Observed and self-reported COVID-19 health protection behaviours on a university campus and the impact of a single simple intervention. -
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+Objectives Hygiene behaviours had been an essential component of attempts to slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Most data on adherence to these behaviours is collected via self-reporting, which can differ from observed behaviours. We quantified this discrepancy among a university sample and tested the impact of simple intervention on observed behaviour. Study design Cross-sectional questionnaire of behaviour on campus compared to direct observation on one day without, and one day with, additional signage. Methods We circulated an email inviting all staff and students at our university to complete a questionnaire asking how often they wear a mark or practice hand hygiene when entering campus buildings, and how often they practiced social distancing within campus buildings. We observed all entrants to the main building on one campus on a baseline day and on a day after installing a large sign reminding people that these behaviours were mandatory. Results In our survey, 172 out of 252 respondents (68%) reported always cleaning their hands, 225 out of 251 (90%) reported always wearing a face covering, and 124 out of 252 (49%) reported always maintaining social distancing. On the baseline day of observation, 50 out of 311 people (16.1%) cleaned their hands and 256 (82.3%) wore a face covering correctly. Out of 119 people whom we could assess, 9 (7%) maintained social distance from others. The signage was associated with significant improvements for cleaning hands (104 / 375 people: 27.7%), wearing a face covering (374 / 375; 99.8%) and maintaining social distance (79 / 144; 54.8%). Conclusions Greater use of observational methods will provide a more accurate measure of behaviour than the current reliance on self-report and allow interventions to be robustly tested.
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Development of an index to assess Covid-19 hospital care installed capacity in the 450 Brazilian Health Regions -
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+Objective: We assessed the Brazilian health system9s ability to respond to the challenges imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic considering hospital capacity in the 450 Health Regions of the country in 2020. Hospital capacity referred to the availability of hospital beds, equipment, and human resources. Methods: Data came from National Register of Health Facilities on the availability of Covid-19 resources in inpatient facilities from January to December,2020. Assessed resources were health professionals, hospital beds, and medical equipment. A synthetic indicator, Installed Capacity Index (ICI) was calculated using Principal Component Analysis. Results: There was an increase in all selected indicators between January and December 2020. We observed differences between the Northeast, North regions, and the other regions of the country. Most Health Regions presented low ICI. The ICI increased especially in regions with considerably high baseline capacity in January 2020. The Northeast and North had a higher concentration of low ICI regions. Conclusion: The information here provided may be used by health authorities, providers, and managers in planning and adjusting for future Covid-19 care and in dimensioning the adequate supply of hospital beds, health care professionals, and devices in Health Regions to reduce associated morbidity and mortality.
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Use of the Internet and digital devices among people with severe mental ill health during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. -
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+Background: Restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to everyday reliance on digitalisation of life, including access to health care services. People with severe mental ill health (SMI, e.g., bipolar or psychosis spectrum disorders) are at greater risk for digital exclusion and it is unknown to what extent they are able to adapt to online service delivery. This study explored use of the Internet and digital devices during the pandemic restrictions and its association with physical and mental health changes. Methods: 367 adults with an SMI diagnosis completed a survey (online or offline) and provided information on access to Internet connection and devices, internet skills, online activities, and barriers to using the Internet. They also self-reported changes in mental and physical health. Results: During the pandemic restrictions 61.6% were limited or non-users of the Internet. The majority had access to the Internet and digital devices but around half reported knowledge deficits. Most common activities were accessing information and entertainment (88.9%), staying in touch with friends and families (84.8%), and purchasing goods (other than food) (84.3%). Most common barriers were finding the Internet 9not interesting9 (28.3%) or 9too difficult9 (27.9%), as well as 9security concerns9 (22.1% to 24.3%). Using the Internet 9a lot9 (vs 9just a bit or not at all9) during the pandemic was associated with younger age (Adj ORs = 4.76 and 6.39, Ps < .001), having a diagnosis of bipolar disorder (compared to psychosis; Adj OR = 3.88, P < .001), or reporting a decline in mental health (compared to no decline; Adj OR = 1.92, P = .01). Conclusion: Most people with SMI were limited or non-users of the Internet during the pandemic, which seems to be mainly attributable to lack of interest and skills, rather than lack of devices or connectivity. Older adults with psychosis should be the focus of interventions to support digital engagement in people with SMI.
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COMPARATIVE IMMUNOGENICITY OF BNT162b2 mRNA VACCINE WITH NATURAL COVID-19 INFECTION -
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+The mRNA vaccine BNT162b2 has proven highly effective and currently many millions are being vaccinated. There are limited and conflicting data from immunogenicity studies on the effects of age, gender, vaccination side effects (VSE), risk factors for severe COVID-19 (RFS-COV), obesity (BMI) and previous SARS-CoV-2 (Pr-CoV) Moreover, immunogenicity data from COVID-19 patients comparing various disease categories of natural infection i.e. asymptomatic vs mild vs moderate vs severe infection are sparse, and include limited number of individuals. This study included 871 vaccinated health care workers (HCW) and 181 patients with natural infection. Immunogenicity was assessed by a quantative assay measuring anti-SARS-CoV-2 against the RBD domain of the spike protein (anti-RBD) and anti-SARS-CoV-2 against nucleocapsid protein (anti-N). Samples were collected 1-2 weeks after completion of the 2nd dose in the vaccinated HCWs and 15-59 days post symptoms onset in patients with natural infection. The concentration of anti-RBD in vaccinated individuals after multivariable analysis was significantly associated with age, gender, VSE and Pr-CoV. Specifically, anti-RBD median levels (95% CI) were lower by 2,466 (651-5,583), 6,228 (3,254-9,203) and 7,651 (4,479-10,823) AU/ml in 35-44, 45-54, 55-70 yrs respectively, compared with 18-34 yrs group. In females, median levels of anti-RBD were higher by 2,823 (859-4,787) compared with males, in individuals with VSE were higher by 5,024 (3,122-6,926) compared with no VSE, and in HCWs with Pr-CoV were higher by 9,971 (5,158-14,783) AU/ml compared with HCWs without Pr-CoV. Among individuals with natural infection, the median anti-RBD levels were 14.8 times higher in patients with critical COVID-19 infection compared with non-hospitalized individuals. The ratio of anti-RBD in vaccinated individuals versus those with natural infection varied from 1.0 up to 19.4 according to the clinical subgroup of natural infection. This study proves the high immunogenicity of BNT162b2 vaccine although its sustainability remains to be seen. The use of comparative data from natural infection serological panels, expressing the clinical heterogeneity of natural infection may facilitate early decisions for vaccine evaluation in clinical trials.
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The relative strength and timing of innate immune and CD8 T-cell responses underlie the heterogeneous outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infection -
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+SARS-CoV-2 infection results in highly heterogeneous outcomes, from cure without symptoms to acute respiratory distress and death. While immunological correlates of disease severity have been identified, how they act together to determine the outcomes is unknown. Here, using a new mathematical model of within-host SARS-CoV-2 infection, we analyze diverse clinical datasets and predict that a subtle interplay between innate and CD8 T-cell responses underlies disease heterogeneity. Our model considers essential features of these immune arms and immunopathology from cytokines and effector cells. Model predictions provided excellent fits to patient data and, by varying the strength and timing of the immune arms, quantitatively recapitulated viral load changes in mild, moderate, and severe disease, and death. Additionally, they explained several confounding observations, including viral recrudescence after symptom loss, prolonged viral positivity before cure, and mortality despite declining viral loads. Together, a robust conceptual understanding of COVID-19 outcomes emerges, bearing implications for interventions.
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Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio as a Predictor of Glucocorticoid Effectiveness in Covid-19 Treatment -
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+Glucocorticoids have been shown to improve outcomes of patients with severe cases of Covid-19. However, criteria for prescribing glucocorticoids are currently limited. To identify potential for targeting, we perform an observational analysis of mortality of hospitalized patients. Our results agree with current clinical understanding that glucocorticoids benefit patients with severe cases of Covid-19, and that elevated Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) is associated with mortality. Furthermore, our results suggest that glucocorticoids could be targeted to patients with elevated NLR (especially in the range 6-25) at time of admission. Finally, we note there are also high-risk patients with low NLR, suggesting varying presentations of severe Covid-19.
