Hospital and laboratory outcomes of patients with COVID-19 who received vitamin D supplementation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has a wide-ranging spectrum of clinical symptoms, from asymptomatic/mild to severe. Recent research indicates that, among several factors, a low vitamin D level is a modifiable risk factor for COVID-19 patients. This study aims to evaluate the effect of vitamin D on hospital and laboratory outcomes of patients with COVID-19.Five databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library) and clinicaltrials.gov were searched until July 2022, using relevant keywords/Mesh terms. Only randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that addressed the topic were included. The Cochrane tool was used to assess the studies' risk of bias, and the data were analyzed using the review manager (RevMan 5.4).We included nine RCTs with 1586 confirmed COVID-19 patients. Vitamin D group showed a significant reduction of intensive care unit (ICU) admission (risk ratio = 0.59, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.41, 0.84], P = 0.003), and higher change in vitamin D level (standardized mean difference = 2.27, 95% CI [2.08, 2.47], P < 0.00001) compared to the control group. Other studied hospital and laboratory outcomes showed non-significant difference between vitamin D and the control group (P ≥ 0.05).In conclusion, vitamin D reduced the risk of ICU admission and showed superiority in changing vitamin D level compared to the control group. However, other outcomes showed no difference between the two groups. More RCTs are needed to confirm these results.

Mutations in SARS-CoV-2: Insights on structure, variants, vaccines, and biomedical interventions.

COVID-19 is a worldwide pandemic caused by SARS-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Less than a year after the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic, many vaccines have arrived on the market with innovative technologies in the field of vaccinology. Based on the use of messenger RNA (mRNA) encoding the Spike SARS-Cov-2 protein or on the use of recombinant adenovirus vectors enabling the gene encoding the Spike protein to be introduced into our cells, these strategies make it possible to envisage the vaccination in a new light with tools that are more scalable than the vaccine strategies used so far. Faced with the appearance of new variants, which will gradually take precedence over the strain at the origin of the pandemic, these new strategies will allow a much faster update of vaccines to fight against these new variants, some of which may escape neutralization by vaccine antibodies. However, only a vaccination policy based on rapid and massive vaccination of the population but requiring a supply of sufficient doses could make it possible to combat the emergence of these variants. Indeed, the greater the number of infected individuals, the faster the virus multiplies, with an increased risk of the emergence of variants in these RNA viruses. This review will discuss SARS-CoV-2 pathophysiology and evolution approaches in altered transmission platforms and emphasize the different mutations and how they influence the virus characteristics. Also, this article summarizes the common vaccines and the implication of the mutations and genetic variety of SARS-CoV-2 on the COVID-19 biomedical arbitrations.

HBD-2 variants and SARS-CoV-2: New insights into inter-individual susceptibility.

Background: A deep understanding of the causes of liability to SARS-CoV-2 is essential to develop new diagnostic tests and therapeutics against this serious virus in order to overcome this pandemic completely. In the light of the discovered role of antimicrobial peptides [such as human b-defensin-2 (hBD-2) and cathelicidin LL-37] in the defense against SARS-CoV-2, it became important to identify the damaging missense mutations in the genes of these molecules and study their role in the pathogenesis of COVID-19. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive analysis with multiple in silico approaches to identify the damaging missense SNPs for hBD-2 and LL-37; moreover, we applied docking methods and molecular dynamics analysis to study the impact of the filtered mutations. Results: The comprehensive analysis reveals the presence of three damaging SNPs in hBD-2; these SNPs were predicted to decrease the stability of hBD-2 with a damaging impact on hBD-2 structure as well. G51D and C53G mutations were located in highly conserved positions and were associated with differences in the secondary structures of hBD-2. Docking-coupled molecular dynamics simulation analysis revealed compromised binding affinity for hBD-2 SNPs towards the SARS-CoV-2 spike domain. Different protein-protein binding profiles for hBD-2 SNPs, in relation to their native form, were guided through residue-wise levels and differential adopted conformation/orientation. Conclusions: The presented model paves the way for identifying patients prone to COVID-19 in a way that would guide the personalization of both the diagnostic and management protocols for this serious disease.

The COVID-19 pandemic: prediction study based on machine learning models.

