Acute respiratory virus infections such as SARS and pandemic influenza are highly contagious diseases that cause global crisis, and inflict severe human mortality and morbidity. Vaccines against these viruses are either unavailable or do not provide adequate protection. In the absence of effective vaccines, nucleic acid-based immunomodulators have the potential to offer effective, broad-spectrum protection against these deadly pathogens. Poly ICLC and CpG oligonucleotides are promising gene-based drugs which have been shown in animal studies to protect against acute respiratory virus infections. Poly ICLC is a synthetic double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), and an effective interferon-inducer and natural killer cell activator. When encapsulated in liposomes, poly ICLC offers complete protection (100% survival rate in pretreated group versus 0% survival in control group) against a lethal respiratory challenge of influenza A virus in mice. This antiviral effect has been shown to persist for up to 3 weeks post-drug treatment. Poly ICLC pretreatment also protects mice against a respiratory challenge of western equine encephalitis (WEE) virus, at a level comparable to inactivated WEE vaccine. CpG oligos in liposomes also provided high level of protection against the lethal influenza challenge. Together, these studies suggest nucleic acid-based immunomodulators are promising antiviral agents which can offer effective and non-specific protection against acute respiratory virus infections.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2005.01.037 | DOI Listing |
Am J Respir Crit Care Med
January 2025
Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, 210009, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China;
Australas J Ageing
January 2025
Centre for Population Health, Western Sydney Local Health District, Parramatta, New South Wales, Australia.
Objectives: Acute respiratory illnesses have a disproportionate impact on older people, and especially those living in residential aged care facilities where transmission risks are heightened. Additionally, staff in these facilities have been working under challenging conditions, often ill-equipped in terms of both training and resources to successfully manage the outbreaks of these illnesses. This paper examines the actions of an Australian public health unit to improve influenza outbreak management in residential aged care facilities and critiques the outcomes through a contemporary lens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnal Chem
January 2025
School of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Environmental Functional Materials, Suzhou University of Science and Technology, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215009, China.
Pneumonia is a prevalent acute respiratory infection and a major cause of mortality and hospitalization, and the urgent demand for a rapid, direct, and highly accurate diagnostic method capable of detecting both () and () arises from their prominent roles as the primary pathogens responsible for pneumonia. Herein, two luminescent iridium complexes with nonoverlapping photoluminescence spectra, iridium(III)-bis [4,6-(difluorophenyl)-pyridinato-N,C'] picolinate (abbreviated as Ir-B) and bis (2-(3,5- dimethylphenyl) quinoline-C2,N') (acetylacetonato) iridium(III)) (abbreviated as Ir-R), were unprecedently proposed to construct a novel wavelength-resolved magnetic multiplex biosensor for simultaneous detection of and based on catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) signal amplification strategy combined with dye-doped silica nanoparticles. Notably, the proposed wavelength-resolved multiplex biosensor not only exhibits a broad linear range from 50 pM to 10 nM but also demonstrates excellent recovery rates for (96.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Department of Respiratory Medicine in Zhejiang Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
Objectives: The aim of the study was to explore the alteration of microbiota and SCFA in gut and inflammation in acute exacerbation chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) patients, and to test the hypothesis that a disorder of gut microbiota will lead to the alteration of SCFA, which will aggravate inflammation in AECOPD patients.
Methods And Results: 24 patients with AECOPD and 18 healthy volunteers were included in the study. Gut microbiota were analyzed by 16S rDNA and serum was used to detect levels of inflammatory factors by ELISA.
Allergol Immunopathol (Madr)
January 2025
Department of Pediatrics, University Hospital of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
Anaphylaxis, the most severe end of the spectrum of allergic reactions, has shown increasing incidence globally over recent years. This hypersensitivity reaction can occur at any age, including infancy. Recent data, although scarce, show that anaphylaxis is increasingly reported in infancy, with food identified as the leading cause of anaphylaxis cases in this age group.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!