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Therapeutic and preventive treatment of mice intranasally infected with a lethal dose of A/Aichi/2/68 (H3N2) influenza virus with anaferon (pediatric formulation) demonstrated an antiviral effect of the drug (increased percent of survivors and prolonged lifespan). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a significant public health problem worldwide. The aim of the present review is to summarize the actual trends in the management of CHB in pregnant women. The prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in pregnant women is usually comparable to that in the general population in the corresponding geographic area. All women have to be screened for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) during pregnancy. Additional examinations of pregnant women with CHB may include maternal hepatitis B e antigen, HBV viral load, alanine aminotransferase level, and HBsAg level. The management of pregnancy depends on the phase of the HBV infection, which has to be determined before pregnancy. In women of childbearing age with CHB, antiviral therapy can pursue two main goals: Treatment of active CHB, and vertical transmission prevention. During pregnancy, tenofovir is the drug of choice in both cases. A combination of hepatitis B immunoglobulin and vaccine against hepatitis B should be administered within the first 12 h to all infants born to mothers with CHB. In such cases, there are no contraindications to breastfeeding., Competing Interests: Conflict-of-interest statement: Authors declare no conflict of interests for this article., (©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.)

Alternative reading frame encoding a single protein known as protein F or core + 1 / ARFP is located in the core region of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genome. The presence of antibodies to the F protein of HCV in the serum of patients with chronic hepatitis C indicates the expression of this protein in vivo. In this study, to determine antibodies to the F protein of HCV in serum samples the methodology of the enzyme immunoassay (ELISA) was developed using the synthetic peptide F10 corresponding to the antigenic determinant of the F protein of the HCV subtype 1b. The immunogenicity and immunochemical specificity of synthetic F10 peptide has been demonstrated in laboratory animals (mice)., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

According to one hypothesis, Parkinson's disease pathogenesis is largely caused by dopamine catabolism that is catalyzed on mitochondrial membranes by monoamine oxidase. Reactive oxygen species are formed as a byproduct of these reactions, which can lead to mitochondrial damage followed by cell degeneration and death. In this study, we investigated the effects of administration of the mitochondrial antioxidant SkQ1 on biochemical, immunohistochemical, and behavioral parameters in a Parkinson-like condition caused by protoxin MPTP injections in C57BL/6 mice. SkQ1 administration increased dopamine quantity and decreased signs of sensory-motor deficiency as well as destruction of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area in mice with the Parkinson-like condition.

Background: Viral load measurement is necessary to estimate mother-to-child transmission risk for women with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), however, it is expensive. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between HBsAg and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA levels, and to determine potential applications of HBsAg level monitoring for estimating viral load., Methods: 85 patients with CHB (31 pregnant women, 26 non-pregnant women, 28 men) were included in the study. HBV DNA level was measured by real-time PCR, and HBsAg level by chemiluminescent immunoassay method. Dependency between viral load and HBsAg level was determined by Spearman correlation coefficient ρ., Results: The correlation between HBsAg and HBV DNA levels was significant for all patients [ρ=0.3762 (P<0.0005; n=85)]. In the group of pregnant women, a low (unmeasurable) HBV DNA level led to a decrease in the Spearman coefficient ρ. In almost all cases a low level of the HBsAg corresponded to a low HBV DNA level. Only 2 patients had a low level of HBsAg and a relatively high viral load. By contrast, a high HBsAg level was observed in patients both with high and low viral load., Conclusions: Correlation between HBsAg and HBV DNA levels is significant. In most cases, a low level of HBsAg indicates a low HBV DNA level, whereas a high HBsAg level does not always correspond to a high viral load. The measurement of HBV DNA level is necessary for pregnant women with a high HBsAg level.

The effects of Ukrain and recombinant human interferon-alpha 2b (IFN) on the state of the thiol-disulfide ratio (SH/SS) of the blood (Russian Federation patent no. 2150700) were studied in vitro using the amperometric titration method. The blood of 73 chronic hepatitis C (CHC) hepatitis C virus (HCV)-RNA-positive patients was examined. Ukrain was tested in doses of 0.05-2.0 micrograms/ml and IFN in 20-1000 U/ml of blood. After in vitro examination, 59 patients were treated: 28 with Ukrain and 31 with IFN. The first group of 16 patients (including eight with HCV genotype 1b) was treated with individually selected optimal doses of Ukrain (0.5-2.5 mg every second day). The second group of 12 patients was treated with doses of 2.5 mg Ukrain independent of in vitro test results. The third group of 31 patients was treated with individually selected optimal doses of IFN (0.5-2 MU 3 times a week). It was found that 79.4% of CHC patients were sensitive to Ukrain in vitro and 65.1% were sensitive to IFN. CHC patients with genotype 1b were sensitive to IFN only in 16.7% of cases while the figure for Ukrain was 92.3%. CHC patients with other HCV genotypes (3, 1a, 2) were sensitive to Ukrain in 86.7% of cases and to IFN in 70.6%. After 1 month of individual therapy with Ukrain, 87.5% of CHC patients, including six of eight cases with HCV genotype 1b, became PCR-HCV negative. In the group receiving the standard dose of Ukrain, virological response was only 33.3%. After 1 month, 74.2% of CHC patients treated with individual doses of IFN became PCR-HCV negative and after 3 months 90.3% were PCR-HCV negative. The prognostic significance of the method for screening preparations for the treatment of CHC patients was 89.8%. Treatment with Ukrain was without serious negative effects and the number of side effects of IFN in individual therapy was significantly reduced. Ukrain can be used in the treatment of CHC patients, alone or in combination with IFN preparations; in the cases with HCV genotype 1b Ukrain seems more promising than IFN. Individual therapy with Ukrain and IFN increased the efficacy of treatment 2.5-fold in comparison with standard monotherapy with the same preparations, significantly decreased the number of side effects and dramatically improved cost-effectiveness.