Vaccination with a Replication-Dead Murine Gammaherpesvirus Lacking Viral Pathogenesis Genes Inhibits WT Virus Infection.

Gammaherpesviruses are oncogenic pathogens that establish lifelong infections. There are no FDA-approved vaccines against Epstein-Barr virus or Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus. Murine gammaherpesvirus-68 (MHV68) infection of mice provides a system for investigating gammaherpesvirus pathogenesis and testing vaccine strategies.

A replication-deficient gammaherpesvirus vaccine protects mice from lytic disease and reduces latency establishment.

Gammaherpesviruses are oncogenic viruses that establish lifelong infections and are significant causes of morbidity and mortality. Vaccine strategies to limit gammaherpesvirus infection and disease are in development, but there are no FDA-approved vaccines for Epstein-Barr or Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus. As a new approach to gammaherpesvirus vaccination, we developed and tested a replication-deficient virus (RDV) platform, using murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV68), a well-established mouse model for gammaherpesvirus pathogenesis studies and preclinical therapeutic evaluations.

Protective Effect of Aloe vera (L.) on Diabetes-Induced Oxidative Stress Linked Spermiological Co-Morbidity in Human and Rat: An In-Vitro Analysis.

Diabetes linked reproductive complications are rising problems nowadays. The study focused on the protective efficacy of Aloe vera (L.) on sperm cell damage in an oxidative stress milieu encumbered by a chronic diabetes in human and streptozotocin treated Wistar rat (Rattus norvegicus).

An Elastin-like Polypeptide-fusion peptide targeting capsid-tegument interface as an antiviral against cytomegalovirus infection.

The tegument protein pp150 of Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is known to be essential for the final stages of virus maturation and mediates its functions by interacting with capsid proteins. Our laboratory has previously identified the critical regions in pp150 important for pp150-capsid interactions and designed peptides similar in sequence to these regions, with a goal to competitively inhibit capsid maturation. Treatment with a specific peptide (PepCR2 or P10) targeted to pp150 conserved region 2 led to a significant reduction in murine CMV (MCMV) growth in cell culture, paving the way for in vivo testing in a mouse model of CMV infection.

In Vitro Study on Spermicidal Action of Hydro-methanol Extract of Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Stem in Rat and Human Sperm: a Comparative Analysis.

Human fertility regulation is a major way to control overpopulation. In this perspective, this study emphasized the in vitro effect of hydro-methanol extract of Tinospora cordifolia (TCHME) stem for spermicidal and reproductive hypo-functions using human and rat samples. Control, 0.

Atypical presentations of hydatid cyst in children and their management.

Hydatid cyst (HC) is uncommon in children and usually involves a single organ, the lung being the most common site followed by the liver. A series of 18 children who presented with HC at different organs of the body managed at our institute over a period of 5 years is presented here. The clinico-radiological evaluation was done in all patients followed by pharmacotherapy/surgery and was followed up for 2 years.

Antiapoptotic and antioxidative efficacy of rhizomes of Curcuma amada on the management of diabetes-induced male infertility in albino rat: An effective fraction selection study.

Men with diabetes have negative effects on reproduction that causes sexual dysfunction. Medicinal plants are non-toxic and much safer than synthetic drugs because regular use of synthetic drugs shows long-term side effects. Curcuma amada (Roxb) is a medicinal plant used in Ayurveda and Unani medicinal systems in India.

Safety and Pharmacokinetics of Intranasally Administered Heparin.

Purpose: Intranasally administered unfractionated heparin (UFH) and other sulfated polysaccharides are potential prophylactics for COVID-19. The purpose of this research was to measure the safety and pharmacokinetics of clearance of intranasally administered UFH solution from the nasal cavity.

Methods: Double-blinded daily intranasal dosing in C57Bl6 mice with four doses (60 ng to 60 μg) of UFH was carried out for fourteen consecutive days, with both blood coagulation measurements and subject adverse event monitoring.

Safety and Pharmacokinetics of Intranasally Administered Heparin.

Purpose: Intranasally administered unfractionated heparin (UFH) and other sulfated polysaccharides are potential prophylactics for COVID-19. The purpose of this research was to measure the safety and pharmacokinetics of clearance of intranasally administered UFH solution from the nasal cavity.

