Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• How well do surveys on adherence to pandemic policies assess actual behaviour: measurement properties of the Dutch Covid-19 Adherence to Prevention Advice Survey (CAPAS). -
  Background Survey data on adherence to COVID-19 prevention measures have often been used to inform policy makers and public health professionals. However, there is a lack of studies critically examining the validity and reliability of those self-reported measures. Aim We studied the measurement properties of the Covid-19 Adherence to Prevention Advice Survey (CAPAS), a novel questionnaire implemented in a repeated cross-sectional (i.e., ‘Trend’) Study and a Cohort Study in the Netherlands during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods The CAPAS is a novel questionnaire developed in March 2020, with the aim to assess social activity and adherence to COVID-19 prevention measures. Items were formulated to minimise social desirability and aid memory retrieval. Based on the COSMIN framework, we investigated criterion validity by comparing trends of self-reported behaviour to trends in objective data. Responsiveness was assessed by studying whether self-reported behaviour changed following contextual (e.g., policy) changes. Test-retest reliability was examined over periods in which the context was stable. Results Overall, trends in self-reported behaviour closely corresponded to trends in external objective data. Self-reported behaviours were responsive to contextual changes and test-retest reliabilities were adequate. For infrequent behaviours reliability improved when measures were dichotomised. We were able to examine national representativeness for vaccination, which suggested a modest overestimation of on average 3.7%. Conclusions This study supports the suitability of using carefully designed, self-reported surveys (and the CAPAS specifically) to study changes in pandemic behaviours in a dynamic context.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: How well do surveys on adherence to pandemic policies assess actual behaviour: measurement properties of the Dutch Covid-19 Adherence to Prevention Advice Survey (CAPAS).
• Tracking the development of COVID-19 related PsyArXiv preprints -
  Given the need for a rapid and critical response from behavioural sciences during times of crisis, this study investigated the trajectory of all preprints posted to the repository PsyArXiv up to 19 May 2020 that were related to COVID-19 (n = 211). Specifically, we examined the traction, impact, quality, and diversity of these preprints as compared to PsyArXiv preprints unrelated to COVID-19 (n = 167) and articles published in psychology journal articles (n = 75) within the same time frame. Preprints related to COVID-19 had similar traction to published journal articles on COVID-19, but compared to preprints unrelated to COVID-19, the COVID-19 preprints were more likely to be subsequently published during a follow-up period (until 2 March 2021), were published more quickly, and received more citations. Preprints related to COVID-19 reported fewer open science practices than preprints unrelated to COVID-19, but more than COVID-19 journal articles. Primary affiliations for all article types predominantly originated from Western countries, but this was comparatively more for preprints (both related to and not related to COVID-19), even though preprints had more international authorship teams than journal articles. Overall, the results demonstrate that some of the structural problems in research are still in play despite the global effort to mobilise research efforts during the pandemic.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Tracking the development of COVID-19 related PsyArXiv preprints
• Basic Psychological Needs, Quality of Motivation, and Protective Behavior Intentions: A Nationally Representative Survey -
  This is a pre-print of a study published at Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine https://doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2023.2257295. Objective: Citizens’ volitional engagement in protective behaviors is essential for successful pandemic management, as much of the required adherence is beyond authorities’ control and difficult to monitor. Building on the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study examines how basic psychological need satisfaction (BPNS) related to COVID-19 behavioral measures is associated with the quality of motivation (autonomous vs. controlled), and whether this quality of motivation is predictive of the intention to wear a face mask and to avoid meeting others. Methods: Cross-sectional survey study involving a nationally representative sample (N = 2272) was conducted in Finland in May 2021, when protective behaviors were recommended to prevent acceleration of the epidemic. Mann-Whitney U tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, linear regression analysis, and multinomial logistic regression were conducted. Results: All three psychological needs were positively related to autonomous motivation (all p<.001). Satisfaction of autonomy (β = .234) and relatedness (β = .402) had larger effects than competence (β = .091). Autonomous motivation (range Exp(B) = 1.82‒3.55, p = .001) was consistently related to intention to wear a mask and intention to avoid meeting people. Controlled motivation (range Exp(B) = .66‒.93, p = .001‒.457) was associated with decreased protective behavior intentions. The effects of amotivation (range Exp(B) = .65‒1.02, p = .001‒.911) varied across analyses. Conclusions: Fostering autonomous motivation could increase adherence to protective behaviors in situations without clear mandates. The results also suggest that increasing perceptions of pressure or appealing to personal risk and fear may not advance adherence as effectively.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Basic Psychological Needs, Quality of Motivation, and Protective Behavior Intentions: A Nationally Representative Survey
• Single Nucleus RNA Sequencing of Remnant Kidney Biopsies and Urine Cell RNA Sequencing Reveal Cell Specific Markers of Covid-19 Acute Kidney Injury -
  Acute kidney injury (AKI) in COVID-19 patients is associated with high mortality and morbidity. Critically ill COVID-19 patients are at twice the risk of in-hospital mortality compared to non-COVID AKI patients. We know little about the cell-specific mechanism in the kidney that contribute to worse clinical outcomes in these patients. New generation single cell technologies have the potential to provide insights into physiological states and molecular mechanisms in COVID-AKI. One of the key limitations is that these patients are severely ill posing significant risks in procuring additional biopsy tissue. We recently generated single nucleus RNA-sequencing data using COVID-AKI patient biopsy tissue as part of the human kidney atlas. Here we describe this approach in detail and report deeper comparative analysis of snRNAseq of 4 COVID-AKI, 4 reference, and 6 non-COVID-AKI biopsies. We also generated and analyzed urine transcriptomics data to find overlapping COVID-AKI-enriched genes and their corresponding cell types in the kidney from snRNA-seq data. We identified all major and minor cell types and states by using by using less than a few cubic millimeters of leftover tissue after pathological workup in our approach. Differential expression analysis of COVID-AKI biopsies showed pathways enriched in viral response, WNT signaling, kidney development, and cytokines in several nephron epithelial cells. COVID-AKI profiles showed a much higher proportion of altered TAL cells than non-COVID AKI and the reference samples. In addition to kidney injury and fibrosis markers indicating robust remodeling we found that, 17 genes overlap between urine cell COVID-AKI transcriptome and the snRNA-seq data from COVID-AKI biopsies. A key feature was that several of the distal nephron and collecting system cell types express these markers. Some of these markers have been previously observed in COVID-19 studies suggesting a common mechanism of injury and potentially the kidney as one of the sources of soluble factors with a potential role in disease progression.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Single Nucleus RNA Sequencing of Remnant Kidney Biopsies and Urine Cell RNA Sequencing Reveal Cell Specific Markers of Covid-19 Acute Kidney Injury
• Recreating the Biological Steps of Viral Infection on a Bioelectronic Platform to Profile Viral Variants of Concern -
  Viral mutation rates frequently outpace the development of technologies used to detect and identify harmful variants; for SARS Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), these are called variants of concern (VOC). Given the continual emergence of VOC, there is a critical need to develop platforms that can identify the presence of a virus and readily identify its propensity for infection. We present an electronic biomembrane sensing platform that recreates the multifaceted and sequential biological cues that give rise to distinct SARS-CoV-2 virus host cell entry pathways and reports the progression of entry steps of these pathways as electrical signals. Within these electrical signals, two necessary entry processes mediated by the viral Spike protein, virus binding and membrane fusion, can be distinguished. Remarkably, we find that closely related VOC exhibit distinct fusion signatures that correlate with trends reported in cell-based infectivity assays, allowing us to report quantitative differences in fusion characteristics among them that inform their infectivity potentials. This cell-free biomimetic infection platform also has a virus-free option that equally reports infectivity potential of the Spike proteins. We used SARS-CoV-2 as our prototype, but we anticipate that this platform will extend to other enveloped viruses and cell lines to quantifiably explore virus/host interactions. This advance should aid in faster determination of entry characteristics and fusogenicities of future VOC, necessary for rapid response.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Recreating the Biological Steps of Viral Infection on a Bioelectronic Platform to Profile Viral Variants of Concern
• The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sub-variant BA.2.86 is attenuated in hamsters -
  SARS-CoV-2 variants have emerged throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a need to risk-assess newly emerged variants in near 'real-time' to estimate their potential threat to public health. The recently emerged Omicron sub-variant BA.2.86 raised concerns as it carries a high number of mutations compared to its predecessors. Here, we assessed the virulence of BA.2.86 in hamsters. We compared the pathogenesis of BA.2.86 and BA.2.75, as the latter is one of the most virulent Omicron sub-variants in this animal model. Using digital pathology pipelines, we quantified the extent of pulmonary lesions measuring T cell and macrophage infiltrates, in addition to alveolar epithelial hyperplasia. We also assessed body weight loss, clinical symptoms, virus load in oropharyngeal swabs, and virus replication in the respiratory tract. Our data show that BA.2.86 displays an attenuated phenotype in hamsters, suggesting that it poses no greater risk to public health than its parental Omicron sub-variants.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron sub-variant BA.2.86 is attenuated in hamsters
• Insights into B Cell and Antibody Kinetics Against SARS-CoV-2 Variants Using Mathematical Modelling -
  B cells and antibodies are crucial in protecting against infections like SARS-CoV-2. However, antibody levels decline after infection or vaccination, reducing defences against future SARS-CoV-2 infections. To understand antibody production and decline, we developed a mathematical model that predicts germinal center B cell, long-lived plasma cell, memory B cell, and antibody dynamics. Our focus was on B cell activation and antibody generation following both primary and secondary SARS-CoV-2 infections. Aligning our model with clinical data, we adjusted antibody production rates for germinal center B cells and plasma B cells during primary and secondary infections. We also assessed antibody neutralization against Delta and Omicron variants post-primary and secondary exposure. Our findings showed reduced neutralization against Omicron due to its immune evasion. In primary and secondary exposures to Delta and Omicron, our predictions indicated enhanced antibody neutralization in the secondary response within a year of the primary response. We also explored waning immunity, demonstrating how B cell kinetics affect viral neutralization post-primary infection. This study enhances our understanding of humoral immunity to SARS-CoV-2 and can predict antibody dynamics post-infection or vaccination.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Insights into B Cell and Antibody Kinetics Against SARS-CoV-2 Variants Using Mathematical Modelling
• Crykey: Rapid Identification of SARS-CoV-2 Cryptic Mutations in Wastewater -