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Endonuclease-based genotyping of the RBM, a first-line method for the surveillance of emergence or evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Variants. -
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+Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemics, variants have emerged. Whereas most of them have no to limited selective advantage, some display increased transmissibility and/or resistance to immune response. To date, most of the mutations involved in the functional adaptation are found in the Receptor Binding Module (RBM), close to the interface with the human receptor ACE2. In this study, we thus developed and validated a fast and simple molecular assay allowing the detection and partial identification of the mutations in the RBM coding sequence. After the amplification of the region of interest, the amplicon is heat-denatured and hybridized with an amplicon of reference. The presence of a mutation in the heteroduplex can be cleaved by a mismatch-specific endonuclease and the cleavage pattern is analysed by capillary electrophoresis. The approach was first validated on viral RNA purified different SARS-CoV-2 variants produced in the lab before being implemented for clinical samples. The results highlighted the performance of the assay for the detection of mutations in the RBM from clinical samples. The procedure can be easily set up for high throughput identification of the presence of mutations and serve as a first-line screening to select the samples for full genome sequencing.
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Tocilizumab in COVID-19 – A Bayesian reanalysis of RECOVERY -
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+Background: Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy (RECOVERY) demonstrated that tocilizumab reduces mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. However, substantial uncertainty remains whether tocilizumab9s effect is similar across clinically relevant subgroups. Whether this uncertainty can be resolved with Bayesian methods is unknown. Design, Setting, Participants, and Interventions: RECOVERY was a controlled, open-label, platform UK trial that randomized (1:1) 4116 adults with oxygen saturation <92% on room air or receiving oxygen therapy with C-reactive protein ≥75 mg/L to either usual care or tocilizumab plus usual care. Main outcome measures: Mortality and hospital discharge within 28 days. Methods: Using Bayesian methods, we combined RECOVERY with evidence-based priors incorporating previous COVID-19 tocilizumab RCTs. The probability of tocilizumab9s benefit for respiratory support and corticosteroid subgroups and sensitivity analyses were performed with different prior distributions and baseline risks. Results: For all-cause mortality, the posterior probabilities of decreased deaths with tocilizumab were >99% and 19% in patients using and not using corticosteroids, respectively. In patients on simple oxygen only, non-invasive ventilation and invasive mechanical ventilation, the probabilities of decreased mortality were 96%, >99% and 77%, respectively. The probabilities for a clinically significant mortality reduction, as assessed by an absolute risk difference > 3% (number needed to treat ≤ 33), were 77%, 96%, 56%, respectively. Sensitivity analyses highlighted the uncertainty and lack of conclusive evidence for tocilizumab9s effect in patients on invasive mechanical ventilation and those without concurrent corticosteroids. Posterior probabilities of benefit for hospital discharge outcome were high and consistent across most subgroups. Conclusions: In this Bayesian reanalysis, COVID-19 hospitalized patients exposed to corticosteroids or on non-invasive ventilation have a high probability of a clinically meaningful mortality benefit from tocilizumab. Tocilizumab also likely improves discharge from hospital in most subgroups. Future research should further address if patients on invasive mechanical ventilation can also benefit from tocilizumab.
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Pneumocytes are distinguished by highly elevated expression of the ER stress biomarker GRP78, a co-receptor for SARS-CoV-2, in COVID-19 autopsies -
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+Vaccinations are widely credited with reducing death rates from COVID-19 but the underlying host-viral mechanisms/interactions for morbidity and mortality of SARS-CoV-2 infection remain poorly understood. Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) describes the severe lung injury, which is pathologically associated with alveolar damage, inflammation, non-cardiogenic edema, and hyaline membrane formation. Because proteostatic pathways play central roles in cellular protection, immune modulation, protein degradation and tissue repair, we examined the pathological features for the unfolded protein response (UPR) using the surrogate biomarker glucose regulated protein 78 (GRP78) and co-receptor for SARS-CoV-2. At autopsy, immunostaining of COVID-19 lungs showed highly elevated expression of GRP78 in both pneumocytes and macrophages compared to non-COVID control lungs. GRP78 expression was detected in both SARS-CoV-2 infected and un-infected pneumocytes as determined by multiplexed immunostaining for nucleocapsid protein. In macrophages, immunohistochemical staining for GRP78 from deceased COVID-19 patients was increased but overlapped with GRP78 expression taken from surgical resections of non-COVID-19 controls. In contrast, the robust in situ GRP78 immunostaining of pneumocytes from COVID-19 autopsies exhibited no overlap and was independent of age, race/ethnicity and gender compared with non-COVID-19 controls. Our findings bring new insights for stress-response pathways involving the proteostatic network implicated for host resilience and suggest that targeting of GRP78 expression might afford an alternative therapeutic strategy to modulate host-viral interactions during SARS-CoV-2 infections.
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Antibody neutralization to SARS-CoV-2 and variants after one year in Wuhan -
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+Most COVID-19 patients can build effective humoral immunity against SARS-CoV-2 after recovery . However, it remains unknown how long the protection can maintain and how efficiently it can protect people from the reinfection of the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. Here we evaluated the sera from 248 COVID-19 convalescents around one year post-infection in Wuhan, the earliest epicenter of SARS-CoV-2. We demonstrated that the SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin G (IgG) maintains at a high level and potently neutralizes the infection of the original strain (WT) and the B.1.1.7 variant in most patients. However, they showed varying degrees of efficacy reduction against the other variants of concern (P.1, B.1.525, and especially B.1.351) in a patient-specific manner. Mutations in RBD including K417N, E484K, and E484Q/L452R (B.1.617) remarkably impair the neutralizing activity of the convalescents9 sera. Encouragingly, we found that a small fraction of patients9 sera showed broad neutralization potency to multiple variants and mutants, suggesting the existence of broadly neutralizing antibodies recognizing the epitopes beyond the mutation sites. Our results suggest that the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination effectiveness relies more on the timely re-administration of the epitope-updated vaccine than the durability of the neutralizing antibodies.
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Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in women attending antenatal care in eastern Ethiopia -
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+Information on the cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 in East Africa is scarce. We conducted serosurveillance of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among pregnant women attending their first antenatal care visit in three health facilities in eastern Ethiopia. We collected questionnaire data and a blood sample from 3,312 pregnant women between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021 at health facilities in Haramaya, Awoday and Harar. We selected 1,447 blood samples at random and assayed these for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies at Hararghe Health Research laboratory using WANTAI SARS-CoV-2 Rapid Test for total immunoglobulin. Temporal trends in seroprevalence were analysed with a X2 test for trend and multivariable binomial regression. Among 1,447 sera tested, 83 were positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies giving a crude seroprevalence of 5.7% (95% CI 4.6%, 7.0%). Of 160 samples tested in April-May, 2020, none was seropositive; the first seropositive sample was identified in June and seroprevalence rose steadily thereafter (X2 test for trend;p=0.003) reaching a peak of 11.8% in February, 2021. In the multivariable model, seroprevalence was approximately 3% higher in first-trimester mothers compared to later presentations, and rose by 0.75% (95% CI 0.31%, 1.20%) per month of calendar time. This clinical convenience sample illustrates the dynamic of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in young adults in eastern Ethiopia; infection was rare before June 2020 but it spread in a linear fashion thereafter, rather than following intermittent waves, and reached 10% by the beginning of 2021. After one year of surveillance, most pregnant mothers remained susceptible.
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Widespread Contamination of SARS-CoV-2 on Highly Touched Surfaces in Brazil During the Second Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic -
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+Although SARS-CoV-2 surface contamination has been investigated in temperate climates, few studies have been conducted in the tropics. Here, we investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 on high-touch surfaces in a large city in Brazil. A total of 400 surface samples were collected in February 2021 in the City of Recife, Northeastern Brazil. A total of 97 samples (24.2%) tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by RT-qPCR using the CDC-USA protocol. All the collection sites, except one (18/19, 94.7%) had at least one environmental surface sample contaminated. SARS-CoV-2 positivity was higher in public transport terminals (47/97, 48.4%), followed by health care units (26/97, 26.8%), public parks (14/97, 14.4%), public markets (4/97, 4.1%), and beach areas (4/97, 4.1%). Toilets, ATMs, handrails, playground, and outdoor gym were identified as fomites with the highest rates of viral contamination. Regarding the type of material, SARS-CoV-2 RNA was found more commonly on metal (45/97, 46.3%), followed by plastic (18/97, 18.5%), wood (12/97, 12.3%), rock (10/97, 10.3%), concrete (8/97, 8.2%), and glass (2/97, 2.0%). Taken together, our data indicated extensive SARS-CoV-2 contamination in public surfaces and identified critical control points that need to be targeted to break SARS-CoV-2 transmission chains.
