Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) Substrates Based on Photonic Crystal Embedded Bi-Metallic Nanoparticles for Leptospiral DNA Detection.

Leptospirosis is an acute bacterial febrile disease affecting humans and animals in many tropical and subtropical countries. This work presents an optimization of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates to probe vibrational spectroscopic detail from deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). The pathogenic gene of LipL32 was used as a biomarker.

Diagnostic potential of rhinovirus C using reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP).

Rhinoviruses (RVs), particularly RV-C, frequently cause acute respiratory infections and asthma exacerbations. However, there is a lack of routine detection methods. Thus, this study aims to develop a rapid molecular and differential diagnostic detection method for RV-C using the reverse transcription (RT) loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) approach.

Finding Lead Compounds for Dengue Antivirals from a Collection of Old Drugs through Target Prediction and Subsequent Validation.

Dengue virus (DENV) infection is one of the most widely spread flavivirus infections. Despite the fatality it could cause, no antiviral treatment is currently available to treat the disease. Hence, this study aimed to repurpose old drugs as novel DENV NS3 inhibitors.

A Multi-landscape Assessment of Leptospira Prevalence on a Diversity of Small Mammals.

Leptospirosis is a major zoonotic disease, especially in the tropics, and rodents were known to be carriers of this bacterium. There was established information on Leptospira prevalence among animal reservoirs in human-dominated landscapes from previous literature. However, there was very little focus given comparing the prevalence of Leptospira in a wide range of habitats.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of oseltamivir (Tamiflu) in the treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Efforts are ongoing by researchers globally to develop new drugs or repurpose existing ones for treating COVID-19. Thus, this led to the use of oseltamivir, an antiviral drug used for treating influenza A and B viruses, as a trial drug for COVID-19. However, available evidence from clinical studies has shown conflicting results on the effectiveness of oseltamivir in COVID-19 treatment.

A versatile isothermal amplification assay for the detection of leptospires from various sample types.

Background: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by bacteria of the genus that affects both humans and animals worldwide. Early detection of the pathogen in humans is crucial for early intervention and control of the progression of the disease to a severe state. It is also vitally important to be able to detect the presence of the pathogen in carrier animals to control the spread of the disease from the environment.

Rhinovirus-Induced Cytokine Alterations With Potential Implications in Asthma Exacerbations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Rhinovirus (RV) infections are a major cause of asthma exacerbations. Unlike other respiratory viruses, RV causes minimal cytotoxic effects on airway epithelial cells and cytokines play a critical role in its pathogenesis. However, previous findings on RV-induced cytokine responses were largely inconsistent.

Corrigendum: Stem Cell Therapy in Dengue Virus-Infected BALB/C Mice Improves Hepatic Injury.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.

Effect of Smartphone App's Intervention on Consumers' Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, and Perception of Food Poisoning Prevention When Dining Out at Selected Rural Areas in Terengganu.

(1) Background: Lack of food safety awareness and preventive behaviour when dining out increases the risk of food poisoning. Furthermore, food poisoning cases among rural communities have been rising in recent years. However, the health-related mobile application is a promising tool in improving food poisoning prevention knowledge, attitude, practice, and perception (KAP2) among consumers.

Room-temperature stable loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) reagents to detect leptospiral DNA.

Background: Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is one of the most promising tools for rapidly detecting spp. However, LAMP is hampered by cold storage to maintain the enzymatic activity of DNA polymerase.

Objective: To overcome the drawback of cold storage requirement for LAMP reagents we modified the reagents by adding sucrose as stabilizer.

Stem Cell Therapy in Dengue Virus-Infected BALB/C Mice Improves Hepatic Injury.

Extensive clinical efforts have been made to control the severity of dengue diseases; however, the dengue morbidity and mortality have not declined. Dengue virus (DENV) can infect and cause systemic damage in many organs, resulting in organ failure. Here, we present a novel report showing a tailored stem-cell-based therapy that can aid in viral clearance and rescue liver cells from further damage during dengue infection.

Chimeric Virus-Like Particles of Prawn Nodavirus Displaying Hepatitis B Virus Immunodominant Region: Biophysical Properties and Cytokine Response.

Hepatitis B is a major global health challenge. In the absence of an effective treatment for the disease, hepatitis B vaccines provide protection against the viral infection. However, some individuals do not have positive immune responses after being vaccinated with the hepatitis B vaccines available in the market.

Synthesis, characterization and evaluation of antidengue activity of enantiomeric Schiff bases derived from S-substituted dithiocarbazate.

