Covid-19 Sentry

Contents

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

From Preprints

• Antecedents and consequences of telework during the COVID-19 pandemic: A natural experiment in Japan -
  With the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, companies around the world have been introducing telework. However, Japan stands out for its low rate of telework implementation, and it seems there may be cultural factors that have hindered telework use in Japan during the pandemic. In this study, we aim to clarify the antecedents and consequences of telework in Japan, making use of the natural experiment created by the COVID-19 pandemic to examine the following two questions: (1) What socio-psychological factors in workplaces were important for introducing telework in the first place? and (2) How did the implementation of telework subsequently influence socio-psychological factors in these workplaces? Three waves of an online survey were conducted among the same employees working for Japanese companies before and during the pandemic. We found that telework in Japan was more readily introduced in organizations characterized by meritocracy. We also found that the introduction of telework in Japanese companies did not have any negative effects but instead increased levels of independence, organizational commitment and perceived hierarchy mutability. We discuss how telework interacts with culture at both societal and organizational levels.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Antecedents and consequences of telework during the COVID-19 pandemic: A natural experiment in Japan
• The impact of publicly available COVID-19 information on commercial enterprise, government, and local establishments: A Case study in Poland -
  The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on societies global, affecting numerous elements of existence, including the economy, governance, and public institutions. During such fitness crises, the availability of accurate and well timed records is essential for powerful choice-making and response techniques. This situation study makes a specialty of Poland and examines the effect of publicly available COVID-19 information on enterprise, authorities, and neighborhood institutions inside the United States of America. Inside the face of a rapidly evolving pandemic, governments play a vital position in offering information to the general public. They function a number one source of steerage, issuing guidelines, hints, and updates associated with COVID-19. Additionally, various records channels, along with legit websites, media outlets, and social media structures, make contributions to disseminating COVID-19 facts to the general public. The accessibility and dissemination of COVID-19 facts have large implications for businesses. As public perception and behavior shift in response to the pandemic, agencies need to adapt to changes in call for, supply chains, and patron alternatives. Moreover, compliance with authority’s rules and tips turns into crucial for preserving operations and ensuring the protection of personnel and customers.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: The impact of publicly available COVID-19 information on commercial enterprise, government, and local establishments: A Case study in Poland
• Chaotic signatures in host-microbe interactions -
  Host-microbe interactions constitute dynamical systems that can be represented by mathematical formulations that determine their dynamic nature. Dynamical interactions can be categorized as deterministic, stochastic, or chaotic. Knowing the type of dynamical interaction is essential for understanding the system under study. Very little experimental work has been done to determine the dynamical characteristics of host-microbe interactions and its study poses significant challenges. The most straightforward experimental outcome involves an observation of time to death upon infection. However, in measuring this outcome, the internal parameters and dynamics of each host-microbe interaction are hidden from the experimentalist. To investigate whether a time-to-death (time to event) dataset provides adequate information for searching for chaotic signatures, we first determined our ability to detect chaos in simulated data sets of time-to-event measurements and successfully distinguished the time-to-event distribution of a chaotic process from a comparable stochastic one. To do so, we introduced an inversion measure to test for a chaotic signature in time-to-event distributions. Next, we searched for chaos in time-to-death of Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Pseudomonas entomophila, respectively. We found suggestions of chaotic signatures in both systems, but caution that our results are still preliminary and highlight the need for more fine-grained and larger data sets in determining dynamical characteristics. If validated, the occurrence of chaos in host-microbe interactions would have important implications for the occurrence and outcome of infectious diseases, the reproducibility of experiments in the field of microbial pathogenesis and the prediction of future microbial threats. ImportanceIs microbial pathogenesis a predictable scientific field? At a time when we are dealing with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) there is intense interest in knowing about the epidemic potential of other microbial threats and new emerging infectious diseases. To know whether microbial pathogenesis will ever be a predictable scientific field requires knowing whether a host-microbe interaction follows deterministic, stochastic, or chaotic dynamics. If randomness and chaos are absent from virulence, there is the hope for prediction in the future regarding the outcome of microbe-host interactions. Chaotic systems are inherently unpredictable although it is possible to generate short-term probabilistic models, as is done in applications of stochastic processes and machine learning to weather forecasting. Information on the dynamics of a system is also essential for understanding the reproducibility of experiments, a topic of great concern in biological sciences. Our study finds preliminary evidence for chaotic dynamics in infectious diseases.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Chaotic signatures in host-microbe interactions
• SARS-CoV-2 and its ORF3a, E and M viroporins activate inflammasome in human macrophages and induce of IL-1α in pulmonary epithelial and endothelial cells -