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Sibling Conflict during COVID-19 in Families with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities -
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+Young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SENDs) and their families have been particularly hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this longitudinal study, sibling conflict in these families during and after the first lockdown in the United Kingdom was investigated. Online questionnaires were completed by 504 parents of young people with SENDs at four-time points between 23rd March 2020 and 10th October 2020 (over half completed the questionnaire at multiple time points). As lockdown progressed, young people with SENDs were more likely to be picked on or hurt by their siblings compared to earlier stages of the lockdown but there was no change in how frequently they harmed or picked on their siblings. After lockdown, both perpetration and victimisation decreased but not to the same rates as the first month of lockdown. Young people with SENDs with severe or complex needs were somewhat protected from sibling conflict. Findings are discussed with reference to implications for support and planning for future pandemics.
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Sources of variability in methods for processing, storing, and concentrating SARS-CoV-2 in influent from urban wastewater treatment plants -
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+The rapid emergence of wastewater based surveillance has led to a wide array of SARS-CoV-2 RNA quantification methodologies being employed. Here we compare methods to store samples, inactivate viruses, capture/concentrate viruses, and extract/measure viral RNA from primary influent into wastewater facilities. We found that heat inactivation of the viruses led to a 1-3 log10 decrease compared to chemical inactivation. Freezing influent prior to concentration caused a 1-4 log10 decrease compared to processing fresh samples, but viral capture by membrane adsorption prior to freezing was robust to freeze-thaw variability. Concentration vs. direct extraction, and PCR platform also affected outcome, but by a smaller amount. The choice of nucleocapsid gene target had nearly no effect. Pepper mild-mottle virus was much less sensitive to these methodological differences than was SARS-CoV-2, which challenges its use as a population-level control among studies using different methods. Better characterizing the variability associated with different methodologies, in particular the impact of methods on sensitivity, will aid decision makers in following the effects of vaccination campaigns, early detection of future outbreaks, and potentially monitoring the appearance of SARS-CoV-2 variants in the population.
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State of Emergency and Human Mobility during the COVID-19 Pandemic -
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+Background To help control the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the Japanese government declared a state of emergency (SoE) thrice. However, these were less stringent than other nations. It has not been assessed whether soft containment policies were sufficiently effective in promoting social distancing or reducing human contact. Methods Utilising the Google mobility index to assess social distancing behaviour in all Japanese prefectures between 15 February 2020 and 12 June 2021, mobility changes were assessed by an interrupted time-series analysis after adjusting for seasonality and various prefecture-specific fixed-effects and distinguishing potential heterogeneity across multiple SoEs and time passed after the declaration. Results The mobility index for retail and recreation showed an immediate decline after the declaration of the SoE by 12.78 percent-points (95%CI: -13.61 to -11.94) and a further decline after the initial period (beta: -0.93, 95%CI: -1.11 to -0.74), but gradually increased by 0.02 percent-points (95%CI: 0.02 to 0.02). This trend was similar for mobilities in other places. Among the three SoEs, the overall decline in human mobility outside the home in the third SoE was the least significant, suggesting that people were less compliant with social distancing measures during this period. Conclusion Although less stringent government responses to the pandemic may help promote social distancing by controlling human mobilities outside the home, their effectiveness may decrease if these interventions are repeated and enforced for extended periods, distorting one9s health belief by heuristics biases. By combining these with other measures (i.e. risk-communication strategies), even mild containment and closure policies can be effective in curbing the spread of the virus.
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Ivermectin Treatment Efficacy in Covid-19 High Risk Patients - Condition: COVID-19 Intervention: Drug: Ivermectin 0.4mg/kg/day for 5 days Sponsor: Clinical Research Centre, Malaysia Not yet recruiting
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Efficacy and Safety of XAV-19 for the Treatment of Moderate-to-severe COVID-19 - Condition: COVID-19 Interventions: Drug: XAV-19; Drug: Placebo Sponsor: Xenothera SAS Recruiting
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Study of Codivir in Patients With COVID-19 - Condition: Covid19 Interventions: Drug: Covidir injections; Diagnostic Test: One Step Test; Diagnostic Test: IgM and IgG dosage; Diagnostic Test: RT-PCR SARS-CoV-2; Diagnostic Test: Screening blood test; Diagnostic Test: ECG; Diagnostic Test: Medical evaluation; Diagnostic Test: NEWS-2 score; Diagnostic Test: WHO score Sponsors: Code Pharma; Zion Medical Active, not recruiting
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Clinical Trial With N-acetylcysteine and Bromhexine for COVID-19 - Condition: COVID-19 Interventions: Drug: Vitamin C; Drug: N-acetylcysteine (NAC); Drug: NAC + Bromhexine (BMX) Sponsors: Universidade Federal do Ceara; Paulista School of Medicine-EPM, UNIFESP; Health Surveillance Secretariat - SVS; Central Laboratory of Public Health of Ceara - LACEN-CE; Leonardo da Vinci Hospital - HLV; São José Hospital for Infectious Diseases - HSJ; Ceará Health Secretariat - SESA; Municipal Health Secretary - SMS-Fortaleza Not yet recruiting
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Augmentation of Immune Response to COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination Through OMT With Lymphatic Pumps - Condition: Covid19 Intervention: Other: Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) Sponsors: Western University of Health Sciences; American College of Osteopathic Physicians; American Osteopathic Foundation; Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of California; Xavier-Nichols Foundation Recruiting
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Nervous System Symptoms Associated With COVID 19 - Condition: Covid19 Interventions: Other: NEURO +; Other: NEURO - Sponsor: University Hospital, Toulouse Completed
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Tolerability,Safety of JS016 in SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) - Conditions: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2 Intervention: Drug: Combination Product: JS016 (anti-SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibody) Sponsor: Peking Union Medical College Hospital Recruiting
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Open Label, Single-Center Study Utilizing BIOZEK COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test - Condition: Covid-19 Testing Intervention: Diagnostic Test: Biozek Covid-19 Antigen Rapid Test (Saliva) Sponsor: Mach-E B.V. Recruiting
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Community-based Post-exposure Prophylaxis for COVID-19 - Condition: Covid19 Interventions: Other: Guduchi Ghanvati; Other: Standard guidelines Sponsors: NMP Medical Research Institute; Aarogyam UK; Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Rajasthan Ayurved University; Samta Ayurveda Prakoshtha, India; Padmanabhama Ayurveda Hospital and Research Centre Completed
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Vitamin A Supplementation in Children With Moderate to Severe COVID-19 - Condition: Covid19 Intervention: Dietary Supplement: Vitamin A supplement Sponsor: Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Not yet recruiting
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Cerebral Autoregulation and COVID-19 - Conditions: COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome; COVID-19 Pneumonia Intervention: Other: NIRS (Near-Infrared Spectroscopy) Sponsor: University of Athens Not yet recruiting
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Favipiravir +/- Nitazoxanide: Early Antivirals Combination Therapy in COVID-19 - Condition: Covid19 Interventions: Drug: Favipiravir; Drug: Nitazoxanide; Other: Nitazoxanide Placebo Sponsors: Coordinación de Investigación en Salud, Mexico; University College, London; Centro de Investigacion y Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politecnico Nacional (CINVESTAV); Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara; Siegfried Rhein S.A. de C.V.; Strides Pharma Science Limited; Hakken Enterprise Not yet recruiting
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Safety and Efficacy of Dupilumab for Treatment of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients - Condition: Covid19 Interventions: Biological: Dupilumab; Drug: Placebo Sponsors: University of Virginia; PBM C19 Research, LLC (a COVID-19 research entity of the Paul Manning Foundation); Virginia Catalyst, Virginia Biosciences Health Research Corporation (VBHRC) Recruiting
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Impact of Moderate Exercise Training on Vitals and Peak VO2 in Different Age Categories of Adult in COVID-19. - Condition: Covid19 Interventions: Other: Moderate Exercise Training (Age Group 1; Young adult 17 -30 years); Other: Moderate Exercise Training (Age Group 2; 31 to 45 years); Other: Moderate Exercise Training (Age Group 3; Above 45 years) Sponsor: Riphah International University Recruiting
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Infliximab in the Treatment of Patients With Severe COVID-19 Disease - Condition: COVID-19 Interventions: Drug: Infliximab; Other: Standard of Care Sponsors: Jena University Hospital; German Federal Ministry of Education and Research; Celltrion Not yet recruiting
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From PubMed
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Targeting Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase in Inflammatory and Autoimmune Pathologies - Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) was discovered due to its importance in B cell development, and it has a critical role in signal transduction downstream of the B cell receptor (BCR). Targeting of BTK with small molecule inhibitors has proven to be efficacious in several B cell malignancies. Interestingly, recent studies reveal increased BTK protein expression in circulating resting B cells of patients with systemic autoimmune disease (AID) compared with healthy controls. Moreover, BTK…
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Exploring the Psychological Effects of COVID-19 Home Confinement in China: A Psycho-Linguistic Analysis on Weibo Data Pool - CONCLUSION: Home confinement caused a decline in the use of positive emotion words. This indicates that home confinement can increase the frequency of negative emotions. The changes of exclusion words and inhibition words in high-endemic areas may be related to the high epidemic threat and the urgent need for social distancing in these areas.
