Analyzing the role of 'emotional intelligence' in developing leadership in the Indian hospitality sector

Background: Emotional intelligence has become a buzz word;Emotional Quotient (EQ) has long overtaken the Intelligence Quotient (IQ). A manager capable of recognizing and managing emotions of the self and of others may be more adept at work. Hoteliers have to work long hours due to which staff may become disgruntled and when insufficient returns are received, it may show up in their behaviour at work. The hotel industry is a service oriented industry which has an intangible product to sell, something that is produced and consumed in the same instant. Objectives: To understand in depth, the concept of emotional intelligence in hospitality. To analyze the link between EI and its role in developing effective leaders in hospitality. Methodology: Convenience sampling was used and the samples were approached online due to COVID. The samples were shortlisted from the personal contacts of the authors in Hyderabad's 5 star hotels holding management level positions. Out of 50-60 samples approached, 43 samples consented for their inclusion. Results: EQ has been ignored in hospitality curriculum with 55% sample base completely agreeing to and same should be for hiring, as voted by all 43 samples. 26 samples were also in complete favor of EI being a necessary pre-requisite for promotions. Conclusion: EI is extremely necessary in leader building and developing EI focused course for the under-graduates will help inculcate the quality in later stages of career.

Nutraceuticals and COVID‐19: A mechanistic approach toward attenuating the disease complications

Nutraceuticals have emerged as potential compounds to attenuate the COVID‐19 complications. Precisely, these food additives strengthen the overall COVID treatment and enhance the immunity of a person. Such compounds have been used at a large scale, in almost every household due to their better affordability and easy access. Therefore, current research is focused on developing newer advanced formulations from potential drug candidates including nutraceuticals with desirable properties viz, affordability, ease of availability, ease of administration, stability under room temperature, and potentially longer shelf‐lives. As such, various nutraceutical‐based products such as compounds could be promising agents for effectively managing COVID‐19 symptoms and complications. Most importantly, regular consumption of such nutraceuticals has been shown to boost the immune system and prevent viral infections. Nutraceuticals such as vitamins, amino acids, flavonoids like curcumin, and probiotics have been studied for their role in the prevention of COVID‐19 symptoms such as fever, pain, malaise, and dry cough. In this review, we have critically reviewed the potential of various nutraceutical‐based therapeutics for the management of COVID‐19. We searched the information relevant to our topic from search engines such as PubMed and Scopus using COVID‐19, nutraceuticals, probiotics, and vitamins as a keyword. Any scientific literature published in a language other than English was excluded. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Nutraceuticals possess both nutritional values and medicinal properties. They can aid in the prevention and treatment of diseases, as well as promote physical health and the immune system, normalizing body functions, and improving longevity. Recently, nutraceuticals such as probiotics, vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids, trace minerals, and medicinal plants have attracted considerable attention and are widely regarded as potential alternatives to current therapeutic options for the effective management of various diseases, including COVID‐19.

Health Benefits, Therapeutic Applications, and Recent Advances of Cirsilineol in the Medicine: Potential Bioactive Natural Flavonoids of Genus Artemisia.

BACKGROUND: Herbal medicine and its derived products have been used in the medicine and nutraceutical sectors for the treatment of human disorders and associated secondary complications. Plant-derived products play an important role in our daily life due to their medicinal properties and pharmacological activities. The attention of scientists to natural products has increased due to their significant biological activities. Flavonoids represent one of the most important phytocompounds present in the higher plants, common fruits, vegetables, herbs, wine, juices, and dried fruits. Flavonoids exert potent antioxidant activity by blocking and scavenging free radicals. Cirsilineol, also called 4',5-dihydroxy-3',6,7-trimethoxyflavone, is an active phytochemical of Artemisia vestita, Artemisia monosperma, Artemisia asiatica, and Agrostis gigantea. METHODS: Medicinal importance and pharmacological activities of cirsilineol have been investigated in the present work with their analytical aspects in order to know the biological importance of cirsilineol in medicine. Literature data on cirsilineol were collected and analyzed in the present work to study its therapeutic potential against various human disorders and associated secondary complications. Scientific data were collected from Google, Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, and Scopus and analyzed in the present work using the term herbal medicine, flavonoid and cirsilineol. RESULTS: Medicinal plants containing a significant amount of cirsilineol have biological applications in medicine due to their pharmacological activities. This present work signifies the biological importance of cirsilineol in medicine as it has anti-proliferative, gastroprotective, anti-Helicobacter pylori, anti-diabetic and anti-oxidant activities. Further therapeutic effectiveness of cirsilineol against different types of cancers, including breast carcinoma and lung carcinoma, has been discussed in the present work. The biological importance of cirsilineol against allergic rhinitis, inflammation, coronavirus, immune system, renal cellular membrane and protein glycation has also been discussed in the present work. However, the importance of analytical methods for the isolation and identification of cirsilineol in medicine has also been analyzed. CONCLUSION: This work aimed to summarize the health-beneficial aspects of cirsilineol in medicine which will be beneficial to explore the further therapeutic effectiveness of cirsilineol for the treatment of various forms of human disorders.

