Superspreaders drive the largest outbreaks of hospital onset COVID-19 infection -
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+The SARS-CoV-2 virus has been noted both for its rapid spread, but also for the heterogeneity of transmission, with incidences noted of superspreading behaviour. We here applied a novel network reconstruction algorithm to infer patterns of viral transmission occurring between patients and health care workers (HCWs) in the largest clusters of COVID-19 infection identified during the first wave of the epidemic at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK. Based upon dates of individuals reporting symptoms, recorded individual locations, and viral genome sequence data, we show an uneven pattern of transmission between individuals, with patients being much more likely to be infected by other patients than by HCWs. Further, the data were consistent with a pattern of superspreading, whereby 20% of individuals caused 80% of transmission events. Our study provides a detailed retrospective analysis of nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and sheds light on the need for intensive and pervasive infection control procedures.
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PTSD symptoms after the initial phase of the pandemic: A three-month follow-up of vulnerable professionals -
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+The COVID-19 pandemic has consequences for mental health in the general population and for health care personnel in particular. This study aimed to investigate the changes in PTSD symptoms, anxiety, and depression when the social distancing protocols were lifted (T2) following a period with strict protocols (T1). At T1, 1773 vulnerable professionals provided answers to the questionnaire, and at T2, 878 responded once again (49.5%). The data were analyzed using multilevel modeling with maximum likelihood to estimate missing data. PTSD symptoms, anxiety, and depression decreased from T1 to T2. There were no significant predictors of change of PTSD from T1, but a change in strategies and burnout was associated with a change in PTSD symptoms. There was no difference in those who worked directly versus indirectly with COVID-19 patients in PTSD-symptoms at follow-up. The results indicate that health care workers and public service providers have had a notable reduction in PTSD symptoms, anxiety, and depression from the initial phase of the pandemic to the three-month follow-up, where the social distancing measures were greatly lightened. The results suggest that the high levels of PTSD symptoms, anxiety, and depression among vulnerable professionals in the first phase of the pandemic may be temporary.
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Willingness to vaccinate against COVID-19 in the US: Representative longitudinal evidence from April–October 2020 -
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+Introduction: Vaccines against COVID-19 have been developed in unprecedented time. However, the effectiveness of any vaccine is dictated by the proportion of the population willing to be vaccinated. In this observational population-based study we examined intentions to be vaccinated against COVID-19 throughout the pandemic. Methods: In November, 2020 we analyzed longitudinal data from a nationally representative sample of 7,547 US adults enrolled in the Understanding America Study (UAS) using multinomial logistic regresion. Participants reporting being willing, undecided and unwilling to get vaccinated against coronavirus across 13 assessments conducted from April-October, 2020. Public attitudes to vaccination against the coronavirus were also assessed on a four-point Likert scale. Results: Willingness to vaccinate declined from 71% in April to 53.6% in October. This was explained by an increase in the percentage of participants undecided about vaccinating (from 10.5% to 14.4%) and the portion of the sample unwilling to vaccinate (from 18.5% to 32%). The population subgroups most likely to be undecided/unwilling to vaccinate were those without a degree (undecided: RRR=2.47, 95% CI: 2.04-3.00; unwilling: RRR=1.92, 95% CI:1.67-2.20), Black participants (undecided: RRR=2.18, 95% CI: 1.73-2.74; unwilling: RRR=1.98, 95% CI:1.63-2.42), and females (undecided: RRR=1.41, 95% CI:1.20-1.65; unwilling: RRR=1.29, 95% CI:1.14-1.46). Participants who were older or were on higher incomes were least likely to be undecided or unwilling to vaccinate. Concerns about potential side effects of a vaccine were common. Conclusions: Intentions to be vaccinated against coronavirus have declined rapidly during the pandemic and close to half of Americans are undecided or unwilling to be vaccinated.
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An Inclusive Existential Positive Psychology: A Commentary -
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+This is a commentary to dr. Paul T.P. Wong’s article Existential Positive Psychology (PP 2.0) and global wellbeing: Why it is Necessary During the Age of COVID-19, published in the International Journal of Existential Positive Psychology.
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Competing Motives in a Pandemic: Affiliative and Pathogen-Avoidance Motives Predict (Non)Compliance with Social Distancing Guidelines -
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+During the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals were advised to adhere to various social distancing guidelines to limit physical interpersonal contact. Humans have a suite of adaptations to effectively satisfy belonging needs while avoiding diseased conspecifics, and competition between these motivational systems may explain adherence and resistance to contemporary social distancing guidelines. The current study is a preregistered analysis of data collected during the pandemic investing how individual differences in affiliative and pathogen-avoidant motives differentially predict interest in physical interactions (N=2,409). Heightened germ aversion was predictably associated with less interest in physical interactions during the pandemic with chronic need to belong conversely predicting more interest. Additional analyses revealed utilization of technology satisfied belonging motives that further reduced interest in physical contact. We frame results through a framework of competing fundamental social motives and how this knowledge could inform work on future pandemics.
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Impact of COVID-19 on diagnoses, monitoring and mortality in people with type 2 diabetes: a UK-wide cohort study involving 14 million people in primary care -
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+AIMS. To compare trends in diagnoses, monitoring and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes, before and after the first COVID-19 peak. METHODS. We constructed a cohort of 25 million patients using electronic health records from 1831 UK general practices registered with the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), including 14 million patients followed between March and December 2020. We compared trends using regression models and 10-year historical data. We extrapolated the number of missed/delayed diagnoses using UK Office for National Statistics data. RESULTS. In England, rates of new type 2 diabetes diagnoses were reduced by 70% (95% CI 68%-71%) in April 2020, with similar reductions in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Between March and December, we estimate that there were approximately 60,000 missed/delayed diagnoses across the UK. In April, rates of HbA1c testing were greatly reduced in England (reduction: 77% (95% CI 76%-78%)) with more marked reductions in the other UK nations (83% (83-84%)). Reduced rates of diagnosing and monitoring were particularly evident in older people, in males, and in those from deprived areas. In April, the mortality rate in England was more than 2-fold higher (112%) compared to prior trends, but was only 65% higher in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. CONCLUSIONS. As engagement increases, healthcare services will need to manage the backlog and anticipate greater deterioration of glucose control due to delayed diagnoses and reduced monitoring in those with pre-existing diabetes. Older people, men, and those from deprived backgrounds will be groups to target for early intervention.
