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A novel nano therapeutic using convalescent plasma derived exosomal (CPExo) for COVID-19: A combined hyperactive immune modulation and diagnostics
Get PDFExtracellular vesicles like exosomes are important therapeutic tactics for treating COVID -19. By utilizing convalescent plasma derived exosomes (CPExo) from COVID-19 recovered persistence could accelerate the treatment strategies in the current state of affairs. Adequate literature has shown that administering the exosome to the in vivo system could be beneficial and could target the pathogens in an effective and precise manner. In this hypothesis we highlight the CPExo instead of convalescent plasma (CP), perhaps to dispense of exosomes are gratified and it's more effectively acquired immune response conferral through antibodies. COVID-19 convalescent plasma has billions of exosomes and it has aptitudes to carry molecular constituents like proteins, lipids, RNA and DNA, etc.
Moreover, exosomes are capable of recognizing antigens with adequate sensitivity and specificity. Many of these derivatives could trigger an immune modulation into the cells and act as an epigenetic inheritor response to target pathogens through RNAs. COIVID-19 resistance activated plasma-derived exosomes are either responsible for the effects of plasma beyond the contained immune antibodies or could be inhibitory. The proposed hypothesis suggests that preselecting the plasma-derived antibodies and RNAs merged exosomes would be an optimized therapeutic tactic for COVID-19 patients. We suggest that, the CPExo has a multi-potential effect for treatment efficacy by acting as immunotherapeutic, drug carrier, and diagnostic target with noncoding genetic materials as a biomarker
The effect of human immunodeficiency virus infection on adverse events during treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textBackground
Adverse events (AEs) during drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) treatment, especially with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) co-infection, remains a major threat to poor DR-TB treatment adherence and outcomes. This meta-analysis aims to investigate the effect of HIV infection on the development of AEs during DR-TB treatment.
Methods
Eligible studies evaluating the association between HIV seropositivity and risks of AE occurrence in DR-TB patients were included in this systematic review. Interventional and observational studies were assessed for risk of bias using the Risk of Bias in Nonrandomized Studies of Intervention and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale tool, respectively. Random-effects meta-analysis was performed to estimate the pooled risk ratio (RR) along with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs).
Results
A total of 37 studies involving 8657 patients were included in this systematic review. We discovered that HIV infection independently increased the risk of developing AEs in DR-TB patients by 12% (RR 1.12 [95% CI: 1.02–1.22]; I2 = 0%, p = 0.75). In particular, the risks were more accentuated in the development of hearing loss (RR 1.44 [95% CI: 1.18–1.75]; I2 = 60%), nephrotoxicity (RR 2.45 [95% CI: 1.20–4.98], I2 = 0%), and depression (RR 3.53 [95% CI: 1.38–9.03]; I2 = 0%). Although our findings indicated that the augmented risk was primarily driven by antiretroviral drug usage rather than HIV-related immunosuppression, further studies investigating their independent effects are required to confirm our findings.
Conclusion
HIV co-infection independently increased the risk of developing AEs during DR-TB treatment. Increased pharmacovigilance through routine assessments of audiological, renal, and mental functions are strongly encouraged to enable prompt diagnosis and treatment in patients experiencing AEs during concomitant DR-TB and HIV treatment
Evaluation of protein purification techniques and effects of storage urdation on LC-MS/MS analysis of archived FFPE human CRC tissues
No full textTo elucidate cancer pathogenesis and its mechanisms at the molecular level, the collecting and characterization of large individual patient tissue cohorts are required. Since most pathology institutes routinely preserve biopsy tissues by standardized methods of formalin fixation and paraffin embedment, these archived FFPE tissues are important collections of pathology material that include patient metadata, such as medical history and treatments.
FFPE blocks can be stored under ambient conditions for decades, while retaining cellular morphology, due to modifications induced by formalin. However, the effect of long-term storage, at resource-limited institutions in developing countries, on extractable protein quantity/quality has not yet been investigated. In addition, the optimal sample preparation techniques required for accurate and reproducible results from label-free LC-MS/MS analysis across block ages remains unclear. This study investigated protein extraction efficiency of 1, 5, and 10-year old human colorectal carcinoma resection tissue and assessed three different gel-free protein purification methods for label-free LC-MS/MS analysis. A sample size of n = 17 patients per experimental group (with experiment power = 0.7 and α = 0.05, resulting in 70% confidence level) was selected. Data were evaluated in terms of protein concentration extracted, peptide/protein identifications, method reproducibility and efficiency, sample proteome integrity (due to storage time), as well as protein/peptide distribution according to biological processes, cellular components, and physicochemical properties. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD017198. The results indicate that the amount of protein extracted is significantly dependent on block age (p 0.1). Block age mainly affects initial protein extraction yields and does not extensively impact on subsequent label-free LC-MS/MS analysis results
A COVID-19 vaccine: Big strides come with big challenges
No full textAs of 8 January 2021, there were 86,749,940 confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and 1,890,342 COVID-19-related deaths worldwide, as reported by the World Health Organization (WHO). In order to address the COVID-19 pandemic by limiting transmission, an intense global effort is underway to develop a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. The development of a safe and effective vaccine usually requires several years of pre-clinical and clinical stages of evaluation and requires strict regulatory approvals before it can be manufactured in bulk and distributed.
Since the global impact of COVID-19 is unprecedented in the modern era, the development and testing of a new vaccine are being expedited. Given the high-level of attrition during vaccine development, simultaneous testing of multiple candidates increases the probability of finding one that is effective. Over 200 vaccines are currently in development, with over 60 candidate vaccines being tested in clinical trials. These make use of various platforms and are at different stages of development. This review discusses the different phases of vaccine development and the various platforms in use for candidate COVID-19 vaccines, including their progress to date. The potential challenges once a vaccine becomes available are also addressed.South African Medical Research Council and the University of Pretoria (to Michael S Pepper)
Report on weekly deaths in South Africa: Week 25
No full textThis report provides estimates of the weekly number of deaths of person 1+ years in South Africa for epidemiological Week 25 of 2021, covering the period 20 – 26 Jun 2021
Report on weekly deaths in South Africa: Week 20
No full textThis report provides estimates of the weekly number of deaths of person 1+ years in South Africa for epidemiological Week 20 of 2021, covering the period 16 - 22 May 2021
Update on vaccines and exploring the scientific and ethical considerations of mandatory vaccination
No full textPresented on Discovery Webinar
Report on weekly deaths in South Africa: Week 44
No full textThis report provides estimates of the weekly number of deaths of all persons in South Africa for epidemiological Week 44 of 2021, covering the period 31 October - 6 November 2021
Report on weekly deaths in South Africa: Week 49
No full textThis report provides estimates of the weekly number of deaths of all persons in South Africa for epidemiological Week 49 of 2021, covering the period 5 – 11 Dec 2021