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Topic Review
Human Milk Oligosaccharides as Potential Antibiofilm Agents
Bacteria possess a unique capability to form biofilms that are ubiquitous in nature. It is a multistage and elaborate process that begins with bacterial adhesion to surfaces, followed by the synthesis of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) matrix, development of microcolonies, and finally concludes with the dispersion of the bacterial cells from the initial. The morphology of biofilms can be diverse and that mostly relies on the integral bacterial species and the circumstances under which the biofilm was originally formed. The development of biofilms protects the bacteria against enzymatic degradation, antimicrobials, and host defense systems. Population heterogeneity, slow metabolic activity, increased efflux pumps, and presence of persister subpopulations are some of the major factors that reduce antimicrobial susceptibility in biofilms. 
  • 1.2K
  • 08 Dec 2022
Topic Review
Epidemiology of Elizabethkingia spp. Infections in Southeast Asia
Elizabethkingia spp. is a ubiquitous pathogenic bacterium that has been identified as the causal agent for a variety of conditions such as meningitis, pneumonia, necrotizing fasciitis, endophthalmitis, and sepsis and is emerging as a global threat including in Southeast Asia. Elizabethkingia infections tend to be associated with high mortality rates (18.2–41%) and are mostly observed in neonates and immunocompromised patients. Difficulties in precisely identifying Elizabethkingia at the species level by traditional methods have hampered the understanding of this genus in human infections. In Southeast Asian countries, hospital outbreaks have usually been ascribed to E. meningoseptica, whereas in Singapore, E. anophelis was reported as the main Elizabethkingia spp. associated with hospital settings. Misidentification of Elizabethkingia spp. could, however, underestimate the number of cases attributed to the bacterium, as precise identification requires tools such as MALDI-TOF MS, and particularly whole-genome sequencing, which are not available in most hospital laboratories. Elizabethkingia spp. has an unusual antibiotic resistance pattern for a Gram-negative bacterium with a limited number of horizontal gene transfers, which suggests an intrinsic origin for its multidrug resistance.
  • 1.2K
  • 22 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Host-Directed Therapies (HDTs) for the Treatment of COVID-19
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak resulted in hundreds of millions of coronavirus cases, as well as millions of deaths worldwide. Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the disease resulting from exposure to this pathogen, is characterized, among other features, by a pulmonary pathology, which can progress to “cytokine storm”, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), respiratory failure and death. An important strategy for protecting against the SARS-CoV-2 infection may rely on clinically evaluated pharmacological-based countermeasures, including host-directed therapies (HDTs), which modulate the endogenic response against the virus.
  • 1.2K
  • 13 Jul 2023
Topic Review
Basophils and Mast Cells in COVID-19 Pathogenesis
Basophils and mast cells are among the principal inducers of Th2 responses and have a crucial role in allergic and anti-parasitic protective immunity. Basophils can function as antigen-presenting cells that bind antigens on their surface and boost humoral immune responses, inducing Th2 cell differentiation. Their depletion results in lower humoral memory activation and greater infection susceptibility. Basophils seem to have an active role upon immune response to SARS-CoV-2. In fact, a coordinate adaptive immune response to SARS-CoV-2 is magnified by basophils. It has been observed that basophil amount is lower during acute disease with respect to the recovery phase and that the grade of this depletion is an important determinant of the antibody response to the virus. Moreover, mast cells, present in a great quantity in the nasal epithelial and lung cells, participate in the first immune response to SARS-CoV-2. Their activation results in a hyperinflammatory syndrome through the release of inflammatory molecules, participating to the “cytokine storm” and, in a longer period, inducing pulmonary fibrosis. 
  • 1.2K
  • 01 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Drugs Targeting the A3 Adenosine Receptor
The A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) is overexpressed in pathological human cells. Piclidenoson and namodenoson are A3AR agonists with high affinity and selectivity to A3AR. Both induce apoptosis of cancer and inflammatory cells via a molecular mechanism entailing deregulation of the Wnt and the NF-κB signaling pathways. 