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Discovery of New Potent anti-MERS CoV Fusion Inhibitors - Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), capable of zoonotic transmission, has been associated with emerging viral pneumonia in humans. In this study, a set of highly potent peptides were designed to prevent MERS-CoV fusion through competition with heptad repeat domain 2 (HR2) at its HR1 binding site. We designed eleven peptides with stronger estimated HR1 binding affinities than the wild-type peptide to prevent viral fusion with the cell membrane. Eight peptides showed strong…
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“Surfactants - compounds for inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 and other enveloped viruses” - We provide here a general view on the interactions of surfactants with viruses, with a particular emphasis on how such interactions can be controlled and employed, for inhibiting the infectivity of enveloped viruses, including coronaviruses. The aim is to provide to interested scientists from different fields, including chemistry, physics, biochemistry, and medicine, an overview over the basic properties of surfactants and (corona)viruses, which are relevant to understanding the interactions…
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COVID-19: In silico identification of potent alpha-ketoamide inhibitors targeting the main protease of the SARS-CoV-2 - The COVID-19 has been creating a global crisis, causing countless deaths and unbearable panic. Despite the progress made in the development of the vaccine, there is an urge need for the discovery of antivirals that may better work at different stages of SARS-CoV-2 reproduction. The main protease (M^(pro)) of the SARS-CoV-2 is a crucial therapeutic target due to its critical function in virus replication. The α-ketoamide derivatives represent an important class of inhibitors against the M^(pro)…
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Fragment-based in silico design of SARS CoV-2 main protease inhibitors - 3CLpro is essential for SARS-CoV-2 replication and infection; its inhibition using small molecules is a potential therapeutic strategy. In this study, a comprehensive crystallography-guided fragment-based drug discovery approach was employed to design new inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro. All small molecules co-crystallized with SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro with structures deposited in the Protein Data Bank were used as inputs. Fragments sitting in the binding pocket (87) were grouped into eight…
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Discovery and optimization of 2-((1H-indol-3-yl)thio)-N-benzyl-acetamides as novel SARS-CoV-2 RdRp inhibitors - The emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the global pandemic coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but no specific antiviral drug has been proven effective for controlling this pandemic to date. In this study, several 2-((indol-3-yl)thio)-N-benzyl-acetamides were identified as SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) inhibitors. After a two-round optimization, a new series of 2-((indol-3-yl)thio)-N-benzyl-acetamides was designed, synthesized,…
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Imatinib in patients with severe COVID-19: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical trial - BACKGROUND: The major complication of COVID-19 is hypoxaemic respiratory failure from capillary leak and alveolar oedema. Experimental and early clinical data suggest that the tyrosine-kinase inhibitor imatinib reverses pulmonary capillary leak.
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TRIM28 regulates SARS-CoV-2 cell entry by targeting ACE2 - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of coronavirus disease 2019, it binds to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) to enter into human cells. The expression level of ACE2 potentially determine the susceptibility and severity of COVID-19, it is thus of importance to understand the regulatory mechanism of ACE2 expression. Tripartite motif containing 28 (TRIM28) is known to be involved in multiple processes including antiviral restriction, endogenous…
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From Cancer to COVID-19: A Perspective on Targeting Heparan Sulfate-Protein Interactions - Heparan sulfate (HS) is a complex, polyanionic polysaccharide ubiquitously expressed on cell surfaces and in the extracellular matrix. HS interacts with numerous proteins to mediate a vast array of biological and pathological processes. Inhibition of HS-protein interactions is thus an attractive approach for new therapeutic development for cancer and infectious diseases, including COVID-19; however, synthesis of well-defined native HS oligosaccharides remains challenging. This has aroused…
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Activation of mTORC1 at late endosomes misdirects T cell fate decision in older individuals - The nutrient-sensing mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is integral to cell fate decisions after T cell activation. Sustained mTORC1 activity favors the generation of terminally differentiated effector T cells instead of follicular helper and memory T cells. This is particularly pertinent for T cell responses of older adults who have sustained mTORC1 activation despite dysfunctional lysosomes. Here, we show that lysosome-deficient T cells rely on late endosomes rather than lysosomes as an…
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Fear in the Chinese Population: Influential Patterns in the Early Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic - Major global public health emergencies challenge public mental health. Negative emotions, and especially fear, may endanger social stability. To better cope with epidemics and pandemics, early emotional guidance should be provided based on an understanding of the status of public emotions in the given circumstances. From January 27 to February 11, 2020 (during which the cases of COVID-19 were increasing), a national online survey of the Chinese public was conducted. A total of 132,482…
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An ACE2 Triple Decoy that neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 shows enhanced affinity for virus variants - The SARS-CoV-2 variants replacing the first wave strain pose an increased threat by their potential ability to escape pre-existing humoral protection. An angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) decoy that competes with endogenous ACE2 for binding of the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor binding domain (S RBD) and inhibits infection may offer a therapeutic option with sustained efficacy against variants. Here, we used Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulation to predict ACE2 sequence substitutions that might…
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Melatonin and other indoles show antiviral activities against swine Coronaviruses in vitro at pharmacological concentrations - The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), highlights major gaps in our knowledge on the prevention control and cross-species transmission mechanisms of animal coronaviruses. Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), and porcine delta-coronavirus (PDCoV) are three common swine coronaviruses and have similar clinical features. In absence of effective treatments, they…
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Manipulation of the unfolded protein response: A pharmacological strategy against coronavirus infection - Coronavirus infection induces the unfolded protein response (UPR), a cellular signalling pathway composed of three branches, triggered by unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) due to high ER load. We have used RNA sequencing and ribosome profiling to investigate holistically the transcriptional and translational response to cellular infection by murine hepatitis virus (MHV), often used as a model for the Betacoronavirus genus to which the recently emerged SARS-CoV-2 also belongs….
폐마스크 밀봉 회수기 - 본 발명은 마스크 착용 후 버려지는 일회용 폐마스크를 비닐봉지에 넣은 후 밀봉하여 배출함으로써, 2차 감염을 예방하고 일반 생활폐기물과 선별 분리 배출하여 환경오염을 방지하는 데 그 목적이 있다. - link
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COST EFFECTIVE PORTABLE OXYGEN CONCENTRATOR FOR COVID-19 - - link
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METHOD OF IDENTIFYING SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONA VIRUS 2 (SARS-COV-2) RIBONUCLEIC ACID (RNA) - - link
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Erweiterbare Desinfektionsvorrichtung -
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Erweiterbare Desinfektionsvorrichtung, umfassend: einen Hauptkörper, der eine umgekehrt U-förmige Basisplatte aufweist, wobei die umgekehrt U-förmige Basisplatte mit einer Öffnung versehen ist und jeweils eine Seitenplatte sich von zwei Seiten der umgekehrt U-förmigen Basisplatte nach außen erstreckt; und mindestens eine Desinfektionslampe, die in den auf zwei Seiten des Hauptkörpers befindlichen Seitenplatten angeordnet ist und eine Lichtemissionseinheit, eine Erfassungseinheit, eine Steuereinheit und eine Stromversorgungseinheit umfasst.
Einfache Sterilisationsvorrichtung, mit einem Hauptkörper (11), der in Längsrichtung einen ersten Plattenabschnitt (111) und in Querrichtung einen zweiten Plattenabschnitt (112) aufweist, wobei der erste Plattenabschnitt (111) und der zweite Plattenabschnitt (112) L-förmig miteinander verbunden sind; und einer Sterilisationslampe (12), die an dem Hauptkörper (11) angeordnet ist und eine Lichtemissionseinheit (121), eine Sensoreinheit (122), eine Steuereinheit (123) und eine Stromeinheit (124) aufweist.
