Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• Longitudinal lung function assessment of patients hospitalised with COVID-19 using 1H and 129Xe lung MRI -

  Introduction: Microvascular abnormalities and impaired ¹²⁹Xe gas transfer have been observed in patients with COVID 19. The progression of pathophysiological pulmonary changes during the post acute period in these patients remains unclear. Methods: Patients who were hospitalised due to COVID 19 pneumonia underwent a pulmonary ¹H and ¹²⁹Xe MRI protocol at 6, 12, 25 and 50 weeks after hospital admission. The imaging protocol included: ultra short echo time, dynamic contrast enhanced lung perfusion, ¹²⁹Xe lung ventilation, ¹²⁹Xe diffusion weighted and ¹²⁹Xe 3D spectroscopic imaging of gas exchange. Results: 9 patients were recruited and underwent MRI at 6 (n=9), 12 (n=9), 25 (n=6) and 50 (n=3) weeks after hospital admission. At 6 weeks after hospital admission, patients demonstrated impaired 129Xe gas transfer (RBC:M) but normal lung microstructure (ADC, Lm_D). Minor ventilation abnormalities present in four patients were largely resolved in the 6 to 25 week period. At 12 week follow up, all patients with lung perfusion data available (n=6) showed an increase in both pulmonary blood volume and flow when compared to 6 weeks, though this was not statistically significant. At 12 and 25 week follow up, significant improvements in ¹²⁹Xe gas transfer were observed compared to 6 week examinations, however ¹²⁹Xe gas transfer remained abnormally low. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that multinuclear MRI is sensitive to functional pulmonary changes in the follow up of patients who were hospitalised with COVID 19. Persistent impairment of xenon transfer may represent a physiological mechanism underlying ongoing symptoms in some patients and may indicate damage to the pulmonary microcirculation.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Longitudinal lung function assessment of patients hospitalised with COVID-19 using 1H and 129Xe lung MRI
• An Ultralong Bovine CDRH3 that Targets a Conserved, Cryptic Epitope on SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 -
  The ability of broadly neutralising antibodies to target conserved epitopes gives them huge potential as antibody- based therapeutics, particularly in the face of constant viral antigen evolution. Certain bovine antibodies are highly adept at binding conserved, glycosylated epitopes, courtesy of their ultralong complementarity determining region (CDR)H3. Here, we used a SARS-naive, bovine ultralong CDRH3 library and mammalian cell display, to isolate a bovine paratope that engages the SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD). This neutralises viruses pseudo-typed with SARS-CoV Spike protein but not by competition with RBD binding to ACE2. Instead, using differential hydrogen- deuterium exchange mass spectrometry and site-directed mutagenesis, we demonstrate that this ultralong CDRH3 recognises a rarely identified, conserved, cryptic epitope that overlaps the target of pan-sarbecovirus antibodies (7D6/6D6). The epitope is glycan-shielded and becomes accessible only transiently via inter-domain movements. This represents the first bovine anti-sarbecovirus paratope and highlights the power of this approach in identifying novel tools to combat emerging pathogens.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: An Ultralong Bovine CDRH3 that Targets a Conserved, Cryptic Epitope on SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2
• Delta-Omicron recombinant SARS-CoV-2 in a transplant patient treated with Sotrovimab -
  We identified a Delta-Omicron SARS-CoV-2 recombinant in an unvaccinated, immunosuppressed kidney transplant recipient who had positive COVID-19 tests in December 2021 and February 2022 and was initially treated with Sotrovimab. Viral sequencing in February 2022 revealed a 5’ Delta AY.45 portion and a 3’ Omicron BA.1 portion with a recombination breakpoint in the spike N-terminal domain, adjacent to the Sotrovimab quaternary binding site. The recombinant virus induced cytopathic effects with characteristics of both Delta (large cells) and Omicron (cell rounding/detachment). Monitoring of immunosuppressed COVID-19 patients treated with antiviral monoclonal antibodies is crucial to detect potential selection of recombinant variants.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Delta-Omicron recombinant SARS-CoV-2 in a transplant patient treated with Sotrovimab
• Delineating antibody escape from Omicron variants -
  SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing antibodies play a critical role for protection and treatment of COVID-19. Viral antibody evasion therefore threatens essential prophylactic and therapeutic measures. The high number of mutations in the Omicron BA.1 sublineage results in markedly reduced neutralization susceptibility. Consistently, Omicron is associated with lower vaccine effectiveness and a high re-infection rate. Notably, newly emerging Omicron sublineages (BA.1.1, BA.2) have rapidly become dominant. Here, we determine polyclonal serum activity against BA.1, BA.1.1 and BA.2 in 50 convalescent or vaccinated individuals as well as delineate antibody sensitivities on a monoclonal level using 163 antibodies. Our study reveals a significant but comparable reduction of serum activity against Omicron sublineages which markedly increases after booster immunization. However, notable differences in sensitivity to individual antibodies demonstrate distinct escape patterns of BA.1 and BA.2 that also affect antibodies in clinical use. The results have strong implications for vaccination strategies and antibody use in prophylaxis and therapy.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Delineating antibody escape from Omicron variants
• Vascular inflammation exposes perivascular cells to SARS-CoV-2 infection -
  Pericytes stabilize blood vessels and promote vascular barrier function. However, vessels subjected to pro- inflammatory conditions have impaired barrier function, which has been suggested to potentially expose perivascular cells to SARS-CoV-2. To test this hypothesis, we engineered pericyte-supported vascular capillaries on-a-chip, and determined that the extravasation and binding of spike protein (S1) on perivascular cells of inflamed vessels to be significantly higher that in healthy controls, indicating a potential target to understand COVID-19 vascular complications.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Vascular inflammation exposes perivascular cells to SARS-CoV-2 infection
• Nature’s contributions in coping with a pandemic in the 21st century: A narrative review of evidence during COVID-19 -
  While COVID-19 lockdowns have slowed coronavirus transmission, such structural measures also have unintended consequences on mental and physical health. Growing evidence shows that exposure to the natural environment (e.g., blue- green spaces) can improve human health and wellbeing. In this narrative review, we synthesized the evidence about nature’s contributions to health and wellbeing during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. We found that during the pandemic, people experienced multiple types of nature, including both outdoors and indoors. Frequency of visits to outdoor natural areas (i.e., public parks) depended on lockdown severity and socio-cultural contexts. Other forms of nature exposure, such as spending time in private gardens and viewing outdoor greenery from windows, may have increased. The majority of the evidence suggests nature exposure during COVID-19 pandemic was associated with less depression, anxiety, stress, and more happiness and life satisfaction. Additionally, nature exposure was correlated with less physical inactivity and fewer sleep disturbances. Evidence was mixed regarding associations between nature exposure and COVID-related health outcomes, while nature visits might be associated with greater rates of COVID-19 transmission and mortality when proper social distancing measures were not maintained. Findings on whether nature exposure during lockdowns helped ameliorate health inequities by impacting the health of lower-socioeconomic populations more than their higher-socioeconomic counterparts for example were mixed. Based on these findings, we argue that nature exposure may have buffered the negative mental and behavioral impacts of lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recovery and resilience during the current crises and future public health crises might be improved with nature-based infrastructure, interventions, designs, and governance.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Nature’s contributions in coping with a pandemic in the 21st century: A narrative review of evidence during COVID-19
• Racial/Ethnic, Biomedical, and Sociodemographic Risk Factors for COVID-19 Positivity and Hospitalization in the San Francisco Bay Area -

  BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has uncovered clinically meaningful racial/ethnic disparities in COVID-19-related health outcomes. Current understanding of the basis for such an observation remains incomplete, with both biomedical and social/contextual variables proposed as potential factors. PURPOSE: Using a logistic regression model, we examined the relative contributions of race/ethnicity, biomedical, and socioeconomic factors to COVID-19 test positivity and hospitalization rates in a large academic health care system in the San Francisco Bay Area prior to the advent of vaccination and other pharmaceutical interventions for COVID-19. RESULTS: Whereas socioeconomic factors, particularly those contributing to increased social vulnerability, were associated with test positivity for COVID-19, biomedical factors and disease co-morbidities were the major factors associated with increased risk of COVID-19 hospitalization. Hispanic individuals had a higher rate of COVID-19 positivity, while Asian persons had higher rates of COVID-19 hospitalization. Diabetes was an important risk factor for COVID-19 hospitalization, particularly among Asian patients, for whom diabetes tended to be more frequently undiagnosed and higher in severity. CONCLUSIONS: We observed that biomedical, racial/ethnic, and socioeconomic factors all contributed in varying but distinct ways to COVID-19 test positivity and hospitalization rates in a large, multiracial, socioeconomically diverse metropolitan area of the United States. The impact of a number of these factors differed according to race/ethnicity. Improving overall COVID-19 health outcomes and addressing racial and ethnic disparities in COVID-19 outcomes will likely require a comprehensive approach that incorporates strategies that target both individual-specific and group contextual factors.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Racial/Ethnic, Biomedical, and Sociodemographic Risk Factors for COVID-19 Positivity and Hospitalization in the San Francisco Bay Area
• Development Strategy of the Widhya Asih Orphanages Program Through Voluntourism -
  The Numbers of voluntourists from several developed countries shows promising growth before the pandemic Covid-19. Tourists who carry out voluntourism activities are increasing and this shows that voluntourism has an opportunity to be developed. Bali as a world tourist destination can take the opportunity to develop voluntourism as a promising product. The early observation indicated that one of the places that are interesting to be used as volunteer activities is the Orphanage. The Widhya Asih Orphanages foundation in Bali has 6 Orphanages that have potential opportunities to make voluntourism programs to support sustainable tourism development in Bali. This study focus on how far the perceptions and motivations of the Widhya Asih Orphanages managers see voluntourism as a strategy for developing the program in contributing and supporting sustainable tourism development in Bali. The method used in this research is a qualitative method through Data Collection Procedures which includes qualitative observations, qualitative interviews, and qualitative documents. Data collection was focused on the perceptions and motivations of the Widhya Asih Orphanages Managers, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats faced by Widhya Asih Orphanages in adapting voluntourism activities. Through this research, it is hoped that Widhya Asih Orphanages can develop its program strategies more openly through voluntourism to attract tourists to choose Widhya Asih Orphanages as a place to carry out voluntourism activities. Besides that, this research also gave a model of organizing voluntourism for Orphanages in general.

