9p21.3 risk locus is associated with first-ever myocardial infarction in an Austrian cohort.

Aims: Atherosclerosis often presents as a complex systemic disease that is strongly influenced by lifestyle factors, but also by the genetic background. The sequence variant rs1333049 affects the expression of ANRIL, a noncoding RNA transcript playing a key role in the regulation of inflammatory processes. We thus aimed to replicate the predictive value of genetic information on this variant regarding the development of cardiovascular events in an Austrian high-risk cohort.

Inactivation of Hantaan virus-containing samples for subsequent investigations outside biosafety level 3 facilities.

Objectives: The potential risk of accidental infection by hantaviruses in a clinical or research laboratory necessitates special precautionary measures. A biosafety program must address handling and disposal of infectious materials as well as appropriate virus inactivation or depletion procedures to permit necessary further processing of specimens outside the biosafety level 3 laboratory.

Methods: To study the elimination of hantavirus infectivity, the effects of different chemical and physical inactivation and depletion procedures were investigated on Hantaan virus-containing materials.

Proteasome inhibitors: a novel tool to suppress human cytomegalovirus replication and virus-induced immune modulation.

Recently, we like others, demonstrated that systemic inflammation is the most important mechanism involved in (re)activation of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in both immunocompetent patients. By in vitro studies the eukaryotic transcription factor NF-kappaB could be identified as the key mediator of TNF-alpha- and IE1-dependent stimulation of the HCMV IE1/2 enhancer/promoter activity, which is crucial for initiation of viral gene expression during reactivation from latency as well as productive infection. The enzymatic proteasome complex plays a central role in regulating intracellular processes, including the activation of NF-kappaB.

Human adenovirus and human cytomegalovirus infections in preterm newborns: no association with bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Connatal infection with human adenovirus (HAdV) has been recently proposed as a cofactor for the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants [Couroucli et al. 2000 Pediatr Res 47:225-232]. In another study, BPD was associated with an increased incidence of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection [Sawyer et al.

A chemiluminescence detection method of hantaviral antigens in neutralisation assays and inhibitor studies.

A protocol for chemiluminescence detection of hantaviral antigens in infected cell foci is described. This focus detection is based on the conversion of a substrate into a luminescent product by peroxidase-antibody conjugates; the emitted light of infected cell foci can easily be recorded by autoradiography or video imaging providing a hard copy for documentation. The main advantage of this method as compared to conventional immunochemical staining is a higher detection sensitivity due to the inherent magnification effect of luminescence causing an obvious boost in focal image and intensity.

A novel link between stress and human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection: sympathetic hyperactivity stimulates HCMV activation.

Recently, inflammatory mediators such as TNFalpha were identified as triggering active human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection. Here, we demonstrate that a highly stressful event in the absence of systemic inflammation, as observed in patients with acute myocardial infarction, leads to the development of an active HCMV infection in latently infected patients. Elucidating the molecular mechanism of virus activation, we could show that catecholamines directly stimulate the HCMV immediate-early (IE) enhancer/promoter in monocytic cells via beta-2 adrenergic receptors.

Pentoxifylline promotes replication of human cytomegalovirus in vivo and in vitro.

OKT3 monoclonal antibody (MoAb) therapy is well established in the prevention and therapy of acute rejection in transplant patients. Unfortunately, this therapy is associated with several short-term (cytokine release syndrome) and long-term (infections, EBV-related lymphoma) side effects. Recently, we were able to demonstrate an association between the TNF alpha release following the first OKT3 MoAb infusions and the appearance of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) reactivation several days later.