Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

• From Preprints
• From Clinical Trials
• From PubMed
• From Patent Search

From Preprints

• Viral Kinetics of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron Infection in mRNA-Vaccinated Individuals Treated and Not Treated with Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir -

  We measured viral kinetics of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron infection in 36 mRNA-vaccinated individuals, 11 of whom were treated with nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (NMV-r). We found that NMV-r was associated with greater incidence of viral rebound compared to no treatment. For those that did not rebound, NMV-r significantly reduced time to PCR conversion.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Viral Kinetics of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Omicron Infection in mRNA-Vaccinated Individuals Treated and Not Treated with Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir
• SARS-CoV-2 BA.4/5 Spike recognition and neutralization elicited after the third dose of mRNA vaccine -

  The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants have recently emerged, with BA.5 becoming the dominant circulating strain in many countries. Both variants share the same Spike glycoprotein sequence which contains a large number of mutations, raising concerns about vaccine efficacy. In this study, we evaluated the ability of plasma from a cohort of individuals that received three doses of mRNA vaccine to recognize and neutralize the BA.4/5 Spike. We observed that BA.4/5 Spike is markedly less recognized and neutralized compared to the D614G and Omicron BA.2 Spike variants. Individuals who have been infected before or after vaccination present better humoral responses than SARS-CoV-2 naive vaccinated individuals, thus indicating that hybrid immunity generates better humoral responses against this subvariant.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: SARS-CoV-2 BA.4/5 Spike recognition and neutralization elicited after the third dose of mRNA vaccine
• Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is common in post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC): Results from a post-COVID-19 multidisciplinary clinic. -

  Background The global prevalence of PASC is estimated to be present in 0.43 and based on the WHO estimation of 470 million worldwide COVID-19 infections, corresponds to around 200 million people experiencing long COVID symptoms. Despite this, its clinical features are not well defined. Methods We collected retrospective data from 140 patients with PASC in a post-COVID-19 clinic on demographics, risk factors, illness severity (graded as one-mild to five-severe), functional status, and 29 symptoms and principal component symptoms cluster analysis. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) 2015 criteria were used to determine the ME/CFS phenotype. Findings The median age was 47 years, 59.0% were female; 49.3% White, 17.2% Hispanic, 14.9% Asian, and 6.7% Black. Only 12.7% required hospitalization. Seventy-two (53.5%) patients had no known comorbid conditions. Forty-five (33.9%) were significantly debilitated. The median duration of symptoms was 285.5 days, and the number of symptoms was 12. The most common symptoms were fatigue (86.5%), post-exertional malaise (82.8%), brain fog (81.2%), unrefreshing sleep (76.7%), and lethargy (74.6%). Forty-three percent fit the criteria for ME/CFS. Interpretations Most PASC patients evaluated at our clinic had no comorbid condition and were not hospitalized for acute COVID-19. One-third of patients experienced a severe decline in their functional status. About 43% had the ME/CFS subtype.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is common in post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC): Results from a post-COVID-19 multidisciplinary clinic.
• Association of mortality and aspirin use for COVID-19 residents at VA Community Living Center Nursing Homes -

  Background/Objectives: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is associated with a hypercoagulable state and increased thrombotic risk in infected individuals. Several complex and varied coagulation abnormalities were proposed for this association1 .Acetylsalicylic acid(ASA, aspirin) is known to have inflammatory, antithrombotic properties and its use was reported as having potency to reduce RNA synthesis and replication of some types of coronaviruses including human coronavirus-299E (CoV-229E) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)-CoV 2,3. We hypothesized that chronic low dose aspirin use may decrease COVID-19 mortality relative to ASA non-users. Methods: This is a retrospective, observational cohort analysis of residents residing at Veterans Affairs Community Living Centers from December 13, 2020, to September 18, 2021, with a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test. Low dose aspirin users had low dose (81mg) therapy (10 of 14 days) prior to the positive COVID date and were compared to aspirin non-users (no ASA in prior 14 days). The primary outcome was mortality at 30 and 56 days post positive test and hospitalization within 14 days of positive test result. Results: We identified 1.823 residents who had SARS-CoV-2 infection and 1,687 residents were eligible as a final analytic sample after excluding high dose and intermittent/partial dose aspirin users. Overall mean age was 72.28+/-11.66 years and 3.3% (n=67) female in the final analytic sample. Among the 511 (30.3%) residents taking chronic low dose aspirin, 30-day mortality after an initial SARS-CoV-2 test establishing infection was 6.46% (n=33) compared to 10.29% (n=121) of non-users (SMD >0.1). 56-day mortality after initial SARS-CoV-2 test establishing infection was 9.0% (n=46) compared to 13.18% (n=155) not taking low dose aspirin (SMD >0.1). Cox proportional hazards model showed that aspirin use was independently associated with a reduced risk of 30 days of mortality (adjusted HR, 0.60, 95% CI, 0.40-0.90) and 56 days of mortality (adjusted HR, 0.67, 95% CI, 0.47-0.95) Conclusion: In this retrospective observational study of VA Community Living Center residents infected with SARS-CoV-2, low dose aspirin use for primary or secondary prevention of cardiovascular events is associated with lower COVID-19 mortality and fewer breakthrough cases. Although additional randomized controlled trials are required to understand these associations and the potential implications more fully for improving care, aspirin remains a medication with known side effects and clinical practice should not change based on these findings.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Association of mortality and aspirin use for COVID-19 residents at VA Community Living Center Nursing Homes
• The association between experience of COVID-19-related discrimination and psychological distress among healthcare workers for six national medical research centers in Japan -

