Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• Tailored interventions into broad attitude networks towards the COVID-19 pandemic -
  This study examines how broad attitude networks are affected by tailored interventions aimed at variables selected based on their connectiveness with other variables. We first computed a broad attitude network based on a large-scale cross-sectional COVID-19 survey (N = 6,093). Over a period of approximately 10 weeks, participants were invited five times to complete this survey, with the third and fifth wave including interventions aimed at manipulating specific variables in the broad COVID-19 attitude network. Results suggest that targeted interventions that yield relatively strong effects on variables central to a broad attitude network have downstream effects on connected variables, which can be partially explained by the variables the interventions were aimed at. We conclude that broad attitude network structures can reveal important relations between variables that can help to design new interventions.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Tailored interventions into broad attitude networks towards the COVID-19 pandemic
• Intranasal virus-particle mimicking vaccine enhances SARS-CoV-2 clearance in the Syrian hamster model -
  Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a pandemic and multiple vaccines have been developed and authorized for human use. While these vaccines reduce disease severity, they do not prevent infection allowing SARS-CoV-2 to continue to spread and evolve. To confer protection against infection and limit transmission, vaccines must be developed that induce mucosal immunity in the respiratory tract. Therefore, we performed proof-of-principle pre-clinical vaccine and challenge studies with a virus-particle mimicking intranasal vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. The vaccine candidate consisted of the self-assembling 60-subunit I3-01 protein scaffold covalently decorated with the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) using the SpyCatcher-SpyTag system. We verified the intended antigen display features by reconstructing the I3-01 scaffold to 3.4A using cryo-EM, and established RBD decoration through both SDS-PAGE and negative stain TEM. Using this RBD grafted SpyCage scaffold (RBD+SpyCage), we performed two vaccination studies in Syrian hamsters using an intranasal prime and boost vaccine regiment followed by SARS-CoV-2 challenge. The initial study focused on assessing the immunogenicity of RBD+SpyCage, which indicated that vaccination of hamsters induced a non-neutralizing antibody response that enhanced viral clearance but did not prevent infection. In an expanded study, we demonstrated that covalent bonding of RBD to the scaffold was required to induce an antibody response. Consistent with the initial study, animals vaccinated with RBD+SpyCage more rapidly cleared SARS-CoV-2 from both the upper and lower respiratory tract, whereas admixtures of SpyCage and RBD, or either component alone did not. These findings demonstrate the intranasal SpyCage vaccine platform can induce protection against SARS-CoV-2 and, with additional modifications to improve immunogenicity, is a versatile and adaptable system for the development of intranasal vaccines targeting respiratory pathogens.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Intranasal virus-particle mimicking vaccine enhances SARS-CoV-2 clearance in the Syrian hamster model
• Can Artificial Intelligence Detect Monkeypox from Digital Skin Images? -
  An outbreak of Monkeypox has been reported in 75 countries so far, and it is spreading at a fast pace around the world. The clinical attributes of Monkeypox resemble those of Smallpox, while skin lesions and rashes of Monkeypox often resemble those of other poxes, for example, Chickenpox and Cowpox. These similarities make Monkeypox detection challenging for healthcare professionals by examining the visual appearance of lesions and rashes. Additionally, there is a knowledge gap among healthcare professionals due to the rarity of Monkeypox before the current outbreak. Motivated by the success of artificial intelligence (AI) in COVID-19 detection, the scientific community has shown an increasing interest in using AI in Monkeypox detection from digital skin images. However, the lack of Monkeypox skin image data has been the bottleneck of using AI in Monkeypox detection. Therefore, in this paper, we used a web-scrapping-based Monkeypox, Chickenpox, Smallpox, Cowpox, Measles, and healthy skin image dataset to study the feasibility of using state-of-the-art AI deep models on skin images for Monkeypox detection. Our study found that deep AI models have great potential in the detection of Monkeypox from digital skin images (precision of 85%). However, achieving a more robust detection power requires larger training samples to train those deep models.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Can Artificial Intelligence Detect Monkeypox from Digital Skin Images?
• On the frontlines in Shanghai: Stress, burnout and perceived benefit among COVID-19 testers and other personnel during the Omicron wave lockdown -

