SARS-CoV-2 impact on ACE2 expression in NSCLC: mRNA and protein insights COVID-19 associated (ACE2) expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a pervasive and challenging global health concern. This research delves into the intricate relationship between NSCLC and ACE2 expression, exploring the potential impact of COVID-19 history on this interaction. Tissue samples were meticulously gathered from a cohort of 32 NSCLC patients, 18 of whom had a documented history of COVID-19 infection. The methodology included extensive investigations, such as cell dissociation, histopathological analysis, immunohistochemistry, cell culture, adhesion assays, immunocytochemistry, RNA isolation, and RT-PCR analysis. The results of this comprehensive study unearthed intriguing findings regarding ACE2 expression patterns within NSCLC tissues. Notably, variations were observed in ACE2 profiles between individuals with and without a prior record of COVID-19 infection, hinting at a dynamic interplay. These discoveries carry profound implications for both the understanding of NSCLC progression and the response to COVID-19 in patients with pre-existing NSCLC. The interrelationship between ACE2 expression, NSCLC, and COVID-19, as revealed in this study, may significantly influence patient outcomes and, potentially, therapeutic strategies. In summary, this research serves as an essential contribution to the growing body of knowledge on NSCLC, offering unique insights into the intricate connections between ACE2, COVID-19, and NSCLC. This information may open new avenues for tailored treatment approaches and clinical management strategies, ultimately benefiting patients grappling with NSCLC in the background of the current COVID-19 pandemic

The Effectiveness of Online Education in Basic Medical Sciences Courses during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Saudi Arabia: Cross-Sectional Study

Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) is an emerging pandemic that has caused significant disruptions to education, resulting in marked scholar closures across the world. The present study documents the student perception of the online educational process at six universities in Saudi Arabia during the COVID-19 lockdown period. The individual variable factors, i.e., institution, sex, and blended learning, that might influence student perception were also investigated. In this respect, a questionnaire that assessed the impact of COVID-19 on the online learning process and student perception was emailed to a total of 17,230 students from 3 institutions (medical, applied health and dental students) affiliated with six universities in Saudi Arabia. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to determine the validity of the questionnaire. A total of 4850 (28%) students responded to the questionnaire and 46.9% (n = 2275) of the respondents were highly satisfied with their online education. Analyses of the scores from the students showed a highly significant difference (p = 0.000) between the male and female students. Applied health students (highly satisfied score = 63.13) were the most satisfied with their online education, while medical students (highly satisfied score = 39.3) were the least satisfied with this education. In addition, applied health, dental and medical students showed a significantly higher score in favor of blended learning after schools re-open (p = 0.000). Collectively, student satisfaction with online education was common, and blended learning was preferred over the traditional format by both genders and all the students. The present data provide interesting contributions and evidence for policy makers and implementers, which might be helpful for the judgment side of decision making

Exploitation of selected plant extracts as bio-control against fungal contaminants in animal feed

Objectives: Pakistan is among the top agricultural countries around the globe, but mycotoxin contamination causes a major commercial loss every year. The present study aimed to isolate the fungi and their mycotoxins present in contaminated feed of animals in the local market of Peshawar. Methodology: The antifungal activity of certain plant extracts was to be tested against pathogenic fungi. TLC method was used for mycotoxin analysis and it was found that Aflatoxin G1, G2, B1 and B2 were present in different amounts both qualitatively and quantitatively based on samples. Result: This study found the presence of contamination in all the tested feed samples. All ten samples were found positive for Aspergillus flavus. B1 toxin was found in high quantity in all ten samples, while G2 was found in a lower quantity as compared to other toxins such as G1, B1 and B2. The quantity of aflatoxin was from 48.6 to 284.7 ppb in 25 g of samples. In the case of antifungal potency, all plant extracts showed important antifungal potency against tested fungi. The MIC and MFC values noted ranged from 110 to 300 mg/ml and 100–300 mg/ml respectively. Citrus aurantium and Myrtus communis were absorbed to have antifungal potency against all test fungi. Citrus aurantium extracts were also found to inhibit the growth of Aspergillus flavus. Conclusion: According to the results of the present research, a variety of fungal strains and aflatoxins were present in animal feed in numerous parts of Peshawar, Pakistan and different plant extracts can be used in animal feed to reduce this type of contamination

Designing, Modeling, and Fabrication of a Novel Solar-Concentrating Spittoon against COVID-19 for Antibacterial Sustainable Atmosphere

