Recent journal publications

Authors: Daphna Nachmani, Dikla Lankry, Dana G Wolf & Ofer Mandelboim (Source: Nature Immunology)

Authors: Asakura M, Ikegame K, Yoshihara S, Taniguchi S, Mori T, Etoh T, Takami A, Yoshida T, Fukuda T, Hatanaka K, Kanamori H, Yujiri T, Atsuta Y, Sakamaki H, Suzuki R, Ogawa H Foscarnet is an active agent against cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), as well as ganciclovir. We investigated the usefulness of foscarnet in patients who underwent related allogeneic HSCT. Foscarnet was used in 320 patients with a median age of 45 years (range 15-72). The purpose of administration was CMV disease in 65, preemptive use in 248 and prophylaxis in 7. Totally, 194 patients had a history of prior ganciclovir treatment. The reason for foscarnet use was insufficient therapeutic effect of prior ganciclovir in 99, and adverse event including myelosuppr...

Conclusion Pretransplantation variables delineate subgroups with different outcomes. HSCT during relapse can achieve long-term survival in selected patients with acute leukemia. (Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology)

Kids who get chickenpox may be less likely to develop atopic dermatitis and asthma when they're older than their peers who don't get chickenpox - including those that are vaccinated against it, suggests a new study. Reuters Health Information (Source: Medscape Medical News Headlines)

Can warts on the hand lead to genital herpes? Dr. Peter Leone responds to reader questions about herpes. (Source: NYT Health)

Authors: N'guyen Y, Zein SO, Petitpas D, Chillet P, Berger P, Jaussaud R PMID: 20692801 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Presse Medicale)

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Authors: Kanai K, Takashima K, Okuno K, Kato K, Sano H, Kuwamoto S, Higaki H, Nagata K, Sugihara H, Kato M, Murakami I, Hayashi K Most humans become lifelong carriers of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) by adulthood. Primary EBV infection in adolescents causes in one to two-third of cases infectious mononucleosis. EBV infection is associated with various diseases, neoplasms and hematological disorders. Recently we reported that EBV can infect rabbits frequently by intravenous, intranasal or/and peroral inoculation, which caused primary EBV infection in rabbits with heterogeneous host reactions. Here we presented follow up data that of six primary EBV-infected rabbits out of seven inoculated intravenously with EBV, two out of six EBV-infected rabbits showed lifetime EBV infection. (1) EBV-DNA w...

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Authors: Slinger E, Maussang D, Schreiber A, Siderius M, Rahbar A, Fraile-Ramos A, Lira SA, Söderberg-Nauclér C, Smit MJ US28 is a viral G protein (heterotrimeric guanosine triphosphate-binding protein)-coupled receptor encoded by the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV). In addition to binding and internalizing chemokines, US28 constitutively activates signaling pathways linked to cell proliferation. Here, we show increased concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in supernatants of US28-expressing NIH 3T3 cells. Increased IL-6 was associated with increased activation of the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) through upstream activation of the Janus-activated kinase JAK1. We used conditioned growth medium, IL-6-neutralizing an...

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Kids who get chickenpox may be less likely to develop atopic dermatitis and asthma when they're older than their peers who don't get chickenpox - including those that are vaccinated against it, suggests a new study. (Source: Reuters: Health)

Kids who get chickenpox may be less likely to develop atopic dermatitis and asthma when they're older than their peers who don't get chickenpox - including those that are vaccinated against it, suggests a new study.Source: Reuters Health Related MedlinePlus Pages: Asthma in Children, Chickenpox, Eczema (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)

Authors: Görzer I, Guelly C, Trajanoski S, Puchhammer-Stöckl E Ultra-deep pyrosequencing (UDPS) of targeted amplicons allows to determine a large number of individual sequence reads from a single PCR product, and this approach is thus extremely valuable for analysis of mixed viral populations. A mixture of genetically distinct DNA templates, however, may lead to the generation of recombinant sequences during the initial PCR amplification step. In the present study, the frequency at which these misleading PCR artefacts are formed has been estimated by using artificial mixtures of genetically distinct human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) DNA templates for a given cycling profile. The presence of similar copy numbers of non-identical HCMV target sequences, combined with high levels of input...

