Angiotensin Ⅱ stimulates expression of transcription factors c-Jun and c-Fos in cyclosporine induced human gingival fibroblasts

The present study demonstrates that the expression of c-Jun and c-Fos are elevated in gingival fibroblast cells treated with angiotensin Ⅱ and cyclosporine.The healthy human gingival tissues were collected and gingival fibroblasts were isolated and cultured.We used RT-PCR and Western blot analysis to identify the expression of c-Jun and c-Fos in cyclosporine and angiotensin II treated human gingival fibroblast cells.We found that angiotensin Ⅱ in combination with cyclosporine induces c-Jun and c-Fos expressions significantly;however,the angiotensin Ⅱ antagonist losartan inhibits the expression of c-Jun and c-Fos(p<0.01).The data suggest that angiotensin Ⅱ in combination with cyclosporine modulates the expression of c-Jun and c-Fos in human gingival fibroblast cells.

Middle-East respiratory syndrome coronavirus: Is it worth a world panic?

In- 2012 Middle-East respiratory syn-drome coron-avirus(MERS-CoV) was evolved in- the Arabian- Pen-in-sula. Tre-men-dous an-d successful efforts have been- con-ducted to discover the gen-ome structure, epidemiology, clin-ical sign-s, pathogen-esis, diagn-osis an-d an-tiviral therapy. Taphozous perforatus bats are the in-crimin-ated reservoir host and camels are the currently confirmed an-imal lin-ker. The virus resulted in- less than- 1000 in-fected cases an-d 355 deaths. The case fatality rate of the MERS-Co V is high, however, man-y survivors of MERS-CoV in-fection- showed in-apparen-t in-fection-s an-d, in- several cases, multiple co-in-fectin-g agen-ts did exist. Although MERS-CoV appears to be a dan-gerous disease, it is argued here that a full assessmen-t of curren-t kn-owledge about the disease does n-ot suggest that it is a truly scary killer.

Safe and effective sofosbuvir-based therapy in patients with mental health disease on hepatitis C virus treatment

AIM To study impact of baseline mental health disease on hepatitis C virus(HCV) treatment; and Beck's Depression Inventory(BDI) changes with sofosbuvir- andinterferon-based therapy.METHODS This is a retrospective cohort study of participants from 5 studies enrolled from single center trials conducted at the Clinical Research Center of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States. All participants were adults with chronic HCV genotype 1 infection and na?ve to HCV therapy. Two of the studies included HCV mono-infected participants only(SPARE, SYNERGY-A), and 3 included human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)/HCV co-infected participants only(ERADICATE, PFINPK, and ALBIN). Patients were treated for HCV with 3 different regimens: Sofosbuvir and ribavirin in the SPARE trial, ledipasvir and sofosbuvir in SYNERGY-A and ERADICATE trials, and pegylated interferon(IFN) and ribavirin for 48 wk in the PIFNPK and ALBIN trials. Participants with baseline mental health disease(MHD) were identified(defined as either a DSM Ⅳ diagnosis of major depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, generalized anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder or requiring anti-depressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers or psychotropics prescribed by a psychiatrist). For our first aim, we compared sustained virologic response(SVR) and adherence(pill counts, study visits, and in 25 patients, blood levels of the sofosbuvir metabolite, GS-331007) within each study. For our second aim, only patients with HIV coinfection were evaluated. BDI scores were obtained pre-treatment, during treatment, and post-treatment among participants treated with sofosbuvir-based therapy, and compared to scores from participants treated with interferon-based therapy. Statistical differences for both aims were analyzed by Fisher's Exact, and t-test with significance defined as a P value less than 0.05.RESULTS Baseline characteristics did not differ significantly between all participants with and without MHD groups treated with sofosbuvir-based therapy. Among patients treated with sofosbuvir-based therapy, the percentage of patients with MHD who achieved SVR was the same as those without(SPARE: 60.9% of those MHD compared to 67.6% in those without, P = 0.78; SYNERGY-A: 100% of both groups; ERADICATE: 100% compared to 97.1%). There was no statistically significant difference in pill counts, adherence to study visits between groups, nor mean serum concentrations of GS-331007 for each group at week 2 of treatment(P = 0.72). Among patients with HIV co-infection, pre-treatment BDI scores were similar among patients treated with sofosbuvir, and those treated with interferon(sofosbuvir-based 5.24, IFN-based 6.96; P = 0.14); however, a dichotomous effect on was observed during treatment. Among participants treated with directly acting antiviral(DAA)-based therapy, mean BDI scores decreased from 5.24(pre-treatment) to 3.28 during treatment(1.96 decrease, P = 0.0034) and 2.82 post-treatment. The decrease in mean score from pre- to post-treatment was statistically significant(-2.42, P = 0.0012). Among participants treated with IFN-based therapy, mean BDIscore increased from 6.96 at pre-treatment to 9.19 during treatment(an increase of 2.46 points, P = 0.1), and then decreased back to baseline post-treatment(mean BDI score 6.3, P = 0.54). Overall change in mean BDI scores from pre-treatment to during treatment among participants treated with DAA-based and IFN-therapy was statistically significant(-1.96 and +2.23, respectively; P = 0.0032). This change remained statistically significant when analysis was restricted to participants who achieved SVR(-2.0 and +4.36, respectively; P = 0.0004).CONCLUSION Sofosbuvir-based therapy is safe and well tolerated in patients with MHD. A decline in BDI associated with sofosbuvir-based HCV treatment suggests additional MHD benefits, although the duration of these effects is unknown.