Klemmarme aufweisende Desinfektionsvorrichtung, umfassend: einen Hauptkörper; eine Desinfektionslampe, die im Hauptkörper angeordnet ist und eine Lichtemissionseinheit, eine Erfassungseinheit, eine Steuereinheit und eine Stromversorgungseinheit umfasst; einen Klemmabschnitt, der auf einer Seite des Hauptkörpers angeordnet ist, wobei der Klemmabschnitt zwei gegenüberliegende Greifbacken umfasst, wobei mindestens eine der beiden Greifbacken mit einer Schwenkachse versehen ist, wobei ein Klemmraum durch passgenaues Schließen der beiden Greifbacken entsteht und die beiden Greifbacken jeweils mit einem Durchgangsloch versehen sind; einen Befestigungsabschnitt, der durch die Durchgangslöcher der beiden Greifbacken hindurchgeführt ist;und ein Schild, das auf einer Seite des Klemmabschnitts angeordnet und mit einem Aufnahmeloch versehen ist.
Aufhängbare Sterilisationsvorrichtung, mit einem Hauptkörper (11); einer Sterilisationslampe (12), die an dem Hauptkörper (11) angeordnet ist und eine Lichtemissionseinheit (121), eine Sensoreinheit (122), eine Steuereinheit (123) und eine Stromeinheit (124) aufweist; einem Klemmabschnitt (13), der an einer Seite des Hautpkörpers (11) angeordnet ist und zwei gegenüberliegend angeordnete Klemmbacken (131) aufweist, wobei mindestens eine der beiden Klemmbacken (131) mit einem Achsbolzen (132) versehen ist, wobei die beiden Klemmbacken (131) beim Schließen einen Klemmraum (134) bilden, und wobei die beiden Klemmbacken (131) jeweils mit einem Durchgangsloch (135) versehen sind; und einem Befestigungselement (14), das durch die Durchgangslöcher (135) der beiden Klemmbacken (131) hindurchgeführt wird.
Sterilisationsvorrichtung zur Verbesserung der Desinfektionswirkung -
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Sterilisationsvorrichtung zur Verbesserung der Desinfektionswirkung, umfassend: einen Hauptkörper, der eine erste Oberfläche, eine von der ersten Oberfläche abgewandte zweite Oberfläche und ein Aufnahmeloch aufweist, wobei die zwei Seiten des Hauptkörpers jeweils mit einem Durchgangsloch versehen sind, wobei die Durchgangslöcher mit dem Aufnahmeloch durchgängig verbunden sind; eine Desinfektionslampe, die auf der zweiten Oberfläche des Hauptkörpers angeordnet ist und eine Lichtemissionseinheit, eine Erfassungseinheit, eine Steuereinheit und eine Stromversorgungseinheit umfasst; und ein Befestigungsteil, das durch die Durchgangslöcher und das Aufnahmeloch des Hauptkörpers hindurchgeführt ist.
Can Biden Reverse Trump’s Damage to the State Department? - Reeling from the leadership of Rex Tillerson and Mike Pompeo, career officials wonder whether Secretary of State Antony Blinken can revitalize American diplomacy. - link
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Iran Moves Toward a One-Party State - The Supreme Leader is willing to risk the legitimacy of an election to consolidate monolithic hard-line control. - link
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The High Cost of Biden’s Meeting with Putin - To Biden, illusions are a hazard in foreign policy; to Putin, they are its currency. - link
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Why Do So Many New York Politicians Want Paperboy Prince to Hit Them in the Face with a Pie? - “Y’all haven’t seen what I do with confetti,” the candidate bent on upstaging the mayor’s race said. - link
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What Is Going On at Yale Law School? - The prestigious institution has tied itself in knots over a dispute involving one of its most popular—and controversial—professors, Amy Chua. - link
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From Vox
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This progressive police reform bill is pretty popular -
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+Protesters call for change at a Los Angeles rally. | Getty Images
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+A new Vox poll shows a majority of Americans are open to the Breathe Act’s ambitious reforms.
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+As lawmakers try to find a bipartisan compromise on police reform, new polling data reveals that a more progressive approach has fairly strong support as well.
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+Per a Vox/Data for Progress survey, the Breathe Act, legislation that would implement a more sweeping overhaul of policing that has been championed by activists including the Movement for Black Lives, also has 51 percent likely voter backing. The much less ambitious George Floyd Justice in Policing Act has strong support as well, with an even higher 66 percent in backing.
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+And yet, neither is likely to make it into law. Both bills are more expansive than what lawmakers are currently negotiating, and face roadblocks when it comes to the Senate. While Democrats made the Justice in Policing Act their starting point in negotiations, it doesn’t have the votes to get through the upper chamber and neither would the Breathe Act.
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+Because of the Senate’s current 50-50 split, the existence of the legislative filibuster, and Democrats’ own internal divisions on police reform, they will have to compromise with Republicans to advance a bill, suggesting that whatever could pass will be more limited than the Justice in Policing Act.
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+The differences between the various policing measures are significant.
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+The Breathe Act, the more progressive option, calls for the closure of federal agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration, and divesting federal funds allocated to law enforcement. It also includes an array of other reforms including offering federal grants to local governments to invest in public safety alternatives, and pushing for an end to mandatory minimums.
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+The Justice in Policing Act would center on curbing qualified immunity protections for police officers, making it easier to prosecute police officers at the federal level and establishing a national registry of police misconduct. Republicans’ Justice Act, meanwhile, would call on individual law enforcement agencies to keep records about misconduct, incentivize state and local agencies to ban chokeholds, and gather data about the use of no-knock warrants.
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+Any bipartisan agreement is expected to include a more limited version of qualified immunity reforms, and potential federal bans on chokeholds and no-knock warrants in drug cases.
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+Backing for different components of the Breathe Act varies. According to the poll, 56 percent of people favor reducing incarcerations, 43 percent support closures of agencies including ICE and DEA, 51 percent support ending mandatory minimum sentences and 52 percent back additional federal money that incentivizes local governments to invest in public safety alternatives.
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+The poll indicates that activists’ favored approach has stable public backing, though most people still prefer an option that preserves the existing policing system (58 percent), compared to one that significantly shifts funding away from policing to other forms of public safety (30 percent).
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+Overall, though, the survey shows that people would be open to a police and criminal justice reform option that’s broader than one the Senate might take up — if one comes to a vote at all.
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+Thus far, the prospects for a bipartisan agreement have been uncertain. While lawmakers have repeatedly said they’ve been making progress, they missed a May 25 deadline they set for a compromise to be reached and have yet to unveil a potential framework.
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+The poll was fielded between June 9 to 11 and includes 1,227 voters. It has a sampling margin of error of 3 percentage points.
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The UN has condemned Myanmar’s military coup. Will that matter? -
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+Protesters make the three-finger salute as they take part in a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar on June 13, 2021. | STR/AFP via Getty Images
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+“We cannot live in a world where military coups become a norm,” the UN Secretary-General said.
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+More than four months after the military seized power in Myanmar, the United Nations General Assembly took the rare step on Friday of voting to formally condemn the February 1 coup and called for an end to arms dealing with the country.
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+The condemnation comes as UN officials express concern that the nation is on the brink of civil war and as humanitarian conditions worsen for civilians. While significant, though, the vote itself revealed complicated geopolitics that may stymie a more forceful international response to the situation.
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+The UN approved the resolution by a vote of 119 to 1, with 36 countries abstaining. In addition to condemning the junta and calling for the return of a democratic government in Myanmar, the resolution also urges “all [UN] Member States to prevent the flow of arms into Myanmar.”
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+“The risk of a large-scale civil war is real,” Christine Schraner Burgener, the UN special envoy on Myanmar, said after the vote. “Time is of the essence. The opportunity to reverse the military takeover is narrowing.”
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+The resolution was lauded by members of the international community, including deputy head of the European Union delegation Ambassador Silvio Gonzato, who greeted it as “a rare and significant expression of the General Assembly condemnation in the face of a gross violation of fundamental democratic norms and neglecting the clearly expressed wish of a people.”
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+“The international community does not accept the coup, and it does not recognize any legitimacy to the regime that emerged from it,” Gonzato said Friday in a statement.
