SARS-CoV-2与SARS-CoV:病原学、流行病学、临床与病理

2019年12月在武汉暴发了由SARS-CoV-2感染引起的新型冠状病毒肺炎(Coronavirus disease 2019,COVID-19),并迅速扩散至全国.SARS-CoV-2和SARS冠状病毒(SARS-CoV)都属于套式病毒目、冠状病毒科、冠状病毒属中的SARS相关冠状病毒种,本文总结了两者在来源、病毒结构、流行病学、临床表现和病理学特征等方面的差异,以期更全面认识SARS-CoV和SARS-CoV-2,为COVID-19的防治研究提供帮助.     

新型冠状病毒Wuhan-Hu-1株Np空间结构及其B细胞抗原表位的预测

新型冠状病毒(Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2,SARS-CoV-2)是最新发现的一种可侵染人体的β属冠状病毒,该病毒入侵机体可引发新型冠状病毒肺炎(Coronavirus Disease 2019,COVID-19),该疫情的暴发在国内甚至国际上造成了严重...     

临“疫”发“微”——新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情下“病原生物学与医学免疫学”课程思政教学模式的探索与研究

课程思政是高校思想政治理论课改革创新的重要举措,因其德育与智育协同的优势,逐渐成为高校课程改革的方向。为探究新型冠状病毒肺炎(COVID-19,简称"新冠"病毒肺炎)疫情下"病原生物学与医学免疫学"课程思政教学模式及其实施效果,以成都中医药大学2018级中医学(5+3一体化)的2个班级学生为教学对象,其中1班采用传统教学模式,2班实行课程思政教学模式,在传统教学模式基础上,将收集到的思政素材有机融入于课前、课中、课后等教学环节。课程结束后围绕爱国情怀、中医自信、科学素养、文明互鉴等思政教育主题进行测评,以考核学生对思政元素内涵的认识与理解,并对2个班学生进行课程满意度调查,比较2个班的思政测试评分及课程满意度评分。结果提示2班的思政测试评分及满意度评分均高于1班(P<0.01),说明"新冠"病毒肺炎疫情下的课程思政教学模式优于传统教学方法,在提升医学生专业素养的同时,更具"立德树人"的实效。本研究可为其他医学专业教学提供具有参考意义的课程思政模式,促进医学专业课程思政的全面推进。     

新冠疫情下“细胞生物学”课程思政教学研究

立德树人是教育事业的根本任务,课程思政是将立德树人融入教育各环节、各领域的重要手段。"细胞生物学"既是现代生命科学的前沿分支学科之一,也是高校生命科学类专业的重要课程。该文在课程思政的背景下,选择新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情(简称:新冠疫情)为载体,以"细胞生物学"课程中"病毒的特征、入侵、增殖"为主线,从"教学内容的甄选"和"实施策略"两个方面着手,开展聚焦新冠疫情下"细胞生物学"课程思政教学的深入探讨。该研究旨在引导学生在研习专业知识的基础上,提升其科学素养、树立其正确的价值观,为侧重新冠疫情的课程思政研究提供重要参考。     

COVID-19疫苗的研究进展

新型冠状病毒肺炎(Coronavirus disease 2019,COVID-19)是由新型冠状病毒(Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2,SARS-CoV-2)引起的一种新的传染病。阻止COVID-19流行最有效的方法就是研制安全有效的疫苗,目前国内外多家机构开展了COVID-19疫苗的研究,包括核酸疫苗、病毒载体疫苗、灭活疫苗、重组蛋白疫苗、减毒流感病毒载体疫苗等不同类型,并取得了快速进展。本文对COVID-19疫苗的类型、研究进展、存在的问题等进行综述。     

新型冠状病毒肺炎与mNGS技术

新型冠状病毒肺炎(Coronavirus Disease 2019,COVID-19)是指2019新型冠状病毒(Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2,SARS-CoV-2)感染导致的肺炎。截至2020年5月21日已造成全球超过496万人感染、30万人以上死亡。宏基因组下一代测序(metagenomic next-generation sequencing,mNGS)技术是在发现和检测新冠肺炎中发挥重要作用的技术。本文介绍了mNGS在新冠肺炎疫情中的作用及核心技术特点,并为mNGS在抗击全球疫情中的应用做出技术性归纳总结。     

