The alphabet soup describing licensed influenza vaccines
(Source: Reviews in Medical Virology)
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - November 1, 2013 Category: Virology Authors: PD Griffiths Tags: Editorial Source Type: research
Correlations between climate factors and incidence—a contributor to RSV seasonality
SUMMARY
Respiratory syncytial virus is the most common respiratory virus infection in early childhood, causing a wide range of illness from mild colds to life‐threatening croup, bronchiolitis and pneumonia that may require intensive care. Exactly which parameters contribute to the seasonality of RSV (and other respiratory viruses, such as influenza) and their comparative significance are the subject of ongoing intensive debate. This review article summarises the specific contributions and correlations between the incidence of RSV and various climate parameters. This systematic review of the literature specifically focuse...
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - November 1, 2013 Category: Virology Authors: Julian W. Tang, Tze Ping Loh Tags: Review Source Type: research
The lungs as anatomical reservoirs of HIV infection
SUMMARY
Failure of antiretroviral therapy to eradicate HIV, even in individuals who suppress the virus to undetectable levels, is a consequence of persistent infection in latently infected cells and within anatomical reservoirs. Support for the notion that the lungs are distinct anatomical reservoirs of HIV comes from a spectrum of studies that have documented different levels of HIV within the lungs compared with the peripheral blood. Different HIV variants have also been found within these two compartments, including variants with distinct antiretroviral resistance mutations. Given that macrophages are long‐lived cellu...
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - September 1, 2013 Category: Virology Authors: Cecilia T. Costiniuk, Mohammad‐Ali Jenabian Tags: Review Source Type: research
The labyrinth of interactions of Epstein–Barr virus‐encoded small RNAs
SUMMARY
Epstein–Barr Virus (EBV) is an oncogenic herpesvirus implicated in the pathogenesis of a number of human malignancies. However, the mechanism by which EBV leads to malignant transformation is not clear. A number of viral latent gene products, including non‐protein coding small RNAs, are believed to be involved. Epstein–Barr virus‐encoded RNA 1 (EBER1) and EBER2 are two such RNA molecules that are abundantly expressed (up to 107 copies) in all EBV‐infected cells, but their function remains poorly understood. These polymerase III transcripts have extensive secondary structure and exist as ribonucleoproteins...
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - September 1, 2013 Category: Virology Authors: Waqar Ahmed, Gulfaraz Khan Tags: Review Source Type: research
Adeno‐associated virus (AAV) vectors in gene therapy: immune challenges and strategies to circumvent them
SUMMARY
AAV‐based gene transfer protocols have shown remarkable success when directed to immune‐privileged sites such as for retinal disorders like Lebers congenital amaurosis. In contrast, AAV‐mediated gene transfer into liver or muscle tissue for diseases such as hemophilia B, α1 anti‐trypsin deficiency and muscular dystrophy has demonstrated a decline in gene transfer efficacy over time. It is now known that in humans, AAV triggers specific pathways that recruit immune sensors. These factors initiate an immediate reaction against either the viral capsid or the vector encoded protein as part of innate immune res...
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - September 1, 2013 Category: Virology Authors: Sangeetha Hareendran, Balaji Balakrishnan, Dwaipayan Sen, Sanjay Kumar, Alok Srivastava, Giridhara R. Jayandharan Tags: Review Source Type: research
BamHI‐A rightward frame 1, an Epstein–Barr virus‐encoded oncogene and immune modulator
SUMMARY
Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) causes several benign and malignant disorders of lymphoid and epithelial origin. EBV‐related tumors display distinct patterns of viral latent gene expression, of which the BamHI‐A rightward frame 1 (BARF1) is selectively expressed in carcinomas, regulated by cellular differentiation factors including ΔNp63α. BARF1 functions as a viral oncogene, immortalizing and transforming epithelial cells of different origin by acting as a mitogenic growth factor, inducing cyclin‐D expression, and up‐regulating antiapoptotic Bcl‐2, stimulating host cell growth and survival. In addition, sec...
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - September 1, 2013 Category: Virology Authors: Eveline K. Hoebe, Tessa Y. S. Le Large, Astrid E. Greijer, Jaap M. Middeldorp Tags: Review Source Type: research
Hepatitis E: current status
SUMMARY
Acute hepatitis E is a very common disease in developing countries, to the point that, according to World Health Organization estimates, one third of the world's population has been exposed to HEV. It also causes outbreaks in refugee camps or after natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes. Sporadic cases of acute hepatitis have been observed in practically all European countries and other developed geographical areas, not only in travelers from endemic countries but also in people with no risk factors. But, lately, new aspects of this infection are appearing in industrialized countries such as the possibilit...
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - August 28, 2013 Category: Virology Authors: María Teresa Pérez‐Gracia, María Luísa Mateos Lindemann, María Caridad Montalvo Villalba Tags: Review Source Type: research
Unmasking the information encoded as structural motifs of viral RNA genomes: a potential antiviral target
SUMMARY
RNA viruses show enormous capacity to evolve and adapt to new cellular and molecular contexts, a consequence of mutations arising from errors made by viral RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase during replication. Sequence variation must occur, however, without compromising functions essential for the completion of the viral cycle. RNA viruses are safeguarded in this respect by their genome carrying conserved information that does not code only for proteins but also for the formation of structurally conserved RNA domains that directly perform these critical functions. Functional RNA domains can interact with other regions...
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - August 27, 2013 Category: Virology Authors: Cristina Romero‐López, Alfredo Berzal‐Herranz Tags: Review Source Type: research
Noroviruses and histo‐blood groups: the impact of common host genetic polymorphisms on virus transmission and evolution
SUMMARY
Noroviruses (NoVs) are recognized as a leading cause of human gastroenteritis worldwide. Infection occurs following the ingestion of contaminated food or, most often, through direct contact from person to person. However, not all individuals are equally sensitive to these viruses. Indeed, NoVs use glycans of the ABH and Lewis histo‐blood group antigen family (HBGAs) as attachment factors. At the epithelial level, the synthesis of these HBGAs requires the action of several glycosyltransferases that are encoded by the ABO, FUT2, and FUT3 genes. The combined polymorphism at these three loci dictates sensitivity to N...
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - August 21, 2013 Category: Virology Authors: Nathalie Ruvoën‐Clouet, Gaël Belliot, Jacques Le Pendu Tags: Review Source Type: research
Calendar of International Meetings
(Source: Reviews in Medical Virology)
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - August 20, 2013 Category: Virology Tags: Calendar Source Type: research
Orphan viruses, orphan diseases: still the raw material for virus discovery
(Source: Reviews in Medical Virology)
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - August 20, 2013 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 - July 2, 2013 Category: Virology Tags: Calendar Source Type: research
Surviving another influenza threat
(Source: Reviews in Medical Virology)
Source: Reviews in Medical Virology - July 1, 2013 Category: Virology Authors: Paul Griffiths Tags: Editorial Source Type: research