  Background: COVID-19 control measure stringency including testing has been among the highest globally in China. Psychosocial impact on pandemic workers in Shanghai, and their pandemic-related attitudes were investigated. Methods: Participants in this cross-sectional study were healthcare providers (HCP) and other support workers. A Mandarin self-report survey was administered via Wenjuanxing between April-June 2022 during the omicron-wave lockdown. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Maslach Burnout Inventory were administered, as well as pandemic-specific questions. Results:887 workers participated, of which 691 (77.9%) were HCPs. They were working a mean of 6.25+/-1.24 days/week for 9.77+/-4.28 hours/day. Most participants were burnt-out, with 143(16.1%) moderately and 98(11.0%) seriously. Total PSS was 26.85+/-9.92/56, with 353(39.8%) participants having elevated stress. Workers perceived their families primarily as fully supportive (n=610, 68.8%), or also extremely concerned (n=203, 22.9%). Most wanted counseling and stress relief, but half(n=430) reported no time for it; indeed, 2/3rds wanted a few days off to rest (n=601). Many workers perceived benefits: that they fostered more cohesive relationships (n=581, 65.5%), they will be more resilient (n=693, 78.1%), and were honored to serve (n=747, 84.2%).Negative impacts were greater in HCPs, those with economic insecurity, and that did not perceive benefit (all p<.05).In adjusted analyses, those perceiving benefits showed significantly less burnout (OR=0.573, 95% CI=0.411 - 0.799), among other correlates. Conclusions: Pandemic work, including among non-HCP, is stressful, but some can derive benefits.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: On the frontlines in Shanghai: Stress, burnout and perceived benefit among COVID-19 testers and other personnel during the Omicron wave lockdown
• Separating Signal from Noise in Wastewater Data: An Algorithm to Identify Community-Level COVID-19 Surges -

  Wastewater monitoring has shown promise in providing an early warning for new COVID-19 outbreaks, but to date, no approach has been validated to reliably distinguish signal from noise in wastewater data and thereby alert officials to when the data show a need for heightened public health response. We analyzed 62 weeks of data from 19 sites participating in the North Carolina Wastewater Monitoring Network to characterize wastewater metrics before and around the Delta and Omicron surges. We found that, on average, wastewater data identified new outbreaks four to five days before case data (reported based on the earlier of the symptom start date or test collection date). At most sites, correlations between wastewater and case data were similar regardless of how wastewater concentrations were normalized, and correlations were slightly stronger with county-level cases than sewershed-level cases, suggesting that officials may not need to geospatially align case data with sewershed boundaries to gain insights into disease transmission. Wastewater trend lines showed clear differences in the Delta versus Omicron surge trajectories, but no single wastewater metric (detectability, percent change, or flow-population normalized viral concentrations) adequately indicated when these surges started. After iteratively examining different combinations of these three metrics, we developed a simple algorithm that identifies unprecedented signals in the wastewater to help clarify changes in communities9 COVID-19 burden. Our novel algorithm accurately identified the start of both the Delta and Omicron surges in 84% of sites, potentially providing public health officials with an automated way to flag community-level COVID-19 surges.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Separating Signal from Noise in Wastewater Data: An Algorithm to Identify Community-Level COVID-19 Surges
• A multistage mixed-methods evaluation of the UKHSA testing response during the COVID-19 pandemic in England -

  Introduction: In 2020, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) established a large-scale testing programme to rapidly identify individuals in England who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 and had COVID-19. This comprised part of the UK government′s COVID-19 response strategy, to protect those at risk of severe COVID-19 disease and death and to reduce the burden on the health system. To assess the success of this approach, UKHSA commissioned an independent evaluation of the activities delivered by the NHS testing programme in England. The primary purpose of this evaluation is to capture key learnings from the rollout of testing to different target populations via various testing services between October 2020 and March 2022 and to use these insights to formulate recommendations for future pandemic preparedness strategy. Methods and analysis: The proposed study involves a stepwise mixed-methods approach, aligned with established methods for the evaluation of complex interventions in health, with retrospective and prospective components. A bottom-up approach will be taken, focusing on each of nine population-specific service settings. We will use a Theory of Change to understand the causal pathways and intended and unintended outcomes of each service, also exploring the effect of context on each individual service setting′s intended outcomes. Subsequently, the insights gained will be synthesised to identify process and outcome indicators to evaluate how the combined aims of the testing programme were achieved. A forward-looking, prospective component of this work will aim to inform testing strategy in preparation for future pandemics, through a participatory modelling simulation and policy analysis exercise. Disclaimer: This is a provisional draft protocol that represents research in progress. This research was commissioned and funded by UKHSA, to be performed between August 2022 and March 2023. The scope and depth of testing services and channels covered by this research were pre-agreed with UKHSA and are limited to the availability and provision of data available at the time this protocol was written.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: A multistage mixed-methods evaluation of the UKHSA testing response during the COVID-19 pandemic in England
• Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital admissions and inpatient mortality in Kenya -