  We present Crykey, a computational tool for rapidly identifying cryptic mutations of SARS-CoV-2. Specifically, we identify co-occurring single nucleotide mutations on the same sequencing read, called linked-read mutations, that are rare or entirely missing in existing databases, and have the potential to represent novel cryptic lineages found in wastewater. While previous approaches exist for identifying cryptic linked-read mutations from specific regions of the SARS-CoV-2 genome, there is a need for computational tools capable of efficiently tracking cryptic mutations across the entire genome and for tens of thousands of samples and with increased scrutiny, given their potential to represent either artifacts or hidden SARS-CoV-2 lineages. Crykey fills this gap by identifying rare linked-read mutations that pass stringent computational filters to limit the potential for artifacts. We evaluate the utility of Crykey on >3,000 wastewater and >22,000 clinical samples; our findings are three-fold: i) we identify hundreds of cryptic mutations that cover the entire SARS-CoV-2 genome, ii) we track the presence of these cryptic mutations across multiple wastewater treatment plants and over a three years of sampling in Houston, and iii) we find a handful of cryptic mutations in wastewater mirror cryptic mutations in clinical samples and investigate their potential to represent real cryptic lineages. In summary, Crykey enables large-scale detection of cryptic mutations representing potential cryptic lineages in wastewater.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Crykey: Rapid Identification of SARS-CoV-2 Cryptic Mutations in Wastewater
• Application of the Fluctuation Test to the data of Morbidity and Mortality by COVID-19 in China 2020-2023 -

