• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.286-291
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• 2001

Seven phenylpropanoid glycosides named acteoside (1), acteoside isomer (2), leucosceptoside A (3), plantainoside C (4), jionoside D (5), martynoside (6), and isomartynoside (7) were isolated from Clerodendron trichotomum. Compounds 1 and 2 showed potent inhibitory activities against HlV-1 integrase with $IC_{20}$ values of 7.8 ${\pm}$ 3.6 and 13.7 ${\pm}$ 6.0${\mu}\textrm{M}$, respectively.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.286-295
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• 2020

Respiratory infections are very common and highly contagious. Respiratory infectious diseases affect not only the person infected but also the family members and the society. As medical sciences advance, several diseases have been conquered; however, the impact of novel infectious diseases on the society is enormous. As the clinical presentation of respiratory infections is similar regardless of the pathogen, the causative agent is not distinguishable by symptoms alone. Moreover, it is difficult to develop a cure because of the various viral mutations. Various respiratory infectious diseases ranging from influenza, which threaten the health of mankind globally, to the coronavirus disease 2019, which resulted in a pandemic, exist. Contrary to human expectations that development in health care and improvement in hygiene will conquer infectious diseases, humankind's health and social systems are threatened by novel infectious diseases. Owing to the development of transport and trading activity, the rate of spread of new infectious diseases is increasing. As respiratory infections can threaten the members of the global community at any time, investigations on preventing the transmission of these diseases as well as development of effective antivirals and vaccines are of utmost importance and require a worldwide effort.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.58-67
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• 1997

In order to find antiviral compounds against Herpes simplex virus type I (HSV-1) and II (HSV2) from natural products, a convenient virus-induced cytopathic effect (CPE) inhibition assay was introduced. More than 300 fractions were prepared by solvent fractionation from sixty collected plants or purchased herbal medicines, and their anti-herpetic activities were evaluated. Among them, several medicinal plants showed potent anti-herpetic activity. Selective indexes (SI) of the EtOAc extract of Caraganae Radix (Caragana sinica) against HSV-1 and HSV-2 were more than 8.06 and 24.79, SI of the MeOH extract of Acer okamotoanum leaves were 3.92 and 3.51, SI of the $CH_{2}Cl_{2}$ extract of Veratri Rhizoma et Radix (Veratrum patulum) were 5.49 and 1.31 and SI of the MeOH extract of aerial part of Osmundae Rhizoma (Osmunda japonica) were more than 3.45 and 1.25, respectively.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.83-95
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• 2016

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a major medical challenge affecting around 200 million people worldwide. The main site of HCV replication is the hepatocytes of the liver. HCV is a positive enveloped RNA virus from the flaviviridae family. Six major HCV genotypes are implicated in the human infection. In developed countries the children are infected mainly through vertical transmission during deliveries, while in developing countries it is still due to horizontal transmission from adults. Minimal nonspecific and brief symptoms are initially found in approximately 15% of children. Acute and chronic HCV infection is diagnosed through the recognition of HCV RNA. The main objective for treatment of chronic HCV is to convert detected HCV viremia to below the detection limit. Children with chronic HCV infection are usually asymptomatic and rarely develop severe liver damage. Therefore, the benefits from current therapies, pegylated-Interferon plus ribavirin, must be weighed against their adverse effects. This combined treatment offers a 50-90% chance of clearing HCV infection according to several studies and on different HCV genotype. Recent direct acting antiviral (DAA) drugs which are well established for adults have not yet been approved for children and young adults below 18 years. The most important field for the prevention of HCV infection in children would be the prevention of perinatal and parenteral transmission. There are areas of focus for new lines of research in pediatric HCV-related disease that can be addressed in the near future.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.1972-1982
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• 2016

Influenza A virus is a single-stranded RNA virus with a genome of negative polarity. Owing to the antigenic diversity and cross concrete shift, an immense number of novel strains have developed astronomically over the years. The present work deals with the codon utilization partialness among five different influenza A viruses isolated from human hosts. All the subtypes showed the homogeneous pattern of nucleotide utilization with a little variation in their utilization frequencies. A lower bias in codon utilization was observed in all the subtypes as reflected by higher magnitudes of an efficacious number of codons. Dinucleotide analysis showed very low CpG utilization and a high predilection of A/T-ending codons. The H5N1 subtype showed noticeable deviation from the rest. Codon pair context analysis showed remarkable depletion of NNC-GNN and NNT-ANN contexts. The findings alluded towards GC-compositional partialness playing a vital role, which is reflected in the consequential positive correlation between the GC contents at different codon positions. Untangling the codon utilization profile would significantly contribute to identifying novel drug targets that will pacify the search for antivirals against this virus.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.17-22
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• 2019

