Canine parvovirus 2 (CPV-2) emerged in 1978 as one of the most pathogenic etiologic agents in dogs. Under the influence of evolution, the original CPV-2 was replaced, a few years later, by 2 variants, CPV-2a and CPV-2b. In 2000, a new variant, CPV-2c, was detected first in Italy and later in other countries. The current study was conducted to provide data about the CPV types circulating in Bulgaria. Forty-two fecal samples from dogs with clinical signs of parvovirosis, collected between June 2009 and February 2010, were tested for CPV using a rapid test based on detection of CPV antigens and a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of viral DNA. Positive samples were characterized by means of minor groove binder probe PCR assays. Forty samples were positive, of which 30 were identified as CPV-2a, 9 as CPV-2b, and 1 as CPV-2c. The results from this molecular investigation of CPV show the prevalence of type 2a and occurrence of type 2c for the first time in Bulgaria.

Parvoviruses represent the most important infectious agents that are responsible for severe to fatal disease in carnivores. This study reports the results of a 10-year molecular survey conducted on carnivores in Bulgaria (n = 344), including 262 dogs and 19 cats with gastroenteritis, and 57 hunted wild carnivores. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), followed by virus characterization by minor groove binder (MGB) probe assays, detected 216 parvovirus positive dogs with a predominance of canine parvovirus type 2a (CPV-2a, 79.17%) over CPV-2b (18.52%) and CPV-2c (2.31%). Rottweilers and German shepherds were the most frequent breeds among CPV-positive pedigree dogs (n = 96). Eighteen cats were found to shed parvoviruses in their faeces, with most strains being characterized as FPLV (n = 17), although a single specimen tested positive for CPV-2a. Only two wild carnivores were parvovirus positive, a wolf (Canis lupus) and a red fox (Vulpes vulpes), both being infected by CPV-2a strains.

We designed and fabricated a light-powered nanoconverter for cytotoxicity toward human breast cancer cells. The nanoconverter was made from highly-fluorescent Ndoped carbon nanodots (C-dots), which were covalently conjugated to semiconductive hematite quantum dots (Qdots). The function of the nanoconverter was to transform the absorbed near-infrared (NIR) irradiation into reactive oxygen species (ROS) which would induce cell death. The principle of operation was based on the photosensitizing properties of Cdots, which have a two-photon absorption cross section. They absorbed NIR irradiation with wavelength in the range of 700−800 nm. The adsorbed energy was upconverted to photoluminescence that is emitted as higher-energy visible light with a maximum wavelength of ∼470 nm and transferred to the Q-dot moiety. The process was accompanied by ejection of electrons from the conduction band of Q-dots and by this mechanism, the nanoconverter produced aqueous superoxide anions, which oxidized organics and generated additional ROS. Our nanoconverter exposed in vitro to cultured human breast cancer HCC1954 cells induced light-dependent cell death as measured using the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay. The cell death was minimal when the cells were exposed with C-dots alone or if the nanoconverter was exposed with the cells in dark.

The nanomaterials for cancer medication are already reality providing a wide range of new tools and possibilities, from earlier diagnostics and improved imaging to better, more efficient, and more targeted anticancer therapies. The purpose of this critical review is to focus on the current use of clinically approved nanoparticles for cancer theranostic, nanovaccines and delivery platforms for gene therapy. These include inorganic, metal and polymer nanoparticles, nanocrystals and varieties of drug delivery nanosystems (micelles, liposomes, microcapsules and etc.). The recent progress in cancer nanomedicine enables to combine the benefits of individual nanoparticles with biomolecules into a multifunction nanomachines and even highly advanced nanorobots for targeted therapies. Nowadays clinical trials with advanced anticancer nanomachines provide potential for more accurately and effective identification and destruction of the cancer cells present in the human body.

No abstract