HOCl as a promising candidate for effective containment of covid 19 from biological and non-biological surfaces

Coronaviruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 02 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandeep Kumar Shukla ◽  
Ajay Kumar Sharma ◽  
Aman Kalonia ◽  
Priyanka Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Hypochlorous Acid ◽  
Weak Acid ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Indirect Contact ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Enveloped Virus ◽  
Biological Surfaces ◽  
Biological Surface ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

: Covid 19 is a pandemic disease spread almost in the whole world. To date, no medical advancement to curb the virus. Coronavirus is an enveloped virus transmitted from the biological and non-biological surface by direct or indirect contact. Limited literature revealed that the enveloped virus can be killed by disinfectants. There are many biocidal agents used for decontamination of the virus, yet they have many issues like toxicity, killing time, activation requirement, etc. Some are specific to the inanimate surface but not used by a human being. This situation showed an urgent need for a biocidal agent which can act on biological as well as non-biological surfaces without any potential toxicity. Moreover, it should be easy to handle, inexpensive, and safe for the environment. Hypochlorous acid is a weak acid that acts as a powerful disinfectant and shows biocidal efficacy against a wide range of microorganisms. Hypochlorous acid is simple to use, inexpensive, eco-friendly, non-toxic, and stable. The properties of HOCl can be regulated at the site of preparation and therefore, its compliance is high. Hypochlorous acid seems to be a promising agent in disinfection and sterilization in healthcare facilities. Due to its diverse biocidal actions, it may be used as a potent disinfectant against novel coronavirus.

Design and in-silico screening of Peptide Nucleic Acid (PNA) inspired novel pronucleotide scaffolds targeting COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bichismita Sahu ◽  
Santosh Kumar Behera ◽  
Rudradip Das ◽  
Tanay Dalvi ◽  
Arnab Chowdhury ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nucleic Acid ◽  
In Silico ◽  
Peptide Nucleic Acid ◽  
Large Set ◽  
Nonstructural Proteins ◽  
In Silico Screening ◽  
Replication Process ◽  
Enveloped Virus ◽  
Treatment Regimens ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

Introduction: The outburst of the novel coronavirus COVID-19, at the end of December 2019 has turned itself into a pandemic taking a heavy toll on human lives. The causal agent being SARS-CoV-2, a member of the long-known Coronaviridae family, is a positive sense single-stranded enveloped virus and quite closely related to SARS-CoV. It has become the need of the hour to understand the pathophysiology of this disease, so that drugs, vaccines, treatment regimens and plausible therapeutic agents can be produced. Methods: In this regard, recent studies uncovered the fact that the viral genome of SARS-CoV-2 encodes nonstructural proteins like RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) which is an important tool for its transcription and replication process. A large number of nucleic acid based anti-viral drugs are being repurposed for treating COVID-19 targeting RdRp. Few of them are in the advanced stage of clinical trials including Remdesivir. While performing close investigation of the large set of nucleic acid based drugs, we were surprised to find that the synthetic nucleic acid backbone is explored very little or rare. Results: We have designed scaffolds derived from peptide nucleic acid (PNA) and subjected them for in-silico screening systematically. These designed molecules have demonstrated excellent binding towards RdRp. Compound 12 was found to possess similar binding affinity as Remdesivir with comparable pharmacokinetics. However, the in-silico toxicity prediction indicates compound 12 may be a superior molecule which can be explored further due to its excellent safety-profile with LD50 (12,000mg/kg) as opposed to Remdesivir (LD50 =1000mg/kg). Conclusion: Compound 12 falls in the safe category of class 6. Synthetic feasibility, equipotent binding and very low toxicity of this peptide nucleic acid derived compounds can serve as a leading scaffold to design, synthesize and evaluate many of similar compounds for the treatment of COVID-19.

scholarly journals Risk factors for severity on admission and the disease progression during hospitalisation in a large cohort of patients with COVID-19 in Japan

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e047007
Author(s):  
Mari Terada ◽  
Hiroshi Ohtsu ◽  
Sho Saito ◽  
Kayoko Hayakawa ◽  
Shinya Tsuzuki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Mechanical Ventilation ◽  
Chronic Respiratory Disease ◽  
Major Effect ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Registration Number ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Obesity Hypertension

