Objective: To construct an inducible carnitine acetyltransferase (Crat) gene expression system and provide a controllable experimental platform for research on neuroprotection in glaucoma. Methods: This experimental study was conducted from January 2025 to November 2025 using the mouse hippocampal neuronal HT22 cell line. A high-efficiency tetracycline-inducible lentiviral gene expression system was established by optimizing the multiplicity of infection (MOI) and polybrene concentration, as well as comparing the activities of the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter and the elongation factor 1α (EF1A) promoter. According to promoter type, the cells were divided into two groups: the CMV promoter group, in which enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) fluorescence was detected, and the EF1A promoter group, in which mCherry fluorescence was detected. Conditional Crat overexpression was induced by doxycycline (Dox). Unmodified HT22 cells were assigned to an uninfected control group and an uninfected Dox-treated group, whereas successfully constructed HT22-TRE-mCrat/rtTA cells were assigned to an infected non-Dox-treated group and an infected Dox-treated group. The neuroprotective effect of the Crat overexpression system was evaluated in an H2O2-induced oxidative injury model by measuring lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) staining, and the mRNA expression levels of apoptosis-related factors, including caspase-3, B-cell lymphoma 2-associated X protein (Bax), and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), using quantitative PCR (qPCR). Statistical analyses were performed using the independent-samples t-test or one-way analysis of variance, with Tukey's test for pairwise comparisons. Results: A tetracyline-inducible gene expression system was successfully constructed and stably established in HT22 cells. The EF1A promoter showed higher driving efficiency than the CMV promoter, with a significantly greater number of positive cells in the EF1A promoter group than in the CMV promoter group [(303.0±28.0) vs. (88.7±11.4) cells; t=17.37, P<0.001]. In the H₂O₂-induced oxidative injury model, the LDH release rate was significantly lower in the infected Dox-treated group than in the uninfected Dox-treated group (27.1%±4.7% vs. 49.8%±8.2%; P<0.001). The apoptotic cell rate determined by TUNEL staining was significantly lower in the infected Dox-treated group than in the uninfected Dox-treated group (14.1%±3.4% vs. 41.3%±4.1%; t=16.23, P<0.001). The caspase-3 mRNA level was significantly lower in the infected Dox-treated group than in the uninfected Dox-treated group (140.3±17.1 vs. 192.0±24.3; t=4.26, P=0.002). Bax mRNA expression was significantly lower in the infected Dox-treated group than in the uninfected Dox-treated group (132.0±13.1 vs. 169.8±12.6; t=5.09, P<0.001). Bcl-2 mRNA expression was significantly higher in the infected Dox-treated group than in the uninfected Dox-treated group (83.2±6.9 vs. 58.3±8.1; t=5.74, P<0.001). All of these differences were statistically significant. Conclusion: This study successfully established a controllable Crat overexpression platform using the mouse hippocampal neuronal HT22 cell line, enabling temporal regulation of Crat gene expression and cell-specific studies in this cell line.

Is it justified to order an upfront cytomegalovirus immunohistochemical stain in patients with severe inflammatory bowel disease and ulceration?

Human cytomegalovirus terminase inhibitors letermovir, tomeglovir, and the halogenated benzimidazoles modify DNA cleavage/packaging to generate a super-genomic DNA species by cleavage site skipping.

Preeclampsia was recognized as a serious medical condition affecting both mother and fetus. Recent investigations revealed infectious agents such as H. pylori, CMV, and T. gondii could seriously affect the progression of preeclampsia but these findings are contradictory. The aim of the study was to evaluate the seroprevalence of IgG and IgM antibodies against Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), and Cytomegalovirus (CMV) between pregnant women with preeclampsia and healthy pregnant women. This case-control study was conducted on 90 pregnant women with preeclampsia (case group) and 90 matched healthy pregnant women (control group), who were matched by their age and gestational age from July to December 2024 in Hamadan. A checklist was employed to assess the demographic and laboratory parameters of case and control groups, especially the seroprevalence of IgG and IgM antibodies against H. pylori, T. gondii, and CMV. Statistical analysis was performed utilizing a logistic regression model with the SPSS 26 software program. There was a significant difference in the serum levels of IgM against H. pylori and IgG against CMV in patients compared to control groups, whereas the seroprevalence of other antibodies was not significantly changed. There was a significant association between women in case and control groups in terms of laboratory parameters such as HCT, BUN, ALT, BMI, NLR, and proteinuria. H. pylori and CMV could be regarded as the associated factors for the progression of preeclampsia. Novel therapeutic approaches could reduce the prevalence of preeclampsia by targeting inflammatory pathways.

