Coronavirus - Drug Discovery and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Options

COVID-19 is basically a medium size RNA virus and the nucleic acid is about 30 kb long, positive in sense, single stranded and polyadenylated. The RNA which is found in this virus is the largest known RNA and codes for a large polyprotein. In addition, coronaviruses are capable of genetic recombination if 2 viruses infect the same cell at the same time. SARS-CoV emerged first in southern China and rapidly spread around the globe in 2002–2003. In November 2002, an unusual epidemic of atypical pneumonia with a high rate of nosocomial transmission to health-care workers occurred in Foshan, Guangdong, China. In March 2003, a novel CoV was confirmed to be the causative agent for SARS, and was thus named SARS-CoV. Despite the report of a large number of virus-based and host-based treatment options with potent in vitro activities for SARS and MERS, only a few are likely to fulfil their potential in the clinical setting in the foreseeable future. Most drugs have one or more major limitations that prevent them from proceeding beyond the in vitro stage. First, many drugs have high EC50/Cmax ratios at clinically relevant dosages

A Characterization Study to Indetify Antibactrial Effect of Ruta Graveolens (Hurb of Grace)

Most of rural people even today depend on plants for medicines. The use of complentary and alternative medicine (CAM) has become increasingly popular worldwide, such that an estimated 38% of American adults reported using a form of CAM in 2006. The study of herbal remedies is common because many diseases and infections are known to have been treated with natural medicinal plants throughout the history of humanity. Ruta graveolens is aromatic shrub belong to family rutaceae and is commonly known as rue, cultivated as ornamental and medicinal herb in gardens. Due to its cultural and medicinal value, rue has been introduced in various countries of North, Central and South America, China, India, Middle East and South Africa. This plant also contains glucoside rutin. The flavonoids are a part of primary chemical components of Ruta graveolens Linn. The most important analyzed flavonoids are rutin (quercetin-3-β- rutinoside) that belongs to flavonol glycoside. Quercetin is other major flavonoids found in Ruta graveolens and can also be obtained by rutin hydrolysis.

Epidemiology and Outcome of Candidemia in ICU, Mashhad, a 6-Year Multi-Center Study

Background and aim: candidemia is a state that usually happens in immunocompromised patients. Thus it is more prevalent in ICU patients. This status brings mortality and morbidity; however, the outcome is various in different ICU care settings. The aim of this study is to assess epidemiology of outcome of candidemia in ICU in Mashhad during a 6-year period. Method: in a cross-sectional study between 2012 and 2018 in different ICU centers affiliating with Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, data of candidemia patients were extracted from hospital information system. These data were demographic, past medical history, result of the culture, and antifungal treatment. Result: totally, 55 patients (22 men and 33 women) were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 45.9±1.9 years. Furthermore, the mean duration of hospitalization and the mean duration of ICU care were 43 and 37 days, respectively. Five patients had a history of immunosuppressive treatment and four patients were prescribed antifungal treatment in their past medical history (all with fluconazole and none with Itraconazole). Eighteen patients received caspofungin, eleven Amphotericin B treatment, and two fluconazole with no significant difference in outcome of the patients regarding antifungal type. In case of coincident antibiotic treatment, Carbapenems were prescribed in 43 patients, Glycopeptides in 48 patients, 25 patients had Cephalosporin treatment, and 13 patients had Fluoroquinolone treatment with no significant difference regarding the antibiotic type. Conclusion: The mortality percent of candidemia in ICU was 69.1 within mean time of 37 days. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in outcome of the patients regarding using Caspofungin or Amphotericin. Timely initiation of antifungal regarding to the culture result may bring better outcomes.

In vivo Antioxidant Related Effect of Orally Administered Aqueous Extract of Saliva triloba in Human Volunteers

Saliva triloba, belongs to the Lamiaceae family, is one in all the vital medicinal plant species. This work aims to study the antioxidant-related effects of trilobite saliva in the human body through in vivo studies and the effects on liver, kidney, and heart function tests. For five days, nine healthy participants consumed 250 mL of trilobite saliva extract orally. On the fifth day, blood samples were taken one hour before and after the first dosage of water extract (samples I and II, respectively), and again one day after the last dose (ie, day 6, sample III). Before the first dosage, the first blood sample was taken (ie sample I) was used as a control for the subsequent II and III samples. Subsequent determinations were performed: serum total antioxidant status (TAS), red blood cell reduced glutathione (GSH), red blood cell superoxide dismutation (SOD) A activity, malondialdehyde (MDA), and serum-selected biochemical tests. After 5 days of oral administration of trilobite saliva extract in healthy volunteers, serum TAS, erythrocyte GSH and erythrocyte SOD activity were significantly increased, and had no influence on serum biochemical examinations of kidney, liver, heart, pancreas, etc., contrasted with zero-time management. In Conclusion, salivary clover extract has effective anti-oxidation related effects in vivo. Because these findings were obtained in healthy people without oxidative stress, it means that clover saliva will enhance the bottom line of the defense system against probable oxidative stress while having no adverse effects, decreasing or avoiding pathological diseases associated with oxidative stress