  Background: Discrimination has been identified as an important determinant of negative mental health outcomes. This study determined the association between the experience of COVID-19-related discrimination and psychological distress among healthcare workers (HCWs) in Japan. Methods: This cross-sectional study conducted a health survey among 5,703 HCWs of six national medical and research centers in Japan from October 2020 to March 2021. COVID-19-related discrimination was defined either when participants or their family members were badmouthed or when they felt discriminated against in some way. We used the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) to assess the presence of severe psychological distress (≥13 points). We used logistic regression models to examine the association between discrimination and psychological distress. We also identified job-related factors associated with discrimination. Results: Of the participants, 484 (8.4%) reported COVID-19-related discrimination and 486 (8.5%) had severe psychological distress. HCWs who were female vs. male (odds ratio [OR]=1.41, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.28-1.55), had high vs. low viral exposure (OR=2.31, 95%CI=1.81-2.93), and worked for more than 10 hours/day vs. <8 hours/day (OR=1.42, 95%CI=1.35-1.49) were more likely to have experienced COVID-19-related discrimination. The OR (95%CI) of severe psychological distress was 1.83 (1.29-2.59) among those who experienced discrimination. The analysis was stratified by sociodemographic and job-related factors and the associations trended in the same direction across subgroups. Conclusion: Experience of COVID-19-related discrimination was associated with severe psychological distress among HCWs. During the pandemic, effective measures should be taken to prevent the development of negative mental health outcomes in HCWs who experience discrimination.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: The association between experience of COVID-19-related discrimination and psychological distress among healthcare workers for six national medical research centers in Japan
• Rational identification of potent and broad sarbecovirus-neutralizing antibody cocktails from SARS convalescents -
  SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sublineages have escaped most RBD-targeting therapeutic neutralizing antibodies (NAbs), which proves the previous NAb drug screening strategies deficient against the fast-evolving SARS-CoV-2. Better broad NAb drug candidate selection methods are needed. Here, we describe a rational approach for identifying RBD-targeting broad SARS-CoV-2 NAb cocktails. Based on high-throughput epitope determination, we propose that broad NAb drugs should target non-immunodominant RBD epitopes to avoid herd immunity-directed escape mutations. Also, their interacting antigen residues should focus on sarbecovirus conserved sites and associate with critical viral functions, making the antibody-escaping mutations less likely to appear. Following the criteria, a featured non-competing antibody cocktail, SA55+SA58, is identified from a large collection of broad sarbecovirus NAbs isolated from SARS convalescents. SA55+SA58 potently neutralizes ACE2-utilizing sarbecoviruses, including circulating Omicron variants, and could serve as broad SARS-CoV-2 prophylactics to offer long-term protection. Our screening strategy can also be further applied to identify broad-spectrum NAb drugs against other fast-evolving viruses.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Rational identification of potent and broad sarbecovirus-neutralizing antibody cocktails from SARS convalescents
• A long interval between priming and boosting SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine doses enhances B cell responses with limited impact on T cell immunity -
  Spacing the first two doses of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines beyond 3-4 weeks raised initial concerns about vaccine efficacy. While studies have since shown that long-interval regimens induce robust antibody responses, their impact on B and T cell immunity is poorly known. Here, we compare in SARS-CoV-2 naive donors B and T cell responses to two mRNA vaccine doses administered 3-4 versus 16 weeks apart. After boost, the longer interval results in higher magnitude and a more mature phenotype of RBD-specific B cells. While the two geographically distinct cohorts present quantitative and qualitative differences in T cell responses at baseline and after priming, the second dose led to convergent features with overall similar magnitude, phenotype and function of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses at post-boost memory timepoints. Therefore, compared to standard regimens, a 16-week interval has a favorable impact on the B cell compartment but minimally affects T cell immunity.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: A long interval between priming and boosting SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine doses enhances B cell responses with limited impact on T cell immunity
• Neutralization sensitivity of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.75 sublineage -
  The recently emerged BA.2.75 Omicron sublineage of SARS-CoV-2 identified in numerous countries is rapidly increasing in prevalence in regions of India. Compared with BA.2, the spike protein of BA.2.75 differs in nine amino acid residues. To determine the impact of the spike mutations on polyclonal and monoclonal antibody activity, we investigated the neutralization sensitivity of BA.2.75 in comparison with B.1, BA.2, BA.2.12.1, and BA.4/5. Analysis of post-boost samples from 30 vaccinated individuals revealed significantly lower serum neutralizing activity against BA.2.75 than against BA.2. However, BA.2.75 was more sensitive to serum neutralization than the widely circulating BA.4/5 sublineages. Moreover, evaluation of 17 clinical-stage monoclonal antibodies demonstrated individual differences in Omicron sublineage activity. Notably, some authorized antibodies with low activity against other Omicron sublineages demonstrated high BA.2.75 neutralizing potency. Our results indicate a less pronounced degree of antibody evasion of BA.2.75 compared with BA.4/5 and suggest that factors beyond immune evasion may be required for an expansion of BA.2.75 over BA.4/5.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Neutralization sensitivity of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.2.75 sublineage
• Phenotype-driven identification of drug targets for post-COVID-19 anosmia -
