Coronaviruses - Volume 2, Issue 2, 2021

Currently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, some people are pretending to have COVID-19. The pretending to have COVID-19 can be considered as a symptom of Munchausen syndrome. It can be speculated that people with factitious disorders may pretend to have COVID-19 because of an inner need to get the sympathy and special attention from others; therefore, it is imperative that this issue should be studied with a multidisciplinary approach. In addition, people should not share any message from those pretending to have COVID-19 that may result in increasing public stress.

SARS-CoV-2 can naturally grow and spread from bats or rodents. There are different ways to protect oneself from such viruses. Firstly, a thorough diagnosis by different methods of testing, isolating the infected, and phased interaction with people are advanced, societal-level mitigative efforts that could be implemented. Another method of protection is to eat healthy food. Spices contain flavonoids, acetaminophen, and pseudoephedrine; these ingredients are natural and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents and cause no harm. Meat that is mildly spiced, and eggs are also good to boost the immune system. Thirdly, herd immunity is a way to protect people from the virus. Around 50,000 infections in a 250-mile radius could help to develop herd immunity, but this is only a prediction. One should visit his physician if he has a high temperature or cough. SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, is a new viral strain containing genetic sequences from HIV and malaria in addition to the SARS virus. COVID-19 also targets the ACE2 receptor, which is present in the lungs, heart, and kidneys. Remdesivir seems to be lowering the viral growth in some clinical studies, and in some conditions, it is still understudied and ineffective to eradicate the virus. Recent reports predicted that around 15 COVID-19 mutants have arisen in the last 5 months. The new mutants could be more active or less active, or even drug-resistant. And lastly, new vaccines or drugs must be discovered or invented in BSL3 labs. COVID-19 can be overcome by following mitigation, prophylaxis, and treatment.

Mentions the pandemic as starting in China, with a subsequent worldwide spread. The viral infection can seriously affect multiple organs, mainly lungs, kidneys, heart, liver, and brain, and may lead to respiratory, renal, cardiac, or hepatic failure. Vascular thrombosis of unexplained mechanism may lead to widespread blood clots in multiple organs and cytokine storms that are a result of overstimulation of the immune system subsequent to lung damage, may lead to sudden decompensation due to hypotension and cause more damage to liver, kidney, brain or lungs. Until now, no drug has proved to be efficient in getting rid of the problem and controlling the pandemic mainly depends on preventive measures. Many measures can be considered to prevent the worldwide spread of the viral transmission. Polyunsaturated long chain fatty acids (PUFAs), medium chain saturated fatty acids (MCSFAs), and their corresponding monoglycerides have high antiviral activities against the enveloped viruses, which reached more than 10,000 -fold reduction in the viral titers in vitro and in vivo after testing for gastric aspirate, and can contribute to the systemic immunity against the enveloped viruses.

An outburst of a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has become a grave threat to global health and the economy. As of May 13, 2020, a total of 42,81,838 cases have been confirmed, with over 2,92,376 deaths worldwide. In India, 75,048 cases have been reported to date with 2,440 deaths. Management of this new coronavirus (COVID19) has mainly focused on infection prevention, case detection, monitoring, and supportive care. As there is no vaccine or specific antiviral treatment for human SARS-CoV-2, therefore identifying the drug treatment options as soon as possible is critical for the response to the COVID19 outbreak. Pro-inflammatory cascade and cytokine storm play a key role in the pathogenesis of new coronavirus. A large number of therapeutic interventions such as antiviral, antimalarial, convalescent plasma therapy, BCG vaccine, mTOR inhibitors, Tissue Plasminogen Activator, Human monoclonal antibodies, Anti-parasitic agents, Immunoenhancers, Nutritional interventions, JAK-STAT signaling inhibitors, ACE2 receptor modulators, and Angiotensin II receptor blockers have been either tried or suggested for effective treatment of patients with SARS-CoV-2 disease. Hence, we recommend that all the above potential interventions must be implemented in terms of their safety and efficacy through proper clinical experiments to control the emerging SARS-CoV-2 disease.