  In this work the Luria and Delbruck Fluctuation Test was applied to the data of Morbidity and Mortality by COVID-19 in China from January 2020 to August 2023. Three types of data were used: es.statista.com, datosmacro.expansion.com and larepublica.co without modification, but trying to avoid and justify the anomalies and inconsistencies observed. The methods originally used to establish the interactions of two populations were evaluated: the viral population with that of its host and the drift of both organisms. Only the fluctuations of the weekly Variance of daily increase of Cases (Morbidity) and of the weekly Variance of daily increase of Deaths (Mortality) were studied. The results showed that the Fluctuation Test is applicable to the selected data from China and other data from India, Japan and South Korea, used as controls. The study was separated into two periods: a first initial period from January 2020 to September 2021 and a second final period from October 2021 to August 2023. Results were obtained for Morbidity and Mortality that relate the fluctuations of the first with the fluctuations of the second. However, it was possible to detect some anomalies and uncertainties that were possibly derived from inconsistencies in the original data. A repeated fluctuation was observed in the boreal winter in January, February and March of each one of the year studied. A clear decrease in fluctuation was detected in that period in 2021 that could be attributed to the strict confinement during the quarantine in China between 2020 and 2021. Massive, extensive and intensive vaccinations failed to completely eliminate the most important fluctuations. In this work we tried to correlate the appearance of some virus variants with the fluctuations. The most relevant results of said correlation are presented. With the results of this work, the animal origin cannot be confirmed nor can the human or laboratory origin of the SARS CoV-2 virus that caused the initial emerging infection, be ruled out. However, it was concluded that this method could be used to search for clues about its origin. One of these keys is the comparison of the result of the first important fluctuation in the boreal winter of 2020 in each of the countries studied as controls: India, Japan and South Korea. The comparison of this result with the first fluctuation of China for that same period could give clues about the origin of the virus.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Application of the Fluctuation Test to the data of Morbidity and Mortality by COVID-19 in China 2020-2023
• Synergistic Role of NK Cells and Monocytes in Promoting Atherogenesis in Severe COVID-19 Patients. -

