An overview of solutions for airborne viral transmission reduction related to HVAC systems including liquid desiccant air-scrubbing.

The spread of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 affects the health of people and the economy worldwide. As air transmits the virus, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems in buildings, enclosed spaces and public transport play a significant role in limiting the transmission of airborne pathogens at the expenses of increased energy consumption and possibly reduced thermal comfort. On the other hand, liquid desiccant technology could be adopted as an air scrubber to increase indoor air quality and inactivate pathogens through temperature and humidity control, making them less favourable to the growth, proliferation and infectivity of microorganisms. The objectives of this study are to review the role of HVAC in airborne viral transmission, estimate its energy penalty associated with the adoption of HVAC for transmission reduction and understand the potential of liquid desiccant technology. Factors affecting the inactivation of pathogens by liquid desiccant solutions and possible modifications to increase their heat and mass transfer and sanitising characteristics are also described, followed by an economic evaluation. It is concluded that the liquid desiccant technology could be beneficial in buildings (requiring humidity control or moisture removal in particular when viruses are likely to present) or in high-footfall enclosed spaces (during virus outbreaks).

SARS-CoV-2 in environmental perspective: Occurrence, persistence, surveillance, inactivation and challenges.

The unprecedented global spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) caused by SARS-CoV-2 is depicting the distressing pandemic consequence on human health, economy as well as ecosystem services. So far novel coronavirus (CoV) outbreaks were associated with SARS-CoV-2 (2019), middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV, 2012), and SARS-CoV-1 (2003) events. CoV relates to the enveloped family of Betacoronavirus (ßCoV) with positive-sense single-stranded RNA (+ssRNA). Knowing well the persistence, transmission, and spread of SARS-CoV-2 through proximity, the faecal-oral route is now emerging as a major environmental concern to community transmission. The replication and persistence of CoV in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and shedding through stools is indicating a potential transmission route to the environment settings. Despite of the evidence, based on fewer reports on SARS-CoV-2 occurrence and persistence in wastewater/sewage/water, the transmission of the infective virus to the community is yet to be established. In this realm, this communication attempted to review the possible influx route of the enteric enveloped viral transmission in the environmental settings with reference to its occurrence, persistence, detection, and inactivation based on the published literature so far. The possibilities of airborne transmission through enteric virus-laden aerosols, environmental factors that may influence the viral transmission, and disinfection methods (conventional and emerging) as well as the inactivation mechanism with reference to the enveloped virus were reviewed. The need for wastewater epidemiology (WBE) studies for surveillance as well as for early warning signal was elaborated. This communication will provide a basis to understand the SARS-CoV-2 as well as other viruses in the context of the environmental engineering perspective to design effective strategies to counter the enteric virus transmission and also serves as a working paper for researchers, policy makers and regulators.

Current state of diagnostic, screening and surveillance testing methods for COVID-19 from an analytical chemistry point of view.

Since December 2019, we have been in the battlefield with a new threat to the humanity known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In this review, we describe the four main methods used for diagnosis, screening and/or surveillance of SARS-CoV-2: Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR); chest computed tomography (CT); and different complementary alternatives developed in order to obtain rapid results, antigen and antibody detection. All of them compare the highlighting advantages and disadvantages from an analytical point of view. The gold standard method in terms of sensitivity and specificity is the RT-PCR. The different modifications propose to make it more rapid and applicable at point of care (POC) are also presented and discussed. CT images are limited to central hospitals. However, being combined with RT-PCR is the most robust and accurate way to confirm COVID-19 infection. Antibody tests, although unable to provide reliable results on the status of the infection, are suitable for carrying out maximum screening of the population in order to know the immune capacity. More recently, antigen tests, less sensitive than RT-PCR, have been authorized to determine in a quicker way whether the patient is infected at the time of analysis and without the need of specific instruments.

