Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• Risk compensation during COVID-19: The impact of face mask usage on social distancing. -
  To reduce the spread of Covid-19, governments around the world have recommended or required minimum physical distancing between individuals, as well as either mandating or recommending the use of face coverings (masks) in certain circumstances. When multiple risk reduction activities can be adopted, people may engage in risk compensation by responding to a reduced (perceived) risk exposure due to one activity by increasing risk exposure due to another. We tested for risk compensation in two online experiments that investigated whether either wearing a mask or seeing others wearing masks reduced physical distancing. We presented participants with stylized images of everyday scenarios involving themselves with or without a mask and a stranger with or without a mask. For each scenario, participants indicated the minimum distance they would keep from the stranger. In line with risk compensation, we found that participants indicated they would stand, sit or walk closer to the stranger if either of them was wearing a mask. This form of risk compensation was stronger for those who believed masks were effective at preventing catching or spreading Covid-19, and for younger (18-40 years) compared to older (over 65 years) participants.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Risk compensation during COVID-19: The impact of face mask usage on social distancing.
• Sensitivity of diffusion-tensor and correlated diffusion imaging to white-matter microstructural abnormalities: application in COVID-19 -
  There has been growing attention on the effect of COVID-19 on white-matter microstructure, especially among those that self-isolated after being infected. There is also immense scientific interest and potential clinical utility to evaluate the sensitivity of single-shell diffusion MRI methods for detecting such effects. In this work, the sensitivities of three single-shell-compatible diffusion MRI modeling methods are compared for detecting the effect of COVID-19, including diffusion-tensor imaging, diffusion-tensor decomposition of orthogonal moments and correlated diffusion imaging. Imaging was performed on self-isolated patients at baseline and 3-month follow-up, along with age- and sex-matched controls. We demonstrate through simulations and experimental data that correlated diffusion imaging is associated with far greater sensitivity, being the only one of the three single-shell methods to demonstrate COVID-19-related brain effects. Results suggest less restricted diffusion in the frontal lobe in COVID-19 patients. Results also demonstrate, for the first time, more restricted diffusion in the cerebellar white matter, in agreement with several existing studies highlighting the vulnerability of the cerebellum to COVID-19 infection. Whereas correlated diffusion imaging can be successfully applied using single-shell diffusion data, different b-values also confer different sensitivities to these two opposing effects. No significant difference was observed in patients at the 3-month follow-up. To summarize, correlated diffusion imaging is shown to be a sensitive single-shell diffusion analysis approach that allowed us to uncovered opposing patterns of diffusion changes in the frontal and cerebellar regions of COVID-19 patients, suggesting the two regions react differently to viral infection.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Sensitivity of diffusion-tensor and correlated diffusion imaging to white-matter microstructural abnormalities: application in COVID-19
• A linear SARS-CoV-2 DNA vaccine candidate reduces virus shedding in ferrets -
  Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has caused more than 600 million cases and over 6 million deaths worldwide. Vaccination has been the main strategy used to contain the spread of the virus, and to avoid hospitalizations and deaths. Currently, there are two mRNA-based and one adenovirus vectored vaccines approved and available for use in the U.S. population. The versatility, low cost and rapid-to-manufacture attributes of DNA vaccines are important advantages over other platforms. However, DNA vaccination must meet higher efficiency levels for use in humans. Importantly, in vivo DNA delivery combined with electroporation (EP) has been successfully used in the veterinary field. Here we evaluated the safety, immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a novel linear SARS-CoV-2 DNA vaccine candidate for delivered by intramuscular injection followed by electroporation (Vet-ePorator) in ferrets. The results demonstrated that the linear SARS-CoV-2 DNA vaccine candidate did not cause unexpected side effects, and was able to elicit neutralizing antibodies and T cell responses using a low dose of the linear DNA construct in prime-boost regimen, and significantly reduced shedding of infectious SARS-CoV-2 through oral and nasal secretions in a ferret model.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: A linear SARS-CoV-2 DNA vaccine candidate reduces virus shedding in ferrets
• Social norms (not threat) mediate willingness to sacrifice in individuals fused with the nation -
  Identity fusion with the community has been previously found to mediate altruism in post-disaster settings. However, whether this altruistic response is specifically triggered by ingroup threat, or whether it can also be triggered by global threats remains unclear. We evaluated willingness to sacrifice in the context of the covid-19 pandemic across three surveys waves. Against expectations, participants fused with the nation (vs. non-fused) did not differentially respond to a national vs. global threat condition. Conversely, social norms decisively influenced willingness to sacrifice in this sample, with fused individuals with stronger norms about social distancing reporting the highest altruistic response during the first weeks of the pandemic. Longitudinally, after an initial peak in the altruistic response, deteriorating social norms mediated decreases in willingness to sacrifice in individuals fused with the nation (versus non-fused). Implications of these results for the development of interventions aimed to address global challenges are discussed.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Social norms (not threat) mediate willingness to sacrifice in individuals fused with the nation
• The March of the Human Footprint -
  Human influence is driving planetary change, often in undesirable and unsustainable ways. Recent advances enabled us to measure changes in humanity’s footprint on Earth annually from 2000 – 2019 with a nine-fold improvement in spatial resolution over previous efforts. We found that earlier studies seriously under-estimated the magnitude, extent, and rate of change in the human footprint. Inclusion of newly available data sources suggest that human influence on the land surface grew faster in the five years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic than at any other time in the last 12,000 years. The global extent of uninfluenced areas declined by 23% over the last two decades, an area equivalent to one-third the land mass of the United States. By providing a mechanism to regularly update maps going forward, this work provides a foundation for more accurate, detailed and timely approaches to sustainability.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The March of the Human Footprint
• What drives us to be (ir)responsible for our health during the COVID-19 pandemic? The role of personality, thinking styles and conspiracy mentality -
  Abstract The study aimed to investigate the role of personality, thinking styles, and conspiracy mentality in health-related behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic, i.e., recommended health behaviors according to COVID-19 guidelines and engagement in pseudoscientific practices related to COVID-19. Basic personality space was defined by the HEXACO model complemented by Disintegration, which represents psychotic-like experiences and behaviors reconceptualized as a personality trait. Mediation analyses conducted on a convenient sample from the general population recruited via social media and by snowballing (N=417) showed that engagement in pseudoscientific behaviors was predicted by high Disintegration. However, this relationship was entirely mediated by high experiential and low rational thinking styles. Adherence to health practices recommended by COVID-19 guidelines was predicted by high Honesty traits, while low Disintegration had both direct and indirect effects through conspiracy mentality.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: What drives us to be (ir)responsible for our health during the COVID-19 pandemic? The role of personality, thinking styles and conspiracy mentality
• Inflammation and autoreactivity define a discrete subset of patients with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, or long-COVID -

