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Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is currently a serious global health threat. While conventional laboratory tests such as quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), serology tests, and chest computerized tomography (CT) scan allow diagnosis of COVID-19, these tests are time-consuming and laborious, and are limited in resource-limited settings or developing countries. Point-of-care (POC) biosensors such as chip-based and paper-based biosensors are typically rapid, portable, cost-effective, and user-friendly, which can be used for COVID-19 in remote settings. The escalating demand for rapid diagnosis of COVID-19 presents a strong need for a timely and comprehensive review on the POC biosensors for COVID-19 that meet ASSURED criteria: Affordable, Sensitive, Specific, User-friendly, Rapid and Robust, Equipment-free, and Deliverable to end users. In the present review, we discuss the importance of rapid and early diagnosis of COVID-19 and pathogenesis of COVID-19 along with the key diagnostic biomarkers. We critically review the most recent advances in POC biosensors which show great promise for the detection of COVID-19 based on three main categories: chip-based biosensors, paper-based biosensors, and other biosensors. We subsequently discuss the key benefits of these biosensors and their use for the detection of antigen, antibody, and viral nucleic acids. The commercial POC biosensors for COVID-19 are critically compared. Finally, we discuss the key challenges and future perspectives of developing emerging POC biosensors for COVID-19. This review would be very useful for guiding strategies for developing and commercializing rapid POC tests to manage the spread of infections.Graphical abstract.

The open innovation hub Digital Health and Patient Safety Platform (DHPSP) was recently established with the purpose to invigorate collaborative scientific research and the development of new digital products and personalized solutions aiming to improve human health and patient safety. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of a Twitter-based campaign centered on using the hashtag #DHPSP to promote the visibility of the DHPSP initiative. Thus, tweets containing #DHPSP were monitored for five weeks for the period 20.10.2020–24.11.2020 and were analyzed with Symplur Signals (social media analytics tool). In the study period, a total of 11,005 tweets containing #DHPSP were posted by 3020 Twitter users, generating 151,984,378 impressions. Analysis of the healthcare stakeholder-identity of the Twitter users who used #DHPSP revealed that the most of participating user accounts belonged to individuals or doctors, with the top three user locations being the United States (501 users), the United Kingdom (155 users), and India (121 users). Analysis of co-occurring hashtags and the full text of the posted tweets further revealed that the major themes of attention in the #DHPSP Twitter-community were related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), medicine and health, digital health technologies, and science communication in general. Overall, these results indicate that the #DHPSP initiative achieved high visibility and engaged a large body of Twitter users interested in the DHPSP focus area. Moreover, the conducted campaign resulted in an increase of DHPSP member enrollments and website visitors, and new scientific collaborations were formed. Thus, Twitter campaigns centered on a dedicated hashtag prove to be a highly efficient tool for visibility-promotion, which could be successfully utilized by healthcare-related open innovation platforms or initiatives.

Background Migraine, as the 7th most disabling neurological multi-symptomatic disease condition and 26.9% prevalence in Saudi females lacks studies on SNPs for their relation with migraine aura. Methods This study was conducted on 40 Arab ancestry young female subjects, among whom 50% cases with migraine and remaining controls were used to identify the migraine associated novels genes and risk variants. After quality controls, 3365343 missense, frameshift, missense splice region variants and insertion-deletion (indels) polymorphisms were tested for association to migraine. Results Seventeen significant (p value 9.091×10− 05) functional variants in 12 genes (RETNLB, SCAI, ADH4, ESPL1, CPT2, FLG, PPP4R1, SERPINB5, ZNF66, ETAA1, EXO1 and CPA6) were migraine risk associated including a stop gained frameshift (-13-14*SX) variant in the gene RETNLB (rs5851607; p value 3.446×10− 06). Gene analysis revealed that half of the significant novel migraine risk genes expressed in temporal lobe (p-value 0.0058) of the cerebral cortex. Conclusions This first study in female (22.10 ± 3.63 years) migrainers is the first one exploring migraine risk variants in Arab ancestry.

