Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, breastfeeding in women positive for SARS-CoV-2 was compromised due to contradictory data regarding potential viral transmission. However, growing evidence confirms the relevant role of breast milk in providing passive immunity by generating and transmitting specific antibodies against the virus. Thus, our study aimed to develop and validate a specific protocol to detect SARS-CoV-2 in breast milk matrix as well as to determine the impact of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection on presence, concentration, and persistence of specific SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Study design/Methods: A prospective multicenter longitudinal study in Spain was carried out from April to December 2020. A total of 60 mothers with SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or recovered from COVID-19 were included (n=52 PCR-diagnosed and n=8 seropositive). Data from maternal-infant clinical records and symptomatology were collected. A specific protocol was validated to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in breast milk, targeting the N1 region of the nucleocapsid gene and the envelope (E) gene. Presence and levels of SARS-CoV-2 specific immunoglobulins (Igs) -IgA, IgG, and IgM- in breast milk samples from COVID-19 patients and from 13 women before the pandemic were also evaluated. Results: All breast milk samples showed negative results for SARS-CoV-2 RNA presence. We observed high intra- and inter-individual variability in the antibody response to the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein for each of the three isotypes IgA, IgM and IgG. Protease domain (MPro) antibodies were also detected in milk. In general, 82.9 % of the milk samples were positive for at least one of the three antibody isotypes, being 52.86 % of those positive for all three Igs. Positivity rate for IgA was relatively stable over time (65.2-87.5 %), whereas it raised continuously for IgG (47.8 % the first ten days to 87.5 % from day 41 up to day 206 post-PCR confirmation). Conclusions: Considering the lack of evidence for SARS-CoV-2 transmission through breast milk, our study confirms the safety of breastfeeding practices and highlights the relevance of virus-specific SARS-CoV-2 antibody transfer, that would provide passive immunity to breastfed infants and protect them against COVID-19 disease. This study provides crucial data to support official breastfeeding recommendations based on scientific evidence.
While SARS-CoV-2 vaccine distribution campaigns are underway across the world, communities face the challenge of a fair and effective distribution of limited supplies. We wonder whether suitable spatial allocation strategies might significantly improve a campaign9s efficacy in averting damaging outcomes. To that end, we address the problem of optimal control of COVID-19 vaccinations in a country-wide geographic and epidemiological context characterized by strong spatial heterogeneities in transmission rate and disease history. We seek the vaccine allocation strategies in space and time that minimize the number of infections in a prescribed time horizon. We examine scenarios of unfolding disease transmission across the 107 provinces of Italy, from January to April 2021, generated by a spatially explicit compartmental COVID-19 model tailored to the Italian geographic and epidemiological context. We develop a novel optimal control framework to derive optimal vaccination strategies given the epidemiological projections and constraints on vaccine supply and distribution logistic. Optimal schemes significantly outperform simple alternative allocation strategies based on incidence, population distribution, or prevalence of susceptibles in each province. Our results suggest that the complex interplay between the mobility network and the spatial heterogeneities imply highly non-trivial prioritization of local vaccination campaigns. The extent of the overall improvements in the objectives grants further inquiry aimed at refining other possibly relevant factors so far neglected. Our work thus provides a proof-of-concept of the potential of optimal control for complex and heterogeneous epidemiological contexts at country, and possibly global, scales.
Importance: COVID-19 has severely impacted older populations and strained healthcare resources, with many patients requiring long periods of hospitalization. Reducing the hospital length of stay (LOS) reduces patient and hospital burden. Given that adverse drug reactions are known to prolong LOS, unmanaged pharmacogenomic risk and drug interactions among COVID-19 patients may be a risk factor for longer hospital stays. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine if pharmacogenomic and drug interaction risks were associated with longer lengths of stay among high-risk patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Design: Retrospective cohort study of medical and pharmacy claims Setting: Administrative database from a large U.S. health insurance company Participants: Medicare Advantage members with a first COVID-19 hospitalization between January 2020 and June 2020, who did not die during the stay. Exposures: (1) Pharmacogenetic interaction probability (PIP) of ≤25% (low), 26%-50% (moderate), or >50% (high), which indicate the likelihood that one or more clinically actionable gene-drug or gene-drug-drug interactions would be identified with testing; (2) drug-drug interaction (DDI) severity of minimal, minor, moderate, major, or contraindicated, which indicate the severity of an interaction between two or more active medications. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was hospital length of stay. Results were stratified by hierarchical condition categories (HCC) counts and chronic conditions. Results: A total of 6,025 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were included in the study. Patients with moderate or high PIP were hospitalized for 9% (CI: 4%-15%; p < 0.001) and 16% longer (CI: 8%-24%; p < 0.001), respectively, compared to those with low PIP, whereas RAF score was not associated with LOS. High PIP was significantly associated with 12%-22% longer lengths of stay compared to low PIP in patients with hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, or COPD. Finally, among patients with 2 or 3 HCCs, a 10% longer length of stay was observed among patients with moderate or more severe DDI compared to minimal or minor DDI. Conclusions and Relevance: Proactively mitigating pharmacogenomic risk has the potential to reduce length of stay in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 especially those with COPD, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension.
