Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a small and non-enveloped deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) virus that infected mucosal cells. This viral genome is composed of early and late genes. Late (L) encodes the L1 and L2 proteins. The structural protein L1 is located outside the virion. It contributes to the viral attachment mechanism; hence it becomes the target for multi-strain vaccine design. This review aims to discuss the potency of conserved L1 HPV region and the innovation of multi-strain vaccines for prevention strategies of HPV infection. Bioinformatics methods in vaccine design applied for identification of conserved sequences from databases, epitopes map, antigenicity test, prediction of similarity, and autoimmune level. The multi-strain vaccine innovation initiated in this review has more benefits compared to previous vaccines based on the level of vaccine coverage via conserved regions, potential of immune cell epitopes, antigenic properties, and possibility of autoimmune when produced. Therefore, the multi-strain HPV vaccines are predicted to be more effective than previous vaccines, including bivalent or quadrivalent. In conclusion, the strategy for expanding the prevention of HPV infection could be carried out by developing a new multi-strain-based vaccine by using conserved regions in L1 capsid from all virus strains to increase the protection.

Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has been identified from US patients since 1981. AIDS is caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) which is a retrovirus. HIV-1 gp120 can be recognized by the immune system because it is located outside the virion. The conserved region is identified in gp120, and it is recognized by an immune cell which then initiates specific immune responses, viral mutation escape, and increase vaccine protection coverage, a benefit derived from the conserved region-based vaccine design. However, previous researchers have little knowledge on this conserved region as a target for vaccine design. This paper explains how the conserved region of gp120 HIV-1 is a major target for vaccine design through a bioinformatics approach. The conserved region from gp120 was explored as a vaccine design target with a bioinformatics tool that consists of B-cell epitope mapping, vaccine properties, molecular docking, and dynamic simulation. The peptide vaccine candidate of B5 with the gp120 HIV-1 conserved region was found to provoke B-cell activation through a direct pathway, produce specific antibody, and increase protection from multi-strain viral infection.

Globally, acute respiratory illnesses are the most commonly manifesting illness in all age group. The disease mostly affects the upper respiratory tract (URT) and is self-limiting. However, a small percentage progresses to lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI). The most important causative agents of severe LRTIs are bacteria and viruses. Various viruses can cause respiratory tract infections, being the most essential belonging to the Orthomyxoviridae, Paramyxoviridae, Picornaviridae, coronaviruses, and adenoviruses. Quercetin is classified as a flavonoid compound and was previously known to have antiviral, antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activities. Some preclinical studies highlight quercetin could also interfere with coronavirus infection and modulate the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Since there is no comprehensive compilation addressing the antiviral activities of quercetin and its derivatives, this narrative review provides a summary of the preclinical evidence of their antiviral activities on respiratory illnesses induced by viruses other than coronaviruses. The literature research was performed in PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The results explain that quercetin has a wide range of actions in viral-induced respiratory illnesses including, but not limited to suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, promoting antioxidant-related genes expression, blocking viral entry and replication, accelerating viral clearance, reducing the accumulation of alveolar macrophages, and reducing goblet cells marker and mucin gene expression.

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Background: Migrant workers make up a third of the population of Saudi Arabia, approximately 13 million. Mental health disorders among this population are common, but very limited data exist currently. Aims: To assess the prevalence of moderate to severe symptoms of depression and stress among a sample of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. To identify whether migrant-specific factors, such as occupation, nationality, duration of migration, and work characteristics, are associated with depressive and stress symptoms. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 2,123 migrants was conducted in Al Qassim, Saudi Arabia. Depressive and stress symptoms were assessed with the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). The outcomes were categorized into two levels (i.e. mild or no symptoms versus moderate to severe symptoms). Univariate and multivariate binary logistic regressions were used to assess the relationship with potential covariates. Results: The prevalence of moderate to severe depressive and stress symptoms was 7.3% and 3.6%, respectively. These did not vary by the duration of stay in the country or weekly work hours. However, there was substantial variance in the symptoms by participants’ nationality and occupation. Participants from Bangladesh were 3.8 (95% CI [1.50, 9.62]) times more likely, and hospital cleaners were 6.5 (95% CI [2.12, 20.07]) times more likely to have depressive symptoms. Similarly, auto-repair workers were 6.3 times more likely to have symptoms of stress (95% CI [1.55, 25.90]). Conclusion: The prevalence of depressive and stress symptoms varied significantly depending on occupation and country of origin. It would behoove employers to screen for these mental health conditions and refer employees to the relevant healthcare services. Future studies could examine the feasibility of mental health screening programs among migrant employees.