本期导读

自2019年12月以来,新型冠状病毒肺炎在全球蔓延,2020年1月30日,世界卫生组织(World Health Organization,WHO)将新型冠状病毒肺炎疫情列为"国际关注的突发公共卫生事件",我国也将该病作为急性呼吸道传染病纳入《中华人民共和国传染病防治法》规定的乙类传染病,并按照甲类传染病管理。2020年2月11日,WHO正式将新型冠状病毒肺炎命名为COVID-19(Corona Virus Disease 2019)。国际病毒分类委员会将该病毒命名为严重急性呼吸系统综合征冠状病毒(severe acute respiratory syndrome coromavirus 2,SARS-CoV-2)。截止2020年8月28日全球已累计确诊24356983人,累计死亡826791人。严重危害着人类的健康和生命安全。虽然中国政府采取了最强有力的措施,社会各界一起抗击疫情,取得了显著成效。但是由于目前COVID-19疫苗尚未上市,也无特效药物,COVID-19的全球快速蔓延势头仍没有得到有效遏制。世界各国的科学家、医学家们正在努力开发针对SARS-CoV-2和COVID-19的安全有效的预防疫苗和治疗方法。     

抗病毒肽作为COVID-19潜在治疗药物的研究进展

随着新型冠状病毒(SARS-CoV-2)疫情的迅速蔓延,目前该疾病已发展成为世界范围流行病。世界卫生组织WHO在2020年2月11日将该疾病正式命名为Coronavirus disease(COVID-19)。新型冠状病毒肺炎严重威胁着人们的生命财产安全,安全高效抗病毒类药物的开发是目前亟需解决的重要问题。研究报道,很多抗病毒肽(Antiviral peptides,AVPs)显示出良好的抗病毒活性,结合当前临床抗新冠病毒乏力的情况,本文对冠状病毒感染过程以及抗病毒肽的潜在应用前景进行概述,以期为开发新型抗病毒药物提供新的思路。     

严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2变异体对全球疫情防控的影响分析

由严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）引起的新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19，简称新冠肺炎）的出现，对国际公众健康构成了严重威胁，伴随COVID-19大流行而来的是SARS-CoV-2基因组的不断突变，尤其是受关注的变异体（variants of concern，VOCs）给全球COVID-19疫情防控带来了挑战。本文综述了SARS-CoV-2的突变情况和现阶段主要流行的VOCs的特征，总结了现有及潜在的COVID-19预防、诊断和治疗手段，并通过分析SARS-CoV-2变异体对全球COVID-19疫情防控措施的影响，提出合理的建议，以期为今后可能爆发的大范围流行病的防控提供理论依据。     

新型冠状病毒肺炎感染病例中鼻咽拭子与咽拭子标本的病毒核酸检验结果分析

新型冠状病毒(SARS-CoV-2)主要通过飞沫和密切接触传播,传染性强,目前在全球蔓延,给人的身体健康及世界公共卫生安全造成了严重的损害。病毒核酸检验是新型冠状病毒肺炎(COVID-19)病例确诊的金标准。本研究分别采集武汉江夏方舱医院67例确诊为COVID-19病例的鼻咽拭子与咽拭子标本送检,进行SARS-CoV-2核酸检验。其中28例患者鼻咽拭子病毒核酸呈阳性,13例患者咽拭子病毒核酸呈阳性,26例患者鼻咽拭子与咽拭子病毒核酸均为阴性。本研究结果提示,鼻咽拭子送检标本病毒核酸检验结果优于咽拭子标本(P<0.05)。     

Teaching of microbiology at medical institutes (on the results of the XVI All-Union Congress of Microbiologists and Epidemiologists)]

Data on teaching microbiology, virology, and immunology to students of the 2nd and 3rd course of medical institute are presented. A number of recommendations of the improvement of bacteriology and virology teaching at the sanitary-hygienic faculties are given; in particular it is suggested to introduce into the teaching plan for students of the 6th course of sanitary-hygienic faculties specialization on medical microbiology and virology. For the general view on virology the author considers it necessary to begin study of the viruses by delivery of individual lectures in the general course of microbiology during the 4th semester; it is recommended to present the main virology course during the 5th semester.     

