New corona virus: is just a tip of iceberg?

The world is again experiencing a global viral epidemic of zoonotic origin. As of March 30, 785807 confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 37820 deaths had been reported in more than 120 countries. Strenuous efforts are being made by various countries of the world to halt transmission through shutting down transport, quarantining entire cities and enforcing the use of face masks. International flights have been cancelled and affected cruise ships quarantined. As in all outbreaks, there is an urgent need to develop effective diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. Several experimental diagnostic platforms are already in use in China and elsewhere. The whole-genome sequence of SARS-CoV-2 has been obtained and shared widely. Several potential treatments have been proposed, however, no antiviral treatment has been approved for the novel coronavirus, and despite two outbreaks of novel coronaviruses in the past two decades, vaccine development is still in its infancy.

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Synthetic and semi-synthetic drugs as promising therapeutic option for the treatment of COVID-19

Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry ◽

10.2174/1389557520666201204162103 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 ◽

Author(s):

Ekta Shirbhate ◽

Preeti Patel ◽

Vijay K Patel ◽

Ravichandran Veerasamy ◽

Prabodh C Sharma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Therapeutic Option ◽

Antiviral Treatment ◽

The Novel ◽

Clinical Experiences ◽

Synthetic Compounds ◽

Synthetic Drugs ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

The World ◽

Novel Coronavirus

: The novel coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), a global pandemic that emerged from Wuhan, China has today travelled all around the world, so far 216 countries or territories with 21,732,472 people infected and 770,866 deaths globally (as per WHO COVID-19 update dated August 18, 2020). Continuous efforts are being made to repurpose the existing drugs and develop vaccines for combating this infection. Despite, to date, no certified antiviral treatment or vaccine prevails. Although, few candidates have displayed their efficacy in in vitro studies and are being repurposed for COVID-19 treatment. This article summarizes synthetic and semi-synthetic compounds displaying potent activity in their clinical experiences or studies against COVID-19 and also focuses on mode of action of drugs being repositioned against COVID-19.

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Alternate primers for whole-genome SARS-CoV-2 sequencing

Virus Evolution ◽

10.1093/ve/veab006 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Matthew Cotten ◽

Dan Lule Bugembe ◽

Pontiano Kaleebu ◽

My V T Phan

Keyword(s):

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Information Content ◽

Genome Sequence ◽

Virus Genome ◽

Control Measures ◽

Effective Control ◽

Whole Genome ◽

The Novel ◽

Essential Information ◽

The World

Abstract As the world is struggling to control the novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), there is an urgency to develop effective control measures. Essential information is encoded in the virus genome sequence with accurate and complete SARS-CoV-2 sequences essential for tracking the movement and evolution of the virus and for guiding efforts to develop vaccines and antiviral drugs. While there is unprecedented SARS-CoV-2 sequencing efforts globally, approximately 19 to 43% of the genomes generated monthly are gapped, reducing their information content. The current study documents the genome gap frequencies and their positions in the currently available data and provides an alternative primer set and a sequencing scheme to help improve the quality and coverage of the genomes.

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Gearing Up for a New “Pandemic” on the Eyes

10.51627/pghr.2020.09.00022 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Sarah Wang ◽

Keyword(s):

Video Games ◽

Social Networking ◽

Electronic Devices ◽

Health Problems ◽

The Novel ◽

The Past ◽

The Us ◽

The World ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

The Uk

As the novel coronavirus continues ravaging communities worldwide, children and adults are spending more time than ever before on their electronic devices. Social networking websites, streaming platforms, and video games accumulate hours of usage. Students and employees are turning to remote learning and working. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, teleworking was already on the rise. In the US, the population of employees working remotely increased from 19.6% in 2003 to 24.1% in 2015, and in Sweden, the prevalence of working from home jumped from 5.9% in 1999 to 19.7% in 2012 (Feldstead & Henseke, 2017). Research conducted by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) reported that the teleworking rate in the UK increased by at least 20% over the past decade. There are currently no official reports on the increase of remote working in 2020. However, given the current pandemic situation along with the rapid advancement of technology each day, the numbers are expected to be at an all-time high. This may introduce the world to a new set of health problems: the Digital Eye Strain syndrome.

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Novel and extendable genotyping system for Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus based on whole-genome sequence analysis

10.22541/au.162251650.01202619/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jiani Chen ◽

Xueting Qiu ◽

Samuel Shepard ◽

Do-Kyun Kim ◽

James Hixson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽

Genome Sequence ◽

Vaccine Development ◽

Phylogenetic Signal ◽

Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus ◽

Whole Genome Sequence ◽

Rate Variation ◽

Whole Genome ◽

Genotype Assignment ◽

Syncytial Virus

Background: Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is one of the leading causes of respiratory infections, especially in infants and young children. Previous RSV sequencing studies have primarily focused on partial sequencing of G gene (200-300 nucleotides) for genotype characterization or diagnostics. However, the genotype assignment with G gene has not recapitulated the phylogenetic signal of other genes and there is no consensus on RSV genotype definition. Methods: We conducted Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic analysis with 10 RSV individual genes and whole-genome sequence (WGS) that are published in GenBank. RSV genotypes were assigned by the statistical support monophyletic clusters with at least 10-year detection time from the WGS phylogeny. Results: In this study, we first statistically examined the phylogenetic incongruence, rate variation for each RSV gene sequence and WGS. We then proposed a new RSV genotyping system based on a comparative analysis of WGS and the spatial and temporal distribution of each lineage. We also provided an RSV classification tool to perform RSV genotype assignment. Conclusions: This revised RSV genotyping system will provide important information for disease surveillance, epidemiology, and vaccine development.

