The COVID-19 pandemic and associated social restrictions had an extensive effect on peoples’ lives. Increased rates of weight gain were widely reported, as were declines in the general populations’ mental health, including increases in perceived stress. This study investigated whether higher perceived levels of stress during the pandemic were associated with greater levels of weight gain, and whether poor prior levels of mental health were a factor in higher levels of both stress and weight gain during the pandemic. Underlying changes in eating behaviours and dietary consumption were also investigated. During January-February 2021, UK adults (n=179) completed a self-report online questionnaire to measure perceived levels of stress and changes (current versus pre-COVID-19 restrictions) in weight, eating behaviours, dietary consumption, and physical activity. Participants also reported on how COVID-19 had impacted their lives and their level of mental health prior to the pandemic. Participants with higher levels of stress were significantly more likely to report weight gain and twice as likely to report increased food cravings and comfort food consumption (OR=2.3 and 1.9-2.5, respectively). Participants reporting an increase in food cravings were 6-11 times more likely to snack and to have increased consumption of high sugar or processed foods (OR=6.3, 11.2 and 6.3, respectively). Females reported a far greater number of COVID-19 enforced lifestyle changes and both female gender and having poor mental health prior to the pandemic were significant predictors of higher stress and weight gain during the pandemic. Although COVID-19 and the pandemic restrictions were unprecedented, this study suggests that understanding and addressing the disparity of higher perceived stress in females and individuals’ previous levels of mental health, as well as the key role of food cravings, is key for successfully addressing the continuing societal issue of weight gain and obesity.
Monkeypox was declared a public health emergency on August 4, 2022, in the United States. The emerging isolation of the virus in the LGBTQ+ community—particularly among gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men (GBMSM)—has led many to draw parallels between the emerging multi-country outbreak and the 1980s HIV/AIDS crisis. The purpose of this study was to investigate media framing of the monkeypox outbreak in American media through the lens of HIV social constructionist theory. Content analysis of a sample of 59 articles from the top-five most viewed U.S. media outlets was collated against quantitative trends in word frequencies in monkeypox-related tweets (n = 255,363). Results found that coverage often framed monkeypox as a product of GBMSM hypersexuality, leading to potentially stigmatizing perceptions and the drastic increase in tweet content related to sexual activity. While greater attention to stigma was observed in coverage, blame attribution to populations, governments, and practices was one of the most common frames across all media sources. Heavy reporting of systemic barriers to vaccination, testing, or diagnosis serve as continuities from HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 epidemics, underscoring fears around a second plague and influencing public attitudes. Monkeypox conspiracy theories also proliferated heavily on Twitter, with a noticeable increase in conspiracy language over time. These findings can inform the social realities of monkeypox, an understudied dimension, of which an understanding is vital to implementing services that address all elements of the ongoing outbreak.
In the light of emerging SARS CoV 2 variants of concern (VOC), bivalent COVID 19 vaccines combining the wild-type spike mRNA with an Omicron VOC BA.1 or BA.4-5 spike mRNA became available. This non randomized controlled study examined adverse reactions, PRN (pro re nata) medication intake and inability to work after a fourth COVID-19 vaccination among 76 healthcare workers. As fourth dose either the original, monovalent BNT162b2mRNA (48.7%) or the bivalent BNT162b2mRNA original/Omicron BA.4-5 vaccine (51.3%) was administered. The rate of adverse reactions for the second booster dose was significantly higher among participants receiving the bivalent 84.6% (95% CI 70.3%-92.8%; 33/39) compared to the monovalent 51.4% (95% CI 35.9-66.6%; 19/37) vaccine (p=0.0028). Also, there was a trend towards an increased rate of inability to work and intake of PRN medication following bivalent vaccination. In view of preprints reporting inconclusive results in neutralizing antibody levels between the compared vaccines, our results and further studies on safety and reactogenicity of bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccines are highly important to aid clinical decision making in the choice between bivalent and monovalent vaccinations.
