QBox: An Automated Portable System for Multiplex Quantum Dot Barcode Diagnostics.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the development of automated systems for detecting molecular targets for the point-of-care. However, these systems have limited multiplexing capabilities because of the need to alter their hardware to accommodate additional targets and probes. Quantum dot barcodes address this multiplexing obstacle, but their assays have multiple steps that rely on extensive training and laboratory equipment.

Genotyping SARS-CoV-2 Variants Using Ratiometric Nucleic Acid Barcode Panels.

Designing diagnostic assays to genotype rapidly mutating viruses remains a challenge despite the overall improvements in nucleic acid detection technologies. RT-PCR and next-generation sequencing are unsuitable for genotyping during outbreaks or in point-of-care detection due to their infrastructure requirements and longer turnaround times. We developed a quantum dot barcode multiplexing system to genotype mutated viruses.

The Impact of Patient Characteristics on Diagnostic Test Performance.

Diagnostic tests can detect diseases, monitor responses, and inform treatments. They are vital to the effective management of disease. There have been significant advances in the engineering of new diagnostic technologies.

A Colorimetric Test to Differentiate Patients Infected with Influenza from COVID-19.

Patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and influenza display similar symptoms, but treatment requirements are different. Clinicians need to accurately distinguish SARS-CoV-2 from influenza to provide appropriate treatment. Here, the authors develope a color-based technique to differentiate between patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A using a nucleic acid enzyme-gold nanoparticle (GNP) molecular test requiring minimal equipment.

Diagnosing Antibiotic Resistance Using Nucleic Acid Enzymes and Gold Nanoparticles.

The rapid and accurate detection of antimicrobial resistance is critical to limiting the spread of infections and delivering effective treatments. Here, we developed a rapid, sensitive, and simple colorimetric nanodiagnostic platform to identify disease-causing pathogens and their associated antibiotic resistance genes within 2 h. The platform can detect bacteria from different biological samples (.

Diagnosing COVID-19: The Disease and Tools for Detection.

COVID-19 has spread globally since its discovery in Hubei province, China in December 2019. A combination of computed tomography imaging, whole genome sequencing, and electron microscopy were initially used to screen and identify SARS-CoV-2, the viral etiology of COVID-19. The aim of this review article is to inform the audience of diagnostic and surveillance technologies for SARS-CoV-2 and their performance characteristics.

Granuloma in the explanted lungs: Infectious causes and impact on post-lung transplant mycobacterial infection.

Introduction: The significance of granuloma in explanted lungs of lung transplant recipients (LTR) on the development of post-transplant mycobacterial infection is unclear.

Methods: A retrospective review comparing LTRs and heart-lung transplant (H-LTR) recipients with granuloma in the explanted lungs between 2000 and 2012 (excluding those LTRs with granuloma due to sarcoidosis) and LTRs or H-LTRs without granuloma. Patients were followed for 2 years post-transplant.

Targeting ABL1 or ARG Tyrosine Kinases to Restrict HIV-1 Infection in Primary CD4+ T-Cells or in Humanized NSG Mice.

Background: Previous studies support dasatinib as a potent inhibitor of HIV-1 replication. However, a functional distinction between 2 kinase targets of the drug, ABL1 and ARG, has not been assessed.

Setting: We used primary CD4 T-cells, CD8-depleted peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from a treatment naïve HIV-1 patient, and a humanized mouse model of HIV-1 infection.

Extracellular histones identified in crocodile blood inhibit in-vitro HIV-1 infection.

Objective: It has been reported that crocodile blood contains potent antibacterial and antiviral properties. However, its effects on HIV-1 infection remain unknown.

Design: We obtained blood from saltwater crocodiles to examine whether serum or plasma could inhibit HIV-1 infection.

A Rapid Screening Assay Identifies Monotherapy with Interferon-ß and Combination Therapies with Nucleoside Analogs as Effective Inhibitors of Ebola Virus.

To date there are no approved antiviral drugs for the treatment of Ebola virus disease (EVD). While a number of candidate drugs have shown limited efficacy in vitro and/or in non-human primate studies, differences in experimental methodologies make it difficult to compare their therapeutic effectiveness. Using an in vitro model of Ebola Zaire replication with transcription-competent virus like particles (trVLPs), requiring only level 2 biosafety containment, we compared the activities of the type I interferons (IFNs) IFN-α and IFN-ß, a panel of viral polymerase inhibitors (lamivudine (3TC), zidovudine (AZT) tenofovir (TFV), favipiravir (FPV), the active metabolite of brincidofovir, cidofovir (CDF)), and the estrogen receptor modulator, toremifene (TOR), in inhibiting viral replication in dose-response and time course studies.