  Clinical data demonstrate an increased predisposition to cardiovascular disease (CVD) following severe COVID-19 infection. This may be driven by a dysregulated immune response associated with severe disease. Monocytes and vascular tissue resident macrophages play a critical role in atherosclerosis, the main pathology leading to ischemic CVD. Natural killer (NK) cells are a heterogenous group of cells that are critical during viral pathogenesis and are known to be dysregulated during severe COVID-19 infection. Their role in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease has recently been described. However, the contribution of their altered phenotypes to atherogenesis following severe COVID-19 infection is unknown. We demonstrate for the first time that during and after severe COVID-19, circulating proinflammatory monocytes and activated NK cells act synergistically to increase uptake of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (Ox-LDL) into vascular tissue with subsequent foam cell generation leading to atherogenesis despite recovery from acute infection. Our data provide new insights, revealing the roles of monocytes/macrophages, and NK cells in COVID-19-related atherogenesis.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Synergistic Role of NK Cells and Monocytes in Promoting Atherogenesis in Severe COVID-19 Patients.
• Covid19Vaxplorer: a free, online, user-friendly COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Comparison Tool -

  Background: There are many COVID-19 vaccines currently available, however, Low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) still have large proportions of their populations un- vaccinated. Decision-makers must decide how to effectively allocate available vaccines (e.g. boosters or primary series vaccination, which age groups to target) but LMIC often lack the resources to undergo quantitative analyses of vaccine allocation, resulting in ad- hoc policies. We developed Covid19Vaxplorer (https://covid19vaxplorer.fredhutch.org/), a free, user-friendly online tool that simulates region-specific COVID-19 epidemics in con- junction with vaccination with the purpose of providing public health officials worldwide with a tool for vaccine allocation planning and comparison. Methods: We developed an age-structured mathematical model of SARS-CoV-2 trans- mission and COVID-19 vaccination. The model considers vaccination with up to three different vaccine products, primary series and boosters. We simulated partial immunity de- rived from waning of natural infection and vaccination. The model is embedded in an online tool, Covid19Vaxplorer that was optimized for its ease of use. By prompting users to fill information through several windows to input local parameters (e.g. cumulative and cur- rent prevalence), epidemiological parameters (e.g basic reproduction number, current social distancing interventions), vaccine parameters (e.g. vaccine efficacy, duration of immunity) and vaccine allocation (both by age groups and by vaccination status). Covid19Vaxplorer connects the user to the mathematical model and simulates, in real time, region-specific epidemics. The tool then produces key outcomes including expected numbers of deaths, hospitalizations and cases, with the possibility of simulating several scenarios of vaccine allocation at once for a side-by-side comparison.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Covid19Vaxplorer: a free, online, user-friendly COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Comparison Tool
• Prosocial behavior in emergencies: Evidence from blood donors recruitment and retention during the COVID-19 pandemic -
  The impact of COVID-19 represents a specific challenge for voluntary transfusional systems sustained by the intrinsic motivations of blood donors. In general, health emergencies can stimulate altruistic behaviors. However, in this context, the same prosocial motivations, besides the personal health risks, could foster the adherence to social distancing rules to preserve collective health and, therefore, discourage blood donation activities. In this work, we investigate the consequences of the pandemic shock on the dynamics of new donors exploiting the individual-level longitudinal information contained in administrative data on the Italian region of Tuscany. We compare the change in new donors’ recruitment and retention during 2020 with respect to the 2017-2019 period, considering donors’ and their municipalities of residence characteristics. Our results show an increment of new donors, with higher growth for older donors. Moreover, we demonstrate that the quality of new donors, as proxied by the frequency of subsequent donations, increased with respect to previous years. Finally, we show that changes in extrinsic motivations, such as the possibility of obtaining a free antibody test or overcoming movement restrictions, cannot explain the documented improvement in performances.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Prosocial behavior in emergencies: Evidence from blood donors recruitment and retention during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Clinical and Economic impact of updated Fall 2023 COVID-19 vaccines in the Immunocompromised Population in Canada -