With more recent SARS-CoV-2 variants, breakthrough infections in vaccinated individuals and reinfections among previously infected individuals are increasingly common, especially during the Omicron wave. Such infections have led to concerns about controlling transmission and underscore a broader need to understand the contribution of vaccination, including booster doses, and natural immunity to the infectiousness of persons with SARS-CoV-2 infections, especially in high-risk populations with intense transmission such as prisons. Here, we show that both vaccine-derived and naturally acquired immunity independently reduce the infectiousness of persons with Omicron variant SARS-CoV-2 infections in a prison setting. Analyzing data from system-wide SARS-CoV-2 surveillance across 35 California state prisons with a predominately male population, we estimate that Omicron variant infections among unvaccinated cases had a 36% (95% confidence interval (CI): 31-42%) risk of transmitting to close contacts, as compared to 28% (25-31%) risk among vaccinated cases. In adjusted analyses, we estimated that any vaccination, prior infection alone, and both vaccination and prior infection reduced an index case9s risk of transmitting to close contacts by 22% (6-36%), 23% (3-39%) and 40% (20-55%), respectively. Receipt of booster doses and more recent vaccination further reduced infectiousness among vaccinated cases. These findings suggest that although vaccinated and/or previously infected individuals remain highly infectious upon SARS-CoV-2 infection in this prison setting, their infectiousness is reduced compared to individuals without any history of vaccination or infection.
It is estimated that 20-67% of those with COVID-19 develop olfactory disorders, depending on the SARS-CoV-2 variant. However, there is an absence of quick, population-wide olfactory tests to screen for olfactory disorders. The purpose of this study was to provide a proof-of-concept that SCENTinel 1.1, a rapid, inexpensive, population-wide olfactory test, can discriminate between anosmia (total smell loss), hyposmia (reduced sense of smell), parosmia (distorted odor perception), and phantosmia (odor sensation without a source). Participants were mailed a SCENTinel 1.1 test, which measures odor detection, intensity, identification, and pleasantness, using one of four possible odors. Those who completed the test (N = 381) were divided into groups based on their self-reported olfactory function: quantitative olfactory disorder (anosmia or hyposmia, N = 135), qualitative olfactory disorder (parosmia and/or phantosmia; N = 86), and normosmia (normal sense of smell; N = 66). SCENTinel 1.1 accurately discriminates quantitative olfactory disorders, qualitative olfactory disorders, and normosmia groups. When olfactory disorders were assessed individually, SCENTinel 1.1 discriminates between hyposmia, parosmia and anosmia. Participants with parosmia rated common odors less pleasant than those without parosmia. We provide proof-of-concept that SCENTinel 1.1, a rapid smell test, can discriminate quantitative and qualitative olfactory disorders, and is the only direct test to rapidly discriminate parosmia.
While research has widely explored stress, coping, and quality of life (QOL) individually and the potential links between them, there is a critical dearth in the literature regarding these constructs in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our study aims to identify the salient stressors experienced, describe the coping strategies used, and examine the relationships between stress, coping, and current QOL among individuals during the pandemic. Data are from a nationally representative sample of 1,004 respondents who completed an online survey. Key measures included stressful life events (SLEs), coping strategies, and the physical and psychological health domains of QOL. Staged multivariate linear regression analyses examined the relationships between the two QOL domains and SLEs, controlling for sociodemographic and pre-existing health conditions and testing for the effects of coping strategies on these relationships. The most common SLEs experienced during the pandemic were a decrease in financial status, personal injury or illness, and change in living conditions. Problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping were significantly related to higher levels of QOL, whereas avoidant coping was associated with lower QOL. Avoidant coping partially mediated the relationship between experiencing SLEs and reduced physical and psychological QOL. Our study informs clinical interventions to help individuals adopt healthy behaviors to effectively manage stressors, especially large-scale traumatic events like the pandemic. Our findings also call for public health and clinical interventions to address the long-term impacts of the most prevalent stressors experienced during the pandemic among vulnerable groups.
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic increased stress levels broadly in the general population. Patterns of alcohol consumption are known to increase in times of increased stress like natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and economic turmoil. Wisconsin is an important place to study changes in alcohol consumption because it is one of the heaviest-drinking states in the United States. The primary aim of this study is to identify changes in alcohol use at three distinct timepoints during the COVID-19 pandemic in a statewide sample. Methods: An online survey was sent to 5,502 previous Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (SHOW) participants to ask about a wide range of topics related to COVID-19. The timepoints were taken May through June 2020 (Wave 1), January to February 2021 (Wave 2), and June 2021 (Wave 3) The sample included 1,290, 1,868, and 1,585 participants in each of the three waves respectively. Changes in alcohol consumption (whether they drank more, about the same, or less) were examined by race, age, gender, educational attainment, annual income, anxiety and depression status, remote work status, whether the participant experienced employment changes due to COVID-19, and whether there were children present in the home. Within-wave univariate changes in alcohol consumption were evaluated by demographics using a chi-squared test. Results: In all three waves, those with anxiety, a bachelors degree or higher, two younger age groups, and those with children in the home were significantly more likely to increase alcohol consumption. Those reporting depression, those in the highest income quartile, and those working remotely were more likely to report increased drinking in the first two surveys, but not in the third survey. Participants reporting changes in employment due to COVID-19 were more likely to increase drinking in the first survey only. Non-white participants were more likely to report decreased drinking in the first survey only. Conclusions: There may be subpopulations in Wisconsin at higher risk for the negative effects of heavy drinking during the pandemic like those with anxiety, those with children in the home, those with a bachelors degree or higher, and those in younger age groups, as these groups had consistently higher alcohol use that did not subside 15 months after lockdowns began.