ObjectivesTo investigate the risk factors contributing to severity on admission. Additionally, risk factors of worst severity and fatality were studied. Moreover, factors were compared based on three points: early severity, worst severity and fatality.DesignAn observational cohort study using data entered in a Japan nationwide COVID-19 inpatient registry, COVIREGI-JP.SettingAs of 28 September 2020, 10480 cases from 802 facilities have been registered. Participating facilities cover a wide range of hospitals where patients with COVID-19 are admitted in Japan.ParticipantsParticipants who had a positive test result on any applicable SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic tests were admitted to participating healthcare facilities. A total of 3829 cases were identified from 16 January to 31 May 2020, of which 3376 cases were included in this study.Primary and secondary outcome measuresPrimary outcome was severe or nonsevere on admission, determined by the requirement of mechanical ventilation or oxygen therapy, SpO2 or respiratory rate. Secondary outcome was the worst severity during hospitalisation, judged by the requirement of oxygen and/orinvasive mechanical ventilation/extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.ResultsRisk factors for severity on admission were older age, men, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes, obesity and hypertension. Cerebrovascular disease, liver disease, renal disease or dialysis, solid tumour and hyperlipidaemia did not influence severity on admission; however, it influenced worst severity. Fatality rates for obesity, hypertension and hyperlipidaemia were relatively lower.ConclusionsThis study segregated the comorbidities influencing severity and death. It is possible that risk factors for severity on admission, worst severity and fatality are not consistent and may be propelled by different factors. Specifically, while hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and obesity had major effect on worst severity, their impact was mild on fatality in the Japanese population. Some studies contradict our results; therefore, detailed analyses, considering in-hospital treatments, are needed for validation.Trial registration numberUMIN000039873. https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000045453

Assessing the Preparedness of Healthcare Facilities for Disasters and Emergencies in Damghan, Iran

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Behrad Pourmohammadi ◽  
Ahad Heydari ◽  
Farin Fatemi ◽  
Ali Modarresi
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objectives: Iran is exposed to a wide range of natural and man-made hazards. Health-care facilities can play a significant role in providing life-saving measures in the minutes and hours immediately following the impact or exposure. The aim of this study was to determine the preparedness of health-care facilities in disasters and emergencies. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Damghan, Semnan Province, in 2019. The samples consisted of all the 11 health-care facilities located in Damghan County. A developed checklist was used to collect the data, including 272 questions in 4 sections: understanding threatening hazards, functional, structural, and nonstructural vulnerability of health-care facilities. The data were analyzed using SPSS 21. Results: The results revealed that the health-care facilities were exposed to 22 different natural and man-made hazards throughout the county. The total level of preparedness of the health-care centers under assessment was 45.8%. The average functional, structural, and nonstructural vulnerability was assessed at 49.3%, 31.6%, and 56.4%, respectively. Conclusions: Conducting mitigation measures is necessary for promoting the functional and structural preparedness. Disaster educational programs and exercises are recommended among the health staff in health-care facilities.

scholarly journals Insights into Cross-species Evolution of Novel Human Coronavirus 2019-nCoV and Defining Immune Determinants for Vaccine Development

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arunachalam Ramaiah ◽  
Vaithilingaraja Arumugaswami
Keyword(s):  
Binding Affinity ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Asia Pacific ◽  
Potential Candidate ◽  
T Cell Epitopes ◽  
Live Animal ◽  
Synonymous Mutations ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
N Proteins

ABSTRACTNovel Coronavirus (nCoV) outbreak in the city of Wuhan, China during December 2019, has now spread to various countries across the globe triggering a heightened containment effort. This human pathogen is a member of betacoronavirus genus carrying 30 kilobase of single positive-sense RNA genome. Understanding the evolution, zoonotic transmission, and source of this novel virus would help accelerating containment and prevention efforts. The present study reported detailed analysis of 2019-nCoV genome evolution and potential candidate peptides for vaccine development. This nCoV genotype might have been evolved from a bat-CoV by accumulating non-synonymous mutations, indels, and recombination events. Structural proteins Spike (S), and Membrane (M) had extensive mutational changes, whereas Envelope (E) and Nucleocapsid (N) proteins were very conserved suggesting differential selection pressures exerted on 2019-nCoV during evolution. Interestingly, 2019-nCoV Spike protein contains a 39 nucleotide sequence insertion relative to SARS-like bat-SL-CoVZC45/2017. Furthermore, we identified eight high binding affinity (HBA) CD4 T-cell epitopes in the S, E, M and N proteins, which can be commonly recognized by HLA-DR alleles of Asia and Asia-Pacific Region population. These immunodominant epitopes can be incorporated in universal subunit CoV vaccine. Diverse HLA types and variations in the epitope binding affinity may contribute to the wide range of immunopathological outcomes of circulating virus in humans. Our findings emphasize the requirement for continuous surveillance of CoV strains in live animal markets to better understand the viral adaptation to human host and to develop practical solutions to prevent the emergence of novel pathogenic CoV strains.

