Infectious Disorders - Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets - Infectious Disorders) - Volume 23, Issue 8, 2023

Background: At the beginning of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) was widely used as a possible antiviral agent. Current knowledge indicates that HCQ has little or no effect on individual clinical outcomes of COVID-19, but populational effects on disease transmissibility are still unknown. Objective: This study investigates the hypothesis that massive HCQ consumption by a population may contribute to reducing the transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 spread by reducing the viral load of infected individuals. Methods: Public database of seven states from Brazil in 2020 were assessed, before the start of COVID-19 vaccination. The daily values of the COVID-19 effective reproduction number (Rt) were obtained. Associations between Rt values and the proposed predictor variables (prevalence of COVID- 19 as a marker of collective immunity; social isolation indices; consumption of HCQ) were tested using multiple linear regression analysis. Results: In all seven states, consumption of HCQ was a significant negative predictor of Rt (β ranged from -0.295 to -0.502, p = 0.001). Furthermore, the mean derivative of Rt during the declining period of the COVID-19 incidence (the mean rate of variation) was also significantly negatively related to the mean HCQ consumption in that period (R² = 0.895; β = -0.783; p = 0.011), meaning that the higher the HCQ consumption, the faster the decline of COVID-19 Rt. It suggests a dose-response phenomenon and a causal relationship in this association. Conclusion: The results of this study are compatible with the hypothesis that HCQ has small but significant in vivo antiviral effects that are able to reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmissibility at the populational level.

Introduction: Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, face masks have been among the cornerstones of COVID-19 prevention. Therefore, evaluating their preventive effects against COVID-19 is crucial. This review aimed to systematically search for the systematic review articles that explored the role of various types of face masks in preventing COVID-19. Methods: We browsed the keywords of this study in the online databases of Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane on 10th January 2023 and retrieved all the relevant systematic review articles. The records were downloaded into an Endnote file, and the duplicates were removed. A two-step screening process consisting of title/abstract and full-text screenings was conducted to select the most relevant articles. To ensure the validity and reliability of the results, this study adhered to the PRISMA protocol. Results: A total of 28 systematic reviews were included in this review. Most studies found that face masks are beneficial against viral respiratory infections, such as COVID-19. Different types of masks were evaluated in included studies. It appeared that mask efficacy depends on the material, layers, fitting on the face and user compliance. N 95 respirator had maximum efficacy, especially when used continuously. Conclusion: Face masks have a beneficial effect against COVID-19. Home masks are less protective than surgical masks or N95 personal breathing masks. Besides, the use of masks may elicit a false sense of security in people, which may lead to poor hand hygiene and violation of social distancing. Therefore, the necessary training should be provided to the public to increase awareness and encourage the right practice of using the mask, emphasizing the preventive effects of washing hands, social distancing, and using a face mask against COVID-19.

Introduction: Epilepsy is a group of chronic neurological disorders characterized by seizures. Kindling, a chronic epileptic mouse model, was used to explore the epileptogenic mechanism and seek new anti-epileptics. In kindling, sub-convulsive (chemical/ electrical) stimuli were delivered repeatedly and erratically, eventually causing massive convulsions. Moreover, Morinda citrifolia (Noni) extracts are used as a remedy in ayurvedic preparations for many ailments. Noni has recently been shown to protect mice from amyloid beta-induced memory loss. Objective: This study was used to investigate the neuroprotective potential of Morinda citrifolia in mice over pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced kindling seizure. Methods: Kindling was provoked by subsequent (one-day-gap) injections of PTZ (subconvulsive; 35 mg/kg; s.c.) for 29 days in mice. Following PTZ injection, convulsive behaviours were noted for 30 minutes. Forced swimming test (depressive behaviors), elevated plus-maze, and passive avoidance tests were employed to evaluate cognition. Brain homogenate was used to estimate oxidative stress (glutathione, superoxide-dismutase, lipid-peroxidation) and acetylcholinesterase activity. Results: PTZ-provoked kindled mice displayed depressive behaviors, impaired locomotion, cognitive dysfunctions and various biochemical changes. However, treatment with Morinda citrifolia extract (500 and 1000 mg/kg, p.o) and valproic acid (200 mg/kg, p.o) before 60 min of each PTZ injection diminished kindling scores and restored behavioural, and biochemical changes. Conclusion: Our findings suggest Morinda citrifolia offered neuroprotective effects against PTZinduced kindling seizures in mice, which were established by behavioural and biochemical paradigms.

Severe antifungal infections, especially opportunistic fungal infections, are increasing tremendously in immunocompromised patients. This is basically because more patients enduring neoplastic diseases lead to the wide use of chemotherapy, thus causing immunosuppression. Patients with HIV infection, burns, pancreatitis and neutropenia are also amenable to fungal infections. Out of a plethora of antifungal drugs applied, Amphotericin B, being a broad-spectrum antimicrobial drug, has been the gold standard treatment for a diverse variety of fungal infections since the 1950s and visceral leishmaniasis since the 1960s. However, Amphotericin B has major constraints of poor bioavailability and kidney toxicity, due to which newer antifungal compounds are being used. This article discusses fungal and parasitic diseases and formulations for treating these ailments.

