Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 529: Quantitative Measurement of Serum HBcrAg Can Be Used to Assess the Feasibility of Safe Discontinuation of Antiviral Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis B
Chen Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a serious global health problem, and chronic HBV infection significantly increases the risk of liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and even hepatocellular carcinoma in patients. Current first-line therapeutics such as nucleos(t)ide analogues and interferons are unable to completely clear cccDNA, so the vast majority of patients need to take long-term or even lifelong medication. However, long-term virological and biochemical responses can be achieved in some patients after drug withdrawal. Successfully screening these patients with drug withdrawal advantages is difficult. Hepatitis-B-c...
Source: Viruses - March 29, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Yong-Hong Wang Hong Tang En-Qiang Chen Tags: Review Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 528: The Post-Transcriptional Regulatory Element of Hepatitis B Virus: From Discovery to Therapy
Liang The post-transcriptional regulatory element (PRE) is present in all HBV mRNAs and plays a major role in their stability, nuclear export, and enhancement of viral gene expression. Understanding PRE’s structure, function, and mode of action is essential to leverage its potential as a therapeutic target. A wide range of PRE-based reagents and tools have been developed and assessed in preclinical and clinical settings for therapeutic and biotechnology applications. This manuscript aims to provide a systematic review of the characteristics and mechanism of action of PRE, as well as elucidating its curren...
Source: Viruses - March 29, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Karim Mouzannar Anne Schauer T. Jake Liang Tags: Review Source Type: research

Impact of direct-acting antiviral on subclinical atherosclerosis in chronic hepatitis C infected patients
CONCLUSIONS: SVR, in CHC patients treated with DAA, was associated with worsening of carotid atherosclerotic lesions.PMID:38545713 | DOI:10.62438/tunismed.v102i3.4601 (Source: Atherosclerosis)
Source: Atherosclerosis - March 28, 2024 Category: Cardiology Authors: Sarra Laabidi Mouna Medhioub Amal Khsiba Asma Bach Ali Asma Ben Mohamed Lamine Hamzaoui Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 520: Effects of Strain Differences, Humidity Changes, and Saliva Contamination on the Inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 by Ion Irradiation
This study investigated the effects of humidity changes and saliva contamination on the efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 inactivation with ions using multiple viral strains. Virus solutions with different infectious titers were dropped onto a circular nitrocellulose membrane and irradiated with ions from 10 cm above the membrane. After the irradiation of ions for 60, 90, and 120 min, changes in viral infectious titers were measured. The effect of ions on virus inactivation under different humidity conditions was also examined using virus solutions containing 90% mixtures of saliva collected from 10 people. A decrease in viral infect...
Source: Viruses - March 28, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Afifah Fatimah Azzahra Ahmad Wadi Daichi Onomura Hirokazu Funamori Mst Mahmuda Khatun Shunpei Okada Hisashi Iizasa Hironori Yoshiyama Tags: Article Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 519: First Detection and Circulation of RHDV2 in New Zealand
This study highlights the need for further research and surveillance to monitor the distribution and diversity of lagoviruses in New Zealand and to detect incursions of novel variants. (Source: Viruses)
Source: Viruses - March 28, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Robyn N. Hall Katherine Trought Tanja Strive Janine A. Duckworth Maria Jenckel Tags: Article Source Type: research

