All Articles

Angel Ramos-Ligonio¹, Aracely López-Monteon¹*

¹LADISER Inmunología y Biología Molecular, Universidad Veracruzana, Orizaba, Veracruz, México

Dhanashree Lokesh¹, Kammara Rajagopal^1,2, Jae Ho Shin²*

¹Department of Protein Chemistry and Technology, CSIR-CFTRI, Mysore, India

²School of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu, Korea

Drug-resistance is a major problem globally, the number of drug-resistant bacteria has increased substantially through horizontal gene transfer. Even Mycobacterium tuberculosis are reported to have acquired antitubercular drug-resistance and named as MDR Mtb. The acquisition of immunity has not given up, here; it is needed to be a continuous procedure. Further causing the microbial adapting to a very high and larger number of drugs recognized as extreme drug and total drug-resistance. The mechanistic aspects of MDR Mtb are well understood. Nevertheless, this is not the case with Probiotic microbes such as Bifidobacterium adolescentis. Herein, we report the mechanistic aspects of antitubercular drug-resistance in this organism for the first time. This review discusses the report by a mutation that confers multi drug-resistance in Bifidobacteria.

Gerges Rizkallah¹, Renaud Mahieux², Hélène Dutartre²

¹Faculty of Public Health, Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon

²Équipe oncogenèse rétrovirale, équipe labellisée «FRM», CIRI – Centre International de Recherche en Infectiologie, Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Inserm, U1111, CNRS, UMR, ENS Lyon, Lyon, France

Two retroviruses emerged in the 1980s : HTLV-1 and HIV-1^1,2,3. HTLV-1 infects 5-10 million people worldwide and is detected in highly endemic areas, such as Japan, sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean region, South America⁴ as well as in Australian indigenous⁵. According to the UNAIDS’s 2018 fact sheet, HIV-1 is endemic worldwide, infects 37.9 million people and is particularly prevalent in central and South Africa, the Caribbean region, Latin America, South-East Asia and Eastern Europe⁶. HTLV-1 or HIV-1 infected individuals develop chronic infections. Only in 1-10% of infected carriers, HTLV-1 leads either to the development of Adult T-cell Leukemia/Lymphoma (ATLL), or of Tropical Spastic Paraparesis/HTLV-1 Associated Myelopathy (TSP/HAM)⁷. In most chronically infected people, HIV-1 infection leads to an Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), and around 22% of the death causes among HIV-infected patients remains AIDS-related⁶. The aim of this mini-review is to highlight some of the points discussed in the review ‘’HTLV-1, the Other Pathogenic Yet Neglected Human Retrovirus: From Transmission to Therapeutic Treatment’’⁸. First, it will focus on the similarities regarding transmission mechanisms and cellular tropism between these retroviruses. Then, starting from the therapeutic protocols currently used in the treatment of each of these retroviral infections, this mini-review will summarize the therapeutic protocols used for co-infections management.

Caridad Rosette, Alessandro Mazzetti, Roberto Camerini, Luigi Moro, Mara Gerloni*

Cosmo Pharmaceuticals, Riverside II. Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, Dublin, Ireland

Rifamycin SV (rifamycin), is a member of the ansamycin family of antimicrobial compounds which kills bacteria commonly associated with infectious diarrhea and other enteric infections. For colonic diseases like diverticulitis, inflammatory bowel syndrome (IBS) or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), bacterial proliferation or microbial dysbiosis is associated with a strong inflammatory component. This inflammation has a profound influence on the liver via the gut-liver axis. This review summarizes the anti-inflammatory activities of rifamycin based on analyses of its impact on two key regulators of inflammation: PXR and NFκB. Rifamycin was found to activate PXR and two of its downstream targets, CYP3A4 and PgP, in liver and intestinal cell lines. Rifamycin also directly inhibited NFκB in a cell line which lacks PXR expression. These dual activities likely explain the inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion from human colonic cells lines and activated CD4⁺ T cells. These experimental data define the immune regulatory characteristics of rifamycin and an emerging role in the treatment of both gastrointestinal (GI) and liver disorders.

Pascal Bezel¹, Sandro F. Fucentese², Jan Burkhard^1,3, Dominique Holy^1,3, Arend J. Nieuwland², Marco Burkhard², Ilker Uçkay^1,2,3,4*

¹Internal Medicine, Balgrist University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland

²Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Balgrist University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland

³Infectiology, Balgrist University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland

⁴Unit for Clinical and Applied Research, Balgrist University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland

A prosthetic joint infection (PJI) requires a combined approach (infectiology and surgery). The therapeutic DAIR approach (debridement, antibiotics, irrigation, and retention) is an option for acute and stable PJI yielding remission incidences that oscillate between 70% and 90%; in a literature mostly composed of retrospective single-center trials. DAIR can be performed with or without mobile part’s exchange during debridement. Scientific data proving the necessity of mobile part exchanges (by leaving other infected components in situ) remain scarce. In this narrative mini review, we evaluate the existing literature that analyses the benefit of exchanging mobile parts with at least ten own cases. We moreover discuss the optimal duration of concomitant targeted systemic antibiotic therapy and reveal some insights in the surgical difficulties in performing DAIR. Our conclusion tends to favor of the mobile part’s exchange whenever feasible.

