Zoonotic Hantaviridae with Global Public Health Significance.

Hantaviridae currently encompasses seven genera and 53 species. Multiple hantaviruses such as Hantaan virus, Seoul virus, Dobrava-Belgrade virus, Puumala virus, Andes virus, and Sin Nombre virus are highly pathogenic to humans. They cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome or hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HCPS/HPS) in many countries. Some hantaviruses infect wild or domestic animals without causing severe symptoms. Rodents, shrews, and bats are reservoirs of various mammalian hantaviruses. Recent years have witnessed significant advancements in the study of hantaviruses including genomics, taxonomy, evolution, replication, transmission, pathogenicity, control, and patient treatment. Additionally, new hantaviruses infecting bats, rodents, shrews, amphibians, and fish have been identified. This review compiles these advancements to aid researchers and the public in better recognizing this zoonotic virus family with global public health significance.

Epidemiology-based analysis of the risks and elimination strategies of the monkeypox outbreak in 2022.

Human monkeypox, caused by monkeypox virus, has spread unprecedentedly to more than 100 countries since May 2022. Here we summarized the epidemiology of monkeypox through a literature review and elucidated the risks and elimination strategies of this outbreak mainly based on the summarized epidemiology. We demonstrated that monkeypox virus became more contagious and less virulent in 2022, which could result from the fact that the virus entered a special transmission network favoring close contacts (i.e., sexual behaviors of men who have sex with men outside Africa) and the possibility that the virus accumulated a few adaptive mutations. We gave the reasons to investigate whether cattle, goats, sheep, and pigs are susceptible to monkeypox virus and whether infection with monkeypox virus could be latent in some primates. We listed six potential scenarios for the future of the outbreak (e.g., the outbreak could lead to endemicity outside Africa with increased transmissibility or virulence). We also listed multiple factors aiding or impeding the elimination of the outbreak. We showed that the control measures strengthened worldwide after the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) could eliminate the outbreak in 2022. We clarified eight strategies, i.e., publicity and education, case isolation, vaccine stockpiling, risk-based vaccination or ring vaccination, importation quarantine, international collaboration, and laboratory management, for the elimination of the outbreak.

A highly powerful nonspecific strategy to reduce COVID-19 deaths.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 remains risky worldwide. We elucidate here that good IDM (isolation, disinfection, and maintenance of health) is powerful to reduce COVID-19 deaths based on the striking differences in COVID-19 case fatality rates among various scenarios. IDM means keeping COVID-19 cases away from each other and from other people, disinfecting their living environments, and maintaining their health through good nutrition, rest, and treatment of symptoms and pre-existing diseases (not through specific antiviral therapy). Good IDM could reduce COVID-19 deaths by more than 85% in 2020 and more than 99% in 2022. This is consistent with the fact that good IDM can minimize co-infections and maintain body functions and the fact that COVID-19 has become less pathogenic (this fact was supported with three novel data in this report). Although IDM has been frequently implemented worldwide to some degree, IDM has not been highlighted sufficiently. Good IDM is relative, nonspecific, flexible, and feasible in many countries, and can reduce deaths of some other relatively mild infectious diseases. IDM, vaccines, and antivirals aid each other to reduce COVID-19 deaths. The IDM concept and strategy can aid people to improve their health behavior and fight against COVID-19 and future pandemics worldwide.

LncRNA PITPNA-AS1/miR-223-3p/PTN axis regulates malignant progression and stemness in lung squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are a kind of molecule that cannot code proteins, and their expression is dysregulated in diversified cancers. LncRNA PITPNA-AS1 has been shown to act as a tumor promoter in a variety of malignancies, but its function and regulatory mechanisms in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) are yet unknown. METHODS: The mRNA and protein expression of genes were examined by RT-qPCR, western blot, and IHC assay. The cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and stemness were detected through CCK-8, colony formation, Transwell and spheroid formation assays. The CD44+ and CD166+ -positive cells were detected through flow cytometry. The binding ability among genes through luciferase reporter and RNA pull-down assays. The tumor growth was detected through in vivo nude mice assay. RESULTS: The lncRNA PITPNA-AS1 had increased expression in LUSC and was linked to a poor prognosis. In LUSC, PITPNA-AS1 also enhanced cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and stemness. This mechanistic investigation showed that PITPNA-AS1 absorbed miR-223-3p and that miR-223-3p targeted PTN. MiR-223-3p inhibition or PTN overexpression might reverse the inhibitory effects of PITPNA-AS1 suppression on LUSC progression, as demonstrated by rescue experiments. In addition, the PITPNA-AS1/miR-223-3p/PTN axis accelerated tumor development in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: It is the first time we investigated the potential role and ceRNA regulatory mechanism of PITPNA-AS1 in LUSC. The data disclosed that PITPNA-AS1 upregulated PTN through sponging miR-223-3p to enhance the onset and progression of LUSC. These findings suggested the ceRNA axis may serve as a promising therapeutic biomarker for LUSC patients.