  • 1.2K
  • 24 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Heme Oxygenase 1 for Inflammatory Disease
Heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), the rate-limiting enzyme in heme degradation, is involved in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis, exerting a cytoprotective role by its antioxidative and anti-inflammatory functions. HO-1 and its end products, biliverdin (BV), carbon monoxide (CO) and free iron (Fe2+), confer cytoprotection against inflammatory and oxidative injury. Additionally, HO-1 exerts antiviral properties against a diverse range of viral infections by interfering with replication or activating the interferon (IFN) pathway. Severe cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), are characterized by systemic hyperinflammation, which, in some cases, leads to severe or fatal symptoms as a consequence of respiratory failure, lung and heart damage, kidney failure, and nervous system complications. Here we summarize the current research on the protective role of HO-1 in inflammatory diseases and against a wide range of viral infections, positioning HO-1 as an attractive target to ameliorate clinical manifestations during COVID-19.
  • 1.2K
  • 11 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) is a widespread, tick-borne pathogen that causes Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) with high morbidity and mortality. CCHFV is transmitted to humans through tick bites or direct contact with patients or infected animals with viremia. Currently, climate change and globalization have increased the transmission risk of this biosafety level (BSL)-4 virus.
  • 1.2K
  • 04 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Antituberculosis Targeted Drug Delivery
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the microorganism that causes tuberculosis. The discovery of the antituberculosis agents in the 20th century has managed to improve the recovery rate and reduce the death rate tremendously. However, the conventional antituberculosis therapy is complicated by the development of resistant strains and adverse drug reactions experienced by the patients. Targeted drug delivery may be a potentially useful approach to be developed into clinically accepted treatment modalities. Active targeting utilizes a specifically designed targeting agent to deliver a chemically conjugated drug(s) towards Mtb. Passive targeting is very widely explored, with the development of multiple types of nanoparticles from organic and inorganic materials. The nanoparticles will be engulfed by macrophages and this will eliminate the Mtb that is present in the macrophages, or the encapsulated drug may be released at the sites of infections that may be in the form of intra- and extrapulmonary tuberculosis.
  • 1.2K
  • 24 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Vaccines for Human Papillomavirus-Associated Head and Neck Cancers
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is recognized as a significant risk factor for head and neck cancers worldwide, and it is the most common cause of oropharyngeal cancers in the United States. Prophylactic HPV vaccines have demonstrated effectiveness against oral infection of HPV 16 and HPV 18. There are also various strategies in development of therapeutic HPV vaccines underway.
  • 1.2K
  • 10 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Novel Nanotechnology-Based Approaches for Targeting HIV Reservoirs
Highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) is prescribed for HIV infection and, to a certain extent, limits the infection’s spread. Nanopharmaceuticals offer excellent treatment options for HIV infections by improving the drug potency/efficacy, lowering the dose-related toxicities, and providing active targeting options to the remote HIV reservoirs, leading to the near-total eradication of the virus. Nanopharmaceuticals offer advantages over conventional drug delivery, such as an encapsulation of the drug in nanocarriers, despite its physiochemical properties, providing long-acting treatment options and reducing the dosing because of selective targeting and improvements to the bioavailability of the hydrophobic drugs and adherence of the patients. 
  • 1.2K
  • 15 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Cytoskeletal Filaments in Coronaviridae
The cytoskeleton is an intricate network of filaments running through the cytoplasm that helps cells to maintain their shape and internal organization. Coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV-2 are intimately involved in cytoskeleton-related physiological and pathological processes. The discovery of the exact mechanisms of the subversion of host cells by SARS-CoV-2 is critical to the validation of specific drug targets and effective treatments.
  • 1.2K
  • 24 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Metal and Metal Oxide Nanomaterials
The misuse and mismanagement of antibiotics have made the treatment of bacterial infections a challenge. This challenge is magnified when bacteria form biofilms, which can increase bacterial resistance up to 1000 times. It is desirable to develop anti-infective materials with antibacterial activity and no resistance to drugs. With the rapid development of nanotechnology, anti-infective strategies based on metal and metal oxide nanomaterials have been widely used in antibacterial and antibiofilm treatments.
  • 1.2K
  • 02 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Nucleic Acid Vaccines for COVID-19
Nucleic acid vaccines employ genetic material from a pathogen, such as a virus or bacteria, to induce an immune response against it. Based on the vaccination, the genetic material might be DNA or RNA; as such, it offers instructions for producing a specific pathogen protein that the immune system will perceive as foreign and mount an immune response. Nucleic acid vaccines for multiple antigens might be made in the same facility, lowering costs even more. Most traditional vaccine regimens do not allow for this.  Nucleic acid vaccines could also be applied to COVID-19.
