Multiple functions of stress granules in viral infection at a glance

Stress granules (SGs) are distinct RNA granules induced by various stresses, which are evolutionarily conserved across species. In general, SGs act as a conservative and essential self-protection mechanism during stress responses. Viruses have a long evolutionary history and viral infections can trigger a series of cellular stress responses, which may interact with SG formation. Targeting SGs is believed as one of the critical and conservative measures for viruses to tackle the inhibition of host cells. In this systematic review, we have summarized the role of SGs in viral infection and categorized their relationships into three tables, with a particular focus on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Moreover, we have outlined several kinds of drugs targeting SGs according to different pathways, most of which are potentially effective against SARS-CoV-2. We believe this review would offer a new view for the researchers and clinicians to attempt to develop more efficacious treatments for virus infection, particularly for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Multiple functions of stress granules in viral infection at a glance.

Stress granules (SGs) are distinct RNA granules induced by various stresses, which are evolutionarily conserved across species. In general, SGs act as a conservative and essential self-protection mechanism during stress responses. Viruses have a long evolutionary history and viral infections can trigger a series of cellular stress responses, which may interact with SG formation. Targeting SGs is believed as one of the critical and conservative measures for viruses to tackle the inhibition of host cells. In this systematic review, we have summarized the role of SGs in viral infection and categorized their relationships into three tables, with a particular focus on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Moreover, we have outlined several kinds of drugs targeting SGs according to different pathways, most of which are potentially effective against SARS-CoV-2. We believe this review would offer a new view for the researchers and clinicians to attempt to develop more efficacious treatments for virus infection, particularly for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

De novo vasculitis after COVID-19 vaccination.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to spread around the world. Vaccinations have been administered globally and have been proven to be safe and effective. However, vasculitis has been reported as an adverse event occurring after COVID-19 vaccination. METHODS: In this review, we analyzed the literature to identify original articles that reported on patients who developed vasculitis following COVID-19 vaccination and summarized their clinical manifestations. PubMed and Web of Knowledge were searched to identify relevant studies. RESULTS: A total of 27 patients who developed vasculitis following COVID-19 vaccination were identified from 21 studies. The involved organs included the skin and kidney. The main clinical features of patients whose skin was affected were papules, maculopapular rashes, and plaques. Most of the patients exhibited small vessel vasculitis and single-organ vasculitis; these were resolved within one month. Patients whose kidneys were affected exhibited vasculitis, including anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody glomerulonephritis and IgA nephritis. Most patients were treated with corticosteroid, rituximab, and cyclophosphamide, and one patient needed hemodialysis. The renal function of most patients was improved or recovered, but one patient needed maintenance dialysis. CONCLUSION: Vasculitis was rarely reported after COVID-19 vaccine administration. It often manifested as cutaneous small-vessel vasculitis or glomerulonephritis. Notably, when a patient demonstrates hematuria, proteinuria, and acute kidney injury after COVID-19 vaccination, there is a possibility that the patient could have developed vasculitis. Skin-related problems were quickly resolved, while kidney-related problems may progress to chronic kidney disease.

Nonpharmaceutical interventions for COVID-19 disrupt the dynamic balance between influenza A virus and human immunity.

During the COVID-19 epidemic, nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) blocked the transmission route of respiratory diseases. This study aimed to investigate the impact of NPIs on the influenza A virus (IAV) outbreak. The present study enrolled all children with respiratory tract infections who came to the Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University between January 2019 and July 2022. A direct immunofluorescence assay kit detected IAV. Virus isolation and Sanger sequencing were performed. From June to July 2022, in Hangzhou, China, the positive rate of IAV infection in children has increased rapidly, reaching 30.41%, and children over 3 years old are the main infected population, accounting for 75% of the total number of infected children. Influenza A (H3N2) viruses are representative strains during this period. In this outbreak, H3N2 was isolated from a cluster of its own and is highly homologous with A/South_Dakota/22/2022 (2021-2022 Northern Hemisphere). Between isolated influenza A (H3N2) viruses and A/South_Dakota/22/2022, the nucleotide homology of the HA gene ranged from 97.3% to 97.5%; the amino acid homology was 97%-97.2%, and the genetic distance of nucleotides ranged from 0.05 to 0.052. Compared with A/South_Dakota/22/2022, the isolated H3N2 showed S156H, N159Y, I160T, D186S, S198P, I48T, S53D, and K171N mutations. There was no variation in 13 key amino acid sites associated with neuraminidase inhibitor resistance in NA protein. Long-term NPIs have significantly affected the evolution and transmission of the influenza virus and human immunity, breaking the dynamic balance between the IAV and human immunity.

Inactivation of multiple human pathogens by Fathhome's dry sanitizer device: Rapid and eco-friendly ozone-based disinfection.

