A meta-analysis of Nigella sativa in respiratory disorders

Plants have always been used as a remedy for various illnesses and their widespread use is because they are safe, effective, and affordable when compared to allopathic medications. Nigella sativa is considered as a miracle herb and is accepted as a panacea in Middle East and South Asian countries. Numerous therapeutic benefits of the plant extract against diabetes, hypertension, pediatric seizures, opioid dependence, anxiety, arthritis, various infectious diseases, infertility, dyspepsia, asthma, allergic rhinitis were demonstrated by clinical studies. The bronchodilating property of few constituents of the seeds contributes its potency against different illnesses of the respiratory system, including asthma, dyspnea, nasal dryness, and rhinitis. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), respiratory diseases are second to cardiovascular disease and make up to five of the 30 most common causes of deaths worldwide. Currently, there is no cure to the chronic respiratory diseases, but various forms of treatments may help to ameliorate the quality of life of people suffering with the condition. An increasing number of people are approaching toward natural remedy to improve their respiratory symptoms, this review is planned to summarize all the therapeutic benefits of N. sativa against different respiratory illnesses which were characterized by experimental and clinical studies. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Future of Red Cell Transfusion Lies in Cultured Red Cells

Blood is a very important resource for healthcare-based services and there has been a consistently increasing demand for it in most parts of the world. Poor volunteer-based collection system, high-risk of transfusion-transmitted infections, and emergence of new pathogens as evident from the ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are potential challenges to the global healthcare systems. It is imperative to explore safe and reliable alternatives to red cell transfusions. Ex vivo culture of red cells (cRBCs) from different sources such as hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), pluripotent stem cells, and immortalized progenitors (e.g., BELA-2 cells) could revolutionize transfusion medicine. cRBC could be of great diagnostic and therapeutic utility. It may provide a backup in times of acute shortages in patients with rare blood groups, and in cases with multiple antibodies or sickle cell anemia. The CRISP-Cas9 system has been used to develop personalized, multi-compatible RBCs for diagnostic reagents and patients with multiple allo-antibodies. cRBC could be practically feasible for pediatric patients, who require small quantities of red cell transfusions. cRBC produced under good manufacturing practice (GMP) conditions has been reported to survive in human blood circulation for more than 26 days. Recently, a phase I randomized controlled clinical trial called RESTORE was initiated to assess the survival and recovery of cRBCs. However, feasible technological advancement is required to produce enough cRBCs for clinical use. It is crucial to identify sustainable sources for large-scale production of clinically useful cRBCs. Although the potential cost of one unit of cRBC is extrapolated to be around US$ 8000, it is a life-saving product for patients having rare blood groups and is a "ready to use" source of phenotype-matched, homogenous young red cells in emergency situations.

Criteria and practice patterns for accepting living donors with prior COVID-19: A national survey

Purpose: A critical question facing transplant programs is if, when and how to safely accept living kidney donors (LKD) who have a history and recovered from COVID-19 Infection. The purpose of the study is to understand current practices related to accepting living donors for donation who have recovered from COVID-19. Methods: We surveyed US transplant programs from September 3, 2020 through November 3, 2020 by e-mail and postings to professional society list-serves. Center level as well individual opinion based responses were analyzed. Results: A total of 174 US respondents from 115 unique centers responded, representing 59% of US Living Donor Programs and 72.4% of 2019 and 71.9% of 2020 LKD volume (as of October 31, 2020). Respondent Roles included Nephrologist (53.4%);Surgeon (19.5%);Infectious Disease (11.5%);Coordinator (9.8%). Overall during the survey period, 48.6% of responding centers had received inquiries from such LKDs, while 44.3% were currently evaluating such donors. A total of 98 donors were reported to be in the evaluation phase, while 27.8% centers had approved a total of 42 such donors to proceed with donation. Conclusions: Selection practices and criteria for LKD who have recovered from COVID-19 are variable. Ongoing research and consensus building are needed to guide optimal practices to ensure the safety of accepting such donors.

Variants of SARS-CoV-2, their effects on infection, transmission and neutralization by vaccine-induced antibodies.

OBJECTIVE: The current study reviewed Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants for their effects on infection, transmission and neutralization by vaccine-induced antibodies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The research articles for the current study were searched over PubMed, Google Scholar, EMBASE and Web of Science online databases. The keywords used were: (("SARS-CoV-2" OR "COVID-19") AND ("mutation" OR "variant") AND ("death" OR "hospitalization" OR "infection" OR "transmission") AND ("antibody" OR "neutralize" OR "vaccine")). A total of 333 research articles were retrieved through online-database search. These articles were further scrutinized for their relevancy. Additionally, searches were performed to find the latest relevant information over Google search engine and relevant news browsers. Finally, around 35 germane articles were considered for scripting the current report. RESULTS: The mutations have changed amino acids at key positions in spike protein viz. S477N, E484K, Q677H, E484Q, L452R, K417T, K417N and N501Y. These mutations are relevant for different characteristics and are present in newly evolved strains of SARS-CoV-2 like E484K in B.1.526, B.1.525, P.2, B.1.1.7, P.1 and B.1.351. Mutations have increased the immune escape potential leading to 3.5-6.5-folds decrease in neutralization of antibodies (Pfizer and Moderna vaccines). The variant, B.1.617 circulating in India and many other countries (double variant) having E484Q and L452R mutations, has raised the infection rate and decreased the neutralization capacity of the vaccine-induced antibodies. Deadly K417N+E484K+N501Y triplet mutations found in B.1.351 and P.1 have increased the transmission ability of these strains by 50% leading to greater COVID-19 hospitalization, ICU admissions and deaths. CONCLUSIONS: The new SARS-CoV-2 variants have compromised the neutralization potential of the currently used vaccines, but still, they have considerable efficacy to reduce infection and mortality. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: https://www.europeanreview.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/Graphical_Abstract.jpg.

SARS CoV, MERS CoV, SARS CoV-2 and treatments: A bibliometric analysis

As the incidences of Coronavirus (SARS CoV-2) infections have been increasing at a rapid pace, the need for its containment and treatment has taken center stage for numerous research institutions. The similarity of SARS CoV-2 with that of SARS CoV has led to a jumpstart in the research activities on coronavirus on the same. The number of research articles appearing since the time SARS CoV-2 was discovered has skyrocketed. While every research group has been busy in pushing the research information to the next level, hardly any convincing research has come up the effective treatments or therapeutics against the disease. In this study we conduct a bibliographic analysis for SARS CoV, MERS CoV and SARS CoV-2, and statistically compare the incidence of research articles combining along the “treatment” and „therapies” as keywords. We attempt to draw trends and conclusions based on the data available on the databases mined.