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Topic Review
Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Isoforms
The hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is a multifunctional glycoprotein composed of large (LHB), middle (MHB), and small (SHB) subunits. HBsAg isoforms have numerous biological functions during HBV infection—from initial and specific viral attachment to the hepatocytes to initiating chronic infection with their immunomodulatory properties. Their immunogenic properties make them a major target for developing HBV vaccines, and they have been recognised as valuable targets for new therapeutic approaches. In addition, HBsAg isoform quantitation can become a useful non-invasive biomarker for assessing chronically infected patients.
  • 887
  • 11 Jan 2024
Topic Review
WT Parent Virus for Effective LAIV
Current influenza vaccine candidates, for potential use in vaccine manufacturing, are reassortants of master donor virus (MDV) with wild-type (WT) virus that is antigenically similar to the recommended strain. MDVs have all the necessary characteristics for the type of vaccines of which they are intended. Two types of MDVs are used in the preparation of influenza vaccines—high-yielding donors for IIV and temperature-sensitive (ts) and cold-adapted (ca) donors of attenuation—for LAIV. There are a number of main features of WT influenza virus that may dramatically affect different aspects of the preparation of egg-derived live attenuated vaccine candidates and their effectiveness. 
  • 880
  • 30 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Clinical Phenotypes of COVID-19 Associated Mucormycos
Mucormycosis is a rare infection caused the members of the order Mucorales. Its prevalence ranges from 0.005 to 1.7 per million people worldwide, while in India, it reaches 14 cases per 100,000 inhabitants . During the COVID-19 pandemic, a surge in mucormycosis cases has been observed, especially in India, where the Government of India portal reported 47,508 cases from 5 May 2021 to 3 August 2021. Characteristically, Samir Joshi et al. reported 160 cases of COVID-19-associated mucormycosis (CAM) from April to May 2021 in the Ear, Nose, Throat Department of BJGMC-SGH hospital in India, compared with 3–8 cases of mucormycosis detected each year from 2016 to 2020.
  • 879
  • 26 Dec 2022
Topic Review
SARS-CoV-2 Pathogenesis and Treatment of COVID-19
The Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has significantly impacted the health and socioeconomic status of humans worldwide. Pulmonary infection of SARS-CoV-2 results in exorbitant viral replication and associated onset of inflammatory cytokine storm and disease pathology in various internal organs. At present, the pathological manifestations of acute and long-term COVID-19 and the underlying pathogenesis is not fully understood. Although currently used mRNA vaccines help to reduce the death among COVID cases, the protective effect is not long-lasting. Similarly, there is no targeted therapy available currently to cure COVID-19. Therefore, additional studies to understand the host-pathogen interactions are urgently needed to develop improved vaccines and therapeutic interventions to combat the current global COVID-19 pandemic.
  • 878
  • 10 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Pro-Inflammatory and Anti-Inflammatory Interleukins in Infectious Diseases
Interleukins (ILs) are signaling molecules that are crucial in regulating immune responses during infectious diseases. Pro-inflammatory ILs contribute to the activation and recruitment of immune cells, whereas anti-inflammatory ILs help to suppress excessive inflammation and promote tissue repair. 
  • 876
  • 23 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Optical Biosensors for COVID-19 and Other Viruses Diagnosis
The sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a huge concern globally because of the astounding increase in mortality rates worldwide. The medical imaging computed tomography technique, whole-genome sequencing, and electron microscopy are the methods generally used for the screening and identification of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
  • 875
  • 28 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Vitamin D and Infectious Diseases
It is now 2 years since we have seen the impact of the CoronaVirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) caused by Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 worldwide, affecting millions of people and rates of mortality close to 6 million. Although we are beginning to see the real benefit of vaccines, in terms of reduced mortality rates, many individuals still remain to be vaccinated or do not respond to them leaving a large number of patients still experiencing severe respiratory symptoms associated with COVID-19. In recent months, we have seen another surge in individuals infected with COVID-19 and mortality rates are also increasing. In the absence of effective therapies or vaccines, the medical and scientific community have extensively explored a range of current available therapeutic agents, mainly focused on targeting viral replication as well as managing severe respiratory symptoms associated with COVID-19.  Vitamin D has emerged as one such candidate due to its recognized immunomodulatory effects. In this regard, the activation of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) signaling pathway may generate beneficial effects in acute respiratory distress syndrome by decreasing the cytokine/chemokine storm, thus having an important immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory role.
