HCMV-controlling NKG2C+ NK cells originate from novel circulating inflammatory precursors

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Early inhibitors of human cytomegalovirus: state-of-art and therapeutic perspectives

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is associated with severe morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised individuals, mainly transplant recipients and AIDS patients, and is the most frequent cause of congenital malformations in newborn children. To date, few drugs are licensed for the treatment of HCMV infections, most of which target the viral DNA polymerase and suffer from many drawbacks, including long-term toxicity, low potency, and poor bioavailability. In addition, the emergence of drug-resistant viral strains is becoming an increasing problem for disease management. Finally, none of the current anti-HCMV drugs have been approved for the treatment of congenital infections. For all these reasons, there is still a strong need for new anti-HCMV drugs with novel mechanisms of action. The first events of the virus replication cycle, including attachment, entry, immediate-early gene expression, and immediate-early functions—in particular that of Immediate-Early 2 protein—represent attractive targets for the development of novel antiviral compounds. Such inhibitors would block not only the expression of viral immediate-early proteins, which play a key role in the pathogenesis of HCMV infection, but also the host immunomodulation and the changes to cell physiology induced by the first events of virus infection. This review describes the current knowledge on the initial phases of HCMV replication, their validation as potential novel antiviral targets, and the development of compounds that block such processes.     

Effect of dental treatment before cardiac valve surgery: Systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundThe purpose of this systematic review was to determine the potential effect of dental treatment before cardiac valve surgery (CVS) or left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation on morbidity and mortality.Types of Studies ReviewedThe authors included relevant studies from MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, including randomized controlled trials and cohort studies, published from 1998 through 2019 and involving adults who received dental treatment before CVS or LVAD implantation. The authors assessed bias by using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale and evidence certainty by using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. The authors used a meta-analysis with a random-effects model to estimate dichotomous and continuous outcomes, expressed as relative risk (RR) and weighted mean difference.ResultsSix studies met the inclusion criteria for CVS but none for LVAD implantation. Very low certainty in the evidence suggested uncertainty as to whether health outcomes for patients undergoing dental treatment before CVS differed from those who did not. Postsurgical outcomes included all-cause mortality (RR, 1.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53 to 1.91), infective endocarditis (RR, 1.30; 95% CI, 0.51 to 3.35), postsurgical infection (RR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.76 to 1.33), and length of stay in the hospital (weighted mean difference, 2.9; 95% CI, ?2.3 to 8.1).Conclusions and Practical ImplicationsFrom the available evidence, it is unclear whether postoperative outcomes differ in patients receiving dental treatment before CVS compared with outcomes in those who do not. Dentists and medical care professionals should collaborate on an appropriate course of action for each patient, weighing any potentially relevant care considerations.     

吡罗昔康PEG固体分散体中载体组成与制剂的体内外特性

本文报道以成分不同的PEG为载体制成吡罗昔康(PIR)固体分散体(Sd)制剂,与片剂相比,体内外特性存在着显著性差异。Sd用红外光谱、X射线衍射光谱加以证明,由Sd制成两种滴丸DⅠ、DⅡ,用转篮法测定了体外释药速度。用HPLC法测定了家兔的吸收速度。以PEG 4000与1000为混合载体制备的滴丸DⅠ,其体外释药速度远较单纯PEG 4000为载体的滴丸DⅡ为快,两者的T_(50)相差6.4倍。家兔吸收试验中,两种滴丸的T_m相差为6.5倍,与体外释药速度倍数十分吻合。进一步测定了滴丸DⅠ在8名志愿者的体内血药浓度,结果表明,DⅠ的T_m及K_α远较片剂快,而C_m AUC和片剂相近。     

Characteristics and longer-term outcomes of paravalvular leak after aortic and mitral valve surgery

Background

Paravalvular leak (PVL) is often seen after aortic (AV) and mitral valve (MV) surgery, either due to infection or valve dehiscence. We sought to describe predictors of longer-term outcomes in patients who developed PVL after AV and MV surgery and were considered eligible for reoperative cardiac surgery (RCS).

Joint control for flexible‐joint robot with input‐estimation approach and LQG method

In this work, the input‐estimation (IE) algorithm and the linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) controller are adopted to design a control system. The combined method can maintain higher control performance even when the system variation is unknown and under the influence of disturbance input. The IE algorithm is an on‐line inverse estimation method involving the Kalman filter (KF) and the least‐square method, which can estimate the system input without additional torque sensor, while the LQG control theory has the characteristic of low sensitivity of disturbance. The design and analysis processes of the controller will also be discussed in this paper. The joint control of the flexible‐joint robot system is utilized to test and verify the effectiveness of the control performance. According to the simulation results, the IE algorithm is an effective observer for estimating the disturbance torque input, and the LQG controller can effectively cope with the situation that the disturbance exists. Finally, higher control performance of the combined method for joint control of the robotic system can be further verified. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.