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Topic Review
AlphaFold Predictions in Viral Research
AlphaFold, a modern deep-learning algorithm, enables the prediction of protein structure to a high level of accuracy. It has been applied in numerous studies in various areas of biology and medicine. Viruses are biological entities infecting eukaryotic and procaryotic organisms. They can pose a danger for humans and economically significant animals and plants, but they can also be useful for biological control, suppressing populations of pests and pathogens. AlphaFold can be used for studies of molecular mechanisms of viral infection to facilitate several activities, including drug design.
  • 1.4K
  • 10 May 2023
Topic Review
Herpesvirus Infection in Strix Owls
The herpesvirus partial DNA polymerase gene was detected using polymerase chain reaction in oropharyngeal swabs of 16 out of 170 owls examined that were captured in or near nest boxes. Herpesvirus was detected in Ural owls (Strix uralensis), in both adults and young, but not in tawny owls (Strix aluco). In yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis), as the main prey of tawny owls and Ural owls in the area, herpesvirus was detected in the organs of 2 out of 40 mice captured at the same locations as the owls. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the herpesvirus sequences detected in the Ural owls differed from the herpesvirus sequences detected in the yellow-necked mice. The results indicate that herpesvirus infection exists in the breeding wild Ural owl population. However, herpesvirus-infected owls did not show any clinical or productivity deviances and, based on a phylogenetic comparison of detected herpesvirus sequences and sequences obtained from Genbank database, it seems that mice and other rodents are not the source of owl infections. The most probable transmission pathway is intraspecific, especially from adults to their chicks, but the origin of herpesvirus in owls remains to be investigated.
  • 1.3K
  • 22 Sep 2021
Topic Review
The Hepatitis E Virus
In the 1980s, non-A, non-B hepatitis (NANB) was identified to be hepatitis E virus (HEV), and found to be the causative agent of large scale viral hepatitis outbreaks in developing countries.  One of the distinctive epidemiological features of an HEV outbreak is its association with a high pregnancy mortality rate, potentially reaching up to 35% mortality. HEV is ow recognized as the leading cause of acute viral hepatitis worldwide. HEV is a 7.2 kb  quasi-enveloped, single-stranded RNA virus with a positive-sense genome.  HEV has been difficult to grow in cell culture necessitating animal models to understand pathology.  Multiple animal models have been attempted to replicate pregnancy mortality and those trials are summarized herein.
  • 1.3K
  • 29 Mar 2023
Topic Review
HIV-1 Gag Mutations in Protease Inhibitors Resistance
HIV protease inhibitors against the viral protease are often hampered by drug resistance mutations in protease and in the viral substrate Gag. To overcome this drug resistance and inhibit viral maturation, targeting Gag alongside protease rather than targeting protease alone may be more efficient. 
  • 1.3K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Orthobunyaviruses
Orthobunyaviruses (OBVs) are arthropod-borne viruses that are structurally simple, with a trisegmented, negative-sense RNA genome and only four structural proteins.
  • 1.3K
  • 09 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Hepatitis E and Pregnancy
The adverse relationship between viral hepatitis and pregnancy in developing countries had been interpreted as a reflection of retrospectively biased hospital-based data collection by the West. However, the discovery of hepatitis E virus (HEV) as the etiological agent of an epidemic of non-A, non-B hepatitis in Kashmir, and the documenting of the increased incidence and severity of hepatitis E in pregnancy via a house-to-house survey, unmasked this unholy alliance. The pathogenesis of the association is complex and several mechanisms are under intense studies. Management is multidisciplinary and needs a close watch for the development and management of acute liver failure. The development of vaccine is seen as a breakthrough in the control of hepatitis E. 
  • 1.3K
  • 12 Oct 2021
Topic Review
Diagnosis of Herpes Simplex Virus
Herpes is a widespread viral infection caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV) that has no permanent cure to date. There are two subtypes, HSV-1 and HSV-2, that are known to cause a variety of symptoms, ranging from acute to chronic. HSV is highly contagious and can be transmitted via any type of physical contact. Additionally, viral shedding can also happen from asymptomatic infections. Thus, early and accurate detection of HSV is needed to prevent the transmission of this infection. Herpes can be diagnosed in two ways, by either detecting the presence of the virus in lesions or the antibodies in the blood. Different detection techniques are available based on both laboratory and point of care (POC) devices. Laboratory techniques include different biochemical assays, microscopy, and nucleic acid amplification. In contrast, POC techniques include microfluidics-based tests that enable on-spot testing.
