The N-terminal fragment of PA subunit of the influenza A virus effectively inhibits ribonucleoprotein (RNP) activity via suppression of its RNP expression.

The influenza RNP, which is formed from PB1, PB2, PA, NP subunits, and vRNA, is autonomously replicated and transcribed in the infected cell. The simplest method to inhibit RNP activity is to impair the formation of the RNP. Thereupon we confirmed whether the peptides/fragments mimicking one of RNP components can interfere with their formation.

The N-terminal fragment of a PB2 subunit from the influenza A virus (A/Hong Kong/156/1997 H5N1) effectively inhibits RNP activity and viral replication.

Background: Influenza A virus has a RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) that is composed of three subunits (PB1, PB2 and PA subunit), which assemble with nucleoproteins (NP) and a viral RNA (vRNA) to form a RNP complex in the host nucleus. Recently, we demonstrated that the combination of influenza ribonucleoprotein (RNP) components is important for both its assembly and activity. Therefore, we questioned whether the inhibition of the RNP combination via an incompatible component in the RNP complex could become a methodology for an anti-influenza drug.

Comparison study of single and concurrent administrations of carbapenem, new quinolone, and macrolide against in vitro nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae mature biofilms.

Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is an opportunistic pathogen and a common cause of otitis media in children, chronic bronchitis, and pneumonia in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Many studies have reported that NTHi is capable of producing biofilms, which may be one of the important factors involved in chronic diseases and accelerating antimicrobial resistance. Unfortunately, there is still no consensus about the elimination of biofilms.

Infection control for a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus outbreak in an advanced emergency medical service center, as monitored by molecular analysis.

A methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) outbreak occurred in an advanced emergency medical service center between 2010 and 2011. Our objective was to evaluate the status of the MRSA outbreak, as monitored by molecular analysis. Twenty-eight MRSA strains were isolated from blood samples from 11 patients, from other specimens (pharynx, nasal cavity, etc.