Background: Few studies investigated the relationship between toxoplasmosis and sleep disorders. Sleep disorders can lead to suicidal behavior and traffic accidents. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to collect information and investigate the possible relationship between Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) and sleep disorders. Methods: To achieve the goal of the present study, five English databases (PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, Scopus, and ProQuest) were systematically searched for related studies from their inception until October 18, 2022. The obtained articles were screened based on the title, abstract, and full text. Then, the quality of the papers investigating the relationship between toxoplasmosis and sleep disorders was evaluated, and finally, the data from the relevant studies were extracted in a Microsoft Excel data sheet. Results: Eight articles (4 case-control and 4 cross-sectional studies) were entered in this systematic review containing 926 patients with sleep disorders and 1877 people without sleep disorders in casecontrol studies, out of which 212 (22.89%) and 392 (20.88%) individuals were positive for anti-T. gondii IgG antibody using different serological methods. Also, 2885 people with sleep disorders were investigated for anti-T. gondii IgG antibody in cross-sectional studies, out of which 1559 (54.03%) cases were positive. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that T. gondii infection may be a risk factor for sleep disorders. However, the number of related studies is small, and there are contradictions in the findings of these articles. Therefore, further studies are necessary to clarify the possible association between T. gondii infections and sleep disorders.

Introduction: This study focused on estimating the probability of survival and the specific time to survival from COVID-19 among patients who had COVID-19 in Osun state, Nigeria. Also, we examined some factors associated with the time to survival among COVID-19 patients in Osun state, Nigeria. Methods: The retrospective data of 2596 records of COVID-19 patients in Osun state were analysed in this study. The outcome variable was the “COVID-19 treatment outcome (survived=1, dead=0)”. The time date used in the survival analysis was treatment duration (in days). The explanatory variables were demographic characteristics, type of health facility, vaccination status, symptoms, and mode of admission. The descriptive statistics was computed and presented. Kaplan Meier was used to estimate the median time to survival. Bivariate analysis and multivariate analysis were done using the Log-Rank test and Cox regression, respectively. P values were set at P<0.05. Results: The mean age was observed to be 40 (SD=17.51) years, ranging from mostly, 2 months to 98 years old. More (56.1%) of the participants were males. Most (99.5%) of them were Nigerians. Only 1.4% were vaccinated. The survival rate from COVID-19 was 98.1% in Osun State. The median time for survival was 14 (IQR= 14- 16) days. COVID-19 reduces as the number of days for being on treatment increases. Unvaccinated (HR=0.93, 95%CI: 0.43-2.03) and those whose vaccination status was unknown (HR=0.52, 95%CI: 0.37-0.74) were less likely to survive COVID-19 diseases. Conclusion: The Survival rate was high, the observed median time to survival was 14 days, and the probability of survival reduces as the number of days of being on treatment for COVID-19 increases. Also, gender, vaccination, type of care, and ethnicity were associated with survival time. Similarly, unvaccinated and inpatients were less likely to rapidly survive COVID-19. This study recommends that the COVID-19 vaccine should be encouraged among patients who have the COVID-19 virus. Also, home care may be further explored to assess its effectiveness in caring for COVID-19 patients. In the same vein, COVID-19 data capturing, and databases need strengthening in Nigeria.

Positive strides have been achieved in developing vaccines to combat the coronavirus-2019 infection (COVID-19) pandemic. Still, the outline of variations, particularly the most current delta divergent, has posed significant health encounters for people. Therefore, developing strong treatment strategies, such as an anti-COVID-19 medicine plan, may help deal with the pandemic more effectively. During the COVID-19 pandemic, some drug design techniques were effectively used to develop and substantiate relevant critical medications. Extensive research, both experimental and computational, has been dedicated to comprehending and characterizing the devastating COVID-19 disease. The urgency of the situation has led to the publication of over 130,000 COVID-19-related research papers in peer-reviewed journals and preprint servers. A significant focus of these efforts has been the identification of novel drug candidates and the repurposing of existing drugs to combat the virus. Many projects have utilized computational or computer-aided approaches to facilitate their studies. In this overview, we will explore the key computational methods and their applications in the discovery of smallmolecule therapeutics for COVID-19, as reported in the research literature. We believe that the true effectiveness of computational tools lies in their ability to provide actionable and experimentally testable hypotheses, which in turn facilitate the discovery of new drugs and combinations thereof. Additionally, we recognize that open science and the rapid sharing of research findings are vital in expediting the development of much-needed therapeutics for COVID-19.