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in clinical material cannot replicate efficiently in vitro until it has adapted by mutation. Consequently, wild-type HCMV differ fundamentally from the passaged strains used for research. To generate a genetically intact source of HCMV, we cloned strain Merlin into a self-excising BAC. The Merlin BAC clone had mutations in the RL13 gene and UL128 locus that were acquired during limited replication in vitro prior to cloning. The complete wild-type HCMV gene complement was reconstructed by reference to the original clinical sample. Characterization of viruses generated from repaired BACs revealed that RL13 efficiently repressed HCMV replication in multiple cell types; moreover, RL13 mutants rapidly and reproducibly emerged in transfectants. Virus also acquired mu...

Respiratory infections are one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. As we enter the twenty-first century, several landmark events are unfolding in the area of respiratory infections. Some of these, by assuming the form of formidable disasters, have abruptly claimed lives and led to economic loss. Examples include severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and bird and swine influenza. Viral and bacterial resistance to currently available antimicrobial drugs is thwarting efforts in the management of influenza and pulmonary sepsis. Newer and emerging viral lung infections are seen more frequently in clinical practice, including post-transplant viral infections other than cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus. The frequency and diversity of serious fungal infections ...

Conclusion: High recipient age, BMI > 30, hyper trigelyceridaemia, previous transplantation, CMV infection and DGF are shown to be risk factors for TRAS. (Source: Journal of Renal Care)

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The clinical importance of early diagnosis of congenital neonatal infections and initiation of early therapy was recognized more than half a century ago. As a result, a serology screening panel was established for Toxoplasma gondii, rubella virus, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex virus ("TORCH") that is still widely used in many institutions. Although it no longer is possible to diagnose all recognized congenital infections with one panel, the original TORCH diseases continue to be of clinical importance, and advances in medicine and new findings in epidemiology, preventive medicine, developmental biology, and immunology have brought optimistic changes and intriguing insights to the field. We summarize information from recent studies to provide updates about the diagnostic and therapeut...

Naturally occurring heterophilic antibodies such as those that occur in infectious mononucleosis are known to cause interference in assays in the chemistry laboratory. (Source: NewsPath - Pathology News for the Medical Community)

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Naturally occurring heterophilic antibodies such as those that occur in infectious mononucleosis are known to cause interference in assays in the chemistry laboratory. (Source: NewsPath - Pathology News for the Medical Community)

(Journal of Clinical Investigation) This release contains summaries, links to PDFs, and contact information for the following newsworthy papers to be published online, August 2, 2010, in the JCI: "Boosting the efficacy of anticancer vaccines"; "Genetic mutations determine breast cancer subtype"; "Keeping blood pressure down with the TRPM4 protein"; "New way to control TB?"; "The real deal: genetically intact human cytomegalovirus can now be studied"; and others. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)

Authors: Moss P Cytomegalovirus infection is very common and leads to the generation of a very strong humoral and cellular immune response that is maintained for life and appears necessary to control viral replication. This leads to marked alterations in the composition of the immune cell repertoire and epidemiological evidence shows that this can be associated with increased levels of morbidity and mortality in the elderly. The immune response appears to be triggered by frequent episodes of subclinical viral reactivation and the predominant effect is of the accumulation of large numbers of cytotoxic cells. These observations suggest that mechanisms that could serve to control the expansion of this immune response could have significant potential in improving the health of elderly dono...

Desensitization protocols reduce donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies (DSA) and enable renal transplantation in patients with a positive complement-dependent cytotoxic cross-match (CDC-CXM). The effect of this treatment on protective antibody and immunoglobulin levels is unknown. Thirteen patients with end-stage renal disease, DSA and positive CDC-CXM underwent desensitization. Sera collected pre- and post-transplantation were analysed for anti-tetanus and anti-pneumococcal antibodies, total immunoglobulin (Ig) levels and IgG subclasses and were compared to healthy controls and contemporaneous renal transplant recipients treated with standard immunosuppression alone. Ten patients developed negative CDC-CXM and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and underwent successful transplantation...