Could Lower Testosterone in Older Men Explain Higher COVID-19 Morbidity and Mortalities?

The health scourge imposed on humanity by the COVID-19 pandemic seems not to recede. This fact warrants refined and novel ideas analyzing different aspects of the illness. One such aspect is related to the observation that most COVID-19 casualties were older males, a tendency also noticed in the epidemics of SARS-CoV in 2003 and the Middle East respiratory syndrome in 2012. This gender-related difference in the COVID-19 death toll might be directly involved with testosterone (TEST) and its plasmatic concentration in men. TEST has been demonstrated to provide men with anti-inflammatory and immunological advantages. As the plasmatic concentration of this androgen decreases with age, the health benefit it confers also diminishes. Low plasmatic levels of TEST can be determinant in the infection’s outcome and might be related to a dysfunctional cell Ca2+ homeostasis. Not only does TEST modulate the activity of diverse proteins that regulate cellular calcium concentrations, but these proteins have also been proven to be necessary for the replication of many viruses. Therefore, we discuss herein how TEST regulates different Ca2+-handling proteins in healthy tissues and propose how low TEST concentrations might facilitate the replication of the SARS-CoV-2 virus through the lack of modulation of the mechanisms that regulate intracellular Ca2+ concentrations.

The necessity for carnivore experimentation in predicting the next zoonotic disease epidemic

Zoonoses are human infections or diseases caused by disease spillover from vertebrate animals to people [1]. Spillover is the movement of pathogens from their normal host to a novel species [2]; this can occur through bodily fluids, bites, food, water, or contact with surfaces where infected animals have travelled [3]. Although some zoonoses remain established within populations and primarily affect only one person per spillover (classified as enzootic zoonoses—e.g., rabies), others can be transmitted between people and result in localized, or even global outbreaks [4]. Zoonoses account for over 60% of infectious diseases in humans [4] and can be caused by viruses, parasites, bacteria, or fungi. Of these, viral zoonoses prove to be of greatest detriment to the public on a widespread scale, as they are responsible for numerous epidemics and pandemics, including severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) [5-7]. Research has also been conducted on different taxonomic orders of species, such as Carnivora — placental animals which obtain nutrients from flesh — and their viral spillover risk [11].

Hubungan Kepribadian Terhadap Kepatuhan Karyawan Dalam Menjalankan Protokol Covid-19 Di Menara UMI Kota Makassar

Covid-19 adalah ancaman yang nyata dihadapi oleh negara di dunia. sejak tanggal 30 Januari 2020 WHO telah menetapkan sebagai Kedaruratan Kesehatan Masyarakat Yang Meresahkan Dunia / Public Health Emergency of International Concern (KKMMD/PHEIC). Penambahan jumlah kasus COVID-19 berlangsung cukup cepat dan sudah terjadi penyebaran antar negara. virus corona adalah virus yang menyebabkan flu biasa hingga penyakit yang lebih parah seperti Middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) dan Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARSCoV) dan menyebabkan kematian. sampai saat ini, belum ada vaksin untuk mencegah infeksi virus corona,adapun tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui faktor yang mempengaruhi kepribadian karyawan terhadap kepatuhan dalam menjalankan protokol covid-19.Penelitian ini bersifat kuantitatif dengan rancangan pendekatan cross sectional study. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah 80 karyawan menara UMI dan dipilih menggunakan Total sampling. Pengumpulan data menggunakan kuesioner secara offline selama satu bulan. Analisi data yang digunakan di dalam penelitian ini berupa analisis bivariate menggunakan uji chi square. Hasil Penelitian didapatkan bahwa terdapat faktor yang memiliki pengaruh terhadap kepatuhan karyawan dalam menjalankan protokol covid-19 yaitu kepribadian (p 0,000), sehingga diketahui bahwa variabel tersebut memberikan pengaruh nyata terhadap kepatuhan karyawan terhadap protokol covid-19.