  • 1.3K
  • 28 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Plant Virus–Host Interactions
Plant viruses are obligate parasites that need to usurp plant cell metabolism in order to infect their hosts. Imaging techniques have been used for quite a long time to study plant virus–host interactions, making it possible to have major advances in the knowledge of plant virus infection cycles.
  • 1.3K
  • 03 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Herd Immunity against Viral Diseases
Microbiome is the preeminent factor to maintain the efficacy of vaccine platform. The inception of herd immunity in society is depending upon food habits, microbiome symbiosis, environmental factors, and network among people with each other.  Rigorous pan-India polio vaccination program for the last 30 years develops heterologous immunity providing cardinal protection against the COVID-19.
  • 1.3K
  • 09 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Nasal Air Conditioning and SARS-CoV-2
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), as with the influenza virus, has been shown to spread more rapidly during winter. Severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which can follow SARS-CoV-2 infection, disproportionately affects older persons and males as well as people living in temperate zone countries with a tropical ancestry. The available data are consistent with optimal warming and humidifying of inspired air by the nose (nasal air conditioning) being essential for minimising SARS-CoV-2 infectivity of the upper respiratory tract (URT)  and, as a consequence, severe COVID-19. 
  • 1.3K
  • 04 Jan 2022
Topic Review
CRISPR/Cas9-Based Gene-Editing Technology
CRISPR/Cas has been demonstrated as a more powerful, simple, efficient, and straightforward approach for editing viral genomes with immense research potential. 
  • 1.3K
  • 18 May 2021
Topic Review
ASFV Genome Replication and Packaging
Genome condensation and packaging are essential processes in the life cycle of viruses. Mimivirus and many other nucleocytoplasmic large DNA virus (NCLDV) subfamilies have evolved a unique genome packaging mechanism that is comparable to chromosome segregation in bacteria and archaea and requires a number of specific enzymes, such as packaging ATPases, recombinases, DNA polymerases, helicases, and topoisomerases, as well as histones or histone-like proteins. Although the mechanisms of assembly and genome encapsidation in African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV) have not been fully characterized, the similarities in genome structure with Poxviruses and data from electron microscopy suggest that the ASFV packaging machinery is similar to Mimivirus and other NCLDVs. ASFV encodes up to 70 structural proteins, 16 of which, at least, are thought to be involved in assembly of the virus particle and include a predicted packaging A32L ATPase (B354L), a lambda-like recombinase (D345L), a type II topoisomerase (P1192R),  and the histone-like DNA-binding protein pA104R.
  • 1.3K
  • 13 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Extracellular Vesicles
Tobacco smoking is prevalent among people living with HIV (PLWH). It is known to increase viral replication and exacerbate HIV associated conditions. Some reports demonstrate a conflicting impact of cigarette smoke on PLWHA in terms of neurocognitive disorders, which further strengthens the necessity to study whether cigarette smoking is a causative factor for HAND in PLWHA. One possible mechanistic pathway of tobacco smoking-induced HIV pathogenesis and HAND could be the transportation of oxidative stress-related agents and inflammatory modulators via extracellular vesicles (EVs). EV are nanosized vesicles, that are formed and released from most of the mammalian cells and these are considered as cellular messengers because of their capability to transport the functional messages from cells to other distant cells. This review focuses on recent advances in the field of EVs with an emphasis on smoking-mediated HIV pathogenesis and HIV-associated neuropathogenesis.
  • 1.3K
  • 06 Jan 2021
Topic Review
List of Virus Species
Excluded are other ranks of virus, viroids and prions. Also excluded are more recently discovered viruses such as Bourbon Virus, common names and obsolete names for viruses.
