Clinical Case of Parvovirus B19 Infection in Pregnant Woman with Β-Thalassemia in Bulgaria.

A pregnant 30-year-old female in the 34th gestational week was admitted at University "Maichin Dom" Hospital prior to childbirth. The patient is diagnosed with ß-thalassemia. During laboratory screening hemoglobin of 98 g/L was established. Blood smear shows mild microcytic hypochromic anemia: RBC 5.15 x 1012/L, HGB 98 g/L, MCV 65.8 fL, MCH 19.4 pg, MCHC 295 g/L. Serum iron concentration is 12.9 µmol/L and ferritin 17.5 µg/L. For the delivery process cesium was considered. Two days after procedure a rash presented on face, hands and breasts. Although the mother was positive for parvovirus B19 infection, the baby was negative. This was confirmed by se-rological and molecular investigations. We discovered only the mother's B19V IgG antibodies in the newborn. In connection to the main disease, namely ß-thalassemia, acute virus infection could cause aplastic crisis. After consultation with a hematologist, serum hepcidin concentration (an iron homeostasis regulator) was quantified: 19.4 µg/L. ELISA test was used to prove B19V IgM antibodies in the mother. PCR analysis shows the presence of B19V DNA. During infection, inflammatory cytokines increase hepcidin secretion, leading to iron deposition into cells.

Photodynamic Effect of some Phthalocyanines on Enveloped and Naked Viruses.

Activity of three photosensitizing phthalocyanine derivatives was tested for photodynamic inactivation towards two coated and two non-enveloped viruses - bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), influenza virus A(H3N2), poliovirus type 1 (PV-1) and human adenovirus type 5 (HAdV5). In the case of coated viruses, a combination of virucidal and irradiation effects was registered by octa-methylpyridyloxy-substituted Ga phthalocyanine (Ga8) toward BVDV, whereas tetra-methylpyridyloxy-substituted Ga phthalocyanine (Ga4) revealed a marked photoinactivation only. No such effect was observed towards influenza A virus. In contrast, the photoinactivating potential of Ga4 and Ga8 marked very high values on naked viruses, especially on HAdV5, at which both the virucidal as well as the irradiation effects became combined.

Cinnamoyl- and hydroxycinnamoyl amides of glaucine and their antioxidative and antiviral activities.

The aporphine alkaloid glaucine has been converted into 3-aminomethylglaucine and its free amino group has been linked to cinnamic, ferulic, sinapic, o-, and p-coumaric acids. The antioxidative potential of the synthesized amides was studied against DPPH(*) test. All of the tested compounds demonstrated higher radical scavenging activity than glaucine and 3-aminomethylglaucine, and lower antioxidative effect than the free hydroxycinnamic acids. The newly synthesized compounds were tested in vitro for antiviral activity against viruses belonging to different taxonomic groups.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of antipicornaviral pyrrole-containing peptidomimetics.

A series of new peptidomimetics based on the tripeptide sequence Z-Leu-Phe-Gln-OH were synthesized, with ten of these including the alpha-nitrogen atom of the N-terminal amino acid incorporated into the pyrrole cycle. The synthesized compounds were tested for antiviral activity by agar-diffusion plaque inhibition test against Coxsackievirus B1 replication in FL cell. Four of the products were observed to possess an antiviral activity, which was proven to be significant for one product. N-terminal pyrrole moiety and C-terminal free carboxyl function are available in all active compounds. On the other hand, their corresponding -OBzl and -Obu t esters are inactive.