• High incidence of sotrovimab resistance and viral persistence after treatment of immunocompromised patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant -

  Background: Sotrovimab is a monoclonal antibody that neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 by binding to a highly conserved epitope in the receptor binding domain. It retains activity against the Omicron BA.1 variant and is used to treat immunocompromised patients as they are at increased risk for a severe outcome of COVID-19. Methods: We studied viral evolution in 47 immunocompromised patients infected with Omicron BA.1 or 2 and treated with sotrovimab. SARS-CoV-2 PCR was performed at baseline and weekly thereafter until Ct-value was ≥ 30. All RNA samples were sequenced to determine the variant and occurrence of mutations, in particular in the Spike protein, after treatment. Results: Twenty-four (51%) of the 47 patients were male and their median age was 63 years. Thirty-one (66%) had undergone a solid organ transplantation and 13 (28%) had received prior B-cell depleting therapy. Despite a history of vaccination, 24 of 30 patients with available data on anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG Spike antibodies prior to treatment with sotrovimab had very low or no antibodies. Median time to viral clearance (Ct-value ≥ 30) after treatment was 15 days (IQR 7-22). However, viral RNA with low Ct-values was continuously detected for at least 28 days after treatment in four patients infected with BA.1. Mutations in the Spike protein at position 337 or 340 were observed in all four patients. Similar mutations were also found after treatment of two patients with a BA.2 infection but both cleared the virus within two weeks. Thus following treatment with sotrovimab, spike mutations associated with reduced in vitro susceptibility were detected in 6 of 47 (13%) patients. Conclusion: Viral evolution towards resistance against sotrovimab can explain treatment failure in most immunocompromised patients and these patients can remain infectious after treatment. Therefore, documenting viral clearance after treatment is recommended to avoid that these patients unintentionally become a source of new, sotrovimab resistant, variants. Research on direct acting antivirals and possibly combination therapy for the treatment of COVID-19 in immunocompromised patients is needed.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: High incidence of sotrovimab resistance and viral persistence after treatment of immunocompromised patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant
• Delta/ Omicron and Omicron/BA.2 co-infections occurring in Immunocompromised hosts -

  Concomitant infection of multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants has become an increasing concern, as this scenario increases the likelihood of recombinant variants. Detecting co-infection of SARS-CoV-2 variants is difficult to detect by whole genome sequencing approaches, but genotyping methods facilitate detection. We describe 2 cases of Delta/Omicron and 2 cases of Omicron/ BA.2 co-infection as detected by a multiplex genotyping fragment analysis method. Findings were confirmed by whole genome sequencing. Review of the patient characteristics revealed co-morbidities and conditions which weaken the immune system and may make them more susceptible to harboring SARS-CoV-2 variant co- infections.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Delta/ Omicron and Omicron/BA.2 co- infections occurring in Immunocompromised hosts
• COVID-19-related changes in adolescents’ daily-life social interactions and psychopathology symptoms -
  Early findings on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents, suggest that – despite being at the lowest physical health risk – both their mental health and day-to-day social lives are strongly affected. In this longitudinal study, we assessed changes in adolescent psychopathology symptoms, the quality and quantity of daily-life social interactions, and the relationship between social interactions and psychopathology symptoms before and during the pandemic. A sample of n=173 Flemish adolescents (mean age=16.0 at latest measurement; 89% girls) from the SIGMA cohort was tested between January 2018 - June 2019; and between April 27th - May 10th 2020. Subclinical psychopathology was assessed using the Brief Symptom Inventory-53; daily social interactions were assessed in six-day experience sampling periods with ten daily questionnaires. Multilevel linear and logistic regression analyses indicated lower general psychopathology and anxiety symptoms, beyond age effects; fewer face-to-face social interactions, more online social interactions; and higher-quality face-to-face interactions during the pandemic than before. Negative associations between psychopathology and the quality of face-to-face peer and family interactions were stronger during the pandemic than pre-pandemic. The observed decrease and stability in psychopathology symptoms is surprising and potentially reflects resilience. Although digital communication may buffer much of the quarantine-induced distress, the current results imply that high-quality face-to-face interactions with family and peers may have been more powerful in keeping adolescents resilient. As restrictions are lifted and adolescents’ daily lives and social worlds change, it is crucial to learn more about the longer-term effects of the experienced social deprivation.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: COVID-19-related changes in adolescents’ daily-life social interactions and psychopathology symptoms
• Analysis of immunization, adverse events, and efficacy of a fourth dose of BNT162b2 vaccine -