The pandemic situation due to COVID-19 has crippled the lives of the whole world population and has affected almost every individual in one way or the other. Researchers have been intrigued due to the increasing number of strains and symptoms. Several approaches have been used to control the spread of this highly infectious disease: early detection of the infected individual, development of a suitable drug and containment of the spread of this virus. Although, several vaccines have been developed, they have shown to have their own limitations and side-effects. One of the measures which has been adopted by the global health agencies is to educate people (infected or uninfected) regarding the maintenance of strong immune system to prevent the infection and lessen the health complications. There are several important factors which determine the immunity of an individual. Eating balanced diet and maintaining the proper supplication of nutritional components are being suggested by health experts to keep the immunity strong. Minerals and vitamins must be maintained in the diet for proper health and immunity. Vitamins have various roles in human physiology. In this review, the relevance of vitamins in the maintenance of immunity has been discussed and reviewed in prevention of adverse health effects of COVID-19.

The significance of biomaterials is well appreciated in nanotechnology, and its use has resulted in major advances in biomedical sciences. Although, currently, very little data is available on the clinical trial studies for treatment of neurological conditions, numerous promising advancements have been reported in drug delivery and regenerative therapies which can be applied in clinical practice. Among the commonly reported biomaterials in literature, the self-assembling peptides and hydrogels have been recognized as the most potential candidate for treatment of common neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, spinal cord injury, stroke and tumors. The hydrogels, specifically, offer advantages like flexibility and porosity, and mimics the properties of the extracellular matrix of the central nervous system. These factors make them an ideal scaffold for drug delivery through the blood-brain barrier and tissue regeneration (using stem cells). Thus, the use of biomaterials as suitable matrix for therapeutic purposes has emerged as a promising area of neurosciences. In this review, we describe the application of biomaterials, and the current advances, in treatment of statistically common neurological disorders.

Flavonoids comprise a large group of structurally diverse polyphenolic compounds of plant origin and are abundantly found in human diet such as fruits, vegetables, grains, tea, dairy products, red wine, etc. Major classes of flavonoids include flavonols, flavones, flavanones, flavanols, anthocyanidins, isoflavones, and chalcones. Owing to their potential health benefits and medicinal significance, flavonoids are now considered as an indispensable component in a variety of medicinal, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetic preparations. Moreover, flavonoids play a significant role in preventing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), which could be mainly due to their antioxidant, antiatherogenic, and antithrombotic effects. Epidemiological and in vitro/in vivo evidence of antioxidant effects supports the cardioprotective function of dietary flavonoids. Further, the inhibition of LDL oxidation and platelet aggregation following regular consumption of food containing flavonoids and moderate consumption of red wine might protect against atherosclerosis and thrombosis. One study suggests that daily intake of 100 mg of flavonoids through the diet may reduce the risk of developing morbidity and mortality due to coronary heart disease (CHD) by approximately 10%. This review summarizes dietary flavonoids with their sources and potential health implications in CVDs including various redox-active cardioprotective (molecular) mechanisms with antioxidant effects. Pharmacokinetic (oral bioavailability, drug metabolism), toxicological, and therapeutic aspects of dietary flavonoids are also addressed herein with future directions for the discovery and development of useful drug candidates/therapeutic molecules.

There are regular reports of extrapulmonary infections and manifestations related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Coronaviruses are potentially neurotropic, which renders neuronal tissue vulnerable to infection, especially in elderly individuals or in those with neuro-comorbid conditions. Complaints of ageusia, anosmia, myalgia, and headache; reports of diseases such as stroke, encephalopathy, seizure, and encephalitis; and loss of consciousness in patients with COVID-19 confirm the neuropathophysiological aspect of this disease. The brain is linked to pulmonary organs, physiologically through blood circulation, and functionally through the nervous system. The interdependence of these vital organs may further aggravate the pathophysiological aspects of COVID-19. The induction of a cytokine storm in systemic circulation can trigger a neuroinflammatory cascade, which can subsequently compromise the blood-brain barrier and activate microglia- and astrocyte-borne Toll-like receptors, thereby leading to neuronal tissue damage. Hence, a holistic approach should be adopted by healthcare professionals while treating COVID-19 patients with a history of neurodegenerative disorders, neuropsychological complications, or any other neuro-compromised conditions. Imperatively, vaccines are being developed at top priority to contain the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and different vaccines are at different stages of development globally. This review discusses the concerns regarding the neuronal complications of COVID-19 and the possible mechanisms of amelioration.