COVID-19 was first discovered in Wuhan, China in December 2019. It is one of the worst pandemics in human history. Recent studies reported that COVID-19 is transmitted among humans by droplet infection or direct contact. COVID-19 pandemic has invaded more than 210 countries around the world and as of February 18th, 2021, just after a year has passed, a total of 110,533,973 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported and its death toll reached about 2,443,091. COVID-19 is a new member of the family of corona viruses, its nature, behaviour, transmission, spread, prevention, and treatment are to be investigated. Generally, a huge amount of data is accumulating regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, which makes hot research topics for machine learning researchers. However, the panicked world's population is asking when the COVID-19 will be over? This study considered machine learning approaches to predict the spread of the COVID-19 in many countries. The experimental results of the proposed model showed that the overall R2 is 0.99 from the perspective of confirmed cases. A machine learning model has been developed to predict the estimation of the spread of the COVID-19 infection in many countries and the expected period after which the virus can be stopped. Globally, our results forecasted that the COVID-19 infections will greatly decline during the first week of September 2021 when it will be going to an end shortly afterward.

Engineered nanomaterials as fighters against SARS-CoV-2: The way to control and treat pandemics.

In this editorial trend, we aim to collect and present recently available data about the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 virus, severity, infection, replication, diagnosis, and current medications. In addition, we propose the role of nanomaterials in controlling and treating COVID-19 through their antiviral and antibacterial potential with suggested action mechanisms indicating the capability of interaction between these nanomaterials and SARS-CoV-2. These nanomaterials might be among the possible and most effective cures against coronavirus.

In silico screening of potent bioactive compounds from honeybee products against COVID-19 target enzymes.

After the early advent of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, myriads of FDA-approved drugs have been massively repurposed for COVID-19 treatment based on molecular docking against selected protein targets that play fundamental roles in the replication cycle of the novel coronavirus. Honeybee products are well known of their nutritional values and medicinal effects. Bee products contain bioactive compounds in the form of a collection of phenolic acids, flavonoids, and terpenes of natural origin that display wide spectrum antiviral effects. We revealed by molecular docking the profound binding affinity of 14 selected phenolics and terpenes present in honey and propolis (bees glue) against the main protease (Mpro) and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) enzymes of the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus (the causative agent of COVID-19) using AutoDock Vina software. Of these compounds, p-coumaric acid, ellagic acid, kaempferol, and quercetin have the strongest interaction with the SARS-CoV-2 target enzymes, and it may be considered an effective COVID-19 inhibitor.

Assessment of Tocilizumab (Humanized Monoclonal Antibody) for Therapeutic Efficacy and Clinical Safety in Patients with Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).

Background and objectives: COVID-19 patients exhibit a broad range of manifestations, presenting with a flu-like respiratory tract infection that can advance to a systemic and severe disease characterized by pneumonia, pulmonary edema, severe damage to the airways, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS, causing fatality in 70% of COVID-19 cases). A 'cytokine storm' profile is found in most severely influenced COVID-19 patients. The treatment protocol of the disease also includes tocilizumab, which is a humanized monoclonal antibody used to treat autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. This study was designed (1) to assess the role of tocilizumab in COVID-19 patients regarding therapeutic efficacy through evaluation of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) resolution and anticoagulant effect, analyzing clinical safety via monitoring of associated adverse effects profile; and (2) to compare the clinical safety and therapeutic efficacy of institutional treatment regimen (alone) versus tocilizumab added to an institutional treatment module in COVID-19 patients. Materials and Methods: In this study, the endpoints parametric assessment of severely diseased patients of COVID-19 was performed (total n = 172, control group (institutional protocol treatment provided), n = 101 and test group (tocilizumab provided), n = 71) at the Khyber Teaching Institution, MTI, Peshawar. The assessments were compared using non-parametric analyses at baseline and after a follow-up of 12-18 days until the patient discharged or expired. Results: Results of the study revealed an insignificant difference among the control vs. test group in resolving inflammatory parameters (C-reactive protein (CRP) 21.30 vs. 50.07; p = 0.470, ferritin 482.9 vs. 211.5; p = 0.612, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) 29.12 vs.18.8; p = 0.0863, and D-dimer 464 vs.164.4; p = 0.131). However, a statistically significant difference was found between the control group and test group regarding coagulation parameters (international normalized ratio (INR) 0.12 vs. -0.07; p ≤ 0.001; activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) 0.42 vs. -1.16; p ≤ 0.001; prothrombin time (PT) 0.31 vs. -0.96; p ≤ 0.001; platelet count -12.34 vs. -1.47; p = 0.012) and clinical survival rate (89.10 vs. 90.14; p < 0.001). Furthermore, there was significantly higher infection rates and raised alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) associated with the tocilizumab group as compared to those receiving institutional treatment (bacterial infections: 0.99% vs. 15.49%; p ≤ 0.01, ALT: 3.96% vs. 28.16%; p ≤ 0.01, ALP: 1.98% vs. 22.53%; p ≤ 0.01). Conclusions: From this study, it was concluded that tocilizumab can be a better drug of choice in terms of efficacy, particularly in resolving coagulopathy in severe COVID-19 patients.

