The wildfire-like spread of COVID-19, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus-2, has resulted in a pandemic that has put unprecedented stress on the world’s healthcare systems and caused varying severities of socio-economic damage. As there are no specific treatments to combat the virus, current approaches to overcome the crisis have mainly revolved around vaccination efforts, preventing human-to-human transmission through enforcement of lockdowns and repurposing of drugs. To efficiently facilitate the measures implemented by governments, rapid and accurate diagnosis of the disease is vital. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and computed tomography have been the standard procedures to diagnose and evaluate COVID-19. However, disadvantages, including the necessity of specialized equipment and trained personnel, the high financial cost of operation and the emergence of false negatives, have hindered their application in high-demand and resource-limited sites. Nanoparticle-based methods of diagnosis have been previously reported to provide precise results within short periods of time. Such methods have been studied in previous outbreaks of coronaviruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus and middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus. Given the need for rapid diagnostic techniques, this review discusses nanoparticle use in detecting the aforementioned coronaviruses and the recent severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus-2 to highlight approaches that could potentially be used during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The minimal invasiveness and high selectivity of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA)-based photodynamic therapy (PDT; 5-ALA-PDT) renders it a viable therapeutic option for the treatment of various types of cancer. Compared with conventional lasers, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are an inexpensive and convenient low-energy light source option. Nevertheless, the scope of LEDs in the 5-ALA-PDT of colorectal cancer (CRC) has yet to be fully determined. Thus, the aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of LEDs in the 5-ALA-PDT of colon cancer in vitro by evaluating cytotoxic activity. 5-ALA-treated human CRC cells (SW480) were irradiated with LEDs of varying wavelengths: Red (630 nm), green (515 nm), blue (456 nm) and violet (399 nm). An MTS assay was conducted to determine cell viability. Additionally, a concentration-response experiment was conducted with the most therapeutic wavelength (violet) to examine the 5-ALA pharmacodynamics in vitro. The results revealed that only violet light in 5-ALA-PDT produced antitumour activity; this combination alone produced a drug concentration-and energy-related decrease in cell viability. The decrease in viability was partially reversed by 3-methyladenine, but not by Z-VAD(OMe)-FMK, suggesting that 5-ALA induced the autophagy, but not the apoptosis of SW480 cells. The nature of the multi-well plates used markedly affected the effectiveness of PDT. Black-walled plates appeared to protect approximately 25% of cells from the effects of PDT. By contrast, clear plates permitted light access to the wells, even when protected from direct PDT treatment. On the whole, the findings of the present study indicate that the use of LEDs in 5-ALA-PDT in vitro induce the fluence-dependent tumour cell death of SW480 cells. The choice of multi-well plates greatly affects the results obtained in vitro. The antitumour effect was high with violet light. Hence, the use of LEDs in 5-ALA-PDT may prove to be an effective potential treatment for CRC.
Introduction: Few data exist regarding the immunogenicity of third dose of BNT162b2 relative to second dose in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) on different immunosuppressive therapies. We investigated the immunogenicity of BNT162b2 vaccine booster dose in patients with IBD on infliximab combination therapy. Methods: This is prospective single center observational study conducted between January 1st, 2022 until February 28th, 2022. Patients were recruited at the time of attendance at the infusion center. Eligibility criteria included patients with confirmed diagnosis of IBD who are receiving infliximab with azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine and have received two or three-dose of BNT162b2 vaccine. Patients were excluded if they were infected or had symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 previously since the start of the pandemic or received other vaccines than the BNT162b2. Our primary outcome was the concentrations of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and neutralizing antibodies 40-45 weeks from the first dose of BNT162b2 in patients with IBD receiving infliximab combination therapy. Medians with interquartile range (IQR) were calculated. Results: 162 patients with IBD and receiving infliximab combination therapy were recruited and the number of patients in each group was 81. Median (IQR) SARS-CoV-2 IgG levels were significantly lower after the second dose [125 BAU/mL (43, 192)] compared to patients who received the third booster dose [207 BAU/mL (181, 234)] (p = 0.003). Neutralizing antibody levels were also lower after the second dose [80 BAU/mL (21, 95)] compared to patients who received the third booster dose [96 BAU/mL (93, 99)] (p = <0.001). The percentage of patients who achieved positive SARS-CoV-2 IgG levels in the third (booster) dose group was higher (96.3%) than those in second dose group (90%)(p = 0.026). Percentage of patients who received third (booster) dose and achieved positive SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing antibody level was 100%, whereas it was lower (88.9%) in patients who received second dose only (p=0.009). Conclusion: Most patients with IBD on infliximab combination therapy had positive SARS-CoV-2 IgG and neutralizing antibody concentrations 40-45 weeks post BNT162b2 vaccination. However, SARS-CoV-2 IgG and neutralizing antibody concentrations were lower in patients who received 2 doses only compared to patients who received a third dose.
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