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Emergence in late 2020 of multiple lineages of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein variants affecting amino acid position 677 -
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+The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein (S) plays critical roles in host cell entry. Non-synonymous substitutions affecting S are not uncommon and have become fixed in a number of SARS-CoV-2 lineages. A subset of such mutations enable escape from neutralizing antibodies or are thought to enhance transmission through mechanisms such as increased affinity for the cell entry receptor, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Independent genomic surveillance programs based in New Mexico and Louisiana contemporaneously detected the rapid rise of numerous clade 20G (lineage B.1.2) infections carrying a Q677P substitution in S. The variant was first detected in the US on October 23, yet between 01 Dec 2020 and 19 Jan 2021 it rose to represent 27.8% and 11.3% of all SARS-CoV-2 genomes sequenced from Louisiana and New Mexico, respectively. Q677P cases have been detected predominantly in the south central and southwest United States; as of 03 Feb 2021, GISAID data show 499 viral sequences of this variant from the USA. Phylogenetic analyses revealed the independent evolution and spread of at least six distinct Q677H sub-lineages, with first collection dates ranging from mid-August to late November 2020. Four 677H clades from clade 20G (B.1.2), 20A (B.1.234), and 20B (B.1.1.220, and B.1.1.222) each contain roughly 100 or fewer sequenced cases, while a distinct pair of clade 20G clusters are represented by 754 and 298 cases, respectively. Although sampling bias and founder effects may have contributed to the rise of S:677 polymorphic variants, the proximity of this position to the polybasic cleavage site at the S1/S2 boundary are consistent with its potential functional relevance during cell entry, suggesting parallel evolution of a trait that may confer an advantage in spread or transmission. Taken together, our findings demonstrate simultaneous convergent evolution, thus providing an impetus to further evaluate S:677 polymorphisms for effects on proteolytic processing, cell tropism, and transmissibility.
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Emergence in late 2020 of multiple lineages of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein variants affecting amino acid position 677 -
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+The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein (S) plays critical roles in host cell entry. Non-synonymous substitutions affecting S are not uncommon and have become fixed in a number of SARS-CoV-2 lineages. A subset of such mutations enable escape from neutralizing antibodies or are thought to enhance transmission through mechanisms such as increased affinity for the cell entry receptor, ACE2. Independent genomic surveillance programs based in New Mexico and Louisiana contemporaneously detected the rapid rise of numerous clade 20G (lineage B.1.2) infections carrying a Q677P substitution in S. The variant was first detected in the US on October 23, yet between 01 Dec 2020 and 19 Jan 2021 it rose to represent 27.8% and 11.3% of all SARS-CoV-2 genomes sequenced from Louisiana and New Mexico, respectively. Q677P cases have been detected predominantly in the south central and southwest United States; as of 03 Feb 2021, GISAID data show 499 viral sequences of this variant from the USA. Phylogenetic analyses revealed the independent evolution and spread of at least six distinct Q677H sub-lineages, with first collection dates ranging from mid August to late November, 2020. Four 677H clades from clade 20G (B.1.2) , 20A (B.1.234), and 20B (B.1.1.220, and B.1.1.222) each contain roughly 100 or fewer sequenced cases, while a distinct pair of clade 20G clusters are represented by 754 and 298 cases, respectively. Although sampling bias and founder effects may have contributed to the rise of S:677 polymorphic variants, the proximity of this position to the polybasic cleavage site at the S1/S2 boundary are consistent with its potential functional relevance during cell entry, suggesting parallel evolution of a trait that may confer an advantage in spread or transmission. Taken together, our findings demonstrate simultaneous convergent evolution, thus providing an impetus to further evaluate S:677 polymorphisms for effects on proteolytic processing, cell tropism, and transmissibility.
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Correlates of Financial Concerns and Symptoms of Depression and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Impoverished Urban-dwelling Individuals in Bangladesh During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Face-to-face Interview Findings -
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+Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the physical, mental and financial health of many individuals. How substantially marginalized groups like impoverished urban-dwelling individuals are specifically impacted amid this pandemic is poorly understood. The present study aimed to investigate correlates of financial concerns and symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during the COVID-19 pandemic among impoverished urban-dwelling individuals residing in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted between August and September 2020 using face-to-face interviews in six disadvantaged neighborhoods (“slums”) in Dhaka. Individuals were interviewed using a structured questionnaire consisting of questions assessing socio-demographics, lifestyle, financial well-being relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, depression, and PTSD. Results: A total of 435 individuals (male=54.7%; mean age=45.0±12.0 years; age range=18-85 years) participated. Most (96.3%) reported that their household income decreased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Associated factors included female gender, primary education, jobless, food scarcity, and depression. Depression symptoms were linked to female gender, being jobless, being divorced, living in a joint family, excessive sleep, and smoking. Low incomes, excessive sleep, joblessness, and food scarcity were positively associated with PTSD symptoms. In contrast, less sleep appeared protective against PTSD. Limitations: Potential limitations included cross-sectional study design and limited sample size. Conclusions: Public health initiatives, in particular mental health services, should be introduced to mitigate against psychological and financial effects of the pandemic on impoverished urban-dwelling individuals in Bangladesh.
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COVID-19-related symptoms 6 months after the infection - Update on a prospective cohort study in Germany -
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+Objective Many anecdotal reports indicate the presence of ′long COVID′ - COVID-19-related symptoms weeks to months after the acute illness. However, frequency and symptom-pattern of ′long COVID′ in relation to acute disease severity are uncertain. As part of an ongoing, prospective cohort study we therefore conducted an online survey among adults 6 months after acute COVID-19. Methods The prospective online study Life&Covid is ongoing in Germany since May 2020. Participants were recruited 0 to 4 months after their SARS-CoV-2 infection und followed up by subsequent surveys. The survey 6 months after the infection was completed by 127 out of 148 individuals invited by email (86%). All grades of acute disease severity were included and 91% of the participants had been treated as outpatients during their acute illness. Results Six months after the infection, 67% of the study participants reported at least one symptom as a consequence of COVID-19. Exertional dyspnea (30% of participants), fatigue (25%) and diminished sense of taste/smell (19%) were the most common individual symptoms. At least one symptom, exertional dyspnea, and fatigue were reported more often after a severe acute illness, but diminished sense of taste/smell was unrelated to acute severity. Age group and sex did not associate with the frequency of symptoms at 6 months. Conclusions Based on this study, the prevalence of COVID-19-related symptoms 6 months after the infection is high. Some bias for overestimation may have affected this result. Nevertheless, ′long COVID′ requires attention in medical care and a better scientific understanding.
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Risk of Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among spectacles wearing population of Northern India -
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+Introduction- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) spread mainly through respiratory droplets and contact routes. Long term use of spectacles may prevent repeated touching and rubbing of the eyes. Aim of the study is to compare the risk of COVID-19 in long term spectacles wearers with the risk in persons not using spectacles. Objectives- To know the association between infection with SARSCoV-2 and wearing of spectacles. Materials and methods- In this study, 304 patients of Corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were selected. Their spectacles wearing behaviour was assessed through a questionnaire. Spectacles wearing behaviour of general population was obtained from older studies (for comparison). Risk of COVID-19 was calculated in long term spectacles wearers as well as in persons not using spectacles. Chi- Square test was used for statistical analysis. Results- In this study, total 58 patients showed the behavior of using spectacles continuously during day time and always on outdoor activities. The risk of COVID-19 was found 0.48 in spectacles wearing population as compared to 1.35 in population not using spectacles. The calculated risk ratio was 0.36. The protective effectiveness of the spectacles was found statistically significant (p- value .00113). Conclusion- The present study showed that the risk of Covid-19 was about 2- 3 times less in spectacles wearing population than the population not wearing those. The nasolacrimal duct may be a route of virus transmission from conjunctival sac to the nasopharynx.