  Background: The impact of COVID-19 in Africa remains poorly defined. We sought to describe trends in hospitalisation due to all medical causes, pneumonia-specific admissions, and inpatient mortality in Kenya before and during the first five waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kenya. Methods: We conducted a hospital-based observational study of patients admitted to 13 public referral facilities in Kenya from January 2018 to December 2021. The pre-COVID population included patients admitted before 1 March 2020. We fitted time series models to compare observed and predicted trends for each outcome. To estimate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic we calculated incidence rate ratios (IRR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) from negative binomial mixed-effects models. Results: Out of 302,703 patients (range 7453 to 27168) hospitalised across the 13 surveillance sites 84,337 (55.2%) were aged 15 years and older. Compared with the pre-COVID period, hospitalisations declined markedly among adult (IRR 0.68, 95% CI 0.63 to 0.73) and paediatric (IRR 0.67, 95% CI 0.62 to 0.73) patients. Adjusted in-hospital mortality also declined among both adult (IRR 0.83, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.89) and paediatric (IRR 0.85, 95% CI 0.77 to 0.94) admissions. Pneumonia-specific admissions among adults were higher during the pandemic (IRR 1.75, 95% CI 1.18 to 2.59), while the paediatric pneumonia cases were lower than pre-pandemic levels in the first year of the pandemic and elevated in late 2021 (IRR 0.78, 95% CI 0.51 to 1.20). Conclusions: Contrary to initial predictions, the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with lower rates of hospitalisation and in-hospital mortality, despite increased pneumonia admissions among adults. These trends were sustained after the withdrawal of containment measures that resulted in the disruption of essential health services, suggesting a role for additional factors that warrant further investigation.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital admissions and inpatient mortality in Kenya
• Complex changes in serum protein levels upon recovery from SARS-CoV2 infection -
  The COVID-19 pandemic, triggered by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, has affected millions of people worldwide. Much research has been dedicated to our understanding of COVID-19 disease heterogeneity and severity, but less is known about recovery associated changes. To address this gap in knowledge, we quantified the proteome from serum samples from 29 recuperated COVID-19 patients and 29 age-, race-, and sex-matched healthy controls. Many proteins from pathways known to change upon acute COVID-19 illness, such as from the complement cascade, coagulation system, inflammation and adaptive immune system, had returned to levels seen in healthy controls. In comparison, we identified 22 and 15 proteins with significantly elevated and lowered levels, respectively, amongst recuperated COVID-19 cases compared to healthy controls. Some of the changes were similar to those observed for the acute phase of the disease, i.e. elevated levels of proteins from hemolysis, the adaptive immune systems, and inflammation. In contrast, some changes opposed those in the acute phase, e.g. elevated levels of CETP and APOA1 which function in lipid/cholesterol metabolism, and decreased levels of proteins from the complement cascade (e.g. C1R, C1, and VWF), the coagulation system (e.g. THBS1 and VWF), and the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton (e.g. PFN1 and CFL1) amongst recuperated COVID-19 cases. We speculate that some of these changes might originate from transient decreases in platelet counts upon recovery from the disease. Finally, we observed race-specific changes, e.g. with respect to immunoglobulins and cholesterol-metabolism-related proteins.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Complex changes in serum protein levels upon recovery from SARS-CoV2 infection
• Experiences in the use of multiple doses of convalescent plasma in critically ill patients with COVID-19 -

  At the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, transfusion of COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) was considered as one of the possibilities to help severe patients to overcome COVID-19 disease. The use of CCP has been controversial as its effectiveness depends on many variables from the plasma donor and the COVID-19 patient, for example, time of convalescence or symptoms onset. This was a feasibility study assessing the safety of multiple doses of CCP in mechanically ventilated intubated patients with respiratory failure due to COVID-19. Thirty (30) patients with severe respiratory failure, in ICU, with invasive mechanical ventilation received up to 5 doses of 300 to 600 ml of CP on alternate days (0,2,4,6 and 8) until extubation, futility, or death. Nineteen patients received five doses, seven received four, and four had 2 or 3 doses. On day 28 of follow-up, 57% of patients recovered and were at home and the long-term mortality observed was 27%. The ten severe adverse events reported in the study were unrelated to CCP transfusion. This study suggests that transfusion of multiple doses of convalescent plasma (CP) is safe. This strategy may represent an option to use in new studies, given the potential benefit of CCP transfusions in the early stage of infection in unvaccinated populations and in settings where monoclonal antibodies or antivirals are contraindicated or not available.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Experiences in the use of multiple doses of convalescent plasma in critically ill patients with COVID-19
• Contribution of genetics and lifestyle to the risk of major cardiovascular and thromboembolic complications following COVID-19 -

