[New Analogues of Uridine as Possible Anti-Viral Agents Specific to SARS-CoV-2].

The development of specific drugs against SARS-CoV-2 infection is a major challenge facing global science and healthcare. Despite numerous attempts, there are still no truly effective drugs. Currently, the main approach in the creation of drugs against COVID-19 is repurposing, i.e., re-profiling existing drugs approved for medical use, for example, the use of a drug for the treatment of Ebola-Remdesivir, and the use of a drug for the treatment of influenza-Favipiravir. However, it is already obvious that these drugs are not specific enough nor effective enough. Another promising approach is the creation of new molecules, but it should be noted immediately that implementation requires much more time and costs. However, the search for new SARS-CoV-2 specific antiviral agents continues. The aim of our work was the creation of new 5-substituted uridine derivatives as potential inhibitors of coronavirus RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. The substances were obtained in high yields by the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction and characterized using modern physicochemical methods. However, testing of their antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 did not reveal a significant inhibitory effect.

Oral hypomethylating agents: beyond convenience in MDS.

Oral hypomethylating agents (HMAs) represent a substantial potential boon for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) who have previously required between 5 and 7 visits per month to an infusion clinic to receive therapy. For patients who respond to treatment, ongoing monthly maintenance visits represent a considerable burden to quality of life, and for those who are early in therapy, these sequential visits may tax transportation and financial resources that would be optimally distributed over the treatment cycle to facilitate transfusion support. The availability of oral HMAs may support the optimal application of these agents by contributing to adherence and lessening the burden of therapy, potentially encouraging patients to stay on longer-term treatment. Distinct pharmacokinetic profiles for the recently approved oral HMAs (oral azacitidine and decitabine-cedazuridine) result in differential toxicity profiles and have prompted their clinical trial development in lower- and higher-risk MDS, respectively.

Prospects for the use of regulators of oxidative stress in the comprehensive treatment of the novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its complications.

Some surface proteins of the newly identified severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can bind to the hemoglobin molecule of an erythrocyte, which leads to the destruction of the structure of the heme and the release of harmful iron ions to the bloodstream. The degradation of hemoglobin results in the impairment of oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, and the accumulation of free iron enhances the production of reactive oxygen species. Both events can lead to the development of oxidative stress. In this case, oxidative damage to the lungs leads then to the injuries of all other tissues and organs. The use of uridine, which preserves the structure of pulmonary alveoli and the air-blood barrier of the lungs in the course of experimental severe hypoxia, and dihydroquercetin, an effective free radical scavenger, is promising for the treatment of COVID-19. These drugs can also be used for the recovery of the body after the severe disease.