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Performance of SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen test compared with real-time RT-PCR in asymptomatic individuals -
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+Screening, testing and contact tracing plays a pivotal role in the control of COVID-19 pandemic. To carry out this strategy it is necessary to increase the testing capacity. Here, we compared a SARS CoV-2 rapid antigen test (RAT) and RT-PCR in 842 asymptomatic individuals from Tarapaca, Chile. We report a sensibility of 69.86%, a specificity of 99.61%, PPV of 94.44% and NPP of 97.22% with Ct values (Ct > 27) that were significantly higher among individuals with false-negative RAT. These results support the fact that RAT might have a significant impact in the identification of asymptomatic carriers in areas that lack well-equipped laboratories to perform SARS-CoV-2 real -time RT-PCR diagnostics or the results take more than 24-48 hours, as well as zones with high traffic of individuals, such as border/customs, airports, interregional bus, train stations or in any mass testing campaign requiring rapid results.
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Disease-economy trade-offs under alternative pandemic control strategies -
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+Public policy and academic debates regarding mitigation strategies frequently note potential disease-economy trade-offs, and advocate for prioritizing one outcome over the other. Using a calibrated coupled epi-economic model of individual behavior embedded within the broader economy during COVID-19, we show that targeted isolation strategies can avert up to 91% of individual economic losses relative to voluntary isolation strategies. Notably, the economic savings from targeted isolation strategies do not impose an additional disease burden, avoiding disease-economy trade-offs. In contrast, widely-used blanket lockdowns do create sharp disease-economy trade-offs and impose substantial economic costs per marginal case avoided. These results highlight the benefits of targeted isolation strategies for disease control, as they address the fundamental coordination failure between infectious and susceptible individuals which drives the recession. Our coupled-systems framework uses a novel data-driven approach to map economic activities to contacts, which facilitates developing effective mitigation strategies for future novel pathogens. Application of this framework can help control disease spread and avert trillions of dollars in losses.
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An alternative approach for bioanalytical assay development for wastewater-based epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 -
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+Wastewater-based epidemiology could be applied to track down SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks at high spatio-temporal resolution and could potentially be used as an early-warning for emergence of SARS-CoV-2 circulation in the general population. Epidemiological surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 could play a role in monitoring the spread of the virus in the population and controlling possible outbreaks. However, sensitive sample preparation and detection methods are necessary to detect trace levels of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in influent wastewater (IWW). Unlike predecessors, method development of a SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration and detection procedure was performed with IWW samples with high viral SARS-CoV-2 loads (in combination with seeding IWW with a surrogate coronavirus). This is of importance since the SARS-CoV-2 genome in IWW might have already been subject to in-sewer degradation into smaller genome fragments or might be present in a different form (e.g. cell debris,etc). Centricon Plus-70 (100 kDa) centrifugal filter devices resulted in the lowest and most reproducible Ct-values for SARS-CoV-2 RNA. Lowering pore sizes did not improve our limit of detection and quantification. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was employed for the amplification of the N1, N2, N3 and E_Sarbeco-gene. This is one of the first studies to apply digital polymerase chain reaction (dPCR) for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in IWW. Interestingly, qPCR results were comparable with dPCR results suggesting that qPCR is a valid method. In this study, dPCR was also used as a proxy to assess the precision of qPCR. In this light, dPCR showed high variability at low concentration levels (100 copies/microliter), indicating that variability in bioanalytical assays for SARS-CoV-2 RNA might be substantial. On average, the N2-gene showed high in-sample stability in IWW for 10 days of storage at 4 degrees. Between-sample variability was substantial due to the low native concentrations in IWW. Additionally, the E-gene proved to be less stable compared to the N2-gene and showed higher variability. Freezing the IWW samples resulted in a 10-fold decay of loads of the N2- and E-gene in IWW. Although WBE can already aid in filling some knowledge gaps in the epidemiological surveillance of SARS-CoV-2, future WBE studies should aim to further validate and standardize bioanalytical assays, especially with regards to methodological limitations.
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Viroselect: A novel SARS-CoV-2 detection assay to resolve inconclusive samples -
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+Background: India bears the second largest burden of SARS-CoV-2 infection. A multitude of RT-PCR detection assays with disparate gene targets including automated high throughput platforms are available. Varying concordance and interpretation of diagnostic results in this setting can result in significant reporting delays leading to suboptimal disease management. Here, we report the development of a novel ORF-1a based SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR assay, Viroselect, showing high concordance with conventional assays and the ability to resolve inconclusive results generated during the peak of the epidemic in Mumbai, India. Methods: We identified a unique target region within SARS-CoV-2 ORF1a, non-structural protein (nsp3), that was used to design and develop our assay. This hypervariable region (1933-3956) between SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-COV was utilized to design our primers and probe for RT-PCR assay. We further evaluated concordance of our assay with commonly used EUA (USFDA) manual kits as well as an automated high throughput testing platform. Further, a retrospective analysis using Viroselect on samples reported as inconclusive during April-October 2020 was carried out. Results: A total of 701 samples were tested. Concordance analysis of 477 samples demonstrated high overall agreement of Viroselect assay with both manual (87.6%; 95% CI) as well as automated (84.7%; 95% CI) testing assays. Also, in the retrospective analysis of 224 additional samples reported as inconclusive, Viroselect was able to resolve 100% (19/19) and 93.7% (192/205) samples which were termed inconclusive by manual and automated high throughput platform respectively. Conclusion: We show that Viroselect had high concordance with conventional assays, both manual and automated, as well as highlight its potential in resolving inconclusive samples.