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+With the support of 119 countries, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution that calls on Myanmar’s military junta to restore the democratic transition and calls on all member states “to prevent the flow of arms into Myanmar.” The international community has spoken. pic.twitter.com/DqCPAwPX3R
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+— U.S. Embassy Burma (@USEmbassyBurma) June 19, 2021
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+The UN has taken a similar step only three times since the end of the Cold War, according to UN International Crisis Group Director Richard Gowan, after military coups in Haiti, Burundi, and Honduras in 1991, 1993, and 2009, respectively. Such a unified response by the General Assembly was not deployed in response to other significant military power grabs in recent years, including multiple national crises in Thailand.
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+However, the resolution, which is nonbinding, is unlikely to make any immediate difference in the crisis currently plaguing Myanmar, and it stops short of imposing an outright arms embargo on the southeast Asian nation, which borders Thailand. And China and Russia — two of Myanmar’s largest suppliers of weapons — were among the countries that abstained from the vote.
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+On Sunday, Pope Francis called for humanitarian aid to be allowed into the country and for houses of worship to be offered as sanctuary to those fleeing violence. Hundreds of people have been killed since the February coup, and some 175,000 more have been displaced.
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+The vote revealed messy international politics
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+Initially, UN General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir had hoped to adopt Friday’s Myanmar resolution by consensus; in a speech prior to the vote, Bozkir told members of the assembly that “when it comes to Myanmar we must act, as nations, united. I trust that you, as Guardians of the Charter of the United Nations, will join me in this call for peace.”
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+But Belarus, eventually the sole no vote on the resolution, forced a recorded vote instead, resulting in a significant number of abstentions.
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+Sometimes known as “Europe’s last dictatorship,” Belarus has previously sold weapons to Myanmar, according to the activist group Justice for Myanmar, and the small eastern European nation has been the target of international scrutiny in its own right after dictator Alexander Lukashenko held onto power in a sham presidential election last year.
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+In addition to permanent UN Security Council members China and Russia, several members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, abstained from voting on the resolution. Brunei, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos — all of which are categorized as “not free” by the international watchdog organization Freedom House — chose to abstain.
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+The #UNGA resolution on #Myanmar calls - for the “immediate release of all those detained arbitrarily” - “for safe & unimpeded humanitarian access to all people in need” - on “all member states to prevent the flow of arms into Myanmar” FULL TEXT➡️ https://t.co/GYC9f51Iqc
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+Unsurprisingly, Myanmar’s military government has already rejected the resolution and accused the UN of infringing on Myanmar’s sovereignty. Despite that, however, the resolution was supported by Myanmar in the UN, where Myanmar ambassador to the UN Kyaw Moe Tun, who was appointed under the previous democratic government, has refused to leave his post.
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+“We need further strongest possible action from the international community to immediately end the military coup, to stop oppressing the innocent people, to return the state power to the people, and to restore the democracy,” Kyaw Moe Tun said in February.
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+Whoa. It is impossible to overstate the risks that #Myanmar UN ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun just took in the @UN General Assembly when (voice cracking) he just now called on world to oppose the military coup. See photo below of him giving the three-fingered salute of the protestors. https://t.co/qnmr0RMY0S
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+While Friday’s resolution is noteworthy, multiple UN officials — including Schraner Burgener and Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar Tom Andrews — have called for the UN to do more as Myanmar’s humanitarian crisis worsens.
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+“[T]he [United Nations Security Council] should now take action by imposing an arms embargo, sanctions & measures to hold the junta accountable,” Andrews wrote in a tweet on Saturday.
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+Yesterday’s UNGA resolution on Myanmar was notable because of how strongly it rebuked the junta, AND because not a single UNSC member voted against it. This means that the UNSC should now take action by imposing an arms embargo, sanctions & measures to hold the junta accountable.
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+— UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews (@RapporteurUn) June 19, 2021
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+However, that could prove difficult. As permanent Security Council members, China and Russia both have veto power over Security Council proposals, and both have remained friendly with Myanmar since the coup earlier this year.
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+Chinese companies are among the largest suppliers of weaponry to the Myanmar military, according to a report by Justice for Myanmar, a pro-democracy advocacy group, and Russia has also sold fighter jets and other matériel to Myanmar.
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+Previously, the Security Council condemned the use of violence against peaceful protesters in Myanmar and backed a democratic transition away from military rule in a March statement, but it’s unclear if more concrete actions against the Myanmar junta, such as an arms embargo, would escape a veto.
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+A humanitarian crisis
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+Myanmar’s democratic collapse has also engendered additional humanitarian crises, including a faltering health system and endangered food supplies, Schraner Burgener said on Friday, according to the UN news agency.
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+Currently, according to the UN, more than 600 people have been killed since the junta took power in February — the regime has repeatedly used live ammunition on peaceful protesters — and thousands have been arrested. Around 175,000 people have been displaced, and more have fled to neighboring countries as refugees. On Sunday, Pope Francis called for military leaders to allow aid to reach those displaced people.
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+Some reports, however, put the death toll since February at 800 or more — and the true number is likely even worse.
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+In April, Human Rights Watch also reported that hundreds of people have been forcibly “disappeared” by the junta since February — a crime against humanity under international law.
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+How did Myanmar get here?
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+Myanmar — sometimes known as Burma — has been in crisis since well before Friday’s UN resolution. In early February, the country’s military, which has long been a force in domestic politics, seized power after losing elections in November last year — citing, without evidence, voter fraud as the reason for their loss.
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+The coup, which ousted popular leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, was a return to an earlier era for Myanmar, which had been under military rule for decades until 2011. And it set off a massive, enduring pro-democracy movement, with protests continuing this month despite a brutal crackdown and the use of live ammunition by regime forces.
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+ Aung Kyaw Htet/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
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+A soldier patrols the street in front of the Central Bank building in Yangon, Myanmar during a pro-democracy demonstration on Feb. 15, 2021.
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+As Vox’s Alex Ward explained at the time, the coup was telegraphed well ahead of time by the country’s military, which refused to accept the results of Myanmar’s November 2020 parliamentary elections.
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+Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party won overwhelmingly in November, claiming fully 83 percent of the available seats in parliament.
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+Suu Kyi is a beloved national figure in Myanmar, and spent the better part of two decades under house arrest for her pro-democracy activism after the NLD won parliamentary elections in 1990. She was only released in 2010, shortly before Myanmar’s democratic transition.
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+However, she has become increasingly controversial in the eyes of the international community for her role in Myanmar’s genocide against the Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic minority. Thousands of Rohingya people were killed, and more than 700,000 rounded up and deported, by the same military that is now in power.
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+As Vox’s Jariel Arvin reported earlier this year, Suu Kyi “not only refused to condemn the military for its actions, but went as far as to defend them in an international court.” That decision has complicated international support for Myanmar’s pro-democracy movement, which still venerates Suu Kyi.
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+In 2020, history repeated itself for Suu Kyi after her NLD party claimed a “landslide” November election victory. According to Ward:
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+Then … a military spokesperson warned that the armed forces might “take action” if their assertions of fraud weren’t taken seriously and notably refused to rule out a coup. Citing a provision in the constitution it drafted, the military said it could launch a coup if the nation’s sovereignty was threatened and declare a national emergency.
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+“Unless this problem is resolved, it will obstruct the path to democracy and it must therefore be resolved according to the law,” a military spokesperson said.
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+Finally, just before Myanmar’s parliament was set to certify the results of the election, the military, led by Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, seized power. They detained Suu Kyi and other government officials, as well as many activists, halted flights in and out of the country, and declared a state of emergency that would last one year.
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+In addition to cracking down on civil society and arresting prominent activists and political opponents, the regime has blocked access to social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and in April began shutting down broadband access outright.
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+In the face of such large-scale human rights violations, Friday’s UN resolution does little to clarify what comes next for Myanmar.
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+Show trials and a kangaroo court
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+On Monday, after months of house arrest, Suu Kyi appeared in court to stand trial for a long list of spurious charges, including corruption, inciting public unrest, and violating Myanmar’s official secrets act.
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+All told, according to the Washington Post, Suu Kyi faces seven charges and up to 15 years in prison — which could well amount to a life sentence for the leader, who marked her 76th birthday in confinement on Saturday.
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+ SAI AUNG MAIN/AFP via Getty Images
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+Protesters stand with a huge banner of detained Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi as they take part in a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar on Feb. 9, 2021.
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+The trial and charges alike are considered by regional experts to be a political exercise rather than a judicial one, and the outcome is all but preordained with Myanmar still under military rule.
