Search

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 has caused worldwide pandemic of COVID-19. Infection is difficult to diagnose early as some patients remain asymptomatic and may carry this virus to other people. Currently, qRT-PCR is the widely accepted mode for detection. However, the need for sophisticated instrument and trained personnel may hinder its application, especially in remote and facility-lacking areas. Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) may serve as a potential approach for detection of SARS-CoV-2 as the resources needed in its application is far less complex than those of qRT-PCR. Herein, we evaluated RT-LAMP based analytical method (COVIDNow), relative to qRT-PCR, in detecting SARS-CoV-2 by using 63 clinical respiratory samples. Based on our finding, COVIDNow exhibited sensitivity and specificity values of 87.5% and 80.6%, respectively. Taken together, RT-LAMP based detection of SARS-CoV-2 by utilizing COVIDNow might serves as a valuable diagnostic tool in the management of global COVID-19 pandemic condition., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Background: Aging is a multifactorial degenerative process that can be modulated by fasting through activation of the Fork-head transcription factor of the O class 3 ( FOXO3 ), which plays an important role in increasing lifespans. However, the effects of different fasting durations on the expression of FOXO3 in the liver has not yet been reported., Objective: This study analyzed the effects of different fasting durations on the FOXO3 expression and its pathway by measuring sirtuin1 ( SIRT1 ), insulin-like growth factor-1 ( IGF-1 ), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the liver., Methods: New Zealand white rabbits were used to mimic the effects of fasting on humans. The rabbits were divided into the control, intermittent fasting (IF), and prolonged fasting (PF) groups. Both fasting groups were interspersed with the non-fasting phase for 8 h. This treatment was conducted for 6 days. On Day 7, all the rabbits were sacrificed, and their livers were taken to measure the FOXO3 and SIRT1 mRNA expressions , the IGF-1 protein level, and the SOD activity level. ANOVA, multiple comparison, and Pearson's correlation were performed for statistical analysis., Results: The FOXO3 and SIRT1 mRNA expressions were significantly higher in the IF group than in the control group. The FOXO3 expression was also 2.5 times higher in the IF group than in the PF group. There was a positive correlation between the FOXO3 and SIRT1 mRNA expressions. The IGF-1 protein level was significantly lower in the IF and PF groups than in the control group. The SOD-specific activity level was significantly higher in the IF group than in the control and PF groups., Conclusions: Intermittent fasting significantly increased the FOXO3 and SIRT1 mRNA expressions and the SOD activity level in the livers of the rabbits and significantly decreased the circulating and hepatic IGF-1. Therefore, intermittent fasting may give a protective intervention effect towards aging., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2023 The Authors.)