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A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of VB-201 in Patients With COVID-19 - Condition: Severe COVID-19 Interventions: Drug: VB-201 + Standard of care; Drug: Standard of care Sponsor: Vascular Biogenics Ltd. operating as VBL Therapeutics Recruiting
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Efficacy and Safety of Tofacitinib in Patients With COVID-19 Pneumonia - Condition: COVID-19 Intervention: Drug: Tofacitinib Sponsor: I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University Completed
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Improvement of the Nutritional Status Regarding Nicotinamide (Vitamin B3) and the Disease Course of COVID-19 - Condition: COVID-19 Interventions: Dietary Supplement: Nicotinamide; Dietary Supplement: Placebo Sponsor: University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Recruiting
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Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Remdesivir in Participants With Severely Reduced Kidney Function Who Are Hospitalized for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Condition: COVID-19 Interventions: Drug: Remdesivir; Drug: RDV Placebo; Drug: Standard of Care Sponsor: Gilead Sciences Not yet recruiting
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COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Therapy - Conditions: SARS-CoV-2 Infection; COVID-19 Infection Intervention: Biological: Convalescent plasma Sponsors: Angelica Samudio; Consejo Nacional de Ciencias y Tecnología, Paraguay; Ministerio de Salud Pública y Bienestar Social, Paraguay; Centro de información y recursos para el desarrollo, Paraguay Completed
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A Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Prothione™ Capsules for Mild to Moderate Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Condition: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Interventions: Drug: Placebo; Drug: Prothione™ (6g) Sponsor: Prothione, LLC Not yet recruiting
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Study to Assess Efficacy and Safety of Inhaled Interferon-β Therapy for COVID-19 - Conditions: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2; COVID-19 Interventions: Drug: SNG001; Drug: Placebo Sponsor: Synairgen Research Ltd. Recruiting
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Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of a Single Dose of STI-2020 (COVI-AMG™) to Treat COVID-19 - Condition: Covid19 Interventions: Biological: COVI-AMG; Drug: Placebo Sponsor: Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. Not yet recruiting
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Study to Evaluate a Single Dose of STI-2020 (COVI-AMG™) in Adults With Mild COVID-19 Symptoms - Condition: Covid19 Interventions: Biological: COVI-AMG; Drug: Placebo Sponsor: Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. Not yet recruiting
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An Effectiveness Study of the Sinovac’s Adsorbed COVID-19 (Inactivated) Vaccine - Condition: Covid19 Intervention: Biological: Adsorbed COVID-19 (Inactivated) Vaccine Sponsor: Butantan Institute Enrolling by invitation
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Telerehabilitation in Covid-19 After Hospital Discharge - Condition: Covid19 Interventions: Other: Standard Physiotherapy program; Other: Telerehabilitation Sponsor: Universidad de Granada Not yet recruiting
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Study of the Kinetics of COVID-19 Antibodies for 24 Months in Patients With Confirmed SARS-CoV-2 Infection - Conditions: Covid19; SARS-CoV 2 Intervention: Other: Sampling by venipuncture Sponsor: Centre Hospitalier Régional d’Orléans Recruiting
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Effect of Prone Position onV/Q Matching in Non-intubated Patients With COVID-19 - Condition: Covid19 Intervention: Other: prone position Sponsor: Southeast University, China Not yet recruiting
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Oxidative Stress Parameters, Trace Element and Quality of Life in Women Before and After Covid-19 Vaccines - Condition: Covid-19 Vaccine Intervention: Biological: CoronoVac Vaccine Sponsors: Izmir Bakircay University; Cigli Regional Training Hospital; Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University Not yet recruiting
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CPI-006 Plus Standard of Care Versus Placebo Plus Standard of Care in Mild to Moderately Symptomatic Hospitalized Covid-19 Patients - Condition: Covid-19 Interventions: Drug: CPI-006 2 mg/kg + SOC; Drug: CPI-006 1 mg/kg + SOC; Drug: Placebo + SOC Sponsor: Corvus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Recruiting
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From PubMed
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Network Meta-analysis on the Mechanisms Underlying Alcohol Augmentation of COVID-19 Pathologies - CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analyses demonstrate that EtOH exposure may augment SARS-CoV-2-induced inflammation by altering the activity of key inflammatory mediators. Medical records of COVID-19 patients are sparse for drinking history. Our findings suggest the importance to caution against alcohol consumption, which has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and facilitate further investigation into how alcohol exposure may affect viral infections.
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A Developmental Pathway From Early Behavioral Inhibition to Young Adults’ Anxiety During the COVID-19 Pandemic - CONCLUSION: This study identifies a developmental pathway from toddlerhood BI to young adults’ elevated anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings have implications for early identification of individuals at risk for dysregulated worry and the prevention of anxiety during stressful life events in young adulthood.
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Three Salvianolic acids inhibit 2019-nCoV spike pseudovirus viropexis by binding to both its RBD and receptor ACE2 - Since December 2019, the new coronavirus [also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, 2019-nCoV)]- induced disease, COVID-19, has spread rapidly worldwide. Studies have reported that the traditional Chinese medicine Salvia miltiorrhiza possesses remarkable antiviral properties; however, the anti-coronaviral activity of its main components, salvianolic acid A (SAA), salvianolic acid B (SAB), and salvianolic acid C (SAC) is still debated. In this study, we used Cell…
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Potential Role of Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Therapies to Prevent Severe SARS-Cov-2 Complications - The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is caused by a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-like coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2). Here, we review the molecular pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 and its relationship with oxidative stress (OS) and inflammation. Furthermore, we analyze the potential role of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory therapies to prevent severe complications. OS has a potential key role in the COVID-19 pathogenesis by triggering the NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain…
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Field-Template, QSAR, Ensemble Molecular Docking, and 3D-RISM Solvation Studies Expose Potential of FDA-Approved Marine Drugs as SARS-CoVID-2 Main Protease Inhibitors - Currently, SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) has infected people among all countries and is a pandemic as declared by the World Health Organization (WHO). SARS-CoVID-2 main protease is one of the therapeutic drug targets that has been shown to reduce virus replication, and its high-resolution 3D structures in complex with inhibitors have been solved. Previously, we had demonstrated the potential of natural compounds such as serine protease inhibitors eventually leading…
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Early detection of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 patients in Thailand - CONCLUSION: The sVNT is a practical and robust serological test for SARS-CoV-2 infection and does not require specialized biosafety containment. It can be used clinically to aid diagnosis in both early and late infection especially in cases when the real-time RT-PCR results in weakly negative or weakly positive, and to determine the protective immune response from SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients.
