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Topic Review
Bone and Vertebral Infections by Listeria monocytogenes
Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive pathogenic bacterium which can be found in soil or water. Infection with the microorganism can occur after ingestion of contaminated food products. Small and large outbreaks of listeriosis have been described in the past. L. monocytogenes can cause a number of different clinical syndromes, most frequently sepsis, meningitis, and rhombencephalitis, particularly in immunocompromised hosts. L. monocytogenes systemic infections can develop following tissue penetration across the gastrointestinal tract or to hematogenous spread to sterile sites, possibly evolving towards bacteremia. L. monocytogenes only rarely causes bone or joint infections, usually in the context of prosthetic material that can provide a site for bacterial seeding.
  • 493
  • 26 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Alterations of Vaginal Microbiota and Chlamydiatrachomatis
Alterations of Vaginal Microbiota and Chlamydia trachomatis as crucial co-causative factors in cervical cancer genesis procured by HPV. Nowadays, it is widely accepted that some types of infections caused by certain viruses, bacteria, and parasites may be the cause of high-risk factors for several types of cancer in humans. These pathogens evolved strategies to hamper the host's integrity of defense such as the prevention of the apoptosis mechanism pathway of the damaged cells reducing the ability to repair the damage(s) and eventually resulting in cellular transformation, cancer progression, and reduced response to therapy.
  • 488
  • 27 Mar 2023
Topic Review
Boutonneuse Fever in Southeastern Romania
Boutonneuse fever (BF) is an eruptive disease and is classified as a spotted fever, which is endemic in the Mediterranean basin (i.e., Marseille fever or Mediterranean spotted fever) and the Black Sea, caused by Rickettsia conorii, with dog ticks being a vector (i.e., Rhipicephalus sanguineus).
  • 486
  • 06 Dec 2023
Topic Review
Mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2-Induced Neurological Damage
COVID-19 patients can exhibit a wide range of clinical manifestations affecting various organs and systems. Neurological symptoms have been reported in COVID-19 patients, both during the acute phase of the illness and in cases of long-term COVID. Moderate symptoms include ageusia, anosmia, altered mental status, and cognitive impairment, and in more severe cases can manifest as ischemic cerebrovascular disease and encephalitis.
  • 480
  • 03 Nov 2023
Topic Review
P. falciparum Invasion and Erythrocyte Aging
Plasmodium parasites need to find red blood cells (RBCs) that, on the one hand, expose receptors for the pathogen ligands and, on the other hand, maintain the right geometry to facilitate merozoite attachment and entry into the red blood cell. Both characteristics change with the maturation of erythrocytes. 
  • 478
  • 28 Feb 2024
Topic Review
Infection of Childhood Mortality in Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a complex genetic disorder associated with multiple clinical manifestations, including increased susceptibility to bacterial and viral infections. 
  • 476
  • 28 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Multiplex PCR in Severe Bacterial Pneumonia Management
Pneumonia is a common and severe illness that requires prompt and effective management. Advanced, rapid, and accurate tools are needed to diagnose patients with severe bacterial pneumonia, and to rapidly select appropriate antimicrobial therapy, which must be initiated within the first few hours of care. Two multiplex molecular tests, Unyvero HPN and FilmArray Pneumonia+ Panel, have been developed using the multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) technique to rapidly identify pathogens and their main antibiotic resistance mechanisms from patient respiratory specimens. Performance evaluation of these tests showed strong correlations with reference techniques.
  • 468
  • 25 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Plasmid-Mediated mcr Gene-Based Polymyxins
The polymyxin antibiotics colistin and polymyxin B have been recently revitalized as bactericidal drugs due to the increase in bacterial resistance to many commonly used antibiotics. Polymyxins were originally derived from the bacterium Paenibacillus polymyxa as the products of fermentation in the form of amphipathic lipopeptide molecules. Polymyxins were discovered in the 1940s to be cyclic lipodecapeptide antibiotics and recognized for therapeutic use in the 1950s. Polymyxins contain conserved components that consist of a d-Phe6-l-Leu7 segment, an N-terminal fatty acyl chain separated by cationic residues (l-α-γ-diaminobutyric acid (Dab)), and segments of the polar amino acid threonine (Thr). Polymyxins target the negatively charged outer membrane lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) of Gram-negative bacteria. Mobilized colistin resistance, mcr, genes are mainly associated with bacterial plasmids. These play an important role in the spread of colistin resistance because of their transferability among different strains in different environments. These mcr genes encode phosphoethanolamine-lipid A transferases that mediate the addition of PEA to the lipid A of an LPS at the 1′ and 4′ positions, causing a significant reduction in the overall negative charge on the bacterial outer membrane. This ultimately leads to the loss of binding affinity of an LPS to the cationic polymyxins and therefore resistance to their action.