Nanobiotechnology has been achieved great significance in terms of nanomedicine & many others. But the first challenge in nanobiotechnology science is the preparation of stable nanoparticles. Presently, many preparation methods have been developed like different chemical & physical processes, but the main drawbacks of these processes are required hazardous chemicals, environmental impact, and ultimately expenses a lot. To overcome these challenges another advanced technology has been developed, which is termed green or biogenic synthesis. This review is discussing the modern approaches of the eco-friendly and cost-effective methodology of green synthesis of nanoparticles by using different eukaryotic & prokaryotic agents like plants, human cell lines, diatoms, algae, fungi, bacteria, viruses, and other organisms. Also, this review gives a clear idea of the different applications of those nanoparticles in drug delivery, dentistry, labeling, diagnostics & sensors.

Both in malignant and non-malignant disorders stem cell based therapies are increasingly being utilized with promising results. hematopoietic reconstitution comprises mainly of 3 types of cells bone marrow (BM), peripheral blood (PB), and umbilical cord blood (UCB). The readily available and abundant resource of stem cell is umbilical cord blood. However, the typical single UCB unit could fetch relatively low numbers of hematopoietic stem- and progenitor cells (HSPCs) and the associated delay in procuring them restrict its routine applicability. In the past decade, the clinical applications of UCBbased cell therapies have broadened with a growing number of diseases treated with hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation. The assessment of UCB unit hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), such as CD34+ cells or CFUs (Colony forming units), may provide a more direct estimate of the hematopoietic potential of the unit than the TNC count. As interlaboratory standardization of these assays has been achieved, the selection of UCB units for banking based on quantitation of hematopoietic progenitors is currently not feasible. However, CFU assays provide the only reliable assessment of the viability of the CB unit, although great efforts have been made to develop flow cytometry methods for viability staining. Despite of extreme efforts to find strategies that would enable the ex vivo amplification of stem cells for transplantation globally, it has been proven difficult to culture the HSCs in the labs. Therefore, it is imperative to have clear understanding regarding integration of HSC self-renewal, proliferation, and differentiation, molecules participating in their regulation and clinical benefit after their modification. Attempts have been made to improve the quality of UCB units through e.g. standardization of bank procedures, of stem cell enumeration, and of the assessment of HPCs viability. Over 4000000 UCB units are currently available in international registries. However, a significant proportion of patients is still left without a suitable donor, necessitating further development of UCB banking process.

Objective: This study was undertaken to screen the epidemiology of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in ethnically distinct, tribal dominated and of lower socioeconomic status area. Methods: Briefly, 3 ml blood was collected from 50 random liver disease cases with jaundice, receiving care at Central Hospital, N.F. Railway, Guwahati, and Guwahati Medical College, with informed consent. The patients detected with hepatitis A virus (HAV)-immunoglobulin M positive status were included and were stratified as acute viral hepatitis and fulminant hepatitis failure based on the clinical profile. HAV genotyping was studied by polymerase chain reaction-direct sequencing-phylogenetic analysis approach. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 13.0 software. Result: A total of 50 cases were HBV infected. HBV infection was predominant in the young and adult age group. HBV-RNA was detected in 19 cases. Conclusion: This study shows that HBV genotype D is most commonly found hepatitis in all tribes of Assam and poor sanitation and alcohol consumption are a common reason for its widespread. Keywords: Genotype, Hepatitis B virus, Liver disease, Molecular epidemiology, Phylogenetic study.