COVID19 outbreak in Lombardy, Italy: An analysis on the short-term relationship between air pollution, climatic factors and the susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Short-term exposure to air pollution, as well as to climate variables have been linked to a higher incidence of respiratory viral diseases. The study aims to assess the short-term influence of air pollution and climate on COVID19 incidence in Lombardy (Italy), during the early stage of the outbreak, before the implementation of the lockdown measures. The daily number of COVID19 cases in Lombardy from February 25th to March 10th, 2020, and the daily average concentrations up to 15 days before the study period of particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5), O3, SO2, and NO2 together with climate variables (temperature, relative humidity - RH%, wind speed, precipitation), were analyzed. A univariable mixed model with a logarithm transformation as link function was applied for each day, from 15 days (lag15) to one day (lag1) before the day of detected cases, to evaluate the effect of each variable. Additionally, change points (Break Points-BP) in the relationship between incident cases and air pollution or climatic factors were estimated. The results did not show a univocal relationship between air quality or climate factors and COVID19 incidence. PM10, PM2.5 and O3 concentrations in the last lags seem to be related to an increased COVID19 incidence, probably due to an increased susceptibility of the host. In addition, low temperature and low wind speed in some lags resulted associated with increased daily COVID19 incidence. The findings observed suggest that these factors, in particular conditions and lags, may increase individual susceptibility to the development of viral infections such as SARS-CoV-2.

Repurposing antiviral drugs against HTLV-1 protease by molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation.

Human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-1) belongs to the delta retrovirus family and the etiological agent of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL(. While the current HTLV-1 therapy, relies on using Zidovudine plus IFN-γ, there is no FDA approved drugs against it. In silico drug repurposing is a fast and accurate way for screening US-FDA approved drugs to find a therapeutic option for the HTLV-1 infection. So that, this research aims to analyze a dataset of approved antiviral drugs as a potential prospect for an anti-viral drug against HTLV-1 infection. Molecular docking simulation was performed to identify interactions of the antiviral drugs with the key residues in the HTLV-1 protease binding site. Then, molecular dynamics simulation was also performed for the potential protein-ligand complexes to confirm the stable behavior of the ligands inside the binding pocket. The best docking scores with the target was found to be Simeprevir, Atazanavir, and Saquinavir compounds which indicate that these drugs can firmly bind to the HTLV-1 protease. The MD simulation confirmed the stability of Simeprevir-protease, Atazanavir-Protease, and Saquinavir-Protease interactions. Clearly, these compounds should be further evaluated in experimental assays and clinical trials to confirm their actual activity against HTLV-1 infection.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Chronic-Relapsing cutaneous leukocytoclastic vasculitis in a young patient with reduced EBV-specific T cell response using enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay successfully treated with Valaciclovir.

Among different pathogens, opportunistic viral infection caused by EBV is particularly relevant. This gammaherpesvirus, belonging to the Herpesviridae family, may complicate the disease course in different clinical settings by inducing pathological EBV pictures in patients with a defective immunologic response. Our report evaluated EBV-specific T cell responses by IFN- γ ELISPOT assay, which revealed defective EBV specific immunological response.