Review
Oncology
Bhavika Gupta, Daizy Sadaria, Vaishnavi U. Warrier, Anuradha Kirtonia, Ravi Kant, Amit Awasthi, Prakash Baligar, Jayanta K. Pal, Eiji Yuba, Gautam Sethi, Manoj Garg, Rajesh Kumar Gupta
Summary: Glycans extracted from plant lectins can act as ligands for immune cells and may lead to the development of new targeted therapies. Understanding the structure of these glycans is crucial for developing alternative targeted therapies.
SEMINARS IN CANCER BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Lukasz Rabalski, Maciej Kosinski, Natalia Mazur-Panasiuk, Boguslaw Szewczyk, Krystyna Bienkowska-Szewczyk, Ravi Kant, Tarja Sironen, Krzysztof Pyrc, Maciej Grzybek
Summary: This study analyzed the possible zoonotic spill-over of SARS-CoV-2 and reported the transmission of mink-adapted SARS-CoV-2 from farmed mink to humans for at least 3 months.
CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Pulak Debbarma, Ravi Kant, Surendra Bahadur Mishra, Lal Ji Bharti, Vinay Rojaria, Mainak Barman
Summary: This study identified suitable parent lines for blackgram breeding based on combining ability and heterotic effects. Promising hybrids were also identified for improving seed yield per plant. The study highlights the importance of selecting parents with good general combining ability for desired traits.
Article
Cell Biology
Rashmi Rana, Ravi Kant, Dinesh Kaul, Anil Sachdev, Nirmal Kumar Ganguly
Summary: Dengue fever is a viral infection caused by dengue viruses that affects the lungs, liver, heart, and other organs. The virus is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes and can cause symptoms ranging from mild fever to severe bleeding and organ failure. The increase in dengue cases in pediatric population is a major concern.
MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ravi Kant, Prakash Jha, Daman Saluja, Madhu Chopra
Summary: This study investigated the structural and functional relationship between Ng-MurI and D-glutamate in Neisseria gonorrhoeae. Through homology modeling, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulations, novel compounds with potential inhibitory activity against Ng-MurI were identified. These findings provide insights for the design and development of Ng-MurI inhibitors.
JOURNAL OF BIOMOLECULAR STRUCTURE & DYNAMICS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Rashmi Rana, Ravi Kant, Rohit Singh Huirem, Deepika Bohra, Nirmal Kumar Ganguly
Summary: The identification of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant has raised concerns globally, as it may have a higher rate of transmission and a significant number of mutations, potentially impacting the control and treatment of the pandemic. The World Health Organization has designated this variant as a variant of concern and named it Omicron. The transmission method and severity of Omicron have been well defined, but there are still many speculations regarding its origin and infectivity.
MICROBIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Virology
Ilya Plyusnin, Olli Vapalahti, Tarja Sironen, Ravi Kant, Teemu Smura
Summary: Viruses are the main cause of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is a high-throughput technology that can detect known or novel divergent viruses without prior assumptions. The Lazypipe 2 mNGS pipeline has significant improvements in code stability and transparency, with added functionality and support for new software components.
Article
Immunology
Tobias L. Freitag, Riku Fagerlund, Nihay Laham Karam, Veli-Matti Leppanen, Hasan Ugurlu, Ravi Kant, Petri Makinen, Ahmed Tawfek, Sawan Kumar Jha, Tomas Strandin, Katarzyna Leskinen, Jussi Hepojoki, Tapio Kesti, Lauri Kareinen, Suvi Kuivanen, Emma Koivulehto, Aino Sormunen, Svetlana Laidinen, Ayman Khattab, Paivi Saavalainen, Seppo Meri, Anja Kipar, Tarja Sironen, Olli Vapalahti, Kari Alitalo, Seppo Yla-Herttuala, Kalle Saksela
Summary: Intranasal administration of adenoviral vector vaccines can induce mucosal immunity and protect mice from SARS-CoV-2 infection, supporting the potential of this approach for preventing transmission of the virus.