Evolution of an avian H5N1 influenza A virus escape mutant

AIM: To investigate the genetic constitution of an escape mutant H5N1 strain and to screen the presence of possible amino acid signatures that could differentiate it from other Egyptian H5N1 strains.METHODS: Phylogenetic, evolutionary patterns and amino acid signatures of the genes of an escape mutant H5N1 influenza A virus isolated in Egypt on 2009 were analyzed using direct sequencing and multisequence alignments.RESULTS: All the genes of the escape mutant H5N1 strain showed a genetic pattern potentially related to Eurasian lineages. Evolution of phylogenetic trees of different viral genes revealed the absence of reassortment in the escape mutant strain while confirming close relatedness to other H5N1 Egyptian strains from human and avian species. A variety of amino acid substitutions were recorded in different proteins compared to the available Egyptian H5N1 strains. The strain displayed amino acid substitutions in different viral alleles similar to other Egyptian H5N1 strains without showing amino acid signatures that could differentiate the escape mutant from other Egyptian H5N1.CONCLUSION: The genetic characteristics of avian H5N1 in Egypt revealed evidence of a high possibility of inter-species transmission. No amino acid signatures were found to differentiate the escape mutant H5N1 strain from other Egyptian H5N1 strains.

Cryptic species composition and genetic diversity within Bemisia tabaci complex in soybean in India revealed by mtCOI DNA sequence

Bemisia tabaci is a cryptic species complex, causing signiifcant loss on many agricultural y important crops worldwide. Knowledge on species composition and diversity within B. tabaci complex is critical for evolving sustainable pest management strategies. Here we investigate the whitelfy species complex in soybean in major soybean growing states of India. The mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase gene subunit-1 (mtCOI) based phylogenetic relationships established using Bayesian methods indicated the existence of three cryptic species namely Asia I, Asia II 1, and Asia II 7. Al the haplotypes detected in the study could be assigned to these three cryptic species fol owing the species demarcation criteria of 3.5%divergence threshold. Of these, Asia II 1 was found to be predominant with wide spread distribution across the surveyed regions from cool temperate zones to hot and humid tropical plains. On the contrary, cryptic species Asia II 7 showed localized distribu-tion. The Asia II 1 exhibited the highest haplotype diversity and Asia I showed high level of nucleotide diversity. There was a signiifcantly high genetic differentiation among these three cryptic species. The MEAM 1, a dreadful invasive species was not detected in the specimens tested in the current study. The diversity and distribution of three cryptic species is discussed in the light of current knowledge on distribution of whitelfy species in India and yel ow mosaic disease observed during sampling survey.

“HoneySweet”Plum-A Valuable Genetically Engineered Fruit-Tree Cultivar

"HoneySweet" is a plum variety developed through genetic engineering to be highly resistant to plum pox potyvirus (PPV) the causal agent of sharka disease that threatens stone-fruit industries world-wide, and most specifically in Europe. Field testing for over 15 years in Europe has demonstrated the stable and durable PPV resistance of “HoneySweet”. Resistance is based on gene silencing whereby the inserted gene induces a natural plant defense mechanism against viruses. This resistance has been transferred to seedlings through cross-hybridization as a single locus dominant trait making it useful as a parent for developing new plum varieties for specific growing areas and markets. “HoneySweet” plums are of high quality and compare well to the quality and nutritional value of conventional plums. “HoneySweet” demonstrates the utilization of genetic engineering to provide safe and effective solutions to important agricultural challenges facing growers, and ultimately consumers.

Coronavirus: epidemiology, genome replication and the interactions with their hosts

This special issue of the journal is dedicated to the recent progress on coronaviruses and covers the topics of viral epidemiology,virus replication and the interactions between the coronaviruses and their hosts.Members of the family Coronaviridae infect a wide range of vertebrates and humans.They usually