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Topic Review
Treatment for Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infections
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a ubiquitous Gram-negative bacterium renowned for its resilience and adaptability across diverse environments, including clinical settings, where it emerges as a formidable pathogen. Notorious for causing nosocomial infections, P. aeruginosa presents a significant challenge due to its intrinsic and acquired resistance mechanisms.
  • 983
  • 15 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Heterogeneous Adverse Events Associated with mRNA-Based COVID-19 Vaccines
Serious and severe adverse events following mRNA COVID-19 vaccinations are rare. While a definitive causal relationship was not established in most cases, important adverse events associated with post-vaccination included rare and non-fatal myocarditis and pericarditis in younger vaccine recipients, thrombocytopenia, neurological effects such as seizures and orofacial events, skin reactions, and allergic hypersensitivities.
  • 982
  • 26 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Sarilumab Administration in COVID-19 Patients
COVID-19 pathogenesis consists of a first viral phase responsible for early symptoms followed by an inflammatory phase, cytokine-mediated, responsible for late-onset manifestations up to ARDS. The dysregulated immune response has an outstanding role in the progression of pulmonary damage in COVID-19. IL-6, through the induction of pro-inflammatory chemokines and cytokines, plays a key role in the development and maintenance of inflammation, acting as a pioneer of the hyperinflammatory condition and cytokine storm in severe COVID-19. Therefore, drugs targeting both IL-6 and IL-6 receptors have been evaluated in order to blunt the abnormal SARS-CoV-2-induced cytokine release. Sarilumab, a high-affinity anti-IL-6 receptor antibody, may represent a promising weapon to treat the fearsome hyperinflammatory phase by improving the outcome of patients with moderate-to-severe COVID-19 pneumonia.
  • 981
  • 20 May 2022
Topic Review
COVID-19 Vaccine Approved for Public Use
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak was first reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019, and was found to be caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which is a novel pleomorphic, positive-stranded RNA virus belonging to the Coronaviridae family. Quickly, it has become a global pandemic, infecting more than 176 million people and causing the death of more than 3.8 million individuals, that we are yet to recover from. Thus, an ongoing quest is being carried out for prophylaxis/therapy to prevent the transition from infection into serious forms of COVID-19.
  • 976
  • 30 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Epigenetic-Mediated Antimicrobial Resistance
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) mechanisms include the horizontal and vertical transfer of resistance genes, gene mutations affecting antibiotic targets, drug influx/efflux strategies, or antibiotic inactivation. Among the common and severely affecting pathogens attributed to AMR development include Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Helicobacter pylori, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but there are many more.
  • 976
  • 23 Jun 2022
Topic Review
The Potential of Probiotics
Probiotics, by definition, are live microorganisms, and should remain viable when they reach the intended site of action, which is typically the cecum and/or the colon.
  • 974
  • 24 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Visceral Leishmaniasis in COVID-19
Leishmaniasis is a zoonosis that may present general symptoms, including fever, malaise, and arthralgia, rendering it indistinguishable from COVID-19.
  • 973
  • 09 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Host Susceptibility of SARS-CoV-2
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the death of approximately 6 million people, with a case fatality rate which may be as high as 20% in those over 80 years old. Vaccines have proved to be extremely effective in reducing the damage and hospitalisation caused by this infection, although some patients still need supportive care. As the SARS-CoV-2 virus has continued to evolve, the potential for the virus to escape vaccine and exposure induced immunity remains a threat. In this situation, as at the start of the pandemic when no such vaccines were available, it is important that there exist therapeutics for the treatment of severely ill patients. In addition, comparison with other agents demonstrates that this drug is the most potent of the immune modulators in reducing COVID-19 mortality. As a result, it is now strongly recommended for the treatment of COVID-19 by the WHO.
  • 972
  • 01 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Use of COVID-19 Boosters among Health Care Providers
While the World Health Organization (WHO) has de-escalated coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from a global health emergency, ongoing discussions persist as new viral variants. 