  Background: Immunocompromised (IC) individuals are at increased risk of COVID-19 infection-related severe outcomes. Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are available in Canada, and differences in vaccine effectiveness (VE) have been found between the two in IC individuals. The objective of this analysis was to compare the clinical and economic impact of a Moderna XBB.1.5 updated COVID-19 mRNA Fall 2023 vaccine to a Pfizer-BioNTech XBB.1.5 updated COVID-19 mRNA Fall 2023 vaccine in Canadian IC individuals aged ≥18 years. Methods: A static decision-analytic model estimated the number of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, deaths, and resulting quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) over a one-year time horizon (September 2023-August 2024) in the Canadian IC adult population (n=894,580). Costs associated with COVID-19 infection were estimated from health care and societal perspectives. The predicted VE of the updated Moderna vaccine was based on prior variant versions, which were well-matched to the circulating variant. Pfizer-BioNTech VE was calculated based on a meta-analysis of comparative effectiveness between both vaccines (relative risk for Moderna vaccine: infection=0.85 [95%CI 0.75-0.97], hospitalization=0.88 [95%CI 0.79-0.97]). The model combined VE estimates with COVID-19 incidence and probability of COVID-19 related severe outcomes. Sensitivity analyses tested the impact of uncertainty surrounding incidence, hospitalization and mortality rates, costs, and QALYs. Results: Given the expected higher VE against infection and hospitalizations with the Moderna Fall 2023 vaccine, its use is predicted to prevent an additional 2,411 infections (3.6%), 275 hospitalizations (3.7%), and 47 deaths (4.0%) compared to the Pfizer-BioNTech Fall 2023 vaccine, resulting in 330 QALYs gained, and savings of $7.4M in infection treatment costs, and $0.9M in productivity loss costs. Results were most sensitive to variations in VE parameters, specifically the relative risk of infection and hospitalizations between the vaccines, and waning rates. Conclusions: If the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech Fall 2023 vaccines protect against infection and hospitalizations similar to previous vaccines, using the Moderna Fall 2023 vaccine would result in substantial public health benefits in IC individuals, as well as provide health care and societal cost savings.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Clinical and Economic impact of updated Fall 2023 COVID-19 vaccines in the Immunocompromised Population in Canada
• Generation and characterization of a multi-functional panel of monoclonal antibodies for SARS-CoV-2 research and treatment -
  The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19) pandemic caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an ongoing threat to global public health. To this end, intense efforts are underway to develop reagents to aid in diagnostics, enhance preventative measures, and provide therapeutics for managing COVID-19. The recent emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants with enhanced transmissibility, altered antigenicity, and significant escape of existing monoclonal antibodies and vaccines underlines the importance of the continued development of such agents. The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and its receptor binding domain (RBD) are critical to viral attachment and host cell entry and are primary targets for antibodies elicited from both vaccination and natural infection. In this study, mice were immunized with two synthetic peptides (Pep 1 and Pep 2) within the RBD of the original Wuhan SARS-CoV-2, as well as the whole RBD as a recombinant protein (rRBD). Hybridomas were generated and a panel of three monoclonal antibodies, mAb CU-P1-1 against Pep 1, mAb CU-P2-20 against Pep 2, and mAb CU-28-24 against rRBD, were generated and further characterized. The monoclonal antibodies were shown through ELISA to be specific for each immunogen/antigen and to be reactive by immunoblotting against RBD. Monoclonal antibody CU-P1-1 has limited applicability other than in ELISA approaches and basic immunoblotting. Monoclonal antibody CU-P2-20 is shown to be favorable for ELISA, immunoblotting, and immunohistochemistry (IHC), however, not live virus neutralization. In contrast, mAb CU-28-24 is most effective at live virus neutralization as well as ELISA, immunoblotting, and IHC. Moreover, mAb CU-28-24 was active against rRBD proteins from Omicron variants B.2 and B.4/B5 as determined by ELISA, suggesting this mAb may neutralize live virus of these variants. Each of the immunoglobulin genes has been sequenced using Next Generation Sequencing, which allows the expression of respective recombinant proteins, thereby eliminating the need for long-term hybridoma maintenance. These hybridomas and related mAbs are now protected by Intellectual Property agreements with the Clemson University Research Foundation and are Patent Pending based on their unique amino acids within the complementary determining regions (CDRs).
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Generation and characterization of a multi-functional panel of monoclonal antibodies for SARS-CoV-2 research and treatment
• The influence of COVID-19 fear beliefs on the relationships between positive mood and loss-of-control eating: a ten-day diary study -
  Objectives: Loss-of-control eating (LOCE), a perceived inability to stop eating or to resist eating onset, is driven by mood. LOCE prevalence increased following onset of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19). COVID-19 has been associated with significant increase in stressors, such as fear beliefs regarding contracting illness. Fear beliefs could in turn impact a relationship between mood and LOCE. It was also hypothesized that daily protective strategies meant to prevent contagion may be associated with LOCE, in line with ego depletion theory. Design: This was a two-phase study with a cross-sectional phase and daily diary design. Methods: 108 adults from the United States completed a diary study over ten days regarding daily LOCE, positive and negative mood, and protective behaviors against contagion. Participants rated COVID-fear beliefs at a baseline assessment, hypothesized to predict LOCE directly between subjects and have a cross-level interactive effect on predictors within-subjects. Data were analyzed both within- and between-subjects with a multilevel model. Results: Negative mood was associated with LOCE at both levels, although protective behaviors evinced no significant associations. Positive mood did not reveal significant direct associations with LOCE, although there was an interactive effect such that positive mood was a significant model predictor at low COVID fear beliefs. Johnson-Neyman analyses showed that when COVID-fear beliefs were low, positive mood had a significant inverse association with LOCE. Conclusion: Negative mood and protective strategies are directly associated with LOCE but the relationship between positive mood and LOCE may be moderated by the degree of COVID-19 fear beliefs.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The influence of COVID-19 fear beliefs on the relationships between positive mood and loss-of-control eating: a ten-day diary study

