scholarly journals Throw out the Map: Neuropathogenesis of the Globally Expanding California Serogroup of Orthobunyaviruses

Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 794 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyssa B. Evans ◽  
Karin E. Peterson

The California serogroup (CSG) comprises 18 serologically and genetically related mosquito-borne orthobunyaviruses. Of these viruses, at least seven have been shown to cause neurological disease in humans, including the leading cause of pediatric arboviral encephalitis in the USA, La Crosse virus. Despite the disease burden from these viruses, much is still unknown about the CSG viruses. This review summarizes our current knowledge of the CSG viruses, including human disease and the mechanisms of neuropathogenesis.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 6047
Author(s):  
Mattias F. Lindberg ◽  
Laurent Meijer

Dual-specificity tyrosine phosphorylation-regulated kinases (DYRK1A, 1B, 2-4) and cdc2-like kinases (CLK1-4) belong to the CMGC group of serine/threonine kinases. These protein kinases are involved in multiple cellular functions, including intracellular signaling, mRNA splicing, chromatin transcription, DNA damage repair, cell survival, cell cycle control, differentiation, homocysteine/methionine/folate regulation, body temperature regulation, endocytosis, neuronal development, synaptic plasticity, etc. Abnormal expression and/or activity of some of these kinases, DYRK1A in particular, is seen in many human nervous system diseases, such as cognitive deficits associated with Down syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease and related diseases, tauopathies, dementia, Pick’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, Phelan-McDermid syndrome, autism, and CDKL5 deficiency disorder. DYRKs and CLKs are also involved in diabetes, abnormal folate/methionine metabolism, osteoarthritis, several solid cancers (glioblastoma, breast, and pancreatic cancers) and leukemias (acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute megakaryoblastic leukemia), viral infections (influenza, HIV-1, HCMV, HCV, CMV, HPV), as well as infections caused by unicellular parasites (Leishmania, Trypanosoma, Plasmodium). This variety of pathological implications calls for (1) a better understanding of the regulations and substrates of DYRKs and CLKs and (2) the development of potent and selective inhibitors of these kinases and their evaluation as therapeutic drugs. This article briefly reviews the current knowledge about DYRK/CLK kinases and their implications in human disease.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1435
Author(s):  
Divya Beri ◽  
Manpreet Singh ◽  
Marilis Rodriguez ◽  
Karina Yazdanbakhsh ◽  
Cheryl Ann Lobo

Babesia is an intraerythrocytic, obligate Apicomplexan parasite that has, in the last century, been implicated in human infections via zoonosis and is now widespread, especially in parts of the USA and Europe. It is naturally transmitted by the bite of a tick, but transfused blood from infected donors has also proven to be a major source of transmission. When infected, most humans are clinically asymptomatic, but the parasite can prove to be lethal when it infects immunocompromised individuals. Hemolysis and anemia are two common symptoms that accompany many infectious diseases, and this is particularly true of parasitic diseases that target red cells. Clinically, this becomes an acute problem for subjects who are prone to hemolysis and depend on frequent transfusions, like patients with sickle cell anemia or thalassemia. Little is known about Babesia’s pathogenesis in these hemoglobinopathies, and most parallels are drawn from its evolutionarily related Plasmodium parasite which shares the same environmental niche, the RBCs, in the human host. In vitro as well as in vivo Babesia-infected mouse sickle cell disease (SCD) models support the inhibition of intra-erythrocytic parasite proliferation, but mechanisms driving the protection of such hemoglobinopathies against infection are not fully studied. This review provides an overview of our current knowledge of Babesia infection and hemoglobinopathies, focusing on possible mechanisms behind this parasite resistance and the clinical repercussions faced by Babesia-infected human hosts harboring mutations in their globin gene.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Verónica L. Burstein ◽  
Ignacio Beccacece ◽  
Lorena Guasconi ◽  
Cristian J. Mena ◽  
Laura Cervi ◽  
...  

Dermatophytoses (ringworms) are among the most frequent skin infections and are a highly prevalent cause of human disease worldwide. Despite the incidence of these superficial mycoses in healthy people and the compelling evidence on chronic and deep infections in immunocompromised individuals, the mechanisms controlling dermatophyte invasion in the skin are scarcely known. In the last years, the association between certain primary immunodeficiencies and the susceptibility to severe dermatophytosis as well as the evidence provided by novel experimental models mimicking human disease have significantly contributed to deciphering the basic immunological mechanisms against dermatophytes. In this review, we outline the current knowledge on fungal virulence factors involved in the pathogenesis of dermatophytoses and recent evidence from human infections and experimental models that shed light on the cells and molecules involved in the antifungal cutaneous immune response. The latest highlights emphasize the contribution of C-type lectin receptors signaling and the cellular immune response mediated by IL-17 and IFN-γ in the anti-dermatophytic defense and skin inflammation control.


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1096
Author(s):  
Jessica Gambardella ◽  
Angela Lombardi ◽  
Marco Bruno Morelli ◽  
John Ferrara ◽  
Gaetano Santulli

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (ITPRs) are intracellular calcium release channels located on the endoplasmic reticulum of virtually every cell. Herein, we are reporting an updated systematic summary of the current knowledge on the functional role of ITPRs in human disorders. Specifically, we are describing the involvement of its loss-of-function and gain-of-function mutations in the pathogenesis of neurological, immunological, cardiovascular, and neoplastic human disease. Recent results from genome-wide association studies are also discussed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 370 (1665) ◽  
pp. 20130551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul E. Parham ◽  
Joanna Waldock ◽  
George K. Christophides ◽  
Deborah Hemming ◽  
Folashade Agusto ◽  
...  