Coronaviruses belong to the largest group of viruses that elicit acute respiratory, enteric and systemic infections in an extensive range of hosts. A few coronaviruses from animals can progress into a new human coronavirus that can spread from person to person. On February 12, 2020, WHO officially termed the disease as Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and declared it a pandemic on March 11, 2020. COVID-19 is a newly emerging viral disease that has an effect on the lower respiratory tract and shows as pneumonia. Despite laborious efforts for worldwide lockdown and quarantine, the occurrence of COVID-19 continues to increase. Proper and well-designed strategies are needed to reduce social and economic consequences arisen due to this pandemic disease. Presently, there is no effective specific vaccine and anti-viral drug supported by great-level confirmation, but dexamethasone is approved in the UK for treatment of critically ill COVID-19 patients (patients on ventilators and patients requiring only oxygen) on June 16, 2020. Further research is required to clarify the factors that affect virus pathogenesis and lethal infections.

An urgent vaccine development is required against the recent pandemic of a novel coronavirus. Currently, there is no approved vaccine against COVID-19. Vaccination is proved to be the most beneficial way to protect humans from infections. Several vaccine candidates have been conducted to different phases of clinical trials, and more vaccine candidates are on the way to enter the trials. Different vaccine types have developed, including inactivated virus vaccines, subunit-based vaccines, adenovirus- vector vaccines, DNA-based vaccines, DC-based vaccines, and mRNA-based vaccines. The mRNA- 1273 was the first vaccine candidate that started evaluating in the clinical trial. Also, AZD1222 is the first vaccine candidate that started phase II/III of clinical trials. Both of these vaccine candidates were considered as promising vaccine candidates against SARS-CoV-2. This review aims to overview and share various strategies to develop efficient therapeutic and preventive vaccines based on the origin, biology, structure, and immune-evasion of SARS-CoV-2.

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is spreading rapidly at an unprecedented scale across continents and has emerged as the single biggest risk the world has faced in modern times. Some scientists are comparing it to Spanish flu that created havoc around a century ago. The fear of death by COVID-19 looms large in the world today. The disease has reached devastating proportions since its first reports in December 2019. Doctors are having a difficult time dealing with this challenge and the microbiologists are having sleepless nights to bring about an effective vaccine for this disease. Methods: A number of research and review articles have been exhaustively reviewed. The collected data has been meticulously analyzed and documented. Conclusion: This paper reviews the different types of coronaviruses, the structure of SARS-CoV-2 responsible for COVID-19, its transmission, and virulence. Further, the article discusses the diagnosis, signs and symptoms like fever, breathlessness, cough, potential loss of taste or smell, sneezing, runny nose, fatigue, headache, sore throat and different treatment approaches including drug repurposing being tried by doctors around the globe that may come handy in the management of disease symptoms. The article describes the use of remdesivir, ribavarin, lopinavir, favipiravir, hydoxychloroquine, chloroquine, and tocilizumab among others in treating COVID-19.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is the most prevalent infectious human disease spreading in several parts of the world caused by SARS Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). COVID-19 transmission is mainly spreading via the respiratory tract, personal contact, digestive tract and hospitalacquired infections. Health care workers particularly working in clinics practicing traditional medicine need to be in close contact with patients, so they have a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this paper, therefore, the personal-protective measures need to be followed by healthcare workers in traditional medicine clinics during COVID-19 pandemic are emphasized, to enlighten them about selfprotection and to improve the safety of such a special group of traditional healers.

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, started in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and became a global pandemic. According to WHO, more than fourteen million cases were reported and thousands of casualties worldwide (until July 18, 2020). Most of the COVID-19 patients have symptoms such as fever, tiredness, and dry cough. Some people may also experience body aches, nasal congestion, a runny nose, and diarrhea. So far, doctors have been using treatment to relieve symptoms and give patients' immune systems time to regain control of this virus. Many studies have highlighted the important role of cytokine cascades in the death rate in COVID-19 patients. Therefore, inhibition of this phenomenon has become a very important target in the clinical management of this disease. With this idea, in this mini-review, we will focus on the potential role of cannabinoids in the suppression of cytokines cascades in patients with COVID-19 and their importance in the clinical management of this disease.

