scholarly journals Therapeutic and Vaccine Options for COVID-19: Status after 6 Months of the Disease Outbreak

2020 ◽  
pp. 247255522097957
Author(s):  
Dawid Maciorowski ◽  
Christian Ogaugwu ◽  
Subba Rao Durvasula ◽  
Ravi Durvasula ◽  
Adinarayana Kunamneni

An outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by an infection of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) occurred in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. This new virus belongs to the group of enveloped RNA beta-coronaviruses. Symptoms may differ in various infected persons, but major presentations include dry cough, nasal congestion, shortness of breath, fever, and general malaise. The disease appears to be more severe in patients above the age of 60 years and those with underlying conditions such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory disease, and hypertension. There is still no approved vaccine against COVID-19, but more than a hundred are at different stages of development. It is known that the development of new drugs takes a relatively long time, so several known and already-approved drugs are being repurposed for the treatment of this disease. In this review, we explore the therapeutic and vaccine options that are available for COVID-19 6 months after its outbreak. Most noteworthy among the therapeutic options are dexamethasone, remdesivir, Avigan (favipiravir) and convalescent plasma.

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 87-91
Author(s):  
A. D. Palman ◽  
D. A. Andreev ◽  
S. A. Suchkova

Patients with COVID-19 are typically characterized by severe lung injury with the development of acute respiratory failure. However, in some patients, subjective well-being may remain relatively satisfactory for a long time and, despite severe hypoxemia, they do not complain of shortness of breath. Case report. We observed a 65-year-old man hospitalized with severe SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia, low level of blood oxygen saturation, but at the same time without complaints of shortness of breath. Only as the disease progressed with a decrease in oxygen saturation when breathing atmospheric air (SpO2 ) lower than 85% he began to notice a feeling of lack of air. The patient’s condition worsened and as a result, he died in the intensive care unit from multiple organ failure. Discussion. This case clearly illustrates one more feature of the course of pneumonia associated with the novel SARSCoV-2 coronavirus and shows that SpO2 measurement is one of the leading objective criterion that allows a doctor to assess the real severity of a patient’s condition with COVID-19.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-145
Author(s):  
İsmail Güllü

Yarım aşırı aşan bir geçmişe sahip Almanya’ya göç olgusu beraberinde önemli bir edebi birikimi (Migrantenliteratur) de getirmiştir. Farklı adlandırmalar ile anılan bu edebi birikim, kendi içinde de farklı renkleri de barındıran bir özelliğe sahiptir. Edebi yazını besleyen en önemli kaynaklardan biri toplumdur. Yazarın içinde yaşadığı toplumsal yapı ve problemler üstü kapalı veya açık bir şekilde onun yazılarına yansımaktadır. Bu bağlamda araştırma, 50’li yaşlarında Almanya’ya giden ve ömrünün sonuna kadar orada yaşayan, birçok edebi ve düşünsel çalışması ile Türk edebiyatında önemli bir isim olan Fakir Baykurt’un “Koca Ren” ve Yüksek Fırınlar” adlı romanları ile birlikte Duisburg Üçlemesi’nin son kitabı olan “Yarım Ekmek” romanında ele aldığı konu ve roman kahramanları üzerinden din ve gelenek olgusu sosyolojik bir yaklaşımla ele alınmaktadır. Toplumcu-gerçekçi çizgide yer alan yazarın, uzun yıllar yaşadığı Türkiye’deki siyasi ve ideolojik geçmişi bu romanda kullandığı dil ve kurguladığı kahramanlarda kendini göstermektedir. Romanda Almanya’nın Duisburg şehrinde yaşayan Türklerin yeni kültürel ortamda yaşadıkları çatışma, kültürel şok, arada kalmışlık, iki kültürlülük temaları ön plandadır. Yazar romanda sadece Almanya’daki Türkleri ele almamakta, aynı zamanda Türkiye ile hatta başka ülkeler ile de ilişkilendirmeler yaparak bireysel ve toplumsal konuları ele almaktadır. Araştırmada, romanda yer alan dini ve geleneksel unsurlar sosyolojik olarak analiz edilmiştir. Genel anlamda bir göç romanı olma özelliği yanında Yarım Ekmek romanında dini, siyasi ve ideolojik birçok yorum ve tartışma söz konusudur. Romandaki bu veriler, inanç, ritüel, siyaset ve toplumsal boyutlarda kategorize edilerek ele alınmıştır.  ENGLISH ABSTRACTReligion and identity reflections in literature of immigrant: Religion and Tradition in Fakir Baykurt’s novel Yarım EkmekThe immigration fact which has nearly half century in Germany have brought a significant literal accumulation (Migrantenliteratur) in its wake. This literal accumulation, which is named as several denominations, has a feature including different colours in itself. One of the most important source snourishing literature is society. Societal structure and problems that the writer lives inside, directly or indirectly reflect on his/her compositions. In this context, the matter of religion and tradition by way of the issue and fictious characters in the novel of Fakir Baykurt who went to Germany in her 50’s and lived in there till his death and who is a considerable name in Turkish literature with his several literal and intellectual workings; “Yarım Ekmek” which is the third novel of Duisburg Trilogy with “Koca Ren” and “Yüksek Fırınlar” are discussed sociologically in the study. The political and ideological past of the socialist realist lined writer in Turkey where he spent his life for a long time, manifest itself on the speech and fictious characters of novel. In the novel, themes of new Turks’ conflict, cultural shock, being in the middle, bi culturalism in their new cultural nature in Duisburg which is the city they live in. The writer not only deals with Turks in Germany but also personal and social subjects via comparing them to Turkey and even other countries. In the study, religious and traditional elements analyzed sociologically. Besides the speciality of being a migration novel in general, there are a lot of religious, political and ideological interpretations and discussions in the novel. These datum in the novel are examinated in the context of belief, ritual, politics and social categorisation. 


Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 316
Author(s):  
Marco Montemurro ◽  
Erica Pontonio ◽  
Rossana Coda ◽  
Carlo Giuseppe Rizzello

Due to the increasing demand for milk alternatives, related to both health and ethical needs, plant-based yogurt-like products have been widely explored in recent years. With the main goal to obtain snacks similar to the conventional yogurt in terms of textural and sensory properties and ability to host viable lactic acid bacteria for a long-time storage, several plant-derived ingredients (e.g., cereals, pseudocereals, legumes, and fruits) as well as technological solutions (e.g., enzymatic and thermal treatments) have been investigated. The central role of fermentation in yogurt-like production led to specific selections of lactic acid bacteria strains to be used as starters to guarantee optimal textural (e.g., through the synthesis of exo-polysaccharydes), nutritional (high protein digestibility and low content of anti-nutritional compounds), and functional (synthesis of bioactive compounds) features of the products. This review provides an overview of the novel insights on fermented yogurt-like products. The state-of-the-art on the use of unconventional ingredients, traditional and innovative biotechnological processes, and the effects of fermentation on the textural, nutritional, functional, and sensory features, and the shelf life are described. The supplementation of prebiotics and probiotics and the related health effects are also reviewed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 143 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-77
Author(s):  
Anat Gafter-Gvili ◽  
Ariadna Tibau ◽  
Pia Raanani ◽  
Daniel Shepshelovich

The prevalence of safety-related postmarketing label modifications of medications for hematological malignancies is unknown. We identified 35 new drugs indicated for hematological malignancies approved by the US Food and Drug Administration between January 1999 and December 2014. Characteristics of supporting trials and safety-related label modifications from approval to December 2017 were collected from drug labels. Regulatory review and approval pathways were also collected. New drug approvals were supported by trials with a median of 167 patients (interquartile range 115–316). All drugs were approved based on surrogate endpoints. Twenty-seven drug approvals (77%) were not supported by randomized controlled trials. All drugs received orphan drug designation, and most were granted fast track designation, priority review, and accelerated approval (83, 74, and 60%, respectively). A total of 28 drugs (80%) had postmarketing safety-related label modifications. Additions to black box warnings, contraindications, warnings and precautions, and common adverse reactions were identified in 31, 11, 77, and 46% of drugs, respectively. Five drugs (14%) were permanently or temporarily withdrawn from the US market. Drugs for hematological malignancies are often approved based on limited evidence through expedited regulatory pathways with incomplete safety profiles. Hematologists should be vigilant for unrecognized side effects when prescribing newly approved drugs.


2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 22
Author(s):  
Peter D Kirkland

‘Brainless pig disease swoops on Sydney.' This was a media headline that threatened to emerge during the early stages of a disease outbreak in pigs in NSW. However, identification of the viral cause and epidemiological studies that supported a sound management program minimised the impact of this outbreak on animal and human health.


Author(s):  
Rana Adnan Tahir ◽  
Sumera Mughal ◽  
Amina Nazir ◽  
Asma Noureen ◽  
Ayesha Jawad ◽  
...  