Understanding Mutations in Human SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein: A Systematic Review & Meta-Analysis.

Genetic variant(s) of concern (VoC) of SARS-CoV-2 have been emerging worldwide due to mutations in the gene encoding spike glycoprotein. We performed comprehensive analyses of spike protein mutations in the significant variant clade of SARS-CoV-2, using the data available on the Nextstrain server. We selected various mutations, namely, A222V, N439K, N501Y, L452R, Y453F, E484K, K417N, T478K, L981F, L212I, N856K, T547K, G496S, and Y369C for this study. These mutations were chosen based on their global entropic score, emergence, spread, transmission, and their location in the spike receptor binding domain (RBD). The relative abundance of these mutations was mapped with global mutation D614G as a reference. Our analyses suggest the rapid emergence of newer global mutations alongside D614G, as reported during the recent waves of COVID-19 in various parts of the world. These mutations could be instrumentally imperative for the transmission, infectivity, virulence, and host immune system's evasion of SARS-CoV-2. The probable impact of these mutations on vaccine effectiveness, antigenic diversity, antibody interactions, protein stability, RBD flexibility, and accessibility to human cell receptor ACE2 was studied in silico. Overall, the present study can help researchers to design the next generation of vaccines and biotherapeutics to combat COVID-19 infection.

COVID-19 in Renal Transplant Recipients - A Single Center Experience from India.

Introduction: The information on the clinical outcome of renal transplant recipients getting COVID-19 infection is sparse. The aim of this study is to report a single-center experience of renal transplant recipients with COVID-19 from India. Methods: This was a retrospective study of 23 consecutive renal transplant recipients with COVID-19 infection presenting to our center from May 2020 to August 2020. Clinical parameters, laboratory values, imaging characteristics, and outcome of the patients were collected and analyzed. Results: Median follow-up duration was 36 (range: 10-110) days. Median age of patients was 54 (23-70) years, and 87% were male. Median duration since transplant was 69 (range: 15-132) months. The most common presenting feature was fever (82.6%), followed by breathlessness (43.5%) and cough (30.4%). Hospitalization rate was 52.2%, while 34.8% required ICU care. Severe to critical disease was seen in 39.1% of patients, and 17.4% required mechanical ventilation. Patients with severe disease had a higher incidence of lymphopenia (P = 0.005) when compared to the ones with mild to moderate disease. Acute kidney injury was seen in 39.1% of patients, and 13% required dialysis. Mortality rate was 13% overall, and 25% in those hospitalized. Conclusion: Renal transplant recipients with COVID-19 have a poor outcome. Although not all of them need hospitalization, they should be monitored closely. Immunosuppression minimization is an important part of the treatment strategy.

Synergism of CD28 Immune Molecule in Late Immunosuppressive Phase of COVID-19: Effectiveness in Vaccinated Individuals.

