The role of microRNAs in respiratory viral infection: friend or foe?
We present a comprehensive review of recent findings related to the role of miRNAs in different respiratory viral infections and discuss possible therapeutic opportunities aiming to attenuate the burden of viral infections. Our review supports the emerging concept that cellular and viral‐encoded miRNAs might be broadly implicated in human respiratory viral infections, with either positive or negative effects on virus life cycle. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. (Source: Reviews in Medical Virology)
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - April 30, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Alireza Tahamtan, Christopher S. Inchley, Mona Marzban, Masoumeh Tavakoli‐Yaraki, Majid Teymoori‐Rad, Britt Nakstad, Vahid Salimi Tags: Review Source Type: research
The Wnt pathway: a key network in cell signalling dysregulated by viruses
Summary
Viruses are obligate parasites dependent on host cells for survival. Viral infection of a cell activates a panel of pattern recognition receptors that mediate antiviral host responses to inhibit viral replication and dissemination. Viruses have evolved mechanisms to evade and subvert this antiviral host response, including encoding proteins that hijack, mimic and/or manipulate cellular processes such as the cell cycle, DNA damage repair, cellular metabolism and the host immune response. Currently, there is an increasing interest whether viral modulation of these cellular processes, including the cell cycle, contrib...
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - April 30, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Wendy J. Zuylen, William D. Rawlinson, Caroline E. Ford Tags: Review Source Type: research
HIV1‐viral protein R (Vpr) mutations: associated phenotypes and relevance for clinical pathologies
Summary
Over the last 30 years, research into HIV has advanced the knowledge of virus genetics and the development of efficient therapeutic strategies. HIV‐1 viral protein R (Vpr) is a specialized and multifunctional protein that plays important roles at multiple stages of the HIV‐1 viral life cycle. This protein interacts with a number of cellular and viral proteins and with multiple activities including nuclear transport of the pre‐integration complex (PIC) to the nucleus, transcriptional activation, cell cycle arrest at G2/M transition phase and induction of cell death via apoptosis. Specifically, Vpr has been s...
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - April 30, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Rui Soares, Graça Rocha, António Meliço‐Silvestre, Teresa Gonçalves Tags: Review Source Type: research
Avian influenza virus in pregnancy
Summary
The unprecedented epizootic of avian influenza viruses, such as H5N1, H5N6, H7N1 and H10N8, has continued to cause disease in humans in recent years. In 2013, another novel influenza A (H7N9) virus emerged in China, and 30% of those patients died. Pregnant women are particularly susceptible to avian influenza and are more likely to develop severe complications and to die, especially when infection occurs in the middle and late trimesters. Viremia is believed to occur infrequently, and thus vertical transmission induced by avian influenza appears to be rare. However, avian influenza increases the risk of adverse pre...
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - April 30, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Shelan Liu, Jianping Sha, Zhao Yu, Yan Hu, Ta‐Chien Chan, Xiaoxiao Wang, Hao Pan, Wei Cheng, Shenghua Mao, Run Ju Zhang, Enfu Chen Tags: Review Source Type: research
Enteroviral proteases: structure, host interactions and pathogenicity
Summary
Enteroviruses are common human pathogens, and infections are particularly frequent in children. Severe infections can lead to a variety of diseases, including poliomyelitis, aseptic meningitis, myocarditis and neonatal sepsis. Enterovirus infections have also been implicated in asthmatic exacerbations and type 1 diabetes. The large disease spectrum of the closely related enteroviruses may be partially, but not fully, explained by differences in tissue tropism. The molecular mechanisms by which enteroviruses cause disease are poorly understood, but there is increasing evidence that the two enteroviral proteases, 2Ap...
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - April 30, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Olli H. Laitinen, Emma Svedin, Sebastian Kapell, Anssi Nurminen, Vesa P. Hytönen, Malin Flodström‐Tullberg Tags: Review Source Type: research
The clinical implications of hepatitis B virus genotypes and HBeAg in pediatrics
Summary
Although a successful vaccine against HBV has been implemented in 184 countries, eradication of hepatitis B virus (HBV) is still not on the horizon. There are over 240 million chronic carriers of HBV globally. The risk of developing chronic hepatitis ranges from >90% in newborns of hepatitis Be antigen (HBeAg)‐positive mothers, 25%–35% in children under 5 years of age and <5% in adults. HBeAg, a non‐particulate viral protein, is a marker of HBV replication. This is the only HBV antigen to cross the placenta, leading to specific unresponsiveness of helper T cells to the capsid protein and HBeAg in newb...