  Inflammasome assembly is a potent mechanism responsible for the host protection against pathogens, including viruses. When compromised, it can allow viral replication, while when disrupted, it can perpetuate pathological responses by IL-1 signaling and pyroptotic cell death. SARS-CoV-2 infection was shown to activate inflammasome in the lungs of COVID-19 patients, however, potential mechanisms responsible for this response are not fully elucidated. In this study, we investigated the effects of ORF3a, E and M SARS-CoV-2 viroporins in the inflammasome activation in major populations of alveolar sentinel cells: macrophages, epithelial and endothelial cells. We demonstrated that each viroporin is capable of activation of the inflammasome in macrophages to trigger cell death and IL-1 release from epithelial and endothelial cells. Small molecule NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors reduced IL-1 release but weakly affected the pyroptosis. Importantly, we discovered that while SARS-CoV-2 could not infect the pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells it induced IL-1 and IL-33 release. Together, these findings highlight the essential role of macrophages as the major inflammasome-activating cell population in the lungs and point to endothelial cell expressed IL-1 as a potential novel component driving the pulmonary immunothromobosis in COVID-19.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: SARS-CoV-2 and its ORF3a, E and M viroporins activate inflammasome in human macrophages and induce of IL-1α in pulmonary epithelial and endothelial cells
• Full-spike deep mutational scanning helps predict the evolutionary success of SARS-CoV-2 clades -
  SARS-CoV-2 variants acquire mutations in spike that promote immune evasion and impact other properties that contribute to viral fitness such as ACE2 receptor binding and cell entry. Knowledge of how mutations affect these spike phenotypes can provide insight into the current and potential future evolution of the virus. Here we use pseudovirus deep mutational scanning to measure how >9,000 mutations across the full XBB.1.5 and BA.2 spikes affect ACE2 binding, cell entry, or escape from human sera. We find that mutations outside the receptor-binding domain (RBD) have meaningfully impacted ACE2 binding during SARS-CoV-2 evolution. We also measure how mutations to the XBB.1.5 spike affect neutralization by serum from individuals who recently had SARS-CoV-2 infections. The strongest serum escape mutations are in the RBD at sites 357, 420, 440, 456, and 473–however, the antigenic impacts of these mutations vary across individuals. We also identify strong escape mutations outside the RBD; however many of them decrease ACE2 binding, suggesting they act by modulating RBD conformation. Notably, the growth rates of human SARS-CoV-2 clades can be explained in substantial part by the measured effects of mutations on spike phenotypes, suggesting our data could enable better prediction of viral evolution.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Full-spike deep mutational scanning helps predict the evolutionary success of SARS-CoV-2 clades
• Synthesis of Dendritic Cell-Targeted Polymeric Nanoparticles for Selective Delivery of mRNA Vaccines to Elicit Enhanced Immune Responses -
  ABSTRACT: Recent development of SARS-CoV-2 spike mRNA vaccines to control the pandemic is a breakthrough in the field of vaccine development. mRNA vaccines are generally formulated with lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) which are composed of several lipids with specific ratios; however, they generally lack selective delivery. To develop a simpler method selective delivery of mRNA, we reported here the synthesis of biodegradable copolymers decorated with guanidine and zwitterionic groups and an aryl-trimannoside ligand as polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs) for encapsulation and selective delivery of an mRNA to dendritic cells (DCs). A representative DC-targeted SARS-CoV-2 spike mRNA-PNP vaccine was shown to elicit a stronger protective immune response in mice as compared to the mRNA-LNP and mRNA-PNP vaccines without the selective delivery design. It is anticipated that this technology will be generally applicable to development of DC-targeted mRNA vaccines with enhanced immune response.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Synthesis of Dendritic Cell-Targeted Polymeric Nanoparticles for Selective Delivery of mRNA Vaccines to Elicit Enhanced Immune Responses
• Mycobiome analyses of critically ill COVID-19 patients -
  Rationale: COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) is a life-threatening complication in patients with severe COVID-19. Previously, acute respiratory distress syndrome in patients with COVID-19 has been associated with lung fungal dysbiosis, evidenced by reduced microbial diversity and Candida colonisation. Increased fungal burden in the lungs of critically ill COVID-19 patients is linked to prolonged mechanical ventilation and increased mortality. However, specific mycobiome signatures associated with severe COVID-19 in the context of survival and antifungal drug prophylaxis have not yet been determined and such knowledge could have an important impact on treatment. Objectives: To understand the composition of the respiratory mycobiome in critically ill COVID-19 patients with and without CAPA and the impact of antifungal use in patient outcome. Methods: We performed a multi-national study of 39 COVID-19 patients in intensive care units (ICU) with and without CAPA. Respiratory mycobiome was profiled using ITS1 sequencing and Aspergillus fumigatus burden was further validated using qPCR. Fungal communities were investigated using alpha diversity, beta diversity, taxa predominance and taxa abundances. Results: Respiratory mycobiomes of COVID-19 patients were dominated by Candida and Aspergillus. There was no significant association with corticosteroid use or CAPA diagnosis and respiratory fungal communities. Increased A. fumigatus burden was associated with mortality and, the use of azoles at ICU admission was linked with an absence of A. fumigatus. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that mould-active antifungal treatment at ICU admission may be linked with reduced A. fumigatus-associated mortality in severe COVID-19. However, further studies are warranted on this topic.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Mycobiome analyses of critically ill COVID-19 patients
• Integrating stimulus-organism-response model and theory of planned behavior to explore athletes’ intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine booster - A moderated mediation model -

