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Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

Can Covid-19 Vaccines Induce Premature Non-Communicable Diseases: Where Are We Heading To?, Altijana Hromić-Jahjefendić, Debmalya Barh, Vladimir N. Uversky, Alaa A. A. Aljabali, Murtaza M. Tambuwala, Fuad M. Alzahrani, Saleh Alshammeri, Kenneth Lundstrom Jan 2023

Can Covid-19 Vaccines Induce Premature Non-Communicable Diseases: Where Are We Heading To?, Altijana Hromić-Jahjefendić, Debmalya Barh, Vladimir N. Uversky, Alaa A. A. Aljabali, Murtaza M. Tambuwala, Fuad M. Alzahrani, Saleh Alshammeri, Kenneth Lundstrom

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

According to the WHO, as of January 2023, more than 850 million cases and over 6.6 million deaths from COVID-19 have been reported worldwide. Currently, the death rate has been reduced due to the decreased pathogenicity of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, but the major factor in the reduced death rates is the administration of more than 12.8 billion vaccine doses globally. While the COVID-19 vaccines are saving lives, serious side effects have been reported after vaccinations for several premature non-communicable diseases (NCDs). However, the reported adverse events are low in number. The scientific community must investigate the entire spectrum of COVID-19-vaccine-induced …


A Case Of Transverse Myelitis Secondary To Covid-19 Infection, Rahul Borra, Neal T. Patel, Raheel Shaikh, Mayur S. Parmar, Sujatha Borra Dec 2022

A Case Of Transverse Myelitis Secondary To Covid-19 Infection, Rahul Borra, Neal T. Patel, Raheel Shaikh, Mayur S. Parmar, Sujatha Borra

HPD Articles

Infection with COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) is associated with a variety of generalized and specific symptoms, including neurological complications of both the peripheral and central nervous systems. In this case report, we present the case of a previously healthy 55-year-old woman who was diagnosed with transverse myelitis following a previous infection with COVID-19. MRI showed progressive demyelination of the cervical and thoracic spinal cord, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) showed increased levels of protein and red blood cells and no markers of infection, including negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for COVID-19 antibodies. The patient was treated with a course of methylprednisolone, multiple treatments …


Effects Of Covid-19 On Pregnant Women And Newborns: A Review, Bhavesh M. Patel, Deepesh Khanna, Siya Khanna, Vera Hapshy, Pragya Khanna, Payal Kahar, Mayur S. Parmar Oct 2022

Effects Of Covid-19 On Pregnant Women And Newborns: A Review, Bhavesh M. Patel, Deepesh Khanna, Siya Khanna, Vera Hapshy, Pragya Khanna, Payal Kahar, Mayur S. Parmar

HPD Articles

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel coronavirus originated in Wuhan, China, and spread all over the world, causing the worst pandemic of the century. The disease has a broad continuum of clinical presentations, from mild to life-threatening. The virus is highly contagious and transmittable to humans. Emerging evidence of its effects on pregnant women and newborns is inconsistent and ever-evolving. Therefore, the objective of this review is to compile the scientific literature on the effects of SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus on pregnancy, pregnant women, and newborns. Data were obtained by several authors using PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, and Web …


A Review Of Covid-19 In Relation To Metabolic Syndrome: Obesity, Hypertension, Diabetes, And Dyslipidemia, Elias Makhoul, Joseph L. Aklinski, Jesse Miller, Cara Leonard, Sean Backer, Payal Kahar, Mayur S. Parmar, Deepesh Khanna Jul 2022

A Review Of Covid-19 In Relation To Metabolic Syndrome: Obesity, Hypertension, Diabetes, And Dyslipidemia, Elias Makhoul, Joseph L. Aklinski, Jesse Miller, Cara Leonard, Sean Backer, Payal Kahar, Mayur S. Parmar, Deepesh Khanna

HPD Articles

Although severe cases and mortality of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are proportionally infrequent, these cases are strongly linked to patients with conditions of metabolic syndrome (obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia). However, the pathophysiology of COVID-19 in relation to metabolic syndrome is not well understood. Thus, the goal of this secondary literature review was to examine the relationship between severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) infection and the individual conditions of metabolic syndrome. The objective of this secondary literature review was achieved by examining primary studies, case studies, and other secondary studies, to obtain a comprehensive perspective of theories and observations of …