  While significant attention has been paid to the immunologic determinants of disease states associated with COVID-19, their contributions to post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) remain less clear. Due to the wide array of PASC presentations, it is critical to understand if specific features of the disease are associated with discrete immune processes, and whether those processes may be therapeutically targeted. To this end, we performed wide immunologic and serological characterization of patients in the early recovery phase of COVID-19 across a breadth of symptomatic presentations. Using high-parameter proteomics screening and applied machine learning (ML), we identify clear signatures of immunologic activity between PASC patients and uncomplicated recovery, dominated by inflammatory cytokine signaling, neutrophil activity, and markers of cell death. Consistent with disease complexity, heterogeneity in plasma profiling reveals distinct PASC subsets with striking divergence in these ongoing inflammatory processes, here termed plasma quiescent (plaq) and inflammatory (infl) PASC. In addition to elevated inflammatory blood proteomics, inflPASC patients display positive clinical tests of acute inflammation including C-reactive protein and fibrinogen, increased B cell activity with extrafollicular involvement coupled with elevated targeting of viral nucleocapsid protein and clinical autoreactivity. Further, the unique plasma signatures of PASC patients allowed for the creation of refined models with high sensitivity and specificity for the positive identification of inflPASC with a streamlined assessment of 12 blood markers. Additionally, refined ML modeling highlights the unexpected significance of several markers of potential diagnostic or therapeutic use for PASC in general, including the peptide hormone, epiregulin. In all, this work identifies clear biological signatures of PASC with potential diagnostic and therapeutic potential and establishes clear disease subtypes that are both easily identifiable and highly relevant to ongoing efforts in both therapeutic targeting and epidemiological investigation of this highly complex disease.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Inflammation and autoreactivity define a discrete subset of patients with post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, or long-COVID
• Trend and co-occurrence network study of symptoms through social media: an example of COVID-19 -

