Current understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on gastrointestinal disease:Challenges and openings

The novel coronavirus disease-2019(COVID-19)is caused by a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus which belongs to the Coronaviridae family.In March 2019 the World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 was a pandemic.COVID-19 patients typically have a fever,dry cough,dyspnea,fatigue,and anosmia.Some patients also report gastrointestinal(GI)symptoms,including diarrhea,nausea,vomiting,and abdominal pain,as well as liver enzyme abnormalities.Surprisingly,many studies have found severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)viral RNA in rectal swabs and stool specimens of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients.In addition,viral receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and transmembrane protease serine-type 2,were also found to be highly expressed in gastrointestinal epithelial cells of the intestinal mucosa.Furthermore,SARS-CoV-2 can dynamically infect and replicate in both GI and liver cells.Taken together these results indicate that the GI tract is a potential target of SARS-CoV-2.Therefore,the present review summarizes the vital information available to date on COVID-19 and its impact on GI aspects.

Radiological and clinical spectrum of COVID-19: A major concern for public health

The pandemic of novel coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)is an infectious disease caused by+ve strand RNA virus(SARS-CoV-2,severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2)that belongs to the corona viridae family.In March,the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of novel coronavirus for the public health emergency.Although SARS-CoV-2 infection presents with respiratory symptoms,it affects other organs such as the kidneys,liver,heart and brain.Early-stage laboratory disease testing shows many false positive or negative outcomes such as less white blood cell count and a low number of lymphocyte count.However,radiological examination and diagnosis are among the main components of the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19.In particular,for COVID-19,chest computed tomography developed vigorous initial diagnosis and disease progression assessment.However,the accuracy is limited.Although realtime reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction is the gold standard method for the diagnosis of COVID-19,sometimes it may give false-negative results.Due to the consequences of the missing diagnosis.This resulted in a discrepancy between the two means of examination.Conversely,based on currently available evidence,we summarized the possible understanding of the various pathophysiology,radio diagnostic methods in severe COVID-19 patients.As the information on COVID-19 evolves rapidly,this review will provide vital information for scientists and clinicians to consider novel perceptions for the comprehensive knowledge of the diagnostic approaches based on current experience.

A theragenerative bio-nanocomposite consisting of black phosphorus quantum dots for bone cancer therapy and regeneration

Recently,the term theragenerative has been proposed for biomaterials capable of inducing therapeutic approaches followed by repairing/regenerating the tissue/organ.This study is focused on the design of a new theragenerative nanocomposite composed of an amphiphilic non-ionic surfactant(Pluronic F127),bioactive glass(BG),and black phosphorus(BP).The nanocomposite was prepared through a two-step synthetic strategy,including a microwave treatment that turned BP nanosheets(BPNS)into quantum dots(BPQDs)with 5±2 nm dimensions in situ.The effects of surfactant and microwave treatment were assessed in vitro:the surfactant distributes the ions homogenously throughout the composite and the microwave treatment chemically stabilizes the composite.The presence of BP enhanced bioactivity and promoted calcium phosphate formation in simulated body fluid.The inherent anticancer activity of BP-containing nanocomposites was tested against osteosarcoma cells in vitro,finding that 150μg mL^(-1)was the lowest concentration which prevented the proliferation of SAOS-2 cells,while the counterpart without BP did not affect the cell growth rate.Moreover,the apoptosis pathways were evaluated and a mechanism of action was proposed.NIR irradiation was applied to induce further proliferation suppression on SAOS-2 cells through hyperthermia.The inhibitory effects of bare BP nanomaterials and nanocomposites on the migration and invasion of bone cancer,breast cancer,and prostate cancer cells were assessed in vitro to determine the anticancer potential of nanomaterials against primary and secondary bone cancers.The regenerative behavior of the nanocomposites was tested with healthy osteoblasts and human mesenchymal stem cells;the BPQDs-incorporated nanocomposite significantly promoted the proliferation of osteoblast cells and induced the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells.This study introduces a new multifunctional theragenerative platform with promising potential for simultaneous bone cancer therapy and regeneration.

Novel biomarkers of fibrosis in Crohn's disease

Fibrosis represents a major challenge in Crohn's disease(CD),and many CD patients will develop fibrotic strictures requiring treatment throughout their lifetime.There is no drug that can reverse intestinal fibrosis,and so endoscopic balloon dilatation and surgery are the only effective treatments.Since patients may need repeated treatments,it is important to obtain the diagnosis at an early stage before strictures become symptomatic with extensive fibrosis.Several markers of fibrosis have been proposed,but most need further validation.Biomarkers can be measured either in biological samples obtained from the serum or bowel of CD patients,or using imaging tools and tests.The ideal tool should be easily obtained,costeffective,and reliable.Even more challenging is fibrosis occurring in ulcerative colitis.Despite the important burden of intestinal fibrosis,including its detrimental effect on outcomes and quality of life in CD patients,it has received less attention than fibrosis occurring in other organs.A common mechanism that acts via a specific signaling pathway could underlie both intestinal fibrosis and cancer.A comprehensive overview of recently introduced biomarkers of fibrosis in CD is presented,along with a discussion of the controversial areas remaining in this field.

Relevance of Spike/Estrogen Receptor-αinteraction for endothelial-based coagulopathy induced by SARS-CoV-2

Dear Editor,The severe coagulation syndrome in numerous organs is the major life-threatening conditions characterizing the acute infection by SARS-CoV-2.Endothelial inflammation/dysfunction,platelet hyper-reactivity,generation of neutrophil extracellular traps,promote the activation of the coagulation cascade in an infection-dependent manner.^(1)

The IL13α 2R paves the way for anti-glioma nanotherapy

Glioblastoma(GBM)is one of the most aggressive(grade IV)gliomas characterized by a high rate of recurrence,resistance to therapy and a grim survival prognosis.The long-awaited improvement in GBM patients'survival rates essentially depends on advances in the development of new therapeutic approaches.Recent preclinical studies show that nanoscale materials could greatly contribute to the improvement of diagnosis and management of brain cancers.In the current review,we will discuss how specific features of glioma pathobiology can be employed for designing efficient targeting approaches.Moreover,we willsummarize the main evidence for the potential of the IL-13R alpha 2 receptor(IL13α2R)targeting in GBM early diagnosis and experimental therapy.