  • 456
  • 17 Nov 2023
Topic Review
Epidemiology of Monkeypox
Acanthamoeba is well known to host a variety of microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and yeast. Given the number of cases of monkeypox infection, it is speculated that amoebae may be aiding viral transmission to the susceptible hosts. Although there is no confirmatory evidence to suggest that Acanthamoeba is a host to monkeypox (a double-stranded DNA virus), the discovery of mimivirus (another double-stranded DNA virus) from Acanthamoeba, suggests that amoebae may shelter monkeypox virus.
  • 449
  • 05 Mar 2024
Topic Review
The Initial Hepatitis B Virus-Hepatocyte Genomic Integrations
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and its close relative woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) belong to the hepadnaviral family. Both are highly oncogenic DNA viruses, and their persistent infection and integration into the host’s hepatocyte genome are the main contributors to the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). 
  • 448
  • 23 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Mechanisms of Vitamin D—Controlling Infections and Autoimmunity
Vitamin D is critical in protecting humans from hyper-inflammation, invasive pathogens, and autoimmunity risks and in maintaining good health. In contrast, low 25(OH)D status increases susceptibility to infections and developing autoimmunity. Data strongly suggested that maintaining serum 25(OH)D concentrations of more than 50 ng/mL is associated with significant risk reduction from viral and bacterial infections, sepsis, and autoimmunity. This is because, above this level, immune cells get sufficient diffusion of vitamin D and 25(OH)D from the circulation to generate intracellular calcitriol for their biological and physiological actions. Vitamin D deficiency treatment costs less than 0.01% of the cost of investigating worsening comorbidities associated with hypovitaminosis D. Despite cost-benefits, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency remains high worldwide. This was clear among those who died from COVID-19 in 2020/21—most had severe vitamin D deficiency. Herein, the critical mechanisms of how immune cells maintain their robust activities are summarized.
  • 445
  • 15 Sep 2023
Topic Review
Oral Chagas Disease in Colombia
Chagas disease (CD) remains endemic throughout many regions of Colombia despite implementing decades of vector control strategies in several departments. Some regions have had a significant decrease in vectorial transmission, but the oral ingestion of Trypanosoma cruzi through consumption of contaminated food and drink products is increasingly described. This form of transmission has important public health relevance in Colombia due to an increase in reported acute CD cases and clinical manifestations that often lead to significant morbidity and mortality. Oral CD in Colombia has been associated with the consumption of contaminated fruit juices, such as palm wine, sugar cane, or tangerine juice and water for consumption, or contaminated surfaces where food has been prepared. Another interesting route of oral transmission includes ingestion of unbeknownst infected armadillos’ blood, which is related to a traditional medicine practice in Colombia. Some earlier reports have also implemented consumption of infected bush meat as a source, but this is still being debated. Within the Amazon Basin, oral transmission is now considered the principal cause of acute CD in these regions.
  • 441
  • 15 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Reciprocal Interplay between Infections and Inherited Metabolic Disorders
Infections represent the main cause of acute metabolic derangements and/or the worsening of the clinical course of many inherited metabolic disorders (IMDs). The basic molecular mechanisms behind the role of infections in these conditions have not been completely clarified. Infective agents may affect cellular metabolic pathways, by mediation or not of an altered immune system. 
  • 431
  • 24 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Mesenchymal Stem Cells in the Treatment of COVID-19
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have considerable potential because they can mitigate inflammation, modulate immune responses, and promote tissue regeneration. Accumulating evidence underscores the efficacy and safety of MSCs in treating severe COVID-19 and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Nonetheless, critical aspects, such as optimal routes of MSC administration, appropriate dosage, treatment intervals, management of extrapulmonary complications, and potential pediatric applications, warrant further exploration. 