  This study aims to investigate the factors influencing athletes9 intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine booster in Mainland China by integrating the stimulus-organization-response (SOR) model and theory of planned behavior (TPB) as the theoretical framework. Purposive sampling was used to select respondents from the National Games of the People9s Republic of China. Hard-copy questionnaires were utilized to collect data, resulting in 981 valid responses. Descriptive analysis and partial least squares structural equation modeling were used to analyze the data. The findings reveal that athletes9 subjective norm and knowledge significantly influence attitude, commitment, and perceived behavioral control. Attitude, commitment, and perceived behavioral control are verified as full mediators between subjective norm, knowledge, and intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine booster. Knowledge to commitment is the most powerful path to predict athletes9 intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine booster. Motivation moderates the relationships between knowledge, attitude, commitment, and perceived behavioral control. The integrating model9s explanatory power is 83.2%. Athletes9 knowledge is crucial in shaping a positive attitude, commitment, and perceived control, enhancing their intention to get the COVID-19 vaccine booster.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Integrating stimulus-organism-response model and theory of planned behavior to explore athletes’ intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine booster - A moderated mediation model
• A SOLUTION TO THE KERMACK AND MCKENDRICK INTEGRO-DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS WHICH ACCURATELY PROJECTS COVID-19 CASE DATA USING GOOGLE MOBILITY DATA AS AN INPUT -

  In this manuscript, we derive a closed form solution to the full Kermack and McKendrick integro-differential equations (Kermack and McKendrick 1927) which we call the KMES. We demonstrate the veracity of the KMES using the Google Residential Mobility Measure to accurately project case data from the Covid 19 pandemic and we derive many useful, but previously unknown, analytical expressions for characterizing and managing an epidemic. These include expressions for the viral load, the final size, the effective reproduction number, and the time to the peak in infections. The KMES can also be cast in the form of a step function system response to the input of new infections; and that response is the time series of total infections. Since the publication of Kermack and McKendricks seminal paper (1927), thousands of authors have utilized the Susceptible, Infected, and Recovered (SIR) approximations; expressions putatively derived from the integro-differential equations to model epidemic dynamics. Implicit in the use of the SIR approximation are the beliefs that there is no closed form solution to the integro-differential equations, and that the approximation is a special case which adequately reproduces the dynamics of the integro-differential equations mapped onto the physical world. However, the KMES demonstrates that the SIR approximations are not adequate representations of the integro-differential equations, and we therefore suggest that the KMES obsoletes the need for the SIR approximations by providing not only a new mathematical perspective, but a new understanding of epidemic dynamics.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: A SOLUTION TO THE KERMACK AND MCKENDRICK INTEGRO-DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS WHICH ACCURATELY PROJECTS COVID-19 CASE DATA USING GOOGLE MOBILITY DATA AS AN INPUT
• Assessing the Impact of Mask Mandates on SARS-CoV-2 Transmission: A Case Study of Utah -