CONTEXT: Lymphopenia has been frequently documented and linked to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-coronavirus 2 (CoV-2) attack. A decrease in the T-lymphocyte count has shown promise as a clinical indicator and predictor of COVID-19 severity. OBJECTIVE: The review intended to examine the relationship of COVID-19 infections in individuals to lost expression of CD28 on naive CD4+/CD8+-mediated, vaccine-specific, neutralizing antibody responses. DESIGN: The research team performed a narrative review by searching eight databases: Medline, Elsevier, Cochrane, PubMed, Google Scholar, Mendeley, and Springer Nature. The search used the following key terms: SARS CoV-2, clinical aspects and pathology of SARS CoV-2, involvement of viral spike (S) protein in SARS CoV-2, immunological changes in COVID-19 infection, basic overview of CD28 immuno-molecule ligand, reduction of vaccine therapeutic efficacy in COVID-19 infection, and immunomodulatory response of lost CD28 ligand. SETTING: This study was done in a Maharishi Arvind College of Pharmacy, Jaipur, India. RESULTS: In COVID-19 patients, particularly those with severe disease, had increased levels of IL-2 or IL-2R. Given IL-2's supportive role in the expansion and differentiation of T cells, the authors exhibiting that lymphopenia, particularly in severe COVID-19, could be attributed to nonfunctional and dysfunctional differentiation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells as a result of low CD28 immuno-molecule expression on naive T cells. CONCLUSIONS: The literature review found that independent, early immunological prognostic markers for a poor prognosis, in addition to higher levels of IL-6, include a substantial proportion of large inflammatory monocytes and a small proportion of chronic CD28+ CD4+T cells. The current findings suggest that a combination of COVID-19 vaccination with SARS CoV-2-reactive naive T cells with the CD28 immune-molecule may be a viable method for establishing T-cell-based, adaptive cellular immunotherapy against COVID-19 infection. Further research is needed, especially larger studies to confirm the current findings, to improve early clinical treatment.

A Review of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) for Technology-Assisted Learning: Solving Teaching and Learning Challenges

During the COVID-19 outbreak, all the physical classes suspended, and switched to online learning. The new era of learning presented several challenges for the teachers and students. The students did not have the opportunity to participate in the classroom activities successfully as a physical class due to a lack of educational creativity, a lack of digital tools, and a dependency on the internet. Strengthening self-directed learning and improving the technical infrastructure are required, to advance innovation-centric education from "teaching" to "learning" and to develop digital literacy. By incorporating technology into classroom instruction everyone can understand the concepts and realize their right to education. The recent technological advances in deep learning are referred to as Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs). The GANs used as an Assistive Technology (AT) to generate the sequence of images of the descriptive input text. The goal of this review is the Visual Storytelling by utilizing the Text-to-Image GAN which strengthens self-directed learning through visualization and improve the critical thinking, and logical reasoning. © 2022 IEEE

COVID-19 anxiety among undergraduate students of a medical college in Chengalpattu district -- A cross-sectional study

Background: COVID-19 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndromes-CoV-2, a virus that affects the physical as well as mental health of people. Aims and Objectives: Our study was conducted to estimate the COVID-19 anxiety prevalence and its associated sociodemographic factors in a medical college. Materials and Methods: Undergraduate medical students of a medical college in Chengalpattu district were the study participants, with inclusion criteria of students above 18 years of age from 2nd, 3rd, and final year and interns being included for the study. Using simple random sampling, students were selected with a sample size of 197. After obtaining approval from the Institutional Human Ethics Committee and informed consent, data were collected using a structured and pre-tested questionnaire, with anxiety being assessed using coronavirus anxiety scale and data analyzed using SPSS version 21. The statistical tests used were proportions, Chi-square test. P<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: Among the 197 students, males constituted 82 (41.6%) and females 115 (58.4%), of which 60 (73.1%) of males and 88 (76.5%) of females had COVID-19 anxiety. Overall 75.1% had COVID-19 anxiety. Based on the year of study, 43 (22%) 2nd-year students and 38 (19.3%) 3rd-year students, 29 (14.8%) final-year students, and 38 (19.3%) inters had COVID-19 anxiety. Sociodemographic factors such as the type of family, year of study, and staying with parents had a strong association with COVID-19 anxiety. Conclusion: In our study, 75.1% experience Coronavirus related anxiety, and thus, there is need for focus on the mental well-being of undergraduate students requiring attention as well as support from college administration, family, and society to cope up with the pandemic situation. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Asian Journal of Medical Sciences is the property of Manipal Colleges of Medical Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Data on known anti-virals in combating CoVid-19.

Design and development of effective anti-virals in combating CoVid-19 is a great challenge worldwide. Known drugs such as chloroquine, lopinavir, favipiravir and remdesivir are used in the management of CoVid - 19. It is known that Ivermectin and remdesivir both are effective against filoviruses, paramyxo viruses. Available data also shows that ivermectin and remedesivir repress the replication of SARS-CoV-2. Thus, we document the potential use of ivermectin and remdesivir in the management of CoVid -19.

Promising Repurposed Antiviral Molecules to Combat SARS-CoV-2: A Review.

