A severe case of Puumala hantavirus infection successfully treated with bradykinin receptor antagonist icatibant.

A patient with severe capillary leakage syndrome caused by a Puumala hantavirus infection was treated with a single dose of icatibant, a bradykinin receptor antagonist, with a dramatic positive response. We suggest that this drug should be tested in a larger number of patients with severe hantavirus infection.

Capturing colloidal nano- and microplastics with plant-based nanocellulose networks.

Microplastics accumulate in various aquatic organisms causing serious health issues, and have raised concerns about human health by entering our food chain. The recovery techniques for the most challenging colloidal fraction are limited, even for analytical purposes. Here we show how a hygroscopic nanocellulose network acts as an ideal capturing material even for the tiniest nanoplastic particles. We reveal that the entrapment of particles from aqueous environment is primarily a result of the network's hygroscopic nature - a feature which is further intensified with the high surface area of nanocellulose. We broaden the understanding of the mechanism for particle capture by investigating the influence of pH and ionic strength on the adsorption behaviour. We determine the nanoplastic binding mechanisms using surface sensitive methods, and interpret the results with the random sequential adsorption (RSA) model. These findings hold potential for the explicit quantification of the colloidal nano- and microplastics from different aqueous environments, and eventually, provide solutions to collect them directly on-site where they are produced.

Severe Puumala virus infection in a patient with a lymphoproliferative disease treated with icatibant.

Early identification of patients at risk of a severe course of hantaviral disease and lack of effective medication represent a global challenge in the treatment of this emerging infection. We describe a 67-year-old female patient with a history of chronic lymphoproliferative disease involving the spleen and an extremely severe acute Puumala hantavirus infection. She was treated with the bradykinin receptor antagonist icatibant and recovered. She is the second patient with a spleen abnormality and severe Puumala infection treated with icatibant in our hospital. We suggest that patients with spleen abnormalities may be more susceptible to severe hantavirus disease. The activation of the kinin-kallikrein system and the formation of bradykinin in hantavirus-infected endothelial cells indicate that the role of bradykinin receptor antagonist icatibant in the treatment of hantavirus disease is worth studying.

Pathophysiology of a severe case of Puumala hantavirus infection successfully treated with bradykinin receptor antagonist icatibant.

We recently described a patient with very severe Puumala hantavirus infection manifested by capillary leakage syndrome and shock. He was successfully treated with the bradykinin receptor antagonist, icatibant (Antonen et al., 2013). Here we report analysis of the pathophysiology which indicated pronounced complement activation, prolonged leukocytosis, extensive fibrinolysis, circulating histones, and defects in liver function. The patient had an uncommon HLA-phenotype, which may have contributed to the severe course of the disease.