  Background: Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the effectiveness of face masks mandates has been intensely debated. Many methods have been used to demonstrate mask effectiveness, including one that compares the change in reproduction number following implementing and removing face mask mandates. Methods: Using data from Utah, we calculated the effect of mask mandates (E_Fm) in each local health district from before and after three key mandates: the Salt Lake and Summit County (SLSC) mask mandates enacted; the Utah statewide mask mandate enacted; and the Utah statewide mandate was lifted. Results: We found that most counties had a reduction in the growth rate of cases following the mandates. There were reductions in E_Fm in many counties after the introduction of the SLSC mask mandates and a more widespread reduction in E_Fm across the state following the statewide mandate. Lifting the mandates, many counties across the states saw an increase in E_Fm. Conclusion: Our data show mask mandates were an effective way to reduce transmission both within the jurisdiction they were enacted and in neighboring jurisdictions. We provide evidence to support mask mandates as a way to prevent transmission to be better equipped to respond to future pandemics.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Assessing the Impact of Mask Mandates on SARS-CoV-2 Transmission: A Case Study of Utah
• Drug Discovery in Low Data Regimes: Leveraging a Computational Pipeline for the Discovery of Novel SARS-CoV-2 Nsp14-MTase Inhibitors -
  The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has led to significant global morbidity and mortality. A crucial viral protein, the non-structural protein 14 (nsp14), catalyzes the methylation of viral RNA and plays a critical role in viral genome replication and transcription. Due to the low mutation rate in the nsp region among various SARS-CoV-2 variants, nsp14 has emerged as a promising therapeutic target. However, discovering potential inhibitors remains a challenge. In this work, we introduce a computational pipeline for the rapid and efficient identification of potential nsp14 inhibitors by leveraging virtual screening and the NCI open compound collection, which contains 250,000 freely available molecules for researchers worldwide. The introduced pipeline provides a cost-effective and efficient approach for early-stage drug discovery by allowing researchers to evaluate promising molecules without incurring synthesis expenses. Our pipeline successfully identified seven promising candidates after experimentally validating only 40 compounds. Notably, we discovered NSC620333, a compound that exhibits a strong binding affinity to nsp14 with a dissociation constant of 427 {+/-} 84 nM. In addition, we gained new insights into the structure and function of this protein through molecular dynamics simulations. We identified new conformational states of the protein and determined that residues Phe367, Tyr368, and Gln354 within the binding pocket serve as stabilizing residues for novel ligand interactions. We also found that metal coordination complexes are crucial for the overall function of the binding pocket. Lastly, we present the solved crystal structure of the nsp14-MTase complexed with SS148 (PDB:8BWU), a potent inhibitor of methyltransferase activity at the nanomolar level (IC50 value of 70 {+/-} 6 nM). Our computational pipeline accurately predicted the binding pose of SS148, demonstrating its effectiveness and potential in accelerating drug discovery efforts against SARS-CoV-2 and other emerging viruses.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Drug Discovery in Low Data Regimes: Leveraging a Computational Pipeline for the Discovery of Novel SARS-CoV-2 Nsp14-MTase Inhibitors
• Real-world Effectiveness of BNT162b2 Against Infection and Severe Diseases in Children and Adolescents -

  Background: The efficacy of the BNT162b2 vaccine in pediatrics was assessed by randomized trials before the Omicron variant9s emergence. The long-term durability of vaccine protection in this population during the Omicron period remains limited. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of BNT162b2 in preventing infection and severe diseases with various strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in previously uninfected children and adolescents. Design: Comparative effectiveness research accounting for underreported vaccination in three study cohorts: adolescents (12 to 20 years) during the Delta phase, children (5 to 11 years) and adolescents (12 to 20 years) during the Omicron phase. Setting: A national collaboration of pediatric health systems (PEDSnet). Participants: 77,392 adolescents (45,007 vaccinated) in the Delta phase, 111,539 children (50,398 vaccinated) and 56,080 adolescents (21,180 vaccinated) in the Omicron period. Exposures: First dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine vs. no receipt of COVID-19 vaccine. Measurements: Outcomes of interest include documented infection, COVID-19 illness severity, admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), and cardiac complications. The effectiveness was reported as (1-relative risk)*100% with confounders balanced via propensity score stratification. Results: During the Delta period, the estimated effectiveness of BNT162b2 vaccine was 98.4% (95% CI, 98.1 to 98.7) against documented infection among adolescents, with no significant waning after receipt of the first dose. An analysis of cardiac complications did not find an increased risk after vaccination. During the Omicron period, the effectiveness against documented infection among children was estimated to be 74.3% (95% CI, 72.2 to 76.2). Higher levels of effectiveness were observed against moderate or severe COVID-19 (75.5%, 95% CI, 69.0 to 81.0) and ICU admission with COVID-19 (84.9%, 95% CI, 64.8 to 93.5). Among adolescents, the effectiveness against documented Omicron infection was 85.5% (95% CI, 83.8 to 87.1), with 84.8% (95% CI, 77.3 to 89.9) against moderate or severe COVID-19, and 91.5% (95% CI, 69.5 to 97.6)) against ICU admission with COVID-19. The effectiveness of the BNT162b2 vaccine against the Omicron variant declined after 4 months following the first dose and then stabilized. The analysis revealed a lower risk of cardiac complications in the vaccinated group during the Omicron variant period. Limitations: Observational study design and potentially undocumented infection. Conclusions: Our study suggests that BNT162b2 was effective for various COVID-19-related outcomes in children and adolescents during the Delta and Omicron periods, and there is some evidence of waning effectiveness over time.