Neurological manifestations of COVID-19 and other coronaviruses: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the main neurological manifestations related to coronavirus infection in humans. METHODOLOGY: A systematic review was conducted regarding clinical studies on cases that had neurological manifestations associated with COVID-19 and other coronaviruses. The search was carried out in the electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and LILACS with the following keywords: "coronavirus" or "Sars-CoV-2" or "COVID-19" and "neurologic manifestations" or "neurological symptoms" or "meningitis" or "encephalitis" or "encephalopathy," following the Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. RESULTS: Seven studies were included. Neurological alterations after CoV infection may vary from 17.3% to 36.4% and, in the pediatric age range, encephalitis may be as frequent as respiratory disorders, affecting 11 % and 12 % of patients, respectively. The Investigation included 409 patients diagnosed with CoV infection who presented neurological symptoms, with median age range varying from 3 to 62 years. The main neurological alterations were headache (69; 16.8 %), dizziness (57, 13.9 %), altered consciousness (46; 11.2 %), vomiting (26; 6.3 %), epileptic crises (7; 1.7 %), neuralgia (5; 1.2 %), and ataxia (3; 0.7 %). The main presumed diagnoses were acute viral meningitis/encephalitis in 25 (6.1 %) patients, hypoxic encephalopathy in 23 (5.6 %) patients, acute cerebrovascular disease in 6 (1.4 %) patients, 1 (0.2 %) patient with possible acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, 1 (0.2 %) patient with acute necrotizing hemorrhagic encephalopathy, and 2 (1.4 %) patients with CoV related to Guillain-Barré syndrome. CONCLUSION: Coronaviruses have important neurotropic potential and they cause neurological alterations that range from mild to severe. The main neurological manifestations found were headache, dizziness and altered consciousness.

Delivery of siRNAs against MERS-CoV in Vero and HEK-293 cells: A comparative evaluation of transfection reagents.

Background: A new coronavirus was identified in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in 2012 and designated as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV). To date, this virus has been reported in 27 countries. The virus transmission to humans has already been reported from camels. Currently, there is no vaccine or antiviral therapy available against this virus. Methods: The siRNAs were in silico predicted, designed, and chemically synthesized by using the MERS-CoV-orf1ab region as a target. The antiviral activity was experimentally evaluated by delivering the siRNAs with Lipofectamine™ 2000 and JetPRIMER as transfection reagents in both Vero cell and HEK-293-T cell lines at two different concentrations (10.0 nM and 5.0 nM). The Ct value of quantitative Real-Time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to calculate and determine the reduction of viral RNA level in both cell supernatant and cell lysate isolated from both cell lines. Results: The sequence alignment resulted in the selection of highly conserved regions. The orf1ab region was used to predict and design the siRNAs and a total of twenty-one siRNAs were finally selected from four hundred and twenty-six siRNAs generated by online software. Inhibition of viral replication and significant reduction of viral RNA was observed against selected siRNAs in both cell lines at both concentrations. Based on the Ct value, the siRNAs # 11, 12, 18, and 20 were observed to be the best performing in both cell lines at both concentrations. Conclusion: Based on the results and data analysis, it is concluded that the use of two different transfection reagents was significantly effective. But the Lipofectamine™ 2000 was found to be a better transfection reagent than the JetPRIMER for the delivery of siRNAs in both cell lines.

Review on development of potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 main protease (MPro).

Background: The etiological agent for the coronavirus illness outbreak in 2019-2020 is a novel coronavirus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (COVID-19), whereas coronavirus disease pandemic of 2019 (COVID-19) has compelled the implementation of novel therapeutic options. Main body of the abstract: There are currently no targeted therapeutic medicines for this condition, and effective treatment options are quite restricted; however, new therapeutic candidates targeting the viral replication cycle are being investigated. The primary protease of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus is a major target for therapeutic development (MPro). Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus, and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) all seem to have a structurally conserved substrate-binding domain that can be used to develop novel protease inhibitors. Short conclusion: With the recent publication of the X-ray crystal structure of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 Mm, virtual and in vitro screening investigations to find MPro inhibitors are fast progressing. The focus of this review is on recent advancements in the quest for small-molecule inhibitors of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 main protease.

Identification of SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibitors from the major phytochemicals of Nigella sativa: An in silico approach.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which emerged in December 2019, continues to be a serious health concern worldwide. There is an urgent need to develop effective drugs and vaccines to control the spread of this disease. In the current study, the main phytochemical compounds of Nigella sativa were screened for their binding affinity for the active site of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) enzyme of the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The binding affinity was investigated using molecular docking methods, and the interaction of phytochemicals with the RdRp active site was analyzed and visualized using suitable software. Out of the nine phytochemicals of N. sativa screened in this study, a significant docking score was observed for four compounds, namely α-hederin, dithymoquinone, nigellicine, and nigellidine. Based on the findings of our study, we report that α-hederin, which was found to possess the lowest binding energy (-8.6 kcal/mol) and hence the best binding affinity, is the best inhibitor of RdRp of SARS-CoV-2, among all the compounds screened here. Our results prove that the top four potential phytochemical molecules of N. sativa, especially α-hederin, could be considered for ongoing drug development strategies against SARS-CoV-2. However, further in vitro and in vivo testing are required to confirm the findings of this study.

