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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major healthcare problem and a common cause of mortality and morbidity. Clinical and preclinical research suggests sex-related differences in short- and longterm outcomes following TBI; however, males have been the main focus of TBI research. Females show a protective response against TBI. Female animals in preclinical studies and women in clinical trials have shown comparatively better outcomes against mild, moderate, or severe TBI. This reflects a favorable protective nature of the females compared to the males, primarily attributed to various protective mechanisms that provide better prognosis and recovery in the females after TBI. Understanding the sex difference in the TBI pathophysiology and the underlying mechanisms remains an elusive goal. In this review, we provide insights into various mechanisms related to the anatomical, physiological, hormonal, enzymatic, inflammatory, oxidative, genetic, or mitochondrial basis that support the protective nature of females compared to males. Furthermore, we sought to outline the evidence of multiple biomarkers that are highly potential in the investigation of TBI's prognosis, pathophysiology, and treatment and which can serve as objective measures and novel targets for individualized therapeutic interventions in TBI treatment. Implementations from this review are important for the understanding of the effect of sex on TBI outcomes and possible mechanisms behind the favorable response in females. It also emphasizes the critical need to include females as a biological variable and in sufficient numbers in future TBI studies., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Newly emerging variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are continuously posing high global public health concerns and panic resulting in waves of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Depending on the extent of genomic variations, mutations and adaptation, few of the variants gain the ability to spread quickly across many countries, acquire higher virulency and ability to cause severe disease, morbidity and mortality. These variants have been implicated in lessening the efficacy of the current COVID-19 vaccines and immunotherapies resulting in break-through viral infections in vaccinated individuals and recovered patients. Altogether, these could hinder the protective herd immunity to be achieved through the ongoing progressive COVID-19 vaccination. Currently, the only variant of interest of SARS-CoV-2 is Omicron that was first identified in South Africa. In this review, we present the overview on the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants with a special focus on the Omicron variant, its lineages and hybrid variants. We discuss the hypotheses of the origin, genetic change and underlying molecular mechanism behind higher transmissibility and immune escape of Omicron variant. Major concerns related to Omicron including the efficacy of the current available immunotherapeutics and vaccines, transmissibility, disease severity, and mortality are discussed. In the last part, challenges and strategies to counter Omicron variant, its lineages and hybrid variants amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic are presented., Competing Interests: Disclosure statement Authors have no conflict of interests., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

T he emergence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has affected many countries throughout the world. As urgency is a necessity, most efforts have focused on identifying small molecule drugs that can be repurposed for use as anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents. Although several drug candidates have been identified using in silico method and in vitro studies, most of these drugs require the support of in vivo data before they can be considered for clinical trials. Several drugs are considered promising therapeutic agents for COVID-19. In addition to the direct-acting antiviral drugs, supportive therapies including traditional Chinese medicine, immunotherapies, immunomodulators, and nutritional therapy could contribute a major role in treating COVID-19 patients. Some of these drugs have already been included in the treatment guidelines, recommendations, and standard operating procedures. In this article, we comprehensively review the approved and potential therapeutic drugs, immune cells-based therapies, immunomodulatory agents/drugs, herbs and plant metabolites, nutritional and dietary for COVID-19., Competing Interests: All the authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Vaccines are vital for prevention and control of mycoplasma diseases. The exploration of a vaccine candidate for the development of a vaccine is imperative. The present study envisages the evaluation of immune and oxidative response against an adjuvanted, sonicated antigen of Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumonia in male Angora rabbits (1 year old, 2 kg) divided in four groups, each having six animals. Group 1 was the healthy control and received 1 mL PBS via subcutaneous