  • 874
  • 07 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Human Streptococcus suis Infections in Thailand
Streptococcus suis is a zoonotic pathogen causing substantial economic losses to the pig industry, as well as being a human health burden due to infections worldwide, especially in Southeast Asia. In Thailand, there was high cumulative incidence in humans during 1987–2021, mostly in males. At least five large outbreaks have been documented after the largest outbreak in China in 2005, which was related to the consumption of raw pork or dishes containing pig’s blood. The major clinical features are sepsis or meningitis, with hearing loss a major complication of S. suis disease. Thai human S. suis isolates have shown diversity in serotypes and sequence types (STs), with serotype 2 and STs 1 and 104 being major genotypes. β-Lactam antibiotics can be used in empirical treatment for human S. suis infections; however, intermediate resistance to penicillin has been reported. Reducing S. suis incidence in Thailand requires a multidimensional approach, with combined efforts from the government and public health sectors through policy, regulations, education, and active surveillance.
  • 873
  • 29 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Pentoxifylline for COVID-19
Pentoxifylline (PTX) is a drug that exhibits broad-spectrum anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects through mechanisms involving the adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR), in parallel with rheological effects.
  • 872
  • 31 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Long COVID-19 in Children
Long Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) refers to the persistence of symptoms related to the infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). This condition is described as persistent and can manifest in various combinations of signs and symptoms, such as fatigue, headache, dyspnea, depression, cognitive impairment, and altered perception of smells and tastes. Long COVID-19 may be due to long-term damage to different organs—such as lung, brain, kidney, and heart—caused by persisting viral-induced inflammation, immune dysregulation, autoimmunity, diffuse endothelial damage, and micro thrombosis.
  • 872
  • 26 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Natural Products against Coronaviruses
The SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the Coronaviridae family and the Coronavirinae subfamily which has been divided into four genera: α-coronavirus, β-coronavirus, γ-coronavirus and δ-coronavirus. The Human Coronavirus species HCoV (OC43, 229E, NL63 and HKU1), as well as those associated with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and SARS-CoV-2, can cause respiratory tract infection but others such as the species 229E, OC43, HKU1, and NL63 usually cause the common cold.
  • 871
  • 05 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Nucleic Acid-Based COVID-19 Therapy Targeting Cytokine Storms
One of the promising therapeutic strategies to combat COVID-19 is nucleic acid-based therapeutic approaches, including microRNAs (miRNAs). Nucleic acid-based therapeutics (miRNAs included) have a latent ability to break the COVID-19 infection in general and quell the cytokine storm in particular.
  • 871
  • 25 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Novel Heterocyclic Derivatives against SARS-CoV-2
The heterocyclic ring derivatives were evaluated for their therapeutic potentials against SARS-CoV-2 Mpro, Spro, and RdRp. All the compounds reported showed excellent binding affinities with the various target proteins. Among the derivatives, compound C13 exhibits the highest binding affinity for the drug targets Spro (−10.6 kcal/mol) and RdRp (−9.5 kcal/mol), respectively. At a binding affinity of −8.8kcal/mol, the compound C15 exhibits the highest binding affinity for Mpro. The compounds interacted with the LEU A:271, LEU A:287, ASP A:289, and LEU A:272 of Mpro and the HIS A:540, PRO A:415, PHE A:486, and LEU A:370 of the Spro receptor binding motif and some active site amino acids of RdRp. The compounds also possess a favourable ADMET profile and showed no tendency towards hERG inhibition, hepatotoxicity, carcinogenicity, mutagenicity, or drug-liver injury. 
  • 870
  • 17 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Candida auris
Candida auris is considered to be an emerging fungal pathogen and is related to high mortality rates, persistent candidemia, inconsistencies in susceptibility testing results and misidentification by available commercial identification systems. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) and pandrug-resistant (PDR) strains are increasingly detected. In Europe, hospital outbreaks caused by C. auris have been reported in the United Kingdom (UK), Italy and Spain.
  • 870
  • 15 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Importance of Magnesium Status in COVID-19
Magnesium is an essential nutrient, also called an essential mineral or element. Magnesium is vastly important in all life, with vital roles for the healthy functioning of the human immune, metabolic, neurological, psychological, and heart and circulatory systems. Magnesium (Mg) status may have relevance for the outcome of COVID-19 and that Mg could be protective during the COVID disease course: (1) low magnesium status is associated with the severity of COVID-19 outcomes, including mortality, and with several disease-related neurological symptoms, including loss of memory, taste, and/or smell; (2) inhaled magnesium as a therapy may improve oxygen status; and (3) magnesium therapy, alone or in combination with zinc, may increase the effectiveness of anti-COVID-19 medications.