  Clinical determinants for cardiovascular and thromboembolic (CVE) complications of COVID-19 are well-understood, but the roles of genetics and lifestyle remain unknown. We performed a prospective cohort study using UK Biobank, including 25,335 participants with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection between March 1, 2020, and September 3, 2021. Outcomes were hospital-diagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF), coronary artery disease (CAD), ischemic stroke (ISS), and venous thromboembolism (VTE) within 90 days post-infection. Heritable risk was represented by validated polygenic risk scores (PRSs). Lifestyle was defined by a composite of nine variables. We estimated adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) and confidence intervals (CI) using Cox proportional hazards models. In the COVID-19 acute phase, PRSs linearly predicted a higher risk of AF (aHR 1.52 per standard deviation increase, 95% CI 1.39 to 1.67), CAD (1.59, 1.40 to 1.81), and VTE (1.30, 1.11 to 1.53), but not ISS (0.92, 0.64 to 1.33). A healthy lifestyle was associated with a substantially lower risk of post-COVID-19 AF (0.70, 0.53 to 0.92), CAD (0.64, 0.44 to 0.91), and ISS (0.28, 0.12 to0.64), but not VTE (0.82, 0.48 to 1.39), compared with an unhealthy lifestyle. No evidence for interactions between genetics and lifestyle was found. Our results demonstrated that population genetics and lifestyle considerably influence cardiovascular complications following COVID-19, with implications for future personalised thromboprophylaxis and healthy lifestyle campaigns to offset the elevated cardiovascular disease burden imposed by the ongoing pandemic.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Contribution of genetics and lifestyle to the risk of major cardiovascular and thromboembolic complications following COVID-19
• Impact of COVID-19 related maternal stress on fetal brain development: A Multimodal MRI study -

  Background: Disruptions in perinatal care and support due to the COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented but significant stressor among pregnant women. Various neuro-structural differences have been reported among fetuses and infants born during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic counterparts. The relationship between maternal stress due to pandemic related disruptions and fetal brain is yet unexamined. Methods: Pregnant participants with healthy pregnancies were prospectively recruited in 2020-2022 in the greater Los Angeles Area. Participants completed multiple self-report assessments for experiences of pandemic related disruptions, perceived stress, and coping behaviors and underwent fetal MRI. Maternal perceived stress exposures were correlated with quantitative multimodal MRI measures of fetal brain development using multivariate models. Results: Fetal brain stem volume increased with increased maternal perception of pandemic related stress positively correlated with normalized fetal brainstem volume (suggesting accelerated brainstem maturation). In contrast, increased maternal perception of pandemic related stress correlated with reduced global fetal brain temporal functional variance (suggesting reduced functional connectivity). Conclusions: We report alterations in fetal brainstem structure and global functional fetal brain activity associated with increased maternal stress due to pandemic related disruptions, suggesting altered fetal programming. Long term follow-up studies are required to better understand the sequalae of these early multi-modal brain disruptions among infants born during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Impact of COVID-19 related maternal stress on fetal brain development: A Multimodal MRI study
• Supply Chain Resilience Strategies During COVID-19: A Case of Apparel Manufacturers -
  There are many natural and other disruptions to businesses and supply chains in this dynamic and uncertain business world. Facing those disruptions and surviving the company becomes highly challenging. Global apparel value chains have been severely disrupted by the COVID- 19 pandemic, which has delayed their recovery in the short term. This study explores how the sector mitigates challenges during the pandemic and the steps the industry should focus on in the new-normal era. Using a multidisciplinary approach, this study conducted an evidence- based case study method. Through secondary data, it was examined short-term and long-term strategies executed by the industry. Due to the scattered nature of the supply chain and the labour intensity, the apparel sector faced significant challenges compared to other businesses. However, the industry rebounded after the pandemic by adopting short-term and medium-term resilient strategies. This cross-case analysis discusses the challenges faced by apparel manufacturers during the COVID-19 pandemic in different countries. The industry adopted short-term and long-term solutions to recoup from the COVID-19 storm. The findings provide an opening for the researchers to explore the viability of the strategies adopted by the industry. Also, the results open avenues how for exploring other techniques to be assumed to be resilient in unexpected situations like COVID-19.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Supply Chain Resilience Strategies During COVID-19: A Case of Apparel Manufacturers
• Occupational risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection: a nationwide register-based study of the Danish workforce during the Covid-19 pandemic 2020-21 -