Arguably one of the most important effects of climate change is the potential impact on human health. While this is likely to take many forms, the implications for future transmission of vector-borne diseases (VBDs), given their ongoing contribution to global disease burden, are both extremely important and highly uncertain. In part, this is owing not only to data limitations and methodological challenges when integrating climate-driven VBD models and climate change projections, but also, perhaps most crucially, to the multitude of epidemiological, ecological and socio-economic factors that drive VBD transmission, and this complexity has generated considerable debate over the past 10–15 years. In this review, we seek to elucidate current knowledge around this topic, identify key themes and uncertainties, evaluate ongoing challenges and open research questions and, crucially, offer some solutions for the field. Although many of these challenges are ubiquitous across multiple VBDs, more specific issues also arise in different vector–pathogen systems.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony J. Wiggins ◽  
Jourdan M. Cancienne ◽  
Christopher L. Camp ◽  
Ryan M. Degen ◽  
David W. Altchek ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Devon McKenzie ◽  
Michael Gale ◽  
Sunny Patel ◽  
Grazyna Kaluta

Even in the absence of Amebic colitis, Amebic liver abscess (ALA) is the most common extraintestinal complication ofEntamoeba histolyticainfection. In the USA, it is most prevalent in middle aged immigrant males from endemic countries such as Africa, Mexico, and India. One of the complications of ALA is inferior vena cava (IVC) thrombosis, which is believed to result from the mechanical compression of the IVC and the consequent thrombogenic nidus elicited from the resultant inflammatory response. There are very few reported cases and even fewer in which the thrombus became a harbinger to pulmonary thromboembolism. We present the case of a 43-year-old male from West Africa who presented with the chief complaint of right upper quadrant abdominal pain for one week associated with persistent nonproductive cough. He had a positive serumEntamoeba histolyticaantibody with CT scan findings of a hepatic abscess with thrombosis of the hepatic vein and inferior vena cava and numerous bilateral pulmonary emboli. This amebic liver abscess was successfully treated with metronidazole and paromomycin, whereas the pulmonary thromboembolism was managed with medical anticoagulation. Based on current knowledge, this is the first reported case in the USA.


2014 ◽  
Vol 88 (19) ◽  
pp. 11070-11079 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. G. Taylor ◽  
T. A. Woods ◽  
C. W. Winkler ◽  
A. B. Carmody ◽  
K. E. Peterson

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chenjie Yang ◽  
Paul D. Robbins

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease and one of the leading causes of disability in the USA. Although certain biological therapies, including protein and antibodies targeting inflammatory factors such as the tumor necrosis factor, are effective in reducing symptoms of RA, these treatments do not reverse disease. Also, although novel gene therapy approaches have shown promise in preclinical and clinical studies to treat RA, it is still unclear whether gene therapy can be readily and safely applied to treat the large number of RA patients. Recently, nanosized, endocytic-derived membrane vesicles “exosomes” were demonstrated to function in cell-to-cell communication and to possess potent immunoregulatory properties. In particular, immunosuppressive DC-derived exosomes and blood plasma- or serum-derived exosomes have shown potent therapeutic effects in animal models of inflammatory and autoimmune disease including RA. This paper discusses the current knowledge on the production, efficacy, mechanism of action, and potential therapeutic use of immunosuppressive exosomes for arthritis therapy.


Author(s):  
Åshild Kristin Andreassen ◽  
Anne Marie Bakke ◽  
Knut Kelkås Dahl ◽  
Knut Thomas Dalen ◽  
Merethe Aasmo Finne ◽  
...  

Soybean A5547-127 expresses the phosphinothricin - N - acetyltransferase (pat) gene from the soil bacterium Streptomyces viridochromogenes. The encoded PAT protein confers tolerance to the active herbicidal substance glufosinate-ammonium. Bioinformatics analyses of the inserted DNA and flanking sequences in soybean A5547-127 have not indicated a potential production of putative harmful proteins or polypeptides caused by the genetic modification. Genomic stability of the functional insert and consistent expression of the pat gene have been shown over several generations of soybean A5547-127. With the exception of the  intended changes caused by the trans-genetically introduced trait, data from field trials performed in the USA show that soybean A5547-127 is compositionally, morphologically and agronomically equivalent to its conventional counterpart and other commercial soybean varieties. A repeated dose toxicity study with rats and a nutritional assessment trial with broilers have not revealed adverse effects of soybean A5547-127. These studies indicate that soybean A5547-127 is nutritionally equivalent to and as safe as conventional soybean varieties. The PAT protein produced in soybean A5547-127 does not show sequence resemblance to known toxins or IgE-dependent allergens, nor has it been reported to cause IgE-mediated allergic reactions. Soybean is not cultivated in Norway, and there are no crosscompatible wild or weedy relatives of soybean in Europe.    Based on current knowledge the VKM GMO Panel concludes that with the intended usage, there are no discernible safety concerns associated with soybean A5547-127 regarding human or animal health or to the environment in Norway. 


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