Infectious Disorders - Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets - Infectious Disorders) - Volume 23, Issue 4, 2023

Aim: HIV infection is currently an incurable disease characterized by life-long drug utility. Its incurable causality and mechanism are still unknown to us. Methods: To overcome this therapeutic setback, some breakthroughs should be made by utilizing different approaches. How to plan some experimental and clinical novelty for HIV curability is a modern challenge. In this article, new ideas and approaches for global HIV/AIDS therapeutic strategies are proposed and represented by scientific insights. Results: Pharmaceutical characteristics, herbal medicine, novel drug targets, cutting-edge biotherapy, drug combination, animal modalities, and immune-stimuli for HIV latency, as well as clearance, are highlighted. Discussion: To elucidate our understanding of curative treatment for HIV/AIDS, many new pathological discoveries, expansion, technical advances, and potential drug targets are constructed. After the discovery of novel pathogenesis and therapeutic evolution, HIV/AIDS therapeutic curability may become achievable and a reality. Conclusion: Transformation from animal model investigation to widespread therapies for larger volume of human population is a necessity in modern medicine. In this infectious treatment scenario, major breakthroughs in medicine and drug development are anticipated.

Introduction: The accurate number of COVID-19 cases is essential knowledge to control an epidemic. Currently, one of the most important obstacles in estimating the exact number of COVID-19 patients is the absence of typical clinical symptoms in a large number of people, called asymptomatic infections. In this systematic review, we included and evaluated the studies mainly focusing on the prediction of undetected COVID-19 incidence and mortality rates as well as the reproduction numbers, utilizing various mathematical models. Methods: This systematic review aims to investigate the estimating methods of undetected infections in the COVID-19 outbreak. Databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane, and Embase, were searched for a combination of keywords. Applying the inclusion/exclusion criteria, all retrieved English literature by April 7, 2022, were reviewed for data extraction through a two-step screening process; first, titles/abstracts, and then full-text. This study is consistent with the PRISMA checklist. Results: In this study, 61 documents were retrieved using a systematic search strategy. After an initial review of retrieved articles, 6 articles were excluded and the remaining 55 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final review. Most of the studies used mathematical models to estimate the number of underreported asymptomatic infected cases, assessing incidence and prevalence rates more precisely. The spread of COVID-19 has been investigated using various mathematical models. The output statistics were compared with official statistics obtained from different countries. Although the number of reported patients was lower than the estimated numbers, it appeared that the mathematical calculations could be a useful measure to predict pandemics and proper planning. Conclusion: In conclusion, our study demonstrates the effectiveness of mathematical models in unraveling the true burden of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of more precise, and accurate infection and mortality rates, and reproduction numbers, thus, statistical mathematical modeling could be an effective tool for measuring the detrimental global burden of pandemic infections. Additionally, they could be a really useful method for future pandemics and would assist the healthcare and public health systems with more accurate and valid information.

Introduction: Earlier studies demonstrated a decreased level of physical activity (PA) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, we aimed to systematically review the relevant studies among various age groups and explore the impact on physical and mental health. Methods: We searched and retrieved all relevant articles using the keywords on the online databases of PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane from the start of the pandemic until May 3rd, 2021. A two-phase screening process of identified records was carried out to shortlist the most relevant studies. First, the studies were evaluated based on their title/abstract, and then the full-text of included studies was thoroughly read. The eligible studies based on the eligibility criteria were included in this review. Results: A total of 57 studies were included based on the eligibility criteria. Lockdowns and infection with SARS-CoV-2 have led to a decreased level of PA in the general population compared to the prepandemic era. Men had significantly less PA compared to women in some studies, probably due to higher pre-pandemic PA. The level of PA among those with chronic diseases also significantly diminished, putting them at a higher risk of cardiovascular incidents. Sedentary lifestyles have dominated people’s life, including adolescents and university students. The increased levels of mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, and occupational stress, have been suggested to contribute to the decreased PA. On the other hand, the decreased PA appeared to lead to more mental health issues. Fortunately, the decreasing trend of PA seemed to taper towards the end of the quarantines. Conclusion: Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent quarantines reduced PA among all age groups and both sexes and had detrimental effects on people's physical and mental health. We suggest countries implement strategies to alleviate restrictions and encourage people to exercise in safe environments and prepare healthy routines for themselves.