  Abstract Importance: COVID-19 is a multi-organ disease with broad-spectrum manifestations. Clinical data-driven research can be difficult because many patients do not receive prompt diagnoses, treatment, and follow-up studies. Social medias accessibility, promptness, and rich information provide an opportunity for large-scale and long-term analyses, enabling a comprehensive symptom investigation to complement clinical studies. Objective: Present an efficient workflow to identify and study the characteristics and co-occurrences of COVID-19 symptoms using social media. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study analyzed 471,553,966 COVID-19-related tweets from February 1, 2020, to April 30, 2022. A comprehensive lexicon of symptoms was used to filter tweets through rule-based methods. 948,478 tweets with self-reported symptoms from 689,551 Twitter users were identified for analysis. Main Outcomes and Measures: The overall trends of COVID-19 symptoms reported on Twitter were analyzed (separately by the Delta strain and the Omicron strain) using weekly new numbers, overall frequency, and temporal distribution of reported symptoms. A co-occurrence network was developed to investigate relationships between symptoms and affected organ systems. Results: The weekly quantity of self-reported symptoms has a high consistency (0.8528, P<0.0001) and one-week leading trend (0. 8802, P<0.0001) with new infections in four countries. We grouped 201 common symptoms (mentioned ≥ 10 times) into 10 affected systems. The frequency of symptoms showed dynamic changes as the pandemic progressed, from typical respiratory symptoms in the early stage to more musculoskeletal and nervous symptoms at later stages. When comparing symptoms reported during the Delta strain versus the Omicron variant, significant changes were observed, with dropped odd ratios of coma (95%CI 0.55-0.49, P<0.01) and anosmia (95%CI, 0.6-0.56), and more pain in the throat (95%CI, 1.86-1.96) and concentration problems (95%CI, 1.58-1.70). The co-occurrence network characterizes relationships among symptoms and affected systems, both intra-systemic, such as cough and sneezing (respiratory), and inter-systemic, such as alopecia (integumentary) and impotence (reproductive). Conclusions and Relevance: We found dynamic COVID-19 symptom evolution through self-reporting on social media and identified 201 symptoms from 10 affected systems. This demonstrates that social medias prevalence trends and co-occurrence networks can efficiently identify and study public health problems, such as common symptoms during pandemics.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Trend and co-occurrence network study of symptoms through social media: an example of COVID-19
• Characterizing Longitudinal Antibody Responses in Recovered Individuals Following COVID-19 Infection and Single-Dose Vaccination in British Columbia, Canada: a Prospective Cohort Study -

  Background: Investigating antibody titres in individuals who have been both naturally infected with SARS-CoV-2 and vaccinated can provide insight into antibody dynamics and correlates of protection over time. Methods: Human coronavirus (HCoV) IgG antibodies were measured longitudinally in a prospective cohort of PCR-confirmed, COVID-19 recovered individuals (k=57) in British Columbia pre- and post-vaccination. SARS-CoV-2 and endemic HCoV antibodies were measured in serum collected between Nov. 2020 and Sept. 2021 (n=341). Primary analysis used a linear mixed-effects model to understand the effect of single dose vaccination on antibody concentrations adjusting for biological sex, age, time from infection and vaccination. Secondary analysis investigated the cumulative incidence of high SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike IgG seroreactivity equal to or greater than 5.5 log10 AU/mL up to 105 days post-vaccination. No re-infections were detected in vaccinated participants, post-vaccination by qRT-PCR performed on self-collected nasopharyngeal specimens. Results: Bivariate analysis (complete data for 42 participants, 270 samples over 472 days) found SARS-CoV-2 spike and RBD antibodies increased 14-56 days post-vaccination (p<0.001) and vaccination prevented waning (B=1.66 [95%CI: 1.45-3.46]); while decline of nucleocapsid antibodies over time was observed (B=-0.24 [95%CI: -1.2-(-0.12)]). A non-significant trend towards higher spike antibodies against endemic beta-HCoVs was also noted. On average, SARS-CoV-2 anti-spike IgG concentration increased in participants who received one vaccine dose by 2.06 log10 AU/mL (95%CI: 1.45-3.46) adjusting for age, biological sex, and time. Cumulative incidence of high SARS-CoV-2 spike antibodies (>5.5 log10 AU/mL) was 83% greater in vaccinated compared to unvaccinated individuals. Conclusions: Our study confirms that vaccination post-SARS-CoV-2 infection provides multiple benefits, such as increasing anti-spike IgG titers and preventing decay up to 85 days post-vaccination.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Characterizing Longitudinal Antibody Responses in Recovered Individuals Following COVID-19 Infection and Single-Dose Vaccination in British Columbia, Canada: a Prospective Cohort Study
• Binding and neutralizing IgG responses to SARS-CoV-2 after natural infection or vaccination -

