scholarly journals Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology-Associated Innovations against Viral Infections with a Focus on Coronaviruses

Nanomaterials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1072 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Nasrollahzadeh ◽  
Mohaddeseh Sajjadi ◽  
Ghazaleh Jamalipour Soufi ◽  
Siavash Iravani ◽  
Rajender S. Varma
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Functionalized Nanoparticles ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Pathogenic Viruses ◽  
And Control ◽  
Diagnostic Detection

Viral infections have recently emerged not only as a health threat to people but rapidly became the cause of universal fatality on a large scale. Nanomaterials comprising functionalized nanoparticles (NPs) and quantum dots and nanotechnology-associated innovative detection methods, vaccine design, and nanodrug production have shown immense promise for interfacing with pathogenic viruses and restricting their entrance into cells. These viruses have been scrutinized using rapid diagnostic detection and therapeutic interventional options against the caused infections including vaccine development for prevention and control. Coronaviruses, namely SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2, have endangered human life, and the COVID-19 (caused by SARS-CoV-2) outbreak has become a perilous challenge to public health globally with huge accompanying morbidity rates. Thus, it is imperative to expedite the drug and vaccine development efforts that would help mitigate this pandemic. In this regard, smart and innovative nano-based technologies and approaches encompassing applications of green nanomedicine, bio-inspired methods, multifunctional bioengineered nanomaterials, and biomimetic drug delivery systems/carriers can help resolve the critical issues regarding detection, prevention, and treatment of viral infections. This perspective review expounds recent nanoscience advancements for the detection and treatment of viral infections with focus on coronaviruses and encompasses nano-based formulations and delivery platforms, nanovaccines, and promising methods for clinical diagnosis, especially regarding SARS-CoV-2.

scholarly journals AN OVERVIEW OF RECOMBINANT VACCINE TECHNOLOGY, ADJUVANTS AND VACCINE DELIVERY METHODS

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuaibu Abdullahi Hudu ◽  
Saadatu Haruna Shinkafi ◽  
Shuaibu Umar
Keyword(s):  
Viral Infections ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Journal Article ◽  
Vaccine Delivery ◽  
Recombinant Vaccine ◽  
Effective Vaccine ◽  
Routes Of Administration ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
New Generation ◽  
And Control

Development of an effective vaccine is of paramount important in disease prevention and control. As such, recombinant technology can serve as a gateway for the development of safe and effective vaccines that can be delivered effectively with an appropriate adjuvant. Therefore, this paper aimed to review the role of recombinant vaccine technology, new adjuvants and the challenge of vaccine delivery. Related peer-reviewed journal article searches were conducted using a subscribed database at the Universiti Putra Malaysia library, involving areas of Health Sciences and Medicine via Medline, SCOPUS and Google Scholar. New generation vaccines include highly purified synthetic or recombinant antigens that stimulate effective cell-mediated immune and mucosal immunity. In order to enhance their efficacy, a number of adjuvants are used. Efforts have also been made to explore the usage of non-invasive routes of administration, devices and equipment for optimized antigen and immune-potentiator delivery of the immune system. Recombinant vaccine technology is rapid, compared to the traditional method of vaccine development and does not require the handling of live viruses. It is, therefore, a promising technology for developing a future vaccine to curb emerging and re-emerging viral infections that may be life-threatening or teratogenic.

scholarly journals DNA-based biomonitoring in the tropics: Detection and control of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Ecuadorian ecosystem

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lenin Riascos-Flores ◽  
Andrea Carrera ◽  
Leopoldo Naranjo ◽  
Jomira Yanez ◽  
Peter Goethals ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Water Samples ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Batrachochytrium Dendrobatidis ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Amphibian Species ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
And Control

