Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Wayne M. Barnes, Zhian Zhang, Milko B. Kermekchiev
Summary: Changing an amino acid of Taq DNA polymerase leads to faster PCR; surprising results from negative controls reveal additional abilities of the enzyme.
FRONTIERS IN BIOENGINEERING AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Virology
Selen Zeliha Mart Komurcu, Yakup Artik, Nevra Pelin Cesur, Arzu Tanriverdi, Derya Cakir Erdogan, Sule Celik, Elif Yilmaz Gulec
Summary: Rapid and reliable detection of SARS-CoV-2 mutations is crucial in controlling virus transmission. Study found N501Y mutation in positive patients, providing important information for public health efforts.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL VIROLOGY
(2022)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Dandan Chen, Xinqing Jiang, Yong Hong, Zhihui Wen, Shuquan Wei, Guangming Peng, Xinhua Wei
Summary: In this study, chest CT was found to be valuable in diagnosing COVID-19 pneumonia, especially for patients with negative initial RT-PCR results. Most COVID-19 lesions were located in multiple lobes in both lungs, with ground-glass opacity and consolidation being the main CT features. Patients with negative initial RT-PCR results were less likely to show pulmonary consolidation on CT.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ROENTGENOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
A. Yuwono Soeroto, R. Antartika, N. Nauli Asriputri, H. Suryadinata, B. Andriyoko
Summary: This study aimed to determine the association between RT-PCR Ct value and COVID-19 clinical severity in the second week of illness. The results showed no significant difference in Ct values among different severity groups, suggesting that Ct value is clinically insignificant in terms of association with the severity of COVID-19 in the second week of illness.
EUROPEAN REVIEW FOR MEDICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Catherine T. Chia, Andrew T. Bender, Lorraine Lillis, Benjamin P. Sullivan, Coleman D. Martin, Wynn Burke, Charles Landis, David S. Boyle, Jonathan D. Posner
Summary: This study reports a rapid, highly accurate, and minimally instrumented assay for HCV RNA detection using RT-RPA. The assay can detect all HCV genotypes with a limit of detection of 25 copies per reaction for genotype 1. Clinical experiments showed that the RT-RPA assay has a sensitivity and specificity of 100%. The accuracy, short runtime, and low heating demands of RT-RPA make it potentially valuable for point-of-care HCV testing.
Article
Biophysics
John Daniels, Shekhar Wadekar, Ken DeCubellis, George W. Jackson, Alexander S. Chiu, Quentin Pagneux, Hiba Saada, Ilka Engelmann, Judith Ogiez, Delphine Loze-Warot, Rabah Boukherroub, Sabine Szunerits
Summary: This study introduces a novel concept of using exhaled breath condensate (EBC) collected by a mask-based sampling device and detected with an electrochemical biosensor for fast and specific detection of COVID-19. Results showed detection of SARS-CoV-2 in samples from positive patients, and the electrochemical biosensor was able to detect viral particles, providing information about the infectivity state of the patients.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Yasuhiro Uno, Norie Murayama, Moe Ijiri, Hiroaki Kawaguchi, Osamu Yamato, Mitsuya Shiraishi, Atsushi Asano, Hiroki Teraoka, Hazuki Mizukawa, Shouta M. M. Nakayama, Yoshinori Ikenaka, Mayumi Ishizuka, Hiroshi Yamazaki
Summary: In this study, the authors identified and characterized several CYP2Js in dogs, cats, and pigs, which are homologous to the human CYP2J2 enzyme. The expression patterns of these CYP2Js in the intestines of the different species were analyzed. It was found that dog, cat, and pig CYP2Js likely play a role in drug metabolism in the small intestine, similar to human CYP2J2.