Background: The WHO has declared COVID-19 as a global pandemic. New cases are being added every day, as the case count in the United States is increasing to the maximum. No drugs or biologics are yet found to be effective for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19. Objective: To discuss the possibilities of available treatments. Materials & Methods: Brief out-look is undertaken over the past issues available over similar situations that occurred with respect to the current scenario and prospectives. Results: There can be various possibilities in the form of convalescent plasma therapy. The known drugs such as HIV drugs, anti-malarial medicines, and antiviral compounds can serve as a suggestive option. Conclusion: Until a validated medicine or vaccine is sorted out for Covid-19, we need to take natural immune-boosters, along with precautionary steps, social distancing, and other preventions as instructed for the benefit of everyone with an optimistic mind and attitude.

Background: SARS CoV2 is a newly emerged animal beta coronavirus that causes respiratory illness. This infection has affected 212 countries to date and has been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Due to the high transmission rate and lack of availability of any approved anti-viral drug, the formulation of a specific anti-viral therapy has now become a global emergency. Genomic studies have revealed a 79% identity of SARS CoV2 with SARS CoV and 50% identity with MERS CoV, which has given a clue point to test the drugs that were efficient against previously encountered beta coronaviruses. For this purpose, several clinical trials based on the knowledge of existing drugs are moving ahead. These therapies include chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir, corticosteroids therapy, favipiravir, ribavirin, lopinavir/ritonavir, anti-cytokine therapy, and convalescent sera. Aim of the study: The purpose of this review is to give a pointer of contributions conducted globally, including strategies utilized for treatments, the pattern of dosage, adverse reactions, and effective outcomes from different drugs. Methodology: Literature has been retrieved from PubMed, PubMed Central, ResearchGate, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar, using a combination of keywords for extensive information. Conclusion: Among all the drug options, Remdesivir and the use of Convalescent Sera have been considered as the safest options for treatment against COVID-19. Data from the ongoing clinical trials will be required for the formulation of a specific and approved anti-viral drug.

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is named as the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). Patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection experience a wide range of symptoms and they are at the risk of various systemic complications. Besides the pulmonary complications, COVID-19 cases may develop cardiovascular and hematological complications. This study aimed to review the most important hematological and cardiovascular complications caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: The English databases, including Pubmed, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, Scopus, and Google Scholar, were searched. The published papers were selected and reviewed based on the subject of this study. Results: The review of the literature showed that several cardiovascular complications related to COVID-19, including acute myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, acute heart failure, and venous thromboembolic events due to coagulation abnormalities, have been reported. COVID-19 associated hematological complications include elevated levels of hematological factors including C-reactive protein, lactate dehydrogenase, procalcitonin, and ferritin. Furthermore, the levels of blood cells, including lymphocytes and thrombocytes, can be reduced. Conclusion: This study reviewed COVID-19-associated cardiovascular and hematopoietic complications. In conclusion, the patients may experience a wide range of cardiovascular and hematological issues during the illness. These complications are often associated with the need for ICU support and care which imposes further costs to the healthcare system. So the healthcare team must consider the possible complications when treating COVID-19 patients to reduce the treatment costs and mortality of patients.

Introduction: The ongoing pandemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS COV-2) has jeopardized people’s health and the global economy. The infection caused by these viruses inflicts immunosuppression and an unprecedented range of symptoms leading to mortality. At this stage, there are no countermeasures or medicines to overcome rapid disease proliferation and aberrant immunological response. Objectives: The study aims to determine different immunomodulatory therapeutics that could be potential agents to alleviate viral and other lethal infections and possibly rejuvenate immunological and tissue repair response against this disease. Methods: A review of the literature was performed by screening different scientific databases to procure various immunomodulatory therapies for the treatment of SAR COV-2. Results: A comprehensive literature review indicated that different foods rich in vitamins (A-D), selenium and iron can enhance immunological response against various deleterious infections, whereas different nutritious drinks that include hydrogen-enriched water and green tea alleviate inflammation and elicit wound healing properties. Black cumin seeds and Garlic have a myriad of biological activities due to abundant bioactive phytochemicals that play an important role in the elimination of various bacterial and viral infections. Conclusion: These foods/supplements are relatively safe to consume and possess high toxicity profile and could be a potential nutritional intervention in order to create adequate immunity within a population to fight against this prevailing infection.

