When given at birth, monovalent type 1 oral poliovirus vaccine is superior to trivalent oral poliovirus vaccine in inducing humoral antibodies against type 1 poliovirus, overcoming high preexisting levels of maternally derived antibodies, and increasing the resistance to excretion of type 1 poliovirus after administration of a challenge dose. (Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN76316509.)

Coronaviruses have received global concern since 2003, when an outbreak caused by SARS-CoV emerged in China. Later on, in 2012, the Middle-East respiratory syndrome spread in Saudi Arabia, caused by MERS-CoV. Currently, the global crisis is caused by the pandemic SARS-CoV-2, which belongs to the same lineage of SARS-CoV. In response to the urgent need of diagnostic tools, several lab-based and biosensing techniques have been proposed so far. Five main areas have been individuated and discussed in terms of their strengths and weaknesses. The cell-culture detection and the microneutralization tests are still considered highly reliable methods. The genetic screening, featuring the well-established Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), represents the gold standard for virus detection in nasopharyngeal swabs. On the other side, immunoassays were developed, either by screening/antigen recognition of IgM/IgG or by detecting the whole virus, in blood and sera. Next, proteomic mass-spectrometry (MS)-based methodologies have also been proposed for the analysis of swab samples. Finally, virus-biosensing devices were efficiently designed. Both electrochemical immunosensors and eye-based technologies have been described, showing detection times lower than 10 min after swab introduction. Alternative to swab-based techniques, lateral flow point-of-care immunoassays are already commercially available for the analysis of blood samples. Such biosensing devices hold the advantage of being portable for on-site testing in hospitals, airports, and hotspots, virtually without any sample treatment or complicated lab precautions.

Calotropis procera, is a shrub with broad ovate fleshy leaves that grows wild in the Egyptian deserts. The plant was discovered to be highly toxic to the land snailsThepa pisana. The active ingredient responsible for the molluscicidal activity was isolated from its latex by solvent extraction and partitioning and was finally purified by fractional crystallization from 95% aqueous ethanol. The purity of the isolated material was monitored by TLC. Chemical identification was carried out using mass, infrared, and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic methods. The active compound was found to be uscharin, and its identity was confirmed by comparing its spectroscopic data with the literature values. The isolated compound was 128 times more toxic than methomyl to the snails tested.

Due to the current global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, rapid and accurate diagnostic tools are needed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 across the globe. An electrochemical sensing platform was constructed using CNTs/WO 3 -screen printed electrodes for imprinting the complete virus particles (SARS-CoV-2 particles) within the polymeric matrix to create viral complementary binding sites. The sensor provided high selectivity toward the target virus over other tested human corona and influenza respiratory interference viruses. The sensitivity performance of the sensor chips was evaluated using different viral concentrations, while the limits of detection and quantification were 57 and 175 pg/mL, respectively. Reaching this satisfied low detection limit (almost 27-fold more sensitive than the RT-PCR), the sensor was applied in clinical specimens obtained from SARS-CoV-2 suspected cases. Thus, dealing directly with clinical samples on the chip could be provided as a portable device for instantaneous and simple point of care in hospitals, airports, and hotspots.

In this study we have tried to evaluate the effect of sepsis on the physiologic inhibition system of coagulation in neonates. We should expect the effect of sepsis and its severity and perform the necessary laboratory investigations for coagulation including antithrombin III, protein C and protein S levels to help prevent thromboembolic accidents in neonates with sepsis, including disseminated intravascular coagulation, necrotizing enterocolitis and intracranial hemorrhage. Based on the findings of our study and the results of the other studies, we are in agreement that protein C is a very useful biomarker in severe sepsis, and it is a possible tool for monitoring treatment with activated protein C. We also encourage further placebo-controlled clinical trials to investigate the role of activated protein C and antithrombin III in severe neonatal sepsis and especially in the states before disseminated intravascular coagulation and the disseminated intravascular coagulation states, on the condition that they are guided by the experience and recommendations gained from the PROWESS, ENHANCE, and RESOLVE clinical trials. Protein C might be more effective if dosed according to protein C levels rather according to weight. Furthermore, we encourage future research on activated protein C mutants, which are anticipated to appear very soon because they can reduce some side effects associated with the use of recombinant human activated protein C, such as intracranial hemorrhage and bleeding tendencies, because they have reduced anticoagulant activity while retaining the cytoprotective effects.

The cardiac glycoside, digitoxin, from Digitalis purpurea L (Scrophulariaceae), a cardiac glycosidal (cardenolide) extract from Calotropis procera (Ait) R Br (Asclepiadaceae), azadirachtin and neem oil from Azadirachta indica A Juss (Meliaceae) were tested for their effects against larvae and adult stages of the camel tick, Hyalomma dromedarii Koch (Acari: Ixodidae). The contact LC50 values of the first three materials against adults were 4.08, 9.63 and >40.7 microg cm(-2), respectively, whereas the dipping LC50 values of the four materials were 409.9, 1096, >5000 and >5000 mg litre(-1), respectively. Contact and dipping LC50 values of the extract and azadirachtin against larvae were 6.16, >20.3 microg cm(-2) and 587.7 and >2500 mg litre(-1), respectively. Azadirachtin had no effects on egg production or feeding of adults up to 5000 mg litre(-1); however at 2500 mg litre(-1), it caused significant reduction in feeding activity of larve, prolonged the period for moulting to nymphal stage, and caused 60% reduction in moultability. Results of the two cardiac glycoside materials are comparable with those of several commercial acaricides. The risks and benefits associated with the use of cardiac glycosides are considered.

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