Articles: pandemics.
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Frontiers in immunology · Jan 2020
Contriving Multi-Epitope Subunit of Vaccine for COVID-19: Immunoinformatics Approaches.
COVID-19 has recently become the most serious threat to public health, and its prevalence has been increasing at an alarming rate. The incubation period for the virus is ~1-14 days and all age groups may be susceptible to a fatality rate of about 5.9%. COVID-19 is caused by a novel single-stranded, positive (+) sense RNA beta coronavirus. ⋯ Lastly, to confirm the expression of the designed vaccine, the mRNA of the vaccine was enhanced with the aid of the Java Codon Adaptation Tool, and the secondary structure was generated from Mfold. Then we performed in silico cloning. The final vaccine requires experimental validation to determine its safety and efficacy in controlling SARS-CoV-2 infections.
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J Prim Care Community Health · Jan 2020
Utilizing the Learning Health System Adaptation to guide Family Medicine Practice to COVID-19 response.
COVID-19 supportive quarantine care in the community is managed by primary care practices. There is no current guidance on how a primary care practice with high volumes of patients screened for COVID-19 can re-configure itself to become responsive to the pandemic. We examined Learning Health System guidance from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine and adapted it to our primary care practice to create an efficient, effective, adaptive response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We suggest evaluating this response in the future for effectiveness and efficiency.
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Frontiers in immunology · Jan 2020
ReviewViral Evasion of the Complement System and Its Importance for Vaccines and Therapeutics.
The complement system is a key component of innate immunity which readily responds to invading microorganisms. Activation of the complement system typically occurs via three main pathways and can induce various antimicrobial effects, including: neutralization of pathogens, regulation of inflammatory responses, promotion of chemotaxis, and enhancement of the adaptive immune response. These can be vital host responses to protect against acute, chronic, and recurrent viral infections. ⋯ A better understanding of this virus-host interplay and its contribution to pathogenesis has previously led to: the identification of genetic factors which influence viral infection and disease outcome, the development of novel antivirals, and the production of safer, more effective vaccines. This review will discuss the antiviral effects of the complement system against numerous viruses, the mechanisms employed by these viruses to then evade or manipulate this system, and how these interactions have informed vaccine/therapeutic development. Where relevant, conflicting findings and current research gaps are highlighted to aid future developments in virology and immunology, with potential applications to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
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Front Public Health · Jan 2020
Hazard Prevention, Death and Dignity During COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy.
On 9 March 2020, Italy passed the Prime Minister's Decree n. 648, establishing urgent measures to contain the transmission of COVID-19 and prevent biological hazards, including very restrictive interventions on public Holy Masses and funerals. Italy banned burial procedures based (i) on the recent acknowledgment about the virus environmental stability as well as (ii) its national civil contingency plan. Hence, only the cremation process is admitted for COVID-19 deaths. ⋯ The dignity of the dead, their cultural and religious traditions, and their families should be always respected and protected. Among all the threats, COVID-19 epidemic in Italy revealed the fragility of human beings under enforced isolation and, for the first time, the painful deprivation of families to accompany their loved ones to the last farewell. Ethics poses new challenges in times of epidemics.
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Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being. The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the area of Wuhan, China, has evolved rapidly into a public health crisis and has spread exponentially to other parts of the world. There is strong evidence that this novel coronavirus is similar to coronavirus species found in bats and potentially pangolins, confirming the zoonotic nature of this new cross-species virus-mediated disease. ⋯ They proceed in accordance with the current guidelines of the government of each country as well as with the valid standards and preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for COVID-19. This article mainly focuses on the recommended methods in dental medicine designed to protect patients and healthcare professionals (Tab. 2, Ref. 29). Keywords: coronavirus, COVID-19, dental strategies, dental treatment recommendations.