Cytomegalovirus Infection as a Trigger for Severe Glycemic Decompensation in a Pre-Existing Diabetic Patient After Heart Transplantation: A Case Report

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) establishes lifelong infection, and there is currently no vaccine or cure. Postnatally, infants can acquire the virus by consuming raw breast milk (BM) from seropositive mothers. Most of these infections are asymptomatic and do not result in either short- or long-term adverse health problems. However, preterm infants can experience significant illness, with severity inversely related to their gestational age at the time of infection. Given the risk of symptomatic disease, empirical treatments to prevent viral transmission in BM have been advocated. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend feeding preterm infants their mother's raw BM because the health benefits outweigh the risks associated with postnatally acquired CMV infection. This review discusses the health advantages of providing raw mother's BM to preterm infants. It also explains how milk sterilization procedures can alter its nutritional content, leading to impaired growth and increased morbidity in this patient population. Furthermore, it details postnatal CMV infection in preterm infants, including known clinical findings, treatment recommendations, and potential outcomes.

Background: Human cytomegalovirus (CMV), a ubiquitous beta-herpesvirus, induces significant oxidative stress leading to DNA damage, with 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) serving as a key biomarker. Objectives: This case-control study aimed to evaluate the association between maternal anti-cardiolipin antibodies (aCL), 8-OHdG, and adverse pregnancy outcomes in CMV-infected women. Methodology: Peripheral blood was collected at 10–13 gestational weeks from (90) singleton pregnancies (70) CMV-positive patients and 20 matched controls). Serum levels of IgG and IgM aCL were quantified via ELISA, while total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and 8-OHdG were measured calorimetrically. Result: The Significant intergroup differences were observed in serum 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels (P < 0.0001). Similarly, anticardiolipin antibody titers, also showed a highly significant difference (P = 0.0009). In contrast, no statistically significant variations were found in body mass index (BMI) (P = 0.416). Furthermore, the age distribution was comparable across all groups, showing no significant disparity. Conclusion, from the current study, that the values of 8-OHdG and aCL are strongly associated with CMV infection and adverse outcomes, while BMI and age group remain unaffected. These findings support routine screening for aCL and 8-OHdG in infected women, particularly those with recurrent pregnancy loss, to enable timely intervention and improve pregnancy outcomes.

Viruses are increasingly recognized as potential modulators of oral biofilm ecology and periodontal inflammation, expanding the traditional bacterial paradigm of periodontitis. Members of the Herpesviridae family, including Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), and herpes simplex virus (HSV), are frequently detected in periodontal tissues and may influence disease activity through latency, reactivation, immune modulation, epithelial barrier disruption, and interactions with bacteria. These processes may contribute to local dysbiosis and sustained periodontal inflammation. The potential systemic relevance of oral viruses is biologically plausible but remains incompletely established. Viral persistence or reactivation in oral niches may contribute to systemic immune activation through hematogenous spread, saliva-mediated dissemination, aspiration, or amplification of inflammatory mediators as IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. Accordingly, viruses may act as disease modifiers within the broader relationship between periodontitis and systemic conditions including cardiovascular, metabolic, respiratory, neurogenerative, pregnancy-related, and cancer-associated outcomes. However, the strength of evidence differs across these conditions. Current data support a model in which oral viruses, bacteriophages, bacteria, and fungi form an interconnected biofilm ecosystem that may influence periodontitis progression and systemic inflammatory burden. Nevertheless, most available evidence is observational, associative, or derived from mechanistic experimental models, and definitive proof that viruses are independent etiopathogenic drivers of periodontitis is lacking. Future longitudinal and interventional studies are needed to determine whether viral detection reflects bystander association, disease amplification, or a true pathogenic role, and whether antiviral or phage-based strategies offer clinical benefit beyond established periodontal therapy.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a herpes virus that usually affects immunocompromised hosts. However, there has been a recent increase in CMV-associated infections in immunocompetent hosts, with the most common sites including the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, liver, and spleen. We present a case of a 60-year-old male patient who presented with abdominal pain and diarrhea with radiological findings including circumferential mural thickening in the rectum, rectosigmoid, and descending colon with loss of haustrations in the transverse colon suggestive of colitis with toxic megacolon. A subtotal colectomy was performed, which showed gross features of inflammatory bowel disease; however, histopathological findings were suggestive of CMV colitis with typical nuclear and cytoplasmic features. The patient succumbed to death within 2 weeks postsurgery. This case emphasizes the fact that an immunocompetent host present with dreaded complications of CMV colitis, especially older patients, hence elderly age being one of the vulnerable groups.