Highly adaptive Phenuiviridae with biomedical importance in multiple fields.

The newly established virus family Phenuiviridae in Bunyavirales harbors viruses infecting three kingdoms of host organisms (animals, plants, and fungi), which is rare in known virus families. Many phenuiviruses are arboviruses and replicate in two distinct hosts (e.g., insects and humans or rice). Multiple phenuivirid species, such as Dabie bandavirus, Rift Valley fever phlebovirus, and Rice stripe tenuivirus, are highly pathogenic to humans, animals, or plants. They impose heavy global burdens on human health, livestock industry, and agriculture and are research hotspots. In recent years the taxonomy of Phenuiviridae has been expanded greatly, and research on phenuiviruses has made significant progress. With these advances, this review drew a novel panorama regarding the biomedical significance, distribution, morphology, genomics, taxonomy, evolution, replication, transmission, pathogenesis, and control of phenuiviruses, to aid researchers in various fields to recognize this highly adaptive and important virus family and conduct relevant risk analysis.

Bis[4-amino-3,5-bis-(pyridin-2-yl)-4H-1,2,4-triazole-κ(2)N(1),N(5)]diaqua-cobalt(II) bis-(perchlorate).

In the title structure, [Co(C(12)H(10)N(6))(2)(H(2)O)(2)](ClO(4))(2), the Co(II) atom lies on an inversion centre and is coordinated in a slightly distorted octa-hedral geometry by four N atoms from two 4-amino-3,5-bis-(pyridin-2-yl)-4H-1,2,4-triazole (adpt) ligands in equatorial positions and two O atoms from two water mol-ecules in axial positions. An intra-molecular N-H⋯N inter-action stabilizes the mol-ecular conformation. Inter-molecular N-H⋯O and O-H⋯O inter-actions involving the perchlorate counter-anions extend the monomeric compound into a two-dimensional network parallel to the bc plane.

Bis(2-amino-5-methyl-1,3,4-thia-diazole-κN(3))dichloridocobalt(II).

In the monomeric title complex, [CoCl(2)(C(3)H(5)N(3)S)(2)], the Co(II) atom is tetra-coordinated by two chloride anions and two N atoms from two monodentate 2-amino-5-methyl-1,3,4-thia-diazole ligands, giving a slightly distorted tetra-hedral stereochemistry [bond angle range about Co = 105.16 (12)-112.50 (10)°]. In the complex, the dihedral angle between the 1,3,4-thia-diazole planes in the two ligands is 72.8 (1)°. There are two intra-molecular N-H⋯Cl inter-actions in the complex unit, while in the crystal, inter-molecular N-H⋯N and N-H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds link these units into a two-dimensional layered structure parallel to (011).

Bis[3-(pyrazin-2-yl)-5-(pyridin-2-yl-κN)-1,2,4-triazol-1-ido-κN(1)]copper(II).

In the mononuclear title complex, [Cu(C(11)H(7)N(6))(2)], the Cu(II) atom lies on a crystallographic inversion centre and is coordinated by four N atoms from two bidentate chelate monoanionic 3-(pyrazin-2-yl)-5-(pyridin-2-yl-1,2,4-triazol-1-ido ligands, two from the triazolide rings [Cu-N = 1.969 (2) Å] and two from the pyridine rings [Cu-N = 2.027 (2) Å], giving a slightly distorted square-planar geometry.