Article
Pathology
Laura Tuomisto, Ravi Kant, Anna-Mariam Kiviranta, Kukka-Maaria Helkioe, Tarja Sironen, Antti Sukura, Rebecca P. Wilkes, Kristel Kegler
Summary: This case report describes a case of granulomatous colitis (GC) associated with adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) that spread to various organs in a 10-year-old, male Sphynx cat. The cat initially experienced diarrhea and sudden blindness before rapidly progressing to ataxia, seizures, and death. Inflammation consistent with granulomatous inflammation was found in all affected organs, and the presence of AIEC within enterocytes and infiltrating macrophages was confirmed.
VETERINARY PATHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anna R. Maekelae, Hasan Ugurlu, Liina Hannula, Ravi Kant, Petja Salminen, Riku Fagerlund, Sanna Maeki, Anu Haveri, Tomas Strandin, Lauri Kareinen, Jussi Hepojoki, Suvi Kuivanen, Lev Levanov, Arja Pasternack, Rauno A. Naves, Olli Ritvos, Pamela oesterlund, Tarja Sironen, Olli Vapalahti, Anja Kipar, Juha T. Huiskonen, Ilona Rissanen, Kalle Saksela
Summary: The authors describe a small antibody-like protein, TriSb92, that can prevent infection by diverse SARS-CoV-2 variants. In cell culture and mice, intranasal treatment with TriSb92 before or shortly after exposure to the virus showed protective effects. This highly manufacturable and stable trimeric antibody-mimetic has the potential to be used as a nasal spray for protecting susceptible individuals from SARS-CoV-2 infection.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Xing Wan, Timo M. Takala, Vy A. Huynh, Susanna L. Ahonen, Lars Paulin, Johanna Bjorkroth, Tarja Sironen, Ravi Kant, Per Saris
Summary: Weissella strains are commonly found in spontaneously fermented foods and can improve the sensory properties and nutritional values of the products due to their ability to produce lactic acid, functional exopolysaccharides, and probiotic traits. However, some Weissella species have been associated with human and animal diseases. Genomic analyses are crucial in order to fully understand individual Weissella species.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Parasitology
Fathiah Zakham, Essi M. Korhonen, Petteri T. Puonti, Robert S. Castren, Ruut Uusitalo, Teemu Smura, Ravi Kant, Olli Vapalahti, Tarja Sironen, Paula M. Kinnunen
Summary: This study found a high prevalence of pathogenic microorganisms in ticks collected from pet dogs and cats in Finland, emphasizing the importance of awareness and prevention of tick-borne diseases. Veterinary surveillance can facilitate early detection of tick-borne pathogens and new tick species and draw attention to possible co-infections.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2023)
Letter
Immunology
Hanna Vauhkonen, Hannimari Kallio-Kokko, Eija Hiltunen-Back, Lasse Lonnqvist, Jaana Leppaaho-Lakka, Laura Mannonen, Ravi Kant, Tarja Sironen, Satu Kurkela, Maija Lappalainen, Tomaz Mark Zorec, Samo Zakotnik, Doroteja Vlaj, Misa Korva, Tatjana Avsic-Zupanc, Mario Poljak, Teemu Smura, Olli Vapalahti
Summary: Monkeypox virus was introduced to Finland in late May-early June 2022. Analysis of viral genome in a patient's sample showed a major variant with 3 lineage B.1.3-specific mutations and a minor variant with ancestral B.1 nucleotides. The results suggest ongoing evolution mediated by APOBEC3 enzyme or co-infection.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Ravi Kant, Thakur Gurjeet Singh
Summary: Functional beverage of Dolichos biflorus seeds inhibits the crystallization process of calcium oxalate by reducing aggregation of crystals, which helps prevent urolithiasis. This beverage also exhibits significant antioxidant activity.
BIOINTERFACE RESEARCH IN APPLIED CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Applied
Ravi Kant, Thakur Gurjeet Singh
Summary: This study investigates the role of bioactive substances in Dolichos biflorus seeds in managing urolithiasis. The functional beverage from these seeds restores normal levels of oxalate and citrate in blood and urine, showing anti-urolithiasis activity. The study suggests that the effect of Dolichos biflorus is through the restoration of membrane oxalate transporters activity, rather than dietary oxalate.
BIOINTERFACE RESEARCH IN APPLIED CHEMISTRY
(2022)