Background Long COVID is a term to describe new or persistent symptoms at least four weeks after onset of acute COVID-19. Clinical codes to describe this phenomenon were released in November 2020 in the UK, but it is not known how these codes have been used in practice. Methods Working on behalf of NHS England, we used OpenSAFELY data encompassing 96% of the English population. We measured the proportion of people with a recorded code for long COVID, overall and by demographic factors, electronic health record software system, and week. We also measured variation in recording amongst practices. Results Long COVID was recorded for 23,273 people. Coding was unevenly distributed amongst practices, with 26.7% of practices having not used the codes at all. Regional variation was high, ranging between 20.3 per 100,000 people for East of England (95% confidence interval 19.3-21.4) and 55.6 in London (95% CI 54.1-57.1). The rate was higher amongst women (52.1, 95% CI 51.3-52.9) compared to men (28.1, 95% CI 27.5-28.7), and higher amongst practices using EMIS software (53.7, 95% CI 52.9-54.4) compared to TPP software (20.9, 95% CI 20.3-21.4). Conclusions Long COVID coding in primary care is low compared with early reports of long COVID prevalence. This may reflect under-coding, sub-optimal communication of clinical terms, under-diagnosis, a true low prevalence of long COVID diagnosed by clinicians, or a combination of factors. We recommend increased awareness of diagnostic codes, to facilitate research and planning of services; and surveys of clinicians9 experiences, to complement ongoing patient surveys.
SARS-CoV-2 wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been advanced as a relevant indicator of distribution of COVID-19 in communities, supporting classical testing and tracing epidemiological approaches. An extensive sampling campaign, including ten municipal wastewater treatment plants, has been conducted in different cities of France over a 20-weeks period, encompassing the second peak of COVID-19 outbreak in France. A well-recognised ultrafiltration - RNA extraction - RT-qPCR protocol was used and qualified, showing 5.5 +/- 0.5% recovery yield on heat-inactivated SARS-CoV-2. Importantly the whole, solid and liquid, fraction of wastewater was used for virus concentration in this study. Campaign results showed medium- to strong- correlation between SARS-CoV-2 WBE data and COVID-19 prevalence. To go further, WWTP inlet flow rate and raining statistical relationships were studied and taken into account for each WWTP in order to calculate contextualized SARS-CoV-2 loads. This metric presented improved correlation strengths with COVID-19 prevalence for WWTP particularly submitted and sensitive to rain. Such findings highlighted that SARS-CoV-2 WBE data ultimately require to be contextualised for relevant interpretation.
In a national online survey of 2,074 US parents conducted in March 2021, 49.4% reported plans to vaccinate their child for COVID-19 when available. Lower income and less education were associated with greater parental vaccine hesitancy/resistance, while safety, effectiveness and lack of need were the primary reasons for vaccine hesitancy/resistance.