Methods: Double-blinded daily intranasal dosing in C57Bl6 mice with four doses (60 ng to 60 μg) of UFH was carried out for fourteen consecutive days, with both blood coagulation measurements and subject adverse event monitoring.

Tegument Protein pp150 Sequence-Specific Peptide Blocks Cytomegalovirus Infection.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) tegument protein pp150 is essential for the completion of the final steps in virion maturation. Earlier studies indicated that three pp150nt (N-terminal one-third of pp150) conformers cluster on each triplex (Tri1, Tri2A and Tri2B), and extend towards small capsid proteins atop nearby major capsid proteins, forming a net-like layer of tegument densities that enmesh and stabilize HCMV capsids. Based on this atomic detail, we designed several peptides targeting pp150nt.

The rapid diagnosis and effective inhibition of coronavirus using spike antibody attached gold nanoparticles.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of the coronavirus disease that began in 2019 (COVID-19), has been responsible for 1.4 million deaths worldwide as of 13 November 2020. Because at the time of writing no vaccine is yet available, a rapid diagnostic assay is very urgently needed.

The degree of polymerization and sulfation patterns in heparan sulfate are critical determinants of cytomegalovirus entry into host cells.

Several enveloped viruses, including herpesviruses attach to host cells by initially interacting with cell surface heparan sulfate (HS) proteoglycans followed by specific coreceptor engagement which culminates in virus-host membrane fusion and virus entry. Interfering with HS-herpesvirus interactions has long been known to result in significant reduction in virus infectivity indicating that HS play important roles in initiating virus entry. In this study, we provide a series of evidence to prove that specific sulfations as well as the degree of polymerization (dp) of HS govern human cytomegalovirus (CMV) binding and infection.

Heparan sulfates from bat and human lung and their binding to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has resulted in a pandemic and continues to spread at an unprecedented rate around the world. Although a vaccine has recently been approved, there are currently few effective therapeutics to fight its associated disease in humans, COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 and the related severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-1), and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) result from zoonotic respiratory viruses that have bats as the primary host and an as yet unknown secondary host.

Aptamer Conjugated Gold Nanostar-Based Distance-Dependent Nanoparticle Surface Energy Transfer Spectroscopy for Ultrasensitive Detection and Inactivation of Corona Virus.

The ongoing outbreak of the coronavirus infection has killed more than 2 million people. Herein, we demonstrate that Rhodamine 6G (Rh-6G) dye conjugated DNA aptamer-attached gold nanostar (GNS)-based distance-dependent nanoparticle surface energy transfer (NSET) spectroscopy has the capability of rapid diagnosis of specific SARS-CoV-2 spike recombinant antigen or SARS-CoV-2 spike protein pseudotyped baculovirus within 10 min. Because Rh-6G-attached single-stand DNA aptamer wrapped the GNS, 99% dye fluorescence was quenched because of the NSET process.

Effective Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Entry by Heparin and Enoxaparin Derivatives.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a pandemic of historic proportions and continues to spread globally, with enormous consequences to human health. Currently there is no vaccine, effective therapeutic, or prophylactic. As with other betacoronaviruses, attachment and entry of SARS-CoV-2 are mediated by the spike glycoprotein (SGP).

Effective screening of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies in patient serum using lentivirus particles pseudotyped with SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein.

Pseuodotyped particles have significant importance and use in virology as tools for studying the biology of highly pathogenic viruses in a lower biosafety environment. The biological, chemical, and serological studies of the recently emerged SARS-CoV-2 will be greatly aided by the development and optimization of a suitable pseudotyping system. Here, we pseudotyped the SARS-CoV-2 Spike glycoprotein (SPG) on a traditional retroviral (MMLV) as well as a third generation lentiviral (pLV) vector and tested the transduction efficiency in several mammalian cell lines expressing SARS-CoV-2 receptor hACE2.

The structure-activity relationship of the interactions of SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoproteins with glucuronomannan and sulfated galactofucan from Saccharina japonica.

The SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoproteins (SGPs) and human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) are the two key targets for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Host cell surface heparan sulfate (HS) is believed to interact with SARS-CoV-2 SGPs to facilitate host cell entry. In the current study, a series of polysaccharides from Saccharina japonica were prepared to investigate the structure-activity relationship on the binding abilities of polysaccharides (oligosaccharides) to pseudotype particles, including SARS-CoV-2 SGPs, and ACE2 using surface plasmon resonance.