Egyptian perspectives on potential risk of paracetamol/acetaminophen-induced toxicities: Lessons learnt during COVID-19 pandemic.

Paracetamol/Acetaminophen was widely used as a first-line antipyretic and analgesic for COVID-19 patients without giving any attention to the potential risk of related toxicities. A survey was conducted on 176 Egyptians using an online survey portal to assess their knowledge, and attitude regarding potential risk of paracetamol toxicities and whether COVID-19 pandemic affected their practices regarding safe use of paracetamol. The self-administered questionnaire was developed by the researchers and was validated by expert opinions. A pilot testing of the questionnaire was done. Alpha Cronbach test used to assess the internal consistency reliability of the survey revealed good reliability. Overall percent-score revealed that only 24.4% of participants had good knowledge about paracetamol and its related potential toxicities. 62.5% of participants considered paracetamol safer than other medications of the same indications. 42.6% of participants could advise others to use paracetamol without prescription. According to the participants' responses, physicians were less concerned to give instructions about possibility of overdosage. Our results also revealed that participants' administration of paracetamol without physician prescription was more during COVID-19. Practice of paracetamol administration more than the allowed number of tablets/day was significantly more evident during the pandemic. We concluded that the unsupervised use of paracetamol is an alarming sign that should be addressed as this could lead to a high rate of accidental paracetamol toxicity. A lesson learnt from COVID-19 pandemic is the need to implement behavior change measures to mitigate the risk of accidental paracetamol toxicity.

Emergence, evolution, and vaccine production approaches of SARS-CoV-2 virus: Benefits of getting vaccinated and common questions.

The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Wuhan city, China at the end of 2019 made it urgent to identify the origin of the causal pathogen and its molecular evolution, to appropriately design an effective vaccine. This study analyzes the evolutionary background of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or SARS-2) in accordance with its close relative SARS-CoV (SARS-1), which was emerged in 2002. A comparative genomic and proteomic study was conducted on SARS-2, SARS-1, and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS), which was emerged in 2012. In silico analysis inferred the genetic variability among the tested viruses. The SARS-1 genome harbored 11 genes encoding 12 proteins, while SARS-2 genome contained only 10 genes encoding for 10 proteins. MERS genome contained 11 genes encoding 11 proteins. The analysis also revealed a slight variation in the whole genome size of SARS-2 comparing to its siblings resulting from sequential insertions and deletions (indels) throughout the viral genome particularly ORF1AB, spike, ORF10 and ORF8. The effective indels were observed in the gene encoding the spike protein that is responsible for viral attachment to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) cell receptor and initiating infection. These indels are responsible for the newly emerging COVID-19 variants αCoV, ßCoV, γCoV and δCoV. Nowadays, few effective COVID-19 vaccines developed based on spike (S) glycoprotein were approved and become available worldwide. Currently available vaccines can relatively prevent the spread of COVID-19 and suppress the disease. The traditional (killed or attenuated virus vaccine and antibody-based vaccine) and innovated vaccine production technologies (RNA- and DNA-based vaccines and viral vectors) are summarized in this review. We finally highlight the most common questions related to COVID-19 disease and the benefits of getting vaccinated.

D155Y substitution of SARS-CoV-2 ORF3a weakens binding with Caveolin-1.