The Development Of Inhibitors For Sars-Cov-2 Orf8, My Thanh Thao Nguyen Apr 2022

The Development Of Inhibitors For Sars-Cov-2 Orf8, My Thanh Thao Nguyen

CSB and SJU Distinguished Thesis

An unexpected outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 caused a worldwide pandemic in 2020. Many repurposed drugs were tested, but there are currently only three FDA approved antivirals (Merck’s antiviral Molnupiravir, Pfizer’s antiviral Paxlovid, and Remdisivir).1 Most of the antiviral drugs tested SARS-CoV-2 main protease and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. However, it is important to explore different drug targets of SARS-CoV-2 to prepare for the virus mutations of the future. This research looks at an alternative approach in which SARSCoV- 2 Open Reading Frame 8 (ORF8), which has been shown to be a rapidly evolving hypervariable gene, was chosen to be the protein of …


Sars-Cov-2 Intermittent Virulence As A Result Of Natural Selection, Alberto Rubio-Casillas, Elrashdy M. Redwan, Vladimir N. Uversky Jan 2022

Sars-Cov-2 Intermittent Virulence As A Result Of Natural Selection, Alberto Rubio-Casillas, Elrashdy M. Redwan, Vladimir N. Uversky

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

For the first time in history, we have witnessed the origin and development of a pandemic. To handle the accelerated accumulation of viral mutations and to comprehend the virus’ evolutionary adaptation in humans, an unparalleled program of genetic sequencing and monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 variants has been undertaken. Several scientists have theorized that, with the Omicron surge producing a more contagious but less severe disease, the end of COVID-19 is near. However, by analyzing the behavior shown by this virus for 2 years, we have noted that pandemic viruses do not always show decreased virulence. Instead, it appears there is an …


Early Taurine Administration As A Means For Halting The Cytokine Storm Progression In Covid-19 Patients, Alberto Rubio-Casillas, Ramesh C. Gupta, Elrashdy M. Redwan, Vladimir N. Uversky, Raied A. Badierah Jan 2022

Early Taurine Administration As A Means For Halting The Cytokine Storm Progression In Covid-19 Patients, Alberto Rubio-Casillas, Ramesh C. Gupta, Elrashdy M. Redwan, Vladimir N. Uversky, Raied A. Badierah

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Around the world, more than 6.2 million individuals have died as a result of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). According to a recent survey conducted among immunologists, epidemiologists, and virologists, this disease is expected to become endemic. This implies that the disease could have a continuous presence and/or normal frequency in the population. Pharmacological interventions to prevent infection, as well as to treat the patients at an early phase of illness to avoid hospitalization are essential additions to the vaccines. Taurine is known to inhibit the generation of all inflammatory mediators linked to the cytokine storm. It can also protect against …


Sars-Cov-2: A Master Of Immune Evasion, Alberto Rubio-Casillas, Elrashdy M. Redwan, Vladimir N. Uversky Jan 2022

Sars-Cov-2: A Master Of Immune Evasion, Alberto Rubio-Casillas, Elrashdy M. Redwan, Vladimir N. Uversky

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Viruses and their hosts have coevolved for a long time. This coevolution places both the pathogen and the human immune system under selective pressure; on the one hand, the immune system has evolved to combat viruses and virally infected cells, while viruses have developed sophisticated mechanisms to escape recognition and destruction by the immune system. SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen that is causing the current COVID-19 pandemic, has shown a remarkable ability to escape antibody neutralization, putting vaccine efficacy at risk. One of the virus’s immune evasion strategies is mitochondrial sabotage: by causing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, mitochondrial physiology is impaired, …


Would New Sars-Cov-2 Variants Change The War Against Covid-19?, Elrashdy M. Redwan, Fatma Elrashdy, Alaa A.A. Aljabali, Wagner Baetas-Da-Cruz, Debmalya Barh, Adam M. Brufsky, Sk. Sarif Hassan, Kenneth Lundstrom, Ángel Serrano-Aroca, Kazuo Takayama, Murtaza M. Tambuwala, Bruce D. Uhal, Vladimir N. Uversky Jan 2022

Would New Sars-Cov-2 Variants Change The War Against Covid-19?, Elrashdy M. Redwan, Fatma Elrashdy, Alaa A.A. Aljabali, Wagner Baetas-Da-Cruz, Debmalya Barh, Adam M. Brufsky, Sk. Sarif Hassan, Kenneth Lundstrom, Ángel Serrano-Aroca, Kazuo Takayama, Murtaza M. Tambuwala, Bruce D. Uhal, Vladimir N. Uversky

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

The scientific, private, and industrial sectors use a wide variety of technological platforms available to achieve protection against SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), including vaccines. However, the virus evolves continually into new highly virulent variants, which might overcome the protection provided by vaccines and may re-expose the population to infections. Mass vaccinations should be continued in combination with more or less mandatory non-pharmaceutical interventions. Therefore, the key questions to be answered are: (i) How to identify the primary and secondary infections of SARS-CoV-2? (ii) Why are neutralizing antibodies not long-lasting in both cases of natural infections and post-vaccinations? …


Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis With Various Doses Of Hydroxychloroquine Among Healthcare Personnel With High-Risk Exposure To Covid-19: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Fibhaa Syed, Muhammad Hassan, Mohammad Ali Arif, Sadia Batool, Rauf Niazi, Ume E Laila, Sadia Ashraf, Junaid Arshad Dec 2021

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis With Various Doses Of Hydroxychloroquine Among Healthcare Personnel With High-Risk Exposure To Covid-19: A Randomized Controlled Trial, Fibhaa Syed, Muhammad Hassan, Mohammad Ali Arif, Sadia Batool, Rauf Niazi, Ume E Laila, Sadia Ashraf, Junaid Arshad

Journal Articles

Objective This trial aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with various hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) doses against a placebo among healthcare personnel (HCP) with high-risk exposure to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID 19). Methods A phase II, randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted including 200 subjects with no active or past severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection (antibody testing and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were taken at the time of enrollment). Subjects of experimental groups one to three received HCQ in various doses and the control group received a placebo. The study outcomes in terms of …


Potential Molecular Mechanisms Of Rare Anti-Tumor Immune Response By Sars-Cov-2 In Isolated Cases Of Lymphomas, Debmalya Barh, Sandeep Tiwary, Lucas Gabriel Rodrigues Gomes, Marianna E. Weener, Khalid J. Alzahrani, Khalaf F. Alsharif, Alaa A. A. Aljabali, Murtaza M. Tambuwala, Kenneth Lundstrom, Sk. Sarif Hassan, Ángel Serrano-Aroca, Kazuo Takayama, Preetam Ghosh, Elrashdy M. Redwan, Bruno Silva Andrade, Siomar De Castro Soares, Vasco Azevedo, Vladimir N. Uversky Jan 2021

Potential Molecular Mechanisms Of Rare Anti-Tumor Immune Response By Sars-Cov-2 In Isolated Cases Of Lymphomas, Debmalya Barh, Sandeep Tiwary, Lucas Gabriel Rodrigues Gomes, Marianna E. Weener, Khalid J. Alzahrani, Khalaf F. Alsharif, Alaa A. A. Aljabali, Murtaza M. Tambuwala, Kenneth Lundstrom, Sk. Sarif Hassan, Ángel Serrano-Aroca, Kazuo Takayama, Preetam Ghosh, Elrashdy M. Redwan, Bruno Silva Andrade, Siomar De Castro Soares, Vasco Azevedo, Vladimir N. Uversky

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Recently, two cases of complete remission of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) and follicular lymphoma (FL) after SARS-CoV-2 infection were reported. However, the precise molecular mechanism of this rare event is yet to be understood. Here, we hypothesize a potential anti-tumor immune response of SARS-CoV-2 and based on a computational approach show that: (i) SARS-CoV-2 Spike-RBD may bind to the extracellular domains of CD15, CD27, CD45, and CD152 receptors of cHL or FL and may directly inhibit cell proliferation. (ii) Alternately, upon internalization after binding to these CD molecules, the SARS-CoV-2 membrane (M) protein and ORF3a may bind to gamma-tubulin complex …


Covid-19 Vaccines And Thrombosis—Roadblock Or Dead-End Street?, Kenneth Lundstrom, Debmalya Barh, Bruce D. Uhal, Kazuo Takayama, Alaa A. A. Aljabali, Tarek Mohamed Abd El-Aziz, Amos Lal, Elrashdy M. Redwan, Parise Adadi, Gaurav Chauhan, Samendra P. Sherchan, Gajendra Kumar Azad, Nima Rezaei, Ángel Serrano-Aroca, Nicolas G. Bazan, Sk. Sarif Hassan, Pritam Kumar Panda, Pabitra Pal Choudhury, Damiano Pizzol, Ramesh Kandimalla, Wagner Baetas-Da-Cruz, Yogendra Kumar Mishra, Giorgio Palù, Adam M. Brufsky, Murtaza M. Tambuwala, Vladimir N. Uversky Jan 2021

Covid-19 Vaccines And Thrombosis—Roadblock Or Dead-End Street?, Kenneth Lundstrom, Debmalya Barh, Bruce D. Uhal, Kazuo Takayama, Alaa A. A. Aljabali, Tarek Mohamed Abd El-Aziz, Amos Lal, Elrashdy M. Redwan, Parise Adadi, Gaurav Chauhan, Samendra P. Sherchan, Gajendra Kumar Azad, Nima Rezaei, Ángel Serrano-Aroca, Nicolas G. Bazan, Sk. Sarif Hassan, Pritam Kumar Panda, Pabitra Pal Choudhury, Damiano Pizzol, Ramesh Kandimalla, Wagner Baetas-Da-Cruz, Yogendra Kumar Mishra, Giorgio Palù, Adam M. Brufsky, Murtaza M. Tambuwala, Vladimir N. Uversky