COVID-19, an extremely transmissible and pathogenic viral disease, triggered a global pandemic that claimed lives worldwide. To date, there is no clear and fully effective treatment for COVID-19 disease. Nevertheless, the urgency to discover treatments that can turn the tide has led to the development of a variety of preclinical drugs that are potential candidates for probative results. Although most of these supplementary drugs are constantly being tested in clinical trials against COVID-19, recognized organizations have aimed to outline the prospects in which their use could be considered. A narrative assessment of current articles on COVID-19 disease and its therapeutic regulation was performed. This review outlines the use of various potential treatments against SARS-CoV-2, categorized as fusion inhibitors, protease inhibitors, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibitors, which include antiviral drugs such as Umifenovir, Baricitinib, Camostatmesylate, Nafamostatmesylate, Kaletra, Paxlovide, Darunavir, Atazanavir, Remdesivir, Molnupiravir, Favipiravir, and Ribavirin. To understand the virology of SARS-CoV-2, potential therapeutic approaches for the treatment of COVID-19 disease, synthetic methods of potent drug candidates, and their mechanisms of action have been addressed in this review. It intends to help readers approach the accessible statistics on the helpful treatment strategies for COVID-19 disease and to serve as a valuable resource for future research in this area.

SARSCoV2 Omicron (B. 1.1. 529) recent updates and challenges worldwide.

The current world is plagued by unpredictability as a result of various COVID-19 variants. The current variants of concern (VOCs) are B.1.1.7 (Alpha), B.1.351 (Beta), P.1 (Gamma) and B.1.617/B.1.617.2(Delta). WHO classified two variants, delta (B.1.617.2) and omicron (B.1.1.529), as having highly mutable strikes. The WHO predicted that it would be more dangerous than previous variants due to its mutatable capability. The Omicron variant of coronavirus has caused widespread disruption, with countries struggling to manage the massive number of infections. Due to its unique properties, such as protein structure, symptoms, transmission, and epidemiology, this review aims to compare omicron to other variants. Furthermore, we have highlighted vaccines that have been used to combat this pandemic.

Analysis of protein-protein interface with incorporating low-frequency molecular interactions in molecular dynamics simulation.

Protein-protein interactions are vital for various biological processes such as immune reaction, signal transduction, and viral infection. Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation is a powerful tool for analyzing non-covalent interactions between two protein molecules. In general, MD simulation studies on the protein-protein interface have focused on the analysis of major and frequent molecular interactions. In this study, we demonstrate that minor interactions with low-frequency need to be incorporated to analyze the molecular interactions in the protein-protein interface more efficiently using the complex of SARS-CoV2-RBD and ACE2 receptor as a model system. It was observed that the dominance of interactions in the MD-simulated structures didn't directly correlate with the interactions in the experimentally determined structure. The interactions from the experimentally determined structure could be reproduced better in the ensemble of MD simulated structures by including the less frequent interactions compared to the norm of choosing only highly frequent interactions. Residue Interaction Networks (RINs) analysis also showed that the critical residues in the protein-protein interface could be more efficiently identified by incorporating low-frequency interactions in MD simulation. It is expected that the approach proposed in this study can be a new way of studying protein-protein interaction through MD simulation.

Advances and opportunities in nanoimaging agents for the diagnosis of inflammatory lung diseases.

The development of rapid, noninvasive diagnostics to detect lung diseases is a great need after the COVID-2019 outbreak. The nanotechnology-based approach has improved imaging and facilitates the early diagnosis of inflammatory lung diseases. The multifunctional properties of nanoprobes enable better spatial-temporal resolution and a high signal-to-noise ratio in imaging. Targeted nanoimaging agents have been used to bind specific tissues in inflammatory lungs for early-stage diagnosis. However, nanobased imaging approaches for inflammatory lung diseases are still in their infancy. This review provides a solution-focused approach to exploring medical imaging technologies and nanoprobes for the detection of inflammatory lung diseases. Prospects for the development of contrast agents for lung disease detection are also discussed.

Framework for detection of probable clues to predict misleading information proliferated during COVID-19 outbreak.