  Anosmia (loss of sense of smell) is one symptom of COVID-19 which can linger long after acute infection has passed, with major impact on quality of life. Given the number of people impacted by COVID-19-related anosmia, there is an urgent need to identify effective therapeutics in a faster fashion than using traditional drug discovery and development methods. We used our knowledge graph, the Phenograph, to navigate from phenotypes to genes to drug targets, to rapidly find druggable targets associated with anosmia. This process shortlisted six targets: NRP1, SCN9A, EGR1, VEGFB, PRKCE, and FGFR1. Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) is under active study for its involvement in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Importantly, there is no direct link between anosmia and NRP1 in our knowledge graph; the relationship was inferred through the graph structure. Based on this external validation, we derived hypotheses for the involvement of the remaining five targets in COVID-19-related anosmia, and the mechanism of action desired in a drug candidate to correct the hypothesized dysregulation.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Phenotype-driven identification of drug targets for post-COVID-19 anosmia
• A Global Experiment on Motivating Social Distancing during the COVID-19 Pandemic -
  Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e. a controlling message) compared to no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly-internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared to the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly-internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing: Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: A Global Experiment on Motivating Social Distancing during the COVID-19 Pandemic
• A global test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic -
  The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion regulation strategy which modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries/regions (N = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vs. both control conditions) had consistent effects in reducing negative emotions and increasing positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world to build resilience during the pandemic and beyond.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: A global test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic
• MITIGATION AND MANAGEMENT OF COVID-19: PRACTICES FROM INDIA’S STATES & UNION TERRITORIES -
  This compendium details information about various practices and initiatives implemented by States, Districts and Cities in India for containing and managing the COVID-19 outbreak. It is important to note that these initiatives are not being termed as ‘best practices’ by NITI Aayog as that would require a separate and comprehensive evaluation exercise as well as longer term follow-up. Moreover, in a rapidly evolving situation, it can be challenging to consistently and fully correlate practices with outcomes - a practice might yield good results for a certain period of time but cease to do so thereafter. An email was sent to all States and Union Territories (UTs) in July, 2020 requesting them to share any practices or models that they believe had been useful for COVID-19 mitigation and management. The email was followed up with phone calls to officials from the health departments in States and UTs. Ten States/UTs responded in writing to this request for information. Additional information was provided by States telephonically as well as during review meetings with Member (Health), NITI Aayog. Literature searches were conducted using various combinations of keywords in PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google and Google Scholar. Relevant case studies and papers were also identified by searching the websites of State/UT Governments and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The last literature search was conducted on November 10, 2020. Only case studies/reports/papers published in English between 1 February-10 November, 2020 were considered. While efforts have been made by all States and UTs to follow the broad guidelines issued by the Central Government pertaining to different aspects of COVID containment and management, this review captures the specific practices adopted by State and UT Governments to make the implementation of the Central Guidelines effective and relevant to their local context. All case studies/reports/papers highlighting practices/interventions/models implemented by State or Sub-State Governments on their own or in collaboration with civil society, private sector, volunteers were included in this review. Case studies/reports/papers focusing on interventions implemented by civil society organizations, private sector or individuals independent of any partnership with State/Local Governments were excluded from this review. Practices have been categorized into the following broad themes: public health and clinical response, governance mechanisms, digital health, integrated models as well 10 Report on Mitigation and Management of COVID-19 as welfare of migrants and other vulnerable groups. While governance and technology cut across several themes, they have been included separately to highlight certain practices adopted by States which pertain primarily to putting in place governance mechanisms or leveraging technology for COVID containment and management. A summary of the relevant Government of India guidelines has been included for the aforementioned categories, wherever applicable. It is important to note that these guidelines are continually revised based on the emerging scenario with respect to the COVID-19 outbreak.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: MITIGATION AND MANAGEMENT OF COVID-19: PRACTICES FROM INDIA’S STATES & UNION TERRITORIES
• Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science Global Engagement Task Force Report -
  The Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science (SIPS) is an organization whose mission focuses on bringing together scholars who want to improve methods and practices in psychological science. The organization reaffirmed in June 2020 that “[we] cannot do good science without diverse voices,” and acknowledged that “right now the demographics of SIPS are unrepresentative of the field of psychology, which is in turn unrepresentative of the global population. We have work to do when it comes to better supporting Black scholars and other underrepresented minorities.” The purpose of the Global Engagement Task Force, started in January 2020, was to explore suggestions made after the 2019 Annual Conference, held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, around inclusion and access for scholars from regions outside of the United States, Canada, and Western Europe (described in the report as “geographically diverse” regions), a task complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest in several task force members’ countries of residence. This report outlines several suggestions, specifically around building partnerships with geographically diverse open science organizations; increasing SIPS presence at other, more local events; diversifying remote events; considering geographically diverse annual conference locations; improving membership and financial resources; and surveying open science practitioners from geographically diverse regions.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Society for the Improvement of Psychological Science Global Engagement Task Force Report
• QuaID: Enabling Earlier Detection of Recently Emerged SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern in Wastewater -