Natural therapeutics and nutraceuticals for lung diseases: Traditional significance, phytochemistry, and pharmacology.

BACKGROUND: Lung diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), infections like influenza, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), asthma and pneumonia lung cancer (LC) are common causes of sickness and death worldwide due to their remoteness, cold and harsh climatic conditions, and inaccessible health care facilities. PURPOSE: Many drugs have already been proposed for the treatment of lung diseases. Few of them are in clinical trials and have the potential to cure infectious diseases. Plant extracts or herbal products have been extensively used as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Indian Ayurveda. Moreover, it has been involved in the inhibition of certain genes/protiens effects to promote regulation of signaling pathways. Natural remedies have been scientifically proven with remarkable bioactivities and are considered a cheap and safe source for lung disease. METHODS: This comprehensive review highlighted the literature about traditional plants and their metabolites with their applications for the treatment of lung diseases through experimental models in humans. Natural drugs information and mode of mechanism have been studied through the literature retrieved by Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, SciFinder, Scopus and Medline PubMed resources against lung diseases. RESULTS: In vitro, in vivo and computational studies have been explained for natural metabolites derived from plants (like flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenoids) against different types of lung diseases. Probiotics have also been biologically active therapeutics against cancer, anti-inflammation, antiplatelet, antiviral, and antioxidants associated with lung diseases. CONCLUSION: The results of the mentioned natural metabolites repurposed for different lung diseases especially for SARS-CoV-2 should be evaluated more by advance computational applications, experimental models in the biological system, also need to be validated by clinical trials so that we may be able to retrieve potential drugs for most challenging lung diseases especially SARS-CoV-2.

Therapeutic dilemmas in addressing SARS-CoV-2 infection: Favipiravir versus Remdesivir.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) represents an unmet clinical need, due to a high mortality rate, rapid mutation rate in the virus, increased chances of reinfection, lack of effectiveness of repurposed drugs and economic damage. COVID-19 pandemic has created an urgent need for effective molecules. Clinically proven efficacy and safety profiles have made favipiravir (FVP) and remdesivir (RDV) promising therapeutic options for use against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Even though both are prodrug molecules with an antiviral role based on a similar mechanism of action, differences in pharmacological, pharmacokinetic and pharmacotoxicological mechanisms have been identified. The present study aims to provide a comprehensive comparative assessment of FVP and RDV against SARS-CoV-2 infections, by centralizing medical data provided by significant literature and authorized clinical trials, focusing on the importance of a better understanding of the interactions between drug molecules and infectious agents in order to improve the global management of COVID-19 patients and to reduce the risk of antiviral resistance.