  🖺 Full Text HTML: Real-world Effectiveness of BNT162b2 Against Infection and Severe Diseases in Children and Adolescents
• How well do surveys on adherence to pandemic policies assess actual behaviour: measurement properties of the Dutch Covid-19 Adherence to Prevention Advice Survey (CAPAS). -
  Background Survey data on adherence to COVID-19 prevention measures have often been used to inform policy makers and public health professionals. However, there is a lack of studies critically examining the validity and reliability of those self-reported measures. Aim We studied the measurement properties of the Covid-19 Adherence to Prevention Advice Survey (CAPAS), a novel questionnaire implemented in a repeated cross-sectional (i.e., ‘Trend’) Study and a Cohort Study in the Netherlands during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods The CAPAS is a novel questionnaire developed in March 2020, with the aim to assess social activity and adherence to COVID-19 prevention measures. Items were formulated to minimise social desirability and aid memory retrieval. Based on the COSMIN framework, we investigated criterion validity by comparing trends of self-reported behaviour to trends in objective data. Responsiveness was assessed by studying whether self-reported behaviour changed following contextual (e.g., policy) changes. Test-retest reliability was examined over periods in which the context was stable. Results Overall, trends in self-reported behaviour closely corresponded to trends in external objective data. Self-reported behaviours were responsive to contextual changes and test-retest reliabilities were adequate. For infrequent behaviours reliability improved when measures were dichotomised. We were able to examine national representativeness for vaccination, which suggested a modest overestimation of on average 3.7%. Conclusions This study supports the suitability of using carefully designed, self-reported surveys (and the CAPAS specifically) to study changes in pandemic behaviours in a dynamic context.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: How well do surveys on adherence to pandemic policies assess actual behaviour: measurement properties of the Dutch Covid-19 Adherence to Prevention Advice Survey (CAPAS).
• Tracking the development of COVID-19 related PsyArXiv preprints -
  Given the need for a rapid and critical response from behavioural sciences during times of crisis, this study investigated the trajectory of all preprints posted to the repository PsyArXiv up to 19 May 2020 that were related to COVID-19 (n = 211). Specifically, we examined the traction, impact, quality, and diversity of these preprints as compared to PsyArXiv preprints unrelated to COVID-19 (n = 167) and articles published in psychology journal articles (n = 75) within the same time frame. Preprints related to COVID-19 had similar traction to published journal articles on COVID-19, but compared to preprints unrelated to COVID-19, the COVID-19 preprints were more likely to be subsequently published during a follow-up period (until 2 March 2021), were published more quickly, and received more citations. Preprints related to COVID-19 reported fewer open science practices than preprints unrelated to COVID-19, but more than COVID-19 journal articles. Primary affiliations for all article types predominantly originated from Western countries, but this was comparatively more for preprints (both related to and not related to COVID-19), even though preprints had more international authorship teams than journal articles. Overall, the results demonstrate that some of the structural problems in research are still in play despite the global effort to mobilise research efforts during the pandemic.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Tracking the development of COVID-19 related PsyArXiv preprints
• Basic Psychological Needs, Quality of Motivation, and Protective Behavior Intentions: A Nationally Representative Survey -
  This is a pre-print of a study published at Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine https://doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2023.2257295. Objective: Citizens’ volitional engagement in protective behaviors is essential for successful pandemic management, as much of the required adherence is beyond authorities’ control and difficult to monitor. Building on the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study examines how basic psychological need satisfaction (BPNS) related to COVID-19 behavioral measures is associated with the quality of motivation (autonomous vs. controlled), and whether this quality of motivation is predictive of the intention to wear a face mask and to avoid meeting others. Methods: Cross-sectional survey study involving a nationally representative sample (N = 2272) was conducted in Finland in May 2021, when protective behaviors were recommended to prevent acceleration of the epidemic. Mann-Whitney U tests, Kruskal-Wallis tests, linear regression analysis, and multinomial logistic regression were conducted. Results: All three psychological needs were positively related to autonomous motivation (all p<.001). Satisfaction of autonomy (β = .234) and relatedness (β = .402) had larger effects than competence (β = .091). Autonomous motivation (range Exp(B) = 1.82‒3.55, p = .001) was consistently related to intention to wear a mask and intention to avoid meeting people. Controlled motivation (range Exp(B) = .66‒.93, p = .001‒.457) was associated with decreased protective behavior intentions. The effects of amotivation (range Exp(B) = .65‒1.02, p = .001‒.911) varied across analyses. Conclusions: Fostering autonomous motivation could increase adherence to protective behaviors in situations without clear mandates. The results also suggest that increasing perceptions of pressure or appealing to personal risk and fear may not advance adherence as effectively.
  🖺 Full Text HTML: Basic Psychological Needs, Quality of Motivation, and Protective Behavior Intentions: A Nationally Representative Survey