PM Sawadogo^1,2, A Zida^1,2, I Sangaré^5,6, TK Guiguemdé^2,3, A. Sanfo¹, M. Idani¹, H Nacanabo¹, S Bamba^5,6, R Ouédraogo/Traoré^2,3, TR Guiguemdé^2,4

¹Parasitology-Mycology Department, Yalgado Ouedraogo University Hospital Center, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

²Training and Research Unit in Health Sciences, Ouaga University 1 Professor Joseph Ki-Zerbo (UO1 / PrZKZ), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

³Parasitology-Mycology Department, Charles de Gaulle University Hospital Center, sector 28 Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

⁴Muraz Research Center, Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso

⁵Parasitology-Mycology Department, Souro Sanou University Hospital, Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso

⁶Institut de Reccherche en Sciences de la Santé, Université Nazi Boni (UNB), Bobo Diuolasssa, Burkina Faso

This article aims to summarize the results of works from January 2013 to December 2017, on the molecular mechanisms of Candida albicans resistance to antifungal drugs. It is a prelude to a study on the molecular mechanisms of these resistances in Burkina Faso, with the aim of exploring new therapeutic solutions. Almost all studies have focused on the ERG11 gene as the most involved in azoles resistance. Mutations have also been demonstrated on other genes conferring resistance to other molecules such as CDR1 and 2, MRR1 and 2, TAC1 and ERG for polyenes, allylamines and azoles, FKS1 for echinocandins, FCA1 and FCY1 for pyrimidine analogues. Genetic mutations conferring the resistance of C. albicans to antifungals drugs worldwide are regularly reported, but in Burkina Faso we have no data on this subject. As a perspective therefore, a study on the molecular mechanisms of resistance of C. albicans to antifungals will be of great help in the fight against the resistance of this frequent yeast to antifungals drugs.

Jenna Rychert

ARUP Laboratories, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is replacing traditional methods for identifying microorganisms in the clinical laboratory. This relatively simple technique overcomes many of the challenges of identifying bacteria and fungi. As the technology has evolved, the expansion of the databases containing spectra of known organisms has allowed for the identification of species with similar phenotypic, genotypic, and biochemical properties that was not previously possible. This has resulted in improvements in clinical care including improving the diagnosis of infections caused by relatively rare species and decreasing the time to diagnosis. In many cases, this leads to a reduction in the time to appropriate therapy and even a decrease in the length of hospital stays. However, it is not without its limitations. Inherent similarities between organisms and a limited number of spectra in the database can lead to poor discrimination between species, as well as misidentifications. These errors occur with relatively low frequency and can typically be overcome with supplemental testing. The adoption of MALDI-TOF MS in the clinical microbiology laboratory is revolutionizing infectious disease diagnosis and clinical care.

Dicle Hazirolan¹, Gulten Sungur¹

¹Health Sciences University, Ankara Training and Research Hospital, Ophthalmology Department, Ankara, Turkey

Human herpes viruses are the most common etiologic agents in posterior viral uveitis. They remain latent in the infected host with a risk of reactivation that depends on various factors, including virulence, host immunity, age and comorbidities. Acute retinal necrosis (ARN), progressive outer retinal necrosis (PORN), and CMV retinitis are the most frequent forms. Posterior viral uveitis may occur in atypical clinical entities as non-necrotising herpetic retinitis (NNHR) and focal posterior viral retinitis. The spectrum of herpetic retinopathies might start with focal retinitis, the mildest form, and followed by more severe forms as NNHR, PORN and ARN. The differential diagnosis of atypical viral retinitis is difficult clinically, as it can mimic various kinds of retinitis. The prognosis of the atypical disease is better than other forms of necrotizing retinopathies. A viral etiology must be considered in cases of sight-threatening and atypical posterior uveitis that is unresponsive to conventional corticosteroid treatment.