The psychological burden of the COVID-19 pandemic severity

The alarming levels of spread and severity of COVID-19 have dominated global attention. In this time of crisis, there is an urgent need for studies identifying the linkages between the pandemic and social welfare. To help policymakers respond to the situation better, we investigate how the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic can condition people's psychological well-being. Employing the latest weekly panel data within an individual fixed effects framework, we uncover the damaging consequences of the COVID-19 severity, as measured by mortality rate, on the incidences of daily anxiety, worry, displeasure, and depression in the United States. Our work underlines the importance of public spending on mental health, both during and after the pandemic.     

Facing the wrath of enigmatic mutations: a review on the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 variants amid coronavirus disease-19 pandemic

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emerging respiratory virus responsible for the ongoing coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. More than a year into this pandemic, the COVID-19 fatigue is still escalating and takes hold of the entire world population. Driven by the ongoing geographical expansion and upcoming mutations, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken a new shape in the form of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. These mutations in the viral spike (S) protein enhance the virulence of SARS-CoV-2 variants by improving viral infectivity, transmissibility and immune evasion abilities. Such variants have resulted in cluster outbreaks and fresh infection waves in various parts of the world with increased disease severity and poor clinical outcomes. Hence, the variants of SARS-CoV-2 pose a threat to human health and public safety. This review enlists the most recent updates regarding the presently characterized variants of SARS-CoV-2 recognized by the global regulatory health authorities (WHO, CDC). Based on the slender literature on SARS-CoV-2 variants, we collate information on the biological implications of these mutations on virus pathology. We also shed light on the efficacy of therapeutics and COVID-19 vaccines against the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants.     

Impact of covid-19 on mental health and aging

The potential ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic on the population's mental health are a rising global concern. Both at the individual and community level, the erratic and uncertain COVID-19 outbreak has the prospective to exhibit a detrimental effect on psychological health and aging. At present, various measures are dedicated to the parameters like awareness of epidemiology, clinical aspects, mode of transmission, counteracting the spread of the infection, and public health problems, although this initiative has neglected critical mental health concerns. This study is to investigate the outbreak to study the level of harmful effects on mental health and its crosstalk with aging. Global execution of preventive, control measures and resilience establishment are challenging factors whereas reformed lifestyle such as lockdown, coping with self-isolation, quarantine, social distancing, and post-traumatic stress disorders are alarming. Hallmarks of aging which interact with each other, have been suggested to affect the healthspan in aged adults, possibly due to attenuated immunity. Among various hallmarks, we concentrated on those that show direct or indirect interaction with viral infections, comprising inflammation, genomic instability, impaired mitochondrial function, epigenetic modification, telomere attrition, and damaged autophagy. These hallmarks possibly contribute to the elicited pathophysiological responses to SARS-CoV-2 and may add an additive risk of accelerated aging post-recovery among aged adults. Here, the role of antiaging drug candidates that require main consideration in COVID-19 research is discussed briefly. In the later future, it can emerge as a potential therapeutic approach in the treatment of patients with severe infection.     

Causes of Hypoxemia in COVID-19

Journal of Evolutionary Biochemistry and Physiology - The global pandemic of a new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has posed challenges to public health specialists around the world associated with...     

