A natural product YSK-A blocks SARS-CoV-2 propagation by targeting multiple host genes.

Natural products and herbal medicine have been widely used in drug discovery for treating infectious diseases. Recent outbreak of COVID-19 requires various therapeutic strategies. Here, we used YSK-A, a mixture of three herbal components Boswellia serrata, Commiphora myrrha, and propolis, to evaluate potential antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2.

SARS-CoV-2 exploits cellular RAD51 to promote viral propagation: implication of RAD51 inhibitor as a potential drug candidate against COVID-19.

Viruses are constantly evolving to promote propagation in the host. Here, we show that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) utilizes host RAD51 for replication. Silencing of RAD51 impaired SARS-CoV-2 propagation.

Polygalic acid inhibits african swine fever virus polymerase activity: findings from machine learning and in vitro testing.

African swine fever virus (ASFV), an extremely contagious virus with high mortality rates, causes severe hemorrhagic viral disease in both domestic and wild pigs. Fortunately, ASFV cannot be transmitted from pigs to humans. However, ongoing ASFV outbreaks could have severe economic consequences for global food security.

Amuvatinib Blocks SARS-CoV-2 Infection at the Entry Step of the Viral Life Cycle.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). SARS-CoV-2 propagation is mediated by the protein interaction between viral proteins and host cells. Tyrosine kinase has been implicated in viral replication, and hence, it has become a target for developing antiviral drugs.

Hepatitis C Virus Nonstructural 5A Protein Interacts with Telomere Length Regulation Protein: Implications for Telomere Shortening in Patients Infected with HCV.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major cause of chronic liver disease and is highly dependent on cellular proteins for viral propagation. Using protein microarray analysis, we identified 90 cellular proteins as HCV nonstructural 5A (NS5A) interacting partners, and selected telomere length regulation protein (TEN1) for further study. TEN1 forms a heterotrimeric complex with CTC and STN1, which is essential for telomere protection and maintenance.

Segmentation of MR Brain Images Through Hidden Markov Random Field and Hybrid Metaheuristic Algorithm.

Image segmentation is one of the most critical tasks in Magnetic Resonance (MR) images analysis. Since the performance of most current image segmentation methods is suffered by noise and intensity non-uniformity artifact (INU), a precise and artifact resistant method is desired. In this work, we propose a new segmentation method combining a new Hidden Markov Random Field (HMRF) model and a novel hybrid metaheuristic method based on Cuckoo search (CS) and Particle swarm optimization algorithms (PSO).

A multi-objective optimization approach for brain MRI segmentation using fuzzy entropy clustering and region-based active contour methods.

In this paper, we present a new multi-objective optimization approach for segmentation of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the human brain. The proposed algorithm not only takes advantages but also solves major drawbacks of two well-known complementary techniques, called fuzzy entropy clustering method and region-based active contour method, using multi-objective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) approach. In order to obtain accurate segmentation results, firstly, two fitness functions with independent characteristics, compactness and separation, are derived from kernelized fuzzy entropy clustering with local spatial information and bias correction (KFECSB) and a novel adaptive energy weight combined with global and local fitting energy active contour (AWGLAC) model.