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Topic Review
Chronic Rhinosinusitis, S. aureus Biofilm and Secreted Products
Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a persistent inflammation of the nasal cavity and paranasal sinuses associated with tissue remodelling, dysfunction of the sinuses’ natural defence mechanisms, and induction of different inflammatory clusters. The etiopathogenesis of CRS remains elusive, and both environmental factors, such as bacterial biofilms and the host’s general condition, are thought to play a role. Bacterial biofilms have significant clinical relevance due to their potential to cause resistance to antimicrobial therapy and host defenses. Despite substantial medical advances, some CRS patients suffer from recalcitrant disease that is unresponsive to medical and surgical treatments. Those patients often have nasal polyps with tissue eosinophilia, S. aureus-dominant mucosal biofilm, comorbid asthma, and a severely compromised quality of life.
  • 858
  • 21 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Fungal Coinfections in COVID-19 Infected Patients
COVID-19 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and has infected over 200 million people, causing over 4 million deaths. COVID-19 infection has been shown to lead to hypoxia, immunosuppression, host iron depletion, hyperglycemia secondary to diabetes mellitus, as well as prolonged hospitalizations. These clinical manifestations provide favorable conditions for opportunistic fungal pathogens to infect hosts with COVID-19. Interventions such as treatment with corticosteroids and mechanical ventilation may further predispose COVID-19 patients to acquiring fungal coinfections.
  • 854
  • 27 Dec 2021
Topic Review
Type I Interferons in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection
Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of mortality due to infectious disease and rates have increased during the emergence of COVID-19, but many of the factors determining disease severity and progression remain unclear. Type I Interferons (IFNs) have diverse effector functions that regulate innate and adaptive immunity during infection with microorganisms. 
  • 852
  • 01 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Clinical Manifestations of Human Exposure to Fungi
Biological particles, along with inorganic gaseous and particulate pollutants, constitute an ever-present component of the atmosphere and surfaces. Among these particles are fungal species colonizing almost all ecosystems, including the human body. Although inoffensive to most people, fungi can be responsible for several health problems, such as allergic fungal diseases and fungal infections. Worldwide fungal disease incidence is increasing, with new emerging fungal diseases appearing yearly. Reasons for this increase are the expansion of life expectancy, the number of immunocompromised patients (immunosuppressive treatments for transplantation, autoimmune diseases, and immunodeficiency diseases), the number of uncontrolled underlying conditions (e.g., diabetes mellitus), and the misusage of medication (e.g., corticosteroids and broad-spectrum antibiotics). 
  • 852
  • 05 May 2023
Topic Review
Brucella Spondylitis
The most prevalent zoonotic disease is brucellosis, which poses a significant threat for worldwide public health. Particularly in endemic areas, spinal involvement is a major source of morbidity and mortality and can complicate the course of the disease. 
  • 851
  • 01 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Cytomegalovirus, HIV and Humans
In stark contrast to the rapid development of vaccines against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), an effective human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine is still lacking. Furthermore, despite virologic suppression and CD4 T-cell count normalization with antiretroviral therapy (ART), people living with HIV (PLWH) still exhibit increased morbidity and mortality compared to the general population. Such differences in health outcomes are related to higher risk behaviors, but also to HIV-related immune activation and viral coinfections. Among these coinfections, cytomegalovirus (CMV) latent infection is a well-known inducer of long-term immune dysregulation. Cytomegalovirus contributes to the persistent immune activation in PLWH receiving ART by directly skewing immune response toward itself, and by increasing immune activation through modification of the gut microbiota and microbial translocation. In addition, through induction of immunosenescence, CMV has been associated with a decreased response to infections and vaccines.
  • 850
  • 05 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Movement Disorders Induced by SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Infections are a significant cause of movement disorders. The clinical manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection are variable, with up to one-third of patients developing neurologic complications, including movement disorders. 
  • 849
  • 23 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Symptoms and Treatments of COVID-19
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is a member of the Coronaviridae family, with a 29 kb single-stranded RNA genome. It employs its structural spike (S) glycoprotein to attach to the ACE-2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) receptor protein on the surface of the host cell. The S protein is composed of two subunits, S1 and S2. The S1 subunit is responsible for interaction with ACE-2, while the S2 subunit is involved in fusion with the cell. The very high affinity of protein S for ACE-2 is largely responsible for the increased infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 compared to other related viruses, such as SARS-CoV. This entry offers a general overview of the symptoms and treatments of COVID-19.
  • 849
  • 03 Aug 2023
Topic Review
HIV-Related Fatigue and Sleep Disturbance
HIV-related Fatigue: a subjective, unpleasant, potentially disabling, chronic symptom characterized by physical and/or psychological exhaustion.   HIV-related sleep disturbance: a disruption in the amount and quality of sleep that impairs functioning. 
  • 848
  • 29 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Acute Infective Endocarditis
Infective endocarditis (IE) is a potentially fatal disease with a mortality rate of over 20%, largely unmodified over recent decades. Mechanisms of IE pathogenesis are still incompletely understood but involve bacteria, host immune responses and the coagulation system.