Spreading of misleading information on social web platforms has fuelled huge panic and confusion among the public regarding the Corona disease, the detection of which is of paramount importance. To identify the credibility of the posted claim, we have analyzed possible evidence from the news articles in the google search results. This paper proposes an intelligent and expert strategy to gather important clues from the top 10 google search results related to the claim. The N-gram, Levenshtein Distance, and Word-Similarity-based features are used to identify the clues from the news article that can automatically warn users against spreading false news if no significant supportive clues are identified concerning that claim. The complete process is done in four steps, wherein the first step we build a query from the posted claim received in the form of text or text additive images which further goes as an input to the search query phase, where the top 10 google results are processed. In the third step, the important clues are extracted from titles of the top 10 news articles. Lastly, useful pieces of evidence are extracted from the content of each news article. All the useful clues with respect to N-gram, Levenshtein Distance, and Word Similarity are finally fed into the machine learning model for classification and to evaluate its performances. It has been observed that our proposed intelligent strategy gives promising experimental results and is quite effective in predicting misleading information. The proposed work provides practical implications for the policymakers and health practitioners that could be useful in protecting the world from misleading information proliferation during this pandemic.

Short Chain Fatty Acids: Fundamental mediators of the gut-lung axis and their involvement in pulmonary diseases.

The human microbiota is fundamental to correct immune system development and balance. Dysbiosis, or microbial content alteration in the gut and respiratory tract, is associated with immune system dysfunction and lung disease development. The microbiota's influence on human health and disease is exerted through the abundance of metabolites produced by resident microorganisms, where short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) represent the fundamental class. SCFAs are mainly produced by the gut microbiota through anaerobic fermentation of dietary fibers, and are known to influence the homeostasis, susceptibility to and outcome of many lung diseases. This article explores the microbial species found in healthy human gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts. We investigate factors contributing to dysbiosis in lung illness, and the gut-lung axis and its association with lung diseases, with a particular focus on the functions and mechanistic roles of SCFAs in these processes. The key focus of this review is a discussion of the main metabolites of the intestinal microbiota that contribute to host-pathogen interactions: SCFAs, which are formed by anaerobic fermentation. These metabolites include propionate, acetate, and butyrate, and are crucial for the preservation of immune homeostasis. Evidence suggests that SCFAs prevent infections by directly affecting host immune signaling. This review covers the various and intricate ways through which SCFAs affect the immune system's response to infections, with a focus on pulmonary diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, asthma, lung cystic fibrosis, and tuberculosis. The findings reviewed suggest that the immunological state of the lung may be indirectly influenced by elements produced by the gut microbiota. SCFAs represent valuable potential therapeutic candidates in this context.

Vitamin D-A prominent immunomodulator to prevent COVID-19 infection.

COVID-19 remains a life-threatening infectious disease worldwide. Several bio-active agents have been tested and evaluated in an effort to contain this disease. Unfortunately, none of the therapies have been successful, owing to their safety concerns and the presence of various adverse effects. Various countries have developed vaccines as a preventive measure; however, they have not been widely accepted as effective strategies. The virus has proven to be exceedingly contagious and lethal, so finding an effective treatment strategy has been a top priority in medical research. The significance of vitamin D in influencing many components of the innate and adaptive immune systems is examined in this study. This review aims to summarize the research on the use of vitamin D for COVID-19 treatment and prevention. Vitamin D supplementation has now become an efficient option to boost the immune response for all ages in preventing the spread of infection. Vitamin D is an immunomodulator that treats infected lung tissue by improving innate and adaptive immune responses and downregulating the inflammatory cascades. The preventive action exerted by vitamin D supplementation (at a specific dose) has been accepted by several observational research investigations and clinical trials on the avoidance of viral and acute respiratory dysfunctions. To assess the existing consensus about vitamin D supplementation as a strategy to treat and prevent the development and progression of COVID-19 disease, this review intends to synthesize the evidence around vitamin D in relation to COVID-19 infection.

Radiotherapy in COVID-19: a review

The World Health Organization (WHO) stated the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) a global pandemic on 11th March 2020. The virus-infected patients suffered from a respiratory disease called Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SAR-CoV-2). A proteinaceous exudate, alveolar edema, and hyperplasia associated with monocytes and lymphocytes alveolar inflammatory infiltration was observed in the affected patient's lungs. Virus broadens a systemic inflammatory reaction with a cytokine release syndrome which is characterized with the aid of using unexpected growth in many pro-inflammatory cytokines especially IL-6, IL-1, and TNF-a through activated M1 macrophage phenotype. Virus block IL-6 with tocilizumab and the usage of respirator device appears to be very vital. Radioactivity is the process by which unstable atomic nucleus losses energy by radiation, mainly using alpha, beta, and gamma rays. SARS-CoV-2 affected lungs can be treated by a low dose of radiotherapy. It was found that minute dose chest radiation therapy can be able to wean patients off a ventilator as it can reduce inflammation inside the lungs of severely infected COVID-19 patients. Numerous such clinical trials are underway and researchers may work to cure the COVID-19 lung infections by radiotherapy.