  Abstract (word count 246) Objectives Most earlier studies of occupational risk of Covid-19 covering the entire workforce are based on relatively rare outcomes such as hospital admission and mortality. This study examines the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection by occupational group based upon real-time polymerase chain reaction tests (RT-PCR). Methods The cohort includes 2.4 million Danish employees, 20-69 years of age. All data were retrieved from public registries. The sex-specific incidence rate ratios (IRR) of first-occurring positive RT-PCR test from week 8 of 2020 through week 50 of 2021 were computed by Poisson regression for each 4-digit DISCO-08 job code with more than 100 employees (337 in men; 297 in women). Occupational groups with low risk of workplace infection according to a job exposure matrix constituted the reference group. Risk estimates were adjusted by demographic, social and health characteristics including household size, completed Covid-19 vaccination, pandemic wave and occupation-specific frequency of testing. Results The IRR of a SARS-CoV-2 infection was elevated in 34 occupations comprising 12 % of male employees and 45 occupations comprising 41 % of female employees. All IRR estimates were below 2.0. Decreased IRRs were observed in 85 occupations in men but none in women. Discussion We observed a modestly increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among employees in numerous occupations indicating a large potential for prevention actions, especially in the female workforce. Cautious interpretation of observed risk in specific occupations is needed because of methodological issues inherent in analyses of RT-PCR-test results and because of multiple statistical tests.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Occupational risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection: a nationwide register-based study of the Danish workforce during the Covid-19 pandemic 2020-21
• Which curve are we flattening? The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 among economically marginalized communities in Ontario, Canada, was unchanged from wild-type to omicron -

  Economically marginalized communities have faced disproportionately higher risks for infection and death from COVID-19 across Canada. It was anticipated that health disparities would dissipate over time and during subsequent waves. We used person-level surveillance and neighbourhood-level income data to explore, using Lorenz curves and Gini coefficients, magnitude of inequalities in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths over five waves of COVID-19 in Ontario, Canada (population 14 million) between February 26, 2020 and February 28, 2022. We found that despite attempts at equity-informed policies alongside fluctuating levels of public health measures, inequalities in hospitalizations and deaths by income remained at levels observed during the first wave - prior to vaccination, discussion or implementation of equity-informed policies - and despite rising levels of hybrid immunity. There was no change in the magnitude of inequalities across all waves evaluated. Our findings indicate that interventions did not sufficiently address differential exposure risks amplified at the intersections of household crowding and size, workplace exposures, and systemic barriers to prevention and care (including access to therapeutics). Equity and effectiveness of programs are inherently linked and ongoing evaluation of both is central to inform the public health response to future waves of COVID-19 and other rapidly emergent pandemics.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Which curve are we flattening? The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 among economically marginalized communities in Ontario, Canada, was unchanged from wild-type to omicron
• A rapid review of Supplementary air filtration systems in health service settings. September 2022. -

  The aerosol spread of SARS-CoV-2 has been a major challenge for healthcare facilities and there has been increased use of supplementary air filtration to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Appropriately sized supplementary room air filtration systems could greatly reduce aerosol levels throughout ward spaces. Portable air filtration systems, such as those combining high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters and ultraviolet (UVC) light sterilisation, may be a scalable solution for removing respiratory viruses such as SARS-CoV-2. This rapid review aimed to assess the effectiveness of supplementary air cleaning devices in health service settings such as hospitals and dental clinics (including, but not limited to HEPA filtration, UVC light and mobile UVC light devices) to reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2. One systematic review (Daga et al. 2021), three observational studies (Conway Morris et al. 2022, Thuresson et al. 2022, Sloof et al. 2022), one modelling study, (Buchan et al. 2020) and two experimental studies (Barnewall & Bischoff 2021, Snelling et al. 2022) were found. Outcome measures included symptom scores, presence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in sample counts, general particulate matter counts, viral counts, and relative risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure. From real world settings, the systematic review assessed the effectiveness of HEPA filtration in dental clinics (Daga et al. 2021), two additional observational studies assessed HEPA and UV light in UK hospital settings (Conway Morris et al. 2022, Sloof et al. 2022) and one observational study included mobile HEPA-filtration units in Swedish hospitals (Thuresson et al. 2022). Studies were published from 2020 onwards. Real world evidence suggests supplementary air systems have the potential to reduce SARS-CoV-2 in the air and subsequently reduce transmission or infection rates but further research, with study designs having lower risk of bias, is required. HEPA filters alongside UVC light could provide the most notable reductions in SARS-CoV-2 counts, although the supporting evidence relates to HEPA/UVC filtration, and this review does not provide evidence on the effectiveness of other potential supplementary air filtration systems that could be used. Evidence is limited on the optimum air changes per hour needed and the positioning of air filtration units in rooms.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: A rapid review of Supplementary air filtration systems in health service settings. September 2022.