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is a fungus that parasites vertebrates, and is associated with population declines worldwide in endemic amphibian species. As such, it is one of several invasive species which pose a serious threat to a variety of vertebrate hosts, in casu: amphibians. Detection of such invasive species is generally based on DNA-based methods where, for instance, swabs or tissue samples of candidate hosts are analysed for their presence. Any management strategy of these invasive species would greatly benefit from sensitive and rapid detection methods which can be applied at a large scale. The analysis of eDNA from the habitat of candidate host organisms may hold significant potential for this purpose. In this study, we compare the ability of eDNA from habitat samples with that of swab and/or tissue samples of candidate hosts to detect the presence of Bd in Ecuador. We collected individuals from the amphibians: Pristimantis (Anura: Craugastoridae), Rhinella (Anura: Bufonidae), Gastroteca (Anura: Hemiphractidae), from the endangered toad species of the genus Atelopus (Anura: Bufonidae) as well as water samples from different water bodies in Andean and coastal Ecuadorian areas. Samples were processed using a portable field molecular laboratory. Commercial primers for the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), in combination with a new set of primers designed from Bd sequences from tropical countries, were used. Positive PCR results from both types of samples were obtained within eight hours after sampling. Prevalence of BD was detected in eDNA, swab and tissue samples in four of the six ecosystems monitored -14 out of 26 water samples and 27 out of 43 amphibian of in total 12 species- including three endangered toad species (Atelopus balios, A. nanay, and the rediscovered A. bomolochos). Our results highlight the potential of eDNA-based monitoring to assess the presence and prevalence of Bd in Ecuadorian aquatic ecosystems, in accordance with the National Action Plan for the Conservation of Ecuadorian Amphibians. Furthermore, our field lab approach leads to reliable and fast results for the monitoring of invasive species in a tropical context of a pandemic.

scholarly journals Moral responses to the COVID-19 crisis

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 210096
Author(s):  
Joaquin Navajas ◽  
Facundo Álvarez Heduan ◽  
Gerry Garbulsky ◽  
Enzo Tagliazucchi ◽  
Dan Ariely ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Animal Rights ◽  
Data Privacy ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Formal Analysis ◽  
Moral Dilemmas ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
The Usa

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised complex moral dilemmas that have been the subject of extensive public debate. Here, we study how people judge a set of controversial actions related to the crisis: relaxing data privacy standards to allow public control of the pandemic, forbidding public gatherings, denouncing a friend who violated COVID-19 protocols, prioritizing younger over older patients when medical resources are scarce, and reducing animal rights to accelerate vaccine development. We collected acceptability judgements in an initial large-scale study with participants from 10 Latin American countries ( N = 15 420). A formal analysis of the intrinsic correlations between responses to different dilemmas revealed that judgements were organized in two dimensions: one that reflects a focus on human life expectancy and one that cares about the health of all sentient lives in an equitable manner. These stereotyped patterns of responses were stronger in people who endorsed utilitarian decisions in a standardized scale. A second pre-registered study performed in the USA ( N = 1300) confirmed the replicability of these findings. Finally, we show how the prioritization of public health correlated with several contextual, personality and demographic factors. Overall, this research sheds light on the relationship between utilitarian decision-making and moral responses to the COVID-19 crisis.

scholarly journals SARS-CoV-2 Recombinant Spike Protein-based Vaccine: A Promising Candidate against the Recent Imperial Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

2020 ◽  
pp. 40-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prosper Obed Chukwuemeka ◽  
Christopher Busayo Olowosoke ◽  
Oluwaseyi Matthew Oretade
Keyword(s):  
Viral Infections ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Spike Protein ◽  
Protein Subunit ◽  
Counter Measures ◽  
Current Trends ◽  
Similar Disease ◽  
Pathogenic Viruses ◽  
Cross Neutralization ◽  
Human Coronaviruses

In time past, to date combating against diseases and fatal disorders (of known or idiopathic cause) is a major effort among the human race. The emergence of several, novel and pathogenic viral infections have posed a great threat to humanity and could wipe us out of existence if there are no counter measures. Among the increasing number of pathogenic viruses in this past decade, the advent of the recent imperial SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus type cannot be underestimated as it is not just a malady endemic to a nation, but have also triggered an emergency of public health across the globe. SARS-CoV-2 a memorial of the initial Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) reported in China in (2003) is the etiological agent of the mysterious COVID-19 reported to originate from Wuhan, Hubei province, China in 2019. Though the virus exhibit mild pathogenicity compared to other previously emerged human coronaviruses (HCoV-OC43, HCoV-HKU1, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV), however, the high transmissibility and infectivity among human is alarming. In spite the evidences from the increasing number of substantiated global cases and deaths resulting from the epidemic outbreak to date, curative measures to curtail and treat this disease are still lacking. Just like SARS-CoV, it has been revealed that SARS-CoV-2 also uses similar receptor for infectivity and shares similar disease pathogenesis. This knowledge presents a therapeutic target against COVID-19. The presence of cross-reactive epitopes in the spike protein subunit of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 present the use of neutralization antibodies from convalescent SARS challenged patients against COVID 19. However, limited cross-neutralization due to lower sequence conservation in the Spike protein subunit could render this approach ineffective. Realizing the urgent need for developing potent therapeutics against the imminent risk of COVID-19 on humanity, this review article, suggests the use of SARS-CoV-2 recombinant Spike protein-based vaccine as an immunotherapeutic target to combat COVID-19 based on garnered knowledge from researches on consanguineal coronaviruses (SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV), and current trends in vaccine development against this infection.