From Clinical Trials

• Clinical Evaluation of the Panbio™ COVID-19/Flu A&B Panel - Conditions: COVID-19; Influenza A; Influenza B
  Interventions: Diagnostic Test: Panbio™
  Sponsors: Abbott Rapid Dx
  Not yet recruiting

• A Multicenter, Adaptive, Randomized, doublE-blinded, Placebo-controlled Study in Participants With Long COVID-19: The REVIVE Trial - Conditions: Long COVID-19 Syndrome; Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
  Interventions: Drug: Fluvoxamine Maleate 100 MG; Drug: Placebo; Drug: Metformin Extended Release Oral Tablet
  Sponsors: Cardresearch
  Recruiting

• Influence of Hypoxic, Normobaric and Hypobaric Training on the Immunometabolism of Post-covid-19 Athletes - Conditions: Normobaric Hypoxia; Hypoventilation; Normoxia
  Interventions: Other: Repeated sprint
  Sponsors: Faculdade de Motricidade Humana; University of Sao Paulo; Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior.
  Not yet recruiting

• Connecting Friends and Health Workers to Boost COVID-19 Vaccination in Latino Communities - Conditions: COVID-19; Vaccine
  Interventions: Behavioral: REDES; Behavioral: Control
  Sponsors: Johns Hopkins University; National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD); Rutgers University
  Recruiting

• The Safety and Tolerability of A8G6 COVID-19 Neutralization Antibody Combined With Nasal Spray - Conditions: SARS-CoV-2; Prevention
  Interventions: Biological: A8G6 SARS-CoV-2 Neutralization Antibody combination nasal spray; Other: A8G6 SARS-CoV-2 Neutralization Antibody nasal excipient
  Sponsors: The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University
  Recruiting

• Clinical Evaluation of the Panbio™ COVID-19/Flu A&B Panel to Support Home Use - Conditions: COVID-19; Influenza A; Influenza Type B
  Interventions: Diagnostic Test: Panbio™ COVID-19/Flu A&B Panel
  Sponsors: Abbott Rapid Dx
  Recruiting

• Effects of Rehabilitation Combined With a Maintenance Program Compared to Rehabilitation Alone in Post-COVID-19 - Conditions: Post-COVID-19 Syndrome
  Interventions: Procedure: Rehabilitation combined to a digital maintenance program; Procedure: Rehabilitation only
  Sponsors: Schön Klinik Berchtesgadener Land; Bavarian State Ministry of Health and Care (Funding); Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund (German pension insurance) (Design); Betriebskrankenkassen Landesverband Bayern (Bavarian health insurance) (Design)
  Not yet recruiting

• Building Engagement Using Financial Incentives Trial - Colorectal Cancer Screening - Conditions: Health Behavior; Colorectal Cancer; Influenza; COVID-19; Vaccine Hesitancy; Vaccine-Preventable Diseases; Healthcare Patient Acceptance
  Interventions: Behavioral: Financial incentive for colorectal cancer screening; Behavioral: Financial incentive for flu shot; Behavioral: Financial incentive for COVID-19 shot
  Sponsors: Tulane University; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
  Not yet recruiting

• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Literacy for Primary Schools Teachers. A Multicomponent Intervention - Conditions: Child Mental Health
  Interventions: Behavioral: Child Mental Health Literacy Program
  Sponsors: Universidad de Valparaiso
  Recruiting

• Brief Digital Intervention to Increase COVID-19 Vaccination Among Individuals With Anxiety or Depression - Conditions: Misinformation; Vaccine Hesitancy; Anxiety; Depression; COVID-19
  Interventions: Behavioral: Attitudinal inoculation; Behavioral: Cognitive-behavioral therapy-informed intervention; Behavioral: Conventional public health messaging
  Sponsors: City University of New York, School of Public Health; University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
  Not yet recruiting

• Pilot Randomized Study of RD-X19 Tx Device in Subjects With PCC (Long Covid) in the Outpatient Setting - Conditions: Post COVID-19 Condition (PCC)
  Interventions: Device: RDX-19
  Sponsors: KNOWBio Inc.; NAMSA
  Recruiting