  As clinical testing declines, wastewater monitoring can provide crucial surveillance on the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VoC) in communities. Multiple recent studies support that wastewater-based SARS-CoV-2 detection of circulating VoC can precede clinical cases by up to two weeks. Furthermore, wastewater based epidemiology enables wide population-based screening and study of viral evolutionary dynamics. However, highly sensitive detection of emerging variants remains a complex task due to the pooled nature of environmental samples and genetic material degradation. In this paper we propose quasi-unique mutations for VoC identification, implemented in a novel bioinformatics tool (QuaID) for VoC detection based on quasi- unique mutations. The benefits of QuaID are three-fold: (i) provides up to 3 week earlier VoC detection compared to existing approaches, (ii) enables more sensitive VoC detection, which is shown to be tolerant of >50% mutation drop-out, and (iii) leverages all mutational signatures, including insertions & deletions.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: QuaID: Enabling Earlier Detection of Recently Emerged SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern in Wastewater
• The Spectral Nature of COVID-19 and other Infectious Diseases -
  The logically deduced conception of the pathological manifestations that follow infection with SARS-CoV-2 as manifestations of a single transmissible disease that this coronavirus causes disagrees with experience and poses insurmountable difficulties. But a new concept of the nature of infectious diseases emerges upon illustrating reality with a superior method of obtaining knowledge which makes logical deductions only to obtain consequences which must agree perfectly with experience if indeed our hypotheses are the knowledge we require to solve longstanding problems. This new concept, which corresponds perfectly with the data of experience, also demonstrates itself to be the practically valuable concept that the acceleration of medical progress requires.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The Spectral Nature of COVID-19 and other Infectious Diseases