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Kobophenol A Inhibits Binding of Host ACE2 Receptor with Spike RBD Domain of SARS-CoV-2, a Lead Compound for Blocking COVID-19 - In the search for inhibitors of COVID-19, we have targeted the interaction between the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor and the spike receptor binding domain (S1-RBD) of SARS-CoV-2. Virtual screening of a library of natural compounds identified Kobophenol A as a potential inhibitor. Kobophenol A was then found to block the interaction between the ACE2 receptor and S1-RBD in vitro with an IC(50) of 1.81 ± 0.04 μM and inhibit SARS-CoV-2 viral infection in cells with an EC(50)…
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High neutralizing potency of swine glyco-humanized polyclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 - Heterologous polyclonal antibodies might represent an alternative to the use of convalescent plasma (CP) or monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in COVID-19 by targeting multiple antigen epitopes. However, heterologous antibodies trigger human natural xenogeneic antibody responses particularly directed against animal-type carbohydrates, mainly the N-glycolyl form of the neuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) and the Gal α1,3-galactose (αGal), potentially leading to serum sickness or allergy. Here, we immunized…
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P2Y14 Receptor as a Target for Neutrophilia Attenuation in Severe COVID-19 Cases: From Hematopoietic Stem Cell Recruitment and Chemotaxis to Thrombo-inflammation - The global SARS-CoV-2 pandemic starting in 2019 has already reached more than 2.3 million deaths. Despite the scientific community’s efforts to investigate the COVID-19 disease, a drug for effectively treating or curing patients yet needs to be discovered. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) differentiating into immune cells for defense express COVID-19 entry receptors, and COVID-19 infection hinders their differentiation. The importance of purinergic signaling in HSC differentiation and innate…
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Targeting Endolysosomal Two-Pore Channels to Treat Cardiovascular Disorders in the Novel COronaVIrus Disease 2019 - Emerging evidence hints in favor of a life-threatening link between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the cardiovascular system. SARS-CoV-2 may result in dramatic cardiovascular complications, whereas the severity of COronaVIrus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the incidence of fatalities tend to increase in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular complications. SARS-CoV-2 is internalized into the host cells by endocytosis and may then escape the endolysosomal…
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Identification of ebselen and its analogues as potent covalent inhibitors of papain-like protease from SARS-CoV-2 - An efficient treatment against a COVID-19 disease, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (CoV2), remains a challenge. The papain-like protease (PL^(pro)) from the human coronavirus is a protease that plays a critical role in virus replication. Moreover, CoV2 uses this enzyme to modulate the host’s immune system to its own benefit. Therefore, it represents a highly promising target for the development of antiviral drugs. We used Approximate Bayesian Computation tools, molecular modelling and…
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Pseudo-Dipeptide Bearing α,α-Difluoromethyl Ketone Moiety as Electrophilic Warhead with Activity against Coronaviruses - The synthesis of α-fluorinated methyl ketones has always been challenging. New methods based on the homologation chemistry via nucleophilic halocarbenoid transfer, carried out recently in our labs, allowed us to design and synthesize a target-directed dipeptidyl α,α-difluoromethyl ketone (DFMK) 8 as a potential antiviral agent with activity against human coronaviruses. The ability of the newly synthesized compound to inhibit viral replication was evaluated by a viral cytopathic effect…
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Brilacidin Demonstrates Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 in Cell Culture - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the newly emergent causative agent of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), has resulted in more than two million deaths worldwide since it was first detected in 2019. There is a critical global need for therapeutic intervention strategies that can be deployed to safely treat COVID-19 disease and reduce associated morbidity and mortality. Increasing evidence shows that both natural and synthetic antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), also…
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Understanding Viral Infection Mechanisms and Patient Symptoms for the Development of COVID-19 Therapeutics - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has become a worldwide pandemic. Symptoms range from mild fever to cough, fatigue, severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and organ failure, with a mortality rate of 2.2%. However, there are no licensed drugs or definitive treatment strategies for patients with severe COVID-19. Only antiviral or anti-inflammatory drugs are used as symptomatic treatments based on clinician experience. Basic medical…
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Fluoxetine Can Inhibit SARS-CoV-2 In Vitro - An outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) resulted in the coronavirus disease pandemic, drastically affecting global health and economy. Though the understanding of the disease has improved, fighting the virus remains challenging. One of the strategies is repurposing existing drugs as inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2. Fluoxetine (FLX), a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, reportedly inhibits the replication of RNA viruses, especially Coxsackieviruses B (CVB), such…
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From Patent Search
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Compositions and methods for detecting SARS-CoV-2 spike protein - - link
病毒核酸提取或保存试剂、引物探针组合、病毒扩增试剂、试剂盒及其应用 - 本发明涉及病毒检测领域，特别涉及病毒核酸提取或保存试剂、引物探针组合、病毒扩增试剂、试剂盒及其应用。本发明病毒检测装置提供了一种简单易行的病毒核酸提取方法，整个过程大约5‑15分钟，回收纯化的核酸，可用于病毒核酸的检测。包括PCR、NASBA、LAMP、RPA等。相比较于传统的病毒提取方法，本方法病毒核酸回收率高、用时少、操作方便、易于临床推广。本发明涉及单管同时检测新型冠状病毒COVID‑19 N和ORF基因以及人源内参基因的等温扩增引物、探针组合序列和反应缓冲液，该体系特异性好，灵敏度高（50 cp/mL），特异性高，只需20 min的检测时间，最快可在10 min左右报阳性。 - link
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一种侧链修饰的聚氨基酸及其制备方法和用途 - 本发明提供了一种侧链修饰的聚氨基酸及其制备方法，所述侧链修饰的聚氨基酸具有如下优势：（1）主链和侧链结构及其连接方式都可以灵活选取，使制得的聚合物胶束具有良好生物相容性和靶向递送效率，（2）聚氨基酸主链的电荷极性为电正性，对主链的电荷调节促进胶束的pH值响应，帮助RNA从“溶酶体陷阱”中逃离进入胞浆，（3）通过量化侧链修饰脂肪链的链长、饱和度和脂肪链数量来控制侧链的疏水性部分，精确调节疏水部分的体积和缔合作用强度，（4）由于RNA和DNA在结构和负电性上的相似性，高效构建包裹和递送体，（5）通过双亲性功能高分子的侧链修饰引入不同的生物功能基团，实现递送体系对靶点组织和部位的特异性结合，提高靶向递送效果。 - link
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靶向SARS-CoV-2冠状病毒的抗体及其诊断和检测用途 - 本发明涉及靶向SARS‑CoV‑2冠状病毒的抗体及其诊断和检测用途。具体涉及特异性结合冠状病毒S蛋白的抗体或其抗原结合片段和抗体对以及包含所述抗体或其抗原结合片段和抗体对的检测产品。本发明还涉及编码所述抗体或抗原结合片段的核酸及包含其的宿主细胞，以及制备所述抗体或抗原结合片段的方法。此外，本发明涉及所述抗体或其抗原结合片段、抗体对的预防、治疗或诊断用途。相较于常规的IgG/IgM检测，该检测方法直接检测样本中病毒的RBD蛋白，可以有效避免可能的样本中无关IgG/IgM对于检测的干扰，有效提高检测的灵敏度。所述抗体或抗体对可用于诊断和/或检测冠状病毒。 - link
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A PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOSITION OF NITAZOXANIDE AND MEFLOQUINE AND METHOD THEREOF - A pharmaceutical composition for treating Covid-19 virus comprising a therapeutically effective amount of a nitazoxanide or its pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof and an mefloquine or its pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof is disclosed. The pharmaceutical composition comprises the nitazoxanide in the ratio of 0.05% to 66% w/v and the mefloquine in the ratio of 0.05% to 90% w/v. The composition is found to be effective for the treatment of COVID -19 (SARS-CoV2). The pharmaceutical composition of nitazoxanide and mefloquine has been found to be effective and is unexpectedly well tolerated with a low rate of side-effects, and equally high cure-rates than in comparable treatments. - link
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ACQUIRING POWER CONSUMPTION IMPACT BASED ON IMPACT OF COVID-19 EPIDEMIC - - link
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一种新冠肺炎CT检测识别定位系统及计算设备 - 本发明涉及图像处理领域，公开了一种新冠肺炎CT检测识别定位系统及计算设备，包括图像采集单元、模块建立单元、新冠肺炎病灶识别单元和新冠肺炎病灶定位单元；图像采集单元采集待识别检测新冠肺炎的CT图像、新冠肺炎CT影像病灶分割训练数据集和新冠CT图像识别训练集；模块建立单元建立U_Net卷积神经网络模型、加入注意力机制的InceptionV3网络和目标检测模型；新冠肺炎病灶识别单元对已分割出病灶的轮廓特征图像进行识别；新冠肺炎病灶定位单元确定病灶在人体肺部的位置。本发明利用U_Net卷积神经网络模型对新冠病灶检测分割，并通过加入注意力机制的网络进行新冠肺炎识别，通过目标检测模型定位病灶在肺部的位置，识别准确率高，计算速度快。 - link
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+ 15 February, 2021
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+Daily-Dose
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The Biden White House Is Tossing Obama’s Economics Playbook - Joe Biden and Janet Yellen are proving to be far bolder than past Democratic Administrations. - link
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Can Biden Reverse Trump’s Damage to Latin America? - The new President has vowed to end his predecessor’s “incompetence and neglect” in the region, but first he must convince allies to trust Washington again. - link
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Trump’s Impeachment-Trial Lawyers Refuse to Seriously Engage with the Constitutional Issues - What looks like incompetence by Bruce Castor and David Schoen may be better understood as contempt for the process. - link
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The Fight for Fifteen at an Orlando McDonald’s - For Cristian Cardona and his co-workers, the pandemic brought new meaning to a nationwide movement to raise the minimum wage. - link
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The Evolution of Alexey Navalny’s Nationalism - The Russian opposition politician has placed the right to self-determination at the center of his politics. - link
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From Vox
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“We got what we wanted”: Democrats defend the decision not to call impeachment witnesses -
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+House impeachment manager Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) walks to the Senate Chamber on the second day of former President Trump’s second impeachment trial on February 10, 2021. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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+Del. Stacey Plaskett told CNN that “we didn’t need more witnesses, we needed more senators with spines.”
