scholarly journals CoVid-19 Pandemic: An Update Clinical Features, Diagnostic Methods, Drugs and Vaccine Race

2020 ◽  
pp. 96-109
Author(s):  
Théophile Uwiringiyeyezu ◽  
Bouchra El Khalfi ◽  
Rachid Saile ◽  
Jamal Belhachmi ◽  
Abdelaziz Soukri
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Viral Disease ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
World Health ◽  
Molecular Characteristics ◽  
Asymptomatic Patients ◽  
The World ◽  
Inflammatory Drugs ◽  
Different Strains ◽  
Health Organization

CoViD-19 pandemic is a viral disease caused by SARS-COV-2virus and since December 2019, has spread rapidly in all the world countries; At the end of June 2020, over 10 million peoples were infected in the world and more than 500,000 deaths have been identified. Due to its fast transmission, the unavailability of drugs and vaccines and the asymptomatic patients who still spread the virus various measures were implemented to stop this virus. The studies were carried out to identify the molecular characteristics, transmission methods, origins, and all other clinical parameters necessary to eradicate it. The results have shown that CoViD-19 can be transmitted either animal-to-person or person-to-person by airborne. On March 11, 2020, world health organization (WHO) declared the CoViD-19 a pandemic, there, every concerned country has made the different health measures to stop the virus spread; the confirmed CoViD-19 patient undergoes the validation medicals diagnostics tests to follow specific treatments as time goes staying in quarantine room of the hospital to keep away from contact with others. To treat this pandemic, the world of medicine has tried with previous treatments of other viruses with encouraging results but of course, with doubts about the success of the therapeutic effectiveness and the scientific researches continue until the development of the therapeutic medicine and the Covid-19 specific vaccine. Today, the use of anti-inflammatory drugs was reported like chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine, the antiviral drugs like ritonavir, Lopinavir, ribavirin, and remdesivir and also the glycocorticoids hormones like dexaméthasone to the patients with severe CoViD-19. Different strains of this coronavirus infect humans, bats, and other mammals. Two strains of VOC-SARS have caused outbreaks of severe respiratory disease in humans: VOC-SARS, which caused an outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) between 2002 and 2003, and VOC-SARS-2, which since late 2019 has caused a coronavirus disease pandemic 2019 (COVID-19). Even if today, there are not validated CoViD-19 drugs or vaccines. In This paper, we will talk about what we know until today on SARS-COV-2 and CoViD-19 pandemic particularly the clinical symptoms, transmissions ways, biological samples concerned by SARS-COV-2 infection, medicals laboratories parameters in CoViD-19 cases, medication and medicine and molecular diagnostics methods.

Organization of restrictive quarantine measures to prevent especially dangerous infections

2020 ◽  
pp. 6-11
Author(s):  
Petr Ilyin
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
International Health ◽  
World Health ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
Entire History ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Former Ussr ◽  
Health Regulations

Especially dangerous infections (EDIs) belong to the conditionally labelled group of infectious diseases that pose an exceptional epidemic threat. They are highly contagious, rapidly spreading and capable of affecting wide sections of the population in the shortest possible time, they are characterized by the severity of clinical symptoms and high mortality rates. At the present stage, the term "especially dangerous infections" is used only in the territory of the countries of the former USSR, all over the world this concept is defined as "infectious diseases that pose an extreme threat to public health on an international scale." Over the entire history of human development, more people have died as a result of epidemics and pandemics than in all wars combined. The list of especially dangerous infections and measures to prevent their spread were fixed in the International Health Regulations (IHR), adopted at the 22nd session of the WHO's World Health Assembly on July 26, 1969. In 1970, at the 23rd session of the WHO's Assembly, typhus and relapsing fever were excluded from the list of quarantine infections. As amended in 1981, the list included only three diseases represented by plague, cholera and anthrax. However, now annual additions of new infections endemic to different parts of the earth to this list take place. To date, the World Health Organization (WHO) has already included more than 100 diseases in the list of especially dangerous infections.

scholarly journals Novel Antiviral Activities of Obatoclax, Emetine, Niclosamide, Brequinar, and Homoharringtonine

