Lessons learned from SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV : FDA-approved Abelson tyrosine-protein kinase 2 inhibitors may help us combat SARS-CoV-2

SARS-CoV-2 is a newly emerging infectious disease, which originated from Wuhan in the Hubei province of China in late December 2019 [1]. Since then, it has rapidly spread all over the world, and at the time of writing this letter, WHO statistics show more than 1,696,588 cases and 105,952 deaths confirmed across the world [2]. Although there is no specific therapy for SARS-CoV-2 infection [3], combination therapy with antiviral and anti-inflammatory drugs accompanied by supportive treatment have been used for SARS-CoV-2 patients [4]. The combination of well-known HIV protease inhibitors, such as ritonavir with lopinavir, has also been a common approach to treat SARS-CoV-2. Insufficient outcome in severe cases is, however, one of the main challenges associated with the current antiviral-based therapy for SARS-CoV-2 [5]. In view of the long period required for novel drug discovery and the desperate need for a prompt response to this pandemic infection, one must resort to repurposing FDA-approved drugs. In this direction, our experience with other close members of coronaviruses such as SARS and MERS has taught us that repurposing the current drugs is a reasonable strategy. Abelson tyrosine-protein kinase 2 (Abl2), the imatinib target, was required for efficient SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV replication in vitro [6]. Coleman et al. have shown that the imatinib target Abl2 is indispensable for efficient replication of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV in vitro

Almonds (Prunus dulcis Mill. D. A. webb): A source of nutrients and health-promoting compounds

Almonds (Prunus dulcis Miller D. A. Webb (the almond or sweet almond)), from the Rosaceae family, have long been known as a source of essential nutrients; nowadays, they are in demand as a healthy food with increasing popularity for the general population and producers. Studies on the composition and characterization of almond macro-and micronutrients have shown that the nut has many nutritious ingredients such as fatty acids, lipids, amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, as well as secondary metabolites. However, several factors affect the nutritional quality of almonds, including genetic and environmental factors. Therefore, investigations evaluating the effects of different factors on the quality of almonds were also included. In epidemiological studies, the consumption of almonds has been associated with several therapeutically and protective health benefits. Clinical studies have verified the modulatory effects on serum glucose, lipid and uric acid levels, the regulatory role on body weight, and protective effects against diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, recent researchers have also confirmed the prebiotic potential of almonds. The present review was carried out to emphasize the importance of almonds as a healthy food and source of beneficial constituents for human health, and to assess the factors affecting the quality of the almond kernel. Electronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and SciFinder were used to investigate previously published articles on almonds in terms of components and bioactivity potentials with a particular focus on clinical trials

Phytostilbenes as agrochemicals: biosynthesis, bioactivity, metabolic engineering and biotechnology

Covering: 1976 to 2020.Although constituting a limited chemical family, phytostilbenes represent an emblematic group of molecules among natural compounds. Ever since their discovery as antifungal compounds in plants and their ascribed role in human health and disease, phytostilbenes have never ceased to arouse interest for researchers, leading to a huge development of the literature in this field. Owing to this, the number of references to this class of compounds has reached the tens of thousands. The objective of this article is thus to offer an overview of the different aspects of these compounds through a large bibliography analysis of more than 500 articles. All the aspects regarding phytostilbenes will be covered including their chemistry and biochemistry, regulation of their biosynthesis, biological activities in plants, molecular engineering of stilbene pathways in plants and microbes as well as their biotechnological production by plant cell systems