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an enveloped and positive-stranded RNA virus that is a major causative agent of chronic liver diseases worldwide. HCV has become the main cause of liver transplantations and there is no effective drug for all hepatitis genotypes. Elucidation of life cycle and nonstructural proteins of HCV involved in viral replication are the attractive targets for the development of antiviral drugs. Methods: In this work, pharmacoinformatics approaches coupled with docking analyses were applied on HCV nonstructural proteins to identify the novel potential hits and HCV drugs. Molecular docking analyses were carried out on HCV approved drugs followed by the ligand-based pharmacophore generation to screen the antiviral libraries for novel potential hits. Results: Virtual screening technique has made known the top-ranked five novel compounds (ZINC00607900, ZINC03635748, ZINC03875543, ZINC04097464, and ZINC12503102) along with the least binding energy (-8.0 kcal/mol, -6.1 kcal/mol, -7.5 kcal/mol, -7.4 kcal/mol, and -7.3 kcal/mol respectively) and stability with non-structural proteins target. Conclusion: These promising hits exhibited better absorption and ADMET properties as compared to the selected drug molecules. These potential compounds extracted from in silico approach may be significant in drug design and development against Hepatitis and other liver diseases.


2012 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-38
Author(s):  
Mohammad Salman ◽  
Syed Allahsan ◽  
Manzoor Mahmood ◽  
Md Khairul Anam ◽  
Shahed Mohammad Anwar ◽  
...  

Acute heart failure is a major health problem responsible for several million hospitalizations worldwide each year. Standard therapy has not changed for long time and includes diuretics and variable use of vasodilators or inotropes. Recently Nesiritide and Levosimendan are two drugs for the treatment of acute heart failure which have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMEA), respectively. There was little concern that Nesiritide can worsen the renal failure but recent trials had abolished this concern. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/uhj.v7i1.10208 UHJ 2011; 7(1): 35-38


Author(s):  
Mark Wagner

This chapter focuses on the development of the novel genre in Yemen. The novelistic form has taken a relatively long time to emerge in Yemen, but since 1992 Yemeni writers have produced a number of remarkable novels and the pace of publishing has increased. In addition, scholarly criticism of Yemeni fiction as a distinctive regional tradition has gotten well underway within the last decade. This chapter begins with an overview of the beginnings of the Yemeni novel before turning to works published from the revolution to unification (1962–1990), including historical novels. It also considers novels published from unification to the present, noting that Yemeni authors through the years have tackled a range of themes, including emigration, exile, racism, Muslim-Jewish relations, and cultural pluralism.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (27) ◽  
pp. eabb9153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojun Li ◽  
Elena E. Giorgi ◽  
Manukumar Honnayakanahalli Marichannegowda ◽  
Brian Foley ◽  
Chuan Xiao ◽  
...  

COVID-19 has become a global pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Understanding the origins of SARS-CoV-2 is critical for deterring future zoonosis, discovering new drugs, and developing a vaccine. We show evidence of strong purifying selection around the receptor binding motif (RBM) in the spike and other genes among bat, pangolin, and human coronaviruses, suggesting similar evolutionary constraints in different host species. We also demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2’s entire RBM was introduced through recombination with coronaviruses from pangolins, possibly a critical step in the evolution of SARS-CoV-2’s ability to infect humans. Similar purifying selection in different host species, together with frequent recombination among coronaviruses, suggests a common evolutionary mechanism that could lead to new emerging human coronaviruses.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mhammad Asif Emon ◽  
Daniel Domingo-Fernández ◽  
Charles Tapley Hoyt ◽  
Martin Hofmann-Apitius

Abstract Background: During the last decade, there has been a surge towards computational drug repositioning owing to constantly increasing -omics data in the biomedical research field. While numerous existing methods focus on the integration of heterogeneous data to propose candidate drugs, it is still challenging to substantiate their results with mechanistic insights of these candidate drugs. Therefore, there is a need for more innovative and efficient methods which can enable better integration of data and knowledge for drug repositioning. Results: Here, we present a customizable workflow ( PS4DR) which not only integrates high-throughput data such as genome-wide association study (GWAS) data and gene expression signatures from disease and drug perturbations but also takes pathway knowledge into consideration to predict drug candidates for repositioning. We have collected and integrated publicly available GWAS data and gene expression signatures for several diseases and hundreds of FDA-approved drugs or those under clinical trial in this study. Additionally, different pathway databases were used for mechanistic knowledge integration in the workflow. Using this systematic consolidation of data and knowledge, the workflow computes pathway signatures that assist in the prediction of new indications for approved and investigational drugs. Conclusion: We showcase PS4DR with applications demonstrating how this tool can be used for repositioning and identifying new drugs as well as proposing drugs that can simulate disease dysregulations. We were able to validate our workflow by demonstrating its capability to predict FDA-approved drugs for their known indications for several diseases. Further, PS4DR returned many potential drug candidates for repositioning that were backed up by epidemiological evidence extracted from scientific literature. Source code is freely available at https://github.com/ps4dr/ps4dr .


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document