ABSTRACT
We provide here a general view on the interactions of surfactants with viruses, with a particular emphasis on how such interactions can be controlled and employed for inhibiting the infectivity of enveloped viruses, including coronaviruses. The aim is to provide to interested scientists from different fields, including chemistry, physics, biochemistry, and medicine, an overview of the basic properties of surfactants and (corona)viruses, which are relevant to understanding the interactions between the two. Various types of interactions between surfactant and virus are important, and they act on different components of a virus such as the lipid envelope, membrane (envelope) proteins and nucleocapsid proteins. Accordingly, this cannot be a detailed account of all relevant aspects but instead a summary that bridges between the different disciplines. We describe concepts and cover a selection of the relevant literature as an incentive for diving deeper into the relevant material. Our focus is on more recent developments around the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, applications of surfactants against the virus, and on the potential future use of surfactants for pandemic relief. We also cover the most important aspects of the historical development of using surfactants in combatting virus infections. We conclude that surfactants are already playing very important roles in various directions of defence against viruses, either directly, as in disinfection, or as carrier components of drug delivery systems for prophylaxis or treatment. By designing tailor-made surfactants, and consequently, advanced formulations, one can expect more and more effective use of surfactants, either directly as antiviral compounds or as part of more complex formulations.
ABSTRACT
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has severely disrupted the social and economic activities of the world as it forced most countries to lockdown with many consequences. Objectives: The current study assessed the impact of lockdown on the experiences of stress, anxiety, depression, and coping ability in a cohort in Sohar, Sultanate of Oman. Method: A cross sectional study involved 289 participants who completed a socio-demographic questionnaire along with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the COPE Inventory. Results: In total, 227 (78.5%) participants reported moderate to high levels of stress;62 (21.4%) reported high anxiety;and 40 (13.8%) had moderate to severe depression. Coping strategies were mean 65.1 ± 12.9. the highest was acceptance (6.2 ± 1.6) followed by positive reframing, religion (5.8 ± 1.7). Anxiety correlated with denial (r2.230, p .001) while depression was negatively correlated with active coping (r2-135, p.021). Being a woman and single predicted anxiety. Conclusion: There is high use of coping strategies which relatively mitigate the effects of stress. Vulnerable groups should be offered support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Arab Journal of Psychiatry is the property of Arab Federation of Psychiatrists 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 abstract 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 abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)