DRUG METABOLISM AND DISPOSITION
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Huijing Ma, Qinghao Ye, Weiping Ding, Yinghui Jiang, Minhao Wang, Zhangming Niu, Xi Zhou, Yuan Gao, Chengjia Wang, Wade Menpes-Smith, Evandro Fei Fang, Jianbo Shao, Jun Xia, Guang Yang
Summary: This study investigated whether clinical symptoms and laboratory results can predict chest CT outcomes for pediatric patients with positive RT-PCR testing results, finding age, lymphocyte, neutrophils, ferritin, and C-reactive protein as the most related indicators. The study suggests that the necessity of CT for pediatric patients should be reconsidered, based on the predictive ability of clinical indicators.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Huina Wu, Mingyuan Zou, Xiaobo Fan, Feiya Su, Feng Xiao, Meiling Zhou, Yan Sun, Fengfeng Zhao, Guoqiu Wu
Summary: A catalytic hairpin assembly (CHA) combined with lateral flow immunoassay (CHA-LFIA) method was proposed for rapid and precise detection of influenza viruses and RSV, demonstrating high sensitivity and specificity.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Masateru Takahashi, Muhammad Tehseen, Rahul Salunke, Etsuko Takahashi, Sara Mfarrej, Mohamed A. Sobhy, Fatimah S. Alhamlan, Sharif Hala, Gerardo Ramos-Mandujano, Ahmed A. Al-Qahtani, Fadwa S. Alofi, Afrah Alsomali, Anwar M. Hashem, Asim Khogeer, Naif A. M. Almontashiri, Jae Man Lee, Hiroaki Mon, Kosuke Sakashita, Mo Li, Takahiro Kusakabe, Arnab Pain, Samir M. Hamdan
Summary: One-step reverse-transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is widely used for COVID-19 diagnostics, but high cost and availability issues have led to the development of a local kit with tailored enzymes. This new kit showed robust performance in detecting COVID-19 in clinical samples and laboratory settings.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gergely Attila Racz, Nikolett Nagy, Jozsef Tovari, Agota Apati, Beata G. Vertessy
Summary: This study aimed to identify stable reference genes with low expression variability among different cell lines, leading to the proposal of IPO8, PUM1, HNRNPL, SNW1, and CNOT4 as suitable for gene expression normalization. CNOT4 was also found to be the most stable gene even under serum starvation conditions.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Virology
Yuka Horio, Mototada Shichiri, Yuji Isegawa
Summary: A novel method was developed to evaluate mRNA transcription activity of influenza RdRp without the use of ultracentrifugation and radioisotopes. The method showed specificity and sensitivity in quantifying mRNA synthesis, even at low levels, and was able to demonstrate the inhibition of mRNA synthesis by an RdRp inhibitor. This new approach will facilitate further research on identifying compounds that inhibit viral mRNA transcription activity of RdRp.
Article
Agronomy
Hyo-Jeong Lee, Sena Choi, In-Sook Cho, Ju-Yeon Yoon, Rae-Dong Jeong
Summary: In this study, a sensitive and accurate quantification method for PlAMV infection in lily samples using a reverse transcription droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (RT-ddPCR) assay was established. The RT-ddPCR assay showed high specificity and sensitivity for PlAMV detection and quantification, outperforming the traditional RT-qPCR method. Field validation tests further confirmed the superior sensitivity of RT-ddPCR. This method can be used for PlAMV infection diagnosis, especially in plant quarantine inspection and PlAMV-free certification programs.
Article
Pediatrics
Lorelei Charbonnier, Julie Roupret-Serzec, Marion Caseris, Marion Danse, Aurelie Cointe, Laure Cohen, Albert Faye, Naim Ouldali, Jean Gaschignard
Summary: A study comparing contact tracing strategies around index children positive for SARS-CoV-2 found that combining serological rapid diagnostic testing and RT-PCR enabled the identification of contacts with past infection and the avoidance of unnecessary quarantine for around one fourth of individuals.
FRONTIERS IN PEDIATRICS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Patricia Coelho, Joana Oliveira, Iva Fernandes, Paula Araujo, Ana Rita Pereira, Paula Gameiro, Lucinda J. Bessa
Summary: Bacterial quorum sensing is a communication system that regulates various bacterial mechanisms, including biofilm formation. Targeting microbial QS is considered as an alternative strategy to combat multidrug-resistant pathogens, with phytochemicals showing potential QS interference activity. An extract and a compound of bioinspired origin were tested for their ability to inhibit biofilm formation and interfere with QS-related gene expression in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The results showed significant effects on biofilm formation and gene expression in S. aureus strains, suggesting potential therapeutic applications for these anti-QS molecules.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)