Fangling Wu^{1, 2}, Chuan-Fan Ding^{1, 2}*

¹Institute of Mass Spectrometry, School of Materials Science & Chemical Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China

²Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

A relatively rigid and good electrical conductive copper filter severed as a substrate for the paper spray named Electro-Filtering Paper Spray Ionization (EFSI) is mini reviewed. The copper filter is used to increase the conductivity and pressure tolerance for the paper substrate, which can insure sufficient, efficient and direct sample-solvent extraction for different types of solid samples, and also a low voltage is required for paper spray. The capability and reliability of EFSI-MS were demonstrated experimentally for indirect high-throughput component analysis or the desired ion signals for a wide range of solid samples by selecting and optimizing different extraction solvents, which is not feasible with conventional ESI or direct paper spray methods. Simultaneously, trace targeted substance for the large-volume sample can be effective extracted and pre-concentration by the optimized solvent for direct mass spectrometry analysis with no or extremely minimal sample preparation effort for the EFSI method. Besides, with the attractive features of cost-effectiveness, rapid, process simplicity and high-throughput, the potential and novel applications of the EFSI-MS or EFSI-MS-MS can focused in the fields of environment, bio-science, food safety, and in-vitro diagnostics in clinical routine analysis are expected in the future work, where substantial time and labor could be saved when investigating the potential causes of disease.

Aaron W. Miller^1,2

¹Department of Urology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA

²Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Cleveland, OH, USA

Sylvia Lemos Hinrichsen¹

¹Tropical Diseases Department, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Cidade Universitária s/n, Recife-Pernambuco, Brazil

Márió Gajdács

Department of Pharmacodynamics and Biopharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary

Leonardo D’Aiuto¹*, Nicholas Radio², Vishwajit L. Nimgaonkar¹

¹Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, 3811 O’Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA, US

²Thermo Fisher Scientific, Cellular Imaging and Analysis, 100 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, US

Adolfo C. Fernandez-Obregon

Hudson Dermatology and Skin Cancer Center, Hoboken, New Jersey, USA

Jeel Moya-Salazar^1,2*, Richard Salazar-Hernández³, Victor Rojas-Zumaran², Wanda C. Quispe³

¹School of Medicine, Faculties of Health Science, Universidad Privada Norbert Wiener, Lima, Peru

²Pathology Department, Hospital Nacional Docente Madre Niño San Bartolomé, Lima, Peru

³Cytopathology and Genetics Service, Department of Pathology, Hospital Nacional Guillermo Almenara Irigoyen, Lima, Peru

In patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), opportunistic infections occur that could compromise the health of patients. In order to determine the frequency of fungal opportunistic and superficial infections in HIV-positive men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) patients at the Hospital Nacional Guillermo Almenara, we conducted a cross-sectional retrospective study. We include Peruvian patients >18 years-old, derived from infectious or gynecological offices, with or without antiretroviral treatment.

One hundred thirteen patients were enrolled (36.7±10, range: 21 to 68 years), which 46 (40.7%) has an opportunistic fungal infection, mainly by candidiasis (23.9%), pneumocystosis (8.7%), and cryptococcosis (6.5%). Six (13%) patients had fungal coinfections, mainly by oral candidiasis and ringworm (Tinea pedis) (4.3%), and opportunistic infections have an incidence of 15.9%. Of the 17 cases of dermatophytosis, 12 (70.6%) were from Tinea pedis, 5 (29.4%) from Tinea corporis, 3 (17.6%) from Tinea unguium, and two (11.8%) from Tinea versicolor. We found significant difference between the year of HIV-infection and the year of fungal infection (p=0.001).

The frequency of opportunistic fungal infections was determined in the fourth-and-six percent of Peruvian MSM HIV-positive patients, where candidiasis, pneumocystosis, and cryptococcosis were the most frequent. We raise the importance of fungal infections in the current framework of Venezuelan migration, since this could be a new risk factor and imply changes in incidence rates, which implies new challenges for Peruvian Public Health.

Antonio N Gomez-Valdes*

Department of Internal Medicine, Havana University School of Medicine, Havana, Cuba

Lurildo R. Saraiva¹*, Cleusa Santos Lapa², Thiago Barros Saraiva Leão³

¹Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil

²The Maternal and Child Institute of Pernambuco (IMIP), Recife, Brazil

³Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil

Rheumatic fever and subsequent rheumatic heart disease remain high in areas with high levels of poverty as in our country as in Pernambuco State, northeast of the Brasil. Clinical aspects peculiar to the disease, once easily found in rich countries, are still present in our infirmaries, including curious alterations in the electrocardiogram. Elongated QTc and cardiac arrhythmias can be recorded in about 30% of acute cases, with the possibility of sudden death. Cardiac surgery imposes itself for the cure of heart failure rebel against newly introduced drugs in medical practice.