Host and geography impact virus diversity in New Zealand ’s longfin and shortfin eels
This study broadens our understanding of viromes in aquatic hosts and highlights the importance of gaining baseline knowledge of fish viral abundance and diversity, particularly in aquatic species that are facing population declines. (Source: Archives of Virology)
Source: Archives of Virology - March 28, 2024 Category: Virology Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 527: Orthoflavivirus Lammi in Russia: Possible Transovarial Transmission and Trans-Stadial Survival in Aedes cinereus (Diptera, Culicidae)
lina G. Karganova In the last few years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of discovered viruses that are transmitted by arthropods. Some of them are pathogenic for humans and mammals, and the pathogenic potential of others is unknown. The genus Orthoflavivirus belongs to the family Flaviviridae and includes arboviruses that cause severe human diseases with damage to the central nervous system and hemorrhagic fevers, as well as viruses with unknown vectors and viruses specific only to insects. The latter group includes Lammi virus, first isolated from a mosquito pool in Finland. It is known that Lammi vi...
Source: Viruses - March 28, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Ivan S. Kholodilov Sergey V. Aibulatov Alexei V. Khalin Alexandra E. Polienko Alexander S. Klimentov Oxana A. Belova Anastasiya A. Rogova Sergey G. Medvedev Galina G. Karganova Tags: Brief Report Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 526: Hepatitis E Virus Infection in Voluntary Blood Donors in the Russian Federation
In conclusion, the HEV RNA detection rate in blood donors in Russia corresponds with data from other European countries, including those that implemented universal donor HEV screening. These data support the implementation of HEV RNA donor screening to reduce the risk of transfusion-transmitted HEV infection in Russia. (Source: Viruses)
Source: Viruses - March 28, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Ilya A. Potemkin Karen K. Kyuregyan Anastasia A. Karlsen Olga V. Isaeva Vera S. Kichatova Maria A. Lopatukhina Fedor A. Asadi Mobarkhan Anna G. Zlobina Andrey V. Zheltobriukh Ksenia A. Bocharova Vera V. Belyakova Svetlana V. Rassolova Nadezhda V. Ivanova Tags: Article Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 525: Mosquito E-20-Monooxygenase Gene Knockout Increases Dengue Virus Replication in Aedes aegypti Cells
Zhou Chunxiao Li E-20-monooxygenase (E20MO) is an enzymatic product of the shade (shd) locus (cytochrome p450, E20MO). Initially discovered in Drosophila, E20MO facilitates the conversion of ecdysone (E) into 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) and is crucial for oogenesis. Prior research has implicated 20E in growth, development, and insecticide resistance. However, little attention has been given to the association between the E20MO gene and DENV2 infection. The transcriptome of Ae. aegypti cells (Aag2 cells) infected with DENV2 revealed the presence of the E20MO gene. The subsequent quantification of E20MO gene expression l...
Source: Viruses - March 28, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Bo Li Di Wang Xiaoxue Xie Xiaoli Chen Guorui Liang Dan Xing Teng Zhao Jiahong Wu Xinyu Zhou Chunxiao Li Tags: Article Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 524: Dissemination of the Flavivirus Subgenomic Replicon Genome and Viral Proteins by Extracellular Vesicles
In this study, the cells that harbor subgenomic replicon derived from the Japanese encephalitis virus and dengue virus without producing any replication-competent viruses were employed as the EV donor. It was demonstrated that the EVs in the culture supernatants of those cells were able to transfer the replicon genome to other cells of various types. It was also shown that the EVs were incorporated by the recipient cells primarily through macropinocytosis after interaction with CD33 and Tim-1/Tim-4 on HeLa and K562 cells, respectively. Since the methods used in this study are free from contamination with infectious viral p...
Source: Viruses - March 28, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Tomohiro Ishikawa Kentaro Narita Kinichi Matsuyama Michiaki Masuda Tags: Article Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 523: Novel Anti-Viral Properties of the Herbal Extract of Davallia mariesii against Influenza A Virus
ong Horng Gu-Sui-Bu, the dried rhizome of Davallia mariesii, is a traditional Chinese herbal remedy with a significant history of treating osteoporosis and inflammatory conditions. However, its potential as an anti-influenza agent and its underlying mechanisms of action remain unexplored. To obtain a more potent extract from D. mariesii and gain insights into its mechanism of action against influenza A virus (IAV), we utilized a partitioning process involving organic solvents and water, resulting in the isolation of butanolic subfractions of the D. mariesii extract (DMBE). DMBE exhibited a broad anti-viral spectrum, ef...
Source: Viruses - March 28, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Yu-Li Chen Pei-Yu Chao Chung-Fan Hsieh Pei-Wen Hsieh Jim-Tong Horng Tags: Article Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 522: Peripheral Neuropathy in Patients with Hepatitis C Infection & mdash;Reversibility after HCV Eradication: A Single Center Study
Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 522: Peripheral Neuropathy in Patients with Hepatitis C Infection—Reversibility after HCV Eradication: A Single Center Study Viruses doi: 10.3390/v16040522 Authors: Androutsakos Tsantzali Karagiannakis Flevari Iakovou Pouliakis Kykalos Doris Xyla Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is characterized by a variety of extra-hepatic manifestations; peripheral neuropathy (PN) is one of the most common, especially when mixed cryoglobulinemia (MCG) is present. The prevalence and risk factors of HCV-related PN in the absence of MCG are largely unknown. We cond...
Source: Viruses - March 28, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Androutsakos Tsantzali Karagiannakis Flevari Iakovou Pouliakis Kykalos Doris Xyla Tags: Article Source Type: research