From Clinical Trials

• A Study to Learn About a New COVID-19 RNA Vaccine Candidate as a Booster Dose in COVID-19 Vaccine-Experienced Healthy Adults - Conditions:   SARS-CoV-2 Infection;   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: BNT162b5 Bivalent (WT/OMI BA.2);   Biological: BNT162b2 Bivalent (WT/OMI BA.1)
  Sponsors:   BioNTech SE;   Pfizer
  Not yet recruiting

• Monitoring the Efficacy of a Probiotic Dietary Supplement SmartProbio C in Patients With Severe COVID-19 Infection - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Dietary Supplement: SmartProbio C;   Dietary Supplement: Placebo
  Sponsors:   Medi Pharma Vision;   Veterinary Research Institute;   Brno University Hospital
  Completed

• A Study to Measure the Amount of Study Medicine in Blood in Adult Participants With COVID-19 and Severe Kidney Disease - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Drug: PF-07321332 (nirmatrelvir)/ritonavir
  Sponsor:   Pfizer
  Not yet recruiting

• An Observer-blind, Cohort Randomized, Exploratory Phase 3 Study to Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of Recombinant Covid-19 Vaccine, mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine and Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Trimeric S-protein Subunit Vaccine as 4th Dose in Individuals Primed/ Boosted With Various Regimens - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: AstraZeneca/Fiocruz;   Biological: Pfizer/Wyeth;   Biological: Clover SCB-2019
  Sponsors:   D’Or Institute for Research and Education;   Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation;   University of Oxford
  Not yet recruiting

• Physiotherapy in Post COVID-19 Syndrome Patients - Condition:   Post-COVID-19 Syndrome
  Interventions:   Other: Cognitive behavioral principles-based treatment program;   Other: Control intervention
  Sponsor:   Universidad de Granada
  Recruiting

• Rehabilitation for People With Post COVID-19 Syndrome - Condition:   Post-COVID-19 Syndrome
  Interventions:   Other: Multidimensional intervention;   Other: Control intervention
  Sponsor:   Universidad de Granada
  Recruiting

• Effect of Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program on Post Hospitalization Severe COVID- 19 Patients - Condition:   Post COVID-19 Condition
  Intervention:   Combination Product: respiratory exercises - incentive spirometer - walking
  Sponsor:   Fayoum University Hospital
  Completed

• Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy and Increasing COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Among African American Young Adults in the South - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Vaccine Uptake
  Intervention:   Behavioral: Tough Talks COVID
  Sponsors:   University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill;   University of Alabama at Birmingham;   National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)
  Not yet recruiting

• rSIFN-co Among Healthy Subjects and Subjects With Mild or Asymptomatic COVID-19 - Conditions:   COVID-19;   SARS-CoV-2
  Interventions:   Drug: rSIFN-co Nasal Spray;   Drug: Placebo Nasal Spray
  Sponsor:   Sichuan Huiyang Life Science and Technology Corporation
  Recruiting

• A CHW Intervention to Identify and Decrease Barriers to COVID 19 Testing & Vaccination - Conditions:   Vaccine Hesitancy;   COVID-19 Testing;   Community Health Workers
  Intervention:   Behavioral: Community Health Worker led curriculum
  Sponsors:   Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science;   Los Angeles County Department of Public Health;   National Library of Medicine (NLM)
  Recruiting

• Lollipop COVID-19 Testing Study - Conditions:   COVID-19;   SARS CoV 2 Infection;   COVID-19 Pandemic
  Intervention:   Diagnostic Test: Lollipop Swab
  Sponsor:   University of Wisconsin, Madison
  Not yet recruiting

• Evaluation of Safety and Immunogenicity of the Recombinant ZR202-CoV and ZR202a-CoV Vaccines in Adults. - Conditions:   SARS-CoV-2 Infection;   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: ZR202-CoV;   Biological: ZR202a-CoV;   Biological: Comirnaty®
  Sponsor:   Shanghai Zerun Biotechnology Co.,Ltd
  Recruiting

• SWITCH ON: Analysing the Immunogenicity of Additional Booster Vaccinations in HCW - Condition:   Covid-19 Vaccination
  Interventions:   Drug: Direct boost mRNA;   Drug: Direct boost adeno;   Drug: Post-poned boost mRNA;   Drug: Post-poned boost adeno
  Sponsors:   Erasmus Medical Center;   ZonMw (Funding organisation, The Hague, The Netherlands);   LUMC, University Hospital (Leiden, The Netherlands);   UMCG, University Hospital (Groningen, The Netherlands);   AUMC, University Hospital (Amsterdam, The Netherlands)
  Not yet recruiting