The Effectiveness of Online Education in Basic Medical Sciences Courses during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia: Cross-Sectional Study

Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) is an emerging pandemic that has caused significant disruptions to education, resulting in marked scholar closures across the world. The present study documents the student perception of the online educational process at six universities in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 lockdown period. The individual variable factors, i.e., institution, sex, and blended learning, that might influence student perception were also investigated. In this respect, a questionnaire that assessed the impact of COVID-19 on the online learning process and student perception was emailed to a total of 17,230 students from 3 institutions (medical, applied health and dental students) affiliated with six universities in Saudi Arabia. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to determine the validity of the questionnaire. A total of 4850 (28%) students responded to the questionnaire and 46.9% (n = 2275) of the respondents were highly satisfied with their online education. Analyses of the scores from the students showed a highly significant difference (p = 0.000) between the male and female students. Applied health students (highly satisfied score = 63.13) were the most satisfied with their online education, while medical students (highly satisfied score = 39.3) were the least satisfied with this education. In addition, applied health, dental and medical students showed a significantly higher score in favor of blended learning after schools re-open (p = 0.000). Collectively, student satisfaction with online education was common, and blended learning was preferred over the traditional format by both genders and all the students. The present data provide interesting contributions and evidence for policy makers and implementers, which might be helpful for the judgment side of decision making.

Multi-Omics Approach in the Identification of Potential Therapeutic Biomolecule for COVID-19.

COVID-19 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). It has a disastrous effect on mankind due to the contagious and rapid nature of its spread. Although vaccines for SARS-CoV-2 have been successfully developed, the proven, effective, and specific therapeutic molecules are yet to be identified for the treatment. The repurposing of existing drugs and recognition of new medicines are continuously in progress. Efforts are being made to single out plant-based novel therapeutic compounds. As a result, some of these biomolecules are in their testing phase. During these efforts, the whole-genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 has given the direction to explore the omics systems and approaches to overcome this unprecedented health challenge globally. Genome, proteome, and metagenome sequence analyses have helped identify virus nature, thereby assisting in understanding the molecular mechanism, structural understanding, and disease propagation. The multi-omics approaches offer various tools and strategies for identifying potential therapeutic biomolecules for COVID-19 and exploring the plants producing biomolecules that can be used as biopharmaceutical products. This review explores the available multi-omics approaches and their scope to investigate the therapeutic promises of plant-based biomolecules in treating SARS-CoV-2 infection.

In silico screening of potent inhibitors against COVID-19 key targets from a library of FDA-approved drugs.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an emerging pandemic that threatens the world since the early days of 2020. Development of vaccines or new drugs against COVID-19 comprises several stages of investigation including efficacy, safety, and approval studies. A shortcut to this delicate pathway is computational-based analysis of FDA-approved drugs against assigned molecular targets of the coronavirus. In this study, we virtually screened a library of FDA-approved drugs prescribed for different therapeutic purposes against versatile COVID-19 specific proteins which are crucial for the virus life cycle. Three antibiotics in our screening polymyxin B, bafilomycin A, and rifampicin show motivating binding stability with more than one target of the virus. Another category of tested drugs is oral antiseptics of mouth rinsing solutions that unexpectedly exhibited significant affinity to the target proteins employed by the virus for attachment and cell internalization. Other OTC drugs widely used and tested in our study are heartburn drugs and they show no significant binding. We tested also some other drugs falling under the scope of investigation regarding interference with a degree of severity of COVID-19 like angiotensin II blockers used as antihypertensive, and our study suggests a therapeutic rather than predisposing effect of these drugs against COVID-19.

Nutraceuticals and Herbs in Reducing the Risk and Improving the Treatment of COVID-19 by Targeting SARS-CoV-2.

The worldwide transmission of acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as a deadly or devastating disease is known to affect thousands of people every day, many of them dying all over the planet. The main reason for the massive effect of COVID-19 on society is its unpredictable spread, which does not allow for proper planning or management of this disease. Antibiotics, antivirals, and other prescription drugs, necessary and used in therapy, obviously have side effects (minor or significant) on the affected person, there are still not clear enough studies to elucidate their combined effect in this specific treatment, and existing protocols are sometimes unclear and uncertain. In contrast, it has been found that nutraceuticals, supplements, and various herbs can be effective in reducing the chances of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but also in alleviating COVID-19 symptoms. However, not enough specific details are yet available, and precise scientific studies to validate the approved benefits of natural food additives, probiotics, herbs, and nutraceuticals will need to be standardized according to current regulations. These alternative treatments may not have a direct effect on the virus or reduce the risk of infection with it, but these products certainly stimulate the human immune system so that the body is better prepared to fight the disease. This paper aims at a specialized literary foray precisely in the field of these "cures" that can provide real revelations in the therapy of coronavirus infection.