route. Group 2 was administered 1 mL of saponin-adjuvanted and -sonicated antigen, Group 3 was given 1 mL of montanide ISA 50-adjuvanted and-sonicated antigen, and Group 4 was given 1 mL of standard vaccine via subcutaneous route. Animals were evaluated for cellular and humoral immune response and oxidative parameters at 0, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days of the study. Total leukocytic, neutrophilic, and basophilic counts showed a significant (p < 0.05) increase in vaccinated groups compared to the healthy group on most of the intervals. TNF-α levels were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the Group 2 than the Group 1 at all the time intervals and more comparable to Group 4 than Group 3. IL-10 levels were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in vaccinated groups compared to the healthy group on days 14, 21, and 28, but were lower in Group 3 than in Group 2 and Group 4. More hypersensitivity as inflammation and histopathological cellular infiltration in the ear was produced in Group 2 and Group 4 than in Group 3. IgG levels were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in Group 2 and Group 4 than in Group 3 on days 14 and 21. Antibody titers were comparatively higher in Group 4, followed by Group 2 and 3, than Group 1. Significantly (p < 0.05) higher oxidant and lower antioxidant values were noted in Group 2 and 4 compared to Group 3 and Group 1 on most of the intervals. The TLC and antibody titer showed increasing trend throughout the trial, whereas TNF-α, IgG, L, M and E started decreasing from day 14, and IL-10, N and B started decreasing from day 21. This study concludes that the saponin-adjuvanted and-sonicated antigen induces comparatively higher immune response than montanide but is associated with oxidative and inflammatory reactions.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an important public health problem and is responsible for both acute and chronic viral hepatitis. Public health implications of HEV are derived from its transmission route, either water-borne or food-borne, and its zoonotic potential. Not only in developing countries, but HEV cases are also found in a high number in developed countries. The spread of HEV to the environment might pollute surface waters, which could act as the source of infection for both humans and animals. Identification of the virus in animal products suggests the circulation of HEV within water and food chains. High seroprevalence and circulation of HEV in livestock, in particular pigs, as well as in environmental samples warrants further investigation into pig markets. HEV virulence in different environments and meat supply chains could shed light on the possible sources of infection in humans and the degree of occupational risk. The purpose of this review is to discuss HEV infections with an emphasis on livestock- and environment-related risk factors, and food-borne, water-borne, and zoonotic transmissions., Competing Interests: All the authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium ( S. typhimurium ) is the leading cause of foodborne illness. Since Salmonella continues to have a detrimental effect on public health, there is an ongoing need to develop more advanced methods for combating Salmonellosis in foods before they reach consumers. In addition, the quest for alternative natural products has recently intensified due to increasingly stringent regulations regarding the use of antibiotics as growth promoters and consumer demand for antibiotic-free poultry products. This study evaluated the effect of Ajwain extract (AJE) on immune response and antioxidant status in broiler chicks challenged with Salmonella typhimurium . The chicks were infected with S. typhimurium and were divided into the different groups, except for the control group (CON). The challenged chicks received different treatments with 3 × 10 9 colony-forming unit (CFU) Acipro TM -WS probiotic (PRO), 200 mg/kg Ajwain extract (AJE), 200 mg/100 kg of enrofloxacin (ENR), and a combination of 3 × 10 9 CFU Acipro TM -WS probiotic and 200 mg/kg Ajwain extract (COM). Five days posttreatment, the tissue samples (liver and spleen) were analyzed. The results showed that basal diet supplemented with Ajwain extract (AJE) and a combination of probiotic and Ajwain extract (COM) significantly ( P < 0.0.5) reduced the cytokine expression in broiler chicks challenged with S. typhimurium . Our findings suggest that AJE can clear the bacterial infection, improve antioxidant status, and suppress the inflammation response. Additionally, AJE supplementation significantly mitigated the S. typhimurium -induced increase in the interleukin-6 (IL-6) (liver and spleen), interleukin-8 (IL-8) (liver and spleen), interleukin-17A (IL-17A) (liver and spleen), and inducible nitric oxide (iNOS) (spleen and liver) levels ( P < 0.05). We conclude that Ajwain is an efficient feed additive with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The interaction networks developed in this study provide a novel lead that could be targeted for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Haq, Ahmad, Bashir, Dar, Saleem, Khan, Yatoo, Mir, Rastogi, Hussain, Shah and Bhat.)