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petter I. Andersen ◽  
Klara Krpina ◽  
Aleksandr Ianevski ◽  
Nastassia Shtaida ◽  
Eunji Jo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Influenza A ◽  
Rift Valley Fever Virus ◽  
Antiviral Agents ◽  
Viral Disease ◽  
World Health ◽  
Valley Fever ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Hiv 1

Viruses are the major causes of acute and chronic infectious diseases in the world. According to the World Health Organization, there is an urgent need for better control of viral diseases. Re-purposing existing antiviral agents from one viral disease to another could play a pivotal role in this process. Here we identified novel activities of obatoclax and emetine against herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1), echovirus 1 (EV1), human metapneumovirus (HMPV) and Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) in cell cultures. Moreover, we demonstrated novel activities of emetine against influenza A virus (FluAV), niclosamide against HSV-2, brequinar against HIV-1, and homoharringtonine against EV1. Our findings may expand the spectrum of indications of these safe-in-man agents and reinforce the arsenal of available antiviral therapeutics pending the results of further in vivo tests.

scholarly journals The Central Role of Non-Structural Protein 1 (NS1) in Influenza Biology and Infection

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nícia Rosário-Ferreira ◽  
António J. Preto ◽  
Rita Melo ◽  
Irina S. Moreira ◽  
Rui M. M. Brito
Keyword(s):  
Viral Disease ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
World Health ◽  
World Population ◽  
Structural Protein ◽  
Human Respiratory Tract ◽  
Host Interactions ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

Influenza (flu) is a contagious viral disease, which targets the human respiratory tract and spreads throughout the world each year. Every year, influenza infects around 10% of the world population and between 290,000 and 650,000 people die from it according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Influenza viruses belong to the Orthomyxoviridae family and have a negative sense eight-segment single-stranded RNA genome that encodes 11 different proteins. The only control over influenza seasonal epidemic outbreaks around the world are vaccines, annually updated according to viral strains in circulation, but, because of high rates of mutation and recurrent genetic assortment, new viral strains of influenza are constantly emerging, increasing the likelihood of pandemics. Vaccination effectiveness is limited, calling for new preventive and therapeutic approaches and a better understanding of the virus–host interactions. In particular, grasping the role of influenza non-structural protein 1 (NS1) and related known interactions in the host cell is pivotal to better understand the mechanisms of virus infection and replication, and thus propose more effective antiviral approaches. In this review, we assess the structure of NS1, its dynamics, and multiple functions and interactions, to highlight the central role of this protein in viral biology and its potential use as an effective therapeutic target to tackle seasonal and pandemic influenza.

scholarly journals A recent update of the diagnostic methods for tuberculosis and their applicability in Indonesia: a narrative review

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 284-91
Author(s):  
Tri Nugraha Susilawati ◽  
Riska Larasati
Keyword(s):  
Delayed Diagnosis ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
World Health ◽  
Current State ◽  
Interferon Gamma Release Assays ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
The World ◽  
Golden Standard ◽  
Tertiary Hospitals ◽  
Health Organization

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global problem, especially with the high prevalence of HIV-TB co-infection. Delayed diagnosis and continual transmission contribute to high mortality in Indonesia, which has the third highest incidence of TB in the world, after China and India. Therefore, early diagnosis is needed to reduce the number of cases and to administer therapy to prevent the transmission of bacteria. The diagnosis of TB remains a challenge in clinical practice due to poor sensitivity and the requirement of skilled staff in microscopic tests, the slow growth Mycobacterium in culture, and the low number of bacilli present in extrapulmonary TB. Despite being the golden standard for TB diagnosis, cultures require 2–8 weeks to grow. Other methods for diagnosing TB include interferon-gamma release assays and serologic tests such as the tuberculin skin test. Recently, the World Health Organization recommended the GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay for diagnosing TB. This review presents the current state of TB epidemiology and various methods for TB diagnosis. In particular, the paper provides an in-depth discussion about the GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay that has been made available recently in selected tertiary hospitals in Indonesia.