Recent updates on immunological, pharmacological, and alternative approaches to combat COVID-19.

The pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is instigated by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that is mainly transmitted via the inhalation route and characterized by fever, coughing and shortness of breath. COVID-19 affects all age groups with no single cure. The drug discovery, manufacturing, and safety studies require extensive time and sources and, therefore, struggled to match the exponential spread of COVID-19. Yet, various repurposed drugs (antivirals, immune-modulators, nucleotide analogues), and convalescent plasma therapy have been authorized for emergency use against COVID-19 by Food and Drug Administration under certain limits and conditions. The discovery of vaccine is the biggest milestone achieved during the current pandemic era. About nine vaccines were developed for human use with varying claims of efficacy. The rapid emergence of mutations in SARS-CoV-2, suspected adverse drug reactions of current therapies in special population groups and limited availability of drugs in developing countries necessitate the development of more efficacious, safe and cheap drugs/vaccines for treatment and prevention of COVID-19. Keeping in view these limitations, the current review provides an update on the efficacy and safety of the repurposed, and natural drugs to treat COVID-19 as well as the vaccines used for its prophylaxis.

The current reproduction number of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia: is the disease controlled?

The infectiousness of COVID-19 is high among the susceptible population, making the calculation of the reproduction number (R) an essential step to implement preventive measures. We aim to estimate COVID-19 transmission to determine if the disease is successfully controlled or extra measured should be adopted to attain this goal. The daily incidence data of COVID-19 in Saudi Arabia from March 2nd, 2020, to April 4th, 2021, were obtained from the continuously updated Saudi Ministry of Health COVID-19 repository. To get accurate estimation of the situation over the last 4 months (from December 1st, 2020, to April 4th, 2021), we calculated the weekly (every 7 days) R starting from March 2nd, 2020, and till the last week of the available data. The calculated values of R were represented as median, first quantile (Q1), and third quantile (Q3). As early as the first week of December 2020, the median R was 0.81 (0.80-0.83) which means that each existing infected case would transmit infection to only one person. This was followed by fluctuations over the next few weeks around R value of 1, reaching its highest level of 1.45 (1.42-1.47) between December 31st, 2020, and January 6th, 2021. This was followed by a relatively steady decline over the following weeks, with some till mid-March where the R values started to slightly rise again. Social distancing, protective precautions, avoiding abuse of the partial lifting, expanding the screening process, and other Saudi measures sound to be successful and should be replicated in similar communities. This measure should be continued till the vaccination process is completed, to reduce the number of contacts and to avoid uncontrolled transmission of the disease.

Correlation between measles immunization coverage and overall morbidity and mortality for COVID-19: an epidemiological study.

We conducted the current analysis to determine the potential role of measles vaccination in the context of the spread of COVID-19. Data were extracted from the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Health Observatory data repository about the measles immunization coverage estimates and correlated to overall morbidity and mortality for COVID-19 among different countries. Data were statistically analyzed to calculate the Spearman rank correlation coefficient (rho). There was a significant positive correlation between the vaccine coverage (%) and new cases per one million populations (rho = 0.24; p-value = 0.025); however, this correlation was absent in deaths per one million populations (rho = 0.17; p-value = 0.124). On further analysis of the effect of first reported year of vaccination policy, there was no significant correlation with both of total cases per one million populations (rho = 0.11; p-value = 0.327) and deaths per one million populations (rho = -0.02; p-value = 0.829). Claims regarding the possible protective effect of measles vaccination seem to be doubtful.

Beyond the Pandemic: COVID-19 Pandemic Changed the Face of Life.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious challenge for societies around the globe as entire populations have fallen victim to the infectious spread and have taken up social distancing. In many countries, people have had to self-isolate and to be confined to their homes for several weeks to months to prevent the spread of the virus. Social distancing measures have had both negative and positive impacts on various aspects of economies, lifestyles, education, transportation, food supply, health, social life, and mental wellbeing. On other hands, due to reduced population movements and the decline in human activities, gas emissions decreased and the ozone layer improved; this had a positive impact on Earth's weather and environment. Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic has negative effects on human activities and positive impacts on nature. This study discusses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on different life aspects including the economy, social life, health, education, and the environment.