  Background: Whether vaccination or natural infection provides greater benefit regarding the development of sustained immunity against SARS-CoV-2 remains unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide a direct comparison of IgG durability and neutralizing antibody (NAb) levels in vaccinated and unvaccinated adults. Methods: This was a prospective, cross-sectional study of antibody durability in 1087 individuals with a median (IQR) age of 42 (35, 52) years who were unvaccinated and previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 (Arm 1, n=351) or vaccinated against the virus (Arm 2, n=737). Participants self-reported vaccination and infection history and provided self-collected serology samples using mailed collection kits. Results: Anti-S1 IgG seroprevalence was 15.6% higher in vaccinated versus unvaccinated, previously-infected individuals across intervals ranging from 1 to 12 months and antibody survival was sustained near 100% through 12 months in the vaccinated group. NAb titers at 50% inhibition were significantly greater in vaccinated individuals with values that averaged 893.0 units higher than those observed in the unvaccinated, naturally infected group. Conclusions: These findings suggest that vaccination as opposed to natural infection alone provides significant advantages in terms of sustained and effective (neutralizing) immunity against prior variants of SARS-CoV-2. Future efforts to characterize SARS-CoV-2 immune responses should address hybrid immunity, booster status and formulation, and protection against (sub)variants of Omicron and future lineages, as well as weigh the potential impact of other immune system mechanisms.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Binding and neutralizing IgG responses to SARS-CoV-2 after natural infection or vaccination
• Superposition of Droplet and Aerosol risk in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 -

  Objectives. Considering three viral transmission routes: fomite contact, aerial transmission by droplets, and aerial transmission by aerosols, the aerial routes have been the focus of debate about the relative role of droplets and aerosols in SARS-CoV-2 infection. We seek to quantify infection risk in an enclosed space via short-range airborne transmission from droplets and long-range risk from aerosols toward focusing public health measures. Methods. Data from three published studies were analyzed to predict relative exposure at distances of 1 m and farther, mediated by droplet size divided into two bins: larger than 8 μm and smaller than 75 μm (medium droplets) and smaller than 8 μm (small droplets or aerosols). The results at 1 m from an infectious individual were treated as a boundary condition to model infection risk at greater distance. At all distances, infection risk was treated as the sum of exposure to small and medium droplets. It was assumed that number of virions is proportional to droplet volume. Results. The largest infection risk (as exposure to droplet volume) came from medium droplets, close to the infectious individual out to approximately 1 m. Farther away, the largest risk was due to aerosols. For one model, medium droplet exposure disappeared at 1.8 m. Conclusions. Policy concerning social distancing for meaningful infection reduction relies on droplet exposure as a function of distance, yet within this construct droplet size determines respiratory deposition. This two-fold distance effect can be used to evaluate additional measures such as plexiglass barriers and masking.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Superposition of Droplet and Aerosol risk in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2
• Effect of COVID-19 on Food Choices and Eating Behaviour: a study protocol -