Background: The widespread of novel coronavirus is a global concern. With each passing day, the novel coronavirus is making its new borders. Research has revealed that the virus produced in bats and was transmitted to humans firstly in Wuhan, Hubei province of China in December 2019. The contagion has been significantly acting as a vulnerable threat to the copious world. Objective: The purpose of this review is to provide the valuable and detailed information about the historical background, origin, classification, morphology, transmission pattern, symptoms, treatment parameters, number of cases as well as the preventive measures of the corona-virus disease 2019 (COVID- 19). Methods: The disease is transmitted to people by inhalation or close contact of infected droplets. To split the sequential chain of this contagious disease, we need to know about its symptoms, ways of transmission, preventive measures and safety guidelines. Results: The widespread of COVID-19 is a global concern. The morbidity rate due to COVID-19 is increasing regularly. As for now, there is no specific cure, vaccine and treatment; the lives can be saved only by following the preventive measures and safety guidelines. Conclusion: Several clinical trials are in progress for the development of a suitable vaccine to combat this disease. This review shall be helpful in providing detailed information regarding the novel coronavirus so that the sequences of such infection can be reduced.

Background: Owing to the recent scenario on this ongoing Coronavirus pandemic outbreak around the world, the present study has been undertaken. Aim: In this study, we adopted two strategies, i.e., via computational method, a search for the novel plant secondary metabolites from the Indian Traditional Medicine to target and combat the enduring novel 2019 CoVs main protease that causes pneumonia, followed by the effect of these selected secondary metabolites on the host’s immune system for their immunomodulatory potential on Interleukin-2. Methods: A detailed literature review has been done to identify the assorted plant secondary metabolites from the natural sources, which have been extensively used traditionally for their immunomodulatory potential. Next, the resulting compounds have processed for the molecular docking study to predict whether the compounds have the potency to fight against 2019- CoVs protein or it could have the tendency to battle the cytokines, which are responsible for the immune response of the host, thereby preventing the CoVs caused infection in humans. Furthermore, to explore molecular mechanics, the insilico docking study with COVID-19 Mpro and Interleukin-2 has been performed. Results & Discussion: Among the six secondary metabolites selected, five compounds showed its possible promising potency with COVID-19 and IL-2 proteins, which are compared with the standard drug Remdesivir, one of the anti-viral drugs for treating and managing the present coronavirus condition and an IL-2 inhibitor, which is the native IL-2 ligand protein (i.e., from PDB Id- 1PW6) itself. Besides, based on the docking scores, the Curcumin (from Curcuma longa) showed the highest score towards these two targets taken for this study. The identified compounds have a promising binding affinity with the Mpro receptors, in the narrow range of binding energy for the protein PDB Id: 6LU7 and the score range between -10.9102 to -19.8790 kcal/mol: when compared to the standard -21.8600 kcal/mol. Whereas, the binding affinity with the Interleukin -2 receptor, for the protein PDB Id: 1PW6 the range between -11.3899 to -17.1366 kcal/mol: when compared to that of standard -16.9554 kcal/mol. Conclusion: Our result findings demonstrate that the integrated Indian traditional herbal treatment might be hopefully used for the viral respiratory infection due to either it may have acted directly on the viral protein or through regulating the immune response, which could lead to the rapid drug discovery of the drug leads with clinical potency towards the novel infectious disease, where there is no drug or vaccines are available.

Background: COVID-19 debilitated communities globally in varying complexities and capacities in recent months. Objective: The epigenetic changes in the COVID-19 patients were discussed in this article to explore various processes contributing to disease severity and elevation of risk due to infection. Methods: Percentages of hospitalization, with and without intensive care, in the presence of diseases with increased ACE2 expression, were compared, based on the best available data. Further analysis compared two different age groups, 19-64 and ≥65 years of age. Result & Conclusion: The COVID-19 disease is observed to be the most severe in the 65 and-higher-age group with pre-existing chronic conditions. This observational study is a nonexperimental empirical investigation of the outcomes of COVID-19 in different patient groups. Results are promising for conducting clinical trials with intervention groups. To ultimately succeed in disease prevention, researchers and clinicians must integrate epigenetic mechanisms to generate valid prescriptions for global well-being.