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Alternate primers for whole-genome SARS-CoV-2 sequencing

10.1101/2020.10.12.335513 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Matthew Cotten ◽

Dan Lule Bugembe ◽

Pontiano Kaleebu ◽

My V.T. Phan

Keyword(s):

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Information Content ◽

Genome Sequence ◽

Virus Genome ◽

Control Measures ◽

Effective Control ◽

Whole Genome ◽

The Novel ◽

Essential Information ◽

The World

AbstractAs the world is struggling to control the novel Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), there is an urgency to develop effective control measures. Essential information is encoded in the virus genome sequence with accurate and complete SARS-CoV-2 sequences essential for tracking the movement and evolution of the virus and for guiding efforts to develop vaccines and antiviral drugs. While there is unprecedented SARS-CoV-2 sequencing efforts globally, approximately 19 to 43% of the genomes generated monthly are gapped, reducing their information content. The current study documents the genome gap frequencies and their positions in the currently available data and provides an alternative primer set and a sequencing scheme to help improve the quality and coverage of the genomes.

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Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Secretome for Severe COVID-19 Infections: Premises for the Therapeutic Use

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells9040924 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (4) ◽

pp. 924 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Elia Bari ◽

Ilaria Ferrarotti ◽

Laura Saracino ◽

Sara Perteghella ◽

Maria Luisa Torre ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mesenchymal Stromal Cell ◽

Stromal Cell ◽

Antiviral Treatment ◽

Therapeutic Strategies ◽

World Population ◽

The Novel ◽

Pharmacological Effects ◽

The World ◽

The Moment ◽

Novel Coronavirus

From the end of 2019, the world population has been faced the spread of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 responsible for COVID-19 infection. In approximately 14% of the patients affected by the novel coronavirus, the infection progresses with the development of pneumonia that requires mechanical ventilation. At the moment, there is no specific antiviral treatment recommended for the COVID-19 pandemic and the therapeutic strategies to deal with the infection are only supportive. In our opinion, mesenchymal stem cell secretome could offer a new therapeutic approach in treating COVID-19 pneumonia, due to the broad pharmacological effects it shows, including anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, regenerative, pro-angiogenic and anti-fibrotic properties.

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Near-Complete Genome of SARS-CoV-2 Delta (AY.3) Variant Identified in a Dog in Kansas, USA

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v13102104 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (10) ◽

pp. 2104

Author(s):

Tyler Doerksen ◽

Andrea Lu ◽

Lance Noll ◽

Kelli Almes ◽

Jianfa Bai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genome Sequence ◽

Companion Animals ◽

Whole Genome Sequence ◽

Whole Genome ◽

Rapid Adaptation ◽

Coding Region ◽

Reference Case ◽

The Past ◽

Spike Coding

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) descriptions of infection and transmission have been increasing in companion animals in the past year. Although canine susceptibility is generally considered low, their role in the COVID-19 disease cycle remains unknown. In this study, we detected and sequenced a delta variant (AY.3) from a 12-year-old Collie living with owners that previously tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. It is unclear if the dogs’ symptoms were related to SARS-CoV-2 infection or underlying conditions. The whole genome sequence obtained from the dog sample had several unique consensus level changes not previously identified in a SARS-CoV-2 genome that may play a role in the rapid adaptation from humans to dogs. Within the spike coding region, 5/7 of the subconsensus variants identified in the dog sequence were also identified in the closest in-house human reference case. Taken together, the whole genome sequence, and phylogenetic and subconsensus variant analyses indicate the virus infecting the animal originated from a local outbreak cluster. The results of these analyses emphasize the importance of rapid detection and characterization of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in companion animals.

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Current Status of COVID-19 Diagnostics

10.5772/intechopen.96955 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Surabhi Dixit ◽

Monal Sharma

Keyword(s):

Vaccine Development ◽

Control Measures ◽

World Health ◽

Current Status ◽

The Novel ◽

Diagnostic Assays ◽

Global Demand ◽

The World ◽

Novel Coronavirus ◽

Health Organization

In December 2019, an unexpected outbreak was caused by novel corona virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The lung disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 was given the name of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the World Health Organization (WHO) on February 11, 2020. Since its origin in the Hubei province of Wuhan city in China, now it has spread to 218 countries worldwide. Panic situation created by COVID-19 has compelled researchers and doctors to work collaboratively. To combat with the disease, every control measures are under consideration from drug discovery to vaccine development. In the management of disease, rapid diagnosis is equally important as development of vaccine and drug. At present, various diagnostic kits are available for COVID-19. With the disease progression, global demand for diagnostics is raising. So, this chapter will include the updates on efficient diagnostic assays and future of diagnostic.

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Preparedness and Lessons Learned from the Novel Coronavirus Disease

The International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine ◽

10.34172/ijoem.2020.1977 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 108-112 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Sai Krishna Gudi ◽

Komal Krishna Tiwari

Keyword(s):

Public Health Emergency ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

The Novel ◽

Global Consciousness ◽

The Past ◽

Global Pandemic ◽

The World ◽

Entire World ◽

Short Span ◽

Novel Coronavirus

In a short span, a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has captured global consciousness by significantly affecting the day-to-day life of humans and emerged as a public health emergency. Undoubtedly, it indicates that lessons learnt from the past epidemics of coronaviruses such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), had not enough and thus left us ill-prepared to deal with the challenges that COVID-19 pandemic is currently posing. Currently, as a global pandemic, COVID-19 poses major challenges and thus forcing the entire world to lockdown. However, the disease has prepared humankind in facing such outbreaks at present as well as in the future. Besides, it has also taught numerous lessons that are worth considering and implementing to make the world a better reality.

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