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - April 30, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Anna Kramvis Tags: Review Source Type: research
Is sunspot activity a factor in influenza pandemics?
Conclusions: Extremes of sunspot activity to within plus or minus 1 year may precipitate influenza pandemics. Mechanisms of epidemic initiation and early spread are discussed including primary causation by externally derived viral variants (from space via cometary dust). Efforts to construct a comprehensive early warning system for potential influenza and other viral pandemics that include analysis of sunspot activity and stratospheric sampling for viral variants should be supported. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. (Source: Reviews in Medical Virology)
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - April 30, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Jiangwen Qu Tags: Review Source Type: research
Maternal Zika infection: like rubella but worse
(Source: Reviews in Medical Virology)
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - April 28, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Philip P Mortimer Tags: Editorial Source Type: research
Calendar of International Meetings
(Source: Reviews in Medical Virology)
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - April 18, 2016 Category: Virology Tags: Calendar Source Type: research
Issue Information
No abstract is available for this article. (Source: Reviews in Medical Virology)
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - April 18, 2016 Category: Virology Tags: Issue Information Source Type: research
Sindbis virus as a human pathogen —epidemiology, clinical picture and pathogenesis
Summary
Sindbis virus (SINV; family Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus) is an enveloped RNA virus widely distributed in Eurasia, Africa, Oceania and Australia. SINV is transmitted among its natural bird hosts via mosquitoes. Human disease caused by SINV infection has been reported mainly in South Africa and in Northern Europe. Vector mosquito abundance affects the annual incidence of SINV infections with occasional outbreaks of up to 1500 patients. Symptoms include fever, malaise, rash and musculoskeletal pain. In a significant portion of patients the debilitating musculoskeletal symptoms persist for years. Chronic disease afte...
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - March 14, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Samuel Adouchief, Teemu Smura, Jussi Sane, Olli Vapalahti, Satu Kurkela Tags: Review Source Type: research
Calendar of International Meetings
(Source: Reviews in Medical Virology)
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - March 3, 2016 Category: Virology Tags: Calendar Source Type: research
Issue Information
No abstract is available for this article. (Source: Reviews in Medical Virology)
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - March 3, 2016 Category: Virology Tags: Issue Information Source Type: research
Sindbis virus as a human pathogen—epidemiology, clinical picture and pathogenesis
Summary
Sindbis virus (SINV; family Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus) is an enveloped RNA virus widely distributed in Eurasia, Africa, Oceania and Australia. SINV is transmitted among its natural bird hosts via mosquitoes. Human disease caused by SINV infection has been reported mainly in South Africa and in Northern Europe. Vector mosquito abundance affects the annual incidence of SINV infections with occasional outbreaks of up to 1500 patients. Symptoms include fever, malaise, rash and musculoskeletal pain. In a significant portion of patients the debilitating musculoskeletal symptoms persist for years. Chronic disease afte...
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - March 1, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Samuel Adouchief, Teemu Smura, Jussi Sane, Olli Vapalahti, Satu Kurkela Tags: Review Source Type: research
Human cytomegalovirus antiviral drug resistance in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: current state of the art
Summary
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. The significant clinical impact of HCMV infection and progression to HCMV disease among allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients has been reduced by prophylactic, preemptive, and curative treatments using ganciclovir, valganciclovir, foscarnet, and cidofovir. Resistance to (val)ganciclovir results from mutations localized in HCMV UL97 gene (encoding the pUL97 phosphotransferase), UL54 gene (encoding the pUL54 DNA polymerase), or both genes, whereas foscarnet...
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - March 1, 2016 Category: Virology Authors: Ana Bela Campos, Joana Ribeiro, David Boutolleau, Hugo Sousa Tags: Review Source Type: research