scholarly journals Success of Selection in Terms of Hygienic Behavior in Struggle Against DWV and Varroa

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-240
Author(s):  
Kemal Karabağ ◽  
Ayşe Alemli ◽  
Rahşan İvgin Tunca
Keyword(s):  
Viral Load ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Hygienic Behavior ◽  
Colony Losses ◽  
Deformed Wing Virus ◽  
Pathogenic Viruses ◽  
One Step ◽  
And Control ◽  
Bee Colonies ◽  
Average Viral Load

AbstractMany studies have reported sudden and large-scale losses in honey bee colonies. There is no precise explanation for this happening, but it may be caused by the interaction of pathogenic viruses and ectoparasite Varroa destructor. Deformed-wing virus (DWV) is common in Apis mellifera L. and has been implicated in worldwide Varroa-associated colony losses. Hygienic behavior may be one of the ways that limit V. destructor infestation level and DWV load. The purpose of this research was to determine whether the selection of higher hygienic behavior is effective against V. destructor and DWV. Workers and pupae of A. m. anatoliaca were collected from colonies showing four generations of hygienic behaviodr, and non-hygienics were used as a control. Loads of DWV were investigated by one-step RT-qPCR, and the bottom-board method was used to allow mites count. The prevalence of DWV in pupae were higher in hygienic colonies (69.0%, average viral load 234.38) than control colonies (60.8% average viral load 937.70). However, the prevalence of worker bees infected with DWV was lower in hygienic colonies (41.3%, average viral load 181627.69) than in control's (66.0%, average viral load 241982.35). Although the averages of the Varroa counts were significantly different for both hygienic (28.92) and control colonies (108.90), we could not find any correlation between DWV loads of both workers and pupae in this study. When all these results are evaluated, the selection performed in terms of hygienic behavior can said to have been said successful against DWV.

scholarly journals Characterization of the Protective HIV-1 CTL Epitopes and the Corresponding HLA Class I Alleles: A Step towards Designing CTL Based HIV-1 Vaccine

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sajib Chakraborty ◽  
Taibur Rahman ◽  
Rajib Chakravorty
Keyword(s):  
Viral Infections ◽  
Vaccine Development ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Hla Class I ◽  
Antiretroviral Drugs ◽  
Distribution Analysis ◽  
Hla Alleles ◽  
Ctl Epitopes ◽  
Efficacious Vaccine ◽  
Hiv 1

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) possesses a major threat to the human life largely due to the unavailability of an efficacious vaccine and poor access to the antiretroviral drugs against this deadly virus. High mutation rate in the viral genome underlying the antigenic variability of the viral proteome is the major hindrance as far as the antibody based vaccine development is concerned. Although the exact mechanism by which CTL epitopes and the restricting HLA alleles mediate their action towards slow disease progression is still not clear, the important CTL restricted epitopes for controlling viral infections can be utilized in future vaccine design. This study was designed for the characterization the HIV-1 optimal CTL epitopes and their corresponding HLA alleles. CTL epitope cluster distribution analysis revealed only two HIV-1 proteins, namely, Nef and Gag, which have significant cluster forming capacity. We have found the role of specific HLA supertypes such as HLA B*07, HLA B*58, and HLA A*03 in selecting the hydrophobic and conserved amino acid positions within Nef and Gag proteins, to be presented as epitopes. The analyses revealed that the clusters of optimal epitopes for Nef and p24 proteins of HIV-1 could potentially serve as a source of vaccine.

scholarly journals Hidden viral sequences in public sequencing data and warning for future emerging diseases