  • 1.3K
  • 31 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV)
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a β-herpesvirus, also known as human herpes virus 5. Compared with other human herpesviruses, the prevalence of HCMV is high, and more than 90% of the general population is an HCMV carrier. HCMV infection can disrupt homeostasis by affecting the host cell autophagy, apoptosis, proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, and immune response [5]. Increasing evidence indicates that HCMV causes the occurrence and progression of inflammation [6], atherosclerosis, Crohn’s disease, and various cancers. More seriously, HCMV can trigger life-threatening diseases in immunosuppressed individuals. Thus, it is necessary to elucidate the pathogenic mechanism of HCMV and discover novel targets and strategies for anti-HCMV treatment. Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death, which is essential for maintaining normal physiology and tissue function by cleaning up cells that are damaged, dysfunctional, or no longer necessary. The survival and accumulation of damaged or unnecessary cells contribute to numerous diseases, such as cancers, in addition to immunological, neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, and infectious diseases. Apoptosis generally occurs through two distinct pathways: intrinsic and extrinsic. Interestingly, both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways can be activated by pathogenic infection.
  • 1.3K
  • 13 Jul 2021
Topic Review
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccines
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is the main cause of acute respiratory tract infections in infants and it also induces significant disease in the elderly, with a potentially severe clinical course and a large number of deaths in developing countries and of intensive care hospitalizations worldwide. To date, prevention strategies against RSV infection are based on hygienic measures and passive immunization with humanized monoclonal antibodies limited to selected high-risk children due to their high costs. The development of a safe and effective vaccine is a global health need and an important objective of research in this field. A growing number of RSV vaccine candidates in different formats (particle-based vaccines, vector-based vaccines, subunit vaccines, and live-attenuated vaccines) are being developed and are now at different stages. While waiting for commercially available safe and effective vaccines, immune prophylaxis in selected groups of high-risk populations is still mandatory.
  • 1.3K
  • 04 Jan 2021
Topic Review
New COVID-19 Vaccinations
Vaccination can be, in fact, an efficient way to mitigate the devastating effect of the pandemic and offer protection to some vulnerable strata of the population (i.e., the elderly) and reduce the social and economic burden of the current crisis.
  • 1.3K
  • 25 Mar 2021
Topic Review
Basic Amino Acids and SARS-CoV-2
Amino acids have been implicated with virus infection and replication. Here, we demonstrate the effects of two basic amino acids, arginine and lysine, and their ester derivatives on infection of two enveloped viruses, SARS-CoV-2, and influenza A virus. We found that lysine and its ester derivative can efficiently block infection of both viruses in vitro. Furthermore, the arginine ester derivative caused a significant boost in virus infection. Studies on their mechanism of action revealed that the compounds potentially disturb virus uncoating rather than virus attachment and endosomal acidification. Our findings suggest that lysine supplementation and the reduction of arginine-rich food intake can be considered as prophylactic and therapeutic regimens against these viruses while also providing a paradigm for the development of broad-spectrum antivirals.
  • 1.3K
  • 21 Jul 2021
Topic Review
RT-LAMP CRISPR-Cas12/13-Based SARS-CoV-2 Detection Methods
LAMP is highly specific and produces a large yield of amplicon in a short period of time, with reagents that are less expensive and more readily available. In addition, the CRISPR technology is a highly specific approach for detecting nucleic acids rapidly and accurately. Therefore, this review focuses on the CRISPR-based detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA using Cas12 and Cas13 nucleases integrated with reverse-transcription LAMP (RT-LAMP).
  • 1.3K
  • 22 Sep 2021
Topic Review
Antiviral Drugs Employing Toll-like Receptors in SARS-CoV-2
The innate immune system facilitates defense mechanisms against pathogen invasion and cell damage. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) assist in the activation of the innate immune system by binding to pathogenic ligands. This leads to the generation of intracellular signaling cascades including the biosynthesis of molecular mediators. TLRs on cell membranes are adept at recognizing viral components. Viruses can modulate the innate immune response with the help of proteins and RNAs that downregulate or upregulate the expression of various TLRs. In the case of COVID-19, molecular modulators such as type 1 interferons interfere with signaling pathways in the host cells, leading to an inflammatory response. Coronaviruses are responsible for an enhanced immune signature of inflammatory chemokines and cytokines. TLRs have been employed as therapeutic agents in viral infections as numerous antiviral Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs are TLR agonists. 
  • 1.3K
  • 30 Sep 2022
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