The main protease (M pro ) is an essential enzyme for the life cycle of SARS-CoV-2 and a validated target for treatment of COVID-19 infection. Structurebased pharmacophore modeling combined with QSAR calculations were employed to identify new chemical scaffolds of M pro inhibitors from natural products repository. Hundreds of pharmacophore models were manually built from their corresponding X-ray crystallographic structures. A pharmacophore model that was validated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and selected using the statistically optimum QSAR equation was implemented as a 3D-search tool to mine AnalytiCon Discovery database of natural products. Captured hits that showed the highest predicted inhibitory activities were bioassayed. Three active M pro inhibitors (pseurotin A, lactupicrin, and alpinetin) were successfully identified with IC 50 values in low micromolar range.

Introduction Patient safety is a central principle of healthcare professional practice that requires a significant consideration within the teaching curricula; however, there is a lack of special courses that focus on patient safety concepts in an integrated way in many countries. This study aims to assess the knowledge of medical and pharmacy students regarding patient safety concepts. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at Alfaisal University during the 2018-2019 school year. A survey consisting of 15 questions was designed with the help of the quality and patient safety department at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh (KFSHRC). The survey was validated and then electronically distributed to all students enrolled in the College of Medicine and College of Pharmacy. Results A total of 304 (22%) of 1368 students completed the survey. The survey revealed that 51% of students had an acceptable understanding of the types of human error; however, 53% of students had little knowledge about the factors that lead to these errors and 61% did not know how to report an error. Many students (41%) reported being directly involved in an unsafe situation that may cause patient harm, such as a healthcare-related error, adverse event, or inconsistent care. Most students (90%) agreed that hiding errors to avoid further implications is unethical and reporting errors is the responsibility of every healthcare provider. Conclusion Most Alfaisal University students understand the significance of patient safety education and understand the types of human errors, yet the causes of errors and the protocols for reporting them were not well understood by most students.