Vaccinations prevented severe clinical complications of COVID-19. It was considered a vital component of living endemically with COVID-19. The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is the first mRNA-based vaccination that enhances immunity. Resulting in various adverse effects that may emerge after vaccination. This systematic review was undertaken to assess the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine side effects by reviewing the previous studies. A total of 107 PubMed and Google Scholar publications were screened for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine side effects. Fourteen articles met the study inclusion criteria. The included searching terms were a combination of “Pfizer vaccine and Side effects,” “BioNTech vaccine and side effects,” and “BNT162b2 vaccine and side effects,” as well as all synonyms. The total number of participants in the 14 studies was 10,632 participants. Average of the most frequent side effects of 14 studies were injection site pain 77.34%, fatigue 43%, muscle pain 39.67%, local swelling 33.57%, headache 33.27%, joint pain 25.75%, chills 18.34%, fever 18%, itching 9.38%, lymph nodes swelling 7.86%, nausea 7.58%, dyspnea 7.86%,and diarrhea 6.36%. The average side effects after the first dose were 79% compared with 84% after the second dose. The average occurs side effects in females at 69.8% compared with males 30.2%. Our study reveals that side effects after the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are common, but they are usually mild and self-limited. Local reactions like pain at the injection site are the most common. Anaphylactic shock or severe reactions are rare. We hope that our results will reassure the public that the benefits of vaccination far exceed the dangers. Also, help reduce vaccine hesitancy among individuals worried about vaccine safety and possible adverse effects.

With the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, routine surveillance combined with sequence and phylogenetic analysis of coronaviruses is urgently required. In the current study, the four common human coronaviruses (HCoVs), OC43, NL63, HKU1, and 229E, were screened in 361 clinical samples collected from hospitalized children with respiratory symptoms during four winter seasons. RT-PCR-based detection and typing revealed different prevalence rates of HCoVs across the four seasons. Interestingly, none of the four HCoVs were detected in the samples (n = 100) collected during the winter season of the COVID-19 pandemic. HCoV-OC43 (4.15%) was the most frequently detected, followed by 229E (1.1%). Partial sequences of S and N genes of OC43 from the winter seasons of 2015/2016 and 2021/2022 were used for sequence and phylogenetic analysis. Multiple sequence alignment of the two Saudi OC43s strains with international strains revealed the presence of sequence deletions and several mutations, of which some changed their corresponding amino acids. Glycosylation profiles revealed a number of O-and N-glycosylation sites in both genes. Based on phylogenetic analysis, four genotypes were observed with Riyadh strains grouped into the genotype C. Further long-term surveillance with a large number of clinical samples and sequences is necessary to resolve the circulation patterns and evolutionary kinetics of OC43 in Saudi Arabia.

The study aimed to improve the aqueous solubility and dissolution rate of acyclovir (ACV) using self-emulsifying lipid formulations (SEDDS/SMEDDS). ACV was formulated in various SEDDS/SMEDDS using wide ranges of oils (mono-/di-/triglycerides), nonionic surfactants and water-soluble cosolvents with the aid of phase behavior studies. The drug solubility was determined in anhydrous, 10% and 99% diluted formulations. Drug precipitation and release profiles of the SEDDS/SMEDDS were also investigated. The ACV was highly soluble in the formulations containing high concentration of hydrophilic materials. The addition of propylene glycol (PG) significantly enhanced the drug solubility. In addition, with only 1% 0.1 M HCl, the drug solubility improved 10-fold higher without any precipitation. In the dissolution studies, the representative SEDDS/SMEDDS showed superior release profiles (>90% ACV released) than marketed Zovirax® suspension (<26% released). Formulations containing water-soluble cosolvent (e.g. PG), were the most suitable systems for ACV due to the extensive drug solubilization and release profile.

Purpose: The objective of the current study is to evaluate the Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) method for quantification of Acyclovir in lipid-based formulations.Method: A simple, rapid, reliable and precise reversed phase UPLC method has been developed and validated according to the regulatory guidelines, which composed of isocratic mobile phase; 0.25% formic acid (FA) in Milli-Q water with a flow rate of 0.5 ml/min, and column BEH C18 (2.1 · 50 mm, 1.7 lm). The detection was carried out at 254 nm.Results: The developed UPLC method was found to be rapid (1.2 min run time), selective with well resoluted Acyclovir peak (0.89 min) from different lipid matrices and sensitive (Limit of Detection (LOD) was 0.3 ppm and Lower Limit of Quantification (LLOQ) was 1 ppm). The accuracy and precision were determined and were perfectly matching with the standard FDA limits.Conclusion: The study showed that the proposed UPLC method can be used for the assessment of drug purity, stability, solubility and lipid-formulation release profile with no interference of excipients or related substances of active pharmaceutical ingredient. ª 2014 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University.

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