scholarly journals Risk factors of adolescent health: mass poll results

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 91-99
Author(s):  
R. U. Khabriev ◽  
R. I. Yagudina ◽  
M. A. Rashid ◽  
E. E. Arinina
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
The Body ◽  
Noncommunicable Disease ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Noncommunicable Diseases ◽  
Fresh Vegetables ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Close Relatives ◽  
Public Health Epidemiology

Objective. To study the risk factors of noncommunicable disease spread in adolescents based on the mass pole results.Methods. The authors conducted four waves of study within the framework of the monitoring project “Risk factors for human health” in 2014–2017. The study included a multistage stratified territorial random sample of 1,691 patients over 11 years. The research population included 170 adolescents (11–19 years) (10%).Results. An adverse profile of risk factors for noncommunicable diseases was predetermined by: overweight in adolescents (10%), increased blood pressure (18%), unfavorable history of cardiovascular events in close relatives (60–70%), nutritional disorders (80–96%) , low level of physical activity (5%), smoking (20%), and alcohol consumption (26% of respondents). The body weight deficiency (35%) and overweight (10%), along with sufficient consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits in only 7% of cases reflects gross malnutrition of adolescents, which determines their future development. Awareness of adolescents of the main risk factors for noncommunicable diseases remains low (less than 30–40% for different factors). The example of close relatives, friends and stressful situations predetermine the emergence of bad habits (consumption of alcohol and tobacco) in adolescents.Scope of application. Pediatrics, public health, epidemiology.Conclusion. In order to correct adverse risk factors of noncommunicable diseases, it is necessary to attract a wide range of specialists, including intensive family and personal psychological consultations with adolescents. These measures will motivate adolescents to a healthy lifestyle and reduce the burden of noncommunicable diseases in the population of the Russian Federation.

scholarly journals Surveying Healthcare Facilities for Tourists in India

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (5) ◽  
pp. 5-10
Author(s):  
Rajat Shandilya ◽  
◽  
Bhagyesh Acharya ◽  
Mayank ◽  
Monika Garg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Care ◽  
Foreign Currency ◽  
Medical Tourism ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Tourist Destinations ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The World ◽  
High Quality Medical Care

India is quickly becoming one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. The rise of India as a tourist destination can be attributed to a number of factors. The growth of medical tourism in India is one of the reasons examined in this paper. Healthcare tourism is when people from all over the world fly to another country to receive medical, dental, and surgical treatment when exploring, vacationing, and completely immersing themselves in the attractions of the countries they are visiting. In the medical tourism industry, India is one of the most popular destinations. Medical tourism is experiencing rapid growth in India. Medical tourists cross foreign boundaries in search of medical care. Medical tourism has developed to become a multibillion-dollar industry. It is important to remember that the primary goal of medical tourists is to provide high-quality medical care at an affordable cost. When compared to other developing countries in the world, India has emerged as the most sought-after destination for medical tourists due to the availability of world-class doctors at affordable prices. In addition, India has a wide range of tourist destinations. It has tremendous potential for creating jobs and earning large sums of foreign currency. The paper ends with policy recommendations for advancing the rapidly growing medical tourism industry.

scholarly journals Oral aspects related to SARS-CoV-2

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-160
Author(s):  
Akram Belmehdi ◽  
Saliha Chbicheb
Keyword(s):  
Oral Cavity ◽  
Diagnostic Value ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Health Crisis ◽  
Rapid Spread ◽  
The World ◽  
Spanish Flu ◽  
Taste Disorders ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
The Relationship

The pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is considered as the biggest global health crisis for the world since the Spanish flu, also known as the 1918 flu pandemic. Driven by the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus infection, the rapid spread of this disease and the related pneumonia COVID-19 are a challenge for healthcare systems in over the world, and it is a constantly evolving situation with new symptoms and prognostic factors. SARS-CoV-2 has lately been detected in infected patient’s oral cavity; the COVID-19 outbreak is an alert that all dental and other health professionals must be vigilant in defending against the infectious disease spread. This review summarizes an update from current medical literature about the relationship between oral cavity and coronavirus disease by presenting some oral aspects which was detected in infected patients such as the oral lesions related to this virus and its therapeutic protocol, taste disorders and also the diagnostic value of saliva for SARS-CoV-2.

