Is There a Relationship between COVID-19 and Hyponatremia?

Nowadays, humanity faces one of the most serious health crises, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. The severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is related to the high rate of interhuman transmission of the virus, variability of clinical presentation, and the absence of specific therapeutic methods. COVID-19 can manifest with non-specific symptoms and signs, especially among the elderly. In some cases, the clinical manifestations of hyponatremia may be the first to appear. The pathophysiological mechanisms of hyponatremia among patients with COVID-19 are diverse, including syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH), digestive loss of sodium ions, reduced sodium ion intake or use of diuretic therapy. Hyponatremia may also be considered a negative prognostic factor in patients diagnosed with COVID-19. We need further studies to evaluate the etiology and therapeutic management of hyponatremia in patients with COVID-19.

Role of the host genetic variability in the influenza A virus susceptibility.

The aftermath of influenza infection is determined by a complex set of host-pathogen interactions, where genomic variability on both viral and host sides influences the final outcome. Although there exists large body of literature describing influenza virus variability, only a very small fraction covers the issue of host variance. The goal of this review is to explore the variability of host genes responsible for host-pathogen interactions, paying particular attention to genes responsible for the presence of sialylated glycans in the host endothelial membrane, mucus, genes used by viral immune escape mechanisms, and genes particularly expressed after vaccination, since they are more likely to have a direct influence on the infection outcome.

Plum pox virus strains: Diversity and geographical distribution in Serbia

Plum pox virus (PPV) is the causal agent of Sharka disease. Since its discovery, Sharka has been considered as a calamity in plum orchards. PPV is present worldwide in many Prunus species, causing great economic losses. In highly susceptible plum varieties, such as Pozegaca, PPV causes a premature fruit drop and reduces fruit quality, which leads to total yield loss. Eight PPV strains (PPV-M, PPV-D, PPV-EA, PPV-C, PPV-Rec, PPV-W, PPV-T and PPVCR) have been recognized so far. Three major strains (PPV-M, PPV-D and PPV-Rec) are the most widely dispersed and occur frequently in many European countries. Other strains are of minor importance due to their limited host preferences or geographic distribution. So far, all three major strains have been identified in Serbia. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive overview of the research into Plum pox virus variability in Serbia.

Deep Sequencing of Recombinant Virus Populations in Transgenic and Nontransgenic Plants Infected with Cucumber mosaic virus

Recombination is a major source of virus variability, and the question of whether novel recombinant viruses would emerge in transgenic plants expressing viral sequences has been a biosafety issue. We describe the results of pyrosequencing the recombinant viral RNAs appearing in transgenic plants expressing the coat protein (CP) gene and 3′ noncoding region of Cucumber mosaic virus RNA3, as well as in nontransgenic controls. The populations of recombinants in both transgenic and nontransgenic plants were similar to those previously described from Sanger sequencing but many more recombinant types were observed, including a novel class of large deletions removing all or nearly the entire CP gene. These results show that populations of recombinant viral genomes arising de novo can be characterized in detail by pyrosequencing, and confirm that the transgenic plants did not harbor novel recombinants of biosafety concern.