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The emergence of disease in shrimp has governed much concern in food safety and security among consumers with the recent reports on hepatopancreatic microsporidiosis (HPM) caused by Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP). The microsporidians present in shrimp remain a silent pathogen that prevents optimal shrimp growth. However, the biggest threat is in its food safety concerns, which is the primary focus in ensuring food biosecurity and biosafety. Hence, the objective of this review is to summarise the current knowledge of EHP and its infection in shrimp with food safety concerns. This paper provides an analysis of the diagnostic methods for detecting EHP infections in shrimp aquaculture. Interventions with current molecular biology and biotechnology would be the second approach to addressing EHP diseases. Finally, a systematic guideline for shrimp food safety using diagnostic and intervention is proposed. Thus, this review was aimed to shed light on effective methods for the diagnosis and prevention of EHP infection in shrimp. We also include information on molecular and genomics tools as well as innate immune biomolecules as future targets in the intervention strategies on the microsporidsosis life cycle in shrimp and its environment. Overall, this will result in reduced disease outbreaks in shrimp aquaculture, ensuring the shrimp food safety in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Flavivirus genus is made up of viruses that are either mosquito-borne or tick-borne and other viruses transmitted by unknown vectors. Flaviviruses present a significant threat to global health and infect up to 400 million of people annually. As the climate continues to change throughout the world, these viruses have become prominent infections, with increasing number of infections being detected beyond tropical borders. These include dengue virus (DENV), West Nile virus (WNV), Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), and Zika virus (ZIKV). Several highly conserved epitopes of flaviviruses had been identified and reported to interact with antibodies, which lead to cross-reactivity results. The major interest of this review paper is mainly focused on the serological crossreactivity between DENV serotypes, ZIKV, WNV, and JEV. Direct and molecular techniques are required in the diagnosis of Flavivirus-associated human disease. In this review, the serological assays such as neutralization tests, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, hemagglutination-inhibition test, Western blot test, and immunofluorescence test will be discussed. Serological assays that have been developed are able to detect different immunoglobulin isotypes (IgM, IgG, and IgA); however, it is challenging when interpreting the serological results due to the broad antigenic cross-reactivity of antibodies to these viruses. However, the neutralization tests are still considered as the gold standard to differentiate these flaviviruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To evaluate the antimicrobial and anticancer activities of the fruit of Synsepalum dulcificum (Sapotaceae) against six bacterial strains and on two different colorectal cancer cell lines, respectively. Methods: The dried fruit of the plant was extracted in a Soxhlet apparatus successively with petroleum ether and ethanol, and concentrated in a rotary evaporator to obtain petroleum ether and ethanol extract, respectively. Phytochemical screening was done on the two extracts. The antimicrobial effects of the extracts against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogene, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Proteus vulgaris were evaluated using agar well diffusion technique while the anticancer effect of the ethanol extract was assessed on HCT-116 and primary colon epithelial (PCE) cell lines by MTT assay. Results: The results indicate that the petroleum ether extract of Synsepalum dulcificum fruits exerted stronger antimicrobial activity than the ethanol extract. The ethanol extract also showed significant anticancer activity (p < 0.05). The calculated half-maximal concentration (IC50) of the extract on HCT- 116 cells at 24, 48, and 72 h are 14.99, 8.97, and 8.54 μg/mL, respectively, while the IC50 of the extract on PCE cell lines at 24, 48, and 72 h are 236.25, 206.09, and 196.72 μg/mL, respectively. The extract was more toxic to cancer cells than to normal cells. Conclusion: The results of this study lend some justification for the use of the fruits of Synsepalum dulcificum as an antibacterial and anticancer agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dengue is an important arboviral infection worldwide for which presently there is no specific medicine. Evidence suggests there are four serotypes of dengue virus (DENV1-4), of which DENV 2 is considered to cause the most sever dengue. Therefore, this study was aimed to develop the new uridine derivatives (NUDs) against dengue virus (DENV 2). In current study 2-(3,4-dihydroxy-5-(hydroxymethyl)-tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)-4-((substituted cyclohexa-2,5-dienylidene)methyl)-1,2,4-triazine-3,5(2H,4H)-dione (2a-f), were obtained via reaction of substituted uridine (1) and different aromatic aldehydes separately. Synthesized NUDs were further characterized using FTIR, 1H & 13C-NMR, mass and element analysis data. Characterized NUDs were assessed for their inhibition potential against DENV 2. Synthesized NUDs were also evaluated for their cytotoxicity towards Vero cells by MTT assay method. This investigation successfully synthesized NUDs 2a-f and reported their high inhibitory activity against DENV 2. The synthesized NUDs exhibited negligible cytotoxicity. High anti-viral activity against DENV 2 serotype and least/no cytotoxicity of NUDs suggests their importance in the treatment of dengue. Present study recommends that in future these NUDs must be investigated for their clinical importance to establish them as a choice for dengue treatment.

Genetic alterations in the homologous recombination repair (HRR) genes are associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer development, and patients harboring these mutations can benefit from targeted therapy. The main aim of this study is to identify genetic alterations in HRR genes as a potential target for targeted treatment. In this study, targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) is used to analyze mutations in the protein-coding regions of the 27 genes involved in HRR and mutations in hotspots of 5 cancer-associated genes in four FFPE samples and three blood samples from prostate cancer patients. We identified two mutations in TP53 and KRAS. We also identified four conflicting interpretations of pathogenicity variants in BRCA2, STK11 genes and one variant of uncertain significance in the RAD51B gene. In addition, we detected one drug response variant in TP53, and two novel variants in CDK12 and ATM. Our results revealed some actionable pathogenic and potential pathogenic variants that may be associated with response to the Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitor treatment. More studies in a larger cohort are needed to evaluate and determine the association of HRR mutations with prostate cancer.