Molecular Evolution of GII.P31/GII.4_Sydney_2012 Norovirus over a Decade in a Clinic in Japan.

Norovirus (NoV) genogroup II, polymerase type P31, capsid genotype 4, Sydney_2012 variant (GII.P31/GII.4_Sydney_2012) has been circulating at high levels for over a decade, raising the question of whether this strain is undergoing molecular alterations without demonstrating a substantial phylogenetic difference.

Adenosine triphosphate induces amorphous aggregation of amyloid β by increasing Aβ dynamics.

Amyloid β (Aβ) aggregates into two distinct fibril and amorphous forms in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is a biological hydrotrope that causes Aβ to form amorphous aggregates and inhibit fibril formation at physiological concentrations. Based on diffracted X-ray blinking (DXB) analysis, the dynamics of Aβ significantly increased immediately after ATP was added compared to those in the absence and presence of ADP and AMP, and the effect diminished after 30 min as the aggregates formed.

Evaluation of a novel triplex immunochromatographic test for rapid simultaneous detection of norovirus, rotavirus, and adenovirus on a single strip test.

Background: Acute gastroenteritis is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in young children worldwide. Among these, rotavirus, norovirus, and adenovirus have been reported as the primary viral pathogens associated with the disease. Rapid diagnosis of viral pathogens is crucial when diarrhea outbreaks occur to ensure the timely administration of appropriate treatment and control measures.

Sapovirus infections in Japan before and after the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic: An alarming update.

An increasing trend of sapovirus (SaV) infections in Japanese children during 2009-2019, particularly after the introduction of the voluntary rotavirus (RV)-vaccination program has been observed. Herein, we investigated the epidemiological situation of SaV infections from 2019 to 2022 when people adopted a precautionary lifestyle due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and RV vaccines had been implemented as routine vaccines. Stool samples were collected from children who attended outpatient clinics with acute gastroenteritis and analyzed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction to determine viral etiology.

Roles of TGF-β1 in Viral Infection during Pregnancy: Research Update and Perspectives.

Transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) is a pleiotropic growth factor playing various roles in the human body including cell growth and development. More functions of TGF-β1 have been discovered, especially its roles in viral infection. TGF-β1 is abundant at the maternal-fetal interface during pregnancy and plays an important function in immune tolerance, an essential key factor for pregnancy success.

TGF-β1 Promotes Zika Virus Infection in Immortalized Human First-Trimester Trophoblasts via the Smad Pathway.

The Zika virus (ZIKV) is well known for causing congenital Zika syndrome if the infection occurs during pregnancy; however, the mechanism by which the virus infects and crosses the placenta barrier has not been completely understood. In pregnancy, TGF-β1 is abundant at the maternal-fetal interface. TGF-β1 has been reported to enhance rubella virus binding and infection in human lung epithelial cells.

Low Susceptibility of Rubella Virus in First-Trimester Trophoblast Cell Lines.

We recently published an article about myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-independent rubella infection of keratinocytes in vitro, in which first-trimester trophoblast cells were shown as rubella virus (RuV)-resistant. Given an incident rate as high as 90% of congenital rubella syndrome in the first eight weeks of pregnancy, the RuV infection of first-trimester trophoblasts is considered key to opening the gate to transplacental transmission mechanisms. Therefore, with this study, we aimed to verify the susceptibility/resistance of first-trimester trophoblast cell lines, HTR-8/SVneo and Swan.

The Detection of Rotavirus Antigenemia by Immunochromatographic Kits: a Case Series.

Background: Acute gastroenteritis is the most common cause of illness and death in infants and young children worldwide. Rotaviruses (RVs) are the major viruses that cause acute gastroenteritis in young children, especially in developing countries in Asia and Africa.

Methods: The presence of rotavirus antigens in sera of four unvaccinated pediatric patients, aged between 4 and 6 years with severe diarrhea and dehydration, were detected by using three immunochromatographic (IC) kits.

Role of rotavirus vaccination on G9P[8] rotavirus strain during a seasonal outbreak in Japan.

Although two live oral rotavirus (RV) vaccines, Rotarix and RotaTeq, play a critical role toward reducing disease severity, hospitalization, and death rate in RV infections, regular monitoring of vaccine effectiveness (VE) is yet necessary because the segmented genome structure and reassortment capability of RVs pose considerable threats toward waning VE. In this study, we examined the VE by a test-negative study design against G9P[8]I2 strain during a seasonal outbreak in February-May, 2018, in an outpatient clinic in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It remains important because G9P[8]I2 strain remains partially heterotypic to these vaccines and predominating in post-vaccination era.

The Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition-Like Process Induced by TGF-β1 Enhances Rubella Virus Binding and Infection in A549 Cells via the Smad Pathway.

Virus-host cell interactions in rubella virus (RuV) are of great interest in current research in the field, as their mechanism is not yet well understood. By hypothesizing that the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) may play a role in RuV infection, this study aimed to investigate the influence of TGF-β1-induced EMT of human lung epithelial A549 cells on the infectivity of RuV. A549 cells were cultured and treated with TGF-β1 for 1 to 2 days prior to virus infection (with a clinical strain).

Diversity of human sapovirus genotypes detected in Japanese pediatric patients with acute gastroenteritis, 2014-2017.

Sapovirus (SaV) is one of the pathogens related to acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in adults and children worldwide. This study reported the diversity of SaV genotypes in children with AGE in Japan from July 2014 to June 2017. Of a total of 2259 stool samples tested by using reverse transcription-PCR method and further analyzed by nucleotide sequencing, 114 (5.

Severe rotavirus gastroenteritis in children older than 5 years after vaccine introduction.

Introduction: Rotavirus (RV) is the major pathogen responsible for acute gastroenteritis in infants. Since RV vaccines were introduced, a substantial decline in the incidence of severe RV infection has been reported. However, some burden still exists, even in developed countries, including Japan.

Genomic analysis of group A rotavirus G12P[8] including a new Japanese strain revealed evidence for intergenotypic recombination in VP7 and VP4 genes.

Group A rotavirus is a leading cause of severe acute gastroenteritis worldwide. In this study, the first complete coding sequences of 11 RNA segments of human group A rotavirus G12P[8] in Japan were determined by an unbiased viral metagenomics. Its genomic constellation (VP7-VP4-VP6-VP1-VP2-VP3-NSP1-NSP2-NSP3-NSP4-NSP5 genes) was identified as G12-P[8]-I1-R1-C1-M1-A1-N1-T1-E1-H1.

Unique and overlapping effects of triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) on sensory innervation of the chick cornea.

Multiple aspects of cornea development, including the innervation of the cornea by trigeminal axons, are sensitive to embryonic levels of thyroid hormone (TH). Although previous work showed that increased TH levels could enhance the rate of axonal extension within the cornea in a thyroxine (T4)-dependent manner, details underlying the stimulatory effect of TH on cornea innervation are unclear. Here, by examining the effects throughout all stages of cornea innervation of the two main THs, triiodothyronine (T3) and T4, we provide a more complete characterization of the stimulatory effects of TH on corneal nerves and begin to unravel the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Diversity of human parechovirus in infants and children with acute gastroenteritis in Japan during 2014-2016.

A total of 972 stool samples were collected from infants and children with acute gastroenteritis (AGE) in pediatric clinics encompassing six localities (Hokkaido, Tokyo, Shizuoka, Kyoto, Osaka, and Saga) in Japan during the 2-year period from July 2014 to June 2016. Sixty six of the samples (6.8%) were found to be positive for human parechovirus (HPeV) by multiplex reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and subjected to genotyping based on viral protein 1 (VP1) sequences.