SARS-CoV-2 spread rapidly, causing millions of deaths across the globe. As a result, demand for medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) surged and supplies dwindled. Separate entirely, hospital-acquired infections have become commonplace and challenging to treat. To explore the potential of novel sterilization techniques, this study evaluated the disinfection efficacy of Fathhome's ozone-based, dry-sanitizing device by dose and time response. Inactivation of human pathogens was tested on non-porous (plastic) surfaces. 95.42-100% inactivation was observed across all types of vegetative microorganisms and 27.36% inactivation of bacterial endospores tested, with no residual ozone detectable after completion. These results strongly support the hypothesis that Fathhome's commercial implementation of gas-based disinfection is suitable for rapid decontamination of a wide variety of pathogens on PPE and other industrially relevant materials.

COVID-19 Breakthrough Infections in Vaccinated Kidney Transplant Recipients.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality among kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). The administration of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccination is the only reliable strategy to prevent COVID-19 and alleviate the severity of COVID-19 in this particular population. The aim of this article was to evaluate the clinical protection by vaccines (breakthrough infections, deaths, and hospitalizations) in KTRs. There were 135 KTRs with COVID-19 breakthrough infections for whom patient-level data were available in PubMed and Web of Science. There was a male predominance (61.4%), 97 were given the standard vaccination regimen, and 38 received three or four doses of the vaccine. The median age was 59.0 (IQR: 49.0-69.0) years. A total of 67 patients were hospitalized, and 10 patients died. In 72.6% of cases, triple-maintenance immunosuppression was employed. The deceased patients were older than the survivors (p < 0.05); an age over 60 years was a risk factor for death (p < 0.05). The KTRs with booster vaccines had a longer time interval from the last vaccine to COVID-19 infection and lower hospitalization rates than the individuals who received the standard vaccination regimen (33.3% vs. 54.8%, p < 0.05). The hospitalized patients were older than the outpatients (p < 0.05). Among 16,820 fully vaccinated or boosted KTRs from 14 centers, there were 633 breakthrough infections (3.58%) and 73 associated deaths (0.41%). The center-level breakthrough infection rates varied from 0.21% to 9.29%. These findings highlight the need for booster doses for KTRs. However, more research is needed to define the long-term effectiveness and immunogenicity of booster doses and to identify methods to boost the protective response to vaccination in these immunocompromised patients.

Strategies and safety considerations of booster vaccination in COVID-19.

The first-generation SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have played a significant role in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, preventing severe diseases, and reducing mortality. However, the continuous emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants, the persistence of breakthrough infections, and the seemingly rapid decline in the protective efficacy of SARS-CoV-2 vaccines have presented additional challenges for the next phase. There is an urgent need to confirm the necessity of further booster vaccination and combination vaccine approaches. This paper summarizes the latest literature on SARS-CoV-2 variants and vaccine effectiveness and concludes that it is essential to implement booster immunization strategies. Priority should be given to high-risk groups, the elderly, and immunocompromised people. In addition, heterologous vaccination has a longer duration of effect and a broader spectrum than homologous vaccination, making it more conducive to managing the immune escape of SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Application experience of a rapid nucleic acid detection system for COVID-19.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is raging worldwide. The COVID-19 outbreak caused severe threats to the life and health of all humans caused by SARS-CoV-2. Clinically, there is an urgent need for an in vitro diagnostic product to detect SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid quickly. Under this background, commercial SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid POCT products came into being. However, how to choose these products and how to use these products in a standardized way have brought new puzzles to clinical laboratories. This paper focuses on evaluating the performance of these commercial SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acid POCT products and helps the laboratory make the correct choice. At the same time, to standardize the use of this kind of product, this paper also puts forward corresponding suggestions from six elements of total quality management, namely, human, machine, material, method, environment, and measurement. In addition, this paper also puts forward some ideas on the future development direction of POCT products.

Recent advances and clinical application in point-of-care testing of SARS-CoV-2.

The novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 spread rapidly worldwide, posing a severe threat to public life and health. It is significant to realize rapid testing and timely control of epidemic situations under the condition of limited resources. However, laboratory-based standardized nucleic acid detection methods have a long turnaround time and high cost, so it is urgent to develop convenient methods for detecting COVID-19. This paper summarizes the point-of-care testing (POCT) developed for novel coronavirus from three aspects: nucleic acid extraction, nucleic acid amplification, and detection methods. This paper introduces a commercial real-time detection system that integrates the abovementioned three steps and the matters needing attention in use. The primary purpose of this review is to provide a reference for emergency response and rapid deployment of COVID-19 and some other emerging infectious diseases.

Booster vaccination strategy: Necessity, immunization objectives, immunization strategy, and safety.

At present, the global COVID-19 epidemic has not been completely controlled, and epidemic prevention and control still face severe challenges. As there is no specific treatment for COVID-19, promoting roll-out vaccinations and building herd immunity are still the most effective and economic measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the neutralizing antibody level in the recipients decreases with time, and the vaccine's protective efficacy gradually weakens. It is still inconclusive whether it is necessary to carry out booster vaccination to strengthen the immune barrier to infection. In this paper, we combined the existing data on the effectiveness and persistence of COVID-19 vaccines. We found that it is necessary to carry out a booster vaccination strategy. However, not all subjects need to receive one more dose of vaccine 6 months after the initial immunization. Priority should be given to the high-risk groups, such as the elderly and people with immunodeficiency. A heterologous booster can induce higher immune responses and enhance immune protection than homologous vaccinations. However, more scientific data and clinical studies are needed to verify the safety of heterologous vaccination strategies.