scholarly journals Obstetrics and gynaecology in the era of COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 4777
Author(s):  
Angela Mary George ◽  
Daniel Manoj ◽  
Sowmya Ramani ◽  
Lalropuii . ◽  
Murugan Timiri Palani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Psychosocial Support ◽  
Viral Disease ◽  
World Health ◽  
Significant Morbidity ◽  
Obstetrics And Gynaecology ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak of COVID-19 as a global pandemic. The alarming levels of spread and severity of the viral disease has resulted in significant morbidity and mortality. Women often face the highest risk of suffering devastating losses from the pandemic. Historically, women’s health has always been inadequately represented in responses to global outbreaks. Resources are often funnelled away from women’s health services towards targets perceived to be more important. Pregnant women with suspected, probable or confirmed COVID-19, should have access to obstetric and foetal medicine, neonatal care as well as mental health and psychosocial support, at facilities ready to tackle maternal and neonatal complications. In this article, we attempt to look at the challenges faced by gynaecologists because of this pandemic, and provide an overview on the current protocols in antenatal care, foetal care, childbirth, and oncological care.

scholarly journals Machine learning versus logistic regression methods for 2-year mortality prognostication in a small, heterogeneous glioma database

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandip S Panesar ◽  
Rhett N D’Souza ◽  
Fang-Cheng Yeh ◽  
Juan C Fernandez-Miranda
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Machine Learning Techniques ◽  
World Health ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Molecular Characteristics ◽  
Regression Methods ◽  
Learning Techniques ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

AbstractBackgroundMachine learning (ML) is the application of specialized algorithms to datasets for trend delineation, categorization or prediction. ML techniques have been traditionally applied to large, highly-dimensional databases. Gliomas are a heterogeneous group of primary brain tumors, traditionally graded using histopathological features. Recently the World Health Organization proposed a novel grading system for gliomas incorporating molecular characteristics. We aimed to study whether ML could achieve accurate prognostication of 2-year mortality in a small, highly-dimensional database of glioma patients.MethodsWe applied three machine learning techniques: artificial neural networks (ANN), decision trees (DT), support vector machine (SVM), and classical logistic regression (LR) to a dataset consisting of 76 glioma patients of all grades. We compared the effect of applying the algorithms to the raw database, versus a database where only statistically significant features were included into the algorithmic inputs (feature selection).ResultsRaw input consisted of 21 variables, and achieved performance of (accuracy/AUC): 70.7%/0.70 for ANN, 68%/0.72 for SVM, 66.7%/0.64 for LR and 65%/0.70 for DT. Feature selected input consisted of 14 variables and achieved performance of 73.4%/0.75 for ANN, 73.3%/0.74 for SVM, 69.3%/0.73 for LR and 65.2%/0.63 for DT.ConclusionsWe demonstrate that these techniques can also be applied to small, yet highly-dimensional datasets. Our ML techniques achieved reasonable performance compared to similar studies in the literature. Though local databases may be small versus larger cancer repositories, we demonstrate that ML techniques can still be applied to their analysis, though traditional statistical methods are of similar benefit.

Can the Use of Bedside Lung Ultrasound Reduce Transmission Rates in The Case of The COVID-19 Patient? - A Narrative Review

POCUS Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-28
Author(s):  
Sheena Bhimji-Hewitt MAppSc; DMS, CRGS, RDMS
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Lung Ultrasound ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Viral Disease ◽  
World Health ◽  
Rapid Review ◽  
Limited Information ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

Novel Corona Virus Disease-19 (nCov-19, COVID-19) was recognised as a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020. As of June 14, 2020, this contagious viral disease has afflicted 188 out of 195 countries in the world with 7,893,700 confirmed cases and 432,922 global deaths. Canada has 98,787 people infected and 8,146 deaths. COVID-19 is thought to transmit through contact, droplets and aerosolization. A rapid review showed limited information on the benefits of conducting lung ultrasound (LUS) versus chest radiograph (CXR) or studies correlating lung ultrasound to chest computed Tomography (CT) in patients positive for Covid-19. The literature review confirmed that CT and LUS cannot diagnose this disease, but that both can help in the management and staging of this disease. There is no literature to prove that LUS at the bedside may be beneficial from the view of decreased transmission to other health care workers and bystanders due to reduced transit but comparing the transit pathway and contact leads one to propose that this would be so. Pregnant patients with COVID-19, young children and patients in the reproductive stage would also benefit from LUS since there is no radiation dose and the critical patient in distress will benefit from testing at the bedside.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and their effect on the nervous system: neurotoxicity, types, mechanism of occurrence