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+One day after the acquittal of former President Donald Trump, multiple House impeachment managers worked to explain their decision not to call witnesses in his second impeachment trial.
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+Witnesses initially were not expected to be called during the trial, but that expectation was upended Saturday morning when lead House impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) called for Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) to be deposed.
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+On Friday, Herrera Beutler released a statement that confirmed details from her previous account of Trump’s conduct during the storming of the US Capitol on January 6, and that suggested the former president was not alarmed about the insurrection. Raskin argued for hearing more from Herrera Beutler, and the Senate voted to draft rules on calling witnesses. But amid opposition from Republicans — and reportedly, some Democrats — impeachment managers ultimately settled for having Herrera Beutler’s statement read into the record and calling no witnesses.
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+“I think what we did was we got what we wanted,” US Virgin Islands Del. Stacey Plaskett told CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday. “Which was [Herrera Beutler’s] statement, which was what she said, and had it put into the record. And being able to say it on the record, out loud, so others would hear.”
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+“We didn’t back down,” says House impeachment manager Stacey Plaskett on their decision to forego witnesses.
“We had sufficient evidence to prove that the President did what we said he did, which was incite an insurrection to overthrow our government.” #CNNSOTUpic.twitter.com/6XoxBV4Mi0
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+Democrats argue witnesses would have been difficult to get — and wouldn’t have mattered
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+According to Herrera Beutler, who was also one of just 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach Trump for a second time last month, Trump spoke to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on January 6 as the Capitol building was under attack by a pro-Trump mob.
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+“Well, Kevin, I guess these people are more upset about the election than you are,” Trump reportedly told McCarthy as rioters stormed the Capitol.
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+Herrera Beutler had previously recounted that conversation to a local news outlet, the Longview Daily News, in January after her impeachment vote, but it garnered new attention when CNN reported additional details Friday.
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+“You have to look at what [Trump] did during the insurrection to confirm where his mind was at,” Herrera Beutler told CNN Friday. “That line right there demonstrates to me that either he didn’t care, which is impeachable, because you cannot allow an attack on your soil, or he wanted it to happen and was OK with it, which makes me so angry.”
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+As compelling as Herrera Beutler’s testimony might have been, though — she called Trump’s comments “chilling” — Democrats argued Sunday that it wouldn’t have made any difference to the outcome of the trial, and it wouldn’t have been worth the delay to other Senate business.
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+“We could have had a thousand witnesses, but that could not have overcome the kinds of silly arguments that people like McConnell and Capito were hanging their hats on,” Raskin told NBC’s Chuck Todd on Meet the Press Sunday.
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+EXCLUSIVE: @RepRaskin explains why Democrats chose not to hear from witnesses.
Raskin: “We could have had a thousand witnesses but that could not have overcome the kinds of silly arguments that people like McConnell and Caputo were hanging their hats on.” pic.twitter.com/tkStrGVxUV
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+Plaskett took a similar line with Tapper. “We didn’t need more witnesses, we needed more senators with spines,” she said Sunday.
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+Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO), one of the impeachment managers, also told Margaret Brennan on CBS’s Face the Nation Sunday that “witnesses that were not friendly to the prosecution were not going to comply voluntarily, which meant that we were going to be litigating subpoenas for months and potentially years.”
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+This all raises the question of why Raskin proposed deposing Herrera Beutler if getting her testimony might have been difficult and if it was seen as having little influence on the outcome.
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+Why a deposition seen as futile was proposed appears more complicated.
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+Pressure from Democratic Senate colleagues may have played a role in the House managers’ decision Saturday. According to a Politico report, Delaware Sen. Chris Coons cautioned his House colleagues that pursuing witness testimony would mean losing Republican, and possibly some Democrat, votes to convict Trump.
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+“The jury is ready to vote,” Coons reportedly said. “People want to get home for Valentine‘s Day.”
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+The managers also claimed Sunday that they were satisfied with having Herrera Beutler’s words read into the record, because any deposition taken would have been similar to what the Washington representative had already said in previous statements.
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+“It became very clear to us the president’s counsel was willing to stipulate to allow that statement to come into evidence and be considered by the Senate,” Neguse said on CBS. “And that was an important stipulation.”
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+As Vox’s Andrew Prokop pointed out Saturday, there was little suspense about whether testimony could affect the final vote in the Senate. This made the argument for calling witnesses more about attempting to shed further light on Trump’s state of mind — and chipping away at his support — than anything else.
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+According to Prokop:
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+The outcome of the trial wasn’t in serious question, since Democrats never got anywhere near the 17 Republican Senate votes they’d need to convict Trump. (For instance, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced he would vote to acquit Trump Saturday morning, ending rumors to the contrary.)
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+This means the witness question would mainly be about attempting to further unearth facts about what happened, or aimed at hurting Trump’s political support (rather than having a real chance of convicting him). But in the end, political leaders in both parties preferred the trial to end now, rather than dragging it out. Democrats hope to return to a focus on President Biden’s agenda, and Republicans want the focus off Trump’s ugly actions.
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+As Neguse said Sunday: “I think it’s pretty clear, and lead manager Raskin touched on this, whether it was five more witnesses or 5,000 witnesses … it would not have made a difference to those senators.”
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+All told, 57 senators — 10 shy of the two-thirds majority needed to convict Trump — voted to find him guilty Saturday. Seven Republicans joined every Democrat in voting to convict Trump of inciting insurrection. Despite that verdict, which was widely, and accurately, seen as predetermined along largely partisan lines, House impeachment managers argued Sunday that their evidence, including Herrera Beutler’s statement, speaks for itself.
