Background: A pregnant 25-year-old woman at 32 weeks' gestation was admitted to an emergency unit after her husband had found her drowsy and with her tongue bitten. The day before admission, the patient had developed a fever of 39 degrees C, was suffering from headaches, was nauseated and had vomited. On admission, she had anterograde and retrograde amnesia, but no somatic neurological deficits were detected.
Investigations: Routine laboratory testing, lumbar puncture, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, routine bacteriology, brain MRI, and polymerase chain reaction testing for neurotropic viruses including herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2.
Diagnosis: Maternal herpes simplex virus type 1 encephalitis.
Management: Antiviral and anticonvulsive therapy, supportive treatment, and cesarean section.
The development of effective antivirals is of great importance due to the threat associated with the rapid spread of viral infections. The accumulation of data in scientific publications and in databases of biologically active compounds provides an opportunity to extract specific information about interactions between chemicals and their viral and host targets. This information can be used for elucidation of knowledge about potential antiviral activity of chemical compounds, their side effects and toxicities.
Placental trophoblasts constitute the interface between the fetal and maternal environments and physically prevent maternal-fetal viral transmission. However, congenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection in the early stages of pregnancy results in severe symptoms in the fetus. HCMV is the most common causative agent of intrauterine infection.
Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49 box 1043, Leuven 3000, Belgium.
The widespread use of antivirals in immunocompromised individuals has led to frequent occurrences of drug-resistant herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infections. Current antivirals target the viral DNA polymerase (DP), resulting in cross-resistance patterns that emphasize the need for novel treatment strategies. In this study, we assessed whether combining antivirals with different targets affects drug resistance emergence by passaging wild-type HSV-1 under increasing concentrations of acyclovir (ACV), foscarnet (phosphonoformic acid, PFA), or the helicase-primase inhibitor pritelivir (PTV), individually or in combination (ACV + PTV or PFA + PTV).
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common head and neck malignant tumour with high incidence and poor prognosis. Arsenic trioxide (ATO) has therapeutic effects on solid tumours. Microwave ablation (MWA) has unique advantages in the treatment of solid tumours.
Objectives: Present a clinically challenging case of an immunocompetent 74-year-old male who presented with marked dyspnea and hemoptysis. After the airway was secured, direct laryngoscopy revealed a large, fungating, hemorrhagic mass of the left lateral pharyngeal wall and surrounding structures.