  • 430
  • 16 Oct 2023
Topic Review
Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) Genetic Diversity and Drug Resistance
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a pathogen with high prevalence in the general population that is responsible for high morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals and newborns, while remaining mainly asymptomatic in healthy individuals. The HCMV genome is 236,000 nucleotides long and encodes approximately 200 genes in more than 170 open reading frames, with the highest rate of genetic polymorphisms occurring in the envelope glycoproteins. HCMV infection is treated with antiviral drugs such as ganciclovir, valganciclovir, cidofovir, foscarnet, letermovir and maribavir targeting viral enzymes, DNA polymerase, kinase and the terminase complex. One of the obstacles to successful therapy is the emergence of drug resistance, which can be tested phenotypically or by genotyping using Sanger sequencing, which is a widely available but less sensitive method, or next-generation sequencing performed in samples with a lower viral load to detect minority variants, those representing approximately 1% of the population. The prevalence of drug resistance depends on the population tested, as well as the drug, and ranges from no mutations detected to up to almost 50%. A high prevalence of resistance emphasizes the importance of testing the patient whenever resistance is suspected, which requires the development of more sensitive and rapid tests while also highlighting the need for alternative therapeutic targets, strategies and the development of an effective vaccine.
  • 428
  • 07 Mar 2024
Topic Review
Sialylated-Glycan Bindings between SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein and Cells
Consistent with well-established biochemical properties of coronaviruses, sialylated glycan attachments between SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (SP) and host cells are key to the virus’s pathology. SARS-CoV-2 SP attaches to and aggregates red blood cells (RBCs), as shown in many pre-clinical and clinical studies, causing pulmonary and extrapulmonary microthrombi and hypoxia in severe COVID-19 patients. SARS-CoV-2 SP attachments to the heavily sialylated surfaces of platelets (which, like RBCs, have no ACE2) and endothelial cells (having minimal ACE2) compound this vascular damage. Notably, experimentally induced RBC aggregation in vivo causes the same key morbidities as for severe COVID-19, including microvascular occlusion, blood clots, hypoxia and myocarditis.
  • 426
  • 27 Dec 2023
Topic Review
SARS-CoV-2 Variants in Children
The COVID-19 pandemic challenged the medical field to rapidly identify and implement new approaches to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infections. The scientific community also needed to rapidly initiate basic, translational, clinical and epidemiological studies to understand the pathophysiology of this new family of viruses, which continues to evolve with the emergence of new genetic variants. In contrast to most other respiratory viruses, children developed less severe acute and post-acute disease compared to adults.
  • 424
  • 04 Jan 2024
Topic Review
Therapeutic Potential of Marine-Derived Cyclic Peptides in Malaria
Malaria is a severe infectious disease which is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions. It can be caused by four species of the intracellular protozoan parasite from the Plasmodium family, with P. falciparum being the disease’s most dangerous form, and it is transmitted by mosquito bites. Parasitic diseases still compromise human health. Some of the available therapeutic drugs have limitations considering their adverse effects, questionable efficacy, and long treatment, which have encouraged drug resistance. There is an urgent need to find new, safe, effective, and affordable antiparasitic drugs. Marine-derived cyclic peptides have been increasingly screened as candidates for developing new drugs.
  • 422
  • 30 Nov 2023
Topic Review
The Influence of Cross-Reactive T Cells in COVID-19
Memory T cells form from the adaptive immune response to historic infections or vaccinations. Some memory T cells have the potential to recognise unrelated pathogens like severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and generate cross-reactive immune responses. Notably, such T cell cross-reactivity has been observed between SARS-CoV-2 and other human coronaviruses. T cell cross-reactivity has also been observed between SARS-CoV-2 variants from unrelated microbes and unrelated vaccinations against influenza A, tuberculosis and measles, mumps and rubella. 
  • 413
  • 07 Mar 2024
Topic Review
COVID-Associated Mucormycosis
COVID-19 has been responsible for widespread morbidity and mortality worldwide. Invasive mucormycosis has death rates scaling 80%. India, one of the countries hit worst by the pandemic, is also a hotbed with the highest death rates for mucormycosis. Cancer, a ubiquitously present menace, also contributes to higher case fatality rates. All three entities studied here are individual, massive healthcare threats. The danger of one disease predisposing to the other, the poor performance status of patients with all three diseases, the impact of therapeutics for one disease on the pathology and therapy of the others all warrant physicians having a better understanding of the interplay.
  • 410
  • 15 Sep 2023
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