Herbal immune-boosters: Substantial warriors of pandemic Covid-19 battle

Current scenario depicts that world has been clenched by COVID-19 pandemic. Inevitably, public health and safety measures could be undertaken in order to dwindle the infection threat and mortality. Moreover, to overcome the global menace and drawing out world from moribund stage, there is an exigency for social distancing and quarantines. Since December, 2019, coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) have came into existence and up till now world is still in the state of shock.At this point of time, COVID-19 has entered perilous phase, creating havoc among individuals, and this has been directly implied due to enhanced globalisation and ability of the virus to acclimatize at all conditions. The unabated transmission is due to lack of drugs, vaccines and therapeutics against this viral outbreak. But research is still underway to formulate the vaccines or drugs by this means, as scientific communities are continuously working to unravel the pharmacologically active compounds that might offer a new insight for curbing infections and pandemics. Therefore, the topical COVID-19 situation highlights an immediate need for effective therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2. Towards this effort, the present review discusses the vital concepts related to COVID-19, in terms of its origin, transmission, clinical aspects and diagnosis. However, here, we have formulated the novel concept hitherto, ancient means of traditional medicines or herbal plants to beat this pandemic.     

The challenge of estimating the direct and indirect effects of COVID-19 interventions – Toward an integrated economic and epidemiological approach

Decisions on public health measures to contain a pandemic are often based on parameters such as expected disease burden and additional mortality due to the pandemic. Both pandemics and non-pharmaceutical interventions to fight pandemics, however, produce economic, social, and medical costs. The costs are, for example, caused by changes in access to healthcare, social distancing, and restrictions on economic activity. These factors indirectly influence health outcomes in the short- and long-term perspective. In a narrative review based on targeted literature searches, we develop a comprehensive perspective on the concepts available as well as the challenges of estimating the overall disease burden and the direct and indirect effects of COVID-19 interventions from both epidemiological and economic perspectives, particularly during the early part of a pandemic. We review the literature and discuss relevant components that need to be included when estimating the direct and indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The review presents data sources and different forms of death counts, and discusses empirical findings on direct and indirect effects of the pandemic and interventions on disease burden as well as the distribution of health risks.     

COVID-19 and children: medical impact and collateral damage

Children mostly experience mild SARS-CoV-2 infections, but the extent of paediatric COVID-19 disease differs between geographical regions and the distinct pandemic waves. Not all infections in children are mild, some children even show a strong inflammatory reaction resulting in a multisystem inflammatory syndrome. The assessments of paediatric vaccination depend on the efficacy of protection conferred by vaccination, the risk of adverse reactions and whether children contribute to herd immunity against COVID-19. Children were also the target of consequential public health actions such as school closure which caused substantial harm to children (educational deficits, sociopsychological problems) and working parents. It is, therefore, important to understand the transmission dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 infections by children to assess the efficacy of school closures and paediatric vaccination. The societal restrictions to contain the COVID-19 pandemic had additional negative effects on children’s health, such as missed routine vaccinations, nutritional deprivation and lesser mother–child medical care in developing countries causing increased child mortality as a collateral damage. In this complex epidemiological context, it is important to have an evidence-based approach to public health approaches. The present review summaries pertinent published data on the role of children in the pandemic, whether they are drivers or followers of the infection chains and whether they are (after elderlies) major sufferers or mere bystanders of the COVID-19 pandemic.     

Epigenetic regulation of autophagy in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become the most serious global public health issue in the past two years, requiring effective therapeutic strategies. This viral infection is a contagious disease caused by new coronaviruses (nCoVs), also called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Autophagy, as a highly conserved catabolic recycling process, plays a significant role in the growth and replication of coronaviruses (CoVs). Therefore, there is great interest in understanding the mechanisms that underlie autophagy modulation. The modulation of autophagy is a very complex and multifactorial process, which includes different epigenetic alterations, such as histone modifications and DNA methylation. These mechanisms are also known to be involved in SARS-CoV-2 replication. Thus, molecular understanding of the epigenetic pathways linked with autophagy and COVID-19, could provide novel therapeutic targets for COVID-19 eradication. In this context, the current review highlights the role of epigenetic regulation of autophagy in controlling COVID-19, focusing on the potential therapeutic implications.