  Background and Aims: Research suggests that many individuals infected with COVID-19 experience changes in taste and smell that can persist for months after the initial infection. These sensory changes can potentially have long-term impacts on dietary choices, nutrition, and body weight. The aim of this study is to explore COVID-related changes in dietary intake among University Students. Methods: A retrospective cohort design will be used to compare a cohort of University Students who experienced COVID-19 infection versus pre-existing data collected from a similar cohort prior to the pandemic. Specifically, the pre-existing data were collected between July 2017 and July 2021. Both datasets comprise of a weighed Food Record and Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire. The cohort will also be asked about their experience with COVID-19 and changes in their eating behaviour since before the pandemic. Total daily energy intake, macronutrient intake and composition, will be compared across groups using an ANCOVA analysis controlling for age, gender, and ethnicity. Discussion: Understanding the long-term impact of COVID-19 infection is crucial. While COVID-related sensory changes are hypothesised to have impacts on eating behaviour and dietary choices, it is challenging to perform controlled cohort studies due to the high prevalence of undetected infections. The proposed temporal analyses provide a unique opportunity to test for COVID-related impacts on eating behaviour.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Effect of COVID-19 on Food Choices and Eating Behaviour: a study protocol
• Populational analysis of the immunoglobulin G response to different COVID-19 vaccines in Brazil -

  Vaccination is a strategy that confers protection against symptomatic infections and/or development of severe COVID-19. In Brazil, COVID-19 vaccination began in January 2021 and has been performed using vaccines from different manufactures including CoronaVac (Sinovac), ChAdOx1 (Oxford/AstraZeneca) and BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech). One of the main protective mechanisms triggered by vaccination involves the production of IgG antibodies reactive to the Spike antigen of SARS-CoV-2, the levels of which correlates with vaccine efficacy. Although phase III clinical studies confirmed the efficacy of the vaccines used in Brazil, there are just few studies comparing vaccine immunogenicity in a real-world scenario. This study aimed to depict the IgG response to natural infections and to vaccination using different types of vaccines at population scale in Matinhos, a city located in south of Brazil. Nucleocapsid seroconversion rates indicated that more than a quarter of the cohort has been subjected to natural infections by SARS-CoV-2 by the first trimester of 2022. Spike seroconversion rates achieved >95% by February 2022 and maintained stable as far as June 2022 confirming the effectiveness of the vaccination program. Immunogenicity concerning IgG reactive to Spike was higher using the BNT162b2 vaccine, followed by ChAdOx1 and CoronaVac. Natural infections boosted IgG levels reactive to Spike in those individuals that completed primary vaccination with ChAdOx1 and CoronaVac but not with BNT162b2. The levels of IgG reactive to Spike increased with the number of vaccine doses administered. The application of BNT162b2 as booster dose resulted in high levels of IgG reactive to Spike which were similar despite the type of the vaccine used during primary vaccination.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Populational analysis of the immunoglobulin G response to different COVID-19 vaccines in Brazil
• Differences in COVID-19 cyclicity and predictability among U.S. counties and states reflect the effectiveness of protective measures -

  Data available for COVID-19 in the USA make it possible to assess the dynamics of disease spread with 20:20 hindsight. Here, we analyze archived data to explain variation among counties and states in the cyclicity and predictability (that is, the extent to which predictions are possible) of disease dynamics, using a combination of statistical and simulation models. For the period after the initial outbreak but before widespread vaccination (May 2020 - February 2021), we show that for half the counties and states the spread rate of COVID-19, r(t), was predictable at most 9 weeks and 8 weeks ahead, respectively, corresponding to at most 40% and 35% of an average cycle length of 23 weeks and 26 weeks. However, there were large differences among counties and states, and high predictability was associated with high cyclicity of r(t). Furthermore, predictability was negatively associated with R0 values from the pandemic9s onset. This suggests that a severe initial outbreak induced strong and sustained protective measures to lower disease transmission, and these protective measures in turn reduced both cyclicity and predictability. Thus, decreased predictability of disease spread should be viewed as a by-product of positive and sustained steps that people take to protect themselves and others.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Differences in COVID-19 cyclicity and predictability among U.S. counties and states reflect the effectiveness of protective measures
• Antigen concentration, viral load, and test performance for SARS-CoV-2 in multiple specimen types -