From Clinical Trials

• Clinical Evaluation of the Panbio™ COVID-19/Flu A&B Panel to Support Home Use - Conditions: COVID-19; Influenza A; Influenza Type B
  Interventions: Diagnostic Test: Panbio™ COVID-19/Flu A&B Panel
  Sponsors: Abbott Rapid Dx
  Recruiting

• Building Engagement Using Financial Incentives Trial - Colorectal Cancer Screening - Conditions: Health Behavior; Colorectal Cancer; Influenza; COVID-19; Vaccine Hesitancy; Vaccine-Preventable Diseases; Healthcare Patient Acceptance
  Interventions: Behavioral: Financial incentive for colorectal cancer screening; Behavioral: Financial incentive for flu shot; Behavioral: Financial incentive for COVID-19 shot
  Sponsors: Tulane University; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
  Not yet recruiting

• Effects of Rehabilitation Combined With a Maintenance Program Compared to Rehabilitation Alone in Post-COVID-19 - Conditions: Post-COVID-19 Syndrome
  Interventions: Procedure: Rehabilitation + maintenance program; Procedure: Rehabilitation only
  Sponsors: Schön Klinik Berchtesgadener Land; Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care (Funding); Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund (German pension insurance) (Design); Betriebskrankenkassen Landesverband Bayern (Bavarian health insurance) (Design)
  Not yet recruiting

• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Literacy for Primary Schools Teachers. A Multicomponent Intervention - Conditions: Child Mental Health
  Interventions: Behavioral: Child Mental Health Literacy Program
  Sponsors: Universidad de Valparaiso
  Recruiting

• Brief Digital Intervention to Increase COVID-19 Vaccination Among Individuals With Anxiety or Depression - Conditions: Misinformation; Vaccine Hesitancy; Anxiety; Depression; COVID-19
  Interventions: Behavioral: Attitudinal inoculation; Behavioral: Cognitive-behavioral therapy-informed intervention; Behavioral: Conventional public health messaging
  Sponsors: City University of New York, School of Public Health; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
  Not yet recruiting

• A PhaseⅡ Study to Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of COVID-19 Vaccine - Conditions: SARS-CoV-2 Infection
  Interventions: Biological: COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine (ZSVG-02-O); Biological: COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine (ZSVG-02-O); Biological: COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell) ,Inactivated
  Sponsors: CNBG-Virogin Biotech (Shanghai) Ltd.
  Recruiting

• Pilot Randomized Study of RD-X19 Tx Device in Subjects With PCC (Long Covid) in the Outpatient Setting - Conditions: Post COVID-19 Condition (PCC)
  Interventions: Device: RDX-19
  Sponsors: KNOWBio Inc.; NAMSA
  Recruiting

• CPAP Therapy Through a Helmet or a Full Face Mask in Patients With Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure: Cross-over Study - Conditions: Pneumonia, Bacterial; Respiratory Failure; COVID-19 Pneumonia
  Interventions: Diagnostic Test: Arterial blood gases; Diagnostic Test: Respiratory rate (RR); Diagnostic Test: Pulseoximeter; Diagnostic Test: Assessment of accessory respiratory muscles work; Diagnostic Test: Esophageal pressure measurement; Diagnostic Test: Discomfort Visual Analog Scale (VAS); Diagnostic Test: Noninvasive blood pressure; Diagnostic Test: Heart rate
  Sponsors: I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University
  Recruiting

