History,origin,transmission,genome structure,replication,epidemiology,pathogenesis,clinical features,diagnosis,and treatment of COVID-19:A review

In December,2019,pneumonia triggered by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)surfaced in Wuhan,China.An acute respiratory illness named coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)is caused by a new coronavirus designated as SARS-CoV-2.COVID-19 has surfaced as a major pandemic in the 21st century as yet.The entire world has been affected by this virus.World Health Organization proclaimed COVID-19 pandemic as a public health emergency of international concern on January 30,2020.SARS-CoV-2 shares the same genome as coronavirus seen in bats.Therefore,bats might be its natural host of this virus.It primarily disseminates by means of the respiratory passage.Evidence revealed human-to-human transmission.Fever,cough,tiredness,and gastrointestinal illness are the manifestations in COVID-19-infected persons.Senior citizens are more vulnerable to infections which can lead to dangerous consequences.Various treatment strategies including antiviral therapies are accessible for the handling of this disease.In this review,we organized the most recent findings on COVID-19 history,origin,transmission,genome structure,replication,epidemiology,pathogenesis,clinical features,diagnosis,and treatment strategies.

Morphological and functional alterations of female reproduction after regular exposure of bamboo shoots of North East India

Objective:To evaluate the effect of daily consumption of bamboo shoots (BS) on the morphological features and functional status of the female reproductive system in adult with respect to thyroid.Methods: Adult female rats were divided into control and experimental groups of six each. Control group was given normal diet while experimental group was fed BS by 1/3rd replacement of 180 g of their foodi.e.60 g of BS containing 35 g of goitrogens of cyanogenic origin such that each rat likely consumed 6 mg/100 g of body weight per day for a period of 45 d. Morphological features like changes in body weight and organ weight were noted. Key steroidogenic enzyme levels viz?53β hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD) and 17β HSD along with serum estradiol, estriol and progesterone levels were measured. Estrous cyclicity of the animals monitored regularly followed by histological analysis of thyroid, ovary and uterus at the end of experimentation.Results:Increase in body weight, thyroid gland weight and thyroid stimulating hormone, decrease in serum triiodothyronine and thyroxine, a decrease in ovarian as well as uterine weight and the activity of steroidogenic enzymes?53β HSD andβ17β HSD along with diminished serum estradiol, estriol and progesterone levels were noted;while histological plates showed prominent degenerative changes in both the ovary and uterus. Estrous cyclicity of the treated animals were irregular and almost stopped at diestrous stage of the cycle in the latter stage of the treatment as compared to control.Conclusions: Overall results indicates that BS rich in cyanogenic constituents induces biochemical hypothyroidism in the experimental animals that acts in corroboration to cause morphological and functional alteration of reproductive organs indicating its likely impact in fertility on continued use.

Role of fatty acids and calcium in male reproduction

Both fatty acids (FAs) and calcium ions play important roles in contraceptive cyclesvia several systems. Polyunsaturated FAs (PUFAs) act as precursors for prostaglandin production and can alter the expression of numerous crucial catalysts that are involved in prostaglandin and steroid digestion. Lipids are essential components of cell membranes. A diet rich in PUFAs enhances sperm motility and viability. It also improves testis development and spermatogenesis in several domesticated animal species. Increased PUFA content in spermatozoa increases plasma membrane fluidity, which is important for fertilization. However, the major drawback of high dietary PUFA intake is that it increases the levels of reactive oxygen species in the body. An increase in reactive oxygen species levels markedly affects fertility. Calcium is an important component that acts as an intra-cellular secondary messenger and plays an important role in some of the physiological processes that occur in male gametes. Some of these processes include spermatogenesis, sperm motility, capacitation, acrosome response, and fusion of gametes. These processes are associated with calcium influx through ion protein channels. Dietary fat intake is associated with increased intestinal calcium absorption. In this review, we discuss the impact of lipids, particularly PUFAs and monounsaturated FAs, and calcium ions on male reproduction, along with their effects on each other.