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Repositioning Antiviral Drugs as a Rapid and Cost-Effective Approach to Discover Treatment against SARS-CoV-2 Infection
Published in Hajiya Mairo Inuwa, Ifeoma Maureen Ezeonu, Charles Oluwaseun Adetunji, Emmanuel Olufemi Ekundayo, Abubakar Gidado, Abdulrazak B. Ibrahim, Benjamin Ewa Ubi, Medical Biotechnology, Biopharmaceutics, Forensic Science and Bioinformatics, 2022
Omotayo Opemipo Oyedara, Folasade Muibat Adeyemi, Charles Oluwaseun Adetunji, Temidayo Oluyomi Elufisan
The advent of drug repurposing could be linked to the accidental discovery of new clinical applications for drugs (Figure 10.2). The side effects observed for a particular drug can be the basis for its novel application in the treatment or management of another disease. For instance, reprofiling thalidomide for the treatment of multiple myeloma stemmed from adverse effects observed when it was originally used as a sedative drug (Würth et al. 2015). Another example is aspirin which was originally marketed as an analgesic but repositioned as a platelet agglutination inhibitor in cardiovascular conditions. Moreover, the application of aspirin in oncology has been foreseen because of its potential to prevent colorectal cancer (Jourdan et al. 2020). Thus, phenotypic screening of already existing drugs through in vitro and in vivo assay can also lead to the discovery of drugs that can be repurposed for new indications.
Animal Connection Challenges
Published in Michael Hehenberger, Zhi Xia, Huanming Yang, Our Animal Connection, 2020
Michael Hehenberger, Zhi Xia, Huanming Yang
Viral infections can cause disease in humans, animals and even plants. However, they are usually eliminated by the immune system, often (but not always) conferring lifetime immunity to the host for that virus. Antibiotics have no effect on viruses, but some antiviral drugs have been developed to treat certain life-threatening infections. Vaccines that produce immunity for a limited period of time (months, years, even a lifetime) can prevent some viral infections. A vaccine is providing active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease. It typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, its toxins, or one of its surface proteins. The agent stimulates the body’s immune system to recognize the agent as a threat, to destroy it, and to further recognize and destroy any of the microorganisms associated with that agent that it may encounter in the future. Vaccines can be either prophylactic (to prevent or ameliorate the effects of a future infection by a natural or “wild” pathogen), or therapeutic (to fight a disease, such as cancer).
An Advanced Insulin Bolus Calculator for Type 1 Diabetes
Published in Pietro Salvo, Miguel Hernandez-Silveira, Krzysztof Iniewski, Wireless Medical Systems and Algorithms, 2017
Peter Pesl, Pau Herrero, Monika Reddy, Maria Xenou, Nick Oliver, Pantelis Georgiou
Large intervention trials performed in the European Union [2] and the United States [3] showed how tight glycemic control avoiding hyperglycemia could prevent long-term complications such as microvascular (retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy) and macrovascular disease (cardiovascular disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease). Such complications are reported to place a heavy burden on health services [4]. These trials also reported the associated risk of induced hypoglycemia (low blood glucose) that underscores the crucial need for exact and timely insulin dosage [5]. Severe or prolonged hypoglycemia is a major concern for people with diabetes and can result in seizures, cardiac arrhythmias, and the “dead-in-bed” syndrome.
Low-cost biofuel-powered autoclaving machine for use in rural health care centres
Published in Journal of Medical Engineering & Technology, 2020
Yusuf Kola Ahmed, Morufu Olusola Ibitoye, Abdul Rasak Zubair, Janet Mosunmola Oladejo, Suleiman Abimbola Yahaya, Saheed Olayinka Abdulsalam, Ridwan Oladipupo Ajibola
Sterilisation is an integral part of regular activities in any functional health care centre either to ensure safe disposal of some medical wastes or decontamination of reusable medical devices. Effective sterilisation of medical devices is necessary to prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAI) such as nosocomial infection and surgical site infection (SSI) [1,2]. SSI(s) are infections acquired by patients within 30 d or more after an operative procedure [1]. In 2011, World Health Organisation (WHO) submitted that HAI is a significant burden in developed countries as about 15% of patients in regular wards and over 50% patients in intensive care units (ICU) were affected [2,3]. For example, an average of 500,000 cases of SSI is recorded annually in the United States alone [4]. Although there are few statistics available from developing countries about HAI as resources and expertise needed for such records are limited, the available data indicated that their cases of HAI are higher [2]. The WHO’s report established that about 23.6% of procedures are affected by SSI in developing countries, while only 5.2% of procedures are affected in developed nations [1]. Nigeria, being a prominent country in Africa, is reported to have 30.9% of her paediatric hospital procedures affected by SSI [5]. Another study conducted in a Nigerian teaching hospital by Olowo-okere et al. [6] reported 27.6% of hospital procedures being affected by SSI in 2018.