Search results for "VIRUS DISEASE"
showing 10 items of 1907 documents
Impact of Communicative and Informative Strategies on Influenza Vaccination Adherence and Absenteeism from Work of Health Care Professionals Working …
2019
Every year, about 20% of health care workers (HCWs) acquire influenza, continuing to work and encouraging virus spreading. Influenza vaccination coverage rates and absenteeism from work among HCWs of the University Hospital (UH) of Palermo were analyzed before and after the implementation of several initiatives in order to increase HCWs&rsquo
Symptomatic COVID-19 in advanced-cancer patients treated with immune-checkpoint inhibitors. Prospective analysis from a multicentre observational tri…
2020
Background:This prospective, multicentre, observational INVIDIa-2 study is investigating the clinical efficacy of influenza vaccination in advanced-cancer patients receiving immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), enrolled in 82 Italian centres, from October 2019 to January 2020. The primary endpoint was the incidence of influenza-like illness (ILI) until 30 April 2020. All the ILI episodes, laboratory tests, complications, hospitalizations and pneumonitis were recorded. Therefore, the study prospectively recorded all the COVID-19 ILI events.Patients and methods:Patients were included in this non-prespecified COVID-19 analysis, if alive on 31 January 2020, when the Italian government declared …
Evolutionary conserved pathway of the innate immune response after a viral insult in Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin
2019
Despite the apparent simplicity of the body organization of echinoderms, their immune system is competent to perform a complex innate immune response, which is far from being well understood. The echinoderms represent the most advanced invertebrates that form a bridge with the primitive chordates. In fact, they possess numerous receptors and effectors that are used to obtain a fast immune response. After an infection, the humoral and cellular immune response determines a network in which the main protagonists are membrane and endosomal receptors. The recognition of nonself molecules by specific membrane receptors triggers the immune response, stimulating consecutive intracellular events. We…
HCV NS3 sequencing as a reliable and clinically useful tool for the assessment of genotype and resistance mutations for clinical samples with differe…
2016
OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the reliability and clinical utility of NS3 sequencing in hepatitis C virus (HCV) 1-infected patients who were candidates to start a PI-containing regimen. METHODS: NS3 protease sequencing was performed by in-house-developed HCV-1 subtype-specific protocols. Phylogenetic analysis was used to test sequencing reliability and concordance with previous genotype/subtype assignment by commercial genotyping assays. RESULTS: Five hundred and sixty-seven HCV plasma samples with quantifiable HCV-RNA from 326 HCV-infected patients were collected between 2011 and 2014. Overall, the success rate of NS3 sequencing was 88.9%. The success rate between the two subtype…
Novel activities of safe-in-human broad-spectrum antiviral agents
2018
According to the WHO, there is an urgent need for better control of viral diseases. Re-positioning existing safe-in-human antiviral agents from one viral disease to another could play a pivotal role in this process. Here, we reviewed all approved, investigational and experimental antiviral agents, which are safe in man, and identified 59 compounds that target at least three viral diseases. We tested 55 of these compounds against eight different RNA and DNA viruses. We found novel activities for dalbavancin against echovirus 1, ezetimibe against human immunodeficiency virus 1 and Zika virus, as well as azacitidine, cyclosporine, minocycline, oritavancin and ritonavir against Rift valley feve…
Improving efficiency of viability-qPCR for selective detection of infectious HAV in food and water samples.
2017
Aim: To improve the efficacy of intercalating dyes to distinguishing between infectious and inactivated hepatitis A virus (HAV) in food. Methods and Results: Different intercalating dyes were evaluated for the discrimination between infectious and thermally inactivated HAV suspensions combining with the RT‐qPCR proposed in the ISO 15216. Among them, PMAxx was the best dye in removing the RT‐qPCR signal from inactivated HAV. Applied to lettuce and spinach, PMAxx–Triton pretreatment resulted in complete removal of the RT‐qPCR signal from inactivated HAV. Likewise, this study demonstrates that this pretreatment is suitable for the discrimination of inactivated HAV in shellfish without further …
Antiviral Properties of Chemical Inhibitors of Cellular Anti-Apoptotic Bcl-2 Proteins
2017
Viral diseases remain serious threats to public health because of the shortage of effective means of control. To combat the surge of viral diseases, new treatments are urgently needed. Here we show that small-molecules, which inhibit cellular anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins (Bcl-2i), induced the premature death of cells infected with different RNA or DNA viruses, whereas, at the same concentrations, no toxicity was observed in mock-infected cells. Moreover, these compounds limited viral replication and spread. Surprisingly, Bcl-2i also induced the premature apoptosis of cells transfected with viral RNA or plasmid DNA but not of mock-transfected cells. These results suggest that Bcl-2i sensiti…
Beyond malaria: The inhibition of viruses by artemisinin-type compounds
2018
Abstract Natural products represent valuable chemical scaffolds for drug development. A recent success story in this context was artemisinin, which is not only active against malaria but also to other diseases. This raised the interest of artemisinin's potential for drug repurposing. On the present review, we give an overview on artemisinin's antiviral activity. There is good in vitro and in vivo evidence for the activity of artemisinin and its derivatives against DNA viruses of the Herpesviridae and Hepadnaviridae families such as cytomegaloviruses, human herpesvirus 6, herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2, Epstein-Barr virus and Hepatitis B virus. The evidence is weaker for Polyomaviruses and p…
Guidelines Have a Key Role in Driving HCV Elimination by Advocating for Simple HCV Care Pathways.
2021
The availability of pangenotypic direct-acting antivirals for treatment of hepatitis C (HCV) has provided an opportunity to simplify patient pathways. Recent clinical practice guidelines have recognised the need for simplification to ensure that elimination of HCV as a public health concern remains a priority. Despite the move towards simplified treatment algorithms, there remains some complexity in the recommendations for the management of genotype 3 patients with compensated cirrhosis. In an era where additional clinical trial data are not anticipated, clinical guidance should consider experience gained in real-world settings. Although more experience is required for some pangenotypic the…
HIV infection with viro-immunological dissociation in a patient with polycystic kidney disease: Candidate for transplantation?
2016
Highlights • Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease is the most common among inherited cystic kidney diseases. • Patients with HIV infection are at risk of developing acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease. • We provide the first report of HIV infection in a patient with polycystic kidney disease. • Lymphopenia should not contraindicate kidney transplantation in patients with HIV infection.