  Importance: Scarce information exists concerning the seroconversion and adverse events after immunization (AEFI) of the fourth dose of a SARS-COV-2 vaccine. Objective: Correlate the magnitude of the antibody response to vaccination with previous clinical conditions and AEFI of the fourth dose of BNT162b2 mRNA. Design: Observational study where SARS- CoV-2 spike 1-2 IgG antibodies IgG titers were measured 21-28 days after the exposition of the first, and second dose, three months after the second dose, 1-7 days after the third dose, before the fourth dose, and 21-28 days after the fourth dose of BNT162b2 mRNA. Setting: The study was conducted on healthcare workers of a private hospital in Northern Mexico. Participants: Inclusion criteria were healthcare workers of both genders, any age, who planned to conclude the immunization regimen. The exclusion criteria were previously given any SARS-CoV-2 vaccine prior to study entry. Intervention: Subjects were exposed to four doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. Main Outcome and Measures: The anti-S1 and anti-S2 IgG antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in plasma samples were measured with chemiluminescence immunoassay developed by DiaSorin. Results: We recruited 112 subjects [43 (SD 9) years old, 74% women]. After the first dose, subjects had a median (IQR) AU/ml IgG of 122(1904), with an increase to 1875 (2095) after the second dose, 3020 (2330) after the third dose, and 4230 (3393) after 21-28 of a fourth dose (p<0.01). The number (%) of any AEFI between doses was 90 (80.4), 89(79), 65(58), 69 (61.5), after first, second, third, and fourth, respectively, p<0.001. After the fourth dose, the most frequent AEFI was pain at the injection site (87%). Fever was slightly more frequent after the third and fourth doses, 9 (13.8) and 8 (11.4%) cases, respectively, and adenopathy was more frequent after the fourth dose [in11(15.7%) cases]. There was a correlation between AEFI in the fourth dose with gender and antibody levels (p<0.05). The highest proportion of AEFI was considered mild after the fourth dose. During the Omicron outbreak, 6 (5.3%) had mild SARS-CoV-2 during 8-28 days of the fourth dose. Conclusions and Relevance: The fourth dose of BNT162b2mRNA increases S1/S2 IgG 33.6 times with mild adverse events.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Analysis of immunization, adverse events, and efficacy of a fourth dose of BNT162b2 vaccine
• Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 variant dynamics in wastewater by digital RT-PCR : from Alpha to Omicron BA.2 VOC -

  Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, new variants have continuously emerged and spread in populations. Among these, variants of concern (VOC) have been the main culprits of successive epidemic waves, due to their transmissibility, pathogenicity or ability to escape the immune response. Quantification of the SARS-CoV-2 genomes in raw wastewater is a reliable approach well-described and widely deployed worldwide to monitor the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in human populations connected to sewage systems. Discrimination of VOCs in wastewater is also a major issue and can be achieved by genome sequencing or by detection of specific mutations suggesting the presence of VOCs. This study aimed to date the emergence of these VOCs (from Alpha to Omicron BA.2) by monitoring wastewater from the greater Paris area, France, but also to model the propagation dynamics of these VOCs and to characterize the replacement kinetics of the majority populations. These dynamics were compared to various individual-centered public health data, such as regional incidence and proportions of VOCs identified by sequencing of isolated patient strains. The viral dynamics in wastewater highlighted the impact of the vaccination strategy on the viral circulation in human populations but also suggested its potential effect on the selection of variants most likely to be propagated in immunized populations. Normalization of concentrations to capture population movements appeared statistically more reliable using variations in local drinking water consumption rather than using PMMoV concentrations because PMMoV fecal shedding was subject to variability and was not sufficiently relevant in this study. The dynamics of viral spread was observed earlier (about13 days on the wave related to Omicron VOC) in raw wastewater than the regional incidence alerting to a possible risk of decorrelation between incidence and actual virus circulation probably resulting from a lower severity of infection in vaccinated populations.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 variant dynamics in wastewater by digital RT-PCR : from Alpha to Omicron BA.2 VOC
• Predictors for Reactogenicity and Humoral Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 Following Infection and mRNA Vaccination: A Regularized Mixed-Effects Modelling Approach -