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection in camelids

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) is the cause of a severe respiratory disease with a high case fatality rate in humans. Since its emergence in mid-2012, 2578 laboratory-confirmed cases in 27 countries have been reported by the World Health Organization, leading to 888 known deaths due to the disease and related complications. Dromedary camels are considered the major reservoir host for this virus leading to zoonotic infection in humans. Dromedary camels, llamas, and alpacas are susceptible to MERS-CoV, developing a mild-to-moderate upper respiratory tract infection characterized by epithelial hyperplasia as well as infiltration of neutrophils, lymphocytes, and some macrophages within epithelium, lamina propria, in association with abundant viral antigen. The very mild lesions in the lower respiratory tract of these camelids correlate with absence of overt illness following MERS-CoV infection. Unfortunately, there is no approved antiviral treatment or vaccine for MERS-CoV infection in humans. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop intervention strategies in camelids, such as vaccination, to minimize virus spillover to humans. Therefore, the development of camelid models of MERS-CoV infection is key not only to assess vaccine prototypes but also to understand the biologic mechanisms by which the infection can be naturally controlled in these reservoir species. This review summarizes information on virus-induced pathological changes, pathogenesis, viral epidemiology, and control strategies in camelids, as the intermediate hosts and primary source of MERS-CoV infection in humans.

Cegah Pemicu Covid-19 Melalui Cara Hidup Bersih Dan Sehat Di SMP Kristen Elim Kota Makassar

Penyakit Coronavirus (CoVid-19) adalah keluarga besar virus yang menyebabkan penyakit pada manusia dan hewan. Pada manusia, biasanya menyebabkan infeksi saluran pernapasan, mulai dari flu biasa hingga penyakit serius seperti Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Mencegah rasa sakit lebih mudah dan lebih murah daripada mengobati seseorang ketika mereka sakit. Salah satu cara untuk mencegahnya adalah dengan menjalani gaya hidup sehat. Pola hidup sehat merupakan upaya menerapkan kebiasaan baik dalam menciptakan hidup sehat dan menghindari kebiasaan buruk yang dapat mengganggu kesehatan. Adapun latar belakang kami mengambil judul ini karena berdasarkan survey di lapangan, melihat kondisi siswa SMP Kristen Elim kota Makassar saat ini yang belum memahami tata cara hidup bersih dan sehat yang ada di lingkungan baik sekolah, keluarga, dan komunitas. Oleh karena itu, kami ingin memberikan penyuluhan kepada mereka tentang pencegahan pencetusan covid-19 melalui metode pola hidup bersih dan sehat untuk menambah pengetahuan tentang penerapan pola hidup bersih dan sehat sebagai salah satu metode dalam pencegahan covid-19. Manfaat dari kegiatan ini adalah untuk mewujudkan hidup bersih dan sehat dalam rangka covid-19 dengan cara cuci tangan, social distancing, disinfektan, memakai masker, dan mematuhi protokol kesehatan lainnya. Kerjasama ini dapat memberikan arahan dan saling mengingatkan akan pentingnya hidup bersih dan sehat untuk mencegah covid-19. Adapun peningkatan pengetahuan siswa sebesar 7,1% pada saat dilakukan penyuluhan sehingga dapat disimpulkan bahwa pengetahuan siswa SMP Kristen Elim tentang Perilaku Hidup Bersih dan Sehat sudah di atas standar.

Tinjauan Karakteristik Pasien dengan Kasus Positif COVID-19 di Puskesmas Kecamatan Matraman

