Subject:
All Disciplines Arts & Humanities Biology & Life Sciences Business & Economics Chemistry & Materials Science Computer Science & Mathematics Engineering Environmental & Earth Sciences Medicine & Pharmacology Physical Sciences Public Health & Healthcare Social Sciences
Sort:
Most Viewed Latest Alphabetical (A-Z) Alphabetical (Z-A)
Filter:
All Topic Review Biography Peer Reviewed Entry Video Entry
Topic Review
Insect-Specific Viruses (ISVs)
Unlike arboviruses, which have a dual-host tropism by cycling between vertebrate hosts and arthropod vectors, ISVs replicate exclusively in arthropod populations, causing a persistent viral infection, as such they are mainly maintained in nature by vertical transmission route. ISVs are also refereed to as mosquito-specific viruses as they are generally identified and discovered in mosquitoes. They are nonetheless an important part of the mosquito microbiome. The first ISV identified is cell-fusing agent virus (CFAV), which was isolated from an Aedes aegypti (Ae. aegypti) cell culture.
  • 1.4K
  • 10 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Rocaglates Target DEAD-Box RNA-Helicase eIF4A
The increase in pandemics caused by RNA viruses of zoonotic origin highlights the urgent need for broad-spectrum antivirals against novel and re-emerging RNA viruses. Broad-spectrum anti-virals could be deployed as first-line interventions during an outbreak while virus-specific drugs and vaccines are developed and rolled out. Viruses depend on the host’s protein synthesis ma-chinery for replication. Several natural compounds that target the cellular DEAD-box RNA hel-icase eIF4A, a key component of the eukaryotic translation initiation complex eIF4F, have emerged as potential broad-spectrum antivirals. Rocaglates, a group of flavaglines of plant origin that clamp mRNAs with highly structured 5′ untranslated regions (5′UTRs) onto the surface of eIF4A through specific stacking interactions, exhibit the largest selectivity and potential therapeu-tic indices among all known eIF4A inhibitors. Their unique mechanism of action limits the inhibi-tory effect of rocaglates to the translation of eIF4A-dependent viral mRNAs and a minor fraction of host mRNAs exhibiting stable RNA secondary structures and/or polypurine sequence stretches in their 5′UTRs, resulting in minimal potential toxic side effects.
  • 1.4K
  • 23 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Viral Equine Encephalitis
Neurological disorders represent an important sanitary and economic threat for the equine industry worldwide. Among nervous diseases, viral encephalitis is of growing concern, due to the emergence of arboviruses and to the high contagiosity of herpesvirus-infected horses. The nature, severity and duration of the clinical signs could be different depending on the etiological agent and its virulence. However, definite diagnosis generally requires the implementation of combinations of direct and/or indirect screening assays in specialized laboratories. The equine practitioner, involved in a mission of prevention and surveillance, plays an important role in the clinical diagnosis of viral encephalitis. The general management of the horse is essentially supportive, focused on controlling pain and inflammation within the central nervous system, preventing injuries and providing supportive care. Despite its high medical relevance and economic impact in the equine industry, vaccines are not always available and there is no specific antiviral therapy. In this review, the major virological, clinical and epidemiological features of the main neuropathogenic viruses inducing encephalitis in equids in Europe, including rabies virus (Rhabdoviridae), Equid herpesviruses (Herpesviridae), Borna disease virus (Bornaviridae) and West Nile virus (Flaviviridae), as well as exotic viruses, will be presented.
  • 1.3K
  • 29 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Hepatitis E Virus
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) (family Hepeviridae) is one of the most common human pathogens, causing acute hepatitis and an increasingly recognized etiological agent in chronic hepatitis and extrahepatic manifestations. Not only the members of the species Orthohepevirus A  (HEV-A) pathogenic to humans but a genetically highly divergent rat origin hepevirus (HEV-C1) in species Orthohepevirus C (HEV-C) is also able to cause zoonotic infection and symptomatic disease (hepatitis) in humans.
  • 1.3K
  • 29 Oct 2020
Topic Review
NKT Cells
Natural killer T (NKT) cells, a small population of T cells, are capable of influencing a wide range of the immune cells, including T cells, B cells, dendritic cells and macrophages. NKT cells can influence the status of the innate and adaptive immune systems because they secrete huge amounts of Th1 and Th2 cytokines. Earlier, the NKT cells were characterized by the NK and T cell properties as they express the natural killer (NK) cell lineage markers and αβ T-cell receptor (TCR). NKT cells are more appropriately defined as “CD1d-restricted and TCR-αβ positive T cells”. In mice, the NKT cells constitute about 0.2–2.0% of lymphocytes in the blood, spleen, bone marrow and thymus, and about 15–35% of total lymphocytes in the liver. On the other hand, the levels of NKT cells are lower in humans, comprising about 0.04–1.3% of circulating lymphocytes in the blood, spleen and bone marrow. They make up about 0.001–0.01% of lymphocytes in the thymus and about 1% in the liver. The greater part of the NKT cells, called canonical or invariant NKT cells (iNKT cells) or type I NKT cells have a specific TCR α-chain rearrangement (Vα14-Jα18 in mice; Vα24-Jα18 in humans), associated with limited diverse Vβ chains. Type II NKT cells, also called non-classical NKT cells, are more diverse in TCR α-chain (but some Vα3.2-Jα9, Vα8 in mice) and TCR-β chains (but some Vβ8.2 in mice).