  • 866
  • 23 May 2023
Topic Review
Peptides in COVID-19 Clinical Trials
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a strong drive and desire to find effective treatments for and protection against the disease. On the webpage ClinicalTrials.gov, a total of 6505 clinical trials currently (September 2021) investigating various aspects of COVID-19 are registered. Of these, 124 studies involving peptides were identified. These 124 were further evaluated, and 88 trials that used peptides only for routine diagnostics were excluded. The remaining 36 trials were classified into 5 different classes according to their function: immunomodulatory (5 trials), regain homeostasis (10 trials), diagnostics/biomarkers (8 trials), vaccination (9 trials), and antiviral activity (4 trials, all overlap with immunomodulatory activities). In the current review, these 36 trials are briefly described and tabularly summarised. According to the estimated finish date, 14 trials have not yet finished. All of the finished trials are yet to report their results. Seven trials were based in the USA, and Egypt, France, the UK, Turkey, and the Russian Federation conducted three trials each. This review aims to present a snapshot of the current situation of peptides in COVID-19 clinical trials and provides a template to follow up on trials of interest; it does not claim to be a complete overview.
  • 864
  • 20 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccines against Delta (B.1.617.2) Variant
The high transmissibility, mortality, and morbidity rate of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta (B.1.617.2) variant have raised concerns regarding vaccine effectiveness (VE). The short-term effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Bharat Biotech, and CoronaVac vaccines for the prevention of infection and the reduction in the severity of illness and hospitalizations associated with the Delta variant are supported. 
  • 863
  • 06 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Drugs Repurposed against SARS CoV-2 Drug Targets
Drug repurposing is a process to identify new roles for existing drugs and is generally considered an efficient and economical approach. Repurposing—also known as re-profiling, re-tasking, repositioning, and rescue of drugs—can help identify new therapies for diseases, at a lower cost and in a shorter time.
  • 861
  • 14 Jul 2023
Topic Review
MicroRNA Let-7 in the Immunopathology of COVID-19
COVID-19 has presented itself as a challenging task to medical teams and researchers throughout the world, since the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 started in the Chinese city of Wuhan. There are still new variants emerging, and the knowledge about the mechanisms used by the virus to infect cells and perpetuate itself are still not well understood. The scientific community is still trying to catch up with the velocity of new variants and, consequently, the new physiological pathways that appear along with it. It is known that the new coronavirus plays a role in changing many molecular pathways to take control of the infected cells. Many of these pathways are related to control genomic expression of certain genes by epigenetic ways, allowing the virus to modulate immune responses and cytokines production. The let-7 family of microRNAs, for instance, are known to promote increased viral fusion in the target cell through a mechanism involving the transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2). It was also demonstrated they are able to increase the inflammatory activity through the NF-κB/IL-6/let-7/LIN-28 axis. 
  • 859
  • 30 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Antibacterial Secondary Metabolites of the Cyanobacterium Lyngbya Morphotype
Cyanobacteria ascribed to the genus Lyngbya (Family Oscillatoriaceae) represent a potential therapeutic gold mine of chemically and biologically diverse natural products that exhibit a wide array of biological properties. Phylogenetic analyses have established the Lyngbya ‘morpho-type’ as a highly polyphyletic group and have resulted in taxonomic revision and description of an additional six new cyanobacterial genera in the same family to date. Among the most prolific marine cyanobacterial producers of biologically active compounds are the species Moorena producens (previously L. majuscula, then Moorea producens), M. bouillonii (previously L. bouillonii), and L. confervoides. Over the years, compounding evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies in support of the significant pharmaceutical potential of ‘Lyngbya’-derived natural products has made the Lyngbya morphotype a significant target for biomedical research and novel drug leads development. Researchers concluded compounds with reported anti-infective activities through 2022 from the Lyngbya morphotype, including new genera arising from recent phylogenetic re-classification. So far, 72 anti-infective secondary metabolites have been isolated from various Dapis, Lyngbya, Moorea, and Okeania species.
  • 858
  • 16 Jan 2023
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