• Safety and Immunogenicity Study of a Booster Dose of the Investigational CV0501 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine in Adults at Least 18 Years Old - Condition:   SARS-CoV-2
  Interventions:   Biological: CV0501 (3 μg);   Biological: CV0501 (6 μg);   Biological: CV0501 (12 μg);   Biological: CV0501 (25 μg);   Biological: CV0501 (50 μg);   Biological: CV0501 (75 μg);   Biological: CV0501 (100 μg);   Biological: CV0501 (150 μg);   Biological: CV0501 (200 μg)
  Sponsor:   GlaxoSmithKline
  Not yet recruiting

• Immunogenicity and Safety of BBIBP-Corv Coadministered With PPV23 and IIV4 in Hemodialysis Population - Conditions:   Hemolysis;   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: coadministration;   Biological: COVID-19 vaccine;   Biological: IIV4+PPV23
  Sponsors:   China National Biotec Group Company Limited;   Hunan Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention;   Sichuan Center for Disease Control and Prevention;   Guizhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention;   Xiangya Hospital of Central South University;   Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd.;   Chengdu Institute of Biological Products Co.,Ltd.;   Shanghai Institute Of Biological Products
  Not yet recruiting

From PubMed

• Human milk inhibits some enveloped virus infections, including SARS-CoV-2, in an intestinal model - Human milk is important for antimicrobial defense in infants and has well demonstrated antiviral activity. We evaluated the protective ability of human milk against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection in a human fetal intestinal cell culture model. We found that, in this model, human milk blocks SARS-CoV-2 replication, irrespective of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 spike-specific antibodies. Complete inhibition of both enveloped Middle East respiratory syndrome…

• Discovery and Mechanistic Study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis PafA Inhibitors - Tuberculosis is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and is ranked as the second killer infectious disease after COVID-19. Proteasome accessory factor A (PafA) is considered an attractive target because of its low sequence conservation in humans and its role in virulence. In this study, we designed a mutant of Mtb PafA that enabled large-scale purification of active PafA. Using a devised high-throughput screening assay, two PafA inhibitors were discovered. ST1926 inhibited…

• Pulmonary Surfactant Proteins are Inhibited by IgA Autoantibodies in Severe COVID-19 - CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that patients with severe COVID-19 harbor IgA against pulmonary surfactant proteins B and C and that these antibodies block the function of lung surfactant, potentially contributing to alveolar collapse and poor oxygenation. This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

• Proteolytic Processing of the Coronavirus Replicase Nonstructural Protein 14 Exonuclease Is Not Required for Virus Replication but Alters RNA Synthesis and Viral Fitness - Coronaviruses (CoVs) initiate replication by translation of the positive-sense RNA genome into the replicase polyproteins connecting 16 nonstructural protein domains (nsp1-16), which are subsequently processed by viral proteases to yield mature nsp. For the betacoronavirus murine hepatitis virus (MHV), total inhibition of translation or proteolytic processing of replicase polyproteins results in rapid cessation of RNA synthesis. The nsp5-3CLpro (Mpro) processes nsps7-16, which assemble into…

• Inhibition of Glycolysis Impairs Retinoic Acid-Inducible Gene I-Mediated Antiviral Responses in Primary Human Dendritic Cells - Dendritic cells (DCs) are important mediators of the induction and regulation of adaptive immune responses following microbial infection and inflammation. Sensing environmental danger signals including viruses, microbial products, or inflammatory stimuli by DCs leads to the rapid transition from a resting state to an activated mature state. DC maturation involves enhanced capturing and processing of antigens for presentation by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and class II,…

• Breathability performance of antiviral cloth masks treated with silver nanoparticles for protection against COVID-19 - The global widespread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused shortage of medical face masks and led to developing of various types of cloth masks with different levels of protection and comfort to meet the market demands. Breathing comfort is a significant aspect that should be considered during the design of cloth masks along with the filtration efficiency; otherwise, the wearer will feel suffocated. In this work, different types of cotton and polyester knitted fabrics blended with…