• Investigation of Efficacy and Safety of Electrical Signal Therapy Provided by Dr Biolyse® Device in COVID-19 Disease - Conditions: COVID-19 Pneumonia; Virus Diseases; COVID-19
  Interventions: Device: Signal Therapy provided by Dr.Biolyse device; Other: Liquid Support Treatment
  Sponsors: AVB Biotechnology
  Recruiting

• A Phase 1 Study to Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of COVID-19 Vaccine - Conditions: SARS-CoV-2 Infection
  Interventions: Biological: Placebo; Biological: COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell) ,Inactivated; Biological: COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine (ZSVG-02-O) 10 μg; Biological: COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine (ZSVG-02-O) 30 μg; Biological: COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine (ZSVG-02-O) 60 μg
  Sponsors: CNBG-Virogin Biotech (Shanghai) Ltd.; Shulan (Hangzhou) Hospital
  Recruiting

• SAFE Workplace Intervention for People With IDD - Conditions: Communicable Diseases; Prevention; Workplace Intervention
  Interventions: Behavioral: SAFE Employment Training
  Sponsors: Temple University; National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research
  Recruiting

• Effects of an EMDR Intervention on Traumatic and Obsessive Symptoms - Conditions: Adult ALL; Post-traumatic Stress Disorder; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder; Disgust; Guilt; Shame
  Interventions: Behavioral: EMDR
  Sponsors: University of Pisa
  Completed

• Lithium Long COVID Dose-finding Study - Conditions: Long COVID
  Interventions: Dietary Supplement: Lithium
  Sponsors: State University of New York at Buffalo
  Not yet recruiting

• Pharmacokinetics and Safety of GST-HG171 Tablets in Subjects With Impaired and Normal Renal Function - Conditions: COVID-19 Pneumonia
  Interventions: Drug: GST-HG171 Tablets
  Sponsors: Fujian Akeylink Biotechnology Co., Ltd.
  Recruiting

• Preoperative Educational Videos on Maternal Stress Whose Children Received Congenital Heart Disease Surgery: During COVID-19 Panic - Conditions: COVID-19; Educational Videos; Maternal; Uncertainty; Anxiety; Depression; Congenital Heart Disease; Children
  Interventions: Other: Preoperative educational videos plus routine education; Other: Preoperative routine education
  Sponsors: Chung Shan Medical University
  Completed

From PubMed

• Exploring the disruption of SARS-CoV-2 RBD binding to hACE2 - The COVID-19 pandemic was declared due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. Viral infection is caused by the interaction between the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) and the human ACE2 receptor (hACE2). Previous computational studies have identified repurposed small molecules that target the RBD, but very few have screened drugs in the RBD-hACE2 interface. When studies focus solely on the binding affinity between the drug and the RBD, they ignore the effect of hACE2,…

• Qinhuo Shanggan oral solution resolves acute lung injury by down-regulating TLR4/NF-κB signaling cascade and inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation - Acute lung injury (ALI) is a common condition, particularly in the COVID-19 pandemic, which is distinguished by sudden onset of respiratory insufficiency with tachypnea, oxygen-refractory cyanosis, reduced lung compliance and diffuse infiltration of pulmonary alveoli. It is well-established that increasing activity of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling axis and the NOD-, LRR- and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation are associated…

• A review: Mechanism and prospect of gastrodin in prevention and treatment of T2DM and COVID-19 - Gastrodin is an extract from the dried tuber of the Chinese herb Gastrodia elata (Tian ma), with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiviral properties. Recent studies have shown that, compared to commonly used diabetes drugs, gastrodin has antidiabetic effects in multiple ways, with characteristics of low cost, high safety, less side effects, protection of β-cell function, relieving insulin resistance and alleviating multiple complications. In addition, it is confirmed that gastrodin can…

• Duvelisib for Critically Ill Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019: An Investigator-Initiated, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-Blind Pilot Trial - CONCLUSIONS: In this pilot study, duvelisib did not significantly improve 28-day OS compared to placebo for severe COVID-19. Duvelisib appeared safe in this critically ill population and was associated with reduction in cytokines implicated in COVID-19 and acute respiratory distress syndrome, supporting further investigation.

• Beneficial effects of the combination of BCc1 and Hep-S nanochelating-based medicines on IL-6 in hospitalized moderate COVID-19 adult patients: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial - CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, the combination of BCc1 and Hep-S inhibits IL-6 as a highly important and well-known cytokine in COVID-19 pathophysiology and presents a promising view for immunomodulation that can manage CSS.

