Correlation between serum interleukin- lß and neonatal sepsis in neonatal intensive care unit in Zagazig University Hospitals

Background: The role of interleukin-lß in the pathogenesis of sepsis is widely accepted, but less is known regarding its role in the newborn period.Objective: The aim of the work was to detect relation between serum level of IL- lß and clinical presentation of neonatal sepsis.Patients and Methods: This case control trial study included a total of thirty-six newborns, attending at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Zagazig University Hospitals. They were categorized into two groups; 18 each: Group I: newborns with suspected clinical sepsis, and Group II (control group) healthy newborns with no sepsis. Interleukin- lß was assessed in all neonates.Results: IL-lß showed significant increase in diseased versus control group (20.07±8.68 versus 1.21±0.48, respectively with p <0.001). IL-lß showed insignificant difference in preterm versus full term neonates. IL-lß showed significant difference in subgroup analysis. Full term neonates in patient group had the highest mean (23.811±10.55 pg/ml, p<0.001).Conclusion: It could be concluded that premature babies have lower IL-1ß serum concentrations, while mature newborns with sepsis had higher IL-1ß serum concentrations than healthy newborns

Enhanced oral permeability of Trans-Resveratrol using nanocochleates for boosting anticancer efficacy; in-vitro and ex-vivo appraisal

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a prevalent liver cancer representing the fourth most lethal cancer worldwide. Trans-Resveratrol (T-R) possesses a promising anticancer activity against HCC. However, it suffers from poor bioavailability because of the low solubility, chemical instability, and hepatic metabolism. Herein, we developed T-R-loaded nanocochleates using a simple trapping method. Nanocarriers were optimized using a comprehensive in-vitro characterization toolset and evaluated for the anticancer activity against HepG2 cell line. T-R-loaded nanocochleates demonstrated monodispersed cylinders (163.27 ± 2.68 nm and 0.25 ± 0.011 PDI) and −46.6 mV ζ-potential. They exhibited a controlled biphasic pattern with minimal burst followed by sustained release for 72 h. Significant enhancements of Caco-2 transport and ex-vivo intestinal permeation over liposomes, with 1.8 and 2.1-folds respectively, were observed. Nanocochleates showed significant reduction of 24 h IC50 values compared to liposomes and free T-R. Moreover, an efficient knockdown of anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2) and cancer stemness (NANOG) genes was demonstrated. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to develop T-R loaded nanocochleates and scrutinize its potential in suppressing NANOG expression, 2-folds lower, compared to free T-R. According to these auspicious outcomes, nanocochleates represent a promising nanoplatform to enhance T-R oral permeability and augment its anticancer efficacy in the treatment of HCC

Can PRP Injection (Platelet-Rich Plasma) Effectively Treat hamstring strain Injuries?

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous concentration of human platelets and has been used for the treatment of tendon, ligament, and muscle injuries. However, it contains deleterious cytokines and growth factors that can cause fibrosis and inhibit optimal muscle healing. PRP therapy has grown in popularity over the past few years but the effect of the PRP with physical rehabilitation is not clear. PURPOSE: To assess the effect of physical rehabilitation with PRP injection on the treatment of hamstring strain injuries. METHOD: Eight physically active males (age 22.7±3.6) with acute hamstring strain injuries and nine matched controls (age 21.9±2.8) were recruited as research participants. Approximately 60 mL of blood was drawn from an antecubital venipuncture then centrifuged to approximately 5-6 mL of PRP by BioMet System. The PRP was injected into the biceps femoral muscle using ultrasound guidance with a single injection that occurred after 5-7 days of injury and before an 8 weeks physical rehabilitation program. After 48 hours of PRP injection, the serums were vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (0.346 ± 0.182 vs 1.504 ± 0.463 pg/L), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) (0.352±0.11 vs 5.72±1.57 pg/L), and Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) (0.577±0.28 vs 1.101±0.381) (p \u3c 0.05). Dependent measures were taken immediately before the PRP injection (pre-test), and after the 8-week rehabilitation program (post-test) for the two groups and included hamstring force (HF), knee flexion range of motion (ROM). RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the posttests of the two groups in hamstring force (105.75±3.18 N vs 107.06± 1.64 N), and (ROM) (148.62±0.78 N vs 147.36± 0.88 N) (p \u3e 0.53). CONCLUSION: Despite the theoretical benefits of PRP to regenerate muscle tissue and expedite return to activity, results indicated that PRP did not affect HF or ROM values when compared to a control group not receiving PRP