  Background The influence of pre-existing humoral immunity, inter-individual demographic factors, and vaccine- associated reactogenicity on immunogenicity following COVID vaccination remains poorly understood. Methods Ten-fold cross-validated least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and linear mixed effects models were used to evaluate symptoms experienced during natural infection and following SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination along with demographics as predictors for antibody (AB) responses in COVID+ participants in a longitudinal cohort study. Results In previously infected individuals, AB were more durable and robust following vaccination when compared to natural infection alone. Higher AB were associated with experiencing dyspnea during natural infection, as was the total number of symptoms reported during the COVID-19 disease course. Both local and systemic symptoms following 1st and 2nd dose of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines were predictive of higher AB after vaccination, as were the demographic factors of age and Hispanic ethnicity. Lastly, there was a significant temporal relationship between AB and days since infection or vaccination. Conclusion Vaccination in COVID+ individuals ensures a more robust immune response. Experiencing systemic and local symptoms post-vaccine is suggestive of higher AB, which may confer greater protection. Age and Hispanic ethnicity are predictive of higher AB.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Predictors for Reactogenicity and Humoral Immunity to SARS-CoV-2 Following Infection and mRNA Vaccination: A Regularized Mixed-Effects Modelling Approach
• Antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with acute leukaemia and high risk MDS on active anti- cancer therapies -

  Patients with haematological malignancies, such as acute leukaemia and high-risk MDS (HR-MDS), have significantly increased mortality and morbidity from COVID-19. However vaccine efficacy in these patients and the impact of systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) on vaccine response remains to be fully established. SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses in 53 patients with ALL, AML or HR-MDS receiving SACT were characterised following two doses of either BNT162b2 or ChAdOx1nCoV-19. All patients were tested for anti-S antibodies after 2 doses, 60% after the first dose and anti-N antibody testing was performed on 46 patients (87%). Seropositivity rates after 2 vaccine doses were 95% in AML/HR-MDS patients and 79% in ALL. After stratification by prior SARS-CoV-2 infection, naive patients with AML/HR-MDS had higher seroconversion rates and median anti-S antibody titres compared to ALL (median 291U/mL versus 5.06U/mL), and significant increases in anti-S titres with consecutive vaccine doses, not seen in ALL. No difference was seen in serological response between patients receiving intensive chemotherapy or non-intensive therapies (HMA) but significantly reduced titres were present in AML/HR-MDS patients who received venetoclax-based regimens compared to other therapies. All ALL patients received intensive chemotherapy, with no further impact of anti-CD20 immunotherapy on serological response. Understanding the impact of disease subtypes and therapy on vaccine response is essential to enable decisions on modifying or delaying treatment in the context of either SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with acute leukaemia and high risk MDS on active anti-cancer therapies

From Clinical Trials

• A Clinical Trial on Sequential Immunization of Recombinant COVID-19 Vaccine (CHO Cell, NVSI-06-09) and Inactivated COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell) - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: Recombinant COVID-19 Vaccine (CHO cell，NVSI-06-09);   Biological: Inactivated COVID-19 vaccine (Vero cells)
  Sponsors:  
  National Vaccine and Serum Institute, China;   China National Biotec Group Company Limited;   Lanzhou Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd;   Beijing Institute of Biological Products Co Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial to Evaluate The Efficacy and Safety of Healthtone as Prophylaxis for COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Dietary Supplement: Rhea® Health Tone
  Sponsor:   Indonesia University
  Completed

• Aerobic Exercise in People With Post-COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Other: Conventional rehabilitation;   Other: Aerobic exercise
  Sponsor:   Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri SpA
  Recruiting

• Efficacy, Safety and Immunogenicity Study of COVID-19 Protein Subunit Recombinant Vaccine - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: SARS-CoV-2 protein subunit recombinant vaccine;   Biological: placebo
  Sponsors:   PT Bio Farma;   Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, Jakarta;   Faculty of Medicine, Diponegoro University, Semarang;   Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Andalas, Padang;   Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Hassanudin, Makassar
  Not yet recruiting

• A Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness and Safety of SCTV01E (a Recombinant Protein COVID-19 Vaccine) in Population Aged ≥12 Years - Conditions:   COVID-19;   SARS-CoV-2 Infection
  Interventions:   Biological: SCTV01E;   Biological: CoronaVac;   Biological: Sinopharm inactivated COVID-19 vaccine;   Biological: other approved COVID-19 vaccines
  Sponsor:   Sinocelltech Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• A Study to Evaluate the Immunogenicity and Safety of SCTV01C and SCTV01E (Two Recombinant Protein COVID-19 Vaccines) in Population Aged ≥12 Years - Conditions:   COVID-19;   SARS-CoV-2 Infection
  Interventions:   Biological: SCTV01C;   Biological: SCTV01E;   Biological: mRNA vaccine manufactured by Pfizer or Moderna;   Biological: Sinopharm inactivated COVID-19 vaccine
  Sponsor:   Sinocelltech Ltd.
  Not yet recruiting

• COVID-19 Treatment Cascade Optimization Study - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Behavioral: Navigation Services;   Behavioral: Brief Counseling;   Behavioral: Critical Dialogue;   Behavioral: Referral and Digital Brochure
  Sponsors:   University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign;   National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID);   Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center;   North Jersey Community Research Initiative;   University of Michigan
  Not yet recruiting

• Phase 1/2 Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of Inhaled IBIO123 in Participants With Mild to Moderate COVID-19 Illness - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: IBIO123;   Other: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Immune Biosolutions Inc
  Recruiting

• Compass Course: COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Behavioral: Compass Course
  Sponsor:  
  Allina Health System
  Recruiting

• Improving COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Among Black and Latino Youth - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Behavioral: Culturally-Tailored COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake Intervention;   Behavioral: Standard Care
  Sponsors:   Nemours Children’s Health System;   National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS);   University of Delaware;   ChristianaCare
  Recruiting

• Phase 1&2 Study to Evaluate the Safety & Efficacy of Inhaled IBIO123 in Severe COVID-19 Illness - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Biological: IBIO123;   Other: Placebo
  Sponsor:   Immune Biosolutions Inc
  Recruiting

• Clinical Evaluation of Rapid RNA Test for Covid-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Diagnostic Test: rapid RT-LAMP test to detect SARS-COV-2 RNA
  Sponsors:   University of Southampton;   West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust;   University of Oxford
  Completed

• Clinical Evaluation of Rapid Antibody Test for Covid-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Intervention:   Diagnostic Test: Livzon Rapid Antibody Test for COVID-19
  Sponsors:   University of Southampton;   West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust
  Completed

• ApTOLL for the Treatment of COVID-19 - Condition:   COVID-19
  Interventions:   Drug: ApTOLL;   Other: Saline
  Sponsors:  
  Macarena Hernández Jiménez;   Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial
  Recruiting

• Platform Trial to Compare Homologous Boost of Authorized COVID-19 Vaccines and Heterologous Boost With UB-612 Vaccine - Condition:   COVID-19 Vaccines
  Interventions:   Biological: UB-612;   Biological: BNT162b2 vaccine;   Biological: ChAdOx1-S vaccine;   Biological: Sinopharm BIBP
  Sponsors:   Vaxxinity, Inc.;   Syneos Health
  Recruiting

From PubMed

• Innovative Randomized Phase 1 Study and Dosing Regimen Selection to Accelerate and Inform Pivotal COVID-19 Trial of Nirmatrelvir - COVID-19 is a continued leading cause of hospitalization and death. Safe, efficacious COVID-19 antivirals are needed urgently. Nirmatrelvir (PF-07321332), the first orally bioavailable, SARS-CoV-2 M^(pro) inhibitor against the coronaviridae family, has demonstrated potent preclinical antiviral activity and benign safety profile. We report safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic data of nirmatrelvir with and without ritonavir as a pharmacokinetic enhancer, from an accelerated randomized,…

• Imatinib inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection by an off-target-mechanism - The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causal agent of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 274 million individuals have suffered from COVID-19 and over five million people have died from this disease so far. Therefore, there is an urgent need for therapeutic drugs. Repurposing FDA approved drugs should be favored since evaluation of safety and efficacy of de-novo drug design are both costly and time consuming. We report that imatinib, an Abl tyrosine kinase…

• Airway administration of bisphosphate and dexamethasone inhibits SARS-CoV-2 variant infection by targeting alveolar macrophages - No abstract

• Peptide candidates for the development of therapeutics and vaccines against beta-coronavirus infection - Betacoronaviruses (β-CoVs) have caused major viral outbreaks in the last two decades in the world. The mutation and recombination abilities in β-CoVs resulted in zoonotic diseases in humans. Proteins responsible for viral attachment and replication are highly conserved in β-CoVs. These conserved proteins have been extensively studied as targets for preventing infection and the spread of β-CoVs. Peptides are among the most promising candidates for developing vaccines and therapeutics against…

• Repurposing dyphylline as a pan-coronavirus antiviral therapy - Background: In the last two decades, the world has witnessed the emergence of zoonotic corona viruses (CoVs), which cause mild to severe respiratory diseases in humans. Human coronaviruses (HCoVs), mainly from the alpha-CoV and beta-CoV genera, have evolved to be highly pathogenic, such as SARS-CoV-2 causing the COVID-19 pandemic. These coronaviruses carry functional enzymes necessary for the virus life cycle, which represent attractive antiviral targets. Methods & Results: We aimed to…

• The Traditional Chinese Medicine Formula Jing Guan Fang for Preventing SARS-CoV-2 Infection: From Clinical Observation to Basic Research - COVID-19 is a global epidemic. Developing adjuvant therapies which could prevent the virus from binding to cells may impair viral infection. This study produces a traditional Chinese medicine formula, Jing Guan Fang (JGF), based on ancient medical texts, and examines the efficacy and the mechanism by which JGF prevents viral infections. JGF reduces COVID-19 like symptoms. Functional studies show that JGF inhibits the formation of syncytium and reduces the formation of viral plaque. JGF is not…

• The deglycosylated form of 1E12 inhibits platelet activation and prothrombotic effects induced by VITT antibodies - To improve the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, there is an urgent need to unravel the pathogenesis of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), a severe complication of recombinant adenoviral vector vaccines used to prevent COVID-19, and likely due to anti-platelet factor 4 (PF4) IgG antibodies. In this study, we demonstrated that 1E12, a chimeric anti-PF4 antibody with a human Fc fragment, fully mimics the effects of human VITT antibodies, as it activates platelets to a similar…

• Structure-based 3D-Pharmacophore modeling to discover novel interleukin 6 inhibitors: An in silico screening, molecular dynamics simulations and binding free energy calculations - Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is a cytokine with various biological functions in immune regulation, hematopoiesis, and inflammation. Elevated IL-6 levels have been identified in several severe disorders such as sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and most recently, COVID-19. The biological activity of IL-6 relies on interactions with its specific receptor, IL-6Rα, including the membrane-bound IL-6 receptor (mIL-6R) and the soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6R). Thus, inhibition of the…

• Targeting papain-like protease for broad-spectrum coronavirus inhibition - The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and repeated outbreaks of coronavirus epidemics in the past two decades emphasize the need for next-generation pan-coronaviral therapeutics. Drugging the multi-functional papain-like protease (PLpro) domain of the viral nsp3 holds promise. However, none of the known coronavirus PLpro inhibitors has been shown to be in vivo active. Herein, we screened a structurally diverse library of 50,080 compounds for potential coronavirus PLpro inhibitors and…

• Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibody Responses after Two Doses of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine (AZD1222) in Healthcare Workers - CONCLUSION: Nab induced by AZD1222 (AstraZeneca, UK) vaccination started to degrade shortly after the production period. Nab titers were lower in the elderly than in younger group during the degradation period. This seems to be because the degradation process of Nab is more pronounced in the elderly. This may explain why the frequency of breakthrough infections, disease severity, and mortality were higher in the elderly and may require revaccination to ensure robust immunity.

• Fluvoxamine in Nonhospitalized Patients With Acute COVID-19 Infection and the Lack of Efficacy in Reducing Rates of Hospitalization, Mechanical Ventilation, and Mortality in Placebo-Controlled Trials: A Systematic Review and Meta- Analysis - CONCLUSION: Current evidence does not indicate a significant effect of fluvoxamine on the rates of hospitalization, mechanical ventilation, and mortality of patients with COVID-19 infection.

• Herbal inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 M(pro) effectively ameliorate acute lung injury in mice - Coronavirus disease 2019, a newly emerging serious infectious disease, has spread worldwide. To date, effective drugs against the disease are limited. Traditional Chinese medicine was commonly used treating COVID-19 patients in China. Here we tried to identify herbal effective lipid compounds from the lipid library of 92 heat-clearing and detoxication Chinese herbs. Through virtual screening, enzymatic activity and inhibition assays and surface plasmon resonance tests, we identified lipid…

• Computational design and experimental characterisation of a stable human heparanase variant - Heparanase is the only human enzyme known to hydrolyse heparin sulfate and is involved in many important physiological processes. However, it is also unregulated in many disease states, such as cancer, diabetes and Covid-19. It is thus an important drug target, yet the heterologous production of heparanase is challenging and only possible in mammalian or insect expression systems, which limits the ability of many laboratories to study it. Here we describe the computational redesign of heparanase…

• Evaluation of ivermectin antiviral activity against avian infectious bronchitis virus using a chicken embryo model - Ivermectin is widely used in both animals and humans as an FDA-approved parasiticide. Ivermectin has also been reported to have antiviral activity against several viruses including coronaviruses. There are reports that indicate ivermectin may have some role in diminishing the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, but the evidence is inconclusive. The objective of this study was to determine if ivermectin was efficacious in inhibiting avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV, a coronavirus) replication in…

• Lichen planus drugs re-purposing as potential anti COVID-19 therapeutics through molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation approach - CONCLUSION: EGCG can be a potential inhibitor drug which can bind with ACE-2 receptor thus inhibiting the interaction of mainly M^(pro) protein and spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2.

From Patent Search

• MACHINE LEARNING TECHNIQUE TO ANALYZE THE WORK PRESSURE OF PARAMEDICAL STAFF DURING COVID 19 - Machine learning technique to analyse the work pressure of paramedical staff during covid 19 is the proposed invention that focuses on identifying the stress levels of paramedical staff. The invention focuses on analysing the level of stress that is induced on the paramedical staff especially during pandemic. - link

• CBD Covid 19 Protection - - link

• 沼泽红假单胞菌5-氨基乙酰丙酸合成酶突变体及应用 - 本发明公开了沼泽红假单胞菌5‑氨基乙酰丙酸合成酶突变体及应用，所述沼泽红假单胞菌5‑氨基乙酰丙酸合成酶突变体的氨基酸序列如SEQ ID NO.1所示。本发明的沼泽红假单胞菌5‑氨基乙酰丙酸合成酶突变体不仅相较于未突变的5‑氨基乙酰丙酸合成酶提高了酶活性，而且还提高了解调较高浓度血红素反馈抑制的能力，这使得本发明的宿主细胞生产5‑ALA的能力得到显著提升，约提升了40%。 - link

