Life Sciences Commons^™

Higher Entropy Observed In Sars-Cov-2 Genomes From The First Covid-19 Wave In Pakistan, Najia Karim Ghanchi, Asghar Nasir, Kiran I. Masood, Syed Hani Abidi, Syed Faisal Mahmood, Akber Kanji, Safina Abdul Razzak, Waqasuddin Khan, Saba Shahid, Maliha Yameen, Ali Raza, Javaria Ashraf, Zeeshan Ansar Ahmed, Mohammad Buksh Dharejo, Nazneen Islam, Zahra Hasan, Rumina Hasan

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Background: We investigated the genome diversity of SARS-CoV-2 associated with the early COVID-19 period to investigate evolution of the virus in Pakistan.
Materials and methods: We studied ninety SARS-CoV-2 strains isolated between March and October 2020. Whole genome sequences from our laboratory and available genomes were used to investigate phylogeny, genetic variantion and mutation rates of SARS-CoV-2 strains in Pakistan. Site specific entropy analysis compared mutation rates between strains isolated before and after June 2020.
Results: In March, strains belonging to L, S, V and GH clades were observed but by October, only L and GH strains were present. The …

Drug Repurposing For Covid-19 Using Molecular Docking Tools, Deniz Yasar Oztas

Computational and Data Sciences (MS) Theses

Since severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is highly contagious and mortal, finding a treatment is time critical. Drug repurposing is probably the quickest and safest approach in our arsenal. However, testing every drug in a brute force manner would require a lot of resources, and a more sophisticated method is required to filter possible candidates. Since several molecules have already been shown to be effective against SARS-CoV-2 in wet-lab experiments, choosing drugs with similar characteristics would increase our chances of success. In this study, we compare the molecular docking results of FDA-approved drugs from the ZINC database against …

Full Issue: The International Undergraduate Journal Of Health Sciences, Volume 1, Issue 1, June 2021

International Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences

The full June 2021 issue (Volume 1, Issue 1) of the International Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences

Repurposing Potential Of Posaconazole And Grazoprevir As Inhibitors Of Sars-Cov-2 Helicase, Syed Hani Abidi, Nahlah Makki Almansour, Daulet Amerzhanov, Khaled S. Allemailem, Wardah Rafaqat, Mahmoud A A. Ibrahim, Philip La Fleur, Martin Lukac, Syed Ali

Department of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

As the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic engulfs millions worldwide, the quest for vaccines or drugs against the virus continues. The helicase protein of SARS-CoV-2 represents an attractive target for drug discovery since inhibition of helicase activity can suppress viral replication. Using in silico approaches, we have identified drugs that interact with SARS-CoV-2 helicase based on the presence of amino acid arrangements matching binding sites of drugs in previously annotated protein structures. The drugs exhibiting an RMSD of ≤ 3.0 Å were further analyzed using molecular docking, molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, and post-MD analyses. Using these approaches, we …

Genetic And Non-Genetic Factors Affecting The Expression Of Covid-19-Relevant Genes In The Large Airway Epithelium, Silva Kasela, Victor E Ortega, Molly Martorella, Suresh Garudadri, Jenna Nguyen, Elizabeth Ampleford, Anu Pasanen, Srilaxmi Nerella, Kristina L Buschur, Igor Z Barjaktarevic, R Graham Barr, Eugene R Bleecker, Russell P Bowler, Alejandro P Comellas, Christopher B Cooper, David J Couper, Gerard J Criner, Jeffrey L Curtis, Meilan K Han, Nadia N Hansel, Eric A Hoffman, Robert J Kaner, Jerry A Krishnan, Fernando J Martinez, Merry-Lynn N Mcdonald, Deborah A Meyers, Robert Paine, Stephen P Peters, Mario Castro, Loren C Denlinger, Serpil C Erzurum, John V Fahy, Elliot Israel, Nizar N Jarjour, Bruce D Levy, Xingnan Li, Wendy C Moore, Sally E Wenzel, Charles Langelier, Prescott G Woodruff, Tuuli Lappalainen, Stephanie A Christenson

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: The large airway epithelial barrier provides one of the first lines of defense against respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19. Substantial inter-individual variability in individual disease courses is hypothesized to be partially mediated by the differential regulation of the genes that interact with the SARS-CoV-2 virus or are involved in the subsequent host response. Here, we comprehensively investigated non-genetic and genetic factors influencing COVID-19-relevant bronchial epithelial gene expression.