From Clinical Trials

• Safety and Efficacy of Medications COVID-19 - Condition:   Severe Covid-19
  Intervention:   Drug: Oral bedtime melatonin
  Sponsor:   Hospital San Carlos, Madrid
  Completed

• Use of Multiple Doses of Convalescent Plasma in Mechanically Intubated Patients With COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Biological: Multiple doses of anti-SARS-CoV-2 Convalescent Plasma
  Sponsors:   Hospital Regional Dr. Rafael Estévez;   Complejo Hospitalario Dr. Arnulfo Arias Madrid;   Hospital Santo Tomas;   Hospital Punta Pacífica, Pacífica Salud;   Insituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios para la Salud;   Sociedad Panameña de Hematología;   Institute of Scientific Research and High Technology Services (INDICASAT AIP);   University of Panama;   Sistema Nacional de Investigación de Panamá
  Completed

• Open Multicenter Study for Assessment of Efficacy and Safety of Molnupiravir in Adult Patients With COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: Molnupiravir (Esperavir);   Drug: Standard of care
  Sponsor:   Promomed, LLC
  Completed

• COVID-19 Testing and Vaccine Literacy for Women With Criminal Legal System Involvement - Condition:   COVID-19 Pandemic
  Intervention:   Behavioral: Tri-City COVID Attitudes Study
  Sponsor:   University of Kansas Medical Center
  Recruiting

• Effects of Respiratory Muscle Training in Individuals With Long-term Post-COVID-19 Symptoms - Conditions:   Covid19;   Post-acute COVID-19 Syndrome
  Interventions:   Other: Inspiratory + expiratory muscle training group;   Other: Inspiratory + expiratory muscle training sham group;   Other: Exercise training program
  Sponsors:   Universidad Complutense de Madrid;   Colegio Profesional de Fisioterapeutas de la Comunidad de Madrid
  Enrolling by invitation

• JT001 (VV116) for the Treatment of COVID-19 - Condition:   Mild to Moderate COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: JT001;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsors:   Shanghai Vinnerna Biosciences Co., Ltd.;   Sponsor GmbH
  Not yet recruiting

• Boost Intentions and Facilitate Action to Promote COVID-19 Booster Take-up - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Vaccines
  Interventions:   Behavioral: Eligibility reminder;   Behavioral: Link to a narrow set of vaccine venues;   Behavioral: Link to a broad set of vaccine venues;   Behavioral: Doctors’ recommendation and value of vaccine
  Sponsor:   University of California, Los Angeles
  Not yet recruiting

• Effects of Prompt to Bundle COVID-19 Booster and Flu Shot - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Vaccines
  Interventions:   Behavioral: Reminder to boost protection against COVID-19;   Behavioral: Flu Tag Along;   Behavioral: COVID-19 Booster & Flu Bundle
  Sponsor:   University of California, Los Angeles
  Not yet recruiting

• Information Provision and Consistency Framing to Increase COVID-19 Booster Uptake - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Vaccines
  Interventions:   Behavioral: Reminder that facilitates action;   Behavioral: Consistency framing;   Behavioral: Information provision about the uniqueness of the bivalent booster;   Behavioral: Information provision about bivalent booster eligibility;   Behavioral: Information provision about the severity of COVID-19 symptoms
  Sponsor:   University of California, Los Angeles
  Not yet recruiting