Background: Long Covid occurs in those infected with SARSCoV2 whose symptoms persist or develop beyond the acute phase. We conducted a systematic review to determine the prevalence of persistent symptoms, functional disability or pathological changes in adults or children at least 12 weeks post-infection. Methods: We searched MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (OVID), the Cochrane Covid-19 Study register, WHO ICTRP, medRxiv, Cochrane CENTRAL, MEDLINE (PubMed), ClinicalTrials.gov, and the WHO Global research on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) database from 1st January 2020 to 2nd November 2021, limited to publications in English. We included studies with at least 100 participants. Studies where all participants were critically ill were excluded. Articles were screened independently by two reviewers, with disagreements resolved by a third. Long Covid (primary outcome) was extracted as prevalence of at least one symptom or pathology, or prevalence of the most common symptom or pathology, at 12 weeks or later. Heterogeneity was quantified in absolute terms and as a proportion of total variation and explored across pre-defined subgroups (PROSPERO ID CRD42020218351). Findings: In total 120 studies in 130 publications were included. Length of follow-up varied from 12 weeks to over 12 months. Few studies had low risk of bias. All complete and subgroup analyses except one had I2 ≥ 90%, with prevalence of persistent symptoms ranging between 0% and 93%. Studies using routine healthcare records tended to report lower prevalence of persistent symptoms/pathology than self-report. However, studies systematically investigating pathology in all participants at follow up tended to report the highest estimates of all three. Studies of hospitalised cases had generally higher estimates than community-based studies. Interpretation: The way in which Long Covid is defined and measured affects prevalence estimation. Given the widespread nature of SARSCoV2 infection globally, the burden of chronic illness is likely to be substantial even using the most conservative estimates.
COVID-19 Bivalent Booster Megastudy - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Behavioral: COVID Booster text messages
Sponsor: University of Pennsylvania
Enrolling by invitation
Using a Community-level Just-in-Time Adaptive Intervention to Address COVID-19 Testing Disparities - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Behavioral: Multi-Level Multi-Component Intervention (MLI); Behavioral: Community Just-In-Time Adaptive Intervention (Community JITAI)
Sponsors: The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston; National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
Active, not recruiting
Safety and Efficacy of Medications COVID-19 - Condition: Severe Covid-19
Intervention: Drug: Oral bedtime melatonin
Sponsor: Hospital San Carlos, Madrid
Completed
Use of Multiple Doses of Convalescent Plasma in Mechanically Intubated Patients With COVID-19 - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Biological: Multiple doses of anti-SARS-CoV-2 Convalescent Plasma
Sponsors: Hospital Regional Dr. Rafael Estévez; Complejo Hospitalario Dr. Arnulfo Arias Madrid; Hospital Santo Tomas; Hospital Punta Pacífica, Pacífica Salud; Insituto Conmemorativo Gorgas de Estudios para la Salud; Sociedad Panameña de Hematología; Institute of Scientific Research and High Technology Services (INDICASAT AIP); University of Panama; Sistema Nacional de Investigación de Panamá
Completed
Examining How a Facilitated Self-Sampling Intervention and Testing Navigation Intervention Influences COVID-19 Testing - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Behavioral: Facilitated Self-Sampling Intervention (FSSI); Behavioral: Testing Navigation Intervention (TNI).; Behavioral: Control
Sponsors: The University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston; National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
Not yet recruiting
Assessing Performance of the Testing Done Simple Covid 19 Antigen Test - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Diagnostic Test: Testing Done Simple SARS CoV-2 Antigen Test
Sponsors: Testing Done Simple; Nao Medical Urgent Care
Recruiting
A Phase III of COVID-19 Vaccine EuCorVac-19 in Healthy Adults Aged 18 Years and Older - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Biological: EuCorVac-19; Biological: ChAdOx1
Sponsor: EuBiologics Co.,Ltd
Recruiting
Open Multicenter Study for Assessment of Efficacy and Safety of Molnupiravir in Adult Patients With COVID-19 - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Drug: Molnupiravir (Esperavir); Drug: Standard of care
Sponsor: Promomed, LLC
Completed
Open Multicentre Study of the Safety and Efficacy Against COVID-19 of Nirmatrelvir/Ritonavir in the Adult Population - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Drug: nirmatrelvir/ritonavir; Drug: Standard of care
Sponsors: Promomed, LLC; Sponsor GmbH
Completed
Study Evaluating GS-5245 in Participants With COVID-19 Who Have a High Risk of Developing Serious or Severe Illness - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Drug: GS-5245; Drug: GS-5245 Placebo
Sponsor: Gilead Sciences
Recruiting