METHODS: We analyzed RNA-sequencing data from bronchial epithelial brushings obtained from uninfected individuals. We related ACE2 gene expression to host and environmental factors in the SPIROMICS cohort of smokers with …

Epigenetic Evolution Of Ace2 And Il-6 Genes: Non-Canonical Interferon-Stimulated Genes Correlate To Covid-19 Susceptibility In Vertebrates, Eric R. Sang, Yun Tian, Laura C. Miller, Yongming Sang

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

The current novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread globally within a matter of months. The virus establishes a success in balancing its deadliness and contagiousness, and causes substantial differences in susceptibility and disease progression in people of different ages, genders and pre-existing comorbidities. These host factors are subjected to epigenetic regulation; therefore, relevant analyses on some key genes underlying COVID-19 pathogenesis were performed to longitudinally decipher their epigenetic correlation to COVID-19 susceptibility. The genes of host angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2, as the major virus receptor) and interleukin (IL)-6 (a key immuno-pathological factor triggering cytokine storm) were shown to evince active …

Pre-Covid-19 Social Determinants Of Health Among Mexican Migrants In Los Angeles And New York City And Their Increased Vulnerability To Unfavorable Health Outcomes During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Mireya Vilar-Compte, Pablo Gaitán‐Rossi, Lucía Félix‐Beltrán, Arturo V. Bustamante

Department of Public Health Scholarship and Creative Works

COVID-19 has disproportionally affected underrepresented minorities (URM) and low-income immigrants in the United States. The aim of the study is to examine the underlying vulnerabilities of Mexican immigrants in New York City (NYC) and Los Angeles (LA), its correspondence with area-level COVID-19 morbidity and mortality, and to document the role of trusted and culturally sensitive services offered during the pandemic through the Ventanillas de Salud (i.e. VDS, Health Windows) program. The study uses a mixed-methods approach including a cross-sectional survey of Mexican immigrants in LA and NYC collected in the Mexican Consulates at the onset of the pandemic, complemented with …

High Prevalence Of Pre-Existing Serological Cross-Reactivity Against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (Sars-Cov-2) In Sub-Saharan Africa, For Yue Tso, Salum J. Lidenge, Phoebe B. Peña, Ashley A. Clegg, John R. Ngowi, Julius Mwaiselage, Owen Ngalamika, Peter Julius, John T. West, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Objective: Significant morbidity and mortality have occurred in the USA, Europe, and Asia due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), whereas the numbers of infections and deaths in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have remained comparatively low. It has been hypothesized that exposure of the population in SSA to other coronaviruses prior to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in some degree of cross-protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection and pathogenesis. We evaluated this hypothesis by comparing SARS-CoV-2 cross-reactive antibodies in pre-pandemic plasma samples collected from SSA and the USA.

Method: Pre-COVID-19 pandemic plasma samples from SSA and the USA were collected and tested by …

High Prevalence Of Pre-Existing Serological Cross-Reactivity Against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (Sars- Cov-2) In Sub-Saharan Africa, For Yue Tso, Salum Lidenge, Phoebe B. Peña, Ashley A. Clegg, John R. Ngowi, Julius Mwaiselage, Owen Ngalamika, Peter Julius, John T. West, Charles Wood

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Objective: Significant morbidity and mortality have occurred in the USA, Europe, and Asia due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), whereas the numbers of infections and deaths in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have remained comparatively low. It has been hypothesized that exposure of the population in SSA to other coronaviruses prior to the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in some degree of cross-protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection and pathogenesis. We evaluated this hypothesis by comparing SARS-CoV-2 cross-reactive antibodies in pre-pandemic plasma samples collected from SSA and the USA.

Method: Pre-COVID-19 pandemic plasma samples from SSA and the USA were collected and tested by …