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- AlGannas, Nayef S., et al.
(author)
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Assessment of the levels of antispike SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies and their association with clinical characteristics in cohort of patients in Saudi Arabia
- 2022
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In: Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. - : Medknow Publications. - 2249-4863 .- 2278-7135. ; 11:11, s. 7372-7377
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a global public health crisis. The disease is known to be caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, but the detailed characteristics of the immune response to this novel virus have not been fully elucidated yet. In this study, we aimed to determine the level of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies and their correlation with clinical features at three time points postinfection in a group of patients in Saudi Arabia.Method: In this prospective observational study, we collected the demographic and clinical data from 43 polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed patients and measured the COVID-19 antispike IgG levels at three different visits.Result: The seroconversion rate after COVID-19 infection was 88.4% in the study participants, with no significant changes in the IgG levels through the three visits. The duration of shortness of breath had a significant positive correlation with the IgG level of the patients. Using the logistic regression model, participants having coughs were found to be 12.48 times more likely to develop positive IgG. The IgG levels were less in smokers than nonsmokers [Odds ratio = 6.42 (95% CI 2.11-19.48); P = 0.001].Conclusion: Positive IgG levels have been developed in most COVID-19 patients and did not significantly change over 3 months following the diagnosis. The level of IgG antibodies was found to be significantly associated with the presence of cough, duration of shortness of breath, and the smoking habit of the patients. These findings have clinical and public health significance and need to be validated in larger studies in different populations.
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| 2. |
- Omer, Abubakr A. M., 1982-, et al.
(author)
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Plantaricin NC8 αβ rapidly and efficiently inhibits flaviviruses and SARS-CoV-2 by disrupting their envelopes
- 2022
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In: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science. - 1932-6203. ; 17:11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Potent broad-spectrum antiviral agents are urgently needed to combat existing and emerging viral infections. This is particularly important considering that vaccine development is a costly and time consuming process and that viruses constantly mutate and render the vaccine ineffective. Antimicrobial peptides (AMP), such as bacteriocins, are attractive candidates as antiviral agents against enveloped viruses. One of these bacteriocins is PLNC8 αβ, which consists of amphipathic peptides with positive net charges that display high affinity for negatively charged pathogen membrane structures, including phosphatidylserine rich lipid membranes of viral envelopes. Due to the morphological and physiological differences between viral envelopes and host cell plasma membranes, PLNC8 αβ is thought to have high safety profile by specifically targeting viral envelopes without effecting host cell membranes. In this study, we have tested the antiviral effects of PLNC8 αβ against the flaviviruses Langat and Kunjin, coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, influenza A virus (IAV), and human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1). The concentration of PLNC8 αβ that is required to eliminate all the infective virus particles is in the range of nanomolar (nM) to micromolar (μM), which is surprisingly efficient considering the high content of cholesterol (8–35%) in their lipid envelopes. We found that viruses replicating in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)/Golgi complex, e.g. SARS-CoV-2 and flaviviruses, are considerably more susceptible to PLNC8 αβ, compared to viruses that acquire their lipid envelope from the plasma membrane, such as IAV and HIV-1. Development of novel broad-spectrum antiviral agents can significantly benefit human health by rapidly and efficiently eliminating infectious virions and thereby limit virus dissemination and spreading between individuals. PLNC8 αβ can potentially be developed into an effective and safe antiviral agent that targets the lipid compartments of viral envelopes of extracellular virions, more or less independent of virus antigenic mutations, which faces many antiviral drugs and vaccines.
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