Pharma Giant Expects Vaccines Lineup to Be Its Top Seller This Year

Coronavirus (COVID-19) was first seen in late December in Hubei province of Wuhan city in China. The highly contagious disease, caused by a virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is transmitted from humans to humans. After the first case in Wuhan, the disease rapidly spread to other parts of the globe.

Nanotoxicology: Nano Toxicity in Humans

Nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted a lot of attention in the fields of electronics, biology, and astronautics because of their unique physicochemical and electrical characteristics. NPs are materials with at least one dimension of fewer than 100 nanometres that are commercially manufactured (Bahadar et al., 2016; Vishwakarma et al., 2010). In the medical field, drugs, proteins, DNA, and monoclonal antibodies are all being delivered via NPs(Hussain et al., 2021).

Chemical and Bioactive Metabolites of Humicola and Nigrospora Secondary Metabolites

Fungal kingdom contains many interesting genera that are available around us and can be isolated commonly from different sources. Humicola and Nigrospora belonging to class Sordariomycetes, are promising fungal genera that produce many important secondary metabolites. Hence, this review describes their morphology and ecology, highlights on secondary metabolites produced by them, and their pharmacological activities, as well as the biotechnological applications.

Effect of dilute Ethanol Intake on DEHP (di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate)-induced Testicular Atrophy

Background: Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is the most commonly used as a plasticizer for polyvinyl chloride (PVC), but recently, concern has arisen over the DEHP which may act as a reproductive toxicant to humans. On the other hand, ethanol is the most common supplement of beverages and foods, and so many persons ingest a large quantity of ethanol in daily life. However, interactions between ethanol and DEHP toxicity are not well known. Method: To investigate the effect of dilute ethanol ingestion on the DEHP induced testicular atrophy, rats were received a 1% (w/w) DEHP diet and 2.5 or 5% (v/v) ethanol water for 7 days. Result: The rats treated with DEHP-diet alone for 7 days were observed significant testicular weight loss. On the other hand, testicular weight loss was significantly suppressed in rats treated with DEHP diet and ethanol water. A significant negative correlation between relative testicular weight (as a percentage of body weight) and testicular MEHP concentration was found among rats treated with DEHP-free diet (Control) and DEHP diet alone. Most of the data plots for the DEHP diet plus ethanol water group were scattered above the regression line. Conclusion: These results suggest that dilute ethanol may be effective in preventing DEHP testicular atrophy. However, the mechanism of prevention is unknown and further research is needed.

General Explanation of Aspirin: Recent and Future Advancement

Salicylates have been derived from the willow tree bark. Acetylsalicylic acid has analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory actions. Salicylate elimination happens throughout dual pathways via the invention of salicyluric acid and salicyl phenolic glucuronide. Salicylic acid is renally cleared, which can be escalated by ascending the urinary pH. Medicines like antacids can accelerate renal clearance as they ascend urinary pH. Aspirin should be used with chariness in children taking some distinctive medications. Levels of methotrexate, valproic acid, phenytoin, and disparate non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (tolmetin, diclofenac) perhaps escalated in children who are also taking aspirin.

Nanocellulose: Preparation, Characterization and Applications

The growth of nanocellulose has attracted outstanding interest in the last few decades due to its unique and potentially useful features. Novel nanocelluloses improve the strongly expanding field of sustainable materials and nanocomposites.CNCs and CNFs are two kind of nanocelluloses (NCs), and they own various superior properties, such as large specific surface area, high tensile strength and stiffness, low density, and low thermal expansion coefficient.Their application includesnanocellulose in transdermal drug delivery, Hydrogels, Aerogel Systems, Nanocellulose in Tablet Formulations and Nanocellulose in Microparticulate Drug Delivery (1). Different methods of nanocellulose like pretreatment method, mechanical process and chemical hydrolysis used for the synthesis of nanocellulose. Characterization of cellulose includes scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of samples and thermogravimetric analysis.