  • 1.3K
  • 13 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Antisense Oligonucleotide-Based Therapy of Viral Infections
Antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) technology exploits a single-strand short oligonucleotide to either cause target RNA degradation or sterically block the binding of cellular factors or machineries to the target RNA. Chemical modification or bioconjugation of ASOs can enhance both its pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic performance, and it enables customization for a specific clinical purpose. ASO-based therapies have been used for treatment of genetic disorders, cancer and viral infections. In particular, ASOs can be rapidly developed for newly emerging virus and their reemerging variants. 
  • 1.3K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Poxviruses
Poxviruses possess a single, linear double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) genome, which ranges in size from 127 to 456 kb and encodes several hundred gene products. Unlike most other DNA viruses, poxviruses replicate exclusively within the cytoplasm of permissive cells.
  • 1.3K
  • 24 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Bartha K61 Strain
Pseudorabies virus (PRV) is a member of the alphaherpesvirus subfamily of the herpesviruses and is the causative agent of Aujeszky’s disease in pigs, causing respiratory, neurological, and reproductive symptoms. Given the heavy economic losses associated with Aujeszky’s disease epidemics, great efforts were made to develop efficacious vaccines. One of the best modified live vaccines to this day is the attenuated Bartha K61 strain. The use of this vaccine in extensive vaccination programs worldwide has assisted considerably in the eradication of PRV from the domesticated pig population in numerous countries. The Bartha K61 strain was described in 1961 by Adorján Bartha in Budapest and was obtained by serial passaging in different cell cultures. Ever since, it has been intensively studied by several research groups, for example, to explore its efficacy as a vaccine strain, to molecularly and mechanistically explain its attenuation, and to use it as a retrograde neuronal tracer and as a vector vaccine. Given that the Bartha K61 vaccine strain celebrates its 60th birthday in 2021 with no sign of retirement, this review provides a short summary of the knowledge on its origin, characteristics, and use as a molecular tool and as a vaccine.
  • 1.3K
  • 17 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Bacterial Cellulose
Bacterial cellulose (BC) is a natural polymer that has fascinating attributes, such as biocompatibility, low cost, and ease of processing, being considered a very interesting biomaterial due to its options for moldability and combination. 
  • 1.3K
  • 28 Jan 2021
Topic Review
Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus
Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is an acute and highly contagious disease affecting the cloven-hoofed animals, such as pigs and cattle. The pathogen that causes FMD is known as FMD virus (FMDV), a single-stranded positive-sense RNA virus that is classified into the genus Aphthovirus in the family Picornaviridae.
  • 1.3K
  • 15 Sep 2020
Topic Review
ARP2/3 Complex-Driven Actin Polymerization in RSV Infection
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading viral agent causing bronchiolitis and pneumonia in children under five years old worldwide. The RSV infection cycle starts with macropinocytosis-based entry into the host airway epithelial cell membrane, followed by virus transcription, replication, assembly, budding, and spread. It is not surprising that the host actin cytoskeleton contributes to different stages of the RSV replication cycle. RSV modulates actin-related protein 2/3 (ARP2/3) complex-driven actin polymerization for a robust filopodia induction on the infected lung epithelial A549 cells, which contributes to the virus’s budding, and cell-to-cell spread. 
  • 1.3K
  • 05 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Recursion Predicts Covid-19 Trajectories
Modulated recurrence model predicts Covid-19 trajectory in multiple countries.  Wave action at 14-week intervals correlates with case numbers, while predicting future growth rate surges. Graphs of total Covid-19 case numbers in many countries now show long-period wave action.  Simulations using a sine modulated time-delay recurrence equation not only correlate with case data but also proves a π-commensurate wave period of 26 weeks.  When the slope of geometric growth exceeds arithmetic growth, a periodic wave launches in the population with all the dynamics of a damped oscillation.  Recursive simulation generates trajectories that predict future wave peak times and amplitudes.  Data from USA, Canada, UK, Germany, India and Australia are studied in this research.  In all cases, Covid-19 trajectories around the world show the common feature of periodic oscillations as case numbers increase.  Discovery of repeatable Covid-19 growth dynamics suggests a common invariant mechanism of virus propagation, irrespective of country.