• Respiratory Muscles After Inspiratory Muscle Training After COVID-19 - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Diaphragm Injury
  Intervention:   Device: Inspiratory Muscle Training (IMT)
  Sponsors:   RWTH Aachen University;   Philipps University Marburg Medical Center
  Recruiting

• OPtimisation of Antiviral Therapy in Immunocompromised COVID-19 Patients: a Randomized Factorial Controlled Strategy Trial - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Immunodeficiency
  Interventions:   Drug: Paxlovid 5 days;   Drug: Paxlovid 10 days;   Drug: Tixagevimab and Cilgavimab
  Sponsors:   ANRS, Emerging Infectious Diseases;   University Hospital, Geneva
  Not yet recruiting

• A Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity of Combined Modified RNA Vaccine Candidates Against COVID-19 and Influenza - Conditions:   Influenza, Human;   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: bivalent BNT162b2 (original/Omi BA.4/BA.5);   Biological: qIRV (22/23);   Biological: QIV
  Sponsors:   BioNTech SE;   Pfizer
  Not yet recruiting

• Study to Evaluate Safety, Tolerability, Efficacy and Pharmacokinetics of ASC10 in Mild to Moderate COVID-19 Patients - Condition:   SARS CoV 2 Infection
  Interventions:   Drug: ASC10;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Ascletis Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• COVID-19 MP Biomedicals SARS-CoV-2 Ag OTC: Clinical Evaluation - Conditions:   SARS-CoV2 Infection;   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Device: iCura COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Home Test;   Device: RT-PCR Test
  Sponsors:   MP Biomedicals, LLC;   EDP Biotech
  Completed

• COVID-19 MP Biomedicals Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Test Usability - Conditions:   Sars-CoV-2 Infection;   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Device: Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Test
  Sponsors:   MP Biomedicals, LLC;   EDP Biotech
  Completed

From PubMed

• Ligand-based discovery of coronavirus main protease inhibitors using MACAW molecular embeddings - Ligand-based drug design methods are thought to require large experimental datasets to become useful for virtual screening. In this work, we propose a computational strategy to design novel inhibitors of coronavirus main protease, M^(pro). The pipeline integrates publicly available screening and binding affinity data in a two-stage machine-learning model using the recent MACAW embeddings. Once trained, the model can be deployed to rapidly screen large libraries of molecules in silico. Several…

• Resistance profile and mechanism of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 variants to LCB1 inhibitor targeting the spike receptor-binding motif - LCB1 is a 56-mer miniprotein computationally designed to target the spike (S) receptor-binding motif of SARS-CoV-2 with potent in vitro and in vivo inhibitory activities (Cao et al., 2020; Case et al., 2021). However, the rapid emergence and epidemic of viral variants have greatly impacted the effectiveness of S protein-targeting vaccines and antivirals. In this study, we chemically synthesized a peptide-based LCB1 inhibitor and characterized the resistance profile and underlying mechanism of…

• A multi-task FP-GNN framework enables accurate prediction of selective PARP inhibitors - PARP (poly ADP-ribose polymerase) family is a crucial DNA repair enzyme that responds to DNA damage, regulates apoptosis, and maintains genome stability; therefore, PARP inhibitors represent a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of various human diseases including COVID-19. In this study, a multi-task FP-GNN (Fingerprint and Graph Neural Networks) deep learning framework was proposed to predict the inhibitory activity of molecules against four PARP isoforms (PARP-1, PARP-2, PARP-5A,…

• Screening of Potent Phytochemical Inhibitors Against SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease: An Integrative Computational Approach - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a potentially lethal and devastating disease that has quickly become a public health threat worldwide. Due to its high transmission rate, many countries were forced to implement lockdown protocols, wreaking havoc on the global economy and the medical crisis. The main protease (M^(pro)) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative virus for COVID-19, represent an effective target for the development of a new drug/vaccine…

• Acetylshikonin inhibits inflammatory responses and Papain-like protease activity in murine model of COVID-19 - No abstract

• Efficient synthesis of novel colchicine-magnolol hybrids and evaluation of their inhibitory activity on key proteases of 2019-nCoV replication and acute lung injury - Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or 2019-nCoV), is a life-threatening infectious condition. Acute lung injury is a common complication in patients with COVID-19. 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CL^(pro)) of 2019-nCoV and neutrophil elastase are critical targets of COVID-19 and acute lung injury, respectively. Colchicine and magnolol are reported to exert inhibitory effects on inflammatory response, the severe comorbidity in…

