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Topic Review
Ivermectin during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Ivermectin (IVM) is a broad-spectrum antiparasitic agent, developed and funded by Merck & Co. in 1974 to control and eradicate onchocerciasis caused by the parasitic worm Onchocerca volvulus in West Africa, which in the 1980s infected approximately 340,000 people. At the time, Africa did not have the resources necessary to seek treatments for this condition. The avermectins, of which IVM is a member, were discovered by Professor Satoshi Ōmura as fermentation products of the bacterium Streptomyces avermitilis at the Kitasato Institute in Tokyo. For this discovery, he received the 2015 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine, which he shared with William Campbell. IVM is used to treat onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis, strongyloidiasis and scabies, and, very recently, has been used to combat lice. The drug’s low cost, high efficacy, safety, and marked tropism for helminths, as well as the fact that it has almost no impact on human biochemistry, have led to the inclusion of IVM in the twentieth list of essential medicines and sixth list of vital medicines in children, a recommendation made by the expert committee of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2019. The safety profile is attributed to its selective affinity for ion channels.
  • 6.0K
  • 22 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Monkeypox Virus
Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is a double-stranded DNA virus belonging to the Orthopox genus in the family Poxviridae. It has a zoonotic origin and MPXV infected wild rodents and primates have been found in central Africa. In humans, symptoms of MPXV infection include fever, head and muscle ache, lymphadenopathy and a characteristic rash that develops into papules, vesicles and pustules which eventually scab over and heal. Monkeypox is less often fatal (case fatality rates range from less than 1% to 3.6% depending on geographic localisation, viral clade and age group) than smallpox (up to 30%) caused by a related Variola virus. MPXV used to be endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, infecting wild animals and occasionally causing zoonotic outbreaks. Exotic animal trade and international travel combined with the increasing susceptibility of the human population due to lack of vaccination facilitated the spread of MPXV to new areas. Since April 2022, over 15.000 of MPX cases have been detected in >60 non-endemic countries around the world, predominantly among men who have sex with men, making it the largest described MPXV outbreak known to date.
  • 4.8K
  • 21 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Pathogenesis and Clinical Presentation of Pott’s Disease
Tuberculosis (TB) prevalence is increasing in developed nations and continuing to cause significant mortality in low- and middle-income countries. As a result of the uptick in cases, there also exists an increased prevalence of extrapulmonary TB. TB is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb). When M. tb disseminates to the vertebral column, it is called Pott’s disease or spinal TB. The frequency, symptoms, and severity of the disease range by the location of the spine and the region of the affected vertebrae. 
  • 4.4K
  • 16 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Antibacterial Designs for Implantable Medical Devices
The uses of implantable medical devices are safer and more common since sterilization methods and techniques were established a century ago; however, device-associated infections (DAIs) are still frequent and becoming a leading complication as the number of medical device implantations keeps increasing.
  • 4.1K
  • 01 Aug 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Nanotechnology-Enabled COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines
COVID-19 mRNA vaccines contain synthetic mRNA sequences encoded for the Spike proteins expressed on the surface of SARS-CoV-2, and utilize the host cells to produce specific antigens that stimulate both humoral and cellular immunities. Lipid nanoparticles are essential to facilitate the intracellular delivery of the mRNA to its action site, the ribosome, to fully exert its effect.
  • 3.7K
  • 13 Apr 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
COVID-19 and Bell’s Palsy
There are various neurological manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Recent data suggest a connection between hemifacial paralysis, or Bell’s palsy, and COVID-19. Although the etiology of Bell’s palsy is unknown, the leading proposed etiology is viral in nature. Since the onset of the pandemic, numerous studies have investigated the relationship between Bell’s palsy, COVID-19 infection, and COVID-19 vaccination. The researchers studied the current literature on the topic of COVID-19 as it relates to Bell’s palsy. 
  • 3.6K
  • 13 Dec 2022
Topic Review
In Vitro Lung Models
In vitro lung models are used to faithfully model basic human pathology and the complexity and diversity of human respiratory tissues and to study emerging viral respiratory pathogens and diseases. These models include conventional cell lines, primary human airway epithelial cell (hAEC) cultures, lung organoids, lung-on-a-chip technology, ex vivo lung perfusion (EVLP) models and human lung tissue explants.
  • 3.5K
  • 23 Jun 2021
Topic Review
Betulinic Acid
Betulinic acid (BA, 3β-hydroxy-lup-20(29)-en-28-oic acid) is a pentacyclic triterpene acid present predominantly in Betula ssp. (Betulaceae) and is also widely spread in many species belonging to different plant families. BA presents a wide spectrum of remarkable pharmacological properties, such as cytotoxic, anti-HIV, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic and antimicrobial activities, including antiprotozoal effects.