Effects of Respiratory Muscle Training in Individuals With Long-term Post-COVID-19 Symptoms - Conditions: Covid19; Post-acute COVID-19 Syndrome
Interventions: Other: Inspiratory + expiratory muscle training group; Other: Inspiratory + expiratory muscle training sham group; Other: Exercise training program
Sponsors: Universidad Complutense de Madrid; Colegio Profesional de Fisioterapeutas de la Comunidad de Madrid
Recruiting
Recombinant COVID-19 Vaccine (CHO Cell, NVSI-06-09) Phase III Clinical Trial - Conditions: COVID-19; Coronavirus Infections
Interventions: Biological: LIBP-Rec-Vaccine; Biological: BIBP-Rec-Vaccine; Biological: placebo
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
A Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity of Combined Modified RNA Vaccine Candidates Against COVID-19 and Influenza - Conditions: Influenza, Human; COVID-19
Interventions: Biological: bivalent BNT162b2 (original/Omi BA.4/BA.5); Biological: qIRV (22/23); Biological: QIV
Sponsors: BioNTech SE; Pfizer
Not yet recruiting
Study to Evaluate Safety, Tolerability, Efficacy and Pharmacokinetics of ASC10 in Mild to Moderate COVID-19 Patients - Condition: SARS CoV 2 Infection
Interventions: Drug: ASC10; Drug: Placebo
Sponsor: Ascletis Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd.
Not yet recruiting
A Phase I/II Study of GLB-COV2-043 as a COVID-19 Vaccine Booster - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Drug: GLB-COV2-043; Drug: BNT162b2/COMIRNATY®
Sponsor: GreenLight Biosciences, Inc.
Not yet recruiting
Two-helix supramolecular proteomimetic binders assembled via PNA-assisted disulfide cross-linking - Peptidic motifs folded in a defined conformation are able to inhibit protein-protein interactions (PPIs) covering large interfaces and as such they are biomedical molecules of interest. Mimicry of such natural structures with synthetically tractable constructs often requires complex scaffolding and extensive optimization to preserve the fidelity of binding to the target. Here, we present a novel proteomimetic strategy based on a 2-helix binding motif that is brought together by hybridization of…
Determination of Binding Affinity of Tunicamycin with SARS-CoV-2 Proteins: Proteinase, Protease, nsp2, nsp9, ORF3a, ORF7a, ORF8, ORF9b, Envelope and RBD of Spike Glycoprotein - Introduction: Despite the availability of several COVID-19 vaccines, the incidence of infections remains a serious issue. Tunicamycin (TM), an antibiotic, inhibited tumor growth, reduced coronavirus envelope glycoprotein subunit 2 synthesis, and decreased N-linked glycosylation of coronavirus glycoproteins. Objectives: Our study aimed to determine how tunicamycin interacts with certain coronavirus proteins (proteinase, protease, nsp9, ORF7a, ORF3a, ORF9b, ORF8, envelope protein, nsp2, and RBD of…
Environmental Impacts on COVID-19: Mechanisms of Increased Susceptibility - CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to particulate matter (PM) pollution enhanced morbidity and mortality to COVID-19 in a pediatric population associated with induction of oxidative stress. In addition, free radicals present on PM can induce rapid changes in the viral genome that can lead to vaccine escape, altered host susceptibility, and viral pathogenicity. Nutritional antioxidant supplements have been shown to reduce the severity of viral infections, inhibit the inflammatory cytokine storm, and boost…
Hippo signaling pathway activation during SARS-CoV-2 infection contributes to host antiviral response - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, causes respiratory failure and damage to multiple organ systems. The emergence of viral variants poses a risk of vaccine failures and prolongation of the pandemic. However, our understanding of the molecular basis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and subsequent COVID-19 pathophysiology is limited. In this study, we have uncovered a critical role for the evolutionarily conserved…
Potential usefulness of Mediterranean diet polyphenols against COVID-19-induced inflammation: a review of the current knowledge - The Mediterranean diet is a dietary pattern typical of the populations living in the Mediterranean basin during the 50s-60s of the last century. This diet has demonstrated beneficial effects in the prevention of several pathologies such as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, or several cancer types, at least in part, due to its antioxidant compounds. Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, different authors have been studying the effects of certain dietary habits on the presence of…
Automated detection of neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in minutes using a competitive chemiluminescence immunoassay - The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has shown the importance of rapid and comprehensive diagnostic tools. While there are numerous rapid antigen tests available, rapid serological assays for the detection of neutralizing antibodies are and will be needed to determine not only the amount of antibodies formed after infection or vaccination but also their neutralizing potential, preventing the cell entry of SARS-CoV-2. Current active-virus neutralization assays require biosafety level 3 facilities, while…
The Quest for mRNA Vaccines - The success of mRNA vaccines against COVID-19 is nothing short of a medical revolution. Given its chemical lability the use of mRNA as a therapeutic has been counterintuitive and met with skepticism. The development of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines was the culmination of long and painstaking efforts by many investigators spanning over 30 years and culminating with the seminal studies of Kariko and Weissman. This review will describe one chapter in this saga, studies that have shown that mRNA can…
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Two-Step Infection Screen Reveals Inhibitors of Early and Late Life Cycle Stages - Human respiratory syncytial virus (hRSV) infection is a leading cause of severe respiratory tract infections. Effective, directly acting antivirals against hRSV are not available. We aimed to discover new and chemically diverse candidates to enrich the hRSV drug development pipeline. We used a two-step screen that interrogates compound efficacy after primary infection and a consecutive virus passaging. We resynthesized selected hit molecules and profiled their activities with hRSV lentiviral…
Advances And Challenges In Using Nirmatrelvir And Its Derivatives Against Sars-Cov-2 Infection - On 22 December 2021, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first M^(pro) inhibitor, i.e., oral antiviral nirmatrelvir (PF-07321332)/ritonavir (Paxlovid), for the treatment of early severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Nirmatrelvir inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection, but high doses or long-term treatment may cause embryonic developmental toxicity and changes in host gene expression. The chiral structure of nirmatrelvir plays a key role in…
Protocol for characterizing the inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 infection by a protein of interest in cultured cells - Here, we present a protocol to characterize the antiviral ability of a protein of interest to SARS-CoV-2 infection in cultured cells, using MUC1 as an example. We use SARS-CoV-2 ΔN trVLP system, which utilizes transcription and replication-competent SARS-CoV-2 virus-like particles lacking nucleocapsid gene. We describe the optimized procedure to analyze protein interference of viral attachment and entry into cells, and qRT-PCR-based quantification of viral infection. The protocol can be applied…
Current insights and molecular docking studies of the drugs under clinical trial as rdrp inhibitors in COVID-19 treatment - CONCLUSION: The drug repurposing approach provides a new avenue in COVID-19 treatment.
Insight into the role of clathrin-mediated endocytosis inhibitors in SARS-CoV-2 infection - Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants warrants sustainable efforts to upgrade both the diagnostic and therapeutic protocols. Understanding the details of cellular and molecular basis of the virus-host cell interaction is essential for developing variant-independent therapeutic options. The internalization of SARS-CoV-2, into lung epithelial cells, is mediated by endocytosis, especially clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME). Although vaccination is the gold standard strategy against viral infection,…
A randomized clinical trial of lipid metabolism modulation with fenofibrate for acute coronavirus disease 2019 - Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) cytotoxicity may involve inhibition of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha. Fenofibrate activates peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha and inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in vitro. Whether fenofibrate can be used to treat coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection in humans remains unknown. Here, we randomly assigned inpatients and outpatients with COVID-19 within 14 d of symptom onset to 145 mg of oral…
COVID-19 public health and social measures: a comprehensive picture of six Asian countries - The COVID-19 pandemic will not be the last of its kind. As the world charts a way towards an equitable and resilient recovery, Public Health and Social Measures (PHSMs) that were implemented since the beginning of the pandemic need to be made a permanent feature of health systems that can be activated and readily deployed to tackle sudden surges in infections going forward. Although PHSMs aim to blunt the spread of the virus, and in turn protect lives and preserve health system capacity, there…
Use of a Bacterial Artificial Chromosome to Generate Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Expressing Robust Levels of Reporter Genes - Reporter-expressing recombinant virus represents an excellent option and a powerful tool to investigate, among others, viral infection, pathogenicity, and transmission, as well as to identify therapeutic compounds that inhibit viral infection and prophylactic vaccines. To combat the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, we have established a robust bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)-based reverse genetics (RG) system to rapidly generate recombinant severe acute respiratory…