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Two adenovirus-based vaccines, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and Ad26.COV2.S, and two mRNA-based vaccines, BNT162b2 and mRNA.1273, have been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and are invaluable in preventing and reducing the incidence of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). Recent reports have pointed to thrombosis with associated thrombocytopenia as an adverse effect occurring at a low frequency in some individuals after vaccination. The causes of such events may be related to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein interactions with different C-type lectin receptors, heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) and the CD147 receptor, or to different soluble splice variants of the spike protein, adenovirus vector interactions with the …


On The Safety Of The Covid-19 Convalescent Plasma Treatment: Thrombotic And Thromboembolic Concerns, Fatma Elrashdy, Elrashdy M. Redwan, Vladimir N. Uversky Jan 2021

On The Safety Of The Covid-19 Convalescent Plasma Treatment: Thrombotic And Thromboembolic Concerns, Fatma Elrashdy, Elrashdy M. Redwan, Vladimir N. Uversky

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Recently, it was reported that near-sourced COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CP) is more efficient than distantly sourced CP. What was left behind in this analysis is the investigation of the possible causes of mortality associated with the CP transfusion itself. Knowing this information is important for determining whether not receiving CP of near source is the main cause of high rate of death in the group of patients who received distantly sourced CP. We argue that the thrombotic and thromboembolic events may act as risk factors for adverse complications and death associated with CP transfusion. Therefore, they have to be considered …


Unexpected Ground-Glass Opacities On Abdominopelvic Ct Of A Patient With A Negative Sars-Cov-2 Antigen Test Result And No Respiratory Symptoms Upon Admission, Carol Soler-Luna, Domingo Reynoso-Saldana, Monica I. Burgos, Cesar H. Gutierrez Oct 2020

Unexpected Ground-Glass Opacities On Abdominopelvic Ct Of A Patient With A Negative Sars-Cov-2 Antigen Test Result And No Respiratory Symptoms Upon Admission, Carol Soler-Luna, Domingo Reynoso-Saldana, Monica I. Burgos, Cesar H. Gutierrez

School of Medicine Publications and Presentations

One of the biggest challenges during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to be the detection of asymptomatic and presymptomatic persons infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Persons infected with SARS-CoV-2 who do not have symptoms of COVID-19 may transmit the virus to others and may have subclinical lung abnormalities. Some hospitals use SARSCoV-2 antigen tests for pre-admission screening testing because they are relatively inexpensive, have a rapid turnaround time, and can be performed at the point of care; however, antigen tests are generally less sensitive than nucleic acid amplification tests with reverse transcription polymerase chain …


Covid-19 And Liver Injury: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Jawad Ahmed, Tehlil Rizwan, Farheen Malik, Raniyah Akhter, Mehreen Malik, Junaid Ahmad, Abdul Wasay Khan, Muhammad A. Chaudhary, Muhammad Shariq Usman Jul 2020

Covid-19 And Liver Injury: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Jawad Ahmed, Tehlil Rizwan, Farheen Malik, Raniyah Akhter, Mehreen Malik, Junaid Ahmad, Abdul Wasay Khan, Muhammad A. Chaudhary, Muhammad Shariq Usman

Department of Anaesthesia

Background and Aims: The prevalence and extent of liver damage in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients remain poorly understood, primarily due to small-sized epidemiological studies with varying definitions of “liver injury”. We conducted a meta-analysis to derive generalizable, well-powered estimates of liver injury prevalence in COVID-19 patients. We also aimed to assess whether liver injury prevalence is significantly greater than the baseline prevalence of chronic liver disease (CLD). Our secondary aim was to study whether the degree of liver injury was associated with the severity of COVID-19.
Materials and Methods: Electronic databases (PubMed and Scopus) were systematically searched in June …


Why Covid-19 Transmission Is More Efficient And Aggressive Than Viral Transmission In Previous Coronavirus Epidemics?, Fatma Elrashdy, Elrashdy M. Redwan, Vladimir N. Uversky Jan 2020

Why Covid-19 Transmission Is More Efficient And Aggressive Than Viral Transmission In Previous Coronavirus Epidemics?, Fatma Elrashdy, Elrashdy M. Redwan, Vladimir N. Uversky

Molecular Medicine Faculty Publications

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is causing a pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The worldwide transmission of COVID-19 from human to human is spreading like wildfire, affecting almost every country in the world. In the past 100 years, the globe did not face a microbial pandemic similar in scale to COVID-19. Taken together, both previous outbreaks of other members of the coronavirus family (severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-CoV) and middle east respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV)) did not produce even 1% of the global harm already inflicted by COVID-19. There are also four other CoVs capable of infecting humans …