The present pandemic has posed a crisis to the economy of the world and the health sector. Therefore, the race to expand research to understand some good molecular targets for vaccine and therapeutic development for SARS-CoV-2 is inevitable. The newly discovered coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is a positive sense, single-stranded RNA, and enveloped virus, assigned to the beta CoV genus. The virus (SARS-CoV-2) is more infectious than the previously detected coronaviruses (MERS and SARS). Findings from many studies have revealed that S protein and RdRp are good targets for drug repositioning, novel therapeutic development (antibodies and small molecule drugs), and vaccine discovery. Therapeutics such as chloroquine, convalescent plasma, monoclonal antibodies, spike binding peptides, and small molecules could alter the ability of S protein to bind to the ACE-2 receptor, and drugs such as remdesivir (targeting SARS-CoV-2 RdRp), favipir, and Emetine could prevent SASR-CoV-2 RNA synthesis. The novel vaccines such as mRNA1273 (Moderna), 3LNP-mRNAs (Pfizer/BioNTech), and ChAdOx1-S (University of Oxford/Astra Zeneca) targeting S protein have proven to be effective in combating the present pandemic. Further exploration of the potential of S protein and RdRp is crucial in fighting the present pandemic.

Liver disease account for a reasonable percentage of medical admissions, and the synthetic drugs used for the treatment of the disease are sometimes ineffective and/or very expensive. Furthermore, the side effects associated with some of them are numerous. These and many other reasons shifted the interest of scientists for the search of plants with hepatocurative effect. Therefore, the aim of this research was to investigate the curative effect of aqueous extract of date fruit (Phoenix dactylifera) on rats with carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity. The serum level of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), direct bilirubin (DB) and total bilirubin (TB) were measured as markers of liver disease using standard methods, and compared among group I (Negative control), group II (Positive control), group III (Fed with food + 249mg/kg of extract), group IV (Fed with food + 580mg/kg of extract), group V (hepatotoxic rats treated with 249mg/kg of extract) and group VI (hepatotoxic rats treated with 580mg/kg of extract). The results showed that administration of the various concentration of the extract to healthy rats does not cause any harm to the liver. Also, the different concentrations of the extract significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the level of ALT, AST, ALP, DB and TB in treated groups (group IV and V) compared to group II. These results suggest that the aqueous extract of date fruit may have hepatocurative effect against CCl4-induced liver damage in rats. This research may open the “gate” for the use of date fruit in treating liver disease in human, especially in places such as Northern Nigeria, where date fruit is cheaply abundant.

Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with increased of developing heart disease. Information on the cardiac status of HIV-infected Nigerians is lacking. HIV/AIDS infection is a global pandemic and poses a serious health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria inclusive. The cardiac disease may occur at any stage of HIV infection, but important manifestations are more frequent with advanced immunodeficiency. Moreover, it has been reported that complications from HIV infection include arrhythmias, heart failure myocardial infarction and coronary heart disease. This study aimed to estimate serum levels of AST, LDH, CKMB and TCK among HIV patients on HAART, HAART naïve and controls subjects attending Bauchi State Tertiary hospital, Nigeria. The results showed that the mean serum total Creatine kinase, CK-MB, LDH and AST were significantly higher in HIV participants not on HAART compared with HIV participants on HAART at P<0.05 respectively. Similarly, the mean serum total Creatine kinase, CK-MB, LDH and AST were significantly higher in symptomatic HIV participants not on HAART compared with HIV seronegative control subjects at P<0.05 in each case. Once again, the mean serum total Creatine kinase, CK-MB, LDH and AST were significantly higher in asymptomatic HIV participants compared with HIV seronegative control subjects at P<0.05 respectively. Increased levels of some cardiac markers were seen in HIV-infected participants. The study reveals that there is a need to monitor these parameters to prevent sudden cardiovascular complications in HIV seropositive patients. Hence, it is recommended that more investigations need to be carried out to further evaluate the levels of CK-MB (cardiac-specific) isoenzyme of CK and other cardiac biomarkers such as troponins I and T, and myoglobin, among others.

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