Introduction Rapid antigen tests are convenient for diagnosing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2); however, they have lower sensitivities than nucleic acid amplification tests. In this study, we evaluated the diagnostic performance of Quick Chaser Auto SARS-CoV-2, a novel digital immunochromatographic assay that is expected to have higher sensitivity than conventional antigen tests. Methods A prospective observational study was conducted between February 8 and March 24, 2021. We simultaneously obtained two nasopharyngeal samples, one for evaluation with the QuickChaser Auto SARS-CoV-2 antigen test and the other for assessment with reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR), considered the gold-standard reference test. The limit of detection (LOD) of the new antigen test was compared with those of four other commercially available rapid antigen tests. Results A total of 1401 samples were analyzed. SARS-CoV-2 was detected by reference RT-PCR in 83 (5.9%) samples, of which 36 (43.4%) were collected from symptomatic patients. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 74.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 64.0-83.6%), 99.8% (95% CI: 99.5-100%), 96.9% (95% CI: 89.2-99.6%), and 98.4% (95% CI: 97.6-99.0%), respectively. When limited to samples with a cycle threshold (Ct) <30 or those from symptomatic patients, the sensitivity increased to 98.3% and 88.9%, respectively. The QuickChaser Auto SARS-CoV-2 detected 34-120 copies/test, which indicated greater sensitivity than the other rapid antigen tests. Conclusions QuickChaser Auto SARS-CoV-2 showed sufficient sensitivity and specificity in clinical samples of symptomatic patients. The sensitivity was comparable to RT-PCR in samples with Ct<30.
Surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 variants including the quickly spreading mutants by rapid and near real-time sequencing of the viral genome provides an important tool for effective health policy decision making in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Here we evaluated PCR-tiling of short (~400-bp) and long (~2 and ~2.5-kb) amplicons combined with nanopore sequencing on a MinION device for analysis of the SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences. Analysis of several sequencing runs demonstrated that using the long amplicon schemes outperforms the original protocol based on the 400-bp amplicons. It also illustrated common artefacts and problems associated with this approach, such as uneven genome coverage, variable fraction of discarded sequencing reads, as well as the reads derived from the viral sub-genomic RNAs and/or human and bacterial contamination.
Importance COVID-19 public health mitigation measures are likely to have detrimental effects on emotional and behavioural problems in children. However, longitudinal studies with pre-pandemic data are scarce. Objective To explore trajectories of emotional and behavioural difficulties in children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design and setting Data were from children from the third generation of a birth cohort study; the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children - Generation 2 (ALSPAC-G2) in the southwest of England. Participants The study population comprised of 708 children (median age at COVID data collection was 4.4 years, SD=2.9, IQR= [2.2 to 6.9]), whose parents provided previous pre-pandemic surveys and a survey between 26 May and 5 July 2020 that focused on information about the COVID-19 pandemic as restrictions from the first lockdown in the UK were eased. Exposures We employed multi-level mixed effects modelling with random intercepts and slopes to examine whether trajectories of emotional and behavioural difficulties (a combined total difficulties score) during the pandemic differ from expected pre-pandemic trajectories. Main outcomes Children had up to seven measurements of emotional and behavioural difficulties from infancy to late childhood, using developmentally appropriate scales such as the Emotionality Activity Sociability Temperament Survey in infancy and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in childhood. Results The observed normative pattern of emotional and behavioural difficulties in children pre-pandemic, was characterised by an increase in scores during infancy peaking around the age of 2, and then declining throughout the rest of childhood. Pre-pandemic, the decline in difficulties scores after age 2 was 0.6 points per month; but was approximately one third of that in post-pandemic trajectories (there was a difference in mean rate of decline after age 2 of 0.2 points per month in pre vs during pandemic trajectories [95 % CI: 0.10 to 0.30, p <0.001]). This lower decline in scores over the years translated to older children having pandemic difficulty scores higher than would be expected from pre-pandemic trajectories (for example, an estimated 10.0 point (equivalent of 0.8 standard deviations) higher score (95% CI: 5.0 to 15.0) by age 8.5 years). Results remained similar although somewhat attenuated after adjusting for maternal anxiety and age. Conclusion and relevance The COVID-19 pandemic may be associated with greater persistence of emotional and behavioural difficulties after the age 2. Emotional difficulties in childhood predict later mental health problems. Further evidence and monitoring of emotional and behavioural difficulties are required to fully understand the potential role of the pandemic on young children.
