ABSTRACT
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) began in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and quickly spread across the worldwide. It becomes a global pandemic and risk to the healthcare system of almost every nation around the world. In this study thirty natural compounds of 19 Indian herbal plants were used to analyze their binding with eight proteins associated with COVID -19. Based on the molecular docking as well as ADMET analysis, isovitexin, glycyrrhizin, sitosterol, and piperine were identified as potential herbal medicine candidates. On comparing the binding affinity with Ivermectin, we have found that the inhibition potentials of the Trigonella foenum-graecum (fenugreek), Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice), Tinospora cordifolia (giloy) and Piper nigrum (black pepper) are very promising with no side-effects.
ABSTRACT
International debate on COVID-19 policy issues, notably negative social consequences, is vital when grappling with the pandemic legacy. Drawing from the second author's experiences in the Irish healthcare and higher education sectors, this commentary scrutinises measures that discriminated against students who declined novel COVID-19 pharmaceuticals. In so doing, it serves as a point of contrast to fear-based interventions. Connections are made with relevant literature when urging those in authority to ensure that policies intended to maximise vaccine coverage are seen to be fair and convincing. The commentary concludes with some reflections that could underpin more defensible policymaking and inform future research. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Critical Social Policy is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. 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.)
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus led to changes in the lifestyle and human behaviour, which resulted in different consumption patterns of some classes of pharmaceuticals including curative, symptom-relieving, and psychotropic drugs. The trends in the consumption of these compounds are related to their concentrations in wastewater systems, since incompletely metabolised drugs (or their metabolites back transformed into the parental form) may be detected and quantified by analytical methods. Pharmaceuticals are highly recalcitrant compounds and conventional activated sludge processes implemented in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are ineffective at degrading these substances. As a results, these compounds end up in waterways or accumulate in the sludge, being a serious concern given their potential effects on ecosystems and public health. Therefore, it is crucial to evaluate the presence of pharmaceuticals in water and sludge to assist in the search for more effective processes. In this work, eight pharmaceuticals from five therapeutic classes were analysed in wastewater and sludge samples collected in two WWTP located in the Northern Portugal, during the third COVID-19 epidemic wave in Portugal. The two WWTP demonstrated a similar pattern with respect to the concentration levels in that period. However, the drugs loads reaching each WWTP were dissimilar when normalising the concentrations to the inlet flow rate. Acetaminophen (ACET) was the compound detected at highest concentrations in aqueous samples of both WWTP (98. 516 µg L - 1 in WWTP2 and 123. 506 µg L - 1in WWTP1), indicating that this drug is extensively used without the need of a prescription, known of general public knowledge as an antipyretic and analgesic agent to treat pain and fever. The concentrations determined in the sludge samples were below 1.65 µg g - 1 in both WWTP, the highest value being found for azithromycin (AZT). This result may be justified by the physico-chemical characteristics of the compound that favour its adsorption to the sludge surface through ionic interactions. It was not possible to establish a clear relationship between the incidence of COVID-19 cases in the sewer catchment and the concentration of drugs detected in the same period. However, looking at the data obtained, the high incidence of COVID-19 in January 2021 is in line with the high concentration of drugs detected in the aqueous and sludge samples but prediction of drug load from viral load data was unfeasible.
ABSTRACT
The consumption of pharmaceuticals has rapidly increased on a global scale due to the serious increase in Covid-19, influenza and respiratuar sinsityal virus, which is called "triple epidemic" in the world. The use of non-prescription analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs (AAIDs), especially paracetamol, is higher compared to pre-pandemic. This increased the AAIDs load discharged to the aqueous media through sewerage treatment plant (STP). Therefore, simple and effective treatment options for removing AAIDs from STP effluents are needed. The aim of the study was to remove AAIDs (paracetamol, acetylsalicylic acid, codeine, diclofenac, ibuprofen, indomethacin, ketoprofen, mefenamic acid, naproxen, and phenylbutazone) from STP effluents by nearly pure natural clay Na-montmorillonite. The Na-montmorillonite taken from the Ordu region in the northern part of Turkey. Surface area of the Na-montmorillonite is 99.58 m2/g and CEC is 92.40 meq/100 g. The removal efficiencies of AAIDs using Na-montmorillonite were between 82 ± 5% (ibuprofen) and 94 ± 4% (naproxen). Paracetamol was used as a model compound in kinetic and isotherm model studies. Freundlich isotherm model and the pseudo second order kinetic model were the best-fit using the obtained experimental data. Film diffusion governed its rate mechanism. The paracetamol adsorption capacity was acquired as 244 mg/g at 120 min contact time at pH 6.5 at 25 °C. With this study, it could be shown that montmorillonite can be used effectively to eliminate paracetamol from STP effluent. Natural clay can be used as a simple, inexpensive and effective adsorbent for removing AAIDs from STP effluents. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13201-023-01930-5.