  • 1.2K
  • 05 Nov 2021
Topic Review
VLP-Based Vaccines for Trypanosomatid Diseases
Virus-like particle (VLP) technology is involved in many vaccines, including those undergoing studies related to COVID-19. The potential use of VLPs as vaccine adjuvants opens an opportunity for the use of protozoan antigens for the development of vaccines against diseases caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, Leishmania spp., and Trypanosoma brucei. 
  • 1.2K
  • 21 Jun 2021
Topic Review
PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras-Based Antiviral Strategies
The PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTAC), a technology for targeted protein degradation, relies on using heterobifunctional molecules to recruit intracellular protein degradation machinery to the intracellular target protein of interest. This chemically-induced proximity between protein degradation machinery and the target POI results in polyubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation of the target protein. Despite the field of PROTAC technology being relatively new, PROTACs have found wide applications not just as a technical tool but also as a therapeutic approach for infectious and non-infectious diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
  • 1.2K
  • 10 May 2023
Topic Review
Impacts of COVID-19
SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has caused widespread morbidity and mortality since its emergence. The COVID-19 pandemic has become widespread and known as a pathology of the respiratory system, affecting the ciliary epithelium at an early stage. In severe cases, COVID-19 can lead to development of lung disease: acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). A variety of extrapulmonary symptoms may also occur, including acute renal failure (AKI); acute heart failure; coagulopathy; thromboembolic complications, including stroke and pulmonary embolism; and circulatory shock. The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus remains a global public health concern due to the systemic nature of the infection and its long-term consequences, many of which remain to be elucidated. SARS-CoV-2 targets endothelial cells and blood vessels, altering the tissue microenvironment, its secretion, immune-cell subpopulations, the extracellular matrix, and the molecular composition and mechanical properties.
  • 1.2K
  • 05 Jun 2023
Topic Review
Glutamine Deficiency in COVID-19
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused the death of almost 7 million people worldwide. While vaccinations and new antiviral drugs have greatly reduced the number of COVID-19 cases, there remains a need for additional therapeutic strategies to combat this deadly disease. Accumulating clinical data have discovered a deficiency of circulating glutamine in patients with COVID-19 that associates with disease severity. Glutamine is a semi-essential amino acid that is metabolized to a plethora of metabolites that serve as central modulators of immune and endothelial cell function. A majority of glutamine is metabolized to glutamate and ammonia by the mitochondrial enzyme glutaminase (GLS). Notably, GLS activity is upregulated in COVID-19, favoring the catabolism of glutamine. This disturbance in glutamine metabolism may provoke immune and endothelial dysfunction leading to vascular occlusion, multiorgan failure, and death. Strategies that restore the plasma concentration of glutamine, its metabolites, or downstream effectors represent a promising therapeutic that approach that may correct immune and endothelial cell dysfunction and prevent the development of occlusive vascular disease in patients stricken with COVID-19.
  • 1.2K
  • 28 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome
Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS), characterized as reproductive failure in breeding pigs and respiratory distress in pigs of all age, is one of the costliest diseases disturbing the global swine industry.
  • 1.2K
  • 24 May 2021
Topic Review
Adult Abdominal Tuberculosis Diagnosis
Tuberculosis is a common systemic infection with the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is primarily found in the lungs and causes caseous inflammation in lung tissue and other organs. Tuberculosis is an infectious disease that spreads via the air. Tuberculosis is an endemic disease in developing countries, due to the wide spread of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), it might represent a problem in developed countries, as well. Only around one-fifth of patients diagnosed with abdominal TB have pulmonary disease. 
  • 1.2K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales
Improper use of antimicrobials has resulted in the emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), including multi-drug resistance (MDR) among bacteria. Recently, a sudden increase in Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) has been observed. This presents a substantial challenge in the treatment of CRE-infected individuals. Bacterial plasmids include the genes for carbapenem resistance, which can also spread to other bacteria to make them resistant. The incidence of CRE is rising significantly despite the efforts of health authorities, clinicians, and scientists. Many genotypic and phenotypic techniques are available to identify CRE. However, effective identification requires the integration of two or more methods. Whole genome sequencing (WGS), an advanced molecular approach, helps identify new strains of CRE and screening of the patient population; however, WGS is challenging to apply in clinical settings due to the complexity and high expense involved with this technique.
  • 1.2K
  • 29 Nov 2022
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