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+“With the restrictions on access to her lawyers and the case being heard in front of a court that is wholly beholden to the military junta, there is little likelihood she will receive a fair trial,” Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said, according to the Washington Post.
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+Suu Kyi isn’t the only political prisoner facing a show trial in Myanmar: The junta is also holding deposed president Win Myint on a range of politicized charges, and protesters are being arrested, tortured, and sentenced to prison en masse.
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+According to Myanmar Now, a local news outlet, 32 protesters were sentenced to prison terms of at least two years earlier this month on charges of incitement and unlawful assembly. And an American, Danny Fenster, is among dozens of journalists facing charges of inciting fear or spreading “false news;” Fenster was detained three weeks ago en route to visit family in the US.
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+Despite the junta’s best efforts, however, there is still a vibrant opposition movement in Myanmar — one that has welded together a broad, but potentially fragile, alliance of ethnic groups against a common enemy.
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+As Kirby explained for Vox, the pro-democracy protests have been “part awakening, part atonement” for some protesters, particularly in regard to the military’s campaign of genocide against the Rohingya:
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+[Activist Wai Hnin Pwint Thon]’s experience is an extreme example of the kind of revelation that has happened among many young protesters, especially among the majority Bamar ethnic group. “Some of us were brainwashed,” Wathone, the protester in Yangon, said. “But now everyone understands what the Rohingya feel, what the ethnic groups feel.”
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+Now, with armed ethnic factions supporting members of the Civil Disobedience Movement, the conflict in Myanmar could soon enter a new phase. Some protesters Kirby spoke to admitted that “nonviolence is maybe not working. So we need some armed resistance.”
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+Already, according to Reuters, the junta is fighting on “multiple fronts in border regions” against local insurgents, and some young pro-democracy protesters are leaving Myanmar’s urban centers to join the anti-regime guerrillas.
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+“The brutality of the Burma military is even worse,” civil society activist Naw Wah Ku Shee told Kirby of the newfound cohesion among ethnic groups. “Our first priority is to end this military dictatorship, which is why we need to work together.”
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+
We admire these do-gooders. We just don’t want to date them. -
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+Eleanor, the protagonist in The Good Place, is initially repulsed by Chidi, who’s always trying to teach her how to be a good person. This is why everyone hates moral philosophy professors. | Colleen Hayes/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
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+A neuroscientist’s studies show that altruism isn’t always attractive.
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+Picture this:You’ve worked hard all year. You’re burned out. Every atom in your brain and body is crying out for a relaxing vacation. Luckily, you and your partner have managed to save up $3,000. You propose a trip to Hawaii — those blue waves are calling your name!
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+Just one problem: Your partner refuses, arguing that you both should donate the money to charity instead. Think how many malaria-preventing bednets $3,000 could buy for kids in developing countries!
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+You might find yourself thinking: Why does my partner seem to care more about strangers halfway around the world than about me?
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+A philosopher would tell you that your partner may be a utilitarian or consequentialist, someone who thinks that an action is moral if it produces good consequences and that everyone equally deserves to benefit from the good, not just those closest to us. By contrast, your response suggests you’rea deontologist, someone who thinks an action is moral if it’s fulfilling a duty — and we have special duties toward special people, like our partners, so we should prioritize our partner’s needs over a stranger’s.
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+According to research out of the Crockett Lab at Yale University, if you’re put off by the consequentialist’s anti–Hawaiian vacation response, you’re not alone. Neuroscientist Molly Crocketthasconducted several studies to determine how we perceive different types of moral agents. She found that when we’re looking for a spouse or friend, we strongly prefer deontologists, viewing them as more moral and trustworthy than consequentialists.
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+In other words: When we’re looking for someone to date or hang out with, extreme do-gooders of the consequentialist variety need not apply. (It’s worth noting that deontologists can be hardcore do-gooders, too, just in their own very different way.)
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+Crockett’s studies raise a lot of questions: Why do we distrust consequentialists despite admiring their altruism? Are we right to distrust them, or should we try to override that impulse? And what does this mean for movements like effective altruism, which says we should devote our resources to causes that’ll do the most good for people, wherever in the world they might be?
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+I reached out to Crockett to discuss these issues. A transcript of our conversation, edited for length and clarity, follows.
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+Sigal Samuel
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+In the past, it’s typically been philosophers who’ve investigated issues of morality and altruism, and they’ve focused a lot on sacrificial dilemmas.
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+The most famous one is the Trolley Problem: Should you make the active choice to divert a runaway trolley so that it kills one person if, by doing so, you can save five people along a different track from getting killed? The consequentialist says yes, because you’re maximizing overall good and outcomes are what matter. The deontologist says no, because you have a duty to not kill anyone as a means to an end, and your duties matter.
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+In your studies, you do examine these types of sacrificial dilemmas, which involve doing harm. But you also examine “impartial beneficence” dilemmas, which involve doing good, and specifically the idea that we shouldn’t prioritize our family and friends when we do good. Why did you decide to study those dilemmas?
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+Molly Crockett
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+Studying impartial beneficence is really psychologically juicy, because it gets at the heart of a lot of the conflicts we face in our social relationships as the world becomes global and we think about how our actions are affecting people we’re never going to meet. Being a good global citizen now butts up against our very powerful psychological tendencies to prioritize our families and friends. So we wanted to study the social consequences people might experience as a result of having consequentialist views.
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+Sigal Samuel
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+And what did you find?
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+Molly Crockett
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+When it comes to sacrificial dilemmas, we find that generally people strongly favor nonconsequentialist social partners. We trust people a lot more if they say it’s not okay to sacrifice one person to save many others.
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+When it comes to impartial beneficence dilemmas, we see the same pattern. The preference is not as strong, which I think makes sense because a helpful action tends to weigh less heavily on us psychologically than a harmful action. But we still see that when it comes to deciding who we’ll be friends or spouses with, we tend to prefer nonconsequentialists.
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+Sigal Samuel
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+There was an exception in the impartial beneficence dilemmas, right? It turned out that when we’re looking for a political leader, we actually prefer the consequentialist. To me, it makes a ton of intuitive sense that we’d prefer different types of moral agents in different social roles. Were your results seen as surprising?
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+Molly Crockett
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+Well, what’s remarkable is that moral psychology up until now has mostly been about hypothetical cases involving strangers. But new research suggests that actually relational context is super important when it comes to judging the morality of others.
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+I’ve recently started collaborating with Margaret Clark at Yale, who’s an expert in close relationships. We’re testing some predictions that moral obligations are relationship specific.
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+Here’s a classic example: Consider a woman, Wendy, who could easily provide a meal to a young child but fails to do so. Has Wendy done anything wrong? It depends on who the child is. If she’s failing to provide a meal to her own child, then absolutely she’s done something wrong! But if Wendy is a restaurant owner and the child is not otherwise starving, then they don’t have a relationship that creates special obligations prompting her to feed the child.
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+Sigal Samuel
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+Totally. Philosophy abhors inconsistency, and applying deontology in some cases and consequentialism in others might come off as inconsistent. But maybe it’s actually the most rational thing to apply different moral philosophies in different relational contexts.
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+In your study, the story you tell about why we prefer to marry or befriend deontologists is that, naturally, if I’m looking for someone to marry I’m going to want someone who’ll give me preferential treatment over a stranger in another country. But just to kick the tires on that story a bit: Is it possible that our preference comes about not because we want someone who’ll prioritize us but because being with radical do-gooders makes us feel crappy about ourselves — because we feel like immoral jerks compared to them?
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+Molly Crockett
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+That’s a fascinating question and something we haven’t tested empirically, but it would be very consistent with the Stanford psychologist Benoit Monin’s work on “do-gooder derogation.” He essentially showed exactly what you predict, which is that people feel less warm toward people who are extremely moral and altruistic. His studies showed that the extent to which people dislike vegetarians is related to their own feelings of moral conflict around eating animals.
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+Sigal Samuel
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+Yeah, we don’t tend to love being around people who make us grapple with uncomfortable questions. Especially if they’re very in-your-face or self-righteous about it and you have to be around them all the time, like with a romantic partner.
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+Your study also refers to something called the “partner choice model.” Can you explain that a bit?
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+Molly Crockett
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+“Partner choice” is a mechanism through which traits evolve because they promote being chosen as a social partner. There’s a lot of work suggesting that our preferences for cooperation evolved through partner choice mechanisms, because people who were naturally more cooperative were more likely to be chosen as social partners. They reaped the benefits of being chosen, both through social capital and through reproduction, and then they passed those traits to the next generation.