The clinical manifestation of the recent pandemic COVID-19, caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus, varies from mild to severe respiratory illness. Although environmental, demographic and co-morbidity factors have an impact on the severity of the disease, contribution of the mutations in each of the viral genes towards the degree of severity needs a deeper understanding for designing a better therapeutic approach against COVID-19. Open Reading Frame-3a (ORF3a) protein has been found to be mutated at several positions. In this work, we have studied the effect of one of the most frequently occurring mutants, D155Y of ORF3a protein, found in Indian COVID-19 patients. Using computational simulations we demonstrated that the substitution at 155th changed the amino acids involved in salt bridge formation, hydrogen-bond occupancy, interactome clusters, and the stability of the protein compared with the other substitutions found in Indian patients. Protein-protein docking using HADDOCK analysis revealed that substitution D155Y weakened the binding affinity of ORF3a with caveolin-1 compared with the other substitutions, suggesting its importance in the overall stability of ORF3a-caveolin-1 complex, which may modulate the virulence property of SARS-CoV-2.

Single domain antibodies derived from ancient animals as broadly neutralizing agents for SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses.

With severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as an emergent human virus since December 2019, the world population is susceptible to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). SARS-CoV-2 has higher transmissibility than the previous coronaviruses, associated by the ribonucleic acid (RNA) virus nature with high mutation rate, caused SARS-CoV-2 variants to arise while circulating worldwide. Neutralizing antibodies are identified as immediate and direct-acting therapeutic against COVID-19. Single-domain antibodies (sdAbs), as small biomolecules with non-complex structure and intrinsic stability, can acquire antigen-binding capabilities comparable to conventional antibodies, which serve as an attractive neutralizing solution. SARS-CoV-2 spike protein attaches to human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor on lung epithelial cells to initiate viral infection, serves as potential therapeutic target. sdAbs have shown broad neutralization towards SARS-CoV-2 with various mutations, effectively stop and prevent infection while efficiently block mutational escape. In addition, sdAbs can be developed into multivalent antibodies or inhaled biotherapeutics against COVID-19.

SARS-Cov2 acute and post-active infection in the context of autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases.

The clinical and immunological spectrum of acute and post-active COVID-19 syndrome overlaps with criteria used to characterize autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Indeed, following SARS-Cov2 infection, the innate immune response is altered with an initial delayed production of interferon type I (IFN-I), while the NF-kappa B and inflammasome pathways are activated. In lung and digestive tissues, an alternative and extrafollicular immune response against SARS-Cov2 takes place with, consequently, an altered humoral and memory T cell response leading to breakdown of tolerance with the emergence of autoantibodies. However, the risk of developing severe COVID-19 among SLE and RA patients did not exceed the general population except in those having pre-existing neutralizing autoantibodies against IFN-I. Treatment discontinuation rather than COVID-19 infection or vaccination increases the risk of developing flares. Last but not least, a limited number of case reports of individuals having developed SLE or RA following COVID-19 infection/vaccination have been reported. Altogether, the SARS-Cov2 pandemic represents an unique opportunity to investigate the dangerous interplay between the immune response against infectious agents and autoimmunity, and to better understand the triggering role of infection as a risk factor in autoimmune and chronic inflammatory disease development.

Cumulative effects of air pollution and climate drivers on COVID-19 multiwaves in Bucharest, Romania.

Over more than two years of global health crisis due to ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Romania experienced a five-wave pattern. This study aims to assess the potential impact of environmental drivers on COVID-19 transmission in Bucharest, capital of Romania during the analyzed epidemic period. Through descriptive statistics and cross-correlation tests applied to time series of daily observational and geospatial data of major outdoor inhalable particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 µm (PM2.5) or ≤ 10 µm (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), Aerosol Optical Depth at 550 nm (AOD) and radon (222Rn), we investigated the COVID-19 waves patterns under different meteorological conditions. This study examined the contribution of individual climate variables on the ground level air pollutants concentrations and COVID-19 disease severity. As compared to the long-term average AOD over Bucharest from 2015 to 2019, for the same year periods, this study revealed major AOD level reduction by ~28 % during the spring lockdown of the first COVID-19 wave (15 March 2020-15 May 2020), and ~16 % during the third COVID-19 wave (1 February 2021-1 June 2021). This study found positive correlations between exposure to air pollutants PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2, CO and 222Rn, and significant negative correlations, especially for spring-summer periods between ground O3 levels, air temperature, Planetary Boundary Layer height, and surface solar irradiance with COVID-19 incidence and deaths. For the analyzed time period 1 January 2020-1 April 2022, before and during each COVID-19 wave were recorded stagnant synoptic anticyclonic conditions favorable for SARS-CoV-2 virus spreading, with positive Omega surface charts composite average (Pa/s) at 850 mb during fall- winter seasons, clearly evidenced for the second, the fourth and the fifth waves. These findings are relevant for viral infections controls and health safety strategies design in highly polluted urban environments.