Synthesis and biological evaluation of fluoro-substituted spiro-isoxazolines as potential anti-viral and anti-cancer agents.

Electrophilic fluorine-mediated dearomative spirocyclization has been developed to synthesize a range of fluoro-substituted spiro-isoxazoline ethers and lactones. The biological assays of synthesized compounds were probed for anti-viral activity against human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and cytotoxicity against glioblastomas (GBM6) and triple negative breast cancer (MDA MB 231). Interestingly, compounds 4d and 4n showed significant activity against HCMV (IC ∼ 10 μM), while 4l and 5f revealed the highest cytotoxicity with IC = 36 to 80 μM.

Effective Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 Entry by Heparin and Enoxaparin Derivatives.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a pandemic of historic proportions and continues to spread globally, with enormous consequences to human health. Currently there is no vaccine, effective therapeutic or prophylactic. Like other betacoronaviruses, attachment and entry of SARS-CoV-2 is mediated by the spike glycoprotein (SGP).

Antidiabetic and antioxidative efficacy of the constituents present in the fraction solvents of Curcuma amada rhizomes: An experimental study on the diabetic rat model.

All over the world, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus is increasing. The main goal of this experiment was to identify the most effective fraction of aqueous-methanol extract of Curcuma amada rhizome for its antidiabetic and antioxidative properties. The fractions (n-hexane or chloroform or ethyl-acetate or n-butanol) of aqueous-methanol extract were administered to the streptozotocin-induced diabetic groups at a dose of 10 mg/100 g body weight/day for 4 weeks.

Antidiabetic and antioxidative properties of the hydro-methanolic extract (60:40) of rhizomes of Curcuma amada roxb. (Zingiberaceae) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic male albino rat: a dose-dependent study through biochemical and genomic approaches.

Background Curcuma amada is the most popular traditional medicine in India for the treatment of diabetes. The present study aimed to focus the antidiabetic and antioxidative activity of C. amada through the analysis of biochemical and genomic levels in a dose-dependent manner in streptozotocin-induced male adult rat.

Empyema Thoracis in Children: A 5-Year Experience in a Tertiary Care Institute.

Objective: Empyema thoracis (ET) in children is a disease of significant morbidity and mortality. In the event of failure to resolute following intercostal chest tube drainage (ICD), thoracotomy decortication (TDC) remains the treatment of choice. We have reviewed the outcome of management of 96 cases of ET with the intent to establish the scope of ICD as primary form of the management.

Design, Synthesis, and Preliminary Studies of Spiro-isoxazoline-peroxides against Human Cytomegalovirus and Glioblastoma ∥.

The association between glioblastoma (GBM) and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection has been the intensely debated topic over the decades for developing new therapeutic options. In this regard, the peroxides from natural and synthetic sources served as potential antiviral and anticancer agents in the past. Herein, a concise and efficient strategy has been demonstrated to access a novel class of peroxides containing a spiro-isoxazoline to primarily investigate the biological activities.

Dynamin Is Required for Efficient Cytomegalovirus Maturation and Envelopment.

Cytomegalovirus secondary envelopment occurs in a virus-induced cytoplasmic assembly compartment (vAC) generated via a drastic reorganization of the membranes of the secretory and endocytic systems. Dynamin is a eukaryotic GTPase that is implicated in membrane remodeling and endocytic membrane fission events; however, the role of dynamin in cellular trafficking of viruses beyond virus entry is only partially understood. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) engineered to excise all three isoforms of dynamin were infected with mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV-K181).

Incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting following gynecological laparoscopy: A comparison of standard anesthetic technique and propofol infusion.

Objective: To determine the safety, efficacy, and feasibility of propofol-based anesthesia in gynecological laparoscopies in reducing incidences of postoperative nausea and vomiting compared to a standard anesthesia using thiopentone/isoflurane.

Design: Randomized single-blind (for anesthesia techniques used) and double-blind (for postoperative assessment) controlled trial.

Setting: Operation theater, postanesthesia recovery room, teaching hospital.