  • 1.2K
  • 16 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Oral Cavity during Viral and Bacterial Infections
Several viral diseases often affect the oral cavity; for example, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection may initially present with oral lesions, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection often increases the risk of developing oral squamous cell carcinoma, and oral damage has been documented during hepatitis B and C virus infections
  • 1.2K
  • 13 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Coatings Empowering Antiviral/Viricidal Properties
In the surge of the current, alarming scenario of SARS-CoV-2 infections, there is a immediate necessity for developing highly-innovative antiviral agents to work against the viruses with a broad spectrum of antiviral activity. Here-in, science-based methods, mechanisms, and procedures are implemented in obtaining resultant antiviral coated substrates, used in the destruction of the strains of the different viruses are presented. we pay particular attention to recent examples from the materials science and engineering field that highlight how some classes of antiviral drug candidates, such as polymeric materials, metal ions/metal oxides and functional nanomaterials result in acting against the viral spread. Based on the available literature and data, we also disclose some of the strategies for development of a universal and reusable virus deactivation system against the emerging COVID-19.
  • 1.2K
  • 25 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Hepatitis B Virus
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a globally-distributed pathogen and is a major cause of liver disease. HBV (or closely-related animal hepadnaviruses) can integrate into the host genome, but (unlike retroviruses) this integrated form is replication-defective. 
  • 1.2K
  • 10 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Endogenous Retroviruses
Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are long terminal repeat (LTR)-retroelements of the Retroviridae genus. ERVs reside in vertebrate genomes, are particularly abundant in mammals, and still actively retrotranspose in mice. This entry describes their relationship to other LTR-retroelements and how they replicate. A brief introduction into epigenetic reprogramming of ERVs is followed by a few examples of how reprogramming of ERVs assists embryonic development in mouse and human.
  • 1.2K
  • 26 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Nuclear domains 10 (ND10)
Nuclear domains 10 (ND10), a.k.a. promyelocytic leukemia nuclear bodies (PML-NBs), are membraneless subnuclear domains that are highly dynamic in their protein composition in response to cellular cues. They are known to be involved in many key cellular processes including DNA damage response, transcription regulation, apoptosis, oncogenesis, and antiviral defenses.
  • 1.2K
  • 25 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Animal Models for Influenza Research
Even though numerous studies have been performed in the over 100 years since the 1918 influenza pandemic, knowledge of the host factors influencing influenza disease severity remains elusive. Shortcomings include understanding the transmission mechanisms, natural history and precise pathogenesis of influenza disease, and host immune responses. In addition, knowledge gaps exist regarding the relationship between clinical presentation, transmission, and protection levels. Given that universal influenza vaccines are still unavailable, there remains prodigious potential for influenza to reassort and cause severe human epidemics and pandemics. Therefore, it is essential to continuously assess host-virus interactions, transmission mechanisms, and the host immune response to different influenza viruses in various animal models. The selection of appropriate animal models for specific research questions is prerequisite for accurate understanding of influenza virus properties prior to clinical trials for novel universal influenza vaccines. In this review, the advantages and disadvantages of different animal models used for influenza research, including mice, ferrets, guinea pigs, swine, felines, canines, and non-human primates, will be discussed.
  • 1.2K
  • 10 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Pathogenesis of COVID-19
The systemic manifestations commonly observed in COVID-19 patients include hypertension, arterial and venous thromboembolism, kidney disease, cerebrovascular disorders, and diabetes mellitus). These clinical findings strongly suggest that the virus is targeting the endothelium. Here we report a systematic and comprehensive evaluation of the evidence showing that the endothelium is a key target organ in COVID-19, playing a fundamental role in its pathogenesis.
  • 1.2K
  • 30 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Berberine in Oncogenic Herpesvirus Infections
Human herpesviruses are known to induce a broad spectrum of diseases, ranging from common cold sores to cancer, and infections with some types of these viruses, known as human oncogenic herpesviruses (HOHVs), can cause cancer. Challenges with viral latency, recurrent infections, and drug resistance have generated the need for finding new drugs with the ability to overcome these barriers. Berberine (BBR), a naturally occurring alkaloid, is known for its multiple biological activities, including antiviral and anticancer effects.
  • 1.2K
  • 02 Jun 2021
  • Page
  • of
  • 26
Featured Entry Collections
>>

Featured Books

>>
Encyclopedia of Social Sciences
Encyclopedia of COVID-19
Encyclopedia of Fungi
Encyclopedia of Digital Society, Industry 5.0 and Smart City
ScholarVision Creations
Feedback