2021 ◽  
pp. 459-464
Author(s):  
Elmira Erfanovna Alimova ◽  
Elena Evgenievna Al-Rabadi
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
World Health ◽  
The World ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Inflammatory Drugs ◽  
Anti Inflammatory ◽  
Health Organization

Currently, according to the World Health Organization, about 20% of the world's population takes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). NSAIDs are lipophilic substances that easily penetrate the blood-brain barrier and can cause side effects from the central nervous system. Neurotoxicity (headache, dizziness, insomnia, depression, depersonalization, psychosis, and tremor occur during the treatment with indomethacin; visual impairment, drowsiness - during the treatment with meloxicam; hearing loss - when taking salicylates) ranks second after gastrotoxicity. The article describes the mechanisms of neurotoxicity that occur when taking NSAIDs.

scholarly journals Corticosteroids for COVID-19 Therapy: Potential Implications on Tuberculosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 3773
Author(s):  
Radha Gopalaswamy ◽  
Selvakumar Subbian
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Viral Disease ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
World Health ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Health Organization

On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization announced the Corona Virus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) as a global pandemic, which originated in China. At the host level, COVID-19, caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), affects the respiratory system, with the clinical symptoms ranging from mild to severe or critical illness that often requires hospitalization and oxygen support. There is no specific therapy for COVID-19, as is the case for any common viral disease except drugs to reduce the viral load and alleviate the inflammatory symptoms. Tuberculosis (TB), an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), also primarily affects the lungs and has clinical signs similar to pulmonary SARS-CoV-2 infection. Active TB is a leading killer among infectious diseases and adds to the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide. In immunocompetent individuals, primary Mtb infection can also lead to a non-progressive, asymptomatic latency. However, latent Mtb infection (LTBI) can reactivate symptomatic TB disease upon host immune-suppressing conditions. Importantly, the diagnosis and treatment of TB are hampered and admixed with COVID-19 control measures. The US-Center for Disease Control (US-CDC) recommends using antiviral drugs, Remdesivir or corticosteroid (CST), such as dexamethasone either alone or in-combination with specific recommendations for COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization or oxygen support. However, CSTs can cause immunosuppression, besides their anti-inflammatory properties. The altered host immunity during COVID-19, combined with CST therapy, poses a significant risk for new secondary infections and/or reactivation of existing quiescent infections, such as LTBI. This review highlights CST therapy recommendations for COVID-19, various types and mechanisms of action of CSTs, the deadly combination of two respiratory infectious diseases COVID-19 and TB. It also discusses the importance of screening for LTBI to prevent TB reactivation during corticosteroid therapy for COVID-19.

scholarly journals Tackling the COVID-19 Pandemic- A Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-186
Author(s):  
CC Nganwuchu ◽  
K Habas ◽  
N Mohammed ◽  
M Osei Wusuansa ◽  
D Makanjuola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Repurposing ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
World Health ◽  
Personal Hygiene ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The World ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

Since December 2019, a new type of coronavirus called novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV, or COVID-19) was identified in Wuhan, China and on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak a global pandemic. With more than 101,797,158 confirmed cases, resulting in 3,451,354 deaths as of May 21, 2021, the world faces an unprecedented economic, social, and health impact. The clinical spectrum of COVID-19 has a wide range of manifestations, ranging from an asymptomatic state or mild respiratory symptoms to severe viral pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Several diagnostic methods are currently available for detecting the coronavirus in clinical, research, and public health laboratories. Some tests detect the infection directly by detecting the viral RNA using real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and other tests detect the infection indirectly by detecting the host antibodies. Additional techniques are using medical imaging diagnostic tools such as X-ray and computed tomography (CT). Various approaches have been employed in the development of COVID-19 therapies. Some of these approaches use drug repurposing (e.g. Remdesivir and Dexamethasone) and combinational therapy (e.g. Lopinavir/Ritonavir), whilst others aim to develop anti-viral vaccines (e.g. mRNA and antibody). Additionally, health experts integrate data sharing, provide with guidelines and advice to minimize the effects of the pandemic. These guidelines include wearing masks, avoiding direct contact with infectious people, respiratory and personal hygiene. Taken together, an extensive knowledge on transmission mechanisms, clinical spectrums, specific diagnostics methods, host-virus interactions are required to tackle this pandemic. J. Bio-Sci. 29(2): 175-186, 2021 (December)

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