  • 972
  • 27 Feb 2024
Topic Review
The Impact of Coinfection on the COVID-19 Infection
Patients with viral illness are at higher risk of secondary infections—whether bacterial, viral, or parasitic—that usually lead to a worse prognosis. In the setting of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection may be preceded by a prior microbial infection or has a concurrent or superinfection. Previous reports documented a significantly higher risk of microbial coinfection in SARS-CoV-2-positive patients. Initial results from the United States (U.S.) and Europe found a significantly higher risk of mortality and severe illness among hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 and bacterial coinfection. However, later studies found contradictory results concerning the impact of coinfection on the outcomes of COVID-19. 
  • 971
  • 27 May 2022
Topic Review
PPARγ in Brain Viral Infections
Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a master regulator of metabolism, adipogenesis, inflammation and cell cycle, and it has been extensively studied in the brain in relation to inflammation or neurodegeneration. Specific to viral infections is the ability to subvert signaling pathways of the host cell to ensure virus replication and spreading, as deleterious as the consequences may be for the host.
  • 968
  • 28 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Invasive aspergillosis induces complex chemokine and cytokine responses
Invasive aspergillosis is a frequent complication in immunocompromised individuals, and it continues to be an important cause of mortality in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In addition to antifungal therapy used for mycoses, immune-modulatory molecules such as cytokines and chemokines can modify the host immune response and exhibit a promising form of antimicrobial therapeutics to combat invasive fungal diseases. Cytokine and chemokine profiles may also be applied as biomarkers during fungal infections and clinical research has demonstrated different activation patterns of cytokines in invasive mycoses such as aspergillosis.
  • 964
  • 19 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Immune Activation in HIV-1 Infection
Systemic chronic immune activation and CD4+ T-cell depletion characterize the progression of human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) infection toward acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
  • 963
  • 31 Jan 2023
Topic Review
The Pathophysiology of COVID-19 and T2DM Coagulopathy
Chronic inflammation and endothelium dysfunction are present in diabetic patients. COVID-19 has a high mortality rate in association with diabetes, partially due to the development of thromboembolic events in the context of coronavirus infection. Chronic inflammation, present in DM, enhances the synthesis of several cytokines. This chronic inflammatory state is preceded by a subclinical inflammatory response, represented by elevated IL-1β and IL-6 before the onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Endothelial dysfunction is also a consequence of Diabetes mellitus (DM) and leads to micro- and macroangiopathy, and concomitantly to hypercoagulability.
  • 963
  • 03 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Cytoskeleton during Late Steps of HIV-1 Life Cycle
HIV-1 has evolved a plethora of strategies to overcome the cytoskeletal barrier (i.e., actin and intermediate filaments (AFs and IFs) and microtubules (MTs)) to achieve the viral cycle. HIV-1 modifies cytoskeletal organization and dynamics by acting on associated adaptors and molecular motors to productively fuse, enter, and infect cells and then traffic to the cell surface, where virions assemble and are released to spread infection. The HIV-1 envelope (Env) initiates the cycle by binding to and signaling through its main cell surface receptors (CD4/CCR5/CXCR4) to shape the cytoskeleton for fusion pore formation, which permits viral core entry. Then, the HIV-1 capsid is transported to the nucleus associated with cytoskeleton tracks under the control of specific adaptors/molecular motors, as well as HIV-1 accessory proteins. Furthermore, HIV-1 drives the late stages of the viral cycle by regulating cytoskeleton dynamics to assure viral Pr55Gag expression and transport to the cell surface, where it assembles and buds to mature infectious virions. 
  • 962
  • 04 Sep 2023
Topic Review
COVID-19 and New-Onset Psychosis
Psychosis is a multifactorial condition that typically involves delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thought, speech or behavior. The observation of an association between infectious epidemics and acute psychosis dates back to the last century. Though infrequently, cases of new-onset psychosis have been observed in patients with COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic, leading to concerns that SARS-CoV-2 infection may be associated with an increased risk for the development of psychosis. 