A review of the COVID-19 pandemic and its interaction with environmental media.

Viruses are biologically active parasites that only exist inside a host they are submicroscopic level. The novel coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, is generally caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and is comparable to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). As a result of globalization, natural alterations or changes in the SARS-CoV-2 have created significant risks to human health over time. These viruses can live and survive in different ways in the atmosphere unless they reach another host body. At this stage, we will discuss the details of the transmission and detection of this deadly SARS-CoV-2 virus via certain environmental media, such as the atmosphere, water, air, sewage water, soil, temperature, relative humidity, and bioaerosol, to better understand the diffusion, survival, infection potential and diagnosis of COVID-19.

Gene expression analysis of MCF7 cell lines of breast cancer treated with herbal extract of Cissampelos pareira revealed association with viral diseases.

BACKGROUND: It is necessary to assess the cellular, molecular, and pathogenetic characteristics of COVID-19 and attention is required to understand highly effective gene targets and mechanisms. In this study, we suggest understandings into the fundamental pathogenesis of COVID-19 through gene expression analyses using the microarray data set GSE156445 publicly reachable at NIH/NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus database. The data set consists of MCF7 which is a human breast cancer cell line with estrogen, progesterone and glucocorticoid receptors. The cell lines treated with different quantities of Cissampelos pareira (Cipa). Cipa is a traditional medicinal plant which would possess an antiviral potency in preventing viral diseases such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. METHODS: Utilizing Biobase, GEOquery, gplots packages in R studio, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. The gene ontology (GO) of pathway enrichments employed by utilizing DAVID and KEGG enrichment analyses were studied. We further constructed a human protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and performed, based upon that, a subnetwork module analysis for significant signaling pathways. RESULTS: The study identified 418 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) using bioinformatics tools. The gene ontology of pathway enrichments employed by GO and KEGG enrichment analyses of down-regulated and up-regulated DEGs were studied. Gene expression analysis utilizing gene ontology and KEGG results uncovered biological and signaling pathways such as "cell adhesion molecules", "plasma membrane adhesion molecules", "synapse assembly", and "Interleukin-3-mediated signaling" which are mostly linked to COVID-19. Our results provide in silico evidence for candidate genes which are vital for the inhibition, adhesion, and encoding cytokine protein including LYN, IGFBP5, IL-1R1, and IL-13RA1 that may have strong biomarker potential for infectious diseases such as COVID-19 related therapy targets.

Roles of existing drug and drug targets for COVID-19 management.

In December 2019, a highly transmissible, pneumonia epidemic caused by a novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), erupted in China and other countries, resulting in devastation and health crisis worldwide currently. The search and using existing drugs support to curb the current highly contagious viral infection is spirally increasing since the pandemic began. This is based on these drugs had against other related RNA-viruses such as MERS-Cov, and SARS-Cov. Moreover, researchers are scrambling to identify novel drug targets and discover novel therapeutic options to vanquish the current pandemic. Since there is no definitive treatment to control Covid-19 vaccines are remain to be a lifeline. Currently, many vaccine candidates are being developed with most of them are reported to have positive results. Therapeutic targets such as helicases, transmembrane serine protease 2, cathepsin L, cyclin G-associated kinase, adaptor-associated kinase 1, two-pore channel, viral virulence factors, 3-chymotrypsin-like protease, suppression of excessive inflammatory response, inhibition of viral membrane, nucleocapsid, envelope, and accessory proteins, and inhibition of endocytosis were identified as a potential target against COVID-19 infection. This review also summarizes plant-based medicines for the treatment of COVID-19 such as saposhnikoviae divaricata, lonicerae japonicae flos, scutellaria baicalensis, lonicera japonicae, and some others. Thus, this review aimed to focus on the most promising therapeutic targets being repurposed against COVID-19 and viral elements that are used in COVID-19 vaccine candidates.