  The relationship between N-antigen concentration and viral load within a specimen and across different specimens is essential for interpretation of rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) clinical performance in different use cases. A prospective study was conducted in Porto Velho, Brazil, to investigate RDT performance in different specimen types as a function of the correlation between antigen concentration and viral load. The study included 214 close contacts with recent exposures to confirmed cases, aged 12 years and older and with various levels of vaccination. Antigen concentration was measured in nasopharyngeal swab (NPS), anterior nares swab (ANS), and saliva specimens. Reverse transcriptase (RT)PCR was conducted on the NPS and saliva specimens, and two RDTs were conducted on ANS and one on saliva. Antigen concentration correlated with viral load when measured in the same specimen type but not across specimen types. Antigen levels were higher in symptomatic cases compared to asymptomatic/oligosymptomatic cases and lower in saliva compared to NPS and ANS samples. Discordant results between the RDTs conducted on ANS and the RT-PCR on NPS were resolved by antigen concentration values. The analytical limit-of-detection of RDTs can be used to predict the performance of the tests in populations for which the antigen concentration is known. The antigen dynamics across different sample types observed in SARS-CoV-2 disease progression support use of RDTs in nasal samples. Given lower antigen concentrations in saliva, tests using saliva is expected to require improved analytical sensitivity to achieve clinical sensitivity similar to testing of nasal samples.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Antigen concentration, viral load, and test performance for SARS-CoV-2 in multiple specimen types

From Clinical Trials

• The Efficacy and Safety of TADIOS as an Adjuvant Therapy in Patients Diagnosed With Mild to Moderate COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: TADIOS;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Helixmith Co., Ltd.
  Completed

• COVID-19 Fourth Dose Study in Australia - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: Tozinameran;   Biological: Elasomeran;   Biological: Bivalent Pfizer-BioNTech;   Biological: Bivalent Moderna
  Sponsors:   Murdoch Childrens Research Institute;   Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations;   The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
  Not yet recruiting

• PBI-0451 Phase 2 Study in Nonhospitalized Symptomatic Adults With COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: PBI-0451;   Drug: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Pardes Biosciences, Inc.
  Recruiting

• COVID-19 iCura SARS-CoV-2 Ag OTC: Clinical Evaluation - Conditions:   SARS-CoV-2 Infection;   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Device: iCura COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Home Test;   Diagnostic Test: RT-PCR Test
  Sponsors:   EDP Biotech;   Paragon Rx Clinical, Inc.;   iCura Diagnostics, LLC
  Recruiting

• FMT for Post-acute COVID-19 Syndrome - Conditions:   Post-Acute COVID19 Syndrome;   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Procedure: Faecal Microbiota Transplantation
  Sponsor:   Chinese University of Hong Kong
  Recruiting

• Research on Community Based ATK Test Study to Control Spread of COVID-19 in Migrant Community - Condition:   COVID-19 Pandemic
  Intervention:   Device: STANDARD Q COVID-19 Ag Test
  Sponsor:   University of Oxford
  Active, not recruiting

• Evaluation of the Efficacy of Mouth Rinses With Commercial Mouthwashes to Decrease Viral Load in Saliva in COVID-19 Patients - Condition:   covid19
  Interventions:   Drug: Lacer Clorhexidina Colutorio;   Drug: Lacer Clorhexidine 0.20% Colutorio;   Drug: Gingilacer Encías Delicadas Colutorio;   Drug: Distilled water
  Sponsors:   Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana;   Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz;   Hospital Universitario Infanta Elena
  Completed

• Spikogen Booster Study - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Biological: SpikoGen vaccine
  Sponsors:   Vaxine Pty Ltd;   Australian Respiratory and Sleep Medicine Institute Ltd;   Cinnagen
  Not yet recruiting

• Safety and Immunogenicity of COVID-19 Vaccine in Population Aged 18 Years and Above - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: low-dose LYB001;   Biological: Recombinant COVID-19 Vaccine (CHO Cell);   Biological: high-dose LYB001
  Sponsors:   Guangzhou Patronus Biotech Co., Ltd.;   Yantai Patronus Biotech Co., Ltd.
  Recruiting

• Long COVID-19 Syndrome in Primary Care: A Novel Protocol of Exercise Intervention “CON-VIDA Clinical Trial” - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Long COVID;   Post-COVID-19 Syndrome
  Intervention:   Behavioral: EXERCISE
  Sponsor:   Universidad San Jorge
  Active, not recruiting

• Safety and Immunogenicity of Inactivated Heterologous Booster Vaccination - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Biological: VLA 2001
  Sponsor:   Centro de Estudios en Infectogía Pediatrica
  Not yet recruiting

