Search results for "NAV"
showing 10 items of 2523 documents
Phage Therapy in Livestock and Companion Animals
2021
The irrational use of antibiotics has led to a high emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) bacteria. The traditional overuse of antibiotics in the animal feed industry plays a crucial role in the emergence of these pathogens that pose both economic and health problems. In addition, antibiotics have also recently experienced an increase to treat companion animal infections, promoting the emergence of MDR bacteria in pets, which can reach humans. Phages have been proposed as an alternative for antibiotics for the treatment of livestock and companion animal infections due to their multiple advantages as adaptative drugs, such as their ability to evolve, to multiply at the site of infections, …
COVID-19: unravelling the clinical progression of nature’s virtually perfect biological weapon
2020
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has shocked the world and caused morbidity and mortality on an unprecedented level in the era of modern medicine. Evidence generated to-date on the virulence and pathogenicity of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) suggests that COVID-19 may be considered a perfect storm, caused by a nature’s virtually perfect biological weapon. This conclusion is supported by an updated analysis of pathogenesis and clinical progression of this infectious disease. It is now readily apparent that COVID-19 is not a clear-cut disorder, but is instead a gradually evolving pathology, characterized by a series of stages sustained by different m…
The dimer-monomer equilibrium of SARS-CoV-2 main protease is affected by small molecule inhibitors
2021
AbstractThe maturation of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which is the etiological agent at the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, requires a main protease Mpro to cleave the virus-encoded polyproteins. Despite a wealth of experimental information already available, there is wide disagreement about the Mpro monomer-dimer equilibrium dissociation constant. Since the functional unit of Mpro is a homodimer, the detailed knowledge of the thermodynamics of this equilibrium is a key piece of information for possible therapeutic intervention, with small molecules interfering with dimerization being potential broad-spectrum antiviral drug leads. In the present study, we exploit Small Angle X-ray Scattering (…
Human molecular chaperones share with SARS-CoV-2 antigenic epitopes potentially capable of eliciting autoimmunity against endothelial cells: possible…
2020
Severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of COVID-19 disease, has the potential to elicit autoimmunity because mimicry of human molecular chaperones by viral proteins. We compared viral proteins with human molecular chaperones, many of which are heat shock proteins, to determine if they share amino acid-sequence segments with immunogenic-antigenic potential, which can elicit cross-reactive antibodies and effector immune cells with the capacity to damage-destroy human cells by a mechanism of autoimmunity. We identified the chaperones that can putatively participate in molecular mimicry phenomena after SARS-CoV-2 infection, focusing on those for which endotheli…
Back to the oligomeric state: pH-induced dissolution of concanavalin A amyloid-like fibrils into non-native oligomers
2016
The subtle interplay between long range electrostatic forces, hydrophobic interactions and short range protein-protein interactions regulates the onset/evolution of protein aggregation processes as well as the stability of protein supramolecular structures. Using a combination of FTIR spectroscopy, light scattering and advanced imaging, we present evidence on the main role of electrostatic forces in the formation and stability of amyloid-like fibrils formed from concanavalin A (ConA), a protein showing structural homology with the human serum amyloid protein. At high protein concentration, where protein-protein interactions cannot be neglected, we highlight a thermal-induced aggregation pat…
A large-scale screening for the taiga tick, Ixodes persulcatus, and the meadow tick, Dermacentor reticulatus, in southern Scandinavia, 2016
2019
Abstract The taiga tick, Ixodes persulcatus, has previously been limited to eastern Europe and northern Asia, but recently its range has expanded to Finland and northern Sweden. The species is of medical importance, as it, along with a string of other pathogens, may carry the Siberian and Far Eastern subtypes of tick-borne encephalitis virus. These subtypes appear to cause more severe disease, with higher fatality rates than the central European subtype. Until recently, the meadow tick, Dermacentor reticulatus, has been absent from Scandinavia, but has now been detected in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Dermacentor reticulatus carries, along with other pathogens, Babesia canis and Rickettsia r…
Checkpoint inhibitors for gastroesophageal cancers: dissecting heterogeneity to better understand their role in first-line and adjuvant therapy
2020
Gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA) and squamous esophageal cancer (ESCC) are responsible for1 million deaths annually globally. Until now, patients with metastatic GEA and ESCC could anticipate survival of1 year. Anti- programmed cell death protein 1 (anti-PD-1) monotherapy has demonstrated modest efficacy in previously treated GEA and ESCC. In 2020, four pivotal trials have established anti-PD-1 therapy as a new standard of care for selected GEA and ESCC patients as first-line advanced and adjuvant therapy. In this review, we discuss the recent results of the CheckMate 649, ATTRACTION-4, KEYNOTE-590 and CheckMate 577 trials. We consider these results in the context of current standards …
SARS-CoV2 vertical transmission with adverse effects on the newborn revealed through integrated immunohistochemical, electron microscopy and molecula…
2020
Background: The occurrence of trans-placental transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection remains highly debated. Placental positivity for SARS-CoV-2 has been reported in selected cases, but infection or virus-associated disease of fetal tissues or newborns remains to be demonstrated. Methods: We screened for SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein expression placentas from 101 women who delivered between February 7 and May 15 2020, including 15 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, 34 tested negative, and 52 not evaluated as they did not meet testing criteria (32), or delivered before COVID-19 pandemic declaration (20). Immunostain for SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid…
Potential Influence of Helminth Molecules on COVID-19 Pathology
2020
In recent months, the parasitology research community has been tasked with investigation of the influence of parasite coinfection on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes. Herein, we share our approach to analyze the effect of the trematode Fasciola hepatica as a modulator of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and of COVID-19 pathology.
Impact of COVID-19 on global HCV elimination efforts.
2021
Background & Aims COVID-19 has placed significant strain on national healthcare systems at a critical moment in the context of hepatitis elimination. Mathematical models can be used to evaluate the possible impact of programmatic delays on hepatitis disease burden. The objective of this analysis was to evaluate the incremental change in hepatitis C liver-related deaths and liver cancer, following a 3-month, 6-month, or 1-year hiatus in hepatitis elimination program progress. Methods Previously developed models were adapted for 110 countries to include a status quo or “no delay” scenario and a “1-year delay” scenario assuming significant disruption in interventions (screening, diagnosis and …