence of life-threatening infections. Based on changes described in the intestinal microbiome, showing an increased number of Enterococcus bacteria and increased intestinal permeability due to viral infection, infections with Enterococcus have taken the spotlight in the healthcare setting. The COVID-19 pandemic has launched the best premises for the development of highly resistant bacterial strains due to unregulated antimicrobial use and the lack of proper worldwide-accepted protocols. Enterococcus genus represents one of the most common findings in human infections. It is no surprise that during the pandemic, a high number of this type of infection was anticipated.
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  • 21 Jun 2022
Topic Review
The Blessed Union of Glycobiology and Immunology
The fields of cancer glycobiology and glycobiology of infectious diseases provide crucial information concerning the cell surface glycoconjugates, as they play an important role in immunosurveillance during the development and establishment of certain pathologies. Furthermore, screening for atypical glycophenotypes culminates in the construction and modulation of an innate and adaptive immune response, mainly because glycans are biological structures that are very well conserved by evolution and are naturally heterogeneous, and end up acting as carriers of biological information that are decoded by families of proteins known as lectins. The effects of the structural recognition of glycans by these receptors, present mainly in cells of the immune system, are paramount in defining the immune responses. Therefore, those receptors are subjected to subversion of the host response against certain pathologies, being involved in the persistence of infections and tumors resistant to chemotherapy and increased metastatic potential.
  • 1.0K
  • 07 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Antifungal Drug Resistance
Fungal infections, named mycosis, can cause severe invasive and systemic diseases that can even lead to death. In recent years, epidemiological data have recorded an increase in cases of severe fungal infections, caused mainly by a growing number of immunocompromised patients and the emergence of fungal pathogenic forms that are increasingly resistant to antimycotic drug treatments.
  • 1.0K
  • 13 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Disseminated Intravascular Coagulopathy and Venous Thromboembolism in COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2 infection, discovered and isolated in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, causes acute atypical respiratory symptoms and has led to profound changes in  lives. COVID-19 is characterized by a wide range of complications, which include pulmonary embolism, thromboembolism and arterial clot formation, arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy, multiorgan failure, and more. The disease has caused a worldwide pandemic, and despite various measures such as social distancing, various preventive strategies, and therapeutic approaches, and the creation of vaccines, the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) still hides many mysteries for the scientific community.
  • 1.0K
  • 11 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Polymyxin/Non-Antibiotic Combinations
The polymyxin/non-antibiotic combinations covered function synergistically by augmenting penetrative damage against the outer membrane causing bacterial lysis. Alternatively, the outer membrane may be permeabilized sufficiently (either by the polymyxin or the adjuvant) for the combination to access the inner membrane, leading to either perforation of the inner membrane (and lysis) or diffusion across the membrane, substantially disrupting vital metabolic pathways (i.e., respiration, DNA replication, cell envelope maintenance) and/or repressing plasmid-mediated polymyxin resistance.
  • 1.0K
  • 09 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)
Recent estimates of 8 common bacterial, viral, and parasitic sexually-transmitted infections in the United States (chlamydia, gonorrhea, trichomoniasis, syphilis, herpes simplex virus type 2, human papillomavirus, hepatitis B virus, and human immunodeficiency virus) found them to have a combined prevalence of 67.6 million and incidence of 26.2 million. Though preventative health guidelines have clarified screening recommendations for some populations, many bacterial sexually-transmitted infections (STIs) are asymptomatic, leading to missed opportunities for diagnosis and underreporting of disease prevalence and incidence. The best available estimates, published in early 2021, are from 2018. Overall, it is thought that 1 in 5 people in the United States has an STI, with 45.5% of all new STIs occurring in adolescents and young adults. New infections amount to $16 billion in direct medical costs.
  • 1.0K
  • 24 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Protease Inhibitors as Antivirals
Viral proteases play a key role in viral replication for all positive single-stranded RNA viruses and some DNA viruses, such as herpesviruses. To treat infections caused by these viruses, proteases are considered excellent drug targets. Protease inhibitors are now routinely used in antiviral therapy for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections. Since SARS-CoV-2 Mpro plays a key role in viral replication by cleaving viral polyproteins, inhibition of its catalytic activity represents an attractive therapeutic approach for the treatment of COVID-19.
  • 1.0K
  • 08 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Membrane Efflux Pumps of Pathogenic Vibrio Species
Infectious diseases caused by bacterial species of the Vibrio genus have had considerable significance upon human health for centuries. V. cholerae is the causative microbial agent of cholera, a severe ailment characterized by profuse watery diarrhea, a condition associated with epidemics, and seven great historical pandemics. V. parahaemolyticus causes wound infection and watery diarrhea, while V. vulnificus can cause wound infections and septicemia. Species of the Vibrio genus with resistance to multiple antimicrobials have been a significant health concern for several decades. Mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance machinery in Vibrio spp. include biofilm formation, drug inactivation, target protection, antimicrobial permeability reduction, and active antimicrobial efflux. Integral membrane-bound active antimicrobial efflux pump systems include primary and secondary transporters, members of which belong to closely related protein superfamilies. The RND (resistance-nodulation-division) pumps, the MFS (major facilitator superfamily) transporters, and the ABC superfamily of efflux pumps constitute significant drug transporters for investigation.