  • 3.5K
  • 24 May 2021
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
COVID-19: Gender and Outcomes
The existence of differences in susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection between males and females in both incidence and outcomes is well documented in the scientific literature. These differences, which are still underestimated, may have important implications in terms of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of COVID-19, with significant prognostic consequences. The greater severity of the infection observed in males, even more so if they are elderly, would seem, according to current knowledge, to be due to multiple influences: immunological and endocrinological, but also genetic and behavioral.
  • 3.4K
  • 22 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Bioevaluation of Artemisia judaica L. Plant’s Essential Oil
Artemisia judaica (ArJ) is a Mediterranean aromatic plant used traditionally to treat gastrointestinal ailments, skin diseases, atherosclerosis, and as an immuno-stimulant. Researches validate the curative role of ArJ in the treatment of skin wounds, which is attributed to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, as well as its high proportion of oxygenated monoterpenes and cinnamate derivatives.
  • 3.4K
  • 21 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Urinary Tract Infections during the COVID-19 Pandemic
The landscape of management of urinary tract infections (UTI) is changing rapidly. The COVID-19 pandemic draws the attention to the SARS-CoV-2 management with a subsequent reduced attention on bacterial infections. The COVID-19 diffusion containing procedures, such as use of facemasks and handwashing, have reduced spreading of bacteria and bacterial lung infections.
  • 3.3K
  • 21 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Vitamin D in Long COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has quickly become a global pandemic. Reports from different parts of the world indicate that a significant proportion of people who have recovered from COVID-19 are suffering from various health problems collectively referred to as “long COVID-19”. Common symptoms include fatigue, shortness of breath, cough, joint pain, chest pain, muscle aches, headaches, and so on. Vitamin D is an immunomodulatory hormone with proven efficacy against various upper respiratory tract infections. Vitamin D can inhibit hyperinflammatory reactions and accelerate the healing process in the affected areas, especially in lung tissue. Moreover, vitamin D deficiency has been associated with the severity and mortality of COVID-19 cases, with a high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D found in patients with COVID-19 and acute respiratory failure. However, no evidence has been found to support a role of vitamin D supplementation in reducing symptoms of long-COVID-19. On the other hand, having a higher vitamin D level before SARS-CoV-2 infection or raising it rapidly at the first symptoms of infection can significantly reduce the risk and severity of COVID-19.
  • 3.3K
  • 29 Apr 2022
Topic Review
MALDI–TOF Mass Spectrometry in Microbiology
Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique that has emerged as a powerful tool in clinical microbiology for identifying peptides and proteins, which makes it a promising tool for microbial identification. Matrix assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight MS (MALDI–TOF MS) offers a cost- and time-effective alternative to conventional methods, such as bacterial culture and even 16S rRNA gene sequencing, for identifying viruses, bacteria and fungi and detecting virulence factors and mechanisms of resistance. 
  • 3.2K
  • 24 Nov 2021
Topic Review
Phage ImmunoPrecipitation Sequencing (PhIP-Seq)
Phage ImmunoPrecipitation Sequencing (PhIP-Seq) is a serological technology that is revolutionizing the manner in which we track antibody profiles. It is an antigen-specific antibody detection assay that is high throughput, highly sensitive, and mega-plexable (i.e., ability of plexing over a large number of different peptides).
  • 3.1K
  • 06 Jun 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
COVID-19-Associated Encephalopathy (COVEP): Basic Aspects of Neuropathology
SARS-CoV-2, a member of the betacoronavirus group and causative agent of COVID-19, is a virus affecting multiple systems, not only the respiratory. One of the systems affected by the virus is the central nervous system, with neuropathological studies reporting a wide set of morphological phenomena—neuroinflammation, vascular and blood-brain barrier alterations, neurodegeneration, and accelerated aging, while contradicting data is present on the direct neuroinvasive potential of the virus and active viral replication within neurons. The depicted changes, other than an acute effect (which may contribute to the death of the patient) also have chronic sequelae in the context of post-COVID syndrome cognitive impediments, sleep, and mood disorders. The following chapter describe the basic neuropathological aspects of SARS-CoV-2 as based on the present evidence in scientific literature and propose the term COVEP—COVID-associated encephalopathy—to unite the undisputed effects of the infection on nervous system morphology and function.
  • 3.1K
  • 28 Nov 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
SARS, MERS and COVID-19-Associated Renal Pathology
Coronaviruses are a large group of RNA viruses, the most notable representatives of which are SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. Human coronavirus infections were first documented in the 1960s, when members causing seasonal common colds were successfully replicated in human embryonal trachea and kidney cell cultures and classified based on electron microscopy. The history of coronaviruses stretched far back to that point, however, with some representatives causing disease in animals identified several decades prior and evolutionary data pointing towards the origin of this viral group more than 55 million years ago. In the short time period of research since they were discovered, coronaviruses have shown significant diversity, genetic peculiarities and varying tropism, resulting in the three identified causative agents of severe disease in humans—SARS, MERS and the most recent one, COVID-19, which has surpassed the previous two due to causing a pandemic resulting in significant healthcare, social and political consequences. Coronaviruses are likely to have caused pandemics long before, such as the so-called Asian or Russian influenza. Despite being epitheliotropic viruses and predominantly affecting the respiratory system, these entities affect multiple systems and organs, including the kidneys. In the kidneys, they actively replicate in glomerular podocytes and epithelial cells of the tubules, resulting in acute kidney injury, seen in a significant percentage of severe and fatal cases. Furthermore, the endothelial affinity of the viruses, resulting in endotheliitis, increases the likelihood of thrombotic microangiopathy, damaging the kidneys in a two-hit mechanism. As such, recently, COVAN has been a suggested nomenclature change indicating renal involvement in coronavirus infections and its long-lasting consequences. 