• The Efficacy and Safety of BioBlock® Intranasally Administered Virus-Neutralizing Bovine Colostrum Nasal Spray in Preventing of COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease-19) Infection in Healthy Volunteer Individuals - Condition:   SARS CoV 2 Infection
  Intervention:   Biological: BioBlock® antiviral nasal spray
  Sponsor:   Chemi-Pharm AS
  Recruiting

• Safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity of Trivalent Coronavirus Vaccine Candidate VBI-2901a - Conditions:   COVID-19;   Coronavirus Infections
  Intervention:   Biological: VBI-2901a
  Sponsor:   VBI Vaccines Inc.
  Not yet recruiting

• 3EO Health SARS-CoV-2 OTC At Home Test - Condition:   COVID-19 Pandemic
  Intervention:   Diagnostic Test: In Vitro
  Sponsor:   3EO Health
  Not yet recruiting

• Effects of Diagrammatic Breathing With and Without Resistance in Post Covid Patients on ADLs - Condition:   COVID-19 Pandemic
  Interventions:   Other: Diaphragmatic breathing with Resistance Training;   Other: diaphragmatic breathing with out resistance training
  Sponsor:   Riphah International University
  Not yet recruiting

From PubMed

• NLRP3-inflammasome activation in male reproductive system diseases - The nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich containing family, pyrin domain-containing-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, a multiprotein complex belonging to the innate immune system, plays a key role in the chronic inflammatory response, through the production of proinflammatory cytokines, IL-1β and IL-18, which can elicit their effects through receptor activation, both locally and systemically. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated the interaction of NLRP3 inflammasome components with redox signaling,…

• Receptor-binding domain-anchored peptides block binding of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike proteins with cell surface angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 - CONCLUSION: Using PhD methodology, two peptides were generated bearing potentials to interfere with S protein-ACE2 interaction, which might be further exploited to produce peptidomimetics that block the attachment of SARS-CoV-2 virus onto host cells, hence diminishing the pathogenesis of COVID-19.

• SARS-CoV-2 Nsp14 protein associates with IMPDH2 and activates NF-κB signaling - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection leads to NF-κB activation and induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines, though the underlying mechanism for this activation is not fully understood. Our results reveal that the SARS-CoV-2 Nsp14 protein contributes to the viral activation of NF-κB signaling. Nsp14 caused the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65. Nsp14 induced the upregulation of IL-6 and IL-8, which also occurred in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells. IL-8 upregulation…

• The regulation of ISG20 expression on SARS-CoV-2 infection in cancer patients and healthy individuals - ISG20 inhibits viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 invasion; however, details of its expression and regulation with viral susceptibility remain to be elucidated. The present study analyzed ISG20 expression, isoform information, survival rate, methylation patterns, immune cell infiltration, and COVID-19 outcomes in healthy and cancerous individuals. Cordycepin (CD) and N6, N6-dimethyladenosine (m⁶ (2)A) were used to treat cancer cells for ISG20 expression. We revealed that ISG20 mRNA expression was…

• Targeted protein S-nitrosylation of ACE2 inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection - Prevention of infection and propagation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a high priority in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Here we describe S-nitrosylation of multiple proteins involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection, including angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the receptor for viral entry. This reaction prevents binding of ACE2 to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, thereby inhibiting viral entry, infectivity and cytotoxicity. Aminoadamantane…

• SARS-CoV-2 infects adipose tissue in a fat depot- and viral lineage-dependent manner - Visceral adiposity is a risk factor for severe COVID-19, and a link between adipose tissue infection and disease progression has been proposed. Here we demonstrate that SARS-CoV-2 infects human adipose tissue and undergoes productive infection in fat cells. However, susceptibility to infection and the cellular response depends on the anatomical origin of the cells and the viral lineage. Visceral fat cells express more ACE2 and are more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection than their subcutaneous…

• Novel Regioselective Approach to Cyclize Phage-Displayed Peptides in Combination with Epitope-Directed Selection to Identify a Potent Neutralizing Macrocyclic Peptide for SARS-CoV-2 - Using the regioselective cyanobenzothiazole condensation reaction with an N-terminal cysteine and the chloroacetamide reaction with an internal cysteine, a phage-displayed macrocyclic 12-mer peptide library was constructed and subsequently validated. Using this library in combination with iterative selections against two epitopes from the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Spike protein, macrocyclic peptides that strongly inhibit the…