Viruses, Vol. 16, Pages 521: Detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in a Zoo-Kept Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
í Christian Urban Christian Beisel Tanja Stadler Regina Hofmann-Lehmann Many different animal species are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, including a few Canidae (domestic dog and raccoon dog). So far, only experimental evidence is available concerning SARS-CoV-2 infections in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). This is the first report of SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection in a sample from a red fox. The RT-qPCR-positive fox was zoo-kept together with another fox and two bears in the Swiss Canton of Zurich. Combined material from a conjunctival and nasal swab collected for canine distemper virus diagnostics tested positive for SARS-...
Source: Viruses - March 28, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Tatjana Chan Julia Ginders Evelyn Kuhlmeier Marina L. Meli Eva B önzli Theres Meili Julia H üttl Jean-Michel Hatt Karin Hindenlang Clerc Anja Kipar Fabia Wyss Christian Wenker Marie-Pierre Ryser-Degiorgis Cecilia Valenzuela Ag üí Christian Urban Chris Tags: Article Source Type: research

The application of single-molecule optical tweezers to study disease-related structural dynamics in RNA
Biochem Soc Trans. 2024 Mar 27:BST20231232. doi: 10.1042/BST20231232. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTRNA, a dynamic and flexible molecule with intricate three-dimensional structures, has myriad functions in disease development. Traditional methods, such as X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance, face limitations in capturing real-time, single-molecule dynamics crucial for understanding RNA function. This review explores the transformative potential of single-molecule force spectroscopy using optical tweezers, showcasing its capability to directly probe time-dependent structural rearrangements of individual RNA...
Source: Biochemical Society Transactions - March 27, 2024 Category: Biochemistry Authors: Tycho Marinus Toshana L Foster Katarzyna M Tych Source Type: research

Introgression of OsAP47 by marker-assisted selection enhanced resistance against southern rice black-streaked dwarf virus disease
Virology. 2024 Mar 19;594:110060. doi: 10.1016/j.virol.2024.110060. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTSouthern rice black-streaked dwarf virus disease (SRBSDVD) is the most destructive viral disease in rice. In order to breeding resistant cultivars, Insertion-Deletion (InDel) markers were developed linked to OsAP47, the first isolated major resistance gene against SRBSDVD. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) was conducted to introduce this gene into the commercial variety. A rice line carrying homozygous resistance allele of OsAP47 was selected and named Kanghei No. 201 (KH201). Evaluated by artificial inoculation, KH201 showed si...
Source: Virology - March 27, 2024 Category: Virology Authors: Feng Lin Dedao Jing Jiayuan Zhang Yue Sun Linlin Du Chenyang Li Ying Lan Tong Zhou Source Type: research