• 荚膜红细菌5-氨基乙酰丙酸合成酶突变体及应用 - 本发明提供了一种荚膜红细菌5‑氨基乙酰丙酸合成酶突变体及应用，荚膜红细菌5‑氨基乙酰丙酸合成酶突变体的氨基酸序列如SEQ ID NO.1所示。本发明的荚膜红细菌5‑氨基乙酰丙酸合成酶突变体与野生型的荚膜红细菌5‑氨基乙酰丙酸合成酶相比，在宿主细胞中对5‑氨基乙酰丙酸产量提升约22%；在20μM血红素存在下，突变型5‑氨基乙酰丙酸合成酶C201A能够保持较高的相对酶活。 - link

• METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR IMPLEMENTING IMPROVED GENERALIZED FUZZY PEER GROUP WITH MODIFIED TRILATERAL FILTER TO REMOVE MIXED IMPULSE AND ADAPTIVE WHITE GAUSSIAN NOISE FROM COLOR IMAGES - ABSTRACTMETHOD AND SYSTEM FOR IMPLEMENTING IMPROVED GENERALIZED FUZZY PEER GROUP WITH MODIFIED TRILATERAL FILTER TO REMOVE MIXED IMPULSE AND ADAPTIVE WHITE GAUSSIAN NOISE FROM COLOR IMAGESThe present invention provides a new approach is proposed that includes fuzzy-based approach and similarity function for filtering the mixed noise. In a peer group, the similarity function was adaptive to edge information and local noise level, which was utilized for detecting the similarity among pixels. In addition, a new filtering method Modified Trilateral Filter (MTF) with Improved Generalized Fuzzy Peer Group (IGFPG) is proposed to remove mixed impulse and Adaptive White Gaussian Noise from Color Images. The modified trilateral filter includes Kikuchi algorithm and loopy belief propagation to solve the inference issues on the basis of passing local message. In this research work, the images were collected from KODAK dataset and a few real time multimedia images like Lena were also used for testing the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. - link

• 一种病毒核酸提取无醇裂解液、试剂盒及提取方法 - 本发明公开了一种病毒核酸提取无醇裂解液、试剂盒及提取方法。本发明病毒核酸提取无醇裂解液由胍盐、无机盐、表面活性剂和缓冲液组成；所述胍盐为异硫氰酸胍和盐酸胍中的任一种或两种；所述无机盐为氯化钠和氯化钾中的任一种或两种；所述表面活性剂为聚乙二醇和吐温20；所述缓冲液的pH值为7.5~8.5。本发明可有效避免传统核酸提取裂解液中醇类挥发或刺激性气味对人体造成伤害；配制方法简单，无有毒化学试剂，安全无污染，既可手工操作提取，也可用于自动化平台；与有醇裂解液相比，病毒核酸检测的灵敏度相当，准确度一致，线性范围相当。 - link

• 用于预防SARS-CoV-2奥密克戎株的腺病毒载体疫苗 - 本发明涉及用于预防SARS‑CoV‑2奥密克戎株的腺病毒载体疫苗。本发明采用密码子偏好性进行优化得到新的S基因序列，其能高效在人源细胞内高效表达，免疫机体后可高效表达S抗原，产生针对奥密克戎株SARS‑CoV‑2的中和抗体，可以有效保护机体免受奥密克戎株的侵染。 - link

• 表达SARS-CoV-2奥密克戎突变株病毒抗原肽的核酸序列及其应用 - 本发明提供表达SARS‑CoV‑2奥密克戎突变株病毒抗原肽的核酸序列及其应用。奥密克戎株原始的S基因序列蛋白不能有效在细胞内高效表达；本发明采用密码子偏好性进行优化得到新的S基因序，使其能高效在人源细胞内高效表达，产生相应的多肽，诱导产生相应的免疫保护反应，为SARS‑CoV‑2奥密克戎株的疫苗的研发提供基础。 - link

• A STUDY ON MENTAL HEALTH, STRESS AND ANXIETY AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS DURING COVID-19 - SARS-Cov-2 virus causes an infectious disease coronavirus(COVID-19).The Students life is made harder by COVID-19.The human reaction that happens normally to everyone through physical or emotional tension is stress. Feeling of angry, nervous and frustration caused through any thought or events leads to stress. As college closures and cancelled events, students are missing out on some of the biggest moments of their young lives as well as everyday moments like chatting with friend, participating in class and cultural programme. For students facing life changes due to the outbreak are feeling anxious, isolated and disappointed which lead them to feel all alone. We like to take the help of expert adolescent psychologist to find out the techniques to practice self-care and look after their mental health. We would like to find out whether techniques used reduce the anxiety and stress among Engineering Students. - link

• A METHOD FOR THE TREATMENT OF COVID-19 INFECTIONS WITH PALMITOYLETHANOLAMIDE - - link