Background Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) has been reported among individuals vaccinated with adenovirus-vectored COVID-19 vaccines. In this study we describe the background incidence of TTS in 6 European countries. Methods Electronic medical records from France, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom informed the study. Incidence rates of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), and stroke, all with concurrent thrombocytopenia, were estimated among the general population between 2017 to 2019. A range of additional adverse events of special interest for COVID-19 vaccinations were also studied in a similar manner. Findings A total of 20,599,134 individuals were included. Background rates ranged from 1.0 (0.7 to 1.4) to 1.5 (1.0 to 2.0) per 100,000 person-years for DVT with thrombocytopenia, from 0.5 (0.3 to 0.6) to 1.4 (1.1 to 1.8) for PE with thrombocytopenia, from 0.1 (0.0 to 0.1) to 0.7 (0.5 to 0.9) for SVT with thrombocytopenia, and from 0.2 (0.0 to 0.4) to 4.4 (3.9 to 5.0) for stroke with thrombocytopenia. CVST with thrombocytopenia was only identified in one database, with incidence rate of 0.1 (0.0 to 0.2) per 100,000 person-years. The incidence of TTS increased with age, with those affected typically having more comorbidities and greater medication use than the general population. TTS was also more often seen in men than women. A sizeable proportion of those affected were seen to have been taking antithrombotic and anticoagulant therapies prior to their TTS event. Interpretation Although rates vary across databases, TTS has consistently been seen to be a very rare event among the general population. While still very rare, rates of TTS are typically higher among older individuals, and those affected were also seen to generally be male and have more comorbidities and greater medication use than the general population. Funding This study was funded by the European Medicines Agency (EMA/2017/09/PE Lot 3).
Recombinant Hyperimmune Polyclonal Antibody (GIGA-2050) in COVID-19 Patients - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Drug: GIGA-2050
Sponsor: GigaGen, Inc.
Not yet recruiting
A Phase 3 Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo Controlled, Multi-regional Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of GT0918 for the Treatment of Mild to Moderate COVID-19 Male Patients - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Drug: GT0918 tablets or placebo
Sponsor: Suzhou Kintor Pharmaceutical Inc,
Not yet recruiting
The Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on COVID-19 Recovery - Condition: Covid19
Interventions: Drug: Vit-D 0.2 MG/ML Oral Solution [Calcidol]; Drug: Physiological Irrigating Solution
Sponsors: University of Monastir; Loussaief Chawki; Nissaf Ben Alaya; Cyrine Ben Nasrallah; Manel Ben Belgacem; Hela Abroug; Imen Zemni; Manel Ben fredj; Wafa Dhouib
Completed
A Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (CHO Cell) for COVID-19 - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Biological: low-dose Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (CHO cell); Biological: high-dose Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine (CHO cell); Biological: placebo
Sponsors: National Vaccine and Serum Institute, China; Lanzhou Institute of Biological Products Co., Ltd; Beijing Zhong Sheng Heng Yi Pharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd.; Zhengzhou University
Recruiting
tDCS for Post COVID-19 Fatigue - Condition: Post Covid-19 Patients
Intervention: Device: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation
Sponsor: Thorsten Rudroff
Recruiting
A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Effect of STC3141 Continuous Infusion in Subjects With Severe Corona Virus Disease 2019（COVID-19）Pneumonia - Condition: Severe COVID-19 Pneumonia
Intervention: Drug: STC3141
Sponsors: Grand Medical Pty Ltd.; Trium Clinical Consulting
Not yet recruiting
A Phase 2 Study of APX-115 in Hospitalized Patients With Confirmed Mild to Moderate COVID-19. - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Drug: APX-115; Drug: Placebo
Sponsors: Aptabio Therapeutics, Inc.; Covance
Not yet recruiting
Leveraging CHWs to Improve COVID-19 Testing and Mitigation Among CJIs Accessing a Corrections-focused CBO - Condition: Covid19
Intervention: Behavioral: Onsite Point-of-care
Sponsors: Montefiore Medical Center; The Fortune Society; University of Bristol
Not yet recruiting
Convalescent Plasma as Adjunct Therapy for COVID-19 - Condition: COVID-19
Intervention: Biological: Convalescent plasma treatment