Nonspecific Chlorination of Organics: a Chemistry Unique to Human Industry? (Putting Kraft Mill AOX Emissions into Perspective)

1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 347-362
Author(s):  
Frederick Archibald ◽  
Loredana Valeanu ◽  
Gunther Leichtle ◽  
Benoit Guilbault
Keyword(s):  
Hypochlorous Acid ◽  
Higher Plants ◽  
Chloride Ions ◽  
Soil Extracts ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Mammalian Blood ◽  
Kraft Mill ◽  
Natural Result ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
Work Done

Abstract To counter the claim that all biotreated organochlorine (AOX) emissions from modern kraft mills are unnatural and inherently hazardous, it has been argued that over 2400 different AOX compounds are now known to be produced by living organisms. This is an invalid rationale. These 2400 natural compounds are mostly specific halometabolites — each is produced as a large number of identical molecules by a specific enzyme-mediated mechanism. In contrast, in a kraft mill bleachery, heterogeneous wood derivatives are non-specifically chlorinated by hypochlorous acid (HOCl) or hypochlorite ion (OCl-) to produce mixtures containing hundreds of different AOX species. It is therefore much more reasonable to compare mill-derived AOX to other human and natural sources of OCl-/HOCl-generated non-specific AOX. Chloroperoxidase (CPO)-type enzymes naturally produce HOCl and OCl-from common chloride ions and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). They have now been demonstrated in bacteria, fungi, algae, lichens, higher plants and animals. We demonstrate that a common fungal CPO can, when applied to soil extracts, lignins, cellulosics, tannins and natural lake water organics, rapidly generate nonspecific AOX. In agreement with earlier work done in other geographic areas, AOX was found in all of a wide range of samples from the Montreal region, both from urban and relatively remote pristine lakes and woodlands. Much of it is almost certainly produced via nonspecific HOCl/OCl- chlorination. Finally, we demonstrate that nonspecific AOX is produced by a CPO in mammalian blood as the natural result of the body's immune system fighting infections. Thus, HOCl/OCl- based production of AOX from mixtures of organic molecules is seen to be a common occurrence in nature as well as a product of human technology.

scholarly journals Sulfoxaflor and Natural Pyrethrin with Piperonyl Butoxide Are Effective Alternatives to Neonicotinoids against Juveniles of Philaenus spumarius, the European Vector of Xylella fastidiosa

Insects ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz Dáder ◽  
Elisa Viñuela ◽  
Aránzazu Moreno ◽  
María Plaza ◽  
Elisa Garzo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cover Crops ◽  
Xylella Fastidiosa ◽  
Bacterial Pathogen ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
Similar Efficacy ◽  
Piperonyl Butoxide ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Philaenus Spumarius ◽  
Wide Range

The threat imposed by the bacterial pathogen Xylella fastidiosa to crops of utter importance to European agriculture such as olive, stone fruit and grapevine calls for immediate research against the meadow spittlebug, Philaenus spumarius (L.), the main European vector. Management tools should consider reducing juveniles of vector populations growing on weeds or cover crops during spring as nymphs have limited movement and do not contribute to disease spread. We examined a wide range of insecticides with different modes of action against P. spumarius nymphs in laboratory and semi-field glasshouse conditions. Pyrethroids (delthamethrin and λ-cyhalothrin) and natural pyrethrin (Pirecris®) + piperonyl butoxide (PBO) efficacy surpassed 86% after 24 h of exposure, without significant differences in the PBO amount tested. The inclusion of PBO caused a 3-fold increase in the mortality of P. spumarius nymphs compared to pyrethrin alone. Sulfoxaflor (Closer®) exhibited similar efficacy at 48 and 72 h but it was slow acting and mortality only reached 60% at 24 h. The LC90 was 34 ppm at 72 h. Pymetrozine, spirotetramat, azadirachtin and kaolin were not effective against nymphs (mortality <33%) although in azadirachtin-treated plants, mortality had a 3-fold increase from 24 to 72 h. Our results will help decision-making policy bodies to set up a sustainable integrated pest management of P. spumarius in areas where X. fastidiosa becomes a problem.

scholarly journals A semantic-based framework for automated rule checking in healthcare construction projects

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 202-214
Author(s):  
Joao Soliman-Junior ◽  
Carlos T. Formoso ◽  
Patricia Tzortzopoulos
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Design Science ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Science Research ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Theoretical Contribution ◽  
Rule Checking ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
High Degree

Healthcare projects are known for having a high degree of complexity. Furthermore, the design of healthcare facilities is highly constrained by regulations containing a wide range of requirements. Using BIM for automated rule checking has been pointed out as an opportunity to improve requirements management in these projects. However, most existing research is focused on hard-coded approaches or on limited sets of requirements. The aim of this investigation is to propose a semantic-based framework for automated rule checking in the context of healthcare design. An empirical study was conducted in the redevelopment of a university hospital, using Design Science Research as a methodological approach. Results indicate that the nature of regulations and the subjectivity of requirements have a major impact on the possibility of their translation into logical rules, which is needed to enable automated checking. The main theoretical contribution is a taxonomy for automated rule checking and information transformation.

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