• Interaction of HDAC2 with SARS-CoV-2 NSP5 and IRF3 Is Not Required for NSP5-Mediated Inhibition of Type I Interferon Signaling Pathway - Over the last 2 years, several global virus-host interactome studies have been published with SARS-CoV-2 proteins with the purpose of better understanding how specific viral proteins can subvert or utilize different cellular processes to promote viral infection and pathogenesis. However, most of the virus-host protein interactions have not yet been confirmed experimentally, and their biological significance is largely unknown. The goal of this study was to verify the interaction of NSP5, the…

• A New Complex Design of Fe (II) Isoleucine Dithiocarbamate as a Novel Anticancer and Antivirus against SARSCOV-2 (COVID-19) - CONCLUSION: Cytotoxic test of Fe(II) isoleucine dithiocarbamate showed moderate anticancer activity on MCF-7 cancer cells and showed antiviral activity against SARSCOV-2 by interfering with spike glycoprotein -ACE2 receptors, and inhibiting major proteases and 3Clpro.

• IL-10 suppresses T cell expansion while promoting tissue-resident memory cell formation during SARS-CoV-2 infection in rhesus macaques - The pro- and anti-inflammatory pathways that determine the balance of inflammation and viral control during SARS-CoV-2 infection are not well understood. Here we examine the roles of IFNγ and IL-10 in regulating inflammation, immune cell responses and viral replication during SARS-CoV-2 infection of rhesus macaques. IFNγ blockade tended to decrease lung inflammation based on ^(18) FDG-PET/CT imaging but had no major impact on innate lymphocytes, neutralizing antibodies, or antigen-specific T…

• Flap structure within receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike periodically obstructs hACE2 Binding subdomain bearing similarities to HIV-1 protease flap - The SARS-CoV-2 prefusion spike protein is characterized by a high degree of flexibility and temporal transformations associated with its multifunctional behavior. In this study, we have examined the dynamics of the Receptor Binding Domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in detail. Its primary, binding subdomain with human Angiotensin Covering Enzyme II includes a highly conspicuous flap or loop that is part of a beta hairpin loop structural motif. Dynamic details of the RBD obtained…

• Targeting SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease for Treatment of COVID-19: Covalent Inhibitors Structure-Activity Relationship Insights and Evolution Perspectives - The viral main protease is one of the most attractive targets among all key enzymes involved in the SARS-CoV-2 life cycle. Covalent inhibition of the cysteine^(145) of SARS-CoV-2 M^(PRO) with selective antiviral drugs will arrest the replication process of the virus without affecting human catalytic pathways. In this Perspective, we analyzed the in silico, in vitro, and in vivo data of the most representative examples of covalent SARS-CoV-2 M^(PRO) inhibitors reported in the literature to date….

• Porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV) infection activates AMPK and JNK through TAK1 to induce autophagy and enhance virus replication - Autophagy plays an important role in defending against invading microbes. However, numerous viruses can subvert autophagy to benefit their replication. Porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus (PEDV) is an aetiological agent that causes severe porcine epidemic diarrhoea. How PEDV infection regulates autophagy and its role in PEDV replication are inadequately understood. Herein, we report that PEDV induced complete autophagy in Vero and IPEC-DQ cells, as evidenced by increased LC3 lipidation, p62…

• The inhibition of MDM2 slows cell proliferation and activates apoptosis in ADPKD cell lines - CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that several inflammatory proteins remain aberrantly dysregulated in COVID-19 survivors and CXCL10 might serve as a potential biomarker to typify COV-LH. Further characterization of these signature inflammatory molecules might improve the understanding of the long-term impacts of COVID-19 and provide new targets for the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 survivors with PASC.

• Coronavirus Lung Infection Impairs Host Immunity against Secondary Bacterial Infection by Promoting Lysosomal Dysfunction - Postviral bacterial infections are a major health care challenge in coronavirus infections, including COVID-19; however, the coronavirus-specific mechanisms of increased host susceptibility to secondary infections remain unknown. In humans, coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, infect lung immune cells, including alveolar macrophages, a phenotype poorly replicated in mouse models of SARS-CoV-2. To overcome this, we used a mouse model of native murine β-coronavirus that infects both immune and…

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