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+My idea is that some of our moral intuitions might be explained through the same mechanism. Our deontological intuitions, to the extent that they signal to others that we’re better social partners, make us more likely to be chosen, and therefore they get passed onto the next generation.
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+Sigal Samuel
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+Wait, unpack this evolutionary explanation a bit. By “through reproduction,” do you mean that parents with deontological views are more likely to rear their kids with deontological views?
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+Molly Crockett
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+Both that, and … This is more speculative, but to the extent that deontological moral intuitions have a genetic component, it could be passed on that way as well. Obviously there’s not going to be a gene for deontological intuitions. There’s not a one-to-one mapping between genetics and complex psychological traits. But to the extent that these traits arise from brain processes (and there’s a lot of evidence that they do), there may be a heritable component.
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+Sigal Samuel
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+This reminds me of the neurophilosopher Patricia Churchland’s new book, Conscience, about the biological basis of morality. Churchland and I recently talked about how brain differences, which are underwritten by differences in our genes, shape our moral attitudes — and how those can be highly heritable. So genetics isn’t everything, but it is playing some role.
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+Molly Crockett
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+Absolutely. Broadly, my work is quite compatible with Churchland’s views.
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+I think the argument she makes is consistent with some of our empirical work showing that when people are deciding whether to benefit themselves by harming another person, their brain activity tracks with how blameworthy other people would find the harmful choice. Conscience might manifest as the brain predicting how other people would view our actions.
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+Sigal Samuel
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+When you write about the implications of your studies, you talk specifically about effective altruism, a movement supported by Peter Singer, who’s probably the most influential utilitarian philosopher alive. You say the studies’ findings suggest that if you’re an effective altruist you’re going to face some stumbling blocks in terms of how people perceive you, which could impact the movement’s ability to grow. What can effective altruists do to mitigate the potential negative perception of them?
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+Molly Crockett
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+I think there are a few possibilities. Here’s one: We’ve shown in some other work that when people are judging the praiseworthiness of good deeds, they consider both the benefits that those deeds bring about and also how good it feels to perform those actions. If anything, our data suggests people weight how good it feels more strongly in judging praiseworthiness, such that people might think that a good deed that brings very little benefit but gives you a really warm fuzzy glow is actually more praiseworthy than a good deed that feels detached and emotionless but brings about a lot of benefit.
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+Drawing on this insight, effective altruists might emphasize the personal satisfaction that can arise from donating to effective causes, and talk about their own personal experience with the movement in ways that convey what it means to them.
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+In my lab now, we’re starting to think a lot about narrative — how the stories we tell about our own and others’ behavior give rise to our sense of ourselves as moral beings, and how that can actually change our behavior over the long run. I think the effective altruism movement in some sense misses an opportunity to draw on the very powerful role that narratives play in shaping our psychology.
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+Sigal Samuel
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+So, if I have a narrative about myself that emphasizes why having a more evidence-backed, cost-effective approach to giving actually makes me feel really good and gives me that glow, conveying that might get people more interested in my approach?
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+Molly Crockett
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+Potentially. Of course, conveying that may butt up against the “do-gooder derogation” effect. So you’d have to be careful about that.
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+I think this conversation just goes to show how much of a challenge it is to change moral behavior. There are so many different levers you can press to try to change behavior, but often they’re working at odds with one another. So if you press one, that inadvertently presses other levers that counteract its effect. It’s a complex system we’re dealing with.
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+Sign up for the Future Perfect newsletter. Twice a week, you’ll get a roundup of ideas and solutions for tackling our biggest challenges: improving public health, decreasing human and animal suffering, easing catastrophic risks, and — to put it simply — getting better at doing good.
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From The Hindu: Sports
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WTC final | Start of fourth day delayed due to rain - New Zealand were 101 for 2 at stumps on day three
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Legendary sprinter Usain Bolt welcomes newborn twin sons - Bolt revealed the news on Instagram with a Father’s Day family photo.
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Barcelona signs Netherlands striker Memphis Depay - Facing 1.2 billion euros in debt, Barcelona is focusing on free agents to avoid paying transfer fees.
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Euro 2020 | Wales qualifies despite losing to Italy - Switzerland made to wait despite beating Turkey; Poland holds wasteful Spain
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WTC final | Would have been great if we had a go at Taylor this evening: Gill - Indian opener Shubman Gill feels that bad light robbed them of a chance to have a crack at Ross Taylor and make further inroads into the New Zealand
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From The Hindu: National News
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Labour crisis in Kodagu’s estates may worsen over lockdown extension - Growers cannot bring migrant workers; post-harvest operations for the next season hit as resident workers cannot handle the large cultivated area
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Test positivity rate goes down below 5% mark in Odisha - Active cases come down to 36,633 but daily fatalities remain around 40
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MNS chief jumps into row over name for Navi Mumbai airport - Extension should be named after Shivaji, says Raj Thackeray
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This 11-year-old bibliophile’s home library has around 1,000 books - The ultimate dream of every avid reader is to set up a home library with a large collection of books. Manav S. Delson, an 11-year-old bibliophile from
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Sugarcane farmers demand higher FRP for 2021-22 - Pandemic triggers concerns of labour shortage for harvesting
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From BBC: Europe
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Swedish government toppled in no confidence vote - Prime Minister Stefan Lofven loses the vote following a dispute over rent controls.
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France regional election: Macron and Le Pen fail to make ground - exit poll - Early results indicate both parties have failed to make ground in France’s regional elections.
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Armenia election: PM Nikol Pashinyan wins post-war poll - His party gets 54% of the vote, the electoral commission says, but the opposition alleges fraud.
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Iran nuclear deal: President-elect Raisi issues warning over talks - Ebrahim Raisi promises he will not allow negotiations on reviving a 2015 deal to be dragged out.
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Belgium: Body of fugitive far-right Belgian soldier found - The shooting instructor went missing in May after taking weapons from a base, sparking a huge manhunt.
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From Ars Technica
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The best Amazon Prime Day 2021 deals under $50 we can find - We’ve cut through the noise to find Prime Day’s best buys for bargain hunters. - link
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Sony’s excellent WH-1000XM4 headphones are down to a new low for Prime Day - One of our favorite sets of true wireless earbuds is deeply discounted as well. - link
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Amazon Prime Day 2021: All the deals that are actually worth your time - We picked through piles of Prime Day garbage to find the actual good stuff. - link
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Porsche will build a high-performance battery factory in Germany - The joint venture with Customcells will focus on cells with silicon anodes. - link
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The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard is the raunchy action/comedy we need right now - Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, and Salma Hayek carry film through the rough spots - link
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From Jokes Subreddit
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A father and son are walking through the dog park when they spot 2 dogs having sex -
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+The son asks “Daddy what are they doing”? After some thought the father thought it was time for the boy to learn about sex. He says to his son “Son, they are making puppies”. Later that night the boy had questions and walked into his parents room who thought he was asleep and having sex. The next morning the son asks his dad what his dad and mom were doing. Not wanting to lie to his son he replies “Honestly, we were making babies”. After some thought the son replies “Next time flip her over I want a puppy”.
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An old, blind cowboy wanders into an all-girl biker bar by mistake… -
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+An old, blind cowboy wanders into an all-girl biker bar by mistake…
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+He finds his way to a bar stool and orders a shot of Jack Daniels.
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+After sitting there for a while, he yells to the bartender, ‘Hey, you wanna hear a blonde joke?’
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+The bar immediately falls absolutely silent.
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+In a very deep, husky voice, the woman next to him says, ‘Before you tell that joke, Cowboy, I think it is only fair, given that you are blind, that you should know five things’:
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+The bartender is a blonde girl with a baseball bat.
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+The bouncer is a blonde girl with a ‘Billy-Club’.
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+I’m a 6-foot tall, 175-pound blonde woman with a black belt in karate.
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+The woman sitting next to me is blonde and a professional weight lifter.
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+The lady to your right is blonde and a professional wrestler.
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+‘Now, think about it seriously, Cowboy … do you still wanna tell that blonde joke?’
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+The blind cowboy thinks for a second, shakes his head and mutters, ‘No … not if I’m gonna have to explain it five times’…
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+/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22670175/1231185623.jpg)
Aung Kyaw Htet/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
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SAI AUNG MAIN/AFP via Getty Images
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