  • 846
  • 30 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Understanding COVID-19 Vaccines Today: Are T-cells Key Players?
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has heavily mutated since the beginning of the coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. In this regard, the so-called variants of concern (VOCs) feature mutations that confer increased transmissibility and evasion of antibody responses. The VOCs have caused significant spikes in COVID-19 cases, raising significant concerns about whether COVID-19 vaccines will protect against current and future variants. In this research, whereas the protection COVID-19 vaccines offer against the acquisition of infection appears compromised, the protection against severe COVID-19 is maintained. From an immunologic standpoint, this is likely underpinned by the maintenance of T-cell responses against VOCs. Therefore, the role of T-cells is essential to understanding the broader adaptive immune response to COVID-19, which has the potential to shape public policies on vaccine protocols and inform future vaccine design.
  • 846
  • 21 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Cardiac Rehabilitation in COVID-19 Patients
Recent scientific literature has investigated the cardiovascular implications of COVID-19. The mechanisms of cardiovascular damage seem to involve the protein angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), to which severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus-2 (CoV-2) binds to penetrate cells and other mechanisms, most of which are still under study. Cardiovascular sequelae of COVID-19 include heart failure, cardiomyopathy, acute coronary syndrome, arrhythmias, and venous thromboembolism.
  • 845
  • 24 May 2021
Topic Review
Hepatitis B Viral Protein HBx
With 296 million cases estimated worldwide, chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is the most common risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HBV-encoded oncogene X protein (HBx), a key multifunctional regulatory protein, drives viral replication and interferes with several cellular signalling pathways that drive virus-associated hepatocarcinogenesis.
  • 845
  • 07 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Host Response to SARS-CoV-2
The massive expansion of the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has urged countries to introduce lockdowns and set restrictive actions worldwide. When viruses attach to host receptors they penetrate into host cells by fusing with their membrane through endocytosis.
  • 843
  • 29 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Different Biomedical Cell Products in COVID-19 Treatment
SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) is a single-stranded RNA virus, infectious agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 is a real challenge for the protective immunity. Some people do not respond to vaccination by acquiring an appropriate immunological memory. The risk groups for this particular infection such as the elderly and people with compromised immunity (cancer patients, pregnant women, etc.) have the most serious problems in developing an adequate immune response. Therefore, dendritic cell (DC) vaccines that are loaded ex vivo with SARS-CoV-2 antigens in the optimal conditions are promising for immunization. Lymphocyte effector cells with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-lymphocytes) are currently used mainly as anti-tumor treatment. However, CAR-lymphocytes may be successfully employed to treat viral diseases including COVID-19. Allogenic anti-SARS-CoV-2 CAR-NK-cells may be used as an emergency treatment.
  • 841
  • 18 May 2022
Topic Review
Incidence and Risk Factors of Bilateral Herpetic Keratitis
Herpetic keratitis is the result of a corneal infection with Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) and it is recognized as a leading cause of corneal blindness worldwide. Bilateral HSV keratitis is a rare clinical manifestation and consists of simultaneously occurring infection in both eyes.
  • 841
  • 21 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Hepatitis B Virus Core Protein in Hepatocarcinogenesis
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the most common factors associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is the sixth most prevalent cancer among all cancers worldwide. The mechanisms underlying HBV-induced malignant transformation remain unclear, but some studies have suggested that the hepatitis B virus core (HBc) protein has a potential function in the pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma in addition to the HBV X protein. This review focuses its discussion on the involvement of HBc in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma. 
  • 840
  • 14 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Antibody-Mediated Alphavirus Immunity
Alphaviruses are mosquito-borne pathogens distributed worldwide in tropical and temperate areas causing a wide range of symptoms ranging from inflammatory arthritis-like manifestations to the induction of encephalitis in humans. Historically, large outbreaks in susceptible populations have been recorded followed by the development of protective long-lasting antibody responses suggesting a potential advantageous role for a vaccine.
  • 837
  • 04 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Whole-Person Approach to Urinary Tract Infection
Urobiome dysbiosis, defined as an imbalance in the microbial composition in the microenvironments along the urinary tract, is found in women with uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI). Historically, antibiotics have been used to address UTI. An alternative approach to uncomplicated UTI is warranted as the current paradigm fails to take urobiome dysbiosis into account and contributes to the communal problem of resistance. A whole-person, multi-modal approach that addresses vaginal and urinary tract dysbiosis may be more effective in reducing recurrent UTI.
  • 837
  • 18 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Nanocarriers in Tuberculosis Treatment
The World Health Organization identifies tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, as a leading infectious killer. Although conventional treatments for TB exist, they come with challenges such as a heavy pill regimen, prolonged treatment duration, and a strict schedule, leading to multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) strains. Nanocarriers, such as lipid nanoparticles, nanosuspensions, liposomes, and polymeric micelles, facilitate targeted delivery of anti-TB drugs. The benefits of nanocarriers include reduced drug doses, fewer side effects, improved drug solubility, better bioavailability, and improved patient compliance, speeding up recovery.
  • 834
  • 08 Nov 2023
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