A series of Schiff bases have been successfully synthesized through the acid-catalyzed condensation of S-substituted dithiocarbazates and three enantiomerically pure monoterpenes, (1 )-(+)-camphor, (1 )-(-)-camphor, (1 )-(-)-camphorquinone, (1 )-(+)-camphorquinone, ( )-(-)-carvone and ( )-(+)-carvone. Spectroscopic results revealed that the Schiff bases containing camphor or carvone likely adopted an -configuration along the characteristic imine bond while those containing camphorquinone assumed a -configuration. The antidengue potential of these compounds was evaluated based on DENV 2 caused cytopathic effect (CPE) reduction-based in vitro evaluation.

Immunological Analysis of the Hepatitis B Virus "a" Determinant Displayed on Chimeric Virus-Like Particles of Nodavirus Capsid Protein Produced in 9 Cells.

Chimeric virus-like particles (VLPs) have been widely exploited for various purposes including their use as vaccine candidates, particularly due to their ability to induce stronger immune responses than VLPs consisting of single viral proteins. In the present study, VLPs of the nodavirus (NV) capsid protein (Nc) displaying the hepatitis B virus "a" determinant (aD) were produced in (9) insect cells. BALB/c mice immunised with the purified chimeric Nc-aD VLPs elicited a sustained titre of anti-aD antibody, which was significantly higher than that elicited by a commercially available hepatitis B vaccine and produced Nc-aD VLPs.

Diagnostic accuracy of genetic markers and nucleic acid techniques for the detection of Leptospira in clinical samples: A meta-analysis.

Background: Leptospirosis is often difficult to diagnose because of its nonspecific symptoms. The drawbacks of direct isolation and serological tests have led to the increased development of nucleic acid-based assays, which are more rapid and accurate. A meta-analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of genetic markers for the detection of Leptospira in clinical samples.

Detection of dengue using PAMAM dendrimer integrated tapered optical fiber sensor.

The exponential escalation of dengue cases has indeed become a global health crisis. This work elaborates on the development of a biofunctionalized tapered optical fiber (TOF) based sensor with the integration of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer for the detection of dengue E protein. The dimension of the TOF generated an evanescent field that was sensitive to any changes in the external medium while the integration of PAMAM promoted more adhesion of bio-recognition molecules; anti-DENV II E protein antibodies; that were complementary to the targeted protein.

Mast cell stabilizing effect of a geranyl acetophenone in dengue virus infection using model of DENV3-induced RBL-2H3 cells.

Mast cells (MCs), a type of immune effector cell, have recently become recognized for their ability to cause vascular leakage during dengue virus (DENV) infection. Although MC stabilizers have been reported to attenuate DENV induced infection in animal studies, there are limited studies on the use of MC stabilizers against DENV induced MC degranulation. 2,4,6-trihydroxy-3-geranyl acetophenone (tHGA) has been reported to be a potential MC stabilizer by inhibiting IgE-mediated MC activation in both cellular and animal models.

Annexin II as a Dengue Virus Serotype 2 Interacting Protein Mediating Virus Interaction on Vero Cells.

Recent evidence has demonstrated that dengue virus requires active filopodia formation for a successful infection. However, the cellular factor involved in the interaction has not been fully elucidated. We used a combination of virus overlay protein binding assay and LC-MS/MS, and identified annexin II as a dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV2) interacting protein on Vero cells, upon filopodia induction.

Comparison of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice among Communities Living in Hotspot and Non-Hotspot Areas of Dengue in Selangor, Malaysia.

Background: Dengue has affected more than one-third of the world population and Malaysia has recorded an increase in the number of dengue cases since 2012. Selangor state recorded the highest number of dengue cases in Malaysia. Most of the dengue infections occur among people living in hotspot areas of dengue.

Annexin A2 extracellular translocation and virus interaction: A potential target for antivirus-drug discovery.

Annexin A2 is a membrane scaffolding and binding protein, which mediated various cellular events. Its functions are generally affected by cellular localization. In the cytoplasm, they interacted with different phospholipid membranes in Ca -dependent manner and play vital roles including actin binding, remodeling and dynamics, cytoskeletal rearrangement, and lipid-raft microdomain formation.

The predictive and diagnostic accuracy of vascular endothelial growth factor and pentraxin-3 in severe dengue.

This study aimed to evaluate vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and pentraxin 3 (PTX-3) as predictive and diagnostic markers in differentiating severe dengue from non-severe dengue. The study was conducted in Ampang Health Clinic, Ampang Hospital and Serdang Hospital. The plasma levels of VEGF and PTX-3 were compared between severe dengue and non-severe dengue by ELISA from the day of presentation until discharged.

Clinical manifestations of dengue in relation to dengue serotype and genotype in Malaysia: A retrospective observational study.

Background: Malaysia experienced an unprecedented dengue outbreak from the year 2014 to 2016 that resulted in an enormous increase in the number of cases and mortality as compared to previous years. The causes that attribute to a dengue outbreak can be multifactorial. Viral factors, such as dengue serotype and genotype, are the components of interest in this study.