Penta-peptide ATN-161 based neutralization mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

SARS-CoV-2 has become a big challenge for the scientific community worldwide. SARS-CoV-2 enters into the host cell by the spike protein binding with an ACE2 receptor present on the host cell. Developing safe and effective inhibitor appears an urgent need to interrupt the binding of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein with ACE2 receptor in order to reduce the SARS-CoV-2 infection. We have examined the penta-peptide ATN-161 as potential inhibitor of ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 spike protein binding, where ATN-161 has been commercially approved for the safety and possess high affinity and specificity towards the receptor binding domain (RBD) of S1 subunit in SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. We carried out experiments and confirmed these phenomena that the virus bindings were indeed minimized. ATN-161 peptide can be used as an inhibitor of protein-protein interaction (PPI) stands as a crucial interaction in biological systems. The molecular docking finding suggests that the binding energy of the ACE2-spike protein complex is reduced in the presence of ATN-161. Protein-protein docking binding energy (-40.50 kcal/mol) of the spike glycoprotein toward the human ACE2 and binding of ATN-161 at their binding interface reduced the biding energy (-26.25 kcal/mol). The finding of this study suggests that ATN-161 peptide can mask the RBD of the spike protein and be considered as a neutralizing candidate by binding with the ACE2 receptor. Peptide-based masking of spike S1 protein (RBD) and its neutralization is a highly promising strategy to prevent virus penetration into the host cell. Thus masking of the RBD leads to the loss of receptor recognition property which can reduce the chance of infection host cells.

Assessment of anorexia and weight loss during the infection and recovery period of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

OBJECTIVES: Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can present anorexia and weight loss due to their symptoms and eating disorder which can lead to immune system weakness and increase the duration of recovery time. We aim to assess the severity and duration of anorexia and weight loss within the infection and recovery period in these patients. METHOD: We retrospectively identified 233 COVID-19 patients (older than 18 years) were admitted to the Rasoul-e Akram Hospital, from August to December 2020. Their medical records were reviewed by researchers. Then, patients who had inclusion criteria were asked about duration and severity of anorexia, and also weight alternation during the infection and after the recovery period. RESULT: Analyzed data were collected from 233 COVID-19 patients showed the mean duration of anorexia was 7.08 ± 10.41 days with a significant loss of appetite (- 75.55 ± 88.09, P-value < 0.001) at the period of anorexia compare to appetite improvement. Also, results demonstrated patients, especially males and severe illness subjects, significantly lost weight (P-value <0.001).Conclusion: anorexia and weight loss occur in people infected with the coronavirus and may affect the recovery process of these patients by reducing their food intake. The underlying mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 related to interaction to the gastrointestinal tract and development of anorexia in these patients need to clarify in future studies.

SARS-CoV-2 presented in the air of an intensive care unit (ICU).

As coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is spreading worldwide, there have been arguments regarding the aerosol transmission of its causative agent, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Moreover, some re-detectable positive (RP) patients have been reported. However, little attention has been given to the follow-up of recovered patients, and there is no environmental evidence to determine whether these patients continue to shed the virus after they test negative. Therefore, with an objective to test the hypothesis of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, it is necessary to 1) determine whether SARS-CoV-2 particles are present in the indoor air and 2) determine whether recovered patients are still shedding virus, thus providing much-needed environmental evidence for the management of COVID-19 patients during the recovery period. In this study, surface and air samples were collected from an intensive care unit (ICU) containing one ready-for-discharge patient. All surface samples tested negative, but the air samples tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. This implies that SARS-CoV-2 particles may be shed in aerosol form for days after patients test negative. This finding may be one of the reasons for the observation of RP patients; therefore, there is a need for improved clinical and disease management guidelines for recovered COVID-19 patients.

Current concepts in the development of therapeutics against human and animal coronavirus diseases by targeting NP.

The coronavirus (CoV) infects a broad range of hosts including humans as well as a variety of animals. It has gained overwhelming concerns since the emergence of deadly human coronaviruses (HCoVs), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in 2003, followed by Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in 2015. Very recently, special attention has been paid to the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by SARS-CoV-2 due to its high mobility and mortality. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, despite vast research efforts, the effective pharmaceutical interventions are still not available for clinical uses. Both expanded knowledge on structure insights and the essential function of viral nucleocapsid (N) protein are key basis for the development of novel, and potentially, a broad-spectrum inhibitor against coronavirus diseases. This review aimed to delineate the current research from the perspective of biochemical and structural study in cell-based assays as well as virtual screen approaches to identify N protein antagonists targeting not only HCoVs but also animal CoVs.