• Safety of bempedoic acid in patients at high cardiovascular risk and with statin intolerance - CONCLUSIONS: Bempedoic acid was well-tolerated compared with placebo. Safety data from the long-term CLEAR Outcomes study reinforce the positive benefit-risk profile of bempedoic acid.

• In their absence; intensive care nurses’ experiences of communicating and supporting relatives from a distance - CONCLUSION: Visiting restrictions in the ICU meant that ICU nurses missed vital information about their patients as a person, which might have had a negative effect on personalizing and centring the patient care. But using a combination of digital and audio tools helped nurses to guide the relatives to a clearer picture of the situation as a whole. The support that nurses were able to provide to relatives was often insufficient due to the visiting restriction and as a consequence, they…

• Evaluation of experiences of the patients discharged from the COVID-19 intensive care unit: a qualitative research - Making arrangements by learning how intensive care patients feel due to a disease called as fatal worldwide can make it easier for patients to cope with the disease. For this reason, it is important for healthcare professionals to understand the patients who have been infected and discharged during the COVID-19 pandemic. The experiences of the patients may affect the perspective of the disease and cause different changes in the perception of it. This study, which was conducted based on this…

• Fangchinoline inhibits SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV entry - The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, lead to mild to severe respiratory illness and resulted in 6.9 million deaths worldwide. Although vaccines are effective in preventing COVID-19, they may not be sufficient to protect immunocompromised individuals from this respiratory illness. Moreover, novel emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 pose a risk of new COVID-19 waves. Therefore, identification of effective antivirals is critical in controlling SARS and other coronaviruses, such as MERS-CoV. We…

• Antibody-mediated spike activation promotes cell-cell transmission of SARS-CoV-2 - The COVID pandemic fueled by emerging SARS-CoV-2 new variants of concern remains a major global health concern, and the constantly emerging mutations present challenges to current therapeutics. The spike glycoprotein is not only essential for the initial viral entry, but is also responsible for the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 components via syncytia formation. Spike-mediated cell-cell transmission is strongly resistant to extracellular therapeutic and convalescent antibodies via an unknown…

• ceRNA Network Analysis Reveals Potential Key miRNAs and Target Genes in COVID-19-Related Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease - The continued spread of SARS-CoV-2 has presented unprecedented obstacles to the worldwide public health system. Especially, individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at a heightened risk of contracting SARS-CoV-2 infection due to their pre-existing respiratory symptoms that are not well-managed. However, the viral mechanism of affecting the expression of host genes, COPD progression, and prognosis is not clear yet.This study integrated the differential expression…

• Discovery of the covalent SARS-CoV-2 M^pro inhibitors from antiviral herbs via integrating target-based high-throughput screening and chemoproteomic approaches - The main proteases (M^(pro) ) are highly conserved cysteine-rich proteins that can be covalently modified by numerous natural and synthetic compounds. Herein, we constructed an integrative approach to efficiently discover covalent inhibitors of M^(pro) from complex herbal matrices. This work begins with biological screening of 60 clinically used antiviral herbal medicines, among which Lonicera japonica Flos (LJF) demonstrated the strongest anti-M^(pro) effect (IC(50) = 37.82 μg/mL). Mass…

• An efficient eco-friendly, simple, and green synthesis of some new spiro-N-(4-sulfamoyl-phenyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-carboxamide derivatives as potential inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 proteases: drug-likeness, pharmacophore, molecular docking, and DFT exploration - INTRODUCTION: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a global health crisis. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a highly contagious virus that can cause severe respiratory illness. There is no specific treatment for COVID-19, and the development of new drugs is urgently needed.

• Lipid and cholesterols modulate the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 viral ion channel ORF3a and its pathogenic variants - SARS-CoV-2 accessory protein, ORF3a is a putative ion channel which immensely contributes to viral pathogenicity by modulating host immune responses and virus-host interactions. Relatively high expression of ORF3a in diseased individuals and implication with inflammasome activation, apoptosis and autophagy inhibition, ratifies as an effective target for developing vaccines and therapeutics. Herein, we present the elusive dynamics of ORF3a-dimeric state using all-atoms molecular dynamics (MD)…

• The anti-SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 vaccine suppresses mithramycin-induced erythroid differentiation and expression of embryo-fetal globin genes in human erythroleukemia K562 cells - The COVID-19 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein (S-protein) plays an important role in the early phase of SARS-CoV2 infection through efficient interaction with ACE2. The S-protein is produced by RNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, that were fundamental for the reduction of the viral spread within the population and the clinical severity of COVID-19. However, the S-protein has been…

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