Sponsors: National Institute of Health Research and Development, Ministry of Health Republic of Indonesia; Indonesian Red Cross; Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology
Recruiting
Selenium as a Potential Treatment for Moderately-ill, Severely-ill, and Critically-ill COVID-19 Patients. - Condition: Covid19
Interventions: Drug: Selenium (as Selenious Acid); Other: Placebo
Sponsors: CHRISTUS Health; Pharco Pharmaceuticals
Not yet recruiting
The Role of High Dose Co-trimoxazole in Severe Covid-19 Patients - Condition: COVID-19 Pneumonia
Interventions: Drug: Co-trimoxazole; Drug: Placebo
Sponsor: Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Not yet recruiting
COVID-19 Vaccination Take-Up - Conditions: Covid19; Vaccination
Interventions: Behavioral: Financial incentives; Behavioral: Convenient scheduling link; Behavioral: Race concordant; Behavioral: Gender concordant
Sponsors: University of Southern California; Contra Costa Health Services; J-PAL North America, State and Local Innovation Initiative; National Bureau of Economic Research Roybal Center; National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Not yet recruiting
Safety, Tolerability and PK of Ensovibep (MP0420 - a New Candidate With Potential for Treatment of COVID-19) - Condition: COVID-19
Interventions: Drug: Ensovibep; Drug: Placebo
Sponsor: Molecular Partners AG
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: Jiangsu Province Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; WestVac Biopharma Co., Ltd.; West China Hospital
Not yet recruiting
#SafeHandsSafeHearts: An eHealth Intervention for COVID-19 Prevention and Support - Condition: Covid19
Intervention: Behavioral: eHealth for Covid-19 prevention and support
Sponsor: University of Toronto
Recruiting
Plant-derived Exosomal MicroRNAs Inhibit Lung Inflammation Induced by Exosomes SARS-CoV-2 Nsp12 - Lung inflammation is a hallmark of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Here, we show that mice develop inflamed lung tissue after being administered exosomes released from the lung epithelial cells exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Nsp12 and Nsp13 (exosomes^(Nsp12Nsp13)). Mechanistically, we show that exosomes^(Nsp12Nsp13) are taken up by lung macrophages, leading to activation of NF-κB and the subsequent induction of an array of inflammatory cytokines….
Promising anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs by effective dual targeting against the viral and host proteases - SARS-CoV-2 caused dramatic health, social and economic threats to the globe. With this threat, the expectation of future outbreak, and the shortage of anti-viral drugs, scientists were challenged to develop novel antivirals. The objective of this study is to develop novel anti-SARS-CoV-2 compounds with dual activity by targeting valuable less-mutated enzymes. Here, we have mapped the binding affinity of >500,000 compounds for potential activity against SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M^(pro)), papain…
Molecular scaffolds from mother nature as possible lead compounds in drug design and discovery against coronaviruses: A landscape analysis of published literature and molecular docking studies - The recent outbreak of viral infection and its transmission has highlighted the importance of its slowdown for the safeguard of public health, globally. The identification of novel drugs and efficient therapies against these infectious viruses is need of the hour. The eruption of COVID-19 is caused by a novel acute respiratory syndrome virus SARS-CoV-2 which has taken the whole world by storm as it has transformed into a global pandemic. This lethal syndrome is a global health threat to general…
Computational optimization of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding-motif affinity for human ACE2 - The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, that is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, and the closely related SARS-CoV coronavirus enter cells by binding at the human angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (hACE2). The stronger hACE2 affinity of SARS-CoV-2 has been connected with its higher infectivity. In this work, we study hACE2 complexes with the receptor binding domains (RBDs) of the human SARS-CoV-2 and human SARS-CoV viruses, using all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and Computational Protein…
Hepatitis C virus drugs that inhibit SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease synergize with remdesivir to suppress viral replication in cell culture - Effective control of COVID-19 requires antivirals directed against SARS-CoV-2. We assessed 10 hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease-inhibitor drugs as potential SARS-CoV-2 antivirals. There is a striking structural similarity of the substrate binding clefts of SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M^(pro)) and HCV NS3/4A protease. Virtual docking experiments show that these HCV drugs can potentially bind into the M^(pro) substrate-binding cleft. We show that seven HCV drugs inhibit both SARS-CoV-2 M^(pro)…
Natural plant products as potential inhibitors of RNA dependent RNA polymerase of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 - Drug repurposing studies targeting inhibition of RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have exhibited the potential effect of small molecules. In the present work a detailed interaction study between the phytochemicals from Indian medicinal plants and the RdRP of SARS-CoV-2 has been performed. The top four phytochemicals obtained through molecular docking were, swertiapuniside, cordifolide A, sitoindoside IX, and amarogentin belonging…
Targeting Sphingosine-1-Phosphate Signaling in Immune-Mediated Diseases: Beyond Multiple Sclerosis - Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive lipid metabolite that exerts its actions by engaging 5 G-protein-coupled receptors (S1PR1-S1PR5). S1P receptors are involved in several cellular and physiological events, including lymphocyte/hematopoietic cell trafficking. An S1P gradient (low in tissues, high in blood), maintained by synthetic and degradative enzymes, regulates lymphocyte trafficking. Because lymphocytes live long (which is critical for adaptive immunity) and recirculate thousands…
Glycyrrhizin for topical use and prophylaxis of COVID-19: an interesting pharmacological perspective - COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS - CoV - 2 pathogen, is currently a pandemic. At the moment there is not an available vaccine, so, scientific community is looking for strategies and drugs to implement prevention and prophylaxis. Several compounds are examined for this purpose. Glycyrrhizin, an alkaloid extracted from licorice plant (glycyrriza glabra), is one of the most studied molecules, both for its peculiar biological functions and for its pharmacological effects. This brief review…
A phase I study of high dose camostat mesylate in healthy adults provides a rationale to repurpose the TMPRSS2 inhibitor for the treatment of COVID-19 - Camostat mesylate, an oral serine protease inhibitor, is used to treat chronic pancreatitis and reflux esophagitis. Recently, camostat mesylate and its active metabolite 4-(4-guanidinobenzoyloxy)phenylacetic acid (GBPA) were reported to inhibit the infection of cells by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 by inhibiting type II transmembrane serine protease. We conducted a phase I study to investigate high-dose camostat mesylate as a treatment for coronavirus disease 2019. Camostat…
Phytochemicals as Potential Therapeutics for SARS-CoV-2-Induced Cardiovascular Complications: Thrombosis and Platelet Perspective - After gaining entry through ACE2 aided by TMPRSS2, the SARS-CoV-2 causes serious complications of the cardiovascular system leading to myocarditis and other myocardial injuries apart from causing lung, kidney and brain dysfunctions. Here in this review, we are going to divulge the cellular and immunological mechanisms behind the cardiovascular, thrombotic and platelet impairments that are caused in COVID-19. In addition, we also propose the significance of various anti-platelet and…
Ruxolitinib, a JAK1/2 Inhibitor, Ameliorates Cytokine Storm in Experimental Models of Hyperinflammation Syndrome - Hyperinflammatory syndromes comprise a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by severe inflammation, multiple organ dysfunction, and potentially death. In response to antigenic stimulus (e.g., SARS-CoV-2 infection), overactivated CD8+ T-cells and macrophages produce high levels of proinflammatory cytokines, such as IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-12. Multiple inflammatory mediators implicated in hyperinflammatory syndromes utilize the Janus kinase-signal transducers and activators of…
The interferon-stimulated exosomal hACE2 potently inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication through competitively blocking the virus entry - Since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), it has become a global pandemic. The spike (S) protein of etiologic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) specifically recognizes human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) as its receptor, which is recently identified as an interferon (IFN)-stimulated gene. Here, we find that hACE2 exists on the surface of exosomes released by different cell types, and the expression of exosomal hACE2 is increased by IFNα/β…
