Curcumin nanosystems could be powerful COVID-19 therapeutics
With new variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerging, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is far from over. While the global vaccine rollout has moved at an impressive speed, the search for new safe, effective, and targeted therapies is still on.
Now, a new study in
Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy reviews the potential for curcumin, a natural alkaloid derived from turmeric, and nanosystems to treat COVID-19.
The need for therapeutics
COVID-19 is caused by infection with the novel SARS-CoV-2 pathogen, which engages and enters host cells through its spike protein. At present, there are more than 138.3 million documented cases globally, with the death toll nearing three million.
Researchers assess SARS-CoV-2 transmission risk during air travel
A team of scientists from the United States recently conducted a meta-analysis to estimate the risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection during air travel. The findings reveal that even with SARS-CoV-2-infected persons onboard, the risk of viral transmission is low inside an aircraft. The study is currently available on the
Background
As of April 15, 2021, globally, there have been 136 million confirmed cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including 2.9 million deaths, registered to the World Health Organization (WHO). At the initial phase of the pandemic, strict control measures applied to control the viral transmission have severely impacted the socioeconomic status of many countries globally. Because of national and international travel restrictions, the aviation industries have faced an almost 95% drop in passenger numbers during the initial phase of the pandemic.