• Mathematical modeling of plus-strand RNA virus replication to identify broad-spectrum antiviral treatment strategies - Plus-strand RNA viruses are the largest group of viruses. Many are human pathogens that inflict a socio-economic burden. Interestingly, plus-strand RNA viruses share remarkable similarities in their replication. A hallmark of plus-strand RNA viruses is the remodeling of intracellular membranes to establish replication organelles (so-called “replication factories”), which provide a protected environment for the replicase complex, consisting of the viral genome and proteins necessary for viral RNA…

• SARS-CoV-2 Non-Structural Protein 1(NSP1) Mutation Virulence and Natural Selection: Evolutionary Trends in the Six Continents - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an unsegmented positivesense single-stranded RNA virus that belongs to the β-coronavirus . This virus was the cause of a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome in 2019 (COVID-19) that emerged in Wuhan, China at the early stage of the pandemic and rapidly spread around the world. Rapid transmission and reproduction of SARS-CoV-2 threaten worldwide health with a high mortality rate from the virus. According to the significant role of…

• Ursolic acid and SARS-CoV-2 infection: a new horizon and perspective - SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2) has been identified as the source of a world coronavirus pandemic in 2019. Covid-19 is considered a main respiratory disease-causing viral pneumonia and, in severe cases, leads to acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Although, extrapulmonary manifestations of Covid-19 like neurological, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal have been confirmed. Exaggerated immune response and release of a high…

• Peptidic defective interfering gene nanoparticles against Omicron, Delta SARS-CoV-2 variants and influenza A virus in vivo - Defective interfering genes (DIGs) are short viral genomes and interfere with wild-type viral replication. Here, we demonstrate that the new designed SARS-CoV-2 DIG (CD3600) can significantly inhibit the replication of SARS-CoV-2 including Alpha, Delta, Kappa and Omicron variants in human HK-2 cells and influenza DIG (PAD4) can significantly inhibit influenza virus replication in human A549 cells. One dose of influenza DIGs prophylactically protects 90% mice from lethal challenge of A(H1N1)pdm09…

• Coronaviruses exploit a host cysteine-aspartic protease for replication - Highly pathogenic coronaviruses including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)^(1,2), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)³, and SARS-CoV-1⁴ vary in their transmissibility and pathogenicity. However, infection by all three viruses results in substantial apoptosis in cell culture^(5-7) and in patient tissues^(8-10), suggesting a potential link between apoptosis and pathogenesis of coronaviruses. Here we show that a cysteine-aspartic protease of the…

• Mast cells promote viral entry of SARS-CoV-2 via formation of chymase/spike protein complex - The pulmonary pathological findings associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) result from the release of multiple proinflammatory cytokines, which causes the subsequential damage of the lungs. The current study was undertaken to investigate the responses of mast cells to viral inoculation and their contribution to host defenses from the point of view of viral entry. Pseudovirions, in which the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 was incorporated, triggered…

• Fatty Acid Synthase inhibitor TVB-3166 prevents S-acylation of the Spike protein of human coronaviruses - The Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 and other coronaviruses mediates host cell entry and is S-acylated on multiple phylogenetically conserved cysteine residues. Multiple protein acyltransferase enzymes have been reported to post-translationally modify Spike proteins; however, strategies to exploit this modification are currently lacking. Using resin-assisted capture mass spectrometry, we demonstrate here the Spike protein is S-acylated in SARS-CoV-2-infected human and monkey cells. We further show…

• Cell surface SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein modulates innate and adaptive immunity - SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (N) induces strong antibody (Ab) and T cell responses. Although considered to be localized in the cytosol, we readily detect N on the surface of live cells. N released by SARS-CoV-2-infected cells or N-expressing transfected cells binds to neighboring cells by electrostatic high-affinity binding to heparan sulfate and heparin, but not other sulfated glycosaminoglycans. N binds with high affinity to 11 human chemokines, including CXCL12β, whose chemotaxis of…

• Exploration of Novel Lichen Compounds as Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro: Ligand-Based Design, Molecular Dynamics, and ADMET Analyses - In the year 2019-2020, the whole world witnessed the spread of a disease called COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2. A number of effective drugs and vaccine has been formulated to combat this outbreak. For the development of anti-COVID-19 drugs, the main protease (Mpro) is considered a key target as it has rare mutations and plays a crucial role in the replication of the SARS CoV-2. In this study, a library of selected lichen compounds was prepared and used for virtual screening against SARS-CoV-2…

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