Spreading infectious illnesses such as viral meningitis, hepatitis, and cytomegalovirus among people is facilitated by spitting in public. India is more prone to transferring infectious illnesses. Recent research discovered that the new Coronavirus may also be transmitted via an infected person’s saliva. Self-collected saliva from 91.7% of patients contains COVID-19. Numerous nations have prioritized preventing individuals from spitting in open or public areas such as hospitals, parks, airports, train stations, etc. The UVC range has a greater damaging effect on microbial cells because microorganisms’ intracellular components, such as RNA, DNA, and proteins, are sensitive to UVC photon absorption. In this article, the design and construction of a solar-concentrating spittoon is attempted. At its receiver, it can create a temperature of 390 K and 176 W of heat. At this temperature, most viruses (including Coronavirus), bacteria, and pathogens are inactivated. Daily, from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., the solar-concentrating spittoon is functional. The solar-concentrating spittoon performance was best for nine hours. The receiver thermal efficiency was 80% and 20% of heat was lost to the surroundings. The overall efficiency was found to be 70%. During this time, most people spend their time outside, where this solar-powered spittoon can incinerate human cough and spit within one minute. The installation of this solar-concentrated spittoon will aid in preventing the spread of fatal dangerous diseases and cleaning the city

Emergence, evolution, and vaccine production approaches of SARS-CoV-2 virus : benefits of getting vaccinated and common questions

The emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Wuhan city, China at the end of 2019 made it urgent to identify the origin of the causal pathogen and its molecular evolution, to appropriately design an effective vaccine. This study analyzes the evolutionary background of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or SARS-2) in accordance with its close relative SARS-CoV (SARS-1), which was emerged in 2002. A comparative genomic and proteomic study was conducted on SARS-2, SARS-1, and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS), which was emerged in 2012. In silico analysis inferred the genetic variability among the tested viruses. The SARS-1 genome harbored 11 genes encoding 12 proteins, while SARS-2 genome contained only 10 genes encoding for 10 proteins. MERS genome contained 11 genes encoding 11 proteins. The analysis also revealed a slight variation in the whole genome size of SARS-2 comparing to its siblings resulting from sequential insertions and deletions (indels) throughout the viral genome particularly ORF1AB, spike, ORF10 and ORF8. The effective indels were observed in the gene encoding the spike protein that is responsible for viral attachment to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) cell receptor and initiating infection. These indels are responsible for the newly emerging COVID-19 variants αCoV, βCoV, γCoV and δCoV. Nowadays, few effective COVID-19 vaccines developed based on spike (S) glycoprotein were approved and become available worldwide. Currently available vaccines can relatively prevent the spread of COVID-19 and suppress the disease. The traditional (killed or attenuated virus vaccine and antibody-based vaccine) and innovated vaccine production technologies (RNA- and DNA-based vaccines and viral vectors) are summarized in this review. We finally highlight the most common questions related to COVID-19 disease and the benefits of getting vaccinated

Estimation of yield, phenology and agro-meteorological indices of Quality Protein Maize (Zea mays L.) under different nutrient omissions in temperate ecology of Kashmir

The major yield governing factors especially under rainfed ecosystem are the agro-meteorological indices. Hence, an experiment was conducted in 2021 kharif season to examine the impact of nutrient omission on phenology, yield and agro-meteorological indices of Quality Protein Maize (QPM) under the North Western Himalayas of India at the Agronomy farm of FoA (Faculty of Agriculture), Wadoora, Sopore, SKUAST-Kashmir. Eight treatments were used in the experiment viz. (T1-Absolute control, T2-N120P75K40, T3-N120P75K40Zn5S10, T4-P75K40Zn5S10 (-N), T5-N120K40Zn5S10 (-P), T6-N120P75Zn5S10 (-K), T7-N120P75K40S10 (-Zn) and T8-N120P75K40Zn5 (-S)), using a randomized complete block design with three replications. Results demonstrated that recommended dose of fertilizer plus zinc and sulphur (T3-N120P75K40Zn5S10) noted higher grain (9.78 t ha−1) and biological (22.05 t ha−1) yield, a longer period of time to reach various phonological stages thereby achieved maximum heat units or growing degree days (GDD), heliothermal units (HTU), photo-thermal units (PTU), pheno-thermal index (PTI) and heat use efficiency (HUE). Nitrogen was the most limiting nutrient thereby accumulating least heat units and HUE. The agrometeorological indices could be therefore helpful in predicting the phenology and maize yield. The outcomes of the experiment showed that using the recommended fertilizer dosage plus zinc and sulphur in QPM should be adopted to attain higher yield under the North Western Himalayas of India, However, additional agro-ecological study is required to further validate the findings