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A recent study published in MedComm highlights the characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.86 subvariant and its potential to cause a future pandemic. The BA.2.86 lineage, derived from the Omicron BA.2 variant, exhibits a high propensity to infect lung cells and has distinct antigenic epitopes. Additionally, its sublineage JN.1 demonstrates even greater immune escape ability. The BA.2.86 variant shows enhanced binding to ACE2 and increased membrane fusion capacity in lung cells. It also exhibits resistance to many monoclonal antibodies, indicating its evolving immune escape capacity. The JN.1 variant, which has stronger lung infection ability, is spreading rapidly worldwide. Further monitoring of its evolution is necessary. [Extracted from the article]

A study published in the journal MedComm found that a specific mutation in the viral nucleoprotein of avian influenza A viruses (IAVs) allows them to evade the butyrophilin subfamily 3 member A3 (BTN3A3) restriction on virus replication. This mutation, along with other substitutions in the nucleoprotein, enables IAVs to escape from BTN3A3 and potentially increase their zoonotic potential. The research highlights the importance of surveillance for IAV variations associated with BTN3A3 evasion in order to assess the risk of influenza pandemics and protect global public health. The study also identifies other host factors, such as interferon-stimulated genes, that play a role in controlling IAV infection. [Extracted from the article]

Breast milk has been found to inhibit coronavirus infection, while the key components and mechanisms are unknown. We aimed to determine the components that contribute to the antiviral effects of breastmilk and explore their potential mechanism. Lactoferrin (Lf) and milk fat globule membrane inhibit severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2)‐related coronavirus GX_P2V and transcription‐ and replication‐competent SARS‐CoV‐2 virus‐like particles in vitro and block viral entry into cells. We confirmed that bovine Lf (bLf) blocked the binding between human angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 and SARS‐CoV‐2 spike protein by combining receptor‐binding domain (RBD). Importantly, bLf inhibited RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) activity of both SARS‐CoV‐2 and SARS‐CoV in vitro in the nanomolar range. So far, no biological macromolecules have been reported to inhibit coronavirus RdRp. Our result indicated that bLf plays a major role in inhibiting viral replication. bLf treatment reduced viral load in lungs and tracheae and alleviated pathological damage. Our study provides evidence that bLf prevents SARS‐CoV‐2 infection by combining SARS‐CoV‐2 spike protein RBD and inhibiting coronaviruses' RdRp activity, and may be a promising candidate for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the malignant tumors with the highest morbidity and mortality in the world. The morbidity and mortality of HCC are increasing every year. Liver cancer is a serious threat to public health in China and the death rate of patients with liver cancer in China is the highest in the world. Beyond surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, immunotherapy is an emerging treatment for cancer, which could control and kill tumor cells by relieving the inhibitory status of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment and activating the immune function of the body. Immune checkpoint inhibitors, adoptive immunotherapy and tumor vaccine are the major treatments of immunotherapy. Compared with traditional therapy methods, immunotherapy could enhance immune function, delay tumor progression, prolong the survival time of patients, and becomes a hotspot in the basic and clinical cancer research. This article reviews the research progress of immunotherapy for liver cancer.