Viral immunology
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The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between dynamic changes in the nasopharyngeal viral load of patients infected with the new coronavirus causing pneumonia and lymphocyte count disease severity. Cases newly diagnosed with COVID-19 at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University from January 2020 to February 2020 were analyzed retrospectively. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to determine severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from throat swab sample ΔCT values; lymphocyte and lymphocyte subset counts, coagulation system factor levels, myocardial injury indexes, and laboratory biochemical indicators were compared between the mild group and the severe group. ⋯ In addition, the time that it took for the nucleic acid test to turn negative was significantly shorter for patients in the mild group than for those in the severe group (Z = -6.713, p < 0.001). In conclusion, relative SARS-CoV-2 RNA load in the nasopharynx is closely related to COVID-19 severity. If the relative RNA load was higher, the lymphocyte count was lower, organ damage was greater, and the time it took for the nucleic acid test to turn negative was longer.
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Despite the current availability of more potent drugs, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is still treated with a combination of IFN-α and ribavirin in many countries. Interferon/ribavirin therapy can induce the appearance of autoantibodies to Rods and Rings (anti-RR), which have been associated to a poorer prognosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of anti-RR antibodies before and after ribavirin therapy and to look for a possible association with HCV infection outcome. ⋯ Moreover, anti-RR antibody titer was significantly higher in NR patients (3,200 [1,600-6,400]) comparatively to REL patients (800 [500-1,400]), p = 0.002. Likewise, log of viral load postribavirin therapy was significantly higher in anti-RR positive patients (6.24 ± 0.64) than in anti-RR negative (4.69 ± 1.06), p < 0.001. Based on these findings, ribavirin-induced anti-RR autoantibody seems to be associated with a more frequent nonresponse to IFN-α/ribavirin therapy with a significant higher HCV viral load.
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Stage of liver fibrosis is critical for treatment decision and prediction of outcomes in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of transient elastography (TE)-FibroScan and noninvasive serum markers tests in the assessment of liver fibrosis in CHC patients, in reference to liver biopsy. One-hundred treatment-naive CHC patients were subjected to liver biopsy, TE-FibroScan, and eight serum biomarkers tests; AST/ALT ratio (AAR), AST to platelet ratio index (APRI), age-platelet index (AP index), fibrosis quotient (FibroQ), fibrosis 4 index (FIB-4), cirrhosis discriminant score (CDS), King score, and Goteborg University Cirrhosis Index (GUCI). ⋯ APRI, FIB-4, CDS, King score, and GUCI had intermediate accuracy in predicting significant liver fibrosis with AUROC 0.68, 0.78, 0.74, 0.74, and 0.67, respectively, while AAR had low accuracy in predicting significant liver fibrosis. TE-FibroScan is the most accurate noninvasive alternative to liver biopsy. AP index and FibroQ, either as individual tests or combined, have good accuracy in predicting significant liver fibrosis, and are better combined for higher specificity.
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The emergence of outbreaks of Zika virus (ZIKV) in Brazil in 2015 was associated with devastating effects on fetal development and prompted a world health emergency and multiple efforts to generate an effective vaccine against infection. There are now more than 40 vaccine candidates in preclinical development and six in clinical trials. Despite similarities with other flaviviruses to which successful vaccines have been developed, such as yellow fever virus and Japanese Encephalitis virus, there are unique challenges to the development and clinical trials of a vaccine for ZIKV.
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Commercial broiler and layer chickens are heavily vaccinated against economically important viral diseases with a view of preventing morbidity, mortality, and production impacts encountered during short production cycles. Hatchery vaccination is performed through in ovo embryo vaccination prehatch or spray and subcutaneous vaccinations performed at the day of hatch before the day-old chickens are being placed in barns with potentially contaminated environments. ⋯ Although the ability to mount immune response, especially the adaptive immune response, is not optimal around the hatch, it is possible that the efficacy of these vaccines depends partly on innate host responses elicited in response to replicating vaccine viruses. This review focuses on the current knowledge of hatchery vaccination in poultry and potential mechanisms of hatchery vaccine-mediated protective responses and limitations.