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junna Kawasaki ◽  
Shohei Kojima ◽  
Keizo Tomonaga ◽  
Masayuki Horie
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Emerging Diseases ◽  
Host Population ◽  
Sequencing Data ◽  
Virus Identification ◽  
Tree Shrews ◽  
Viral Infectious Disease ◽  
Pathogenic Viruses ◽  
Viral Sequences

RNA viruses cause numerous emerging diseases, mostly due to transmission from mammalian and avian reservoirs. Large-scale surveillance of RNA viral infections in these animals is a fundamental step for controlling viral infectious diseases. Metagenomic analysis is a powerful method for virus identification with low bias and has substantially contributed to the discovery of novel viruses. Deep sequencing data have been accumulated in public databases in recent decades; however, only a small number of them have been examined for viral infections. Here, we screened for infections of 33 RNA viral families in publicly available mammalian and avian RNA-seq data and found over 900 hidden viral infections. We also discovered viral sequences in livestock, wild, and experimental animals: hepatovirus in a goat, hepeviruses in blind mole-rats and a galago, astrovirus in macaque monkeys, parechovirus in a cow, pegivirus in tree shrews, and seadornavirus in rats. Some of these viruses were phylogenetically close to human pathogenic viruses, suggesting the potential risk of causing disease in humans upon infection. Furthermore, the infections of five novel viruses were identified in several different individuals, indicating that their infections may have already spread in the natural host population. Our findings demonstrate the reusability of public sequencing data for surveying viral infections and identifying novel viral sequences, presenting a warning about a new threat of viral infectious disease to public health.

Collaboration, Power, Participation and Control on a Large Scale Research Team: Multiple Perspectives from the Oxford House Research Project

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bradley Olson ◽  
Leonard Jason ◽  
Joseph R. Ferrari ◽  
Leon Venable ◽  
Bertel F. Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Research Team ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Oxford House ◽  
And Control

Interference mitigation in point to point wireless sensor networks using LSP protocol and time division multiplexing approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 5449-5458
Author(s):  
A. Arokiaraj Jovith ◽  
S.V. Kasmir Raja ◽  
A. Razia Sulthana
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Control Parameter ◽  
Interference Mitigation ◽  
Wireless Sensor ◽  
Point To Point ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Two Stages ◽  
Time Division ◽  
And Control

Interference in Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) predominantly affects the performance of the WSN. Energy consumption in WSN is one of the greatest concerns in the current generation. This work presents an approach for interference measurement and interference mitigation in point to point network. The nodes are distributed in the network and interference is measured by grouping the nodes in the region of a specific diameter. Hence this approach is scalable and isextended to large scale WSN. Interference is measured in two stages. In the first stage, interference is overcome by allocating time slots to the node stations in Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) fashion. The node area is split into larger regions and smaller regions. The time slots are allocated to smaller regions in TDMA fashion. A TDMA based time slot allocation algorithm is proposed in this paper to enable reuse of timeslots with minimal interference between smaller regions. In the second stage, the network density and control parameter is introduced to reduce interference in a minor level within smaller node regions. The algorithm issimulated and the system is tested with varying control parameter. The node-level interference and the energy dissipation at nodes are captured by varying the node density of the network. The results indicate that the proposed approach measures the interference and mitigates with minimal energy consumption at nodes and with less overhead transmission.

TO THE QUESTION OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR TORTURE IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-106
Author(s):  
ASTEMIR ZHURTOV ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Russian Federation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Human Life ◽  
International Standards ◽  
World Community ◽  
The World ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Protection Of Human Rights ◽  
The Russian Federation

Cruel and inhumane acts that harm human life and health, as well as humiliate the dignity, are prohibited in most countries of the world, and Russia is no exception in this issue. The article presents an analysis of the institution of responsibility for torture in the Russian Federation. The author comes to the conclusion that the current criminal law of Russia superficially and fragmentally regulates liability for torture, in connection with which the author formulated the proposals to define such act as an independent crime. In the frame of modern globalization, the world community pays special attention to the protection of human rights, in connection with which large-scale international standards have been created a long time ago. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international acts enshrine prohibitions of cruel and inhumane acts that harm human life and health, as well as degrade the dignity.Considering the historical experience of the past, these standards focus on the prohibition of any kind of torture, regardless of the purpose of their implementation.

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