Although letermovir prophylaxis has drastically reduced cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation recipients (allo-HCTR), the broader impact of letermovir prophylaxis remains unclear. We retrospectively analyzed hematological outcomes in CMV-seropositive allo-HCTR (R+) from the pre- and letermovir periods. Among 314 consecutive allo-HCTR+, engraftment was significantly delayed in allo-HCTR+ in the letermovir period, even after removing potential confounders, and despite improved survival. Similar trends were found after reviewing the literature, and this observation should raise vigilance.

When viruses meet cystic fibrosis: Insights into host-pathogen dynamics.

Systematic evaluation of transposon vector elements to establish high-producing stable CHO cell pools achieving > 10 g/L monoclonal antibody titers.

Cytomegalovirus Viral Load and Infection Timing Are Associated with Reduced Survival After Combined Heterotopic Heart and Bone Marrow Transplantation in Non-Human Primates

AGA Clinical Practice Update on Management of Clostridioides difficile Infection in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Expert Review.

Disseminated Cytomegalovirus Infection in a Heart Transplant Recipient: CMV Myocarditis Mimicking Antibody Mediated Rejection

Primary Graft Dysfunction and Latent Donor Cytomegalovirus Infection are Associated with DNAemia, Poor Peak Lung Function, and Mortality

Risk Factors and Clinical Outcomes of Ganciclovir-Resistant Cytomegalovirus Infection in Lung Transplant Recipients with Refractory Infection: A Multicenter Retrospective Study

CMV-Specific T Cell Immunity as Predictor of Post-Transplant CMV Infection Risk in Lung Transplant Recipients

Refractory CMV Infection is a Risk Factor for Mortality After Heart Transplantation

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the leading cause of congenital viral infection worldwide and an important cause of neonatal morbidity and long-term neurodevelopmental impairment. Because no licensed CMV vaccine is currently available and antenatal CMV screening policies vary internationally, prevention in many settings continues to rely heavily on maternal awareness, hygiene-based risk-reduction measures, and effective antenatal counseling. However, data on CMV awareness among women in Palestine remain limited. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted between 16 November and 31 December 2025 among women residing in Palestine who were currently pregnant or had previously experienced at least one pregnancy. Data were collected using a structured Arabic questionnaire adapted from previously published instruments and distributed via Google Forms using snowball sampling through social media platforms. The survey assessed awareness, knowledge, and preventive practices related to CMV and other pregnancy-relevant infections. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analyses, and multivariable logistic regression were used to identify factors associated with CMV awareness. A total of 520 women were included in the analysis. Awareness of CMV was low, with only 19.0% of participants reporting that they had heard of the infection and 10.8% reporting that they had received information about its risks during pregnancy. Knowledge of CMV was also limited: 25.4% correctly identified mother-to-fetus transmission, 12.5% knew their CMV antibody status, and 66.9% were unable to identify any manifestation of congenital CMV infection. Women in the high-risk group were more likely to be aware of CMV than those in the average-risk group (22.7% vs. 11.4%, p = 0.003). In multivariable analysis, high-risk status (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.14, 95% CI 1.22-3.75; p = 0.008) and university/postgraduate education (aOR 2.40, 95% CI 1.15-5.02; p = 0.020) were independently associated with CMV awareness, whereas maternal age was not. Uptake of self-paid CMV screening was very low (2.7%). Among respondents to this online cross-sectional survey, awareness and practical knowledge of CMV were limited, particularly regarding transmission, congenital manifestations, immunity status, and screening. These findings identify important gaps in CMV-related antenatal education in the surveyed Palestinian population. Integrating structured CMV counseling into routine prenatal care, particularly for women with frequent contact with young children, may improve maternal awareness and support congenital CMV prevention efforts.