Six-week physical rehabilitation protocol for anterior shoulder dislocation in athletes

Anterior shoulder dislocations are common in young athletes. The mechanism for the first or primary shoulder dislocation may involve a collision or a fall typically with the arm in an abducted and externally rotated position. The aim of this study was to design a physical rehabilitation program using the elastic band and resistive exercise to improve joint strength and range of motion in individuals diagnosed with a first-time shoulder dislocation. Twelve physically active males with a first-time acute shoulder dislocation were asked to volunteer. Participants began a physical rehabilitation program 2 weeks after the shoulder dislocation, which was confirmed by a referring physician. The rehabilitation program was 6 weeks in duration and required the participants to engage in progressive resistive loads/duration using elastic bands and weights 5 days per week. Pretest and posttest measures included shoulder strength and range of motion. All outcome measures were compared between the injured and uninjured shoulder, which served as the control condition in this study. There were statistically significant differences between the injured and uninjured shoulder for measures of strength and range of motion during pretests (P\u3c0.01) but not post-tests (P\u3c0.53). Finally, there were no differences between shoulders in regards to the volume measure suggesting that any changes in muscle atrophy or swelling were not detected. The physical rehabilitation program proposed in this study was effective at improving strength and range of motion in the injured shoulder as evidenced by the similarity in posttest values between the injured and uninjured shoulder

Diverse Bioactive Secondary Metabolites from Aspergillus terreus: Antimicrobial, Anticancer and Anti- SARS-CoV-2 Activity Studies

Hamed A, Abdel-Razek AS, Abdelwahab AHMEDB, et al. Diverse Bioactive Secondary Metabolites from Aspergillus terreus: Antimicrobial, Anticancer and Anti- SARS-CoV-2 Activity Studies. 2023.The recently reported microbial natural product N-benzoyl-tryptophane (1) along with twenty-two diverse known bioactive compounds were isolated from the marine Aspergillus terreus LGO13 after its re-cultivation using liquid culture fermentation. Structures of the isolated compounds were established on the basis of HR-ESIMS 1D/2D NMR spectroscopy, and comparison with literature data. The antimicrobial, cytotoxicity, and antiviral activities of the microbial extract and the obtained compounds were investigated using a set of microorganisms, cervix carcinoma KB-3-1, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) A549, and coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), respectively. Molecular docking (MD) simulation was employed to explore the theoretical targets of the isolated metabolites as anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents. Chaetominine (2) seemed to be a potential candidate against papain-like protease (PLpro), one of the viral proteins being aimed by recent research as a possible target of anti-covid agents. Inspired by the MD results, we accordingly assessed the antiviral efficacy of chaetominine (2), fumitremorgin C (6), and azaspirofuran A (9) against SARS-CoV-2. Fumitremorgin C (6) showed a high selectivity index (SI = 20.3), while chaetominine (2) and azaspirofuran A (9) showed moderate selectivity index (SI = 6.6 and 3.2, respectively). These results showed a promising antiviral activity of Fumitremorgin C against SARS-CoV-2 virus

Novel 2-Thiouracil-5-Sulfonamide Derivatives: Design, Synthesis, Molecular Docking, and Biological Evaluation as Antioxidants with 15-LOX Inhibition

New antioxidant agents are urgently required to combat oxidative stress, which is linked to the emergence of serious diseases. In an effort to discover potent antioxidant agents, a novel series of 2-thiouracil-5-sulfonamides (4–9) were designed and synthesized. In line with this approach, our target new compounds were prepared from methyl ketone derivative 3, which was used as a blocking unit for further synthesis of a novel series of chalcone derivatives 4a–d, thiosemicarbazone derivatives 5a–d, pyridine derivatives 6a–d and 7a–d, bromo acetyl derivative 8, and thiazole derivatives 9a–d. All compounds were evaluated as antioxidants against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), lipid peroxidation, and 15-lipoxygenase (15-LOX) inhibition activity. Compounds 5c, 6d, 7d, 9b, 9c, and 9d demonstrated significant RSA in all three techniques in comparison with ascorbic acid and 15-LOX inhibitory effectiveness using quercetin as a standard. Molecular docking of compound 9b endorsed its proper binding at the active site pocket of the human 15-LOX which explains its potent antioxidant activity in comparison with standard ascorbic acid

Incidence of Persistent SARS-CoV-2 Gut Infection in Patients with History of COVID-19: Insights from Endoscopic Examination

