Browsing by Author "Kumari, Chiman"
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Publication COVID-19 Mechanisms in the Human Body�What We Know So Far(Frontiers Media S.A., 2021) Kumar, Ashutosh; Narayan, Ravi K.; Prasoon, Pranav; Kumari, Chiman; Kaur, Gurjot; Kumar, Santosh; Kulandhasamy, Maheswari; Sesham, Kishore; Pareek, Vikas; Faiq, Muneeb A.; Pandey, Sada N.; Singh, Himanshu N.; Kant, Kamla; Shekhawat, Prakash S.; Raza, Khursheed; Kumar, SujeetMore than one and a half years have elapsed since the commencement of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and the world is struggling to contain it. Being caused by a previously unknown virus, in the initial period, there had been an extreme paucity of knowledge about the disease mechanisms, which hampered preventive and therapeutic measures against COVID-19. In an endeavor to understand the pathogenic mechanisms, extensive experimental studies have been conducted across the globe involving cell culture-based experiments, human tissue organoids, and animal models, targeted to various aspects of the disease, viz., viral properties, tissue tropism and organ-specific pathogenesis, involvement of physiological systems, and the human immune response against the infection. The vastly accumulated scientific knowledge on all aspects of COVID-19 has currently changed the scenario from great despair to hope. Even though spectacular progress has been made in all of these aspects, multiple knowledge gaps are remaining that need to be addressed in future studies. Moreover, multiple severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants have emerged across the globe since the onset of the first COVID-19 wave, with seemingly greater transmissibility/virulence and immune escape capabilities than the wild-type strain. In this review, we narrate the progress made since the commencement of the pandemic regarding the knowledge on COVID-19 mechanisms in the human body, including virus�host interactions, pulmonary and other systemic manifestations, immunological dysregulations, complications, host-specific vulnerability, and long-term health consequences in the survivors. Additionally, we provide a brief review of the current evidence explaining molecular mechanisms imparting greater transmissibility and virulence and immune escape capabilities to the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. Copyright � 2021 Kumar, Narayan, Prasoon, Kumari, Kaur, Kumar, Kulandhasamy, Sesham, Pareek, Faiq, Pandey, Singh, Kant, Shekhawat, Raza and Kumar.Publication COVID-19 vaccination may enhance hippocampal neurogenesis in adults(Academic Press Inc., 2023) Kumar, Ashutosh; Narayan, Ravi K.; Prasoon, Pranav; Jha, Rakesh K.; Kumar, Sujeet; Kumari, Chiman; Pandey, Sada N.; Faiq, Muneeb A.Emerging evidence suggests a detrimental impact of COVID-19 illness on the continued hippocampal neurogenesis in adults. In contrast, the existing literature supports an enhancing effect of COVID-19 vaccination on adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Vaccines against respiratory infections, including influenza, have been shown to enhance hippocampal neurogenesis in adult-age animals. We propose that a similar benefit may happen in COVID-19 vaccinated adults. The vaccine-induced enhancement of the hippocampal neurogenesis in adults thus may protect against age-related cognitive decline and mental disorders. It also hints at an added mental health benefit of the COVID-19 vaccination programs in adults. � 2022 Elsevier Inc.Publication Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants can potentially break set epidemiological barriers in COVID-19(John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2022) Kumar, Ashutosh; Parashar, Rakesh; Kumar, Sujeet; Faiq, Muneeb A; Kumari, Chiman; Kulandhasamy, Maheswari; Narayan, Ravi K.; Jha, Rakesh K.; Singh, Himanshu N.; Prasoon, Pranav; Pandey, Sada N.; Kant, KamlaYoung age, female sex, absence of comorbidities, and prior infection or vaccination are known epidemiological barriers for contracting the new infection and/or increased disease severity. Demographic trends from the recent coronavirus disease 2019 waves, which are believed to be driven by newer severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants, indicate that the aforementioned epidemiological barriers are being breached and a larger number of younger and healthy individuals are developing severe disease. The new SARS-CoV-2 variants have key mutations that can induce significant changes in the virus-host interactions. Recent studies report that, some of these mutations, singly or in a group, enhance key mechanisms, such as binding of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the viral spike protein with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor in the host-cells, increase the glycosylation of spike protein at the antigenic sites, and enhance the proteolytic cleavage of the spike protein, thus leading to improved host-cell entry and the replication of the virus. The putative changes in the virus�host interactions imparted by the mutations in the RBD sequence can potentially be the reason behind the breach of the observed epidemiological barriers. Susceptibility for contracting SARS-CoV-2 infection and the disease outcomes are known to be influenced by host-cell expressions of ACE2 and other proteases. The new variants can act more efficiently, and even with the lesser availability of the viral entry-receptor and the associated proteases, can have more efficient host-cell entry and greater replication resulting in high viral loads and prolonged viral shedding, widespread tissue-injury, and severe inflammation leading to increased transmissibility and lethality. Furthermore, the accumulating evidence shows that multiple new variants have reduced neutralization by both, natural and vaccine-acquired antibodies, indicating that repeated and vaccine breakthrough infections may arise as serious health concerns in the ongoing pandemic. � 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.Publication Predicting susceptibility for SARS-CoV-2 infection in domestic and wildlife animals using ACE2 protein sequence homology(Wiley-Liss Inc., 2021) Kumar, Ashutosh; Pandey, Sada N.; Pareek, Vikas; Narayan, Ravi K.; Faiq, Muneeb A.; Kumari, ChimanThe article is presenting a bioinformatics based method predicting susceptibility for SARS-CoV-2 infection in domestic and wildlife animals. Recently, there were reports of cats and ferrets, dogs, minks, golden hamster, rhesus monkeys, tigers, and lions testing for SARS-CoV-2 RNA which indicated for the possible interspecies viral transmission. Our method successfully predicted the susceptibility of these animals for contracting SARS-CoV-2 infection. This method can be used as a screening tool for guiding viral RNA testing for domestic and wildlife animals at risk of getting COVID-19. We provide a list of the animals at risk of developing COVID-19 based on the susceptibility score. � 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC
