Background. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the necessity of COVID-19 vaccination in persons previously infected with SARS-CoV-2. Methods. Employees of the Cleveland Clinic Health System working in Ohio on Dec 16, 2020, the day COVID-19 vaccination was started, were included. Any subject who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at least 42 days earlier was considered previously infected. One was considered vaccinated 14 days after receipt of the second dose of a SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine. The cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection over the next five months, among previously infected subjects who received the vaccine, was compared with those of previously infected subjects who remained unvaccinated, previously uninfected subjects who received the vaccine, and previously uninfected subjects who remained unvaccinated. Results. Among the 52238 included employees, 1359 (53%) of 2579 previously infected subjects remained unvaccinated, compared with 22777 (41%) of 49659 not previously infected. The cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection remained almost zero among previously infected unvaccinated subjects, previously infected subjects who were vaccinated, and previously uninfected subjects who were vaccinated, compared with a steady increase in cumulative incidence among previously uninfected subjects who remained unvaccinated. Not one of the 1359 previously infected subjects who remained unvaccinated had a SARS-CoV-2 infection over the duration of the study. In a Cox proportional hazards regression model, after adjusting for the phase of the epidemic, vaccination was associated with a significantly lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection among those not previously infected (HR 0.031, 95% CI 0.015 to 0.061) but not among those previously infected (HR 0.313, 95% CI 0 to Infinity). Conclusions. Individuals who have had SARS-CoV-2 infection are unlikely to benefit from COVID-19 vaccination, and vaccines can be safely prioritized to those who have not been infected before.
Affordably tracking the transmission of respiratory infectious diseases in urban transport infrastructures can inform individuals about potential exposure to diseases and guide public policymakers to prepare timely responses based on geographical transmission in different areas in the city. Towards that end, we designed and tested a method to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the air filters of public buses, revealing that air filters could be used as passive fabric sensors for the detection of viral presence. We placed and retrieved filters in the existing HVAC systems of public buses to test for the presence of trapped SARS-CoV-2 RNA using phenol-chloroform extraction and RT-qPCR. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in 14% (5/37) of public bus filters tested in Seattle, Washington, from August 2020 to March 2021. These results indicate that this sensing system is feasible and that, if scaled, this method could provide a unique lens into the geographically relevant transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through public transit rider vectors, pooling samples of riders over time in a passive manner without installing any additional systems on transit vehicles.
We measured antibody responses in 2,015 healthcare workers who were receiving 2 doses of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. The vast majority (99.9%) had either seroconversion or a substantial increase in antibody titer. A multivariate linear regression model identified predictive factors for antibody responses which may have clinical implications.
Reliable, robust, large-scale molecular testing for SARS-CoV-2 is essential for monitoring the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. We have developed a scalable analytical approach to detect viral proteins based on peptide immunoaffinity enrichment combined with liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (LC-MS). This is a multiplexed strategy, based on targeted proteomics analysis and read-out by LC-MS, capable of precisely quantifying and confirming the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in PBS swab media from combined throat/nasopharynx/saliva samples. The results reveal that the levels of SARS-CoV-2 measured by LC-MS correlate well with their corresponding RT-PCR readout. The analytical workflow shows similar turnaround times as regular RT-PCR instrumentation with quantitative readout of viral proteins corresponding to cycle thresholds (Ct) equivalents ranging from 21 to 34. Using RT-PCR as a reference, we demonstrate that the LC-MS-based method has 100% estimated specificity and 83.3% estimated sensitivity when analyzing clinical samples collected from asymptomatic individuals. These results suggest that a scalable analytical method based on LC-MS has a place in future pandemic preparedness centers to complement current virus detection technologies.
Background: There are good reasons to expect natural infection to provide protection against future infection with SARS-CoV-2. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the necessity of COVID-19 vaccination in persons previously infected with SARS-CoV-2. Methods: Employees of the Cleveland Clinic Health System working in Ohio on Dec 16, 2020, the day COVID-19 vaccination was started, were included. Any subject who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 at least 42 days earlier was considered previously infected. One was considered vaccinated 14 days after receipt of the second dose of a SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine. The cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection over the next four months, among previously infected subjects who received the vaccine, was compared with those of previously infected subjects who remained unvaccinated, previously uninfected subjects who received the vaccine, and previously uninfected subjects who remained unvaccinated. Results: Among the 52238 included employees, 1220 (47%) of 2579 previously infected subjects received the vaccine, compared with 29461 (59%) of 49659 not previously infected. The cumulative incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection did not differ among previously infected unvaccinated subjects, previously infected subjects who were vaccinated, and previously uninfected subjects who were vaccinated, and was much lower than that of previously uninfected subjects who remained unvaccinated. Not one of the 1359 previously infected subjects who remained unvaccinated had a SARS-CoV-2 infection over the duration of the study. Conclusion: Individuals who have had SARS-CoV-2 infection are unlikely to benefit from COVID-19 vaccination, and vaccines can be safely prioritized to those who have not been infected before.
Importance: An artificial intelligence (AI)-based model to predict COVID-19 likelihood from chest x-ray (CXR) findings can serve as an important adjunct to accelerate immediate clinical decision making and improve clinical decision making. Despite significant efforts, many limitations and biases exist in previously developed AI diagnostic models for COVID-19. Utilizing a large set of local and international CXR images, we developed an AI model with high performance on temporal and external validation. Objective: Investigate real-time performance of an AI-enabled COVID-19 diagnostic support system across a 12-hospital system. Design: Prospective observational study. Setting: Labeled frontal CXR images (samples of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19) from the M Health Fairview (Minnesota, USA), Valencian Region Medical ImageBank (Spain), MIMIC-CXR, Open-I 2013 Chest X-ray Collection, GitHub COVID-19 Image Data Collection (International), Indiana University (Indiana, USA), and Emory University (Georgia, USA) Participants: Internal (training, temporal, and real-time validation): 51,592 CXRs; Public: 27,424 CXRs; External (Indiana University): 10,002 CXRs; External (Emory University): 2002 CXRs Main Outcome and Measure: Model performance assessed via receiver operating characteristic (ROC), Precision-Recall curves, and F1 score. Results: Patients that were COVID-19 positive had significantly higher COVID-19 Diagnostic Scores (median .1 [IQR: 0.0-0.8] vs median 0.0 [IQR: 0.0-0.1], p < 0.001) than patients that were COVID-19 negative. Pre-implementation the AI-model performed well on temporal validation (AUROC 0.8) and external validation (AUROC 0.76 at Indiana U, AUROC 0.72 at Emory U). The model was noted to have unrealistic performance (AUROC > 0.95) using publicly available databases. Real-time model performance was unchanged over 19 weeks of implementation (AUROC 0.70). On subgroup analysis, the model had improved discrimination for patients with severe as compared to mild or moderate disease, p < 0.001. Model performance was highest in Asians and lowest in whites and similar between males and females. Conclusions and Relevance: AI-based diagnostic tools may serve as an adjunct, but not replacement, for clinical decision support of COVID-19 diagnosis, which largely hinges on exposure history, signs, and symptoms. While AI-based tools have not yet reached full diagnostic potential in COVID-19, they may still offer valuable information to clinicians taken into consideration along with clinical signs and symptoms.
Technological advances, lack of medical professionals, high cost of face-to face encounters and disasters such as COVID19 pandemic, fuel the telemedicine revolution. Numerous smartphone apps have been developed to measure neurological functions. However, their psychometric properties are seldom determined. Lacking such data, it is unclear which designs underlie eventual clinical utility of the smartphone tests. We have developed the smartphone Neurological Function Tests Suite (NeuFun-TS) and are systematically evaluating their psychometric properties against the gold-standard of complete neurological examination digitalized into NeurExTM App. This paper examines the fifth, and thus far the most complex NeuFun-TS test, the “Spiral tracing”. We generated 40 features in the training cohort (22 healthy donors [HD] and 105 multiple sclerosis [MS] patients) and compared their intraclass correlation coefficient, fold-change between HD and MS and correlations with relevant clinical and imaging outcomes. We assembled the best features into machine-learning models and examined their performance in the independent validation cohort (56 MS patients). We show that by aggregating multiple neurological functions, complex tests such as spiral tracing are susceptible to intra-individual variations, decreasing their reproducibility and thus, clinical utility. Simple tests, reproducibly measuring single function(s) that can be aggregated to increase sensitivity are preferable in app design.
The recent emergence of the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to an ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic and public health crisis. Detailed study of human immune response to SARS-COVIS-2 infection is the important topic for a successful treatment of this disease. Our study was aimed to characterize immune response on the level of antibody profiling in convalescent plasma of patients in Georgia. Antibodies against the following SARS-COV-2 proteins were studied: nucleocapsid and various regions of Spike (S) protein: S1, S2 and Receptor binding domain (RBD). Convalescent plasma of patients 6-8 weeks after initial confirmation of SARS-COV-2 infection were tested. Nearly 80% out of 154 patients studied showed presence of antibodies against nucleocapsid protein. The antibody response to three fragments of S protein was significantly less and varied in the range of 20-30%. Significantly more females as compared to males were producing antibodies against S1 fragment, whereas the difference between genders by the antibodies against nucleocapsid protein and RBD was statistically significant only by one-tailed Fisher exact test. There were no differences between the males and females by antibodies against S2 fragment. Thus, immune response against some viral antigens are stronger in females and we suggest that it could be one of the factors of less female fatality after SARS-COVID-2 infection.
Safe, efficacious vaccines were developed to reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic. But in the middle of 2020, vaccine effectiveness, safety, and the timeline for when a vaccine would be approved and distributed to the public was uncertain. To support public health decision making, we solicited trained forecasters and experts in vaccinology and infectious disease to provide monthly probabilistic predictions from July to September of 2020 of the efficacy, safety, timing, and delivery of a COVID-19 vaccine. We found, that despite sparse historical data, a consensus–a combination of human judgment probabilistic predictions–can quantify the uncertainty in clinical significance and timing of a potential vaccine. The consensus underestimated how fast a therapy would show a survival benefit and the high efficacy of approved COVID-19 vaccines. However, the consensus did make an accurate prediction for when a vaccine would be approved by the FDA. Compared to individual forecasters, the consensus was consistently above the 50th percentile of the most accurate forecasts. A consensus is a fast and versatile method to build probabilistic predictions of a developing vaccine that is robust to poor individual predictions. Though experts and trained forecasters did underestimate the speed of development and the high efficacy of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, consensus predictions can improve situational awareness for public health officials and for the public make clearer the risks, rewards, and timing of a vaccine.
SARS-CoV-2 has infected nearly 3.7 million and killed 61,722 Californians, as of May 22, 2021. Non-pharmaceutical interventions have been instrumental in mitigating the spread of the coronavirus. However, as we ease restrictions, widespread implementation of COVID-19 vaccines is essential to prevent its resurgence. In this work, we addressed the adequacy and deficiency of vaccine uptake within California and the possibility and severity of resurgence of COVID-19 as restrictions are lifted given the current vaccination rates. We implemented a real-time Bayesian data assimilation approach to provide projections of incident cases and deaths in California following the reopening of its economy on June 15, 2021. We implemented scenarios that vary vaccine uptake prior to reopening, and transmission rates and effective population sizes following the reopening. For comparison purposes, we adopted a baseline scenario using the current vaccination rates, which projects a total 11,429 cases and 429 deaths in a 15-day period after reopening. We used posterior estimates based on CA historical data to provide realistic model parameters after reopening. When the transmission rate is increased after reopening, we projected an increase in cases by 21.8% and deaths by 4.4% above the baseline after reopening. When the effective population is increased after reopening, we observed an increase in cases by 51.8% and deaths by 12.3% above baseline. A 30% reduction in vaccine uptake alone has the potential to increase cases and deaths by 35% and 21.6%, respectively. Conversely, increasing vaccine uptake by 30% could decrease cases and deaths by 26.1% and 17.9%, respectively. As California unfolds its plan to reopen its economy on June 15, 2021, it is critical that social distancing and public behavior changes continue to be promoted, particularly in communities with low vaccine uptake. The Centers of Disease Control9s (CDC) recommendation to ease mask-wearing for fully vaccinated individuals despite major inequities in vaccine uptake in counties across the state highlights some of the logistical challenges that society faces as we enthusiastically phase out of this pandemic.
Airborne virus transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic increased the demand for indoor air cleaners. While some commercial electronic air cleaners could be effective in reducing primary pollutants and inactivating bioaerosol, studies on the formation of secondary products from oxidation chemistry during their use are limited. Here, we measured oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) and the chemical composition of particles generated from a hydroxyl radical generator in an office. During operation, enhancements in OVOCs, especially low-molecular-weight organic and inorganic acids, were detected. Rapid increases in particle number and volume concentrations were observed, corresponding to the formation of highly-oxidized secondary organic aerosol (SOA) (O:C ~1.3). The organic mass spectra showed an enhanced signal at m/z 44 (CO2+) and the aerosol evolved with a slope of ~ -1 in the Van Krevelen diagram. These results suggest that organic acids generated during VOC oxidation contributed to particle nucleation and SOA formation. Nitrate, sulfate, and chloride also increased during the oxidation without a corresponding increase in ammonium, suggesting organic nitrate, organic sulfate, and organic chloride formation. As secondary species are reported to have detrimental health effects, further studies are needed to evaluate potential OVOCs and SOA formation from electronic air cleaners in different indoor environments.
Therapeutic efficacy in COVID-19 is dependent upon disease stage and severity (treatment effect heterogeneity). Unfortunately, definitions of severity vary widely. This compromises the meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and the therapeutic guidelines derived from them. The World Health Organisation “living” guidelines for the treatment of COVID-19 are based on a network meta-analysis (NMA) of published RCTs. We reviewed the 81 studies included in the WHO COVID-19 living NMA and compared their severity classifications with the severity classifications employed by the international COVID-NMA initiative. The two were concordant in only 35% (24/68) of trials. Of the RCTs evaluated 69% (55/77) were considered by the WHO group to include patients with a range of severities (12 mild-moderate; 3 mild-severe; 18 mild-critical; 5 moderate-severe; 8 moderate-critical; 10 severe-critical), but the distribution of disease severities within these groups usually could not be determined, and data on the duration of illness and/or oxygen saturation values were often missing. Where severity classifications were clear there was substantial overlap in mortality across trials in different severity strata. This imprecision in severity assessment compromises the validity of some therapeutic recommendations; notably extrapolation of “lack of therapeutic benefit” shown in hospitalised severely ill patients on respiratory support to ambulant mildly ill patients is not warranted. Both harmonised unambiguous definitions of severity and individual patient data meta-analyses are needed to guide and improve therapeutic recommendations in COVID-19.
Background The COVID-19 pandemic has resurfaced in India in the form of a hard-hitting second wave. This study aims to compare the clinical profile of the first wave (April-June 2020) and the second wave (March-May 2021) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in a single tertiary care center of India. This will help prioritize the target population group and management strategies in the upcoming third wave if any. Methods In this retrospective observational study, we examined the demographic profile, symptoms at presentation, the severity of illness, baseline investigations, treatments received, underlying comorbidities, and outcomes of the COVID-19 patients belonging to the first (W1) and the second wave (W2) of the pandemic in India. Findings Among 106 patients in W1 and 104 patients in W2, the age group affected most was 37.1 (SD=16.9) years compared with 50.5 (SD=17.7) years respectively. The baseline oxygen saturation is lower in W2, being 84.0 (13.4) % compared with 91.9 (7.4) % in W1. 70.2 % of the cases belonged to the severe category in W2 compared to 37.5% in W1. W2 patients demonstrated higher transaminase levels [SGOT, 108.3 (99.3) v/s 54.6 (69.3); SGPT, 97.6 (82.3) v/s 58.7 (69.7)] with respect to W1. Similarly, the CT severity score for W2 [29.5 (6.7)] was higher than W1 [23.2 (11.5)][All P<0.05]. The proportion of patients requiring oxygen (81.8% v/s 11.2%), high flow nasal cannula (11.4% v/s 5.6%), non-invasive ventilation (41.2% v/s 1.5%), invasive ventilation (24.5% v/s 0.9%), as well as ICU/HDU admissions (56.4% v/s 12.0%) was higher for W2 as compared with W1. The measured case fatality rate varies from 29% for W2 to 9.6% for W1. Interpretation Higher age, oxygen requirement, ventilator requirement, ICU admission, and organ impairment are more prevalent in the admitted COVID-19 cases during the second wave that has hit India compared to the first wave and associated with more fatalities. Strategy for another wave should be planned accordingly.
Study of Intravenous COVI-MSC for Treatment of COVID-19-Induced Acute Respiratory Distress - Condition: Covid19
Interventions: Biological: COVI-MSC; Drug: Placebo
Sponsor: Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.
Not yet recruiting
Study of Allogeneic Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Treatment of COVID-19 Acute Respiratory Distress - Condition: Covid19
Interventions: Biological: COVI-MSC; Drug: Placebo
Sponsor: Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.
Not yet recruiting
Study to Evaluate a Single Intranasal Dose of STI-2099 (COVI-DROPS™) in Outpatient Adults With COVID-19 (US) - Condition: Covid19
Interventions: Biological: COVI-DROPS; Drug: Placebo
Sponsor: Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.
Not yet recruiting
Study to Evaluate a Single Intranasal Dose of STI-2099 (COVI-DROPS™) in Outpatient Adults With COVID-19 (UK) - Condition: Covid19
Interventions: Biological: COVI-DROPS; Drug: Placebo
Sponsor: Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.
Not yet recruiting
To Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of TQ Formula in Covid-19 Participants - Condition: Covid19
Intervention: Drug: Black Seed Oil Cap/Tab
Sponsor: Novatek Pharmaceuticals
Recruiting
CRP-Apheresis for Attenuation of Pulmonary, MYocardial and/or Kidney Injury in COvid-19 - Condition: Covid19
Intervention: Device: CRP-apheresis
Sponsor: University Hospital, Essen
Recruiting
Study of Allogeneic Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Treat Post COVID-19 “Long Haul” Pulmonary Compromise - Condition: Covid19
Intervention: Biological: COVI-MSC
Sponsor: Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.
Not yet recruiting
Intramuscular VIR-7831 (Sotrovimab) for Mild/Moderate COVID-19 - Condition: Covid19
Intervention: Biological: VIR-7831
Sponsors: Vir Biotechnology, Inc.; GlaxoSmithKline
Not yet recruiting
CISCO-21 Prevent and Treat Long COVID-19. - Condition: Covid19
Intervention: Other: Resistance Exercise
Sponsors: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde; University of Glasgow; Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government
Not yet recruiting
Collecting Respiratory Sound Samples From Corona Patients to Extend the Diagnostic Capability of VOQX Electronic Stethoscope to Diagnose COVID-19 Patients - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Diagnostic Test: Electronic stethoscope
Sponsor: Sanolla
Recruiting
Leronlimab in Moderatelly Ill Patients With COVID-19 Pneumonia - Condition: COVID-19 Pneumonia
Interventions: Drug: Leronlimab; Drug: Placebo
Sponsors: Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein; CytoDyn, Inc.
Not yet recruiting
Leronlimab in Critically Ill Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) With Need for Mechanical Ventilation or Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation - Condition: COVID-19 Pneumonia
Interventions: Drug: Leronlimab; Drug: Placebo
Sponsors: Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein; CytoDyn, Inc.
Not yet recruiting
A Proof of Concept Study for the DNA Repair Driven by the Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Critical COVID-19 Patients - Condition: COVID-19 Pneumonia
Intervention: Biological: Mesenchymal Stem Cells Transplantation
Sponsors: SBÜ Dr. Sadi Konuk Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi; Istinye University; Liv Hospital (Ulus)
Completed
Antigen Rapid Test Screening to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Transmission (COVID-19) at Mass Gathering Events. - Condition: Covid19
Intervention: Diagnostic Test: SARS-CoV-2 antigen rapid test
Sponsors: Norwegian Institute of Public Health; University of Oslo
Not yet recruiting
A Global Phase III Clinical Trial of Recombinant COVID- 19 Vaccine (Sf9 Cells) - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Biological: Recombinant COVID-19 vaccine (Sf9 cells); Other: Placebo control
Sponsors: WestVac Biopharma Co., Ltd.; West China Hospital
Not yet recruiting
Synthesis, Comparative in vitro Antibacterial, Antioxidant & UV fluorescence studies of bis Indole Schiff bases and Molecular docking with ct-DNA & SARS-CoV-2 M(pro) - In this study, synthesis of fifteen novel bis indole based Schiff bases (SBs) 4a-o was conducted by condensation of 2-(1-aminobenzyl)benzimidazole with symmetrical bis-isatins linked via five alkyl chains (n = 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6). These were subjected to ADME, physiochemical properties, molecular docking, in vitro antibacterial and antioxidant studies. The in silico studies indicated lower toxicity with metabolic stability for nearly all the derivatives proving reliability as drug candidates. The…
Potential role of free-radical processes in biomolecules damage during COVID-19 and ways of their regulation - It has been shown that the development of coronavirus infection (COVID-19), especially in severe cases, is accompanied by hypoxia as a result of several pathological processes: alveolar blood supply disorders, hemolysis, COVID-associated coagulopathy. Under these conditions, the level of reactive oxygen species is increased and it is more likely that free-radical damage to biomolecules is caused by the process of free-radical fragmentation than oxidation. In contrast to the oxidation process,…
Single dose of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) induces neutralising antibody and polyfunctional T-cell responses in patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia - Patients receiving targeted cancer treatments such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have been classified in the clinically extremely vulnerable group to develop severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), including patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) taking TKIs. In addition, concerns that immunocompromised individuals with solid and haematological malignancies may not mount an adequate immune response to a single dose of SARS-CoV-2 BNT162b2 (Pfizer-BioNTech)…
Flecainide toxicity associated with the use of goji berries: a case report - BACKGROUND: Goji berries (GB), usually marketed as a ‘superfruit’, are a widely used herbal supplement. As with other herbal remedies, the use of GB might be associated with herb-drug interactions, increasing plasma levels of other drugs and causing adverse events. Here, we present the case of a patient that developed flecainide toxicity secondary to an herb-drug interaction, associated with the use of GB to prevent COVID-19.
SARS-CoV-2 Membrane Protein Inhibits Type I Interferon Production Through Ubiquitin-Mediated Degradation of TBK1 - The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative pathogen of current COVID-19 pandemic, and insufficient production of type I interferon (IFN-I) is associated with the severe forms of the disease. Membrane (M) protein of SARS-CoV-2 has been reported to suppress host IFN-I production, but the underlying mechanism is not completely understood. In this study, SARS-CoV-2 M protein was confirmed to suppress the expression of IFNβ and interferon-stimulated genes…
Drug repurposing screens identify chemical entities for the development of COVID-19 interventions - The ongoing pandemic caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), necessitates strategies to identify prophylactic and therapeutic drug candidates for rapid clinical deployment. Here, we describe a screening pipeline for the discovery of efficacious SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors. We screen a best-in-class drug repurposing library, ReFRAME, against two high-throughput, high-content imaging infection assays: one using HeLa cells expressing SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 and…
Fe-S cofactors in the SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase are potential antiviral targets - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causal agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), uses an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) for the replication of its genome and the transcription of its genes. We found that the catalytic subunit of the RdRp, nsp12, ligates two iron-sulfur metal cofactors in sites that were modeled as zinc centers in the available cryo-electron microscopy structures of the RdRp complex. These metal binding sites are essential for…
Essential sufficiency of zinc, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamin D and magnesium for prevention and treatment of COVID-19, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, lung diseases and cancer - Despite the development of a number of vaccines for COVID-19, there remains a need for prevention and treatment of the virus SARS-CoV-2 and the ensuing disease COVID-19. This report discusses the key elements of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 that can be readily treated: viral entry, the immune system and inflammation, and the cytokine storm. It is shown that the essential nutrients zinc, ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), vitamin D and magnesium provide the ideal combination for prevention and…
SARS-CoV-2 infects human pancreatic beta cells and elicits beta cell impairment - Emerging evidence points toward an intricate relationship between the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and diabetes. While preexisting diabetes is associated with severe COVID-19, it is unclear whether COVID-19 severity is a cause or consequence of diabetes. To mechanistically link COVID-19 to diabetes, we tested whether insulin-producing pancreatic β cells can be infected by SARS-CoV-2 and cause β cell depletion. We found that the SARS-CoV-2 receptor, ACE2, and related entry…
SARS-CoV-2 infection and cancer: Evidence for and against a role of SARS-CoV-2 in cancer onset - Despite huge efforts towards understanding the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pathogenesis, little is known about the long-term consequences of the disease. Here, we critically review existing literature about oncogenesis as a potential long-term effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Like other viral infections, SARS-CoV-2 may promote cancer onset by inhibiting tumor suppressor genes. We conclude that, although unlikely, such hypothesis cannot be excluded a priori and we…
A transferable deep learning approach to fast screen potential antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2 - The COVID-19 pandemic calls for rapid development of effective treatments. Although various drug repurpose approaches have been used to screen the FDA-approved drugs and drug candidates in clinical phases against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes this disease, no magic bullets have been found until now. In this study, we used directed message passing neural network to first build a broad-spectrum anti-beta-coronavirus compound prediction model, which gave satisfactory predictions on newly…
An Integrated Computational and Experimental Approach to Identifying Inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 3CL Protease - The newly evolved SARS-CoV-2 has caused the COVID-19 pandemic, and the SARS-CoV-2 main protease 3CLpro is essential for the rapid replication of the virus. Inhibiting this protease may open an alternative avenue toward therapeutic intervention. In this work, a computational docking approach was developed to identify potential small-molecule inhibitors for SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro. Totally 288 potential hits were identified from a half-million bioactive chemicals via a protein-ligand docking protocol….
Marine Sponge is a Promising Natural Source of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Scaffold - The current pandemic caused by SARS-CoV2 and named COVID-19 urgent the need for novel lead antiviral drugs. Recently, United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of remdesivir as anti-SARS-CoV-2. Remdesivir is a natural product-inspired nucleoside analogue with significant broad-spectrum antiviral activity. Nucleosides analogues from marine sponge including spongouridine and spongothymidine have been used as lead for the evolutionary synthesis of various antiviral drugs…
Resource-efficient internally controlled in-house real-time PCR detection of SARS-CoV-2 - CONCLUSION: The presented RKI/ZBS1 SARS-CoV-2 protocol represents a cost-effective alternative in times of shortages when commercially available ready-to-use kits may not be available or affordable.
Evaluation of Dual Inhibitory Effect of Anagliptin, Ramipril, and Lisinopril on Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme and DPP-4 Activities - CONCLUSION: It seems that while most ACE inhibitors cannot affect DPP-4 activity, inhibitors of DPP-4 vary in their effect on ACE activity. The selection of DPP-4 inhibitors under different clinical situations should take into account the action of these drugs on ACE.