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). COVID-19 causes respiratory tract infections ranging from the common cold to serious illnesses such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). This study aim is to determine the characteristics of patients with positive cases of COVID-19 at the Matraman District Health Center. The characteristics data that collected as a variable are symptoms, age, gender and residence. This research uses a descriptive analysis research method with a quantitative approach. There are 495 data collected from epidemiological investigation forms. The sampling technique used in this study is simple random sampling with a checklist sheet collecting data method. Based on the results of data collection and analysis the majority of symptoms characteristic found in this research this positive case of COVID-19 researches at the Matraman District Health Center, the major characteristics of symptoms in COVID-19 patients are patients with mild symptoms (59%); 31-45 years old are the majority of patients (29%), woman is the majority of gender characteristic (62%), and most of the cases founded in the Pisangan Baru district. It is to be expected that health services can provided education to every community regarding health protocols especially for a group at risk to prevent and slowing down the rate of virus transmission in the Matraman area.Keywords: COVID-19, characteristics of positive patients, epidemiology AbstrakCOVID-19 adalah adalah penyakit menular yang disebabkan oleh sindrom pernapasan akut coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). COVID-19 menyebabkan penyakit infeksi saluran pernapasan dari flu biasa hingga penyakit yang serius seperti Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) dan Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Penelitian ini bertujuan mengetahui karakteristik pasien dengan kasus positif COVID-19 di Puskesmas Kecamatan Matraman. Karakteristik yang dilihat pada penelitian ini adalah gejala, umur, jenis kelamin dan tempat tinggal. Metode penelitian ini dengan menggunakan analisis deskriptif pendekatan kuantitatif. Data yang digunakan adalah formulir penyelidikan epidemiologi sebanyak 495 formulir. Teknik pengambilan sampel yang digunakan pada penelitian adalah simpel random sampling dengan menggunakan lembar checklist. Berdasarkan hasil pengumpulan dan danalisis data didapatkan hasil yaitu karakteristik gejala pada pasien COVID-19 pada penelitian ini adalah gejala ringan (59%); umur 31-45 tahun adalah mayoritas penderita covid 19 (29%), jenis kelamin mayoritas adalah perempuan (62%) dan mayoritas kasus terjadi di daerah Pisangan Baru (35%) Pelayanan kesehatan diharapkan dapat memberikan edukasi kepada setiap masyarakat terkait tentang protokol kesehatan kepada kelompok-kelompok yang berisiko untuk pencegahan dan memperlambat laju transmisi virus di wilayah Matraman.Kata Kunci: Covid-19, karakteristik pasien positif, epidemiologi

Repurposing of Drugs for SARS-CoV-2 Using Inverse Docking Fingerprints

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that belongs to the Coronaviridae family. This group of viruses commonly causes colds but possesses a tremendous pathogenic potential. In humans, an outbreak of SARS caused by the SARS-CoV virus was first reported in 2003, followed by 2012 when the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) led to an outbreak of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Moreover, COVID-19 represents a serious socioeconomic and global health problem that has already claimed more than four million lives. To date, there are only a handful of therapeutic options to combat this disease, and only a single direct-acting antiviral, the conditionally approved remdesivir. Since there is an urgent need for active drugs against SARS-CoV-2, the strategy of drug repurposing represents one of the fastest ways to achieve this goal. An in silico drug repurposing study using two methods was conducted. A structure-based virtual screening of the FDA-approved drug database on SARS-CoV-2 main protease was performed, and the 11 highest-scoring compounds with known 3CLpro activity were identified while the methodology was used to report further 11 potential and completely novel 3CLpro inhibitors. Then, inverse molecular docking was performed on the entire viral protein database as well as on the Coronaviridae family protein subset to examine the hit compounds in detail. Instead of target fishing, inverse docking fingerprints were generated for each hit compound as well as for the five most frequently reported and direct-acting repurposed drugs that served as controls. In this way, the target-hitting space was examined and compared and we can support the further biological evaluation of all 11 newly reported hits on SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro as well as recommend further in-depth studies on antihelminthic class member compounds. The authors acknowledge the general usefulness of this approach for a full-fledged inverse docking fingerprint screening in the future.

Psikoedukasi Protokol Kesehatan dalam Mencegah Penyebaran Covid-19 di Desa Banding Agung

Psikoedukasi adalah sebuah proses pemberian pemahaman atau pendidikan psikologis pada individu atau kelompok. Virus corona adalah sebuah keluarga virus yang ditemukan pada manusia dan hewan. Sebagian virusnya dapat menginveksi manusia serta menyebabkan berbagai penyakit mulai dari penyakit umum seperti flu, hingga penyakit-penyakit yang lebih fatal, seperti Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) dan Serve Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Tujuan dari pengabdian masyarakat ini adalah Memberikan pemahaman serta edukasi tentang pentingnya memakai masker,mencuci tangan,dan mengkonsumsi makanan sehat,Memotivasi masyarakat untuk memperhatikan kesehatan di saat pandemi covid-19 ini.Metode penyampaian dalam psikoedukasi ini dilakukan secara langsung seperti memberi penyuluhan, dan juga melalui perantara media cetak pemasangan banner. Sasaran kegiatan ini merupakan masyarakat Desa Banding Agung.Hasil dari psikoedukasi ini adalah Sebagian besar warga sudah termotivasi untuk menjaga kesehatan dan mengkonsumsi vitamin dan makanan yang sehat dan bergizi, dan Bertambahnya wawasan dan pengetahuan tentang pentingnya menjaga kesehatan di tengah pandemi covid-19.”