Background: Gut affection is common during acute COVID-19, and persistent SARS-CoV-2 gut infection has been reported months after the initial infection, potentially linked to long COVID syndrome. This study tested the incidence of persistent gut infection in patients with a history of COVID-19 undergoing endoscopic examination. Methods: Endoscopic biopsies were prospectively collected from patients with previous COVID-19 infection undergoing upper or lower gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGE or LGE). Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the presence of persistent SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid proteins. Results: A total of 166 UGEs and 83 LGE were analyzed. No significant differences were observed between patients with positive and negative immunostaining regarding the number of previous COVID-19 infections, time since the last infection, symptoms, or vaccination statuses. The incidence of positive immunostaining was significantly higher in UGE biopsies than in LGE biopsies (37.34% vs. 16.87%, p = .002). Smokers showed a significantly higher incidence of positive immunostaining in the overall cohort and UGE and LGE subgroups (p < .001). Diabetic patients exhibited a significantly higher incidence in the overall cohort (p = .002) and UGE subgroup (p = .022), with a similar trend observed in the LGE subgroup (p = .055). Conclusion: Gut mucosal tissues can act as a long-term reservoir for SARS-CoV-2, retaining viral particles for months following the primary COVID-19 infection. Smokers and individuals with diabetes may be at an increased risk of persistent viral gut infection. These findings provide insights into the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the gut and have implications for further research

Antiviral activity of Humulus lupulus (HOP) aqueous extract against MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2: in-vitro and in-silico study

AbstractCoronaviruses emerged three times in the last two decades and became a source of concern globally. Humulus lupulus plant has been used widely in medical science. Our objective in this study was to determine the effects of the crude extract of H. lupulus in inhibiting MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 viruses’ replication in vitro using Vero E6 cell lines and predict the antiviral activity of its identified compounds against the receptor binding (RBD) protein of both viruses in silico. We determined the concentration of the extract that induced less than 50% cell toxicity (CC50), and the antiviral activity based on IC50 and plaque reduction assay. We used molecular docking simulation to predict the potential of known active compounds in H. lupulus to inhibit the RBD protein. H. lupulus extract showed very low toxicity on Vero E6 cells with CC50= 23.25 µg/µL and antiviral activity toward MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 with IC50= 0.18 and 0.9 µg/µL, respectively. The crude extract showed inhibition rate of 84.6% with MERS-CoV and 80% with SARS-CoV-2. In silico analysis predicted the compounds 5′-prenylxanthohumo, xanthogalenol, dehydrocycloxanthohumol hydrate, 6-prenylnaringenin, isoxanthohumol, catechin gallate, epicatechin gallate, 8-prenylnaringenin and xanthohumol to inhibit MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 invasion of host cells by interfering with viral spike protein and the host cell receptor recognition process. Drug likeness and toxicity risk prediction analysis confirmed their capability as potential drugs. Based on our findings, isolation, purification and testing of the suggested active compounds could lead to novel anti-coronavirus drugs

Potent Antiviral Activity of Vitamin B12 against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, and Human Coronavirus 229E

Repurposing vitamins as antiviral supporting agents is a rapid approach used to control emerging viral infections. Although there is considerable evidence supporting the use of vitamin supplementation in viral infections, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the specific role of each vitamin in defending against coronaviruses remains unclear. Antiviral activities of available vitamins on the infectivity and replication of human coronaviruses, namely, SARS-CoV-2, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and human coronavirus 229E (HCoV-229E), were investigated using in silico and in vitro studies. We identified potential broad-spectrum inhibitor effects of Hydroxocobalamin and Methylcobalamin against the three tested CoVs. Cyanocobalamin could selectively affect SARS-CoV-2 but not MERS-CoV and HCoV-229E. Methylcobalamin showed significantly higher inhibition values on SARS-CoV-2 compared with Hydroxocobalamin and Cyanocobalamin, while Hydroxocobalamin showed the highest potent antiviral activity against MERS-CoV and Cyanocobalamin against HCoV-229E. Furthermore, in silico studies were performed for these promising vitamins to investigate their interaction with SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, and HCoV-229E viral-specific cell receptors (ACE2, DPP4, and hAPN protein, respectively) and viral proteins (S-RBD, 3CL pro, RdRp), suggesting that Hydroxocobalamin, Methylcobalamin, and Cyanocobalamin may have significant binding affinity to these proteins. These results show that Methylcobalamin may have potential benefits for coronavirus-infected patients