  • 1.0K
  • 11 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Aspergillus sp. and Calcineurin Pathway
Aspergillus species, especially A. fumigatus, and to a lesser extent others (A. flavus, A. niger, A. terreus), although rarely pathogenic to healthy humans, can be very aggressive to immunocompromised patients (they are opportunistic pathogens). Calcineurin is a serine/threonine phosphatase activated by elevated concentrations of calcium, which connects upstream calcium signaling pathways to downstream protein signaling through changes in phosphorylation states.
  • 1.0K
  • 27 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Minimal Inhibitory Concentration and Its Microbiological Indications
Before targeting an optimal antibiotic therapy, an empirical treatment is administered, and the previous collection of a microbiological sample helps choose the most effective treatment. Among the microbiological results, antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) is currently based on testing the ability of an antibiotic to inhibit bacterial growth in vitro under standardized experimental conditions. For most infections, classic AST e.g., critical diameter measurement, is sufficient. However, for some antibiotics and/or for some bacterial infections, the determination of the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) value is required. The methods that can be used, their relevance, and their microbiological indications are detailed below. 
  • 1.0K
  • 06 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Vaccines against Antibiotic Resistance
Despite the great efforts made by researchers and companies to develop new antimicrobial drugs, only a few molecules have been recognized so far as effective antibiotic candidates. In fact, the number of new antimicrobials developed later than the 90s has progressively diminished, and many of them correspond to slight modifications of existing drugs. Apart from the difficulties in developing new effective antimicrobials, the worrying scenario of the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) recalls the urgent need of new strategies to fight the bacterial infections. Among the others, vaccination is a winning solution to the problem of the  AMR, at least in the context of some of the most common pathogenic bacteria.
  • 1.0K
  • 14 Feb 2023
Topic Review
COVID-19 and Human Herpesviruses Reactivations
There are several human herpesviruses. A common characteristic of infection by these viruses is latency, by which the virus assumes a non-replicative state, subverting the attentions of the host’s immune response. In immunocompetent hosts, herpesviruses are immunologically controlled. In situations where immunological control is lost, herpesviruses can reactivate and produce clinically apparent disease. It is becoming apparent that COVID-19 or exposure to COVID-19 vaccines can exert several effects on the immune system. The pandemic of COVID-19 shows no sign of abating, with new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants continuing to evolve.
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  • 02 Feb 2023
Topic Review
SARS-CoV-2 Interactions with the Host Cell Nucleus
SARS-CoV-2 components disturb the transport of certain proteins through the nuclear pores. Some SARS-CoV-2 structural proteins such as Spike (S) and Nucleocapsid (N), most non-structural proteins (remarkably, Nsp1 and Nsp3), as well as some accessory proteins (ORF3d, ORF6, ORF9a) can reach the nucleoplasm either due to their nuclear localization signals (NLS) or taking a shuttle with other proteins. A percentage of SARS-CoV-2 RNA can also reach the nucleoplasm. Remarkably, controversy has recently been raised by proving that-at least under certain conditions-, SARS-CoV-2 sequences can be retrotranscribed and inserted as DNA in the host genome, giving rise to chimeric genes. In turn, the expression of viral-host chimeric proteins could potentially create neo-antigens, activate autoimmunity and promote a chronic pro-inflammatory state.
  • 1.0K
  • 10 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Dengue Vaccine Development
Approximately 100–400 million people from more than 100 countries in the tropical and subtropical world are affected by dengue infections. Recent scientific breakthroughs have brought new insights into novel strategies for the production of dengue antivirals and vaccines. The search for specific dengue inhibitors is expanding, and the mechanisms for evaluating the efficacy of novel drugs are currently established, allowing for expedited translation into human trials. Furthermore, in the aftermath of the only FDA-approved vaccine, Dengvaxia, a safer and more effective dengue vaccine candidate is making its way through the clinical trials. Until an effective licensed vaccine are available, disease monitoring and vector population control will be the mainstays of dengue prevention. In this review, we highlighted recent advances made in the perspectives of efforts made recently also to shed some light on the direction of the dengue vaccine development.
  • 1.0K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Syndecan-4
Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants pose threats to vaccination campaigns against COVID-19. Being more transmissible than the original virus, the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617 lineage, named the Delta variant, swept through the world in 2021. The mutations in the Delta’s spike protein shift the protein towards a net positive electrostatic potential. Compared to the wild-type spike, the Delta one shows a higher affinity towards heparan sulfate proteoglycans than ACE2. Cellular studies showed that syndecan-4, the syndecan isoform abundant in the lung, enhances the transmission of the Delta variant by attaching its mutated spike glycoprotein and facilitating its cellular entry. In addition to the attachment to the polyanionic heparan sulfate chains, the Delta spike’s molecular interactions with syndecan-4 also involve syndecan-4’s cell-binding domain that mediates cell-to-cell adhesion. Exogenously added heparin or syndecan-4 knockdown efficiently blocks the Delta variant’s cellular entry. A profound understanding of syndecan-4-mediated endocytosis enables the development of molecularly targeted yet simple strategies to reduce the Delta variant’s spread.
  • 1.0K
  • 20 Jan 2022
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