• A PhaseⅡ Study to Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of COVID-19 Vaccine - Conditions: SARS-CoV-2 Infection
  Interventions: Biological: COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine (ZSVG-02-O); Biological: COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine (ZSVG-02-O); Biological: COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell) ,Inactivated
  Sponsors: CNBG-Virogin Biotech (Shanghai) Ltd.
  Recruiting

• CPAP Therapy Through a Helmet or a Full Face Mask in Patients With Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure: Cross-over Study - Conditions: Pneumonia, Bacterial; Respiratory Failure; COVID-19 Pneumonia
  Interventions: Diagnostic Test: Arterial blood gases; Diagnostic Test: Respiratory rate (RR); Diagnostic Test: Pulseoximeter; Diagnostic Test: Assessment of accessory respiratory muscles work; Diagnostic Test: Esophageal pressure measurement; Diagnostic Test: Discomfort Visual Analog Scale (VAS); Diagnostic Test: Noninvasive blood pressure; Diagnostic Test: Heart rate
  Sponsors: I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University
  Recruiting

• Investigation of Efficacy and Safety of Electrical Signal Therapy Provided by Dr Biolyse® Device in COVID-19 Disease - Conditions: COVID-19 Pneumonia; Virus Diseases; COVID-19
  Interventions: Device: Signal Therapy provided by Dr.Biolyse device; Other: Liquid Support Treatment
  Sponsors: AVB Biotechnology
  Recruiting

• A Phase 1 Study to Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of COVID-19 Vaccine - Conditions: SARS-CoV-2 Infection
  Interventions: Biological: Placebo; Biological: COVID-19 Vaccine (Vero Cell) ,Inactivated; Biological: COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine (ZSVG-02-O) 10 μg; Biological: COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine (ZSVG-02-O) 30 μg; Biological: COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine (ZSVG-02-O) 60 μg
  Sponsors: CNBG-Virogin Biotech (Shanghai) Ltd.; Shulan (Hangzhou) Hospital
  Recruiting

From PubMed

• The double-edged sword of the hippocampus-ventromedial prefrontal cortex resting-state connectivity in stress susceptibility and resilience: A prospective study - The hippocampus has long been considered a pivotal region implicated in both stress susceptibility and resilience. A wealth of evidence from animal and human studies underscores the significance of hippocampal functional connectivity with the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) in these stress-related processes. However, there remains a scarcity of research that explores and contrasts the roles of hippocampus-vmPFC connectivity in stress susceptibility and resilience when facing a real-life…

• Influenza A virus replication has a stronger dependency on Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway activity than SARS-CoV-2 - The recent COVID-19 pandemic again highlighted the urgent need for broad-spectrum antivirals, both for therapeutic use in acute viral infection and for pandemic preparedness in general. The targeting of host cell factors hijacked by viruses during their replication cycle presents one possible strategy for development of broad-spectrum antivirals. By inhibiting the Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway, a central kinase cascade of eukaryotic cells, which is being exploited by numerous viruses of…

• Coffee as a dietary strategy to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection - CONCLUSIONS: This study verified moderate coffee consumption, including decaffeination, can provide a new guideline for the prevention of SARS-CoV-2. Based on the results, we also suggest a coffee-drinking plan for people to prevent infection in the post-COVID-19 era.

• Weak SARS-CoV-2-specific responses of TIGIT-expressing CD8+ T cells in people living with HIV after a third dose of a SARS-CoV-2 inactivated vaccine - CONCLUSION: TIGIT expression on CD8+ T cells may hinder the T-cell immune response to a booster dose of an inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, suggesting weakened resistance to SARS-CoV-2 infection, especially in PLWH. Furthermore, TIGIT may be used as a potential target to increase the production of SARS-CoV-2-specific CD8+ T cells, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of vaccination.

• Intranasal G5-BGG/pDNA vaccine elicits protective systemic and mucosal immunity against SARS-CoV-2 by transfecting mucosal dendritic cells - Infectious disease pandemics, including the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, have heightened the demand for vaccines that provide both disease protection and transmission inhibition. Although parenteral vaccines induce robust systemic immunity, their effectiveness in respiratory mucosae is limited. Considering the crucial role of nasal-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT) in mucosal immune responses, in this study, the intranasal complex composed of G5-BGG and antigen-expressing plasmid DNA…

• Colloidal aggregation confounds cell-based Covid-19 antiviral screens - Colloidal aggregation is one of the largest contributors to false-positives in early drug discovery and chemical biology. Much work has focused on its impact on pure-protein screens; here we consider aggregations role in cell-based infectivity assays in Covid-19 drug repurposing. We began by investigating the potential aggregation of 41 drug candidates reported as SARs-CoV-2 entry inhibitors. Of these, 17 formed colloidal-particles by dynamic light scattering and exhibited detergent-dependent…