Background: Some individuals may experience symptoms persisting for many months after the recovery from COVID-19 and patients with Long COVID are managed mainly with symptomatic treatment and supportive care. Objective: This review article focuses on the beneficial effects of black seeds (Nigella sativa) in the management of long COVID and persistent COVID symptoms. Methods: The literature was searched in databases such as LitCOVID, Web of Science, Google Scholar, bioRxiv, medRxiv, Science Direct, EBSCO, Scopus, Embase, and reference lists to identify studies, which evaluated various effects of black seeds (N. sativa) related to signs and symptoms of long COVID. Results: Black seeds (N. sativa) have shown potential anti-COVID, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antihypertensive, anti-obesity, antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic, and antiasthmatic properties in various clinical, animal, in vitro, in vivo, and in silico studies, which would help the patients recovered from COVID to mitigate Long COVID complications. Conclusion: Patients experiencing Long COVID may use black seeds (N. sativa) as adjunctive therapy in combination with symptomatic treatment and supportive care to prevent further deterioration and hospitalization. The safety and efficacy of N. sativa in patients with Long-COVID would further be established by future randomized controlled clinical trials.

Background: Leprosy is a communicable disease caused by bacteria Mycobacterium leprae. Despite all attempts, it has not been eradicated in several underdeveloped nations since the start of the antibiotic age. It's a social issue as well as a stigmatised disease. Due to these restrictions, randomised controlled trials in leprosy confront numerous obstacles, which are reflected in the quality of study reporting. Objectives: The objective of this study is to use the Consolidated Standard for Reporting Trials (CONSORT) 2010 checklist to assess the quality of leprosy trial reporting. Methods: We assess the quality of reporting of randomised control trials on leprosy conducted after 2010 in the PubMed database, using the CONSORT checklist 2010. Second, we compare the quality of RCT reporting before and after the release of the CONSORT guidelines in 2010. Results: A total of 19 full-text eligible articles were examined and included in the final list of articles, which were then evaluated further. 4 out of 19 trials had a compliance percentage of more than 75%. 6 out of 19 trials had compliance percentage of 50% to 75%. 9 trials had a compliance percentage of below 50%. Highest compliance was 86.48% and the lowest compliance was 32.43%. When compared with trials before 2010, we could see an improvement in some criteria showing a statistically significant rise in comparison with trials conducted before 2010. Conclusion: Leprosy is still a concern in developing countries, which have failed to eradicate the disease despite their best efforts and resources. The compliance of leprosy related RCTs has improved since the introduction of the CONSORT guidelines, but the quality of reporting still remains on the lower side.

The highly transmissible variation of COVID-19 has a new sub-variant known as a variant BA.2.75, which was initially discovered in India and is now found in at least 10 more countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) officials said that the new variant is actively being monitored. It has yet to be determined if the new variation is more clinically severe than its predecessors. It is known that the Omicron strain sub-variants are responsible for this rise in the worldwide COVID tally. It is too early to know if this sub-variant exhibits additional immune evasion characteristics, or is more clinically severe. The extremely contagious BA.2.75 sub-variant of Omicron has been documented in India, but there is no evidence yet that it has increased disease severity or dissemination. Many of the BA.2 lineage's sublineages form a unique collection of mutations as it evolves. A related branch of the BA.2 lineage is B.2.75. The size of genomic sequencing must be increased and maintained for the early detection of the variant strains of SARS-CoV-2. BA.2.75 is the second generation of BA.2 variations and has a high transmissibility level.