  • 3.0K
  • 10 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Epidemiology of Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in which case it is known as latent tuberculosis. About 10% of latent infections progress to active disease which, if left untreated, kills about half of those affected. Typical symptoms of active TB are a chronic cough with blood-containing mucus, fever, night sweats, and weight loss. It was historically called consumption due to the weight loss. Infection of other organs can cause a wide range of symptoms. Tuberculosis is spread from one person to the next through the air when people who have active TB in their lungs cough, spit, speak, or sneeze. People with latent TB do not spread the disease. Active infection occurs more often in people with HIV/AIDS and in those who smoke. Diagnosis of active TB is based on chest X-rays, as well as microscopic examination and culture of body fluids. Diagnosis of latent TB relies on the tuberculin skin test (TST) or blood tests. Prevention of TB involves screening those at high risk, early detection and treatment of cases, and vaccination with the bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine. Those at high risk include household, workplace, and social contacts of people with active TB. Treatment requires the use of multiple antibiotics over a long period of time. Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem with increasing rates of multiple drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). As of 2018, one quarter of the world's population was thought to have latent infection with TB. New infections occur in about 1% of the population each year. In 2018, there were more than 10 million cases of active TB, resulting in 1.5 million deaths and making it the number one cause of death from an infectious disease at that time. As of 2018, most TB cases occurred in the regions of South-East Asia (44%), Africa (24%) and the Western Pacific (18%), with more than 50% of cases being diagnosed in eight countries: India (27%), China (9%), Indonesia (8%), the Philippines (6%), Pakistan (6%), Nigeria (4%) and Bangladesh (4%). The number of new cases each year has decreased since 2000. About 80% of people in many Asian and African countries test positive while 5–10% of people in the United States population test positive by the tuberculin test. Tuberculosis has been present in humans since ancient times. 
  • 3.0K
  • 09 Oct 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Dental Patients’ Perspective on COVID-19: A Systematic Review
The COVID-19 epidemic has changed patients’ approach to dental treatments. While dentists worldwide have shown an excellent level of adaptability to face the new challenges presented by the unprecedented situation due to the rapid spread of COVID-19, dental patients have witnessed a sudden suspension of elective treatments and a slow resumption of dental care activities after several national lockdowns. In addition, the general climate of anxiety and fear due to the high COVID-19 risk and the high level of mortality has influenced the perception and attitudes of people towards dental activity, inducing many dental patients to avoid appointments to the dentist if not highly urgent. We present an overview of the current state of knowledge about dental patients’ perception, perspective, attitude, and expectations towards a full resumption of regular dental treatments.
  • 3.0K
  • 27 Sep 2022
Topic Review
The Importance of Capsules in Dry Powder Inhalers
Capsule-based dry powder inhalers (cDPI) use a hard capsule that contains a powder formulation which consists of a mixture of a micronized drug and a carrier usually the lactose, known for its good lung tolerance. The capsule is either inserted into the device during manufacturer or by the patient prior to use. After perforating, opening or cut the capsule in the device, patients take a deep and rapid breath to inhale the powder, using air as the vector of drug displacement. The system is simple, relatively cheap and characterized by a lower carbon footprint than that of pressurized metered dose inhalers. 
  • 3.0K
  • 29 Mar 2022
Topic Review Peer Reviewed
Simple Formulae, Deep Learning and Elaborate Modeling for the Covid-19 Pandemic
Predictive modelling of infectious diseases is very important in planning public health policies, particularly during outbreaks. This work reviews the forecasting and mechanistic models published earlier. It is emphasized that researchers’ forecasting models exhibit, for large t, algebraic behavior, as opposed to the exponential behavior of the classical logistic-type models used usually in epidemics. Remarkably, a newly introduced mechanistic model also exhibits, for large t, algebraic behavior in contrast to the usual Susceptible-Exposed-Infectious-Removed (SEIR) models, which exhibit exponential behavior. The unexpected success of researchers’ simple forecasting models provides a strong support for the validity of this novel mechanistic model. It is also shown that the mathematical tools used for the analysis of the first wave may also be useful for the analysis of subsequent waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • 2.9K
  • 28 Sep 2022
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