Journal Pre-proof J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f Acknowledgements: AbstractThe novel Coronavirus disease 2019 is caused by SARS-CoV-2, which is the causative agent of a potentially fatal disease that is of great global public health concern. The outbreak of COVID-19 is wreaking havoc worldwide due to inadequate risk assessment regarding the urgency of the situation. The COVID-19 pandemic has entered a dangerous new phase. When compared with SARS and MERS, COVID-19 has spread more rapidly, due to increased globalization and adaptation of the virus in every environment. Slowing the spread of the COVID-19 cases will significantly reduce the strain on the healthcare system of the country by limiting the number of people who are severely sick by COVID-19 and need hospital care. Hence, the recent outburst of COVID-19 highlights an urgent need for therapeutics targeting SARS-CoV-2. Here, we have discussed the structure of virus; varying symptoms among COVID-19, SARS, MERS and common flu; the probable mechanism behind the infection and its immune response. Further, the current treatment options, drugs available, ongoing trials and recent diagnostics for COVID-19 have been discussed.We suggest traditional Indian medicinal plants as possible novel therapeutic approaches, exclusively targeting SARS-CoV-2 and its pathways.

Fetal bovine serum (FBS) is a widely used growth supplement in the in vitro culturing of animal and human cells, tissues and organs, notably due to the occurrence of abundant micro-and macronutrients, along with growth factors. Over the years, increasing demand, high price, batch-to-batch variability in quality and composition, increasing ethical concerns lead to the search for an alternative to FBS. Several approaches have been suggested and employed in the past, but none is implemented as widely as FBS, and each supplement has its own disadvantages. In this review, we described the importance of FBS in cell culture, discussed the issues associated with FBS use and presented the efforts made in the recent past to reduce or replace FBS. The potential of four different alternative sources to FBS, namely, bovine ocular fluid, sericin protein, human platelet lysate and earthworm heat inactivated coelomic fluid was evaluated. In the end, we present the conceptual perspective using the Human Platelet Lysate (HPL) and earthworm Heat Inactivated Coelomic Fluid (HI-CF) combination to alternate FBS and its context in scientific and economic impacts.

Autism is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorder with no precise etiology. Deficits in cognitive functions uncover at early stages and are known to have an environmental and genetic basis. Since autism is multifaceted and also linked with other comorbidities associated with various organs, there is a possibility that there may be a fundamental cellular process responsible for this. These reasons place mitochondria at the point of interest as it is involved in multiple cellular processes predominantly involving metabolism. Mitochondria encoded genes were taken into consideration lately because it is inherited maternally, has its own genome and also functions the time of embryo development. Various researches have linked mitochondrial mishaps like oxidative stress, ROS production and mt-DNA copy number variations to autism. Despite dramatic advances in autism research worldwide, the studies focusing on mitochondrial dysfunction in autism is rather minimal, especially in India. India, owing to its rich diversity, may be able to contribute significantly to autism research. It is vital to urge more studies in this domain as it may help to completely understand the basics of the condition apart from a genetic standpoint. This review focuses on the worldwide and Indian scenario of autism research; mitochondrial abnormalities in autism and possible therapeutic approaches to combat it.

The emergence of modern medicinal practices and diagnosis process has resulted in health risks and threat to the environment, and thus it is a matter of global concern. However, the improper waste management rules adopted in healthcare hospitals around the world cause a potential health impact to ecosystem which generates contagious and deadly diseases affected by human beings. In this chapter, an attempt is made to investigate an overview of biomedical waste management practices in healthcare facilities in India as well as around the world. This chapter intends to provide the origin and types of biomedical waste, requirement of waste management rules and containment in hospitals and research centres and followed by the safe disposal of wastes which are unaffected to the environment. More emphasis was given to the biomedical health risks, handling and disposal methodologies adopted by different countries and the steps taken to eradicate the infections caused due to COVID-19 pandemic in much reliable ways. Keywords Biomedical waste management • Incinerator • COVID-19 • Infection control • Health risks • Segregation of wastes • Colour codes for wastes • Treatment of waste • Disposal methods Authors Dr.Jackson Durairaj and Dr. Johnson Retnaraj Samuel have contributed equally.

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