A Novel Virus Discovered in the Yeast Pichia membranifaciens.

Mycoviruses are widely distributed across fungi, including yeasts of the Saccharomycotina subphylum. It was recently discovered that the yeast species Pichia membranifaciens contained double stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) that were predicted to be of viral origin. The fully sequenced dsRNA is 4,578 bp in length, with RNA secondary structures similar to the packaging, replication, and frameshift signals of totiviruses of the family Totiviridae. This novel virus has been named Pichia membranifaciens virus L-A (PmV-L-A) and is related to other totiviruses previously described within the Saccharomycotina yeasts. PmV-L-A is part of a monophyletic subgroup within the I-A totiviruses, implying a common ancestry between mycoviruses isolated from the Pichiaceae and Saccharomycetaceae yeasts. Energy minimized AlphaFold2 molecular models of the PmV-L-A Gag protein revealed structural conservation with the previously solved structure of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae virus L-A (ScV-L-A) Gag protein. The predicted tertiary structure of the PmV-L-A Pol and its homologs provide details of the potential mechanism of totivirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRps) because of structural similarities to the RdRps of mammalian dsRNA viruses. Insights into the structure, function, and evolution of totiviruses gained from yeasts is important because of their parallels with mammalian viruses and the emerging role of totiviruses in animal disease.

The Study of Traditional Medicine for the Treatment of COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2 is a novel virus communicable disease affected by serious acute respiratory condition coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which goes to the family of coronavirus. December 2019, in Wuhan, China, the first case of novel coronavirus was reported, and this widespread virus globally became a pandemic. Various studies show that drug applicants are used as antivirals or immune modulators. Yet, the outcome of this examination reported the drug applicants were not ominously operative in contrast to the infection. In the interim, it's believed that taking herbal immune-modulators can avoid and/or resist COVID-19. Unluckily, definite clinical and preclinical trials to assess the special herbal immune regulators' effects have not been directed. Specific natural elements might be actual for treating COVID-19 built on universal thoughts from former tests. Though there are no exact anti-COVID-19 medicines as well as a drugs until now, the use of traditional medicine and epidemiology of novel coronavirus disease will be discussed for COVID-19 treatment.

A dry gangrene signing SARS-CoV2 infection in a vulnerable patient

Although lungs represent the main target of the SARS-CoV2, the novel virus may affect other tissues. In the pandemic context, unexplained cutaneous ischemic lesions would be suggestive of the infection and should draw attention to a serious course of the disease.

The Relationship among COVID-19 Information Seeking, News Media Use, and Emotional Distress at the Onset of the Pandemic

Although several theories posit that information seeking is related to better psychological health, this logic may not apply to a pandemic like COVID-19. Given uncertainty inherent to the novel virus, we expect that information seeking about COVID-19 will be positively associated with emotional distress. Additionally, we consider the type of news media from which individuals receive information—television, newspapers, and social media—when examining relationships with emotional distress. Using a U.S. national survey, we examine: (1) the link between information seeking about COVID-19 and emotional distress, (2) the relationship between reliance on television, newspapers, and social media as sources for news and emotional distress, and (3) the interaction between information seeking and use of these news media sources on emotional distress. Our findings show that seeking information about COVID-19 was significantly related to emotional distress. Moreover, even after accounting for COVID-19 information seeking, consuming news via television and social media was tied to increased distress, whereas consuming newspapers was not significantly related to greater distress. Emotional distress was most pronounced among individuals high in information seeking and television news use, whereas the association between information seeking and emotional distress was not moderated by newspapers or social media news use.

COVID-19: An Updated Insight of the Pandemic

Novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) out-broke in the city of Wuhan in China and widely spread across the globe in a pandemic manner, causing societal and economic disruptions. Though the origin of the novel virus is still a debating topic, it is certain that SARS-CoV-2 acquired human to human transmission capacity. Regardless of aggressive containment and quarantine approaches, the number of confirmed cases continues to rise and being reported due to its highly infectious nature. As of the time, there is a little scope for the antiviral drugs or vaccines for the treatment of coronavirus infection; due to the vigorous mutation rate in the viral genome. However, existing anti-parasite drugs like ivermectin and chloroquine could effectively inhibit the virus has been reported. Few of the vaccines have come up with certain degree of efficacy and many are under the clinical trial phase. The research on novel coronavirus is still in the preliminary stage. In this chapter, we systematically summarize the origin, transmission route, molecular characterization, pathogenic mechanism, contagious nature, clinical symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, mutation and infection as well as prevention strategy of coronavirus disease based on the recently available literature. In addition to this, this chapter presents updated insights of the current state of knowledge pertaining to novel coronavirus and can be referred for potential future studies.

