The coronavirus is naturally mutating over time and producing new variants. Some of them are more contagious and destructive than previous strains. Also, some variants are capable of therapeutic escaping. Earlier SARS-CoV-2 variants proved that some are supercritical, and newly mutated strains are creating new challenges to the global healthcare systems. Here we aimed to evaluate different coronavirus variants and associated challenges for healthcare systems. We searched for information online and on the PubMed, Scopus, and Embase databases. We found the wild-type virus is more sensitive for neutralization and more controllable than newer variants. The Delta and Omicron variants are more highly transmissible than Alpha, Beta, and Gamma variants. Also, few strains are resistant to neutralization. Therefore, there is a chance of reinfection among the vaccinated population. The transmissibility and resistance of the recently identified Omicron variant is still unclear. The Delta variant is the most dangerous among all variants due to its high transmissibility, disease severity, and mortality rate. For poor and developing countries, oxygen supply, medication, vaccination, and device supply are challenging during epidemic waves. Slowing down the transmission, mass vaccination, vaccine redesign, re-compiling action plans, and following safety guidelines can be effective solutions to the new challenges.

Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a complex mental health condition that results in several obstacles including disabilities, loss of productivity, and economic burdens on both patients and society. Etiopathogenesis of MDD involves several factors such as sociodemographic, genetic, and biological determinants. However, any suitable biomarkers for risk assessment of depression have not been established yet. Alterations of cytokine are assumed to be involved in the pathophysiology and severity of the depressive disorder. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate serum adiponectin and interleukin-8 (IL-8) among MDD patients in Bangladesh. Methods We recruited a total of 63 MDD patients and 94 age-sex matched healthy controls (HCs) in the present study. MDD patients were enrolled from a tertiary care teaching hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh, and HCs from surrounding parts of Dhaka city. A psychiatrist assessed all the study participants following the criteria mentioned in the DSM-5. We applied the Hamilton depression (Ham-D) rating scale to assess the depression severity. Serum adiponectin and IL-8 levels were determined using ELISA kits (BosterBio, USA). Results The mean serum concentration of adiponectin was decreased (30.67±4.43 μg/mL vs. 53.81±5.37 μg/mL), and the IL-8 level was increased (160.93±14.84 pg/mL vs. 88.68±6.33 pg/mL) in MDD patients compared to HCs. Sex-specific scatters plot graphs showed the distribution of adiponectin and IL-8 levels with Ham-D scores in MDD patients. Also, ROC curve analysis demonstrated good predictive performances of serum adiponectin and IL-8 for MDD with the area under the curve (AUC) as 0.895 and 0.806, respectively. Conclusion The present study findings suggest that alterations of serum adiponectin and IL-8 levels in MDD patients might be involved in the disease process. Therefore, we can use these changes of cytokines in serum levels as early risk assessment tools for depression. The present study findings should be considered preliminary. We propose further interventional studies to evaluate the exact role of adiponectin and IL-8 in depression.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a distressing condition characterized by persistent low mood, loss of interest in daily activities. Many biological, psycho-social, and genetic factors are thought to be involved with depression. The present study aimed to investigate the serum levels of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in MDD patients to explore its role in the development of depression. This case-control study recruited 114 MDD patients and 106 healthy controls (HCs) matched by age and gender. A specialized psychiatrist diagnosed the cases and evaluated the controls based on the diagnostic and statistical manual for mental disorders, 5th edition. The serum MCP-1 levels were quantified by commercially available enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay kits. The Hamilton depression rating scale (Ham-D) was applied to measure the severity of depression. We observed the decreased levels of serum MCP-1 in MDD patients compared to HCs. A significant negative correlation was obtained between serum MCP-1 levels and Ham-D scores. Also, female MDD patients with higher Ham-D scores exhibited lower serum MCP-1 levels. The receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated the good diagnostic value of MCP-1 with the area under the curve at 0.837. The depression-related alteration of serum MCP-1 may be more complicated than the current assumption and depends on the characteristics of the individual patients. Our study suggests that the serum MCP-1 levels might be involved in the pathophysiology and mechanism of MDD. The present findings, along with the diagnostic evaluation, might be used to assess the depression risk.

Background: Studies of the pharmacotherapeutic pattern on schizophrenic patients are few clinical therapy is one of the bases for the assessment of the treatment of Schizophrenia. Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the demographics of these patients along with current trends of drug prescribing practice in Bangladesh. Methods: This survey was conducted over 6 months at the National Institute of Mental Health, Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. A total of 250 subjects were investigated and their prescriptions were verified to obtain necessary information regarding pharmacotherapy. Non-cooperation and negative consent lead to exclusion from the study sample. Results: Out of 250 patients, the frequency of female patients was higher (54.4%) than that of the male patients (45.6%). Therefore, the gender ratio was female-biased. We found that 63.6% of the patients suffering from schizophrenia were above 25 years old. The treatment approach of schizophrenia includes pharmacotherapy and or psychotherapy. In this study, we found that the highest medication used in the treatment was antipsychotic drugs (n=388, 46.58%) followed by anticholinergic drugs (n=217, 26.05%) and anxiolytic drugs (n=172, 20.65%). Conclusion: The overall prescribing method for schizophrenia in Bangladesh complies with the authorized practiced guidelines and treatment pattern of the developed countries as well as authorized guidelines.