Critical Determinants of Cytokine Storm and Type I Interferon Response in COVID-19 Pathogenesis - SUMMARYSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a rapidly evolving pandemic worldwide with at least 68 million COVID-19-positive cases and a mortality rate of about 2.2%, as of 10 December 2020. About 20% of COVID-19 patients exhibit moderate to severe symptoms. Severe COVID-19 manifests as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) with elevated plasma proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin 1β (IL-1β), IL-6, tumor…
Flavonoids as inhibitors of human neutrophil elastase - Elastase is a proteolytic enzyme belonging to the family of hydrolases produced by human neutrophils, monocytes, macrophages, and endothelial cells. Human neutrophil elastase is known to play multiple roles in the human body, but an increase in its activity may cause a variety of diseases. Elastase inhibitors may prevent the development of psoriasis, chronic kidney disease, respiratory disorders (including COVID-19), immune disorders, and even cancers. Among polyphenolic compounds, some…
Reinforcing our defense or weakening the enemy? A comparative overview of defensive and offensive strategies developed to confront COVID-19 - Developing effective strategies to confront coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become one of the greatest concerns of the scientific community. In addition to the vast number of global mortalities due to COVID-19, since its outbreak, almost every aspect of human lives has changed one way or another. In the present review, various defensive and offensive strategies developed to confront COVID-19 are illustrated. The Administration of immune-boosting micronutrients/agents, as well as the…
IMPROVEMENTS RELATED TO PARTICLE, INCLUDING SARS-CoV-2, DETECTION AND METHODS THEREFOR - - link
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
USE OF IMINOSUGAR COMPOUND IN PREPARATION OF ANTI-SARS-COV-2 VIRUS DRUG - - link
逆转录酶突变体及其应用 - 本发明提供一种MMLV逆转录酶突变体，在野生型MMLV逆转录酶氨基酸序列（如SEQ ID No.1序列所示）中进行七个氨基酸位点的突变，氨基酸突变位点为：R205H；V288T；L304K；G525D；S526D；E531G；E574G。该突变体可以降低MMLV逆转录酶对Taq DNA聚合酶的抑制作用，大大提高了一步法RT‑qPCR的灵敏度。 - link
Compositions and methods for the treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) infection - - link
用于检测新型冠状病毒的试纸和试剂盒 - 本发明涉及生物技术和免疫检测技术领域，具体涉及一种用于检测新型冠状病毒的试纸和试剂盒。所述试纸或试剂盒含有抗体1和/或抗体2，所述抗体1的重、轻链可变区的氨基酸序列分别如SEQ ID NO:1‑2所示，所述抗体2的重、轻链可变区的氨基酸序列分别如SEQ ID NO:3‑4所示。本发明对于大批量的新型冠状病毒样本，包括新型冠状病毒突变（英国、南非）与非突变株的人血清、鼻咽拭子等样本的检测有普遍检测意义，避免突变株的漏检。 - link
Die Erfindung betrifft ein Fahrgastleitsystem zum Leiten von mit einem Fahrzeug (1) mit wenigstens zwei Türen (2.L, 2.R) transportieren Fahrgästen (3), mit wenigstens einem Sensor (4) zur Überwachung der Fahrgäste (3), wenigstens einem Anzeigemittel (5) zur Ausgabe von Leitinformationen, wenigstens einem Aktor zum Öffnen oder Verriegeln einer Tür (2.L, 2.R) und wenigstens einer Recheneinheit (7). Das erfindungsgemäße Fahrgastleitsystem ist dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Recheneinheit (7) dazu eingerichtet ist durch Auswertung vom wenigstens einen Sensor (4) erzeugter Sensordaten zu erkennen an welcher Tür (2.L, 2.R) des Fahrzeugs (1) Fahrgäste (3) ein- und/oder aussteigen möchten und wenigstens eine Tür (2.L, 2.R) für einen Ausstieg festzulegen und/oder wenigstens eine Tür (2.L, 2.R) für einen Einstieg festzulegen, sodass eine Anzahl an Begegnungen von sich durch das Fahrzeug (1) bewegender Fahrgäste (3) und/oder aus dem Fahrzeug (1) aussteigenden und/oder in das Fahrzeug (1) einsteigenden Fahrgästen (3) minimiert wird.
Vorrichtung zum Desinfizieren, der Körperpflege oder dergleichen mittels einer flüssigen oder cremigen Substanz (20), dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass die Vorrichtung mit einem elektrisch betriebenen Erinnerungs-Modul und einem Vorratsbehälter (10) für die Substanz (20) versehen ist, die Substanz (20) in dosierter Menge zur Ausgabeöffnung (9) gefördert wird und die Vorrichtung dazu geeignet ist, am Körper oder der Kleidung einer Person getragen zu werden.
Die Erfindung betrifft ein Verfahren zur laborbasierten Überprüfung und/oder weiteren Ausdifferenzierung einer im Schnelltestverfahren erhaltenen Diagnose einer Infektionskrankheit, wobei im Rahmen des Schnelltestverfahrens eine flüssige Patientenprobe auf ein Objekt aus einem porösen Material aufgetragen wird und wobei dieses Objekt nach Trocknung der flüssigen Patientenprobe an das diagnostische Labor übermittelt wird. Im Labor werden dann die eingetrockneten Probenreste aus dem porösen Material ausgelöst und analysiert.