COST EFFECTIVE PORTABLE OXYGEN CONCENTRATOR FOR COVID-19 - - link
METHOD OF IDENTIFYING SEVERE ACUTE RESPIRATORY SYNDROME CORONA VIRUS 2 (SARS-COV-2) RIBONUCLEIC ACID (RNA) - - link
IMPROVEMENTS RELATED TO PARTICLE, INCLUDING SARS-CoV-2, DETECTION AND METHODS THEREFOR - - link
DEEP LEARNING BASED SYSTEM FOR DETECTION OF COVID-19 DISEASE OF PATIENT AT INFECTION RISK - The present invention relates to Deep learning based system for detection of covid-19 disease of patient at infection risk. The objective of the present invention is to solve the problems in the prior art related to technologies of detection of covid-19 disease using CT scan image processing. - link
Wiederverwendbare Maske, mit einem Maskenkörper (100), einem Fixierband (300) zum Befestigen des Maskenkörpers (100) an einem menschlichen Gesicht, einer auswechselbaren Schicht (200), die zwischen dem menschlichen Gesicht und dem Maskenkörper (100) angeordnet ist, und einem Fixierteil (400) zum Fixieren der auswechselbaren Schicht auf dem Maskenkörper (100).
A COMPREHENSIVE DISINFECTION SYSTEM DURING PANDEMIC FOR PERSONAL ITEMS AND PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) TO SAFEGUARD PEOPLE - The current Covid-19 pandemic has led to an enormous demand for gadgets / objects for personal protection. To prevent the spread of virus, it is important to disinfect commonly touched objects. One of the ways suggested is to use a personal UV-C disinfecting box that is “efficient and effective in deactivating the COVID-19 virus. The present model has implemented the use of a UV transparent material (fused silica quartz glass tubes) as the medium of support for the objects to be disinfected to increase the effectiveness of disinfection without compromising the load bearing capacity. Aluminum foil, a UV reflecting material, was used as the inner lining of the box for effective utilization of the UVC light emitted by the UVC lamps. Care has been taken to prevent leakage of UVC radiation out of the system. COVID-19 virus can be inactivated in 5 minutes by UVC irradiation in this disinfection box - link
UBIQUITOUS COMPUTING SYSTEM FOR MENTAL HEALTH MONITORING OF PERSON DURING THE PANDEMIC OF COVID-19 - - link
一种预判重症新冠肺炎（COVID-19）的标志物及其产品和用途 - 本发明提供了一种预判重症疾病的标志物，所述的预判重症疾病的标志物为S100A12，序列为SEQ ID NO.1，所述的重症疾病为重症新冠肺炎、重症感染中的一种。S100A12基因作为标志物，在预判重症疾病时对全血中的S100A12基因的表达水平进行检测即可，无需对白细胞进行分离，简化检测流程。S100A12的表达水平可以指导感染类疾病包括新冠肺炎重症的预判，从而及早施治，降低病死率，具有很好的临床应用前景。 - link
一种新型冠状病毒COVID-19-S1蛋白的表达和纯化方法 - 本发明属于生物技术领域，具体涉及一种新型冠状病毒COVID‑19‑S1蛋白的表达和纯化方法。本发明提供的方法，主要包括构建COVID‑19‑S1蛋白表达质粒、将COVID‑19‑S1蛋白表达质粒转化、培养表达COVID‑19‑S1蛋白、纯化COVID‑19‑S1蛋白等过程。本发明将能在293F细胞中高分泌表达蛋白的信号肽与Kozak区和编码人COVID‑19‑S1蛋白的基因进行重组，来提高目的蛋白的表达量和分泌量。采用本发明提供的方法，可以解决新型冠状病毒COVID‑19‑S1蛋白分泌量低、纯度低的问题，为免疫学快速诊断、制备单抗、开展解析蛋白结构研究等提供物质基础。 - link
INDICATING SYSTEM - A visual indicating system for use with a hospital bed, the hospital bed comprising a bed frame extending between a head end and a foot end of the bed frame, the visual indicating system comprising: an indicating member adapted to be coupled with the bed frame wherein the indicating member comprises an indicia for indicating one of a plurality of pre-determined health conditions.
FIGURE 1 - link