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+“We had sufficient evidence to prove that the president did what we said he did, which was incite an insurrection to overthrow our government,” Plaskett said Sunday. “I think that all Americans, when we rested our case, believed that we had proved our case.”
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Lindsey Graham’s latest Fox News Sunday appearance highlights the GOP’s identity crisis -
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+Sen. Lindsey Graham leaves the US Capitol on February 13, 2021, after Trump’s second impeachment trial concluded. | Joshua Roberts/Getty Images
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+Graham is still all in on Trumpism. Bill Cassidy? Not so much.
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+Two very different interviews on the Sunday morning news shows illustrated the Republican Party’s post-Trump impeachment acquittal identity crisis.
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+With Trump now out of office, banned from social media, and fresh off a trial in which a bipartisan majority of senators voted for his conviction, the Republican Party is polarized.
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+Some Republicans want to try to finally push the party past Trumpism and its anti-democratic impulses, while others — perhaps more mindful of Trump’s continued hold over the GOP base — are using his acquittal as an occasion to wrap their arms more tightly around him.
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+Sunday, the anti-Trump faction was represented by Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA). After four years of loyalty to Trump, Cassidy somewhat surprisingly joined six other Republican senators on Saturday and voted for Trump’s conviction on an article of impeachment accusing him of inciting the January 6 insurrection. And while Cassidy has already been censured by the Louisiana Republican Party for crossing the former president, he indicated during an interview on ABC’s This Week that he has no regrets.
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+“I think I may already represent a majority view,” Cassidy said, downplaying the censure. “I have voted to support and defend the Constitution … the Republican Party is more than just one person.”
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+Despite already being censured by the LAGOP, Sen. Cassidy (R) says he has no regrets about voting for Trump’s conviction: “I may already represent a majority view … [but] I have voted to support and defend the Constitution … the Republican Party is more than just one person.” pic.twitter.com/y0dlBqpMVx
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+On the pro-Trump side stands Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Graham was one of Trump’s most loyal supporters during his time in office, but that momentarily changed following the January 6 insurrection when Graham gave a speech distancing himself from Trump.
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+If Graham’s Sunday morning appearance on Fox News Sunday is an indication, his loyalty to the former president is stronger than ever.
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+“Donald Trump is the most vibrant member of the Republican Party,” Graham said, distancing himself from former UN ambassador Nikki Haley’s comments about Trump not having a future in the GOP. “The Trump movement is alive and well … all I can say is that the most potent force in the Republican Party is President Trump.”
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+Those comments came at the end of an interview that began with Graham suggesting Republicans will go as far as to retaliate for Trump’s second impeachment by impeaching Vice President Kamala Harris if they take back the House next year.
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+Lindsey Graham suggests Kamala Harris will be impeached if Republicans take back the House next year pic.twitter.com/J68Or4k1la
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+Both Cassidy and Graham were comfortably reelected for fresh six-year terms last November, but each lawmaker is using his mandate differently at a moment when principles and politics are at tension in the GOP.
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+Cassidy is using his job security to distance himself from a president he views as violating his oath of office, but Graham seems to be calculating that Trumpism represents the Republican Party’s best bet to retake one or both chambers of Congress next year.
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+That was apparent toward the end of Graham’s latest Fox News interview, when he basically endorsed Lara Trump — Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law — to fill a North Carolina US Senate seat being vacated in 2022 by Sen. Richard Burr, who, also surprisingly, joined Cassidy in the camp of former Trump loyalists who voted to convict Trump.
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+“North Carolina, the biggest winner, I think, of this whole impeachment trial is Lara Trump,” Graham said. “My dear friend Richard Burr, who I like and have been friends to a long time, just made Lara Trump almost the certain nominee for the Senate seat in North Carolina to replace him if she runs. And I certainly will be behind her, because I think she represents the future of the Republican Party.”
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+A third Republican — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who has been an outspoken critic of Trump — made a case on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday morning that Cassidy’s stand should represent the future of the party.
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+“I think the final chapter of Donald Trump and where the Republican Party goes hasn’t been written yet, and I think we’re going to have a real battle for the soul of the Republican Party over the next couple of years,” Hogan said. “Are we gonna be a party that can’t win national elections again, that loses the presidency, the House, and the Senate in a four-year period?”
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+“We’re going to have a real battle for the soul of the Republican Party.”
+Hogan is right to point out that the two election cycles following Trump’s 2016 victory over Hillary Clinton saw Republicans losing power in that way, which often served as a rebuke of Trumpism’s broader appeal. But the former president remains very popular with the GOP base — polling conducted just before the second impeachment trial found Trump’s approval rating among Republicans still in the 80s.
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+So while Cassidy’s stand for democracy is commendable, and Hogan’s optimism notable, it’s an open question whether there’s a place for people like them within a party so complicit in Trump’s authoritarian attempt.
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Two weeks after a coup, hundreds of thousands of people are protesting in Myanmar -
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+Buddhist monks shout slogans and make three-finger salutes during a protest on February 10, 2021 in Yangon, Myanmar. | Hkun Lat/Getty Images
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+Myanmar’s military seized power earlier this month.
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+Protests continued in Myanmar on Sunday for the second week in a row after the country’s military seized power in a coup and placed pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest.
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+The protests are the largest in more than a decade, according to Reuters, with hundreds of thousands of people turning out on Sunday despite the risk of a police crackdown on protesters. And they continue despite a move by the country’s new military government on Saturday to suspend the need for security forces to obtain a court order before detaining suspects for more than 24 hours or searching private property.
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+Protesters are demanding Suu Kyi’s release and a return to democracy, but Myanmar’s new military government has shown no willingness to grant either request, despite nine days of mass demonstrations.
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+As Vox’s Jen Kirby explained last week, the protests have mobilized a diverse coalition of people and are drawing on other regional pro-democracy protest movements for inspiration:
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+Reports indicate a wide swath of people joined in the demonstrations, from young activists to Buddhist monks to teachers, and many more. Some activists have called for a general strike this week, though it’s not clear how widely that message has circulated, compared to the outpouring on the streets.
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+According to Al Jazeera, protest tactics have had at least some success so far. Strikes and civil disobedience mean that “trains have ground to a halt, hospitals have closed, and ministries in the capital, Naypyidaw, are believed to be straining amid mass walkouts.”
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+Myanmar’s military government has responded by cracking down. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and WhatsApp have all been blocked in the country, arrest orders have been issued for prominent activists, and security forces have deployed water cannons against peaceful protesters.
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+The government also used either rubber bullets or live ammunition to disperse protesters near a power plant servicing the northern city of Myitkyina this weekend, according to Reuters.
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+On Sunday, the military deployed armored vehicles in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, for the first time since the coup took place on February 1, leading the US embassy there to urge US citizens in Myanmar to “shelter in place.”
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+The crackdown is a grim throwback to an earlier era in Myanmar’s history. The country, which is also known as Burma, has been under military rule for much of its existence since winning independence from Britain in 1948.