New-onset and relapsing glomerular diseases related to COVID-19 vaccination.

COVID-19 vaccine, as one of the critical measures to control the pandemic, has been administered in nearly all countries. However, the new-onset and relapsing glomerular diseases associated with COVID-19 vaccination have become a new concern. Both mRNA vaccine and inactivated vaccine may cause new-onset and relapsing glomerular diseases; these diseases would occur after the first dose vaccination or the second dose. New-onset glomerular disease is mainly minimal change glomerulopathy, which is mostly sensitive to steroid, while relapsing cases have good prognosis, and some cases can be spontaneously remitted. The pathogenesis of these vaccine-associated diseases is possibly due to the humoral and cellular immune responses. In this article, we provide a general review of the new-onset and relapsing glomerular diseases related to COVID-19 vaccination, and make suggestions for patients with kidney diseases to receive COVID-19 vaccination.

Rotavirus and adenovirus infections in children during COVID-19 outbreak in Hangzhou, China.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to investigate the impact of protective measures and isolation on intestinal infection in children before and after COVID-19 outbreak in Hangzhou, China. METHODS: Data on outpatient visits, intestinal infection visits, and tests of adenovirus or rotavirus from electronic healthcare records were extracted in Children's Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine during the COVID-19 outbreak (January-December, 2020), and be compared with those in 2019 during the same period. RESULTS: We found that pediatric outpatient visits, patients with intestinal infection and its proportion from January to December of 2020 were significantly less than that in the same period of 2019. Furthermore, the numbers of outpatient visits and patients with intestinal infection were the lowest in February and elevated slowly from March to December in 2020. We also found significantly decreased number of completed tests for intestinal viruses, positive cases of adenovirus and rotavirus, positive rate of rotavirus during January-December, 2020. The positive rates of adenovirus from March to September and December of 2020 were significantly lower than the levels of the same period in 2019. The positive rate of rotavirus and adenovirus in all age groups in 2020 is lower than the level of all age groups in 2019. CONCLUSIONS: The outpatient visits and intestinal, rotavirus and adenovirus infections in children significantly decreased during COVID-19 outbreak. Adequate protective measures and isolation in children may help to prevent intestinal virus infections in children.

The pathogenesis and treatment of the `Cytokine Storm' in COVID-19.

Cytokine storm is an excessive immune response to external stimuli. The pathogenesis of the cytokine storm is complex. The disease progresses rapidly, and the mortality is high. Certain evidence shows that, during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, the severe deterioration of some patients has been closely related to the cytokine storm in their bodies. This article reviews the occurrence mechanism and treatment strategies of the COVID-19 virus-induced inflammatory storm in attempt to provide valuable medication guidance for clinical treatment.

Crosstalk between coronavirus disease 2019 and cardiovascular disease and its treatment.

People with cardiovascular disease (CVD) often contract coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, the interaction between COVID-19 and CVD is unclear. In this systematic review, the available evidence for the crosstalk between COVID-19 and CVD and its treatment was analysed. A search was performed in the electronic databases MEDLINE and EMBASE. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infects human cells via angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. SARS-CoV-2 can cause CVD by inducing cytokine storms, creating an imbalance in the oxygen supply and demand and disrupting the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system; SARS-CoV-2 infection can also lead to the development of CVD through the side effects of therapeutic drugs, psychological factors, and aggravation of underlying CVD. The most common CVDs caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection are acute myocardial injury, arrhythmia, and heart failure. Studies have found that there is an interaction between COVID-19 and CVD. Underlying CVD is associated with a high risk of mortality in patients with COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 infection can also cause new-onset CVD. Clinicians need to pay close attention to cardiovascular complications during the diagnosis and treatment of patients with COVID-19 to reduce patient mortality.

Epidemiological analysis of COVID-19 and practical experience from China.

The rapid spread of the epidemic has aroused widespread concern in the international community. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) was first reported in China, with bats as the likely original hosts and pangolins as potential intermediate hosts. The current source of the disease is mainly patients infected with SARS-COV-2. Patients in the incubation period may also become sources of infection. The virus is mainly transmitted via respiratory droplets and contact, and the population is generally susceptible. The epidemic has progressed through the local outbreak stage and community transmission stage due to exposure at Wuhan's Huanan wholesale seafood market and is now in the stage of large-scale transmission due to the spread of the epidemic. The basic productive number (R0) at the beginning of the epidemic was 2.2, with an average incubation period of 5.2 days. The proportion of critically ill patients was 23.4%, the mortality rate was lower than those of SARS and Middle East respiratory syndrome, and 96.5% of deaths occurred in Hubei Province, where the outbreak occurred first. Among them, elderly men with underlying diseases had a higher mortality rate. Chinese medical staff have summarized a set of effective strategies and methods in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease that are worthy of reference for their international counterparts. With powerful government intervention and the efforts of Chinese medical staff, China's outbreak has gradually improved.