Release of microplastics from disposable face mask in tropical climate.

Outbreak of COVID 19 has caused an abrupt surge in the consumption of disposable face masks around the world. WHO has stated that wearing a face mask in public reduces the chances of being exposed to COVID 19 virus. With unchecked disposal of these used masks, a new kind of pollutant has emerged in the environment. Since these masks are generally made of polypropylene and polyurethane material, they can be considered as a potential source of microplastics (MPs) in the environment. In this study, we have evaluated the release of MPs particles from these face masks (namely from N95 and surgical masks) in deionized (DI) water and tap water over the span of 1 to 180 days. More specifically, a systematic study has been carried out to see the effect of temperature on release of MPs in water. MPs particles released in tap water (837 ± 113 particles/piece in 30 days) were significantly higher than that in DI water (564 ± 37 particles/piece in 30 days). When these masks were kept at a constant temperature of 45 °C for 30 Days, highest amount of MPs release (N95 899 ± 65 particles, Surgical 1038 ± 65 particles/piece) was observed as compared to other conditions. Most of the MPs particles released were polypropylene which were transparent and white in case of N95 while for surgical mask they were found to be of blue and white colour. With the aging of masks in water, quantity of MPs release was increased with simultaneous reduction in their size. Our study indicates that these disposable face masks are emerging to be a prominent source of MPs release in the environment and more hazardous for the tropical climate.

Analysing the Effect of Incorporating Images While Framing MCQs For Online Clinical Anatomy Assessment Among First Year Medical Students

The disruptions caused by COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the assessment component of the undergraduate medical curriculum. The lack of physical ascertainment of the learning outcomes has forced the medical educators across the world to adopt online modes of assessment. Though multiple options like true / false, short answers and viva were available, the most common tool for many was multiple choice questions as they could be arranged according to the cognitive hierarchy of Miller's pyramid. The present study was undertaken to analyze the effect of incorporating images while framing MCQs for online anatomy assessment among first year medical students. The study was planned in a quasi-controlled design where a batch of 150 students were subjected to a set of 40 multiple choice questions (20 text based and 20 image based MCQs). The questions were designed following Ebel and Frisbie guidelines of MCQs and validated by three investigators independently. Three cycles of assessments were conducted, and the scores were analyzed. At the end of 3 cycles of assessment feedback was taken from the students regarding this method of assessment. The performance of students was better in image based MCQs compared to traditional MCQs in all regions. Upon documenting the percipience, students had felt that image based MCQs were interesting, improved their clinical reasoning skills, lateral thinking abilities and quest for learning applied anatomy. Thus, we postulate that image based MCQs could be considered as better assessment tool in the era of online learning. © 2022, IMED Research Publications. All rights reserved.

Screening and Druggability Analysis of Marine Active Metabolites against SARS-CoV-2: An Integrative Computational Approach

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections have triggered a recent pandemic of respiratory disease and affected almost every country all over the world. A large amount of natural bioactive compounds are under clinical investigation for various diseases. In particular, marine natural compounds are gaining more attention in the new drug development process. The present study aimed to identify potential marine-derived inhibitors against the target proteins of COVID-19 using a computational approach. Currently, 16 marine clinical-level compounds were selected for computational screening against the 4 SARS-CoV-2 main proteases. Computational screening resulted from the best drug candidates for each target based on the binding affinity scores and amino acid interactions. Among these, five marine-derived compounds, namely, chrysophaentin A (-6.6 kcal/mol), geodisterol sulfates (-6.6 kcal/mol), hymenidin (-6.4 kcal/mol), plinabulin (-6.4 kcal/mol), and tetrodotoxin (-6.3 kcal/mol) expressed minimized binding energy and molecular interactions, such as covalent and hydrophobic interactions, with the SARS CoV-2 main protease. Using molecular dynamic studies, the root-mean-square deviation (RMSD), root-mean-square fluctuation (RMSF), radius of gyration (ROG), and hydrogen bond (H-Bond) values were calculated for the SARS-CoV-2 main protease with a hymenidin docked complex. Additionally, in silico drug-likeness and pharmacokinetic property assessments of the compounds demonstrated favorable druggability. These results suggest that marine natural compounds are capable of fighting SARS-CoV-2. Further in vitro and in vivo studies need to be carried out to confirm their inhibitory potential.