• The impact of COVID-19 on student learning during the transition from remote to in-person learning: Using mind mapping to identify and address faculty concerns - The COVID-19 pandemic led to suspension of in-person learning at many higher education institutions (HEIs) in March 2020. In response, HEIs transitioned most courses to online formats immediately and continued this mode of instruction through the 2020-2021 academic year. In fall 2021, numerous HEIs resumed in-person courses and some hybrid courses, and faculty began noting academic-related behavior deficiencies not previously observed in students. Focus groups of teaching faculty (n=8) from one…

• The potential for traditional Chinese therapy in treating sleep disorders caused by COVID-19 through the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway - Since the outbreak of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in 2019, it has spread rapidly across the globe. Sleep disorders caused by COVID-19 have become a major concern for COVID-19 patients and recovered patients. So far, there’s no effective therapy on this. Traditional Chinese therapy (TCT) has a great effect on sleep disorders, with rare side effects and no obvious withdrawal symptoms. The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway, a neuroregulatory pathway in the central nervous system that uses…

• Temporal proteomic analyses of human lung cells distinguish high pathogenicity influenza viruses and coronaviruses from low pathogenicity viruses - Newly re-emerging viruses are of significant global concern. In late 2019, a new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, emerged in China and soon spread worldwide, causing the COVID-19 pandemic, which to date has caused >6 M deaths. There has been a wealth of studies on this new virus since its emergence. The coronaviruses consist of many animal and human pathogens, with some of the human coronavirus, such as strain OC43, normally causing only mild cold-like symptoms. Viruses usurp host cellular processes to…

• Impact of SARS-CoV-2 ORF6 and its variant polymorphisms on host responses and viral pathogenesis - We and others have previously shown that the SARS-CoV-2 accessory protein ORF6 is a powerful antagonist of the interferon (IFN) signaling pathway by directly interacting with Nup98-Rae1 at the nuclear pore complex (NPC) and disrupting bidirectional nucleo-cytoplasmic trafficking. In this study, we further assessed the role of ORF6 during infection using recombinant SARS-CoV-2 viruses carrying either a deletion or a well characterized M58R loss-of-function mutation in ORF6. We show that ORF6…

• Heterologous SARS-CoV-2 IgA neutralising antibody responses in convalescent plasma - CONCLUSION: Overall, convalescent plasma IgA contributed to the neutralising antibody response of wild-type SARS-CoV-2 RBD and various RBD mutations. However, this response displayed large heterogeneity and was less potent than IgG.

• Small-Molecule RAF265 as an Antiviral Therapy Acts against PEDV Infection - Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), a member of the family Coronaviridae, causes acute diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, and high mortality in newborn piglets, and has caused significant economic losses in the pig industry. There are currently no specific drugs available to treat PEDV. Viruses depend exclusively on the cellular machinery to ensure an efficient replication cycle. In the present study, we found that small-molecule RAF265, an anticancer drug that has been shown to be a potent…

• Antiviral Activity of Ficus rubiginosa Leaf Extracts against HSV-1, HCoV-229E and PV-1 - Ficus rubiginosa plant extract showed antimicrobial activity, but no evidence concerning its antiviral properties was reported. The antiviral activity of the methanolic extract (MeOH) and its n-hexane (H) and ethyl acetate (EA) fractions against Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1), Human coronavirus (HCoV) -229E, and Poliovirus-1 (PV-1) was investigated in the different phases of viral infection in the VERO CCL-81 cell line. To confirm the antiviral efficacy, a qPCR was conducted. The recorded…

• A Syntenin Inhibitor Blocks Endosomal Entry of SARS-CoV-2 and a Panel of RNA Viruses - Viruses are dependent on host factors in order to efficiently establish an infection and replicate. Targeting the interactions of such host factors provides an attractive strategy to develop novel antivirals. Syntenin is a protein known to regulate the architecture of cellular membranes by its involvement in protein trafficking and has previously been shown to be important for human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. Here, we show that a highly potent and metabolically stable peptide inhibitor…

• Optimization of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Treatments Based on Curcumin, Used Alone or Employed as a Photosensitizer - Curcumin, the bioactive compound of the spice Curcuma longa, has already been reported as a potential COVID-19 adjuvant treatment due to its immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. In this study, SARS-CoV-2 was challenged with curcumin; moreover, curcumin was also coupled with laser light at 445 nm in a photodynamic therapy approach. Curcumin at a concentration of 10 μM, delivered to the virus prior to inoculation on cell culture, inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication (reduction >99%)…

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