D.J. Rivadeneira¹*, H.S. Luo¹

¹Department of Gastroenterology, Renmin Hospital, Wuhan University, China

Intestinal schistosomiasis caused by the Schistosoma japonicum is located mainly in the East Asian region. Schistosomiasis is part of the neglected tropical diseases that affects mostly the poor population; although its incidence has dropped in these years, schistosomiasis caused by S. japonicum still is a prevalent disease. Adult worms reside in the mesenteric veins and excrete eggs that migrate through the intestinal wall and pass out with the stool. The clinical manifestations depend on the stage of the disease, the intestinal schistosomiasis mostly affects the colon, but it can also affect the small intestine. This review’s purpose is to highlight the background and importance of the intestinal manifestations caused by Schistosoma japonicum.

Jane Namasasu*

Independent Consultant, Lilongwe 3, Malawi

Sibel Yurt¹, Gamze Kirkil²

¹Yedikule Chest Disease and Chest Surgery, Education and Research Hospital, University of Health Science, Istanbul, Turkey

²Department of Chest Diseases, Firat University Faculty of Medicine, Elazig, Turkey

Pleural tuberculosis is the most common cause of pleural effusion (PE) worldwide. To date, diagnosis of pleural TB relies on either insensitive, unspecific, or time consuming methods often leading to defer initiation of therapy. A search for reliable least invasive diagnostic test for tuberculosis has resulted in identification of many diagnostic tests over the years, the most qualified one is adenosine deaminase (ADA). The best cut-off value of pleural ADA may vary depending on the incidence of tuberculosis pleural effusion (TBE). Using a cut off value of 35 U/L is reported that the sensitivity of ADA in diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion was 85.7%. Another biomarker widely using for TB PE is interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) cytokine. T-SPOT.TB has very high sensitivity in detection of TPE and is widely used for investigating the prevalence of TB infection.

Gisle Schmidt*

Sofienbergt 3b, N-0551 Oslo, Norway

Ellen S. Pierce*

13212 East Blossey Avenue, Spokane Valley, Washington, USA

Infectious agents are known causes of human cancers. Human papillomaviruses and species of fungi are associated with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Esophageal adenocarcinoma is a complication of Barrett’s esophagus, the replacement of the normal squamous epithelium lining the esophagus by gastric or intestinal columnar mucous epithelium with or without goblet cells. As intestinal metaplasia of the stomach is the precursor lesion of Helicobacter Pylori-associated gastric cancer, a microorganism may cause the metaplasias of the esophagus that are the precursors of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), the cause of a chronic gastrointestinal enteropathy in domestic ruminants and a suspected zoonosis, results in bovine small and large intestinal goblet cell hyperplasia. MAP colonization of human gastric mucus and/or invasion of cardiac surface mucus cells, and resulting proliferation and proximal migration, may result in the metaplasias of Barrett’s esophagus. MAP therefore may be one infectious cause of Barrett’s esophagus-associated esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Georgios Pavlou, Isabelle Tardieux*

Institute for Advanced Biosciences (IAB), Team Membrane dynamics of parasite-host cell interactions, CNRS UMR5309, INSERM U1209, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular single-celled eukaryotic parasite with an impressive ability to invade virtually all nucleated cells from all warm-blooded animals, within a second time-scale. The invasive T. gondii tachyzoite achieves this feat by injecting a multi-unit nanodevice in the plasma membrane and underlying cortical cytoskeleton of the targeted cell that serves as an anchor point to withstand the parasite invasive force. Whether this nanodevice could also contribute at the latest step of invasion when the budding entry vesicle pinches off of the plasma membrane as a parasitophorous vacuole had not been yet addressed. Using fluorescent versions of both a parasite nanodevice component and a reporter for the target plasma membrane in conjunction with quantitative high-resolution live imaging, Pavlou et al. characterized the nanodevice toroidal shape once inserted in the membrane as well as its stretching and shrinking when accommodating the passage of the several micron-sized ellipsoid-shaped tachyzoite. Tracking in real time the motion of internal eccentric markers allowed defining the tachyzoite final rotation along the long axis which imposes a twisting motion on its basal pole and directs closure of the torus hence promoting both sealing and release of the entry vesicle. Monitoring distinct host cell plasma markers allowed Pavlou et al. to propose that the twisting motion could also act as an initial mechanical trigger for the transition to the intracellular lifestyle. Their publication therefore brings evidence for a key new contribution of the nanodevice to end the high-speed multi-step invasion process.

Jitendra H. Vaghela*

Senior resident, Department of Pharmacology, Government Medical College, Bhavnagar, Gujarat, India

Federica Migliardo^1,2*, Hatem Tallima³, Rashika El Ridi³

¹Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale D’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy

²Laboratoire de Chimie Physique, UMR8000, Université Paris Sud, 91405 Orsay cedex, France

³Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo 12613, Egypt