  • 961
  • 31 Jan 2023
Topic Review
Loss of Homeostatic Microglia Signature in Prion Diseases
Prion diseases are neurodegenerative diseases that affect humans and animals. They are always fatal and, to date, no treatment exists. The hallmark of prion disease pathophysiology is the misfolding of an endogenous protein, the cellular prion protein (PrPC), into its disease-associated isoform PrPSc. Besides the aggregation and deposition of misfolded PrPSc, prion diseases are characterized by spongiform lesions and the activation of astrocytes and microglia. Microglia are the innate immune cells of the brain. Activated microglia and astrocytes represent a common pathological feature in neurodegenerative disorders. Microglia are dysregulated in neurodegenerative diseases. However, the loss of the microglia homeostatic signature might contribute to disease progression. 
  • 961
  • 15 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Overcome Antibiotic Resistance against Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). TB treatment is based on the administration of three major antibiotics: isoniazid, rifampicin, and pyrazinamide. However, multi-drug resistant (MDR) Mtb strains are increasing around the world, thus, allowing TB to spread around the world. The stringent response is demonstrated by Mtb strains in order to survive under hostile circumstances, even including exposure to antibiotics. The stringent response is mediated by alarmones, which regulate bacterial replication, transcription and translation. Moreover, the Mtb cell wall contributes to the mechanism of antibiotic resistance along with efflux pump activation and biofilm formation.
  • 960
  • 01 Nov 2022
Topic Review
N-Glycans’ Effect on Pathologic Protein Conformations in Disease
Glycosylation, a prevalent post-translational modification, plays a pivotal role in regulating intricate cellular processes by covalently attaching glycans to macromolecules. Dysregulated glycosylation is linked to a spectrum of diseases, encompassing cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, congenital disorders, infections, and inflammation. Considering the allosteric effects of N-glycans in regulating protein conformation, with potential implications for its assembly and function, it is of no surprise that dysregulated N-glycosylation has been implicated in several disease-associated human proteins. Furthermore, these glycans may play a pivotal role in modulating the conformation of pathogen-associated proteins, influencing their infectivity within human cells.
  • 958
  • 06 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Gut Microbiome and Adjuvant Treatment of COVID-19
High expression of the transmembrane protein angiotensin I converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), more than 100-times higher as in the lung, and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) in the gastrointestinal tract leads to infection with SARS-CoV-2. According to meta-analysis data, 9.8–20% of COVID-19 patients experience gastrointestinal symptoms, where diarrhoea is the most frequent, and about 50% shed viruses with high titre through their faeces, where a first faecal transmission was reported. Furthermore, gut inflammation, intestinal damage, and weakening of the gut mucosal integrity that leads to increased permeability has been shown in different studies for COVID-19 patients. This can lead to increased inflammation and bacteraemia. Low mucosal integrity combined with low intestinal damage is a good predictor for disease progression and submission to the intensive care unit (ICU). Several pilot studies have shown that the gut microbiome of COVID-19 patients is changed, microbial richness and diversity were lower, and opportunistic pathogens that can cause bacteraemia were enriched compared to a healthy control group. In a large proportion of these patients, dysbiosis was not resolved at discharge from the hospital and one study showed dysbiosis is still present after 3 months post COVID-19. Consequently, there might be a link between dysbiosis of the gut microbiome in COVID-19 patients and chronic COVID-19 syndrome (CCS). Various clinical trials are investigating the benefit of probiotics for acute COVID-19 patients, the majority of which have not reported results yet. However, two clinical trials have shown that a certain combination of probiotics is beneficial and safe for acute COVID-19 patients. Mortality was 11% for the probiotic treatment group, and 22% for the control group. Furthermore, for the probiotic group, symptoms cleared faster, and an 8-fold decreased risk of developing a respiratory failure was calculated. In conclusion, evidence is arising that inflammation, increased permeability, and microbiome dysbiosis in the gut occur in COVID-19 patients and thus provide new targets for adjuvant treatments of acute and chronic COVID-19. More research in this area is needed.
  • 957
  • 23 Nov 2021
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