Epstein-Barr virus(EBV) infection is common and usually asymptomatic in young infants and children. However, EBV infections in transplant recipients and other immunosuppressed patients can be fatal. EBV-related neurological complications in immunocompetent adults are extremely rare and self-limited. Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis(ADEM) may also follow EBV infection; ADEM is characterized by abrupt onset and rapid progression. We report an immunocompetent adult patient who developed diffuse meningoencephalitis with ADEM-like features caused by EBV infection. A 35-year-old Vietnamese woman was admitted presenting with urinary retention, altered mental status, and paraplegia. PCR of the patient's cerebrospinal fluid showed positive results for EBV. Brain and spine magnetic resonance imaging showed ADEM-like features. She was treated with acyclovir, steroid, and immunoglobulins. We report the case of an immunocompetent adult Vietnamese woman who presented with rapidly progressive diffuse meningoencephalitis associated with EBV infection and was treated with antivirals, corticosteroids, and immunoglobulins.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.9-13
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• 2021

Herpes zoster is caused by reactivation and multiplication of a latent varicella-zoster virus infection. Reactivation can frequently occur in older adults and immunosuppressed individuals. It is hypothesized that this is related to an aging society and a corresponding increase in the number of people with underlying chronic diseases, such as cancer and diabetes, that lower immunity. Clinically, the patient complains of pain, and a vesicular rash presents on one side of the face up to the midline in the dermatomes associated with the affected ganglion. Herpes zoster of the oral mucosa is rare. When oral lesions do occur, they are most often concurrent with pathognomonic unilateral linear vesicular skin lesions, facilitating both clinical diagnosis and management of the condition. Cases limited to the oral mucous membrane alone are most unusual. Treatment includes antiviral agents and analgesics for pain control. Antivirals should be administered within 72 hours of onset. Early diagnosis and treatment are important to avoid complications, such as postherpetic neuralgia. The present case report describes the adequate management of a patient diagnosed with shingles which affected the right side of the face and oral cavity. In addition, a literature review is presented.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.283-290
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• 2023

Hypercoagulability is frequently observed in patients with severe coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Platelets are a favorable target for effectively treating hypercoagulability in COVID-19 patients as platelet hyperactivity has also been observed. It is difficult to develop a treatment for COVID-19 that will be effective against all variants and the use of antivirals may not be fully effective against COVID-19 as activated platelets have been detected in patients with COVID-19. Therefore, patients with less severe side effects often turn toward natural remedies. Numerous phytochemicals are being investigated for their potential to treat a variety of illnesses, including cancer and bacterial and viral infections. Natural products have been used to alleviate COVID-19 symptoms. Panax ginseng has potential for managing cardiovascular diseases and could be a treatment for COVID-19 by targeting the coagulation cascade and platelet activation. Using molecular docking, we analyzed the interactions of bioactive chemicals in P. ginseng with important proteins and receptors involved in platelet activation. Furthermore, the SwissADME online tool was used to calculate the pharmacokinetics and drug-likeness properties of the lead compounds of P. ginseng. Dianthramine, deoxyharrtingtonine, and suchilactone were determined to have favorable pharmacokinetic profiles.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.687-693
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• 2023

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic more than 6 million people have died, and it has bought unprecedented challenges to our lives. The recent outbreak of monkeypox virus (MPXV) has brought out new tensions among the scientific community. Currently, there is no specific treatment protocol for MPXV. Several antivirals, vaccinia immune globulin (VIG) and smallpox vaccines have been used to treat MPXV. Ginseng, one of the more famous among traditional medicines, has been used for infectious disease for thousands of years. It has shown promising antiviral effects. Ginseng could be used as a potential adaptogenic agent to help prevent infection by MPXV along with other drugs and vaccines. In this mini review, we explore the possible use of ginseng in MPXV prevention based on its antiviral activity.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.151-159
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• 2016

Nanoparticles have wide-scale applications in various areas, including medicine, chemistry, electronics, and energy generation. Several physical, biological, and chemical methods have been used for synthesis of silver nanoparticles. Green synthesis of silver nanoparticles using plants provide advantages over other methods as it is easy, efficient, and eco-friendly. Nanoparticles have been extensively studied as potential antimicrobials to target pathogenic and multidrug-resistant microorganisms. Their applications recently extended to development of antivirals to inhibit viral infections. In this study, we synthesized silver nanoparticles using Cinnamomum cassia (Cinnamon) and evaluated their activity against highly pathogenic avian influenza virus subtype H7N3. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized using UVVis absorption spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Cinnamon bark extract and its nanoparticles were tested against H7N3 influenza A virus in Vero cells and the viability of cells was determined by tetrazolium dye (MTT) assay. The silver nanoparticles derived from Cinnamon extract enhanced the antiviral activity and were found to be effective in both treatments, when incubated with the virus prior to infection and introduced to cells after infection. In order to establish the safety profile, Cinnamon and its corresponding nanoparticles were tested for their cytotoxic effects in Vero cells. The tested concentrations of extract and nanoparticles (up to 500 μg/ml) were found non-toxic to Vero cells. The biosynthesized nanoparticles may, hence, be a promising approach to provide treatment against influenza virus infections.