• Application of Luteolin in Neoplasms and Nonneoplastic Diseases - Researchers are amazed at the multitude of biological effects of 3’,4’,5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone, more commonly known as luteolin, as it simultaneously has antioxidant and pro-oxidant, as well as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and cancer-preventive, properties. The anticancer properties of luteolin constitute a mosaic of pathways due to which this flavonoid influences cancer cells. Not only is it able to induce apoptosis and inhibit cancer cell proliferation, but it also suppresses angiogenesis…

• HSP90AB1 Is a Host Factor Required for Transmissible Gastroenteritis Virus Infection - Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) is an important swine enteric coronavirus causing viral diarrhea in pigs of all ages. Currently, the development of antiviral agents targeting host proteins to combat viral infection has received great attention. The heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) is a critical host factor and has important regulatory effects on the infection of various viruses. However, its roles in porcine coronavirus infection remain unclear. In this study, the effect of HSP90 on TGEV…

• Therapeutic Effect and Safety Evaluation of Naringin on Klebsiella pneumoniae in Mice - Critically ill patients with Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) often develop secondary bacterial infections that pose a significant threat to patient life safety, making the development of drugs to prevent bacterial infections in the lungs critical to clinical care. Naringin (NAR) is one of the significant natural flavonoids rich in Pummelo Peel (Hua Ju Hong), with anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activities, and is commonly used in treating respiratory tract infectious…

• Interaction of Methylene Blue with Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Envelope Revealed by Molecular Modeling - Methylene blue has multiple antiviral properties against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-related Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The ability of methylene blue to inhibit different stages of the virus life cycle, both in light-independent and photodynamic processes, is used in clinical practice. At the same time, the molecular aspects of the interactions of methylene blue with molecular components of coronaviruses are not fully understood. Here, we use Brownian dynamics to identify methylene blue…

• Genetic Predisposition to Elevated Levels of Circulating ADAM17 Is Associated with the Risk of Severe COVID-19 - High levels of ADAM17 activity have emerged as an important mediator in severe COVID-19. This study aims to characterize eventual causal relationships between ADAM17 and COVID-19. Using Mendelian randomization analyses, we examined the causal effects of circulating ADAM17 on COVID-19 outcomes using summary statistics from large, genome-wide association studies of ADAM17 (up to 35,559 individuals) from the Icelandic Cancer Project and deCODE genetics, as well as critically ill COVID-19 patients…

• Sigma Receptor Ligands Prevent COVID Mortality In Vivo: Implications for Future Therapeutics - The emergence of lethal coronaviruses follows a periodic pattern which suggests a recurring cycle of outbreaks. It remains uncertain as to when the next lethal coronavirus will emerge, though its eventual emergence appears to be inevitable. New mutations in evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants have provided resistance to current antiviral drugs, monoclonal antibodies, and vaccines, reducing their therapeutic efficacy. This underscores the urgent need to investigate alternative therapeutic approaches….

• Novel Substituted Azoloazines with Anticoagulant Activity - Hypercytokinemia, or cytokine storm, often complicates the treatment of viral and bacterial infections, including COVID-19, leading to the risk of thrombosis. However, the use of currently available direct anticoagulants for the treatment of COVID-19 patients is limited due to safety reasons. Therefore, the development of new anticoagulants remains an urgent task for organic and medicinal chemistry. At the same time, new drugs that combine anticoagulant properties with antiviral or antidiabetic…

• Insights into the mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 main protease autocatalytic maturation from model precursors - A critical step for SARS-CoV-2 assembly and maturation involves the autoactivation of the main protease (MPro^(WT)) from precursor polyproteins. Upon expression, a model precursor of MPro^(WT) mediates its own release at its termini rapidly to yield a mature dimer. A construct with an E290A mutation within MPro exhibits time dependent autoprocessing of the accumulated precursor at the N-terminal nsp4/nsp5 site followed by the C-terminal nsp5/nsp6 cleavage. In contrast, a precursor containing…

• Safety and immunogenicity of the third and fourth doses of vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 following a 2-dose regimen of inactivated whole-virion SARS-CoV-2 vaccine - This study followed healthcare personnel (HCP) who had completed a primary series of CoronaVac and then received the third and fourth doses of COVID-19 vaccine. The primary objective was to determine the seroconversion rate of neutralizing antibodies against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 and VOCs at day 28 after the third dose of vaccine and day 28 after the fourth dose of vaccine. This prospective cohort study was conducted at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, a tertiary care hospital affiliated to…

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