Comparison of experimental MERS-CoV infection acquired by three individual routes of infection in the common marmoset

Two strains of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), England -1 and EMC/2012, were used to challenge common marmosets ( Callithrix jacchus ) by three routes of infection, aerosol, oral and intra-nasal. Animals challenged by the intra-nasal and aerosol routes presented with a mild, transient disease, while those challenged by the oral route presented with a subclinical immunological response. Animals challenged with MERS-CoV strain EMC/2012 by the aerosol route responded with primary and/or secondary pyrexia. Marmosets had minimal to mild multifocal interstitial pneumonia, with the greatest relative severity observed in animals challenged by the aerosol route. Viable virus was isolated from the host in throat swabs and lung tissue. The transient disease described is consistent with a successful host response and was characterised by upregulation of macrophage and neutrophil function observed in all animals at the time of euthanasia. Importance Middle East Respiratory Syndrome is caused by a human Coronavirus, MERS-CoV, similar to SARS-CoV-2. Humans typically exhibit with a fever, cough, shortness of breath, gastrointestinal issues and breathing difficulties which can lead to pneumonia and/or renal complications. This emerging disease resulted in the first human lethal cases in 2012 and has a case fatality rate of approximately 36%. Consequently, there is a need for medical countermeasures and appropriate animal models for their assessment. This work has demonstrated the requirement for higher concentrations of virus to cause overt disease. Challenge by the aerosol, intra-nasal and oral route resulted in no or mild disease, but all animals had an immunological response. This shows that an appropriate early immunological response is able to control the disease.

Co-circulation of a Novel Dromedary Camel Parainfluenza Virus 3 and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus in a Dromedary Herd With Respiratory Tract Infections

Since the emergence of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012, there have been a surge in the discovery and evolutionary studies of viruses in dromedaries. Here, we investigated a herd of nine dromedary calves from Umm Al Quwain, the United Arab Emirates that developed respiratory signs. Viral culture of the nasal swabs from the nine calves on Vero cells showed two different types of cytopathic effects (CPEs), suggesting the presence of two different viruses. Three samples showed typical CPEs of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in Vero cells, which was confirmed by partial RdRp gene sequencing. Complete genome sequencing of the three MERS-CoV strains showed that they belonged to clade B3, most closely related to another dromedary MERS-CoV isolate previously detected in Dubai. They also showed evidence of recombination between lineages B4 and B5 in ORF1ab. Another three samples showed non-typical CPEs of MERS-CoV with cell rounding, progressive degeneration, and detachment. Electron microscopy revealed spherical viral particles with peplomers and diameter of about 170nm. High-throughput sequencing and metagenomic analysis showed that the genome organization (3'-N-P-M-F-HN-L-5') was typical of paramyxovirus. They possessed typical genome features similar to other viruses of the genus Respirovirus, including a conserved motif 323FAPGNYALSYAM336 in the N protein, RNA editing sites 5'-717AAAAAAGGG725-3', and 5'-1038AGAAGAAAGAAAGG1051-3' (mRNA sense) in the P gene with multiple polypeptides coding capacity, a nuclear localization signal sequence 245KVGRMYSVEYCKQKIEK261 in the M protein, a conserved sialic acid binding motif 252NRKSCS257 in the HN protein, conserved lengths of the leader (55nt) and trailer (51nt) sequences, total coding percentages (92.6–93.4%), gene-start (AGGANNAAAG), gene-end (NANNANNAAAAA), and trinucleotide intergenic sequences (CTT, mRNA sense). Phylogenetic analysis of their complete genomes showed that they were most closely related to bovine parainfluenza virus 3 (PIV3) genotype C strains. In the phylogenetic tree constructed using the complete L protein, the branch length between dromedary camel PIV3 (DcPIV3) and the nearest node is 0.04, which is >0.03, the definition used for species demarcation in the family Paramyxoviridae. Therefore, we show that DcPIV3 is a novel species of the genus Respirovirus that co-circulated with MERS-CoV in a dromedary herd in the Middle East.