When Multiple Conditions Converge: An Unusual Case of Infectious Aortitis in a Patient With Prurigo Nodularis and an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Endograft.

Infectious aortitis is a rare disease process that presents with mortality varying from 60% to 90%, even with aggressive treatment. This is a case involving a 69-year-old male who initially presented for acute encephalopathy. The patient's past medical history included coronary disease status post coronary bypass graft, abdominal aortic aneurysm status post endograft repair, prurigo nodularis, Tangier's disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and stage 3b chronic kidney disease. Initially, the work-up was unrevealing for a cause of the patient's acute encephalopathy. However, astute clinical evaluation led to the diagnosis of methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteremia and abdominal infectious aortitis. Prurigo nodularis is a chronic dermatologic condition characterized by the development of intensely pruritic, firm nodules or bumps on the skin associated with itching and scratching. Prurigo nodularis itself does not directly result in bacteremia. However, in rare cases, severe and persistent scratching due to prurigo nodularis can lead to breaks in the skin, creating an entry point for bacteria to spread by the hematogenous route. Certainly, it is highly unusual to have a combination of prurigo nodularis, MSSA bacteremia, and abdominal aortic aneurysm endograft infection. Given the severity of these conditions individually, the combination presents a unique and challenging clinical scenario that requires prompt and coordinated management by a multidisciplinary team. This case report aims to provide new insights into the potential risk factors, clinical course, and management strategies for these combined conditions.

Interaction of Influenza A Nucleoprotein with Host hnRNP-C Is Implicated in Viral Replication.

The host interactome of influenza viral proteins is ever-expanding. In this work, we report the identification of host heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein C (hnRNP-C) as an interacting partner of influenza A virus nucleoprotein (NP). We confirmed that this interaction exists across different influenza A subtypes and strains. Using biochemical methods, we determined that hnRNP-C interacts with NP via its C-terminal auxiliary domain. Further, we determined that the hnRNP-C is a negative regulator of influenza viral growth. Its interaction with NP is implicated in the promotion of host cell apoptosis during viral infection. It is the first time that the interaction between influenza nucleoprotein and host heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein C is characterized in detail. Overall, these findings not only characterize the interaction between NP and its host interacting partner hnRNP-C but also clarify the functional significance of this interaction. This work may lead to a new therapeutic target for the development of anti-influenza drugs.

Sheng Jiang San, a traditional multi-herb formulation, exerts anti-influenza effects in vitro and in vivo via neuraminidase inhibition and immune regulation.

BACKGROUND: Sheng Jiang San (SJS), a multi-herb formulation, is used in treating high fever, thirsty and anxiety in ancient China and it is sometimes used to treat seasonal influenza nowadays. However, there is no evidence-based investigation and mechanism research to support the anti-influenza efficacy of SJS. This study aims at evaluating the anti-influenza effect of SJS and investigating its possible mechanism. METHODS: The inhibitory effect of SJS against different influenza virus strains on MDCK cells was examined. Influenza virus infected BALB/c mice were employed to evaluate the efficacy as in vivo model. Mice challenged with A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) were orally administrated 1 g/kg/day of SJS for seven days and monitored for 14 days. The survival rate, body weight changes, lung index, lung viral load, histopathologic changes and immune regulation of the mice were measured. The underlying anti-influenza virus mechanism of SJS was studied by a series of biological assays to determine if hemagglutinin, ribonucleoprotein complex or neuraminidase were targets of SJS. RESULTS: Results showed SJS exerted a broad-spectrum of inhibitory effects on multiple influenza strains in a dose-dependent manner. IC50 of SJS against A/WSN/33 (H1N1) was lower than 35 µg/ml. SJS also protected 50% of mice from A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) infection. The lung index and the lung viral load of SJS treated mice were significantly decreased compared with untreated mice. Meanwhile, SJS targeted on neuraminidase of influenza virus as SJS at 2 mg/ml inhibited 80% of neuraminidase enzymatic activity. SJS also significantly down-regulated TNF-α and up-regulated IL-2 of influenza virus induced mice. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, SJS is a useful formulation for treating influenza virus infection.