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+As Kirby points out, Myanmar’s military has a history of using lethal force to quell protests, perhaps most notably during pro-democracy protests in 1988. Already in 2021, at least one protester has been shot and is believed to be in critical condition with “extensive” brain damage.
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+The country began a slow process of democratizing about a decade ago, as Vox’s Alex Ward has explained at length, but though Suu Kyi — a popular leader who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 and until this month held the title of “state counsellor” — was released from house arrest in 2010 and allowed to wield some power, the system was never fully democratic.
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+Ahead of the military coup, it appeared more democratic reforms could be on the way: Suu Kyi’s party won parliamentary elections last year by a landslide on the promise to push constitutional reforms that would have further pared back the military’s political power.
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+The military, according to Ward, decried those elections as fraudulent, though there is no evidence to support that claim, and finally moved to seize power on the pretense of a national emergency just before the election results were set to be certified by a new parliament.
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+As one expert, Northwestern University political science professor Sarah Bouchat, told Ward: “[The military is] potentially using this global opportunity, where other leaders are focused on all of the crises around Covid-19 and economic recession, to seize whatever power they can with impunity.”
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+The US is imposing new sanctions on Myanmar’s military leaders
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+Since the coup, Myanmar’s military government has been widely condemned by the international community, including by the US, the United Nations, and international organizations like Human Rights Watch.
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+“We call on Burmese military leaders to release all government officials and civil society leaders and respect the will of the people of Burma as expressed in democratic elections on November 8,” new US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement earlier this month. “The United States stands with the people of Burma in their aspirations for democracy, freedom, peace, and development.”
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+The US has also officially labeled actions by Myanmar’s military a coup d’etat, which State Department officials say will “[trigger] certain restrictions on foreign assistance to the government of Burma” as well as “a broader review of our assistance programs.”
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+President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that the US will impose new sanctions on military leaders responsible for the coup, including senior general and coup leader Min Aung Hlaing, and freeze about $1 billion in funds currently held in the US.
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+However, he said, the US will continue to support “health care, civil society groups and other areas that benefit the people of Burma directly.” (In 2016, the US lifted longstanding sanctions on Myanmar in response to the country’s now-undone democratic progress.)
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+Some Myanmar experts, such as former US ambassador to Myanmar Derek Mitchell, caution that it won’t be easy for the US to meaningfully affect events in Myanmar.
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+“We don’t have a whole lot of leverage,” Mitchell told the BBC on Saturday. “The key is our allies. That’s a very difficult path, because some of our allies — Japan, India, Korea — have a lot of investment. They will be worried about growing Chinese influence there.”
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+White House press secretary Jen Psaki also signaled that the possibility of China, which shares a border with Myanmar, taking advantage of changes in US policy was a concern.
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+“Certainly, we are concerned about China’s absence from the conversation and lack of a vocal role here,” Psaki said this week.
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From The Hindu: Sports
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Rafael Nadal reaches Australian Open quarterfinals for 13th time - Rafael Nadal has advanced to the Australian Open quarterfinals for the 13th time.The No. 2-ranked Nadal closed his 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over 16th-seeded
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Top-ranked Ash Barty into Australian Open quarterfinals - Top-ranked Ash Barty moved into the Australian Open quarterfinals for the third straight year by beating Shelby Rogers 6-3, 6-4.Barty lost in the sem
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Wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha retires from all formats - The Madhya Pradesh player, who represented India in all three formats, holds the record for the most dismissals by a wicketkeeper in the Ranji Trophy
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Rahul climbs to second spot, Kohli remains at 7th in ICC T20I rankings for batsmen - Among bowlers, South Africa spinner Tabraiz Shamsi grabbed a career-best second position
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Ind vs Eng, 1st Test, Day 3 | Ashwin’s master-class century puts India in command as England wobble in chase of 482 - India were all out for 286 in their second innings on the third day of the match
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From The Hindu: National News
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Farmers’ protest | Supreme Court panel on farm laws holds consultations with agri-professionals, academicians - The Supreme Court-appointed committee on the new farm laws on Feb. 15 said it held consultations with eminent academicians and agri-professionals on
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Re-polling today in three booths in Punjab civic polls - SEC takes serious note of damage to EVMs
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Government insulted farmers, ministers called them traitors: Priyanka Gandhi - Priyanka also criticised Haryana minister J P Dalal, who had stoked a controversy on Saturday saying the farmers who died during the course of the agitation would have passed away even if they had stayed back home.
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BBMP finds cluster in Bommanahalli zone - This is days after 40 students of a nursing college in the East zone tested positive for COVID-19
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Mamata Banerjee launches ‘Maa’ scheme to provide meals at ₹5 to poor people - They will get a platter of rice, dal, a vegetable and egg curry for ₹5, she said adding that the State government will bear a subsidy of ₹15 per plate.
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From BBC: Europe
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Catalonia Spain: Separatists set to boost majority in regional parliament - Pro-independence parties will continue governing the affluent region, near-complete results suggest.
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Brexit: Musician fears being priced out of touring - Bristol singer Elles Bailey says costs due to post-Brexit travel rules risk making touring unviable.
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Mario Draghi sworn in as Italy’s new prime minister - The former head of the European Central Bank must guide his country out of the Covid pandemic.
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The video of a protester’s arrest Russian police ‘leaked to scare people’ - A leaked video shows Russian police interrogating protester Gennady Shulga while pushing him onto his dog’s food bowl after a rally in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
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In pictures: Joy for Dutch as canals freeze over - People in the Netherlands are making the most of wintry weather that has frozen local waterways.
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From Ars Technica
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Chevrolet gives the Bolt EV a facelift, a stretch, and a price cut - There are new front seats, and the 2022 Bolt EV starts at $31,995. - link
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Jared Leto’s Joker is back in new trailer for Zack Snyder’s Justice League - “If you can’t bring down the charging bull, then don’t wave the red cape at it.” - link
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CDC releases updated “science based” school guidelines - CDC head Walensky promises the new guidance is “free from political meddling.” - link
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Why did the flywheel hybrid system never catch on for road cars? - Born for but never raced in F1, the idea found some success at Le Mans. - link
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The $3,000 eVscope makes stargazing easy and fun - Unistellar’s eVscope promises great stargazing whether you’re in the city or country. - link
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From Jokes Subreddit
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A kid is playing video games in his room, minding his own business. His mother walks in. “Honey, come meet my new boyfriend!” “I’m kind of busy right now. Can you bring him in here instead?” -
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+A minute or so later, her boyfriend walks in. “Hey, champ! How you doing?”
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+The kid ignores him.
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+“Don’t like champ, huh? That’s fine. How about BlueDragon72?”
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+The kid turns his head quickly. “I haven’t heard that name since I was ten…” He then realized. “It can’t be..”
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+“Call of Duty, right? I told you I’d bang your mom.”
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An elderly man is stopped by the police around 2 a.m. and is asked where he is going at this time of night. -
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+The man replies, “I am on my way to attend a lecture about gambling, hookers, alcohol abuse and the effects it has on the human body, as well as smoking, and staying out late.”
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+The officer then asks, “Really? Who is giving that lecture at this time of night?”
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