Background: The discovery of a novel strain of coronavirus in 2019 (COVID-19) has triggered a series of tragic events in the world with thousands of deaths recorded daily. Despite the huge resources committed to the discovery of vaccines against this highly pathogenic virus, scientists are still unable to find suitable treatments for the disease. Understanding the structure of coronavirus proteins could provide a basis for the development of cheap, potent and, less toxic vaccines. Objective: This study was therefore designed to model coronavirus spike (S) glycoprotein and envelope (E) protein as well as to carry out molecular docking of potential drugs to the homologs and coronavirus main protease (Mpro). Methods: Homology modeling of coronavirus spike (S) glycoprotein and envelope (E) protein was carried out using sequence deposited in the Uniprot database. The topological features of the model’s catalytic site were evaluated using the CASTp server. Compounds reported as potential drugs against COVID-19 were docked to S glycoprotein, E protein, and coronavirus main protease (Mpro) to determine the best ligands and the mode of interaction. Results: Homology modeling of the proteins revealed structures with 91-98% sequence similarity with PDB entries. The catalytic site of the modeled proteins contained conserved residue involved in ligand binding. In addition, remdesivir, lopinavir, and ritonavir have a high binding affinity for the three proteins studied interacting with key residues in the protein’s catalytic domain. Conclusion: Results from the study revealed that remdesivir, lopinavir, and ritonavir are inhibitors of key coronavirus proteins and therefore qualify for further studies as a potential treatment for coronavirus.

Background: In this paper, an attempt has been made to estimate the Case Fatality Ratio (CFR) for coronavirus disease of India and a few selected countries. And also, it highlighted the pros and cons of obtaining crude and adjusted CFR of COVID-19 pandemic. Material and Methods: Data extracted from the WHO situation report and the University of Oxford website have been used for this analysis. The CFR and its 95% confidence interval were computed, trend and bar plot was used for graphical representation. Results: The worldwide crude CFR stands 6.73% (95% CI 6.69 to 6.76) based on 21, 83, 877 confirmed and 1,46,872 death cases(as on 17th April, 2020). Belgium was the highest CFR at 13.95% as compared to others. However, India’s CFR was found to be around 3.26% (as on 17th April, 2020). Conclusion: In conclusion, the estimation and interpretation of CFR are critical in response to ongoing COVID-19. The initial CFR estimates are subject to change, still, it is useful for healthcare planning over the coming months. Moreover, the precise and robust estimates of CFR will be available only at the end of the epidemic.

Background: Several therapeutic possibilities have been explored against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-2 (SARS-CoV-2), such as convalescent plasma (CP), intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and monoclonal antibodies. Compounds such as hydroxychloroquine have also been found to have fatal drawbacks. Repurposing of existing antiviral drugs can be an effective strategy, which could fasten up the process of drug discovery.

Objective: The present study is designed to predict the computational efficacy of pre-existing antiviral drugs as inhibitors for the Nsp10-Nsp16 complex protein of SARS-CoV-2.

Methods: Twenty-six known antiviral drugs along with their similar structures based on Tanimoto similarity, were screened towards the Nsp10-Nsp16 complex’s active site.

Results: Our study reports competitive binding of 1-[3-[2-(2-Ethoxyphenoxy) ethylamino]-2- hydroxypropyl] -9H-carbazol-4-ol against AdoMet binding site in Nsp10-Nsp16 complex. Formation of the stable ligand-receptor complex with 1-[3-[2-(2-Ethoxyphenoxy) ethylamino]-2-hydroxypropyl] -9Hcarbazol- 4-ol could functionally inhibit the Nsp10-Nsp16 complex, thereby making the SARS-CoV-2 vulnerable to host immuno-surveillance mechanisms.

Conclusion: We conclude that these computational hits can display positive results in in-vitro trials against SARS-CoV-2.