Heliyon
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The coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is a highly contagious and rapidly spreading infection caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In some cases, the disease can be fatal which resulted in more than one million deaths worldwide according the WHO. Currently, there is no effective vaccine or treatment for COVID-19, however many small-molecule inhibitors have shown potent antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 and some of them are now under clinical trials. ⋯ In this paper, protein-protein docking was utilized for identifying the critical epitopes in CD147, CD209 and CD299 which are involved in the binding with SARS-CoV-2 Spike receptor binding domain (RBD). The results of binding free energies showed a high affinity of SARS-CoV-2 RBD to CD299 receptor which was used as a reference to derive hypothetical peptide sequences with specific binding activities to SARS-CoV-2 RBD. Molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations of the newly designed peptides showed favorable binding features and stability with SARS-CoV-2 RBD and therefore can be further considered as potential candidates in future anti-SARS CoV-2 drug discovery studies.
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Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is a global pandemic. Healthcare workers' (HCWs) role in patient management is predisposing and can serve as means of hospitals and community transmission. This study evaluated HCWs' knowledge, attitude, and practice towards COVID-19 in Nigeria. ⋯ our results showed that HCWs in Nigeria had excellent knowledge and possessed a positive attitude and good practice towards COVID-19. However; there were areas where poor knowledge, negative attitudes and unacceptable practices were observed. We recommend continuous public health education of HCWs on SARS-COV-2 infection control and prevention.
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The article examines how many leaders used Twitter during the COVID-19 pandemic, in what way, and the impact they had on the public. In the context of Twitter, the impact on the public refers to the growth in followers as it signifies the increased interest of the public about information. 50,872 tweets were collected from 143 state leaders and an original dataset was created containing information on the growth of followers. Ordinary least squares regression models were used for the analysis. ⋯ Since March, the pandemic has been a dominant topic on Twitter. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the highest percentage increase in gaining Twitter followers was experienced by politicians who frequently tweeted and those who had a lower ratio of the number of followers to internet users. The research implies that citizens are interested in being informed about emergencies through social networks, and government officials should use them.
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Variable sex-disaggregated data on Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) incidence proportion (IP) have been reported in different datasets and studies. Factors explaining the inconsistent distribution of COVID-19 among sexes are still unclear. ⋯ Time-related changes of sex distribution of COVID-19 IP in Italy are strongly influenced by the number of swabs testing for SARS-CoV-2. Whether gender-related disparities in the access to the diagnosis of COVID-19 may explain such a result need to be explored.
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The global outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is affecting every part of human lives, including the physical world. The measures taken to control the spread of the virus and the slowdown of economic activities have significant effects on the environment. Therefore, this study intends to explore the positive and negative environmental impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, by reviewing the available scientific literatures. ⋯ It seems that, economic activities will return soon after the pandemic, and the situation might change. Hence, this study also outlines possible ways to achieve long-term environmental benefits. It is expected that the proper implementation of the proposed strategies might be helpful for the global environmental sustainability.