Impact of Covid-19 on Lifestyle Related Behaviors of Nigerians

Introduction: A great threat of a novel virus – coronavirus otherwise known as COVID-19 pandemic rocked the entire world in the wake of the year 2020. The threat is so strenuous that the entire world was placed on lockdown in the matter of social restriction such as on international and national transport links, market or business transactions, school and organizational activities, and all related social and religious gatherings. This restriction might change people’s lifestyle. This study was aimed at assessing the lifestyle changes caused by the pandemic among Nigerians. Methodology: A web based cross sectional survey was conducted using an e-questionnaire. A paired t-test, independent t-test were used to test hypothesis while mean, frequency, and percentage were used to summarize the data. Results: Majority of the participants were male (72.1%), single (83.2%), and middle class (79.5%) of social status. There was a decrease in the habit of consuming meals routinely at regular intervals during COVID-19 (19.4% vs 25.7%). There were significant differences in eating patterns before and during COVID-19 (P<0.05). Likewise, significant differences in physical activity before and during COVID-19 were observed. Conclusion: Some of the protocol put in place in curtailing the virus has been proven to have a positive impact on the lifestyle of Nigerians Such health benefits include but not limited to an increase in moderate exercise, increase in the consumption of healthy and reduction in the consumption of unhealthy food.

THE NOVEL CORONA VIRUSIN THE DYNAMICS OF THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM: DISRUPTIONS AND CONNECTIONS

As a novel actor of International Relations, SARS-CoV-2 (COVID19) has created major upshots on the evolution of the contemporary International System: In the level of International Health (the WHO and States have been in discord and continuous verbal fracas); in terms of the International Economy (the economic crisis, the recession, etc.); on the aspect of International Security (increased activity of non-state armed groups); and finally, in terms of the ambiance of international society, it creates a new competition: the Vaccine Race. This paper examines and discusses these numerous facets and impacts of COVID19 on the international society and concludes that the novel virus, far from being just “flu”, has created fundamental alterations of disruptions and connections in the international society.

Susceptibility of Four Abalone Species, Haliotis gigantea, Haliotis discus discus, Haliotis discus hannai and Haliotis diversicolor, to Abalone asfa-like Virus

Abalone amyotrophia is a viral disease that causes mass mortality of juvenile Haliotis discus and H. madaka. Although the cause of this disease has yet to be identified, we had previously postulated a novel virus with partial genome sequence similarity to that of African swine fever virus is the causative agent and proposed abalone asfa-like virus (AbALV) as a provisional name. In this study, three species of juvenile abalone (H. gigantea, H. discus discus, and H. diversicolor) and four species of adult abalone (the above three species plus H. discus hannai) were experimentally infected, and their susceptibility to AbALV was investigated by recording mortality, quantitatively determining viral load by PCR, and conducting immunohistological studies. In the infection test using 7-month-old animals, H. gigantea, which was previously reported to be insusceptible to the disease, showed multiplication of the virus to the same extent as in H. discus discus, resulting in mass mortality. H. discus discus at 7 months old showed abnormal cell masses, notches in the edge of the shell and brown pigmentation inside of the shell, which are histopathological and external features of this disease, while H. gigantea did not show any of these characteristics despite suffering high mortality. Adult abalones had low mortality and viral replication in all species; however, all three species, except H. diversicolor, became carriers of the virus. In immunohistological observations, cells positive for viral antigens were detected predominantly in the gills of juvenile H. discus discus and H. gigantea, and mass mortality was observed in these species. In H. diversicolor, neither juvenile nor adult mortality from infection occurred, and the AbALV genome was not increased by experimental infection through cohabitation or injection. Our results suggest that H. gigantea, H. discus discus and H. discus hannai are susceptible to AbALV, while H. diversicolor is not. These results confirmed that AbALV is the etiological agent of abalone amyotrophia.